“I’m sorry, guys,” he said. “This isn’t going to work. Someone’s going to have to get out.”
“Only one of us?” Rachel said. “Will that make a difference?”
“I hope so. That sound you heard was our tail rotor brushing the air-conditioning unit. It seems okay, but I can’t take any more chances of bumping it. Nine passengers is just too many. I’ll be lucky to take off with only eight of you.”
There was an uneasy silence for a second.
“If I drop these people at Tripler,” Stan said, “I can be back in five minutes. I’d volunteer to stay behind, but unless one of you can fly a helicopter—”
“I’m staying,” Rachel said with a resigned tone.
“Maybe you should draw straws,” said Stan.
“No, this is my hotel. I’m responsible. I’m the one who should stay.”
Everyone else remained quiet. Even if they had argued, Rachel wouldn’t have let one of them stay behind while she was whisked to safety.
Before Rachel could climb out, Paige grabbed her arm and hugged her fiercely.
“Thank you for giving my family a chance.”
“Thanks for helping me. Take care of those kids.”
Rachel backed away to give the helicopter room to maneuver.
Stan brought the helicopter up to speed again. Without Rachel’s added 120 pounds, the blades were able to claw more lift from the air. The chopper slowly rose and angled away from the air-conditioning machinery.
After it was clear of the hotel, it circled once thirty feet above Rachel. They waved, and Rachel gave them a thumbs-up.
Then the helicopter swung away and headed in the direction of downtown Honolulu, leaving Rachel on the roof of the Grand Hawaiian, alone.
FIFTY
When Kai and the others saw the helicopter take off from the Grand Hawaiian, they let out a weary but jubilant cheer. It was quickly cut short by a rumble from far below them. The building continued to resist the force of the water, but it protested mightily. The noise made Kai step up the broadcasting of his Mayday. It would be extremely risky to wait for Rachel’s helicopter to get back. “My name is Kai Tanaka, and we are standing on a white building approximately six blocks from the beach and eight blocks west of the Honolulu Zoo. To anyone who can hear us…”
The power of the walkie-talkie limited the radius to just a few miles, so he was hoping something would fly within range long enough to hear the message. After a couple of broadcasts on the new frequency Rachel had given him, he got an answer.
“Mr. Tanaka, this is CWO Henry Mitchell on Army flight one niner three. I see your party. What is your situation?”
Teresa hugged Mia, and Tom yelled, “All right!”
“You see us?” Kai said to the pilot.
“We’re just passing over Diamond Head.” Kai turned and looked to the east, where saw a Black Hawk helicopter speeding toward them.
“Thank God! We’ve got eight people here.” A huge antenna sprang from the center of the building’s roof, a feature Kai hadn’t noticed from the ground. Three microwave transmitters were perched on the antenna. Kai didn’t see markings on it, but it couldn’t be anything other than a cell phone tower. It would get in the way of any helicopter trying to land. “You’ll have to hover next to the building to pick us up.”
Chuck and Denise, the other couple on the roof with them, saw the commotion and edged closer.
“What’s happening?” Chuck asked. “Did you get someone?”
“A helicopter,” Brad said.
“Which one?” Chuck pointed at the Black Hawk. “That one? Why isn’t it coming down?”
Kai expected the helicopter to start dipping down toward the building, but Chuck was right. It was maintaining its altitude. It would pass over them in a few seconds.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Tanaka,” the pilot said, “but I don’t have any room.”
“Even for a few people?” Kai pleaded. “We have children here.”
“I’m packed to the gills with injured from Maui. I’m heading over to Wheeler to drop them off. I’ll be back for you as soon as I can.”
“How long will that be?”
“I’m running low on fuel, so we need to gas up. That could take thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes!”
“Maybe longer. Wheeler’s jammed, and it’s the only place that still has refueling equipment for choppers.”
The Black Hawk roared overhead, tantalizingly close.
Chuck, who had been listening to the conversation, pushed next to Kai and snatched the walkie-talkie from Kai’s hand. Kai stood in shock as Chuck keyed the Talk button.
“Pilot, this is Chuck Bender, and I have ten thousand dollars in cash here for you if you—”
Brad grabbed Chuck’s wrist, pressing his fingers into Chuck’s carpal tendon. Chuck screamed in pain and dropped the walkie-talkie into Brad’s other hand.
“That’s not yours,” Brad said, and handed the walkietalkie back to Kai. Chuck glared at Brad but thought better about taking it further.
“Did I hear that right?” Mitchell said. “Do you think I do this for money? Who was that?”
“I’m sorry, Chief Mitchell,” Kai said. “That was another party here. He does not speak for me. We’d appreciate any help you can give us, but thirty minutes will be too long. There is another wave coming. And I’m not sure the building will even survive that long. We’re hearing a lot of rumbling coming from it. It might go at any time.”
“I’m sorry,” Mitchell said. “I’ll see if there are any other helicopters available. In the meantime, I suggest you keep sending out the SOS. Good luck.”
The sound of the Black Hawk grew fainter, along with Kai’s hopes.
The walkie-talkie squawked again, and Kai thought he’d given up too quickly.
“Kai,” Rachel said, “I couldn’t hear everything that pilot said. Did you get a ride?”
“Rachel?” Kai hadn’t expected to hear her. He assumed she was on her way to being dropped off in the other helicopter, which would be out of range by now. “Where are you?”
“The helicopter was too full, and I drew the short straw.”
“You mean you’re still on top of the hotel?”
He looked at the roof of the Grand Hawaiian and could just make out her tiny figure waving at them. Kai nearly fainted. After all that, she still wasn’t safe.
“Not the best place to be, I agree,” she said, trying to sound brave in her plight. “Do you mind picking me up after the chopper arrives?”
“Honey, we can’t. They don’t have room on the Army helicopter. It won’t be back for a while.”
The pause at the other end was heartbreaking.
“That’s okay,” she finally said. “The pilot that was here said he’d come back for me.” She paused again, then her voice came back more weakly. “But just in case, you better keep calling for help.”
“I will,” Kai said. “Trust me, Rachel. We’re going to make it.”
“I know,” she said, but Kai could tell that she didn’t really believe it.
Stan circled the helicopter over Tripler Army Medical Center looking for a flat space that hadn’t been overrun by evacuees. Every inch of the massive hospital’s grounds was occupied by people, thousands of them. Then he
