Titanic
By Jon Sleeper
Part IX: Final Resting Place
"Did you see any bodies?" is one of the questions asked most often of those who took part in the 1986 Titanic expedition. Although any human remains have long since disappeared, many poignant relics such as pairs of shoes lying side by side where a body once lay are strong reminders that the Titanic wreck is indeed a gravesite, one which I have long believed should be left undisturbed. Subsequent salvage attempts have altered the wreck site irrevocably and damaged the ship's hull. Our 1986 visit proved that images like this one are far more compelling that the odd artifact removed from its emotional and historical context.
--Dr. Robert Ballard, The Discovery of the Titanic
July 14, 1986. 1:00 p.m.
["This is incredible!"] Ballard clicked for the fifth time in as many minutes.
["Yes Bob, we know it is."] I returned, rolling my eyes. But what bothered me the most was that I was about as excited as he was. One of the reasons I rarely take on a bottlenose form, period. One of the enhancements to my talents was the ability to become any cetacean. But the fact that bottlenoses always seem to be happy disturbs me.
Now I know how Bottle must have felt when he took orca form for the first time. I was really finding it practically impossible to take anything seriously. And now that we'd found the Titanic we really didn't need to remain like this any longer, so I Shifted back to human, and leaned away from the porthole. [[Bottle, we need to change Bob back now.]] I said to him in the formal Cetacean language (known only to a few, Ballard not one of them, as it's mostly telepathy anyway).
[[What? Why?]] He sent back, surprised.
[[You know as well as I do that the longer he stays like that the more entwined with his dolphin self he becomes! If we leave him that way too long we might have to erase his memories of the past few hours completely! And I don't want to have to do that. We'd lose the trust he's gained in us.]]
Bottle thought a moment. [[I guess you're right. I never thought of it like that. Besides, you know we bottlenoses. He's started to take things not quite as gravely as he should…]]
As if in response to Bottle's thoughts, Ballard said, ["Hey! Isn't that a handbag? Great!"]
[[Yes. He's not going to like being forced back into the human mold again, but we've got not choice. I think he's not been in hybrid for too long that we can't leave a few things in tact, though in a sideways manner.]]
[[Are you sure you want to mess with his memory? I hope you paid attention to the knowledge Orca planted in that head of yours. Otherwise you could fry his brain.]] Bottle said.
[[Oh, I paid attention. I've improved several of His techniques, in fact. But don't tell Him that. But put the sub on the bottom and Shift human. We need to talk to Bob a sec.]]
He did, and Ballard said, ["Why are we stopping? The ship's just a hundred feet out in front!"]
"Bob, we thank you for your help, but frankly it's dangerous to let you stay that way for long. I'm sorry, but we have to make you human again."
["What? No! I don't want to! This feels great! I can't even begin to describe…"]
Bottle and I grabbed him before he finished his thought. And he was human again and holding his head in shock. Unfortunately the side effect of my memory adjustments was a pounding headache.
"Oooooohhh…" he groaned. "What happened? The last thing I remember is helping you somehow, but I can't quite recall how."
[[Perfect, it worked,]] I sent to Bottle.
[[What worked?]]
[[I did a simple memory twist. He remembers helping us, but not exactly how. But I haven't locked out those memories completely. He'll have some fantastic dreams throughout the rest of his life. What he did deserves some reward, after all. Orca taught me that.]]
[[You seem to have learned a few things over the centuries.]] Bottle said, then switched back to English. "How do you feel, Doc?"
"Better. But I think I misjudged the two of you. I mean, I'm here, on the bottom, with two dolphins-turned-humans, my crew hasn't been harmed (for some reason I believe you on that account) and the Titanic is just forward of us. Should we be going? And why did I take off my shirt?"
Bottle and I just looked at each other. He shrugged, and Shifted back to hybrid. "Whatever you say, Doc." He said, then went back to the controls of the sub.
