Lost Things: Three Adventure Novels

by K. T. Tomb

  “Darya, wait!” Stephan said, attempting to untangle himself from Katinka's insistent grasp. Even in her anger, Darya sensed a hint of urgency in Stephan's voice.

  “I never want to see you again!” Darya screamed at Stephan.

  She turned away to escape down the hall to her cabin. Tears of anger and humiliation had already begun to stream down her face. Once back to her quarters, she slammed the door to the hallway, locking it behind her. Stephan's betrayal overwhelmed her. She collapsed against the inside of the door, sliding to the floor in tears.

  June 18, 2014

  Latitude 41° 43' 57" North, longitude 49° 56' 49" West

  Franco had been swimming downward with Harper next to him. They had descended for about an hour and had just received the halfway confirmation from Lisa, who sat as Harper's replacement aboard the support vessel, staying in contact with them on the comm link and watching their vitals on the monitor. Aside from that, they swam in silence. When they had left the ship, Nick had set up in the ship’s galley again, working on translating more of the diary. Franco had last seen him surrounded by notebooks and the journal, parked at the table with a large thermos of coffee next to him.

  “You know,” Harper said, breaking the silence. “Matvei himself said this expedition would be a long shot.”

  “What are you getting at, Harper?” Franco said.

  He was not thrilled about having Harper as his dive partner. They had not worked together before and Franco had difficulty trusting him. In the end, Nick had convinced him.

  “I'm just saying,” he continued, “if we find the diamonds, they would be worth much more on the black market than the payout we'd be receiving from Matvei.”

  “Are you suggesting that we lie to our client?” Franco said.

  “'Lie' is such a sleazy word. I'd prefer to say that we simply omit certain information. Such as telling him when we find the diamonds.”

  “If we find the diamonds, you mean,” Franco said, keeping his vision forward in the dark depths. “Listen. I might be sleazy, but I'm not that sleazy. I might be a criminal, like you, but I'm not a fugitive and I make it my business to stay a man of my word.”

  “Alright, alright,” Harper said. “I hear you. No need to get your panties in a twist.”

  Franco ignored the comment and they continued to swim, both kicking downward toward the bottom of the ocean. After a moment, Lisa's voice spoke again over the comm link.

  “Base to divers, Nick is coming in on the other comm link.” she said, barely getting the words out before Nick interjected.

  “Guys,” he said. “I've found something in the journal that you need to hear!”

  “What is it?” Franco said.

  “Does it tell us where the diamonds are?” Harper asked.

  “Let me read it to you,” Nick said.

  He began.

  April 13, 1912

  Dearest Masha,

  My heart is broken. Something terrible has happened. After a night with our new comrades, I found Stephan in the arms of another woman. I had always wondered if our union would remain intact because of the difference in our upbringing, but I always had faith in our love for each other. When I discovered Stephan's unfaithful nature, I locked myself in my room for a time while I wept. After some time I came back to myself. I wanted to speak to Stephan, so I cleaned myself up a bit, washing my face and brushing my hair. I returned to the room where I had seen him last.

  Vlad answered the door and I asked to speak with Stephan. He told me that Stephan had left the room several hours prior, just after I had found him with Katinka. Vlad seemed so concerned for me. He invited me in, informing me that his sister had retired to her chambers and was sleeping. We sat on the settee for a long while and simply talked. I must admit to you, Masha, that I may have done a terrible thing myself. The height of my emotional state was so great, and Vlad's understanding and listening felt like a balm to my soul after the pain I had felt. When he leaned in to kiss me, I let him. I kissed him back. I fear that I even let him do more than that.

  You see, my anger was so great and my pain so deep. In the instant that Vlad kissed me, that pain went away if even for just a moment. I wanted to hold on to that feeling and make it last, for I knew that once it ended all the pain of betrayal would return. I allowed him to seduce me. It would not be inaccurate to say that I seduced him a little bit as well. I cannot continue my life with Stephan. Not only have I been unable to find him today after last night’s events, but it is clear to me that he has made his decision as well. I cannot return to him after his betrayal, and I have no desire to continue any relationship with Vlad either. I do not know what is to become of me, or, more importantly, what I have become.

  All my love,

  Darya

  Nick finished reading and silence hung around them for a moment as they swam forward. Harper glanced over to Franco.

  “Well, that's a twist and I did not see it coming.”

  Nick spoke again over the comm link.

  “There's one more entry. I'm working on it next. It looks pretty long also.”

  Franco felt uneasy, but remained curious.

  He told Nick, “Contact us as soon as you have it translated. There might be a clue to find the diamonds.”

  “Affirmative,” Nick responded.

  Just then, the Titanic emerged from the darkness. As per protocol, both divers targeted their headlamps on the ship to focus their movements to the deck of the ship. A cold chill ran down Franco's spine as they neared. A vision of the nightmare from the night before had entered his mind, and he could not help but wonder at what awaited them below. Franco nodded for Harper to follow him and they headed toward the first class quarters.

  “I've got a bad feeling about this,” Harper said, as they entered the hallway toward room 108.

