By the time Judy reached the elevators behind the Grand Staircase, she was breathless as sweat began to dampen the fur on her brow. But at this point, she was so determined to find Nick that she pushed past the fatigue already setting in as she ran up to the three lifts just as the last Elevator Operator began to close up his lift to leave.
"Sorry, miss," the young zebra said in a cordial, but still very tired and agitated manner, "lifts are clo-BLOODY HELL!"
The zebra couldn't even finish his statement as Judy, with a sound that the young lad could only guess was an attempt by the bunny to growl, grabbed him, shoving him back into the lift as she practically screamed in his face.
"I'm through with being polite, goddamnit! I may never be polite the rest of my life! Now take me the hell down!"
The operator fumbled to close the gate for a second or two before finally getting closed, with a little help from Judy, who managed to calm down from her outburst enough to give her destination to the stunned equine.
"E-Deck."
"PULL!" Quartermaster Hitches called as the passengers and crew manned the small boats oars, the lifeboat now a safe distance away from the stricken Titanic. From where they sat by their mother, Kate and Lilly stared wide eyed at the now noticeably sinking vessel, her forecastle and well-deck completely submerged with water now up the D-Deck portholes.
And Sweets…the poor girl could only hope that her dashing stoker would be given a fighting chance. After all, it wasn't every day that a beauty like herself would fall in love with such a charming Irish stud like him.
"There's something you don't see every day," she barely registered Maggie saying to her, only for some of the occupants to let out a small shout as another loud boom echoed through the air, showers of sparks falling into the sea after another rocket had been fired.
"Come on," Hitchens continued to shout, "put your backs into it! PULL!"
Back on Titanic, on the forward port boat-deck, Mr. Andrews and Captain Smith, tailed closely by Garth, came to stand at the empty spot where lifeboat 6 once sat. When Mr. Andrews saw that most of the boats were being launched half full, he went to Smith, hoping the captain would be able to call some of the boats back. Which Smith whole-heartily agreed to, as evident by the large megaphone in his hand.
"Out there," Mr. Andrews said, pointing in the direction of Boat 6. Bringing his officer's whistle to his lips, Garth blew hard, the loud shriek echoing across the ship and sea.
"That was an officer's whistle," Maggie said from her seat, briefly stopping in her rowing, her ears soon being filled by the voice that she recognized as Captain Smith.
"COME BACK! COME BACK TO THE SHIP! BOAT 6, COME BACK TO THE SHIP!"
"STOP!" Mrs. Brown called, making everyone cease in their actions.
"WE HAVE TO GO BACK!"
"NO!"
The harsh response came from Hitches, who looked upon Mrs. Brown with an indignant expression as he explained his reasoning.
"The suction'll pull us down if we don't keep going."
Maggie was having none of it.
"We've lots more room," she tried to argue, only to be stopped again by Hitchens.
"NO!" he replied with even more firmness.
"It's our lives now...not theirs."
Upon hearing this, the other passengers, including Eve and her daughters, looked at Hitchens in shock, the shock growing at what he said next, clear anger and irritation in his voice.
"And I'm in charge of this boat Madame...now ROOOOOW!"
Realizing she had gotten nowhere, Maggie, as well as the others, resigned themselves to their job of rowing further away from the Titanic, all while Smith continued to shout after them.
"THIS IS THE CAPTAIN!" he continued to call, with Garth making a giant beckoning motion with his arm, all while Mr. Andrews watched the boats continue to row away. Garth on the other hand, secretly hoped that the boat carrying his wife, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law, continued to move away from the ship...
To Safety.
"THIS IS THE CAPTAIN! COME BACK TO THE SHIP!"
And upon seeing the boat failed to change its course, Smith pulled the megaphone away from his lips, only to mutter his thoughts openly.
"The fools."
Meanwhile, down in steerage, Emmett Otterton was finding he was getting nowhere arguing with the now very annoyed stewards, the Scots-otter going back to rejoin his family, who had joined Vixey at the edge of the rapidly growing crowd. But just as he had left, another steward shouted to the steerage passengers.
"BRING FORTH THE WOMEN!"
Hearing this, Emmett quickly hurried to fetch his wife, however, a group of panic-stricken men suddenly tried to force their way through the gates. The stewards and a group of sailors fought to keep control, but the three were too many of them. Finally, the steward shouted to the others.
"ClOSE THE GATES! LOCK THEM!"
By that point, one of Dax's fellow stokers, a tiger who simply went by the name of Fangmeyer, managed to get to through the crowd of animals and looked at the steward, his eyes full of rage and his voice spewed venom.
"For love of God man, there are women and children down here!"
His words seemed to cause the steward to rethink his order but he shook his head.
He wasn't going to budge.
"Let us out so we can have a chance!" the tiger begged, but still the steward did nothing. Fangmeyer then cursed him and hurried back down to join his friends. But at that moment, Tod, who had managed to sneak away from the clutter of people, reappeared, a bright smile on his lips as he rejoined the group.
"Where have you been?" Emmett asked, half in annoyance and half in amusement.
"Looking for a way out," Tod responded in his chipper way.
"And I found one…come on."
At first stunned by the fox's instruction, Emmett figured following him was better than lagging and waiting for instructions by the, as he called them, inept stewards.
But once they entered an area with second-class berths, he was far from complaining. However, they came to a locked gate marked: First-Class Only.
Emmett looked up at the sign and turned to Fangmeyer.
"What do you say to that, Fangmeyer?" he asked.
"Better show this gate who's boss."
The stoker backed up about ten feet and charged full speed into the gate, knocking it off its hinges. With the gate now out of the way, the group managed to get a brief taste of first-class as Tod led them through a galley and into the first-class dining saloon on D-Deck.
Vixey looked at the all the plates and silverware, each stamped and embossed with the crest of the White Star Line. It was something out of dream. The group took a moment to marvel at the beauty of the First-Class dining saloon, but when little Joey noticed a trolly roll a bit, he and the others knew that sight-seeing was over.
Through the wrought iron door of the elevator car, Judy could see the decks going past at a reasonable pace, but to Judy, it was going just too slow. But, much to her relief, the lift began to slow as it reached the bottom of the shaft at E-Deck. But the moment the car touched down, Judy and operator both let out a startled scream of surprise when their feet were suddenly assaulted by the icy sea water rushing through the gate and swirling around their legs as the elevator rapidly flooded in a foot of freezing water.
"I'M GOING BACK UP!" the operator shouted, moving for the control lever, only to be thrown back as Judy charged forward, having come too far too stop now as she clawed the door open and splashed out, hiking up her floor-length skirt so she can move.
"COME BACK!" the operator calls, giving Judy a chance to change her mind. But when the bunny sends him a sharp glare, the zerba deciding it best to not anger the rabbit even further as he reluctantly started up, leaving Judy alone as she tried to desperately remember the directions Mr. Andrews gave her.
"Right," she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes at the fact that was the only direction she could go, what with the wall in front of her and to her left leaving little choice. But luckily, things seemed to be going smoothly, all things considered, as she noticed an adjoining corridor to the left of the Staircase. With a second wind, Judy began to slog through the flooded corridor, the bottom him of the heavy overcoat she was wearing suddenly weighing her down as he rapidly became waterlogged.
"Left," she then mutters to herself after coming to the end of the short hall, only for her eyes to widen as she sees that the direction she was looking to go almost seemed completely flooded, with the water rising at an alarming pace. And if she remembered Mr. Andrews correctly, the room she was looking for, the Master at Arms cabin, was at the end and to the left. But the more she ran it through her mind, the more she realized Nick was probably choking on water.
But she had to try as she began splashing down the hall, lightbulbs burst the deeper she went, doors passing on either side of her.
"Nick?!" she calls, hoping to get some kind of response as she moves further, the water now reaching her waste as she powered forward.
"NIIIICK!"
But luckily, Judy didn't have to go much further as Nick, who had been hopelessly pulling on the pipe again in the pantry in ankle-deep water, straining until he was out of breath, found a second wind after he collapsed back on the bench, upon hearing Judy's voice through the door.
"JUDY!"
Judy freezes, whipping her head around as Nick's voice hits her ears.
"NICK?!" she called, hoping it wasn't her hope making her imagine the voice.
And luckily for her, it wasn't.
"JUDY, I'M IN HERE!" Nick responded again, banging his cuffs against the metal pipe in order to help Judy locate him, which she apparently did without much difficulty as she suddenly pushed the door open, creating a small wave in the process. But she doesn't care as she splashes over Nick and puts her arms around him, tears running down her cheeks as she plants numerous kisses all over his face, scoring a hit or two on his lips in the process.
"NICK!" she sobbed.
"I'M SORRY! I'M SO, SO SORRY!"
But Nick doesn't care. He is just so happy too that Judy had come back for him.
"THAT GUY BOGO PUT IT IN MY POCKET!" Nick sobbed back, wishing he could wrap his arms.
"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Judy responded, finally pulling herself away from Nick.
"So," Nick said with a forced laugh, "How did you find out I didn't do it?
"I didn't," Judy responded with a laugh of her own.
"I just realized I already knew."
They share a look, a look that lets Nick know that Judy didn't figure it out on her own, but he wasn't going to complain, given the fact that noticed that the water was now almost two feet deep in the small room, Nick finding that he has to pull his feet up onto nearby shelf.
"Listen, carrots," he said as he looked Judy right int eh eye, his face dead serious as he began to give her second set of instructions of the night.
"Bogo took the key…You have to go for help."
Judy, at first hesitant to leave Nick alone again, knows that if she stays, then they both will surely perish. And so, after planting one more firm kiss on Nick's lips, she makes her way for the door.
"I'll be right back," she says before splashing out, looking back at Nick once from the doorway, then splashing away.
"I'll wait here," Nick calls only to mutter to himself as he looks at the swirling water.
"Not like I have much a choice."
Now, Judy might have laughed at that last bit had she heard it, but for now, she was too focused on splashing her way down the hall to the stairwell going up to D-Deck. And by the time she reached the stairs, the water is already up to her hips, the bunny briefly recollecting how the end of the corridor that was her original destination was completely submerged. But she decided she would thank God that Nick wasn't there later as she climbed the stairs, her long skirt and coat, leaving a trail like a giant snail on the carpet of the deserted D-Deck reception room. It was at that moment that Judy realized that the garment's weight was really starting to slow her down. And so, Judy shrugged off the coat, finding that her burden was greatly lifted as she left the heavy thing behind.
