
The Collision
At the Atlantic Ocean, Titanic glided across an unnatural sea, blakc and calm as a pool of oil. The ships lights are mirrored almost perfectly in the black water. The sky
is brilliant with stars. A meteor traced a bright line across the heavens.
On the bridge, Captain Smith peered out at the blackness ahead of the ship. Quartermaster Hichens brought him a cup of hot tea with lemon. It steamed in the bitter cold of the open bridge. Second Officer Lightoller was next to him, staring out at the sheet of black glass the Atlantic has
become.
"Clear," captain Smith broke the silence.
"Yes," Lightoller agreed, "I don't think I've ever seen such a flat calm."
"Like a mill pond," Smith chuckled, "Not a breath of wind."
"It will make the bergs harder to see with no breaking water at the base," said Lightoller.
"Hmm," the captain stirred his tea while playing with the slice of lemon, "Well, I'm off. Maintain speed and heading, Mr. Lightoller."
"Yes, sir," the Second Officer nodded.
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The Titanic is still running in the middle of the ocean. The lookouts, Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee, were at the tiny half-cylinder of the crow's nest. They stamped their feet, and rubbed their hands, trying to keep warm in the 22 knot freezing wind, which whipped capor of their breath away behind.
"It's bloody cold," Lee groaned in coldness.
"You know, I can smell ice, you know, when it's near," Fleet shivered.
Lee couldn't believe him as he rolled his eyes, "Bollocks!"
"But I can, all right!?" Fleet fought back.
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Down at the cargo area, two stewards entered. They held flashlights, and played the beams around the hold. They spotted the Renault, and, on the floor around it, they noticed many tracks, like footprints, shoeprints, bird tracks, hoofprints, tiretracks, and even leftover feathers and fur.
One steward thought the intruders were inside the car as he snapped his finger, and whipped open the door.
Gotcha!"
But the back seat was empty, and no signs of intruder anywhere in the cargo area.
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At the Forward Well Deck, Aggie and the I Team came through a crew door one a time. They can barely stand or run as they laughed so hard for pranking someone who was looking for them.
At the bridge, Officer Murdoch noticed his heroes laughing with fun. He smiled at them while rubbing his hands. Up above them, in the crow's nest, lookout Fleet heard the disturbance below, and looked around and back down to the well deck, where he can see a group of unusual figures laughing with each other.
"Did you see those guys' faces?! Priceless!" Cheese Sandwich laughed.
The team breathed clouds around them in the now freezing air.
"Brr, it's like... I-it's g-getting c-c-c-colder!" Roo shivered as he embraced himself to warm his body.
"Do you think..." Pelry guessed that it might be an iceberg nearby.
Drac, Mavis, Vlad, Lydia, and Dennis used their power of clairvoyance to see if there's an iceberg ahead. With only few hundred yards away, they saw one, big and hard.
"Ags, we have a little problem," Vlad started, "There is one ahead!"
Aggie quickly turned to the "seekers and searchers" of the team, "Kitka, Kira, Kessia, Kessia, Skully, Skulio, call up to the lookout, and tell them there's an iceberg ahead. After that, return to us, and we'll turn the ship away from the berg, okay?"
"Got it, Ags," Kira saluted.
"Good. Now go! Hurry!"
As the birds and guardianbirds flew up to the lookouts, Fleet only saw the I Team standing without noticing they were worried and saw an iceberg ahead.
"Lee, look at this," Fleet got Lee's attention as the two noticed the I Team.
"Are those the heroes that everyone was talking about?" Lee asked, "They look so... strange."
"Who cares? They're still welcome here, anyway," said Fleet.
"Officer, officer!" Kessia yelled.
They both have a good laugh at that one. but then, they were surprised by four birds and their guardians flying next to them.
"Oh look, you're six of those fellas," Fleet chuckled, "What brings you up here, birds and... little ones?" he doesn't what the guardians are, so he called them "little one".
"There's an iceberg ahead! Look!" Kessie pointed ahead with one of her wings.
When Fleet and Lee glanced forward, it was Fleet whose expression fell first, then Lee's. The color drained out of their faces. they finally saw a massive iceberg right in their path, 500 yards out.
"Bugger me!" Fleet reached past Lee, and rang the lookout bell three times, which got Murdoch's attention from the bridge, and Hichens' from the wheelhouse, then grabbed the telephone, calling the bridge. He waited precious seconds for it to be picket up, never taking his eyes off the black mass ahead. Inside the enclosed wheelhouse, Sixth Officer Moody walked unhurriedly to the telephone, picking it up, and heard Fleet's voice through it, "Is there anyone there?!