We rose slightly off the Bottom, and went forward. "There's a bit of a current here," Bottle said. "Only about three-quarters of a knot, but it's going to be bothersome…" And then we saw it.
The bow had struck the bottom on an even keel, and must have been going quite fast when she did. She was buried up nearly as far as her anchors. If the mud had been any softer the ship would have disappeared into the muck. There was a big intake of breath from the three of us. "There she is…" I said.
"It's like deja vu, you know. It looks like she's still steaming along the bottom, doesn't it?" Bottle said. It was almost frightening, in fact. I knew it was illogical, but somehow I felt like she was going to run us over!
Bottle pumped a bit of ballast, and we rose above the level of the foredeck. In Alvin's powerful lights I saw the huge anchor chains Emily and I had to jump behind when that fatal iceberg had scraped along the starboard side of the hull. And it all came back to me, and I almost lost it to grief once more. We'd saved many lives, after all, but not all of them. To take my mind off, I checked JJ's status lights. "Damn!" I almost yelled.
"What?" Bottle said.
"I should have been paying more attention during the descent! The motors are flooded so he won't work at all! Damn!"
Bottle sighed. "Well, at least we can get our bearings here. I'm sorry, but could you be quiet? I'm fighting a current here."
While Bottle concentrated on piloting the sub, Ballard and I were glued to the portholes. We eventually came up on the bridge. The wheelhouse had been demolished during the sinking, leaving only the bronze rudder telemotor, shiny from years of being polished by the current. "You know, from the ANGUS pictures I thought it was some kind of antenna, I guess I was wrong," Ballard said.
I was hardly paying attention. The sight of that object had brought me flashbacks of that fateful night. I could almost hear First Officer Murdoch yelling, "hard a starboard!" Ballard must have been looking at me when I first saw that object in the murky light. The look on my face might have been embarrassing, if I'd had a mirror.
"You really were here, weren't you?" Ballard said.
"I thought we've been through all that already." I replied, trying my best to control myself.
"Call it lingering skepticism. You people," he looked at Bottle, or rather his dorsal fin sticking up between us. "You people amaze me. To think that all this time, these thousands of years, you've hidden yourselves from us. Your intelligence, your sentience, that is. Why not just have done with it and reveal yourselves?"
"A good question, Bob. I wish I had an answer. From what my Master tells me, we'll do it when the time is right. When humans have achieved their purpose."
"And what is that purpose? If I may ask."
"Space, when you've finally colonized some other world. You've taken baby steps, but Orca says it's not time yet. I wish I had time to explain it, but put simply, Earth is the cradle of life. And life cannot remain in the cradle forever. The Sea of Stars is something that calls to all intelligent beings, even we cetaceans. The humpbacks especially have stories of swimming among them, discovering new things. Curiosity unsatisfied is a horrible thing, after all."
Ballard looked at the floor of the sub. "Well, it looks like our space plans may be on hold, considering Challenger…"
"Don't let that get you down, Bob," Bottle reassured. "Another thing you humans are known for is your persistence. Though you tend to forget certain lessons after a while, you persevere and are better for the experience. This ship out the window here is a perfect example. But I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're coming to a likely landing site I want to test. Take a look."
Out the window was what used to be the dome above the forward Grand Staircase, Bottle was going to test the decking beside the hole that remained. That brought back even more memories. Playing cards with Col. Gracie, Benjamin Gugginheim, and others in the smoking room, eating lunch with the Astors in the Cafe Parisian, having a massage in the Turkish Bath. The simple pleasures of an age gone by.
"Rusticles" (Bob's term) adorned the hull in every place, almost making it look like the ship was crying. It was almost not the only thing that did.
Time must have flown, because Ballard announced, "We're about out of bottom time, I'm afraid. We need to start up in a minute or so. We should be back by dinner, but it's up to you two, of course." Bottle had tested the spot, found it stable, and moved onward. We were slowly moving along towards the stern along the portside. We were sheltered against the current here, Bottle's expert webbed hands (combined with his Sight) kept us moving along safely.
