A/N:
Oh boy. Oh man. What have I gotten myself into. WHoooo Boy. This is gonna be fun.
Cover Art drawn by my lovely Beta Candice (shadesofthesea on tumbr)!
Chapter Summary:
On the shores of the Atlantic, an expedition to recover treasures from the Titanic leads to the discovery of a strange drawing. Across the country on the shores of the Pacific, who is the retired man who knows more about the drawing than he should?
The darkest recesses of the world are neither small nor fleeting; they are sweeping and massive, spreading for thousands of miles, reaching into every sandy corner and cave. There is only the heavy throb of water. The bottom of the ocean is certainly not devoid of life, but it is a mysterious life lived in complete blackness and freezing temperatures. It is a resilient life, a life that adjusts and breaks down elements that are foreign – it is a place that reclaims the objects of mankind.
.
A frilled shark, quick and cautious, skimmed over the ocean floor, disturbing several small crustaceans. The shark took no notice of its potential prey and continued forward, heading towards a structure that jutted out of the ocean floor; a bow and handrail, two great masts now splintered. Decades spent beneath the water had made the ship crusty and decrepit; coated with sand and debris, the strange ecosystem had begun to claim it.
Scaling its side, the shark entered through a wide hole in the ship's flank. Broken glass, fine china, tables, chairs, silverware, and trunks covered the floor. The remains of a grand piano were upturned and in pieces in a corner. The smiling, beautifully young faces in photographs and paintings were left staring at the ceiling, torn from the walls.
The shark swam through the first-class smoking lounge, taking no notice of the table where a young vagabond had made quite the showing at poker, or the armchairs by the fireplace where two old friends had lost their lives. It swam past the staircase that led down to the third-class barracks, a simple hallway where unlikely love had grown and good people had died. It passed the first-class reading room where two young women had realized their position in relation to the world around them. The shark did not visit floors above where a first-class bedroom had become the literary refuge for two people who never found the right words. It did not visit the deck where another set of lovers laid eyes on one another for the very first time.
Lurking though the ship, the shark followed a hallway that opened into a grand staircase. Balconies lined the visible second floor on either side of the room and stairs cascaded from both sides, converging at a marble landing. From there, two sets of cracked and crumbling stone steps filtered down to the first floor.
An intricate iron dome rose above the staircase, ominous and menacing, although it once held panes of glass that the sun sparkled through on bright days.
Built into the alcove above the landing was an ornate clock surrounded by oak carvings. The hands had fallen off but the carving remained intact: two angels, each hard at work with their own tasks, supported the clock face.
The ship had meant a lot of things to a lot of people, more bad than good, most of them tragic, in fact. But beyond the meanings are the stories, some known, some unknown, most sad, and so startlingly few about the lovers: people who found something beautiful on the ship of tragedy. People who learned to love, how to let it go, how to give it, how to receive it for the first time, how to love life, and how to love themselves. That marble landing and that clock face held a beautiful story for at least two people.
Outside the ship, mechanic whirrs and beeps disturbed the regular hum of the ocean. A submarine came forward through the darkness and light was shed on the sunken ship for the first time in decades.
After almost a century, that story was about to be told.
.
Inside the submarine, sensors, dials, and knobs protruded from the walls, each with their own specialized design and function. Large wheels presented themselves from odd places and radars flashed in different shades of neon. Sitting among this large collection of buttons and beepers, Hal Rogers was bored.
He took a bite of a doughnut and sighed. He had almost been excited to be included in this expedition, but after several months planning spent with the Expedition Director, he has lost all enthusiasm. He had entered the submarine without an ounce of wonder, not even bothering to take a peep through the periscope.
He sat brooding in a corner, distancing himself from the rest of the crew. He wouldn't be needed until they were almost to the ocean floor, so he had spent majority of the 12,000 foot descent eating and looking around the submarine.
Argo was a small, remotely-operated droid that could be controlled from a distance underwater, with a camera that projected the droid's surrounding to the controller aboard the submarine. As rare as Argo was, finding someone who knew how to guide it was close to a miracle.
This was Hal's job.
He felt no pride in the rarity or status of his profession, especially given his upbringing the ghetto outside of Chicago, and instead was cynical and defeatist.
"Hal, it's about time! Get over here!" Andy called from the control room.
"On my way!" he shoved the rest of the doughnut in his mouth, muttering a halfhearted, "Pretty boy," as he walked over to Andy and sat down at the controls. Almost immediately, Andy was bent eagerly over his shoulder.
"Okay, so this lever here controls the speed and this button controls the hand, and-"
"It's called the claw," Hal interrupted, pushing Andy's fingers away from the button, "and frankly this isn't your job."
"True, but I'm the Expedition Director, and what kind of leader would I be if I wasn't well informed on everything aboard this submarine?"
