The Neptune Project Read online

  I take a minute to check in with the dolphins.

  :Densil, Sokya, are you near here?:

  :I watch your cave,: Densil replies promptly.

  :What are the divers and boats doing?:

  :all the divers left the water. now the boats are stopping outside the kelp.:

  This news makes the hair on the back of my neck rise. Why are the boats still here? Why aren’t the divers in the water looking for us?

  I swim to the entrance of the cave. Sunlight filters down through the towering columns of greenish-brown kelp overhead. The fronds sway and wave gently, moved by stray currents. It is so peaceful here. I’ve always liked swimming through kelp in the daytime. The redwoods are long gone now, but I’ve seen pictures of them. I can understand why people say kelp beds are like the redwood forests of the ocean.

  Suddenly, I hear a deep, muted roar that vibrates through the water and fills my ears, and the cave begins to shake. I reach out to steady myself. Robry and I stare at each other in shock.

  :Robry, what’s going on??? Is this an earthquake?:

  The roar subsides, but seconds later another rumble rips through the water. I feel Densil’s pain and panic. His hearing is a hundred times more sensitive than ours.

  :This is no earthquake!: Robry cries. :They’re launching depth charges into the water!:

  A LARGE PIECE of rock breaks loose from the cave roof. It just misses Robry’s head before it crashes to the floor. I don’t want to be buried alive! I lunge for my seapack and hammock. Desperately, I reach for Densil with my mind.

  :Densil, leave now! We’ll call you when it’s safe. Tell the others to stay away. Hurry!:

  :I go!:

  I long to bolt out of this dark, tight cave. But I can’t leave my equipment. With shaking hands, I take down my hammock and thrust it into my pack. Robry and Lena are scrambling to gather up their gear as well. Another depth charge detonates nearby like a muffled clap of thunder. Moments later the water feels denser, and my ears ache. That explosion definitely was closer than the other two.

  :We’ve got to get out of here. Does everyone have everything?: I glance back at Lena, making sure she has her speargun and seapack.

  :We should split up to avoid getting detected by sonar,: Robry declares before we venture out.

  :Stay as close to the sea floor as you can,: I add. :And duck under rock ledges if a boat starts following you. Let’s swim on a heading of three hundred and five degrees and join up again in two hours.: If we’re still alive in two hours.

  :Lena, do you remember how to use the compass on your dive watch?: I ask because I don’t want to think about the odds against us.

  She nods, her face pale.

  :Good luck, you guys!: I grip my speargun tightly and swim out of the cave first.

  A cloud of sediment kicked up by the depth charges envelops me. The water is so murky that even with my genetically altered vision I have problems seeing more than a few feet ahead. I take a bearing on my compass and start swimming north and west as fast as I can.

  An instant later, another depth charge goes off with a bass roar. The current from the shock waves spins me upside down, and my ears pop. The cave must have been protecting us from most of the force of the explosions. I right myself and keep kicking as fast as I can, threading my way through the violently swaying kelp. I glance back to check on the others, but Robry and Lena have already disappeared into the cloudy water.

  :We need to get away from here before they drop one of those things right on top of us!: Robry gasps.

  :I hope the dolphins got away in time,: I say while I concentrate on swimming faster.

  :I hope we get away in time!: Lena chimes in.

  Massive rafts of kelp plants torn loose by the blasts block my way. I have to swim more slowly to keep from getting tangled in the mangled stems. The only good news is that the depth charges have created such a mess down here, it’s going to be harder for the boats’ sonar to get a fix on us. I flinch when I come face-to-face with a dead sea lion caught in the kelp.

  Another explosion sends the kelp dancing.

  :That one felt like it was farther away,: Lena says hopefully.

  Abruptly, I come to the end of the forest. I peer upward, looking for the dark hulls of Marine Guard boats, but it’s useless. I can only see a few feet in any direction. That’s not good news if I run into a shark, but then again, any sea creature that can swim is probably leaving here as fast as it can.

