1 Chapter 1

24 year old James Moody, the Sixth Officer of the luxurious RMS Titanic, felt weird for an unknown reason. Did he ever actually fall asleep? He surely couldn´t remember any dreams coming to him. Seems to be more drifting between conscious state and unconscious state, rather than an entire sleep, dreamless or not. Yet, despite this somewhat loss of slumber, Moody didn't feel tired, or at least, not enough for falling asleep. With eyes already adjusting to the dark, Moody looked around his small, neat room. Was it just his tired mind, or his mind in general, playing tricks on him or was he spotting silhouettes? Truly, he could debunk some things such as his closet, or his dresser, or whatnot. There was the silhouette of his uniform, which hung on its usual hanger on the closed doors of his closet, as well as the silhouette of the case which held his electric guitar. No matter. As Moody layed back down, his eyes spotted the time on his nightstand clock, which read 3:12 am. Was it really only twelve minutes since he turned in from watch duty that he accompanied First Officer Murdoch with?! It felt like hours…yet… it was only twelve minutes?!. It was the junior officer's duty to help the senior officer, so a junior officer was usually working at the bridge at the same time as a senior officer was on watch. Finally, Moody rolled over, hopefully finding some measure of sleep, and to find it quickly. But only about a moment or two later, there came a noise… which caused Moody to open his eyes again. Now with all feelings of sleep suddenly gone, James sits up and turns the bedside lamp on. His eyes locked on the closed door of his room. The noise didn't come from within the room, but, rather, from outside the threshold of the door that the young officer was staring at. James stayed sitting in his bed for a good long while or so, listening to see if any noises once again ring out, but when time passes, and no other noises are heard, James finally moves, although cautiously, as he began to approach the door. As he did so, his mind thought over what, where and how the noise occurred, as well as why. To a part of James´s mind, it sounded like a cup or a plate falling or being knocked over by someone, along with the sound of smashed glass or fine China. But who would be around things such as cups and plates at this time? Was it just one of his superiors, as he was the youngest of Titanic's officers, both in age and in rank? With his hand now resting upon the door knob, James looked back at the clock, which now read 3:28 am, showing that time had long since passed, especially during the period where Moody was frozen in his bed, as he listened for any out of place sounds. Turning back towards the door, Moody grasps the door knob a bit tighter and begins to turn it as the door slowly begins to open. The Officer's Quarters were dark when he fully opened the door and looked both ways. Looking to the left, he saw nothing but an empty corridor and the closed doors of the rooms of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe, Third Officer Herbert Pitman, Second Officer Charles Lightoller, First Officer William Murdoch, and Chief Officer Henry Wilde. Officer Lowe´s quarters being the closest to Moody´s, and both the quarters of Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and Captain Smith himself were on the opposite side and hidden from clear view from the rooms that were in the middle. These rooms include things such as the chart room, as well as places that were labeled on Titanic's blueprints as ´vent´, ´fan´, ´trunk´, and even one that says ´boiler casing´. Although Moody had the smallest cabin out of all the officers, his was the closest to the corner that led to Boxhall and Captain Smith's side. There was not an unusual sound until-there!-That sound again! Only… it was different… it sounded like a loud thump. It came from the room across from him! From what he thought he heard, it sounded like it came from the officer's lavatory. Was it just something falling from a self? Or was there someone actually in there? If the noise had unexpectedly came from the Mess Hall, then Moody wouldn't have been able to hear it, as the Mess Hall was further down aft, more so by Titanic's third funnel. And if the noise Moody was hearing was truly real, then why have none of the other officers been woken up by it? The door was closed but he could see no lights from under it. At this time of the night-or early morning-officer Wilde would be up and out on the bridge, while officer Murdoch would already be fast asleep in his bed, For a moment, Moody thought he should get one of the other officers, or perhaps the Captain, but Captain Smith was asleep himself as well. And anyway, what good would it be to raise the alarm on what just might be a fallen object or so? Moody would have to find out for himself first before he decided if he needed to get assistance and/or help. With cautious steps, Moody approached the closed door of the lavatory. Stalling from opening the door, he gently knocks upon it. ¨Anyone in there?