The Neptune Project Read online

  Stumbling backward into the sea, I hear the hiss of solar shots hitting the waves all around us. It’s hard for me to see past the tears that flood my eyes. Vaguely, I’m aware that the soldiers have surrounded Lena’s parents. But where’s my mother?

  I see a soldier aim his rifle at me. His red sighting beam blinds me. I brace myself and close my eyes, expecting to be seared.

  The red light against my eyelids abruptly disappears. I open my eyes. My mother has stepped between me and the soldier. She looks over her shoulder and sends me a motherly smile with no scientist in it.

  Robry wrestles me down into the water. Before my head goes under the waves, I see the beam of killing light from the soldier’s solar rifle slice through her.

  I’m screaming and choking on bitter seawater as I dive for the bottom of the cove.

  :We’ve got to swim deeper to avoid that solar fire and get back to our equipment,: Robry urges Lena and me.

  I barely hear his words while I swim after him. I can’t believe my mother is dead.

  We reach the equipment we stashed in a pile at the bottom of the cove. With shaking hands, I drag on the fins that Robry thrusts at me.

  :the big boat is here. divers are jumping into the water,: Densil warns us. :they have spearguns and tows that pull them fast!:

  :We’ve got to get past those divers and under that cutter. Our only chance to lose them is if we hide in the kelp forest outside the cove,: Robry tells us.

  Quickly, I relay his words to the dolphins.

  :we will pull you to the kelp,: Mariah declares, her mental voice remarkably calm.

  :we can swim faster than their tows,: Sokya adds, smug as always.

  :your mother comes later?: Mariah asks me. I realize the dolphins must not have seen what happened onshore.

  :She’s not coming later. They killed her.: I’m careful to send her only the words and not the terrible image of Gillian’s death. I know Mariah loved my mother, and I don’t want that image to haunt her, too.

  I sense the shock and grief erupting in Mariah’s mind. She and five other dolphins appear moments later.

  :little one, I am sorry.: Mariah nudges me gently with her beak. :but we have no time now to be sad.:

  Robry hands spearguns to Lena and me. :Clip these to your seapack,: he orders. :You’re going to need both hands to hold on to the dolphins’ fins.:

  I’m amazed and grateful that he is thinking so quickly. My mind feels like it’s full of sea sludge.

  I look toward the mouth of the cove. The glow of the divers’ powerful torches creates halos of brightness in the dark water. The divers are spreading out to cut off our only escape route. The cutter’s search beam flashes across the waves over our heads.

  Suddenly, Densil and his older sister, Halia, are on either side of me. :grab hold,: Densil orders, and for a change I obey him. Mariah and Ricca tow Lena, and Kona and Nika pull Robry.

  As soon as I have a firm grip on their dorsal fins, Densil and Halia surge forward, their powerful tails thrusting against the water. It’s a good thing that I’ve got a strong hold on them. Here beneath the waves, the force of the water pushing against me is much stronger than when a dolphin team pulls me at the surface.

  We race forward and the deep bass rumble of the cutter’s engines grows louder and louder. Now we are so close I squint against the brightness of the divers’ lights. I can barely make out the dark shapes of the divers holding them. One jerks the light around to shine it on me. They’ve spotted us!

  :Faster, Densil, Halia!: I urge them. The dolphins sprint forward, aiming for the largest gap between the divers. I feel the rush of spear darts and hear their high-pitched whine as they slice through the water all around us. Please, don’t let the dolphins get hit.

  All at once we are past the divers. The dark hull of the cutter looms overhead, its propellers slicing through the water, and then we slip under it as well. Our dolphin teams race on toward the black waters beyond the cove. A few more spear darts hiss after us, but we’re already out of range.

  I glance back. Some of the divers are following us, and the tows they’re using are faster than any I’ve seen before!

  My shoulders and arms begin to burn from the strain of being pulled through the water by Halia and Densil, and my fingers cramp from holding on to their dorsals. The rumble of the cutter’s engines grows louder and louder until it seems to fill the water all around us. The boat catches up and then keeps pace over our heads. Someone aboard must be tracking us with sonar. I keep seeing odd flashes of light along its black hull.

