I stole the idea of the Animorphs on the Titanic from a generous Animorphs fic writer. =) Here's her Titanic story, if you wanna check it out: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=761330. I'm giving her credit for her idea, which she generously let me use. =D This story's taken from Marco's POV and stuff. If you don't like vulgar language, then go away or bare with it. Marco's kinda OOC, but hey, most of the characters in this story are.

::: Chapter Uno :::

I watched Jake slide across the floor as the ship rammed into the other ship. I was holding onto the edge of the counter as hard as I could. Ax somehow stayed where he was while the floor tipped to 95 degrees. I lost my grip as my fingers sweated, and fell, sliding down across the floor with Jake. I hit one of the tables and Jake had hit the wall. Ax, still, had stayed where he was. He was tapping on the keyboard. I hoped he was trying to make the ship stay even so we could haul our asses up. Tobias was looking out the window. He was on the ground, too, but he was trying to get up. I thought he'd be smarter than to try to stand up with the ground tilted to this degree.

Then I realized: I could die. I could see Rachel again, but what about my limo, my mansion, my soon-to-be-beautiful-half-smart-wife? What about Jake, my best friend? Would he be able to keep sanity if I was gone? I highly doubted it. What about Cassie? I needed her, too! She'd been keeping my sanity alive and going. What about Ax? No more of his humor! I'd miss him. What about Tobias? He'd need my splendid unique humor to keep his mood up. And what about my parents? Hell, I fought like a crazy bitch to get my mom back. I had her back now and I didn't need to be taken away from her again. And I wouldn't leave my dad. I couldn't. I won't.

I yelled, "Ax! Can you get the ship back up?"

I'm trying, but I almost got it.

There was a loud rumble and everyone stopped moving. We stayed quiet and you could hear a loud "Scree!" It sounded like metal cutting metal. Tobias dashed up, holding onto the window's rim and looked out. Then he turned his face to us. "They're cutting off our wings."

"WHAT? They can't do that! Can't they fucking show a little mercy to us?"

No one responded to me but I never expected anyone to. Our chances of dying were rising. I really wished we had never revealed our secret to the whole world. Maybe then, everyone would've survived and the Yeerks would've left.

Jake scrambled up and dragged himself along the floor to Ax. The ship started to even out and I got up, too. I walked to Jake and looked up at the screen. It was pitch black, like the sky, but it was the closest thing to a television. A television was the closest thing to home.

Home. I really missed it.

I can bring you somewhere else. All of you. The rest of you back home and your dead friend. Time stopped.

"Ellimist?" Jake.

Why, it's Jake Berenson. Glad to see you still alive. How's life?

"What are you doing?" he half-yelled.

You know, I'd like to give you all a favor. And a test. This time, it's not a test of bravery or skill. It's just a test to see how you handle things in the worst of times.

"What do you think this kind of test is?" Jake asked, pointing his hands to the floor. He was talking about the moment we're in. "We're in the worst times right now."

Don't question my tests. You won't understand.


"I know."

It's funny when Jake and Ellimist talk. The rest of us stand, watching them. It's like they never notice us.

Just have the time of your life while you still have the ones that you miss.

"But, we don't understand and we still need to fight with--"

Jake, you're the leader. Leaders need to adjust to everything to keep themselves strong.

Somehow, all of us knew the Ellimist had just left the building. We sure as hell didn't see the flash of light coming through the window.

*

I opened my eyes. They were sticky, like when you just wake up. I didn't want to get up, either. I was lying down and my memory was a bit foggy. I rubbed my eyes to get a better view of the world, and I looked up. I saw the sky and a few seagulls. They reminded me of the old days.

I blinked. I felt tired, like I was thrown around like a hacky sack. I still didn't want to get up, so I lied there. I could smell something different but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I remembered the Ellimist. Rachel. The ship. Jake. Tobias. I remembered what happened and I closed my eyes. Before the whole world knew of us, I hated waking up. I hated remembering killing someone or something. I hated fighting the war. But here I was, lying down somewhere that I don't know.

Maybe I'm in Heaven.

