| Growler |
06-28-11 07:53 PM |
Major Growler pauses for a moment, climbing from the cockpit of his P-40 as the crew chief extends his hand to the pilot. The Major is uneasy, the chief can tell that much, but has no idea as to what has perturbed the pilot so. His landing was flawless, and from what the chief could tell, the aircraft was working fine. So what was eating the Major?
Something's going on over there. Growler's thoughts continue on their uneasy course. Something bad; worse than the war. He absently takes the chief's proffered hand and hops to the sun-baked tarmac of the Army Air Corps strip at Wheeler Field, dimly aware of the Sergeant's voice.
"Sorry, woolgathering again, Sarge. What was that?" he asked.
The Sergeant shook his head. "I jus' asked if there wuz anythin' wron', y'know, with'n the erplane, sir. You looked like a goose gone wandrin' over yer grave."
The Major sighed, then relaxed slightly. "No, no, Sarge, the plane's fine, just fine. Just thinking about those poor bastards over in England. The Germans're sure givin' 'em hell. And all those ships they're sinking... makes me glad I didn't join the Navy!"
The Sergeant laughed. "Yessir, I'm with you on that. Well, you go on back to the briefing room, sir; I reckon the Colonel'd like to talk t'you 'bout yer flight."
Growler moved off, his mood only slightly improved by the conversation; the nagging thoughts that something that made bad look like a Sunday picnic by comparison just wouldn't leave his thoughts. With his mind troubled by vague fears, he headed into the briefing room, only to find no one else there. He kicked off his flight boots and picked up the paper, eyes scanning over the headlines until he sat upright with a start. "American Reporter Tours British Submarine" read the headline, with the caption, "RAF Not the Only Players, Royal Navy Submarines Do Their Part." The byline credited Takeda Shingen. Growler read, gleaning what little he could from the article, which ultimately amounted to little more than "the Brits have subs, too." Wartime censors were a pain, but he had to give the reporter credit - anyone brave enough to be in England right now deserved all the credit he or she could get.
At that moment, the Colonel walked in to the room, and waved Growler back into his seat before the pilot was halfway from his chair. "As you were, Major. I see you've seen the paper. Reading up on the war? Huh, that's probably the only war you or I will deal with, Growler. Hawaii may be paradise, but sometimes, paradise can be a little boring. Now, let's talk about that flight..."
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