The Tsunami Countdown (28 page)

12:17 p.m.
20 Minutes to Fourth Wave

W
hen 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 spotted a Navy Sea Stallion
take off from a parking lot that had been cleared as a landing zone, and he zipped in to take its place before another helicopter
could get it.

The hospital was just six miles northwest of Waikiki, so the trip had only taken a few minutes. Not only did Stan
want to get his passengers to safety, he was starting to worry that the damage to his tail rotor was more serious than he
initially thought. A high-pitched whine was coming from the tail, a faint sound that someone unfamiliar with the chopper wouldn’t
have noticed over the helicopter’s turbine roar. But Stan, who had been flying for over ten years, knew every normal sound
his craft made. He had never heard this one before.

After Stan dropped these people off, his plan was to head directly to Wheeler to get it checked out. If it was still okay,
he’d refuel and head back.

He maneuvered the AStar until it hovered just above the lot’s asphalt, and then the skids came to a rest on the surface. Two
members of the hospital staff, burly men dressed in scrubs, ran over and began helping the passengers out of the helicopter.

Stan pointed at Jerry’s slumped figure behind him and said, “That one first. He’s injured.” After retrieving a stretcher,
the men pulled Jerry down and placed him gently on it. Sheila and Doris, who didn’t even turn to thank Stan for his efforts,
began to babble about Jerry’s condition as the men wheeled him toward the hospital.

Paige, with the help of Deena, guided her kids down, and they ran straight in front of Stan, away from the tail rotor, as
he had instructed.

Deena climbed back into the helicopter and was about to belt herself in, but Stan put out his hand.

“You need to stay here!” he yelled over the throb of the rotors.

Deena was stunned. “What?” she said. “I’m going back to the hotel with you. I’m getting my camera back.” By this time Paige
had returned to the helicopter. Her kids stood at the edge of the parking lot, watching them.

“I’m not going back,” Stan said. “I’m afraid the chopper might be damaged.”

“You’re not going back?” Paige said. “You have to!”

“The tail rotor rubbed against something. It might go at any time.”

“You can’t just leave her there!” Paige screamed. “She’s the reason my kids are alive!”

Stan was about to tell her that he was sorry, that he couldn’t risk it, but he stopped when he saw tears streaming down Paige’s
face. He remembered the way that Rachel had so readily given up her seat to give the others a chance to get to safety, and
he felt a moment of shame for considering not taking the same kind of risk for her.

He slowly nodded and said, “I’ll get her.”

Paige mouthed “Thank you,” and backed away from the helicopter.

Shutting down the engine to do a visual inspection of the tail rotor would take too long. He’d just ignore the
sound coming from it. Besides, he wasn’t a pilot because it was the safest thing he could do for a living. His bird was tough;
she’d make it.

He glanced at Deena.

“You still can’t come. If I do go down, I’m not taking you with me.”

Deena didn’t glare at him or protest, like Stan expected. She didn’t even mention her camera. She simply gave him a look of
understanding. Without a word, she climbed out of the helicopter and walked away.

Stan increased power and lifted off. He waved to Paige and the kids, but they didn’t wave back until he made his turn and
headed back in the direction of the Grand Hawaiian.

12:19 p.m.
18 Minutes to Fourth Wave

A
s the water started to flow back to the ocean, the creaking and rumbling from the apartment building increased. After every
broadcast for help, Kai would release the Talk button. He heard lots of other voice traffic on the frequency, most of it garbled
and unintelligible, but his calls continued to go unanswered. Everyone on the rooftop, including Chuck and Denise, crowded
around him, hoping to hear a response. He was about to try again when a choppy message mentioned the name Rachel. Several
of the others started talking, but Kai shushed them. At first the communication faded in and out, then it became clearer,
as if the transmission was getting closer.

“I repeat, Rachel at the … Hawaiian … returning from Trip … you up. Are you … there?”

