Chapter One - Past
Pearl Harbor, July 21, 1963
Danny Walker, Jr., was at Pearl Harbor along with his trainee pilot friends, Tyler Winkle and Henry Gooz. Actually, Gooz wasn't really Henry's last name, but it had been his father's nickname amongst the old generation of pilots — Rafe, Red, and the like. And my Daddy, thought Danny Jr. The name had sort of stuck to the unfortunate Henry.
It was Danny Jr.'s twenty-first birthday, and Henry and Tyler were giving him a birthday bash at the Hula Cafe. They sat around the bar, drank champagne, and talked rambunctiously. "My Dad says I'm sure to be the best pilot ever!" bragged Tyler, with a wide grin on his face.
Henry's eyes widened. "Oh yeah? Well, your dad don't know what he's talkin' about! 'Cause I'm going to be the best pilot!" he teased.
Danny Jr. laughed. "Hey, you two, quit it. It's my birthday!"
Tyler dug an elbow into Henry's ribs. "Why don't you ask him to quit it, Danny?"
Henry downed his glass of champagne and set it down on the table. "Hey, Danny, let's go fly. Then I'll show this talkative fellow here what a good pilot oughta be." He smiled mischievously at both of them.
Tyler got up. "I'm going. Danny, you coming?"
Danny Jr. hesitated. "We aren't supposed to be doing this, are we?"
Henry shrugged. "No," he said. "But when did that ever stop us three?"
Danny Jr. grinned. "You're right," he agreed. "Let's go!"
***
Rafe was now a comparatively old man of forty-six. He had followed in Doolittle's footsteps, having been promoted to Colonel recently and put in charge of the pilots at Pearl Harbor. Amongst them was Danny Jr. Rafe was proud of the boy. He was merely twenty — twenty-one today, he corrected himself — but he showed remarkable promise. Just like Danny, thought Rafe. Danny would have been so proud of him as well. His two incorrigible friends, Tyler and Henry, were also excellent pilots, just like Red and Gooz had been.
He absently surveyed the grounds. All looked fine and well, until something caught his eye.
Three planes were gone from the hangar. Rafe looked up, trying to find them in the air. Luckily it was a fine night, cloudless and moonlit. He searched in vain, and was about to give up when he saw a distant speck. He squinted. It was one of the planes. Close behind it were two more.
Those damned boys! thought Rafe, annoyed. It was well past grounding hours. Those pilots, whoever they were, were going to get it from him when they came down. He went outside, and stood with his arms crossed. He waited, at first watching the planes with some diffidence. Then he grew interested. One of the planes was doing an outside loop. It was a very good outside loop, Rafe thought. His anger lessened.
The other two planes glided to a graceful halt as Rafe looked on from afar. The pilots got out of the planes. One of them had flaming red hair, and was of slight build. One was dark-haired, somewhat heavyset, and looked very sure of himself. Rafe shook his head, recognizing them instantly. They were Tyler Winkle and Henry Gooz.
Wait, Rafe realised suddenly. If they were in these planes, that must mean...He watched, half in horror and half in admiration, as Danny Jr. executed a near-perfect barrel roll before landing smoothly, then hopping out of his plane and high-fiving Tyler and Henry. He laughed to himself, feeling slightly exasperated. That boy will be the death of me! Trying to look stern, he marched toward them and shouted. "Walker! Winkle! And Gooz! You three come see me immediately!"
Tyler and Henry froze on seeing him, but Danny Jr.'s face merely lit up. "Uncle Rafe! I haven't seen you all day!"
Rafe coughed. "Sir, Walker. Sir."
Danny Jr. smiled a small smile, but he duly saluted. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I won't do it again."
"M-m-me n-neither, sir," stammered Tyler. Rafe almost chuckled. He remembered so well how Red used to stutter when he was nervous.
Henry nodded his head quickly. "I'm sorry too, sir. We'll - uh - "
Danny Jr. picked it up. "We'll clean the hangar for a week, sir. And the parachute hangar as well."
Rafe nodded solemnly. "Fine, boys, but I'm afraid I have to ground you as well. For that week. You do realise this is a fairly serious offence? Taking a plane out past grounding hours? And doing such stunts with it as well?"
