Titanic 2020 t2-1 by Colin Bateman Read Free Book Online

countries, you understand, but to defend against other countries that might attack using their own poison gases. One bottle contained a very, very deadly poison gas. The other also contained a very, very deadly poison gas, although slightly different. But what Cameron and Patrick achieved by throwing these bottles into the air and smashing them was something the scientists at Boris Bio Tech had never even dared attempt. They mixed the contents of the two bottles.
    ***
    Back on the
Titanic,
meanwhile, the earthquake remained just a small item in a newspaper almost entirely compiled by Jimmy Armstrong. When Scoop finally returned, later that afternoon, he wasn't looking well at all. His eyes were red, his skin blotchy and his brow damp. Jimmy had surprised himself by how much he'd enjoyed rewriting the stories and then slotting them into the newspaper, and he was anxious to show the nearly finished product to Scoop, but Scoop was too miserable to even look. He said, 'I'm sure it's fine . . . I'll look at it later . . . have to lie down.'
    The suite where the paper was produced had a small bedroom at the rear, and it was into this that Scoop rolled.
    'What . . . what do you want me to do?' Jimmy asked from the doorway.
    'Whatever you like . . .'
    'Do you want me to get a doctor?'
    'No . . . sleep . . .' Scoop hauled himself out of the chair and on to the bed. 'Tired . . . Oh, they found your uniform . . . so be . . . careful. Captain gave me this . . . thought there might be a story in it . . .' Scoop pulled something small out of his shirt pocket and tossed it towards him. 'Catch . . .'Jimmy caught it. His lucky penny. 'You can . . . tell me . . . all about it. Later . . .'
    Scoop's head fell to one side and he immediately began to snore. Jimmy turned the coin over in his hand. He'd forgotten all about it and its stupid history. Well — with Scoop sleeping and his work on the paper finished, now was as good a time as any to get rid of it. He would go to the tallest point on the ship — the climbing wall on the top deck — and chuck it into the sea from there. Jimmy didn't believe for one moment that it was unlucky or cursed, but he would do it for his granda, who clearly did.
    As he turned to leave the room he was surprised to see two prosthetic legs standing in the corner behind him. He smiled to himself. Maybe these were the legs Scoop had intended stretching earlier. He wondered why the old man preferred to use a wheelchair. Still —
none of my business.
He gently closed the door.
    ***
    His intention was to get rid of the coin, but there were, of course, distractions along the way. On the twelfth floor he discovered an amusement arcade which he hadn't noticed on the floor plans. He spent an hour playing pinball. He played a one-sided game of air hockey. There was a vintage
Star Wars
game which involved an attack on the
Death Star.
He played that nine times in a row, slapping the machine in frustration each time he was burned to a crisp. When he climbed out of the machine, Claire Stanford was standing there, with her arms folded.
    'Oh,' said Jimmy.
    'So you're the little twerp who ran away to sea.'
    'So you're the owner's stuck-up daughter.'
    'How dare you!'
    'How dare you!'
    'You're in so much trouble!'
    'You're in
so
much trouble!'
    'Stop that!'
    'Stop that!'
    'You . . .'
    'You. . .'
    'You are—'
    'You are . . .'
    'You are not funny!'
    'Oh yeah?'
    'Aha — didn't copy me that time!'
    'Aha — didn't copy me that time!'
    'My dad's going to toss you . . .'
    'My
dad's going to toss you . . .'
    '. . . in a cell and throw away the key.'
    'He'll have to catch me first.'
    Claire glared at him.
'I've
caught you.'
    Jimmy laughed. 'I think not.'
    'Yes I have. You're my prisoner.'
    'Uhuh. Right up to the point where I walk past you and escape.'
    'I won't let you.'
    'Uhuh.'
    Jimmy took a step towards her. 'I have a black belt in judo,' said Claire, raising her hands.
    'And I have a black belt at home. It keeps my trousers