The Neptune Challenge Read online

  Mako waits for an endless minute. At last he leans over and gingerly checks for Rad’s pulse. He turns toward the camera and gives us a big grin. He picks up Rad like he weighs nothing, slings him over his shoulder, and dashes out of the room.

  Now I understand why Dai chose Mako to help. He’s strong and fast, and he can handle staying out of the water better than the rest of us.

  We glance at one another uncertainly.

  Ocho reaches for his collar first. He finds the release catch with his fingers, rips off the collar, and throws it away from him. :Way to go, Rad!: Ocho pumps several fists at once. :He really did it.:

  Seconds later, we’re all reaching for our collars, but I can’t seem to get mine off. Tobin can’t get his off, either, with his right hand so swollen, but Shadow helps him.

  Dai is beside me. :Lift your braid,: he says, and he presses the catch for me. He pulls off the collar and tosses it away with a look of pure loathing. Instantly I feel lighter.

  :Thank you.: I turn to Dai. :Thank you for everything.:

  :You can thank me after we get you guys out of here in one piece.: He turns to Ocho. :Let’s check the camera feed and make sure that jammer Kalli and Ree placed next to the shredder tank is still working.:

  :You know about the jammer?: I ask in surprise.

  Dai nods to my friends. :They told me about it.:

  :The moment I heard we were going to try to escape, I thought of the jammer,: Kalli explains. :I figured we should take it to the shredder tank to make sure no one could send them after us.:

  :What happened when you turned it on?:

  :That happened,: Ree says, and points toward the screens. :Guess the prototype worked okay after all.:

  I stare at a screen full of red water and floating bits of shredder. Occasionally there’s a flash of gray in the red murk. I look away from the screen, my stomach lurching.

  :They’re still tearing each other apart in there,: Dai says grimly. :I’m guessing a few dozen will survive, but they won’t be hungry for a long time.:

  :It’s more merciful this way,: Shadow says, her eyes haunted. :They were too human to be happy as sharks, and too sharklike to ever be human.:

  :Right,: I say, but I can’t help shuddering as Dai leads us out of the control room, with Ocho and me helping Tobin along.

  We reach Entry Bay One just as Mako arrives towing Rad in a lifeguard hold. Gently, Mako lays Rad down on the deck, and Ree hurries to his side. As she checks his pulse, Rad’s eyes flutter open and his gaze focuses on Ree’s face.

  :Hey, chica, do I have frizzy hair?: he asks her weakly. :I got a pretty big zap.:

  :You got some nasty electrical burns around your neck, but your hair’s looking good.:

  :That’s the first nice thing you’ve ever said to me,: Rad says, struggling to sit up. :Maybe I’m finally getting somewhere.:

  I glance away from Rad and Ree and realize Dai and the others are busily unlocking a variety of skimmers we can use to make a quick escape.

  :Nere, are you okay in there?: A familiar mind contacts mine.

  It’s Rohan! :Yeah, we’re okay.:

  :Great. We’ve got the mines set to bring the whole place down. They’re rigged so we can blow them in sections. Let me know the moment you’re safely out of there.:

  :We should be leaving in a few minutes. I’ll keep you posted. Dai, we’d better go find that c-plankton now.:

  :Yeah, I just want to get this unlocked.: He motions to his own powerful skimmer.

  I reach out to my dolphin companions. :Sokya, Densil, you guys close?:

  :yes, and we are happy to see our friends from Safety Harbor,: Sokya replies excitedly. :my mother and her little one are here—:

  :the other young humans return on their skimmers,: Densil says, breaking into our conversation, :and a sub comes quickly from the south!:

  :Rohan, some of Kuron’s kids and a sub are heading for Atlantea,: I warn him. :You’ve got to hide and send your dolphins away.:

  :Roger that,: Rohan replies coolly.

  :We’ll tell you when to blow those mines,: I add.

  I really hope we don’t have to fight our way out of here, but I have a nasty feeling Wasp isn’t going to just let us walk away. And I bet Kuron’s on that sub.

  I warn the others that the shark crew will be here any moment.

  :I still think we should ask Wasp if she wants to come with us,: Ocho says.

  I stare at him in disbelief. Wasp is the last person I’d want swimming around Safety Harbor.

  :Bro, she’s so broken and twisted now, she’ll never be happy.: Dai shakes his head.

  :She would have let Tobin die without a second thought,: Sunny adds indignantly.

  :I think she’d be different away from here. We’d all be different,: Ocho says, looking stubborn.

  My heart sinks when an angry mind touches mine and I see a blur of movement behind me. Wasp and the others are parking their skimmers on the deck.

  :Just what do you think you’re all doing?: Wasp asks, her pale cheeks flushed, while Sham and Whitey flank her.

  :We’re leaving,: Dai replies steadily. :And we’re never coming back.:

  :Rad flipped the kill switch to disable the collars, and now we’re all free,: Shadow adds, moving up beside Dai, her face cool and watchful. Rad and Sunny gather around Dai. Ocho and Mako hover on the sides. I’ve seen this divide between Kuron’s kids before, but it’s never felt this ominous.

  :So, this really doesn’t work anymore, huh?: Sham reaches up and quickly tugs off his collar. :Isn’t that too bad? Now the keepers can’t zap us if we misbehave.:

  The menace I hear in his tone makes the hair rise on the back of my neck.

  Whitey pulls off his collar, too, his cold, slate gaze never leaving me. :Princess, you’re the reason everything changed around here. Maybe if we feed you to the sharkheads, Ice here will get his act together, and we can go back to the way things were before.:

  :We were one big ol’ happy pod and doing fine until you came along,: Sham adds.

  Dai shifts until he’s floating in front of me. :You really think we were doing fine? I’m glad Nere and her friends showed me there’s another way we can be.:

  :Most of us have never been happy,: Shadow declares defiantly. :We’ve been treated like lab specimens ever since we were little.:

  :Hey, it worked for me.: Whitey shrugs.

  Wasp gasps, and her gaze goes distant. :There are dozens of Neptune kids outside. They’ve come to destroy Atlantea, and Ice brought them here.:

  She turns on Dai, her mouth twisted in a strange smile. :You really want to tear everything apart? We mean so little to you? Then let’s have some real fun.: She raises a hand and pulls out a knife.

  :No!: Ocho cries.

  He lunges for her, but he’s too late. Wasp slices the palm of her hand, and blood blossoms like a scarlet flower in the water in front of her.

  Whitey, Mako, Dai, and Sham stiffen as if the keepers just zapped them.

  WHITEY IS THE FIRST to move. He lunges for Wasp, rows of sharp teeth bared, but Ocho darts between them. The water fills with a blinding cloud of dark ink that Ocho shoots from his neck. I think I see Ocho grappling with Whitey inside the cloud, trying to keep him from killing Wasp.

  When Sham charges straight at me, Dai slams him aside. Sham whirls around to charge me again, but Rad dashes up behind him, and Sham stiffens as Rad shocks him.

  :You’ll pay for that, you stupid sparkhead.: Sham snarls at Rad and goes after him instead.

  :many shark people follow the sub,: Densil warns me.

  Rohan contacts me seconds later. :Nere, a bunch of shredders are heading for your entry bay. We cut off a dozen, but the rest got past us by hiding behind that sub.:

  :HUNGRY SHREDDERS HEADING OUR WAY FAST!: I broadcast desperately to everyone in the entry bay. I dive for the wall and grab the closest speargun and quiver.

  :Mako, you take Robry, Tobin, and Nere and head for the lab,: Dai orders. :Find the c-plankton, and I’
ll meet you at Entry Bay Two.: Ocho and Whitey are still fighting each other, but the rest of Dai’s friends race to get their spearguns.

  I glance at Mako. Although his eye is twitching horribly, he seems to have himself under control. :You got it, Ice,: Mako says.

  :What about Kalli and Ree?: I ask Dai.

  :We’ll look out for your friends,: Shadow snaps. :You find the c-plankton. Now go!:

  Seconds later, the first wave of shredders rushes into the bay. Mako grabs my wrist with one hand and Tobin’s with the other and tows us away as fast as he can. Robry, a speargun slung over his shoulder, fights to keep up with us. I glance back to see Shadow squirt a cloud of ink at a charging shredder. Moments later, through a gap in the dark cloud, I see Shadow has her arms around its neck, and she’s literally choking it to death.

  Mako pulls Tobin and me down a long corridor so quickly, his legs are a blur of movement. He turns and turns again, and then we’re in front of a door marked ENVIRO LAB THREE, PROHIBITED AREA, which explains why we’ve never been in here before. Mako opens the door and we rush inside. Instantly, lights begin to flash and an alarm siren sounds. Large tanks of greenish water fill the lab. At one end, four tall, narrow machines slowly rotate dozens of small metal canisters.

  Robry heads straight for the machines, ignoring the lights and sirens. :I’m pretty sure this is what we’re looking for. To keep a really dense culture of phytoplankton alive, it would help to keep rotating it so the plankton doesn’t pile up and get crushed on the bottom.:

  He reaches out and snags a canister off the carousel. :Hey, Tobin, you were right. Kuron did label it.: Robry shows us the canister. It reads C-PLANKTON STRAIN 52.

  :I’m just glad we found it,: I say shortly, then I unsling my quiver and toss out most of the darts. :Let’s grab as many canisters as we can and get out of here.:

  Swiftly, Mako and I take dozens of canisters from all four machines and stuff them in my quiver. In the meantime, Robry sweeps up several small notebooks and shoves them into his seapack.

  :Guys, we have a problem.: Tobin’s pain-filled mind touches mine.

  I spin around. One of the keepers hovers by the door in full scuba gear, his speargun trained on Tobin. I look into the man’s mask. There’s a familiar long red scar over his right eye. Somehow Rad and the rest must have overlooked him when they sent the other keepers to shore.

  He motions for Robry and me to dump out my quiver. Then he jabs the tip of his speargun into Tobin’s side. If we don’t do what he wants, it’s clear he’s going to shoot. Trying not to panic, I reach out and touch the keeper’s thoughts.

  The boss will give me a big, fat bonus for saving his precious plankton, he’s thinking with satisfaction.

  :Once he shoots, we can get him before he reloads,: Mako says.

  :Yeah, but that first dart’s going into Tobin.: I have to fight to keep my mental voice steady. :Mako, help me unload this quiver slowly.:

  As we lean over it and start pulling out canisters, Tobin curls up as if his injured hand hurts, and I see him inching for the dive knife on his right calf.

  :Don’t,: I yell at him mentally, :it’s too dangerous!:

  Robry hears me and glances at Tobin, who’s still reaching for his knife. Moments later, Robry takes his seapack and makes a big show of trying to shake out the notebooks. He reaches an arm deep into his pack and acts like one of the notebooks is stuck.

  Numbly, I watch them while my heart beats in hard, fast strokes. I can sense the keeper’s rising impatience.

  There’s a flash of movement as Tobin twists about and slices through the keeper’s air hose. The keeper fires at Tobin, and silver bubbles flow from the hose, making it hard for me to see. Mako darts across the room in a blur of motion and wrenches the speargun from the man’s grasp. Then he clubs the keeper unconscious with the butt of the weapon.

  I launch myself at Tobin. :Did he hit you?:

  :J-just missed me,: he replies. He’s shaking hard again. Gently, I take his knife and slide it back into the sheath on his calf.

  :Um, Nere, this guy’s gonna suffocate in about two minutes,: Robry says as he looks at the unconscious keeper floating there with bubbles still streaming from his air hose.

  :Switch him over to his backup hose. Mako, help me gather up all these canisters again. We gotta get out of here.:

  :If this guy doesn’t wake up before his oxygen runs out, he’s still gonna suffocate,: Robry points out as he quickly adjusts the keeper’s breathing rig.

  :At least we’re giving him a chance. That’s more than he’d give us,: I reply.

  The moment we finish gathering up the c-plankton canisters, Mako grabs our hands and pulls Tobin and me out the door. As he tows us down the corridor toward Entry Bay Two and Robry sprints alongside us, I realize I’m trembling from our encounter with the keeper. Red lights flash and the alarm siren continues to sound. Where are Kalli, Ree, and the rest? I hope they’re doing all right against the shredders.

  We’ve only made it halfway down the corridor when Sham’s threatening voice fills our minds. :Hey, little buddy, it’s time to play some hunt and seek again.:

  I glance back and spot Sham. He’s closing on us fast. His thick lips are pulled back in a fierce grin. Mako sprints forward, towing us so quickly that my shoulder burns.

  :Tobin and the Neptune princess are just slowing you down, Twitchy-boy. You let go of them, and you could get away from me no problem.:

  :I’m not gonna leave them,: Mako says, and he swims even faster.

  :Then I’m gonna catch you. And you’re gonna wish you’d stayed to play with those sharkheads instead of with me.:

  :Sham’s right,: Mako tells us on a private send. :He’s gonna catch us before we can reach Entry Bay Two, and then we’ll be in big trouble, but he gave me an idea. Let’s duck into the Maze. We’ve got a better chance of losing him in there. I can’t use my speed against him while I’m dragging you around out here.:

  :’Kay,: I reply, fighting a surge of nausea. Entering that maze again is just about the last thing I want to do.

  :Robry, once we’re in there, I’ll lead Sham away from you guys, and you can guide Tobin and Nere back out,: Mako says.

  :I’ll try,: Robry replies.

  Mako pulls us around a corner to the door to the Maze. He dashes inside with me, Robry, and Tobin right behind him. Mako slaps off the lights. Instantly I’m staring into total darkness. At least the Maze is bigger than the cell I just left.

  Mako takes my wrist again. :Grab my leg,: I order Robry. :Otherwise, you might get left behind.:

  :Good idea,: Robry says, and I feel him grip my left leg just as Mako jerks me forward again.

  My shoulder and arm muscles quiver from the extra strain of towing Robry as Mako darts and weaves through the Maze. After the first three turns, I’ve completely lost my sense of direction, but Mako never hesitates as he pulls us deeper and deeper into the heart of Kuron’s labyrinth.

  :So you wanna play shark versus whale in here. That’s never gone so well for you,: I hear Sham taunt Mako. I shiver when I realize Sham must be in the Maze now.

  :I wasn’t playing for keeps before,: Mako says, surprising me with the steel I hear in his mental voice. :Now I am.:

  :That’s supposed to scare me?:

  :It should,: Mako replies steadily as we turn and turn again. :I’m faster than you, and before, I still wanted to be your friend. Now I know you’re a coward. You just left your best friend to be chewed up by those sharkheads.:

  :I’m just smarter than everyone else. I plan to get out of here alive, but first I have a little unfinished business with the princess and her friends. She needs to pay for messing with my pod.:

  Mako suddenly comes to a stop. :You guys stay here,: he tells us on a private send. :I’m going after Sham. When I tell you, head for the door as fast as you can.:

  I risk lighting my watch and shine it on Mako’s face. :Sure you want to do this?:

  :I’m sure,: he says as he checks his speargun.
He looks amazingly calm, and his tic is gone. :Head for Entry Bay Two. I know Ice will meet you there if he can.:

  :Thanks, Mako,: I say, my throat gone tight.

  :No biggie,: Mako says as he darts away. :I owe you, and I owe Ice.:

  I raise my watch to check on Tobin. He’s cradling his swollen hand, and he’s still shaking. :We’ll get you out of here soon.:

  :D-don’t worry about me.:

  I load my speargun. :Robry, let’s float back to back with Tobin between us, just in case.:

  :You got it,: Robry says. We shift around so that we’re facing different directions. After a long moment, Robry asks in a small voice, :Do you think Sham really wants to kill us?:

  :If I catch her, I’m gonna kill her and her little buddies, and then maybe things will go back to the way they were around here,: Sham calls out. :I’m not looking for you, Twitchy; I’m looking for them. So you can just stay out of this.:

  :Guess that answers your question,: I tell Robry.

  I strain my eyes, peering into total darkness. Mako’s faster than Sham, and I hope that his shark’s senses will be more effective than Sham’s ability to echolocate.

  Over the pounding of the blood in my ears, I hear a low-pitched series of clicks to my right. I grip my speargun tighter. Sham is definitely using his personal sonar system as he prowls the maze searching for us. He can’t sense us through the thick dividers, but if he turns on to our row in the Maze, he’ll find us in seconds.

  Raising my speargun, I keep my finger on the trigger. I don’t hear anything now. Is Sham sneaking up on us? I can sense his rising excitement, but he’s shielding his thoughts so tightly that I can’t read him directly.

  Suddenly, I hear a burst of clicks straight ahead.

  :Did you hear those?: I ask Robry and Tobin on a private send.

  :Yeah,: Tobin replies. :Mako’d better make his move soon.:

  :I think Sham’s right in front of me.: My heart races faster and faster. I stare into the darkness. Should I fire? But what if I miss? It takes at least ten seconds to reload, and Sham could be on us by then.

  I start to tighten my trigger finger, but then Sham’s psychic shout roars out.