"Hello, Somebody!" Judy called as she ran down the corridor of First-Class staterooms, which from what she could see were already starting to flood further forward from some stairwells leading down to the rapidly flooding E-Deck. She even paused briefly as a long groan of stressing metal echoed along the hall as the ship continued to settle. But upon recovering from the initial chill the sound gave her, Judy continued to run down the hall, unimpeded now.
"HELLO!" she called again.
"WE NEED HELP, HELLO!"
Judy then turned a corner and ran along another corridor in a daze as the hall sloped down into the water, which shimmered, reflecting the lights, which begin to burn out due to the sea water getting into the circuits as the margin of water crept toward her. But just at the end of the hall, Judy is relieved to see a young, white-furred German-shepherd running towards her, the tell-tale biograph in his hands, sending up geysers of spray as he runs toward her.
"Oh, Mr. Trumbolt," Judy exclaims in relief, running to meet Bolt, only for her eyes to go wide as the shepherd merely pelts past her without slowing, his eyes crazed as the amateur videographer is clearly desperate to get off the ship.
"NO WAIT!" Judy calls to his retreating form.
"HELP ME! WE NEED HELP!"
But Bolt doesn't look back, the dog leaving Judy in what felt like a bad dream as the hull gongs with terrifying sounds. And to Judy's utter horror, the lights suddenly flicker and go out, leaving her in utter darkness. But luckily, after just three seconds of abstract terror, they come back on. But for Judy, those three seconds were just long enough for her to start hyperventilating, that one moment of blackness the most terrifying of her life.
But she manages to calm down some as she hears footsteps from an adjoining hall, her eyes suddenly filled with the hopeful sight of a young ram steward running around the nearest corner, his arms full of lifebelts. But the ram is not so happy to see Judy, the horned mammal, in his white uniform that contrasted perfectly with his black woo', visibly upset to see someone still in his section.
"Miss, you shouldn't be here," he says in an exacerbated sigh before grabbing Judy forcefully by the arm, pulling her with him like a wayward child.
"Come on, then," he says a bit more gently as he guided Judy towards the reception room, "let's get you topside, miss, that's right."
"Wait. Wait! I need your help!" Judy tries to explain, only for the steward to pay her no mind as he continued on his way.
"No need for panic, miss. Come along!"
Judy rolls her eyes as she tries to explain.
"No, let me go! You're going the wrong way!"
Unfortunately, the ram isn't listening as he maintains his grip.
"LISTEN!" Judy suddenly shouts in his ear, actually succeeding in making the now wide-eyed ram turn around to look at the bunny, only to receive quite a shock when she punches him squarely in the nose. Of course, the steward is understandably shocked as he lets Judy go and staggers back, bracing himself on one of the walls as he holds a hand to his now throbbing nose.
He pulls his hand away when he feels the warm, sticky substance of blood on his fingers. And upon noticing the crimson stuff staining the palm of his hand, the ram glares menacingly at Judy.
"To Hell with you!" he exclaims before carrying on, leaving a less-than-bother Judy behind, the bunny offering a quick rebuttal in response.
"See you there, buster!"
The steward, after sending one final glare towards Judy, ran off, holding his bloody nose. But to Judy, realization sets in that she may have just ruined her only chance of saving Nick. But then, just across from her in the corridor, Judy is suddenly hit with an idea as she sees a glass case with a fire-axe in it. And so, without a second thought, Judy picks up a discarded suitcase, using the object to break the glass with a battered, before seizing the axe and running back the way she came.
But the moment she reached the Grand Staircase, Judy let out a loud gasp of alarm as she sees that the water has flooded the bottom eight steps. Judy goes down just enough so that she is knee deep, crouching the rest of the way to look to the corridor that would lead to where Nick is trapped. And so, stealing herself, Judy plunges into the water, which is now up to her chest... and powers forward, holding the axe above her head in two hands, grimacing in pain from the literally freezing water.
But luckily, the waterline lowers to just above her waist, giving her some respite as she wades into the pantry, where she finds Nick standing on the shelf and hugging the pipe, holding the axe above her head.
"Will this work?" she calls, bringing the fox's attention from the water below to her, the fox secretly thinking that maybe the water would be a faster death than a bunny with an axe. But, given how desperate he was, he figured the axe would be quick and painless if Judy should miss.
"We'll find out."
Needless to say, they are BOTH terrified, but trying to keep panic at bay. But Nick, keeping as brave a face as he could, positioned 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, as both he and and Judy find that little bit of information impossible to ignore. But just as Judy brought the axe back, Nick, suddenly feeling even more timid, stopped her as he jutted his chin toward a nearby dresser cabinet.
"WAIT! Try a couple practice swings."
Of course, Judy knew Nick wasn't too keen on her using the axe on his cuffs, she decided she might as well humor him, even with the water rising around her. And the moment the axe hits the wood, Nick Winces at sight and sound of the act.
"Now try to hit the same mark again," Nick said with a nervous chuckle, Judy rolling her eyes this time, swinging hard again…hitting the cabinet four inches away from the original spot. But Nick figured it was better than nothing.
"Okay, that's enough practice," he says as Judy turns back to him, raising the axe, making the fox wince as he braces, the knowledge that this inexperience bunny has to hit a target about an inch wide with all the force she can muster, with his hands on either side making him shake, and not from the water.
"You can do it, Carrots," Nick calmly said, more to assure himself than the trembling bunny.
"Hit it as hard as you can, I trust you."
For five seconds that felt like five minutes, Nick braced himself, putting his face on the other side of the pipe and clenching his eyes shut, unaware that Judy had done the same. And both don't open their eyes even after Judy brings the axe down hard, the blade hitting the pipe with a resounding CLANG! But after about another five seconds, the rabbit gingerly opens her eyes... to see Nick grinning with two separate cuffs.
"Nice work, there, Paul Bunyan," Nick laughs as Judy drops the axe into the water, all the strength gone from her body as the fox climbs down into the water next to her…the breath almost immediately taken from him as he splashes waist deep in the freezing water.
"Shit!" he exclaims.
"Excuse my French. Ow ow ow, that is cold! Come on, let's go."
But as they wade out into the hall, Nick stops Judy as she starts toward the staircase…where there is only a foot visible between the top of the stairs and the water. But at that moment, Judy noticed something else, the water in the corridor, which had seemed pretty level, now seemed to pully to the port side.
Titanic had developed a port list.
"Too deep," Nick said, pulling Judy from her thoughts as he grabs her hand, leading her down the ass of yet unflooded aft corridor.
"We gotta find another way out."
Meanwhile, to anyone who could make it out in the darkness of the night, at the forward most part of the black hull, Titanic's name, painted two feet high on the bow of the doomed steamer in bold gold lettering, can be seen by Bonnie. The name, once 50 feet above the waterline, silently slips below the surface, rippling and dimming to a pale green as they go deeper.
And as Bonnie looked back at the Titanic, she is transfixed by the sight of the dying liner. The bowsprit is now barely above the waterline as another rocket explodes overhead, lighting up the whole area, as half-a-dozen spread out from the ship.
"I said it before and I'll say it again: that's somethin' you don't see every day," Maggie said as she watched the terrifying scene as well.
Meanwhile, some 25 miles or more from Titanic, the Carpathia is making best possible steam to reach her, pushing 18 knots, which is putting her engines to the limit. But Captain Rostron doesn't care.
"Cut the heater's if you have to, Chief!" the Saint Bernard ordered the chief engineer over the bridge's phone.
"Cut anything you lie! But I need every ounce of steam you can give me!"
Upon hanging up the phone, Rostron turned to Mr. Dean.
"Mr. Dean, have our lifeboats prepped and ready, open all gangway doors, hang strings of lights over the side, have canvas slings ready for the wounded, and gather all the blankets we can spare."
"Aye Sir," Mr. Dean responded, moving to carry out his orders before being stopped by Rostron.
"Also, best to keep first-class to their cabins. This will be difficult enough without them puttering about. We'll also have to reallocate the steerage."
"Aye Sir," Dean responded before finally being able to leave,
Speaking of Steerage, several passengers on Titanic are quickly hurrying aft along the flooding Scotland Road, the widest passageway in the ship, used by crew and steerage alike, that runs almost the length of the ship. And right now, any passenger or crew member knows now is a good a time as any to get aft as the water laps at their heels.
"Alright, this way, this way," a steward says as he ushers passengers along the hall, keeping well ahead of the flood. But just as the arctic fox crew member turns to follow after them, he takes a step back in surprise as…CRASH!
A wooden doorframe splintered as the door burst open under the force of Nick's shoulder, both he and Judy stumbling through into the corridor. But as Nick briefly stops to nurse his now throbbing arm, the steward, clearly angered at the destruction of company property, marches up to the two as they begin to move aft as well, the tod hot on their heels.
"Here you! You'll have to pay for that, you know. That's White Star Line prope-!"
"Shut up!"
The steward was left stunned by the sudden outburst, quickly deciding that the two weren't worth his attention as they continued aft. And before long, they joined a congregation of steerage stragglers going aft. In places the corridor is almost completely blocked by large families carrying all their luggage. But as Nick lets out an aggravated growl, a passing Irish Setter gave Judy a blanket as she notice the bunny was blue-lipped and shivering.
"Here, lass, cover yerself," the auburn-furred female said in a motherly tone, clearly a mother herself as she his followed close behind by two other canines, a bearded, bespectacled Saluki, followed by a teenage female Saluki/setter. But Nick pays them no mind as he rubs Judy's arms and tries to warm her up as they walk along, briefly being offered a flash of whiskey by the saluki husband.
"This'll take the chill off," he said in a thick Scottish brogue, an amused chuckle escaping his lips as he watched Judy take a mighty belt before handing it to Nick, who grins and follows suit, handing the flash back to the saluki before continuing on their way.
Meanwhile, up on the boat deck, the situation was becoming quite perilous.
The action had moved to the aft group of boats, numbers 9, 11, 13 and 15 on the starboard side, and 10, 12, 14 and 16 on the port side. And it went without saying that the pace of work was more frantic as crew and officers ran now to work the davits, their previous complacency gone as the Titanic had now begun to tilt by the bow at a very noticeable angle. Every so often an emergency flare would rise into the sky, bursting into a shower of sparks, only to fall into the sea with no sign of rescue in sight…except for the mysterious ship some fifteen or twenty miles away.
At some point in the last half hour, pistols were distributed to Titanic's officers, for fear that the now desperate passengers would attempt to rush the remaining boats. But Humphrey could care less at this point. All he cared about was getting as many people to safety as possible. Unfortunately, several couples were making it difficult.