Eventually we came to the twisted metal where the ship had broken in two so many years ago. Then the Titanic slowly disappeared into the dim light. "Time to go up, we're going to be late for dinner as it is." Bottle said.
"Dinner? Bottle, how can you think of food at a time like this?" I replied, somewhat shocked.
"It's an Alvin rule, Darius," Bob replied. "We have to drop weights now. Besides, I have a few more questions for you and I want to find out if my crewmates are really okay."
I sighed. "Fine." Em was so near, and yet so far. I could feel her presence! Then I thought a moment. It was still rather generalized, but seemed focused on the bow. It looked like we were going to have to spend more time looking for her than we'd hoped. Without JJ our Task would be a lot harder, so we needed to get up to the Surface anyway. Bottle flipped the switches that dropped our weights and up we went.
It did not take long to answer Bob's questions, and there was basically no conversation as we rose towards the Surface. Bottle took out a book to read, shifting back to human shape again. "What's that book?" I asked.
"Startide Rising by David Brin. It's about a dolphin-crewed starship in a universe where dolphins are being 'uplifted' into sentience. Good book, actually. Brin comes pretty close to us. He was probably a dolphin in his last lifetime."
"Last lifetime?" Ballard said, confused.
I looked at Bottle for a moment. "Would you mind explaining that concept to him? I need to think a while, and you know about as much as I do."
"Sure thing," he replied. "You see, Doc…"
I was quickly lost in thought. I thought mainly about that, if we couldn't get JJ to work, this whole thing would be a wash and there would be no way to even try to find Em. She could also be in the demolished stern, too, though I doubted it. It would take another dive to pinpoint her. Which made things even more difficult. I thought about these things, and the possible solutions, very deeply until…
"Um… Darius. Do you mind changing back into human form? You're squishing us out of room, here." Bottle said. I was suddenly brought back into reality. And I discovered that I somehow had Shifted into my orca hybrid shape, forcing Bob and Bottle to be almost on top of me.
"Oops! I'm sorry, I sometimes do that if I think too hard…"
"Don't apologize, just change back for Orca's sake!" So I did.
Ballard was looking at me strangely. "You really are that orca, aren’t you?" he said.
"Yes. It's the body I was born with, but this one is just as valid. As Bottle just explained to you, the body is unimportant. It's nothing but a shell. Inside we are all human, or cetacean, or equine, or what-have-you. It simply depends on what you've been in past lifetimes."
"Does this mean that I might have been a dolphin at some point in my existence?"
"Quite likely," I replied, smirking. The light was growing out the window, and a few minutes later we broke into the rolling waves on the surface.
We were immediately surrounded by "divers," most of them actually Beluga, with one or two I recognized as temporary Disciples in hybrid form. Ballard looked at them in wonder. "Wow," he said. "Amazing."
Unfortunately whoever designed JJ's garage did not consider weather like this. We pitched forward once, the divers were not paying attention… and JJ fell out. "Darius!" I yelled. JJ was dropping like a rock! his umbilical line whirring, coming dangerously close to the cutter. And if not caught we'd lose JJ forever…
Darius just looked at me calmly, and whistled. A whistle I recognized as Orca's Call (or a reasonable facsimile, considering what he had been doing the past 3/4 century or so). Suddenly, an orca appeared out of nowhere, and dove for JJ. With my Senses I Saw him grab it, then pull it upward. Darius punched the button that cut the umbilical. We were informed by radio that JJ was well in hand (or flipper). Carefully, I thrusted Alvin forward towards the lift line, it was attached, and we were lifted on board.
The three of us gratefully pulled ourselves out of that sardine can, and to the claps of those on deck. For the first time Bob was seeing Morgan, Eagle, Felina, Bandit, and Lupus in their hybrid forms without any kind of block. "Oh, my God." he said. "Boy, you weren't lying, were you?"
"Nope," I said. I'd explained pretty much everything down below, but seeing them standing there looking like they do is something entirely different. I've never seen a human's eyes bug out more.