  :They’re firing solar rifles into the water, hoping to hit us,: Robry informs me grimly. :But I don’t think their solar fire can reach us at this depth. If we split up in the kelp, there’s a chance we can lose them.:

  :But the dolphins have to breathe soon,: I remind him.

  :I know. I think we’re almost there.:

  I glance back. I can tell by the brighter glow from their torches that the divers are getting closer.

  :We made it!: Robry shouts.

  Within moments, we’re surrounded by tall, swaying stems. I’ve never been so happy to see a kelp forest in my life.

  :Leave us here, and go breathe,: I tell Densil and Mariah, :but be careful to surface far from that boat.:

  Seconds later, the dolphins are gone.

  :Come on, we’ve got to work our way deeper into this kelp,: Robry tells Lena and me.

  We follow him down into the forest, swimming as fast as we can. I’m amazed at how well I can see my way through the dense plants. In the daytime, kelp forests shut out much of the light, and at night they are incredibly dark.

  :Stay clear of the fronds,: I warn Lena. :You can’t let your seapack get tangled.:

  :We need to find a cave or an overhang along the bottom where we can hide from their sonar,: Robry says as he swims swiftly along.

  I look back and see a faint glow through the dense kelp fronds. The divers have reached the edge of the forest.

  Robry follows my glance. :At least they can’t use their tows in here. Their props would get jammed with kelp fronds in no time.:

  :Let’s split up. They’re less apt to detect our body masses that way. Swim north and try to find a good hiding place,: I tell the others.

  We head off in three slightly different directions, swimming fast. I head deeper into the forest until I’m skimming along between the holdfasts that anchor the towering kelp stems to the sea floor. After checking the compass on my dive watch, I head due north. Crabs scuttle away from me, startled by my presence.

  It’s eerie swimming through the silent black forest by myself. I’ve always dove and snorkeled with a partner before, particularly at night. Occasionally I scare up an orange Garibaldi fish that startles me as much as I startle it before it darts away into the depths of the kelp.

  Just when I feel like I’m all alone in this vast, dark ocean, Robry’s mind touches mine. :I can’t see the divers’ lights anymore.:

  :I can see three to the south of me,: Lena reports. :And they’re moving fast even without their tows.: Her mental voice sounds anxious and tired.

  I pick up the pace and contact Robry on a private send. :The sun’s going to rise soon. We can see the divers coming now because of their lights, but they’ll be able to turn them off in a few minutes. Then we won’t have any warning before they get close.:

  :I know,: he says. :We’ve got to find a hiding place soon.:

  The sea grows lighter. Several long, low rock ridges cross the ocean floor below me. Daylight begins to filter down through the dense stems. The back of my neck tingles as I swim past kelp fronds. I can imagine a spear dart piercing me at any moment.

  And then I see the dark gash of an opening under a rock overhang, mostly covered by kelp holdfasts. I dart forward and peer in carefully.

  :I found a cave big enough to hold all of us!: I tell Lena and Robry.

  :Great,: Robry says. :But now, how do we find you?:

  I send them images of the
rocky ridges and the cave mouth. My heart lurches when I realize neither image is specific enough to help them find me in this maze of kelp.

  TRYING NOT TO PANIC, I rack my brain for a quick way to find Robry and Lena and show them where I am. The light is getting stronger by the minute. Shivers trace down my back when I picture what could happen to Lena and Robry if those divers find them.

  I have to call Densil and Sokya. :The divers still hunt us. Find me, and then find Lena and Robry and lead them back to me. I found a good place to hide.:

  :we come,: Densil says. :our mother stays with the pod to nurse the little one.:

  I tell Robry and Lena to be on the lookout for the dolphins while I keep a lookout for Marine Guard divers. Just a few minutes later, Sokya darts up to me, whistling and squeaking happily over her accomplishment.

  :my brother has found the small male and brings him. I go find the female who makes you angry and sad.:

  Sokya flashes away. Does Lena really make me angry and sad? I stare after Sokya in surprise. That’s the problem with using telepathy. I know the dolphins often sense more than just the words and images I send them.

