Whispering Ice
"Blistering barnacles, Tintin! Would ye take a gander at this?"
Tintin looked up from his typewriter at the captain, whom was shoving the morning newspaper in his face. The young journalist took the paper in his hands and scanned the front cover.
" ' Titanic ready, Maiden Voyage ahead.'" He read aloud. He glanced at the captain who signalled him with his hand to continue reading. "' The RMS Titanic's construction has been completed, and her Maiden Voyage is set for April 10, 1912 from Southhampton to New york. It's claimed that this remarkable, 882 foot monster of a ship couldn't be sunk by God himself!" Tintin looked up again to the captain, whom was smiling from ear to ear.
" You're showing me this because...?"
" Because," Haddock started with a haughty smile, " I bought You, Flint, Plague and I tickets onto the Titanic just 2 weeks ago. Figured it was time we all got out of the country, eh?"
Tintin was about to reply when there was a loud slamming of a door.
" Did I just hear someone mention the Titanic?" Plague asked as she stormed into the room, Flint at her heels.
" Yes," Tintin replied as he stood from his chair and handed Plague the newspaper he'd been reading from moments prior. Plague snatched it from his hands and skimmed over the article, her face showing vivid emotions while reading, ranging from disbelief, worry, horror, to disgust.
" Haddock's bought us tickets for her maiden voyage on the 10th," Tintin continued. "Would you care to join us?" Flint looked at Plague before smiling apoligetically at Tintin.
" I don't thin-"
" No! Never! Going aboard this ship would mean death for us all!" Plague blared, cutting Flint off and slamming the newspaper down on Tintin's desk.
" Wot're ye ravin' on about, Lass? I thought ye and Flint would enjoy headin' back to America!"
" It's one thing to go back to America. It's entirely different thing to go via the Titanic!" Plague countered, getting right up in the Captain's face. Tintin looked to Flint for an explination, and she complied to his silent request.
" The Titanic sunk due to a collision with an iceberg while on it's way to New York. Only about 700 of the 2,224 passengers onboard survived. Ever since she visited the Titanic Museum in Branson- a well known city in our state of Missouri back home- Plague's been somewhat...disturbed by the thought of sailing." Flint stopped and moved closer to Tintin as Plague and Haddock began arguing loudly over why they should/shouldn't ride the Titanic so she could finish explaining.
" The fact that we're from the future and can't do anything about it is a bit difficult to handle, seeing as how if we tell to many people,or somehow stop the titanic from going on her maiden voyage, could screw up the flow of history." Tintin nodded, showing he understood. No longer listening to Flint, he could fully hear the argument escelating between Plague and the Captain.
" Thundering typhoons, Plague! There's no reason we shouldn't get on the ship!"
" Have you studied the blue prints to that vessel? Do you realize that there are only enough life boats for around 1,178 people? That ship is a disaster waiting to happen, and happen it will!"
" That ship is perfectly safe, ye psychotic matron!"
" Says the man who's been drunk his whole life!"
The room went silent immediately, Plague and Haddock only inches apart from eachother, staring directly into eachother's eyes. Haddock growled low in his throat before turning away and grabbing his coat.
" All ye are coming with me on the Titanic, and that's final, ye hear?" With that, Haddock stormed out of the flat, slamming the door as Plague had done when she and Flint had entered moments before.
" Like enfer I will!" Plague muttered under her breath as she, too, stalked out of the flat.
Flint and Tintin remained in silence, a bit shocked at the agressivness of their friends. It was unlike the two to get so combative at eachother.
Unsettled by the silence between them, Flint sat on Tintin's desk and smiled, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
" So, what are you working on?" She asked Tintin as he pulled his seat forward and sat.
" Nothing of interest, honestly. Everything is so common place nowadays..." Tintin sighed as he stared at his typewriter with a longing expression, as if wishing that if, by some miracle, Thomson and Thompson would come rushing in with a murder they needed his help solving, or some mysterious note would suddenly flutter in through the window. Anything to keep his ever working and engaged mind occupied. Suddenly, there was the comforting feeling of a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to the soft, kind face of Flint smiling warmly and understandingly at him.