  Franco did not reply. He did not want to give Harper any clue as to the trepidation that he had felt once they had the Titanic in view. The shadows around them seemed to have taken on an eerie luster as they walked down the hallway in the painstakingly slow motion that the water pressure forced upon them. Strange noises permeated the ship. Sounds of shrieking and scraping seemed to fill the surrounding roaring silence around them. Sometimes the sounds echoed like voices calling wordlessly out to each other, sending chills down Franco's spine.

  “What is that?” Harper asked with a sharpness to his voice.

  The panic he felt manifested as anger. He did not feel comfortable. Not even a little, but he wanted the diamonds. He tried to hide his discomfort from Franco. They found the room number 108. The door stood ajar as they approached. Franco reached out to push the door open and they entered the room.

  Franco could not believe what he was seeing before him. The room looked immaculate. Not just well preserved for being underwater for a century, but truly transported in time. Both men seemed to be in the first class quarters, dry and opulent. The settee gleamed with new embroidery, against the background of the rich, red oriental rug. The writing table shone in the electric lights of the room. What truly took their breath away, however, was the spectre standing before them. In full solid view, Darya Nikita stood in the middle of the room, wrapped in her white dressing gown. Black hair hung down her back. Her eyes stared ahead as if seeing them, but still looking right through them. She stood like a statue glaring straight at the two men. Her skin looked porcelain white, lips red and defiant. She raised her right arm and pointed at Harper in silence. Both men jumped when the door slammed shut with a speed and finality, impossible in the deep ocean.

  “Do you see...” Harper began.

  “Yes,” Franco answered. “Yes, I see it.”

  Then to Nick on the comm link, he said, “Nick, I think we've made contact.”

  “With what?” Nick said over the link.

  “With Darya. Let's just say, I believe you now.”

  Darya lifted her hand and placed her finger lightly on her lips, making the motion for silence. The ghost moved forward without
moving her feet. She seemed to float along the ground, a much more quiet and less malevolent entity than the one from Franco's nightmare. She drifted past them and touched the door. It opened and the hallway on the other side resembled the room. It too looked new and dry. As the men went into the hallway they too were transformed and found themselves walking; moving through the space as if the ship were dry and still afloat on the sea.

  A strange music seemed to greet them from somewhere deeper in the ship. A slow, haunting song Franco could not quite pinpoint. The spectre of Darya continued down the hall, turning back toward the men beckoning them to follow her. She disappeared down another hall. Even in the illusion of walking through a clear hallway, both men still moved at the slow motion forced upon them by the ocean pressure. They followed as quickly as they could, but every movement was a struggle. The music grew louder the more hallways that they passed through. Each time they came to a turn, they could see Darya waiting at the next corner, then disappearing down the next hall.

  Nick's voice came over the comm link.

  “I have the last entry translated. Do you want to hear it? This was written the day the Titanic hit the iceberg. It's a bit lengthy.”

  “Affirmative,” Franco said.

  Nick read the last letter, as the two divers continued down endless passages after the vision of the woman.

  April 14, 1912

  Dearest Masha,

  I killed him! I killed Vlad. In a moment of weakness I returned to speak with him about being unable to find Stephan. I approached him as I felt that I had nowhere else to turn. I had expected Stephan to return to me with great declarations of apology, but he had not. When I knocked on Vlad's door, he answered, but when I spoke he broke down, clinging to me in such a manner that I feared for his well-being. It was then that he confessed he had fallen in love with me. Therefore, he said, he had to atone for his actions as he had done me a great wrong. Clearly I am very heartbroken and confused by all of this.

  He confessed to me that he had killed Stephan! My poor darling, murdered last night by the very man I had been unfaithful with. He was already dead by the time I had returned to find him. Vlad explained that he and Katinka had been hired by Igor to kill Stephan and then return me to him. Vlad explained that the game had been to get Stephan back to the room alone with Katinka, who would then begin the charade of placing them in a compromising position, which I would find upon return to the room. Consumed with jealousy, I would then be blind to the implications of Stephan's absence. This had been their plan all along. Vlad had killed him after I left that night.

  When he told me this, I became so overwrought that, in a fit, I returned to my room, shattered the mirror on my vanity and avenged the murder of Stephan. I took the shard of glass and cut Vlad, stabbing him until he no longer moved. I feel no sorrow for my actions, which means I have become as much of a monster as any of them. I found no sign of Katinka or I would have gladly taken her life as well. Tonight at the hour of half past eleven, I plan to stand at the keel of the Titanic and slash my wrists before I leap into the ocean never to be seen again. I shall take the dowry diamonds with me to my watery grave. They represent a part of me that can never be rectified.

  I am greatly saddened that these letters may not reach you after all. There is nothing left for me once I reach America. Perhaps they will discover this journal after the Titanic reaches New York and send my belongings back to you. Perhaps then you shall know what has become of your sister.

  All my love,

  Darya

  Nick finished reading, and the events began to take shape in Franco's mind.

  “Half past eleven,” Franco said. “That would have been...”

