Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn (10 page)

“Damn!”  Flynn
lowered himself stealthily back into the water, cursing his bad luck…He had
taken a huge gamble by coming back to this spot. Tony had warned him to stay
away, and he should have listened to him… His friend was right…Flynn had become
too cocky and reckless for his own good. But it was too late to do anything
about it ... He had no choice, but to face the Van Zandt boy. 

Grasping onto the
tires and ropes which hung on the side of the
Seeker
, Flynn began to
move carefully toward the front. Once there, he pulled out his knife, hesitated
for a moment, then reached up and cut the tug rope. Suddenly, free from the
weight of the
Seeker
, Leo’s boat jumped forward; made a wide U-turn and
came to a stop, facing the raft. The other boat made the same maneuver, cutting
off its engine. Flynn was standing now on the deck of the
Seeker
with
the knife still in his hand.

“Flynn!” Madison
cried and jumped up in the Van Zandt boat. The two boys sitting beside her
dragged her down.

“So...” Leo Van
Zandt slowly rose from his seat. “Our trespasser decided to show his sorry
face, after all!” He chuckled, then pushed the throttle and moved his boat
forward. Her prow bumped roughly into the
Seeker
, making Flynn stumble
back. Regaining his balance, he glared at Leo, his knuckles white from gripping
the knife so hard.

The guards in the
second boat rose immediately, cocking their guns, but Leo waved them down. “I
told you, I'd be watching you, Perry boy!” said Leo. He then patted the pair of
binoculars hanging round his neck. “You think you're smarter than me? Or just
plain stupid?" he asked.

There was no
response from Flynn. He was trying not to stare at Leo’s binoculars… the exact
same pair Leo had on him when he had nearly drowned at the Pier… So, Leo had
recognized him, Flynn thought, and that could only mean more trouble.

“What's your story
this time?” Leo continued. “Fishing again?”

“We were
training...” replied Flynn, keeping his voice steady, “…for the Trials.”

“Hah! And you
think you'll make it to the Trials,” Leo scoffed. “After all your illegal
activities here? You won’t be allowed to compete, scum boy!” Leo's smile had
disappeared. “I see only one future job for you, Perry! The closest you'll ever
get to scavenging is by picking garbage from the Junk Nets! Or even better ...
join the Waste Crew on their stinking rafts!”

Flynn tensed at
the memory of the Waste Crew. The Junk Nets around the northern part of the
Archipelago were there to catch any floating garbage from the ocean’s waters
... a slightly better option than the Waste Crew, but a horrible punishment,
nevertheless. Flynn holstered his knife, suddenly feeling lightheaded. He wasn’t
going to let Leo Van Zandt intimidate him, no matter what! If Tony had been
there, he would have been shocked by the words Flynn was about to speak. Shocked
and petrified, but Flynn didn’t care… “I definitely won’t be working the Junk
Nets, or the Waste Crew!” he said slowly, holding his chin up in sheer defiance
of the danger he was in. “I'm one of the best divers in town!”

“Is that so?” Leo
raised an eyebrow.

“Yes! I don't
think the Government would want to waste my skills on collecting garbage…
that’s what the Greater Good Doctrine states…"

“Enough!” Leo cut
him off angrily. “It's not for you to say who or what the Government needs,
scum boy!”

“Well, it’s the
truth...” Flynn took a step closer to Leo's boat. “Ask your father. Ask Duncan
Roth.”

The guards
immediately raised their weapons, their muzzles pointing at him. There was a
long, tense moment of silence. Leo and Flynn stood no more than a few feet
apart, not taking their eyes off each other.

“Tell you what,
tough guy,” said Leo icily, “I'll make you an offer… A chance to get yourself
out of this mess… and prove what a great diver you are.”

“I'm listening.”

“I want you to go
down there, a straight dive, no bell, no extra air, and bring me ...”

Leo scratched his
chin, thinking. “What do we need, guys?” he asked, turning to look at his posse
of friends with a wicked grin on his face.

“Beer!” one of the
boys shouted.

“Any liquor stores
down below, Perry?” asked Leo. “I believe you know the area well by now.”

Flynn gave a
slight nod.

“Well, that's your
challenge, then. Bring up some beer… You do that, and I promise I won't report
you… I’ll forget we met here, and you’ll get your chance to compete in the
Trials.”