I made formal introductions (he'd known them before… but not as what they really were). Then Orca took Dr. Ballard away with him. Apparently Orca had a few things to discuss with him in private.
Cindy walk up to me and gave me a big hug. Boy did I need it after being in that can! "What was it like?" she asked.
"The accommodations left much to be desired. But the ship itself… I can't even begin to describe the feeling. I mean, there she was, just sitting there on the bottom like she'd always been there." Just thinking about it gave me shivers. I kissed Cindy full on the lips (The one thing dolphins can't do). "The sight made me realize just how lucky I am to have you."
"Flatterer. Good kisser, too." She smiled.
"I've had a good teacher." She laughed. Darius walked up a moment later with a man I did not recognize, but who felt strangely familiar. The man had an air of silence about him that was disturbing, and a sadness that affected even Cindy and I.
"Heya Darius. Who is this?" I said.
"You know him, my friend. You know him very well." he replied.
I thought a moment, trying to match his face with any of my memories. Then I remembered just how silly that was. So I switched to my Senses. And it hit me. "Marcus?" I said, incredulous.
At the same time he'd been staring at me, apparently he had the same feeling of haunting familiarity that I'd had. Then his eyes went so wide I feared they'd bug out of his skull. "Bottle?" He said.
"Yes… Marcus?" I replied, unsure.
His face suddenly bent into an expression of anguish, and he rushed up to me an buried his face in my shoulder, sobbing and babbling almost incoherently. "Darius? What…" I said.
"Those are the first words, hell, the first sounds he's made in human form in almost two years, Bottle. Let him cry."
"What happened?" I finished.
"You recall what happened to that ship in Alaska, I'm sure. Marcus was the one I'd assigned to that Task of cleaning up those cruise ships and starting ORCA. I'm afraid that particular Task backfired somewhat."
"Hell, Darius. I knew about that Task. But I didn't know it was Marcus who was assigned to it! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Too caught up in my own duties, I suppose. I could have Called you, but I didn't. I'm sorry for that."
"Oh, don't worry so much. I forgive you." Marcus was becoming more coherent now.
"He blew it up. HE BLEW IT UP!! I trusted that man!" He was yelling. My shoulder was wet by now, and I was getting tired, too. Cindy and I led him to a bench that was set up on the fantail near the A-frame that was used to lift Alvin into the water. Cindy took over shoulder duties after a couple more minutes.
Eventually he stopped crying. And started talking. "ORCA was my pride and joy. I made it so the organization would be self-correcting. Or so I thought. I made one minor mistake. I let a friend of mine found it with me. He turned it into something I did not intend it to be. They gave him a death sentence for his act. Good riddance, I guess." He stood up. "But! the damage he did the Sound will linger for decades! And he killed them all! There were no survivors! And it's all my fault!" He started to sob again.
"Whoa! Just a minute here!" I said. "Why do you say that? Look, saying it was your fault is like saying it was mine that the Titanic sank! No, that man made his own choice and is going to die for it. My only question is, why did you leave ORCA in the first place?"
"Because I felt like I'd done enough. Like I'd been around for too long and in order for the org to progress I had to leave. But… I remember before I left hearing him talk about staring a splinter organization. My leaving enabled him to take control, I think. So he didn't have to. So it's still my fault!"
Cindy spoke up. "No, it isn't. What my bondmate is getting at is that if you'd stayed he still would have split off and most probably done his heinous act anyway, and with more help then himself alone. You had no control over him."
Marcus gave her a dark look. "I know that. But that doesn't help any. I've run the whole thing in my head over and over again. But… bondmate?"
His change of subject caught me by surprise. I smirked. "Yes, bondmate. The light of my life. My strength, my…"
"Oh, be quiet!" Cindy said cheerfully. "You're giving me an inflated ego as it is! You're no slouch yourself, you know."
Marcus smiled a familiar smile for a moment, then realized something. "I'm talking, aren't I?"
"If that's what humans call it, you are." I said it a bit carefully.
He smirked. "I… I guess I've not talked in a while. I didn't even notice."
"But you're talking now," Cindy said. "That's progress. Do you want to talk some more?"
He thought a moment. Thought hard. Pain crossed his features a moment, and he almost started crying again. But he seemed to come to a decision. "Yes… I believe I do."
And so we did. We talked into the night, hot coffee was brought out to us, food too. We talked ourselves hoarse. But Marcus slowly, finally, began to lose the anguish that had forever seemed fixed in his features. Sometimes the conversation was about our personal lives, often in the middle of this he'd switch back to the incident, and we'd just let him be in charge of the conversation.
But as the sun came up we reached a lull. We were silent for several minutes, so I ventured a bit. "So, you're an orca this time around?"
"Oh, yes. Though I can't say I remember ever being anything else, I do remember you pretty clearly now. I just wish death didn't scramble one's memory so much. I'm sure there are lots of good times that we had that I don't remember anymore." He sighed, putting his head in his hands.
"Yes, too bad we're not the same species anymore, I guess. Our size difference alone would cause problems…"
"Boys, in case you've forgotten, you're the same species right now." Cindy interjected. We both looked at her. "You heard me. Just look at yourselves. You're both human at the moment, which shouldn't affect how you think of each other. Besides, there's a lot of fun things that we humans have invented that don't involve swimming."
"You don't understand, Cindy." I said. "He's an orca, I'm a bottlenose. It's just not done…"
"What about your friendship with Darius? And this Emily person?"
"That's different. We're all Disciples."
"So? You're still friends. And besides, didn't you tell me once that your pendant can change you into an orca?"
I'd forgotten about that. But we had to cut things a bit short. Activity on the fantail had picked up as Alvin was rolled out of the garage. JJ had been repaired and worked fine. But I wasn't to go on this particular dive. Darius, Orca, and Ballard were to go.
Before the three boarded the sub, Cindy took Darius behind the sub where I couldn't see them to talk, and as Orca and Ballard waited for him I heard Ballard say, amazed, "I can't believe you did what you did. If what you say is true, then that means all these whales around us are…"
"Yes, Bob. These are the children of the Titanic, the descendents of those I saved. It is the Second Gathering. I've tried to explain to you my reasons for saving them, but I'm not quite sure I understand those reasons myself. Oh, and most of those orcas surrounding the ship are your crewmates. They're having a grand old time of it, you can see." Orca said, referring to a breaching orca off the port side. Then they both went through the hatch into the sub. Darius followed a moment or so later, with Cindy having a sly expression on her face. And I wondered just what she was planning.
Alvin was lifted into the water and down they went.
A whirring, rushing noise awoke me. I'd heard he noise before, but only on the edge of consciousness. But this noise was slightly different. It had a higher pitch than the other one. Then, coming closer all the time, I felt a familiar mind. Darius… I thought. It could be no other.
He was coming for me.
But how could I help him find me? I quickly realized that my stateroom wasn't the best place. But I really wondered just how he was down here in the first place. It had been a long time. How long I did not know. So it was probably within reason to assume that he was using some kind of human technology. Technology I assumed did not include something small enough to get inside the ship and still fit two people.
I resolved to go to him.
But there was one minor problem. I was very much tied up with this stateroom, and the "bubble" I was in did not move. The room itself had not even decayed any. A byproduct of my soul-bond, probably. I couldn't leave the bubble without being killed. But there had to be a way! I opened the door to my stateroom.
The "bubble" edge was visible right on the doorjamb. It was a kind of scintillating blue shimmer. Beyond lay the decayed and debris-ridden corridor, looking eerie and frightening in the light I could generate. There was a sudden thump-and-bang noise as whatever craft Darius was in settled on what I determined to be right near the missing dome of the Grand Staircase. There was another, higher pitched whine noise.
