Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn
Read Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn Online
Authors: Vladimir Todorov
Archipelago
N.Y.
(Flynn)
Todorov
Text
and Artwork Copyright © 2014 Vladimir Todorov
All
Rights Reserved
New York City,
Year 0055.
Drenched in sweat
and struggling to breathe, Tony Romero felt a sharp pain shoot up his right leg.
The boy knew his thigh muscle was going to cramp at any moment now. It was a
given. He’d been working the
Seeker
’s oxygen pump for so long. Pressing
on the pedal with his foot for a good twenty minutes… maybe more… He wasn’t
sure… But it felt like hours had passed since the oxygen supply cord had last sounded
its shrill little rattle. The rattle was attached to the side of his scavenger
raft, and it was his cue to pump more fresh air down to the diving bell - a
hundred feet below the water’s surface.
Tony was exhausted,
but he knew the drill. Panting hard, and with his lungs on fire, there was no
way he could stop! He had to keep pumping, until the rattle told him his diver
had enough air to come back up to the raft… Besides, this was no ordinary diver
scavenging the depths of the ocean below. This was his best friend, Flynn Perry.
Tony was Flynn’s Crew Mate and his one and only lifeline back to safety. Besides,
everybody knew a Crew Mate’s job was to look after his diving buddy… no matter
what!
Grunting, Tony
switched feet and glanced down at the pitiful rubber pump that had long
forgotten its original color. How he wished they had one of those air
compressors instead! The few that remained were servicing the big Industrial
Salvage rafts. Fat chance of ever getting their hands on one, Tony thought
bitterly, wiping the sweat from his face. Air compressors were precious
commodities, impossible to have… forbidden for amateur scavengers like him and
Flynn.
Suddenly, Tony began
to cough, his lungs fighting to get as much of the thick, humid air inside them
as they could. Gasping and retching, he doubled over. Somehow, Tony managed to
keep his foot on the pump, willing Flynn to give him the signal to stop. And
then, as his head began to spin into darkness, Tony’s desperate prayers were finally
answered… He heard the rattle, and it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard!
Stumbling back, Tony took his foot off the oxygen pump. His frail body collapsed
on top of the battered car seat he had chained down to the stern of the
Seeker
.
He lay there heaving, trying desperately to catch his breath. Slowly, his hand
fumbled inside the pocket of his tattered, sun-bleached shorts and found the inhaler.
Tony sucked on it hard once, shook the little bottle and sucked again. Frowning,
Tony stared at the inhaler for a long moment, threw it in the water and slumped
back on the seat.
The
Seeker
swayed gently under the glare of the scorching mid-afternoon sun. No other
vessel could be seen across the large expanse of green tinged water. Tony and
Flynn had sneaked out at the crack of dawn and dropped anchor at a spot far
from the Archipelago’s official scavenging zones. It was so quiet here… peaceful...
Tony listened to the sound of the little waves lapping against the row of empty
oil drums and car tires that kept the raft’s platform afloat. The
Seeker
’s
deck was cobbled together from all kinds of salvaged and recycled junk. A rusty
car bonnet and sheets of corrugated metal were welded onto layers of ancient
billboards. Pieces of plastic and broken road signs were held in place by
frayed ropes and strips of duct tape. Luckily, Flynn had scavenged a well-preserved
stash of this adhesive tape on a recent dive… enough to last them a full year
if they used it wisely... Tony groaned. He had such a long list of items that
needed repairing… and so little time!
Suddenly, Tony
heard splashing in the water to the raft’s starboard, followed shortly by a
familiar voice: “Ahoy, there!” A big mesh sack landed with a thud on the platform.
Seconds later, a head popped up. Flynn Perry was finally back from his dive. Oversized
goggles covered half his face, making him look like some monstrous sea creature
that had risen from the bottom of the ocean. Flynn spat out a mouthful of water,
grabbed the tube railing at the edge of the platform and pulled himself over. Rolling
swiftly onto the deck, he sprang back on his feet without missing a beat. His
tall, lean and tanned body threw a shadow across Tony’s almost skeletal frame.
“You OK, buddy?” Flynn
took off his goggles, spraying droplets of cold water all over his Crew Mate
and buddy.
“Yeah…,” Tony mumbled
as he pushed himself up on the seat with a loud grunt. “Did you get any of my
stuff, amigo?”
“It’s your lucky
day!” Flynn unfastened his shoulder harness, dug into his diving satchel and
took out a large plastic zipper bag. “Catch!”
Tony caught the
bag and began to rummage inside, his fingers now trembling with excitement. He
pulled out a vacuum-packed bottle, brushed away the algae slime covering it and
squinted at the label. He glanced up at Flynn, his face full of disappointment.
“This is cough syrup…”
“Keep looking!”
Flynn gave him a quick reassuring smile.
Tony shoved his
hand back in the bag and took out a few more well-sealed bottles. “Aspirin,
Tylenol, multi-vitamins... these are all great finds, but...” He was now
muttering to himself, turning the bag upside-down and shaking it, spilling all
its contents onto the car seat. “Aha!” Tony whooped with joy as he spotted the
two inhalers. His pale face had regained some of its color. “These should last
me for a good while… Thanks, amigo!”
“There’s more of
this stuff down below,” said Flynn. He was now taking more scavenged items from
his satchel and lining them up on the seat next to Tony: a set of sealed
scalpels, a pair of scissors, a bar of soap, a stethoscope… all vacuum-packed
and undamaged. “The pharmacy is loaded! And it’s still virgin turf. No one’s
found it yet.” With his satchel emptied, Flynn turned around and crouched over
the big mesh sack. “We’ve got to come back tomorrow, Tony.” Flynn unfastened
the sack with a happy grin on his face. “You know... get a few bigger bags and carry
on scavv’ying the place, till we’ve picked it clean. And guess what! There’s a
liquor store down there, too. Plenty of stuff to trade on the Black Market, eh!
What do you say?”
There was no
answer from Tony.
“What’s the
matter?” Flynn asked, studying his friend over his shoulder.
Tony stared back
at Flynn for a long moment before finally looking away. He fingered the big
shark tooth that hung on a string around his neck. The tooth was from the great
white Flynn had killed more than a year ago. Tony knew his friend had gone
through a lot of trouble to give it to him… In fact, Flynn was lucky to be
alive! The angry looking scar on Flynn’s forearm was a constant reminder of
what could have happened…‘They say a shark’s tooth will give you strength,’
Flynn had told Tony back then… Well, it hadn’t! Tony knew he was becoming
weaker with every passing day, losing strength instead of gaining any… He kept
his hand over the tooth for another moment, before meeting Flynn’s eyes. “I
think you should find yourself a new Crew Mate... You know… someone who’s
strong… and healthy!” Tony said.
Flynn laughed. “You’re
joking, right?”
“No, I’m dead serious,
amigo! Don’t think I can do this anymore…”
Flynn grabbed a
rusty soda can from the sack, scraped the black silt off with his diving knife
and tossed it to Tony. “Here you go. That’ll cheer you up!”
The can landed in
Tony’s lap. “No, it won’t!” Tony cried and slammed the can down on the seat
without even looking at it. “Don’t you get it, amigo? I’m putting you at risk
here… What if I’d passed out? Let you run out of air… on a deep dive like this…”
“Well, you didn’t!”
Flynn had turned away from his friend and was now busy pulling a thick rope out
of the water. “You'll be fine, Tony! Now, stop with all that sorry talk and help
me get the diving bell out.”
“I’m no quitter,
but...” Tony picked up the slack end of the rope and started coiling it around
a piece of rusty pipe sticking out of the platform’s side. “You know we won’t
pass the Scavenger Trials together! Not if I’m your Crew Mate.”
Flynn paused, the
muscles on his back suddenly tensing.
The Scavenger Trials!
… Their big
day! The moment Flynn and Tony had been waiting for so long…their one and only
chance of becoming proper divers.
Free Scavengers!
And getting their
hands on all the perks and privileges that came with the title… All the
wonderful stuff that people on the Lower Side didn’t have! It would be their
ticket to the Upper Side… and to living like those who were in power… But to
get there, Flynn and Tony would not only have to pass the Trials… they would
have to actually win the whole damn competition!
And now, after
years of training hard, hundreds of dangerous dives, practicing and fine-tuning
their teamwork, the Trials were almost upon them… Soon, it would be time for
Flynn and Tony to face their ultimate challenge… Compete in the Trials…
determine their future. The two boys had reached the age of maturity and the
moment when every boy and girl on the Archipelago was assigned a job for life… A
job you had to do till you were retired and sent away at the Departure Ceremony,
thought Flynn, feeling the bile rise up his throat …There would be no second chances
for him and Tony… Flynn knew he was ready for the challenge. But he wasn’t so
sure about Tony anymore. His friend’s health was failing fast, and Flynn was
seriously worried. He wasn’t going to show it, though. He never did… Flynn
would rather pretend everything was fine… just like he was doing now.
