Although the Power Plant appeared abandoned and completely derelict, there were lights along the passageways.
“Sir…” Flynn turned to Duncan Roth, “Where’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.
“What is it, Flynn?” Tony Romero had managed to squeeze himself through the wall of bodies.
“You tell me!” Flynn shifted sideways to make some space for his friend.
“Oh, wow!” Tony cried. “Looks like… a whale, amigo!”
“Welcome to the Ark!” Duncan Roth’s voice cut above the noise, and everyone was instantly silenced. They all turned. He stood a few feet away, leaning against the railing, studying their faces. “That’s your future home!” the man smiled, pointing at the vessel. “As you can see, she’s not finished yet. But now… with your additional help, I think we’ll be ready to sail in a couple of weeks!”
All eyes were glued on Duncan Roth, and for a long, silent moment nobody dared to react to what he had just said.
“Sail… to where?” someone asked finally.
Flynn turned. It was his father who had spoken up again.
“Dry Land.”
Duncan Roth’s words echoed around their heads.
Flynn couldn’t believe he had just heard those two forbidden words… But he wasn’t the only one who was shocked to hear them… Madison, Tony, Clay and Pharrell were just as stunned as he was… This was something nobody ever talked about… Dry Land was something that didn’t exist!
“Look, I’m fully aware of what you all think of me… and how hard it must be for you to trust me!” said Duncan and then paused. “First, I owe you all a big apology, then… an explanation! It’s a long story!” He started down the walkway. “But before you hear all the details, I’d like you to meet the others… They’ve been expecting you.”
TWENTY FOUR
“Others? What others?” Flynn asked Tony and Madison as they followed the mysterious Duncan Roth. Of course, none of them had an answer to the question. They were just as puzzled as Flynn.
Duncan Roth led them down through a web of walkways and onto the big floating platform moored under the Ark. They were all gathered together now in the shadow of the vessel’s massive hull, eyes wide with wonder. Who could have built such a thing? They didn’t have to wait long to find out. Duncan blow-whistled and a moment later a hatch in the hull opened. A face, smeared in grease, peered out of the hatch. It belonged to a very old man.
“Greetings everyone!” cried the man, swinging his legs stiffly over the opening.
Duncan Roth rushed to help him down on the platform. A toothless grin appeared on the man’s blackened face. Flynn thought the voice sounded familiar… and then he saw the three screwdrivers sticking out of the man’s pocket…
“My God! It’s Walter… Walter Kowalski!” Alan Perry cried first and rushed forward to embrace his old friend.
“Hello, Alan!” Mr. Kowalski patted Flynn’s father three times on the shoulder. “Glad to see you made it safely down!”
“But… what are you doing here, Walter?”
“Ah, this and that…” Mr. Kowalski shrugged. “Helping out Duncan… with his project here.”
“Walter’s being modest as usual,” said Duncan Roth, facing the group again. “I’m sure most of you know who Walter Kowalski is… We’ve been working on the Ark for… how many years now, Walter?”
“Too many! I’ve lost count.”
“Sixteen, to be precise!” Duncan’s face was beaming now. “Walter’s been with the Ark project from the very first day… In fact, we conceived the idea together, and he’s played a key part in getting us to where we’re today… From the initial designs and blueprints… to what you see now before your eyes… I couldn’t have done it without him!”
Duncan paused to give the group a moment to digest the information. Alan Perry’s eyes blinked in confusion, shifting between Duncan and Mr. Kowalski.
“I’d never have guessed, Walter,” Flynn’s father said quietly, “that you and him were so close…” There was a hint of reproach in his voice.
“It had to be that way, Alan,” Mr. Kowalski said with a sheepish grin. “You understand how serious… how dangerous this is? If anyone knew about us, especially about Duncan’s involvement… we had to keep everything top secret.”
“No one knows about this project, Mr. Perry,” said Duncan earnestly. “No one, but a few trusted friends on the outside, and they’ll be coming with us when we’re ready! I hope you can forgive me for all the secrecy… But in order for our endeavor to succeed, I had to act the way I did.”
Flynn tensed, unsure what reaction to expect from his father. The corner of Alan Perry’s mouth twitched as he studied Duncan’s grave face.
“Well, you certainly managed to deceive us all!” Alan Perry said. “And doing all this right under Van Zandt’s nose… I think it’s brilliant… You’ll easily be forgiven, Mr. Roth!”
Somebody began to clap, then one by one, the rest of the group joined in the applause. Duncan Roth waved his hand hastily for them to stop. “Thank you, but… it’s too early to celebrate! Let’s hope that soon we’ll have a reason to do so!” He glanced over his shoulder at the open hatch then turned to Mr. Kowalski. “Where are the others, Walter?”
“Err… inside, waiting!” Mr. Kowalski nodded at the Ark. “We thought we’d do it in small portions, you know! Didn’t want anyone here to have a heart-attack… after everything they’ve been through today!”