Vladimir Todorov - Archipelago N.Y. - Flynn

Luckily for Flynn, the light from Leo’s raft made it a lot easier to navigate as he swam back up toward the two vessels. His plan was to get underneath his own raft and to locate its hidden compartment. Inside, there was a tiny breathing space… and a much better weapon than the knife Flynn had lost… His harpoon!

He found the spot right under the starboard and squeezed in, glad that he could fill his screaming lungs with air again. With no source of light, Flynn had to feel his way around until his cold fingers unfastened the stash of the emergency gear. He had to stop the flow of blood from his arm immediately, or face the possibility of making Leo’s wish come true… There were sharks in these waters, so Flynn knew he was in real danger. A strip of duct tape served as a bandage, and Flynn quickly moved on to the next task at hand. He grabbed his harpoon… The weapon had served him well in the past. Flynn was a good shot and felt confident he would be able to take Leo out… Careful not to make any noise, he swam out to the back of the Seeker .

Seconds later, Flynn heard Madison’s voice above him and strained his ears to catch what she was saying.

“Leo, there’s no need to drop mines round the Power Plant… Trust me, there’s nothing here to worry about,” said Madison…. Flynn couldn’t make out what Leo’s response was, but Madison continued talking… “And I should know, right? Duncan was using the site to just stash away some of his Black Market booty… that’s all… Let’s go back home. It’s been such a long night.”

Flynn peeked over the side and saw Leo and Madison getting ready to leave. But he also saw half a dozen speed boats closing in! He knew he had precious little time to act. He aimed the harpoon at Leo, released the safety catch and watched the spear fly through the air… It struck Leo between the shoulder blades, knocking him down to the floor of the deck.

“Quick, Madison!” Flynn shouted. “Jump!”

But Madison remained where she was… A hand had gripped her arm in an iron hold… Leo was standing beside her again… He had been wearing his bulletproof vest under his jacket and the harpoon had merely taken the wind out of him. Now, holding Madison as a shield, Leo fired his gun at Flynn… and missed… The roar of the approaching motor boats had briefly taken his attention away from his target, but it had been enough for Flynn to disappear back underwater.

Within seconds, the shooting began again in earnest… and this time Leo wasn’t alone. Flynn knew there was nothing he could do anymore. He was outnumbered and with only a harpoon to defend himself and Madison… The security guards were emptying their rifles into the water, throwing nets around the perimeter… Flynn caught one final glimpse of Madison, filled his lungs with air and dived down.

He kicked his feet, going deeper fast… But someone had followed him. The beams of powerful flashlights told him that he was not alone. The entrance to the Power Plant was there, just feet away now, when… Flynn felt a hand grasp his foot. He swung his body around and was face to face with Leo, who was holding Flynn’s ankle with one hand… a knife in the other. He slashed with the knife and the sharp blade met with Flynn’s calf, making a deep cut. Flynn winced in pain, but held his breath and managed to grab Leo’s hand, twisting it away. For a moment, the two were lost in a cloud of blood, trashing around, fighting for their lives. The torchlight illuminated Leo’s face. There was madness in his eyes as he reached for Flynn’s throat. But, there was also something else which Flynn recognized immediately… Leo was about to run out of air! He was still holding on to Flynn, but he was struggling now, getting weaker. There was movement around them as a few shadows swam past Flynn. He glanced back, and saw two of Leo’s guards spreading a net, ready to throw it on top of him. With one swift move, Flynn swung Leo around and kicked him hard in the face, sending him straight into the net. It closed over Leo, trapping him inside. The guards scrambled, frantically trying to untangle the net and free their boss. The last thing Flynn saw before he swam away, were Leo’s eyes. They were bulging for lack of air and full of sheer terror! It was the look of a drowning man… and Flynn knew that Leo would never make it to the top alive.

“It’s only a surface wound! No major blood vessels damaged! You’ll live!” Ann Baxter said when she finished bandaging Flynn’s leg.

Flynn groaned. Not so much from the pain, but from the terrible sense of guilt! He had let everybody down… He had let Leo sneak up on them… didn’t raise the alarm in time… and he couldn’t save Madison… He had left her behind… Flynn knew everybody was staring at him, but didn’t dare look up and meet their eyes. They all stood in a circle around him. Duncan, Mr. Kowalski, his father, Tony, Pharrell, and those who had stopped work and gathered to hear the bad news… Everybody, except Madison, Flynn thought bitterly and slammed his fist against the wall.

“Flynn, stop blaming yourself,” Duncan finally spoke. Up until that moment he had been silent, a deep crease in his forehead. “You were extremely brave and did your best.”

Now all eyes were on Duncan Roth and everybody nodded… but Flynn saw how worried they looked.

“Alright!” Duncan said. “This is where we are… I was hoping for an extra day or two, but that’s out of question now!”

A ripple of nervous excitement went through the group. As his words spread, shouts of eager anticipation echoed in the great chamber hall. Duncan raised his hand.

“Our location’s been compromised,” he spoke with great urgency. “You all know what you’ve got to do and you’ve rehearsed the emergency procedure. So, let’s get the Ark ready for launch.”

Everybody scattered in different directions, splitting into small groups. The worried faces were suddenly full of purpose and determination. They knew where they were going and they did so with great urgency and a lot of noise. Confused, Flynn stood in the middle of the storm, not sure what to do.

“Walter,” Duncan placed his hand on Mr. Kowalski’s shoulder, “please check all hatches and windows… Make sure they’re all well sealed. OK?”

Mr. Kowalski nodded and hurried away.

“Flynn!” Duncan’s finger beckoned him. “You’re coming with me to the helm.”

“Me?” Flynn glanced around, unsure if Duncan wasn’t addressing someone else. But there wasn’t anyone else left, except the two of them.

“I need you to know how to work the controls, Flynn!” Duncan said as he led him up a walkway. “I need someone I can trust, in case I’m… not here to do it!”

“But, sir… err Duncan…” Flynn swallowed hard. “Surely there’re others here, who could do this… like Mr. Kowalski, or…”

“Walter’s a genius at pretty much everything else, except… navigation!” said Duncan, leading Flynn toward the Ark . “As for the rest of our crew, most are lacking either one skill or another, or simply can’t see well enough because of their age! You’re my best navigator here and you’re young! So, like it or not, you’ll have to be my second in command, Flynn!”

Flynn stared in amazement at the control panel in front of him. He and Duncan were standing inside the Ark ’s cramped cockpit. Constructed out of an old truck cab, it looked like a hump protruding from the rounded bow of the Ark . Thick glass panels were fused into the window holes, giving the cockpit its three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view over the chamber hall. From this vantage point, Flynn could clearly see the frantic activity going on around the vessel… In a mad rush against time, support beams were being erected, anchoring the Ark to all four walls and ceiling. They would hold it against the tremendous pressure when the outer wall was blown out, and the water rushed in. Duncan had told him they were there to keep the vessel from being crushed against the ceiling. Walls blown out… Ceiling collapsing… This was going to be one hell of a launch, Flynn thought with a terrible feeling of dread in his gut.