The Neptune Challenge Page 23

  :The dolphins can take me. Sokya, Densil, I need your help!: I call them.

  :we come.:

  I glance back just in time to see Wasp fly out of the bay on a powerful skimmer. She spots Mako speeding toward Whitey, and she heads directly for them.

  :Watch out for Wasp!: I yell at Mako, but I’m too late. Wasp rams the skimmer into Mako’s back. Mako tries to struggle away, but Whitey grabs him and slams him into a nearby fortress support. Then Mako simply floats there, his eyes closed, looking terribly broken.

  Whitey grabs the edge of Wasp’s skimmer, and they head straight for us.

  As fast as Dai can swim, that skimmer is faster. Helplessly, I watch them close the distance between us. Wasp reaches out with her ungloved hand, trying to rake my face with her poison-tipped fingers.

  Sokya arrows out of the green sea and rams her beak into Wasp’s side. Wasp tumbles away from the skimmer. Seconds later, the waters around us fill with angry dolphins.

  :Don’t let her touch you!: I shout at the pod.

  :we know,: Densil reassures me.

  A dozen dolphins descend upon Wasp and Whitey. Sokya and Densil must have told them about the orca. I’ve never seen the pod attack so violently. I spot Ton fighting with the rest.

  They slam into Wasp and Whitey again and again, never giving Whitey a chance to reload. At last he drops his empty speargun and hurries away, clutching his side as the dolphins continue to swoop and dive furiously around him. In the meantime, Wasp manages to climb aboard the skimmer again.

  :Nere Hanson, you won’t get away with ruining everything I care about,: Wasp shouts at me, :and I swear you’ll never be safe at your precious Safety Harbor!: Then she speeds off before the dolphins can ram her again.

  I draw in a shaky breath. :Thank you,: I say to Densil and Sokya and send feelings of gratitude to the rest of the pod as they swim in agitated circles around me. :Watch and make sure they don’t return. Please, Densil, take me to the boy back there.:

  Densil flashes to my side, and I grab his dorsal.

  :his heart struggles,: Densil warns me. :I think he is dying.:

  My throat tightens after Densil leaves me by Mako’s side. He’s floating on his back, staring up at the surface. His chest rises and falls jerkily as he fights to breathe. I don’t like how pale his face looks.

  :Hey, Mako,: I say gently. :How you doing?:

  He can’t seem to turn his head to look at me, so I lean in closer. :I think I’m all busted up inside, but it doesn’t hurt. You safe now?:

  :My dolphins attacked Whitey and Wasp and chased them away. They’re both going to be hurting tomorrow.:

  :I’m glad you’re okay,: he says, and then his eyes droop shut as if he’s tired. :I wanted you to see my cereus bloom,: he says with a painful sigh.

  :I wanted to see it, too,: I say, tears burning in my eyes.

  Dai reaches my side and looks down into Mako’s face. :Mako, I’m here.:

  Mako’s eyelids flicker open again. :Ice, did you see that? I didn’t run this time. I didn’t leave her.:

  :No, bro. You didn’t run.:

  :You saved Tobin, Robry, and me from Sham,: I tell him, :and just now, you kept Whitey away from us until my dolphins came.:

  :Kimi’d be proud of me, don’tcha think?: Mako says, his silver gaze never leaving Dai’s face.

  :She’d be really proud.:

  Then Mako looks at me. I reach out and gently stroke his thick bangs away from his face. Mako sends me one of his sweet smiles, his chest falls, and it doesn’t rise again.

  Blinking back my tears, I close his eyelids. I glance up at Dai, and I see grief in his face that mirrors my own.

  :Nere, there you are!: I’m startled when a familiar mind touches mine. I turn to see James swimming hard toward us in scuba gear. Rohan, Kalli, Rad, Robry, and the rest are right beside him with a dozen Sea Rangers at their backs.

  :We’re about to blow the supports on this side of the fortress,: Rohan says quickly. :You guys need to move back from here.:

  Together, Dai and I pull Mako away from the fortress. I warn my dolphins that more mines are about to detonate, and they speed off.

  :We should bury Mako on land under a cedar tree. I think he’d like that,: I tell Dai, but he’s not listening to me. Instead, he’s looking at the fortress, his face strained.

