Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn (11 page)

“Oh! So, all that
time you were hiding under the raft?”

“Yeah… I could
hear everything, and … thanks for your concern back there! You sounded really
worried about me.”

Madison stared at
him for a moment then shook her head. “Don’t mention it!” she said and slumped
down on the battered car seat.

“Disappointed?”
Flynn sat next to her. “Well, sorry I’m not the incredible hero you thought I
was!”

A tiny smile
forced up the corner of Madison’s lips. “I’m glad you’re not! Otherwise, you’d
be dead.”

“It’s not too late
to go and have dinner with Leo Van Zandt!”

Madison’s eyebrows
shot up and her eyes narrowed. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“What?”

She rolled her
eyes, leaned in and kissed Flynn lightly on the lips. “Can you take me home
now? It’s been a really long day,” she whispered.

“Sure!” Flynn
grinned, trying not to think about the little kiss. “Home, sweet home it is…”

“I knew this was
gonna happen, amigo! That prick will make your life hell,” Tony said shaking
his head. Flynn had just finished telling him about his encounter with Leo Van
Zandt.

The two boys were
sitting on the roof of Tony’s building, their feet dangling over the ledge. Before
them, sprawled the bright green rectangle of the Algae Farm. It was enormous in
size. A good three square miles and dotted with at least a hundred harvester
rafts. These specialized vessels were crisscrossing the thick algae surface,
leaving black trails behind them. The farming of algae was vital to the
Archipelago’s existence. As food, algae crops were a great source of protein,
minerals and vitamins. They also had amazing medicinal properties and were used
to cure just about anything. But most importantly, this algae crop was the
Archipelago’s main source of energy.

Legend had it that
Nakamura’s ancestors had discovered a microbe living in the seaweed, and under
the right conditions, it could extract sugar from the plant. The sugar was
transformed into ethanol and that in turn was used as fuel. All the engines in
the city ran on it… But right now, the boys were chewing on the spicy seaweed
sticks Flynn had brought. They were delicious! Tony had felt a bit better that
day, so Mrs. Romero had finally agreed to let him out for a little walk on the
roof… To catch some sun rays. The fresh pigeon eggs Flynn had bartered from
Madison also helped in winning the woman over.

Tony’s face was
pale, his eyes tired. “What’re you gonna do now, amigo?” he asked, glancing up
at Flynn.

“Keep training, of
course... Nothing’s really changed.”

“You sure ‘bout
that?” Tony looked worried. “Leo Van Zandt ain’t gonna take this lying down,
you know… And he’s invited Madison to have dinner with him.”

“That’s his
problem,” Flynn said and spat out a wad of seaweed.

“I’ve got a really
bad feeling ‘bout this. You should find someone else to be your Crew Mate.”

“But you were the
one who told me to go ask Madison…There’s no one else, Tony!” Flynn shook his
head. “The Trials are next week… everyone’s teamed up already… I’m going in
with her on board.”

“You’ll be putting
Madison at risk... Messing with Leo Van Zandt like you two did… Crazy shit!”

“She’s not afraid
of the bastard! And she really wants to be on my team.”

“Yeah, ‘coz she
digs you, amigo!” said Tony, staring intently at his friend.

“Alright, I think
I get it now!” Flynn began to laugh. “You’re jealous… of Madison…   You’re
jealous she’s on the team.”

Tony shook his
head and swore under his breath. Flynn couldn’t be more wrong. “No, I ain’t
jealous of Madison…”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m just trying
to look out for you and the girl, amigo… Like I said, I’ve got a bad feeling
bout this… That’s all…”

“Listen Tony, once
you get better, you’re coming back with me on the
Seeker
. We’ll be the
best team in town. Madison’s only temporary, OK?”

Tony looked away
into the distance. The two boys sat in silence for a long moment then Tony
began to cough. He pulled a dirty rag out of his pocket, wiped his mouth and
showed it to Flynn… The rag was covered in specks of blood.

“See! I’m never gonna
to get better,” Tony said. “I keep thinking ‘bout Mr. Chow and what you said he
did on that cable car… How he chose to end it all...”

“What are you
saying, Tony!” Flynn’s cried. “That’s crazy talk!”

“Sometimes I
wish…” Tony looked down at the twenty storey drop to the water below, “I wish I
was brave enough to push myself off this ledge, and be done… Instead of waiting
for the Government to do it for me! Waiting for the day my name shows up on the
List!”

“Stop it! You’re
not going to be on nobody’s list!”

 “I know it's
against the law!” Tony looked up at Flynn. “…But at least it’ll be my choice,
not theirs!”

Their eyes met and
they stared at each other. Tony sat in quiet resignation, while Flynn tried
desperately not to choke up, struggling to find the right words. What could he
say? Just offer more false encouragements to his best friend…more lies…

“Tony Romero!
Where are you?”

The two boys
turned at the same time. In a way, Flynn was relieved to hear Mrs. Romero’s
voice. It had put a stop to what Tony had been saying… Her head poked from
behind the roof’s row of solar panels. When she spotted where the boys were sitting,
her eyes grew wide with fear. “Get down from there right now!” she yelled as
she rushed toward them.

Tony swung his
legs back over the ledge and stood up, followed by Flynn. “Don’t worry, Mom.
We’ve done this a million times.”

“I don’t want to
hear about it!” She glanced angrily at Flynn and grabbed Tony by the hand.
“Enough fresh air for you today! Soup’s ready!” She dragged Tony away, leaving
Flynn to stand alone.