  I take another bearing off my compass. My speargun at the ready, I dart out of the kelp. My blood pounds in my ears while I swim swiftly and keep as close to the sea floor as possible. Kicking hard, I keep waiting for a charge to explode right over me. A few minutes later, I check in with Robry and Lena.

  :I’m out of the kelp,: Lena reports, :and I haven’t seen any boats or divers.:

  :I’m afraid I’m in trouble,: Robry says, his mental voice tense. :Divers with tows found me right after I left the kelp.:

  :I’m on my way.: Even while I swim in the direction Robry took, I realize it is going to be almost impossible for me to find him in this cloudy sea.

  :Densil, Sokya, we need you to find Robry. Divers are after him!: I call to them desperately.

  :we come,: Densil replies at once, cool and calm as always.

  :Nere, don’t try to help me,: Robry protests. :There’re too many of them.:

  :I’m not going on without you!:

  :I’m coming, too,: Lena says, breaking in on us.

  :Lena, you shouldn’t. At least one of us should get away.:

  :How long do you think I’d last down here without you guys? Besides, I’ve always liked the kid.:

  I swallow a lump in my throat as I race through the sea. My legs burn from the effort of kicking so quickly and for so long. :I like him, too.:

  I hit a patch of water with better visibility and my heart freezes. Through sheer luck, I’ve found him. Above me, Robry is surrounded by eight divers who have lethal-looking spearguns trained on his body. They are herding him toward a big black net.

  Lena appears at my side while I’m checking to make sure my speargun is ready to fire. :This isn’t good,: she says, taking in the situation at a glance. Then she checks to make sure her own speargun is ready. Lena’s always had guts.

  :We could die doing this,: I warn her.

  :I didn’t think we were going to last long down here anyway,: she says with a shrug. But her face is pale.

  :Let’s go.: I charge through the water, my pulse hammering in my ears. At least we have surprise on our side. The divers are so focused on forcing Robry into the net that none of them notices us until we’re close enough to shoot our spearguns.

  I take aim at the nearest diver. I wish I could just shoot him in the leg or arm, but it’s easier to hit a man’s body. Besides, he and his crewmates were trying to blow me up a few minutes ago.

  I fire, and the diver jerks as my dart pierces his shoulder. Quickly, I reload and move in closer, picking another target. I fire again, trying to imagine I’m shooting at a big grouper instead of at another human being. Again my spear dart goes home. Lena’s first shot misses, but her second takes a third diver in the leg.

  The men see us now. They turn and aim their spearguns at us. Lena and I are in serious trouble.

  Suddenly, Densil and Sokya appear. The dolphins are a blur of motion, biting the divers’ air hoses and slamming the men with their tails. Something burns across my thigh, but I manage to shoot a fourth diver in the shoulder. I reload but don’t shoot again, afraid I might hurt one of the dolphins.

  There are so many clouds of bubbles streaming from cut air hoses, I can’t see what’s happening. Then I realize that the divers are heading for the surface, towing their injured with them. They’re giving up!

  Robry darts to the bottom to search for the speargun they made him drop, and Lena and Sokya help. Now that the fight’s over, I realize the graze on my leg stings horribly. I pull a pressure bandage from the first-aid kit in my pack a
nd wrap it around my thigh.

  I keep an eye out for sharks as I work. They can smell tiny amounts of blood, and I don’t want one following me along with Marine Guard divers.

  :I found my speargun!: Robry cries.

  :Let’s get going,: I reply, as a small mako shark appears from the east. I lead us north and west. We need to get back to a rockier area, where we’ll have a better chance of hiding from the boats’ sonar.

  We swim hard, with Densil and Sokya alternating pulling us through the sea, but I can hear the deep rumble of large boat engines closing in fast. The big cutter passes directly over our heads. Then it slows, and several more divers with tows splash into the water ahead of us.

  Robry, Lena, and I look at one another in despair. It’s daylight now, and we have no place to hide from the Marine Guard’s sonar or their divers this time.

  SHOULD I CALL the whole pod to help us? The dolphins would be easy targets for Marine Guard divers in the daylight. But we’re easy targets, too. The divers are starting to spread out in a large circle around us. Densil and Sokya drive through the water, towing us south now, where the divers haven’t had a chance to close the circle.

