The Neptune Project (7 page)

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.:


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 and 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.