Work Text:
A Letter
April 2nd, 1912
Mr. Lorenz,
I hope this letter finds you well. I thank you humbly for the opportunity to join you aboard the RMS Titanic for your voyage to North America. With the risk of sounding overly eager, I feel excited to make connections with people in high places, and to taste American air for the first time. Not to mention the advertised accommodations! This sort of gift comes once in a lifetime. I will be departing for Southhampten first thing the morning of April 8th, and meet you at the South Western Hotel. I cannot overstate my joy at the prospect of this upcoming expedition.
Yours,
Luca Balsa
A Journal
April 10th, 1912
And so begins the journey aboard the unsinkable Titanic! Upon arriving at the harbor, her size immediately captivated me– she is a true mechanical marvel of our time, the White Star Line must be beside themselves with pride. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ismay was drunk on more than just pride at the moment, haha! I can hardly contain my excitement and maintain professionalism as I greet the wealthy men that very well be our next investors. Lorenz has had a few private words with me about the volume of my voice already and we’ve only just boarded a few hours ago! Dinnertime impends, so I must freshen up and escort myself to the dining saloon. More writing soon to come.
With that, the young protege set down his pen and stood, coming to inspect himself in the mirror. It truly was such a generous offer on Lorenz’s part to invite him to tag along, usually he handled the high profile investors while Luca himself was still confined to assistant’s work. He straightened his cravat and fussed over his cowlick for a time, before deeming himself presentable enough to tag along with Lorenz to the saloon for an evening of good food, drinking, and perhaps some dancing.
A Journal ; Hastily drawn diagrams of hypothetical machines litter the top half of the page, notes in scrawled handwriting impossible to read by anyone but the one who penned them.
April 12th, 1912
I never realized how difficult I would find vacationing. I find my mind dreadfully unoccupied without work; in fact, I would even settle for the more servile undertakings Lorenz appoints to me, mailing patents and the like. Aside from this setback, I have enjoyed my accommodations thoroughly, and Mr. Lorenz seems in high spirits. We may have a few potential investors that he has been pursuing over dinner and the finest drinks. I have much hope for the future; though the voyage is rife with the tedium of lacking a laboratory, soon my future endeavors will be secured.
April 12th, approximately 11:40pm
First, Luca was torn from his sleep with a gasp as a thunderous sound rumbled through the very walls of the vessel. A sleep-addled mind managed to convince even the most brilliant man that the calamity was imagined, and wasted no time pulling him back into slumber. An urgent knock on the young inventor’s door roused him once again, this time with more force.
“Attention passengers,” voices in the hall said in professional, yet urgent, tones; “Deepest apologies for the intrusion– it is urgent you wake immediately, the Titanic is sinking.”
Though he would be embarrassed to admit it now, Luca was overly confident in the engineering of the ship; hadn’t they claimed it was unsinkable? Perhaps some unruly teenagers were pulling a bit of a prank on the second class, how unbecoming… He merely turned over in bed and attempted to get back to sleep.
When the calls in the hallway did not stop and appeared to be becoming more urgent, Lorenz summoned light to the incandescent bulbs, leaving them both squinting.
“You don’t think it’s actually sinking, do you?” Luca mumbled, rubbing his tired eyes.
“It would be rather embarrassing for White Star if it were, wouldn’t it?” His groggy mentor agreed, pushing the curtain of their window aside to look out over the dark, calm waters of the Atlantic.
“It’s just some rowdy vagrants, I’m sure.” Luca yawned, small tears pricking the corners of his eyes. “Ignore them.”
“Yes, probably. Though…” Lorenz paused to massage his temples. “I wouldn't stake all my faith in the unsinkable claim, it is her maiden voyage afterall.” Luca was a bit surprised, this was the first opinion he’d heard that wasn’t 100% confidence in the craftsmanship of the vessel. There was a brief pause before Lorenz concluded his thought; “A late night stroll on the deck wouldn’t harm us. The stars over the ocean shine brightest anyway.”
Luca, still sleepy, grumbled as he stood. If his mentor wanted him to, there was no way he could decline. The thought of the chilly wind outside made him shiver preemptively as he cast a longing glance at the blankets he was leaving behind.
