“No way,” he said. “We have to get off this beach before they box us in.”
“She’s still too heavy!”
“Yeah, but not too heavy to move.” He scrambled up to the flight deck. “Palmer, throw off the mooring line!”
Ed hesitated. “But the fish might get me!”
“Those things’ll get us all if you don’t! You can reach it through the nose turret! Can you operate the gun?” A. 30-caliber machine gun was enclosed in a Plexiglas turret in the nose of the plane.
“Yeah…” he said, a little uncertainly, but he dodged his way forward. The plane was floating almost freely now. A few nerve-racking moments passed.
“Got it!” came Palmer’s muffled shout, and the nose immediately swung away from the beach.
“C’mon, babies!” Mallory said, and then whooped when both engines coughed to life. With throttles and rudder, he pointed the nose at the bay. The ships were much closer, and now he could see the creatures upon them with unaided eyes. “Oh, boy!” he shouted. “Here they come! I’m gonna try to motor around them, so keep bailing till I tell you, but be ready to get on a gun as quick as you can!” There was also a. 50-caliber machine gun in each observation blister, but that was the extent of the PBY’s armaments.
“Jeez, they’re scary-lookin’,” breathed Palmer, glancing forward.
“Yeah,” panted Brister. “Bail!” Mallory advanced the throttles, and the big plane began to move.
“They’re almost making a lane for us, like they want at us from both sides!” he shouted. “I’ll make for it. Be ready on those fifties, in case they try to close the gap!”
Closer and closer the roaring engines took them. Soon they edged between the two ships, and the details they beheld were nightmarish.
“Shit!” Palmer screamed when something “thunked” into the thick aluminum beside him. It was an arrow! As quick as that, the plane drummed with impacts. “Shit!” he repeated. “They’re shootin’ at us!”
“Let ’em have it!” Brister yelled, and they opened fire on both of the terrible ships. Clouds of splinters flew where the tracers pointed, and bodies fell from the rails. A keening shriek reached them even over the guns, the engines, and the clattering, heavy brass cases that fell around them. “Pour it in!” he shouted as the incoming barrage began to slack off. A big greasy ball of flame erupted right behind the starboard wing and actually singed his hair. “What the hell was that? Step on it, Ben!”
Mallory needed no encouragement. He’d watched the “bomb” all the way in. He pushed the throttles to their stops. Sluggishly, the waterlogged plane picked up speed. The roar of the engines and hammering guns made it too loud to think. Another explosion washed the sea, but it missed them safely aft. The faster target must have spoiled their aim. Then, as quickly as the battle had begun, they sped clear of the monsters’ ships and Brister shouted to hold their fire. The other ship was closing still, but at their current heading, it would never reach them in time to cut them off. Water from the massive wake they made splashed in through the blisters and hissed on the barrels of the superheated guns.
Brister turned to Palmer, eyes wide. “Wow!”
There was still a lot of water in the plane, but they plowed upwind as far as they could before they powered down. Mallory left the motors idling, props feathered, and helped them bail some more.
“Talk about your floating freak shows!” he gasped, throwing water past the gun. “Damn plane looks like a pincushion! Goddamn arrows!”
“Just be glad they weren’t muskets or cannons,” said Brister. “We wouldn’t have had a chance! Arrows and firebombs were bad enough!”
“I’ll say! What now?” Palmer asked.
“Keep bailing,” Ben replied. “A few hundred more pounds and we’ll get her in the air. Then we can dump what’s left.” He grinned. “Once we do that, start looking for holes!”
Less than an hour later, the battered seaplane clawed into the air and followed after Mahan. Mallory didn’t know if the monsters saw them or not, now they were stuck in the bay. If they did, he wondered what they thought. The plane quickly overtook Mahan and landed at her side. Brister seethed with rage at the man who’d left them to their fate, but to his surprise Kaufman met them himself in the whaleboat with smiles and waves.
“Keep hold of yourself,” Mallory said. “Remember, we’re going to fly to Ceylon and save the day. Stick to the plan!” Brister simmered down, but all he wanted to do was kill the Army captain with his bare hands.