I had only choice. I couldn't leave the bubble. But I had a feeling I could take the bubble with me. I concentrated on my hand, and it began to glow the same color as the shimmer, and I pushed against the border experimentally.
It moved.
I pushed again, harder. On the opposite side of me, the bubble came free of the stateroom wall, which immediately started to change to resemble the level of decay I'd felt around the rest of the ship. The whirring continued, and I put my back and shoulder into it. It came free! But it was like moving a mountain!
But the strangest thing was, as I continued to push the bubble out into the corridor, the area inside the bubble looked new again, as if the ship had never sank. Whatever the bubble was, it did strange things to time. The corridor was dark, and I could barely see in the dim light I could generate. And the bubble was stubborn and hard to move.
As I got closer I began to hear voices. "How much more time do we have?" Asked one, vaguely familiar.
"About ten minutes or so before we have to drop weights. Are you sure this is where you felt it?"
"Yes. I'm sure of it! She has to be here!" The second voice was totally unfamiliar. But the last once made my heart go thump.
Darius. It could be no other. I redoubled my efforts, sacrificing a bit of light for speed. Onward I pushed, until I finally reached the corridor right near where the staircase used to be. But the effort was so exhausting I collapsed, and could go no further. I lay on my back, right below a light fixture that was hanging by a wire, with an interesting bit of animal life that looked not unlike a feather coming out of a part of it. I stared up at it, catching my "breath" (though I did not remember breathing in almost seventy five years, so it was only figurative).
I was so tired I couldn't even maintain my little bit of light. And then I noticed. My bubble was shrinking. I could feel it. The fixture above me should have been in its field of influence, but it wasn't. The bubble was getting smaller, smaller, smaller. Something about that stateroom had kept it powered.
So this is how it ends, I thought. Two miles below the Surface, an impossible amount of time after I should have died in the first place. There's no justice in this universe. As I felt the edge of the bubble creep closer, I mused over what I might be in the next life. Dolphin? Seal? I wonder what it's like to be a bird? It must be at least as great to flap ones wings as it is to flex one's flukes. I guess I'll find out sooner rather than later.
Then the whirring noise, which was only a deck above, got louder. I could see light in the darkness that surrounded me. And then I saw it, in the reflections of its two powerful lights. It was a sort of light blue, boxy, with two black cylinders on the top canted to the sides like rabbit ears. I laughed (or tried to) weakly at the sight. Apparently whatever it was didn't see me yet. In the middle of the front was what appeared to be a roving eye inside a glass bubble, currently focused on the light fixture. "Over… over here!" I tried to yell. But nothing came out of my mouth.
The little boxy thing (funny what humans do think of) whirred around and around, still not seeing me. It knocked against a finger of rust and suddenly the water was filled with reddish dust. The only thing I could see were the glow of the thing's lights. They wouldn't see me at all now, I was sure.
The bubble was now small enough that I was starting to feel the pressure of the water. It was literally squeezing the life from me. So, my death is going to be a painful one. No matter. I'll see you in the next life, Darius, my love. If I remember you. The whirring noise was now so loud it drowned out all other sounds. And then the dust cleared.
Hovering right above me, the "eye" only inches above my face, was the funny box-thing. It suddenly backed off a bit, as if startled. I smiled in a final good-bye. It was surely too late. But then the eye started to glow blue… brighter and brighter and suddenly…
Falling! Pulled, yanked, and forced, I felt the familiar sensation not unlike the Transition that Orca uses to transport His Disciples. Which meant…
Pain! I was in air but I could not breathe! The space was so cramped it was impossible to move! "She's not breathing!" Shouted a panicked Darius. I had my eyes closed.
"Give it just a moment longer, my son." Said the gentle voice of Orca. "A part of her is still bonded with the ship. I'll have it free in a moment." I felt a gentle "hand" pulling lightly. And then I could feel the ship no more. I took an anguished, painful breath and in the wake of that pain, started to cry. "Good, I can sense nothing wrong physically with her. She seemed to have created some sort of stasis field around herself. I'll have to ask you about how you did that later, Em. Right now I think I'll free up some space…" I could see a blue flash even through my shut eyelids, and there was a whooshing noise. And suddenly it was marginally less cramped.
