Chapter 5: The Belly of the Beast
9:15 PM, April 14th
Someone named SB has a painting. I wonder…
Georgia had mentioned Sasha Barbicon earlier. He had to be involved somehow. I consulted my map and discovered that there were entrances to the boiler rooms on E-Deck, along a long corridor labeled "Scotland Road" on the map. I followed the Grand Staircase down to E-Deck and entered through the door that led to Scotland Road. The long hallway that greeted me was a stark contrast to the other areas of the ship I had been to. Scotland Road was dimly lit and had a very industrial aesthetic, with exposed pipes and wiring overhead. This was a crew and steerage area of the ship.
I didn't have to look very far to find the entrance to Boiler Room 3. The door was labeled as such. I attempted to open the door only to discover that it was locked from the other side.
"Blast!" I muttered.
Clearly it was designed that way to keep passengers out. I would have to find another way down. Consulting my map once more, I discovered another route down through the Engine Room.
"That'll have to do then." I said to myself as I started following the corridor aft.
Scotland Road was completely deserted at this time of night, and it felt very lonely compared to the brightly-lit, lavish rooms I had visited so far. At last I arrived at the entrance to the Second Class stairs. The stairwell was nowhere near as opulent at the Grand Staircase, but I was surprised to see that it had a lift, though the lift appeared to be closed for the night. I followed the stairs down to F-Deck and entered the Second Class cabins area. Just ahead, I saw Penny Pringle's cabin. I briefly considered telling her what I had learned, but decided against it.
I had better just find the Rubaiyat first.
I saw a stairwell leading downward. A sign beside it read "Stairs to G-DECK".
"That must be it."
I quickly descended the stairs and came to a hatch. A sign above the door read "Turbine Room".
The door led to an overhead catwalk inside the Turbine Room. The room was a noisy place full of huge machinery which drove the ship's center propeller. There was no one in sight so I followed the catwalk until I came to another hatch labeled "Control Room".
The moment I proceeded through the door, I came face to face with a crewman who was tinkering with a control panel.
"What's this? A passenger?" shouted the crewman angrily. "I can't regulate the steam for boilers 1 and 2, so I don't have time for you! You're where you shouldn't be! Now get up top 'fore you're kicked up there!"
I had to think of something fast.
"I'm on official business!" I shouted over the noise of the machinery. "I need to get into the Engine Room!"
"Oh, you're with White Stare, are ya?" the crewman asked.
"Let me see if I can help you with your problem!" I shouted over the noise.
"I doubt it! She's really acting up!" the crewman replied back. "See, we're still working the bugs out of 'er. See for yourself!"
I studied the panel in front of me. I saw three valves, a pair of levers that controlled a seawater pump and freshwater pump respectively, and another level that controlled the boilers.
"I think I can fix this!" I shouted to the crewman.
"Right, there's a gauge showing the turbine's power output! The needle's gotta move into the green zone!" he shouted back.
I nodded and took note of the gauge. I had taken a mechanical course while attending university, and the control panel reminded me very much of something I had seen in class.
Most of this is just common sense! I thought to myself, perplexed at how a trained crewman couldn't figure this out.
I turned all three valves all the way to the right and tinkered with each one until the needle moved a little. I adjusted the fresh water and sea water pumps until the needle moved a little more, and then I pushed the boiler control lever forward until the needle moved into the green zone.
The noise in the room leveled off into a steady hum.
"Right smart you were!" the crewman exclaimed in surprise. "She's running much smoother now! Since you were so interested, go on and have a peek in the Engine Room! She's quite a sight!"
"Thank you." I said, walking past him toward the hatch labeled "Engine Room".
Where does White Star find you people? I thought to myself, baffled as to how this seaman couldn't have figured out what the problem was.
