- --------- - --
The sky was clear on that particular day of April 1912, when the Titanic was only one day out from Southampton, and on her way to Queenstown for more passengers and mail. It was late in the hours, perhaps too late for Fifth Officer Lowe, as he took up his duties at midnight on the morning on the eleventh... sailing day was always one of exhaustion as passengers were settling in, duties were to be done, and when three came about, he was fairly well exhausted. James had gone to his cabin, hoping to catch a few hours sleep before his watch, and leaving Harold to make the rounds in the cold and quiet by himself.
Oddly enough, he only closed his eyes for a moment. By then, it was too late.
- --------- -
Captain Sawyer was a hero of the Nile, and justly so, he was allowed to have suspicions of young officers who whispered, or smiled for no apparent reason. Nearly both supposed problems had been seen in Hornblower when he was caught off guard by the Captain, which caused him to be under the watchful eye of those around him. However, it was an order given by one of his own team that caused him to be put on watch and watch for thirty-six hours straight.
Moving into the early hours of the morning, he struggled to keep himself awake under the bright stars, remember that at a time of war the officer of the watch would be killed if found sleeping on deck. Rubbing his eyes, he mentally noted that Archie was probably enjoying the rest that he was allowed to get due to Horatio's extra hours above.
Taking a deep breath, he looked around at the few men who remained on deck, then up towards the poor soul who was stuck up in the Crow's Nest. Sighing and shaking his head a bit, he pushed away the urge to let his eyes close, but was soon overtaken by a wave of sleeplessness. Fight as he did, he still drifted away into unconsciousness.
- -------- ------ --
Where these four men appeared was far beyond their reckoning, but it was in England and most likely in Liverpool, a seafaring town if there ever was one. How was beyond their question, as was why, but in the moment and flash of what seemed to be light, these young men came face to face.
They might have wondered about this utterly odd occurrence, had not the immediate mystery sprung up.
Horatio Hornblower of the Renown, and Harold Lowe of the Titanic were practically twins. True enough that Harold was an inch or two shorter, wore his hair neatly cropped and his uniform was of the White Star Line, but that seemed of little consequence as he stared back at a man who could nearly be a mirror. As usual, his blunt and straightforward nature afforded him the first words. "Who are you, where are we, and why in the name of God do you have my face?" the Welshman asked, his voice strong but perhaps a bit shaky -- as it should be.
Not blinking, Horatio couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the man standing across from him. Not a moment before, he had been on the deck of the Renown, and now he was staring into eyes that were once his own, but now shared with another. Squaring off his shoulders, he noted the uniform, but paid it no mind. "I, sir, am Third Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower of His Majesty's Ship, the Renown. With respect, who might you be?"
Lowe immediate didn't like this fellow, who had his face and seemed to, in fact, be speaking down to him. Quirking an eyebrow in answer, he squared his own shoulders in what some would consider to be pride, but those who knew him would recognize it as a mixture of nobility... and mocking. "Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, of the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic."
Archie, however, seeing that he was no longer on a ship and under the eyes of the Captain, looked around in amazement before turning back to Lowe. Glancing between Horatio and Harold, he grinned a bit. "Titanic? Never heard of her."
"Archie," Hornblower warned in a low tone, not moving his eyes to look at the younger man.
Taken over by the moment, the Fourth Lieutenant finally stood at attention, taking off his hat and placing it under one arm before offering the hand of the other arm. "Archie Kennedy, Fourth Lieutenant, same ship," he commented lightly, receiving a nearly annoyed looking sidelong glance from his friend.
"Well, you know my name," Harold answered, reaching over to shake Archie's hand.
A moment later, James decided to step forward, though his look was thoughtful and contemplative as he looked between the two men who, from what he knew, were long dead. "Sixth Officer James Moody, at your service," he finally introduced.
Finally letting down his guard, but not his wits, Horatio nodded to Moody and then Lowe in turn and took off his hat as well.
Kennedy, with his good attitude and keen smile, took Moody's hand and shook it as well, not at all disturbed by the fact that he was supposed be in his room, sleeping at the moment. "A pleasure, sirs. You'll have to forgive my friend, here. Horatio's suffering from facial insecurity at the moment."
Lowe bit down a snicker at that -- where Hornblower seemed to immediate ruffle his feathers, Archie was definitely a kindred spirit. "Insecurity? Why he is a handsome fellow, if I do say so myself," he replied, with a wink.
Moody grinned, though he was glad that he was not the one meeting a twin of himself. "You would, Harry, wouldn't you?" That joking comment earned him a sideways nudge in the ribs.
In an attempt to keep some form of professionalism, Horatio straightened up and looked as if he were in the presence of an Admiral. No matter how friendly the other men seemed, they were strangers and didn't belong, in his own eyes. Taking a deep breath, he let the words of advice slip from his mouth, quietly, "Hold your tongue, Mr. Kennedy. We have no clue who these men are in relation to us."