  Densil appears with Robry and then dashes off to help Sokya.

  :How are you?: I ask Robry. His face is pale, and there are purple shadows under his eyes. The shadows I see in his eyes worry me more.

  :Tired. You?:

  :Tired, too.: I shut him off from the images I don’t want him to see that still replay in my mind. If I try to talk about Gillian or Cam, I’m afraid I’ll lose it.

  :Do you want to watch for those divers, or do you want to clear out the cave?: I ask.

  :I’ll clear out the cave,: he says quickly. Robry knows I don’t like small, dark places.

  :Be careful. I spotted at least one moray in there.:

  :After what we faced tonight, tackling moray eels sounds pretty tame,: he says with an effort at a smile.

  He takes off his pack. Holding it and his speargun in front of him, he cautiously enters the cave. Soon, three long morays with dead gray eyes swim their sinuous way out of the dark opening and disappear into the kelp. Suddenly, Robry starts swearing.

  :Are you all right in there?: I look into the cave and see that a large moray with evil-looking teeth has clamped its jaw onto the corner of Robry’s pack. Robry whacks it twice with the butt of his speargun. At last the big eel gives up the fight. I barely have time to duck out of the way before it arrows past my head.

  :Is that it?:

  :I think we’ll be sharing quarters with a small octopus that doesn’t want to leave, and there are three spiny lobsters on the floor I want to catch. At least we can have lobster for dinner later,: he says, trying to sound cheerful.

  I don’t have the heart to tell him just how disgusting raw lobster sounds to me. I turn around to watch for Marine Guard divers. Sokya appears between the kelp stems, Densil right behind her, towing Lena.

  :this female let go of my fin twice,: Sokya complains. :divers saw us. they chased us, but we were faster.:

  :we will lead them away. one of us will come back and keep watch,: Densil says.

  :Thank you,: I tell them both.

  The dolphins disappear into the kelp. My mother was right. We never could have survived our first hours in the sea without them.

  :I hope you’ve found a place I can sleep for the next two days,: Lena says. She looks ten times worse than Robry. Her face is pale, her eyes are red, and her whole body slumps with exhaustion.

  Robry pops his head out of the cave and grins at us. :A hammock awaits you.:

  I force myself to swim in after Lena. I try to ignore how small the cave feels as its black walls close in around me. I see that Robry has already strung up his own hammock.

  :Can I sleep in that thing?: Lena asks him.

  :Sure.:

  :Thanks, kid,: Lena says and heads straight for the hammock.

  :You should probably eat something first,: I tell her, but Lena ignores me. She pulls off her seapack and fins, drops her speargun, and crawls into the hammock. Seconds later, she’s fast asleep.

  Frowning, I pick up her gear and wedge it into a crack in the cave wall so it doesn’t drift away. After taking two food pouches from my pack, I pull out my own hammock and stash my equipment in another crack.

  :We should eat, and then one of us should keep watch,: I say to Robry, and hand him a food packet. Now that we’ve found safety of a sort, exhaustion slams into me. I can hardly find the energy to chew the fish bar I find in my packet.

  :The dolphins will keep watch for us,: Robry says. :We both need to rest.:

  :Aren’t you afraid they’ll accidentally lead the divers here?: I ask, fighting a huge yawn. :Now Hycault and the Marine Guard must know the dolphins are helping us.:

  :I think Sokya and Densil are smart enough not to let themselves be seen,: Robry replies thoughtfully. :The divers probably spotted them this time because they were helping Lena.:

  I glance over at Lena, deep in an exhausted sleep.

  :Do you think she’s strong enough to survive down here?: That’s just one of a dozen worries whirling around in my mind while I tiredly set up my hammock.

  :Are any of us?: he asks me in return.

  I grimace as I lie down and tie myself into the hammock. It’s a good question, and I don’t know the answer.

  ~ ~ ~

  It’s nighttime when I wake up. For a long, terrible minute, I have no idea where I am. Why is there a dark rock wall above my head? I take a deep breath. I’m startled when I feel cold water flow down my windpipe and enter my chest. Then my memories come flooding back. I remember my mother holding my head under the waves until seawater came rushing into my lungs. I see Cam stagger when the solar blast hits him, and then the soldier clubs his head, and Cam falls to the sand. I try not to picture the moment they killed my mother, but it’s no use.