A pair of gentle arms cradled me. "There, there. You're back with me, Em. Finally. You're safe now. We can go home." Darius soothed.
Then I realized that it wasn't the pain of breathing that was making me cry. But the fact I was finally leaving the Titanic for good. "Home," I said, my voice rough from non use. I opened my eyes, and saw his face.
It was the same one I remembered from all those years ago. He was even wearing the same warm clothes that he had been on that night. "As soon as I bring JJ back, my love. We can go. Unfortunately it means I have to let go of you for a short, very short while. Once I get him back in his garage we can drop weights and head on up. Bob, I'd like you to meet Emily O'Donnell." At the abrupt introduction I noticed the other man in the… whatever I was in. It looked and felt uncomfortably like the inside of a tin can.
"Um, pleased to meet you. I'm Robert Ballard." He said.
I really did not know what to say in return. The inside of the… thing was filled with all sorts of bewildering instruments that beeped and flickered and blinked and what-have-you. So it's understandable that my first words to him were, "just what is this thing?"
We talked about it as Darius, with an odd expression on his face, put the little box-thing into its "garage." I learned several things in those few minutes. For instance, it was now the year 1986. "Seventy four years??" I said quietly, amazed.
"Yes ma'am." He said. "According to Orca you've been down here quite some time."
"That's an understatement." We said no more, we were both rather speechless, I think. The clothes he was wearing looked quite odd. Then I realized just how much things might have changed in seventy four years.
A moment or so later Darius announced, "JJ's secure. Let's go." He reached for a couple of switches. I grabbed his hand to stop him. "What is it?"
I sighed. "Can you at least let me say goodbye?" He only nodded quietly, and gestured to a small window in the front of the thing.
The only thing I could see was a the washed out grayness of the hole where the Grand Staircase dome used to be. Little bits of stuff drifted by in the current. I sighed once, very deeply, and said, "Goodbye, my friend. Part of me will always be with you." I sighed again and closed my eyes. "Okay, Darius. Let's go."
There was a thump noise, and as I reopened my eyes my last sight of the Titanic was the hole disappearing into blackness. A tear formed on my cheek, which Darius wiped away. "I know how you feel, my dear. It's hard for me to leave, too. But I have a surprise for you Above. Only two and a half hours away."
We spent the rest of the time rising to the Surface in each others arms, just enjoying the sight of one another's faces, the feel of my hands in his. But as I came into the light I realized something. He was an orca, I was a humpback. That memory put doubts into my mind. "What's wrong?" He said. Damn. I'd hoped to keep it hidden.
I sighed again deeply, and told him. "Em, if it's one thing that I've learned in my life it's that species does not matter. Especially to people like us." He said.
"What do you mean? Once this is over Orca is bound to say He's done with me and I'll go back to my family pod. And we'll never see each other again."
He put a hand to his forehead. "Oh, yes! This was your first Task wasn't it? So you don't know the rules yet. Perhaps I'll just do this to illustrate my point. Let me see your bracelet… no, don't take it off. Just let me hold your wrist around it."
My bracelet. Orca told me it's the only one He'd ever made. He normally used pendants and coins (and the occasional ring) for His Disciples (and for other purposes). But my bracelet was unique. It was composed to two humpbacks that were touching nose to nose and fluke to fluke, with each whale composing half the bracelet. Darius clasped it in his hands so I could not see it. Then he concentrated. After a moment of dizziness I looked at it again. One of the humpbacks had been replaced by an in-proportion orca. "Now we're equal." He said. "Orca has enabled me to become a humpback if I so wish, my dear. I've been practicing my singing, too." He grinned.
"But… but…" I said, stunned. "It's just not done!"
