“I’m no quitter, but…” Tony picked up the slack end of the rope and started coiling it around a piece of rusty pipe sticking out of the platform’s side. “You know we won’t pass the Scavenger Trials together! Not if I’m your Crew Mate.”
Flynn paused, the muscles on his back suddenly tensing. The Scavenger Trials!… Their big day! The moment Flynn and Tony had been waiting for so long… their one and only chance of becoming proper divers. Free Scavengers! And getting their hands on all the perks and privileges that came with the title… All the wonderful stuff that people on the Lower Side didn’t have! It would be their ticket to the Upper Side… and to living like those who were in power… But to get there, Flynn and Tony would not only have to pass the Trials… they would have to actually win the whole damn competition!
And now, after years of training hard, hundreds of dangerous dives, practicing and fine-tuning their teamwork, the Trials were almost upon them… Soon, it would be time for Flynn and Tony to face their ultimate challenge… Compete in the Trials… determine their future. The two boys had reached the age of maturity and the moment when every boy and girl on the Archipelago was assigned a job for life… A job you had to do till you were retired and sent away at the Departure Ceremony, thought Flynn, feeling the bile rise up his throat… There would be no second chances for him and Tony… Flynn knew he was ready for the challenge. But he wasn’t so sure about Tony anymore. His friend’s health was failing fast, and Flynn was seriously worried. He wasn’t going to show it, though. He never did… Flynn would rather pretend everything was fine… just like he was doing now.
Shaking his head, Flynn went back to pulling the rope in silence, until the diving bell popped up on the surface. It was a small, one-man diving device, crudely made out of pieces of plastic, stitched and taped together. Crude, but effective, Flynn thought proudly as he admired the capsule he and Tony had built from scratch. They had been inspired by the Wet Bell, an invention as old as the world. All divers knew it was one of the earliest types of equipment for underwater work and exploration. Open at the bottom like a moon pool and ballasted with weights to keep it upright, it allowed the water pressure to trap the air inside, turning it into a make-shift diving chamber. No Scavenger worth his salt would go down on a deep dive without a bell. But a scavvy also needed a Crew Mate to pump the bell full of fresh air… A good, strong and healthy Crew Mate, Flynn thought with a heavy heart as he stole a quick glance at Tony.
Flynn took his time securing the bell to the side of the raft. When he was done with it, he turned his attention to the scavenged booty in his sack. First, he scrubbed each item clean of the silt and slime. Then, he arranged everything into separate piles: soda cans, beer cans, bottles of alcohol. Finally, he wiped dry and neatly stacked half a dozen magazines, still sealed and intact in their airtight plastic wrappings. Flynn knew those were even more valuable than the booze and canned food he had found. Magazines had something inside them that could be enjoyed over and over again. They were full of pictures… Full of images from the past! And this made them a big trade on the Black Market… Or a great bribe when dealing with Government officials, Flynn thought with a wicked smile on his face… Everybody knew that old magazines and books, even with their faded and tattered pages, always went for a very good price. Brand new ones, still glossy and untouched, were a real treasure! He was going to make a real killing with them, for sure.
“Flynn!” Tony cried out, his voice now full of exasperation. “Did you hear what I just said? You won’t pass the Trials with me on board!”
“And who do you think I’ll pass the Trials with, then?” Flynn asked, trying to keep calm. “Got any suggestions?”
“Madison Ray would be a good choice,” Tony replied. “Can’t think of anyone better for the job.”
“What?!?” Flynn swung around and stared at Tony. “You crazy? There’s no way I’m having a girl on my raft!”
“Why not, amigo?”
“Because it won’t work!” said Flynn. He hesitated for a moment, then scooped one of his scavenged piles and stuffed all the items back in his sack. “I need to hide this stash,” he said, trying hard to avoid Tony’s eyes. Without saying anther word, he dragged the bag to the edge of the raft, picked it up and disappeared overboard.
Tony waited patiently, until a few minutes later Flynn’s head emerged next to the Seeker’s platform. “Besides…” Flynn said, spitting water and blowing his nose, “…Madison’s busy with her stupid pigeons… Don’t think she cares much for scavvy’ing anymore!”
“Trust me, she does!”
“Yeah, right!” Flynn grunted as he clambered back onto the raft. He began to pull on the rope which had kept the Seeker secured to the end of a lone power pole. The pole was sticking only six feet above the surface of the ocean, but had done its job well enough. The Seeker had stayed in one place and not drifted away from their diving location.
“Madison sure misses being on the water, you know… misses what we used to do together,” Tony said.
The raft bumped into the pole and Flynn raised the truck-tire he had threaded on it earlier that day. He hoisted the makeshift anchor out of the water and threw it back on deck.
“I’ve been talking to Madison a lot lately,” Tony began cautiously. “You know how she brings my mom and me pigeon eggs… Well, she’s been asking ‘bout you… like, how’s your training going… stuff like that…” Tony paused briefly to study his friend, then continued with a mischievous smile on his face, “I think it’s ‘cause she likes you, amigo! Always has.”
“Shut up!” Flynn growled.
“And she wants to dive again! Try her hand at scavvy’ing.”
“Tony!” Flynn pointed a warning finger at his friend’s face. “Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore about it!”
The boys would have continued to argue if it wasn’t for the sudden sound of motor engines reaching their ears. Instantly, they both fell silent. Flynn turned on his heels and felt his heart begin to race. In the far distance, two speed boats were fast approaching, heading straight for the Seeker. “Damn,” Flynn spat when he saw that the first vessel was flying the Archipelago’s yellow Government banner, with the letters LVZ emblazoned over its enormous crest. “It’s Leo Van Zandt.”
Grabbing a long sheet of sun-bleached tarpaulin from under the car seat, Flynn threw it hastily over the scavenged booty still on deck. Tony was now standing next to him with a worried look on his face. “Don’t say anything… I’ll deal with this!” said Flynn, rolling the diving bell overboard and letting it sink until it was no longer visible. He then stood waiting, hands on hips, trying to ignore the pounding in his chest.
Within minutes, the two power boats were circling the Seeker, causing the raft to rise and fall precariously in their wake. Somehow, Tony and Flynn were able to keep their balance. They made out a group of giggling boys in the boat with the banner. A couple of burly security guards with their weapons aimed at the Seeker were riding in the second. Finally, the two vessels began to slow down. Leo Van Zandt, a boy not much older than Flynn and Tony, stood up in the bigger boat. His long blond hair was tucked underneath a faded ‘I love N.Y.’ baseball cap, his eyes hidden behind a pair of old aviator goggles.
Both boys noticed Leo’s oversized and worn-out bulletproof vest and the gun holstered at the hip… Who would dare shoot at him, wondered Flynn… No one on the Lower Side had guns. Then he noticed the bullet holes on the boat’s windshield… Had someone finally dared to make an attempt on Leo Van Zandt’s life? No way! The bullet holes were most probably there from the Olden Days, the time when all survivors had fought for every boat, every piece of floating hardware, anything useful they could lay their hands on… And besides, Leo didn’t just have one boat. He had a whole fleet at his disposal waiting for him on the Upper Side…