Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

“Me too… I’m spent!” He yawned. “Let’s dump the cargo and go get some sleep.” Flynn got up, dragged his feet to the back of the raft and crouched down to untie the net holding his “catch of the day”. It consisted of a large load of canned food, a collection of tools and copper wires, which had been scavenged from three different locations. He was fighting with the knot, when he heard something and froze… The splashing sound again! Loud and clear this time, very rhythmical and coming closer… No, that wasn’t a seal, or a dolphin, or any other sea creature. Flynn knew what that sound was. A pedal-propelled raft! And they weren’t expecting any company, because Duncan and the rest of the gang were down below, working on the Ark .

Suddenly, the beam of powerful floodlights was upon them! Blinded, Flynn shielded his eyes and staggered back. Madison was up on her feet and by his side in an instant. Their raft was now a brightly lit stage, with the four smokestacks as its sinister backdrop. Instinctively, Flynn’s hand reached for his diving knife.

“Stay where you are, Perry boy!” Leo Van Zandt’s voice rang out from behind the strong light. “Or I’ll shoot you right there on the spot!”

Flynn let his hand fall and squinted. He could just about make out where Leo was standing and saw a pistol flash in his hand. The Van Zandt raft was now only a few feet away from them. Flynn did his best to scan the deck. It appeared empty, and that Leo had come alone. They still had a chance, he thought.

“Throw your knife in the water Perry boy,” Leo ordered. “Now!”

“You can’t touch us,” Flynn said, trying to keep his voice steady. “We’re Free Scavengers. Duncan Roth is our boss, and we only answer to him and your father.”

“Hah! You’re nothing, Perry!” Leo sneered. “You’re a criminal, that’s what you are! Do you honestly believe you’re so valuable to us? That I’ll get in trouble with my dad for killing lowlife scum like you?” He paused for a moment and pointed the gun at Flynn. “No, I won’t hesitate to shoot you! Your boss isn’t here to help you, now is he?”

Flynn and Madison stood frozen in the middle of their raft, staring back at Leo.

“But before I get rid of you Perry boy…” Leo drawled, “you’ll tell me exactly what’s so special about these waters here.” He waited for an answer, but none came. “I’ve watched you come and go all week long… So there’s got to be something down there.”

“There’s nothing… just random scavenging stuff,” Flynn lied.

“Really?… In that case, you won’t mind if my men drop some mines round here, would you?” Leo asked, pointing to the lights that had suddenly appeared in the distance. Motor boats! They were moving fast, heading towards the Power Plant.

Flynn clenched his fists and tried not to blink or say anything that might give away the terror he felt. It wasn’t just his and Madison’s lives that were in danger now. If Leo was going to mine the waters all around the Power Plant, then the Ark would never be able to sail away.

“Start talking,” Leo exploded, “or I’m going to count to three and put a bullet through your brain.”

Leo’s raft had now drifted almost against the Seeker , and the two vessels were only inches apart. What were his chances if he were to jump the bastard, Flynn wondered.

“One…” Leo had begun his countdown.

Flynn tensed his muscles. His mind was racing. He had to do something and the best he could think of was for Madison and him to try and dive into the water before getting shot. Madison squeezed his hand hard, as if she had read his mind.

“We’ve got to warn everybody,” Flynn whispered and she held on to his arm even tighter. “They’ve got to launch the Ark before it’s too late.”

“I know!” she whispered back. “But my parents… I can’t leave them behind, Flynn!” She turned to face him, and he saw the tears running down her cheeks. She quickly wiped her eyes dry and stepped away from him.

“Two!” Leo drawled.

Madison took a deep breath and shouted, “Leo, wait! I’ve got a better idea.”

Leo Van Zandt lowered his gun a fraction.

“There’s no need to shoot him,” Madison said as she moved farther away from Flynn. “We leave him here in the water, take his raft back, and he’ll be dead by tomorrow… Drowned or eaten by sharks.”

A sly smile spread over Leo’s face. He saw how Madison’s words had taken the Perry boy completely by surprise… “Great idea, beautiful! A slow and horrible death,” Leo said and aimed his gun back on Flynn. “Shooting him would be way too easy.”

Flynn felt as if someone had punched him straight in the face. He glared at Madison and couldn’t believe what he was hearing… In fact, he had stopped listening altogether. What was she doing?

“When they ask, I’ll say it was a diving accident,” Madison spoke quickly. “…And if you want, I can also blame Duncan Roth for Flynn’s death… I’ll tell your father how Duncan didn’t give us any proper instructions… How he sent us on all these dangerous late-night dives, in toxic waters with faulty equipment… that I nearly died too…”

“I love it!” Leo was now grinning from ear to ear. “That should get Roth in plenty of trouble with my dad.”

“Sure will,” Madison laughed and moved swiftly to the back of the Seeker . “But there’s more…” She knelt down by the net full of the provisions for the Ark .

“What’s that?” Leo craned his neck, his eyes never leaving Flynn. He could see that the Perry boy had gone very pale, even with the spotlight shining on him.

Flynn wanted to scream at Madison… She was going to tell Leo about the Ark ? If only he could, he would have killed her right there on the spot… But Madison was now just too far for him to stop her.

“Just proof…,” Madison began to speak very slowly and clearly, “that Duncan was… involved with… all the Black Market profiteering going on behind the Government’s back.”

Flynn’s heart stopped in his mouth… Madison had not said a word about the Ark ! And then as Madison’s words began to sink in, his heart soared like a bird… It took a second for him to realize what Madison had been doing from the very start. And doing it so brilliantly… She was playing the bastard! Giving Flynn a chance to get away… to save the Ark !

“Leo, come have a look at all this stuff,” Madison called out, still crouching by the net full of salvaged provisions. Now, she was trying to distract Leo Van Zandt, make him drop his guard.

But Leo didn’t move from the spot he was standing in. “It can wait,” he said and cocked his gun. “First, Perry boy has to go for a little swim… with the sharks.” Leo snickered and fired his gun.

Flynn felt the bullet whistle past his shoulder. He doubled over from the searing pain. Blood was gushing out of a small wound where the bullet had grazed his upper arm.

“What’re you doing, Leo!” cried Madison, her eyes wide with horror. “We said no shooting!”

“Just giving the great whites a head start,” Leo laughed. “If I wanted to shoot him properly, he’d be dead by now.” Leo motioned for Flynn to step forward and come to the edge of the raft. “Get in the water, scum boy!”

Flynn obeyed without protesting… This was where he wanted to be… In the water’s cold embrace… All his life, the ocean around the Archipelago had been his playground. He was in his full element here, surer of himself and more focused than when he was on dry land… For some reason, it made him feel invincible… And that was exactly how Flynn felt now, as he jumped off the raft and into the black water… Leo would be waiting for him to resurface and suspect nothing. He didn’t know of the air pocket inside the Power Plant, and that Flynn would be making his escape. He would head down and never come up for air. First stop would be the diving bell to catch his breath… then, another descent to the opening in the wall… This was what Madison wanted him to do… But Flynn wasn’t going to do that… He couldn’t leave her behind!