Rogue Wave by Boyd Morrison

Author:Boyd Morrison [Morrison, Boyd]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Tsunamis, Action & Adventure, General, Suspense, War & Military, Thrillers, Fiction, Espionage
ISBN: 9781439189580
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2010-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 33

11:22 AM

First Wave

The express elevator to the penthouse restaurant in the Grand Hawaiian opened to dispense the last of the guests from the lobby. Rachel was among them. She had stayed behind to make sure no one was left in the lobby. According to the list in front of her, seven rooms below the tenth floor still had guests in them, but it was too late to do anything about that now. They were on their own.

The Starlight restaurant had a panoramic view of Honolulu, with glass in every direction except toward the north. To the west was the other Grand Hawaiian building-the Akamai Tower-and downtown Honolulu. To the east was Diamond Head. And to the south, a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean out to the horizon. The stunning vistas, not to mention the world-class cuisine, made the Starlight one of the most sought-after reservations in Honolulu. Celebrities visiting Oahu would often stop there to nosh on crab Rangoon or shallot-infused mahi mahi and take in the spectacular scenery.

Rachel paid no attention to the view. She walked around the restaurant trying to calm the guests and answering questions.

"When can we leave?"

"Is someone coming for us?"

"Are we safe up here?"

Rachel tried to be as positive as she could without promising anything.

"Please calm down, everyone," she said. "We're perfectly safe up here for now."

A few of the women cried, but most of the guests took the situation well. The battle-hardened veterans in particular seemed to be taking it in stride.

A woman at the window screamed, and a man on crutches next to her pointed outside. All heads turned in the direction of the beach.

Max Walsh, who was also standing at the window, waved her over.

"Rachel, come here quick!"

She ran over and gasped when she saw what they were looking at. The water had receded from the beach, exposing a great swath of sand for miles up and down the coast. The yachts that remained in the Ala Wai Marina rested on the bare sea floor, most of them leaning over on their sides. The Ala Wai Canal, which extended from the marina under three bridges and angled behind Waikiki, had been completely drained, revealing a brown muck. A few of the sightseers that were left leaned over the bridges' railings to watch the fish flopping around in the empty canal. Some of the bystanders understood that the coming tsunami was real and ran across the bridges, trying to escape.

Several boats and ships that had left the marina and harbor late were now stranded on ocean floor that hadn't been exposed to the air since before the first Polynesians had settled in Hawaii. In all, five sailboats, seven motorboats, a 150-foot luxury yacht, and a massive dredging barge were left high and dry. Some of the passengers stood dumbfounded on the decks of the boats, while others jumped overboard in an attempt to get to high ground.

To the east, only a scattered few stayed on the beach, either not realizing the danger or ignoring it.

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