"Boy you're stubborn sometimes." He said. "Look, Em. Look at us right now. We're both human and can become human as we please. We can also both be orcas or humpbacks. One thing you must learn if you are to be a Disciple of Orca is that the body does not matter. Take a look out the porthole there. You might recognize a couple of those orcas out there."
I looked out, and explored with my Senses. [[Hello Emily! Good to see you!]] Said one of the orcas. It was Bottle!
There were two others with him. Another male by his dorsal fin. [[Heya Emily!]] Marcus!
Then there was the third one, with the gently curved dorsal fin. [[Pleased to meet you, I'm Cindy.]] She sent. Then went up to nuzzle Bottle just a bit. I looked at Darius.
"Yes, they are who they say they are. Marcus reborn, Bottle in his other form, and Cindy. Bottle's bondmate. Formerly human."
"WHAT??!" I said.
"You heard me. But you'd never know it, would you? She's quite adaptable. But it just goes to show you. Species does not matter. It's love that counts. Like it or not, Em. We're not normal whales. We are unique and because of this Orca has Called us to be his Disciples. From what Orca has told me you are a natural immortal like I am. So, my love, we are going to be together for a long, long time." Just then we broke Surface. Darius used some kind of control stick to move us towards a ship, and when we were finally lifted on board I was in a bit of a daze.
Darius was quite right, after all. What we looked like did not matter in the slightest. I smiled at this realization. The hatch was opened. "Ladies first?" He said.
"Thank you, my love." I said in return. He smiled.
I gratefully pulled myself out of that cramped space to the loud clapping of those on deck. To my surprise there was a great variety of hybrids. I reasoned that Orca had brought family along, which accounted for the others. Funny, I'd never seen a raccoon hybrid before.
It felt good to be free again! I saw Bottle (it had to be him with that smile!) and his bondmate. He rushed up and gave me a hug. A long one. "Thank God you're safe!" He said. Cindy hugged me, too. She seemed a happy sort, Bottle's perfect match.
Orca was standing aside, talking with Ballard. Telling him that he's restored all his crewmates. "I've doctored all the video and the memories of the others. You will be the only one who will remember anything different happened."
"I really can't thank you enough, really. This has been an incredible adventure to be sure."
"It isn't over yet, Bob. You still have more dives to make. But I think Em wants to talk with me."
"Master," I bowed my head.
"Oh! Stop that! You know I hate it. But it's good to have you back with us, Em. I was starting to fear I'd never see you again. Mother can be so stubborn sometimes. But I think your Task has gone on longer than intended, so I think you need a vacation. Darius, too."
"Yes… I believe you're right." The water looked especially good to me now, I'd not flexed my flukes in a long, long time. Ballard was looking at me strangely. "And special thanks to you, sir. For enabling my rescue. I will remember it always." I left him speechless and walked back over to Darius, who was looking wistfully at the Sothesby from the railing. He'd talked about how he got out here on the way up. "She's a beautiful ship, isn't she?" I said.
"Oh, yes. I brought her out here especially for you, you know. In case you were too tired to swim. I don't suppose you'd…"
"Now Darius, you know me better than that. I'd like a bit of rest, actually. As long as we don't overdo it too much." My family pod was out there, too. And I wanted to meet my parent's great-grandchildren.
We both stood at the railing, looking at the water. Ballard walked up behind us. "Should I have a boat prepared?" He said. Darius looked back at him with a smirk.
"Now what use would we have of a boat?" He looked back at me. "Over the side, my love?"
"Ladies first." I said with a smile, and promptly jumped in, using my talent to fly high into the air, and at least a hundred feet away from the side of the ship. At the top of the arc I changed, making a huge splash in the process. God that felt good! I waited a moment of Darius to join me (also as a humpback) and we took a few minutes to swim around, with him singing for me. What a wonderful voice he had!
About a half hour later we were aboard the Sothesby. Darius shouted, "Make all sail!" in a booming voice reminiscent of his humpback form. He and I stood on the bow as the sun set in a display that, in my mind, would never be matched even as the centuries passed...
-THE END-
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