Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

There was no reply! He ran to the bathroom cubicle and threw back the curtain. Empty! There was no one there. Flynn stood still for a moment, then shot out of the apartment and tore down the stairs. Moments later, he was standing in front of Dino. The man was snoring softly under the shadow of the shack’s tattered awning. Flynn grabbed Dino’s massive shoulder and shook it hard. “Have you seen my dad?” he yelled.

Dino lifted his heavy eyelids, his bleary eyes trying to focus on Flynn. “I ain’t seen nothin’, Perry boy,” he mumbled.

“C’mon, man!” Flynn shook Dino’s shoulder again. “Where were you last night? Did they take him?”

“I was sleepin’, alright! Mindin’ my business.”

“The List came out… did they take my dad?” Flynn was shouting now.

Dino pushed Flynn and rose slowly from his chair. There was a smirk on his face now. “Let’s just say, your pa made me some dough last night,” said Dino, snickering. “’Coz I put a bet on ’im, see… I bet they’d take ’im… and they did… Now, get lost!” He stepped up to Flynn and shoved him roughly against the wall.

Flynn’s fingers curled into fists. “Don’t you dare touch me, you stupid idiot!”

Dino took a swing at Flynn, but Flynn was faster. He ducked quickly, letting Dino’s hand fly past his face and slam into the wall. The heavy body followed the swinging arm, and all Flynn had to do was kick Dino in the shin. The man hit the floor with a loud thud. Grunting, he rose to his knees and grabbed blindly for Flynn’s ankles. But Flynn wasn’t there anymore. He was already running up the stairs, ignoring Dino’s loud curses.

Back on his landing, Flynn stopped in front of their neighbor’s apartment and knocked on the door frame. “Mrs. Voinovich!” he shouted. “Have you seen my father?” He waited a beat then knocked again. “Mrs. Voinovich… Are you in there?” No answer. Flynn stepped over to the window and pressed his face against the dirty nylon sheet covering the hole in the wall. He could barely see the room through the stained plastic, but it seemed empty. No movement in there either. He pushed the door flap and walked inside.

The room was a mess. Personal belongings scattered on the floor, spilled food, an overturned chair… Flynn turned around and left. He walked back to his apartment and scanned the room again. Everything was in its place, neat and clean, the way Alan Perry liked it. Flynn’s eyes fell on the table and realized that his father had laid out two plates, one for him and one for Flynn. He had prepared their dinner as usual, and then left it untouched… He had been waiting for Flynn to come back… he had even cooked his favorite dish! Squid soup… Suddenly, Flynn spotted the note which Allan Perry had tucked under the soup bowl. Staring at the piece of paper, Flynn tried not to cry. His father had written “ Goodbye, son! Please, forgive my harsh words .”

“I’m so sorry,” a voice whispered behind Flynn’s back. It was Mr. Kowalski, standing at the door, pale faced and wringing his hands. “You should’ve seen him last night, Flynn!” said the old man with a furtive glance over his shoulder. “Your father held his chin up high…,” the Archipelago’s ancient kept his voice low as he approached Flynn. “That takes remarkable strength!” Mr. Kowalski mumbled something under his breath and slowly backed out of the room.

Alone again, Flynn’s helplessness and despair turned into anger. He kicked furiously at the table then grabbed one of the chairs and threw it against the opposite wall. Sweeping boxes from their shelves, Flynn went on a mad rampage… When he was done, the little apartment looked like it had been hit by a tornado. Standing back to inspect the damage, Flynn felt his head begin to clear. Suddenly, Flynn knew what he had to do… He was going to find his father and save him… no matter what!

A flapping sound made Flynn turn his head. A bird had landed on the windowsill, and was tap-tapping its beak against the plastic sheet. Stepping outside, Flynn saw that it was a carrier pigeon, waiting for him. The red ribbon on its leg meant it was one of Madison’s, and there was a rolled up note around its neck.

“Go away!” Flynn cried, trying to shoo the bird away with his hand.

The pigeon took off, circled and landed quickly next to Flynn. Clearly, it wasn’t going to leave before its message had been delivered. What could the girl possibly want from him? He had made it clear that he would never speak to her again… Annoyed, Flynn reached out and took the roll of paper. Madison’s note was brief.

It said: Tony’s on the List.

“They took him! They took my boy!” Mrs. Romero wailed, choking on her tears. Her face was swollen, her eyes red and puffy. She stared blankly at Flynn, then buried her face in her hands and sank back into the shabby mattress.

Flynn had found her like that when he had burst into Tony’s apartment. Doubled over, Mrs. Romero’s voice was hoarse from crying all night long. Her frail shoulders trembled with every sob. He had also found Madison sitting next to the woman. The girl now had a cup of water in her hand. “Here Mrs. Romero, drink this,” Madison said gently.

Tony’s mother lifted her head, looked at the cup for a moment then burst into tears again.

“Mrs. Romero…” Flynn cleared his throat. “I’m sure it’s all some kind of mistake… And I’ll make sure they fix it.”

“My child’s gone!” the woman wailed. “He’s as good as dead now! Nothing matters anymore!”

“He’s not dead, Mrs. Romero…” Flynn started to say.

“Leave me alone!” the woman cried. “It’s all your fault… All that stupid diving, Flynn… you made my Tony sick… and now look what’s happened!”

“Mrs. Romero…” Flynn’s eyes darted to Madison, seeking help.

She shook her head, got up from the bed and came over to him. “Let’s go,” she whispered. “There’s nothing we can do here.”

Flynn nodded and turned to leave. He stopped at the door and glanced back at the poor woman. “I’ll find him, Mrs. Romero… I promise!”

He walked out and rushed down the stairs, followed by Madison. She caught up with him at the docking area and grabbed his shoulder.

“Flynn!”

“Let go!” Flynn jerked his shoulder free from her grasp.

“Wait… where’re you going?”

“To the Van Zandt building… I’ll talk to Duncan Roth. Tony’s my Crew Mate.”

“Don’t be stupid, Flynn! You’ll only make it worse.”

He didn’t answer.

“Listen…” Madison said, “I know what you’re thinking, but… we need to be rational here… we should come up with a plan.”

“We?” Flynn spat, narrowing his eyes. “There’s no we anymore!”

“You know you need me back on your team, Flynn!” Madison pleaded. “Tony’s my friend as much as he’s yours. I can help… you owe me that much!”

“I owe you nothing!” Flynn stuck a finger in her face. “Get that into your pretty head!” He turned and hurried down the stairs.

“Flynn… wait!”

“Go back to you boyfriend, Miss Ray!” he shouted over his shoulder. “Leo Van Zandt needs you more than I do!”

And with those words, Flynn was gone… leaving Madison to stare after him with a look of despair on her face.

Duncan Roth was leaning over his desk, studying the complicated blue-prints of an engine, when there was a knock on his door. He scooped all the pieces of paper and shoved them in the nearest drawer, then turned toward the door and said, “Yes?”