  Suddenly, a large dolphin appears in front of us. I blink when I realize it’s towing an older boy who’s wearing fins but no dive gear, just like us. His dolphin stops in front of me, and the boy takes a seapack from his back and pulls something from it.

  :You look like you could use a little help,: he says with a cocky smile.

  I stare at him in astonishment. He has dark eyes, pale skin, and long black hair caught back in braids.

  :My friends are coming, but this should give those airbreathers something to think about in the meantime.:

  After punching a button on a round metal device, he places it in his dolphin’s mouth and points upward. A second later, the dolphin darts toward the boat.

  :Come on!: the strange boy calls as he starts swimming away from the divers and the cutter, back in the direction he came. :We don’t want to be here when that magnetic mine goes off. Your dolphins don’t, either.:

  As I follow him, I warn Sokya and Densil, :Swim away from here, fast! There’s about to be another explosion.:

  :we go!: Sokya cries, and she and Densil dart away.

  :Who are you?: I ask, while I struggle to keep up with him.

  :We’ll have time for introductions later,: the boy says, and fires his speargun at the first diver to close in on us. The boy’s weapon has greater range than mine. His dart takes the diver in the belly.

  I glance back. With a cold rush of fear, I realize Lena has fallen behind us. Another diver with a tow is closing in on her fast, and his speargun is trained on her.

  :Lena, dive!: I cry, even as I kick upward to get a better angle for a shot.

  Startled, she twists downward, and I shoot, praying I don’t hit her. I catch the diver in the arm, and he veers off. Robry wounds a third diver in the leg, and the rest retreat for now.

  :Nice shooting.: The boy grins at Robry and me both, revealing white, sharp teeth, and then he glances at a watch on his wrist.

  :Cover your ears,: he orders. I just have time to cover mine before I hear a muffled roar from the mine detonating. I’m spun upside down. My ears ache and all I can see for a very long minute is air bubbles.

  :Whew, what a ride!: The strange boy sounds excited rather than scared. :That should teach those landlivers not to mess with us.:

  :Is everyone all right?: I ask Robry and Lena.

  :I’m still here,: Robry reports shakily as he floats up beside me.

  :I think I’m here, no thanks to this maniac,: Lena says sharply as she joins us. I can tell the moment she gets a good look at the boy, though, because her resentful expression disappears in a heartbeat.

  I leave Lena to her staring while I search the waters around us for divers. I’m relieved to see they’re surfacing. I hope the cutter has a big hole in its hull and its crew will be heading for shore shortly in lifeboats.

  :more swimming humans like you are headed your way,: Sokya warns me.

  Swimming humans like me? I love my dolphins, but sometimes I wish we could communicate more clearly. I look to the south, and I spot a group of kids swimming toward us. I reload my speargun and raise it just in case.

  :Those are the friends I mentioned. You don’t need to be frightened,: the strange boy says to me.

  :I’m not frightened,: I say, lying through my teeth. :I just like to be prepared.:

  :That is always a wise thing to be in the sea,: he says solemnly, but when I glance his way, I see laughter in his eyes. Nothing about this situation seems the least bit funny to me.

  When they draw closer, I see they are equipped much like we are, with fins, seapacks, seasuits, and spearguns. The group seems to be swimming in a set formation. Quickly, I count two girls and three boys.

  While the rest hang back and eye us curiously, a muscular, stocky boy who appears to be their leader swims forward. The closer he gets, the tougher he looks. He has cool, pale blue eyes; his blond hair is cut short; and he has a livid red scar across his right cheekbone. This boy’s skin is tanned, as if he’d lived much of his life in the sun. Even without reading his thoughts, I can tell he’s furious.

  :You used another mine, didn’t you, Dai? Now we only have four left.:

  :At the time, it seemed like a good idea.: The dark-haired boy looks bored.

  :I’ll say.: I’m not surprised to hear Lena speak up for our rescuer. :We had a cutter and eight Marine Guard divers after us, and they were about to shoot us full of spear darts.:

  :Well, maybe it was necessary to use that mine,: the stocky boy admits after a long moment, :but don’t disobey my orders again.:

  Dai sends the blond-haired boy a disdainful salute, which makes his face tighten.