Then Rachel’s voice came through clearly. “You are
breaking up. This is Rachel Tanaka on the Grand Hawaiian. Repeat your message.”

Now the voice came through with no interruptions. “Rachel, this is Stan Milne from Wailea Tours. I am returning from Tripler
to pick you up. Be prepared to jump aboard.”

“Stan, listen to me,” Rachel said. “You have to get my husband and daughter first.”

“You have someone else with you?”

“No,” she said, “they are on a white apartment building about a mile northeast of me.” From the walkie-talkie, overpowering
Rachel’s voice for a moment, Kai could hear rumbling that was even louder than it was on his building. It was worse than he
feared. The Grand Hawaiian was about to collapse. Suddenly, all he could think about was that his wife was in danger, and
he couldn’t help her.

“So I should go there first?” the pilot said.

“No, pilot!” Kai shouted. “Stan! Pick Rachel up first—”

Chuck grabbed Kai’s wrist and yanked his thumb off the Talk button.

“Are you crazy?” Chuck said, a wild look on his face. “We need to get off this pile before it falls down.”

Brad pushed Chuck away with a flick of his arm, but his face registered as much panic as Chuck’s.

“Kai, unfortunately, I agree with the bozo here. We should be first.”

Rachel’s voice cried out through the tinny walkietalkie speaker. “Kai, no! Get Lani out of there first. Pilot, if you can
hear me, get my husband and daughter first.”

To Brad, Kai said, “The Grand Hawaiian took the full force of the tsunami. We’re lucky it’s still standing as it is.”

“We’re lucky this building is too,” Brad said. “And I’m not going back in the water.”

“Stop thinking about yourself, you bastard. That’s my wife over there.”

“Kai, think straight. Your daughter is over here, along with seven other people.”

“I agree with Brad, Kai,” Teresa said. “We have to get the girls out of here.”

“I may be a bastard,” Brad said, “but you know I’m right. Rachel would never forgive you.”

So that was the choice. Kai’s wife or his daughter. There was no right answer, just a terrible decision. He looked at the
haggard faces around him.

They were right, of course. Kai wasn’t thinking straight. Lani was what mattered above all else. Kai keyed the walkie-talkie.
His voice strained to keep from breaking.

“Okay, Stan. Come get us first. Are there any other helicopters in the area?”

“I haven’t been able to get one.”

“Then we’ll get her ourselves.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Eight.”

There was a pause. Then Stan said, “I’ve burned up some fuel since the last trip. We’ll give it a shot.”

If someone had to stay behind on the Grand Hawaiian, Kai would gladly let Rachel take his spot when they got there.

“You should be able to see my AStar by now, northwest of your position.”

Kai took a quick look and saw the helicopter speeding toward them. It was small. Kai could see why their numbers gave the
pilot pause.

“Did you hear that, honey?” he said. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

“Kai, let me speak to Lani.”

He held the walkie-talkie up to his daughter.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, honey. Lani, I want you to know how much I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom,” Lani sobbed.

“You are such a joy in my life. I couldn’t be prouder to be your mother.”

Lani was crying so hard, she couldn’t answer.

“No matter what happens today,” Rachel said, “you be strong. You’re a smart, caring, beautiful girl, and I know you’ll grow
up to be a wonderful woman.”

“Mom, we’re coming to get you!”

“I know, Lani. Be good. I can’t wait to give you a hug.”

“Me too.”

In the background behind her voice, Kai could hear loud crunching, as if the Grand Hawaiian were being eaten by an enormous
monster.

“Rachel, what’s that?” But he knew what it was, because the building they were standing on was making the same noise. Both
buildings were in their death throes. “Are you okay?”

“Just hurry, Kai!”

The chopper hovered over them but didn’t land. The pilot pointed at the antenna in the middle of the roof. The rotor blades
would strike it if the helicopter tried to land. The railing all around the roof rose four feet above the deck. The best the
pilot could do was lower the left side of the helicopter so that its skid was resting on the railing. With the pilot sitting
on the right, both the front and rear doors were accessible. The sound of the rotors was deafening, and the downdraft from
the blades buffeted the group mercilessly.

