Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn (25 page)

“No! I'm not dead…
and I’m not a ghost… See for yourself!” Ann Baxter gave him a friendly punch on
the shoulder. “Now, take a deep breath and introduce me to the young lady here…
I guess she must be your girlfriend!”

“She’s not my
girlfriend,” Flynn’s voice took on a steely edge, and he felt his face grow
hot.

“My name’s Madison
Ray… Nice to meet you.” Madison stepped in front of Flynn and extended her
hand. “I’m just his Crew Mate.”

“I'm Ann.” The
woman squeezed Madison's hand in an iron handshake. “I used to babysit this
young man when he was a kid!”

“He’s always
spoken of you with great admiration.” Madison grinned, having taken an instant
liking to Ann Baxter.

“Think I taught
him everything there’s to know about free diving… Isn’t that right, Flynn?"

But Flynn wasn’t
paying any attention…  After the initial shock of seeing Ann Baxter, his
thoughts had turned back to Madison. His
girlfriend
! That’s what Ann
Baxter had called her…  He remembered Madison’s determined face and the fury
with which she had thrown herself at Duncan up on the boat… She had been
willing to kill a man twice her size, to risk her own life for Flynn… He was
about to say something to Madison, but the gasps from the group made him turn
around.

“Look! They’re
alive!”

Flynn turned and
saw that people were coming out of the hatch, joining those on the platform. He
recognized some of the faces. More ghosts … people whose names had also been on
Departure Lists over the years… who were supposed to be long dead …coming back
to life before his eyes… There were tears of joy flowing freely down their
cheeks, hugs and kisses ... They all seemed to be moving in slow motion now…
Flynn had never been more bewildered in his entire life…

“Come!” Ann Baxter
grabbed his hand. “Let's sit down and I'll explain everything!”

“It's all true,
then? What they've been saying about you?” asked Flynn. He and Madison were now
sitting on an upturned barrel at the edge of the platform, away from the
cheerful crowd.

“Yes and no,” said
Ann Baxter as she moved an empty box in front of them and sat down. “Me and
Duncan have been together since we were… I guess your age. Best Scavenging team
in town, they used to call us. There were no Trials back then… Duncan came up
with this competition when he got into Government.”

Flynn studied Ann
as she leaned back against a heap of fishing nets and folded her bare, muscular
arms over her chest. She hadn't changed that much, he thought. Her hair was
still cropped short, but it was no longer even in color. The black had turned
grey around her temples and over the crown of her head. There were wrinkles in
the corner of her eyes…  But she was still a very beautiful woman and just as
full of energy as he remembered her to be.

“Anyway,” Ann
continued, “we were still together, when we discovered this Power Plant on one
of our scavenging dives.”

She and Duncan had
found air pockets before, but nothing like this one. Sealed by six foot thick
walls, it was like a concrete coffin. Some water had managed to get in through
the smokestacks with the initial high Flood wave, but not enough to completely
drown the solid structure. And the smokestacks served as a fresh air supply,
making the submerged building perfectly livable.

“We told them we’d
seen the stain of a toxic leak down there, and the Government rushed to fence
the area off… put up the warning signs… The place was made off limits for
diving… No one would go near it! So it became our hiding place… And the perfect
place to build the
Ark
!”

“To build it?”
Flynn's eyebrows rose up. “You mean you had the idea even back then?”

“Duncan did.” Ann
smiled. “He was obsessed, you see ... had this dream of Dry Land from very
early on. He collected pictures, photographs ... anything he could lay his
hands on. He believed it was out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered, and
...you have no idea how much he hated life on the Archipelago!” She paused for
a moment before saying, “That's why he joined the Government, Flynn!”

“He got all the
way to the top, so he could ... escape?”

“Yes, that was one
of the reasons!” She leaned forward and looked Flynn straight in the eyes. “As
much as he despised the Van Zandts and the system, Duncan thought it was the
best way to gain access to all their resources, and the power it’d give him to
get things done...” Ann took a deep breath and shook her head sadly. “It wasn't
easy for him, believe me! He had to do some terrible things to keep his cover,
to make his allegiance to the Government look convincing! There was a price to
pay...”

