Titanic

Lower Away!

Squash Court

With an almighty crash, the mahogany doors facing the hallway had burst open, and green seawater had flooded in. It rippled and gurgled, seemingly singing out of joy in its new conquest of the ship, while feverishly lapping at the walls. A few splashes were heard, and then a couple of stokers ran by, drenched from the knees downward. Each face held a sheer look of terror-and something else…panic. But it wasn't normal panic. Their panic had evolved-been twisted somewhere between the watertight doors closing and the water that had met them seconds afterward in the next room. Their faces showed a lack of human emotions. They seemed not to care as they pushed and shoved past each other-each trying to make it out of the water as quickly as they could and seemed indifferent to the sounds of men screaming at each other down below, echoing up eerily empty staircases and corridors. Their only thought was the animalistic urges to climb higher-to run. Only one man-a young boy in fact that had been working as a stoker for the first time seemed to stop, standing in the thigh deep water near the doors to see if anyone was inside. He glanced around, calling out once but when he didn't hear an immediate response crashed headfirst into the room. He was headed for the back of the Squash Court, where the majority of the water was pooling, creating an obvious tilt in the water where a set of metal steps led to a balcony, which in turn, led to a small corridor leading to the Swimming Pool.

Scanning the room, he noticed the water had not yet reached the far wall, exposing a small portion of wooden floor, with colored lines painted on top to mark the boundaries of the courts. The nets, white with the tell tale signs of newness seemed to float peacefully in the water. Behind him, he heard the sounds of glass breaking and the much scarier-and more deadly tune of Titanic's groan as it slipped deeper beneath the waves, which broke him from his thoughts. Grabbing the diminishing railing, he pulled himself upward as quickly as he could out of the water.

He sighed with relief when he felt his feet leave the water, and with newfound energy sprinted up the stairs. He wondered vaguely where the other men had gone-there was no other way that way, only a dead end. And by the time they reached it, it would be too late. It already was. They would drown in that hallway…the revelation brought tears to his eyes. He had been best friends with one of those men, and he would-if he lived-blame himself forever for his death. But there was nothing he could do, and turning once more to take one final glance at the Squash Court, ran out the doors into the hallway.

The short corridor was completely empty, and showed no sign of danger. It seemed though to mock his fear and misery with false hope. The water had not reached here, it seemed to say. Why not slow down? But to do that would be death and he pressed onward. When he opened the double oak doors that led to the pool, his heart seemed to leap into his chest when water flooded out, covering his shoes and slowly slinking down the sloping hallway toward the Squash Court doors. But he sighed with relief when he realized it was just water from the pool that had escaped due to the slowly increasing tilt. In his mind, he estimated that at the rate of sinking, the water had to already be at the second landing, slowly moving closer to the hall. He could see a set of doors, inlaid with a wrought iron design in the window pane, and on the other side of the room, in a corner, sat the doors leading to the Turkish Baths, one door ajar as if it had just been opened. Behind the first set of doors, the ones he had first glimpsed, he could see the beginning of the Grand Staircase-although at this level of the ship it lacked much design and instead looked like a more elegant version of just a normal set of stairs.

Behind him, he heard the doors at the back of the hall swing open and the gurgle of water, and felt the ship again sink lower. The lights flickered, before going dark for a few minutes, while he shrunk back against a wall and held his breath, only letting it escape when the lights came back on. By the time they had though, the water was a third of the way down the corridor, and more pool water was rushing toward the open door. Slamming it shut, he ran to the doors leading to the stairs, and flung himself through, only letting himself stop when he reached the halfway point on the stairs. He slid down, breathing heavily while silently praying. He had 6 more flights of stairs to go before he could reach the Boat Deck, and he just prayed that he could. Standing up, he took a shaking breath and started running up the stairs. He knew he needed all the time he could get, and just hoped he could reach the decks before the water did.

Gabriella

She scoffed, closing the doors to her private deck on the Promenade. It was freezing! How could she be expected to go out on deck in weather like that? Even with a fur coat on, she felt like she would be cold…and the lifejacket? Please, it was way too unwieldy to ever be worn in public- unless it was Halloween. It was probably just a joke anyway…some elaborate prank constructed by that little bitch to get back at her for trying to take her precious Troy away from her. Well, she wouldn't be falling for anything as idiotic as that. Who would believe the mightiest, safest, and most luxurious ship in the world could be sinking? Who did she think she was fooling?

Smiling to herself, she decided that since she was up, she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, but that she wouldn't be going anywhere near the Boat Deck at all, and so crossing over to the couches, she grabbed a book and started to read-not before ordering a cup of tea though-it helped her relax and unwind, and who knew…maybe she would be able to sleep? It didn't matter though anyway, she didn't feel tired. One thing did put a damper on her mood though, the slight tilt she was imagining seemed to become more and more real as time went by…by that couldn't be…it must just be her last vestiges of sleepiness, which would eventually fade-just like it always did. And sitting there, laughing to herself, she read.

Sharpay

She walked quickly down the hallway, nodding to Mr. Andrews who looked guilty and worried. His hair was slightly askew, and he had a huge sense of urgency which enveloped all who got too close to him. He had been checking rooms, and urging all inside to come up to the boat deck. She had smiled lightly up at him, hiding her own fear and he smiled at her, not hiding his own very well at all. She gave him a quick hug, which she hoped conveyed to him that everything would be alright. Before pulling away and resuming her walk toward the Astor's suite.

When she reached the door, she sighed, straightened her dress and then knocked. Waiting a few seconds to give them time to be prepared, she entered to see Mrs. Astor slowly pacing around the room, while Mr. Astor sat, smoking a cigar and holding a drink. She wondered who the fool was that had brought him a cigar and brandy-didn't they know that helping the passengers relax too much would put them at ease and make them question the facts that Titanic was sinking? As soon as she had entered, they both looked up, and then slowly they had joined each other near her. The look they had passed each other told her that they had been discussing what she had told them-she had no choice. They wouldn't believe that it was just an exercise.

Taking a deep breath, she began to brief them. "I'm going to take you up to the Boat Deck now. Around the ship you are going to see a lot of people doing a lot of nothing. And that is going to put you into a false ease. Don't let it. As soon as the lifeboats are ready, please…PLEASE get on one Mrs. Astor. It's going to be hard, I know, leaving your husband on this ship but right now, they are calling for women and children only. It's standard procedure…I know that doesn't help much but..." She took a deep breath "Don't tell anyone about what's happening-at least anybody that you know will spread it. We don't need a panic killing people before they even have a chance to live."

They nodded, Mrs. Astor was pale, and Mr. Astor had a firm hold on his wife…as if his grip would keep them both safe. Nodding, she fixed Mr. Astor's collar and then after making sure their lifebelts were secure led them out the door and down the hallway.

They had just gotten halfway down the hallway when Mr. Astor had stopped her, turning her around softly. "The tilt…it's me right?" He looked hopeful and she felt bad to break his hopes in half. "No…it's not just you. Everyone is feeling it, although they're dismissing it as their tiredness or they're saying it's just their imaginations. But, the tilt is real…actually it's getting so bad that they can't use the elevators anymore."

"My God."

Turning she led them again down the hallway and then to the Staircase. There they stopped, talking for a few seconds with some 'good friends' before continuing up the stairs and out onto the deck. The cold hurt. It felt more like a sharp object rather than just a temperature. Mrs. Astor wrapped her fur shawl around her tighter, but having nothing, she just used her hands. She could hear the band playing a lively tune, and out of the corner of her eye saw a few couples dancing together in the light. She felt a wave of hopelessness and foreboding hit her, and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. She couldn't do anything about their situation now. All she could do was try to save as many as she could.

She tried to lead them over to the small group near Lifeboat 7, but the Astors both waved her off and she felt sort of hurt. She had just told them information that would save their life…had told them exactly how they should behave and what they should do to ensure that at least Mrs. Astor could live and now they were dismissing her? She scoffed, feeling slightly hurt. Now what? She didn't know what to do-no…that wasn't exactly true. She wanted to find an empty room and cry for a while. But that was stupid.

Her eyes seemed to swivel toward the bow, and she wondered where the water was. They only had about an hour and a half at most…so where did that leave the water level? It had to be somewhere high up, and yet…she couldn't bring herself to the conclusion that the water actually could be high up. Turning, she walked toward the bow, noticing how she felt like she was walking slightly downhill as she did so. Upon reaching the rail, she leaned forward slightly to help her see better and as soon as she had, recoiled, bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle a moan. It had almost reached the deck. The depression in the front, where the anchor lay was starting to fill with water and that image made her shake. That's when she felt it; a hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

Turning, she saw a black man-no, he was more of a chocolate color. He seemed frightened, nervous, and impatient. She wanted to help-maybe this was how she could. "Miss…"

"Yes?" she sounded tired. Even to herself. But more afraid than anything. She realized that this man and his very, very, very pregnant wife knew more than most of the first class passengers. She also realized that they weren't first class. They shouldn't be down here. They should be up near the third smokestack, closer to their entrance but glancing up the deck noticed almost no one up there- only a few officers and some crewman readying lifeboats. But what was she going to do? Report them? Escort them up the deck where they could wait for a lifeboat that probably wouldn't be close to being ready for half an hour? No.

"Do you know when they will be starting to load the lifeboats?"

She had been wondering herself when that would happen. She knew that time was of the essence-and she knew they knew it too. But it escaped her. There was no time frame. No lifeboat drill had been executed-it had been planed but the rough waves and the thunderstorms had deterred it. "No…would you like me to check?"

"Please." He said it more as a statement than anything else, and the look on his face told her he was just realizing it too. His wife was giving him a slight glare, which made her feel slightly better-in any other circumstance she might of laughed but now she just pushed any feeling away from her and nodded.

"I'll be right back." She didn't know if they had heard her. They were by now lost in their own thoughts. Making her way around the passengers, she approached Murdock. Tapping him lightly on the shoulder, she watched him spin around toward her, still in mid sentence.

"Shar?" He smiled slightly, his grey eyes shining at her. She never could tell how he could be so serious and then so happy in one quick instant and it always made her think.

"H…hey" Her voice was shaking slightly- probably more out of cold than fear but it scared her. She had never sounded like that before. "I…I was just wondering when you thought the boat would be ready to lower."

He smiled at her slightly, turning his head to survey his boat. "Um…we just have to put the oars together, so I think in a few minutes we can start to fill 'er up. I think the next one off after this will be Lifeboat 6. Lightoller's in charge of that one, so you can be sure it'll be strictly women and children. Why? You want in? I can fit you. Even if it means one of these people don't."

"No. It's my job to stay and help. It's what I signed up for and it's what I'll do. I won't get on a boat untill I'm sure I can't help anyone else."

"Alright…alright. Just…be careful okay? Don't do anything stupid." He rubbed her arms lightly, before pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. She returned it, smiling into his shirt as she let a few tears fall. She hoped he would be alright.

"Okay. Good luck to you too. And…if you can...keep an eye on my brother? For as long as you can."

"Okay." He rubbed her back before pushing her backward slightly. Smiling slightly, she rubbed at her eyes before turning and walking back the way she had come, all the while feeling the eyes on the back of her head where Murdock was watching.

Arriving back at the couple, she watched them break out of the reverie they had both been in the whole time she had been gone. "Well, Lifeboat 7 should be done within the next few minutes, followed closely by Lifeboat 6 on the other side of the ship. After that, it's anyone's guess. I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help. I suggest you start pushing toward the front…you want to get off this ship before the panic starts. When it does…it will get harder." Wasn't that the truth. Once the panic started, it wouldn't be tamed. People would throw the rules out the window and in short, it would become every man for themselves.

"Yes…I suppose you're right. Um…thank you….and….good luck." She watched them go, threading their way through the crowd toward the lifeboats. She hoped they would be alright. If she saved one life, she felt like her life would have mattered. She had just turned back to the bow when the hissing came. It was sudden; it didn't start low and then grow into a large noise…it just was suddenly there. She jumped, covering her ears with her bare hands which were slowly turning red from the cold. She had only heard that noise once before, when Titanic was undergoing its sea trials. It meant there was excess steam…and that meant that boilers were beginning to get shut down left and right. She could only hope the power held. Murdock was starting to get people's attention, waving at them and motioning for them to move closer-which they did.

She found Mr. and Mrs. Astor debating near the railing, Murdock's voice almost inaudible. He was arguing with her about getting into the lifeboat-she didn't want to go unless he went with her. She knew he would win out in the end, she just didn't know when that would be and so taking matters into her own hands, she interjected, telling her that if she didn't get in, she would not only die, but would most likely do so in a manner that would be horrible. A death no one would envy. A look passed over her face-one that Sharpay couldn't for her life identify. And then she nodded. Turning to her husband, she threw her arms around him and sobbed before kissing him. And then turning was escorted to the boat. She could see the pregnant woman had gotten into the boat, something that made her want to smile, and she almost did-almost. She fled quickly before Mrs. Astor had a chance to turn around and ask for her to accompany her. It would be to heartbreaking to say no to her, and she felt that any goodbye would be just as painful. She might as well save them from grief. Walking inside, she nodded to the doormen, who smiled back and she let out a sigh as the warmth of the room hit her. She felt the urge to just sit down and enjoy it for a few seconds, but there was no time. She had to get Troy.

Chad and Taylor

As soon as he had seen the band start to pack up, he realized something must be happening, and when they had announced that they would be playing outside, he had quickly pulled her out of the Grand Staircase. Stepping outside was like being hit by a ton of bricks. The cold air hit you like a punch in the stomach, and he was aghast to see stewardesses with nothing but their thin uniforms and lifejackets on. He wondered if anyone cared remotely for them…someone had to feel bad for them just as much as he did…right? Surely he wasn't the only one on this Boat Deck with a caring personality?

The lifeboats, to his dismay weren't ready yet, even though they had been waiting for about half an hour. Deciding it best to keep their blood flowing-a natural way to stay warm outside without drawing themselves into the fantasy that everything was alright by joining the dancing near the band, Chad led Taylor toward the Boat Deck's balcony, which overlooked the very bow of the ship-more so to see how much time they had and the level of the water then anything and he was aghast to see it almost at the deck level.

And that was when he heard someone familiar speaking. Turning, he saw the stewardess with blonde hair-the one he had seen in the staircase not ten minutes ago talking with her possible brother. She was leading Mr. and Mrs. Astor out of the First Class Entryway onto the deck, telling them to be careful quietly so as not to draw too much attention to them. They seemed to glance around the deck, sneering at some and smiling at others before waving the blonde girl off-who Taylor said was Troy Bolton's love interest before joining an animated discussion with a group of snotty looking first classmen.

He felt bad for her. She seemed to want to help but didn't look like she knew what to do. She looked anxiously around, before walking toward the front of the ship, rubbing her arms with her bare hands. She seemed to freeze when she saw the water level and had covered her mouth to stop the gasp from leaving her. And that was when he decided he would use her to find out when the lifeboats would be ready-it would give her something to do and help insure Taylor's safety.

Tapping her on the shoulder, she turned her head, and her eyes seemed to jump. She glanced down at the water level before turning her attention back to him as he began. "Miss…"

"Yes?" She sounded slightly hopeful, and tired, and eager, and afraid. But most of all she seemed to want to help.

"Do you know when they will be starting to load the lifeboats?"

She looked like she had been thinking about this question too, before asking "would you like me to check?"

"Please?" It was more of a statement than a question, but he did raise his voice slightly at the end so that he hoped the stewardess didn't feel like she was being ordered. He did feel slightly bad for asking her-in a way. And he was sure he was feeling his wife's glare. But, he really didn't care. Her safety meant everything.

"Sure." She curtsied before walking off- probably more out of habit then of want because he could tell that she knew they weren't first class-although she didn't seem like she cared. She was gone maybe ten minutes, during which he watched men scurry around fixing the lifeboats. She pushed her way through the crowd toward them.

"Well, Lifeboat 7 should be done within the next few minutes, followed closely by Lifeboat 6 on the other side of the ship. After that, it's anyone's guess. I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help. I suggest you start pushing toward the front…you want to get off this ship before the panic starts. When it does…it will get harder."

"Yes…I suppose you're right. Um…thank you….and….good luck." With that, he nodded to her and pulled Taylor lightly away, who was staring intently at the girls face.

"What's wrong Tay?"

"I'm…I don't want to leave…not without you." Tears sprung to her eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Tay…you have to. For me…for the baby…for yourself. I love you…and that's why I'm going to get you into a lifeboat even if I have to throw you in myself." Tears were stinging his eyes, no matter how hard he fought to keep them at bay.

And that was when the noise started. It came as one singular blast, and as far as he could tell…from nowhere. But people were looking up, and as he did so noticed that all the smokestacks seemed to be belching grey steam into the nighttime sky. He wondered vaguely what it meant, but when Officer Murdock started beckoning people forward, he fixed all his thoughts on trying to listen to him instead…although it was futile. They were close, but not nearly as close as they needed and the loud, continuous hiss of steam coming from all the smokestacks was making it impossible. But as soon as he saw that Murdock and a few others were helping women and children onto the small boat, he pushed his way forward, ignoring the rude remarks he could barely hear untill he knew she would be okay.

As soon as Murdock saw her, he started beckoning her toward him, and when he saw how pregnant she was, he almost yanked her forward. At the last minute, Chad swung her around and gave her a passionate kiss, before waving slightly, smiling a little. He was ordered back into the crowd, and he sidestepped, moving over to the railing where he could lean over and see her-make sure she was fine.

She smiled up at him, tears freely falling down her flawless face. A blanket was wrapped around her, and someone held her lightly, which made him feel better. She would have someone to comfort her. He started counting passengers as they entered the boat, and after about fifteen minutes, Officer Murdock turned, which signaled that it was time to lower. He watched intently now, wanting to see how they lowered these lifeboats. Two men-one at each crane stood by a wench, both hands placed firmly on it. In between them stood the officer, who was motioning with his hands that they should start cranking, and as they did, the boat lowered.

He grew apprehensive, standing so close to the right crane he could hear the thick ropes creaking through the davits and he hoped to God that they didn't snap-for one reason or another each scenario changed after a few seconds. And he only breathed a sigh of relief when finally Lifeboat 7 touched the water, bearing 8 women, 10 men, and 3 stewardesses-the blonde wasn't among them, which surprised him since she had been adamant that they get on one quickly. He blew her a kiss, and watched untill her lifeboat had drifted too far out for him to see her anymore. Sighing, he turned around, leaning against the rail. Now….all he had to do was wait for the water.

Captain Smith

His heart seemed to leap into his throat when he came back to the Bridge to check on the water level. He had only been away for a few minutes-gone to check in on the wireless operators to see who was responding to their SOS-to see if there was any hope. But he wasn't ready to see the sight of the bow sliding gently beneath the waves. The water was flowing freely up the deck now, gurgling around the chains of the anchors which now lay underwater, rippling around the bronze capped capstans. As the railing slid under, he felt his worst fears being realized. What he had known from the beginning was now staring him directly in the face. It was sinking faster, the pumps weren't working, and they were doomed.

HEY! WOW. IT'S GOING UNDER! Lol. Thanks for reading this with me. Sorry it took so long, but It is wayyyyy longer than what I usually write. Basically double. I hope you enjoy it. And…I saved Taylor. One of our main characters are safe-although could you really be surprised? I could never EVER kill off a pregnant woman. Now I just have some questions. Which character should definitely live? Which should definitely die? And…is there anything you are dying to read in here? I have a few suggestions/hopes which I'll try to incorporate. But…you're input helps, gives me something to work with, and makes it even MORE fun. I know right…what? More fun? Lol. Thanks again and REVIEW! Lol.