Here is my annual Pearl Harbor story.
I have written a many chapter story about Pear Harbor but since it is not uploaded on FanFiction I will give a short summary of the events leading up to this point.
Danny's father was very abusive. When Danny was ten his father killed his mother then himself. After that Danny lived with Rafe and his family. After they joined the Army Air Corp. Danny volunteered to go to England and the Eagle Squadron. He returned safely and was on leave at Pearl on December 7th. After that he was assigned to Doolittle's outfit and flew on the Tokyo Raid. The events after that progressed much as in the movie except that the Americans were pushed back and were unable to bring Danny's body with them. The Japanese found him and realized that he was not yet dead. He was treated for his wounds because they wonted to know how they had gotten to Japan without being caught. He lived for a year and a half in and out of Japanese prison camps, escaping with the help of the locals several times before being recaptured. At the time when this story is set Danny is free in China, working with the underground to free China. Because he is so far out in the brush, he has not been able to contact the Allies.
Rafe married Evelyn upon his return to the States after the Tokyo Raid and they are now expecting their second child. He has spent most of the war fighting in Europe, but now he has been transferred to China, a transfer he is dreading. The only memories he holds of China is the death of a brother, and those are memories he is trying to forget.
A/N: I am not certain if these dates, battles, and places are correct, the history of WW II in China is not something I have studied in detail.
China, 1944
Danny looked around, he sensed that something was out of the ordinary, after living in and around rice patties for so long he knew what should be there, and what should not be. He crouched below the tall grass, if it were the Chinese they would already know he was there. If it were the Japanese, well he would do what he was there to do. He could hear them quiet conversing in the familiar tongue of the Chinamen. For a moment he wondered if he had actually managed to avoid detection by the natives, but that though quickly left his mind as the grass was brushed out of the way by a confiscated Japanese rifle.
He left with his new escort, five locals who were to show him the path to the latest Japanese base. They spoke little, the need for stealth and the customary quiet that was inherent in these people preventing any form of conversation. Even though there were five with him, Danny would not let his mind wonder, if there was even one person off guard the chances of being caught multiplied exponentially, depending on how many were in the group. It was not long before they left the open patties and began to walk through a wet forest. In here Danny was especially alert, there were so many places for the enemy to hide, so many places that were prime for an ambush.
The group spent several hours walking through the jungle before they left the trail and circled around an unseen point. A short while later they were examining the latest Japanese base, a relatively small one with a very small airstrip and no planes as of yet.
Danny knew that something this small should be of no consequence, and yet he felt as if his fate were to be decided on this very piece of dirt. He had felt this before, once at Pearl Harbor and once when they had landed after the Tokyo Raid. Yet it had never been this strong. Then it faded, becoming nothing more than a memory that he would reflect upon one day when the fate of several countries did not hang in the balance.
England, 1944
Rafe lay on the bed. He knew he should get some sleep, he had a long trip ahead of him tomorrow, but he also knew that if he were to relax into sleep he would awaken only moments later with yet another nightmare. Not exactly what he was looking forward to. It was however inevitable. His exhaustion overtook him and so did the dreams.
The clanging alarm clock roused Rafe from the few precious moments of sleep he had received near the end of his slumber. He had been having the dreams ever since he received the news that the was being transferred to China. Memories of Danny had assaulted his every moment, both sleeping and waking.
Rafe spent the rest of the day on an airplane, riding not flying, and counted down the hours until he was once again in charge of his life.
China, 1944
For a brief moment Danny wondered what day it was. He knew it must be late November by now, possibly even early December. Rafe's birthday would be coming up soon. Lying in the relative safety of their semi-permanent base Danny allowed his thoughts to wonder to places he normally restricted. Was Rafe even still alive? The possibility was unknown. Danny did not even know if America was winning. And though he prayed every night for the victory to come soon, he wondered how long it would take for him to find out that the war was over. If the Japanese won he would probably never know, he would simply continue fighting until he was killed. And considering how the skirmishes had been going lately, that probably would happen soon.
Danny was jerked from his thoughts by a hand shaking his shoulder. And after a whispered conversation Danny began to run for the forest. A plane had gone down, the first plane that had ventured this far and crashed that was not Japanese. A group of about ten, he could not count clearly in the darkness, met him at the edge of the forest and they began to silently hurry to the location of the wreck.
Danny breathed a prayer of thanksgiving when he could see the flames and there was still no sign of a Japanese patrol. He could hear the sound of someone shuffling around, no doubt lost in the darkness that surrounded the small circle illuminated by the fire. He could hear one of the members of his group walk out to greet the pilot, followed shortly by a poor attempt at Chinese from the pilot. Danny walked out into the light, knowing this needed to go faster so that they could get back into the safety of the forest. Danny froze, between the stuttering attempts at conversation and the shock of bright red hair there was no doubt in Danny's mind as to the identification of this pilot.
"Red?" He questioned, forcing his mind to switch back to English, a language he had not used in about a year and a half.
"Danny?" Red sounded incredulous, he did believe, after all, that Danny had been killed so long ago. Danny almost jumped at the sound of his name, the Chinese simply referred to him by the Chinese word for pilot, never Danny. "Is t-t-t-that you?" Danny could only nod, smiling at the familiar sound of Red's stutter. Red watched as one of the locals, or he assumed that was who they were, leaned in and whispered something to Danny in their native language.