“You two had to
separate…” Madison said quietly.

Ann Baxter nodded
gravely. “He went his way, I went mine… I didn't see much of him over the
years, no! Not until we faked my accident and I joined him down here…”

She looked away
and fell silent. Flynn followed her gaze and saw Duncan, holding court in the
middle of the crowd. Smiling, shaking hands, people slapping him on the
shoulder and thanking him. Excited chatter was echoing around the hall.

“You said,” said
Flynn, turning back, “he had another reason to join the Government?”

Ann Baxter tore
her gaze away from Duncan and looked at Flynn. “Yes, he did!” she whispered,
her face full of pride. “He did it, so he could save all these people you see
here!”

Flynn opened his
mouth, then closed it and lowered his eyes. What could he say? He had felt such
hatred for the Rottweiler… he had dreamt of killing the man…The Duncan Roth,
the one Flynn thought he knew, seemed like a distant memory now… Fading fast… A
world apart from the Duncan he had just met… Flynn had been left puzzled, and
then astonished by him … but Flynn was feeling something different now… he had
to admit he felt pure admiration for the man! Madison's hand found his and
squeezed gently. She was thinking the same. Flynn looked up. Duncan Roth was
walking toward them.

“Enjoying your
little reunion?” asked Duncan, placing his hand on Ann Baxter's shoulder. “You
know... I've been keeping an eye on you, Flynn… Ever since Ann told me you were
one of her best students!” He paused for a moment then added, “She was right,
of course! And as much as I hate to break your little party here… I need my top
crew members back now… We’ve got a job to do!”

Flynn was up on
his feet. Being praised by Duncan Roth made him suddenly feel extremely
flustered. “Sir ... I mean… Duncan!” He couldn’t stop stammering. “Can I ask
you something?”

“Go on.”

“What is the
Ark
?”

Duncan rubbed his
chin for a moment.

“It’s a
submarine,” he answered then glanced at Ann, cocking his eyebrow. “A kind of…
rescue vessel.”

“It is, indeed!”
the woman said. “And it’s our only hope in getting away from the Archipelago.”

“Did you have any
trouble with the final leg of our Departure Ceremony?” Marcus Van Zandt flicked
the ashes of his cigar on the floor. It was ages since he had smoked his last
real one. But these Algae replacements were not bad either, he thought.

“None whatsoever,”
Duncan Roth replied and sipped his coffee across the table from Van Zandt. “It
all went as planned."

“Took you longer
this time! You were gone for most of the night.”

“There was a
strong current… Had to go farther out… or risk having dead bodies float back to
our shores.”

Van Zandt nodded
approvingly. “Yes, that would’ve been rather unfortunate.”

Duncan was his
usual expressionless self. But there were dark circles under his eyes.

“You look tired,
my friend! Perhaps you need to rest for a day or two?"

“I'm fine, Marcus.”
Duncan put his cup down and smiled ruefully. “You know me ... I’ve got no time
for rest!”

“I know, I know...”
Van Zandt got up and walked over to his favorite spot by the big window. “I'm
so lucky to have you by my side! Can't think of anyone who could do what you do
for us here.”

He looked at the
bay surrounding his building then at the workers, who were taking down the
Departure stage, banners and decorations… Life was returning back to normal,
even after all the excessive drinking. Marcus Van Zandt knew that many people
were not sober and were still walking around in a daze. In a state of oblivion…
And that was how he wanted them… “It was a great ceremony, don't you think?”

“Yes, it was!”
Duncan nodded.

“We'll make it
even better next year! Bigger and grander!” Van Zandt swung on his heels and
looked at Duncan. “You and I, my friend!”

“Of course,
Marcus!”

“Perhaps we can
let Leo run it… Give him a chance to shine, prove himself… I think I’ve been a
bit too harsh on him … The boy's been acting strangely of late…gone into hiding
in the past couple of days… What do you think?”

“I think it's a
great idea.” Duncan's eyebrow twitched a little. “Leo’s a very capable young
man.”

“Yes, he is.” Van
Zandt eased back into his chair. “But I'm keeping you, when I should let you go
do your work.”