Hal raised an eyebrow, "You have a degree in archaeology."
"And a minor in Marine Biology!" Andy said in mock-offense. He had traditional Australian good looks, and was both charismatic and handsome enough to convince their sponsors to make him the head of the expedition, despite several more experienced candidates. Not that it was any of Hal's business; he was simply a special skills worker. He didn't necessarily dislike Andy as person, he just disliked that he had to take orders from him.
"Can you let me do my job now?"
"Yes! Under my steady guidance of course!" He flashed a smile, "As you know, this is a recovery mission. Among other things, we're after the infamous Nanase Pocket Watch. Katsu Nanase carried it, but appears to have never opened it, and it is rumored to have held the Nanases' most expensive and secretive possession."
"Which would be?" Hal asked, skeptic that anything of value could be hidden within the small confines of a hollowed out pocket watch, and further annoyed by Andy's theatrics.
"No one knows, most likely jewels, it was something so valuable that Katsu Nanase never let it leave his body." Andy made broad gestures with his hand as he recounted this history lesson. "It is documented by several sources that it mysteriously disappeared as the ship was going down and he refused to get on a lifeboat until it was found, ultimately resulting in his death."
Hal stared, "So someone obviously stole it."
"But it's never surfaced since then! If it made it off the ship there would certainly be records of it, but there aren't any, so it must still down there. The real question is what could be so valuable that you'd die for it? I won't deny that our knowledge is limited and it could, realistically, be anywhere," Hal rolled his eyes and Andy grinned, "but we'll start by searching Katsu's room."
"Which room is that?" Hall asked, running the start-up programs for Argo. Somewhere else on the submarine, a worker was preparing to release the droid into the water.
"It's one of the first class private parlor suites," Andy stopped invading Hal's personal space and sat down in his own chair, but still remained close enough to see the screen.
Hal gripped the control and his eyes narrowed, "There were thirty-nine private parlor suites."
Andy pinched his cheek, "Good thing you're getting paid by the hour then! And have more faith in me! I have great instincts."
A voice mumbled through the submarine's radio.
"Hello, Ron?" Andy asked through the communicator, "Are we ready to go?"
"The Argo is in the conversion chamber and we're closing off the doors to the submarine now, it should be released into the water soon, Sir."
Hal wrinkled his nose, equally disgusted by the phrases The Argo and Sir.
"Righto! Thanks!"
Hal pressed the power button and the screen in front of them came to life, showing the dark water pierced by the light Argo emitted.
.
Early morning sunlight filtered through floral drapes, warming the common room of Sunny Sailings Retirement Home in Santa Rosa, California. The room was spacious with peeling yellow walls, creaky wooden floors, and several gaudy couches. It was cozy even though it was clearly falling apart and the only people in the room, two elderly men sitting in front of the single clunky television, both enjoyed living there.
Although they both looked quite old, they seemed content and cognizant, and were talking softly. The smaller of the two smiled and the folds on his face fell into well-worn laughter lines. The larger of the two was wearing thick glasses and looked at the smaller man like he was the light of his life.
"How's your chest?" he asked.
"Not too bad today," the smaller man responded.
The larger man reached for the other's hand and their aged fingers intertwined.
"Good morning!" a nurse entered the room and walked over to the two men. Speaking to the smaller of the two she said, "It's time for your Ipratropium." She was young and redheaded, and far too cheery considering how early it was.
"Yes, ma'am!" He looked up at her as the television changed programs, "You're new aren't you?"
"Yes, Sir! This is my first week!" she smiled showing her dimples before rummaging through all the medicine she was carrying.
"What's your name?" he had just finished speaking when the larger man tugged on his hand and gestured at the new program.
"I'm Chelsea, it's nice to meet you!" she was still struggling with the medicine bottles and a few pills fell to the floor, "Um, do you usually take one or two?" she looked up to see that her conversation partner was no longer listening to her, but instead had his gaze fixed on the television.
"I'm here in the land base of a recent deep sea expedition that has an incredibly ambitious goal. With me is Andrew Atkinson, Expedition Director, who dreams of uncovering the sunken ship, believed to be lost forever. I'm of course referring to the RMS Titanic. Now Andrew, the Titanic sunk almost a century ago, and there are many skeptics who believe there is nothing left to find. Perhaps even worse, there are those who claim what you are doing is akin to grave-robbing, what would you say to these inquiries?"
The smaller man leaned towards the television and his brow furrowed, while the larger man narrowed his eyes and turned up the volume.
"Please, call me Andy!" the man flashed his teeth at the reporter and she blushed, "Well, there is plenty to find down there, that's for sure." he gestured to the room they were standing in, a brightly lit laboratory, "As you can see we're standing in our lab room, surrounded by recovered treasures. These things were not meant to sink. They were not meant to be lost forever and therefore should not be left, hidden below the ocean for the rest of time." he turned inwards, toward a corner of the lab, gesturing for the news reporter to follow him. With a pair of tongs he gently picked up a photo that had been lying in liquid solution and held it up for the camera. "For example, this drawing, this piece of art, would have been lost to the world if it had not been for our recovery efforts. This is something that deserves to be seen by the world."
The news reporter nodded in agreement as the camera zoomed in on the drawing. It depicted a tall, shabbily dressed young man standing in a room that seemed far too expensive and extravagant for him. The young man was facing the illustrator holding open an expensive looking pocket watch, but instead of looking at the clock face, he was staring up, right where the artist would be, his expression filled with warmth and affection.
The camera zoomed back out, and the reporter began speaking again, "It is a beautiful work," she commented. "I hope we all find someone who looks at us like that one day. Now Andy, you're from Australia, correct? How did you become interested in deep sea exploration?"
The smaller man stared at the television for a few more seconds, but with the sudden shift in subject matter he seemed to relax, leaning back against the couch.
He looked back up at Chelsea who had followed his gaze to the television and now was staring intently at it.
"Ma'am?" She blinked and turned back to them, her mouth hanging open like she was in shock, as if the program had troubled her for some reason as well.
She shook her head to clear it and then smiled back at them, "Oh yes! I apologize."
The smaller man looked up at her through eyes burning with intensity, "Chelsea, can you please do something for me?"
.
After the camera stopped rolling, the newswoman thanked Andy and casually gave him her card, saying that he should call her if anything else exciting 'came up from down under'.
Now inside the small kitchen of their land base, Andy was mixing the proper, and excessive, amount of sugar into his coffee.
He grinned as her saw Hal approaching him, "How'd I do?"
Hal ignored his question, "She really hit the nail on the head with that whole 'grave robber' thing."
Andy's mouth fell open, "I'm insulted!"
Hal rolled his eyes, "You're so full of shit."
"How so?!"
"This piece of art, yes, this piece of art, conveniently drawn by Haruka Nanase."
Andy chugged his entire coffee before speaking, "Well it is art. Whether it was drawn by the heir to the Nanase fortune, someone who had constant access to the pocket watch, which the drawing's subject is holding yet suspiciously ignoring, does not change that."
Hall rolled his eyes, "So full of shit."
Andy smiled like it was a compliment and slapped Hal on the back, "We could stand here all day debating this fascinating subject, or we could head back to the submarine and see what else we can find…as soon as you finish that, of course." He pointed to Hal's third doughnut.
"Oh gee thanks."
Andy grinned, "At least you can't call me unreasonable!"
They spent the rest of the day in the submarine and returned that night much less successful than they had been on their previous outing. They found several small treasures: a pearl necklace, a well-decorated hand mirror, and a cane-head, but nothing close to what they were looking for.
It was a two hour journey in the submarine to the Titanic from their base on the shore of the Atlantic, so when they finally reached the surface it was late and Andy was grumpy. When they walked into the land base an assistant waved him over.
"We received a call not long after you left from an old man with questions regarding the expedition. I had an intern write down his message for you, he-"
Andy turned away from him, "Throw it away, I don't have time for this sort of thing."
"Trust me, Sir, you will want to call him back." The assistant pushed a piece of paper in front of Andy's face.
Andy squinted at the paper and then his eyes grew wide, his mouth falling open more and more with each line he read.
.
"You know it's impossible right?"
"It's not impossible, it's unlikely, which is entirely different."
Andy strode through the halls of the land base with Hal at his heels, struggling to keep up.
"You can't actually believe it's him."
"I think it could be."
Hal grabbed Andy by the shoulders and spoke with a strong emphasis on each word, "Rin Matsuoka died aboard the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. If he had survived he would have to be-"
"One hundred and six. Like I said, unlikely, but not impossible."
Andy freed himself from Hal's grip and kept waking. Two weeks ago they had gotten the impossible call, and Hal had spent every waking moment since then trying to make Andy see reason. Andy was an arrogant, selfish, cocky, sonofabitch, but at least as far as the expedition was concerned, Hal didn't want him to get his hopes up. Andy was really just a child, he lived in a perpetual state of wonder, and the source of Hal's antagonism towards him was only that he had to take orders from that child.
Hal had to jog to catch up, reaching Andy just before the door, "Okay, so hypothetically, if he had survived, why hasn't anyone heard from him until now? He was as well-positioned as the Nanases, that's why he was traveling with them in the first place! If he had survived it would be incredibly well documented."
Hal walked through the sliding doors and stepped out into the sun while Andy took the revolving door as was their custom. Andy emerged looking far more profound than someone who had just taken the spinning door should.
