“None whatsoever,” Duncan Roth replied and sipped his coffee across the table from Van Zandt. “It all went as planned.”
“Took you longer this time! You were gone for most of the night.”
“There was a strong current… Had to go farther out… or risk having dead bodies float back to our shores.”
Van Zandt nodded approvingly. “Yes, that would’ve been rather unfortunate.”
Duncan was his usual expressionless self. But there were dark circles under his eyes.
“You look tired, my friend! Perhaps you need to rest for a day or two?”
“I’m fine, Marcus.” Duncan put his cup down and smiled ruefully. “You know me… I’ve got no time for rest!”
“I know, I know…” Van Zandt got up and walked over to his favorite spot by the big window. “I’m so lucky to have you by my side! Can’t think of anyone who could do what you do for us here.”
He looked at the bay surrounding his building then at the workers, who were taking down the Departure stage, banners and decorations… Life was returning back to normal, even after all the excessive drinking. Marcus Van Zandt knew that many people were not sober and were still walking around in a daze. In a state of oblivion… And that was how he wanted them… “It was a great ceremony, don’t you think?”
“Yes, it was!” Duncan nodded.
“We’ll make it even better next year! Bigger and grander!” Van Zandt swung on his heels and looked at Duncan. “You and I, my friend!”
“Of course, Marcus!”
“Perhaps we can let Leo run it… Give him a chance to shine, prove himself… I think I’ve been a bit too harsh on him… The boy’s been acting strangely of late… gone into hiding in the past couple of days… What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Duncan’s eyebrow twitched a little. “Leo’s a very capable young man.”
“Yes, he is.” Van Zandt eased back into his chair. “But I’m keeping you, when I should let you go do your work.”
“Duty calls, Marcus,” said Duncan, standing up briskly.
“For the Greater Good, my friend!”
Duncan Roth gave Marcus Van Zandt a nod and rushed out of the room.
“What did your parents say?” Flynn shifted in his seat to make space for Madison.
“They’re coming!” She crashed next to him, out of breath, having hurried all the way from her house to the docks. “It took a while to convince them to join us, you know. They thought I was making it all up, said I’d lost my mind… almost locked me in one of the Pigeon Towers.”
“Don’t blame them.” Flynn grinned. “I still find it hard to believe… that this is happening.”
“Me too! It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
“Well, we better get on with it.” He stepped on the pedals. “Let’s go fetch Duncan his supply of Algae.”
“OK…” Madison said, frowning. “But can you wipe that smile off your face, please!” Madison glanced at the other rafts passing them in the canal. “You look way too happy for someone who’s just lost his dad and his best friend!”
“Oops!” Flynn grimaced, and the expression on his face changed. The mask of sadness that he had been wearing all morning was back again. People were watching, he knew that… And he was expected to look a certain way… subdued, solemn, grieving… Duncan had repeated those instructions over and over, after they had left the Power Plant. The Ark wasn’t finished! Duncan was hoping that with all the extra pair of hands, the vessel would be ready to sail in a week… But before that, he and his Scavenger crew had to all go back to the Archipelago and act like nothing had happened.
Under the cover of their official Scavenger duties, they were in for an intense few days of preparation, supplying the Ark with all the provisions necessary for the long journey ahead. Secrecy was of the uttermost importance, Duncan had warned them. Easy to say, Flynn thought… He found it extremely hard to hide the excitement bubbling inside his chest. How could he pretend to be anything, but happy…
“Flynn!”
“What?” Madison’s voice made him jump.
“You’re smiling again!” she hissed in his ear.
“Sorry!” Flynn clenched his jaw and focused on the task of steering his raft along their usual route to the Algae Farms.
They pedaled in silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. With Tony and his father now safe, Flynn found himself thinking about Madison, his trust in her restored…. She was back in his heart… In fact, she had stormed back, lodged herself there and would not leave… Flynn wondered if Madison felt the same way about him… He wasn’t going to let Leo cloud his thoughts… he was going to stop being so foolish and jealous. Nothing had happened between Madison and Leo, and Flynn had decided to take her word for it.
Flynn looked at Madison with the corner of his eye and tried to steady his breathing. The night before, at the Power Plant, he had been ready to tell her how he felt about her… but never got the chance… Now, he was just going to come out and say it. He would tell her that he loved her… that she meant the world to him. Flynn took a deep breath, but Madison spoke first….
“Do you think it’s for real?” she asked, bringing her face close to his.
“Huh?” Flynn was startled by her question, not sure of what to say… Had she just read his mind?
“The map Duncan showed us last night? Do you think there’s really such a place?”
“Oh… the map!” said Flynn, tying to hide his disappointment. “After everything we’ve been through… I can’t see why he’d lie about it!”
Duncan had shown them “proof of Dry Land”, as he called it. A tattered map with the exact coordinates of the nearest Dry Land to the West of the Archipelago. It appeared to be a long way out, but it was there! The map was hand-drawn on parchment paper and extremely detailed. And the story behind it was even more astonishing…
During the initial years after the Flood, Duncan had said, small groups of survivors on rafts and boats had drifted in, seeking refuge on the Archipelago. All had come from smaller flooded cities in the surrounding area. And all had been infected, carrying the deadly Flood Virus. They had been fought off and either killed, or scared away by the Archipelago survivors who were protecting their turf. Both the Upper and the Lower Side had been placed under quarantine. Over time, less and less drifters kept coming, until they had completely stopped… For years no one had shown up, until one night, two Watchmen had spotted a group of sail boats approaching the Archipelago’s shores. It had quickly become clear that these people were not “savages” or “pirates” like all the others before them… And they were healthy, without a trace of the Virus. They claimed to be “emissaries”, coming from Dry Land, seeking survivors in the drowned cities to the east. They had carried maps and logs to prove that what they claimed was true. Marcus Van Zandt and Duncan were the only two people who heard their story and saw what they had brought. But after interrogating them for days, Marcus Van Zandt had sensed trouble. The idea of Dry Land had been dismissed after years of scouting the nearby mountain ridges left above water. Many of the scouts had never returned. Those who had made it back were infected with the Virus. The search for Dry Land was abandoned, all hope lost and the idea of an existing healthy Dry Land had become a myth and mostly forgotten. Any proof of its existence would now mean that the people of the Archipelago could leave. And such freedom would spell the end to the Van Zandt dynasty. They couldn’t simply chase these “emissaries” away like the drifters before them! They had to make the “emissaries” disappear, without the chance of them ever coming back. The same applied to all the evidence of Dry Land. It had to be destroyed! Duncan had been entrusted with the grim task of disposing of these “subversive elements” and covering up any traces of their existence. He had carried out his orders without a hint of opposition… but he made sure the emissaries’ deaths were merciful and swift. And instead of destroying their maps, he had secretly stashed them away.