"Please step this way madame," Garth told an elderly woman, the latter of which making Humphrey's heart ache as Garth and another seaman pulled her away from her husband, the woman wailing, much to an observing Vixey's dismay, the vixen thinking June Otterton lucky as having not to witness the display as she and her family moved forward, where the crew were preparing one of the four collapsible boats. As for Tod, the male was more focused on ensuring that his beloved wife would get into a boat, despite Vixey's insistence that she would stay.
"My dear," he had said, "when we first married I never thought I would have to ask you to obey me…but this is one time where you must.
"NO!" Vixey's head quickly snapped to the wail of a young female bobcat, her arms flung around her stag love's neck as she firmly planted her lips on his, just as Mr. Lowe, a rather dashing tod himself, reached for her to board lifeboat twelve. Tod could tell by Lowe's expression that he did not like having to separate couples and families as much as his colleagues. But unfortunately, there was little choice.
"Humphrey!" Looking to the voice that called his name, the junior-second officer looked away from the boat as he made his way to his father-in-law and Garth's father.
"Any chance we can board here?" Winston inquired hopefully. Humphrey cast his eyes down, a dejected sigh escaping his lips.
"I'm afraid not," Humphrey answered, his charming English accent a great contrast to his sorrowful expression, "Mr. Lightoller says women and children only."
At this point, Garth had moved over to the group. He arrived just in time to hear the last part of Humphrey's statement, which caused an idea to form in his head.
"Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Davis on the other side are letting men on."
Letting out a sigh relief, Winston knew that was the best chance he and Tony had.
"Alright then," Tony conceded with his thick Scottish drawl, "but I'll need to get some personal belongings from my cabin."
"I'll see you on the other side then," Winston said with a nod. But before the two older wolves left, Winston stopped as Humphrey removed his right glove, Garth following suit, extending their hands to the man who had accepted them into his family. With a smile, Winston shook Humphrey's hand, then Garth's, the latter shortly after receiving a hug from his father. After pulling away, Tony looked at the two young officers.
"Good luck to you both," he said with a sad smile.
"And to you two as well," Humphrey responded as Winston and Tony left to attend to their business, passing by an elderly goat couple, the Strauss's as they did so, only to pause when they heard Ida being rather difficult with her husband.
"Please Ida," Mr. Strauss urged, "get in a boat!"
"NO!" Ida practically screamed, earning a shocked expression from the three males, whose features softened when they heard what she said next.
"We've been together for forty years, and where you go, I go!"
At this point, Winston felt the need to offer an idea.
"I'm sure nobody would object to an older gentle-mammal getting in a boat," he said with a warm smile.
"Yes," Tony added in, "I'll ask Garth."
But just as Tony turned to ask, Isidor stood firm.
"No," he said with bravado, "I will not leave before any of the other men."
"Then I will stay," Ida responded with commitment,
"And don't argue with me Isidor...we shall die as we have lived...Together."
With that, the elderly couple left the crowded boat deck, followed closely by Winston and Tony as they made their way toward the First-Class Entrance by the Grand Staircase.
Unfortunately, Ida's devotion to her husband did not go unheard by Vixey, who looked pleadingly to her husband.
"You see," she said earnestly.
"If that woman will stay with her husband, so will I."
"But she is old," Tod countered, "you are young."
"So," Vixey responded with a smug grin, all to wrap her arms around her husband's neck as she placed a tender kiss on his lips.
"Like she sais…we started this together and we shall finish it together."
At that point, Tod knew it was no use arguing with his lovely wife, both going inside to get out of the cold just as Jimmy pushed through the crowd, scanning for Judy and Porsha, paying no mind to the chaos and confusion around him.
A calico woman is calling for a child who has become separated from the crowd.
A male moose is shouting over people's heads.
At that moment, a female pig, whom Jimmy recognized as the rather pompous Abigail Swinton, took hold of Second Officer Lightoller's arm as he is about to launch Boat 10.
"Will you hold the boat a moment? I have to run back to my room for something –"
Swinton didn't get a chance to finish as the stunned porcine was immediately grabbed and shoved bodily into the boat by Mr. Lightoller.
"SIT DOWN!" he yelled, before turning to Humphrey.
"She's the last, Humph."
At that moment, Mr. Andrews rushed up to Mr. Lightoller just as he told his men to stand by the falls.
"Mr. Lightoller!" Andrews called over the din, his face dead serious as he stood before the slightly shorter lynx.
"Why are the boats being launched half full?!"
"Not now, Mr. Andrews," Lightoller, who was barley listening, says as stepped past Mr. Andrews, helping a seaman clear a snarled fall. But Andrews was having none of it as he roughly grabbed Lightoller by the arm, turning him in the direction of a boat already Fifty yards from titanic.
"There, look... twenty or so in a boat built for sixty five. And I saw one boat with only twelve. Twelve!"
Upon noticing the look of disgust on Andrew's face, Lightoller, fumbling over his words, attempted to defend himself for his lack of skill in loading passengers.
"Well... we were not sure of the weight, Mr. Andrews. These oats may buckle."
"Rubbish!" Andrews interrupted, his face now reading pure insult as he began to raise his voice at the now submissive lynx who felt like an ant in front of a giant.
"They were tested in Belfast with the weight of 70 men. Now fill these boats, Mr. Lightoller. For God's sake, man!"
While the transaction is happening between Lightoller and Andrews, Jimmy let out a growl of frustration as he sees that not a single male is being let into one of Lightoller's boats. But the moment Lightoller starts calling for more women and children, Jimmy spotted Bogo hurrying toward him through the aisle between the third and fourth funnel, connecting the port and starboard sides of the boat deck.
"They're not on the starboard side either," the buffalo reported, clearly out of breath.
"And I've not seen the Savage's anywhere either."
But at this point, Jimmy didn't care, as he knew time was becoming a very precious thing.
"Forget them, we're running out of time" he growled, posting to the officers nearby.
"These strutting martinets aren't letting any men in at all."
Upon hearing this, Bogo sends Jimmy a reassuring smile.
"The ones on the other side are letting men in."
"Then that's our play," Jimmy responded with a nod, only for a mischievous smirk to form on his muzzle as he began to move.
"But we're still going to need some insurance. Come on."
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Smith, with a neutral expression on his face, strode to the bridge rail, looking down to the alarming sight of the forward well deck, water shipping over the sides as the well deck is awash. Two seamen run across the deck, their feet sending up spray as another rocket bursts overhead. And at the very prow, where Nick and Judy first kissed, the bow railing slips beneath the waves, water swirling around the capstans and windlasses on the forecastle deck.
And down on E-Deck, the situation is becoming even more chaotic as the stewards are losing control of the situation, the main challenge for them being to order immigrants who did not speak a lick of English to clear the crowded corridors. And as this is happening, Finnick's ears are able to pick up the distinctive peal of his friend's voice.
"OMAR! FINNY!"
"NICK!" Finnick calls, the shorter fox letting out a loud laugh as he and Nick embrace.
"JUDY!" At that moment, Nick and Judy turn to see Porsha, who had just barely squeezed between Giselle's uncles, make her way towards them.
"PORSHA!" the bunny exclaimed, elated to see her friend, sharing the same kind of embrace as Nick and Finnick.
"Nick," Finnick then shouted over the din, his face now dead serious.
"They opened a gangway for us to go…but the boats are all going!"
Upon hearing this, Nick felt his nerves grow even more shot by the second.
"We gotta get up there or we're gonna be gargling saltwater."
After saying this, Nick turned to Prosha.
"Where's Ryan?"
At that moment, Finnick pointed to the stairwell, Nick and Judy turning just in time to see Ryan pushing his way back through the crowd until he is rejoining the group.
"Ryan, can we get out?" Nick inquired the moment the breathless tiger reached them.
"It's hopeless that way," Ryan responded, much to Nick's aggravation.
"Well, whatever we're goin' to do, we better do it fast."
"MISS JUDY! MISS PORSHA!"
The group turn to an adjoining stairwell, Judy and Porsha's eyes going wide with glee as they see Jack and Skye run up to them, both immediately taken aback by the two girl's lack of decorum as they bring the two servants, clad in their own lifebelts, into a giant group hug.
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!" Porsha exclaimed as she and Judy pulled away.
"Miss Lane sent us to find you," Skye responded, turning to her husband, who took the cue to add a helpful bit of information to the conversation.
"And we found a way up…it's a stairwell that leads to the second-class berths. It's easier from there."
Upon hearing this, Finnick, who was filled with great hope, turned to Giselle, all the while praying he could make himself understood, even as he began to wildly gesture with his hands.
"Everyone," he said to Giselle and her family, "all of you... come with me now. We go to the boats. We go to the boats. Come now!"
Unfortunately, the Spanish family can't understand what he's saying. They can see his urgency, but one of the uncles shakes his head, refusing to give into panic, and will not let his family go with this fox.
"Giselle," Finnick pleads as he grasps the gazelle's hands with his own.
"Please...come with me, I am lucky. Is my destiny to go to America.
But what Giselle does next lets Finnick know he has his very heartbreaking answer. After placing a very tender kiss on his lips, the tearful Giselle steps back to be with her family. And upon feeling a hand being laid on his shoulder, Finnick turns to meet the understanding gaze of his friend, whose eyes alone tell him that it is time to go.
"I will never forget you," Finnick whispers as he turns to Nick, who leads Finnick and the rest of the group to follow the Savages, Finnick looking over his shoulder one last time to see Giselle's face disappear into the crowd. But as Jack and Skye lead the group up to the top decks, Jimmy was back in his suite, opening his safe, reaching inside as Bogo watches the wolf pull out two stacks of bills, still banded by bank wrappers, and stuffing them into his coat pocket.
Then he took out the Zumpango Diamond, putting it in his pocket as well, before shutting and locking the safe.
"I make my own luck," Jimmy laughs as he holds up a stack of bills, stuffing it into his pocket a second later as Bogo, with a laugh of his own, opens his jacket to reveal his holstered pistol.
"So do I," he says, both grinning as they leave the cabin for the last time.
Meanwhile, back down in steerage, Jack and Skye were leading Nick, Judy, Porsha, Ryan and Finnick thought he crowded corridors, pushing past confused passengers.
A mother rabbit is changing her baby's diaper on top of an upturned steamer trunk…
A female panda arguing heatedly with a male panda in mandarin, a wailing child next to them…
A male tiger is kneeling to console a female who is just sitting on the floor, sobbing…
And past a middle eastern ridgeback with an English/Arabic dictionary, the male flipping through the pages as he desperately tries to figure out what the signs mean as his wife and children wait patiently.
