More and more subs were made at the Nazi's main base and more and more ships were sunk and damaged as the weeks went by. Some of them were military and some of them were merchant. So far, the Nazi's had captured Simferopol, Kursk, Feodosia, and Yalta. And now, Hitler was saying that the United States had "attacked" Germany.

The Americans did their best not to think about the war since they were still not in it yet. The only good news for them though was that the big bridge between US and Canada was finally built and open to the public for cars passing over it from one border to the other. But, sometimes, they just couldn't help themselves but worry for some of their loved ones who had volunteered to join the British army. Some news that came back were not always very good.

On Armistice Day, Roosevelt gave a speech, reassuring the people that those Americans volunteered for the greater good of their country. In other words, for their freedom and their right to live in peace. But somehow, as the days wore on, it was becoming more and more likely that eventually, America will have to join the war.

November 15, 1941

The nurses were in the break room, listening to the radio, which was playing an announcement on another ship that was sunk by another German machinery.

"The SS Empire Defender, after around a whole year of service to the British empire, had been torpedoed by a German aircraft, caught fire and went down yesterday off of Tunisia, Africa on her way to Malta. And, after a wide search, we have confirmed that only 4 of the 63 lives onboard were lost while the survivors had been captured by the Nazi's and are now prisoners of war. Chances of rescue are slim to none until a plan is made as we await further orders from Churchill himself."

Seeing how upset Izetta looked, burying her head into her knees, Finé quickly turned off the radio and tried to comfort her.

"No one could've predicted this," she said, patting her friend's back.

"I just... don't like feeling so helpless," Izetta murmured.

"Izetta, you and I both know we don't have what it takes to win against them," Finé said to her.

"I know," Izetta replied. "But... does it really hurt to at least try?"

"In this war," said Finé, "especially with all the chaos the Nazi's are doing over there, it could hurt very much. Just let the military on their end do their job. I'm sure they'll figure something out eventually. As for us, we're doing all we can right where we are."

Izetta could only hope her friend was right. But still, deep down, she couldn't ignore this fighting spirit that was dwelling within her. It was only a small piece though, so it wasn't likely that she would bring it to the surface. She was sure that by the time it was big enough, it would already be over.

"The transports are pulling in!" called Gertrude from outside and the nurses went outside to meet them.

When the transport vehicles arrived, some of the nurses got on the trucks.

As Izetta got onto her assigned truck in the passenger seat, she looked back towards Finé, smiling warmly at her with a wave. As the truck started to move, Izetta waved back until her friend was out of sight. Despite feeling encouraged, she still felt somewhat torn deep down. This was the first time she had gone without her friend to back her up, as she is now on her own. And deep down, she felt sure that Finé must be feeling the same. But despite that, Finé was strong. And it got her thinking that if Finé, then so should she.

"I won't fail you, Finé!" she thought. "I won't!"

The Hickam Hospital was a three story building near an airfield. At the enterance, a woman at the age of 48, wearing her US army uniform was waiting for the transports to arrive with the nurses for the opening ceremony in just a few hours. She was very proud of her new position at the new hospital. Seeing that it was next to the base, she could get to work on any injuries the army may have.

At last, she spotted the transports coming in the distance from every direction imaginable from overseas and other hospitals. She watched as they turned the corner and pulled up beside the enterance. Then she saw hundreds of nurses coming out, especially Izetta, feeling dreadfully nervous inside but wearing a determined face on the outside.

"Good afternoon, everyone," said the woman. "My name is Annie Fox, First Lieutenant of Hickam's US Army Nurse Corps. As of today, you are all officially my nurses. If there is a soldier in hurt, it is your job to nurse them back to health. If they are sick, it is you who must take care of them. You will do whatever order I give you without question and I will not repeat myself nor will I take no for an answer. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Lieutenant!" said the nurses sharply in unison.

"Good," said Annie. "Now I want everyone to get changed into your new uniforms and settled into your new stations. The grand opening will commence in one hour, and I will not wait!"

With that said, Annie left firmly to her duties while the nurses went to get themselves ready. Izetta felt a little overwhelmed by the demanding behavior of Annie. It just almost reminded her of her treatment back at the camp. But she was willing to be useful no matter what.

While the nurses got themselves ready for the opening, lots of people came to see the opening of the new hospital. Most were civilians and some were soldiers, reporters, photographers, and cameramen. Some of those included Sophie and Rickert.

"Oooooh, I can't wait to see this!" squeeled Sophie excitedly, holding up her camera.

"Cool your jets, Sophie," Rickert eased.

