Chapter 5 - Friday, March 7, 1941

Two hundred and sixty-nine days before the attack.

Disappearing Act

Collin's POV

I didn't think it possible for Elliot to be any quieter than he already was. Ever since that meeting this morning, Elliot had seemed to be more on edge, and less talkative than usual. He hadn't even greeted me during our lunch break, just silently walked passed the mess hall to who knows where. I had figured it had to do something with that lad yesterday, but he refused to tell me anything. I hadn't intended to bug him too much about it, but he didn't let up, just mumbled something under his breath and walked away.

And truthfully, I was a bit irritated. Sure we weren't close roommates - we had barely made small talk - But I had hoped that he would've had the guts to tell me a little about one of our coworkers, especially if the both of them were shocked to see each other. During lunch, I had thought it could have been his ex he referred to a couple days ago, but Elliot hadn't mentioned him joining the navy. Surely he would've told me that was him if that were the case.

And so, I was left to figure out who this mystery person was. And since Elliot refused to sit with me or even look at me at work, I spent most of the day observing this fella.

He didn't appear to be from Hawaii with his Caucasian skin and blonde hair. From the small talk he gave the other men aboard the ship, he seemed to have a northern accent, possibly the lakes or even New York.

During lunch, I had walked by and managed to sneak a glance at his badge. Frank Edmonson, it read. He was of the same rank as us based on his badges and uniform. He sat with other men from our rank, most of the loud, obnoxious, and younger rookies. Paul, John, and Dave among the ones I recognized. On our first day, Paul and John had pulled some ridiculous stunt, stashing some mini alcohol sprites in their uniform pants. Luckily, they had only been caught by a petty officer and not some higher ranking official.

Frank, despite being very loud, seemed to be the lesser of evils among the group. He seemed to focus on his food rather than make ridiculous comments about the higher-ups like Paul. But to think that Frank knew Elliot was a bit shocking. They were complete opposites. Elliot didn't surround himself with people like that, let alone be around anyone, as he was nowhere to be seen. It's possible they could have been acquaintances, or maybe even enemies. Regardless, Frank seemed to know Elliot from back in the states, something completely out of my knowledge.

As we returned to our stations to work, I took the long ways hoping to catch Elliot with no luck. It was as if he had simply vanished from the boat. Sure it was a massive ship, but to think walking the entire floor and still no luck in at least spotting him. I checked my watch, seeing that I only had a couple of minutes to report to our petty officers.

I met up with Edwin on my way to the meeting room, my partner for running drills this month. He was one of the few crew members who was born and raised here.

"Stratford, there you are," he grinned. "We're going over the drills."

Benjamin, our petty officer stood with some paperwork in his hand as he cleared his throat. He was in charge of about twenty of us. He was well respected, someone who had fought in the war, but he had a reputation for being a lot calmer than the other officers. He insisted that we called him Ben out of uniform, and despite being offered higher positions, he declined. "Alright, boys. We'll be running our first drill next week with the newest rookies. We'll be heading out at 8 o'clock sharp along with the Nevada. There will be two target ships we're practicing with and will be utilizing the turrets and newest guns. Till then I expect everyone to clean and check their sections. I want no excuses for this drill. Cap'n Vandeberg will be calling the shots, but remember to listen to the petty officers as well. That's it for my announcements, get back to work"

I walked with Edwin to our station along with a few other seamen. Ed and I were in charge of checking the rooms for the rear turrets. Since most of the turrets had gotten an upgrade, existing crewmen were instructed to man the weapons while rookies like Ed and I were to look out and support them in an event of war. Many of the older seamen had helped us to understand the fundamentals to the weaponry, but it was all still very new and different from the other ships we've been on. Our crew set off cleaning the floorboards, checking the controls, making sure everything was in order. I had participated in a few drills before back in Orleans, but drills were always different depending on the crew, the location, and the objectives.

Since we finished early, we watched the returnees focus on the controls and panels. The eldest, Roy, we learned had been a part of the crew even before the upgrades and retrofitting of newer turrets. Like Ben, they had offered a higher position for his extended knowledge and experience with the Arizona, but he preferred manning the guns and working with the rookies. His father had been a part of the navy as well, and even had a picture of him in his uniform pocket. Roy was a quiet lad, very respectful, and understanding despite being a son of an admiral.

Roy was showing the other rookies the newest upgrades and how it worked before we picked up a game of cards. We still had about an hour till our shift was done, so we played a couple of rounds, chatting story, and cracking jokes about coworkers and other shipyards we've worked at.

