Titanic
By Jon Sleeper
Part VI: Rebirth
"There is no danger that Titanic will sink! The boat is unsinkable, and nothing but inconvenience will be suffered by the passengers."
--Philip Franklin, VP White Star Line. Apr. 16, 1912
Apr. 15, 1912 2:25 a.m.
Now the real work begins. There was no time to even think about what had happened to Emily or Orca just yet. Darius and I transformed to full orca and stayed as far below the Surface as long as we could. Why? The screams and moans of people freezing to death haunt me to this day. Nothing can describe the sound. To block them out, we talked. We talked and talked and talked as if our minds would burst with the horrible noise from the Surface.
[[I think I know why they aren't transforming immediately,]] Darius clicked. [[Disasters like this require a certain—impact on the survivors. Ourselves included, unfortunately. When the boats are far enough away things will happen. Can't you Sense those who have jewelry above us? They live even though they are suffering with the rest.]]
Come to think of it, I could. They seemed to glow a dim blue to my Sight. Not visible to humans except for Sensitives among them. Of about… eight hundred in Sight about five hundred glowed like that. A good number, considering that there had been some still trapped inside the ship. I'd Heard a good number of pulses from those inside changing, then disappearing.
As we waited, I thought about this killer whale body I now had. God it felt strange! It's not the color, or the size difference, or even the high dorsal fin. It was the difference in my own thoughts.
Orca's namesake (or is it the other way around?) is quite different from my original species in a lot of ways. My thoughts seemed somewhere between bottlenose and humpback. Serious, but with a comic turn that I liked. They did not take things seriously all the time like the humpback, nor did they think life was all fun and games like the bottlenose. They were perfectly balanced, not too much either way. The only real thing that disturbed me was that killer whales had been known to hunt other whales… but never out of anything other than need. No wonder orca used them--us--the most.
What made the whole situation worse for the two of us was that we could still hear the ship sinking. Both the bow and the stern hit bottom with resounding thuds that deafened us for a few moments. [[Emily…]] Both of use clicked in unison. Then we heard something that gave us a bit of hope.
Thump. A sound. Thump It could be nothing else. Thump A heartbeat (?), slow yet strong. Thump. Emily was alive. Thump. [[Let's go find Orca.]] Darius said. I agreed wholeheartedly. The light of those around us who were about to become something else lit our way. There was a feeling of anticipation in the water. Almost tangible, that feeling. Even in the face of all this death, something wonderful was about to happen. A rebirth for hundreds of people, if they wanted it or not.
I flexed my flukes a few times and we were off. God this body is huge! So much for turning on a dime, though I'm going to have to try breaching at least once. We found Orca floating unconscious next to a small iceberg. [[Master! What happened?]] Darius' cry awoke him.
[[Da… Darius? My back aches… Oh, no. Mother. She really did it, didn't she?]]
[[Did what?]] I asked, confused.
[[I'm being punished for interfering. I know what you're thinking, my Children. I can't transport Emily up here. Yes, she's still alive, but my punishment is this, according to what I'm remembering. I'm supposed to wait for some sort of technology related to moving pictures. So I get the feeling that humans will have to be involved in some way. Hell. But chin up, Darius. She is alive.]]
[[Alive? What do you mean alive? What kind of life will she have down there? How long will it take for humans to get that far?! Not even you can dive down that deep without talking to Rockfish! And you know how hard to go to She is! And what's to keep her from starving to death? She'll be dead within the hour anyway for lack of air!]] Darius clicked angrily.
[[My son, my son. How ignorant you are of soul bonds. No. She will not hunger, she will not need air, nor will she age a day. Even time will pass strangely for her. She will last as long as the atoms of the ship do, billions of years if need be. Do not worry.]]
My "brother" was on a roll, though. His next words shocked me. [[Some father you are!]]
[[Father? Me? Darius, whatever gave you that idea? No, I'm not your father. But you've met him on this very night, you spoke to him at length in fact. But it's almost time for the Rebirth, anyway. Come, I've been meaning to tell you for days but for your fouled up memory.]] With a stroke of his powerful flukes, Orca sped off almost too fast for us to follow.
