Cole sat on the bow of the Brooklyn and looked out over the open ocean. In his hands sat a rifle, torn apart into its rudimentary parts to be meticulously cleaned, something Cole did exclusively when his nerves were getting the best of him. He sat alone due to the sole fact that the fleet had encountered a heavy fog as they snuck up the Portugal coast right past the port city of Porto.
Cole found himself lost in thought, thinking solely of the operation ahead. How would he lead nearly two full battalions into battle? How many men would die in this raid? How many fathers wouldn't be going home to their wives and children? Would he make it out alive? Would he live to see the mysterious Commander that had not only ordered this raid, but, by extension, saved him and his men by having Brooklyn and her friends in the area after their escape from Strength in Bermuda? Cole sighed at these thoughts, only for them to be interrupted by a stern voice clearing their throat.
"Sergeant, have a minute?" Nimitz asked as he walked over to Cole with Yorktown on his heels.
Cole stood and turned to face Nimitz.
"What can I do for you, Admiral?" Cole asked.
"I came to check up on you. Brooklyn radioed me a bit ago asking me to come over and give you some company. She can't exactly leave the bridge at the moment due to the fog. Yorktown's better radar is allowing her to navigate the fog better, but most of our ships in this merry band are stuck in… well modern tech… by 1945 standards." Nimitz said with a defeated chuckle.
"I can barely understand it myself, Admiral." Cole said as Yorktown spoke up.
"I realize it's confusing. I don't blame you. To be entirely fair, me being here again is causing me no small amount of confusion myself… back in 1945 that is. But… My friend practically dragged me here and now I'm stuck. So, it's best to make the best of it, right?" Yorktown spoke coldly, the warm emotion one would have expected from her was sorely lacking.
Cole smiled.
"Well… gives me some sort of comfort knowing you girls can feel like this too." Cole said as he worked at reassembling his rifle.
"I guess it would." Yorktown said as the sound of engines buzzing by overhead drew their gaze to the sky.
"I've never seen a plane like that before. Mind me asking what it is, Lady Yorktown?" Cole asked.
Yorktown smiled for the first time since arriving on the Brooklyn.
"Sure. It's a Skypirate. If my history serves me correctly… it was a failed prototype aircraft that was to be delivered to the Essex and Midway class aircraft carriers. However, the world had little need for a dedicated torpedo bomber… so the project was cancelled. However, I came to like the little guys, so I took one of them before they were all scrapped and now, I command an entire air wing of them. He's capable of carrying eighty-four hundred pounds of bombs or torpedoes on the wings, while also having enough firepower to be used as a fighter… but if that isn't enough, I have converted P-51 fighters from my Essex class sister, Shangri-La." Yorktown spoke with a soft smile, remembering her time spent with Shangri-La before her decommissioning and scraping in the 70's.
"Shangri-La is still a viable carrier here, if I recall before the world went to shit, she was in Tokyo Bay." Nimitz spoke, stroking his chin in an attempt to remember.
Yorktown lit up.
"We need to have Isaac pick her up." Yorktown spoke sternly.
"I'll see what can be done. I heard reports from Isaac that some girls had been turned to work for the sirens. Hopefully she is not among them." Nimitz spoke.
"I'll murder them all if that is the case." Yorktown spoke bluntly.
"I know you will." Nimitz spoke as he turned back to Cole.
"You seem stressed. Care to talk for a bit?" Nimitz asked as he pulled out a small silver flask.
Cole took a swig and sat on one of the many tiedown points on the deck of the Brooklyn.
"I'm a Sergeant. Never commanded anything more than a rifle platoon when the duty called for it… now I'm expected to command nearly two full battalions? I can only find pain in how many men are going to die due to my lack of leadership over such a large force." Cole explained.
"Ah. I see where you're coming from. But the thing is, you don't have to do it alone. My men are yours to command, but they aren't all just basic seamen. I have many officers among my men. And those officers are trained to command their teams in accordance with orders from the top. You're not alone in this, Sergeant." Nimitz explained.
"I know that much… but still. This mission… this raid. How many men will die under my command? We are up against two of the leading forces that orchestrated the takeover of our planet. Two otherworldly monsters capable of felling the armies of the world literally overnight. And here we are… nothing more than a small standard battle fleet." Cole said as he looked up at the fog laced sky.
"I can see where you're coming from… I faced down Strength… the demon that holds partial dominion over South America. I nearly died in that battle. If it weren't for Tirpitz and her small task force, I would have surely bit the dust. And poor Graf Spee. She faced down Strength's forces alone while towing the Missouri out of harm's way. She fought them hand to hand and ship to ship with only one turret. And Isaac… that man has faced more demons than we could hope to imagine. He knows firsthand how far these Sirens are willing to go to ensure dominion over the planet. When I last saw him, he was headed for Tester's territory in the Philippines. And considering that the fleets are still moving as they should, we can only assume he succeeded in defeating her as well. What I'm trying to say… is we have the capability to put up one hell of a fight. Maybe… we can even win. But right now, we don't have to win. We have one goal. And that is to retrieve the documents and blueprints of two very powerful warships. If we can do that, then we will have succeeded in our mission here." Nimitz explained.
"So, this whole thing is just a smash and grab?" Cole asked, almost disappointed at the simplification.
"Basically. If we can avoid casualties, we should. But I also realize that you have men trapped behind enemy lines. We are also going to make a concerted effort to get them out alive. Every man against the sirens is an ally to us after all." Nimitz said as he took a swig of his flask.
Cole breathed a sigh as the fog around them thinned a bit. The sound of heels on the deck were heard as Brooklyn came out onto the bow of her vessel.
Cole smiled softly upon seeing her smiling face.
Nimitz noticed this.
"I assume you should be good to go then, Sergeant?" Nimitz asked.
"Yeah… we're going to pull through… one way or another." Cole said as Brooklyn sat down in his lap.
Nimitz turned to Yorktown and nodded, leading to her sighing before turning and walking away with the Admiral.
"I heard most of it… just relax, okay? I'll be right behind you, every step of the way." Brooklyn said.
"I don't want you on the front lines, Brook… I don't think losing you would be too good for my health." Cole said.
"Too bad. I'm not letting you get yourself killed. If you die… I die. Simple as that." Brooklyn said as she leaned against his chest.
Cole sighed.
"There ain't no talking you out of this, is there?" Cole asked.
"Nope. Waste of breath to try, sweetie." Brooklyn said as she kissed his cheek.
Cole smiled.
"Well… I'll be counting on you then." Cole said.
"I'll lay the world to waste for you, Cole Spirits. Don't you ever forget it." Brooklyn said as the fleet continued their crawl up the Portuguese coast.