But before long, Jack leads the group to a narrow stairwell, the jack rabbit gesturing them to go up they go up, the ladies first, followed by the regents. But the moment they reached the top of the steps, which led to a much more neatly furnished corridor, the only separating them being a small wooden gate that said NO SECOND OR THRID CLASS EBYOND THIS POINT, they were met by a ram steward, one very familiar to Judy as the black ram held a handkerchief to his bloody nose.
"HERE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he bellowed as the group powered through.
"YOU CAN'T COME THROUGH HERE! I'LL LOSE MY JO-ACK!"
The steward was suddenly silenced as Ryan grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pinning the poor ram against the wall as he growled in his face.
"YOU'LL LOSE YOUR TEETH IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!"
At that moment Judy stepped forward, her agitation with this particular ram helping her add a new level of firmness to her voice as she spoke to him.
"If you have any intention of keeping your pathetic job with the White Star Line, I suggest you escort these good people to the boat deck... now."
All the ram could do was nod as Ryan let him go.
Class wins out.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Bogo are walking aft with a purposeful stride on the A-Deck promenade, both paying no mind to a black, mustachioed Labrador in a white uniform and lifebelt, who is working up a sweat as he tosses deck chairs over the rail. This is Chief Baker Charles Joughin who after the buffalo and wolf go by, took a brief break, pulling out a bottle of scotch from a pocket, opening it, and draining the contents in lightning speed, tossing the spent bottle over the side before staggering away.
But up on the boat deck, Garth and Humphrey were overwhelmed by a ghastly sight; several men were attempting to rush the boat fourteen. And given the fact that steerage were now being lead up to the boat-deck did not make the situation any easier. Before long, the officers and crew were dealing with a full-on mob, one man even knocking Suki, who had been standing preciously close to the edge, over the side, the poor saluki letting out a terrified scream as she clung to the gunwale of the boat.
"GRAB ON TO HER!" Garth cried to the occupants of the boat as he watched the woman dangle helplessly from the lifeboat. Leaning over slightly, Humphrey could see a man leaning out from the A-Deck promenade, his arm outstretched to the woman as several other men held onto his legs to keep him steady.
"PULL HER IN!" Humphrey called to the man, who although unable to pull Suki in, begged her pardon before giving her bum a firm push, allowing the occupants of the boat to pull the know weeping woman in. And while Humphrey was relieved, his temper reached the breaking point as he felt and heard the men jostle about behind him. Turning back to the crowd, Humphrey, with an enraged expression on his face, reached into his greatcoat pocket.
Before anyone knew what had happened…
BLAM! BLAM!
Humphrey had fired two shots from his Webley revolver, one of the many issued to the officers from Mr. Wilde's cabin earlier in the sinking, into the air before leveling it at the now fearful male passengers.
"GET BACK I SAY!" he hollered, his hostile attitude coming as great shock to Garth, who secretly had a newfound respect for his usually kind brother-in-law.
"OR I'LL FUCKING SHOOT YOU ALL LIKE DOGS!"
At this point, Humphrey was sweeping his pistol over the crowd, as if he was daring anyone to rush him.
"KEEP ORDER HERE! KEEP ORDER, I SAID!"
Seeing now that the situation was getting under control, Lightoller turned to Mr. Lowe whilst loading his own pistol, now seeing that it may be needed, if Humphrey's continued brandishing of his sidearm was any indication.
"Mr. Lowe! Man this boat!"
With a nod, the fox did as he was instructed.
"RIGHT!" Mr. Lowe called over the frightened passengers in the boat with his thick Welsh accent.
"IS EVERYONE ALRIGHT?! NOBODY PANIC!"
As Lightoller prepared to lower the boat, he noticed a group of steerage passengers appear through the second-class entrance, unaware that they were the party that the Savages had led up. But at that moment, Lightoller was only focused on getting Judy, Porsha and Skye off the ship.
"THIS WAY LADIES!" he called, brandishing his pistol at the frightened males nearby, each forming a path to the boat, which the group happily accepted. But the moment they were just ten feet from the boat, the males of the group were held back at gunpoint by Lightoller.
"WOMEN AND CHIDLREN ONLY!" he bellowed, which did not sit well with Ryan.
"WOULD YA GIVE US CHANCE TO LIVE, YOU LIMEY BATSARD!"
"I'll shoot any male who tries to get past me," Lightoller lowly threatened, jabbing the barrel of his pistol into the fuming Ryan's chest.
"Ryan?" Porsha called, preparing to run to him before a familiar voice from the boat caught her attention.
"PORSHA!"
Turning to the source of the voice, Porsha's eyes widened in surprise to see an ecstatic Suki gripping the side of the boat, the saluki having to be held in place by the other occupants in order to keep the boat steady.
"SUKI!" Porsha exclaimed with joy. And it was only upon noticing Porsha's equally ecstatic exclamation that Ryan knew that this was where they had to part ways…for now.
"Go on Porsha," Ryan said, trying to keep a brave face.
"You too, Skye," Jack responded, who interrupted his wife just as she was about to protest.
"I'll be on the next one."
But before Skye and Porsha could protest, they were grabbed and thrown rather unceremoniously into the boat by Humphrey and Garth, all while Judy hid behind Nick, keeping out of sight so as not to be thrown in, much to Nick's shock and confusion.
At that moment some stokers made their way onto the deck, having be told to abandon their post, Dax being among them. As the silver wolf was hurrying to the lifeboat, he was suddenly grabbed by Cain. The two wolves stared at one another, but it was the dark wolf who spoke first. He handed Dax a folded piece of paper.
"Make sure my brother gets this," he said to Dax with the upmost urgency.
"The address is written in there."
The silver wolf nodded.
"I will see to, Mr. Adams."
Then Cain left.
Now all that Dax needed was to get off the Titanic alive, and his luck about to really help him there.
Upon noticing the lack of crew manning the boat, Fangmeyer and one other sailor, Lightoller called over the panicking crowd to the members of the black gang.
"CREW TO MAN THIS BOAT!" he called, quickly catching Dax and the other four stokers' attention, the dirty and sweating men immediately following the order as they entered the boat, each taking an oar in hand as the boat prepared to be lowered. And as Lightoller and Humphrey continued putting a few more women and children in the boat, Bolt emerged on the deck, quickly running to the edge of the deck as he produced his letter to Porsha.
"Excuse me, Miss Porsha," he called tapping the woman on the shoulder, the startled girl turning to see Bolt offering her an envelope.
"If I shouldn't make it through, could you see to it this reaches Mittens…she's already away."
Porsha, upon hearing Bolt's request, offered a timid nod and shy smile as she took the envelope, only to send a sad gaze towards Ryan, who was pulled from his own focus on Porsha by Nick, who with a sad smile, motioned for him and Jack to follow, the tiger and Jack rabbit sending their loves one last wave and blown kiss goodbye…all while a frowning Cain stared disapprovingly at Bolt.
"Being rather pessimistic, aren't you?" the hypocritical wolf snootily said, causing Bolt to send him a hard glare.
"Water's freezing, no one can last long in there," he responded.
"Seems we've been dealt a bad hand."
"I've never been a good loser," Cain responded with an air of arrogance, "I plan to get into a boat."
"Well, I wish you LUCK," Bolt lowly growled before walking away, soon finding himself meeting Mr. Andrews near the first-class entrance where the band played on, one of the band members, grizzly bear, briefly going out of key when a male passenger bumped into him as he rushed by. Rather than continue playing "Song Without Words" with his colleagues, the brown-furred man looked to the others with an expression of indifference.
"What's the use?" he grumbled, causing the others to cease their playing as well, "nobody's listening."
"Well," Hartley responded with a teasing smile, "they don't listen to us at dinner either, but we play all the same."
At that moment, the lion bandmaster caught sight of Mr. Andrews walking by them, deciding to get his input on the matter.
"Isn't that so, Sir?"
Mr. Andrews, who had just caught the last bit of the conversation, offered a teasing smile in return.
"They say it helps digestion," he said, earning a laugh from the others.
"Precisely," Hartley added, "because it soothes the nerves...come on, let's keep playing, it'll keep us warm."
Deciding that they may as well keep their own spirits up, the men resumed positions. Cain even decided to stay and listen for a bit. But it wasn't just him, standing in the doorway was Sam, who had been looking for a friend of hers. The lovely otter knew looking for her friend decreased her chances of getting to a boat, but she refused to leave without him.
"Orpheus." Hartley said with a smile.
He had always loved this tune.
And with that, the famous Offenbach "Can-Can" resonated across the deck…which made Ryan roll his eyes as he turned to send a quip towards Jack as his group ran by.
"Music to drown by…now I know I'm in first class."
Meanwhile, in the first-class lounge on A-Deck, Mr. Andrews was absentmindedly walking along, casting his gaze over several individuals who were passing time idly, either by drinking or playing cards, until he ran into Benjamin Guggenheim and his Valet, minus Madame Aubert, who had since boarded a lifeboat, dressed in their finest evening attire.
"Ben," he greeted with a laugh, "you're not wearing your lifebelt."
"It was uncomfortable," the bobcat responded with a chuckle.
"We have dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like Gentlemen."
"I see," Mr. Andrews added with a smile, only for it to falter some as Ben's fell.
"I should like my wife to know that I behaved...Decently."
"I'll be sure she will hear of it," Mr. Andrews said warmly, only to catch the sight of a very determined J.J. Astor walk by him.
"Excuse me," he mumbled to no one in particular, only to be stopped by a call from Winston.
"JOHN!"
Pausing in his stride, Astor turned to Guggenheim, a tender smile forming on his muzzle at the sight of his friend's outstretched hand. Walking back toward the group, John took it upon himself to shake the hands of all of his friends, Ben being the last.
"Good luck, old boy," he said, before leaving the trio to their business.
The bobcat then noticed Salty.
"Excuse me, is it possible for me to have a brandy?" he asked the wolf.
"Of course, Mr. Guggenheim," Slaty said a nod and hurried to fetch Mr. Guggenheim his requested drink, passing by several male passengers, who simply sat, minding their own business, having already accepted their fates. One was the greying, long-bearded goat author, William T. Stead, who as he read lamented the plot of one of his books, "How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid Atlantic by a Survivor," finding it quite ironic that the ship featured sank in the Atlantic, with great loss of life due to a sufficient lack of lifeboats.
But once Mr. Andrews reached the mantel at the aft most part of the lounge, he noticed a fox couple, the Anderson's to be specific, seated together on one of the sofas by the still burning fireplace, Tod's lifebelt off while Vixey kept hers on. Sending the couple, a kind smile, Mr. Andrews stepped towards them.