Annie made sure all her nurses were all present and dressed when they came back to the enterance. She had hoped they would come before she would see the car, containing the guest of honor, who would cut the ribbon. Annie could see that all but one were present when she saw the car approaching. Luckly, the car had stopped at the enterance just as Izetta finally rushed in, panting heavily before standing straight and ready.

A man stepped out of the vehicle and walked over towards Annie to greet her.

"Ah, Colonel L.P. Turner, it's truly an honor," she said, shaking the man's hand.

"Likewise, Lieutenant," Turner answered. "Shall we get started?"

"With pleasure," Annie responded before walking up to the podium, mounted with a microphone on it for everyone to hear her.

Everyone sanding before the podium grew silent as they watched the Colonel stand in front of it, beginning to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are gathered here today to commence the opening of Hickam Field's new hospital, where we will be treating the wounds of those fellow soldiers who need it after risking their very lives for our battles. And, without further ado, lets give a friendly welcome to our first lieutenant of this new addition, Annie Fox!"

Annie approached the podeium, clearing her throat before she began to speak.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I am higly honored to serve as first lieutenant of this field's new addition. And I promise I will help those men in any way I can because no matter how hard it looks, I never give up and I always keep pushing myself further to my full potential. As nurses, we owe it to all those who fought for our country, dedicating their lives to preserve our safety and peace. Even in times of peace, we never grow soft. We treat it the same as any war that's far away in the world. While they fight their own battles, me and all of my nurses will fight our own battles here, healing the wounded and curing the sick. And we never rest until we succeed!"

After Annie fished speaking, Turner snapped his fingers and an assistant arrived with a big pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, strung between the posts in front of the entrance. He stood ready as the scissor's ends were above and below the ribbon as Tuner spoke again.

"I now declare this new hospital addition to Hickam airfield open!"

With that said, the scissors sliced down on the ribbon, cutting it instantly as the crowd cheered and clapped in celebration, including all the nurses watching. As Izetta clapped, she thought about Annie's speech. She felt inspired and started to remember about Finé.

"I'll do this for you," she thought. "I will!"

When the celebration ended, everyone went on their way to their daily businesses and the nurses walked inside to their new posts. However, Izetta was on her way in when...

"So, you've taken up as a nurse, have you?" said a voice behind her. "I'm very impressed."

Hearing that voice directed towards her, Izetta turned around to find a familiar figure standing before her. She looked like a scrawny old woman with grey, shoulder-length hair, holding a cane. Izetta recognized her all too well.

"Grandma?!" Izetta exclaimed. "Is that you?!"

The old woman nodded and hugged her like she hadn't held her in years while Izetta hugged back.

She remembered many years ago when she lived with her parents and grandmother, having a lovely Jewish life as usual. Their lives were happy and there was a lot of love. They were also very proud of their religion and Izetta never dreamed of ever being apart from them.

But then, one fateful day, while her grandmother was out of errands, Izetta was on her way back from school to witness what was happening to some of her Jewish neighbors, including the cruel murder of her parents. When the Nazi men saw her, recognizing her as one of them with her Jewish clothing, they chased after her until they finally caught her and thrown her in their truck. It was at that moment her grandmother returned to see that happening. She chased after the truck in vane, screaming Izetta's name while Izetta cried back to her until they both disappeared from each other's sight. It was the last time they had seen each other until now.

"It's been so long," her grandmother muttered. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I escaped from the camp," explained Izetta. "I hoped a truck. Then, I ran and ran until I was rescued by a rich family, who got me on a ship to America to be safe."

"Lucky you did," smiled her grandmother. "Your mother and father would've been very proud of you for being so brave to break out of there and not get caught. And look at you now," she added, carassing her granddaughter's face. "All grown up and working as a nurse."

Izetta giggled with a blush.

"Izetta!"

That call came from Annie, which both Izetta and her grandmother heard.

"I'll be waiting at the Crossroads of the Pacific when you're done with your shift," her grandmother whispered to Izetta, who nodded before they parted ways.

Izetta met Annie at the front doors.

"Why were you almost late?" Annie asked firmly. "I said I wanted all my ladies to be on time! You could've ruined the whole celebration by not being there."

"Oh, I... I-I'm so sorry, ma'am," Izetta said quickly in a panic. "I had a little trouble getting my uniform on and it took me a little time to get it fixed. Please forgive me!"

"Alright, alright! You were lucky to make it in time so, don't make such a fuss about it," said Annie. "And I do suppose these things happen. Just make sure it doesn't again. I won't tolerate any tardiness."

"Yes, ma'am!" Izetta nodded immediately.