The three of us surfaced for a breath once, then dove below a mass of about fifty glowing bodies. Two of which seemed very familiar… [[It's time for the Rebirth.]] He repeated. Then he cleared his throat. [[AWAKEN, MY ADOPTED CHILDREN!! IT IS TIME!]] He said in a godlike voice that spoke of love and joy, of lives given a second chance. The jewelry responded.
I've never been so busy in my life. The goings on helped me keep my mind off of Emily. Orca transformed people in waves of about fifty at a time. Those who had become bottlenoses or other warmer water species simply vanished right away, as they were supposed to. Most did not—and would not—remember their human pasts immediately. That was a good thing. Some of those who did often panicked and it took all of my talent to calm that person down. If that person was a grey or humpback, it took either Orca or Bottle and myself to do it.
They all transformed in the same way. The glow from their coin or jewelry would grow to almost blinding intensity, they would rip out of their clothes as they increased in size (depending on what they were becoming. The smaller species had a few problems…). Their legs would fuse, body becoming more streamlined. Hair would disappear, head grow larger and realign to be parallel with the spine. Feet would spread wide and flatten into flukes, fingers fused and a stiff membrane widened into flippers. Many would grow dorsal fins of varying shapes, or melons, or snouts. For many baleen would grow in the huge mouths of right, gray, bowhead, humpback, fin, minke, and other kinds of baleen whale. Among the toothed were orca, harbor porpoise, spinner, spotted, pacific white sided, bottlenose, sperm. Too many to list.
They would float up to the Surface and take their first breaths automatically though new blowholes, many had children--whales as well now--by their huge sides. Also sleeping. Then they would just float, waiting for someone to awaken them. Which kept Orca, Bottle and I working overtime.
Reactions varied among those who remembered from horror to excitement: [[I wanted to start over but not like this!]] Sang one new humpback. Orca had not started this unprepared, though. Within an hour of his first transformations pods of natural whales arrived to help the multitude through this difficult time of readjustment.
The adaptability of the human mind never ceases to amaze me. As does Emily's quick mind. Many more of third class than I had thought possible had been saved because of her little "modification" to the jewelry. I never would of thought of it! My resolve redoubled. No matter whose son I am, I am still immortal (and so is Bottle, I think…) and so I would work no matter how long it took to remove Emily from the predicament Nature had put her in.
It was the largest Meeting of other orcas I had ever been to. We had started to separate into our respective species, centered on those who were other Disciples of Orca. In the center of the orca superpod of about eighty, my Master awaited me along with Bottle, and two others who'd actually been with Him since the first group.
[[Darius, I would like you to meet once more your father. Isidor Strauss, and his wife Ida. Your mother.]]
[[WHAT?!]] I clicked in utter shock. Bottle was not far behind.
[[They are your parents in spirit only, but they will remember things with time. Past lives affect us all in ways we cannot predict. The Hindu have it partially right about reincarnation, but it's far different than what they think, it's much more random. Most humans' souls have been something else in the long history of life on this planet. The souls come out of nothingness, blossoming from who-knows-where, perhaps from some other plane of existence. They live here for a time. Perhaps only once, but most of them for at least a thousand years or more. Then they move on, where is a greater mystery. The Creator only knows.
[[But for some the memories of what they have been are strong, and it only takes a change of form to bring out the old ones. You and Bottle, among a very few others, are very lucky. You are biological, natural immortals. You will live as long as I will. But enough of this technical talk. Come meet your parents once more.]]
He did not have to tell me twice! We floated just looking at each other for a long while, staring with our Sight. Sight is a funny thing. At certain frequencies, I could see inside Ida and Isidor. They had the bodies of what would be a human equivalent of twenty five years old. So not only had Orca given them their past physical forms back, but their youth as well. Then Ida broke the silence, and all my doubt was put at rest when she said with apparent amazement, [[Does… does Ape still have that tooth of mine in his hatband?]] She opened her mouth. She was indeed missing a tooth.
Who else could it be but my mother?
I must of spent the next hour breaching! In and out, in and out! Each time I was inspired to make higher and higher leaps into the air. But I'm not a bird, so after I'd nearly exhausted myself in joy the three of us finally just talked. We talked until the dawn came and Bottle told us, [[I'd hate to interrupt your little reunion, but Orca is about to give us all a speech.]]
