Chapter 17

...

Approximately 500 miles from Titanic's location her sister R.M.S. Olympic picks up a distress signal, at first mistaken that some ship had ran into an iceberg. Captain Haddock wasn't sure if it was indeed Titanic, who had struck an iceberg. Five minutes have passed, and soon Haddock got the news from his wireless operator.

"MGY MKC SOS" (Titanic calling Olympic. Distress.) Haddock soon gets to work, and he answers the Titanic's call immediately. Titanic gives position, then tells the Olympic they have struck an iceberg.

...

Up on deck there is a more rushed atmosphere now, as people began frantically searching for available lifeboats. Officer Lightoller begins shoving any men who were on the verge of jumping into a lifeboat, in an attempt to save themselves. At this point Lightoller is mad, and frantic, as a woman taps him on his shoulder.

"Will you hold the boat for a moment, I just have to run to my room..." she began, before a disgruntled Lightoller lifts her, and puts her in the boat.

"Sit down!" he tells her, a shock expression on her face. He then tells his officers, "She's the last. Prepare to lower!" Just then, Mr. Andrews appears, just as Lightoller tells his men to lower the lifeboat.

"Why are the boats being launched half full?" he asks.

"Not now, Mr. Andrews..." he began, as Andrews points out to the sea.

"There, look. Twenty or so...in a boat built for sixty-five. And I saw one boat with only twelve. Twelve!"

Lightoller tried to come up with an excuse as to why the boats were barely loaded.

"Well...we weren't sure of the weight, Mr. Andrews...these boats may buckle..."

"Rubbish! They were tested in Belfast with the weight of seventy men. Now! Fill these boats, Mr. Lightoller! For God's sake, man!" Lightoller looks out to the sea, then asks for more women to fill the boat.

Many decks down Jesse had parted with Rose in an attempt to find some sort of help for Jack who had been handcuffed to a pipe by a lunatic, who thought they could leave Jack down there to die, either by drowning or compression as the water squeezed every bit of the air out. The entire time he had known Cal wanted him and Jack dead, so he could have his little Rose. Either way, he was still out there, planning his escape while he and the couple were in the bowels of the ship. He had hoped they made it out, before the compression could kill them. During this time, he thought of his friends, Karl and Eric, somewhere out in the Atlantic, cold, but safe, as he was still in the ship, soaking wet. He let the tears come as he fought his way around a maze of corridors and abandoned belongings that lined the corridor, until it blinded him.

A deck above, Jack and Rose ran through corridors that were littered with lost luggage, in their attempt to find Jesse. The lights dimmed, struggling to keep the corridor lit for the couple. Rose felt guilty, but at a time like this, she needed Jesse's help, for there were no one else willing to give her a helping hand. Jack looked back, as the ship groaned and creaked under the weight of the Atlantic pulling the ship down. The couple soon called out to their new friend.

"JESSE!"

Suddenly the ship groaned, and lurched to the side, nearly throwing the couple into a nearby wall. Jack's eyes went wide, as Rose began to cry.

"Rose! Look at me! Jesse's probably made to salvation. He's capable and sure of himself. We'll do the same, but we need to move." Jack says, his face close to Rose's, as she looked into his deep, blue eyes, with surety that Jesse made it back to the upper decks. They both embraced, before making their way back to the upper decks.

"Jesse...!"

Jesse stopped, trying to listen where the source came from. Just when he was about to turn back and meet with Rose and Jack, the ship suddenly lurched, as the weight of the Atlantic began shifting below decks, breaching yet another bulkhead; thus the ship began listing to port. Jesse lost his footing, and was tossed underwater. The current pushes Jesse further from where he was. He tried to grab on to anything, but the cold water got the best of him, now that he was fully submerged. Even as a hardy swimmer, Jesse couldn't overtake the powerful current which was still dragging him along. At one point the water turns Jesse upside down, so he wouldn't know which way was up. Eventually Jesse puts up his hand, then felt something. He grabbed ahold, nearly missed, then grabbed again. If he missed, he would have been dragged into the depths of the stricken liner, which would have claimed him. He pulled himself, then gasping as his head breaks above the water, then spat the foul bitter water out of his mouth. He was in an unknown part of the ship, as the lights had completely gone out. The only thing that provided what little light is available is the sparks from the failed light fixtures. Just when he thought all hope was lost and must find his way in the dark, the lights suddenly flickered, turn off for a second, then flickered once more before managing to stay on, which had now given off a little brown-yellowish glow, as if the power might fail for good this time. Jesse looked behind him, as he was standing in waist-deep water, and brushes his wet hair from his eyes, and breathing hard. He was horrified at how close he came with death.

Among the confusing mess on the boat deck an elderly couple stands, finely dressed and in lifebelts over their clothes, while the husband tries to tell his wife to board a lifeboat.

"Please, Ida. Get into the boat!" he pleaded.

