Both Duncan and Mr. Kowalski turned and stared at him for a long moment.
“Great! Another one who wants to be a hero, here!” Duncan finally spoke. “I don’t need sacrifices… I need people to sail the Ark away! I need people to find Dry Land!” He paused for a moment and looked them both in the eye. “You two are these people! Flynn… Sit yourself behind the steering column!”
“But…”
“Don’t argue!” Duncan took his belt and harness off as he was speaking, “You are now the captain of this ship! All these people at the back are your responsibility! Your father, Tony, Ann and the rest are counting on you… Walter will help you with everything else!” Duncan took out the map of Dry Land from his bag and slapped it on the dashboard. “You know what to do! Stay in your seats and brace yourselves… The blast will come in no more than a minute!” he told them, stepping towards the door.
“But, Duncan…” Flynn cried, “it’s your ship, you can’t just…”
“It’s yours now, Flynn!” Duncan smiled wryly. “Someone’s got to start building another one, don’t you think?” He winked at Flynn, and before anyone could speak, the man was gone.
The blast came shortly after Duncan had left the cockpit… A number of tremendously loud detonations shook the whole structure, and then a wall of water rushed in and slammed into the Ark. The vessel shuddered violently as it began to free itself from the braces holding it to the walls and ceiling… For a moment, all Flynn could see was the swirl of white foam engulfing the cockpit… Then the lights in the cavernous hall went out, the water shorting the circuits.
“What happens now?” Flynn shouted over the roaring noise.
“We wait!” Mr. Kowalski’s voice came from the darkness.
The Ark began to creak and moan from the rising water pressure. They heard a loud bang as something heavy crashed against the hull. It was followed by another crashing sound, and then another… They were being hit by hundreds of pieces of debris… Loose parts of broken rafts, barrels, scaffolding… everything that had not been cleared away in time was now whirling around and slamming violently against the ship. Flynn jumped in his seat as another thunderous jolt shook the ship… something else had broken away… The Ark trembled and began to list to one side.
“Ouch!” Mr. Kowalski grunted, but his face remained composed. “There goes the support pole!” he said to Flynn.
There were more cracking sounds as one by one the support beams snapped. Suddenly, the Ark was free and the water carried her up like a leaf. She began to spin around at dizzying speed… Any moment now, and they were going to get smashed against the ceiling! Flynn dug his nails into the seat, bracing for the impact. But instead of being crushed, the Ark slowed abruptly her spin, then bumped gently against the domed roof and began to slowly float back down.
“What happened? I thought…” Flynn whispered hoarsely in the darkness of the cockpit.
“We got lucky! The water hit the ceiling first, equalizing the pressure!” said Mr. Kowalski, his voice full of relief. “We made it through the blast stage, Flynn!”
Shouts came from the deck below them. There was a water leak. A small one, but they could not remain under water for too long. They had to hurry out!
“OK, OK, OK!” Mr. Kowalski was off his seat and working the controls with a manic look on his face, trying desperately to start the engines.
After a few failed attempts, they finally came to life with a sputter. “Go, go, go!” Mr. Kowalski screamed at the panel and crossed himself three times.
The sudden reassuring roar of the engines made the old man fall to his knees in silent prayer. Power was up. The headlights flickered and the beams shot through the murky water, illuminating hundreds of pieces of junk floating around them. “She’s all yours now, Flynn!” Mr. Kowalski grinned and moved aside. “Go easy on the throttle!”
Everything was up to Flynn, now! Trembling, he reached for the steering column, but his sweaty hands slipped over it. He wiped them quickly on the seat, then grabbed the steering wheel again and pressed on the throttle. Instantly, the Ark lurched forward, heading for the side wall, way too fast!
“How do I stop?” Flynn yelled.
“Put her in reverse, boy!”
Flynn pulled the throttle all the way back, the engines roared and the ship stopped a few feet from the wall. Then she started to back up slowly, tilting to one side and still dangerously close to the wall. Horrified, Flynn realized both his hands were on the throttle instead on the steering wheel. He grabbed for it and turned it all the way to the left. There was a terrible screeching sound as the hull scraped against the wall. Flynn kicked the throttle back into a forward position, and the Ark eased away from the wall. She was finally floating gently ahead.
“You’ll get the hang of it!” Mr. Kowalski patted his shoulder reassuringly.
Flynn was breathing hard. High on adrenaline, his face was flushed, his heart thumping in his chest. He moved the steering wheel to the right and cautiously pushed the throttle up just a fraction. The Ark instantly obeyed. Flynn turned left and gave the throttle another nudge. The Ark responded.
“I can do this,” said Flynn through gritted teeth as he scanned around feverishly for the blast hole and their exit. “There it is!” he cried. Fifty yards to his left, Flynn had spotted a huge, black gap in the wall. Its jagged edges were surrounded by heaps of unsettled rubble, and Flynn knew instantly that there was no way Duncan could have survived the explosion… The man was gone!
“I’m going for it, Mr. Kowalski!” Flynn said, steeling himself for what he had to do next… He tried to picture his own raft, and how he had navigated the Seeker through the narrow alleyways between buildings; squeezed past walls with not an inch to spare… how he had glided and docked into tight slips… dodged other vessels on the waterways without ever clipping their sides… Every fiber of his body remembered those moments, and he felt his confidence grow… Flynn Perry was ready to approach the exit… He bit his lip, steadied his heart and began to zigzag carefully between the floating debris. Slowly, he eased the Ark into the opening… Half of the hull was already through when the vessel’s headlight beams fell on something huge in the path ahead… One of the smokestacks had collapsed, blocking their way out!
“Damn!” This time Flynn reacted instantly, pushing the throttle in reverse. The Ark hovered idly, while he had his hands on the steering to keep it level. The hull was creaking. The pressure was too much… They had to get the ship to shallower water soon, otherwise…
“Now what, Mr. Kowalski?”
“Not to worry!” Mr. Kowalski had opened a small panel on the dashboard, his stubby fingers gripping a small lever. “I’ve got just the thing for this! Watch!”
Flynn shifted his eyes from the old man and strained his eyes to see what was happening outside. He stared in disbelief as a crude, mechanical arm extended slowly from the belly of the Ark. It then proceeded to sink its huge claws into the fallen smokestack, sending a murky cloud floating upward.
“There!” Mr. Kowalski grinned. “Your turn now! Go forward.”
Flynn pushed the throttle, the engines roared and the Ark inched forward again. But the smokestack refused to budge.
“Keep going!” Mr. Kowalski stared intently at the arm contraption.