The Neptune Project (10 page)

REE CURTLY WAKES ME UP
at midnight so that I can take my turn keeping watch. I swim back and forth across our canyon, my speargun at the ready. Shivers go down my back when I see a big rust-colored octopus engulf a lobster and gobble it up. I hope nothing comes along and gobbles me up.

I told Tobin that since my transformation, I've had no time to think. All alone doing my sentry duty, I suddenly have too much time.

I wonder where Cam is tonight. I refuse to believe they executed him. The Western Collective needs strong, healthy young men. But how badly was he hurt by that solar blast? If they've sent him to a work camp, I hope he won't cause trouble. He has to stay alive.

I don't want to think about how my mother died. Instead I try to focus on a happy memory of her. I smile when I remember how excited she would get when one of our young dolphins learned a new behavior, or how James could make her laugh with his stupid jokes. I also remember the smile she sent me right before she saved my life.

I know she loved James and me, but I still can't believe she did this to our bodies.

A flash of motion startles me, and Densil is at my side, watching me curiously with his intelligent dark eyes.

:why are you sad?:


:I miss my mother.:


:we all miss her, too. why are you angry?:


I blink at his question, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Densil and I grew up together. He's always been able to read my moods even better than Cam or Robry.

:I can't believe my mother changed me so that I would always have to live in the ocean.:


:you do not like the sea?:


:It's not my home.:


:it is now,:
comes his practical reply.
:I am happy you are always going to live in the sea,:
he adds, flipping his head for emphasis.

:Thanks.:
I have to smile at his enthusiasm.
:But I think it's going to take me a while to get used to that idea. You should be resting with the others.:


:I will sleep when you sleep,:
he says simply, and for the rest of my watch he brings me shells and starfish and funny little green crabs that make me laugh, and I no longer feel so sad and lonely.

I'm relieved when my two hours are over. Densil returns to the pod, and I go to wake up Tobin. He's placed his hammock on the outside of Ree's and Bria's, probably to make sure that a shark will eat him before it eats the girls. He looks so peaceful sleeping that I hate to wake him.

:Tobin, you need to get up now,:
I call to him, but he's too sound asleep to hear me.

At last I resort to shaking him gently. He starts and sits bolt upright in his hammock. His hand goes to the knife at his belt as he looks around wildly.

:Tobin, it's all right. Nothing's wrong. It's just time for you to relieve me on sentry duty.:


His eyes focus on me, and his alarm fades. He rubs his face with his hands. When he lowers them, he looks embarrassed.

:It's going to take me a while to get used to waking up to this,:
he says with a grim nod toward the black ocean all around us.

:I know.:


:Sweet dreams,:
he calls as I swim back to my hammock.

I raise my hand to acknowledge his words, but I'm afraid my dreams will be anything but sweet.

~ ~ ~

The ocean is just starting to get gray when Dai wakes me from a troubled sleep.
:Kyel wants everyone up, pronto,:
he says as I glare at him sleepily. When I don't move right away, he grins, grabs my hammock, and starts shaking it.

:All right, I'm getting up,:
I say crossly before he can dump me out of it.

:Guess you aren't a morning person. By the way, who's Cam?:


:Someone I knew on land,:
I reply without thinking, and then I wake up enough to wonder how Dai knows anything about Cam.
:You've been eavesdropping on my thoughts again,:
I say accusingly.

:I didn't have to eavesdrop. You're a noisy dreamer. I can't help hearing you.:


:Oh,:
I say, wondering if I should apologize, but Dai is already turning away from me. I hope my nightmares didn't keep him awake all night.

We are a quiet group as we pack up our hammocks and eat a quick breakfast of halibut and lobster. Somehow, raw fish is tasting better to me. Maybe my body is starting to crave the kinds of food I need to eat down here to survive.

We head out for Santa Cruz right after breakfast. If we make good time we could reach the island by tonight. Making good time is painful, though. My legs feel stiff as logs when I begin kicking with my fins. I glance at Lena. If my legs feel this sore, she must be in agony. Her face is pale, but she doesn't complain to anyone. Maybe she's afraid that Kyel will threaten to leave her behind again.

We make good progress much of the morning, riding a strong current the dolphins find for us. Near noon, Mariah, who is off hunting with Tisi and the rest of the pod, suddenly calls me.

:the big boat is heading toward you!:


By big boat, I know she means another Marine Guard cutter. My heart races while I relay her news to Kyel. There's nothing but sandy bottom below us. Quickly, I ask the pod about the terrain around us.

:The dolphins say there are rocks ahead, maybe a quarter mile away,:
I tell Kyel and the others.

:We'll have to split up and sprint for them, using the dolphins,:
Kyel decides quickly.
:After the pod gets here, Bria and Lena will come with me. Ree, Thom, and Tobin, you stay together. The three of you:
—he gestures toward Dai, Robry, and me—
:spread out, but stay in visual contact with one another.:


After a long, agonizing minute, the pod arrives. Now I'm glad I suggested that everyone practice being towed. Without my asking, the dolphins go straight to the person they worked with yesterday.

:We must reach the rocks before the boat reaches us,:
I tell Mariah and Densil, and they tell the others in excited whistles and sawing sounds. Wasting no time, we head off in our different groups.

I can tell that the dolphins are having fun racing one another with their human partners against the approaching boat—except for Mariah and Densil. They understand we could be killed or captured if that boat finds us.

I try to keep my body still and straight so that I create as little drag as possible while Sokya tows me. Dai's and Robry's dolphins are keeping pace with Sokya. The others have disappeared in the cloudy water. I listen hard for the sound of engines in the distance, and then I hear them. Is that boat in sonar range yet? When will the sand below me change?

There! I see the first dark ribs of rock appear on the ocean floor. Sokya starts angling downward.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rings in my head. I think it's Bria!

:shark!:
Mariah calls to me a second later, and I feel her panic and fear for little Tisi, who is never far from her.

Sokya starts whistling and sawing wildly.

:Go!:
I tell her as I swim for the rocks. I'm sure I can find some crack where I can hide. Right now I want Sokya to help Mariah and Bria. Sokya dashes away with Nika at her side. I hope Bria is all right.

I see that Robry is swimming hard for the rocks, too. Where are Dai and Ton? I can't see them anywhere. I feel a sharp stab of disappointment. I thought we could depend on Dai. But what do I really know about him, anyway?

:Nere, head north!:
Dai calls me.
:Ton's found a hiding place for us. It'll be a pretty tight fit, but I think it'll work. I'm sending Ton to find you.:


Seconds later, Ton streaks up from the rocks. He turns around when he knows we've seen him, and leads us back the way he just came.

The sound of the engines is growing louder. We don't have time to reach Dai's hiding place. We are going to be in sonar range any moment.

DESPERATE TO ESCAPE
that boat's sonar, I reach out to Ton. I don't know the signal Dai uses to ask him for a tow. Instead, I try to send him an image of what we need, the way I communicate with Kona or Ricca, who can't use human words.

I can tell that Ton is startled by my mental contact. An instant later, though, he swims between Robry and me.

:I think he's willing to give us a tow,:
I gasp to Robry.

We both grab on to Ton's dorsal. The big dolphin surges forward through the water, pulling us down toward the rocks much faster than we could swim on our own.

:In here!:
Dai calls. I look to my left. Dai is waving to us from a narrow, horizontal gash in the rock wall. As Ton pulls us closer, I see that Dai was right: it is going to be tight.

:I'll go first. I'm the smallest,:
Robry offers, and he flashes past me, takes off his fins, and wedges himself into the back of the cleft.

After taking a look at Dai's long legs, I slip off my own fins and settle myself next to Robry. I try to send feelings of gratitude to Ton as Dai sits next to me. Ton bobs his head at me before Dai sends him away with a hand signal.

I close my eyes and reach out to Sokya.

:Is everyone all right?:


:no one was hurt. together we made the big shark go away.:
She sounds pleased with herself, as always.

I sigh with relief.

:Bria's fine,:
Kyel reports to everyone moments later.
:She's just a little shaken up. We were hunting for a place to hide, and we came face-to-face with a large shark. The dolphins chased it off. We're waiting under a large ledge. Is everyone else hidden from that boat?:


I overhear Dai, Tobin, and Thom all check in with Kyel. Everyone has found a place to hide, and not a second too soon. The bass vibrations from the cutter's engines fill the water all around us.

:Well, isn't this cozy?:


Dai is grinning at me. We are packed in so tightly, I realize our shoulders and arms are touching.

:I think I owe that boat captain a favor,:
he adds, a gleam of mischief in his dark eyes.
:I wouldn't mind if he decided to drive in circles over our heads for the next few hours.:


:I think your muscles would get a little cramped by then.:
I nod at his long legs, which he's had to bend to fit into our hiding spot.

:The pain would be worth it,:
he says, looking at me. I feel my cheeks heat up as I stare back at him. Is Dai actually flirting with me? No one's ever flirted with me before, but I've seen boys flirt with girls at school. Lena seems so much more his type.

My gaze falls to a small black coral ring he's wearing on a thin black cord around his neck. Trying to hide how uncomfortable I feel, I ask,
:What's that?:


He looks down at the ring, and his smile fades.
:It's something my sister gave me a long time ago. I wear it to remember her.:


I sense the sadness he is trying to hide.
:Did she die?:


:Yes. Did Cam?:


I close my eyes as pain sears through me.
:I don't know,:
I answer after a long minute.

:You can never be with him anyway,:
Dai says matter-of-factly.
:You breathe water now, and if he's still alive, he breathes air. The Neptune transformation is permanent. There's no going back to a life on land for you.:


My eyes fly open at Dai's cool statement. I clench my hand into a fist. I
so
want to hit him.

:You think I don't know that?:
I manage to say instead.
:I'm not a complete idiot.:


Before I burst out crying, I turn away from Dai to face Robry. The problem is, of course, that Dai's right, but I don't want to accept that he's right.

:How's it going over there, Robry?:


Robry is watching me with worried eyes. I was speaking on a private send with Dai just now, but Robry is aware that something has upset me.

:Other than the fact there's a lump of rock pressing into my kidney, I'm fine,:
he says after a moment.

:Let's take a look at those charts and see what we can find out about the waters around Santa Cruz,:
I suggest.

It takes some shifting around, and all the while I refuse to look at Dai, but at last I can reach into my seapack. Robry and I pore over the chart for the northern Channel Islands.

:It looks like there should be a strong current heading west along the northern side of Santa Cruz,:
Robry says after he reads some of the notations written by hand around the edges of the chart. Those notations, I realize with a start, are in my father's handwriting.

I still can't believe Dad let me believe he was dead. I suddenly want to hit someone again, but I force myself to focus on the chart instead.

:If we can get in close to the shore, and if that current's still there,:
I say to Robry,
:we should definitely use it to shorten our travel time along the northern side of the island.:


:I think it's safe to go on now,:
Kyel calls out to everyone.
:The boat never slowed or changed course. I don't think its sonar picked up any sign of us.:


Just to make sure, I close my eyes and check in with Mariah.
:Is the boat going away?:


:yes.:


:Is Tisi all right?:


:he is still scared and stays close to me. tomorrow he will be brave again,:
Mariah predicts with dolphin humor.

:I am glad he's all right. Thank you for helping us.:


:the strong boy put himself between the shark and the young female and Tisi. we are all one pod now.:


I open my eyes at her calm pronouncement. It's hard to imagine that Dai, Kyel, or Ree could ever become my family here in the sea.

While I've been talking with Mariah, Dai has unfolded himself from our hiding spot. Now he floats directly in front of it, refusing to move out of my way until I meet his gaze.

His eyes are serious when I finally look at him.
:Nere, just for the record, I don't think you are an idiot, and Lena will never be my type.:


With that, he turns away, and we go to join the others.