"No!" Ida says, "We've been together for forty years, and where you go, I go. Don't argue with me, Isidor! You know it does no good." she smiled, as Isidor knew she was right, then gave it some thought. Finally, he nodded, then they both embraced, before retreating to their room. Meanwhile a couple not too far from where the Strauss' were standing, had their own dilemma going on, after they had been watching them.

"She's right, you see. We'll stay together, too." a young woman tells her man, as he looked at her, then at the old couple, as he tries to urge her into a boat. "But she's old. You're young. Please, darling. I can look after myself."

"We both can." she tells him, as they also retreated into the ship.

In the Scotland Road corridor, a steward tells the remaining passengers where to go, until he sees a door being kicked, followed by yelling. Soon Jack and Rose emerged, as they try to look for a way back up, and to look for Jesse as well. The steward soon catches up to the couple.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked in surprise. "You'll have to pay for that, you know. That's White Star Line property!" Soon the couple had enough of the man, telling him, "SHUT UP!" in unison.

In the lower decks Jesse manages to slosh through the water before finding a good footing, then he ran up, until he was stopped by the gate. He rattled it, only to find it locked; his heart stopped and dropped to his stomach. He rubbed his face, trying not to panic, then looked behind. The water was now lapping at his ankles. He looked back, then ran into an open cabin. He frantically looked until he found a hair piece on a dresser. He kissed it before apologizing to whomever it belonged, for he needed it for his escape. He fashioned the metal teeth so that it acts like a makeshift pick, then jams it in the lock. With the water now reaching his neck, he turns the lock, then heard a small clunk. He forces the gate open. Jesse tries to take the hair piece, only it was now jammed in the cylinder. He left it and made a dash for salvation.

The captain and officer on deck tries in vain to call back the lifeboat Eric and Karl were in. Despite having very little people in it, the officer in charge insists they keep pushing forward; for if they rowed back, they would be caught in the suction.

"Pull! Pull! Pull!" the officer shouts. "Put your backs into it! Pull!"

The man says, between pants, "But there's hardly anyone in here. Can't we go back and save more people?"

The officer says, "No! Keep pushing forward. If we go back, the ship will suck us down. Now pull! Put you back into it!"

The man shakes his head, but continues to obey the officer. "Idiot!" he mutters as he begins rowing. The officer doesn't hear, as he's too busy looking back at the ship.

Eric looks back at the ship. The North Atlantic water is now up to the promenade deck, while he could see the propellers barely rising out of the water, and people scrambling frantically for any remaining lifeboats.

Oh, Jesse. Eric thought. He had promised Jesse's older sister that he would watch his back; yet he's lost somewhere in the beautiful vessel; but here it is, going down, on its maiden voyage. Eric feels a tinge of sadness, but somewhere, just maybe, he has found himself a boat. He began to wonder what Rose would want with Jesse.

Was she planning something worse? He shook his head, as he saw the happy couple twice, during the party and when they came to visit in their cramped cabin. He looks over at Karl, still saddened Jesse left him, but was still able to paddle the boat despite his grief. Eric could see his tears are still streaming as he continued to row the boat, and still shaking from all the crying he endured. The officer in the boat looks back, as the captain continues to yell from the ship.

"This is the Captain! Come back! This is the Captain! Come back to the ship!" Back on the ship, the captain and another officer tries to wave the people in the lifeboats back to the ship, then knew all hope was lost. The captain vainly puts down his megaphone, before saying, "They're fools."

Eric watches as a rocket leaves the deck, shoots for the air, then explodes, before continuing to row.

…

Another officer of the Californian looks into his binoculars again, joining Stone and Gibson at the bridge. He doesn't truly see what is going on, but sees the rockets firing and exploding in the dark, starry horizon.

"What do you think is going on over there, sir?" Stone asks, taking the binoculars again.

"I think they are partying, for they are firing rockets." the officer says, not fully knowing the scope as the Titanic is sinking right before their eyes.

Meanwhile, Titanic still sends messages to her sister ship.

We are in collision with berg. Sinking. Head down. Come soon as possible. Tell Captain get your boats ready. What is your position?

…

Jesse eventually makes his way back to the familiarity of noises above decks. Ignoring his wet clothes, he makes his way to the bitterly cold outside. He looks around; people everywhere were scrambling about. There were families tearfully saying farewell as husbands remained on board. He looked, and saw that most of the people were dressed in fancy evening clothes, while a handful were in night clothes, and one appeared to be in his pajamas and slippers, and running frantically on the deck. His mind suddenly goes to Jack and Rose. "Did they make it out? Did the sudden jolt of the ship trapped them in as well?" Then he had a much better thought. "They probably made it to a boat." He tries his best to weave in and out through a throng of people. Music was heard playing nearby, but the atmosphere was more rushed and panic. More rockets fire off into the sky, then explodes, trying desperately to attract attention to any ships who might be in the vicinity.

...

"We are putting passengers off in small boats. Women and children in boats. Can not last much longer."

...

