Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn (23 page)

Flynn shook his
head. “We can’t save everybody…”

“Yes, we can!”

“Are you crazy?”
Flynn snapped. “I can’t find a place to hide all of these people…that’s
impossible!”

“We can try.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Hey!” Pharrell
interrupted, sensing another fight boiling up between the two. “Enough! Flynn’s
right… and if we don’t wanna lose them, we better get goin!”

“What happened?”
Madison stood up on her seat, her voice full of alarm.

“He cut his lights
off, that’s what happened!” Flynn had stopped pedaling and grabbed for his
binoculars. They had been following Duncan Roth for more than an hour now. The
man had abruptly changed direction twice, heading first west, then south. They
had just cleared Hudson Bay and were going across the Jersey Bay, when Duncan’s
headlights had suddenly gone out, as if swallowed by the ocean. They could hear
the sound of his engine, though… Clearly, he was still on the move, thought
Flynn, puzzled by Duncan’s new maneuver.

“Do you think he’s
seen us, bro?” Pharrell whispered from his raft.

“Doubt it… We’re
close, but not that close.”

“Maybe…,” said
Madison, turning to look back at the Archipelago, “…he doesn’t want the
Watchers to see where he’s going? Without the lights, they’ve lost him too!”

“Doesn’t make
sense… Why would he hide from them?” Flynn was looking through his binoculars,
searching the horizon. “Hah! There he is! He’s changed direction again…going
west, now.”

“What do we do?”
Pharrell strained his eyes. “I can’t see a thing!”

“We follow the
sound of his engine!” Flynn lowered his binoculars and sat back behind the
pedals. “C’mon!”

He began to pedal
hard and steered to the left, trailing after the roar of Duncan’s motor boat.
Pharrell and Clay followed. Flynn tried to keep to the same speed as before,
not too fast and not too slow. Without seeing Duncan’s boat, and only using
their ears, it was hard to guess how close they were to the boat ahead. They
pedaled in silence for a while, when suddenly Duncan’s engine died! Flynn
instantly lifted his feet off the pedals to cut out the splashing noise of the
Seeker
.

“What the hell…”
Pharrell muttered under his breath, as he tried to kill the speed of his own
raft.

Flynn stood up and
listened for a moment. Nothing! No other sound, apart from that of water
lapping against their two vessels. He raised the binoculars and pointed the
lenses in the direction where he had last heard the motor. It was a blind
search, but there was nothing else he could do.

“See anything?”
Madison whispered.

“No!” he answered
after a while, and lowered his binoculars.

“They can’t just
disappear into thin air!” Madison hopelessly scanned the darkness ahead. She
wasn’t going to give up so easily… “There!” said Madison, pointing her hand to
the left.

“Where?” Flynn
jerked his head, peering into the darkness … And then he saw them… the black
outlines of four huge smokestacks, rising out of the water no more than a
hundred feet ahead. He had missed seeing them because he was using the
binoculars… and they were too close… Flynn had been looking for something much
farther away. The smokestacks were so dark they had merged with the black sky.
And grimy enough, for the moonlight not to bounce off them… making them
virtually invisible. Duncan’s boat and the Departure raft had stopped by the
fence that encircled the old Power Plant.

“Don’t make a
sound!” Flynn hissed. “We’re right behind them now!” He raised his binoculars
again and adjusted the focus. There was enough moonlight now for him to clearly
see Duncan Roth standing up in his boat.…What the hell was he doing, Flynn
wondered and then he saw the man unbuckle his gun belt and drop it inside the
boat… Unarmed, the man was taking his jacket off, undressing himself in a great
hurry… Duncan Roth was also saying something to the people on the Departure
raft… The
Seeker
was now close enough for Flynn to hear the Rottweiler’s
voice. He strained his ears and caught the words “get in the water!”

“Shit!” Flynn
dropped his binoculars. “He’s going to drown them, right here, right now!”

“What?” Pharrell
jumped up, his eyes full of horror.

“You heard me!”
Flynn’s hand was clasping the hilt of his diving knife.

“Then we’re too
late,” Clay moaned.

