“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.
There was a faint orange glow some twenty feet above him. Not far, but he knew he had to hurry. Swimming straight up, Flynn could feel the weight of Mrs. Voinovich now and the strain on all his muscles. They were almost there, only a few feet away from the light, when Mrs. Voinovich started trashing on his back… Flynn knew that the poor woman would open her mouth... take that dreaded involuntary breath… and fill her lungs with water… Flynn kicked his feet with all his strength, his powerful strokes breaking the surface with seconds to spare.
There was a loud gasp from behind him, as Mrs. Voinovich sucked in a huge gulp of air and began to cough. That was too damn close, Flynn thought, as he filled his screaming lungs with air. It was stale, but breathable enough. Flynn looked around and spotted a large floating deck to his left. Two people were lying on it, soaking wet and shivering. They were Duncan's first charges and were glad to see Flynn swimming toward them. The two helped Mrs. Voinovich onto the platform then hoisted Flynn up. While they tended to Mrs. Voinovich, Flynn took a little break to get his bearings. He was in some kind of a large round shaft space, and although he had found air pockets in submerged buildings before, they were never as big as this. Flynn looked up and could see no ceiling. The shaft continued up and up, until its walls turned to black. He wondered if this was one of the four giant smokestacks of the Power Plant… Flynn studied his surroundings more carefully. The deck was moored next to a rusty staircase, leading up to a heavy metal door. There was an oil lamp burning above the door, the only source of light in the shaft. Flynn looked back at Mrs. Voinovich who now seemed fine, despite the cold.
“Thank you,” she said and smiled weakly at Flynn. “Hope the next one down treats you better.”
“You did great, Mrs. Voinovich,” Flynn said and slid back into the water.
“Well done everyone!” Duncan Roth had just finished doing his final head count. No one was missing from the Departure List. They were all huddled together on the floating deck now. Exhausted and freezing, but alive! He stood above them on the rusty staircase, water dripping from his tall frame, not showing even the slightest sign of being cold or tired.
Duncan looked like he had just come back from a leisurely swim, thought Flynn. They had all performed numerous dives, but Duncan had done the most. Flynn was more than impressed by his stamina and endurance.… The man had surprised him repeatedly in the past hour, and was continuing to do so… Unlike Duncan, Flynn was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion… The dives had finally taken their toll… He could barely stand on his feet. Flynn had lost count of how many people he had ferried down. His last two trips had been to bring Tony and Madison. Now, they were all waiting to see what Duncan had in store for them next.
“I don’t think he brought us here just to show us this air pocket,” Madison whispered. “There must be more to this…”
Flynn had to agree with her.
“Please, come with me,” said Duncan, as if he had read their minds.
He was making his way up the flight of rusty stairs. Emotionally and physically drained, everybody had fallen silent again. No questions were asked. One by one, they all started up the stairs and followed Duncan through the heavy metal door at the top of the landing. Flynn and Madison were right behind him, both eager to find out where he was taking them.
The man led them down a dark corridor, up more flights of stairs and then into another corridor. The thick walls were made of solid concrete. There were cracks everywhere, and all surfaces were streaked with rusty stains from the metal fixtures running above their heads. Corroded pipes, broken electrical boxes and torn cables littered the floor.
Although the Power Plant appeared abandoned and completely derelict, there were lights along the passageways.
“Sir...” Flynn turned to Duncan Roth, “Wher
e’s the electricity coming from?”
“You'll find out in a minute ... And Flynn ...” Duncan stopped and turned, “you don't have to call me sir! Not down here, anyway!”
Flynn exchanged a startled look with Madison then hurried after the man. A beam of strong light flooded the corridor as Duncan opened another metal door at its end. He held it open, but stood blocking the entrance and waiting for everybody to gather. Flynn stopped at the threshold and glanced at Duncan who gave him an encouraging nod. “Go on. We’ve arrived,” he said.
Flynn cautiously stepped through the door and onto a wide industrial walkway bridge high above a huge cavernous space. Taking another step forward, he froze in his tracks! Flynn was looking down at a brightly lit hall and at a gigantic vessel, the likes of which he had never seen before… It was suspended half-way up in the air, held by a dozen chains and hanging from a gigantic domed ceiling. Its massive hull was made out of what Flynn immediately recognized were salvaged materials: vehicle parts, pieces of corrugated metal and plastic, all welded together. The vessel was positioned above a pool of murky green water, surrounded by rafts and barges, piled high with more scavenged resources. Smaller rafts provided support for the crude scaffolding which encircled the sides of its hull. There were large holes in the vessel’s body, cables and wires sticking out of its unfinished sections. It had to be some kind of a sea-faring ship, Flynn thought. With its round tubular body, it resembled the old airplane fuselages he had seen carried by the Industrial Scavengers. But its overall shape reminded him more of a blue whale… a few years back, Flynn had seen one swim past, narrowly missing the Seeker… He felt Madison's hand on his shoulder. She too was staring, mouth agape.
“What the hell’s that?” Flynn whispered, unable to take his eyes off the vessel.
But he was now being pushed to the side, as the rest of the group gathered behind him and Madison. The people were pressing against the railings, mesmerized by what they were seeing. A loud collective gasp of surprise could be heard. There was a ripple of excitement as everybody began to crane their necks to get a better look.
Archipelago N.Y.: Flynn Page 20