¨ He asked, his voice soft. There was no response. He grasped the door knob, finding it unlocked. Lightly biting his tongue, he began to slowly open the door ever so slightly. At first, it was just wide enough to peek his head inside. When he did, he thought he could smell a copper-like smell, and could even taste it in the back of his mouth. There were no lights on, so Moody couldn't see anything until he reached for the lightswitch. When the lights flicked on, Moody was met by a puzzling, confusing, and even somewhat horrid sight… the small bathroom was beautifully designed… except for the spider web of cracks in the small mirror above the sink… which wasn't there in the past, or the last time Moody had occupied the room. From the center of the cracked mirror, there was what looked like blood, as if whatever created the cracks was bleeding either before or after they smashed the glass. Maybe that's what caused the individual to bleed? But who would do this? And why? Inside the sink, was what looked to be more blood, and a lot of it, too! Usual items that normally sit by the edge of the sink have fallen over, not just a usual fall, where the object fell on its own, but rather, like they were knocked or pushed off, more so accidentally than it being an intentional act. As just about anyone-or exactly everyone-would conclude, all this blood had to have come from a human, but there was no one besides officer Moody inside the room, and he was certain above all that it wasn't his blood. And if the blood happened to be from an animal, then the best bet would be Officer Murdoch´s pet, Rigel, who was a black Newfoundland dog. But wasn't he in the kennels? Or was he sleeping with Murdoch? But one way or another, that theory didn't make sense. Although there wasn't much to go off of, officer Moody thought he sure better get some help. He could imagine Captain Smith not being very pleased to hear Moody hiding a strange and likely dangerous situation. Rushing back to his room, he quickly changed into his uniform. No way would a normal person sleep after encountering something such as what Moody discovered. Since the only person he knew to really be awake was on watch duty at the bridge, Moody didn't really know who to inform, and he also would be lying if he said he was 100% comfortable with waking the other officers up, especially during the times when they're not needed. They don't get much sleep, ya know. And it's things like the watch duty that disrupt the flow of a normal sleep schedule, or at least for the three senior officers, which is Wilde, Murdoch, and Lightoller. Moody then decided to get the next closest officer in rank, which is Officer Lowe. If it comes to the task of bothering another officer at almost 4 in the morning, Moody would actually feel a bit better with Lowe already joined in. Walking softly, James gently grasped the door knob of Lowe's room, somewhat actually relieved that it was found to be unlocked. Slowly opening it, he peeked inside. Silently swallowing, he crept in. When he reached the side of Lowe's bed, he reached out to shake his friend awake. "Hey," he whispered. "Harold, wake up." After another shake or two, he heard Lowe groan sleepily. "James?" He said. "The hell are you doing up? Damn, it's almost 4 am!" Said the fifth officer. "I need assistance." Said Moody. "With what?" Lowe asked. "Come here and I'll show you." Said Moody. Lowe figured he'd just help with whatever the hell Moody was doing at about 4 am. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until he provided his assistance. Walking out into the corridor, he saw Moody by the bathroom. He squinted as his eyes began to adjust. As they did, and as he walked closer, he could see what was being displayed to him, and by the time his feet touched the edge of the door's threshold, he stared in confusion and perhaps a small bit of horror. "Dude…" he began. "Did you do this?!" "No. I only discovered this. I heard what sounded like crashes, and I guess my curiosity got the better of me. Truth be told, I hadn't really done much since the majority of us are asleep. I mean, Officer Wilde is awake, but he's on watch duty." "What about Boxhall and Pitman?" Asked Lowe. "I guess so… I mean, it may be better than waking up people like Murdoch… or especially the Captain!" Moody replied. "Well, speaking for Officer Murdoch, he just got off of watch duty only about a half hour ago, and I think we both know how Mr. Murdoch is when he gets less sleep than usual. Waking him up at this moment in time would be a death sentence for the both of us." Lowe mused. "Wake Boxhall up. I'll wake Pitman." He then said. With a nod, Moody walked off in the direction of Boxhall's