"Yes, what do you see?" Moody replied.
"Iceberg! Right ahead!" Fleet yelled.
"Thank you," Moody turned the telephone down.
Back at the deck, Aggie quickly ordered her team, "Okay, guys, you know what to do. Go, go, go!"
"Okay, umm, what are we going to do again?" Dory forgot again.
"Saving the ship, of course!" Marlin reminded.
"Oh, right."
The whole team splitted up. The Honorary and Back-up divisions went to the left side of the ship, while Aggie and the I Team went to the right. Skipper, Skenda, Kowalski, Kelda, Rico, Renda, Private, Prenda, Dr. Blowhole, Dr. Blest, Marlene, Maltor, Doris, Dona, Skepper, Skinda, Kelski, Kowalda, Reco, Rida, Prevate, Prida, Frantis, Francista, Hunter Huntress, Perry, Pelry, Aglet, Ferb II, Flerk II, Dofelia, and Finn dove down directly into the water, while Marlin, Nemo, and Dory left their fishbowls, and followed their fellow swimmers. Once Finn reached the water, he converted into a submarine. They swam to the nearest front of the lower part of the starboard, and started to push. Aggie and the Main division started to push the upper part of the starboard. At the port, half members of the Honorary and Back-up divisions tied ropes around the railings and started to pull, while the other half members grabbed the railings tightly so they won't break when the ropes were pulled.
Meanwhile, at the bridge, Murdoch noticed the iceberg as he rushed to the wheelhouse where Moody reported the same warning.
"Iceberg! Right ahead!"
"Hard to starboard!" Murdoch commanded.
Hichens immediately turned the wheel to the left.
Murdoch then quickly moved the engine telegraph lever to FULL ASTERN. He did the same to every engine telegraph.
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At the engine room, Chief Engineer Bell was just checking the soup he has warming on a steam manifold when the engine telegraph clanged, then went... incredibly... to FULL ASTERN. He and the other engineers just stared at it a second, unbelieving.
Then Bell reacted, "FULL ASTERN!"
The engineers and greasers like madmen to close steam valves, and started braking the mighty propeller shafts, big as Sequoias, to a stop.
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At the wheelhouse, the wheel that Hichens turn suddenly stopped, "Hard over."
Murdoch rushed back to bridge as he saw they were heading closer to the iceberg.
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In Boiler Room Six, Leading Stoker Frederick Barret was standing with 2nd Engineer John Hesketh when the red warning light came on.
"Shut all the dampers! Shut them!" Barret shouted as all stokers closed all the dampers.
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Back at the engine room, Chief Engineer Bell waited for the pressure to drop at the right moment, "Hold it. Hold it! Now, engage the reversing engine!"
One of the engineers pushed the lever down, causing the engines to stop, then moved in counterclockwise.
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Then moved in the starboard, Aggie and the Main division kept pushing the ship as hard as they can, but it didn't move for a minute now.
"Aunt Aggie, it's not working, it's not turning!" Ben Solo grunted while pushing at the starboard with his family.
"No! We can't give up! It will work! We have to keep going!" Aggie cried, ever wanting to give up on saving the Titanic as she grunted while pushing a little harder.
Ever member of the I team heard her through the radio of their earpiece. They all thought it's impossible to make the ship this big turn, but they are more afraid of giving up. People's lives are at stake if they can't keep trying. With enough strength and flight power, the Main division and the swimmers pushed the starboard as hard as they can, while the half of the Honorary and Back-up divisions pulled the ropes to make the ship turn, and the other half held the railings to where they are tightly so they won't break even harder.
In the crow's nest, Fleet still noticed the ship hasn't turned yet as it got even closer toward the berg, "Aren't they turning?!"
"Is it hard over?!" Murdoch shouted.
"It is, yes, sir, hard over!" A crewman responded.
Murdoch's jaw clenched as the bow turned with agonizing slowness. He held his breath as the horrible physics played out, "Come on, come on, come on. Turn," he said softly.
When the I Team kept the ship turning to the left as long and hard as they can, they felt that the Titanic started to turn to the left.
"Aggie, it's working! It's turning!" Petina, Adult Petunia's guardian, exclaimed.
"Keep going! We're gonna make it!" Aggie yelled as she and the rest of the team kept on turning the ship.