The crewman wasn't kidding about the Engine Room. The moment I entered I was in awe of the massive triple expansion steam engines and the huge crankshafts that drove the port and starboard propellers. The noise was deafening. Below, I could see a few crewman going about their duties, but the catwalk was clear. I could see an entrance to Boiler Room 1 just ahead. I quickly made my way across and entered the boiler room. Following the overhead catwalk, I passed through Boiler Room 1, 2, and then arrived at 3 where the Rubaiyat was supposedly hidden. The moment I entered Boiler Room 3, I spotted another man on the catwalk. He began to approach me. His clothes were ragged and he appeared dirty and disheveled. I immediately had a bad feeling about him.
"You are a passenger! Excuse me, I would speak with you." he said, and I could tell by his accent he was from the Balkans. "Forgive me, I am sorry to intrude on someone of such high station."
"Who are you?" I asked, studying the man carefully.
"I am Vlad." The stranger replied.
"It's no problem." I lied, because it certainly was. "What are your troubles, Vlad?"
"I am leaving my home." Vlad said. "I am a Serb and they have killed my wife and my children, the Austrians. And for that, they will pay! But I do not wish to burden you. Please, I need a favor."
As Vlad spoke, I briefly caught a glimpse of a revolver tucked into the waist of his pants, mostly hidden beneath his coat.
He's definitely up to no good! I decided.
I knew I would have to tread carefully.
"What do you need?" I asked, trying to learn what I could without angering him.
"I've a friend in First Class, in cabin A-14. Mr. Barbicon has a package for me. Can you bring it here?" Vlad asked.
That confirms it then! "SB" is indeed Sasha Barbicon!
I then realized that Vlad was after the Rubaiyat!
"Why not get the package yourself?" I asked, though I tried not to sound hostile or suspicious.
"I am a stowaway!" Vlad replied. "If the crew catches me, maybe they throw me overboard. Please get the package. I've eaten nothing for days, save for a rat who was not so fast."
I knew I had no choice but to play his game.
"Alright, I'll get your package." I told him.
"Tell Mr. Barbicon you've come from Vlad. He will give you the package." Vlad instructed. "I'll wait here for your return. Your assistance will be repaid manifold."
I'm sure it will! I thought to myself.
"I'll get your package in a minute. I'm on official business and I need to speak to the stokers down below." I said, inventing an excuse to descend down into the boiler room.
I didn't wait for a response. I descended the ladder to the floor below. I was astounded by the heat from the boilers, and I looked at the men shoveling coal into the boilers.
That's a job you couldn't pay me enough to do!
I was still trying to figure out how to get the Rubaiyat without Vlad spotting me when one of the stokers stepped backwards and I bumped into him.
"Oi, passengers aren't allowed down here!" the man exclaimed.
At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vlad starting to climb down the latter.
I grabbed my wallet and removed most of the money the Service had given me for the trip, at least a couple hundred pounds.
"You want to make some money?" I asked the stoker, waving the wad of money in front of him.
"Keep that man busy and all of this is yours." I said to him, gesturing toward Vlad.
"Oh, certainly!" the stoker said, grinning as he snatched the money.
He intercepted Vlad, who was more focused on the coal chute than on me.
"Oi, whaddya think you're doin' down here?" he demanded loudly, confronting Vlad.
"I'm… I'm looking for something!" Vlad stammered, caught off guard.
"Oh yeah? Lookin' for trouble's more like it!" shouted the stoker, shoving Vlad.
Vlad scowled and shoved the stoker to the floor. At that moment I heard several shovels all hit the floor and every stoker in the boiler room turned their undivided attention to Vlad. The stoker he had knocked down jumped to his feet and socked Vlad square in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Every other stoker joined in. They were so busy punching and kicking Vlad that they didn't even notice me standing there.
Seizing my chance, I ran to coal chute 4 and opened the control box. There, inside the control box was the Rubaiyat! I picked it up and examined it. The leather, jewel-encrusted cover was identical to what Pringle had showed me in the gymnasium. Very briefly I considered simply taking the Rubaiyat and running. No, I couldn't risk Vlad getting free and catching me with it. I'd have to hide it until I could get rid of him. I tossed the Rubaiyat into the coal bunker next to coal chute 3.
Now I need to get out of here! I thought.