Tyler looked as if he was suppressing a groan, but he held it in. "Yes, sir!" they all chorused.
"Is that all, sir?" asked Danny Jr.
Rafe looked at Tyler and Henry with amusement. They looked as if they were itching to make an escape. "Winkle, Gooz, you two may be dismissed."
Tyler and Henry saluted again, then ran off. Rafe could hear them laughing and talking. He turned to Danny Jr. "Danny, what the hell were you doin' up there at night! And those dangerous stunts!" Rafe rolled his eyes. "What am I gonna do with a boy like you, Danny?" he laughed. "Happy birthday. But don't do it again, please! You scared ten years off my life!"
"I'm really sorry, Uncle Rafe. But it was so..." Danny Jr. seemed to glow with exhilaration. "So incredible!"
Rafe smiled slightly. "Danny, I know how it feels." He grew serious. "And I know you're a good pilot. But don't ever do that again, it's dangerous, you hear me?"
Danny Jr.'s smile disappeared. He knew Rafe wasn't kidding. "Okay, Uncle Rafe. I won't fly at night. But maybe doing some stunts from time to time would be okay?"
Rafe looked grave, but Danny Jr. could see his eyes dancing. "Danny, I know even if I say no, you'd do it anyway." He laughed. "In case you're interested, I'd really prefer you not do stunts, but I know I can't stop you."
His face lit up with the memories. "Doolittle couldn't stop me and your Daddy either."
Danny Jr. grinned.
Rafe clapped him on the back, and began walking back to the rooms with him. "Let's go, Danny. It's getting late."
***
Danny Jr. sat up in bed by himself. He couldn't sleep. He was absorbed in memories of his youth.
He remembered how, when he was young, his father had come to him in the form of a spirit. He had spent time with him, and played with him, for two years. Then he had left. Danny Jr. missed him, but he knew he was watching. He looked over at Tyler, who shared his room. Tyler was snoring gently. So as not to awaken him, Danny spoke softly. "Hey, Daddy," he whispered. "It's, um, my birthday today. I hope you remember. I hope you're here now. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I still miss you. And I love you."
For some reason, though his mom had always been Mother to him, he had never seemed to grow out of calling his dad Daddy. Probably because he still associated him with that time in his childhood. It had been the only time he had ever gotten to be with him, talk to him. He picked up the toy plane from his bedside table. It was the one his father had given him when he was five. He turned it round in his hands, and noticed a piece of paper had been pushed into the cockpit. Curiously, he pulled it out and unfolded it.
Hello Danny,
How are you? Happy Birthday! I hope it's been a good one. I'm probably here right now, if you're reading this at night. Just a note to wish you all the best. Don't drive your Uncle Rafe mad like we used to do to our commanding officer. Good luck, and sweet dreams.
With love, Daddy
Danny Jr. smiled to himself. He folded the note up carefully, and put it back into the toy plane's cockpit. "Thanks Daddy," he murmured, before curling up on his bed. Uncle Rafe and Daddy used to do things like I do now? he thought wryly. No wonder Uncle Rafe had been more amused than angry when he caught them tonight. It was almost worth it, Danny Jr. thought, to be grounded for a week just to have glimpsed that remnant of the past.
***
Danny watched as Danny Jr. read his note, and thanked him before falling back to sleep. You're welcome, son, he thought silently. Tonight, for the first time, he had watched his son fly. He had never been able to before, because night was strictly grounding time. But today — just like he himself had done before, Danny thought — he had sneaked out a plane and flown it.
He can fly, thought Danny admiringly. The boy could really fly. Rafe had been about twenty-four before he had even attempted the outside loop, and Danny Jr. was only twenty-one. Danny was willing to admit that he was affected by fatherly pride, but he had thought, at that time, that his son's outside loop had been a beautiful one.
He was so proud of him. Danny Jr. looked like he was on his way to being a greater pilot than he himself had ever been. He was the reincarnation of his dreams. "Sleep well, Danny," he murmured under his breath. Then he faded out.
***
Author's Note: I hope you all liked it. As always, please review! And thank you for reading. There will be a couple more chapters to this. ~HuntressMinerva