Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

“Let’s see your face, beautiful.” Leo adjusted his lens and zoomed in on Madison. Yes, she was looking at him. Not a friendly look! A glare! And now she was looking away at something else. Leo quickly refocused his vision and caught sight of Perry back on the raft. He watched as Madison gave the boy a hug. Leo was so angry that he fumbled with his viewfinder and completely lost focus on the two. What the hell was she playing at? It suddenly occurred to him that Madison was simply doing her job… Doing what she had promised him from the start… She would string the Perry boy along, so that Leo could catch him out and finally get his revenge on the cocky bastard.

When Leo found them again in his viewfinder, Madison was in the water with Perry. He watched them disappear beneath the surface. He waited a few minutes, focusing his lenses on the spot where he had last seen them. But they never resurfaced… These two had not gone for a casual swim. This was a proper deep dive! Again, Leo wondered what all this action round the Power Plant was all about… He grunted in frustration and spat in the water. He was done waiting, lurking in the distance! He had seen enough, and it was time for Madison to stop playing her role. The time to act was now!

“I need a raft!” he yelled as he threw his binoculars on the seat of his boat. “I need to get closer, without them hearing me.” He glared at his posse of friends who sat behind him, then at the guards in the boat next to his. With their engines turned off and a safe distance away from the smokestacks, they had all been waiting quietly for him to finish his little reconnaissance mission.

“Get me a good raft, Simmons!” Leo turned to one of his guards. “A fast and quiet one, alright! As soon as possible!”

“Err… you want us to build you one, sir,” said the guard, “…or to confiscate a raft from the Lower Side?”

“I don’t care, you moron!” Leo yelled and smashed his fist on the dashboard. “Just get me the bloody thing!”

He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared. Leo pushed on the throttle. His posse cheered as the powerboat jumped forward and sped off in the direction of the Upper Side.

“Come! Let me show you, amigos.”

Tony Romero led Flynn and Madison down the narrow walkways surrounding the Ark . There was a flurry of activity all over the vessel. The newly arrived group had joined forces with the existing crew, working around the clock to finish the Ark and get her ready to sail as soon as possible. Like ants, they crawled up and down the scaffolding, laying down panels of salvaged metal over the hull and welding them together. Mr. Kowalski ran around from one group to the next, supervising the progress, making adjustments, testing the electrical systems and fitting all mechanical parts.

“There!” Tony pointed at the Ark .

The entire length of her starboard was covered in a thick layer of raw algae. The mixture had quickly dried up, turning from bright green to brownish gray, fusing the grooves and gaps between the panels like cement. Flynn’s father was with a group of people who were hanging from harnesses and working their way across the other side of the hull. Their job was to apply more of the fresh algae to the remaining bare parts of the hull.

“So, that’s what it’s for, then!” Flynn exclaimed. “All that algae we’d been lugging here!”

“Yes,” said Tony, “it’s like natural glue! Duncan calls it green mortar, whatever that is… it’ll seal the Ark , make her waterproof for when she goes under.”

“We’ll be sailing underwater?” Madison’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What kind of ship is this?”

“Mr. Kowalski calls it a submarine! Says it can go both above and below the surface of the water. Beats me if you ask!” Tony shrugged.

“I’ve seen submarines from the Olden Days!” Flynn stared at the Ark with renewed interest. “Only in pictures, though. Never for real… And those big fans at the back… what are they for?”

“Propellers! Old industrial fans Mr. Kowalski had modified and connected to the engine,” Tony explained. “Honestly Flynn, you should see the engine room and all the stuff inside! It’s amazing, amigo!”

“So, we’ll be powered, then! No more pedaling, eh!”

“Only for as long as the algae ethanol lasts!” Tony said. “No one really knows how far we’ll have to go!” He went on to describe the intricate system of ropes, pulleys and gears Mr. Kowalski and Duncan had designed as an alternative, man-powered mechanism for when they ran out of fuel. A simple switch shifted the propeller gears from the engine to the three rows of pedal benches that could seat up to fifty people at a time.

“So, sooner or later we’ll all have to pedal, I’m afraid.” Tony smiled.

“Knew it was too good to be true,” Flynn grinned back at his friend then glanced around the solid dome above their heads. “This is all great, but… how’re we going the get out of here when she’s all ready to sail?”

“Duncan hasn’t told anyone yet,” Tony replied. “I guess we’ll just have to trust him… trust that he knows what he’s doing.”

“What is it?” Madison whispered in alarm. Flynn had stopped pedaling, and was now straining his eyes at the darkness behind them, his body tense. Flickering in the distance, the Archipelago lights were their only source of light.

“Thought I heard something!” Flynn said, looking back, trying to see in the darkness. “Sounded like a splash…”

“Probably a seal, or a dolphin,” Madison said. “What else could be out here at this hour?”

“I don’t know. It sounded more like…” Flynn stopped talking and waited a moment. It was dead quiet, not a single sound could be heard, except for the water lapping against the sides of the Seeker . “You’re right! It’s nothing.” He slid back on his seat and started pedaling again. “Maybe I’m just tired!”

Flynn wasn’t just tired! He was exhausted! He could barely keep his eyes open. He and Madison had hardly gotten any sleep for over a week now… A few hours here and there, stolen in between jobs. That was all. Flynn had never before performed so many dives in such a small period of time…. He felt drained! But all this work had to be done, no question about it. It was down to him and Madison, together with Pharrell and Clay to gather and supply the Ark with all the essentials for the trip. Duncan had given them a list with what was needed, and they had gone out searching. They had scavenged for vacuum packed medication, bottled water and canned food, tools of any kind, big and small, light bulbs, rechargeable batteries… the list went on and on! They had to dive for all that, and ferry it to the Ark ’s cargo hold. Flynn had lost count of how many trips they had made back and forth between the Archipelago and the Power Plant. It didn’t matter. The Ark depended on him! And he wasn’t alone. Everyone involved had been working around the clock to finish the ship. A few more days, Flynn thought, and they’d be ready to sail. He could see the black shadows of the smokestacks now and steered the raft toward the chain-link fence.

“I don’t think I’ve got the strength to go down tonight!” Madison said as they glided toward the fence. She was half lying on the seat next to Flynn.