I saw a ladder that presumably led up to Scotland Road, and I began to climb. Below, the stokers were still roughing up Vlad. With any luck, he wouldn't realize that I was the one who had set the crew upon him. Reaching the top of the ladder, I opened a narrow door and my hunch was confirmed. The door opened onto Scotland Road. I removed the decoded telegram from my bag, folded it up, and wedged it into the door latch to prevent it from closing all the way. At a glance, no one passing by would notice, and it would provide me with a quick way back down. Now I just needed to find Sasha Barbicon.
A short time later, I found cabin A-14 on A-Deck and knocked on the door. A man with short black hair and wearing a suit opened the door.
"Yes? What do you want?" demanded the man, seeming annoyed that I had bothered him.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir. I'm looking for Sasha Barbicon." I answered.
"You found him. Sasha Barbicon of Barbicon Galleries." The man introduced himself.
I had quite a few questions for Sasha, but I needed to get down to business first.
"I'm here to pick up a package for Vlad." I said.
"For Vlad? He's onboard?" Sasha gasped, though it seemed forced and fake. "Quickly, come inside!"
Sasha ushered me into his cabin. A-14 was cramped, appearing closer to what I would expect a second class cabin to look like. Every bit of usable space was occupied by a collection of paintings of varying sizes.
"He did it!" Sasha chuckled. "I told him not to. Told him I would pay his way, but he was too proud!"
Sasha sighed. "Such a tragedy about his family. They were with my mother's people."
"What happened to his family?" I asked.
"When Austria took Bosnia they were killed. Many people were." Explained Sasha.
"Do you know what he'll do in America?"
"Ask Vlad." Sasha replied. "With his family dead America seems as good a place as any for him."
Sasha handed me a package wrapped in brown paper.
"Here are Vlad's things. He'll be glad to get them. It's getting rather late." Sasha said impatiently.
I feared that I had worn out my welcome, but I had one more thing I wanted to ask about.
"Do you know Lady Georgia?"
An uncomfortable look crossed Sasha's face at this question.
"Our history is… complex." He replied.
"Did you know she's onboard?" I asked him.
"Certainly! A woman like Georgia does not go unnoticed." Sasha said.
"She indicated that. " I said, placing the package Sasha had given me in my bag.
"Georgia exudes a certain romantic paranoia." Sasha explained. "A condition I fear is worsened by Charles's own romance with whiskey."
"I take it Lord Lambeth drinks then?" I asked.
"Continuously." Sasha muttered. "I hear he is having financial troubles. Charles apparently owes Andrew Conkling thousands of pounds."
"Can Georgia be trusted?" I asked, though it was a loaded question. I certainly trusted her more than I trusted Sasha.
"Have you spoken to her?" Sasha asked as if the answer should be obvious. "You be the judge. She's accused me of outrageous deeds! Libelous practically. I'm part Slav, you see, on my mother's side. Georgia finds such a mixture to be a source for some wild stories."
I nodded.
"What will happen to Georgia now?" I asked.
"There's not much anyone can do, I'm afraid. Georgia is in clear need of a rest." Sasha said.
"I had best get these things to Vlad." I said. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Barbicon."
"Goodnight. Enjoy your voyage." He replied, ushering me out the door.
It seems that you're not quite the legitimate businessman you make yourself out to be, Sasha! I said to myself as I made my way back down to Scotland Road. Before proceeding, I removed Georgia's necklace from my bag and slipped it into my pocket. I entered the boiler room via the ladder and climbed down to the catwalk. Down below, I saw the head stoker berating his men while Vlad stood nearby.
"If the captain gets wind of this he'll have our jobs! Now get back to work!"
The stokers and trimmers went back t their duties. The head stoker then turned to Vlad.
"And you, passengers aren't supposed to be down here! Now get out 'fore I have a steward drag you out!"
Vlad climbed the ladder, joining me on the catwalk. I noticed that he had a black eye and an assortment of bruises.
"I have your package." I said, removing the package and "accidentally" allowing his a peek inside to show that he rest of the bag was empty and that I didn't have the Rubaiyat with me.
