RTT Chapter 25 / Greetings From A Titan Part 1

4:50 pm. NUMA and the Navy continued on working to prepare the Titanic's long tow to New York City so that she could finally complete her maiden voyage. It wasn't just the outside of clearing debris from the ship that matter, it was also the inside as well for that was where most of the problems were. On the boat deck, the crew were trying to open up the forward hatch as Pitt and Sandecker looked on.

"It's no good, Dirk, this hatch cover won't budge. It's just as jammed as the others." said Giordino.

"I guess we're gonna have to blast it open with dynamite." suggested Rudi.

"Just forget it," Pitt said. "But with use of dynamite is out of the question. In the meantime, keep the pumps running."

He turned to Sandecker.

"It looks like we'll have to wait until we arrive at New York harbour for the right equipment." he said.

Daniel Matthews, Emily Life, Emily Rose, Kiara Galaway, Kimmy and Arthur were also helping out clearing debris. It really was tough work.

"I didn't think that clear such junk would be this hard," Kimmy said, removing some metal objects. "I'm already worn out as it is."

"That's because you're not fit like us, sister." Arthur said. "Had you worked out like I do, you'd be a well fit women with epic strength."

Kimmy gave her brother a little glare as the others laughed.

"I"m fine with the way I am, big brother," she said. "I'm only just saying that this is unlike the cleaning up we use to do back at home."

"It would've helped out a lot better if Kane Smith were here," said Daniel Matthews. "Speaking of which, where is he? I though he was with us?"

"Last time I saw, he was behind Emily Rose and as soon as I turned around again, he was gone," Kiara said. "He must've gone inside... but to where?"

"He could've gotten lost or perhaps he thought he saw something that maybe we could know about," Emily Life said. "I'm sensing that something's here and we're not alone... and knowing the strange things we experienced with all the supernatural stuff, there could still be more of that to come."

"You mean to say, that a ghost caught Kane and took him away?!" Emily Rose said, starting to get a bit freaked out. "If so, what are we gonna do?!"

"Just chill out will you, Emily!" Kiara said, reassuring her not to get all worked up. "It's in the middle of the afternoon and no one has been sighting anything paranormal. We'll go and search for Kane until we find him."

"At this time?" asked Arthur.

"Yes, at this time," Kiara said. "Now lets get a move on."

And with that, the group went to find their friend, starting to look in areas of the ship that were still in darkness where light could not reach. What everyone could not know is that under the waterline, one of M. Bison's undetected submarines was lurking nearby like a shark stalking is prey while hiding. Bison had ordered it's crew to stand by and keep track of the operation.


Down inside the First Class Dinning Saloon of the Titanic, Kane Smith was being confronted by her human who had called him to be spoken alone in private. The look on her face showed frowning and huge concern and her glow was shining in a dim way.

"Please tell me, why did you call me to be taken down here?" Kane asked her.

"You know fully well why I did," Titanic replied, her tone sounding a bit serious. "I saw my salvage crew trying to break into my cargo hold, thus causing more unnecessary damage to me. Tell me, why are they trying to get in there? I thought you said they were unlike those cold un-hearted shipwreck hunters who only come to take their possessions and sell them to make money. Are they attempted to do that, by wanting to take whatever it is I have in my holds? Please don't lie to me, you never would... you would never lie to me about what will happen to me when these people found and raised me... I want to know, I want to know right by telling me at this moment!"

Kane knew that talking back to her would make her more uneasy and perhaps more demanding. Sensing her emotions, he decided that it was time to tell her the reason of why all this was happening. Sitting down with her, he explained to Titanic about the Byzanium and its purpose. She was surprised and showed signs of being disappointed.

"So that's what this is all about," she said, her head looked down at the floor. "They went to find and raised me... just for this mineral... something that I never heard of, just for war purposes?"

Kane held her hand, noticing that it felt a little cold due to sadness and slight anger.

"Look, we believe that you have a rare mineral that the U.S. armed forces can use for a sound beam that can take down missiles as they enter U.S. airspace," he said. "The americans are in the middle of a Cold War with the Russians and by getting this mineral, it might be the key of ending it. So in someways, you're the answer to all this, Titanic. You could also bring an end to this mayhem that's going on between the two counties. Your salvaging could mark the possible end... or the increase... of a nuclear war."

Titanic was silent, her blue eyes now locked on his, wondering if he was right while still trying to understand everything. She started to get images in her mind that once NUMA and the Navy were finished with her, her wrecked body would be taken away and sold for scrap. She then panicked as she put her hands on her head.

"This can't be happening! I can't be a tool in just for war purposes! I'm a ship of peace! Not violence! Once my crew are done, they'll send me away to be dismantled! That's happened to my sister, Olympic, when she retired! I don't want that to happen to me! PLEASE KANE, I DON'T WANT TO BE SENT AWAY LIKE THAT!!"

Seeing her freaking out and looking stressed, he hugged her close, holding her tightly.

"Please, Titanic, for god sake, get a hold of yourself! I joined in this salvage operation not to recover this mineral, I came because me and my friends wanted to find you, to be reunited with your ship! It was all we cared about in the world and we felt free. You gave us joy, love, hope and the awesome feeling of being alive. Even many years later, we still treasure the memories of it, like the flames of candles that refuse to burn out! As long as we're around, you're not gonna be scrapped or dismantled! Don't worry about that! Me and my friends will use every resource and connection we'll have to make sure you stay out of the scrapyard! Besides, you're too good for the likes of those people anyway!"

"That's what they said about my sister... and look where that got her! She met her end and was tortured to death... despite many wished her not to go, they still went along with it!"

"That was during the Great Depression, when many of us humans were out of jobs and under went hard times! I was there when it happened. Look, Titanic, this might shock you but, after I returned to the White Star Line, I stayed to work on your sister for ten years until 1935, retiring on the same day she was sold for scrap. Since then I never worked on any ships again and have been retired since."

Titanic gasped out loud. This was unexpected from her to hear. Kane Smith, her loved one, who she saved in 1912, had worked on Olympic. She was so stunned and almost speechless.

"You worked... on my sister... while I was on the bottom of the ocean, suffering in darkness... how could this be?! Yet all those years, my sister never told me or even Olympic never mentioned it! She seemed to have forgotten about that and never told me. But since you've brought it up, I can say that both of us had you in our lives before our ends came... but as for my other sibling... the one I never knew until today... I guess she never saw you or had you aboard her in her lifetime."

"Other sibling... you mean, RMS Gigantic?"Kane said, who was sharing a similar expression. "I thought that after you sunk, construction her was canceled!"

"No, she came into being, like me and Olympic... but her name was changed to Britannic... however... she only lived from 1914 to 1916, four years after my own death," Titanic said. "Since then she has been called my "Forgotten Sister" for only me and Olympic have been well known to humans and the history we both have."

"Britannic," Kane replied. "Wait... I swear I remember hearing something about that during my dark years when World War I was there... my memory is mostly bleak on it... but.... I think I remember when I was at Southampton Docks and saw her... but I must've been foolish enough to think it was Olympic... only the nameplates would've told me who it was... god, I should've remembered that there was a third member of the Olympic class... damn it."

"If you can't remember correctly... then perhaps... you could meet them." suggested Titanic.

"Meet them?" Kane replied. "What are you saying?"

"Earlier today, I met my older sister since 1975 and got to meet Britannic and learn about her," Titanic said. "For the first time, we all got together and became a family... it's only my first day back, reborn, and already I'm enjoying my second chance of life! You should get the chance to see them, Kane... maybe when this is all over."

"I guess that would be something," replied Kane. "Seeing your two sisters might bring back some memories that I've forgotten about or even hidden away... but at this moment, the main thing for us to focus on is to get you out of here and into the New York where we'll recover this mineral from you and thus end the Cold War."


Back at the forward hatch on Titanic's forecastle, Admiral Sandecker, Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn were told that the Kiara, Emily Rose, Emily Life, Daniel Matthews, Kimmy and Arthur had gone missing.

"Oh, that's just great!" Rudi said shaking his head.

"They must be looking for Kane Smith." Pitt said.

He turned to Giordino, saying, "Al, you might want to come with me, we've gotta find our friends for I get this feeling that the worse has happened."

"What like some ghost got them or something?" Giordino said. "I hear that strange things happen with this massive girl of steel. After all, she's still a ghost of her former self."

"Ghost ship of not, we're still gonna find our friends," Pitt said. "So stop talking negative and get your butt in motion."