Thrown off by the outward coldness of his friend, the smile faded from Archie's face and he finally nodded, letting himself slip into the fact that he was acting as anything but an officer. Making an attempt to give the others an apologetic look, he fell into silence.
Lowe watched this charade with less than concealed contempt before he snapped at Hornblower, "Oh for God's sake, man, lighten up. If we were dangerous, I'm sure we would have had trouble by now."
"Besides, if we don't figure out how this happened, we won't figure out how to get home," James added, as perfectly reasonable as a man could be. He inched his way towards Archie, giving him a look that basically said, "Is he always this uptight?"
"Yes, Horatio, I think that perhaps someone would have thrown a punch by now if they were hostile," Archie conceded, matter-of-factly. Letting his shoulders move back to normal, he replaced his hat and looked over at his friend, who, in retrospect, seemed to melt into a normal position and sigh.
"By George, I suppose you're right. Gentlemen, if you'll forgive me please for my coyness, I think that perhaps we should figure out how we all got here."
"'By George,'" Harold mocked quietly, irritable with fatigue, before a well-placed elbow shut him up. After a moment, he cleared his throat, looking rightfully abashed. "The last thing I remember is being on the deck of Titanic."
James nodded as well. "And I was in my bunk sleeping."
"The same goes for me. Last I remember, I'd left Horatio on deck and was asleep as soon as my head was down. 'Course, Mr. Hornblower here was on watch and watch, so he was up on deck. Isn't that right, Mr. Hornblower?" Archie teased, a grin crossing his features once again.
Horatio couldn't help but let out a laugh, noting to himself that he'd have to find something to rub into Archie's face. "You know it is, Archie," he replied, somewhat curtly, though with a smile.
"Watch and watch?" Harold gave Horatio a look of honest sympathy. He had been in that position a few times himself, and could relate to the misery of it. "What did you do to bring that on?"
"Nothing to deserve that, I tell ya," Kennedy answered, shaking his head a bit.
"It was at the Captain's discretion. He believed that myself and one of those of my crew were trying to undermine his command," Hornblower explained, wincing when he realized how bad it sounded out loud.
Kennedy continued on, true to his usual tendencies, "He's really a crazy old coot, but they just keep him around because he's a hero."
"Sawyer, right?" Moody asked, his eyes contemplative, as he recalled quite a bit more than he really wanted to, given who these men were. He noticed Lowe looked over at him, eyebrows drawing together, but Moody was glad that he didn't comment.
"That's right." Horatio nodded. "Do you know of him? And, for that matter, what navy are you from?"
Moody frowned, a look that didn't sit well on his young face. "I know of him, Mr. Hornblower. And though Mr. Lowe and myself are in the Royal Navy Reserve, we're currently serving in the merchant marines."
Archie laughed a dying laugh, wondering about Moody's look of despair, "Well, surely there'd be no reserves with the war on."
Moody's eyebrows knitted even further together as he regarded Kennedy. "The war is long over."
"Just how much do you know?" Harold asked, wondering where his friend was finding this information and wishing he had the same leg up.
Glancing around at his surroundings, Horatio took a moment to think before looking back to the other three. "Gentlemen, perhaps this would be better discussed somewhere inside so as not to call attention to ourselves."
James nodded, albeit reluctantly, finally looking away from what in his time are legends and instead taking in the area. It wasn't immediately recognizable as England, but he did note the smell of the ocean not too far away and found it comforting.
"Fine," Lowe commented, perhaps a bit shortly as he produced a few notes from his pocket, and a few coins. "Where to, men?"
"Anywhere but outside -- if we're recognized by someone we'll be called deserters," Archie offered, checking his pocket for what money he might have brought with him as well.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," James answered, but he started his way towards what looked to be an inn, and was vastly relieved when the sign was in English. Harold followed a moment later, along with the other two.
It was only after a meal, mutually paid for by both parties, that they dare bring up the topic again. Settled around a dark table in the back of the tavern, Lowe was the first to approach the subject, playing on a hunch. "What year is it, if I may?"
Surprised by the question, Horatio sat back in his chair. He couldn't help but wonder about the strange question and looked over at Archie before turning his attention back to Lowe in order to answer. "1801, of course."
"Is it now?" Lowe smirked to himself before realizing that there was really nothing humorous about that statement.
"1912," Moody said, a trace of a smile crossing his face. "Gentlemen, I think we have a minor problem."
"Well, if I didn't know that you two seemed genuinely normal, I'd say that you gentlemen were off your bloody rockers, but the simple fact that we're all on shore now makes me wonder what, in the good Lord's name, happened," Archie's thoughts boiled out of his mouth, unable to keep quiet too long.
"You're telling me," Harold answered, perhaps a little taken aback himself by the entire scenario.
"I..." Moody started, then stopped himself with a shake of the head. He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but couldn't find the heart to say it.
Kennedy looked curiously across the table to James, before leaning over a bit and setting both hands on the table. "Are you feeling all right, Mr. Moody?"
