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

before giving her a hefty shove in the bum with his left foot. Claire shot across the arcade, crashed into the
Star Wars
game and crumpled to the floor.
    'Sucker,' laughed Jimmy. He jogged happily out of the arcade.
    ***
    He was exhilarated: first the air hockey, then the humiliating
coup de grace.
It was in both his nature and nurture to extract victory by either fair means or foul and he saw nothing wrong with it. Whether it was on the tough streets of his city or in the more luxurious surroundings of the
Titanic,
it was all about survival. Attack was the best form of defence, and if God sees fit to give you an advantage, you grab it with both hands.
    In hindsight, he should perhaps have chosen to lie low for a while, but Jimmy still had a mountain to climb. Or at least a climbing wall. He rode up to the top deck and began to work his way up the artificial cliff face. It was growing dark now and a cool breeze was blowing hard against him. Usually crew members provided safety harnesses for passengers attempting the wall, but even if there'd been one available, Jimmy wouldn't have needed it. In just a few minutes he was straddling the top of the the wall, barely out of breath. He stared out to sea. America was somewhere ahead of him. While trawling for news on the Internet earlier on he had done a little research into how long a ship might take to cross the Atlantic, and while it depended on speed and size, he reckoned that they were now approaching the halfway mark. By tomorrow there would be no turning back.
    Jimmy thrust his hands into his overall pockets — and found the lucky penny. He held on to the wall with one arm, then pulled his other arm back to throw it . . .
    'YOU BOY!'
    Jimmy peered down. Captain Smith and three other officers were looking up at him.
    'GET DOWN HERE NOW!'
    Jimmy looked about him, then back down. 'Are you talking to me?'
    'GET DOWN HERE!'
    Jimmy took a deep breath. Unless he suddenly developed the ability to fly, or to swim huge distances, there was no escape this time. He slipped the lucky penny into his pocket, then began to climb down.
    When he finally reached the deck, having taken his time, he was grabbed, held in a tight arm-lock and quickly marched away. As he moved along the deck Claire Stanford stepped out of the shadows. 'Who's the sucker now?' she hissed. Then, following on behind the prisoner and his escort she added, 'As a matter of fact I
don't
have a pony. I have
three.'

8
Captain Smith
     
    H e wasn't on trial, but it felt like it.
    Jimmy was hauled into Captain Smith's quarters on Deck Twelve and ordered to stand in the middle of the floor while the Captain and First Officer Simon Jeffers sat looking at him from behind a desk. After a few moments Mr Stanford — designer of the ship and owner of the cruise company — also joined them. Claire Stanford sat behind him. Each time Jimmy scowled at her an annoying smirk appeared on her face.
    'Well?' the Captain asked.
    'Well as can be expected,' said Jimmy
    The Captain's eyes flashed angrily. 'I
mean,
well, what have you got to say for yourself?'
    Jimmy shrugged.
    'Have you any idea of the trouble you have caused?'
    'Sort of, yeah.'
    'And?'
    'And what?'
    'Have you anything to say?'
    Jimmy thought about it for a moment. 'Nice ship.'
    Mr Stanford jumped to his feet. 'How dare you!' he shouted. 'Do you think this is funny?'
    Jimmy shrugged.
    'Have you any idea of the worry you have caused at home? The man-hours we have had to devote to finding you? The expense we will incur if we have to return to port? Have you?'
    'Sort of.'
    'Again, what have you got to say for yourself?'
    Jimmy looked across at the three men. Two were in uniform, one was in a grey suit. They all looked extremely angry.
    Jimmy shrugged.
    Mr Stanford's fist hit the table. 'I've a good mind to toss him overboard!' He sighed loudly, then sat down again.
    First Officer Jeffers leaned towards the ship's owner and spoke in a quiet, controlled voice. 'Actually, Mr