"Maybe he didn't want to be found." Hal rolled his eyes and pressed his lips together, "Hey, I'm just saying, almost dying, seeing lots of other people die, it could change a person…and anyway, you should be able to ask him yourself here in about," he checked his watch, "two minutes."
They stood in silence, and Hal relinquished some small part of his skepticism as the seaside breeze blew over them. Almost exactly two minutes later, the gated entrance to their base opened and a taxi approached them, creaking and bumping. The driver parked next to the curb and shut off the engine. The passenger door opened first and a young woman stepped out of the car.
"H-hello!" she said, 'I'm Chelsea...um, I'm here because…" she looked around as if she really didn't know why she was there.
The back door opened and an aged man slowly clambered out of the car. He stood in front of them and grinned.
"Hello! Andy is it?" he reached out a hand, "I'm Rin Matsuoka. This wonderful woman here is the reason I was able to come visit you." The other back door opened and a second, larger, but also elderly man stepped out. Rin grinned at him, "And this is Sousuke, my husband."
Andy grabbed Rin's hand and shook it with enthusiasm, "It's such a pleasure to meet you! I appreciate you flying all the way out here to help us! This is Hal Rogers, my subordinate."
"Pleased to meet you!" Rin said offering his hand. Hal raised his hand as well but smacked Andy over the head with it instead. Rin snickered at the two of them, suddenly looking much younger.
They all exchanged greetings and Rin paid the cab driver. Chelsea explained that she worked at the Sunny Sailings Retirement Home and that Rin and Sousuke couldn't travel without a nurse. Andy bowed to her, taking her hand and kissing it while Hal scoffed in the background.
"Then thank you so much, Miss Chelsea, this wouldn't be possible without you."
Chelsea turned red, and couldn't help but feel ashamed for having her own unspoken motives for accompanying them.
"I-It's nothing," she tittered, "honestly, I'm lucky to get to travel!"
"Chelsea, you're too kind." Sousuke spoke for the first time, "Rin and I are in your debt for what you've done for us."
"Absolutely!" Rin chimed in, "When we get back I will speak to Mary about getting you a raise." Chelsea stammered in gratitude as their words sent several more needles of guilt through her heart. Rin turned back to Andy, rubbing his hands together, "So where's this drawing?"
Migrating inside, Andy led them into the brightly lit lab room. The walls and floor were both a crisp, cold white, and the faint smell chemicals and disinfectants hung in the air. Andy ignored all the other relics cluttering the tables and led them to the back corner.
The drawing was again resting in liquid solution and everyone hung back as Rin approached it. He stood with his back to them, staring down at the drawing without speaking. His shoulders were motionless and a terrifying silence enveloped the room as they all watched him, waiting for his reaction. Rin's shoulders twitched a fraction of an inch and Hal and Andy exchanged an uneasy glance. Sousuke was about to walk up and place his arm around Rin's shoulders when he abruptly turned back to face them.
His face broke into a grin, "Those cheeky bastards!"
Relief flooded the room and Sousuke and Chelsea moved closer to observe the drawing themselves.
"The artist was very skilled," Chelsea observed.
Rin smiled proudly at the picture, "He really was."
Andy gestured to the drawing and slapped Hal on the back, "I bet you're only used to seeing men that attractive on your computer screen."
Hal rounded on Andy, "I was married! I had a wife! I have a child!"
Andy waved his hand, "That proves nothing."
"It really doesn't." Rin chimed in, chuckling at the pair.
"So I'm guessing you know the guy in the picture?" Hal said, trying to change the subject.
Rin hummed in response, "I sure do."
"Please, if you're feeling up to it, can you tell us everything you know?" Andy flashed a smile and Hal rolled his eyes at how shamelessly fake Andy was being.
Rin nodded and looked out the lab's one window, gazing out at the Atlantic Ocean. The sky was cloudless and the sun rained golden rays down upon the water. The ocean was calm and clear, it shone like crystals and seemed to go on forever, eventually disappearing into the skyline. It was dazzling. Rin grimaced as he remembered a very different version of the Atlantic.
"We were only on the ship for a few days, but a lot of lives were changed." He paused, the unspoken words, and lost, hung invisibly in the air. "I think the guy in the drawing was the catalyst for most of those changes."
A/N:
I already have the next several chapters done so updates should be fast (for a while at least). Actual 1912 Titanic stuff happens next chapter. Thank you for reading!
*insert lame FMA pocket watch reference*
Histoical things:
-Argo is a real thing and was used in the 1985 expedition that uncovered the titanic. Truthfully, ANGUS (Acoustically Navigated Geological Underwater Survey) was probably more helpful in the expedition but I just. Can. Not. Type the word ANGUS I'm sorry I cant take it seriously.
-ALSO the real expedition had an on-the-water base that was accessible by boat and helicopter but that would have been a bit more complicated so for the sake of the narrative Andy and Hal have a land base.