" I'm sure something will turn up soon. Doesn't seem like it now, but Plague will eventually give in to the Captain's request. Perhaps you'll find something interesting on the Titanic?" Tintin smiled back and nodded slightly, reminding himself that there was always a story somewhere.
" Anyways," Flint started, sliding off the desk and heading for the door. " I'd better go find Plague. Make sure she's not strangling Haddock or anything like that. Bye, Tintin!" And she was gone.
Snowy padded into the room and hopped on Tintin's lap, nuzzling his hand as a signal that he wanted to be petted. Tintin replied with a sigh, turning around to the window.
" What are we going to do, Snowy?"
" Ah, would ye look at that wonderful ship, mates? Is she not one of the most beautiful ships yer eyes e'er laid sight on?" Haddock said excitedly as he, Tintin, Snowy, Flint and Plague waited in line to board White star Line's most prized ship.
" Yeah, beautiful." Plague murmered under her breath. " Beautiful and deadly."
Haddock ignored the remark as he gave the tickets for he and his friends to the ticket collector, whom took them with a tip of his hat.
" Have a lovely trip."
And the adventure finally began...
" This trip," Flint said as she flopped limply onto her first class bed, "has been amazing." She turned her head with a smile to look at Plague, whom was working on the beginning of a sketch in her journal on the other side of the room on her own bed. "Wouldn't you agree?"
" Yeah," Plague replied, her voice betraying distraction as she continued to draw. "Amazing." Flint frowned and grabbed her pillow, flipping onto her stomach and holding the pillow close. Sending a cross stare at Plague, she took out her own journal and pencil and began her own drawing as well.
" Must you be so...so depressive? Sure, we're on a boat doomed to sink to the bottom of the ocean in less than a day's time, but can't you enjoy the time you have on the ship? This is a once in a life time oppurtunity! It's not everyday you get to enjoy the luxury of first class, and on the Titanic, no less!"
" That's just it, you see!" Plague retorted, laying down her journal. " This is a once in a life time oppurtunity, and we're the only ones who know why! So many people won't have the chance to experience what we are, because we can't interrupt the space time continuum! We have the chance to save lives, but we can't because it'll interrupt the flow of history! Honestly, I don't see what there is to be excited about on this trip, other than the fact that you and Tintin are obviously getting...closer, if you will,hm?" Flint blushed at the last statement, her face turning a bright red.
" Wh-what are you-"
" Oh, don't play coy, Fly," Plague said with a smirk, using her nickname for her bestfriend. "Even Haddock and Snowy can see there's something going on between the two of you. I'm just surprised it took this long."
SMACK!
Flint's pillow hit Plague right in the face, causing her to fly backward and fall off the bed.
" Oh, you son of a gun!" Plague laughed as she got back on her bed and grabbed a pillow. "You're gonna pay for that, ya hear?" And the pillow went flying towards Flint, who dodged and rolled off her bed, using it for cover as an anslaught of pillows flew over her head. She grabbed one and flung it back at Plague who caught it and creeped over to Flint's side of the room. Appearing over the top of her bed, Plague smirked at Flint and began hitting her with the pillow, causing Flint to laugh insanely. As the two continued their pillow fight, Haddock knocked on the door twice before opening it and walking in.
" Wot's going on in here?" He asked, looking down at the two.
"Obviously," Plague remarked as she stood up, brushing herself off and frowning slightly at Haddock. " We were having a pillow fight."
" I can see that."
" Then why ask?"
Flint could feel the tension rising between the two, and got up to leave before the two began throwing insults again.
" Well then," Flint said, clasping her hands together and heading for the door, "I'm just gonna leave and let you two...do your thing." She left hurridly, leaving the Captain and 20 year old glaring daggers at eachother.
The room was silent, neither of them dared moved. They just stood there, staring at eachother with icy glares. They didn't know how long they stood in utter silence, silently killing the other multiple times in their minds, until one spoke.
" Your reason for visiting is...?"
" Tintin told me to."
" Ah, so now you're taking orders from Tintin like you're his loyal puppy dog."
" Like you don't do all that he and Flint say, as well, ye landlubber!"
" I have good reason for staying on solid ground!"
