CHAPTER THIRTEEN "IGNORE THE RAT GUTS AND EAT YOUR LUNCH"

Up on A Deck, Lowe, Moody, and Siobhan collapsed to the floor, panting.

"Well, we got away, but that's not going to hold them off forever." Lowe managed to remark, catching his breath. "We've got to find a place to hide."

"I can make a dumb suggestion." Siobhan spoke up, holding up a key. "Uncle Thomas's room is bound to be the last place they'd look for us."

"I really like you, Siobhan." Moody answered, sighing. "I bet he's got food in there too."

Lowe gave his best friend a mock punch in the arm. "Hey, she's with me!"

Siobhan laughed. "Shall we go find a spot to rest?" She questioned, jumping up.

The three children headed off down the hall, stopping outside Thomas Andrews' stateroom.

Once inside, they were met with the strangest sight. Three people were sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by blueprints, and looking up with guilty looks.

Two were both blue skinned and fuzzy with pointed ears, and long tails, and the other was a woman with dark hair, in a black leather outfit.

"You're the ones who rescued Miss Rose's mother." Moody remarked, staring.

"Zhat vould be me." The older of the blue ones informed them, in a thick German accent. "Kurt Vagner. Zhis is Kitty Pryde and Kurt 2."

Siobhan stared at the blueprints. "What are you doing with those?" She asked, suspiciously.

The three exchanged a glance. "Just looking." Kitty answered, seriously. "Nothing bad, really. We're just getting to know the layout of the ship."

"I see." Siobhan replied, considering it. "Why?"

"Vell, ve need to know zhe layout vell in order to teleport around it." The older Kurt explained. "Ozhervise ve could vind up stuck in a vall somevhere, and zhat vould be bad."

"Why would you need to teleport around it?" Lowe asked, pointedly.

Again, the three exchanged a glance. "Ve get paged a lot for transporting and such." The younger Kurt answered, completely honest. "In order to transport people to different areas of zhe ship, ve have to know vhere to go to, and vhere to go after ve get zhere."

"Oh." The three children nodded.

"So what are you doing here?" Kitty asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"This is my Uncle's room." Siobhan informed them. "We came here to hide from the crew."

"Well, I can take you wherever you need to go." Kitty suggested. "They won't catch me."

"You teleport too?" Moody asked, staring.

Kitty grinned. "Well no. That's Nightcrawler's area of expertise." She answered, standing up. "I'm called Shadowcat."

The children frowned. "Why?"

Kitty grinned again and walked past them toward the door, and much to their surprise, she continued walking straight through the door, returning some five seconds later. "How's that?"

"Wow." Moody remarked, impressed. This was something they hadn't seen yet. "So how do you take others with you?"

"Just physical contact." Kitty answered, matter-of-factly. "Anything I touch."

"Right, you go play vizh zhe kids vhile ve get zhis important vork done." The older Kurt told her, rolling his eyes.

"Give me a break." Kitty remarked, pointedly. "I don't have to know the layout. I just walk through the walls."

"Okay." The older Kurt answered with an evil smirk, pulling out a water balloon. "Have fun!" With this, he threw the balloon on her.

Kitty, now as old as the other children glared at the two Kurts, who were laughing. "You're going to pay for this Kurt!"

The two just continued laughing.

Kitty, fuming, took the hands of Lowe and Moody, and Lowe in turn, took Soibhan's hand. "Let's go." She spat out, turning and walking all three of them through the walls of the neighboring staterooms.

Kurt 2 looked over at his older counterpart. "Good thing zhey veren't too curious." He commented.

Kurt shook his head. "Keep going through zhe blueprints." He ordered. "Ve have to know zhis ship backwards and forwards if ve're going to get those people out before zhis mess sinks."

"How many do you sink ve can save?" Kurt 2 asked, worried.

"Ve're not zhe only vones coming in here." Kurt assured him. "Ve're just zhe only vones who are teleporting here. If ve go fast enough, ve can save quite a lot. Besides, zhe dead vones, zhey can just bring back anyvay."

"Oh...okay." Kurt 2 replied, sounding relieved. "Now I feel better."

"Do you get sick easily?" Lights asked five year old Harold Bride when he and Murdoch had slowed to a walk.

Bride looked weary. "That depends. Why?"

"Well, the only place I can think of that no crew is going to want to go for a while is the Verandah Cafe." Lights informed him, while Murdoch made a face.

Phillips, catching sight of the look frowned. "Alright, so what happened in there?" He asked, suspiciously.

"They had a rat problem, and due to the um...security people of our current visitors, the rats got a little...eh...squashed." Murdoch explained.

"And splattered all over the walls." Lights finished.

Bride and Phillips stared and looked disgusted.

"If you don't get sick that easy, we can talk in there and not get caught." Lights went on. "If not, I suppose we'll take our chances, but pretty much the entire crew is looking for us and anyone changed into a child."

Bride sighed, and shrugged. "I'm fine with dead rats, as long as there's no live ones in there." He answered.

Phillips made a face. "As long as we don't sit in rat parts, I don't care." He replied, pointedly. "I just want to know what's going on here. That man in the Marconi shack didn't tell us anything; just sprayed us with water and locked us up."

"This way." Murdoch answered, headed into the cafe.

"Still messy in there." A small lizard-like creature in the doorway commented.

"Not a problem, Timmy." Lights remarked, leading the children in. "Just as long as there's a place to sit without any mess on it."

"Yeah, go on in the back." Timmy told them, pointing. "Most of the goo is in the front, but we're taking care of it."

Bride and Phillips stared at the little creatures that were all over the place, literally eating rat parts off the seats and floor.

"Ugh." Phillips grunted, looking away.

"Told you it was bad." Murdoch reminded him.

"Not that bad." Bride commented. "I've seen much worse. Although I seriously don't think I can eat in the First Class any time soon."

"Me neither." Phillips added, making a face, as they sat down at a table in the back, grabbing two bar stools for the children.

"So what's going on?" Bride asked, setting his elbows on the table. "Apart from people being changed into children."

"As for children, they've got all the rest of the Officers, Captain Smith, some of the passengers, including Mr. Andrews, and quite a few of their own people." Murdoch informed them.

"And "they" are-?" Phillips questioned, pointedly.

"Cassi, Sven, Becca, Amanda, and whoever they've got assisting them." Lights answered. "I don't know who they are or where they come from but they're the ring-leaders of this whole mess."

The two Officers continued to explain the events of the past few hours, including all the pranks, which caused a great deal of laughter from the two children, especially learning of the pranks played on Ismay.

In the middle of a discussion of the party in Steerage, they were interrupted by Timmy Compy, who jumped up on the table, wearing a waiter's outfit, and holding a small notebook.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked politely.

The group stared at him.

"What exactly do you have in there?" Lights asked.

"Whatever you want." Timmy answered. "We have drinks, and food in there and plenty to go around. The Jawas are cooking."

"The what!" Bride asked, staring.

"You'll figure it out as we go." Murdoch answered, shrugging. "Do you have a menu?"

Timmy clapped his hands, and a Jawa came out, holding a menu. "Dink dink." The Jawa replied, handing it to Murdoch.

"Anything to drink?" Timmy asked.

"Get me one of those Pepsi's." Lights answered.

"Water for me." Murdoch replied.

Bride and Phillips exchanged a glance. "Water." They both answered.

"Right away." Timmy informed them, skittering away.

"Alright, that was a little strange." Bride spoke up, shaking his head.

"Are we supposed to eat in here now!" Phillips managed to ask.

Bride considered this, then snatched the menu. "I haven't eaten since breakfast." He stated, opening it. "I'm starving, with or without the rat parts around."

Lights shrugged. "Yes, I suppose it's better than listening to Cassi and the others have their dinner conversations." He pointed out. "I say let's eat."

Murdoch sighed. "Good point." He agreed. "Besides, I've seen much worse in the crew's galley on some other ships."

Phillips sighed. "I'll have the chicken sandwich." He announced, giving in.

On the back end of the ship, Becca, Silver, Emmy, and Mid finally slowed down. They had separated themselves from the others and headed for the back, carrying several bags of spray paint.

Mid leaned over the side, looking at where the name of the ship was painted in large white letters. "Who do you suppose named the town Liverpool?" She asked, making a face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that really doesn't sound like a place I'd like to live in." (no offense for English people intended...this is only a harmless crack)

"Liver...pool." Becca repeated, wrinkling her nose. "As in pools of liver! Freaky."

"I think we should definitely paint over that." Silver put in, shaking her head. "That's really nasty."

"What have you got in mind, Becca?" Emmy asked, hooking a climber's rope to the rail.

Becca shrugged. "Bumper sticker?"

"Like Spaceballs?" Mid suggested.

"Good one!" Silver cried, with an evil look. "'We break for nobody..."

"Including icebergs." Becca added. "Or something to that extent, anyway."

Emmy nodded, handing out climbing harnesses. "Let's get to it, shall we?"

Crossing the Auxiliary Bridge (which is really a kind of catwalk on the back of the ship) Captain Smith stood crouched down with Rose and Jack.

"What are they doing!" Rose asked, more to herself, as they watched part of the group jump off the back with their ropes.

"I don't know and honestly, I don't think I want to know." Smith remarked, making a face.

"I think they're repainting the back." Jack spoke up, frowning.

"In that case, I really don't want to know." The Captain cut in, pulling them along. "Let's get out of here before the Quartermaster returns to his post."

"Who's on duty now that isn't a five year old?" Rose asked, pointedly.

"I'm not sure if they got the Quartermasters or not, and I have no idea who's on duty anymore." Smith answered, sighing. "They've really ruined this ship, haven't they?"

Jack made a face. "Well, more the First Class then the other places."

"Except that party downstairs." Rose reminded him.

"Nah, they have parties down there all the time." Jack informed her. "Although they're not usually that rowdy."

Captain Smith sighed. "I wonder who's on the bridge." He remarked, considering this. "Those two who were up there, including that one who looked like Mr. Lowe are both in Steerage."

"Do you wanna go check?" Jack questioned. "We can go up there."

Smith stared at him. "I don't have to." He informed them, climbing up the rail and picking up the phone. "All I have to do is ask. We can be long gone before they can get back here."

Rose grinned. "Good point." She replied, watching the Captain dial up the Bridge.

Meanwhile, in the Crows nest, Dana and Rosa Raptor stood, looking around the ocean ahead.

"How come you s'posed they don't have crows up here?" Rosa asked, wrinkling her nose. "I could have used a snack."

Dana sighed. "This has got to be the most mind-numbingly dullest job on the planet." she complained. "We really could use a coffee machine up here."

"And crows." Rosa added. "Write that down, Dana, they can put it on the new ship."

Dana quickly jotted down the suggestions, and leaned against the rail. "Wait, didn't you say Andrews was on the Bridge?"

"Yeah." Rosa answered, matter-of-factly. "I saw them when they came in. But of course they can't see us."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Humans and their underdeveloped eyesight."

"No wonder this mess sinks." Rosa put in, looking bored. "Perhaps we should call them and ask Andrews to put a coffee pot on the list of things needing to be improved."

Dana squinted at the water. "What were our directions?"

"We were told to call the bridge if we see anything floating ahead." Rosa reminded her.

"What's that?" Dana asked.

Rosa looked over where her cousin pointed. "Looks like a clump of seaweed."

"It's floating in front of us." Dana insisted.

"Right." Rosa answered and rang the bell three times to signal an object ahead, and Dana picked up the phone to call the bridge.

"Hello!" Dana sang out, after hearing someone pick up. "Yes, is this the bridge?...The LOOKOUT, who else would ring the bell!" She spat out. "Ugh, humans are so stupid."

Rosa rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, there's a really big clump of seaweed about two miles in front of us." Dana informed him.

After a second, her face changed. "Oh YEAH? Well same to ya, buddy-boy! If I weren't told to keep a lookout up here, I'd come down and eat you!" Dana shouted into the phone. "Don't think I can't see you from up here, because we Raptors have binocular vision!"

"Bunch of rude ungrateful puny little humans." Rosa grumbled.

Dana frowned, hearing an argument. "Hey, if that's Mr. Andrews, put him on the phone!" She cried into the mouthpiece. "We need to talk to him."

The two waited a moment.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Andrews?" Dana asked. "Oh, Mr. Wilde...right you're the Chief...he is! Oh good, can you give him a message for me?...Right yeah, this is for his writing down stuff about the ship that need improvements...yes. Tell him to write this down."

On the bridge, Andrews was staring at Wilde. "They want what?"

"They want a coffee machine in the crow's nest." Wilde informed him.

"Don't they want binoculars?" Pitman asked, curiously.

"No." Wilde answered. "Apparently they have binocular vision already. They called to say there's a large clump of seaweed in front of us."

Off to the side, the first class passengers turned children started giggling.

"We better turn." Molly remarked seriously. "We don't wanna hit that."

"Of course, thank you very much." Wilde remarked into the phone. "That was the Quartermaster, he's not really very good at this job yet. Don't worry about it. You just keep up the good work." He paused, then made a face. "I'll let him know...right. Thank you." He hung up the phone.

"What was that?" Andrews asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They want you to have crows in the crow's nest." Wilde informed him. "Apparently they haven't eaten all day."

Andrews made a face. "Right."

"You told them to keep up the good work!" Rowe spat out glaring.

Wilde shook his head. "Look, I don't know what they've done with the look outs, but from what they say they have much better eyesight and they don't need binoculars! They're probably the best look outs we could have!" He retorted, pointedly.

"Besides, if they're up there, they're not eating people or anything else around the ship." Andrews pointed out, sensibly.

The ringing of the phone interrupted them again.

"If that's about a floating piece of driftwood-" Rowe started muttering.

"Bridge." Wilde answered, picking it up. "Captain! This is Chief Officer Wilde."

"Let me have that." Rowe ordered.

Wilde turned around. "I beg your pardon, Quartermaster I happen to be your superior Officer, and I also believe this is my shift as Officer of the Watch anyway." He snapped, turning back to the phone. "Yes sir. The insane people have abandoned the bridge. Unless of course you count Quartermaster Rowe."

This prompted more giggles amongst the children on the Bridge.

Wilde paused, listening. "Myself, Officer Pitman, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Hockley, Mr. Thayer jr, Mrs. Brown, Col Gracie, and Quartermaster Rowe." He stated.

"Let me talk to him." Rowe demanded.

Wilde moved away. "Yes, I know the passengers aren't supposed to be on the bridge, sir, but Quartermaster Rowe insists that as they are children now, they are to be imprisoned here."

"Tell him they won't let us use the lavatory!" Jack Thayer called. "Make him let us go!"

Wilde covered the phone. "Captain Smith says the passengers have no business being on the Bridge with the exception of Mr. Andrews, and you're supposed to be on the Auxiliary Bridge!"

Rowe rolled his eyes. "No I'm not." He retorted, pointedly. "Bright is supposed to be on the Auxiliary Bridge. I'm not even supposed to be on duty yet! Now let me talk to the Captain!"

Wilde stared at the phone. "He hung up on me."

Rowe snatched the phone. "Captain?"

"I said he hung up on me!" Wilde reminded him.

Rowe replaced the phone and eyed the five year old in Officer's clothing. "And how exactly do I even know that was the Captain?" He remarked, pointedly.

Wilde stared at him. "Are you calling me a liar, Quartermaster!?" He shouted, glaring.

"Oooh, somebody's in trouble." Molly sang out.

Rowe didn't even blink. He picked Wilde up and plopped him into a chair. "At this point in time, you're not even old enough to be the Officer of the Watch, sir, and as the Captain, as far as I know is also still a child, I don't take orders from either of you! You and all of them stay here!"

"Where did Mr. Andrews and Mr. Pitman go?" Col Gracie asked, looking around.

Rowe instantly turned and checked the bridge, as Wilde's face took on an evil grin.

As soon as the Quartermaster turned his back, Wilde slipped the balloon out of his pocket. Andrews had given it to him for safe-keeping earlier, and up until now, he'd completely forgotten it.

"What's that?" Cal asked, frowning, noticing the grin on the face of the Chief Officer.

Rowe turned around, just as the balloon impacted with his shirt, drenching him with water. The Quartermaster was a child before he even realized what hit him.

Wilde stared. He'd been expecting paint.

"Nice shot!" Molly cried, whacking Wilde on the back.

"Does that mean we can get out of here now?" Jack Thayer put in. "Because I really do have to use the lavatory!"

Hearing the commotion, Andrews and Pitman came running back toward the Bridge, to see the newest development.

"That balloon had the magic water in it?" Andrews asked, staring.

"Apparently it did." Wilde responded, as Rowe glared at him.

"Darn." Pitman muttered. "We would find out now! We could have changed ourselves back with the thing!"

The Passengers stared at him.

"What?" Pitman asked.

"You knew how to change us back?" Cal spoke up, not looking very happy.

"Not you, really." Andrews informed him. "You said a little girl changed you. So I don't think the rules are the same for you. But the rest of us, it takes another hit with that magic water to change us back."

"Nice of you to tell us that now!" Jack Thayer remarked, sighing.

"Well, we didn't know that balloon had the water in it." Pitman reminded them. "Most of them had paint in them."

"Explains where all the paint came from." Cal muttered. "What are we supposed to say to people we pass?"

"Tell them to go back to their rooms or they have a chance at being in the same fix." Wilde informed him, bluntly. "Anyone standing around on deck is apparently fair game."

"I think I'd better find Rose then." Cal remarked more to himself.

"They already got Rose." Andrews informed him, with a sigh. "She had a little dark skinned boy with tattoos on his face change her. I tried to stop her, but couldn't get there fast enough. The same is true for that Dawson boy."

"She's with him!" Cal spat out, staring.

"She's also with the Captain." Wilde cut in before there could be bloodshed. "He said they were on the Auxiliary Bridge when he called."

"So that was the Captain then?" Molly questioned, eyeing Rowe.

"Of course it was!" Wilde snapped. "I don't usually lie about things like that!"

"I say let's get out of here." Col. Gracie spoke up, drawing their attention. "As soon as the others find out what's going on up here, they'll be after us all."

"You're supposed to stay up here!" Rowe insisted.

"I don't take orders from five year olds, especially when they are of lower rank than I am!" Pitman retorted with a smirk.

"Besides, that rule of keeping children up here now applies to you as well!" Wilde reminded him. "You have no choice but to join us."

"Didn't you say you were on duty now?" Rowe reminded Wilde.

"Didn't you just say I was too young to be Officer of the Watch?" Wilde smirked back.

"I believe I am currently acting as the Captain." Another voice spoke up behind them.

The group turned to stare at the man on the Bridge, who looked exactly like the Captain with the exception of the strange differences in his hair and beard.

"And you are-?" Rowe asked, staring. He had not yet met Theodin, although he had heard rumors of a man impersonating the Captain.

"Theodin, Retired King of Rohan." The man replied, politely. "I'm filling in for the Captain, and that makes me the Officer of the Watch."

"That means we can leave?" Jack Thayer questioned, looking uncomfortable.

"Of course." Theodin answered, matter-of-factly. "You may go use the lavatory now, and the rest of you, get going."

Jack jumped up, and left looking for the nearest lavatory, which turned out to be the crew's lavatory, despite the fuss he had made earlier.

"Come on, Henry." Pitman spoke up, urgently. "Let's get out of here before the rest of the crew finds out about Rowe."

Wilde nodded to Theodin, and left the Bridge with the others, stopping, of course, outside the lavatory to wait for Mr. Thayer.

"Anyone else have to go while we're here?" Andrews asked, looking around.

"I'll wait until we get to the First Class lavatories." Cal insisted.

Wilde rolled his eyes, and headed into the lavatory, shaking his head.

"Where do we go now?" Pitman asked, pointedly. "They're going to be looking for us."

"I have a large suite on B-Deck." Cal reminded them. "We can stop there for a while."

The others stared at him. "You don't mind the Officers contaminating your First Class room?" Pitman remarked, sounding amused.

"You'd rather I changed my mind?" Cal retorted.

"Good a place as any." Molly answered. "My room's a lot farther away."

"Mine as well." Andrews answered with a sigh. "Let's go before they come catch us."

Rowe sighed, as the others came out of the lavatory, and the group turned toward Mr. Hockley's Suite. As much as he hated to admit it, the others were right. He had no choice but to join the ranks of the other children.