The new Voyage
Chief Engineer Jonas Jones reported that refuelling was completed. First Officer Jeffers presented the figures for the returnees — of the two hundred passengers who'd gone ashore, eighty-five had returned. Out of fifty crew who'd left, twenty-six were back on board. The cruise line's dockside food storage facility was found to be intact and an emergency generator used to keep it frozen had apparently only failed within the past few days, leaving nearly all of it in edible condition. This had been brought on board, together with several tonnes of tinned foods which Jeffers had 'liberated' from various supermarkets.
'Very well, gentlemen,' said Captain Smith, 'let's get her underway.'
***
Jimmy was back in the Times office, typing up a story. He'd interviewed a number of the returning passengers about their experiences in Miami, and he was depressed even writing about it. The city was a mess.
He had paused as the engines started up, then forced himself to continue writing. They were off now, on the next voyage of the Titanic. There were new adventures to come, he was sure of it. Yet he felt empty.
Alone.
He was alone, as Ty Warner was too frightened of being attacked again to return yet. But — alone alone.
Jimmy typed for another five minutes. He reread what he'd written.
It was rubbish.
He deleted it and started again.
There was a knock on the door.
'Get lost, Ty, I'm busy.'
It was knocked again.
'I'm serious. Just leave me alone.'
When it was knocked for a third time, Jimmy leaped from his chair and yanked it open. 'Will you just. . .!'
He stopped.
'Hello,' said Claire.
'Oh.'
'What's got you all fired up?'
'Uhm. Nothing. What are you doing here? I thought . . .'
'Job to do, haven't I?' She slipped past him into the office and crossed to her desk. She pulled out her chair and sat down.
Jimmy remained in the doorway. 'Claire?'
'It's no big deal. We couldn't get anywhere near the airport — every road is blocked. Miss Calhoon got eaten by wild dogs. We decided to come back to the ship.' 'Miss Calhoon . . .?'
'Torn to pieces, actually.'
Jimmy cleared his throat. 'I don't suppose you . . .'
Claire gave him a look. 'No, I didn't get any photos of it. And you are one sick individual.'
Jimmy closed the door. He returned to his own desk. He typed something. Without looking up he said: 'I passed by the gangplank two or three times, you know, interviewing people. I didn't see you come back.'
'No, we were late. Daddy borrowed a little speedboat and we caught you up.'
'Ah. Right.'
Claire studied her own computer. Without looking up she said: 'All that stuff, you know when you woke up, and then on the dock, when we said goodbye . . . I was just upset about Pedroza getting shot dead like that, and then me having to leave the ship. I didn't really mean any of it.'
'I know that.'
'I just want to do the paper.'
'That's OK. Me too.'
'It's important, and it's fun, and there's no point in spoiling that.'
'Absolutely not.'
They both nodded.
'Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking.'
Captain Smith's voice crackled out of the public address system. Jimmy and Claire looked up at the speaker on the wall. All over the ship, people stopped what they were doing. In the engine room the engineers paused; in the kitchens the catering staff wiped their hands and stood listening; by the swimming pool mothers stopped applying sun cream and children quietly trod water.
'We are now setting sail on the second voyage of the Titanic. Our journey will take us along the east coast of the United States of America. We at White Star Line and the Titanic take very seriously our responsibility to our passengers and crew. We have already been through difficult times, and you may be sure there will be many more ahead, but it remains our primary duty to ensure your safety. Only the good Lord above knows how long our journey will be, but it's important that we all work together to ensure our continued survival. If you're a doctor at home, volunteer here. If you're a carpenter or an electrician, a baker or an accountant, we need your help. Even if you have no profession, you can be trained. The Titanic is the greatest ship ever built, but it needs your support. Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy the trip.' There was a short pause. 'And now for an important message from First Officer Jeffers.'
'Thank you, Captain.' Jeffers cleared his throat, then gravely announced: 'The public toilets on Level Four are blocked, please avoid using them until further notice. And Dr Hill has reported an infestation of fleas which is believed to be due to a small dog that boarded at St Thomas. If you spot this dog, please notify a member of the crew immediately. Approach it with extreme caution. Thank you.'
THE END