“No, we’re not!”
Flynn shook his head… If ever there was an opportunity to strike down Duncan
Roth, it was now… He sprang into action, slipping quietly into the water.
“Pharrell, you ready?”

“Let’s do it,
bro!”

Pharrell was next
to Flynn in a flash. Both of them took a deep breath and dived silently in the
direction of Duncan’s boat. Moments later, they found themselves underneath the
hull and parted ways. Pharrell swam toward the stern. Flynn surfaced just under
the bow, fighting the urge to gasp for air.

“So, this is how
it ends, Mr. Roth? You're going to drown us here, like rats?”

Flynn heard a
familiar voice ring out from the Departure raft. Craning his neck out of the
water, he saw that it belonged to his father... Alan Perry was the only one
standing up on the raft. The rest of the group was huddled together in their
seats. Although the man was just an outline in the dark, Flynn could see the
defiance in his father’s pose.

“You won't even
give us the chance to die with dignity?” Alan Perry’s voice was getting louder,
angrier.

“Hey, Roth, you
sick bastard!” Another shadow rose next to Alan Perry. “Is that how you killed
all the others before us, eh?”

“Quiet!” Duncan
Roth said. “Keep your voices down!”

There was a low
rumble on the raft now, as more people began to stand up.

Flynn wasn’t going
to wait any longer! He grasped the side of the boat with one hand, knife in the
other, and swung himself over. He landed with a thud and sprang on his feet.
Pharrell was at the other end of the deck, already lunging at Duncan Roth.
Flynn watched as the man moved swiftly, his foot connecting with Pharrell's
head, sending the boy back in the water.

In a flash, the
Rottweiler had turned to face Flynn, his eyes narrowing on the knife in Flynn’s
hand. Flynn saw a blur of rapid movement, and then Duncan Roth was on top of
him. He felt the bones in his wrist shift, as the man squeezed and twisted his
arm behind his back! The knife fell out of Flynn’s hand, and Duncan Roth
punched him once, hard in the stomach. Flynn doubled over and dropped to his
knees, gasping for air…

The sound of
splashing water made Duncan Roth turn. He saw a raft coming at him, and before
he knew it, it had rammed itself into the side of his boat. The jolt of the
impact sent the Rottweiler sprawling across the deck. A second later, Madison
had clambered on board and had thrown herself on top of Duncan Roth, sinking
her teeth into his neck, with both hands clawing at his eyes. The man cursed
loudly. Grabbing the girl round the waist, he flung her away from him like a
rag doll. She landed with a cry, rolled up next to Flynn and sprang back up on
her feet. Madison crouched and was ready to pounce again when she spotted the
gun belt. It was just a few feet from where she was standing. Madison threw a
quick glance back at Duncan Roth. He was coming toward her, blood running down
his neck… Without thinking, she reached for the gun.

“Be still!” Duncan
Roth roared. He was pointing a small revolver at her head.

Madison froze, her
hand inches from the gun’s holster.

“No one’s going to
die here tonight!” the man said and kicked the gun away from Madison. He turned
his head and looked at the Departure raft. Everyone had gone quiet. “Listen
carefully you lot!” Duncan Roth spoke in a low voice. “Do as I say. Get in the water
like I told you, and it'll be all over soon! No one’s going to get hurt… I'll
explain later…”

A few gasps came
from the group and then there was silence. Madison and Flynn looked at each
other, not sure if they had heard the man right.

No one moved on
the Departure raft. Everyone was staring at Duncan Roth, some with fear, others
with defiance and suspicion.

“I repeat…,” the
man said quietly, “… I’ve no intention of killing anyone! All of you’ll be safe
soon, but we need to get going!” He glanced at the lights of the Archipelago,
flickering in the far distance and scowled. Then he turned to Flynn and Madison
with great urgency. “Flynn, can you stand up?”

Flynn? Duncan Roth
had never called Flynn by his first name before… What was wrong with the
Rottweiler, wondered Flynn, rubbing his sore wrist. He managed to get up on his
feet, but felt dizzy. Madison sprang up and grabbed his elbow to keep him
steady.

“I wasn't planning
on your company tonight…” Duncan Roth continued as he tied his boat to Flynn
and Pharrell’s rafts, “…but since you’re here, I can do with some help… I
believe you’ve got your diving bells with you?”