"We need to get moving." Danny stated turning back to Red. "The Japs will be here anytime." It was Red's
China, 1944
Rafe began to familiarize himself with his new plane, he knew he would be flying out soon enough and needed to be ready. The call came sooner than he expected though, for less than half an hour later he was called in for a briefing.
China, 1944
Danny slipped silently thought the jungle, he knew his destination was close and he could not be seen. The small air strip was vacant, though he knew that in only a few short hours there would be an American plane landing there to pick up a guide, someone who would be able to lead the way for the American bombers. Danny had no intention of it being himself, he had only seen the area once from the ground, instead they were sending one of the people who had lived here for many years. Though there was no denying the fact that Danny did want a chance to see his own flag again. He had waited this long, he could wait a while longer.
The shooting did not last long, the Japanese were both surrounded and out numbered. The conquerors quickly cleared the runway so the incoming plane could land. And they were just in time too, the plane circled once, then landed. Danny wondered who was flying, it was one of the worst landings he had seen. The reason was quickly made apparent though, the bullet holes in the side of the plane telling a tragic story. Danny rushed to the pilot, relieved to see that he was still alive. If only barely. One thing was obvious, there would be no more flying for this man, at least no today.
"Are you the guide?" The pilot gasped, growing visibly weaker by the moment. Danny shook his head and began to press a cloth into the mans wounds. "Can anyone here fly?" Danny nodded but continued his silence. "Do you know the place to send the incoming planes?" Once again Danny nodded.
"Don't say anything, you need to rest. We know what to do." He knew that the words would no doubt hold little comfort for the young man, yet they were all he had to offer. Danny turned to one of the locals and instructed him to take the pilot back to camp, Red could explain things to the wounded pilot later.
Then Danny did something he had thought he could never do again. He climbed into the cockpit of an aircraft. Quickly checking his gauges to see if he had enough fuel to get there, he pulled on the radio and began to taxi down the runway, prying he had enough room to take off, for a brief moment he wondered if he still had his edge. That thought flew from his mind however, the plane came alive under his guidance and he knew that he could never forget this. He took off and vectored for the rendezvous.
China, 1944
Rafe was beginning to worry. They were almost to the rendezvous point and he still had not heard from the guide who was supposed to meet them. Maybe it was just his feelings about being in this place, he knew he needed to get a grip on himself. He was going to get himself killed unless he could control it. Static on his radio brought him back to the present. A voice was telling him that the guide had arrived, that everyone should follow him. Rafe acknowledged him, registering all the code words that were required for them to know that the pilot was who he claimed to be. Yet he was not really understanding what he was doing. That voice. It was a voice from the past, it was a voice that calmed him, it was a voice he knew better than his own. For a moment he wished that he was not on a mission. He wished that he could ask the pilot who he was, if he really was him.
Rafe spent the rest of the trip to the target wondering.
China, 1944
Danny could hardly breathe. It was Rafe. There was no question in his mind, no one flew like that, even when they were only going in a straight line, Danny recognized Rafe's flying style. He longed to say hello, to tell him how much he had missed Rafe's presence, he wanted to tell Rafe that brothers should never be apart this long. But he could not. They were on a mission and he must keep to protocol. Even if he had not flown on a proper mission in quite some time.
China, 1944
Rafe was certain. The moment they had begun to engage the zeros he had ordered the guide out of the battle, but the guide was having none of it. And now Rafe was thankful, for there he was, Danny without a doubt. No one else in the world flew like that. Rafe wondered if Danny would remember, well everything. The way that the two of them had flown together. Would fly together. To answer he banked his own plane so that it was headed directly for Danny's plane, though there was still plenty of room for Danny to pull out if he so chose.
China, 1944
Rafe. There was not even a shadow of a doubt left in Danny's mind. Not when Rafe was flying directly at him. The path of the fighter just begged for a game of Chicken. And Danny responded without even thinking. He let his instinct take control, noting every movement of Rafe's plane, gauging from years of experience which way Rafe was going to go. Left. He knew it.
China, 1944
Danny. No one else in the world would know what to do. Danny was flying straight at him. Taking him on in a game of Chicken. Just like old times. He allowed his instinct to take control of him, watching every movement of Danny's plane to tell him which way Danny was going to go. Left. He knew it.
China, 1944
Rafe was the last one to land. His plane was the least damaged of them all. As soon as he touched down he headed straight for Danny's plane.
China, 1944
Danny waited in his cockpit for Rafe to land. As soon as it was down he climbed down and began to head for Rafe's plane.
China, 1944
They met some where in the middle. Standing only a few feet apart. Unable to do anything more than look at each other.
"How--" Rafe began.
"I was captured." Danny responded, knowing what Rafe's question was before he could finish.
"How--" Even though it was a completely different question, Rafe still knew the answer.
"I am fine. So is Evelyn. We got married." Danny just nodded. Smiling at the fact that even though he was supposed to be so good at words Rafe was saying more than he was.
Danny stepped forward, his motions mirrored by Rafe. The grasp each other in a hug, each still unbelieving the other was there. They turned toward the hanger, arms draped across shoulders. Brothers, reunited once more.
If there were any parts that did not make sense that is because they are explained in the larger picture. I hope you enjoyed.
Remember Pearl Harbor.
Jackie