"Thank you." he uttered, snatching the package from me with a scowl. "I must go and see Mr. Barbicon. I have bad news."
He didn't seem to be angry at me specifically. Perhaps he had not put two and two together.
"He will not be happy. I am looking for something. Something very important, but it is not here! You have not seen a small…" Vlad shook his head. "It is of no importance. Goodbye!"
He bumped past me and headed aft. I remained on the catwalk and waited for the head stoker below to return to work. Once he wasn't looking, I slipped down and climbed into coal chute 3, right at the base of the ladder. To my annoyance, I had apparently tossed the Rubaiyat much further into the chute than intended, but as I felt around in the dark, my hand found what was unmistakably a book. I pulled the Rubaiyat out of the coal chute and stuffed it into my satchel before quickly climbing the ladder to Scotland Road once more. As I exited the door, the telegram that I had stuffed into the latch fell out just as the door slammed shut, locking me out of the boiler room once more.
I don't need to go back down there again anyway.
A short time later, I knocked on the door of F-34. Pringle opened he door.
"Did you get it? Did you find the Rubaiyat?" she asked impatiently.
"Yes, here it is." I said, handing it to her.
"Let me see it." she said, brushing the coal dust off the cover and examining it.
"That's the Rubaiyat alright! Well done!" Pringle exclaimed.
"I've learned some more thing that we should discuss." I said.
"Come inside." Pringle ordered.
Cabin F-34 was a tiny and cramped cabin, possibly even smaller than Sasha's cabin. It had a bunk bed, a small table with two chairs, a sink and mirror, and a wardrobe. Pringle's belongings, files, and papers were scattered about the room.
"The Rubaiyat was hidden inside a coal chute in Boiler Room 3." I said.
" Ah, I was wondering how you go so dirty." Pringle said. "You should wash up."
I nodded , seeing that my hands were covered in black coal dust. I made my way over to the sink to clean up.
"I decoded Zeitel's telegram." I said as I dried my hands off on a towel.
"Smashing! What have you learned?" Pringle inquired.
I sat down at the table for a quick rest.
"Zeitel was going to exchange the Rubaiyat for a painting he is retrieving later." I informed her.
"More art?" Pringle asked curiously, placing the Rubaiyat on the table beside me. "Zeitel's no connoisseur. There must be something about that painting of interest to the German High Command."
"And speaking of paintings, I encountered a stowaway named Vlad in the boiler room." I explained. "I believe he was also searching for the Rubaiyat. He sent me to retrieve a package from an art dealer named Sasha Barbicon. I was able to hide the Rubaiyat so he didn't find it."
"Clever." Pringle said. "I don't have any information about Vlad, but the other fellow, look here."
Pringle retrieved a photograph from an envelope and placed it on the table in front of me. It was a photograph of Sasha.
"Sasha Barbicon is Zeitel's Titanic contact." Pringle explained. "They say he smuggles art, but he's not about selling stolen merchandise. The files say he's Serbian interestingly enough, with links to some shady Balkan groups."
I chuckled. "Vlad was certainly shady alright. What now?"
Pringle thought for a moment.
"Leave the Rubaiyat with the purser. It should be undisturbed there. The painting is what Zeitel's really after. You must secure it! Where or how, I don't know."
"I saw some painting in Sasha's cabin." I informed her. "Could it be one of them?"
"I doubt it." Pringle said. "Otherwise Barbicon could have just handed it to Zeitel without all this secrecy and sneaking about."
She paused for a moment, pondering the situation.
"The painting must be somewhere else onboard. See if you can get a look at the purser's cargo manifest. When you have the painting, bring it back here."
"I'd best get to it then." I said, leaving Pringle's cabin.
To be continued…
A few interesting things I decided to add to the story. The main entrances to the boiler rooms were in fact located along Scotland Road. Also, yes, the second class stairwell did have a lift. It can actually be seen in the game (the black metal objects on the wall are basically where the doors would be), but is unusable. The Titanic and Olympic were among the first ships to have lifts for second class passengers.