"Women and children first, please! Women and children first!" a voice calls through the megaphone, as the situation becomes more desperate. Around him, people were crying, others trying desperately to board the lifeboat themselves, only to be pulled out from the officers. Suddenly he hears gunshots ring out as the officers try to no avail to control the crowds; it only made things worse. There are more screams and crying as the scene has now completely deteriorated, as people remaining on deck began trying to jump into the boats, only to be forcefully pulled out of the boats, and pushed away. Jesse ducks down as he makes his way around the now rioting crowd, as he was trying not to be stampeded in the process, and hopefully not get shot at as well.

"Keep order now! Keep order, I say!" a voice yelled from somewhere, as he makes his way towards the front of the ship, hoping that maybe he'll be taken aboard a lifeboat, hopeful to help as an oarsman. Suddenly he hears the voice, something that made him stop cold.

"Lower away!"

He makes his way to the railing. Sure enough, that opportunity he wanted to seize had dropped with that boat, as he was too late.

Ah crap! he thought, then turns his gaze to the horizon, as he listened to a different officer yelling the same commands to the men as they lowered the boat. Somewhere in that horizon Jesse thought he saw a faint twinkle of lights ahead of him. Hope then flooded him.

...

"Engine room getting flooded."

...

That must be a ship. he thought, squinting into the distance even more, as it appeared to him that the lone ship in the distance was either sending Morse, or that the lights were simply twinkling to the sea. Either way, he knew that was no star, as a rocket fires off behind him, shoots for the air, then explodes. He now knew at that point, the Titanic was desperately trying to get the attention to whoever that ship was, as he watches from the crowded railing. Suddenly something catches his eye below. He looks down, in time to see a woman with red curls jump out of a lifeboat back into the stricken liner.

What the—I-is she insane? Jesse thought, Wait, what? Is that-?

"ROSE!" he hollers. He slowly backed away from the railing, before someone runs into him, then violently shoving him aside.

"What the—" Jesse thought. When he saw that dirty blond hair, he instantly knew. He followed Jack as he ran into the entrance to the Grand Staircase. They run down a couple flights of stairs before they embraced each other.

"Rose! You're so stupid! You're so stupid! Why?!" Jack cries, holding onto Rose's face. Rose cries back in response.

"You jump, I jump, right?" Jack looks at her, with tears in his eyes;.

"Right." he says. Then, like an angel from heaven, the couple see Jesse, standing there, hands in his pockets, his hair in a neat swish over his eyes, as passengers flocked to the outside behind him. Jack grabs Jesse as they joined into a tight group hug, all sobbing, for they knew this might be the last time they might all see each other.

"Jesse!" Rose cried. "Y-you made it! Are you alright?" Rose knew this was a dumb question, but she wanted to hear Jesse's voice for the last time.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he says, then brushes his soaking wet hair out of his eyes. Jack then grabs Jesse and embraces him even more tightly now.

"I knew you would make it. I knew you would." Jack says, now sobbing, still embracing tightly, as Jesse could feel the cuffs digging into his back. Jack then puts his head on Jesse's chest, then cried there, while Jesse could feel Jack's body shaking with every sob he made.

They all knew this would be the last time they would see each other, so they make the best of the silly situation, despite the precariousness they were in, but it was a reunion, nonetheless. If anyone of these people did make it off the ship, this would be a moment of remembrance.

Meanwhile Cal had been watching the scene unfold before him, from Rose jumping back into the ship up to the moment Jesse and Jack were all meeting. He could not believe the impulse Rose had pulled, as well as stupid, which was something he had tried to suppress when they were still engaged. Cal couldn't believe she rescued that gutter rat in the first place, but seeing the three of them embrace; that alone made him extremely sick to his stomach. He loathed especially at Jesse; he knew Rose has had a huge love affair on him the first time they were on the Mauretania, and tried to suppress her feelings for him. Then that gutter rat. Rose gravitated towards him that night she tried to commit suicide. He almost got his wish killing Jesse, then the gutter rat. He turns to Lovejoy, as he takes his servant's weapon, then runs down the stairs, hoping to put an end to this charade once and for all.

While the trio are still embraced, Jesse looks up, with a shock look on his face. He had seen that silver thing before.

"Look out!" he yelled. Jack and Rose stops, then looks in the direction Jesse was looking. Cal fires, the bullet nearly hitting Jesse's head, but grazes his hair as he ducked in time, then falls to the floor, while Rose screeches.

"JESSE!"

"Come on!" Jack yelled, then grabs Rose as another shot rings out. Completely unaware Jesse getting back up, Cal continues shooting at the couple, as they ran down the stairs. Cal shoots again, the bullet hitting the water below. As Jesse slowly gets back to his feet, Lovejoy walks past, who was also completely unaware of Jesse's action, as he made his way down the stairs, to meet with Cal. Another shot rang out, somewhere below decks. Then the gun clicks, another shot, then seemingly sounds like the gun jammed.

Cal yells, "I hope you enjoy your time together!" Jesse then hears Cal laugh, then Lovejoy's voice, asking, despite the noise all around him.

"What could possibly be funny?"

"I put the diamond in the coat." Cal says, then yells as loud as he can. "I put the coat on HER!"