I saw Rachel lean over me. She poked me and I watched her blonde hair shine. She was wearing a large-brimmed hat that looked old-style. Still, it looked good on her. Anything looks good on Rachel. It was good to see her again. This time, she wasn't dead.

It was Rachel, the Angel. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything that happened after she died. I wanted to tell her how happy Tobias would be.

"Are you okay there?"

That was weird... She had a British accent. Maybe all angels have British accents.

"Hello?" She nudged my shoulder.

"Hi," I said. My throat hurt when I said it. I smiled. She was back. The Ellimist finally did something right.

Rachel smiled in a relieving way. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm not?"

"You better be glad you're not. If you get up, maybe I'll give you a ride."

"Rachel, what're you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

"How did you know my name?"

I was still lying down. Good thing, too. "... Because I'm your friend?" I sat up and looked around. I was in a murky alley and there were boxes all along the walls. I looked towards the street and saw produce stores. That's what smelled weird. Fish. I saw a man walking past with a huge fish over his shoulder. There were lots of people dressed in weird 1910-ish clothes. Maybe Heaven's theme was the 1910s. "Where's Jake? Tobias? Ax?"

"You mean Max?"

"Aximili-Esgarouth-Isthill."

Rachel giggled. Rachel never giggled. Sure, Rachel was a girl, but hell, she never giggled. Maybe there was something in Heaven's air that made it so happy-go-lucky.

"You sound like a mumbling drunk," she said, grinning.

"Ax would have probably threaten to cut your head off right then and there if he heard that."

"This Ax seems violent."

"He can be in the best of times, if you know what I mean."

"Uh..." She looked away, seeming confused.


"... You don't remember fighting the Yeerks?"

"The what?"

"Yeerks. You know, those things that we've been trying to kill for 3 years of our lives."

"When has it been we? I just saw you in the alley and I thought you needed help. No one else wanted to help you. I guess they knew you were an American. You do sound like one; a bit of a strong accent."

"Wait. I'm not in America?"

"Of course not. Maybe you had a coma or something. I think you lost your own memory."

Yeah, right. "I wouldn't say that if you knew what I knew."

"And what's that?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me. I didn't even believe it when I found out myself."

She got up and offered me her hand. I took it and she pulled me up. I had a huge head rush, so I leaned against the wall and held my head. She didn't turn to look back at me to see if I was okay. She was walking down the alley. I really wished Jake or Tobias or Ax would get here already. She was wearing 1910-ish clothes too. Wow, this Heaven was weird...

I followed her and I looked around for a familiar face.

*

Rachel got into this limo. It was sleek and black. I started to believe this wasn't Heaven but one of Ellimist's weird lessons. I got in the car with her and the driver rolled us away. I didn't really feel like speaking, since I was trying to sort out the puzzle pieces. I still didn't know where I was, if I was safe, if Rachel was delusional or if I was delusional, where the others were, and what day it was.

It was quiet and I looked at Rachel. She looked like Rachel. But it wasn't her. It wasn't Xena: The Warrior Princess. It was just The Princess. Something had changed. Something was different. I looked down at myself and I was still wearing my slightly baggy pants and my tee shirt. I must've looked weird.

"Uh... Rach, is there anything else I can... wear?"

She smiled, like she was waiting for me to say that. "My dad has some clothes but his car's already at the dock. He's around your size so you should be fine."

"I thought your parents were divorced."

She took her eyes off me and looked out the window at the passing city. "They are. My mom is living in Germany with my two other sisters."

Well, I guess this Rachel must be the complete opposite of the one I knew. I thought Ellmist said he'd give us Rachel back.

I wanted to see if the real Rachel was in her somewhere. "... So... You know, you're very pretty... You have a boyfriend?"

She glared at me. The real Rachel would've shoved me or done something evil to a poor little thing like me. "In Hell, American boy."

So... Rachel was still in there. Maybe this Rachel was coated with too much sugar. Someone (ah-hem) needed to brush off all that sugar to get down to the real part: Rachel, the one I fought the Yeerks with for 3 years.

"Do you know what day it is? I lost time while I was unconscious..."