"Good. Now, on to your station," said Annie as she marched away, leaving Izetta a little overwhelmed but relieved that she was let off without punishment.

Once Izetta's shift had ended late in the afternoon, she left the hospital and went down the sidewalk for the place where her grandmother said they would meet so they could catch up.

On her way, she passed a field where children were playing soccar. She watched them playing for a brief moment, smiling at their happy faces until she noticed the soccar ball roll in front of her on the path. Puzzled, she eyed it and picked it up. That's when she heard them.

"Hey!"

Startled, Izetta quickly turned to see a group of four kids, glaring angrilly at her.

"That's our ball!" shouted one of them, pointing at the soccar ball in her hands. "Give it back!"

"Oh, sorry!" said Izetta anxiously. "I-I was already going to give it back anyway."

The kid snatched the ball and blew a raspberry at her before dashing away with his friends. Despite giving it back, Izetta still felt hurt. She looked around the area at all the other people passing by, all busy with their own business, without even turning a glance at her. To her, it was like they didn't even want to try and defend her, explaining what really happened. And that struck even harder as she walked on further, moving faster while hiding the wound in her spirit with a poker face.

Izetta found her grandmother waiting at the sign like she promised.

"Hi, Grandmother," Izetta greeted with a shy smile.

"Oh, dear child," her grandmother smiled in relief as she looked at her. "I'm so glad you could come."

They went to a nearby resturant, where they got some food. As they ate, they began to catch up after many years of separation. There wasn't a lot of people near them, so it was safe for them to speak.

"I never thought I would see you again after all this time," Izetta spoke to her. "How did you even escape from the Nazi's?"

"I hid myself away in a dark alley?" her grandmother said. "I just sat waiting to die, believing I would never see the last remaining family I had. But, after some time, I learned that I just had to get over myself and start a new name for myself, knowing I could never go back to my old life. So, I found myself on a ship and had been working in Florida as a seamstress. Then, just recently, I decided to take a vacation to here. Though I never realized I would find you there as well. I'm sure you must despise me for it, and I don't blame you."

Despite what she heard, Izetta could not bring herself to do just that.

"I would never," she said. "All this time, I thought you might've been killed after we've been separated, even after I had escaped."

"I'm sure breaking out of there was not easy, wasn't it?" her grandmother asked.

Izetta shook her head.

"I was so scared," she said. "I didn't think I'd be able to make it. Not by just myself anyway. I didn't even know where I would go after that until Finé found me in the bushes. She and her family were kind enough to take me in and we ferried to New York, where we lived and grew up together and enlisted as nurses." she went on. "Even as I got transfered to Pearl just last summer, I'm still sad that both Mom and Dad would never see all of that."

"Oh, I know," comforted her grandmother. "But there was nothing that could've been done. We just came home at the wrong place at the wrong time. What's done is done and we are the only survivors while your mother and father are already dead." she continued before making a smile. "However, I wouldn't say your parent's hadn't seen it. Because I'm sure they have, watching from right up above us in heaven."

"Really?" asked Izetta, bewildered.

Her grandmother nodded proudly.

"In fact, I'm sure they're looking down on us right now," her grandmother said, looking up above her with Izetta doing the same.

Once they finished their meal, Izetta's grandmother took her granddaughter to a jewish church, where they both respected their Jewish religion, their god, and prayed for their lost family members, reassured that they really were being watched over from above. After that, they both strolled down the neighborhood sidewalk side-by-side as the sky started getting dark.

"So, how had this new life of yours treated you?" asked her grandmother.

"It's fine when Finé was by my side all the time," Izetta replied solemly. "Others, they mostly act like I'm just a klutz. I do my very best, but it's like not a lot of people see how kind I am. They just turn a blind eye and act suspicous of me. If I told them I am Jewish, they'd never accept me. Especially after since some got humiliated on the St. Louis, seeing us as bad people."

"Well, it's better than being called evil like the Nazi's do," comforted her grandmother.

"I guess so," whimpered Izetta, leaning her head on her grandmother's shoulder. "But I don't want to be evil. I just don't see myself that way. You know I could never heart anyone."

"And I'm sure some know that too," smiled her grandmother. "Like that Finé girl you mentioned. Just give it some time and never stop being you. And, eventually, everyone will finally see how good you are."

"Really?" smiled Izetta hopefully, looking into her face.

"Yes," said her grandmother warmly. "Never forget that you are still alive today for a reason, and so was I. Now I'm going to remind you what my grandmother said to me when I was very little, whenever you feel alone, always remember that you are never alone."