“Why should I
trust you?”

“Why indeed?” Leo
drawled. “For starters, you don't have much of a choice! And because I don't
believe you can do it… So, it's a pretty safe bet on my side.”

Flynn stared at
Leo for a long moment. A hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

“All right, I'll
do it!” he said.

“Flynn! No!”
Madison shouted and tried to get up again from her seat. “Are you crazy? You'll
get yourself killed!” She struggled to break free, but the boys held her down.

Leo threw a quick
glance at her then turned to Flynn and said, “Deal?”

“Deal,” Flynn
replied as he snapped his goggles over his eyes and stepped to the edge of the
raft.

“Don't listen to
him!” Madison cried. “It's not worth it! You hear me...”

Flynn didn't hear
her. He had already gone overboard and was on a dive which Madison knew was
impossible to survive.

Leo's eyes
lingered over the ripples that Flynn's body had left on the surface of the
water. There was no mistake, he thought… It was him! Flynn Perry was the boy
who had made him look like a fool… It was the same kid who had humiliated him
in front of so many people at the Pier. Back then, Leo had vowed to have his
revenge… But the boy had simply vanished into the slums on the Lower Side. It
had taken a long time for their paths to cross again, to put a name to the face…At
first, when Leo had caught the
Seeker
outside the zone, he had not
recognized who Flynn Perry was…But later that day, while lying in his hot
bathtub, it had suddenly hit him… That’s why the Perry boy had looked so
familiar… Well, Leo had finally found the bastard… And he was extremely pleased
with himself.

Peeling his eyes
away from the water, Leo Van Zandt now checked his watch. “Let's see ... I say
he'll be up in a minute or two, empty handed. Or he won't come back at all! Who
wants to make a bet?” He turned to his friends, and then his eyes fell on
Madison's horrified face. Leo swept back his blond hair and curled his lip.
Here was another reason for him to be so pleased, Leo thought… The girl was
such a bonus to finding the elusive Flynn Perry… Leo had expected the Romero
boy to be standing watch when he and his mates had swooped on the
Seeker
.
He had not been prepared for an encounter with the gorgeous girl, now sitting
in his boat. And Leo had to admit, he was struck by Madison’s beauty from the
start…  She was what his father would call a ‘fine specimen’... In fact, it was
only yesterday that Marcus Van Zandt had spoken to him on a subject related to
girls…With Leo’s coming of age just around the corner, it was time for the
young Van Zandt to be paired up… It was the Archipelago’s tradition to match
boys with girls, so that they could create new family units and ensure the
healthy birth of future Archipelago citizens. “We’ll hold our annual Day of
Pairing soon,” his father had said, “right after we get the Departure Ceremony
out of the way.”

Leo, of course,
was well aware that he was the most eligible bachelor in town… There would be
no shortage of female candidates, all trying to catch his attention… His father
had already compiled a short-list with girls from a variety of respectable
Upper Side families… Leo knew them all… And some he knew really well … Little
sluts, the whole lot of them, he thought, and not one came close to being so
ravishingly beautiful… Yes, this Madison Ray was something else! One thing was
certain now… Leo Van Zandt wanted this girl… And he knew he would have her.
That was a given.

“Worried, aren't
we?” Leo sat down next to Madison.

“Why are you doing
this?” she asked, glaring at him. “You know it's an impossible dive!”

“Is it?” Leo
pointed at the water, feigning surprise. “He’s supposed to be one of the best
divers, right? As my father likes to say, it should be a walk in the park for
our hero down there, then!”

“Walk in the what?
There's no park...” Madison stopped mid sentence.

“Smart girl!” Leo
laughed. “You got that right! There’re no parks to walk in! Your friend's not
coming back!”

“You're a monster!”
Madison spat at him.

Leo stared at her.
Nobody had ever spoken to him that way… and certainly no girl had ever dared to
do so… Suddenly, he found that extremely exciting and pleasurable. He could feel
his pulse racing. “Oh? I thought you liked me!” Leo drawled. “I was just about
to invite you to dinner tonight!”

Madison gave him a
long, cold stare. Leo allowed his eyes to linger over her for a moment and
licked his lips. He then checked his watch and grinned. “It’s been three
minutes already!” he announced as he got up and looked at the water. Everyone
followed his gaze. There was no sign of Flynn. “Well,” Leo said, “… I’m afraid
we may have lost one of the Archipelago’s best young divers!” Starting his boat’s
engine, he turned to the guards. “Secure Perry’s raft. We’re heading back!”

“Wait!” Madison
shouted. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Give him some more time…
please!”

“Hah! Looks like
Miss Ray believes in miracles!” Leo laughed and began to turn the boat toward
the Archipelago. The second boat followed slowly, towing the
Seeker
in
its wake.

Madison slumped on
her seat and buried her head in her hands. She felt dizzy. They were really
going to leave Flynn to drown…This was cold blooded murder! And there was
nothing she could do about it. Overwhelmed by the horror of it all, she felt
her whole body begin to shake… But it was also Flynn’s fault, she thought
angrily, catching her breath and wiping away her tears. Yes, Leo Van Zandt was
a monster, but why did Flynn take the challenge? How could he be such an idiot?

The boats were
picking up speed, when Madison suddenly heard Flynn’s voice rise above the roar
of the engines. “Stop!” she cried, trying to stand up. “Stop the boat!”

“Hey! Van Zandt!”
Flynn was yelling louder now for all to hear.

Leo and his
friends all turned to look. The sight of Flynn’s head bobbing in the water
wiped the smile from Leo’s face. He made a sharp U-turn and headed back toward
Flynn. “Look who’s back!” said Leo, struggling to hide his anger and
disappointment. “Empty handed I guess?”

Grinning, Flynn
raised his hand above his head. He was holding a six-pack of algae covered
cans. “Catch!” he shouted and hurled the cans at Van Zandt.

Leo almost fell
back as he caught the pack. He stared at it for a moment then tossed it to his friends.
“Have some beer, boys!” said Leo, trying hard to sound cool and indifferent to
what had just taken place… But history was repeating itself! The scum boy had
made him appear stupid and weak in front of so many people… His face darkened
as he followed Flynn out of the water.

Flynn now stood on
the
Seeker
’s deck. “So…” he began, with a note of victory in his voice,
“… I kept my part of the deal!”

Leo’s eyes
narrowed. He pointed a finger at Flynn. “You lucked out this time, Perry boy!
It won’t happen again. One wrong move and I’ll make sure you’re banished! Is
that clear?”

Flynn nodded as he
bent down to cut his raft free from the Van Zandt power boat.

Leo shifted his
gaze to Madison. “As for you,” he said, “… my dinner invitation still stands… I
bet you won’t miss your hero boy, once you get a taste of the Upper Side!”

“Really?” Madison
flashed her teeth at him. “I can’t wait!”

“Oh, you won’t
have to wait, my dear,” said Leo and turned to his friends. “You can let the
girl go.”

The moment his
friends loosened their grip, Madison broke free and was back on the
Seeker
in a flash. She stood next to Flynn, trying to match his defiant stance. “I
think I’ll stay here for now!” she said, throwing her shoulders back.

Leo Van Zandt
cocked an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth twitched. “Your loss, beautiful!” he
said and blew her a kiss. Then, pushing down on the throttle, he backed the
Fury
away from the raft and sped toward the Archipelago.

With the Van Zandt
boats a safe distance away, Madison swung around and slapped Flynn hard on the
face. “You jerk!” she cried, hitting him again. “I thought you’d drowned down
there!”

Stunned, Flynn tried
to shield himself from her angry fists, but Madison kept coming at him. Throwing
his arms around Madison, he pinned her hands down in a tight grip. He felt her
struggle against his body. Eventually, the girl began to calm down, and allowed
her head to rest on his chest. They stayed like that, locked in an awkward
embrace, until Flynn slowly released his grip… Madison pushed away from him
gently and stepped back. Still a little teary, she studied his face. Flynn felt
his face grow hot and lowered his gaze.

“How did you do
it?” she asked, finally breaking their awkward silence. “How did you manage to
stay underwater for so long?”

“Well…” said
Flynn, clearing his throat… After having held Madison in his arms, he was
finding it hard to regain his composure. “I’ve got this secret compartment…”

“Secret
compartment, huh?”

“Yeah, in one of
the barrels under the
Seeker
, you know…” Flynn was now relieved to
change the subject and not to be standing so close to Madison. “…Some of my
stash was still in there and…. when the bastard challenged me, I thought…”