The Neptune Challenge Read online

  I wake up sometime later when our door crashes open. Raising my head from Tobin’s chest, I blink against the bright light. The first thing I focus on is Dai’s face.

  I see his surprise. Then his expression turns to ice.

  :SEE, YOUR SWEET little Nere hasn’t been suffering while you’ve been gone,: Wasp tells Dai gleefully as she floats next to him. :Tobin’s been taking very good care of her.:

  Despite the coldness of Dai’s expression, I see the pain in his dark eyes.

  :I drove a skimmer all night and all day,: he says to me tightly, :just to get back and make sure you were okay. I was so afraid my father might do something terrible to you while I was gone. But I can see now that I didn’t need to worry. Clearly you’re just fine.: He spins away from the door.

  :Dai, please don’t leave,: I cry.

  I reach out to him, but Wasp darts between us. Too late, I see her raise her ungloved hand and swing it toward me.

  Instantly, Tobin is there and catches her wrist. Instead of stinging me, she deliberately strokes her fingers across his hand. Tobin gasps and jerks back.

  :Dai, she just stung Tobin!: I shout, lunging past Wasp. :Dai, please, don’t leave us.: But even as I hurl my words at him, I sense Wasp has raised her stifling wall of silence between us. Dai flashes away down the corridor. Either he doesn’t know what’s happened to Tobin, or he’s too angry to care.

  Whitey blocks my path, and he shoves me roughly back into the cell. I fight him with all my strength, hitting at his arms and kicking hard, but he’s too strong. Sham is there, too, and he’s already pushed Tobin back inside our prison.

  Wasp slams the door shut on both of us. I try not to panic, but I know that Tobin’s in real trouble.

  :If Tobin dies, your bossman is going to be furious with you,: I yell at Wasp. :He wants every Neptune kid he can get.:

  :He may want you here, but we don’t.:

  :But he’ll know why Tobin died.:

  For a moment, I think I sense a flicker of concern in her mind, but then it vanishes. :It was an accident,: Wasp says mockingly. :Accidents happen all the time here in Atlantea.:

  :How can you just let him die? Tobin never did anything to hurt you.:

  I strain my telepathy, trying to understand why she’s doing this, trying to see if there’s anything I can say to change her mind. For an instant, I succeed in pushing past her shields. In the brief moment I’m linked with her, I sense Wasp is desperately lonely. She’s angry with both Tobin and me, but she’s even angrier with Dai for not liking her.

  :Ah, but you did hurt me,: she says after I withdraw hastily from her bitter mind, :and I know you care about Tobin. So this is a perfect way to get back at you, and through you I get back at Dai. But I don’t know why you’re so upset. The idiot will probably be happy to die in there with you.:

  :Wasp, don’t do this. PLEASE.:

  She laughs, but she doesn’t reply again. I whirl away from the door to check on Tobin with the light from my watch. I bite my lip when I see he’s curled on the floor holding his hand. His eyes are closed and his whole body shakes.

  Frantically I try to remember everything my mother taught me about sea wasp venom. Sea wasps are a species of jellyfish that kills more people each year than sharks and all the other dangerous ocean creatures combined. Tobin will be dead in hours unless I can find some way to get him help.

  I kneel beside him and lift my watch to shine on our faces. Gently, I touch his shoulder. How are you? I mouth.

  It hurts, I think he replies, but his teeth are clenched so tightly, I can’t be sure.

  Let me see, I say. I wince at the angry red blisters across the back of his hand.

  I rack my brain trying to think of some way I can help. Any living tentacles left behind on his skin will just inject more poison if I try to remove them. I think people use vinegar to kill them, but of course I don’t have any. What Tobin really needs is a shot of antivenom. I’m guessing the keepers must have some, since Wasp has such a vicious temper.

  Even as I watch, Tobin starts breathing faster. He lurches upright, heads for our tiny bathroom, and vomits up what little he has in his stomach. Then he staggers back and collapses to the floor. Feeling completely useless, I sit down next to him.

  I help him shift so his head is resting on my leg instead of the hard floor. I stroke his hair, but he’s in so much pain I doubt he’ll even notice. He’s panting now, and his trembling is getting worse. When I check his pulse, it seems frighteningly fast and fluttery.

  He reaches out and takes my wrist. Somehow he manages to shine my watch on his face.

  Sorry, he mouths and gestures to our cell, his eyes glistening with pain.

  I know what he really means. He’s sorry that he may be about to leave me alone in here. It figures. Even though Tobin might be dying, he’s still worrying about me right now.

  Then he takes my hand and deliberately brushes it with his lips.

  Oh, Tobin. I lean over and kiss his cheek. He smiles for a half second, and then he’s gritting his teeth again.

  I straighten up, curling my hands into fists. I’m not going to let Tobin die. Wasp may be a strong telepath, and her blocking is powerful, but I’m a strong telepath, too.

  :Dai, we need you. Wasp stung Tobin. He’s dying!: I shout again and again. Dai’s such a sensitive receptive telepath, I hope he can hear my shouts even through Wasp’s dampening field. Precious minutes crawl by, but I don’t receive a hint that Dai’s heard me.

  I close my eyes. Hot, angry tears leak past my lids. My head pounds from my psychic shouting. There has to be someone I can reach. Shadow’s never spoken about the strength of her telepathy, but the fact that she often picks up thoughts I don’t purposely send her means she may be a powerful hereditary telepath. And I think she truly cares about Tobin.

  I look down at Tobin and swallow a sob. I care about him even more.

  Building my fear for him into a single focused, desperate call, I force my way through Wasp’s telepathic barrier, trying to find Shadow’s mind.

  I suck in a breath and focus harder. :SHADOW!: I shout with all my mental strength.

  Abruptly, I can sense her awareness. :Nere?: Her mind connects with mine in a link so strong that we can hear each other despite the thick interference Wasp projects.

  :Nere? What’s wrong?:

  :Wasp stung Tobin. He’s dying!:

  :We’ll get meds to you as soon as we can. Tell Tobin to hang on.:

  :Thank you.: I gasp, and then Shadow breaks off the link.

  I lean down near Tobin’s face and shake him gently. They’re bringing meds, I try to tell him, but his eyes barely open.

  His chest heaves rapidly as the minutes crawl by. I check Tobin’s pulse. His heart rate is beginning to slow. What if his heart stops before the others come?

  :Tobin, you’ve got to hang on!: I yell at him telepathically, despite Wasp’s dampening field. I take his uninjured hand, squeeze it hard, and will him to stay alive.

  Finally someone throws our door open. Shadow darts into our cell with Sunny right behind her. They kneel next to me.

  :Where was he stung? Oh, I see,: Shadow says. It’s hard not to see now that light is flooding in from the corridor. Tobin’s hand has already swollen up like a red, angry ball.

  :Sunny, you give him the shot of antivenom. I’ll clean the back of his hand with these vinegar pads.:

  I move out of the way so the girls have more room to work on Tobin. They seem to know exactly what to do. I notice they’re both wearing gloves.

  :Looks like you’ve been through this before,: I say to Ocho, who is floating in the doorway.

  :Yeah, way too many times,: he replies with a bleak expression.

  I glance past him and see my friends are also there, along with Rad.

  :Are you okay?: I ask Ree.

  :Yeah, we’re fine. These guys have been looking out for us,: she replies.

  :Which is a good thing. I think Whitey’s waiting for a chance to rip us a
part,: Kalli says.

  :Make sure you don’t give him one,: I say. Wasp’s telepathic block seems to have disappeared. :Hey, how come I can hear you again?:

  :Wasp left the fortress a few minutes ago.: Shadow glances up from Tobin. :I think she’s trying to find Dai. He went storming off, which is strange because he just got back, and I know he’s been really worried about you.:

  On a private send, I explain quickly. :Tobin’s been humming songs to me to help me fight my claustrophobia. Wasp made sure Dai saw us together, and I think it made him furious.:

  :That explains a lot,: Shadow says. Carefully she places the pads that she used to clean Tobin’s hand into a bag. :I’m sorry we can’t let you out. The keepers might turn the shredders loose on us.:

  :We’re trying to reach the bossman to let him know what happened,: Ocho adds. :We’re pretty sure he’ll let Tobin go to the infirmary when he finds out.:

  :It’s good you reached Shadow when you did,: Sunny says, shaking her head. :Wasp stung him pretty badly.:

  :Here’s a cold pack,: Ocho offers. :We’ll bring you a new cold pack every hour. That’s the only thing that helps the pain.:

  :Thank you all so much,: I say.

  :We’re just sorry this happened,: Rad replies. :Tobin’s a good guy.:

  :How could Wasp be like this?: I ask.

  :I stopped trying to understand her a long time ago,: Rad admits.

  :Imagine never being able to touch anyone,: Ocho counters, his brown eyes sad, :and always having to worry if you might kill someone. It twisted her when she was little.:

  :And she’s only gotten more twisted,: Rad says with much less sympathy in his mental voice.

  :Nere, you doin’ all right in there?: Robry breaks in.

  :Tobin’s been doing a great job of distracting me.: He’s still doing it. Now I’m much more worried about him than I am about being shut in again.

  :H-he’s not going to die, is he?: I ask Shadow and Sunny.

  :That antivenom should work fine.: Shadow tries to reassure me, but I sense she’s still anxious about Tobin.

  From the way Rad keeps glancing at the nearby camera, I know he’s anxious about the keepers. I force myself to move back into our prison.

  :We’ll be back in an hour with a new cold pack,: Ocho says, looking apologetic as he pushes the door shut.

  I hear the lock click, and Tobin and I are in the dark again.

  I TAKE A DEEP BREATH and turn away from the door. Staring into blackness, I kneel beside Tobin and find his right arm by touch, carefully wrapping the cold pack around his poor swollen hand.

  :That feels better,: he says weakly.

  :Hey, nice to have you back with us.: I check his pulse. I’m encouraged to see it’s already stronger and steadier.

  :How’s my heart rate?:

  :It was getting scary slow, but it’s picking up again.:

  I sit down beside him, and Tobin shifts until his head rests on my leg.

  :You could always smooth my hair again. That made me feel better, too,: he says, a hint of his old humor in his mental tone.

  Relieved that he can make a joke, I smile and start stroking his hair. But I can feel that he’s clenching his jaw, and tremors still rack his body.

  :Hey,: Tobin says after a long moment, :if I don’t get out of here, please t-tell Bria I love her.:

  :They said that antivenom is going to fix you up just fine. You’ll have a chance to tell her that yourself.:

  :Yeah, well, just in case,: he insists, and I sense the pain he’s trying to hide.

  :Just in case, you know I will,: I promise.

  As Tobin dozes off, the dark presses on me, but I do my best to ignore it. Tobin needs me, and I can’t start freaking out again. I miss his humming. But the others are coming back in an hour, and just knowing that our cell door will open soon makes a huge difference.

  His breathing is more labored than normal, but I check his pulse every ten minutes, and it’s definitely stronger.

  :Nere, you need to get ready.: Robry’s mental touch startles me just a half hour later. :We’re about to break out of this place.:

  :Huh?:

  :Dai led the shark crew away and then circled back to help us escape. You’re not going to believe this, but he brought a bunch of Sea Rangers back with him from Safety Harbor. They’re mining the supports to the fortress. They know Kuron wants to wipe out Safety Harbor, and their orders are to destroy Atlantea. But they’re going to wait to make sure we’re out safely with the c-plankton first, and Dai’s pretty sure he knows where it’s hidden.:

  :You’re right. I don’t believe it,: I say dazedly. :But won’t the keepers know the Sea Rangers are out there and turn the shredders loose on them?:

  :We sent all the keepers to shore, and I don’t think they’ll be coming back.:

  :How’d you pull that off?: I ask, struggling to keep up with him.

  :Ocho and I took the surveillance cameras offline.: Robry sounds so smug, I have to smile. :Then we showed up topside with plenty of spearguns and Rad. The keepers are terrified of Sham and Whitey, but they’re really scared of the sparkhead, too. Rad gave one of the keepers a nice little zap. We told them he would fry their brains if they didn’t leave Atlantea, and they almost jumped into the boat. A bunch had been thinking about quitting anyway. Kuron’s a pretty scary employer.:

  :What about our collars and the c-plankton?:

  :We’ve got a plan for them, too.:

  :Great,: I say, still trying to wrap my head around the idea that we’re going to try to escape right now.

