Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

Madison felt she was going to be sick. It had all gone terribly wrong! She had betrayed Flynn… She had chosen to protect her parents from the threat of Departure… earned them a few more years of life on the Archipelago, but she had traded Flynn’s future for that… condemned him to the Waste Crews… His young life was ruined! And hers too! That was the end of it!

Leo sat in silence, studying her face. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. “Hah! Got you worried there for a moment, didn’t I?”

“What do you mean?” Madison shot him an icy look, trying to regain her composure.

“I mean, I was kidding! Your Lower Side friend’s safe… for now!”

“You’ve got a really twisted sense of humor, Van Zandt!” Madison sprang to her feet as if stung by a jellyfish and stepped away from the couch.

Leo was still laughing, extremely pleased with himself. “And you’re a smart girl, Madison! I’ve got to give you credit for what you managed to do yesterday,” he said, pointing to her basket. “You got a message out to that Romero boy, didn’t you?”

Madison refused to answer.

“Makes me like you even more… You and I will make such a good match, don’t you think?”

Madison said nothing, glaring at him.

Leo shrugged, reached down and lifted the basket’s cover. The pigeon’s head popped up. “Anyway…” Leo continued, as he fed the bird a piece of grape, “you’ll be pleased to hear, Perry’s got himself a position as a Free Scavenger and a golden badge… Not for long, though! Sooner or later, he’ll screw up, make the wrong move, and you my dear… will help me catch him in the act!” With those words Leo grabbed Madison’s pigeon, flicked his wrist and broke the little bird’s neck.

“Turn back and go away! This is a restricted area, only Upper Side residents can enter!” the burly guard shouted at Flynn as the Seeker approached the check-point platform.

The whole length of Midtown Bay, the one bordering with the Upper Side, was cordoned off, check-point rafts at every hundred yards or so. Flynn glanced down at his tattered shorts and bare feet.

“I said turn back, scum boy!” the guard yelled again, cocking his gun. “Are you deaf, or somethin’?”

“I’m a Free Scavenger! I can go anywhere I want!” said Flynn and pointed his chin at the Empire State Building, two blocks away in the background.

“Hah! Is that so?” scoffed the guard. “Got any ID on you, wise guy?”

Flynn realized he had forgotten to put on his golden badge. It was instantly recognizable and allowed those who wore it free movement in all areas of the Archipelago. Of course, he had not yet gotten into the habit of wearing it… Flynn dug in his harness pouch, took the badge out and flashed it at the guard. “That good enough for you?” he asked, glaring back at the man.

At the sight of the badge, the guard’s grim face changed its expression. He lowered his weapon and started to back off. “Duncan’s Gold… You should be wearin’ it, you know!” the man said, but his tone had softened now. There was a definite note of respect in his voice.

“I’ll wear it when it pleases me!” Arrogantly, Flynn shoved the badge back in his pouch. “Can I go now?”

The guard nodded and stepped back.

Flynn steered his raft through the gap between the check-point platforms. As he was passing, his eyes met those of the guard. The man quickly looked away. Flynn pedaled ahead, smiling to himself. He was beginning to enjoy his new status and the power it gave him. The way he had dealt with the guard made him feel full of pride and self-importance… But the golden badge had done something else… It had suddenly rekindled Flynn’s anger toward his father… brought back their argument over Flynn’s future… Flynn wished his father could have seen this… how Flynn had entered the Upper Side with just a flash of his new badge! He knew damn well where his future was! Right here, staring at him! And his future home was in one of the tall buildings rising out of the water before him… Flynn had come to the Upper Side to collect the key to his new lodgings and start his new life.

And the way things stood, Flynn needed a roof over his head as soon as possible… After storming out of his apartment, Flynn had made it straight to Tony’s, hoping to camp on the Romero’s floor. But Mrs. Romero would have nothing to do with Flynn. No, he wasn’t going to see his friend, because Tony was resting after his ordeal at the Trials. She didn’t care about Flynn and Tony winning the damned race, or the cursed golden badges… What mattered to Mrs. Romero was that her son could barely breathe, was running a high fever and coughing up blood… And according to Mrs. Romero, Flynn was to blame for everything… Tony’s poor health was all Flynn’s fault… Having made all those accusations, Mrs. Romero had slammed the door in Flynn’s face… With nowhere else to go, he had spent a freezing and very uncomfortable night down at the Pier.

Now, the Seeker was passing by the big docks, surrounding the base of the Van Zandt Building. But Flynn’s plan wasn’t just to walk in there and get his key from Duncan Roth… He was also there for Madison Ray… He was going to negotiate her release, no matter what. The Rottweiler obviously had power over Leo Van Zandt, judging by the way the man had spoken to the boy on the day of the Trials. Everyone had seen Leo cower in the Rottweiler’s presence… As the winner of the Trials, Flynn felt confident he could persuade Duncan Roth to talk to Leo and have Madison come home. After all, he had all the evidence in the world to prove that Leo Van Zandt had tried to destroy his chances at competing… Madison’s note to Tony was tucked away safely in his pocket, and it clearly stated what Leo had done.

Flynn pedaled past a row of vessels moored along the floating platforms, looking for an empty slip. Suddenly, two familiar figures caught his eye. He jerked his head back and his feet froze on the pedals. No, there was no mistake! It was Madison, walking beside Leo Van Zandt. The two were making their way along one of the well-scrubbed gangways which connected the Van Zandt building to the docks! Flynn watched as Leo led Madison to his motor boat, jumped on board the Fury and held out his hand for her. Wait! Was that a smile on her face? Flynn’s chest tightened as he caught his breath… Madison didn’t look like a captive… No, she seemed to be following Leo willingly, enjoying herself. She giggled when Leo gunned his engine and his boat sprang forward. He steered it away from the dock, and in a slow and leisurely speed, headed north, toward the heart of the Upper Side.

Flynn stood still for a moment, puzzled and hurt by how Madison had acted. Then he pressed on the pedals and followed the motor boat. He trailed the Fury as it entered Park Avenue Canal and headed towards the Chrysler Building. With his jaw clenched and his knuckles white from gripping the steering column, Flynn kept his raft at a safe distance from Leo and Madison. He could see them well enough, though… he could see Leo showing off, pointing at the tall buildings flanking the canal. And there was Madison, looking admiringly at the boy…

“Bastard!” said Flynn, gritting his teeth. The Van Zandts owned not only the buildings, but the people in them… the people around them, he thought bitterly. And now, Leo had set his eyes on Madison and added her to his collection! “Damn it!” Flynn spat in the water, his anger growing with every passing second. Who was he kidding, really? Pretending that his golden badge and Free Scavenger position gave him power! Power over a bunch of guards and low-ranked officials… There was nothing Flynn could do to this Van Zandt kid! Nothing!