Roy placed his winning hand down, before collecting the pocket change we bet on. "I'm glad Cap'n Vandeberg took over, he's taught at the academy for a while so he knows the ships better than the previous captain. He can relate to most of you rookies"

Jack, one of the rookies collected the cards and began to shuffle. "Hopefully he's able to command the rowdier ones. The young'uns are a hundred times louder than we were when we joined"

"Especially that Paul and John kid. Y'all heard what they did last week, right?" Thomas grabbed a new hand of cards before continuing, "their friends are ridiculous, I hope Vandeberg and officers can manage to put them in their place during the drills"

"Vandeberg doesn't seem like the type to be very strict, you saw how friendly he was at the meeting," Jack grinned as he placed his winning hand, as I lost once again. "Besides, Frank and I joined around the same time, he seems like he can mellow them out. He was a pretty good leader during our training"

Jack had mentioned earlier this week about his time training in New York. His accent wasn't as strong as Frank's but he must've grown up near the big city.

I made sure to remind myself to ask about Frank later, as we grabbed our next two cards. There was only enough time for one or more round, as there were only a few minutes left till it was 4 o'clock.

I checked my hand, betting a couple of dimes on the table. There was a chance I could win this round if Roy's and Jack's hands aren't as lucky this time. They also placed a couple of coins before we compared our hands.

Just as Ben poked his head through to announce we were free to go, I grinned at my winning hand. The rest of the crew groaned as I collected the coins, placing it in my pocket.

I caught up with Jack as we made our way to the top deck.

"You know Frank pretty well?" I asked.

He hummed before replying, "we weren't super close, but I'd say he's more than just acquaintances. We've run a couple of drills before."

"He from New York as well? Or the lakes?"

"Possibly the lakes? He did mention his family visits one of 'em during the summer," he contemplated, before asking. "Why, you know him, too?"

"My roommate does. They didn't appear to be very happy about it either. Just curious if you knew anything about the guy, my roommate is as talkative as a rock"

"Well, Frank is known to get irritated and bossy easily. Maybe he annoyed Frank?" He shrugged. That still didn't make sense. Elliot was avoiding everyone, not just Frank. Surely he would've brushed Frank's presence if it was a mere argument. Even at the bar, we met at, Elliot had tried to prevent further arguments, even as far as leaving the bar.

"No, my roommate doesn't like to annoy anyone. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself very much, especially since he..." I stopped myself. The events following the bar were replaying in my head and I had almost just announced that to Jack. I hadn't intended to, but I knew that Elliot - from the short time I've known him - wouldn't try to make himself well known. I mean one small thing and he'd take off running. He was all flight, no fight. Constant disappearing and avoiding everyone.

"He what?" Jack tacked on.

"He..." I tried to come with something. "He's fairly old to be a rookie. He joined when he was older, so he doesn't quite fit in with the rest of us. He also can't handle alcohol well, which is pretty sad for a twenty-five-year-old."

He chuckled as we headed down the ramp towards the parking lot. "I'm sure he'll fit in eventually. Besides, he's probably smarter and more mature compared to those rowdy rookies. It's probably for the best that he doesn't drink either since those young 'uns get pretty wild"

"Best of luck to ya," he saluted playfully before walking to his truck. I pulled out the keys before deciding to wait for Elliot. Surely he wouldn't turn down a ride and walk the two miles back to the apartment. So I watched as people from different crews step off the ramps in hopes of spotting Elliot.

I watched as Roy and the others walked to their cars, and even spotted multiple petty officers discuss something together as they walked down. I kept waiting and spotted Frank and his company goofing around before dispersing to their respective cars. Still no sign of Elliot. It was about ten minutes before I realized how avoidant he could get in these types of situations. It was as if he had completely disappeared altogether. I waited another ten minutes as most of the people had left already, before deciding to call it quits and head home. Although it'd be nice to understand more about Elliot's distaste for Frank, Elliot didn't want to be bothered, especially since no one has seen or heard from him.

To no surprise, Elliot hadn't returned home, the apartment looks exactly the way it did this morning. I had hoped to see his stompers and hat placed neatly by the door and smell his delicious cooking. I was beginning to miss his cooking, it was such a blessing, considering I had very little cooking skills. I probably would've starved if it were not for his nostalgic and timeless dishes. I hoped his little disappearing act would end quickly, I was starting to get hungry for dinner already.