  :Nere, I gotta go back and find my dad. I thought I could leave him, but I can’t. Not now.:

  :But it’s too dangerous!: I protest, glancing at Atlantea. Another wave of mines detonates, giving off flashes of orange light and sending a thunderous roar through the water. A cloud of sediment rises up and engulfs the base of the fortress. Odd dots are starting to gather around the edges of my vision. I blink. Some sediment must have gotten into my eyes.

  :You reminded me what it means to care about people,: Dai says quickly. :My dad may be crazy, but I still love him. He could be dying right now.:

  :Dai, please don’t do this,: I say, suddenly feeling dizzy.

  :I’m sorry, Nere. Look after my friends. They deserve a real home.: He leans forward and kisses me, and then flashes away toward the fortress. I see a streak of gray, and Ton’s beside him. After Dai grabs his fin, they disappear into the cloud.

  I stare after Dai, his kiss still tingling on my lips. I can’t stop him now.

  :I’m sorry I gave you such a tough time about lying to us,: I call after him. :I understand now why you had to do it.: I think of his cold, cruel father and how hard Dai fought to protect his friends and to keep them together. I finally do understand what Shadow meant. Dai never had a choice.

  :Uh, Nere.: James swims up to me, but he sounds like he’s speaking from far away. :We need to get a medic to look at your shoulder. You’re bleeding pretty badly.:

  Moments later, the right side of the fortress collapses, filling the water all around us with more clouds of sand and sediment. With a cry, I start after Dai, but the dots prickling around the edges of my vision seem to spread across my eyes, and the world goes dark.

  THE NEXT TIME I open my eyes, I see a black rock wall over my head instead of gray steel beams. And it feels like someone sliced my shoulder open with a dull dive knife. I glance around and spot Tobin sleeping in a berth next to mine, his blistered hand raised in a sling above his body. I must be in Safety Harbor’s sickbay. Looking in the other direction, I see Lena floating next to my berth, beaming.

  :It’s about time you woke up. You’ve been out of it for two days. How do you feel?:

  :My shoulder hurts, but the rest of me is okay, I think. How’s Tobin?:

  :Stronger, but he’s still in a lot of pain. That sea wasp venom must be nasty stuff. Bria’s been waiting on him hand and foot. They even let her sleep in here.:

  I close my eyes, and a wave of sadness washes over me when I think of poor Mako, and Dai, and Ocho.

  I decide to ask the safer question first. :Did Ocho make it?:

  :Somehow he pulled through. I guess his octopus genes helped him survive. He’s missing an arm now, but he’s already making bad jokes about how handy it is he has some spares and changing his name to ‘Siete.’ His berth is over there behind that curtain. Kuron’s kids kept popping in to visit him so often, we hung that up to give you and Tobin a little more privacy.:

  There’s no use in putting it off any longer. :Do you know what happened to Dai?:

  Lena’s eyes are full of sympathy. :We didn’t find Dai’s body or Ran Kuron’s, and apparently some guy named Sham is still missing, but Atlantea is such a mess, we couldn’t get very far inside it. There’s still a chance Dai made it.:

  :But if he was alive, Dai would’ve found his way to Safety Harbor by now,: I blurt. :I know he wanted to be here with his friends.:

  Lena touches my hand. :I bet he still turns up. Dai’s a survivor.:

  :I hope you’re right,: I say, fighting back tears.

  Bria swims into sickbay and hurries to my berth, her face lit up with a smile. :Nere, you’re finally awake,: she cries. She nestles
up to my good side, and I give her a one-armed hug.

  :I hear you’ve been taking good care of your brother.:

  :It’s not too hard,: she says, rolling her eyes. :All he does is sleep and ask for more cold packs. I’m never going to be a medic. Sick people are boring.:

  :I guess we probably are.: I smile at her. Then I’m surprised to find myself yawning. :I wonder why I feel so tired.:

  :They say you lost a couple of pints of blood before we got you back here,: Lena explains. :That kind of blood loss wipes you out, and it sounds like they didn’t feed you too well while that awful Wasp girl had you shut up. Speaking of which, I’m supposed to get you to eat something.:

  Lena and Bria scold me into tackling a salmon fillet. While I eat, they catch me up on Safety Harbor gossip, but the moment I finish the food, my eyelids grow heavy, and I drift off again.

  The next time I wake up, my dad is looking down at me, wearing his scuba gear. He reaches out and squeezes my hand.

  “I’m glad you’re back with us,” he says simply.

  Me, too, I key into my com-pad. I’m surprised by how much even Safety Harbor’s sickbay feels like home now. I’m so glad to be out of Atlantea and its endless, cold, gray corridors.

  How are my new friends settling in?

  “They’ve got good hearts, but those are some wild kids you brought home with you.”

  They’re definitely going to keep Vival on her toes, I reply, thinking of the way Rad and the rest love their tidal surfing.

  “We’ve had some interesting moments. Rad almost shorted out our generators his first day here, and Sunny scared the heck out of some of the younger kids when she decided to put on a light show for the Sea Rangers at dinner last night, but they’re trying to get along with everyone. That Shadow is a remarkable young woman.”

  They’re all pretty remarkable. Thanks for taking them in.

  “It’s the least we could do. I understand they’re part of the reason your team made it back alive. Your friend Dai was the most remarkable of all. When I first saw him, he looked so much like his father, I didn’t want to believe a word he said. He still managed to convince me that we had to send the Sea Rangers back to help rescue you all before it was too late.”

  The way my dad’s looking at me makes me wonder how much he knows about Dai and me.

  “Shadow’s told me how hard he tried to protect them all from his father,” he adds. “I think young Dai may be one of the bravest people I’ve ever known. I hope we see him again.”

  I do, too.

  I’m relieved when my dad changes the subject and goes on to share more Safety Harbor news. I’m too weak and tired to add much to the conversation, but just having him here is nice. After my dad leaves, I look over and realize Tobin’s eyes are open, and he’s watching me.

  :Hey over there.: I smile at him.

  :Hey yourself. Getting claustrophobic in here yet?:

  :Nah, not really. I had a friend who helped me face my phobia, and I think it’s a lot better now. In the end, all he got for his trouble was some really nasty sea wasp stings.:

  :I think he got more than that.: Tobin sends me a quizzical smile, and I blush when I think how he helped me in our tiny prison. :That’s good news, though, about your claustrophobia being better.: He closes his eyes. :I don’t want to have to hum that many lullabies to you ever again.:

  The next afternoon, the medics finally let me leave sickbay with orders to take it easy. I head off right away to visit the pod, but they mob me before I can reach Dolphin Bay. Mariah makes sure that ten excited dolphins don’t jostle my hurt shoulder.

  :I missed you,: Sokya says, flipping her head. :it was boring while you were in the sick place.:

  :we all missed you,: Densil says in his more serious way.

  :I am glad your shoulder is better,: Mariah says. :you must be careful with it.:

  I give the other dolphins rubs as they each send me visual images of what they’ve been doing.

  :missed you.: I hear a new dolphin voice in my mind, one I know I’ve never heard before. I feel an insistent tug on my right fin and see Tisi there, grasping my fin gently with his teeth, eyes shining with mischief.

  :Tisi, you can talk to me. I’m so proud of you!: I lean over and rub his favorite spot on his melon.

  :missed you, missed you, missed you.: He lets go of my fin and swims tight circles around me.

  :Hm, I guess we may need to teach you some other words now.: I smile at him.

  :we are happy to be back here, away from that bad place,: Densil says.

  Sokya rests her beak on my shoulder. :I am, too, but I miss the big dolphin,: she says, referring to Ton.

  And I miss his friend.

  My human companions are psyched when I arrive in the mess cave in time for dinner. Thom, Penn, Lena, Ree, Kalli, and Robry all gather around me as we eat. I’m happy when Shadow and the rest of our new friends from Atlantea come join us, too.

  :How’s it going, Shadow?: I ask her across our chattering group.

  She sends me a brilliant smile. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her smile like that, without any sadness in it. :I like Safety Harbor, and your father’s been very kind. He’s even going to get some tubing so Ocho and I can build another water organ. I think it will be a good home for all of us.:

  Two younger boys come up to Sunny. :Hey, can you do your light-up thing?:

  :You mean like this?: Sunny holds out her palm, and her hand gives off a brilliant pulse of light.

  :Whoa, that’s just so cool. Thanks, Sunny,: the first boy says.

  :I hope they don’t bother you too much,: I say to her.

  :I don’t mind. It’s really nice to be around some younger kids,: Sunny says, her eyes bright. :I’m going to teach art classes for them, and one of the helpers is already letting me use her dive camera to take pictures.:

  :There aren’t too many work sessions around here for you guys?:

  :Not after where we’ve been,: Shadow says with a shrug. :And it’s cool they’re letting us choose where we want to work.:

  :Getting to choose makes all the difference,: Rad says with unusual seriousness.

  :Except they’re not going to let you choose to play games on the computer all day long, bro,: Shadow teases Rad with a grin.

  :It’s more fun to build real stuff in engineering anyway,: Rad replies with a good-natured shrug.

  Even though I’m still feeling kind of shaky, I need to talk to my dad without scuba masks or keyboards between us, so after dinner I head topside. I have to climb the ladder one-handed, and I’m panting by the time I reach the top. I walk slowly to his cabin, breathing in the scents of cedar, moss, and earth. It feels like so much has happened since I was last here.

  I stop when I notice my brother is sitting under a nearby spruce tree, very involved in talking to Roni. He grins when he finally notices me and jumps to his feet. He nods to Roni and then jogs over to my side.

  “How’s that shoulder feel?”

  “Better, and I’m way glad to be back. Atlantea was one scary place.”

  “We’re glad to have you back. You did a good job on your mission, little sis.”

  “Thanks. How’s it going?” I’m relieved to see James looks less skinny, and he doesn’t seem as tense as he did before.

  “Dad’s put me in charge of my own research team, and the work we’re doing on ocean acidification is fascinating.”

  “Uh-huh. I don’t suppose Roni’s on your team?” I tease him.

  “Yeah, and she’s great. Turns out she’s got such strong mental shields, she doesn’t bombard me with her thoughts. It’s nice to hang out with someone and not know what she’s thinking every moment.”

  “And she’s cute, too.”

  “I hadn’t noticed,” James says with such a straight face, I crack up.

  “’Kay, well, I really need to talk to Dad.”

  “He’s in his cabin. I’ll catch you later.”

  I’m not surprised to see James head straig
ht back to Roni.

  My dad’s smile is warm when he answers my tap on his door. “Look who’s up and about,” he says, and I sense his relief that I’m better. “I’ve been keeping some space clear, just in case you were strong enough to come for a visit.”

  I head for his bed, sit on the towel he places there for me, and take a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t say this before I left,” I tell him, “but I promised myself if I ever got out of Atlantea, I’d say it to you straight away. I’m not mad at you anymore for making me think you were dead…and I forgive you for making me a part of the Neptune Project. I understand now that you and Gillian were trying to give me something better.”

  “My dear girl,” my father says, his voice gone thick and rough. He kisses me on the forehead. “Thank you for that.”

  He leans back and studies me. “And I should have asked for your forgiveness the moment you made it here from the southern sector. At the time I left you, we didn’t see that we had any other choice. I had to disappear to begin my work up here, and deceiving you was the only way to keep you safe. As for changing you and your future, I understand that it may be a long time before you really do forgive me or your mother for that. I’m not sure yet we did the right thing. But the world was turning into such a desperate place, we had to try to do something to save it.”

  My father pauses and looks at my mother’s picture on his cluttered desk. “What we didn’t realize back then was how hard it would be, once we’d had our children, to commit them to this dangerous path.” He sighs and looks at me again. “I want you to understand that you don’t have to keep trying to save the world.”

  “Well, I think I’m pretty much stuck with living in the sea for the rest of my life.” I smile at him ruefully. “And I’m getting more used to that idea all the time.”

  “But in terms of our larger goals, you’ve done enough—more than enough—to help the Project. Kuron was a huge threat, and you and your team neutralized that threat quite effectively, and you got Bria and Robry out of there alive. Now it’s up to James and me and our Neptune scientists to find ways to cultivate the c-plankton and spread it throughout the oceans of the world.”