Rescuing Jack
Chapter 20
Katherine and Rose ran breathlessly hand in hand through the crowd. They were bumping in and throwing people out the way, rudely. They never had time to apologize because they knew they were running out of time to find Jack. "Mr Andrews!"
"Mr Andrews!" They said in unison. Katherine sighed, as they couldn't find him, they had been at it for nearly fifteen minutes. Until they went lower and lower, in to second class. "Mr Andrews!" he turned to see Katherine and Rose running up to him, breathless.
"Mr. Andrews, thank God! Where would the Master at Arms take someone under arrest?!"
"What? You have to get to a boat right away!"
"No! I'll do this with or without your help, sir. But without will take longer." Rose shot back, he looked at Rose searching for a reason why she was doing this. Then he caught on, Jack. He had heard about him stealing the diamond, and did not believe that he would do that.
"Take the elevator to the very bottom; go left, down the crewman's passage, then make a right." He took ahold of Rose's arm, and begin leading Katherine by her other arm down the hall.
"Bottom, left, right. I have it."
"Be careful you too, and make sure you go straight to a boat right away, they won't be many left."
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Where is she? Harry was thinking, he looked for her in her cabin but there was no one there. She must off went to a lifeboat, he thought. He was hoping he could spot her but for now he had to prepare the lifeboats and hope for the best she turns up.
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Katherine and Rose run up as the last Elevator Operator is closing up his lift to leave. "Sorry, miss, lifts are closed—" Without thinking Rose grabs him and shoves him back into the lift, Katherine is stunned for a split second, "I'm through with being polite, God damnit! Now take me down!" Katherine had never seen Rose react to madly before. It just proved how much she loved Jack. The operator fumbles to close the gate and start the lift. "E deck." Katherine said, as the conductor fumbled around with the switch.
They pushed themselves against the wall as the water filled into the lift. They bothed screamed at the coldness of the water. The car has landed in a foot of freezing water, shocking the hell out of her. Rose claws the door open and splashes out, hiking up her floor-length skirt so she can move. The lift goes back up, behind them, they look around. "Left, crew passage." Rose says.
They spot it and slog down the flooded corridor. The place is understandably deserted. She is on her own. "Right, right... right."
They turn into a cross-corridor, splashing down the hall. A row of doors on each side. "This is it," Katherine said, shivering slightly at the coldness.
"Jack? Jaaacckk!" Katherine and Rose shouted, down the corridors waiting for a response.
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Jack is hopelessly pulling on the pipe again, straining until he turns red. He collapses back on the bench. Realizing he's screwed. Then he hears them through the door.
"ROSE! KATHERINE! In here!" Less than five seconds later, his lover and his friend coming racing and splashing in the room. She splashes over Jack and puts her arms around him.
"Jack, Jack, Jack... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." They are so happy to see each other it's embarrassing. Katherine turns and looks away, at their reunion.
"That guy Lovejoy put it in my pocket."
"I know, I know."
"See if you can find a key for these. Try those drawers. It's a little brass one. Katherine try the cupboard." She kisses his face and hugs him again, then starts to go through the desk.
"Rose how did you find out I didn't do it?"
"I didn't, I just realized I already knew."
They share a look, then she goes back to ransacking the room, searching drawers and cupboards. Jack sees movement out the porthole and looks out.
"Katherine how did you know?"
"Well I knew from the beginning, since Cal's my cousin, I already knew what he is capable of."
"There's no key!" Rose shouted looking at Jack, desperately.
They look around at the water, now almost two feet deep. Jack has pulled his feet up onto the bench. "You two have to go for help."
Rose nodded, "I'll be right back." she kisses him once more, then grabs Katherine's hand running out.
"I'll wait here." Jack said, he looks down at the swirling water.
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"Hello? Somebody?!" Rose shouted, down the empty corridor. She turns to Katherine, "Kat you go down that corridor, and see if anyone can help." She nodded and ran off.
She turns a corner and runs along another corridor in a daze. The hall slopes down into water which, shimmers, reflecting the light. She heard Katherine down the other side shouting for help.
"Help me! We need help!" A man comes running past her, holding life jackets, with a crazed look in his eyes, he grabs her arm and pulls her down the corridor ignoring her plea. He doesn't look back. It is like a bad dream. The hull gongs with terrifying sounds. "Wait. Wait! I need your help! There's a man down there and he's trapped!"
"There's no need for panic!"
"No, let me go! You're going the wrong way! Let go me listen!" she punched him right in the nose,
"To hell with you." He runs off, his bleeding nose, dripping on the velvet carpets. She breathes deeply, The lights flicker and go out, leaving utter darkness, a beat. Then they come back on. She finds herself hyperventilating. That one moment of blackness was the most terrifying of her life.
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"Anybody help us!" Katherine screamed down the right side corridor, there was no one no sign of life anywhere. "God someone help us!"
Then right on cue, a man comes brushing past us, "Hey there is someone down there and he needs help." She tried to explain, but he sharply ran past her and down the other corridor. "Please!" She pleaded, but he was already out of view. Harry, oh God I hope he is not worrying about me.
"Katherine!" She spun to see Rose running down with an axe, breathing heavily. She looked like a mess, we both were.
"You didn't find no one?" I asked as we ran back down the steps. She shook her head. They look down and gasp. The water has flooded the bottom five steps. She goes down and has to crouch to look along the corridor to the room where Jack is trapped. They look at each other, then back down the steps, Rose takes the lead and plunges into the water, which is up to her waist... and powers forward, holding the axe above her head in two hands. She grimaces at the pain from the literally freezing water. "Ahh!" She yelps, as the freezing water hits them both.
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Jack has climbed up on the bench, and is hugging the water pipe. Rose and Katherine wade in, holding the axe above her head. "Will this work?"
"We'll find out."
They are both terrified, but trying to keep panic at bay. He positions the chain connecting the two cuffs, stretching it taut across the steel pipe. The chain is of course very short, and his exposed wrists are on either side of it.
"Try a couple practice swings." Katherine moves out of Rose's way, as she hefts the axe and thunks it into a wooden cabinet. "Now try to hit the same mark again." She swings hard and the blade thunks in four inches from the mark. "Okay, that's enough practice."
He winces, bracing himself as she raises the axe. She has to hit a target about an inch wide with all the force she can muster, with his hands on either side.
"You can do it, Rose. Hit it as hard as you can, I trust you." Jack said, to Rose who looked terrified, and nodded at Katherine, whom gone pale. Jack closes his eyes. So does she. Katherine was the only one who could keep her eyes open. The axe comes down. K-WHANG! Rose gingerly opens her eyes looks... Jack is grinning with two separate cuffs. Rose drops the axe, all the strength going out of her.
"Nice work." He laughed, and kissed her face. The three of them laughed. He climbs down into the water next to her. He can't breathe for a second. "You did it!" Katherine squealed with brief happiness.
"Shit! that is cold! Oh shit shit shit!" They wade out into the hall. Rose starts toward the stairs going up, but Jack stops her. There is only about a foot of the stairwell opening visible.
"We gotta find another way out."
"But this is the way out!" Katherine shouts, her curly wet hair sticking to her face.
"It's too deep, we'll find another way, come on." He said, they all turned in the other direction.
It took them nearly twenty minutes to get up, on deck. Jack was banging against the door, to get it open when it did they went flying into each other, they looked around and turned back the other way, "Hey you can't do that!" they ignored who it was. They hurried down the corridor.
"Am talking to you! That's white star line property!"
The three of them turned and screamed, "SHUT UP!"
Sorry for the wait….Sorry if it's too short, or it didn't make up to your expectations, It is quite hard but I'll manage, they will be Harry and Katherine in the next chapter! So look out for it.
Sarahmichellegellarfan1