quarters. Meanwhile, it was only about a minute's time before Lowe arrived at Pitman's quarters. He knocked lightly upon the door. After a moment of nothing, he knocked a little harder. "Mr. Pitman? Would you be so kind as to wake up? Mr. Moody and I need assistance from a third party, and Mr. Moody is currently fetching Mr. Boxhall." There was another moment of silence. "Mr. Pitman?" With the door unlocked, Lowe poked his head inside. Either Herbert Pitman was a really deep sleeper, or he wasn't even there… from what Lowe could hear, he couldn't even hear any breathing. Lowe flicked the lightswitch… to see a tidy, but empty, room. Herbert wasn't there… but the question was, where is he? And where did he go? Meanwhile, Officer Moody was fetching Officer Boxhall. "Mr. Boxhall? It's Mr. Moody. Mr. Lowe and I have encountered an unexpected situation, and we need some assistance." Just like what happened with Lowe, Moody waited with nothing but silence as a reply, and finding the door unlocked, he entered partly, much how he did when he was first fetching Lowe. Inside the room, Moody could hear no sound, and flicked the switch for the lights. When the darkness was banished, he found… Joseph Boxhall… was gone… when the two junior officers met back up again, they both said that the officer they went to fetch was gone… as well as the feeling of surprise when they heard the words come out of the other's mouth. "Alright… Mr. Wilde is on watch, yes?" Asked Lowe. Moody nodded. "Go ask if he happened to see Pitman and Boxhall." With another nod, Moody hurried off, while Lowe went to change into his uniform.

"Mr. Wilde?" Chief Officer Henry Wilde partly turned around to see Mr. Moody. "Ah, Mr. Moody, what are you doing up this early?" He asked. "Nothing special." He lied, as well as hesitating before he gave his answer. "Have you seen Mr. Pitman and Mr. Boxhall, sir?" Henry looked up at the sky, although not moving his head, as he thought. "No, not that I remember. You're the first one I've seen since I relieved Mr. Murdoch, in fact. And given that you do a secondary watch with the man, I'd assume you'd be fast asleep in your cabin." Replied the chief officer. He was right, of course. "Why? Is there something wrong?" He then added. "No, not really… I - I mean, Officer Lowe and I did discover a bit of a situation, but you're on watch duty, sir!" Moody explained. "...alright?.." Wilde said, a bit confused. "But truth be told," he began to add. "I guess it might be best if someone stays at the bridge." With another nod, Moody headed back inside to meet Officer Lowe, who was standing by the still open lavatory door, now dressed in his uniform. "So has he seen them?" Lowe asked as Moody approached. With a shaking of his head, the sixth officer said, "no", although he wished that was a lie. "Well, if we're still heading in the direction of upperclassmen crew assistance, then our only other options are Lightoller, Murdoch, and if absolutely needed, Captain Smith." Said the fifth officer. "Lightoller first?" He then added. Moody nodded. At a hurried pace, the two junior officers make heel to fetch the second officer. After they knock, they hear a tired groan coming from the other side, another moment or so later passes before the door opens a bit, and a tired Charles Lightoller in his pajamas comes into view. "Mmm… may I help you two?" He asked. Without any words spoken, they signaled for Lightoller to follow them while Moody and Lowe went back to what felt like their normal post outside the Officer's lavatory. At a much slower pace, Lightoller followed. "What the hell did you two do?" He asked after his mind took in what his eyes were seeing. "We didn't do this, sir. It was I who discovered this when I heard a crash." Said Moody. "Mr. Boxhall and Mr. Pitman are missing as well, sir!" Chimed in Lowe. "We went to them for assistance before we came to you, but their quarters were empty. Mr. Moody even asked Mr. Wilde if he had seen them, but he says he hasn't." Lowe explained. "You mentioned to Mr. Wilde that they're missing?" Asked Lights. "...no, sir…" Moody hesitated. Lightoller looked at Moody for a bit, as well as the occasional glance at the scene in the bathroom and to Lowe. Lightoller rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "Alright… did you tell him about this?" Lightoller asked, pointing inside the bathroom. The silence told Lightoller that the matter hadn't been told. Sighing, he planned the next move. "Alright, you two tell the whole situation, and truth, to Mr. Wilde. Meanwhile, I'll get changed into my uniform and take the precaution of alerting Mr. Murdoch." "Be prepared to face the wrath of the Scotsman…" Said Lowe. It was a sentence that was said in the face of humor. While it was a bit humorous to Moody, Lightoller just seemed to look at Lowe before giving an annoyed kind of smile. "Get to the bridge." He added.