  “Ten minutes before the Titanic hit the iceberg,” Nick confirmed. “If she had just waited...” They turned another corner, leading down another hall. Finally, they came to a passageway that ended in a pair of opulent beveled glass doors. They opened of their own accord when the two men reached them.

  A large, ornate dining room greeted their vision. The ghosts of the Titanic had manifested themselves to them. Well-dressed men and women sat at the tables surrounding the large dance floor. On the side of the room, the string quartet played the music they had been hearing.

  Franco finally recognized the piece, “Nearer My God, To Thee”, the last song played by the quartet, according to many eyewitness accounts. Franco had not recognized it before, as it had been played as a waltz. He then noticed in the center of the dance floor a couple danced. He recognized the man from the locket they had retrieved last time. Darya and Stephan danced together, gazing at each other happily. It was then that Franco noticed with the sleeves of her gown draped and exposing her forearms, he could see dark red slash marks from her wrists nearly to the crease of her elbows. When they spun toward him, he also saw on the man a small thin line of red bruises circling his neck just below his jawline and an ugly, dark blood stain pooled on the back of his shirt.

  Franco became mesmerized by the fluid motion of their dance and the way they gazed at each other with tortured rapture on their faces. They were locked together, anguished ghosts unable to escape the treachery of their deaths. The rest of the Titanic ghosts inhabited the room silently watched Darya and Stephan dance. Some of them wore the opulent clothing identifying them as first class passengers, but many more of them were dressed in plain clothing, scarves and simple clothing of those who rode in the steerage quarters. Franco watched breathlessly as Darya and Stephan spun around once more, nearing the two divers. In an instant, Franco saw what they had come for, the same moment that Harper spoke.

  “Look!” Harper said, slowly lifting a hand to point to the other side of the dining room.

  Resting on an empty table on the edge of the open floor, lay a small, blue gilded satchel.

  The diamonds.

  “This is Franco to base. We have visual on the diamonds,” he said.

  No response came from Nick or Lisa. Franco glanced at Harper with concern. He lifted his hand to the sensor adhered to his throat feeling at it beneath the fabric of his suit.

  Harper attempted the comm link.

  “This is Harper. Come in base.”

  “This is base. Affirmative.”

  Lisa's voice replied with clarity.

  “Can you hear Franco?” Harper said.

  “This is Franco. Respond,” Franco added.

  “I'm not picking up Franco. There might be an issue with the comm link,” Lisa said.

  Harper confirmed.

  “I have visual on Franco. He's right here next to me. He's giving me the okay sign.”

  “Affirmative,” Lisa replied. “Any sign of the diamonds?”

  “We have a visual on the diamonds. I'm going to pick them up right now.”

  Harper began the torturous movements of crossing the dance floor, still immersed in the full hallucination of the open dance floor and dining room. The quartet continued to play “Nearer My God To Thee,” except the arrangement had shifted to a slow, dirge-like sound. Franco noticed the inhabitants watching Harper as he tried to make his way across the room. Darya and Stephan paused their dancing and watched him. Finally, Harper reached the diamonds, grabbing the bag in one hand. He turned to Franco and gave the thumbs up sign. Franco grinned, despite their surroundings.

  They had the diamonds.

  Harper spoke again on the comm link.

  “I have acquired the diamonds. Preparing to ascend.”

  “Affirmative,” came Lisa's voice from base.

  “I've lost sight of Franco,” Harper said, as he began his return toward the other diver.

  Franco gave him a puzzled look.

  “He was just right here. He must have gone around a corner. He's out of range of my headlamp.”

  Franco fumbled with the comm link sensor, trying to move it into place under the fabric of his wet suit. The restricted cloth around his fingers and against his neck made it difficult for him to find the small device. Regardless, he spoke frantically in
to his device.

  “This is Franco. Respond, base. I am okay. Respond.”

  He only received silence in return. They still could not hear him. Harper walked closer. Franco saw what Harper had in his other hand; a small broken pipe that he must have picked up when retrieving the diamonds. The sharp edge looked menacing as Harper moved toward him. Franco knew that one slip of the sharp edge on his tubing or his wetsuit and the pressure of the sea would crush him. Franco began to struggle away, fighting against the pressure of the water. The ghost inhabitants stood, moving with alarming speed; all at once, all of them converged on Harper. Franco could hear his screams, high and desperate, as they surrounded him, vanishing and reappearing as they circled him. Harper stumbled, scrabbling and reaching for Franco. The last Franco saw of Harper, was Harper clutching at the ground as something, or someone, pulled him into darkness with unnatural speed, his face a frozen mask of fear behind the face plate of his helmet. He had been clutching the diamonds when he was taken. The illusion around them vanished and Franco found himself standing alone in the dining room of the Titanic, once more covered in rubble and immersed in the depths of the ocean.

  “What's going on down there, guys?” Lisa asked over the comm link. “I'm losing stats on Harper! Franco, if you can hear me. You are low on oxygen. Prepare for ascension.”

  She had heard all of Harper's screams, but could not make out what had happened.

  “I've lost visual on Harper. Diver has been compromised.” Franco said, desperately.