April 15th, approximately 12:00am
Anxious passengers milled about the deck, murmuring and yawning amongst a rare burst of nervous laughter. Not far from where Luca stood, an ensemble of 8 players played music under the direction of their conductor. The music was a gentle distraction for the guests as the mere 20 lifeboats were readied. The passengers were informed en masse that women and children were to board first and foremost. This was absurd; the ship was unsinkable. But then… Why would they rouse so many from their beds?
April 15th, 12:15am
The severity of the situation did not set in until Luca laid eyes upon the bright white sparks of what could only be a naval distress signal. It was then that fear gripped the young inventor’s heart for the first time. He calmed himself, tried to listen to the music, but his anxiety grew stronger and stronger as he thought of the plan. Women and children take precedence when boarding lifeboats. That alone is enough to make any man panic, were they any less than a stone statue; however, it was not just the prospect of not having a seat in a lifeboat that primarily worried Lorenz’s protege. It was the notebook still sitting on his desk, back in the cabin all the way on E Deck.
April 15th, 12:30am
Luca’s heart was hammering and he could hardly control his breathing, as he ran in his nightclothes down the hall to he and Lorenz’s cabin. He ran despite Lorenz’s protests, it was the first time he could remember blatantly ignoring direct instructions from his teacher. Mr. Lorenz doesn’t understand how serious this is– it is essential that this research makes it to New York.
Once he arrived at his cabin, winded and damp with sweat, he retrieved his notebook, his journal, several other important documents, and stored them in his bag. Precious cargo in toe, Balsa trotted back down the hall.
April 15th, 12:50am
By the time Luca made it back to the deck, the first lifeboat had been lowered and the second was already being boarded. Luca sighed with relief; the lifeboats were rather large, surely they would be able to fit everyone on a lifeboat safely. The chilly air whipped around Luca; he really wished for the warm blankets from the cabin. The murmurs of anxious women around him irked his already fried nerves, so he walked away from the crowd in search of his mentor.
April 15th, 1:10am
Rumors spread that water had been spotted at the base of the Grand Staircase; this is when even the most composed began to panic. Frantic yelling and the sheer population on the deck made the pandemonium all the more overwhelming as Luca searched fruitlessly for his teacher. As fear addled Luca’s brain, he decided to check how many lifeboats were left; easier said than done. He watched in indignant confusion as a lifeboat appeared to be lowered to the blackness below at much less than half capacity, and joined a few other men in heckling the crewmen responsible.
April 15th, 1:30am
For all his intelligence, Luca is not immune to human nature; self preservation is rule one of survival. So, as the panic surrounding him intensified and a few men began to rush for seats on the lifeboat, Luca hardly had a say in the matter as his legs carried him forward. The splitting sound of what could only be cannon-fire stopped most of the men in their tracks to clutch at their ringing ears; Luca looked up and saw an officer holding a gun, still smoking and aimed towards the sky. What came to pass next was utterly shameful; Luca lunged forward, pushing men, even a woman out of the way to claw his way to the lifeboat. As a crewman restrained him, Luca kicked and struggled. In a last ditch effort, the inventor struggled out of the strap of his bag and threw it into the boat he had been fighting to board. At that moment, Luca’s life was saved.
April 15th, 1:45am
After the lifeboat containing the bag was lowered, Luca ceased all efforts to invade lifeboats before he was welcome. He was given a stern talking to by the crewman who had restrained him, reprimanded for his cowardice. But they don’t understand, Balsa thought. They don’t know how life-changing this research is. They don’t understand that it needs me, Lorenz and I alone can make these ideas reality. He was sure if they made it out and reunited, Lorenz would kill him for throwing their research aboard the boat; but it was the only way to ensure it wouldn’t be lost to the water.
April 15th, 2:00am
When the bow dipped below the surface of the water, many began to scream. The adrenaline Luca felt was a high unlike any other.
His freezing fingers gripped onto the cold iron of the safety railing, undignified screams mingling with everyone else’s as they all faced the same harsh reality, and stared death itself in the face. The Atlantic mercilessly swallowed her as if it had been struck by famine.
Adrenaline and slowly numbing digits were the only separation between life and death. Screams and grunts of effort preceded the ultimate undoing of Luca Balsa; as his grip strength failed him, it was only a mere moment of terror before the frozen water forced the air from his lungs.
A Newspaper Clipping
April 15th, 1912
ALL DROWNED BUT 868; About 1232 Lost Lives in the Titanic’s Plunge, Greatest Sea Disaster for Years.