"I'm going to protect the emperor," Nomura answered, and pushed past him. Sakei didn't protest. Instead, he went on to battle what he thought were the Japanese forces trying to take or kill his emperor. Nomura hoped it would be several minutes longer before Sakei realized his mistake.
Hirohito was seated on the floor listening to the battle. Apprehension was on his face, but not fear. "It is time?"
Joe plopped down beside him. "Yes."
Further conversation was cut off by a fusillade of shots punctuated by further screams. "Your men got so very close before being detected, didn't they?"
The bad weather had worked in their favor and hidden the approach of the rangers and the frogmen. Refugees remained huddled in their miserable tents and shelters and ignored the thirty-odd men who'd moved with near perfect silence through the camp and toward the hospital. Those who saw them noted nothing unusual as the men had been draped in blankets. In the rain and dark they appeared to be another group of refugees, or additional troops for the mysterious compound.
More gunfire erupted, this time close. The top of the tent shuddered and a line of bullet holes appeared in it. It reminded Hirohito of the time when Sakei had first taken him prisoner in the bunker beneath the palace in Tokyo. It was hard for Hirohito to remember that it had been only half a year earlier. As if to complete the memory, Sakei burst in on them. He had a pistol in his hand and his face was contorted with rage.
"Americans!" His voice was a shriek. "Americans are attacking us." He turned to Nomura. "We must move the emperor immediately."
"No," Joe answered softly. He fired his pistol twice, hitting Sakei in the chest with both bullets.
Sakei dropped to his knees and let his pistol fall to the ground. "Not you," he muttered as realization dawned.
A moment's anger twisted Sakei's face before his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped to the floor. An enlisted guard retreated in on them and Joe shot him in the back. Another entered and, seeing the bodies, ran away before Joe could kill him as well.
"Roy," a deep voice yelled.
"Trigger," Joe answered, completing the signal. After a moment's delay, Ens. Billy Swain entered the tent and looked in disbelief at the small man with glasses who sat with Nomura. He had known whom to expect, but it still came as a shock that the emperor of Japan sat on the floor a few feet in front of him.
"Un-fucking-believable," Swain whispered as Nomura and Hirohito stood up.
"What's he saying?" Hirohito asked.
"That he's glad to see you," Joe responded. "Now let's get out of here."
They ran outside where a perimeter had been set up. A ranger said that their commander had been killed. "We've got to get out of here right now," Swain said. There was no disagreement. "We've got about two miles to go."
Nomura had not been privy to this part of the operation. Again, what Joe didn't know, Joe couldn't tell. If the operation failed and he was captured, he could say nothing that would endanger his comrades. Thus, he was slightly surprised when they did not make a direct run to the ocean, which was less than ten miles from the camp. Swain had said two miles, so that meant something else was up.
First they retreated through the refugee camp. There was confusion and consternation everywhere as a result of the gunfire. People swirled and screamed as they tried to avoid the compact group of armed Americans pushing through them. No one appeared to notice the small, bespectacled civilian in their midst.
Finally, they made the safety of the brush and continued through it. Joe watched the effects of the night on Hirohito. While sometimes looking bewildered, he would see Joe looking at him and shake it off. He had made a fateful decision and would stand by it.
They came to a clearing. A handful of rangers emerged and a sergeant told Swain that the message had been sent. The cavalry was on the way.
"How many casualties?" Hirohito asked. Two dead and seven wounded, he was told. It amazed and saddened him that these young Americans had died or been hurt on his behalf.
"How long will this take?" Joe asked.
"Twenty minutes max," Swain replied.
This did not constitute good news to Joe, who recalled Sakei's comment about alerting local police and militia. "It better be soon. There were survivors among the guards and they'll have sent for help. Things are going to get very interesting if the planes don't arrive real fast."
Billy Swain grinned. "Planes? Joe, who the hell said anything about planes?"
Chapter 73
Admirals Nimitz and Halsey were uncomfortable with the situation in which they found themselves. The rain had kept the kamikazes away, but that was the only good thing they could say about the operation that had grown from the proverbial shoestring and now utilized a large part of America 's naval might.
They both thought it unlikely that the operation would succeed, with Halsey going so far as to say it hadn't a snowball's chance in hell. Nimitz had initially gone along with it because it seemed remotely possible and wouldn't cost much, thus making it worth a try. Now, as they waited in the night, their doubts ran wild.
They were on the bridge of the newest and largest carrier in the fleet, the recently commissioned USS Midway. The Midway was almost a thousand feet long, displaced over fifty-five thousand tons fully loaded, and carried 137 airplanes. Of particular importance, she was the only carrier in the U.S. fleet with an armored deck. In a lesson learned from the British, it was hoped that any kamikazes that did attack her would bounce off, which was why she had been rushed to completion and sent to Japan.
Ironically, Nimitz and Halsey knew the impressive Midway was already obsolete. Even though a comparative giant, her flight deck was too short to handle the new jet fighters that were being developed. So far, jets had not played a part in the invasion of Japan because of the lack of bases with runways long enough to handle them, and since the Japs had no planes to speak of, the slower prop models were more than sufficient to the current task.
As further protection, the Midway and her important cargo were surrounded by a host of cruisers and destroyers along with half a dozen other carriers. This was just as well since the Midway's planes had been forbidden to fly. There were more important uses for the flight deck.
"Fool's errand," murmured Halsey. "Goddamned idiot trip."
Nimitz did not contradict him. What had seemed at least marginally possible a few hours earlier seemed like just so much nonsense. How could a handful of rangers and frogmen possibly take Hirohito off Japan?
"They're brave," Halsey conceded, "but the whole thing's just a folly. I only hope they don't all die."
"I agree," said Nimitz. Normally he would have been at his command post at Okinawa or on the Wasatch; however, the situation was so unique that he felt compelled to be on the Midway waiting for success or failure. That he was not the only important person on the carrier was also not lost on him. Should anything happen to the Midway, history might well change dramatically.
A junior officer interrupted Nimitz's thoughts. "Sir, we have a message from Roy. He says send Dale."
"My gawd," said Halsey. "Something's actually happening out there, isn't it?"
Nimitz nodded. The question was rhetorical. Dale was the signal to begin extracting the troops. He wondered if the American raiders had actually taken Hirohito or were just running for their lives. Irrelevently, he wondered who'd thought of using the names of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans for the operation.