The Neptune Project (20 page)

WE HEAD OFF AT FIRST LIGHT
. I ask Mariah to have two dolphins scout ahead of us. Every time I give the group an order, I feel like I'm pretending to be Kyel. Dai sends me amused looks, which doesn't help matters any. As we swim along, instead of watching out for trouble, I find myself thinking about his kiss and what he said to me last night.

Was he right when he said Tobin likes me? I feel so comfortable and happy when I'm around him. Was Dai telling the truth about his own feelings? I feel anything but comfortable or secure around Dai. He's amazing looking, but I don't really care about that. I think it's his aloneness that gets to me. I know all about being lonely. Plus, I still miss Cam so much, but I know I'll probably never see him again. I try to push all thoughts of Tobin and Dai—and Cam—out of my mind, but it isn't easy.

Midday, we eat and rest in a big kelp forest. There we help Kalli harvest some kelp we'll eat later. We spread out while we cut the fronds. I cut my share and tie them to my seapack. Then I let myself relax and drift with the current through the towering stems. I admire a big red, black, and white sheepshead fish I spot feeding on sea urchins.

Suddenly, I hear Lena give a mental scream.

:Lena, what is it? Where are you?:
I shout, but she doesn't reply.

:I think she's just east of me,:
Robry tells us quickly.
:I'll go check on her.:


:Be careful!:
I frantically push my way through the kelp to reach them both. Could Lena have come face-to-face with a shark?

:It's okay, Nere,:
Robry tells me.
:I found her, and she's all right.:


A long minute later, I find Lena and Robry floating together in the kelp. Lena's face is paper white, and I'm pretty sure she's been crying. Dai arrives right after me, his expression fierce and his speargun raised and ready for trouble.

:Are you all right?:
I ask Lena.

:I…I saw something big and brown with dark eyes, and it charged right toward me,:
Lena tells me with a quaver in her mental voice.
:Then there were three of them, darting and swimming all around me.:


Dai lowers his speargun and looks disgusted.
:You just ran into some curious sea lions.:


:They startled me.:


:You'd have to hit a sea lion on the head before it would be a danger to you.:


:I didn't know that,:
Lena says angrily, but I can tell she's crying again.

:Well, you should have. I'm getting sick and tired of looking after a bunch of sea newbies who don't know a shark from a sea lion.:


:Then maybe you should just leave!:
Lena yells at him.

:Hey, both of you, cool it,:
I say before Lena can say anything else. I know Dai's frustrated with our group, and we can't afford to lose him.

:Lena, Dai just raced here willing to take on a shark to save you.:


:Thank you,:
she says sulkily.

I turn to Dai.
:And you should be easier on her. We're all scared and on edge down here. You've lived in the sea for a long time, but it's new to most of us. Even sea lions can be terrifying if they startle you.:


:Then you should have been better prepared for this,:
Dai says.

:I
totally
agree with you,:
I say, feeling furious all over again at my own parents,
:but some of us weren't, and it's not our fault.:


:Well, don't scream like that if you see a sea lion again,:
he says abruptly to Lena,
:or I might shoot you myself.:
With that, he flips around and vanishes into the kelp.

:God, he may be gorgeous,:
Lena says, rubbing her arms,
:but I don't know whether or not to take him seriously when he says stuff like that.:


:I think Dai just has a weird sense of humor. Are you okay?:


:Yeah, I'm fine. I guess the sea lions freaked me out.:
She starts to give me the sullen look I know so well, and then her face crumples.

:No, I'm not okay,:
she admits with a sob.
:I hate it down here. I'm scared every minute that some Marine Guard diver is going to shoot me, or that a shark is going to tear me apart.:


She's crying so hard, I sling my speargun and put an arm around her. I expect her to shove me away, but instead she leans her head on my shoulder and cries even harder.
:I just want to go home.:


:Um, Robry, could you tell everyone that we're going to rest here a little longer?:
I ask him.

:Sure,:
he says, looking very relieved to get away from a crying girl.

I rub Lena's shoulder awkwardly.
:I'm sorry my parents did this to you. I'm sorry they did this to me.:


:I know it's not your fault,:
Lena raises her head and says with a sniff.
:It's just been easier to be angry at you and your mother than at my own parents.:


As I look into her face, I find myself blurting out,
:Why did you stop being my friend?:


Lena sighs.
:When I turned ten, I found out what your parents did to me. You know I've always
hated
having weak eyes and weak lungs, and being so different from everyone else.:


:And then you learned that my family was the reason why you were so different,:
I say, starting to understand.

:I couldn't stand to be around the sea after that. I tried to get you to spend time with me in town, but you always wanted to go off in a boat with Cam or to help your mom train the dolphins. I missed you, but I knew I only had a few years left on land. After a while, I got tired of missing you. It was easier to be mad instead.:


:I probably would've felt the same way.:
My throat tightens.

