Today, Leo Van Zandt was riding in a fiberglass number called the Fury, and apart from the damage on its windshield, the boat was otherwise in excellent condition. He cut the engine off and brought the boat to a quick stop, ramming its bow into the Seeker’s starboard. The jolt almost sent Tony and Flynn flying, but again both boys managed to stay on their feet. They braced for what was to follow… “For the Greater Good!” they cried, saluting Leo Van Zandt as was the custom when greeting members of the Government.
“Well, well, look what we have here!” Leo removed his goggles and eyed the boys up and down with a smirk on his face. “Someone’s been scavenging in unchartered waters! Am I right, or what?” he said and snickered loudly.
Flynn and Tony didn’t answer. While Tony kept his eyes lowered, Flynn threw a quick glance at the guards and stared back at Leo Van Zandt.
“You’re trespassing, scum boys! Care to explain yourselves?” barked Leo. “What’re you doing so far out of the permitted zone?”
“Fishing,” Flynn replied, trying to keep his voice steady and calm.
“Really? Fishing you say…” Leo drawled, addressing his posse. “Did you hear that, guys?” he asked, bursting out in mock laughter. “Well, now!” Leo looked back at Flynn and Tony, feigning surprise. “You must really suck at fishing, then! Where’s your catch? I don’t see any fishing gear, either!” His eyes darted away from Flynn as he scanned the raft.
“We caught a shark, but it got away… and took our net with it,” Flynn lied without missing a beat.
“A shark…” Leo turned his full attention back to Flynn. “You look kind of familiar… Have I met you before, scum boy?”
“I don’t think so!” Flynn said, knowing he had just told another bold lie.
“Really?” Leo’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your name?”
“Flynn.”
“Flynn who?” Leo barked again. He had taken a small computer pad out of his pocket and was now tapping its screen.
“Perry. P-E-R-R-Y.”
Leo looked up and fixed his gaze on Flynn. He studied the boy’s face for a long moment, his eyes penetrating… searching. Flynn’s expression remained blank as he stared back at Leo.
“All right,” Leo said finally, pointing at Tony. “Who’s your scrawny little friend there?”
“Anthony Romero,” Flynn answered.
“How old?”
“Sixteen.”
“Is your friend a retard? Or just deaf and dumb?” Leo sneered and continued typing. When he had finished entering the information, he pressed a key and scowled at the screen. “Says here, Romero’s not sixteen yet… which makes him underage… and in breach of being on a water vessel so far from the zone.”
“He’s with me and I’m sixteen,” Flynn said.
Leo shook his head, ignoring Flynn’s words. “This Romero kid looks more like a sick old man to me! And we all know what happens to sick old men, don’t we?” Leo snickered again as he looked back at his friends. They were all laughing at Tony now.
Flynn clenched his fists and leaned forward, but Tony squeezed his elbow. Leo’s eyes darted between the two and focused on Flynn again.
“Did you want to say something, Perry boy?”
“No!” Flynn swallowed hard.
“Thought not,” Leo flashed his teeth and slipped the pad back in his pocket. “Well, Perry and Romero… you know who I am, right?”
Flynn and Tony nodded. Of course, they knew who he was! Who didn’t? Leo was the one and only son of Marcus Van Zandt, the head of Governing Council, the man who ruled the whole of the Archipelago. The Van Zandt family had been in power since the beginning of time, and they were here to stay. There was no replacing them, everyone knew that… When Marcus died, or if he decided to step down, Leo was going to be his successor, then Leo’s children, and so on… People had no say in who would govern them. There were no elections… as if anyone even remembered or knew what an election was… And Leo was every part the spoilt heir to the Van Zandt throne, already acting like he was in charge.
“Good!” Leo continued, “Are you aware you have no business out here? That everything underneath these waters is Government property, and I can have you two scum boys charged with trespassing?”
Flynn and Tony had no choice but to nod again.
“I’ll be watching you two!” said Leo, pointing a finger at Flynn. “Especially you, Perry boy! You look like trouble to me… And I can smell trouble from miles away.”
Leo Van Zandt gave Flynn a long cold stare.
Flynn stared back, trying hard not to flinch. Nobody knew, not even Tony, that he and Leo had crossed paths before… back when they were little kids… Flynn had been practicing his free dives off the edge of the Main Pier when a bunch of Upper Side boys had arrived. They were speeding on their jet-skis, fooling around, showing off, recklessly zigzagging round moored boats and floating pontoons. One of the jet-skis had made a sharp turn, flinging a boy with long blond hair into the water. Two heart beats later, when the kid had not resurfaced, Flynn had sprung into action. He had found the boy sinking fast with his hands ensnared in the leather straps of a pair of binoculars still around his neck. Flynn had managed to cut him free with his diving knife and bring the boy back to the safety of the pier. With the help of some fishermen, they had hoisted the limp body out of the water and made sure the boy was breathing. ‘You just saved Leo Van Zandt! Bet you’ll get a reward for that,’ Flynn had heard the men say… But instead of gratitude, Flynn had received only hatred and abuse. He still remembered Leo’s eyes flashing with anger and wounded pride as he snatched at his binoculars… ‘I could’ve reached the Pier all by myself, you prick! Don’t you know who I am?’ Leo had spat in Flynn’s face and then yelled, ‘I didn’t need your help, scum boy! And you’ve also ruined my binoculars! Look! The straps are gone!’ Before Flynn could say anything, Leo was screaming for his guards and calling Flynn a thief. ‘You’d better make yourself scarce kid,’ one of the fisherman had whispered in Flynn’s ear and he had taken off like the wind. Leo’s guards had chased him up and down the pier, until Flynn finally managed to give them the slip. Instinctively, Flynn knew he had made a powerful enemy that day… Later, Flynn’s father had explained it best: ‘You showed everybody that the Van Zandt boy’s weak. And that was a mistake… But the good news is Leo never took your name down, so you’re safe.’
Had Leo Van Zandt recognized him now? Flynn hoped not. They had both changed, grown up… looked different… Flynn was just one of the many anonymous faces from the Lower Side… And as much as he hated the feeling, he felt safe in the knowledge that he was simply another “scum boy” and nothing else.
“Err… Mr. Van Zandt,” one of the guards broke the silence, “we should be going, sir. Your father said…”
“I know what my father said!” Leo cut him off. He sat down behind the wheel of his powerboat, started the engine and pushed down on the throttle. The engine roared, and the Fury took off, followed closely by its companion.
Flynn watched the speeding vessels as they faded into the distance. “Privileged bastards!” he yelled, shaking his fist at them.