The second case was smaller; inside hung a weapon.
A rapier?
Under the lights, the long, cold blade shimmered.
Double-edged, needle-sharp tip, a rose-shaped guard, the hilt wrapped in black cloth.
'Rapier—a swift sword. My father called it Black Rose.'
Tony flung his arms wide, measuring the sword's proportions.
'Perfectly standard rapier, the entire blade forged from Adamantium—cuts, thrusts, slices steel like butter.'
He rattled off its stats; for years he'd fought the urge to haul these two treasures out and put them to practical use.
Just those hundred-plus Adamantium plates made his mouth water.
In the end, Tony obeyed his father's wish and buried them forever underground.
Waiting for someone who would never appear.
A rapier and a traveling cloak.
Perhaps a waste, but it had been his father's last wish.
'She broke the promise. She said we'd meet again. Liar.'
Tony had been too young to grasp the emotion in his father's words. Like recalling an old friend, Howard would visit the docks to watch smoke-belching steamers vanish.
Times changed; the old ships evolved. Gentlemen pocketed their canes, everyone owned mobile phones; futuristic yachts appeared at the docks; once-incurable viruses ceased to terrify humanity.
Cigar in hand, wreathed in smoke, his father's eyes held feelings Tony couldn't read.
'Can you catch a seabird?'
One day at the docks, Howard suddenly pointed at a white form skimming low and asked young Tony.
'Catch a seabird?'
'Yes, come, like this.' Howard turned Tony's small palm upward and held it out. 'Let them come to you—can you?'
Of course not.
The Boy had no food for birds.
'She could.' Speaking of Sen Getsusa, Howard's eyes lit up. 'Could you climb ten meters straight up a mast?'
Those memories flowed through Tony's mind.
Sen Getsusa, a miraculous girl… Leaving the Stark mansion, Jack and Rose boarded a cruise ship.
The great vessel would carry them to their final stop.
'Decades have passed; we can't keep up with the times.'
In the suite Jack dabbed at a canvas while Rose leaned quietly by the window.
'Nonsense, we stopped belonging to any era long ago.'
'Do you think it's still there?'
Jack paused his brush. 'Probably not. After so many years the old house must be gone, but we can find one you like.'
White hair pressed flat, he looked tenderly at Rose. 'How shall we design our last home?'
'Still energy for such things.' Rose rolled her eyes, fingers drifting to the necklace at her throat.
At its end hung a huge blue diamond, cold fire soft and dazzling.
Jack glanced over. 'Its mission is done; what will you do with it?'
The Heart of the Ocean had been Rose's treasure for decades… As the ship resumed course, two figures appeared on the misty Atlantic night, walking arm in arm across the deck.
The rolling sea surged; the spot was only approximate, the exact location lost even to memory.
'Right here.'
In truth, anywhere would do.
Jack helped Rose to the rail; the speeding hull split the waves, the night filled with rushing water.
They stared at the sea, thoughts flying back to the year they met.
A poor Boy in borrowed evening wear, roguish yet sincere; an aristocratic girl resigned to fate yet brave.
Fate twisted them together, sparks flying.
They danced in titanic's glittering ballroom; drank cheap beer in steerage, kissing; whispered on deck in the wind; in a warm cabin she posed nude while he sketched… Time slipped through their aged eyes.
Beside her, Jack watched with concern.
Though decades had passed, his love was still that of the odd blond Boy who'd toy with an unlit cigar.
Rose was silent for a long moment, then gently unclasped the necklace and cradled the Heart of the Ocean in her palm.
'Everything drifts away with the wind; only our love remains.'
'Like the sea.' Jack smiled, the creases at the corners of his eyes bunching together. 'It began here, and it ends here.'
The old woman slowly opened her hand, stretched it beyond the railing, then tilted… and tilted further… The priceless diamond necklace slipped into the sea, its chain tracing a graceful arc as it spun.
In the night, the brilliant diamond plunged with a soft splash toward the depths of the ocean. 'It's over, Jack.'
Trembling, Rose turned and, with all her strength, threw her arms around Jack.
'Yes, it's over. I love you, Rose—just as I always did.'
The two old people embraced on the deck.
A newspaper drifted across the barrier of years and quietly fluttered past the deck.
Something was still printed on it.
'Cal Hockley, son of the steel dynasty, shot himself in his Manhattan mansion during the Great Depression, 1929.'
'National Scientific Research: Advances in modern science and technology allow us to see the World more clearly.'
'National Scientific Research, 1927: We are thrilled to announce that an expedition team discovered traces of a new life-form at Southampton Port. A researcher named Kevin Pukinson successfully captured three specimens. After investigation, we classify these creatures as a sub-human species: the Tontatta Tribe.'
'National Scientific Research, 1928: We attempted to communicate with the Tontatta Tribe. They appear greedy, devoid of creativity or intelligence, possess low mobility, and show high aggression. Research concludes they are far removed from humanity.'
'National Scientific Research, 1929: A researcher accidentally found that the Tontatta's blood contains a rare micro-organism highly effective in treating frigidity in both sexes.'
'National Scientific Research, 1931: The first Tontatta breeding facility is born. We declare to all humanity: we now have a cure for frigidity!'
'National Scientific Research, 1935: The Tontatta Tribe's reproductive capacity is poor; all pharmaceutical factories have been shut down. Large funds have been allocated to promote breeding, resolve ecological issues, and improve communication.'
'National Scientific Research, 1947: The Tontatta population is in sharp decline; we are attempting artificial propagation.'
'National Scientific Research, 1950: The last Tontatta died in a sterile chamber. We have lost this precious, endearing species. They were once humanity's good friends and companions. We shall forever, forever cherish the memory of this miraculous race.'
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