"It's April... Uh... I'm not good at remembering the date... My teacher would get mad at me for not remembering. She'd never put the date on the board... I don't know why."

"Maybe 'cause she needs the space."

"Maybe."

There was a long drag of silence and I saw water stretching towards the horizon. There were lots of people walking towards the direction we were going. I turned to Rachel, who was looking outside, which was pretty much the only thing you could do in this limo with a girl like Rachel.

"Where's everyone going?" I asked.

"You don't know?"

"I don't even know what day it is."

"The Titanic. It's being launched today."

That didn't sink in. I didn't believe her. "What day is it?"

"Well... Uh..."

"April 10th, son," said the driver.

"What year?"

Rachel gave me a weird look. "1912. What planet did you come from?" (A/N: I know that back then, they didn't know much about other planets and stuff. But, oh well.)

*

So, the Ellimist had brought us to the time of the Titanic. So far, this was the most dramatic thing he'd done. It felt like the plot of a movie or some dramatic novel-ish science fiction book.

While we were still driving to the Titanic, I asked Rachel, "Do you know anyone named Jake, Tobias, Cassie, or Ax?"

"I know a Jake. He's one of my classmates from school. He's going on second-class, though. I don't know a Tobias or a Cassie. I do know a Max. He's my cousin."

I cocked an eyebrow. God, Ellimist, what kind of plot have you drawn up?

Seeing the look on my face, Rachel prompted, "Not my blood cousin. My uncle's step-son."

"Oh."

Before I could say more, the driver said, "We're here." He got out of the car, opened Rachel's door, and went to the back, never opening my door. Sometimes, being a girl is better than being a boy. I opened my door and stepped out. I looked around and saw crowds of people. It was a thick mass of people. I guess Titanic was that famous back then, like the release of the movie The Matrix. I couldn't see the Titanic, but we weren't near the dock. There were buildings blocking views of other buildings and lots of people were walking towards the dock. There were people with suitcases. I saw a family crying for their son, relative, or friend. I stayed with Rachel, praying that I won't get lost in this crazy world. Lots of people were talking and the cars back then seemed to be louder than the cars of the new century. They puttered out car smoke, which seemed nastier than our own gas. I'm not much of an earth person like Cassie, but I tend to notice things that involve the earth.

Rachel and I walked over to the dock and saw a giant flag hoisted up. It was white with a red star on it. My history class had read a little on the Titanic. That looked like the White Star Line, which owned the Titanic.

Rachel guided me to a man who was standing around the dock, next to a bar, talking to his group of friends. Every one of them wore a tuxedo.

Rachel told me to stay where I was, about two feet away from them, and she interrupted her father, but he didn't look displeased at all. She introduced me as an unconscious American boy that she found in an alley. God, this is the most embarrassing point of my life. She made it sound like I drank myself to unconsciousness, and I bet Rachel's dad was probably going to tell me to go away and go back to America. And Rachel didn't even know my name.

"Father (A/N: I hate using Father... But... I have to), he needs a ride back to America and this is the perfect time for him to go back. We can help him. He seems like a decent fellow. And besides, you always told me you wanted to help someone out before you left Europe. This is your chance."


Rachel's dad turned Rachel around, not even excusing himself, and whispered to her. I could hear it, too. Neither had quiet voices.

"Rachel, dear, I know that you pity this homeless boy."

Homeless boy?! I looked down at myself. I don't look like a homeless boy.

"But we can't take care of him and he doesn't even have a ticket. Besides, you don't even know him."

"Yes, I do. He's um... Your step-nephew's best friend."

Well, that was half true.

Her dad closed his eyes at her. "I've never heard him mention him before." He glanced at me and I automatically smiled. Her dad gave me the look teachers gave you when they knew you were doing something wrong. And, as instinct, everyone smiles back at the teacher. "You don't even know his name, Rachel."

She looked at me and I mouthed my name. She cocked an eyebrow. I mouthed my name again.

"Marco," she said.

Her dad turned back to me and Rachel followed. He looked me over and put his finger on his chin. "And why were you unconscious in the alley?"