“Err…yes!” Flynn
managed to speak at last.

“How about you,
Pharrell?” Duncan Roth called out, looking for the boy. He found him standing
with Clay on the Departure raft.

“It’s always with
me,” Pharrell answered, wiping some blood off his face.

“Sorry about that
knock on the head… Can you dive?” Duncan Roth asked.

“I think so.”

“Good! Go get your
bells ready!” said Duncan Roth as he began to undress again. “Madison and Clay,
you'll be working the pumps, alright?”

Flynn’s head was
spinning now… Duncan Roth was standing before them in his undershorts and
nothing else. It was all happening too fast for him to make sense of this new
turn of events… He stared at the Rottweiler, who was now adjusting a diving
harness over his shoulders… Flynn was supposed to trust this man… someone he
hated so much… someone he had intended to kill only a short while back…

“Flynn,” Duncan
Roth called out, attaching a big flashlight to his diving belt, “…those bells
you built last week, are they here?”

“Hanging along
that fence, sir. Thirty feet under water.”

“Good. We’ll split
the people in groups. Two at a time in each bell. We'll have to do several
dives to get everybody down, OK?”

“Sir!” Pharrell
stood still, hands on his hips. “I ain’t going nowhere, till you tell us
where...”

“Keep your voice
down!” Duncan Roth cut him off. He then pointed at the nearest smokestack. “There’s
an old Power Plant down below. That's where we're all going. You’ll follow me
with your bells and we’ll take these people down, one by one, through an
opening at the bottom of the structure.” Duncan Roth rummaged through his
satchel, took out a roll of duct tape and started taping it around the bleeding
wound on his neck. “We don’t want to attract any sharks now, do we?” He gave
Madison a wry smile, tucking the end of his makeshift bandage and making it
secure.

“Sorry, sir,”
Madison mumbled. “I was only trying to…”

“No need to
apologize… Whoever’s hurt better patch up before getting in the water.”   
Duncan Roth turned to face the whole group. “I want to reassure everyone that
you’ll be OK… It's a short swim from the diving bells to the Power Plant’s
opening, and then up to an air pocket inside the building. Once you make it in
there, you'll all be safe.” He snapped his diving mask over his eyes and said, “Leave
your rations behind, you won't need them anymore… Take only small personal
stuff you can fit in your pockets. Now go ... please!”

Flynn couldn’t
believe the Rottweiler had just said ‘please’… This man didn’t sound like the
Duncan Roth he knew… Was he really going to save everybody? Flynn knew that
something extraordinary was happening! Something that was contrary to all of
Flynn’s logic and expectations …

“Flynn, Pharrell! Let’s
go!” Duncan's voice made Flynn focus on the task at hand. He looked around, but
the man was already gone. Flynn spotted him in the water next to the boat.

“Hurry up!” the
man whispered loudly. “I'll take the first bell down, you take the next one! No
lights until you get below twenty feet, OK!” And with those words, his head
disappeared underwater.

A hand touched
Flynn's shoulder. “Do you believe him?” Madison asked in a hushed voice.

“I ... don't know…
Do you?”

“I think so,” Madison
nodded. “Don't ask me why… but I do.”

Their eyes met and
they both smiled, then Flynn looked at the water again. He picked up his knife
and jumped back on the
Seeker
. “Let’s hope you’re right!” he said,
holding his hand out for Madison, helping her step off Duncan’s boat.

Clay was already
on the other side of the Departure raft, lowering Pharrell’s diving bell into
the water. Having remained speechless for so long, the raft’s passengers were
now beginning to move about. There was a low murmur, then anxious whispering as
they rummaged through their personal belongings, taking out small items and
stuffing them in their pockets.

“Hey, amigos!”
Tony Romero stepped shakily on Flynn’s raft, a wide grin on his face.

“Tony!” Madison
and Flynn both threw their arms around him. A quick moment passed then Flynn
pulled away… There was no time for getting all emotional now…not yet!

“You heard him…”
Flynn motioned towards the water where Duncan Roth had disappeared, “What do
you think?”

“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.