" There is nothing wrong with the design of this ship! We're perfectly safe here. Why don't you get that?"
" Because I know what's going to happen in a day's time!"
" Oh, would ye please quit it with the sinking? The Titanic isn't going to si-"
" Dang it , Haddock, just shut up!" Plague snarled as she grabbed the captain by the collar and pulled him towards her, her lips crashing onto his. He was taken by surprise at first, simply staring at her for a few moments before closing his eyes and kissing back. The two stayed like that for quite sometime, about the same amount of time as they had glaring at eachother moments earlier, before Plague pulled away and let go of his collar, licking her lips as she stared ahead.
"...What was that for?" Haddock murmered, his voice almost inaudible. Plague smirked up at him, patting his shoulder twice.
" Cause I wanted to. Good enough answer?" Without waiting for a reply, Plague walked around him and left the room, leaving Haddock by himself, wondering what in the heck just happened...
It was a day later, now April 14th, when Tintin asked Flint to join him in the dining room that evening. Of course, she'd excepted, knowing Plague would've made her life hell had she not. Not being one for dresses, and therefore having none of her own with her, Flint was forced to ask a kindly lady down the hall for one of her dresses, promising to return it the next morning.
It was a simple dress really, with a carribean blue double-wrap neckline, four-stripe middriff, and ballgown skirt with a coal black waist bow. With it she wore a black shawl, long black gloves, a sheer v-top, and a ruby pendant necklace. Her boots were a dark green, complimenting the black nicely. Flint gazed at herself in the mirror. As mentioned, she wasn't one for dresses, having worn them but maybe twice in her life time, and it felt weird to be wearing such an old style of dress when you could hardly find any in her own time. She twirled once, the ballgown skirt swishing to the right in a delicate, soft manner. Flint smiled at her reflection. Did she look good or what?
Getting down to the dining room was met with some difficulty, what with the winding hallways and dead ends, but eventually, with the help of a maid, she found it in the middle of the Titanic. Finding Tintin was a much easier feat, seeing as how he was practically the only 21 year old with a ginger quif.
" Fl-Flint, you look..."
" Like a bird?"
Tintin chuckled at her comment and pulled out her chair.
" Beautiful, but I guess you're right to some extent." Flint smirked as she and Tintin sat down at their table, which had a small, simple candle lit in the middle and an elaborate red table cloth.
" You cheaky, ginger devil."
" The one and only, eh?"
A kindly waiter of about 23 came up to them to take their orders, and Jessica could tell this night would be a night to remember, for more reasons than one...
The night was cold. There was no breeze to stir the water as the Titanic glided onward through the Atlantic. There were no clouds to block the light of the stars, and everything held an eerie silence. There was no moon, making it incredibly difficult to determine where the horizon , smoothed by the sea is what the water was, the only thing disturbing it being the wake the Titanic left as it headed for New York. Who would've suspected that on a night such as this, doom would be lurking right around the corner? This was the question disturbing Plague's mind. All those crew members, all those passengers- completely oblivious to the danger lying ahead, and there was nothing she or Flint could do to save them. That was what hurt the most. Not being able to save over 1,000 lives, simply because things would seriosuly change in the future.
" God, why does life have to be so difficult?" Plague muttered as she leaned against the railing on the deck of the Titanic. She could already see the iceberg that would sink the Titanic in the distance, but only because she was looking for it. It was so far away,with absolutely no light to shine upon it but that of distant stars, that she could see how the watchmen didn't spot it in time.
Plague sighed as she began checking off where her friends were, so she'd be able to get them all together within 10 minutes, about the time the iceberg would collide with the Titanic. Tintin and Flint are having a romantic dinner, Snowy's still trying to woo that Pameranian dame, Haddock is playing a round of poker with some crew members and First class passengers...and I'm here staring at the gateway to hell. Gee life. You really are the best troll in the world, aren't you?
She gazed at the iceberg as it grew closer and closer. She felt chilled to the bone, and not because of the air, but because she knew what was going to happen. Already she could hear the screams of panic and terror as people rushed to the lifeboats, or tried to find their loved ones. She could hear the band play as the Titanic continued it's plunge into the Atlantic. She could see the life boats dropping into the sea, most not completely full. She could feel the tension in the metal of the Titanic as it slowly tilted vertically, and then she could see the lights flash once then turn off forever. And then...there it was. The Titanic snapped in half, and the hull dissapeared under the dark, icy water. She could see the stern continue to float for a few mere seconds before it to vanished beneath the waves. And there was the eerie silence of all on the life boats, to scared and shocked to make a sound.
That same eerie silence was what Plague heard as she was pulled back to reality, the iceberg now far closer than it had been moments before. She glanced down at her silver and gold pocket watch. It was 11:39, with only a few seconds until the lookouts would call out that the iceberg was there.
Plague began counting down the seconds, her eyes closed as she waited for the shout of warning- the shout that would signal the beginning of the end of the Titanic.
6...5...4...3...2...1...
" Iceberg, right ahead!" Came the call from lookout Fredrick Fleet, and Plague knew it had begun...
11:41 PM, April 14
Plague rushes through the Titanic to find her friends.
12:05 AM, April 15
Captain Smith orders the crew to prepare the lifeboats and get the passengers and crew up on deck. Flint is changing into her regular clothes, as is Tintin. Haddock and Plague are waiting impatiently for them to finish.
12:15 AM, April 15
The group of friends are running through the halls of the Titanic, yelling for everyone to get to the life boats. Plague and Flint are in the third class corridors, and Haddock and Tintin are in the First and Second.
12:45 AM, April 15
Life boat 7 is lowered into the ocean with only 8 women, 10 men, and 3 crew members. It's total capacity? 65.
12:55 AM, April 15
Life boats 5 and 6 are lowered into the ocean. Life boat 5 has 41 passengers, and 1 crew member. Life boat 6 has 26 women and 2 crew members. Both have a capacity of 65. Tintin and Haddock are helping people into the lifeboats, having finished getting everyone who would listen out of the first and second class rooms. Plague and Flint are continuing with third class, but are slowly being driven back up the stairs to second class as the water continues to rise. Plague finally remembers all the dogs in the hold and runs to save as many as she can with Flint.
1:05 AM, April 15
Life boat 3 is lowered with 25 women and children, 10 men, and 15 crew members. It's capacity is 65. Plague and Flint are making their way up to the top deck to help Tintin load the life boats while Haddock runs to the boiler rooms to try and convince those there to board the life boats.
1:10 AM April 15
Life boats 8 and 1 are lowered. 1 has 2 women, 3 men, and 7 crew. It's capacity is 40. 8 has 28 women and 4 crew members. It's capacity is 65.
1:20 AM, April 15
Life boats 9 and 10 are lowered. 9 has 42 women, 6 men, and 8 crew. 10 has 48 women and children, 2 men, and 5 crew members. Both life boats have a capacity of 65.
1:25 AM, April 15
Life boats 11 and 12 are lowered. 11 has 60 women and children, 1 man, and 9 crew members. 12 holds 40 women and children along with 2 crew members. Both hold a capacity of 65. Haddock returns to the decks to help people board the boats. The band continues to play.
1:30 AM, April 15
Life boat 14 is lowered, carrying 53 women, 2 men, and 8 crew members. It's capacity is 65.
1:35 AM, April 15
Life boats 15 and 13 are lowered. 15 is carrying 57 passengers and 13 crew members. 13 holds 55 women and children, 4 men, and 5 crew members. Both have a capacity of 65.
1:40 AM, April 15
Life boat 16 and collapsible life boat C are lowered. Life boat 16 holds 49 women, 1 man, and 6 crew 's capacity is 65. C holds 31 women and children, 6 men, and 6 crew members. Among those on this life boat are Flint, Tintin, Snowy, and Haddock. Plague is forced to stay aboard the Titanic on account of not getting to the life boat on time. She continues to help others board the life boats that are left. By now, the Grand Staircase is completely submerged. C's capacity is 47.
1:45 AM, April 15
Life boat 2 is lowered, carrying 21 women, 1 man, and 4 crew members. It's capacity is 40.
1:55 AM, April 15
Life boat 4 is lowered with 35 women and children, 1 man, and 4 crew members. It's capacity is 65.
2:05 AM, April 15
Collapsible D is lowered, carrying 40 women and children, 3 men, and 3 crew members. Plague is among those on this lifeboat, but it sinks due to a hole in the side. The Titanic's lights have gone out.
2:18 AM, April 15
The Titanic snaps in half between the third and fourth smoke stacks. The bow sinks, and the stern remains vertical for a few seconds before it also vanishes.
2:20 AM, April 15
Collapsible B is now floating upside down with about 30 men clinging to it. Collapsible A floats away as the Titanic sinks, carrying 1 woman, 10 men, and 5 crew members. Both boats have a capacity of 47.
4:10 AM, April 15
The Carpathia begins picking up the first of the survivors.
8:30 AM April 15
The last of the survivors are pulled onto the Carpathia.
" Excuse me, Ma'am," Flint tapped on the shoulder of a tall woman carrying a clip board full of names of those whom survived the sinking. The woman turned to Flint with a slight smile. Obviously she knew the power of a smile in times of distress such as this. " I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have the name ' Plague Ives' on there by any chance?" The woman flipped through the papers on her clipboard, searching through them carefully before shaking her head at Flint.
" Ah'm sorry, deary," the woman said, her voice heavy with a british accent. " Ah don't 'ave 'er on 'ere. But you can try Mister Strapps o'er there. 'e might be able to 'elp you." Flint nodded.
" Thank you, Ma'am."
" No problem, deary."
Flint returned to Tintin and Haddock, whom were attempting to comfort a woman who'd lost her husband and child. Flint pulled Tintin aside to speak with him privately.
" The woman didn't have her written down, but she said a certain Mr. Strapps- that gentleman over there-" she pointed to a tall, young man of about 25 with brown hair, talking to whom appeared to be the Captain. " - might be able to help us. I was wondering if you could go ask him about Plague? It was hard enough trying to ask the woman. I don't think I could do it again, not when there's a chance she's not here..." Her voice broke at the last part, and she fought hard to swallow the lump in her throat. Tintin patted her shoulder and smiled. Not a happy smile, not at all. More like one of understanding. One to show that he knew what she was going through, and that he felt the same. He pulled her closer and hugged her tight before walking over to Mr. Strapps.
Haddock walked up from behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.
" Don't worry," he started, his voice unusually soft. " She's a smart lass. She'd have gotten onto a life boat. I'm sure of it." Flint sighed and leaned against him, suddenly feeling rather weak.
" I hope you're right, Haddock," She murmered. " I really hope you're right."
" Ye look rather tired, lassie. Why don't ye go get some shut eye?"
" I can't. I have to know what Mr. Strapp says..." At that moment, Tintin walked back to them. Flint looked at him hopefully, hoping to see a glint of happiness or thank-god-she's-here-somewhere-ness in his eyes, but there was nothing. That, to Flint, was scarier than the actual sinking.
" Well?" Haddock pressed when Tintin said nothing. " Is she here?" Tintin looked from him to Flint and back again.
"...No. The life boat she was on sunk due to a hole in the side. Most of the people died, but some were pulled onto other life boats. No one's seen hide nor hair of Plague though..."
Flint had gone still as he spoke, staring into space with tears forming in her eyes.
" You...you're lying..." She said before she began to fall forward. Tintin caught her before she hit the ground, lowering her to her knees and holding her tightly. She cried into his shoulder, sobs racking her body. " You're lying!" she repeated continuously. Tintin glanced up at Haddock, whom was glaring at the floor and tapping his foot.
"...I need a drink." He murmered and walked away, leaving Tintin and Flint by themselves. Tintin sighed. He shouldn't have allowed Haddock to drag them all into this adventure...
Days after finally getting back to Belgium (and exactly 2 months since the Titanic sunk), and having had about enough of Flint being depressed and being able to do close to nothing to help, Tintin got a brilliant idea to attempt to cheer his 'bonnie lass'- as Haddock now called her- up.
He approached her quietly, stepping from his 'kitchen' and into his living room where she sat upon her favorite chair by the window quickly and with great ease. She sat there, silent with her head resting on the window pane, a daydreaming and sad gaze upon her face. Day in and day out she was like this, and Tintin couldn't bear to see her like that any longer.
" Flint," He said when he was right next to her. She didn't move.
" Flint," he said again, this time placing a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to snap back into reality, looking up at him with a startled expression. Tintin smiled comfortingly at her as he bent down to her level.
" Why don't you come to the market with the Captain and I? Perhaps you'll find something of interest? New drawing supplies, perhaps? What do you say?" Flint averted her gaze to the floor just beside Tintin, then closed her eyes and nodded slowly.
" Sure...Yeah, I'll come with you..."
The market was busy with activity. People from all walks of life glided through the rows of vendors, gazing at all the little trinkets and do-dads, before continuing on despite the protest of the sellers. It was just as it had been when Tintin bought the Unicorn replica.
The replica that started it all, Tintin reminisced, holding Flint's hand as they, Snowy, and Haddock walked about, not really looking at anything...until Flint pointed out a person selling wooden wolf carvings and promptly dragging everyone over to look at them. Everyone besides Haddock, at least. He continued walking a bit further, thinking back over the times he and Plague would come here by themselves. She'd always drag him over to the sugar spoons, gazing at them with such admiration you'd think she was a child in a candy store. He enjoyed those moments, but now...now they'd be mere memories, never to be experienced again.
" Dang it, Plague," Haddock murmered as he stopped to look at the spoons of one of Plague's favorite vendors. " Why'd ye have to go?"
" Depends on where it is I went, now doesn't it?" Haddock turned sharply, suddenly staring right at Plague, alive and unharmed on the other side of the row of sellers, smirking at him with her arms crossed. In mere seconds, Haddock had her in his arms, his lips on hers as if she were water, and he'd been in the Sahara for one to many days without so much as a drop to drink.
" Woah," Plague said when he'd finally allowed her to breathe again. " If 'dying' in a lifeboat is what it takes to get you to kiss me like that, I'd better do it more often!" She laughed as Haddock hugged her close to him.
" Don't ye ever do that again, ye hear?" He threatened as he released her from his grip. Plague nodded, and before she knew it, Haddock had grabbed her hand and was pulling her back to where Tintin, Snowy, and Flint were still looking at the carvings.
" Mates, look who's back!" Haddock called to them. All three looked at him, then at the girl he was with. Flint launched herself at Plague as soon as she saw her, causing Plague to stumble back. Tintin followed suit, and Plague was bombarded by hugs and curses and swears and such for a good 5 minutes, until she was finally allowed to breathe again.
" Where the heck have you been? We were worried sick about you! I'd thought you'd died!" Flint asked first, poking Plague in the side.
" Yes," Tintin added. " that's what we'd all like to know."
"Well," Plague started, sitting on the groud so she could hug Snowy. " A life boat passed by ours about an hour after the Titanic sunk. A woman on there had a son on my boat, and I gave her my seat, therefore tranferring onto her's. Apparently the Lifeboat I was orignially sunk minutes after that. When I boarded the Carpathia, I didn't think to give them my name. Don't ask why, cause I honestly don't know. And no one really asked for it, anyway. Once we docked in New york, I tried finding you guys as I had on the Carpathia, but apparently you'd all already got on a boat bound for Belgium, so I had to wait forever to catch another ship to Southhampton, then catch a train to Belgium. I just got here today, and went immediately to the Flat. You guy's weren't there, so I figured you were here. Turns out I was right." Plague stood again once she'd finished her story, Flint once again glomping her like a madwoman.
" Well, we're certaintly glad you're safe." Tintin nodded to Plague, whom smiled in return.
"Shall we continue on?" Tintin asked, offering his arm to Flint. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his.
" Yes, let's." The couple walked further through the market, Snowy running happily around them.
" Well Haddock," Plague said, turning to the sea worn captain with a smirk. "Missed me, did you?" She licked her lips tauntingly, causing Haddock to glare playfully at her.
" Whatever helps ye sleep, lass," He said, wrapping his arm around her waist as they,too, continued down the stretch of sellers. "Whatever helps ye sleep."