:So, after that, I decided to do everything I could to fit in at school,:
Lena continues.
:I never got very far with those stuck-up town girls.:


:But in the end, you made the boys like you.:


:I did.:
Lena nods with satisfaction.
:And I'm going to make Tobin like me.:


:But I think Thom likes you. You should see the way he looks at you sometimes.:


:He's just a big clumsy idiot.:


:He's not an idiot. He's very brave and very sweet.:


:If he's so great, you go for him.:


:I don't want to go for anyone.:


:Well, I do. I like Tobin, and don't forget it. Now, oh great leader, I think we have to find some more of these disgusting kelp fronds you ordered us to cut.:


Lena turns her back on me. Gritting my teeth, I swim away from her. It's
so
unfair that she's giving me a tough time about being the leader when she wanted me to do the job in the first place. But nothing with Lena is fair anymore.

I wonder if we'll ever truly be friends again.

WE MAKE GOOD TIME
over the next several days. I worry, though, because we still don't really trust one another. No one talks much to Dai, except Bria, Robry, and me. Thom hasn't caused trouble with Penn, but he barely speaks to him, and Ree ignores him completely.

Penn is quick to follow any orders I give him, but I think he feels that everyone still blames him for Kyel's death. To make matters worse, whenever Tobin and I talk, Lena watches me resentfully. I try to ignore her because Tobin's a good listener, and he's one of the few people I feel like I can talk to at the end of a long, lonely day of trying to keep us all alive.

Late in the eighth day after Kyel's death, we run into a new danger.

:Stop, everyone!:
I tell the rest.
:Sokya says there is a big jellyfish swarm ahead of us.:


This isn't good news. Ever since fishermen fished tuna, swordfish, and sharks, and netted sea turtles to the edge of extinction, jellyfish populations have exploded. Our seasuits will give us some protection from their stings, but in a dense swarm they could sting our hands and faces, and make us really sick.

To make matters worse, we've been fighting a strong current that is carrying those jellyfish toward us. I have to make a decision, and I have to make it quickly.

:We either have to head west, out to sea, or farther east, toward land, to avoid the swarm,:
I tell the rest, trying to look calmer than I feel.

:We're near the edge of the continental shelf here,:
Dai warns me.

:I know, but every time we head closer to shore we encounter more boat traffic,:
I reply.

:I
really
don't want to run into any more Marine Guard ships,:
Lena declares.

:Not being chased by divers has been nice for a change,:
Kalli adds.

I look at Dai. We both know predators like squid and the bigger sharks roam the area beyond the continental break, the place where the continental shelf ends. Beyond the break, the ocean floor slopes down to the abyssal plain, the deep, dark bottom of the ocean. But big predators are rare, unlike boats along the coast.

:We'll head out to sea,:
I decide,
:and hope we can get around this swarm pretty quickly. If we head west, though, I'm warning you guys, we may be swimming after dark for a while.:


:That's cool,:
Ree says with a shrug, and the others seem to agree with her.

Soon we start to lose the light. When the mass of jellyfish gets too close, I call the dolphins to come and give us tows. With their help, we're soon speeding farther out to sea and staying clear of the leading edge of the swarm.

I look uneasily into the black waters beneath us.

:Mariah, how deep is it now?:


:the bottom is farther than I can sense.:


I swallow hard. That means we are probably past the continental break and swimming over the continental slope. I tell her I don't want to turn north until we are sure we are past all of the stragglers along the edges of the swarm. Jellyfish are so translucent, they are hard for us to see at night.

:it is safe to go north now,:
Mariah says at last.

Finally.
:Let's turn, and let me know when we can head inland again.:


The dolphins continue to tow us because we're tired, and I want to get us settled safely for the evening as soon as possible. We've only been heading north for a few minutes when the dolphins slow their pace and start clicking and sawing frantically.

:What's wrong?:
I ask Mariah, cold shivers going down my back.

:something big is coming up beneath us. it comes quickly!:


I clench my speargun tighter and try to guess what could be under us. Maybe it's just a whale.

:squid, squid, squid!:
Sokya cries.

I struggle to control my panic.
:Dai, everyone, the dolphins say a giant squid is coming up beneath us.:


We've talked about this possibility before. Giant squid are fierce predators, and they are incredibly fast.

:Spread out! We want to make it harder for it to grab more than one of us at once,:
I call to everyone. I stare down into the black water. My heart is pounding hard against my ribs. Where is the thing? Maybe it won't be a really big one.

:Remember, the dolphins can't help us outrun it, and they will be little help fighting it,:
Dai tells us coolly.
:Our only chance is to kill it with our spearguns before it can grab us and tear us with its beak.:


Suddenly, a dark, roiling mass shoots up through the water beneath me. Fighting the urge to flee, I raise my speargun. I get a glimpse of wildly waving orange tentacles and arms. Then the monster reaches out. It grabs Thom!

Thom shouts in pain as one of the squid's tentacles wraps around his body. The sharp sucker cups on that tentacle must be slicing into his skin. I shudder when I catch a glimpse of an eye the size of a dinner plate and the squid's diamond-shaped mantle. The creature is huge. Its head and mantle together are six feet long and its tentacles seem to stretch forever.

:Aim for the eyes!:
Dai and I yell. I watch for a shot. The squid's arms are waving so wildly, they block any chance I have of piercing the creature's eyes. Our group has spread out around it. Robry, Kalli, Lena, and Bria fire at the squid, but their darts only hit its many arms. Ree and Tobin try to move in closer, but the squid knocks them away.

Thom yells and stabs at the squid as it pulls him toward its beak.

Suddenly Penn is there, right beside Thom! He fires his speargun at point-blank range into the squid's eye. The water around the squid fills with an inky, dark substance that makes it even harder for me to see what's going on. Penn gets knocked away, but Dai swims in close and fires at the wounded monster. I blink when I see a small flash of light and hear a muffled bang. Does Dai have some sort of explosive spear dart? The squid shoots away from us, Thom still clenched in its tentacles.

Dai motions to Ton, who races to give him a tow. I call Densil. I think he'll be brave enough to help me go after the squid.

:Everyone, stay together here,:
I order. I won't risk their lives when Thom may already be dead.
:Check Penn and make sure he's all right. Mariah, please ask the rest of the pod to stay here and keep everyone safe.:


Then I call Densil.
:We have to follow the squid. Can you sense it?:


:it is not far.:


:Will you take me to it?:


:yes,:
he says. I can feel his fear. Almost every species in the ocean steers clear of giant squid, for good reason.

We race downward after Dai and Ton and the squid. As we approach, I see that the squid is still shooting out spurts of ink, but its arms are flailing about more slowly.

:the squid is dying,:
Densil tells me.
:the tall boy shot something that made a hole in its head.:


So Dai did use some sort of explosive dart on it. But the squid still has a tentacle completely wrapped around Thom. Densil pulls me near the squid as it quivers a final time. Then the dead monster begins to sink slowly toward the bottom, taking Thom with it. I watch Thom carefully, hoping for some sign of movement, but his body is as still as the squid's.

:Dai, we've got to get him loose.:


:I know, but those sucker rings are incredibly sharp. We're going to have to pull that tentacle away from him carefully, or we'll slice Thom into hamburger.:


I force myself to swim closer. Blue-colored blood trickles from the remnants of the eye that Penn and Dai destroyed with their speargun shots. I see a half dozen other cuts on the squid's mantle. I slip between two of the squid's arms and study Thom. His eyes are closed and his features are clenched in pain, but his chest is still rising and falling. My eyes burn with tears when I realize how much I've come to depend on kind, cheerful Thom. We can't lose him!

:Thom, a-are you still with us?:


:I'm still here,:
he moans.
:But every time I move, I feel like I'm wrapped up in barbed wire.:


:We're going to get you free.:


:Good,:
is all he says.

:Steady him, will you?:
Dai asks. I get a good grip on Thom's big shoulders. Gently, Dai begins to pull at the tentacle that is wrapped completely around Thom's body.

Thom groans as Dai pries the tentacle loose.
:Hang in there, tough guy.:
Dai shakes his head. Then to me he says,
:Somehow he got his dive knife out and stabbed this monster just about every place he could reach. Sea newbie or no, he put up an incredible fight.:


:I think we should have squid for break
—
Argh!:
Thom cries out as Dai tugs the last portion of the tentacle loose, and then Thom is free. Dai takes him in a lifeguard hold and starts kicking swiftly toward the surface.

I realize from the pressure on my ears that the sinking squid has probably pulled us down at least a few hundred feet. I don't know how much pressure my genetically altered body can take, but I don't want to find out tonight. I follow Dai and Thom, and shudder when I catch one last glimpse of the mammoth creature sinking toward the ocean floor. Scavenger fish and three sharks have already appeared out of the darkness to feast on dead squid.

I catch up with Dai and bite my lip when I see the small round cuts all over Thom's torso. The squid's sharp-edged suckers shredded his protective seasuit. It's like the creature pressed a hundred razor-sharp bottle caps into his skin, and each of those cuts is bleeding now. With a shiver, I realize that pretty soon we're going to be driving off sharks that want to feast on Thom, too.