The building shuddered again. The structure was on the verge of collapse.

Before Kai could establish an order for getting in the helicopter, Chuck pushed past everyone and jumped into the backseat,
pulling his small suitcase behind him. Denise stood next to Kai, as flabbergasted as he was.

“Hey!” Brad yelled and scrambled in after him. He wrestled with Chuck, trying to pull him out of the chopper. “You bastard!
Children first!”

“Stop it!” Kai shouted. “Forget it! There’s room for all of us. There’s no time.”

Brad stopped fighting, but before he moved back to the opposite side, he tore the bag away from Chuck.

“That’s mine!” Chuck screamed.

“Not anymore!” Brad yelled back and threw it out the door. The rotor wash blew it sideways, where it smashed into the outer
wall of the building, popping open. Just as Denise had said, baseballs, dozens of them, dropped to the water below.

Chuck threw a murderous glare at Brad.

“Don’t even think about it, Chuckles,” Brad said. “Or you’ll follow them.” Chuck buckled himself in, and Brad turned his attention
back to the others trying to board.

Brad hoisted Tom by his good arm while Kai boosted him up from below and guided him into the seat next to the pilot. The breeze
from the ocean challenged the pilot to keep a steady position. Despite Stan’s efforts, the AStar kept moving back and forth
in response, making it difficult to get a grip. Kai climbed up on the six-inchwide railing of the building and held on to
the helicopter as he gingerly pulled Mia up. Teresa and Lani supported her and tried not to hit her bad leg.

“Don’t look down,” Kai yelled over the sound of the rotors. He didn’t follow his own advice and peered through the space between
the helicopter and the skid. The water had reached its acme, but it was still a hundred feet below them. Kai looked away quickly
before vertigo could claim him.

Once Mia was safely inside next to Tom, Kai grabbed Lani’s hand and yanked. When she got onto the railing, she teetered for
a second, and Kai thought for sure that she was going to fall. She screamed, and Brad grabbed her other hand, swinging her
into the backseat.

Denise crammed herself into the front seat with Tom and Mia, leaving enough room in the backseat for the rest of them.

That left Teresa. As Kai pulled her up, a gust of wind blew the helicopter farther along the railing, which threw both of
them off balance. She stumbled sideways, wobbling precariously on the railing, and Kai fell against the side of the chopper.

Mia yelled “No!” as Brad threw himself onto the floor of the helicopter and grabbed both of Kai’s arms to keep him upright.

“Teresa!” Kai shouted. “Come on!”

She careened back toward him and latched onto his legs to keep herself upright. Suddenly her full weight pulled on him. The
wind had changed direction and pushed the
helicopter away from the building. They were suspended high above the water.

“Don’t let go!” Kai screamed to Teresa, as if that would help.

Seeing that Teresa might be crushed against the building if the pilot tried to get even with it again, Brad yelled, “Up! Up!
Up!”

The weight pulling Kai down seemed to double when the pilot maneuvered up. Kai felt Teresa slip down his legs and heard her
scream.

“Hold on!” he yelled stupidly. The door banged against him as it fluttered back and forth in the rotor wash.

Teresa came to a stop, her arms wrapped around Kai’s ankles.

“Pull me up!”

“I can’t!” Brad said, straining from the weight.

Kai saw a belt dangling from the backseat. He gripped it with one hand and pulled himself up until his upper body was on the
backseat of the AStar. Lani tried to pull him in, but with her strength sapped, she wasn’t much help. Chuck sat there motionless,
his eyes wide with terror.

Kai’s legs hung over the side, still tightly held by Teresa.

“You can let go!” Kai yelled to Brad. “Get Teresa!”