Oh, God, I wish it hadn't come to this. I don't have any ideas. I looked around. "Um… Uh... Well, you know..." I should have been a master at this! Where were my lying skills I'd developed over the years? "Well... I don't like confessing this, but uh... Bullies..." Bullies? I asked myself. "They... beat me up... Really bad..." Well, that'll do for now.

Rachel looked concerned. However, her dad looked the opposite. He said, "Did you know who they were?"

"They stole my money, sir."

I could see his opinion on me changed. I think he was starting to pity me.

"I think you can ride in second-class. I don't have enough money right now to buy a first class ticket." Rachel's dad looked at her. "Are you happy now?"

She smiled, like the two were long friends. "Yes, Dad. I am."

*

So, Rachel's dad bought a second-class ticket off of one of his friends. Apparently, he bought the ticket thinking he was going to visit America. Then he heard what happened to me (I had to lie to them about my family, too. I told them my grandparents were dead and my parents lived in America. I also told them I lived with my Aunt, who was financially unbalanced) and said he would sell the ticket to Rachel's dad. I admit, I was half-excited about getting onboard the Titanic. It wasn't that big, but it was about 2/3 of a cruise ship. It didn't look as inviting as a cruise ship, but it was what Ellimist wanted me to go through and I would go through it. I would pass his test with flying colors. I would endure the pains and the heartbreaks. I would not dip my heart in sorrow.

Enough dramatization.

Over the speakers, we could hear, "Thirty minutes until launch!" I saw a family next to us rustling towards the ship. They got on board one of the ramps that led to the bottom part of the ship. There were two men who greeted them. One had a white overcoat and he was checking their eyes. The other one took their tickets.


"That's third class. Immigrants, all of them," Rachel said to me. I looked away.

"So, I'm not going to see you on the ship, huh?"

"We'll see." She smiled.

"But I'm second class and you're first."

Rachel shrugged. "I really don't know. Maybe we can see each other at the gym."

I nodded. "Maybe. I'd also like to meet your step-cousin. Maybe then, we could become real friends so we're not lying to your dad."

She laughed. "He's a bit off-humor and he's pretty serious."

That sounded like Ax. "I could change him a bit." I flexed my fingers, pretending to impress her. "That's one of my best skills."

She pushed me, noticing that I was trying to impress her. "Lying's your next best skill."

"I learn from the best."

Rachel's dad walked over to us and he shoved a suitcase at me. "That's some clothes and some money so you won't starve."

"Thank you, sir."

He grinned. "Well, I've done my good deeds. So, Marco, you'll enter that ramp," he pointed to a ramp in the middle that entered towards the middle of the ship. "And we'll be on the one next to it on the right. I do wish you'll be careful. And if you want to see Max, then be glad to talk to one of us."

I smiled. "Thank you again, sir. You are very kind." I was so good at lying.

"I'll be checking on my things, make sure that they're ready to board the ship, then I'll come back here and pick up my daughter. Then, we'll be off."

"'Kay, dad." Rachel gave him a small hug and he left.

"So, what were you saying in the alley?" Rachel's voice became serious.

"What do you mean?"

"Something about fighting with me for 3 years."

"Oh. Well... I don't know. Maybe those bullies hit my head a bit too hard."

She nodded at me. "And what's Yeerks?"

I looked at her and grinned sarcastically. "You really don't want to learn. Not now, though. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"Oh, look." She leaned to her right and tilted her head up. "I see Jake!" She waved and I turned around. I saw Jake looking at Rachel with wide eyes. He waved back, smiled, and walked over to us. I guess he saw me too.

"Afternoon, Jake."

He nodded at her and looked at me.

"What's up, Berenson?"

"Who's this?" Jake also had a British accent.

"This is Marco, one of my friends. He's going to be on second-class, like you."

"I see." He looked me over, like Rachel's dad. "You're an American, aren't you?"

What in the frickin' Hell? "Jake... It's me, Marco. Your best friend?"

"... I never met you until now."

Fuck. The Ellimist couldn't have left me behind with no one. I really needed to see Tobias now. I thought Max would probably be enveloped in this Titanic crap and not even know what the fuck an Andalite is.

