Timeshadow 03

"I don't know much about it, David." She looked at him with her best poker face, but he already looked about three sheets to the wind.

"How 'bout you, darlin'?" he said as he looked her over. "You – involved?"

"Me? No. As a matter of fact, it's been a while since I had a boyfriend," she said as she looked him in the eye. "How long have you been away from home?"

"Too long."

"You know, David, I think you and I could help each other out tonight."

"Darlin'...you must be a mind reader. Besides, you're about as cute as any woman I ever met."

"Oh, David, I can do a lot more than read minds." She leaned over and bit his ear, ran her tongue around lightly a few seconds, then whispered something in his ear...

"You know what?" Davey Crockett said as he hopped up and held his hand out, "You and me need to go for a little walk. I got somethin' you really need to see..."

+++++

His tanks full and all ordnance flags pulled, Sandusky taxied to the end of the runway, the Orion constellation hanging high over the western horizon, Kimmel's orders still burning in his ear.

"Wait for their aircraft to begin launch operations, then take out the carriers. If you can identify any battleships, take them out too, then shoot down any incoming aircraft that take off. Our fleet is forming up off Diamond Head right now, steaming north to pursue any stragglers. Try to cover them if any threats materialize."

Sandusky looked over his left wing at the three other Lightnings and he felt butterflies in his gut. 'This is so wrong,' he said to himself as he flipped to the tactical frequency. "Boomer lead. Let's depart on zero-four-zero, climb to flight level two two heading due north, then we'll break into two sections when we go feet wet. Radar off until we split, then I'll ID the carriers visually and light 'em up for you."

"Two, roger."

"Three, roger."

"Four, roger."

"Boomer four, you stay on air-to-air. If you see anything that could threaten the harbor or the fleet, take out the threat then resume CAP over the base until we return. The B-2 will be orbiting at flight level four four, on this frequency, and the tanker will be on stand-by here at the field."

"Four, got it."

"Boomer lead, taking off when I get the green light..."

Standing in the tower high above the field, Kimmel and Short nodded to the controller, told him to give the Lightnings the green take-off light, and when Boomer five-oh-five ran up to full military power the ground began shaking, and Kimmel put his hands over his ears...

"Dear God!" he shouted, but nobody heard him, then Five-oh-five was roaring down the runway and it leapt into the sky, trailing a huge pencil-like line of flame as it went ballistic – straight up into the night sky... Kimmel looked at Short, and both grinned savagely.

"This just ain't going to be a fair fight," Short said as Boomer Two ran up to full power, then leapt down the runway.

Lights all over the city came on... People ran into their yards, into the streets and looked up into the night sky as four howling demons shot up through a line of clouds, lighting them up from the inside – turning clouds to yellow motes in Satan's eye, and the world huddled in fear as the horsemen turned north and disappeared into the darkness.

+++++

"Boomer lead, feet wet. Go active ECM, radars from standby to active."

"Boomer four, I have multiple aircraft in two groups, range niner zero miles, heading one niner one, speed one six zero, altitude four thousand and climbing. Looks like four zero aircraft in the first group, four niner in the second."

"Lead, four, a little earlier than expected. Take 'em out, then watch our backs."

"Four, lead, roger. Weapons hot, going in."

"Lead, I'm going to burner now, up to flight level three zero, and I'll advise when I have the fleet painted."

"Three."

"Two."

Sandusky eased the stick back, climbed quickly to thirty thousand feet and leveled off, then turned on his high power search radar: instantly two groups of ships appeared, still more than a hundred miles away – but as Sandusky's F-35 covered the distance in just a few minutes, he powered back and looked at his threat panel. Low powered search radars were painting his aircraft – even as he jammed the Japanese radars, something which was unheard of in 1941. Now at cruise power and at thirty thousand feet, it was doubtful anyone below would even hear his approach.

Soon his radar was picking up enough data to ascertain size quite accurately, and the computer was assigning threat values based on this data. "Lead to flight, radar has six, repeat six carriers, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, and a whole shitload of destroyers and supply ships."

"Lead, two. Can you define shitload, please. That ain't on my cheat-sheet."

"Two, Lead. Sure it is, it's right before syphilis. Look it up."

"Two, roger."

"Lead, two, lighting up the first carrier, NOW!"

The targeting laser in the nose of Boomer five-oh-five powered up and Sandusky flipped to the target screen. He centered the crosshairs on the closest carrier and activated the beam.

+++++

Rear Admiral Hara Chuichi stood next to Captain Jojima Takatsugu on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Shokaku, both looking over the flight deck as the last aircraft of 5th FCU rumbled down the deck and crawled into the dawn sky, when the starboard lookout called out that he had spotted something unusual.

Captain Takatsugu walked out onto the small catwalk off the bridge and the lookout pointed high into the night sky...

"The sun, Captain, flashed briefly on the target. I do not know what it is."

+++++

"Lead, two. Target acquired and locked on."

"Two, lead. Fox one."

"Lead, two, one away."

+++++

Admiral Chuichi joined Takatsugu on the catwalk when he saw the captain looking up at the sky through binoculars. "What is it, Captain?"

"I do not know, Admiral. It is an aircraft, apparently circling, but it is too high..."

Another lookout screamed: "Aircraft...port quarter..."

Chuichi and Takatsugu swept to left, ahead of their ship, and both saw the pale gray shape closing on the carrier Zuikaku three miles away, to the left of their ship. The aircraft, for what else could it be, was skimming the waves when, perhaps a half mile from the Zuikaku, it rose to perhaps a hundred feet above the sea, then, when it appeared to pass over the forward part of the carrier, the sun came out.

Chuichi reacted first. He just managed to close his eyes as the main blast wave of the thermobaric warhead hit the Shokaku. A fireball a quarter mile in diameter formed above the Zuikaku, then the secondary explosive warhead detonated, amplifying the primary fuel-air explosion and causing the air temperature around the target to reach 2500 degrees in a matter of milliseconds. Every ounce of fuel, every pound of ordnance on the Zuikaku spontaneously combusted, and Captain Takatsugu's mind barely had time to register pain as the hypersonic blast wave slammed into the Shokago, knocking him off his feet.

He scrambled to his feet, helped Admiral Chuichi to his when he noticed fires breaking out on the deck of his ship, as he saw Chuichi's uniform. It was scorched, and the admiral's skin was bright red, his hair gone...burned away.

"The Zuikaku!" shouted Chuichi. "Where is it!"

Takatsugu's eyes scanned the sea where just moments before 850 feet of iron and steel had graced the seas. Now almost 1700 men and three squadrons of aircraft were – gone. "Bridge! Come hard right, new course two seven zero and all ahead full; signal destroyers: make smoke. Break radio silence, tell Akagi we are under attack from unknown..."

"Captain, lookouts advise another incoming aircraft, dead ahead!"

"Open fire! All anti-aircraft batteries...FIRE!"

Takatsugu didn't need binoculars to see the incoming aircraft...it too was skimming the sea, now perhaps two miles out, then it was climbing. As he watched the birth of another sun overhead, he found himself lost in shame, hoping the Emperor would excuse his incompetence...

(C)2016 Adrian Leverkühn | ABW