Shaking his head,
Flynn went back to pulling the rope in silence, until the diving bell popped up
on the surface. It was a small, one-man diving device, crudely made out of
pieces of plastic, stitched and taped together. Crude, but effective, Flynn
thought proudly as he admired the capsule he and Tony had built from scratch.
They had been inspired by the Wet Bell, an invention as old as the world. All divers
knew it was one of the earliest types of equipment for underwater work and
exploration. Open at the bottom like a moon pool and ballasted with weights to
keep it upright, it allowed the water pressure to trap the air inside, turning
it into a make-shift diving chamber. No Scavenger worth his salt would go down
on a deep dive without a bell. But a
scavvy
also needed a Crew Mate to
pump the bell full of fresh air… A good, strong and healthy Crew Mate, Flynn
thought with a heavy heart as he stole a quick glance at Tony.
Flynn took his
time securing the bell to the side of the raft. When he was done with it, he
turned his attention to the scavenged booty in his sack. First, he scrubbed
each item clean of the silt and slime. Then, he arranged everything into
separate piles: soda cans, beer cans, bottles of alcohol. Finally, he wiped dry
and neatly stacked half a dozen magazines, still sealed and intact in their
airtight plastic wrappings. Flynn knew those were even more valuable than the
booze and canned food he had found. Magazines had something inside them that
could be enjoyed over and over again. They were full of pictures… Full of images
from the past! And this made them a big trade on the Black Market… Or a great
bribe when dealing with Government officials, Flynn thought with a wicked smile
on his face… Everybody knew that old magazines and books, even with their faded
and tattered pages, always went for a very good price. Brand new ones, still glossy
and untouched, were a real treasure! He was going to make a real killing with
them, for sure.
“Flynn!” Tony cried
out, his voice now full of exasperation. “Did you hear what I just said? You
won’t pass the Trials with me on board!”
"And who do
you think I’ll pass the Trials with, then?” Flynn asked, trying to keep calm.
“Got any suggestions?”
“Madison Ray would
be a good choice,” Tony replied. “Can’t think of anyone better for the job.”
“What?!?” Flynn
swung around and stared at Tony. “You crazy? There’s no way I’m having a girl
on my raft!”
“Why not, amigo?”
“Because it won’t
work!” said Flynn. He hesitated for a moment, then scooped one of his scavenged
piles and stuffed all the items back in his sack. “I need to hide this stash,”
he said, trying hard to avoid Tony’s eyes. Without saying anther word, he
dragged the bag to the edge of the raft, picked it up and disappeared overboard.
Tony waited
patiently, until a few minutes later Flynn’s head emerged next to the
Seeker
’s
platform. “Besides…” Flynn said, spitting water and blowing his nose, “…
Madison’s busy with her stupid pigeons ... Don’t think she cares much for scavvy’ing
anymore!”
“Trust me, she
does!”
“Yeah, right!” Flynn
grunted as he clambered back onto the raft. He began to pull on the rope which
had kept the
Seeker
secured to the end of a lone power pole. The pole
was sticking only six feet above the surface of the ocean, but had done its job
well enough. The
Seeker
had stayed in one place and not drifted away
from their diving location.
“Madison sure
misses being on the water, you know… misses what we used to do together,” Tony
said.
The raft bumped
into the pole and Flynn raised the truck-tire he had threaded on it earlier that
day. He hoisted the makeshift anchor out of the water and threw it back on deck.
“I've been talking
to Madison a lot lately,” Tony began cautiously. “You know how she brings my
mom and me pigeon eggs … Well, she’s been asking ‘bout you… like, how’s your
training going… stuff like that…” Tony paused briefly to study his friend, then
continued with a mischievous smile on his face, “I think it’s ‘cause she likes
you, amigo! Always has.”
“Shut up!” Flynn
growled.
“And she wants to
dive again! Try her hand at scavvy’ing.”
“Tony!” Flynn
pointed a warning finger at his friend’s face. “Enough! I don’t want to hear
anymore about it!”