Murdoch kept on watching when the ship is approaching the berg.
"It's going to hit!" A crewman shouted as he ran off from the bow.
At the lower part of the starboard, while the swimmers are still pushing, Private noticed something horrible ahead of them as he spoke, "Umm, Skipper?"
When he heard Private, Skipper looked forward, and gasped when he saw they were heading straight towards the side of the iceberg, "Move, move, MOVE!" He commanded as all swimmer members noticed the berg in front of them, and swam away, avoiding getting hit.
While the swimmers retreated..., KRUUUNCH! The ship hit the berg on its starboard bow. The ice smashed in the steel hull plates.
Aggie and the Main division didn't feel the ship hit the berg at the lower part of the starboard, but when Lela, Lola Bunny's guardian looked forward, her eyes widened.
"Aggie?"
Aggie looked ahead, and saw they were approaching the berg.
"Get in! GET IN!" She shouted as the members of the Main division left their spot, and jumped back onto the deck, and Aggie was the last one just to check if there isn't any teammate left on the starboard.
The iceberg bumped and scraped along the side of the ship. as Fleet, Lee, Aggie and the Main I Team watched the scene in horror. At the port, half of the members of the Honorary and Back-up division who were holding the railings and the ropes together felt a tremble and shaky, while the other half of the members who were pulling the ropes heard a sound from the other side of the ship.
"Stop! Stop!" Judy shouted as everyone stopped of what they are doing, "Something's happening back there!"
Rivets popped as the steel plate of the hull flexed under the load. Hichens felt the wheel shivered. On G-Deck, RojoAzul woke up on his bunk as he heard a sound like the greatly amplified squeal of a skate on ice. Like a sledgehammer beating along outside the ship, the berg split the hull plates and the sea pour in the cargo hold. The two stewards staggered as the hull buckled in four feet with a sound like thunder, and the water swept them off their feet. The icy water swirled around the Renault as the men scrambled out of the area. In his stateroom, surrounded by piles of plans while making notes in his ever-present book, Andrews felt a sudden shake on his desk, and looked up at the sound of a cut-crystal light fixture tinkling like a windchime. He felt the shudder run through the ship. As it showed on his face, too much of his soul is in this great ship for him not to feel its mortal wound.
Back on the Forward Well Deck, the Honorary and Back-Up divisions left their place to meet up with Aggie and the Main division.
"Aggie, we came as fast as we heard the commotion from here," Junior said.
"Is everything all right?" asked Dawson,
Without an answer, the I Team looked up in astonishment as the berg sailed past, blocking out the sky like a mountain. Fragments broke off it, and crashed down onto the deck.
"Get back, you guys," Aggie warned as they all jumped backward to avoid flying chunks of ice.
Suddenly, Smurfette realized something in horror as she turned to Aggie, "SmurfAggie, the people in the boiler room. They might be hurt."
"Go and help them," said Aggie, "They need all the help they can get."
"we're coming, too," Hefty volunteered as the rest of the smurfs nodded.
"Us, too," Danger Mouse and Penfold added.
"Good, and remember, when there's no way out, use your elements to teleport yourselves back here," reminded Aggie as the 1st and 2nd Back-up groups nodded, and used their elements to teleport themselves to the boiler room.
In the Boiler Room Six, Barret and Hesketh staggered as they heard the rolling thunder of the collision. They saw the starboard side of the ship buckled in
toward them, and are almost swept off their feet by a rush of water coming in about two feet above the floor. When the 1st and 2nd Back-up groups arrived, they saw the stokers running from the running water, and the room is full of water vapor as the cold sea stroke the red hot furnaces. The two groups rushed in to help the men away from the water before they could drown.
Aggie and the I Team rushed to the starboard rail in time to see the berg moving aft down the side of the ship.
On the bridge, Murdoch rang the watertight door alarm, and quickly threw the switch that closes them.
At the boiler room, the two groups heard the alarm while helping the men there.
"What was that?" Clumsy asked.
"That was the alarm," Papa Smurf replied, "They're closing the doors! Come on, let's get the humans out of here!"
Danger Mouse searched for the nearest door that was about to close, and called. "Come on, let's go, everybody! Get out the door! They're closing the doors!"
Barret and Hesketh also heard the door alarm, and scrambled through the swirling water to the watertight door between Boiler Rooms 6 and 5.
Barrett yelled to the stokers scrambling through the door as it came down like a slow guillotine, "Go Lads! Let's go! Go!" He led his fellow stokers out of the door, and dove through into Boiler Room 5 just before the door rumbled down with clang.
