Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Tony paused for a second, “I say we do it, Flynn!”

Flynn knew that Tony was right and nodded solemnly. He dragged his diving gear from under the seat and said, “I’m taking you down first.”

“No, Flynn!”

“What?” Flynn stared at Tony in surprise.

“I’ll stay and help Madison!”

Tony’s words were spoken with such force that Flynn knew it was better not to argue with his friend. He hesitated for a moment then snapped on his goggles. “Alright, I’ll go get my dad, then. You and Madison can man the air pumps.”

Flynn made his way quickly to the Departure raft where most of the group appeared to have settled down, accepting their new fate… Trying to get to the Power Plant was frightening, but they had nothing left to lose!

“Dad!” Flynn called out.

“Over here, son!”

A shadowy figure stepped forward and Flynn saw his father standing only feet away from him. The two hugged each other briefly. There was no time to speak.

“Are you ready for this?” Flynn asked.

“You know my rule, son… Ladies go first!” With those words, Alan Perry turned and brought a woman to the front.

Flynn recognized Mrs. Voinovich, their neighbor. Dark as it was, he could see the terror in her eyes. She was shaking her head, clearly petrified to go down in the water.

“Take good care of her, son!” Alan Perry nudged the woman to go forward.

Flynn exchanged a quick glance with his father, nodded and gently took Mrs. Voinovich’s hand. “You won’t have to do much, Mrs. Voinovich, don’t worry!” He led her to the edge of the platform and said, “Just sit here, and wait for me. I’ll be back in a second.”

He turned to go and saw Duncan and Pharrell dragging the diving bells behind them.

“Flynn!” the man called out. “What are you waiting for? We don’t have all night!”

Flynn slid in the water, and with a few strokes was right by his raft. He detached his bell, grabbed it by the hose and swam back to the platform. Madison, Tony and Clay were already there with the air pumps. Flynn hooked up the bell to one of the pumps and swam back to Mrs. Voinovich. She sat frozen on the platform’s edge, arms locked around her knees, her eyes like saucers, staring at the dark water.

“C’mon, Mrs. Voinovich!” Flynn extended his hand. “Just ease yourself down, and I’ll take you to the bell.”

But the woman shook her head and inched away.

“Please! We’ve got to hurry!” Flynn moved in closer.

Mrs. Voinovich let go of her knees and anchored her hands on the edge of the platform. Flynn was losing patience. Tony was right by the bell, ready with the hoist, watching them. Their eyes met, and he gave Flynn a quick nod. Flynn glanced around. No one else was looking… It only took a split second for his hand to grab Mrs. Voinovich by the wrist and yank her hard toward him. He pulled her down, locking her in a tight embrace. She managed to let out a small yelp before Flynn clasped his hand over her mouth, pinching her nose to prevent her from swallowing any water.

Flynn took a deep breath and holding the woman, he began his dive. It was harder than he thought… Mrs. Voinovich was surprisingly strong… and was putting up a mighty struggle. He had her arms pinned, but her legs were free. She kicked him hard a few times, missing his groin by a fraction of an inch. Luckily for them, Flynn was able to get cleanly under the diving bell and into the air pocket inside without a problem. He waited a couple of seconds, before lifting his hand away from Mrs. Voinovich’s mouth. “You can breathe now,” he told her.

The woman took a big noisy gulp of air and followed it with a high-pitched scream. She kicked again and made Flynn lose his hold on her. Without his support, she lost her balance and slipped back in the water. Flynn fished her out quickly by the scruff of her neck.

“Mrs. Voinovich! Just listen to me!” Flynn was yelling now. “There’s a small platform you can stand on and rest your feet… And hang on to that rope handle next to your head.”

The woman went quiet again. Her panic attack had subsided. She followed Flynn’s instructions, like a helpless little child.

“There! Well done,” Flynn said, reassuringly. “Just relax now and we’ll be safely down in no time, alright.” He yanked the hose a few times, and the bell started to descend. The air inside remained fresh, allowing Flynn and Mrs. Voinovich to breathe normally. Tony and Madison were doing a great job, Flynn thought, grateful for having them above him. He waited a little, then fumbled with his torch and switched it on. The light flooded the bell’s domed roof, making Mrs. Voinovich blink a few times. Her eyes darted back and forth, checking out her surroundings.

“It’s OK. Nothing to worry about!” Flynn grinned. “It’s like going down in an elevator, except… it’s underwater!”

Unfortunately, instead of reassuring the woman, his words had the opposite effect… Mrs. Voinovich grabbed onto the handle with both hands and closed her eyes, frozen in terror again. Flynn felt sorry for her, but there was nothing he could do… He shrugged and leaned back against the plastic walls of his bell. A moment later, the bell jerked and came to a stop. It had reached the end of the line. Flynn knew this had been the easy part of the dive… The next phase was going to be much harder. He put his goggles back on, took one quick look at the woman’s petrified face, and dived down, leaving her inside the bell.

It took him a second to get his bearings… His bell was hanging about thirty feet above the bottom and the Power Plant. There were several lights placed along its walls, making it easier to see in the darkness. Flynn saw another diving bell, already there next to his, glowing like a lantern in the dark. The light inside moved down, and a moment later, Duncan Roth shot out from under the bell, followed closely by two figures. Flynn watched as Duncan led them down to a well-concealed gap in the Power Plant’s wall. Flynn would have missed it if he was on his own! Glancing up, he saw Pharrell’s bell descending and hurried back inside his.

Mrs. Voinovich was exactly as Flynn had left her, eyes shut tight, knuckles white from squeezing the handle. “We’ll have to do some more diving, now,” Flynn said, trying to sound cheerful, “…so hold your breath… as long as you can.”

Mrs. Voinovich’s eyes shot open and stared at him, wide with terror. She shook her head and closed them back tightly.

“Look…” Flynn said, “I… don’t want to drag you down again… but I will.”

Her eyes opened again and she nodded her head slowly… Flynn noticed that her lips had turned a dark shade of purple.

“All you’ve got to do is hold me round my waist… Do you think you can do that?”

Mrs. Voinovich swallowed hard then nodded again.

“Good!” Flynn turned around. “And try not to strangle me, alright.”

Slowly, she let go of the handle and clasped her arms around his middle.

“One last thing… You’ll feel some pressure in your ears. Just pinch your nose and blow with your mouth closed, OK?”

With Mrs. Voinovich now pressed tight against his back, Flynn dove under the bell. Her added weight helped him go down a lot faster. Soon, Flynn could see the opening in the wall, and swam straight for it. Just as he was about to enter, a strong beam of light blinded him. Flynn had to back up and let Duncan glide out. He gave Flynn the thumbs up sign and swam past him in a flash. Although this had been a small delay, Flynn could feel Mrs. Voinovich’s arms now tightening around his neck. She was running out of oxygen fast, and Flynn knew it. He kicked his feet and went through the hole, starting his ascend up a narrow chimney-like space.