But no one heard the rest of Flynn’s words, because the crowd erupted in the loudest of cheers. All eyes were on Van Zandt, who had stepped up to the microphone again.
“And now….,” the man said, “without further ado… allow me, on behalf of the Government, to welcome those on the Departure List!”
Music blared from the speakers, the curtain flew open. Flynn’s stomach turned when he saw his father walk out… Tony was right behind him. They lined up, each of them clutching a bag with their one-week food supply and whatever small personal belongings they had decided to take. Flynn watched the whole group shuffle onto the Departure raft. All of them appeared calm, and some were even waving to the crowd. The total acceptance of their fate seemed so unnatural to Flynn… The group was now shouting, “For the Greater Good!” His father, Tony, everybody…
“They’ve got to act happy,” whispered Madison in Flynn’s ear. “Leo says that if they don’t, their families pay the price… the threats of what they’ll do to them are horrific, Flynn… really horrific!”
Flynn nodded. It all made sense now… Everyone on the Departure List was trying to protect their loved ones. Pretend or be punished… And since no one ever came back, who was to know what these poor people were threatened with… before stepping on that stage…
The crowd exploded again, Van Zandt was still speaking, praising the group… but Flynn wasn’t listening anymore. The sounds around him became muffled as blood rushed to his head… All he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest. He was desperately seeking his father’s eyes. Alan Perry was now taking his seat on the Departure raft, and Flynn saw Tony on the row behind his father. Of course, there was no way either of them could see Flynn, but he hoped they felt his presence there… some comfort that they weren’t alone… and that help was on its way… “…and now, let their Departure journey begin!” Flynn caught the last words of Van Zandt’s speech.
Duncan Roth was ready, the engine of his motor boat running idle. The Departure raft was securely tied behind his boat with a thick towing rope. Security guards were pushing the crowd back, trying to clear a path for the procession. It was a difficult task, because of the large number of vessels, all vying to be in the same spot. There were angry shouts and curses coming from the crowd. Everyone wanted to see the parade, and by now most people were drunk and extremely rowdy. Finally, a few shots were fired in the air, forcing the crowd to part and make way. Duncan Roth raised his hand in a final salute to Van Zandt then gunned his engine. The boat lurched forward, and the Departure raft swiftly followed in its wake.
“Here we go,” cried Flynn, his face a mask of grim determination. He gripped the rudder and placed his feet on the pedals. The Seeker began to move slowly, peeling away from the crowd. Flynn made sure his raft remained close to the walls of the buildings, staying in their shadow. He threw a quick glance to his left and saw Pharrell doing the same… They had gone over the route of the parade a dozen times… until Flynn was satisfied they all knew it by heart… and that there would be no turning back.
“Well, that part’s over!” said Flynn as they watched Duncan Roth’s boat tow the Departure raft past the last Lower Side buildings and head out into open waters.
Keeping a safe distance, he and Pharrell had trailed the procession all the way from Midtown bay and through the Lower Side canals. They had managed to remain focused on the task, ignoring all the excitement and commotion going on around them. Both rafts had zigzagged past vessels and avoided numerous collisions along the waterways. They paid no attention to the madness that awaited them on the Lower Side. Here, the residents had also come out onto rooftops, bridges and walkways to cheer on the Departure raft. They blew on horns and banged on drums, drinking and dancing as Duncan’s boat passed beneath them. The “stars” of the parade waved back, with frozen smiles and blank eyes.
Flynn lifted his feet from the pedals and turned to Pharrell and Clay. “Let’s hang back for a while… We don’t want the Rottweiler to spot us.”
Pharrell nodded, squinting against the setting sun. Duncan’s boat and the Departure raft were past the South border now, heading towards the Junk nets. They were making headway fast, becoming smaller and smaller against the darkening horizon.
“I think we shouldn’t let him get away too far…” Madison said, glancing at Flynn. “They’ll be out of sight soon.”
“Not yet!” Flynn was looking up at the rooftops behind them. He knew the Watchmen were up in their towers, keeping their sharp eyes on the Departure raft. The same could be said of Van Zandt and his Government with their powerful binoculars… They were bound to be watching, Flynn thought… But it was getting dark, and soon they would all be invisible, swallowed by the night. Then it would be the time to strike… but for now they needed to wait. “Don’t worry, we won’t lose them.” Flynn dug under the seat, took out his dad’s old binoculars and glued them to his eyes. Duncan’s boat had started to make a wide turn to the east.
“Where do you think he’s going to dump them?” asked Madison, shifting nervously on her seat.
“Further east, in the Atlantic,” Flynn replied. “So the current doesn’t bring anybody drifting back in!”
As night fell, the pale three-quarter moon was now their only source of light. The Departure raft was just a silhouette, barely visible even through the lenses of the binoculars.
Suddenly, the powerful beam of the boat’s headlight went on.
“Perfect!” Flynn dropped the binoculars on the seat. “We can see them fine now and no one can see us.” He sat back and placed his feet on the pedals. “Ready Pharrell? With Duncan Roth on his own, he shouldn’t be a problem… The three of us will overpower the bastard in no time.”
“You mean the four of us,” Madison said.
“No, you’ll stay out of it.” Flynn glared at her. “And that’s an order, Miss Ray.”
“Not so sure it’ll be that easy, bro” Pharrell shook his head, “He’s armed!”
“Yeah, but he’s not expecting company,” Flynn argued. “His motor’s loud… we sneak from behind, get my dad, Tony and your parents… then we disappear and…”
“What about the others?” Madison interrupted.
Flynn shook his head. “We can’t save everybody…”
“Yes, we can!”
“Are you crazy?” Flynn snapped. “I can’t find a place to hide all of these people… that’s impossible!”
“We can try.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“Hey!” Pharrell interrupted, sensing another fight boiling up between the two. “Enough! Flynn’s right… and if we don’t wanna lose them, we better get goin!”
“What happened?” Madison stood up on her seat, her voice full of alarm.
“He cut his lights off, that’s what happened!” Flynn had stopped pedaling and grabbed for his binoculars. They had been following Duncan Roth for more than an hour now. The man had abruptly changed direction twice, heading first west, then south. They had just cleared Hudson Bay and were going across the Jersey Bay, when Duncan’s headlights had suddenly gone out, as if swallowed by the ocean. They could hear the sound of his engine, though… Clearly, he was still on the move, thought Flynn, puzzled by Duncan’s new maneuver.
“Do you think he’s seen us, bro?” Pharrell whispered from his raft.
“Doubt it… We’re close, but not that close.”
“Maybe…,” said Madison, turning to look back at the Archipelago, “…he doesn’t want the Watchers to see where he’s going? Without the lights, they’ve lost him too!”
“Doesn’t make sense… Why would he hide from them?” Flynn was looking through his binoculars, searching the horizon. “Hah! There he is! He’s changed direction again… going west, now.”