There are some stokers didn't make it in time as the doors closed before them.
SmurfLily then approached one of the men, and led them to the other door, "Quick, right this way!"
The rest of the 1st and 2nd Back-up group members led the remaining stokers to the opening doors as they checked if there's someone left. As the stokers are all gone and the doors and closed tightly, the two groups met in the same spot.
"Are there any left?" Gutsy asked.
"I don't think so," Grouchy responded.
"Good, we have to get out of here," SmurfWillow said.
They all held on to their elements, and teleported themselves out of the boiler room.
Back on the bridge, when Murdoch watched the watertight doors board, all of the lights are illuminated, which means the watertight doors were closed.
At the Promenade Deck, few passengers noticed the iceberg at their side.
In the Palm Court, with its high arched windows, Molly Brown held up her drink to a passing waiter.
"Hey, sonny, how about a little ice?" She requested.
"Yes, ma'am," the waiter nodded.
Silently, a moving wall of ice filled the window behind her. She didn't see it though as it disappeared astern.
At the crow's nest, Fleet and Lee still watched the iceberg, until it disappeared astern.
"Oh, my God," Fleet sighed silently, and turned to Lee, "That was a close shave, weren't it?"
"Smell ice, can you? Bleeding Christ," Lee reminded what Fleet said earlier.
The I team, and few passengers watched the iceberg far behind the ship.
The alarm bells still clattered mindlessly, seeming to reflect Murdoch's inner state. He is in shock, unable to get a grip on what just happened. He just ran the biggest ship in history into an iceberg on its maiden voyage.
"Note the time and enter it in the log," Murdoch said stiffly to Moody.
When Moody looked at the clock that is 11:40pm, Captain Smith rushed out of his cabin onto the bridge, tucking in his shirt, "What was that, Mr. Murdoch?"
"An iceberg, sir," Murdoch responded nervously as he sweated, "I put her hard to starboard and ran the engines full astern, but it was too close. I tried to port round it but she hit and the..."
"Close the watertight doors," the captain commanded.
"The doors are closed, sir," the first officer replied.
Together, Smith and Murdoch rushed out onto the starboard wing, and Murdoch pointed the iceberg, which is now far away. Smith looked into the darkness aft, then turned around to Fourth Officer Commander Joseph Groves Boxhall, "Find the carpenter. Get him to sound the ship."
"Yes, sir!" Boxhall nodded as he rushed to the bridge.
Captain Smith then glanced at the Forward Well deck, and saw the passengers and the I Team watching the iceberg behind, and many pieces of iceberg were left on the deck. Aggie then looked up to the captain with a concerned face. Both leaders were now worried about the ship if the iceberg caused any damage of it.
Back at G-Deck, RojoAzul jumped off his bunk, and felt his feet splashing on the water, realizing the deck was flooded with cold water. The passengers of G-Deck dressed up, and evacuated from their rooms.
At the First Class Corridor of A-Deck, Andrews brushed few complaining passengers, walking fast, and carrying an armload of rolled up ship's plans and blueprints.
Back at the Forward Well Deck, Aggie and the I Team were leaned over the starboard rail, looking at the hull of the ship. Suddenly, they were startled when a pair of grappling hooks held into the railings. There was Finn pulling himself, and the rest of the swimmers from the water, who held onto him. Marlin, Nemo, and Dory jumped back to their bowls.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay," Aggie sighed in relief, "What happened back there?"
"We almost crashed into that iceberg. Good thing we swam fast as we can to avoid it," Kelda explained.
"What's going on up here?' Nemo asked, "Is the plan work?"
"Maybe," Julie replied as the whole team glanced back at the hull of the ship.
"Looks alright. I don't see anything," Baby Silvestre, Baby Sylvester's guardian, said.
"Could it have damaged the ship?" Lola inquired in worry.
"It didn't seem like much of a bump. I think we're all right," Silvestre, Adult Sylvester's guardian, calmed everyone down.
When Oliver is not looking at her, Lily planted a small chunk of ice from the shattered pieces of the iceberg into Oliver's back shirt, causing him to feel a cold sting of the ice, and a little pain from it.
"Alright, that's it, you're going overboard!" Oliver shove Lily close to the railing, almost causing her to fall off the ship.
"No! Don't!" Lily giggled.
"Guys, careful, you're going to drop yourselves," Brainy noted.
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