  Now I know exactly where I am and why I’m here in this close black cave. I shut my eyes. Tearing sobs rise up inside me. I cover my mouth with my hands in case the sound carries to the others. If only James were here. Maybe he’d understand the mixed-up pain and anger clawing at my insides. But my big brother isn’t here, and I’ve never been so alone.

  I cry until my head aches and I run out of tears. At last I drift off to sleep again.

  When I wake up, it’s lighter inside our cave. I check my watch and see it’s actually seven in the morning. I’ve just slept for almost twenty-six hours. I wonder if my body is still recovering from its transformation.

  Robry is cutting up a lobster and methodically sucking the meat from its legs. I sit up in my hammock, and he smiles at me.

  :Are you ready for some breakfast?:

  To my surprise, I realize I’m so hungry, even raw lobster sounds good.

  :In a minute, maybe. I’m still half asleep. Is Lena awake?:

  :I am now, thanks to you thinking so loudly,: Lena says grumpily. :And I am NOT going to eat raw lobster. Don’t we have some sort of food bars in our packs?:

  I glance over to see Lena is sitting up in her hammock, glaring at both of us balefully. Her long hair floats around her in a tangled cloud.

  :Yes,: I tell her. :But you’re going to have to get used to eating raw fish. Those food bars will run out eventually.:

  :I’ll wait for eventually, thank you very much.: Lena glances around the cave and rubs her eyes. :Where’s my seapack, anyway?:

  :I wedged it in that crack over there. You’ve got to tie your stuff down when you go to sleep, or it could drift away.:

  :Do I look like I want to hear a lecture right now?:

  Do I look like I want to deal with your attitude right now? :Lena, if you want to survive in the sea, you’ve got to look after your own equipment.:

  Her face tightens, but I’m relieved when she doesn’t keep arguing with me. I take the dead lobster that Robry hands me and start picking the raw meat from its tail with my dive knife.

  Lena gets out of her hammock and fetches her pack. :So what’s our plan?:


  I glance over at Robry. :We do need to start figuring out a plan.:

  :I’ve been looking through our seapacks,: he says slowly. :Your mother left each of us a packet of instructions. I…I think maybe she guessed we might have trouble getting away, and that something might happen to her.:

  :So what do her instructions say?: I ask, fighting to keep my mental voice steady.

  :I haven’t had a chance to read them carefully yet, but she planned for us to hide in that old freighter that sank off the north coast of Santa Cruz Island. She knew we’d need time to adjust to living in the sea, and the Alicante was the safest place she could think of.:

  Robry looks down at his hands. :That’s also where the rest of us are supposed to rendezvous,: he adds after a moment.

  :The rest of us?: Lena asks quickly.

  :There are at least fifty more kids like us, from villages and towns up and down the coast of the southern sector, who were…altered like we were. If there was a government crackdown, their mentors were supposed to complete these kids’ transformations and send them to this wreck for training. Then, when we’re all fit and ready, we’re to travel to the colony up north that Dr. Hanson has been building for us. The first generation of the Neptune Project.:

  The idea that we’re all part of some kind of giant science experiment makes me want to slam the dead lobster against the cave wall. I can tell from Lena’s expression that she feels the same way.

  :I don’t think we can stay here for long,: I admit when my anger recedes a little. :Too many Marine Guard boats cruise these waters.:

  :I agree,: Robry says. :Maybe we should head out to the Channel Islands. Mostly just smugglers sail that way, and there’ll probably be fewer fishing boats there now.:

  I sense his pain at the thought of what has happened to his family before he closes his mind to us.

  :But what are we going to do after that?: Lena asks. :Are we really going to try to swim the length of the Western Collective to find some colony we don’t even know exists?:

  :I think getting to Santa Cruz will be enough of a challenge for now,: I reply. Twenty-five miles of sea lie between us and the Channel Islands. :Later we can decide if we want to try to find my father.: