As the sun rose above the horizon two days later, the sight of the atoll at Midway was a welcome relief after the extraordinary events of the past three weeks, standing at the bow looking across the atoll as our sister ship the Global Explorer is slowly limping into port having only reached half an hour before us, despite not having joined in the search operation for Akagi or Kaga.
"So that's Midway."
I turn to see Kaga standing a short distance away with Akagi next to her, "Yes," I answer, "This is Midway Atoll. Our home away from home."
"Hardly seems worth it," Kaga replies coldly, "We lost so much for this."
I couldn't really argue the point as she was right, both sides had suffered heavy losses at Midway in both men and ships. But such is the way of war sometimes, you attack a location simply so the other side can't have it.
Finally, the approach lane is clear as the Global Explorer begins tying off along one side of the single dock. Raising the signal flag in my hand I feel the Intrepid respond beneath my feet as Kevin expertly pilots the ship through the inlet and nudges the port side up against the dock.
We don't even have time to lower the gangway before I spot Jim Clarke, Captain of the Global Explorer walking at a rapid pace towards us. "You're later than expected," he calls up as he reaches for one of the mooring lines helps the crew tie off the Intrepid to the dock.
"We had to respond to an emergency distress call," I reply, "Looks like you are still having engine problems though if you only just arrived before us."
"You know it," Jim confirms, "The engine packed in again two days out from Panama despite the repairs. We got lucky though as the back-up engine we installed last month was enough to get us back home."
"Yeah, it's a good thing we insisted on retaining the old engines on board whilst we trialled these new ones," I admit, "Although we've had no issues with ours on this trip."
Finally, the gangway is lowered and secured to the ship and the crew starts to disembark. Waiting for the last of those that were leaving the ship to clear the lower decks, I finally climb down from my observation point at the bow and picking up my sea bag walk down the gangway to the dock.
"So, what do we do now?" asks Jim shaking my hand.
"We need to go see the Professor," I begin, "I know that he doesn't believe the reports we've sent in. But he's always doubted anything he can't see with his own eyes."
"Fair enough," Jim replies, "I know that the research team from my ship were itching to get into the lab to run the samples."
"Same as mine," I admit, "Although they'll both have to take additional samples assuming our extra guests agree to the tests."
"Extra guests?" Jim asks with a confused look.
Turning to look back I see Bismarck stepping off the gangway onto the dock. She is wearing her full rigging. "Jim allow me to introduce you to Bismarck," I say.
"Unbelievable," stammers Jim in response to my introduction.
"It gets stranger Jim," I continue.
"Impossible," retorts Jim, "I know I've seen the pictures you sent. But this is downright nuts. There's no way it could get weirder than this."
As he says this Kaga begins to descend the gangway followed by Akagi. Both are looking around the dock with pensive looks on their faces.
Jim taps me on the shoulder and leans in, "Please tell me I'm seeing things?" he speaks softly.
"Nope," I reply, "The one in front is Kaga and the other is Akagi. And yes, we've already confirmed that the ears and tails are real."
"Right," Jim says still sounding shocked, "Well I suppose we should go to see the Professor now."
"Yes, no point in delaying this any further," I answer, "Also did your guest join you for the trip here or opt to do something else?"
"See for yourself," Jim replies pointing back up the dock. Following the direction indicated, I see a young woman standing at the end of the dock.
"The photos certainly don't do any justice to what I'm seeing," I say.
"You certainly seem calm considering," Jim points out.
"Well over the past three weeks Jim, I've had fifteen inch cannons aimed point blank in my face, received Morse Code transmissions from sunken Japanese Aircraft Carriers, been buzzed by A6M Zero fighters and seen not one but three different people in what I can best describe as skating across the Pacific Ocean like it was normal behaviour," I explain, "It's going to take a lot to fluster me right now. And a young girl wearing a pair of triple mounted cannons, a torpedo launcher and a mechanical shark's tail just isn't going to do it today."
"What if I told you that the mechanical shark's tail is only armour plating?" Jim asks with a grin.
"Care to explain that one to me?" I question.
"Just like your guests with fox tails," Jim says, "She actually has a shark's tail."
"Okay," I admit, "You win Jim. That's downright crazy."
After some brief introductions where it becomes clear that whilst the two girls who claim to be German warships don't know each other. It seems as though both Kaga and Akagi know of Admiral Graf Spee, until today had never met.
On reaching the main lab offices we enter to find the Professor sitting in front of one of the super computers reading through numerous lines of codes that were flashing across the screen at a rapid pace.
"Morning Professor," I call out.
Without turning from the screen, the Professor replies, "Surely you should still be out at sea gathering weather data for me."
"Like I explained in my last emails and phone calls," I begin, "We've come across something far more concerning than extreme storms in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."
"Yes, yes, I've read your reports," the Professor states, "But there's no solid proof that these girls exist."
"Then tell them yourself," I say taking hold of the wheeled computer chair and spinning the Professor around to face the four girls standing near the door.
Wordlessly the Professor reaches for a pair of glasses on the table next to him. Placing them on he continues to scan the scene in front of him from left to right and back again.