  :My name is Kyel,: he says to us, all business. :We’re members of the Neptune Project, and we’re heading for the rendezvous point off Santa Cruz Island. We’ll be safer if we travel together. We can talk on the way there, but we need to get moving before more boats come.:

  He stares at the bandage on my leg. :Are you bleeding? We can’t afford any shark attacks along the way.:

  Does he think I’m a complete idiot? Kyel is starting to annoy me. :I’ve got this cinched down pretty tightly,: I tell him shortly.

  :All right, then. I’ll lead off, and we’ll swim in a close formation. If we hear any boat traffic, we scatter to avoid sonar detection. You:—he nods to me—:swim beside me and tell me about your group.:

  I want to salute him like Dai did. I feel as if I’ve just joined the military.

  Kyel leads off, I swim beside him, and the others follow in a diamond formation behind us. Lena and Robry join the rest, and Dai brings up the rear, his big dolphin swimming at his side. I am impressed with how carefully everyone in the new group seems to be keeping an eye out for trouble.

  :are you safe now?: Densil asks me. I can tell from the weakness of the contact that he is some distance away.

  :We are fine. Thank you for helping us save Robry. Please, go hunt and play with the others.:

  :we will tell you if more boats come.:

  :How long ago did you complete the transformation?: Kyel asks me just as I finish my private conversation with Densil.

  :Maybe we should start with some more names.: I’m surprised to find myself countering him.

  Kyel’s mouth twists in impatience. :All right. You know I’m Kyel, and you’ve already met Dai. That’s Thom back there.: He motions to a big, strong, homely boy with short brown hair and large hands who is swimming next to Lena. Thom smiles shyly at me, and then his gaze is drawn to Lena, who, of course, is busy peering back at Dai.

  :That’s Tobin swimming across from Thom.: I look over and meet the thoughtful gaze of a redheaded boy with green eyes, who is studying me just as carefully as I’m studying him.

  :Then there’s Ree, and Tobin’s little sister, Bria.: Kyel gestures carelessly to the two girls. Is he going to be one of thos
e boys who thinks girls are worthless?

  Ree stares back at me with cool dislike. She’s a striking girl with a strong nose, broad shoulders, and muscular arms. She wears her long black hair in multiple braids. I’d guess her ancestors came from Old Mexico. I wonder what I’ve done to have antagonized her already. She and Lena are going to get along great. Tobin’s sister, a pretty little girl about Robry’s age, with long brown hair and big hazel eyes, smiles at me brightly.

  I glance back at Kyel and realize he’s waiting for me to tell him our names. :I’m Nere Hanson. That’s Lena McFadden and Robry Cruz,: I add.

  Kyel is studying me more intently than ever. :You wouldn’t happen to be related to Mark Hanson, the guy who’s building a colony up north for us, would you?:

  :He’s my father.:

  :So you must know all about the Neptune Project.:

  :Actually,: I say tightly, :I only found out about it two days ago when we went through the transformation. Before that, I swear I’d never heard a word about the Neptune Project.:

  Kyel looks like he doesn’t believe me, but I’m relieved that he doesn’t press me further. :Did you have any trouble after you transformed?:

  :Soldiers came when we were still on land. We got away, but my mother was killed.: I have to pause for a moment. I still can’t believe my mother is dead. Every time I have to talk about her, I’m afraid I’m going to fall apart. :We’ve been dodging Marine Guard boats and divers ever since. What about you?:

  :We transformed twenty days ago down in San Diego. We’ve been working our way north up the coast since then.:

  I blink as I absorb his words. So these kids have been in the sea for almost three weeks now, and they had to travel past the drowned city of Los Angeles, with all its polluted water and dangerous debris. I’m impressed they’ve survived this long.

  :Were there more of you originally?: Kyel asks me next. Maybe it’s just his way, but I’m starting to feel like I’m being interrogated.

  :We’re the only kids from Goleta, if that’s what you mean.: