April 14th, 2024. The Blue Room. Enterprise Station.
Hikaru stormed into the rec room, clutching the folder in his hand. His eyes wandered the room, taking in the activities around him. Scotty and Pavel were playing a card game that included a lot of alcohol. Jim was busy tinkering at the television, while Leonard sat on the sofa to yell at him. In the corner by the windows, Chris and Lavinia sat at a table. Hikaru watched as Lavinia laughed at something the older man was saying and he made his way towards them.
Slamming the folder down between them startled both from their conversation. The others quickly looked up from their tasks and watched as Lavinia glanced at the folder then back at Hikaru.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a frown, as he stood before her.
"What the fuck is this?" he yelled, opening the folder to expose the contents. "How long have you known about this?"
Lavinia turned to look down at the papers and paled, seeing the truth that she kept hidden from him for so long.
"Hikaru I-" she stuttered, as he shook his head.
"When did you plan on telling me?"
"Hikaru I think you should ca-" Chris started, before Hikaru turned to him.
"Don't!" he shouted. "Don't tell me to calm down!"
Jim and Leonard made their way closer to the table, "Dude," Jim started.
Hikaru turned to look at him, "And you!" he shouted. "I found this shit in your office! How could you keep information like this?"
"It wasn't my place to say anything!" Jim shouted back.
Lavinia stood from her seat and moved closer to Hikaru, "Please stop," she begged, reaching out to touch him arm.
Hikaru quickly pulled away and she faltered, watching him with sadness in her eyes. "I didn't mean to keep it from you, Hikaru!"
Scotty and Pavel, who sat quietly at the table, finally decided to ask the burning question. "What are we talking about?" Pavel asked.
Hikaru kept his cold stare on Lavinia as he answered, "It seems that Lavinia here is engaged to be married," he started. "Married to our boss, who expressed great sadness that the woman he loved died."
"Yer serious?" Scotty asked, dumbfounded at the breaking news. "Yer engaged?"
Chris shook his head, "We were," he said. "Back in our time."
"What else have you lied about?" Hikaru asked, inching closer to her. "What other secrets did you two laugh about behind our backs?"
Lavinia shook her head, "Stop it."
Hikaru grabbed her by the arm, "What else did you lie to me about?" he yelled.
"You're hurting me!" she cried, trying to pull out of his grasp. "LET GO OF ME!"
Leonard placed a heavy hand on Hikaru's shoulder, "I think the lady told you to let go."
"I want you gone," Hikaru snapped, pushing her away from him. He watched as Jim reached out to catch her before she could hit the floor. "I don't ever want to see you again! Go back to wherever the fuck you came from and finish out what your destiny is!"
Gasps filled the room as all eyes turned to look at Hikaru. Lavinia looked up at him through tearfilled eyes, before pulling herself up to her own feet. Her face went through a range of emotions-fear, sadness, shock and finally, anger- as she raised her head up and started at him.
"Fine," she said quietly, almost deadly. "I'll leave."
Hikaru nodded, "Good."
"In fact," she turned to look at her brother. "I will not wait for any medical clearance and I plan on leaving as soon as possible," she turned to Chris. "Tomorrow morning that is."
"Lavinia wait!" Leonard said, as she pushed past him.
She continued walking, hitting her shoulder against Hikaru- hard enough to make him stumble. Lavinia then turned to Pavel, her gaze withering and making him squirm.
"And you!" she shouted, as he yelped. "Fix that goddamn computer and send me the hell home!"
She then turned and started for the door when Hikaru's voice stopped her, "I hope your death is slow and painful."
Her hands trembling, Lavinia glanced at the small table on the left and eyed the hardcover tomb. Picking it up, she quickly turned around and chucked it across the room, hitting him square on the back.
"I hope you rot in hell," she spat, before turning on her heel and running out of the room.
Lavinia's room.
"Lavinia! Lavinia wait!" Jim shouted, as she ran down the halls.
Pushing the door to her room open, Lavinia quickly ran in and slammed the door behind her, locking it. Leaning against the oak, she closed her eyes and gasped for air and Jim pounded on the door.
"He didn't mean it, Vinia!" he yelled, pounding on the door. "Please don't leave!"
"GO AWAY!" she screamed.
A few minutes later, the pounding stopped and footsteps could be heard going down the hall. Lavinia let out a trembling sigh and closed her eyes, feeling nothing but numbness and white-hot anger. Her hands shook and she squeezed them into fists to control them, the urge to punch something strong. Trying to concentrate on what had just happened to her, Lavinia used the many methods that Leonard taught her to control her anxiety.
Breathe in and out, that's it Darlin'. Just relax your body and think of something calming.
The only thing that used to keep her calm, were thoughts of Hikaru. Lavinia shook her head and tried to think of something else, as a tight hold around her ribcage caused her breathing to stutter and slow. She moaned in pain as the feeling grew more and more around her body, before she opened her eyes and looked down. Letting out a startled cry, Lavinia found that her normal apparel- sweatpants, a thermal shirt and socks- had been replaced with a long beaded green and black gown.
Pushing away from the door, Lavinia rushed towards the vanity and let out a startled yell. The messy ponytail that held the long red curls had been replaced with a fancy up do. Jewels covered her neck and hung from her ears. She could feel the familiar pinch from a pair of heels on her feet, and shook her head. After a few seconds of just staring at her reflection, she began to panic. Trembling hands reached up and started pulling at the hairpins. Some caught and pulled against her scalp, as she clawed her fingers through the up-do.