"Oh. Well, you looked familiar... Very familiar..."

Rachel's dad came back and took Rachel away. "Bye, you two. Hope you have a splendid trip!"

I was left behind with Jake. It was hard to see this Jake who looked exactly like my best friend, but he had no idea what we'd gone through. I wanted to tell him everything, to refresh his mind so we could go through this lesson with each other. I didn't like being alone, even though I was for most of my life, but this time, it was different. I was in one of Ellimist's freaky lessons and I had no idea what was going to happen to me. I really needed someone that had gone through what I'd gone through to be here. Jake was my best friend, and now, he was just another face in the crowd.

"So..." he said.

"So..." I answered back.

There was another long drag of silence, just like Rachel and I had in the limo. Jake rocked on his heels and looked around. "Nice outfit. Is it an American style? It's very... rebel-ish."

I grinned. "It's my own style."

"Ah. So you're one of those independent American boys who never listen to anyone."

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." These people can be really stereotypical.

"Fifteen more minutes to board!" yelled the speakers.

"Well, if you need help to get on board, I can help."

"Sure."

We walked to the ramp, following behind a line of other people. There were rarely any kids around and I looked to my right, trying to see Rachel on the ramp. I saw her hat, but not her face. Her dad was clearly in view and I looked to my left, where the immigrants were. The line moved forward, so I did as well. I then saw Tobias along with the others in third-class. Jeez. In the past and the future, Tobias is always deprived of something.

"Jake, do you know that person?" I pointed to Tobias, hoping that we'd have a connection with him. I felt like it was my duty to bring all the Animorphs together and refresh their memory. If I tried to morph in front of them... Nah. I shouldn't morph, especially here or right now. They might end up thinking they were crazy and committing suicide by jumping off the ship. That wouldn't be a good thing.

Jake stood on his toes, trying to look over the six-foot person in front of him. "I don't see him."

"The guy that looks like a loner."

Jake looked at me. "Loner?"

"Someone who looks like he has no friends."

"... That helps a lot."

"See a guy with a black overcoat and he has a sloppy haircut? He looks tired?"

"Marco, all of them look tired."

"See the teenager?"


He stood on his toes again. "Oh... Him." He stepped back down. "I don't know him. Why?"

"... Just wanted to know." There goes my luck.

"He looks vaguely familiar, though..." said Jake.

I looked at him. There was a chance that maybe I was supposed to bring the Animorphs together. If this past Jake thought that the past Tobias looked vaguely familiar and they didn't even know each other, then maybe that was a sign that Jake's memory was refreshing.

There was music playing on the top deck and I could see a man playing a violin near the edge. People were waving over the rails to their family and friends down below. There was a cute girl up on the A-deck. She was looking down at the first class passengers boarding. I decided to behave like an idiot and waved to her. She saw me and I was surprised when she waved back. This lesson didn't seem that bad anymore.

Jake and I handed our tickets to the ticket-men and they stamped them. They gave them back to us.

"What's your room number?"

I looked at my ticket. "Uh... D-Deck room 23."

"This is the C-Deck. Go down the stairs over there and just follow the numbers. I'm on E-Deck and my room's number 46. I heard there weren't many teenagers around so I guess we need to accompany each other before we go crazy with all the adults."

"True."

"So, I'll see you then."

"Bye, Berenson."

He waved at me and started to walk away.

Holy crap, I'd forgotten to ask him. "Wait!" I yelled. "Jake, hold up!"


He turned around. "What?"

"Can we visit first class passengers?"

"Why, you want to talk to Rachel?" He grinned.

"Yeah... But not that way."

"Sorry, but you can't. But they can visit you somehow, I think."

"Damn. I really need to talk to her."

"Well, maybe you two might bump into each other. I've got to go, my family's probably arrived already."

"Well, bye then."

"Bye." He left and I was left onboard the Titanic. I had four days until this ship sank. I hoped it wouldn't be like the movie Titanic, where I'd end up in the cold water or being smashed by the funnel. That was not a pleasing thought.