The Neptune Project (16 page)

He sends me an exasperated look.
:Technically, I don't think you count so well. My father had been in touch with Neptune Project scientists. He knew the kids from the southern sector would head for the Channel Islands, and he sent Ton and me down the coast to look for them.:


And Dai made that trip all by himself. A sudden suspicion takes hold of me.
:When did you actually go through the transformation?:


Dai hesitates.
:When I was ten,:
he admits at last.

I stare at him.
:How old are you now?:


:Fourteen. So, yeah, I've been part fish for four years now.:
He says the words defiantly, but I can sense the vulnerability behind them.

:You should be leading this group, not Kyel or me,:
I say, shaking my head. I can't believe Dai has survived in this dangerous ocean for four years already.

:That's not going to happen, Nere. This group doesn't like or trust me, and I don't think I particularly like or trust them.:


:But why did you have to go through the transformation so young?:


:I think my father was excited about it, and he wanted to make sure it worked.:


There it was again. Even though he tried to hide it, Dai radiated such strong psychic pain when he spoke of his father that I couldn't help shivering. How could a father do that to his son? Rather than continuing to upset Dai, I decide to change the subject.

:How did you start working with Ton?:


Dai smiles at the mention of Ton, just as I thought he would.
:That's question number seven, by the way, but I never mind talking about Ton. He was orphaned as a calf. He and I grew up together, much the way you and Sokya and Densil did. But he never learned to communicate in English. I still can't believe that you can actually talk with Mariah. I communicate with Ton through visual images, just like you do with the other dolphins.:


:Mariah's contact with other dolphins was limited when she was a calf, and I'm not sure she really understood she was a dolphin instead of a human at first. Take into account that my mother was a powerful telepath, and you can see how she may have accidentally taught Mariah words in English while she was first learning them herself as a small child.:


:I wonder if Mariah could teach Ton to talk with me.:


:I'll ask her,:
I say, trying to hide my misgivings. I'm not sure Mariah really can talk with Ton, or at least, not in the sense Dai means. I don't think dolphins think or communicate with each other in words at all. They use images, feelings, and a wide variety of sounds, some of which human ears can't even hear.

Hoping to change the subject, I point out that it's getting dark, and we both swim back down to the freighter.

:Nere, I think we need to keep an eye on Penn,:
Dai says soberly before we enter the wreck.

:What do you mean?:


:I don't think he's given up on the idea of attacking that ship.:


I want to scold Dai for listening in on other people's thoughts again. But maybe he's not worried about Penn because of something he overheard telepathically. Thinking about the end of the meeting today, I realize Dai may be right. Penn didn't look happy about the way the vote turned out.

I shudder when I think of what could happen to us if he decided to go off and attack that ship on his own.

OUR NEXT FEW DAYS
on the
Alicante
fall into a routine. In the mornings, we rotate through a series of classes on fighting, speargun marksmanship, and first aid. I teach how to communicate with and care for the dolphins. And Kalli, who turns out to be an expert on sea plants, shows us what species and varieties we can harvest to eat.

In the afternoons, we patrol up and down the coast of Santa Cruz with the dolphins. I'm happy to see my companions are growing closer to the pod. Sometimes the dolphins even come down to the
Alicante
on their own, seeking out their partners to play. One afternoon I catch Kyel and Thom racing against each other with their dolphins through the kelp forest, which makes me laugh.

We all keep hoping other Neptune kids will reach the wreck, but so far, no one has. I worry about the lone man we saw on the beach after we buried Sara, and Dai and I both keep an eye on Penn. He does participate in our lessons and never mentions the Marine Guard vessel that continues to patrol the area and anchor nearby us at night.

I ask Mariah to help Ton communicate to Dai in English, and her response doesn't surprise me.

:the big dolphin doesn't understand my human words.:


:Could you please keep trying to teach him?:


:I try, but he thinks and talks like a dolphin,:
she says, and I can feel the frustration in her mind.

:It's amazing that you can think like a human.:


:I am smart,:
Mariah says, sounding so smug, I have to laugh.
:and your mother helped me to learn,:
she adds, grief coloring her tone,
:when I was just a calf.:


I reach out and place a hand on Mariah's melon.
:I miss her, too.:


~ ~ ~

During the day, I keep busy learning all the skills I can to stay alive. The waters around the Channel Islands are so beautiful and full of marine creatures, sometimes I actually like my new life. I have always loved the sea; I just never imagined I'd have to live in it forever.

I try not to think about what happened to my mother or what might be happening to Cam right now. But at night, when I struggle to fall asleep, I keep seeing them cut down by the soldiers at Tyler's Cove, like a slip of old video on continual replay, or I see poor Sara with a spear dart in her shoulder, surrounded by frenzied sharks. My dreams after I fall asleep are even worse.

One time when I wake up, Lena is there beside my hammock, shaking my shoulder.

:You were thrashing around and having a nightmare,:
she says.
:I thought you'd rather wake up than be wherever you were.:


I look at the black ceiling of the wrecked freighter while I fight to catch my breath. Would I rather be here?
:Thanks,:
I manage to tell her.

:I have nightmares sometimes, too,:
Lena admits.
:You know, I am sorry about your mother. I'll never forgive her for what she did to me, but I'm sorry she's dead, just the same. And Cam, he's so strong. If anyone can survive a work camp, it's him.:


:I think you're right about that.:
I almost manage a smile, but then I feel tears start to well.
:What do you think of Kyel and the rest?:
I ask quickly to change the subject.

:I don't like Kyel much, and I really don't like Dai, but I do feel safer being with this group.:


:I do too, even when things get tense. Robry feels the same way. We'll stay with them, then. And Lena, thanks for waking me up.:


:You're welcome.:


But the next day, Lena goes back to avoiding me, and I wonder if I dreamed our talk.

~ ~ ~

One afternoon, a small wooden sailing craft starts following the dolphins on patrol with Tobin and his group. Mariah tells the dolphins to submerge for so long, they lose the small boat, but the contact makes us all jittery.

We are surprised when the same craft appears just before nightfall and anchors in a tiny inlet directly ashore from the
Alicante
.

:Whoever it is, he or she seems way too interested in our dolphins,:
Kyel concludes during an emergency meeting in the wheelhouse.
:Nere, ask the pod to keep away from us for a day or so, and we'll stay close to the freighter tomorrow.:


The sailboat is still anchored in the inlet the next morning. We go through our usual morning classes, except dolphin training, and everyone is on edge.

We've just gathered to eat some lunch in the crew's mess when Penn, who's on guard duty, calls out to us.
:Some guy with a speargun and fins just swam down from the surface! He's looking around the cargo deck right now.:


:Don't let him see you,:
Kyel orders Penn.
:Does he look like a Marine Guard diver?:


:No, he's not wearing scuba gear.:


:He could be another Neptune kid,:
Kalli says hopefully.

:Neptune man, maybe,:
Penn responds.
:You should see the beard on this guy.:


:What's he doing now?:
Kyel asks Penn after we've waited an endless two minutes.

:He's still looking around the cargo area. Wait, he's heading back to the surface now. I'm pretty sure he can't breathe water.:


After we're sure he's gone, we all head for the wheelhouse in a hurry.

:Whoever he is, he just performed an impressive free dive,:
Robry points out.
:He swam down sixty feet and stayed at this depth for over three minutes.:


:I wonder what he was looking for,:
Bria says, her eyes wide and worried.

:Maybe he wanted to scavenge something off the wreck,:
I suggest. People have gotten so desperate back on land, some have become scroungers, searching through wrecks to find things they can eat, use, or sell.

:Well, whoever he is, we can't risk his seeing us,:
Kyel says flatly.
:We stay in the wreck for the rest of the day. He might be back.:


No one looks happy about Kyel's order. Most days we eat our meals inside the
Alicante
for protection from pesky fish who try to steal our food, and we sleep in her at night, but our wreck is a dark and gloomy place.

:Robry, you can give us another navigation lesson right now,:
Kyel says.
:Nere, you take the next guard shift.:


I nod and go fetch my seapack. I figure I can skim some of the Neptune Project information notes and keep an eye out for the free diver at the same time.

I'm in my second hour of guard duty when I spot the mysterious diver kicking his way down through the water to the wreck once again.

:Hey, we've got company!:
I call out to the group.
:He's back. Everyone stay below.:


Suddenly I realize I'm in trouble. The free diver is heading straight for the wheelhouse!

My pulse thunders in my ears. The only access to the wheelhouse is from the outside, since the big hatch to the lower decks is corroded shut. If I try to leave, the diver is going to spot me for sure.

That means I have to find someplace to hide inside the wheelhouse, and I have to find it fast. I look around wildly. There are no lockers large enough to hold me. My only chance is to duck under the wide control board and hope he doesn't think to look there.

I dart under the control board, stretch myself out, and try to hold completely still. Ten heartbeats later, I see the flick of a fin as the diver enters the wheelhouse and starts prowling around.

I grip my speargun tightly. What am I going to do if he sees me? Will I have to kill him? He's bound to notice I have no scuba gear. He may mean us no harm, but we can't allow him to tell someone onshore that he's seen a girl on the
Alicante
who breathes water. But I don't want to kill anyone!

Please don't look under the control board. Please don't look
here.

He whirls around—almost as if he heard my thoughts! My heart stops when he peers under the control board. I catch a glimpse of long shaggy hair and a bearded face.

Taking a deep breath, I raise my speargun and try to force myself to pull the trigger.

:Nere, don't shoot! It's me!:


I gaze into his eyes, and I realize I know this stranger.

:James?:


I lower my speargun in disbelief. With his long hair and bushy beard, my big brother looks like some sort of wild castaway.

:I thought I saw you on the beach last week, and I've been looking for you ever since. I've got to surface now. Can you come with me?:


:Yes, but it would be safer if I came to see you after sunset,:
I say, struggling to overcome my shock. James must have been the man we saw onshore after we buried Sara.
:And I have to tell the others where I'm going.:


I swim forward and give him a hug, even though I know James isn't big on hugs. I'm just so happy to see him. He pats my shoulder awkwardly.

:Are there other kids from the Neptune Project here?:
he asks the instant I move away from him.

:Yes.:


:And the transformation worked on all of you?:


:Yes.:


I can't tell if it's pain or excitement I see in his eyes before he heads out of the wheelhouse and kicks swiftly toward the surface.

:Meet me at the
Kestrel
at ten o'clock tonight,:
he calls to me, and then the blue water swallows him.

So the wooden vessel anchored nearby must be James's beloved sailboat.

:Nere, what's going on?:
Kyel and Dai ask me impatiently at the same time.

:You can all come out now. The free diver is my brother, James.:


I realize I'm grinning as our group swims up to the wheelhouse. I'm so glad James is alive.

:Can we trust your brother?:
Kyel asks the moment he sees me.
:Is there any chance he's going to report us to the Marine Guard?:


:James hates the Western Collective as much as anyone. He used to talk about going off to join a group like yours. He finally ran away a year ago, but not to fight. We'd heard he was living out here on one of the Channel Islands, but no one's seen him for months. I…I thought maybe he was dead.:


:Why did he run away?:


I feel my face heat up. I'm embarrassed that I don't know what made my brother leave us.
:I'm not sure. I know he and my mother had some awful arguments. He was always getting into trouble his last year at school. The only time he was happy was when he was off sailing in his
Kestrel
. That's the boat that's anchored near us now.:


:Was he supposed to be a part of the Neptune Project, too?:
Tobin asks, his green eyes shrewd.

I remember what Gillian told me while I was going through the transformation.
:I think maybe he was supposed to be. My mother said something about their making a mistake when they altered his genes.:


:In our group, there was a kid who didn't survive the transformation,:
Penn says somberly.
:After the scientists injected him with the virus, the gill filaments in his lungs didn't function properly, and he suffocated because he couldn't breathe either air or water.:


I feel myself getting angry all over again at my parents and the secrets they kept. I don't know if my mother tried to inject James with the virus and his transformation failed, or if somehow she knew beforehand that he wouldn't be able to transform.

:Kyel, I have to go to the surface and talk to him. I…I need to tell him about our mother.:
I see him start to protest, so I add hastily,
:Plus, James may have news of other Neptune kids and what's going on back home.:


After a long minute, Kyel nods.
:All right. You can go tonight. Just make sure no one sees you while you talk with him.:


As our meeting breaks up, I realize I can't wait to see James, but it's going to be so hard to tell him about our mother. I also keep wondering…what sort of mistake did my parents make when they tried to alter my brother's genes?