James gave him a thin smile, and one that echoed regret. "As well as the circumstances can allow, Mr. Kennedy."
"What is it?" Harold prodded, leaning on the table as well and giving his friend a somewhat intent look.
"I think that we should get back to our respective places as soon as possible," Moody said, quietly. "I have a feeling I know too much and would do much better in not knowing anything."
"Too much about what?" Horatio leaned over as well, oddly disarmed of most of his officer sense in such a setting with people like himself.
"The truth, sir." Moody seemed like he was almost struggling with himself. His shoulders drooped slightly as he rubbed his eyes, perhaps trying to avoid the intense looks from the other three, and it could be said that it looked like the weight of the world had been dropped on him.
Harold frowned, touching his arm in concern. "What truth? About these men?"
Moody merely nodded.
"That's right." Archie nodded. "You two are from the future, so we're dead, right? Well, everyone dies, so relax!"
"It's not a question of when, Mr. Kennedy, so much as how," James said, leaning back in his chair and looking at the ceiling.
Archie's face seemed to fall once again in concern, trying to understand fully. "Well, I don't suppose the how matters in the end, right? Death is death..."
"Archie, don't cause the man any more trouble," Horatio told his friend, not sure he wanted to hear what James had on his mind.
Harold took to his usual respite, that of the quick-fire officer and the man who was a born leader. "I suggest we sleep on this, fellows, and we can concern ourselves with it in the morning. We won't do ourselves any good if we're tired and unable to think."
Kennedy frowned at the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, wanting nothing more than to get the answers to the questions in his mind. After a good moment, he did his best to remove any reservations he had, and nodded to the others.
"Quite an idea, thank you, Mr. Lowe. Where should we stay, though?" Looking around, Horatio saw that only one or two people other than themselves remained at the inn. "I'm not sure they have someone here to check us in."
Lowe grinned slightly, a faintly mischievous grin to lighten the dark feeling that the air had taken. Standing, he made his way to the counter and called out, "Innkeeper! We need rooms for the night!"
The innkeeper came in after Lowe's second yell, rubbing his eyes. He looked the young officer over, not immediately certain as to what to make of him. "How many?"
Harold looked back at James, who was far better at very quick calculations, and the younger man held up two fingers after he had ascertained their collective pool of money. Thank Heavens it was all legal tender for both time periods, for coins rarely changed, and one would have to check the dates. Lowe looked back at the keeper, still grinning somewhat. "Two rooms, if you please, and breakfast in the morning."
"Surprisingly commanding person, eh, Horatio?" Archie smiled, watching Lowe. "You'd think the keeper thought he was an Admiral."
Moody smiled as well, also watching Harold work the keeper over as he commented aside, "Commanding, yes. So commanding, in fact, that he was demoted once already for disobeying orders and taking matters into his own hands."
The Fourth Lieutenant laughed upon hearing this, looking at his companion and superior. "Horatio'd be at the bottom of the ranks in that case."
Hornblower gave Kennedy a look. "You do it just as much as me, Archie."
Lowe trotted back, tossing Horatio a room key without bothering to give advanced warning. "It isn't much, gents, but it's a room without rats." Somehow it didn't surprise him that Archie caught it before Horatio even had time to realize it was flying at him.
"All well and good then?" James asked, standing and stretching. He seemed in better spirits at the prospect of finishing his night's sleep, though there was still a mildly preoccupied aire about him.
"Well and good, Mr. Moody," Harold answered, near jokingly formal.
"Well, then, I suppose we'll see you two tomorrow." Archie grinned.
"With any luck, it'll all end up being a dream." Lowe grinned back, then started for the steps.
"And I'll be on watch," Moody complained, lightly and without any sort of real edge.
"Oh, but not watch and watch," Harold said, unable to resist a teasing parting shot at Hornblower. He was up the stairwell too quickly for a reply.
Horatio shook his head, looking after them before turning back to Archie who was finishing off his drink. "Well, they're friendly, if not bordering slightly rude."
"Eh, you've gotta lighten up like they said, Horatio. I don't see anything wrong with them... just a couple of officers trying to have a good time -- Like we should be doing!" Tipping back the rest of his drink, he finished it and set it down again.
"We should working on the ship... That's what we should be doing. This is war, Archie, and we're deserters right now."
Kennedy shook his head, standing and straightening his uniform. "No, we're only deserters if we willingly leave the ship. I'd think it'd be more appropriate if we called ourselves misplaced sailors."
"You know better than that," Horatio warned.
"Know better than what? For Lord's sake, we've just been pulled from our ship in the middle of the ocean only to be put onto land with some blokes from a hundred years into the future! What's there to know?"
Hornblower shook his head, looking up at his friend. "Calm down, Archie, or you'll have a fit..."
Shaking his head as well, the younger man held up the key. "I'll leave it unlocked for you." Then, picking up his hat from on top of the table, he made his way up the stairs as well.