"Sir?" There came the voice of Officer Moody again, and Wilde turned around. "Mr. Moody, nice to see you again. And you've brought Mr. Lowe with you this time. Again, may I ask what you need?" Said Wilde. "Mr. Boxhall and Mr. Pitman have gone missing, sir." Said Moody. "Oh?" Wilde said in confusion. "There's also a bit of a situation in the bathroom." Added Lowe. "What kind of situation?" Asked Wilde. "We're not really sure…" Said the fifth officer. "There's someone's blood in the Officer's lavatory." Moody then said. It seemed as if the two junior officers were taking turns spilling out the situation. "We're not sure who it belongs to, as well as the mystery of the smashed glass of the bathroom mirror." He added. "Mr. Lightoller sent us to tell this to you." Said Lowe. "Alright…" Said Wilde, who was willing to leave his post at the bridge to get involved with whatever the hell was going on. When the three entered the Officer's quarters, they saw that Lightoller had taken the risk of waking Officer Murdoch up, who was standing just inside the door's threshold in his pajamas, obviously tired, but at the same, sporting confusion, as he was probably trying to process what he was being told. Moody figured that the only real reason that Lightoller woke his superior was because the situation was beyond dire, and/or a situation came up and Lightoller had no idea how to go about it. As the other three walked past, Moody took notice of Murdoch looking at them. To others, it may have looked like a glare, and maybe it was, but once again, there could, and maybe was, the present fact that the man was tired-if not practically exhausted- as well as the same presence of that same tired confusion, and perhaps another emotion, an emotion that didn't truly leak out until Murdoch had a first glimpse at the scene. This also went the same with Officer Wilde, who had not yet gazed upon the scene yet. But while Wilde had the shock, surprise, and confusion, it was different than what was bleeding through the expression of Officer Murdoch. "Mr. Murdoch," Moody began, after swallowing. His throat felt dry. "Are you alright?" He added. Murdoch blinked a few times before rubbing his forehead, as if he had a headache, and who's to say he didn't? "Uh, yeah… I'm fine." He mumbled, partly coughing and clearing his throat. Even as Murdoch stood there rubbing his forehead, his eyes closed, he could feel the eyes of the others on him. He felt tired, and dizzy. His head started to pound. First, just like a normal headache, but then, it seemed to intensify to the point where the first officer had unconsciously seemed to fall onto his knees, holding his head in pain. "Will? Are you okay?" Asked Wilde, concern obviously clear in his voice. William Murdoch didn't respond, as he just moaned and groaned in pain. Any coughs that happened to escape between his pained groans turned to be splatters of… blood… when the Scotsman first started to rub at his head, Moody noticed something… Murdoch's right hand had several cuts on it, both big and small. They were clearly noticeable, as there were no band-aids or bandages covering them. But it wasn't until now that it was commented upon. "Mr. Murdoch, what happened to your hand?" Asked Officer Lowe, as he was alerted by Moody through a whisper. Lightoller took a glance at the two junior officers before quickly approaching the first officer and grabbing his claimed injured hand. Cuts lined his fingers and knuckles as well as on his palm, where one or two deep large ones were. "William, did you smash the mirror?" Lightoller asked, glancing at the long since smashed mirror. By now, Murdoch's head was beyond pounding, and his mouth was bloody. "Mr. Lowe, Mr. Moody!" Lightoller commanded, his head practically snapping in the direction of the two officers. "Get the Captain! Now!" No extra words were needed to be spoken, nor any extra time lost due to hesitation, as the two ran off.