“Let’s just shoot him with the thirty in the nose,” Palmer said through a clenched-teeth grin.
“Won’t work. Like Mr. Ellis said before he got sick, he’s got too many on his side. Even if we got him, there might be a bloodbath. Some of ’em are crazy as he is, and they have all the guns.”
“Okay,” said Mallory, adjusting the throttles so he wouldn’t smack the boat as it came alongside. “I’ll stay with the plane-I have to. Get all the fuel and anything else you can think of. Maps, more food, whatever. Maybe even more people, but don’t be too obvious. We know he won’t let Mr. Ellis come.”
“Right.” Together, Perry and Ed jumped in the whaleboat.
“You really did it!” Kaufman gushed. “Did you have much trouble?”
“No,” lied Brister cheerfully. “Piece of cake. Let’s hurry up and get the fuel on board. The quicker we’re back in the air, the quicker we’ll be in Ceylon!”
Kaufman refused to allow anyone to accompany them. Three was enough, he said, to risk on such a dangerous flight. Perry did manage to slip away to “get some gear,” and he went to see Jim Ellis before he left the ship. Jim was trying to climb the companionway stairs when he found him, supported by crutches and Pam Cross and Kathy McCoy. Beth Grizzel wasn’t there.
“You made it,” he said. “Thank God.”
“Yes, sir. Thank God. No thanks to that bastard Kaufman. He left us to die.”
“I know. Listen, you must find Walker! Kaufman’s nuts; half the crew’s nuts. It’s just a matter of time before he kills us all. You know as well as I do, Ceylon’s not there. There’s no telling what is. Find Walker, find Captain Reddy…” He gasped from the effort of his words and exertions.
“We will.”
“Tell him I’m sorry I failed him. I’m sorry I let the men down.”
“It’s not your fault, sir!”
“Isn’t it?” Jim sighed. “Maybe not, but it’s my responsibility.”
“He shot you!”
Jim laughed bitterly. “A good commander would have shot him first! Now get your ass out of here before Kaufman starts nosing around!”
Perry looked at the two nurses. He hated to leave them behind, but Kaufman wouldn’t part with them. The surgeon was acting funny, and the nurses were it. There were still a lot of wounded on the ship. Besides, their errand might be doomed from the start. They had only so much fuel and they had no idea where Walker was.
“Aye, aye, sir.” Perry Brister said, and shook Jim Ellis’s hand. Pam stepped quickly forward and planted a kiss lightly on his cheek.
“For luck!” she said, then punched his shoulder. Hard. “Tell Lieutenant Tucker we’re keeping the faith.” She glanced at Kathy and grimaced. “Two out of three anyway. Beth’s as crazy as Kaufman.” She shrugged and kissed him again, on the mouth this time. “Double luck! Now git out’a heah!” Blushing, Perry saluted Lieutenant Ellis and raced for the boat.
Later, when they thundered into the darkening sky and circled the lonely, misguided ship for the last time, Brister thought he caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Ellis leaning on his crutches by the rail, a small group gathered around him.
The two and a half weeks since Walker’s arrival had been a whirlwind of frantic activity. Despite acknowledging the danger they faced, Matt suspected the ’Cats weren’t quite prepared for the pace the destroyermen set. The trauma of getting their economy and society on a war footing was causing a stir, but Matt and his crew knew what had happened at Pearl Harbor and Clark Field. They’d seen what happened at Cavite. They’d learned a hard lesson in preparedness, and as long as their fortunes were tied to those of their new friends, they wouldn’t let them waste time they might later regret. Big Sal’s crew was equally motivated, and repairs to the big ship moved apace. The very day after the “party,” Walker was moved to the pier and as extensive an overhaul as possible began. The number three gun was repaired, and all the circuits coordinating the main battery were checked and spliced. Steaming on only the number four boiler to maintain electrical power, they checked the other boilers and repaired firebrick. There was nothing to be done for number one so it was stripped and prepared for
