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?”
Duncan Roth checked his handheld. “More than we’ll be gaining in the Trials, according to the numbers,” he said.
Van Zandt started pacing the room again. “We need all the fresh blood we can get. Especially in the scavenging business… We need your divers to be bringing up stuff… go deeper to get us the supplies we need.”
“Indeed, we do.” Duncan Roth nodded. “We’re running low on some vital supplies. I’ve got a whole new sector on the East Side grid that’s scheduled for exploration and recovery… I’ll definitely need all the divers I can get.”
“So this Perry boy is reckless and dangerous,” Marcus Van Zandt was now rubbing his chin and back to pacing the room.
“I’m telling you he is…” Leo began, but Van Zandt shot him an angry look, and he fell silent.
“I’ll keep a close eye on him,” said Duncan Roth. “They don’t call me the Rottweiler for nothing.” He slipped his handheld device in his pocket and stood up. “If things get out of control, I’ll make him disappear!”
“Then, I’ll leave it in your capable hands, Duncan… I trust your good judgment.”
Duncan Roth nodded, excused himself and with a curt salute left the room.
Leo got up, furious at what had just happened, but his father waved him down.
“You stay!” Marcus Van Zandt said. “We need to talk.”
TWELVE
“About time you showed up!” Madison greeted Flynn, crouching on top of the raft’s seat, “’Cause I’m done with guarding the Seeker!”
Madison had gotten up very early that morning, cleaned her pigeon tower and made it to the docking bay way ahead of Flynn. She had tidied up their diving gear, sorted through the mess under the car seat and swept the deck. She had just sat down to eat her breakfast when she had spotted a pair of gleaming red eyes, staring at her from under one of the tarpaulins… Madison had nearly choked on her seaweed roll.
“What’s wrong?” Flynn asked. He stopped at the edge of the dock and eyed the long wooden oar Madison was now brandishing in the air. Then he saw the big, slimy rat poking its head out of the filthy water, circling the raft. Madison screamed and shoved the oar at it, but the rat was faster. It dived and disappeared under the dock’s platform.
“Didn’t think you’d be scared of a little mouse,” Flynn laughed as he boarded the Seeker.
“I’m not scared! And it was a rat, not a mouse!” Madison slid down the seat and placed the oar under it. “Just don’t like them anywhere near me!”
“Not much different from pigeons, if you ask me,” Flynn grinned, pointing at the small bird cage close to Madison’s feet. A couple of her grey pigeons sat inside, huddled together.
“Hey! Don’t insult my birds!” The girl thumped him on the shoulder. “They’re great messengers and very intelligent creatures… I’m going to train these two to follow us out on the water. They’re homing pigeons, not some stinking rodents!”
“I don’t know who’s smarter, actually…” Flynn untied the raft and hopped on the seat next to her, “…and who’s more stinky?”
“Flynn…” Madison frowned at him, “do me a favor and get us out of here!”
“Sure thing,” said Flynn, laughing again.
The Seeker pulled away from the dock, turned and Flynn began to negotiate his way out between the other moored vessels and platforms. He exited through the building’s gaping entrance and made a right onto the West Street Canal, then headed up toward Midtown Bay.
The traffic was typical for that hour on the Lower Side. All kinds of shabby rafts, boats and water bikes were moving up and down the waterways at their regular speed. Nothing unusual, thought Flynn as he relaxed in his seat. He was about to ask Madison about her pigeon training, when suddenly, he heard shouts up ahead… One by one, all the vessels started to swerve and disappear into the side canals to their right. West Street Canal was becoming rapidly deserted.
“What’s happening? What’s all the excitement about?” Madison stood up to get a better look.
“I don’t know,” replied Flynn, “but we’ll find out in a second.” He pressed on the pedals and increased his speed, trying to catch up with the raft ahead. The man on that vessel was moving fast, sweating over the pedals, clearly in a great hurry. Flynn managed to get the Seeker close enough, and once leveled, he sprang off his seat. “Get behind the pedals!” he told Madison. “Keep the same speed as that guy and stay with him!” With those words, Flynn jumped effortlessly over to the other raft.
Madison obeyed immediately, taking his place. She stared ahead as she pedaled, but she could see Flynn with the corner of her eye. He was hunched over the man, talking fast. The man was saying something back, but she couldn’t hear anything from all the loud splashing of the two rafts. Flynn nodded, turned and jumped back on the Seeker.