It was nearly midmorning The many groups of almost thirty species of cetacean left (others could not last in this water temperature) had arranged themselves into pie slices, centered on Orca. [[Word has just reached me via Ape.]] He began. [[The Carpathia has rescued the other survivors, and has set course for New York. Because of this, I thought now would be a good time to answer questions.]]
[[Um…]] One began. [[I got a question. Is this a dream or something? What am I anyway? Some kind of fish?]]
[[That's three questions,]] Orca replied cheerfully. [[But no, this is not a dream. You are a humpback whale. One of my most musical Children. You are not a fish. You still breathe air, and your wife will have live young. But how do you feel otherwise? You're not angry?]]
[[What good does it do me to get angry, gov? I left England to start over, a new life for my entire family. We bought our tickets with the only money we had left. We had nothing but the clothes on our backs. I've got no skills, not had a job in years. So we would of had nothing to begin with. So, my wife and I have been talking… and I think we like it better this way. From what one of the others was telling me you live by your wits out here. You roam the oceans, free as a bird if you take my meaning. Don't have to worry about a roof over your head. What more can a man ask for?]]
That was common sentiment among those who had been in steerage, those who remembered, that is. Those who did not remember had left the area already, they would have been very confused by this talk. But there were others who were not as happy…
[[What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies?! What are you anyway? And why have you stolen our humanity?!]] Yelled one irate beluga.
[[What gives me the right?]] Orca began darkly. [[You really want an answer?]] The beluga's flexible head nodded in the human manner. [[Not what, my adopted Child. Who. You can bring him up now.]] Two greys brought up another orca, he seemed rather depressed, his head hung limp in a human-type expression of guilt, and he seemed too depressed even to move. [[What's your name?]] Orca said. [[Come on, answer.]]
[[Thomas Andrews.]]
[[And what was your job on the ship?]]
[[I helped design her.]]
[[How critical were you to the choice of the number of lifeboats on board the ship?]]
[[Very critical. I… I should have gone for more! I designed the ship to take sixty four boats. Then Ismay decided to go for the minimum of sixteen! I should of said something! It was hard enough to get them to agree to the additional four collapsibles! But I feared for my job…]]
[[Your job… what good does it do you now? What should you have done?]]
[[If I had pushed for more boats we'd all be aboard the Carpathia!]]
[[Actually, no. Mr. Andrews, there would not of been time to load all those boats in the first place. You are not at fault. There are perhaps two where the blame could be placed. Do any of you know who those people are?]]
The beluga thought a moment. [[Ismay and Captain Smith?]]
[[Somewhat, they both share the blame. Ismay will suffer the rest of his life for it, my Brother Ape has seen to that. Smith ignored all those ice warnings. But where is Smith? I thought Darius had given him a coin… Darius?]]
[[I don't know where he is…]] I replied. In fact, it would be one of the greatest mysteries that I would ever face. All I know is that he did not die on that ship.
[[That satisfactory?]] Orca continued. [[Good. As for your other two questions. I am what you might call a guardian spirit of a sort. I am here for the benefit of all whales, I just choose to look like an orca for personal reasons. I can be any whale I please.]] He demonstrated by instantaneously becoming a beluga, humpback, dolphin, and a couple others. [[I am here because my Mother, whom you would call Mother Nature, needs beings like me and my Siblings to take a more personal interest in individuals. Which is why I'm going to suffer for a long, long time until a special someone is rescued from the deep…
[[What gives me the right? The simple fact that I just could not let you die! I am not limitless, though. That is why some still perished. I could not make enough coins and jewelry to save everyone. The simple injustice of not having enough boats is enough. Yes, you are not human anymore. But does that really matter? Your soul is that of a whale, think a moment and you will remember all of it. The body is immaterial, Child. It's only a shell, do not place too great a value on it. When you die, your core of being will be recycled into something else. A fish perhaps, a bird, a horse, a dog, another whale. Even through this rebirth, the soul retains it's individuality, what makes it unique among the others. Even through this, I did not want to have to have you go through the pain of rebirth again. I need your memories in tact. So chin up, my Child. You are still yourself, no matter that you have flukes instead of legs.]] Orca took a big breath.
[[ALL OF YOU! DID YOU HEAR ME? THE BODY IS NOT THE IMPORTANT THING! IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT MATTERS! All of you, at one point in your soul-lives, have been one of my Children. I have merely restored what once was. In fact, I actually recognize a few of you. So do not worry, have patience. You will be rewarded for it. You will die and start over yet again, in the endless cycle of death and rebirth. Yes, it is a painful process, but necessary.
[[Now, are there any other questions?]]
There were many, many more. Orca answered them all to the best of His ability. Eventually it had to come to an end, though. Not all were happy about their situation, but since there was really nothing they could do about it most accepted their lot. [[Things will change.]] Orca had said. [[I can see the future somewhat, and in the possibilities I see a century with more change in it than any other. This ship will be a major part of that change. Indeed, it has already started. Man will realize that in this century that they are more connected with Nature than they think. Sometimes it takes a slap in the face to realize it.]]
[[If Nature slapped any harder She'd have to blow up the planet,]] I clicked quietly to Darius, who nodded in response. Before the "Gathering" (it would be called) of whales broke up, the band played. Sang, rather. Four of them were humpbacks, two belugas, and two orcas. They sang a dirge to the fallen, a new version of "Nearer My God to Thee", in memory of those who died. A song that had never been heard in the Sea before. Their musical ability seemed to have carried over into their new forms. If whales could cry, than we did with that song.
Then they surprised us. They then sang something which they assured had been just composed on the spot. This tune was like nothing else, it spoke of lives given a second chance, of love towards the one who had saved them, and made the future seem mysterious, yet inviting. The Gathering broke apart on a positive note, with animated clicking and singing of may questions asked by the old/new whales to their natural-born pod-mates.
That left Orca, along with Darius, me, and the other new orcas alone in the waters next to a large iceberg. Of the eleven hundred we had saved, perhaps four hundred of those had retained their memories. The majority of those were orca, humpback, and bottlenose. With other species having at least one representative. With the rest gone, there were now about eighty orcas in the water around me. All talking and talking and talking. [[Don't you guys ever shut up?]] I asked Darius jokingly.
[[Nope,]] He replied. [[You think bottlenoses are talkative, well, you've been pretty gabby yourself today.]]
[[Yeah, it's very strange. You know that I've not even thought about Emily for hours? I can still hear that thumping noise, too. I just… don't feel sad about it anymore. What about you?]]
[[Yes, I've had that feeling too, come to think of it. I wonder what…]]
[[Good,]] Orca said in a sad voice behind us. [[Then Mother did what I asked.]]
[[What are you talking about?]] I said.
[[I asked Mother to put in a funnel of sorts for all your melancholy feelings about her. The funnel goes into me.]] He was the most depressed I've ever seen Him. That worried me.
[[But Master! Why?]] asked Darius.
[[Because I can't have you two with fuddled wits right now. This is going to be a hectic hundred years or so, and I can't afford to have you two waste time with grief and loss. I have lived so long that I can't tell you how many times I've dealt with such feelings. It hasn't made it any easier, though. I'll recover. But on to the Task I have for the both of you.
[[Bottle, after I brief you I'm sending you back to the bottlenose entry point with the knowledge you need to answer their questions. Darius, I will leave you to take care of things here. I'm going to be gone for a while, so I'm investing the both of you with certain… powers. Including the ability to draft temporary Disciples for whatever needs doing. You two are going to be in and out of the water a lot, I can tell you. Any questions?]]
[[Yes,]] Darius started. [[What will happen to Emily? I mean, how long will it be until we rescue her? When will you be back, anyway?]]
[[When humans discover the wreck with their technology, we will be free to do as we must to free her. That was one of Mother's stipulations. Another one, unfortunately, is that you will forget this position until it is found. Also, the day the wreck is found is the day I will return from my… vacation. Do me well, you two. I have faith in the both of you.]]
[[One last thing, Master.]] I said. [[What do we do until humans find the wreck?]]
[[The only thing we can do. We wait.]]
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