"The officers will be free the collapsible by the bridge," he said in a kind voice.
"If you hurry, I'm sure there will be a place for you, Madame."
Upon hearing this, Tod sent a hopeful gaze towards Vixey.
"You see, Vix," he said enthusiastically, much to his wife's annoyance, "you can still…"
"NO!' Vixey firmly interrupted, much to her husband's chagrin.
"As I've said, we started together, we'll finish together."
At that moment, upon seeing that her husband was still adamant to see her off the ship, Vixey thought she might at least get Mr. Andrews to side with her.
"Are you married, Mr. Andrews?"
Mr. Andrews only smiled.
"I am," he responded, knowing full well where Vixey was going with this.
"And what would your wife do in this situation.
"You won't like it, Madame," Mr. Andrews began with a chuckle.
"But in this situation, I would hope she would do as I asked."
Vixey deflated some, but kept going.
"But you have a family?"
"I do," Mr. Andrews responded with a sad smile, thinking of his toddler daughter whom he would never see again. Upon noticing the sad smile, Vixey offered one of her own.
"That would make difference then, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose it would," Mr. Andrews responded only for his face to become firm.
"But if your mind is made up on staying Madame, let me give you some advice."
Upon hearing this, the couple leaned it, listening intently.
"Stay on the ship as long as possible. If you can't, don't jump if it can be avoided. Use the ropes on the davits to lower yourselves. Once you're in the water, swim as far from the ship as you can. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Vixey responded with an appreciative grin, which Mr. Andrews returned before walking way, disappearing through the revolving door that led to the Verandah Café.
"I wonder if he'll try to save himself," Tod thought aloud as he and Vixey rose to their feet.
"I hope so," the vixen responded before they decided to try Mr. Andrew's advice.
Unfortunately, on the starboard side, as Jimmy and Bogo could see, they may unknowingly have to follow that advice as well. Almost half of the starboard boats had already been launched, and Mr. Murdoch and Samuel were in the middle of lowering another one. Being at the aft-most part of the boat deck, Jimmy could see that his chances of escape were growing smaller by the second.
"We're too late," he growled through gritted teeth. However, Bogo had noticed several crew preparing a raft by the bridge.
"There are more boats down front," he reassured Jimmy.
Looking to Samuel, the buffalo sneered, as despite the fact that the young wolf was trying to get as many people off the ship as possible, he might not be too keen to help Jimmy.
"Steer clear of Davis. But stay with this one…Murdoch. He seems to be quite practical."
Jimmy, upon looking at said officer, smiled smugly at his fellow wolf. Unfortunately, his smile vanished in an instant by a bellowing call from the water below.
"STOP LOWERING!" Looking over the side of the ship, Jimmy's eyes beheld a horrifying sight. As Lifeboat fifteen was being lowered, discharge from the ship's pumps had pushed boat thirteen, still attached to its ropes, under the descending boat. The occupants of number fifteen tried frantically to gain the attention of the officers on deck, but due to the clambering around them, Samuel and Mr. Murdoch couldn't hear them. Luckily, Scar and several men had been cutting through the ropes with pocketknives, managing at the last moment to succeed in freeing the boat just as number fifteen splashed down, with inches to spare.
However, things weren't fairing any better on the port side. As Garth, Humphrey and, Mr. Lightoller attempted to fend off the frantic passengers on the boat deck, Mr. Lowe was trying desperately to stop men from jumping into the boat from the A-Deck promenade. Even Dax was now resorting to using his bare hands and incredible strength to push anyone back. One storage Bear tried to climb in, but was no match for the silver stoker. With a mighty kick, Dax knocked the bear back into the promenade.
Mr. Lowe could see things were really getting bad.
"GET BACK YOU LOT!" He yelled, brandishing his pistol.
"STAY BACK! STAY BACK, THE LOT OF YOU! STAAAY BAAACK!"
As Mr. Lowe stretched out his last warning, he aimed his gun out to sea, firing three repetitive shots which succeeded in sacking off the frantic passengers, but resulting in a round of screams from the occupants, including Porsha, Skye and Suki. Not only that, but the shots could be heard from the starboard side, which did little to ease Jimmy's worries.
"It's starting to fall apart," Jimmy rasped to Bogo, both moving quickly to catch up with the retreating form of Murdoch, Samuel already running ahead to prep the next boat, Winston and Tony following close behind…
Which Jimmy felt couldn't be more perfect.
"Mr. Murdoch," he greeted as he and Bogo came alongside the two.
"Mr. Crystal," Mr. Murdoch responded in as much a cordial voice as he could, all while still maintaining his stride. Looking past Jimmy, Mr. Murdoch called to two seamen.
"YOU TWO, WITH ME NOW!" The two seamen quickly obeyed, falling into stride behind the officer.
"I'm a businessman as you know," Jimmy began, never once breaking his stride as he spoke.
"And I have a business proposition for you."
Meanwhile, Captain Smith had just left the wheelhouse, having just been to the wireless room to receive an update on the Carpathia.
It is 1:50 A.M.
She was still two hours away, and by the time she reached them, it would be too late. Now Smith knew that the only hope of more lives being saved was with the mystery ship on the horizon.
Stepping up the porcine Quartermaster Rowe, who was in the midst of lighting another rocket, Smith found himself pushed back the sailor.
"Stand clear, Sir!" he all but shouted as the whizzed overhead, exploding in another brilliant shower of sparks.
"That was the last one sir."
Smith, with a slight nod, turned his attention to the light on the horizon.
"She still has responded to the rockets or the Morse lamp?" Smith inquired.
"No Sir," Rowe responded.
"I thought I saw a response to the lamp, though it could have been a masthead flickering."
Smith, realizing that all efforts were pointless, decided that Rowe would have better uses in the waning time they had.
"Thank you, Mr. Rowe," he said, clapping the sailor on the shoulder.
"Report to Mr. Murdoch or Mr. Davis, they're short-handed."
"Yes Sir!" Rowe responded smartly before leaving Smith alone on the bridge wing, the Captain staring contemptibly at the light.
"God Help You."
"SIR!"
Turning to the frantic voice, Smith turned in time to see Hutch, breathing frantically, a clear sign that he had just raced to the bridge from the engine room.
"Yes, Mr. Hutchinson?"
"We're flooded to the engines," Hutch relayed, "we won't be able to keep the power going for much longer."
A long, hard moment of silence.
"Thank you, Hutch…when you go back, tell the others it's every man for himself."
"Yes sir," Hutch responded solemnly, before making his way back to the bowels of the ship. And as he does, Smith once again looks down over the bridge railing, and just in time as water poured like a spillway over the forward railing on B-Deck, which did not go unnoticed by Samuel, who had paused in his work briefly to assess the situation, all while Murdoch loaded Collapsible C at the forward-most davits. But the crowd is sparse, with most people still aft.
Taking advantage of the situation, Jimmy slipped his hand out of the pocket of his overcoat, moving to then place it in Murdoch's greatcoat the waist, coat, hopping to leave a stack of bills there.
"So we have an understanding then?"
But before Jimmy can even get close to Murdoch, a gloved hand grabs his wrist. Looking at the owner of the offending hand, Jimmy's eyes widen upon realizing that Samuel had caught him in the act of attempting to bribe Mr. Murdoch, whose own face went through a range of emotions of shock, before finally settling on anger as he glared at Jimmy, who shrinks back.
"Your money can't save you anymore either it can save me," Murdoch growled before carrying on, leaving Jimmy with Samuel, who was now sporting a very smug grin as he released Jimmy's hand.
"If you have any shred of dignity," he practically growled in the white wolf's face.
"You'll go down with this ship like a gentle-mammal."
And with that, Samuel left Jimmy to seethe in his anger, only to be pulled from his anger by the arrival of Bogo, the buffalo breathless as a look of clear annoyance radiated from his face.
"I've found Hopps," he practically growled.
"She's just over on the port side, waiting for a boat…With HIM."
Jimmy stalls for a moment. He really wants to try his luck in getting in the lifeboat in front of him. But at the same time, he is subconsciously reminded of one of his biggest rules…
Don't make him look bad.
"God damn it to hell! Come on," he growls, bolting past Bogo, who follows close behind as they take a short-cut through the bridge.
"ANYMORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN?!" Samuel called out from behind their receding forms, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
"They're all onboard Mr. Davis!" Mr. Ismay called, an anxious bounce to his step. It was actually no mystery to the crew and passengers present that Mr. Ismay was in a hurry to depart himself. Even more so since the water was now up to B-Deck, with the head of the ship sinking lower by the minute. Winston and Tony couldn't help but feel some contempt for the president of the White Star Line, even though he had been considerable help in evacuating the other passengers. Even Cain, who had decided to make himself useful by helping to load the last of boats, turned quite the hypocrite when he couldn't help but look at his superior in disbelief.
"ANYONE ELSE THEN?!" Samuel called as he cast his gaze over to Winston and Tony, a warm smile on his face as Winston's eyes grew wide with hope. Stretching his arm out to the duo, Samuel gestured them over eagerly. But, just as the older wolves stepped forward, a frantic cry sounded from behind them.
"PLEASE WAIT!" Turning to the source of the Irish voice, the group of males took in the sight of the saluki-setter family that nick and Judy had encountered below decks running toward them, obviously steerage to the other males if their modest clothing was any indication, running toward the boat.
"PLEASE, MAY WE GET ON THE BOAT?!" the father pleaded to Samuel, who cast an uncertain look toward Winston and Tony, knowing full well that if he allowed the family on, then Winston and Tony would have to board one of the other collapsible. After looking at the family for a hard moment, Winston and Tony turned to Samuel and, much to the officer's surprise, gave an encouraging nod. After a moment's hesitation, Samuel returned the nod before turning to the mother and her children.
"Yes, I wish you would," he said gently, letting the women in first mother, both planting a grateful kiss on the young wolf's cheek before boarding the boat with the husband and father in tow, the male giving Samuel a clap on the back as a show of his gratitude, which only made Cain roll his eyes as he left the area, looking to waste a bit more of his precious time before the last collapsible was ready.
"THEY'RE THE LAST, BILL!"
"VERY GOOD, SAM!" Mr. Murdoch called back.
"LOWER THIS BOAT WHILE I GET SOME MEN TO READY THE NEXT ONE!"
"AYE SIR!" With that, Mr. Murdoch and several seamen climbed the ladder up to the roof of the officer's quarters to uncover collapsible boat A. Turning to the men by the davits, Samuel began to issue orders. It was at this moment that Mr. Ismay realized that time was running out for him.
"READY ON THE FALLS!" He called.