“Duty calls,
Marcus,” said Duncan, standing up briskly.

“For the Greater
Good, my friend!”

Duncan Roth gave
Marcus Van Zandt a nod and rushed out of the room.

“What did your
parents say?” Flynn shifted in his seat to make space for Madison.

“They’re coming!”
She crashed next to him, out of breath, having hurried all the way from her
house to the docks. “It took a while to convince them to join us, you know.
They thought I was making it all up, said I’d lost my mind ... almost locked me
in one of the Pigeon Towers.”

“Don't blame them.”
Flynn grinned. “I still find it hard to believe…that this is happening.”

“Me too! It hasn't
sunk in yet.”

“Well, we better
get on with it.” He stepped on the pedals. “Let’s go fetch Duncan his supply of
Algae.”

“OK…” Madison
said, frowning. “But can you wipe that smile off your face, please!” Madison
glanced at the other rafts passing them in the canal. “You look way too happy
for someone who’s just lost his dad and his best friend!”

“Oops!” Flynn
grimaced, and the expression on his face changed. The mask of sadness that he
had been wearing all morning was back again. People were watching, he knew
that… And he was expected to look a certain way…subdued, solemn, grieving…
Duncan had repeated those instructions over and over, after they had left the
Power Plant. The
Ark
wasn't finished! Duncan was hoping that with all
the extra pair of hands, the vessel would be ready to sail in a week… But
before that, he and his Scavenger crew had to all go back to the Archipelago
and act like nothing had happened.

Under the cover of
their official Scavenger duties, they were in for an intense few days of
preparation, supplying the
Ark
with all the provisions necessary for the
long journey ahead. Secrecy was of the uttermost importance, Duncan had warned
them. Easy to say, Flynn thought… He found it extremely hard to hide the
excitement bubbling inside his chest. How could he pretend to be anything, but
happy…

“Flynn!”

“What?” Madison's
voice made him jump.

“You're smiling
again!” she hissed in his ear.

“Sorry!” Flynn
clenched his jaw and focused on the task of steering his raft along their usual
route to the Algae Farms.

They pedaled in
silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. With Tony and his father now
safe, Flynn found himself thinking about Madison, his trust in her restored….
She was back in his heart… In fact, she had stormed back, lodged herself there
and would not leave… Flynn wondered if Madison felt the same way about him...
He wasn’t going to let Leo cloud his thoughts…he was going to stop being so foolish
and jealous. Nothing had happened between Madison and Leo, and Flynn had
decided to take her word for it.

Flynn looked at
Madison with the corner of his eye and tried to steady his breathing. The night
before, at the Power Plant, he had been ready to tell her how he felt about her…but
never got the chance… Now, he was just going to come out and say it. He would
tell her that he loved her… that she meant the world to him. Flynn took a deep
breath, but Madison spoke first. …

“Do you think it’s
for real?” she asked, bringing her face close to his.

“Huh?” Flynn was startled
by her question, not sure of what to say… Had she just read his mind?

“The map Duncan
showed us last night? Do you think there’s really such a place?”

“Oh… the map!”
said Flynn, tying to hide his disappointment. “After everything we've been
through ... I can't see why he'd lie about it!”

Duncan had shown
them “proof of Dry Land”, as he called it. A tattered map with the exact
coordinates of the nearest Dry Land to the West of the Archipelago. It appeared
to be a long way out, but it was there! The map was hand-drawn on parchment
paper and extremely detailed. And the story behind it was even more
astonishing…