The boys would
have continued to argue if it wasn’t for the sudden sound of motor engines
reaching their ears. Instantly, they both fell silent. Flynn turned on his
heels and felt his heart begin to race. In the far distance, two speed boats
were fast approaching, heading straight for the
Seeker
. “Damn,” Flynn
spat when he saw that the first vessel was flying the Archipelago’s yellow Government
banner, with the letters
LVZ
emblazoned over its enormous crest. “It’s
Leo Van Zandt.”
Grabbing a long
sheet of sun
-
bleached tarpaulin from under the car seat, Flynn threw it
hastily over the scavenged booty still on deck. Tony was now standing next to
him with a worried look on his face. “Don't say anything… I'll deal with this!”
said Flynn, rolling the diving bell overboard and letting it sink until it was
no longer visible. He then stood waiting, hands on hips, trying to ignore the
pounding in his chest.
Within minutes, the
two power boats were circling the
Seeker
, causing the raft to rise and
fall precariously in their wake. Somehow, Tony and Flynn were able to keep
their balance. They made out a group of giggling boys in the boat with the banner.
A couple of burly security guards with their weapons aimed at the
Seeker
were
riding in the second. Finally, the two vessels began to slow down. Leo Van
Zandt, a boy not much older than Flynn and Tony, stood up in the bigger boat.
His long blond hair was tucked underneath a faded ‘
I love N.Y.
’ baseball
cap, his eyes hidden behind a pair of old aviator goggles.
Both boys noticed Leo’s
oversized and worn-out bulletproof vest and the gun holstered at the hip… Who
would dare shoot at him, wondered Flynn… No one on the Lower Side had guns. Then
he noticed the bullet holes on the boat’s windshield… Had someone finally dared
to make an attempt on Leo Van Zandt's life? No way! The bullet holes were most
probably there from the Olden Days, the time when all survivors had fought for
every boat, every piece of floating hardware, anything useful they could lay
their hands on... And besides, Leo didn’t just have one boat. He had a whole
fleet at his disposal waiting for him on the Upper Side…
Today, Leo Van
Zandt was riding in a fiberglass number called the
Fury
, and apart from
the damage on its windshield, the boat was otherwise in excellent condition. He
cut the engine off and brought the boat to a quick stop, ramming its bow into the
Seeker
’s starboard. The jolt almost sent Tony and Flynn flying, but again
both boys managed to stay on their feet. They braced for what was to follow… “
For
the Greater Good
!” they cried, saluting Leo Van Zandt as was the custom
when greeting members of the Government.
“Well, well, look
what we have here!” Leo removed his goggles and eyed the boys up and down with
a smirk on his face. “Someone’s been scavenging in unchartered waters! Am I
right, or what?” he said and snickered loudly.
Flynn and Tony
didn’t answer. While Tony kept his eyes lowered, Flynn threw a quick glance at
the guards and stared back at Leo Van Zandt.
“You’re
trespassing, scum boys! Care to explain yourselves?” barked Leo. “What’re you
doing so far out of the permitted zone?”
“Fishing,” Flynn replied,
trying to keep his voice steady and calm.
“Really? Fishing
you say…” Leo drawled, addressing his posse. “Did you hear that, guys?” he
asked, bursting out in mock laughter. “Well, now!” Leo looked back at Flynn and
Tony, feigning surprise. “You must really suck at fishing, then! Where’s your
catch? I don't see any fishing gear, either!” His eyes darted away from Flynn as
he scanned the raft.
“We caught a shark,
but it got away… and took our net with it,” Flynn lied without missing a beat.
“A shark...” Leo
turned his full attention back to Flynn. “You look kind of familiar… Have I met
you before, scum boy?"
“I don't think so!”
Flynn said, knowing he had just told another bold lie.
“Really?” Leo's
eyes narrowed. “What's your name?”
“Flynn.”
“Flynn who?” Leo
barked again. He had taken a small computer pad out of his pocket and was now
tapping its screen.
“Perry. P-E-R-R-Y.”
Leo looked up and
fixed his gaze on Flynn. He studied the boy’s face for a long moment, his eyes
penetrating… searching. Flynn's expression remained blank as he stared back at
Leo.
“All right,” Leo
said finally, pointing at Tony. “Who’s your scrawny little friend there?”
“Anthony Romero,”
Flynn answered.
“How old?”