"READY ON THE LEFT?!"
The moment Samuel turned his head to the right, Mr. Ismay took his chance. While the officer wasn't looking, Mr. Ismay took the opportunity to climb into the boat, much to the disgust of Winston and Tony.
"READY ON THE RIGHT?!"
As Samuel checked the other men's readiness, he happened to catch Mr. Ismay's action in his peripheral vision. Mr. Ismay could feel Samuel's burning gaze on the side of his face, but he dared not look him in the eye. But what Samuel said next greatly surprised him.
"Take them down."
It was said softly, but Mr. Ismay could still hear the venom laced within the order.
"Steady!" That was with said with a low growl.
"Both sides together now."
Just as the boat deck was out of sight, Mr. Ismay cast a sideways glace to Samuel, Winston, and Tony seen not far behind him, a definitive sneer on each of their faces.
Meanwhile, on the port side, Lightoller was getting people into Collapsible D, his pistol in his hand at this point. And as the passengers are practically be chucked into the boats at this point, each can here that twenty feet below them the sea is pouring into the doors and windows of B-Deck staterooms, the roar of water cascading into the ship hitting their hears like a deafening tympany.
"Women and children, please!" Lightoller shouted as he helped June Otterton to the boat, Billy and Joey briefly being left with their father, though with fear in their eyes as they looked to him, silently hoping that he would be following them. Unfortunately, the sad smile Emmett gave them was enough to dash those hopes.
"Come along boys," Humphrey said as he picked Joey up, handing him to Garth, who placed the now tearful otter pup by his equally devastated mother, though June tried to be brave for her son's sake. But as Judy could see, the façade was breaking, especially when Lightoller pulled Billy from his father.
"Here, give him to me!"
"NO PAPA!" Billy wailed, the pup trying to desperately wiggle his way out of Lightoller's grip, though the older lynx was obviously stronger than him. But even as his son cried for him, Emmet, despite his own tears, called in a strong and courageous voice.
"It's goodbye for a little while, Billy," he said as he choked back a sob.
"Only for a little while. There'll be another boat for the daddies, this one is just for the mommy's and the children. You be a big boy and hold mommy's hand!"
And all around, Judy can see it is not just the Ottertons who are choked with emotion.
Some of the women are so overwhelmed that they have to be helped into the boats. Many of the men started to give small things; notes, wedding rings or an article of clothing to their wives or random women. They figured that their time had come and there was no point in trying to save themselves.
But Nick isn't really paying attention to the sorrowful goodbyes being exchanged, but rather how the rest of his group might get off the ship. And, after letting out a frustrated sigh, Nick turned to Jack, Ryan and Finnick.
"You better check out the other side."
The trio of males need no further persuading as the scurry off, searching for a way around the deckhouse. But the moment Nick turns back to face the collapsible, he is face to face with Judy, her eyes, though brimming with tears, are hard and cold, laced with steely conviction.
"I'm not going without you."
But all Nick can do is look at her like she's grown another head.
"Get in the boat, Carrots," he rebuttals without a second thought, only for the fur on the back of his neck to rise as he hears a very unpleasant voice from behind him.
"Yes. Get in the boat, Judy."
Both are shocked to see Jimmy, so shocked in fact that Judy stepped instinctively to Nick, though this went unnoticed by Jimmy, who looked upon her in wet clothes, and wrapped in a grungy blanket, no doubt borrowed from some steerage swine.
"My God, look at you," he says in mock concern, removing the blanket, balling it up and shoving it into Nick's chest before removing his thick coat.
"Here, put this on."
And while Judy wanted to protest, to shove the wolf who was clearly trying to get as physically close to her as possible away, she couldn't help but find the warmth of the coat, provided by Jimmy's own body heat, very inviting. But luckily, the moment she feels his hands caress her cheeks in clearly false affection, she once again steps back, turning her attention to Nick as Lightoller calls to the crowd again.
"Quickly, ladies! Step into the boat! Hurry, please!"
"Go on," Nick coos, placing his hand son Judy's shoulders, looking deep into her eyes as he speaks, "I'll get the next one."
"No…not without you!" Judy responds, choking back a sob as she does. She doesn't even care that Jimmy is standing right there, witnessing the emotion between the two, his jaw clenching in response.
But then he leans close to them, offering as gentlemanly a tone as possible to the distraught couple.
"There are boats on the other side that are allowing men in. Nick and I can get off safely."
Jimmy paused as he shared a look with Nick, the fox knowing that this information could only be false, but he didn't care.
Whatever got Judy to leave the ship.
"Both of us."
And even though he knew that the wolf may be lying, Nick forces a reassuring smile on his muzzle as he looks at Judy.
"I'll be alright. Hurry up so we can get going... we got our own boat to catch."
But before Judy can protest any further, Lightoller has grabbed her arm and pulls her toward the boat. But just as she steps over the edge, Judy reaches out for Nick, who responds in kind, their fingers brushing for before Judy finds herself seated in the boat in a rush and blur, before Garth's voice echoes over the sea.
"LOWER AWAY!"
And with that, the boat began its descent, the two males, left with several others on the deck, watching as Judy is lowered to safety.
"You're a good liar," Jimmy says just loud enough for Nick to hear, the fox sharing the wolf's neutral expression as they keep their eyes on Judy, who does not tear her gaze away from Nick.
"Almost as good as you," Nick responded, briefly glancing at jimmy when the mogul let out a small huff of a laugh.
"Nobody makes me look bad."
Another pause before Jimmy turned to look Nick in the eye, his face still neutral, but his eyes cold.
"I always win, Nick…One way or another."
At that moment, Nick knew he was done for. But he figured, if he was going to die, he wanted to make sure he treasured every last second of looking at Judy's beautiful face as she inched closer and closer to the calm sea below.
But to Judy, everything seems to slow around her.
All the sound has gone from the world, the only thing audible to Judy being the blood pumping in her ears.
The ropes going through the pulleys as the seamen start to lower.
Garth's arms move as he shouts, though no voice comes from his mouth.
The Ottertons tearfully waving goodbye to the husband and father they may never see again.
A rocket bursts above, outlining Nick in a halo of light as she descends away from him.
She can see his hand trembling, the tears at the corners of his eyes, and cannot believe the unbearable pain she is feeling as she stares up, tears pouring down her face.
June looked up at her husband, giving him one more "I love you," before he was out range of hearing.
"I love you, too!" he called back.
But then, much to the shock of Nick and Jimmy, Judy is suddenly moving, lunging across the women next to her until she reaches the gunwale, climbing it... and hurling herself out of the boat to the rail of the A-Deck promenade, catching it, and scrambling over the rail with the help of some startled males, Garth only briefly halting the lowering process to ensure that no one has fallen out. But by that point…
Judy is back on Titanic.
"JUDY!" Nick yells, his eyes wide in alarm at what he had just witnessed. But, after taking a second too long to register what had happened, he spins from the rail, running for the nearest way down to A-Deck, followed by Jimmy, who had also seen Judy jump, the bunny willing to die for this fox, this gutter scum, the very thought causing Jimmy to be overwhelmed with a rage so all-consuming it eclipses all thought.
But by the time he reaches the railing that overlooked the A-Deck foyer in the Grand Staircase, Judy has already met Nick, Jimmy's long coat flying out behind her as she runs into Nick's arms, both crying big, wet, salty tears as they embrace each toher.
"Carrots, Judy!" Nick exclaimed as he began to pepper her face with kisses.
"You're such a dumb bunny…why did you do that?!"
And what Judy said through her tears was all Nick needed to hear.
"You jump, I jump, right?"
And all Nick can do is smile the biggest smile of his life.
"Right."
Meanwhile, up at the boat deck landing, all Jimmy can do is watch, stone-faced at the scene transpiring before him. He is so overcome with anger that hardly notices Bogo coming up behind him, putting a restraining hand on him before escorting back out onto the deck. But in an instant that the buffalo could not have foreseen, Jimmy suddenly whipped around, reaching into Bogo's jacket, grabbing the pistol from the waistband in one cobra-fast move before running along the rail and down the stairs. And as he reaches the landing above them, he let's out a feral scream of rage before raising the gun and…
BANG!
The carved cherub at the foot of the center railing exploded, Nick immediately taking action as he pulls Judy toward the stairs going down to the next deck, just as Jimmy fires again, running down the steps toward them, the bullet blowing a divot out of the oak paneling behind Nick's head as he pulls Judy down the next flight of stairs. But the moment he reaches the A-Deck landing, Jimmy steps on the skittering head of the cherub statue, unceremoniously sprawling out, the gun clattering across the marble floor, only be hastily retrieved by Jimmy as he continues to give chase, firing over the railing every so often at the flee couple until they reach the D-Deck rection Room…
Which is now flooded in several feet of water.
Nick and Judy come down the stairs two at a time, running straight into the water, fording across the room to where the floor sloped up, until they reach dry footing at the entrance to the dining saloon. And just in time as Jimmy reels down the stairs, firing the pistol twice, big gouts of spraying near the fleeing couple.
Luckily, he's not a great shot, and not very sparing with what is given him, as the bolt of the pistol ejected the last shell into the water, jimmy let out a frustrated growl as he looks at the now useless thing. But at that moment, he seems to come back to reality as he notices the water boiling up around his feet, the now fearful wolf quickly retreating up the stairs a couple of steps as the woodwork groans and creaks around him.
"I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR TIME TOGETHER!" he suddenly yells across the room just as a less-than-amused Bogo arrived behind him, a disapproving scowl, already strong, deepening even further when Jimmy begins to laugh at a seemingly unspoken joke…or rather an inconvenient memory.
"What could possible be funny?" Bogo grumbled, looking around at the course below.
"I put the diamond in my coat pocket," Jimmy laughs as he looks back at the now stunned buffalo.
"And I put the coat…"
Another bout of hysterical laughter later.
"ON HER!"
At that moment, Bogo was certain that Jimmy had gone mad, the white wolf doubled over in laughter. And for a good ten seconds this transpired, all while the water slowly crept up the stairs until it was lapping at Jimmy's feet. But at that moment, Jimmy once again turns to Bogo, this time with a sickly expression, his eyes glittering.
"I give it to you," he said, handing Bogo the spent pistol as he proceeds up the stairs, only to shout over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.
"IF YOU CAN GET IT!"
And one thing is for sure, Bogo is definitely thinking about it.
Finally, he figures "what the hell?" as he slogs into the water, the freezing liquid up to his waist as he crosses the pool into the dining saloon, slowly moving among the tables and ornate columns, searching... listening... his eyes tracking rapidly in the sea of tables, knowing his prey could be anywhere.