"Okay," he finally says, "So you've found a couple of girls out there. Three of whom like to dress up in costume."
Expecting this response, we had earlier discussed the best way to prove that this was not some sort of hoax with the girls. Having already ignored Akagi's suggestion of launching an aircraft assault within the confines of the labs. It became clear that the girls could if they so wanted deploy or retract their rigging without fully removing it like we had done with Bismarck's the night we met out in the Atlantic.
"Go ahead," I say, "Just don't blow the place up."
Without delay, Bismarck confidently steps forward activating her rigging. Having seen this display before I'm still slightly shocked at just how much more menacing she appears. I look over at the Professor to see that his face has gone white in shock.
"It's no trick either," says Jim, "Go ahead." He continues nudging Graf Spee slightly.
Stepping forward, Graf Spee looks nervously towards us before activating her rigging. I'm amazed at the transformation. Mechanical armour plating quickly envelops not only the shark's tail, but also both her arms ending with oversized mechanical claws with red fingers.
"Impressive," says the Professor, "So what about the two of you? What kind of guns do you have?" he asks looking directly at Kaga and Akagi.
The look of disgust on Kaga's face clearly shows that the Professor has said something wrong.
"The First Carrier Division is not to be looked down upon!" Kaga spits with venom.
Without waiting for a response, both Kaga and Akagi step forward. Having already seen how both girls look with their rigging deployed, I look firstly for the reactions from my colleague Jim. Seeing the dumb struck look on his face was nothing compared with that of the Professor. His jaw had dropped open in shock.
To be fair though seeing two girls suddenly standing in front of you with what looked for all purposes like a flight deck that belonged on an aircraft carrier seemingly floating to their right and left sides respectively was certainly a sight to behold.
"Well Professor," I say, "Allow me to introduce you to Bismarck, Admiral Graf Spee, Kaga and Akagi." Indicating each in turn as I say this. "Ladies, this is Professor Daniel Strickland."
"Alright Nathan, Jim," the Professor relents, "This is certainly something worth looking into."
Before any further discussion could take place, the phone next to me starts ringing. Picking it up, "Yes… Okay put them through."
Listening to the person on the other end of the line before replying, "Okay Admiral, I understand your concern."
Taking a deep breath, I continue to listen to the Admiral as he goes into further detail. "Again, I understand your reasoning Admiral, but we've not encountered anything like what you are describing."
Listening to a final brief statement, "Well if we do come across anything, we'll let you know. And no, I'm not scheduled to pay a visit to Pearl for another month."
Placing the phone back in the receiver, I look around the room. "Looks like the US Navy might know something."
"What do you mean?" asks Jim.
"They seem to be under the impression that Akagi and Kaga are roaming the Pacific Ocean," I answer.
"So why did you tell them that we weren't?" queries Akagi.
"Well the Admiral only asked if we had seen any ships flying the Japanese flag," I explain, exchanging looks with the Professor I continue, "Whatever is going on here. There's more to it."
"What do you mean?" Professor Strickland asks.
"The Admiral just confided in me that not only have they had reports of two Japanese Aircraft Carriers rumoured to be Akagi and Kaga are roaming the Pacific, they can't locate the wreck of the Prinz Eugen from her resting place near the Marshall Islands. And it would appear as though they have also misplaced the wreck of the Arizona as well." I answer.
"Hang on," Jim speaks up, "Isn't the Arizona sitting in the middle of Pearl Harbour?"
"According to the Admiral," I explain, "She was there five days ago. Then after a massive storm that swept through the region, they were conducting inspections to get repairs started and noticed that the usual visible parts above the water were no longer there. On closer inspection they've discovered the entire wreck is missing."
"So why do they think we know about this?" asks Jim.
"No idea," I reply, "I'm a little surprised they even know we are back here at Midway and not still at sea. But as to everything else. I guess they think we might be able to shed some light on what's going on without actually asking us to or telling us what they believe might be going on."
"Situation normal then," mutters Jim, "We do all the leg work and they take all the credit."
The morning two days later after breakfast, I call past the research labs to get the preliminary test results from the examinations the medical team conducted both on board ship during the return voyage to port and over the past two days back in the main labs.
Finding four large folders waiting for me in my In Tray, I decide to take them back to my office on the second floor to read rather than taking one of the work stations in the main lab.
After grabbing a refill for my coffee on the way back, I sit down at the work desk and open the first folder.
The opening to the first page of the report, firstly from the sample taken from Bismarck, it confirmed what most already suspected. She shared enough common genetics with the typical human that the research team concluded that aside from her ability to skate on water and walk around with her own personal armoury there was no evidence to conclude she was anything other than human.
The reasoning behind her memory recall of the events from the 1941 Battle of Denmark Straight were surmised as memory recall from reading a history text at some point before we found her.
It certainly didn't answer the questions of how she was able to skate on top of the ocean or how she was able to walk around wearing fifteen-inch cannons like they weighed nothing. Nor did it answer the question of how she knew details about crew members that had been on board the Bismarck during the Battle of Denmark Straight that weren't public knowledge.