During the initial
years after the Flood, Duncan had said, small groups of survivors on rafts and
boats had drifted in, seeking refuge on the Archipelago. All had come from
smaller flooded cities in the surrounding area. And all had been infected,
carrying the deadly Flood Virus. They had been fought off and either killed, or
scared away by the Archipelago survivors who were protecting their turf. Both
the Upper and the Lower Side had been placed under quarantine. Over time, less
and less drifters kept coming, until they had completely stopped… For years no
one had shown up, until one night, two Watchmen had spotted a group of sail
boats approaching the Archipelago’s shores. It had quickly become clear that
these people were not "savages" or "pirates" like all the
others before them… And they were healthy, without a trace of the Virus. They
claimed to be “emissaries”, coming from Dry Land, seeking survivors in the
drowned cities to the east. They had carried maps and logs to prove that what
they claimed was true. Marcus Van Zandt and Duncan were the only two people who
heard their story and saw what they had brought. But after interrogating them
for days, Marcus Van Zandt had sensed trouble. The idea of Dry Land had been
dismissed after years of scouting the nearby mountain ridges left above water.
Many of the scouts had never returned. Those who had made it back were infected
with the Virus. The search for Dry Land was abandoned, all hope lost and the
idea of an existing healthy Dry Land had become a myth and mostly forgotten.
Any proof of its existence would now mean that the people of the Archipelago
could leave. And such freedom would spell the end to the Van Zandt dynasty.
They couldn’t simply chase these “emissaries” away like the drifters before
them! They had to make the “emissaries” disappear, without the chance of them
ever coming back. The same applied to all the evidence of Dry Land. It had to
be destroyed! Duncan had been entrusted with the grim task of disposing of
these “subversive elements” and covering up any traces of their existence. He
had carried out his orders without a hint of opposition…but he made sure the
emissaries’ deaths were merciful and swift. And instead of destroying their
maps, he had secretly stashed them away.

“I wonder why
Duncan wants to keep all of this a secret,” Madison said. “Why not reveal the
truth… Everybody will follow him out of here…”

“Because there’ll
be terrible bloodshed! Van Zandt and his people won't give up all they’ve got
without a fight.” Flynn paused, remembering something else. “And ... like
Duncan said, we can't risk the lives of so many, until we're absolutely sure
Dry Land exists! We’ve got to find it first then come back and let everybody
know...”

Flynn slowed down
the raft as they approached the Algae Farm platforms on the West side of
Midtown Bay. He went past the three huge Floating Towers, flanking the Ethanol
processing plant. Pharrell and Clay were to collect a bunch of barrels full of
algae fuel and take them back to the
Ark
. He and Madison had to get the
raw algae. They were by the Harvesting docking area now, and the place was
buzzing with life. At mid morning, all the farm workers from the Lower Side
were there. They were busy harvesting the raw algae crop from the huge floating
fields, loading it on barges to be carried away and processed.

“Which dock did
Duncan say it was?” Flynn squinted, dazzled by the swathes of sparkling bright
green algae.

“Seven ... It’s
right over there!” Madison pointed at the number stenciled on a pontoon, a few
yards to the left from where their raft had stopped.

Flynn glanced
around. Nobody was paying any attention to them. He pulled his goggles down
over his eyes and slipped into the water. The two big nets, packed full with
algae, were swaying under Platform #7, hidden and waiting for him, just like
Duncan had said… Flynn unfastened the nets and swam back to his raft, hauling
them underneath its platform. He secured the cargo with ropes to a row of hooks
and cleats, making sure they remained out of view. It took less than a couple
of minutes to complete the task.

“There!” Flynn
said as he hopped back on the seat, dripping water all over it. “Let's go!”

“I still don't
understand,” Madison said as they took off, “the Algae fuel is for
The Ark
’s
engine, I get that ... But what’s all this raw algae for?”

“We’ll find out
soon enough, I guess,” said Flynn, trying hard not to smile again.

“Gotcha!” Leo Van
Zandt lowered his binoculars, rubbed his bloodshot eyes and glued them back to
the powerful viewfinder. He had spotted the Perry boy and Madison doing
something around the Power Plant again. And the other two boys, Pharrell and
Clay, kept coming and going… Something was obviously being ferried out there,
that much Leo could see. But what was it? And where did it go? Flynn Perry had
been busy in the water around his raft, and now Leo watched him disappear
altogether. He was on one of his dives, and with him gone, Leo’s attention
turned to Madison… She stood alone at the edge of the raft then slowly turned
her face and stared in his direction, as if she knew he was watching her. Leo
burst out laughing and shook his head… But of course she knew he was watching…
He told her he would be!

“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.