Bogo glances behind him, briefly distracted by a silver serving trolley rolling downhill, bumping into tables and pillars into the water that is following him into the room, advancing in a hundred-foot-wide tide. It is at this point that the reception room is now a roiling lake, and the grand staircase is submerged past the first landings as monstrous groans echo through the ship.
And not too far away, crouched behind a table, somewhere in the middle are Nick and Judy, both very aware of the water advancing toward them, swirling over the floor as both crawl ahead of it to the next row of tables.
"Stay here," the fox says before moving off, keeping out of sight of Bogo as the bodyguard moves over one row and looks along the tables as the ship groans and creaks around him. But the buffalo's search was about to pay off as a mental cart, five-feet-tall and full of stacks of china dishes, started to roll down the aisle between tables…
Right towards Judy
Judy, on instinct, scrambled out of the way just as the cart hit the table she is hiding behind, the stacks of dishes topple out, exploding across the floor and showering her. But the moment she looks up…
She is looking down the barrel of a smirking Bogo's pistol.
"I've been looking for you, Miss."
But before Bogo can squeeze the trigger, he is suddenly blindsided by Nick, the fox tackling the larger buffalo away from Judy, the two males slamming together into a table, crashing over it, and toppling to the floor, landing in the water which is flowing rapidly between the tables.
Though the two hardly care as they grapple in the icy water, Nick jamming his knee down on Bogo's hand, breaking his grip on the pistol before kicking it away. But before Nick can celebrate his small victory…
"You little SHIT!" Bogo growls as he lunges at Nick, only to receive his own bit of karma in the form of Nick gut punching him right in the solar plexus, doubling him over.
"Compliments of the Deerbrooke WILDES!" Nick growled before grabbing Bogo and slamming him into an ornate column, the buffalo dropping stunned to the floor.
"Let's go!" Nick calls to Judy, taking her hand as they run aft, both soon entering the galley, the room behind them, flooded to the ceiling, soon populated by serval little islands of tables, their only occupant being a slowly recovering Bogo, who managed to get up, the buffalo immediately looking around for his gun, finding it in just a few seconds before wading after his quarries, who run through the galley until Judy spots the stairs. She starts up…
But Nick grabs her hand and leads her down, holding a finger to his lips as signal for her to be quite as they crouch together on the landing, the duo hearing the heavy steps of Bogo overhead as he runs to the
stairs. And the buffalo, assuming that the two have gone…well who wouldn't? he figured, the stocky bovine bolts up the stairs to C-Deck, the fox and Bunny waiting for the footsteps to recede before letting out a breath of relief. But not one second later, among the creaking and the groaning of the dying vessel, the two can pick up a very chilling sound…
A Crying Child…Below them.
And when the descend the steps to E-Deck, the corridor awash in about a foot of water, they are met with the heartbreaking sight of a little boy, a lynx, no more than three standing against the wall, about 50 feet away, wailing as the water swirls around his legs. And the moment their eyes meet, both know what needs to be done.
"We can't leave him," Judy says, earning a quick nod from Nick, both leaving the promise of escape up the stairwell to run to the child, Nick immediately scooping the boy up before running back to the stairs, only to find to their horror that a torrent of water is pouring down the stairs like rapids, the flow becoming too powerful for them to go against.
"Come on!" Nick shouted, charging the other way down the flooding corridor, blasting up spray with each footstep as they run to the end of the hall to a set of heavy double doors, only to find water spraying through the gap between the doors right up to the ceiling from the know flooded Scotland Road, the doors groaning and cracking under the tons of pressure.
"Back! Go back!" Nick yells, Judy pivoting in place as they run back the way they came, taking a turn into a cross-corridor, where they find a man, an older lynx to be specific, coming the other way. But when he sees the boy in Nick's arms, he cries out in anger, grabbing the child away from Nick as the older male, clearly the boy's father, begins cursing the fox in German. But as the man brushes past Nick and Judy, their eyes go wide when they see him turn the corner towards…
"No! Not that way! Come back!" the duo shouted over each other.
But too late.
The double doors burst open as a wall of water thunders into the corridor, the father and child disappearing instantly in a nightmarish sound of screams and rushing water. And while they wished they could have stayed to help, Nick and Judy had no choice but to run as the wave barrels towards them, foaming from floor to ceiling, gaining on them like a locomotive.
But luckily, they made it to a stairwell just in time, the two bounding up the stairs, lucky that the stewards, who had been ordered to do so when the situation was made clear, had unlocked the gate and its numerous cousins that kept the third class from entering the upper decks.
And before long, Nick and Judy are barreling up to the top.
It is 2:00 A.M.
Meanwhile, Mason, Jack and Harold were working hard to keep the messages flowing. But with the ship's failing power, it was becoming harder by the second. At one point, Mason had returned to his cabin to fetch his lifebelt, while Harold had fetched his and Jack's from the adjoining bunk room.
"Mason, see if you can give more power."
"On it," Mason answered as he went into the silent room, fiddling with the amplifier nobs to adjust the strength of the spark.
"There that's better!" Jack called.
"Right Oh!" Mason responded before returning to the main room, only to receive a surprise when Captain Smith entered.
"Is Carpathia still responding?" he inquired, earning a nod from Mason and Harold as Jack continued to key away.
"No one else?"
At this point, Mason held a look of mild anger at the replies they had received besides Carpathia.
"The Olympic wants to know if we're steaming south to meet her," Mason answered, his teeth clenched together in frustration, "and the Frankfurt keeps asking for more details, THE IDIOTS! They just don't seem to understand Sir!"
Smith numbly nodded his head, the fate of those left behind now apparent, and his responsibility as Captain now weighing heavily on him.
"The power won't last much longer anyway," he responded, making the three young wolves pause to look at him.
"Gentleman, you have done your duty...you can do no more."
"Sir?" Mason asked in disbelief.
"Abandon your cabin...It is Every Man for Himself."
With that, Smith left the cabin, leaving the operators in disbelief.
And unfortunately for Harold Cottam, his face relayed the news to Rostron before he even spoke.
"What is it, Cottom?" Rostron inquired, only for his concerns to grow upon seeing the forlorn look on the young operator's face.
"It's Titanic, Sir," Cottam responded grimly.
"She says she's flooded to the engines and won't be able to transmit for much longer…she wants to know how much longer we will be."
Looking to the clock on in the small wheelhouse, Rostron felt his heart sink upon seeing that they had only managed to get over halfway to Titanic's position.
"About another hour or so," he replied solemnly.
Meanwhile back on Titanic…
"HOLD THAT LINE!" Mr. Lightoller shouted as the men on the roof of the officer's quarters were rocking collapsible lifeboat be to the edge.
"STEADY GARTH!" Humphrey called to his brother-in-law, the two putting every ounce of strength they had into pushing the boat onto the boat deck with about a dozen other men. Noticing that the boat was just about to tip of the ledge, Mr. Lightoller called to the Passengers and crew below, who had been putting oars along the edge of the roof, hopping to use them as a makeshift slipway for the boat.
"CLEAR AWAY!" he called, and just in time too. With one final heave, the boat was pushed off the roof of the officer's quarters, its weight snapping the oars beneath it in half. Unfortunately, Garth and another sailor lost their footing, falling with the boat, which had landed upside down on the deck. Putting his arms out, Garth was able to somewhat break his fall, but he could tell he would have a few bruised ribs later on. Meanwhile, on the starboard side, Samuel and Mr. Murdoch, along with Winston, Tony and several other men, were in the same predicament with pushing boat A off of the roof.
"That's it lads," the Scottish sailor called tentatively, eying the flimsy oars at the edge of the roof.
"Hold it," he called as the boat inched closer to the edge, "Hold it, HOLD IT!"
Unfortunately, Mr. Murdoch's instructions were in vain as the boat snapped the oars as it crashed down onto the deck, but luckily right side up. Jumping down from the roof, Mr. Murdoch ran to a nearby stairwell. Looking down, his eyes widened in panic as water was now rapidly flooding A-Deck.
Time was running out.
"GET THESE DAVITS CRANKED IN!" he yelled as he went to prepare the boat.
"HELP GET THESE FALLS HOOKED UP!"
At this point, Samuel, upon seeing for himself the cause of Mr. Murdoch's sudden alarm, quickly ran into the officer's quarters through the wheelhouse, and back to and down the Grand Staircase toward his cabin, unaware that he had given Jimmy, who bolted out of the first-class entrance, a bit of an opening to get off the ship. But, as he climbs onto one of the steam winches to look over the crowd of men gathered around collapsible A, Jimmy's ears are suddenly hit with eh sound of a crying child.
Looking down, Jimmy is met with the pitiful sight of a little girl, a water deer, steerage given her simple clothing, maybe two years old, crying along in the alcove. And for a brief moment she looks up at Jimmy beseechingly. But unfortunately for her, Jimmy moves on without a glance back as he runs to the front of the large crowd, catching sight of Murdoch and a number of crewmen struggling to drag the boat to the davits, with no luck.
And as the crew struggle to get the boat launched, Nick and Judy are running up a seemingly endless staircase as the ship groans and torques around them.
Back on the starboard side, Jack, Ryan and Finnick are being pushed forward by the crowd behind them, the trio flanked by Emmet and a newly arrived Jimmy. Standing beside Boat A is Murdoch, a handful of seamen, and Purser McElroy, a portly black bear who continues to push the crowd of males back, getting a couple of seamen to help him as he brandishes his gun, waving it in the air, yelling for the crowd to stay back.
But at this point, Murdoch is no longer in control as the crowd is threatening to rush the boat, which already has a few women and children inside. But the men don't care as they push and jostle, yelling and shouting at the officers, the pressure from behind pushing them forward, One unfortunate lion actually falls off the edge of the deck into the water less than ten feet below.
"Give us a chance to live, you limey bastards!" Ryan yelled over the din, only for him and the rest of the males present to shrink back in fear as Murdoch fires his Webley twice in the air, before pointing it at the crowd.
"I'll shoot any man who tries to get past me, STAY BACK!"
But at that moment, another surge of passengers came forward, actually shoving Emmet from behind towards the edge of the deck. In a state of panic, Emmet desperately tried to catch anything that would save him from falling into the water. Unfortunately, the only thing he could grab is a stunned Murdoch's great coat, the officer then out of reflex pulling the trigger as a shot rang put, Emmet immediately feeling a sharp pain in his leg as both men tumbled over the side, both letting out a startled gasp as they landed in the water.
Emmett could see the icy water turning red around his leg, but now he had to find a way to stay above the water or risk drowning.
But while McElroy and the crew can only stare in horror, Jimmy actually lets a smirk form on his muzzle as he seized this great opportunity, running aft once again before reaching the steam winch where he had seen the crying girl, breathing a sigh of relief, more for himself than the child, that she was still there.
"Any more women or children?!" McElroy called over the confusion, only to hear Jimmy, whom the purser had actually never met, much to the wolf's luck, call over the crowd.
"Here's a child! I've got a child!"
And the moment Jimmy reaches the perplexed purser, more so at the wolf carrying the water deer fawn, the mogul's eyes are filled with tears as he pleads with McElroy.
"Please... I'm all she has in the world."
McElroy, after a moment of hesitation, nodded curtly before pushing Jimmy toward the boat, spinning with his gun, brandishing it in the air to keep the other men back, Jimmy gets in the boat, holding the little girl he takes a seat with the women, a triumphant smirk on his muzzle as taunts the glowering Murdoch, who had managed to scramble onto a deck chair in the water.
Meanwhile, back in the first-class smoke room, Mr. Andrews is standing in front of the fireplace, staring at the large painting of Plymouth Harbor above the mantle, the fire still going in the fireplace. At this point, the room is empty except for Andrews as an ashtray falls off the table. A trolly holding fine wine and brandy rolled and slammed into the wall, spilling its contents. He is so lost in thought that he barely notices Nick and Judy run into the room, out of breath and soaked as they move aft toward the revolving door.
But the moment Judy sees the sad looking wolf, she instantly recognizes him…and sees that his lifebelt is off, lying on a table next to him.
"Won't you even make a try for it, Mr. Andrews?" she pleads with a whimper, her voice managing to pull the despondent architect out of his stupor as he looked to her, a single tear running down his cheek as he offered a heartfelt answer.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't build you a stronger ship, Judy," he rasped out.
"It's going fast," Nick said sadly, but urgently. "We've got to keep moving."
"WAIT!" Mr. Andrews called out.
Nick and Judy pause for a moment as Andrews picks up his lifebelt and hands it to the stunned bunny with a sad smile.
"Good luck to you, Judy."
Judy responds to the gesture with a hug and a kiss to the cheek.
"And to you, Mr. Andrews," she whispers in his ear before Nick pulls her away and they run through the revolving door, once again leaving Mr. Andrews alone…
To die with his child.
Just then Sam entered from the starboard entrance that led to the Palm Court Café, the otter maid tailed bb a pig, one of the ship's cooks by the name of Gerald Lavelle. She had found her friend, but realized that too much time had passed. There would be no way she and Gerald could reach a boat and get to safety.
Mr. Andrews looked at them with a sad confused frown.
"We're not leaving you, Mr. Andrews," Sam said sadly as she and Gerald sat down on a couch to share a bottle of brandy.
Meanwhile, Samuel, upon entering his cabin in ankle deep water as the moaning of the ship's strained structure vibrating throughout the walls, quickly grabbed and hastily put on his lifebelt. He stopped for a brief second to look at a certain picture. The smiling faces brought a warmness to him as his will to survive became stronger. On his way back, he ran into Humphrey, the Junior-Second Officer now garbed in his own lifebelt while carrying a bushel of others. Samuel stared longingly at his friend and colleague before extending his hand, which was gladly taken.
"Good luck, old chap," Humphrey whispered, tears in his eyes.
"And to you lad," Samuel responded. But just as he was about to follow Humphrey, he froze when he heard Mason's breathless voice in the wireless room.
"The boat deck's awash!" he heard, followed by the sound of the telegraph key tapping out the distress call.
"Come on, let's clear out, we've done our duty! Come on or we'll be eating sand for breakfast!"
Then Samuel heard another voice, one he recognized as Jack Phillips, shout in response.
"I'M NOT GOING!"
Samuel actually couldn't help but feel great respect for Jack's dedication. Then, a new voice that could only belong to Harold Bride sounded.
"He's mad. Go on Mason, and good luck."
"You too, Harry."
And before Samuel knew it, he was face to face with his oldest and dearest friends. For a hard few moments, the two stared at each other, their uniforms and coats covered by matching lifebelts. But Mason was the first to act, quickly moving toward Samuel, the two enveloping each other in a large hug, all the love and respect they had for each being expressed in this one moment as tears streamed down their cheeks.
"I Love You, Brother," Mason sobbed as Samuel rubbed his back.
"I Love You Too, Mason," Samuel responded.
After a few moments of just holding each other, the two separated and went their separate ways, both exiting the wheelhouse, only to find to their surprise that Mason was right, and that the bridge was now partially submerged. Running toward lifeboat B, Mason ran up to Garth, Humphrey having handed him a lifebelt, which the fumbling Junior Chief Officer gladly accepted, quickly placing it on himself before returning to the task of trying to right the overturned boat. As this happened, Humphrey noticed a figure walking slowly toward the bridge. Upon recognizing the uniformed and distinct greying fur, Humphrey chased the figure.
"CAPTAIN!" He called, frantically waving a lifebelt in one hand, "CAPTAIN! SIR!"
But upon reaching his Captain, Humphrey was stunned to see a blank stare in the older wolf's eyes, eyes that had once held so much power and compassion. Looking dumbly at the lifebelt being offered to him, Smith simply resumed his walk to the bridge. As Humphrey observed, Smith just stood on the navigation deck for a few moments, before turning toward the wheelhouse, closing the door and locking himself inside, completely muting out the still playing orchestra, who as the last notes of their song drifted away, knew that the end was near.
"It's the end boys," Hartley said to his friends, "we've done our duty. We can go now."
After a moment's hesitation, the group began to disperse. But as they did son, Wallace felt he still had one more song left in him, a song he had been saving for just such an occasion. Bringing his violin up to his chin, Wallace began to drag the bow over the strings in the opening notes of a calming hymn,
Nearer My God to Thee.
The song strikes a chord with the other band members who, one by one, join in until the rich sound of their strings fills the chaotic events happening around them.
In the wheelhouse, Captain Smith grasped the wheel of the ship he was so proud to command, water slowly crawling up the windows from outside.
Andrews stands like a statue, pulling out his pocketwatch as he checks the time before opening the face of the mantle clock and adjusting it to the correct time:
2:12 A.M.
Everything must be correct.
Sam and Gerald embrace each other and waited for their life to end.
In first class, the Strauss's hold each other close while lying in bed as water floods their cabin.
In the parlors suites once occupied by the Crystal-Hopps party, water swirls in from the private promenade deck, submerging Judy's paintings.
The Picasso transforms under the water's surface.
Degas' colors run.
Monet's water lilies come to life.
In steerage, a mother lulls her children to sleep with an old Irish tale, hoping to bring them comfort before the bitter end.
In the Grand Staircase Benjamin Guggenheim and his valet watch in terror as water rapidly creeps up the slanted floor. Looking at his glass of brandy, Ben finished it in one final gulp.
He then turned to his valet.
"It has been a honor having you by my side, Victor"
Victor smiled.
"Thank you, Mr. Guggenheim." he said.
In A-1, a framed photograph of a newlywed woman and certain Junior First Officer sinks to the floor.
On boat number fourteen, Dax sang in his native Irish tongue.
"...Aingeal a beckon dom níos gaire, mo Dhia, dhuit; níos gaire, mo Dhia, dhuit, níos gaire dhuit!"
Back on deck, the band continued to play as the crew work to free the collapsible from the now rapidly sinking ship. On the port side, Garth and Humphrey work hard to free the overturned boat from its falls as water swirls around their knees, while Mason finds himself washed off the ship by a sudden surge as Collapsible B is picked up by water. Working frantically, the men try to detach it from the falls so the ship won't drag it under. Colonel Gracie actually hands Mr. Lightoller a pocket knife, the second officer sawing furiously at the ropes as the water swirls around his legs. Finally, the boat, still upside down but free, is swept off the ship, with men, such Gracie and Bolt, diving in, swimming to stay with it.
Emmett had managed to get back on board the doomed ship, figuring his best chance at seeing his family again was to get to the stern of the ship and wait until it completely sank before taking his chances in the icy water. The Scots-otter, despite his wounded leg, began his journey to the stern.
On the starboard side, Mr. Murdoch, who has managed to find himself on semi-stable ground once again, can see that time has run out.
"THERE'S NO TIME!" Mr. Murdoch called to Samuel, who was still fumbling to release the davit falls, both completely ignoring the now petrified Jimmy as he sits next to the wailing child, whom he himself had completely forgotten as he watched the water rising around the men as they worked, scrambling to get the ropes cut so the ship won't drag the collapsible under.
"CUT THOSE BLOODY FALLS! CUT 'EM IF YOU HAVE TO!"
"I NEED A KNIFE!" Samuel screamed in panic as the ship suddenly lurched forward, completely submerging the bridge and sending a massive wave over the deck.
"I NEED A...!" At that moment, Samuel was cut off as the wave washed him aft of the boat, along with Winston, leaving Tony and Mr. Murdoch behind in the mess of screaming passengers. As the ship continued to sink. At this point, Jack and Ryan had managed to scramble on aboard the boat, both managing to keep the tops of their bodies dry as they did so.
Unfortunately for Ryan, the moment his eyes met Jimmy's the white wolf's gaze filled with deep rage. And before Ryan knew it, he was back in the water with a bloody nose…compliments of Mr. James Crystal.
But just as Jimmy let a triumphant smirk cross his muzzle, Collapsible A was hit by a wave as the bow plunged again, partially swamping the boat, washing it along the deck, plunging over a hundred passengers into the freezing water, the area around the boat becoming a frenzy of splashing, screaming people.
Finnick was even swimming for his life, only to find himself swirled under a davit, the ropes and pulleys tangling around him as the davit goes under the water, dragging him down, the lifebelt on his back doing little to save him in that moment as he struggles to free himself. Luckily, he managed to do so as he kicks back to the surface, gasping for air in the freezing water, the band's playing slowly coming to an end as the last chords of their song subsided into ear-piercing screams.
"Gentlemen," Wallace said as he looked fondly to his friends and colleagues as the water rolled rapidly towards them.
"It has been a privilege playing with you tonight."
In the submerged wheelhouse, Captain Smith stared in horror as the windows of the wheelhouse strained under the pressure from the water on the other side. Suddenly, one after the other, the windows burst, torrents of water rushing into the confined space as Captain Smith clung on the wheel as he was enveloped in a swirling whirlpool of frigid Atlantic water.
And so, after nearly forty years, the career, and life, of Edward John Smith came to an end.