He stared after
them until they had disappeared, then punched the nearest wall. Knuckles
bleeding, Flynn kept pounding at the bricks with all his strength… The pain stopped
him from thinking about Tony and everything his friend had said...What prevented
him from smashing his hand into a hundred little pieces was the low rumble of
thunder over his head. Flynn looked up at the sky and caught his breath… Dark,
ominous clouds were gathering over the Archipelago… Finally, he thought, the
Lower Side was going to get a break. Rain was on its way! And he knew it would
be a huge event! A moment later, he heard the sirens, announcing the
approaching and long awaited storm.

Flynn hurried down
to the nearest walkway bridge and broke into a run.

By the time he
reached his building, the sky was a swirl of angry blackness. The tower was
screeching and rattling with every powerful gust of wind. A few raindrops fell
on his face as he rushed into his apartment. Flynn’s father was already there,
gathering together all kinds of pots, pans, buckets, anything that could be
filled with water.

“Just in time,
Flynn!” Alan Perry cried. “Give me a hand here.”

Flynn grabbed as
many containers as he could carry and ran outside. A flash of lightning lit up
his excited face. Seconds later, came the deafening clap of thunder. And then
rain began pouring down from the sky. The storm was right above them. Flynn’s
father walked out shirtless, wearing only a coarse piece of cloth around his
hips. “Quick! Get the soap!” Alan Perry shouted over the sound of more thunder.

Flynn sprinted
inside and reappeared a moment later, holding a small lump of home-made soap.
He quickly stripped down to only his shorts and kicked his shoes off. There was
a flurry of activity around them now. Half-naked people were rushing out of
their apartments, carrying pots and pans, placing them on the walkways to catch
the fresh rain water. Flynn quickly lathered his body and passed the soap to
his dad. Alan Perry scrubbed away the thick layer of salty grime from his skin
and then began to work on his matted hair. When he had finished, he just stood
under the cascading rain, letting it rinse him clean. The water was warm and
pleasant, pounding his body, washing away the foamy scum. Flynn watched his
dad. The man was grinning like a child, whistling a tune as he ran his hands
over his body.

Flynn shifted his
gaze to the crowd around them… Everybody was doing the same. Scrubbing, washing…
their faces full of happiness… All this joy over something as simple as being
able to clean yourself and your dirty laundry with fresh and unrestricted
water… The rain storm was like a gift of life for the people on the Lower Side,
pouring down from the skies, a reason to celebrate... Jubilant shouts and
laughter rose above the sound of buckets being filled by the driving rain.
Singing could be heard, mixed with the howl of the wind and the creaking of the
tower.

From a distance it
looked like the rooftop had come to life. But it was only a crowd of singing,
soaking-wet people, united in some kind of a tribal dance, all their hardships
forgotten for a brief moment in time…There they all were… a wild party in full
swing, illuminated by the flashes of lightning…Unfortunately, the storm didn’t
last very long… The rain stopped as abruptly as it had started. Like someone
had turned the tap off, thought Flynn. The wind had blown the clouds over the
Archipelago and was now carrying them away over the ocean. The sky cleared and
the sound of thunder grew more and more distant, until it finally died away.

The tower’s
occupants took their buckets inside, laughing and joking, slamming their doors
behind them. Soon life would be back to normal, Flynn thought… Back to the
measly evening water rations again.

Marcus Van Zandt
watched the last few rain drops slide down the window pane and turned away from
the dark window. “Well, after such a generous offering from the skies, there
should be no water distribution for let’s say…”

“A day?” suggested
Duncan Roth, looking up from his handheld device. He was sitting alone at the
big boardroom table.

“Three days!” Van
Zandt said with a wicked grin on his face. “Let them suffer a bit! A reminder
that their life sustenance doesn’t come for free… It has to be earned!”

Duncan Roth nodded
and typed something on his screen.

“Now, what’s the
name of that boy again?” Van Zandt’s eyes shifted from Duncan to Leo, who was
lounging comfortably on a leather couch and enjoying the warmth of the crackling
fireplace before him.

“Perry!” Leo spat
out the name, “Flynn Perry.”

“And you’re
suggesting what exactly…” Van Zandt was pacing back and forth.

“I want him gone!”
Leo’s eyes were suddenly ablaze with hatred.

Van Zandt stopped
pacing. He looked at his son, then at Duncan Roth. “What do you think, my
friend?”

“The Departure
List comes out two days after the Scavenger Trials… I can put him on the List
right away, Marcus!” said Duncan Roth, his face showing no emotion. It was
impossible to read.

“Hmm…” Van Zandt
rubbed his chin, “that’ll be a waste of talent, don’t you think? You did say
he’s extremely good!”

"He is… I've
been watching him for a while now. But no one’s irreplaceable, Marcus. You
know, I value the rules above all else… And no amount of skill can compensate
for the kind of disobedience the boy has allegedly shown. We can't afford
that!"

"I know,
Duncan, I know ... Let me think."

"It's your
call." Duncan Roth leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

“Dad, I want him
gone!” Leo sprang up on his feet. “And Duncan’s right… Flynn Perry doesn’t know
how to obey orders… Doesn’t know his place! He’ll be nothing but trouble.”

“Sit down and be
quiet!” said Marcus Van Zandt, pointing a finger at his son.

The boy slumped
back on the couch while his father turned to Duncan Roth again.

“How many old
Scavengers are we losing in our Departure this year?”