Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

She said nothing, just glared at him.

“As for Duncan Roth…” said Flynn, glancing around, “he’s nowhere to be seen, is he? We’re alone here.”

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment. Then Madison pushed away from Flynn, walked over to the seat and slumped on top of it. “Go on, then!” She folded her arms across her chest. “But don’t expect any help from me! I’m not pumping any air down to your bell!”

“I don’t need any!” Flynn grinned and snapped his goggles on. “I’ll be in and out!”

He stood still at the edge of the raft for a second then dived in. The cool water swallowed him as he sank past the fence with the two new diving bells attached to it. He followed the vertical drop of the closest smokestack. Going down, Flynn saw the smokestack end where the outline of a huge rectangular structure began. He kept his dive steady along one of the outer walls of the building. There were no windows, no doors… no openings of any kind. It looked like one massive block of concrete, covered in barnacles and slimy, brown weeds. Flynn had never seen anything like it! He was almost at the bottom of the wall now. The murkiness of the water was making it harder for Flynn to see where he was going. He was about to switch his flashlight on, when a movement a few feet beneath him caught his attention. A school of fish shot out from the wall and swam away in a hurry. Where did they come from, wondered Flynn.

A moment later, a beam of light followed the fish and illuminated a small opening at the bottom of the building. Flynn looked desperately for a place to hide, saw none and flattened himself against the wall. Gripping the wall with his fingers and toes, he did his best not to float away and reveal himself. Despite the awkward angle, Flynn still managed to peer down at the source of the light. To his amazement, he saw a hand holding a torch emerge out of the opening, followed by the dark silhouette of a body. The mysterious diver made a few strokes and the light of the torch fell on what was an Ethanol barrel… This was another surprise for Flynn. He knew he had dumped at least twenty of these barrels in the past few days… but now, there was just one, lying on the ocean bed near the opening. The rest of the barrels were all gone! Flynn watched the diver loop a thick rope around the barrel and drag it back toward the opening.

It was at this precise moment that Flynn caught a glimpse of the diver’s face and felt his blood run cold… It was Ann Baxter’s! Stunned, Flynn lost his grip on the wall. He had just seen his teacher… But that was impossible… inconceivable, he thought as he recovered his position against the wall… The underwater light and shadows were playing tricks with his eyes… Ann Baxter was long dead… But the diver was definitely a woman! He was sure about that. Within seconds, the mysterious figure and the barrel had disappeared out of sight. Flynn tilted his body upward and began his ascend back to the surface… He couldn’t wait to tell Madison!

Leo watched the Perry boy heave himself out of the water and roll onto his raft. Madison was kneeling next to him, talking… A moment later, Perry was pacing excitedly up and down on the Seeker, holding his head in his hands… Something must have happened on that dive, thought Leo. Madison’s body language was strange, too. He saw her shrug her shoulders, then look at the water for a very long time, as if studying its depths. Eventually, she joined Flynn at the helm of the Seeker, and the two headed back toward the Archipelago.

Leo put the binoculars down, his lips stretching into a thin smile. The Fury swayed up and down, little waves lapping gently against its sides. He knew he was onto something… His gut was telling him Flynn Perry was up to no good, but for now it was just intuition, nothing specific… He had to be more patient. He would keep following the pair quietly. Flynn would make the wrong move, and then it would be all over… But first, Leo was going to check out the deserted Power Plant. The place had piqued his interest so much… He was only a mile out, a safe distance and clear of Flynn’s usual route. Leo glanced at his watch. The raft would be far away by now and safe enough for the Fury to slowly move in. He pressed the button on his dash board, and the boat’s engine roared to life.

“Are we ready?” Marcus Van Zandt flicked away a speck of dust from his sleeve. He was wearing a velvet suit, which had once been maroon in color. As far as he was concerned, it was perfect for the grand occasion. Few owned suits in such good condition, and Van Zandt was very proud of that fact.

“They’re all here, Marcus!” Vince Jordan said. “You can start the Departure Ceremony at any time.”

Van Zandt leaned forward, pulled the curtain slightly and peered through the slit. The microphone stand was waiting for him, right in the middle of the grand stage, erected especially for the occasion. A huge crowd had gathered in front of it. The crescent bay of water, surrounding the Van Zandt building, was full with hundreds of vessels, all crammed together, jostling for room. Each and every one of these vessels had been decorated with whatever the people could find that was bright and colorful. The Government required that all vessels looked festive and cheerful… so improvised flags and streamers flew from masts, empty soda cans jangled on ropes and wires. Another requirement was for the people to make as much noise as possible. A cacophony of loud trumpets, shrieking horns and beating drums assaulted Van Zandt’s ears, but he wasn’t bothered by any of it. The more, the merrier, he thought, pleased with what he was seeing and hearing. It was going to be a day of great Departure fun.

The Upper Side residents had shown up in full force for the celebrations and were ready to party. It was one of the highlights of the year and few wanted to miss it. The people were shouting, cheering and clapping their hands in great anticipation. The Lower Side was also gearing up for the event. Most of its residents were in various stages of intoxication, thanks to the cheap Algae brandy the Government had provided for the occasion. It had been flowing freely for a week now, so the mood on the Archipelago was highly festive… drunkenly so, and that was exactly how Marcus Van Zandt wanted it to be.

He smiled and glanced to the right, where his Government ministers were seated on a floating pontoon. Duncan Roth was standing alone on his enormous power boat. Next to his boat was the Departure raft, which was docked securely to the stage. Rows of crudely built bench seats were ready and waiting for the raft’s passengers. Those had been nailed together hastily and with little thought to comfort. But a lot of effort had gone into decking out this one-way vessel and making it look as grand as possible… Banners and an assortment of rag-tag decorations hung over it, like a canopy of shredded rainbows. Everybody knew that the raft was missing a few crucial parts… there was no steering rudder, nor pedals or oars of any kind… it was not meant to be operational… It was meant to drift away smoothly into oblivion! It looked perfect, thought Marcus Van Zandt with pride! Everything about this Departure Ceremony was perfect.

“Let’s begin!” Van Zandt threw back the curtain, a wide smile on his face. He walked onto the stage, fully aware of the power he held over the people of the Archipelago. A loud roar welcomed him as he stepped toward the microphone. He waited for a few seconds then raised his arms to quiet the crowd.