Taking a blank workbook from one of the drawers, I begin to note down a number of the areas where we need more data and put in requests for additional testing to be run on the samples already obtained.
The next series of pages goes into further detail of the data gathered from the blood samples the medical crew had taken. I pause when I reach the conclusion the Chief Medic had reached, 'The subject shares a 98% genetic match with all known data to consider the subject to be human.'
Putting the report on Bismarck to one side, I reach for the next report.
Skimming through to the Chief Medics detailed report, my eyebrows raise in surprise at the conclusion. Once again tests confirm that there are enough similarities in genetics that the subject should be considered human. There was no explanation for the fox-like ears or tails. Although the report could confirm that although Akagi and Kaga called themselves sisters, they were not genetically related.
'Well that makes sense from an historic point of view' I muse. The original Akagi and Kaga were converted from different plans under the Washington Treaty.
Noting down another request to perform additional genetic tests to try to determine a reasonable explanation for the fox like appearance of Akagi and Kaga and the shark tail of Graf Spee.
As I finish writing out my requests, I hear a soft knock on the door to my office which as always is open. Turning from the reports, I see Akagi standing at the door, "Everything okay?" I ask seeing a slightly concerned look on her face.
Akagi steps into the office and takes a seat on one of the office chairs I have for meetings and interviews. Turning my work station chair to face her I continue, "Whatever it is, you can say it here."
"We've all been talking," Akagi begins, "And we are concerned about how our historical enemies are going to react when they learn of our reappearance."
"I can certainly see why that is a worry," I answer, "As far as I'm aware no-one outside of this facility knows exactly what has been happening out there regarding Second World War era warships roaming the oceans once more."
"What about that phone call from the American the other day," a voice from the doorway interjects.
Turning to see Kaga standing there with Bismarck and Graf Spee just behind I reply, "The Admiral, I believe is reacting to rumours from what I can gather. He has no solid proof that any of you have somehow managed to actually return."
"And where do you suppose these rumours started?" Bismarck asks, stepping past Kaga into my office and taking another of the seats.
"I honestly don't know," I admit, "The US Navy certainly has plenty of resources available to them, that it's virtually impossible for anything to happen on the world's oceans without them knowing. However, we have confirmed that they don't originate from anyone here."
Before anyone can say anything else the phone on my desk rings. Pressing the Take Call button and putting the phone on speaker, "Yes."
"It's Jim, Turn on the news."
"Which station?" I ask.
"Doesn't matter," Jim replies before hanging up.
Frowning at the lack of an explanation, I pick up a remote from the desk and point it at the TV in the corner. As the picture comes to life, I select the menu and then the news section before tapping a button on the remote to load up CNN News.
'Reports in from the US Navy spokesperson still leave many people questioning how a shipwreck the size of the USS Arizona can vanish overnight without a trace. Speaking with marine salvage experts, it is believed that if a salvage operation had been ordered it would have taken at least two years to remove the wreck. However, one company we spoke with stated that no-one would take on such a project due to the history of the shipwreck in question.' The reporter read from a teleprompter.
"Well that's certainly not worth all the excitement," I mutter.
'In other news a nation-wide alert has been issued by the President for all US flagged ships operating in the Pacific Ocean to be on the alert for two ships flying Japanese Flags. Both ships are reported as being capable of launching air strikes, and are to be considered dangerous.' The reporter continued, 'When asked a US Naval spokesperson said, that whilst they were aware of the apparent presence of a pair of Japanese aircraft carriers operating in the region. That there was nothing to be concerned about.'
"Okay, maybe that is worth getting a bit excited about," I state.
'The President has ordered a Search and Destroy Order on both ships,' the reporter finishes before moving on to a report about a train crash in California.
The silence that fills the room as I switch off the TV is deafening. I look across at Akagi to see that Kaga has joined her and is standing just behind her sister's chair.
"So, it seems we are to be hunted once more," Akagi whispers softly looking down at the floor.
"I say we set sail for Pearl Harbour and take them out once and for all," Kaga states forcefully.
Suppressing a laugh, I reply, "I'm sure that there are plenty of people that would love to see the Americans get another bloody nose at your hands. However, times are much different to 1941. You wouldn't stand a chance against todays advanced weapons systems."
Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, I point to a photo I had framed on the wall above one of the filing cabinets, "That is a photo of the current generation attack fighter used by the US Airforce," I explain, "It can travel at speeds over four times faster than anything you've ever launched and is equipped with a weapons system far beyond that of any Second World War era planes."
"An opponent worthy of my attention then," Kaga answers bluntly.
"Kaga," I begin, "The last time you took part in a naval engagement was over eighty years ago. Modern warfare is far more complex than it was in the 1940's. And like I said, todays military hardware is far superior to what you are used to."
"Let us show you what we can do then," says an unfamiliar voice.
I look away from Kaga, to the doorway to find that even Bismarck is wearing a look of surprise on her face whilst glancing at Admiral Graf Spee.
"What did you have in mind then Graf Spee?" I ask.
"Put us through a series of trials similar to those we had to do prior to being commissioned," Graf Spee replies.
