They weren't joking.
Jeffers pulled out a chair for Jimmy to sit down. 'Guy called Travers was supposed to be doing this. He did actually get on board, but then he got right off again, said his parents were sick and couldn't leave them. So we're stuck. Fact is, Jimmy, the passengers go nuts if they don't get their fix of news in the morning, especially with what's going on at home. So we want you to do it. With Claire's help.'
Jimmy nodded at Claire. 'Was this your idea?'
Claire smiled again. 'I came down here and he . . .' she nodded at Jeffers,' . . . was trying to put a paper together, but he hadn't a clue.'
'It's harder than it looks,' agreed Jeffers.
'So I told him you were the only one who really knew how to do it.'
'It makes sense, Jimmy,' said Jeffers. 'I checked it with the Captain and he checked it with Mr Stanford, and they both agreed. It's yours if you want it, until the end of the cruise.'
Jimmy examined his fingernails. This was indeed a surprising turnaround in his fortunes. And, as his granda had often told him, it was important to make hay while the sun shone. 'So,' he said, 'how much do I get paid?'
Jeffers burst out laughing. 'What? You're lucky we don't toss you in the brig and throw the key away!'
Jimmy smiled indulgently. 'No, really. How much?'
'Jimmy . . .' said Claire, 'they're letting you—'
'I may be a stowaway, Claire, but I'm not a slave. I'll expect to be paid whatever whatshisname, Travers, was going to be paid.'
'You're only a kid!' Jeffers bellowed.
'Then stop exploiting me and pay me a fair wage!'
Jeffers put his hands on his hips. 'You, sir, have a brass neck.'
'Yeah, I know,' said Jimmy.
***
Jeffers told them he'd have to check with the Captain, but in the meantime could they please get started on the newspaper. Jeffers pulled his cap down hard, and was just leaving the office when Jimmy said, 'And Claire will have to be paid as well.' Jeffers took a deep breath and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
Claire immediately burst into laughter. 'You have such a nerve, Jimmy Armstrong.'
'It's James, when I'm working.'
***
So they got to work. It had already grown dark outside, on this the first day of the first proper cruise of the Titanic. They had to prepare a complete newspaper for the Captain's approval, then print up several thousand copies and, finally, organize its distribution to every single cabin on the ship.
It was a huge task.
The news from the outside world was not good. Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, had been infected by the Red Death. Power supplies were failing. Food supplies weren't reaching supermarkets. Crops lay rotting in the fields. Those who weren't dying were sick, and those who weren't sick were starving and cold. Arguments led to fights, fights led to riots, riots led to murder and destruction. Cities were burning. It was happening everywhere.
Nearly every rich country has a cache of supplies — food, water, medical equipment, fuel — with which to see through an emergency. When there is an earthquake or a flood these are quickly transported to the area in question. But now there were simply too many areas suffering for everyone to get essential supplies. And the suspicion grew that those that were available were being hoarded by the powerful and the rich, and that led to more rioting.
It was horrible out there.
They broke the news down according to the geographical origins of their passengers. Most were from the United States, but there were significant numbers from the United Kingdom, South America and Russia. Things weren't any better in those countries. Jimmy was pleased that there weren't any other passengers from Belfast. That meant he didn't have to look up what was happening at home. He just didn't want to know.
Claire stared gloomily at their front page when they eventually put it together. 'It has to end soon, doesn't it?'
'Has to.'
'They'll find a cure or it'll just stop by itself. Any other virus or plague has always ended sometime. Otherwise we'd all have died thousands of years ago. The body finds ways to defend itself eventually, doesn't it? It's the survival of the fittest.'
Jimmy nodded grimly. 'I suppose. Except — I read this report that said it might have come out of some lab in California. That it might have been created by scientists and in that case — well, they say because it isn't a natural thing, but a thing that was created in a laboratory, we might not be able to defend ourselves against it.'
'Don't say that!'
'I'm not. They are.'
Their coverage of the Red Death continued from page one right through to page eight. Then they borrowed their profile of Jonas from the dummy edition to fill out another four pages. They still had four pages to fill. Jimmy walked across the office and opened the door. Ty Warner was still standing there.
'Give me my T-shirt,' he said.
Jimmy turned to Claire. 'Take his picture.'
'Why?'
'He can be our Passenger of the Day. It'll fill our empty space.'
Claire lifted her camera and moved into the doorway. 'Do you want to be our Passenger of the Day?'
'No. I want my T-shirt back.'
Jimmy shook his head. 'You can be our Whining Passenger of the Day.'
'I'm not whining. My mom says I'm tenacious. I'm like a dog with a bone. I'm not going away until I get it back.'
Jimmy was starting to get annoyed. 'Well I've nothing else to wear,' he snapped, 'so you can have it back when I'm finished with it. And by the way, I work for the ship now. And her dad owns it. Between us we can probably have you chucked over board, so shut up about your shirt and have your picture taken.'
Claire raised her camera.
'Does your dad really own the ship?'
Claire nodded. 'Smile.'
She took the picture. She took another.
'What're you doing in there anyway?'
'Running the ship newspaper. The Titanic Times.'
'But you're only kids.'
'I know,' said Jimmy. 'Aren't we great?'
***
Ty took a look at the front page. 'What about New Jersey?' he asked.
'Same as everywhere.'
'We left three days ago, drove down. There were abandoned cars everywhere. Dad had extra gas hidden in the back.'
'Why didn't you just stay where you were?'
'My daddy said we paid thousands for this vacation, we weren't going to waste it because some people had the flu.'
'It's worse than flu,' said Claire.
'Maybe. Daddy says the papers always exaggerate, to sell more copies.'
'This paper is free,' said Jimmy.
Ty shook his head. 'No it's not. You have to spend thousands of dollars coming on this cruise to get it. It's the most expensive paper in the world. Anyhow, Daddy says we're better off on a ship away from all the trouble. It'll all be over by the time we get home.'
They questioned him for their newly created Passenger of the Day piece. He told them his favourite movies and music and food. He told them about his dad working as a computer programmer and his mum as a nurse. He was an only child. His ambition was to be an astronaut.
'Don't you have to be smart for that?' Jimmy asked.
'I am smart.'
'Are you top of your class?'
'Yes I am.'
Jimmy typed this in. 'And how long have you known you were gay?' and then allowed his fingers to hover over the keyboard, ready to type some more.
Ty stiffened in his chair. 'What're you . . .?'
'Oh relax, would you?' Jimmy laughed. 'I'm only joking.'
Ty kept his eyes fixed on Jimmy. 'I want you to know, that my daddy sends me to karate twice a week. If I keep it up, I'll be the youngest black belt in New Jersey.'
Jimmy nodded, impressed, as he typed. 'And, in all seriousness, do you think that will make you somehow less gay?'
Ty erupted out of his chair. 'You . . .!'
Claire immediately stepped between them. 'Stop it, both of you!'
Ty looked amazed. 'I haven't done anything! Tell him to stop calling me gay!'
'There's nothing wrong with being gay,' said Claire.
'But I'm not gay!'
'And we will make that clear in the article. The headline will be . . .' She looked at Jimmy for help.
'Ty Warner Is Definitely Not Gay!'
Ty looked from one to the other. 'You . . . you're both mad!' Then he spun on his heel and fled from the newspaper office.