  :Tobin, wake up.: I shake his shoulder gently. :We’re about to get out of here and go home.: I hope Tobin’s strong enough to survive the next few hours. Somehow I don’t think we’re just going to swim away from this awful place.

  When the door swings open, I’m surprised to see Dai and Mako are there, along with Rad, Sunny, Ocho, Shadow, and my friends from Safety Harbor. Dai’s expression is cool as he gazes down at Tobin and me.

  :You’d better get him up,: he says. :We don’t have much time before Wasp and the others come back.:

  Tobin tries to swim, but he’s so weak, Ocho has to help him from our cell.

  :First we’re going to try to deactivate the collars,: Dai explains to me, :and then we’re going down to the Enviro Lab on Deck One. Based on the tanks and plankton rotators I’ve seen in there, I’m pretty sure that’s where we’ll find the c-plankton strain you’ve been searching for. I spoke with your dad, and he told me why you guys really came here.:

  :I can’t believe you talked with him,: I say, trying to imagine Dai and my dad together. :And are you sure you want to help us take the c-plankton? Your father is going to be furious with you.:

  :Nere, I’m not a moron. I know the seas are in serious trouble. If the c-plankton my mother engineered can help cool the planet, you should use it. And I don’t plan to stick around to see how my father feels. We all want to come to Safety Harbor. Your dad said we can live there.:

  :If we help you escape and then we stick around,: Ocho adds, :the bossman will feed us to his sharkheads for sure.:

  :We’ve always wanted a real home,: Shadow says quietly.

  :I think you guys would really like Safety Harbor,: I say, still struggling to absorb the news that they all want to leave. I knew they were unhappy, but somehow I never pictured them coming back with us.

  :All right then, we move to phase two of our plan,: Dai declares. :Mako, you and Rad are up next.:

  Rad glances at Ree. :Hey, chica, you take care of yourself, okay?:

  :You get yourself permanently fried doing this, I’m never talking to you again,: Ree says fiercely, but I hear the worry in her mental tone.

  :I’ll keep that in mind.: Rad sends her a cheeky smile, and then he and Mako dart away.

  :Where are they going?: I ask Dai, afraid I already know the answer.

  :Rad and I have talked about this a bunch of times,: Dai replies somberly. :We think there’s a good chance he could survive th
e big zap if he hits the kill switch.:

  :Are you guys crazy?:

  :Just think about it,: Shadow replies. :His body is designed to generate large amounts of electricity. He thinks it would take some serious voltage to really kill him.:

  :Then why didn’t he try to flip the kill switch before?:

  :We didn’t have any place to go before,: Sunny says with a shrug, :and now we do. And we all want your dad to get that c-plankton.:

  :Come on,: Dai urges us. :We can watch Mako and Rad from Control Room Two.:

  Dai leads us to the nearest control room. He and Ocho pull up a shot of a long corridor on a dry level and display it on a dozen screens around the room.

  :This should be the right feed,: Dai says, and moments later we see Mako and Rad running down the corridor.

  They pause in front of a wide door to enter a code, and the door swings open. Dai switches the feed, and then we see Mako and Rad burst into a stark black-and-white bedroom. They run straight to a wall covered with screens and controls and stop at a bright red lever. That, I realize with a shiver, must be the kill switch.

  The camera shows us Rad’s profile. His hand hovers over the lever. Then he scans the room and finds our camera. He tries to send us a smile, but even from this distance, I can see his face is pale.

  :He’s muy estúpido, but he’s even more brave,: Ree says quietly. Kalli slips an arm around her shoulder.

  I look back at the screen. The next instant, Rad jerks the lever.

  RAD’S BODY convulses as his collar shocks him. He falls to his knees and then to the ground as his muscles seize and jerk. Mako watches Rad, and even from here I can see his eye is twitching.

  :Mako, you gotta stay clear of him!: Dai shouts telepathically.

  :Why?: I can’t help asking.

  :Mako can’t touch him,: Dai explains. :That voltage is so strong, it would flow right into him from Rad and stop his heart immediately.:

  My eyes sting with tears. Oh, Rad, thank you for risking this, I think. Like Kalli, I slip my arm around Ree, who is trembling now, and we stay by her side. Seconds seem to crawl by, and finally Rad’s body goes slack. Now he’s sprawled on his back and he’s clearly unconscious. But is he dead?