56 Speculations

A while after the battle, Thomas had sent a runner back to the beach to bring the rest of the company to the airfield.

Since they had their own communications system and could communicate with the USS Tombstone without the use of large external equipment, they had no need for the communications outpost that the Japanese had set up.

They still sent a squad that arrived from from the USS Tombstone as a matter of course. Standard doctrine, even if they didn't need the communications post, they still posted a guard in case there were any remaining Japanese hiding out in the jungle

While the island itself wasn't all too large, it was easily large enough for a couple of squads to hide in undetected. Rather than spend unnecessary time and wasting resources trying to find them, Thomas and the rest of command agreed on a decision to ignore them, but still stay cautious.

In the few hours since the sun rose, many sandbag fortifications could be seen plugging the gaps in the concrete buildings at the airfield. The reason they needed to capture the airfield without damaging the aircraft in the hangar was because they needed its blackbox.

The plane in the bunker was a slightly modified Aichi E13A Navy Type 0 reconnaissance aircraft. A current mainstay of the Japanese navy, this particular aircraft was used to scout Hawaii before the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

Thus there was great interest in taking this tiny little island, otherwise it would have been ignored and the US Navy would most likely have started their attacks on the Atolls and the Phillipines as well as the surrounding countries that have been taken over by Japan.

Of course, they would not have even known the plane was here if it was not for a Japanese spy they had caught snooping around their classified files.

The spy was placed into a secret chamber and after several hours of grueling interrogation, had given up his whole spy network. Not that it amounted to much, most of the spies were practically nobodies, only one was even worth mentioning and that was only in passing.

That one individual did give up information on this island, including defenses, location, and assets.

That information made it's way up the food chain and eventually into the hands of Lieutenant General Hughes. After mulling it over and discussing it with the others in his immediate circle, decided to assign capturing the island to Thomas and his company as a nice easy first assignment. Ease him into the rigors of command.

Unfortunately it did not work out the way they wanted it to. Back in California at Area One, Lieutenant General Hughes was mulling over the information and picture evidence he received. It did not paint a pretty picture.

Hughes was seated inside his office of course, and it was just as spartan as ever. The only difference being the amount of unread paperwork he had piled on his desk. He currently had a a file in his hands and a lit cigar lighting up his face in the bright office, a waft of smoke lazily drifting into the air from the tip.

"British Commandos that regenerate slowly..." Hughes muttered to himself before puffing smoke out of his nose. In the months and weeks that followed the first time he met Thomas face to face, he had grown a rather resplendent mustache on his face. He was the true picture of military majesty, seated there in his office chair.

He was still mulling it over when the door to his office opened and General Eisenhower confidently strode inside. Hughes immediately stood and saluted his superior office.

"Sir!" He promptly said.

"At ease, Hughes." Eisenhower replied. "There's no need for formality between old friends is there?" Eisenhower looked around for an extra chair before Hughes offered him his own. He did not have any other seats because this is the first time Eisenhower has directly come to his office.

"Let's get down to brass tacks Hughes," Eisenhower began. "I am sure you have read the report by now."

"Yes I have." Hughes quickly replied.

"And what do you make of it?" Eisenhower asked.

"I am not quite sure, Dwight." Hughes stroked his mustache and thought about it for a minute before giving out his own theory. "The fact that these...commandos were on the island is quite strange. We have no reports of the British operating in the Pacific theater. In fact, we have been working with the new Prime Minister...Churchill I think his name was? We have been working with him since his Labour party won over the Pro-Soviet party in the elections."

"We have access to almost all of their top projects as we are collaborating with them. If it is not the British, then who is taking men, making almost unkillable monsters out of them, and dressing them up as British Royal Soldiers?"

Eisenhower signed before replying, "Who indeed..."