Izetta took these words to heart and hugged her warmly while her grandmother hugged her back in return. It was by chance that they were doing it right in front of Izetta's house. Finé was watching them from her window and smiled at the scene. She never had a chance to see Izetta's grandmother until now. Just hearing that she was here and alive made her feel so happy for her friend. They were true blue survivors.

Jonas was staying in his hotel room, thinking about everything that has happened since the accident at sea. He knew it had been over a month since the incident, but he could still remember it like it was yesterday.

Flashback:

It was a misty night as the Arizona and the Oklahoma were sailing together side-by-side, many yards away. They could barely make each other out in the deep fog. Onboard the Arizona, and everyone was training hard, including Jonas. It was grueling, but it was gaining mostly and that was all there was to it. They had to be ready when they all went out to sea in battle for real.

Valkenburgh was on the bridge, observing the men in training on the deck while his first officer was on lookout. No one knew what had happened next. Through the fog, the first officer could see lights of a ship coming towards them, dangerously close. It was the Oklahoma!

"Captain! Oklahoma's coming towards us on the port side!" he shouted.

"Hard to starboard!" shouted the captain to the helmsman, who turned the wheel hard over to the right while he turned on the collision siren and the ship's horn.

Jonas and the men on deck were alarmed and confused by the siren, wondering what was going on as they felt the ship turning quickly to the right.

"What the hell?" wondered Jonas.

Very soon, they saw the Oklahoma closing in on them, turning on her siren as well, and held tightly onto the railing or something solid just in time!

CRASH!

There was a hard, violent jerk as everyone on the deck held on and kept their foot on the deck. Even those inside the ship held on tightly while some were thrown around, falling to the floor.

When the shaking stopped, Valkenburgh sent damage control down below to see if there had been any breaches. He was relieved to hear that there were none. The Oklahoma slowed down just enough to avoid any critical damage to both ships. But that didn't stop them from getting dented on the Arizona's port hull and the Oklahoma's bow. The incident included a few minor injuries to some of the crew on both ships.

Jonas was lucky to be alive from that ordeal. But now his biggest problem was not being able to be back for Christmas with his family. He knew his family should already know about it after writing a letter to them before hearing the news of the postponing. He decided to write them another letter as he sat on his desk and pulled out a piece of paper, some ink, and a feather pen.

"Mother,

It's been so dreadful being so far away from you. Having my departure date postponed until after Christmas must be the most saddest thing that has ever happened to me. I miss you every single day that passes by. I'm sure my brother and sisters must either miss me too or perhaps they must resent me for not being there. I just hope they know that I'm trying to get back to them. And when I do, I will give them some Christmas gifts I had bought for them. It may be after the date, but it should show them that I still care for them and that I really wanted to give them something.

I want them to live happy lives where they never have to feel sad. I want to be the big brother that should provide for my family, to give them happiness, to give them hope, and most of all, to make sure they live in peace. And, even when I'm gone, I still want to be there for them. You all mean so much to me and would never trade you for anything, no matter where I am, no matter how long I'm gone. Just know that I'll always be there to protect them, even in life, even in death. I'll see all of you really soon.

With hugs and kisses,

Jonas Gallea."

After finishing, he folded his letter and sealed it into an envelope to send it tomorrow. Then, he went to bed, turning out the lights.

November 26, 1941

Eleven days later, over on the island of Japan, the Imperial Army have finally finished their preparations and have gotten their six carriers ready at the shipyard of Yokosuka. All 420 planes were loaded on the flight decks of the ships with all the weaponry stored below deck, all the bombs, torpedoes, and their fins that should help them through shallow water.

On the bridge of one of the carriers, Yamamoto was standing on the bridge, overseeing the preparations being finished while Genda entered.

"Everything and everyone's onboard, admiral," said Genda. "We are all ready to cast off on your command."

Yamamoto took a last look on everything on the deck from the windows, seeing all the planes tied on with the weapons stored underneath the deck, ready to be elevated up when the time comes. He took one last look at the Japanese shore before turning to Genda.

"All ships, cast off!" called Yamamoto and Genda went to give the word to the other ships through radio.

The carriers unmoored from their lines and Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku all set sail from the docks to the Pacific Ocean towards Hawaii.

"America does not know we have left," thought Yamamoto as they reached the open sea. "We are simply disappearing into the Pacific!"

They were long gone by the time a plane was flying over the shipyard a day or two later and the pilot noticed that all the carriers were not there. His second man took a picture of this so they could spread the information to all U.S. military.

Author's Note:

Sorry for not updating this in a while. But I'm back to working on it. As you can read on the dates, the big event is coming very soon. So, be sure to subscribe and follow this story so you can read on and find out what happens next when the date arrives.

Until next time!