Brad released him, and now Kai’s grip was the only thing keeping him and Teresa from falling from the helicopter. Brad leaned
out and strained to grab Teresa.

“I can’t reach you!” Brad said. “Give me your hand!”

Kai felt Teresa release his left leg. Then he heard her shriek and let go of his right leg.

“No!” he yelled.

He pulled himself up, turned around, and saw that Brad was still draped over the side. With trepidation, he looked over the
edge.

Teresa dangled by only one hand from Brad’s hold. She had inadvertently let go when grabbing for Brad. Kai flattened himself
onto the seat.

“Grab my hand,” he said.

Teresa flailed until her palm reached his. He clenched it fiercely.

“Pull!”

With the two of them pulling, Teresa’s light frame practically rocketed into the helicopter onto the seat next to Kai. He
slammed the door behind her.

Brad continued to lay on the cramped floor, the only place there was room for him. Their feet rested on top of him. Teresa
threw herself at Kai and wept with relief. He held her tightly, thankful that they hadn’t lost anyone else.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, panting from the exertion. “I think I’ve used up a lifetime’s supply of adrenaline.”

“Me too.”

Teresa fished around for the seat belt. Kai did the same.

“Rachel,” she said.

“Stan,” Kai said as loud as he could.

The pilot pointed at a headset hanging from the ceiling. Kai put the earpieces on and depressed the cord’s switch as he spoke
into the attached microphone.

“Mr. Tanaka, I presume,” Stan said through the onboard comm system. “We’re headed to the Grand Hawaiian right now.” The helicopter
made a steep turn in the direction of Rachel’s hotel. “I’ve got your wife on the radio.”

“Kai?” Rachel said, the fear in her voice clear from that single word. “There’s a lot of creaking and movement going on. It’s
like standing on the world’s largest piece of Jell-O.” He admired her for trying to make a joke even in this situation.

“We’re on our way, Rachel. We’ll be there in less than a minute.”

“I don’t think you’ll make it.” Even over the noise of the helicopter, Kai could hear the screech of distressed metal. He
leaned into the cockpit and saw the Grand Hawaiian dead ahead less than a mile away. They would be there in seconds. But she
was right: they were too late. Puffs of dust were erupting from all over the building, the telltale signs of imminent collapse
he’d seen in the other buildings that had already gone down. Nevertheless, Kai clung to any shred of hope that they’d make
it.

“Don’t say that, sweetheart.”

“Tell Teresa that I understand her job now.”

“You can tell her yourself. I can see you.”

“I know. Kai, I love you. I’ll miss you.”

“Rachel, no. We’re coming.”

“Take good care of Lani for me. I wish I could have seen her grow up. I’ll miss her so much.” He could hear the ache in her
voice.

“Rachel.”

“Honey. My honey.”

Tears streamed down Kai’s cheeks, but he kept his eyes riveted on the Grand Hawaiian.

“Oh, Rachel, I love you. Don’t leave us.”

“I don’t want to. I love you. I love you. I—”

Her voice was abruptly cut off. It was followed by a colossal rumble.

“Rachel!” Kai screamed. “Rachel!” But there was no answer.

The Grand Hawaiian tower finally succumbed to the power of the water pounding at its frame. The south side buckled, sending
the top pitching over toward the beach. Windows blew apart. Pieces of the hotel flew out in every direction. The pilot swung
the helicopter around to avoid getting struck with debris.

With all of the dust billowing up, Kai lost sight of Rachel. But she didn’t have a chance. The bulk of the
structure splashed into the water with an enormous roar. For a moment it surged to a stop, halted by the impact with the water.
And then, surrounded by white foam, it sank. The entire hotel slid below the surface. It was gone.

All Kai could do was slump in his seat and moan, only vaguely aware of Lani’s screams. In shock, he sat there, mute, looking
out the front of the cockpit as the chopper raced back in the direction they had come.

And that’s when he saw the boat building, the tower they had been rescued from, tumble into the sea.