"Dammit!" she screeched, ripping the necklace off and tossing it across the room.
She needed a way out. Clawing at the gown, trying to pull it off her body was pointless. She needed something sharp to get it off. Scissors. Pulling the draw open and out of the vanity, Lavinia balanced it against her hip and dug through it.
"No!" she cried, when nothing could be found to free her.
The drawer went flying across the room, hitting the dresser and crashing to the ground, spilling its contents.
Lavinia grabbed the hairbrush and threw it in the same direction, screaming as it clattered against the floor. Other objects began to follow, changing in her hands as they sailed across the room. Hot tears fell from her eyes, as each breath and cry came out strangled against the corset around her body. Lavinia tossed a bottle of perfume, when she stopped and stared at the room.
It was changing. The walls went from white to red, and the furniture went from basic to ornate. Lavinia looked into the mirror again, clutching the hand mirror in her hand. She cried at the reflection; a broken girl, confused and lost, and threw the hand mirror at it. Glass shattered onto the vanity and Lavinia quickly turned on her heel and threw open the door and out into the hall.
The Fridge.
"What the fuck just happened?" Scotty asked, as he poured a glass of scotch out for Chris.
"A disaster," he mumbled, taking the glass from him. "I'm sorry we never told you guys," he said, looking Scotty and Pavel.
Scotty nodded, "It's fine," he sat down. "Ah understand that yer personal business isn't up for discussion."
Leonard shook his head, "I want to kill that little shit," he growled. "What gives him the goddamn right to put his hands on her like that and then say such awful things?"
"Len-" Chris warned, as the doctor continued.
"And who the hell is he, demandin' for her to leave? Last I checked-"
"Last I checked, I was in charge here," Chris cut off, giving him a stern glare.
Jim shook his head, "Are we really going to send her back?" he asked, looking at his crew. "Where the hell do we send her? She doesn't know where she's from and neither do we!"
Pavel nodded, "I'm not fixing the program to send her back to die," he said. "I won't do it and you can't make me!"
Chris held up his hand, "Don't worry, Pavel. I wouldn't allow you do it either," he said.
The silence was dreadful, as they sat around the table with a range of emotions between them all.
"So," Scotty started. "What do we do now?"
Before anyone could answer, the sound of heels clicking against the floor and the swish of material filled their ears. They turned to look at the doorway, as the noise grew closer and closer, identifying the sound of sobbing as well. Suddenly, a flash of green, black and red, shot by the door.
"Shit!" Leonard yelped, jumping to his feet. "Lavinia!"
The others quickly followed him out of the kitchen and down the hall, as Lavinia ran towards the door.
"Wait!"
"No!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
"STOP!"
Lavinia pushed the door open and stepped out into the chilly evening air, slamming the door slamming behind her. When they pulled the door open, the found nothing but darkness and the twinkling stars above the forest.
Lavinia.
She pushed the door open and stepped out into the chilly evening air, glancing back at the faces of her brother, fiancé and friends. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. A few shouts turned into thousands and the air grew colder. The ground beneath her feet went from soft grass to hardwood, as she bumped into a moving object.
"WATCH IT!"
Lavinia quickly faced forward, stumbling as she righted herself up. All around her, people ran back and forth, screaming in fear. She could heard the sound of an orchestra playing in the distance, noting the opening strings to Orpheus, as she stood rooted to the spot.
"LAVINIA!"
Turning quickly, Lavinia stood on her toes and searched for the person who shouted her name.
"Lavinia! Oh thank god!"
Lavinia turned around and gasped, "Lucy!"
The blonde pulled her into a bonecrushing hug, "I couldn't find you! They started loadin' the boats.." she stared, as she pulled away.
"What? What are you talking about?" Lavinia asked, frowning. "What happened?"
Lucy shook her head, "Don't you remember? I was helping you get ready for dinner and then you fainted? I had the doctor come in and he suggested that you stay in for the evening."
Lavinia shook her head, "I- Why are boats being launched?" she asked.
"The ship," she gasped. "The ship hit an iceberg, Lavinia."
Suddenly, it all came back to her. The boarding in Southampton and the stops in Cherbourg and Queenstown, the tour of the ship and the fancy dinners with the others in first class. Being in the North Atlantic in the middle of April, the water still cold. This was the trip back to America, the trip that caused her death.
"Oh god.." she gasped, as a group of men pushed by them.
Lucy took her by the hand, "Come on!" she started pulling her. "There are a few more boats this way! And thank god you put a coat on, the temperature is dropping by the seconds and you'll surely catch your death!"
Lavinia glanced down and saw that her gown had changed again. This time, it was a charcoal grey with a light blue sash under her bust. Over it, she wore a heavy white coat with gold buttons.
"How bloody mad is this?" Lucy asked, as they ran towards the last two boats on the starboard side. "The Unsinkable Ship is actually sinking? And there's not enough boats for all the pour souls onboard!"
Lavinia couldn't reply, as she watched tearful wives and children being pulled onto lifeboats. The men standing on the deck, promising to see them in the morning and not to worry. As they waited behind a group of men and women, Lavinia couldn't help but think that tonight; Hikaru would finally get his wish. She would die a very slow and painful death, as the Titanic sank from under her.