The Neptune Project

by Polly Holyoke

  :I’m glad you did. I was about to call our dolphins, but I hated to do it. Some of them might have been killed trying to save us.:

  :You should have called them anyway. Dolphins are here to serve us.:

  I stare at him in surprise. :Do you really feel that way?: I ask.

  :Humans are the most important species in the ocean.:

  :I’m not sure we’re any more important than other intelligent species down here. At least dolphins didn’t mess up the whole planet the way we did.:

  :What humans did in the past doesn’t matter. The ocean is ours to conquer and explore.:

  :Well, if we conquer and explore it as thoroughly as we did the rest of our world, the oceans are in big trouble.:

  I turn away from him and head back under the overhang. I’m surprised to see Tobin hovering nearby. Has he been listening in on our argument? It’s hard to tell from his impassive expression.

  :Kyel sent me to check on your leg,: he says simply. :I’m what passes for a medic in our group. I can treat your wound for you.: His gaze goes to the bandage tied across my thigh, and his face colors. With his fair skin, it’s really obvious when he blushes. :Unless you’d rather look after it yourself.:

  :I’m sure you’ll do a better job than I can,: I reply. I’ve never really liked dealing with my own blood.

  I swim over to a nearby rock and try not to wince as I take off the pressure bandage. A curious zebra perch comes up to investigate, and I shoo him away with my hands. That’s when I notice Dai is staring at my injury. His face strained, he abruptly turns and swims away into the dark ocean. Maybe he likes blood even less than I do.

  Tobin’s expression is thoughtful as he studies the wound. :That’s a nice little graze you picked up today.:

  :I’m lucky it’s not worse,: I admit absently. :I thought that diver had me for sure.: I smile when I see that Robry and Bria are playing with Sokya and Ree is helping Lena untangle and braid her hair. I’m glad to see our groups are beginning to mingle.

  :For someone who was in a real fight, you seem pretty cool about it. Dai said you handled yourself well.:

  I close my eyes against the memory of the men I shot. They were trying to kill me, but I hope none of them will die.

  :I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. None of this has—not really.: I open my eyes and look at Tobin. :We haven’t been in the water as long as you have. I haven’t had time to think.:

  :It’s probably better that way,: he says with a grimace. His expression surprises me. Until now, Tobin seemed the most cheerful of our new companions, except perhaps for smiling Bria.

  Tobin holds a tube of antiseptic cream next to my graze. :This is going to sting a little.: He glances at me, his gaze apologetic. I realize suddenly that his eyes are an amazingly deep green color. They remind me of the bright moss that grew on the stones below the little shower that Cam made for my mother and me.

  Thinking of the shower makes me think of Cam, and I look away from Tobin and stare hard at my feet. I flinch when he smooths the salve on the graze. It stings like crazy.

  :So how did you end up as the medic?: I ask him, to keep my mind off the pain.

  :My mother was a nurse,: he says as he works gently and quickly to cover the entire graze with salve. :I used to help in her clinic.:

  :Was a nurse?:

  :She died in the last famine.:

  :I’m sorry.:

  :I’m sorry, too. Bria and I miss her. She was amazing. Somehow, even in the worst times, she managed to make us feel safe. I didn’t realize until too late how little she had been eating to make sure we had enough.:

  The guilt and sadness I hear in his voice makes me want to cry for him.

  :There, the worst is over,: he declares in a lighter tone. :I’m just going to put a fresh bandage on it now.:

  I steel myself to peer down at my wound. I’m surprised to see it’s already starting to heal. My mother was right about our heightened healing abilities.

  :Thanks for fixing me up. And I guess I should thank the Neptune scientists for keeping me from oozing blood down here.: I glance at the hammocks tied under the overhang where the eight of us will be sleeping tonight. :I still can’t believe all of this.… When did you find out that you were engineered to live in the sea?:

  :My mother told me the truth when I was twelve,: Tobin admits. :What about you?:

  :Exactly two days ago,: I say bitterly.

  Gillian, why didn’t you trust me with the truth? This would have been so much easier if I’d known that someday I’d have to give up my entire life on land.

  :I’m not sure it made it that much easier for Bria and me to know ahead of time what was going to happen to us. We’re still pretty landsick right now.:

  :What do you miss the most?: Somehow, being around Tobin is calming, and I don’t want him to stop talking just yet. As I study him, I realize I like his face. He has even features, a stubborn chin, and a nice smile. :Or is it too hard to pick the one thing you miss the most?:

  :No, that’s easy. The one thing I miss more than anything else is music,: he says promptly. :Sound down here is too muffled. The ocean is quiet compared to our life on land. I guess I can hear more than I expected to, like the whisper of sand slipping against sand along the bottom—or dolphins whistling, sawing, and clicking—but sea music isn’t the music I know. And now I’d better report back to Kyel. He might have more chores for me.:

  :Who made Kyel boss, anyway?:

  :Actually, we did, two weeks ago, in an election,: Tobin says with a crooked grin. :He beat Ree by two votes, and she’s still sore about it. Kyel knows more about fighting than any of us. His father was a soldier before he went AWOL and started fighting with the Western Resistance. Kyel’s lived with a guerrilla band up in the San Gabriel Mountains since he was little. He can come on kind of strong sometimes, but so far he’s done a good job of keeping us alive.:

  :I’ll have to take your word for it. Thanks again for fixing up my leg.:

  :You’re welcome. And by the way, I have to agree with Dai,: Tobin adds with a smile that lights up his green eyes. :I definitely think your life is worth more than a dolphin’s.:

  Thanks to Tobin, I’m in a happier mood as I go to my hammock. Before I climb into it, Kyel informs me that I’ll have sentry duty for two hours in the middle of the night. Looking at his set expression, I realize I don’t want to try convincing him that we’ll be safe with the pod sleeping nearby. Dolphins literally sleep with one half of their brains awake at all times, so I know the pod will give us plenty of warning if a big predator comes calling.

  Irritated, I climb into my hammock and tie myself in. I’d love to get a good night’s sleep, but I just don’t have the guts to challenge Kyel again so soon.

  :Robry, how are you doing?: I ask as he settles himself in the hammock next to mine.

  :Tired,: he admits. :But I think I’m glad we joined up with Kyel’s group. I like Bria.:

  :I like her, too.:

  I want to ask Robry how he’s really doing, but he looks so tired, I decide to let it go for now.

  :G’night, Nere,: Robry says sleepily.

  :Good night, dartling.:

  As exhaustion sucks me down into sleep, I’m aware of the vast, dark mass of water that separates me from the sky and the stars I’ve always loved.

  REE CURTLY WAKES ME UP at midnight so that I can take my turn keeping watch. I swim back and forth across our canyon, my speargun at the ready. Shivers go down my back when I see a big rust-colored octopus engulf a lobster and gobble it up. I hope nothing comes along and gobbles me up.

  I told Tobin that since my transformation, I’ve had no time to think. All alone doing my sentry duty, I suddenly have too much time.

  I wonder where Cam is tonight. I refuse to believe they executed him. The Western Collective needs strong, healthy young men. But how badly was he hurt by that solar blast? If they’ve sent him to a work camp, I hope he won’t cause trouble. He has to stay alive.

  I don’t want to
think about how my mother died. Instead I try to focus on a happy memory of her. I smile when I remember how excited she would get when one of our young dolphins learned a new behavior, or how James could make her laugh with his stupid jokes. I also remember the smile she sent me right before she saved my life.

  I know she loved James and me, but I still can’t believe she did this to our bodies.

  A flash of motion startles me, and Densil is at my side, watching me curiously with his intelligent dark eyes.

  :why are you sad?:

  :I miss my mother.:

  :we all miss her, too. why are you angry?:

  I blink at his question, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Densil and I grew up together. He’s always been able to read my moods even better than Cam or Robry.

  :I can’t believe my mother changed me so that I would always have to live in the ocean.:

  :you do not like the sea?:

  :It’s not my home.:

  :it is now,: comes his practical reply. :I am happy you are always going to live in the sea,: he adds, flipping his head for emphasis.

  :Thanks.: I have to smile at his enthusiasm. :But I think it’s going to take me a while to get used to that idea. You should be resting with the others.:

  :I will sleep when you sleep,: he says simply, and for the rest of my watch he brings me shells and starfish and funny little green crabs that make me laugh, and I no longer feel so sad and lonely.

  I’m relieved when my two hours are over. Densil returns to the pod, and I go to wake up Tobin. He’s placed his hammock on the outside of Ree’s and Bria’s, probably to make sure that a shark will eat him before it eats the girls. He looks so peaceful sleeping that I hate to wake him.

  :Tobin, you need to get up now,: I call to him, but he’s too sound asleep to hear me.

  At last I resort to shaking him gently. He starts and sits bolt upright in his hammock. His hand goes to the knife at his belt as he looks around wildly.

  :Tobin, it’s all right. Nothing’s wrong. It’s just time for you to relieve me on sentry duty.:

  His eyes focus on me, and his alarm fades. He rubs his face with his hands. When he lowers them, he looks embarrassed.

  :It’s going to take me a while to get used to waking up to this,: he says with a grim nod toward the black ocean all around us.

  :I know.:

  :Sweet dreams,: he calls as I swim back to my hammock.

  I raise my hand to acknowledge his words, but I’m afraid my dreams will be anything but sweet.

  ~ ~ ~

  The ocean is just starting to get gray when Dai wakes me from a troubled sleep. :Kyel wants everyone up, pronto,: he says as I glare at him sleepily. When I don’t move right away, he grins, grabs my hammock, and starts shaking it.

  :All right, I’m getting up,: I say crossly before he can dump me out of it.

  :Guess you aren’t a morning person. By the way, who’s Cam?:

  :Someone I knew on land,: I reply without thinking, and then I wake up enough to wonder how Dai knows anything about Cam. :You’ve been eavesdropping on my thoughts again,: I say accusingly.

  :I didn’t have to eavesdrop. You’re a noisy dreamer. I can’t help hearing you.:

  :Oh,: I say, wondering if I should apologize, but Dai is already turning away from me. I hope my nightmares didn’t keep him awake all night.

  We are a quiet group as we pack up our hammocks and eat a quick breakfast of halibut and lobster. Somehow, raw fish is tasting better to me. Maybe my body is starting to crave the kinds of food I need to eat down here to survive.

  We head out for Santa Cruz right after breakfast. If we make good time we could reach the island by tonight. Making good time is painful, though. My legs feel stiff as logs when I begin kicking with my fins. I glance at Lena. If my legs feel this sore, she must be in agony. Her face is pale, but she doesn’t complain to anyone. Maybe she’s afraid that Kyel will threaten to leave her behind again.

  We make good progress much of the morning, riding a strong current the dolphins find for us. Near noon, Mariah, who is off hunting with Tisi and the rest of the pod, suddenly calls me.

  :the big boat is heading toward you!:

  By big boat, I know she means another Marine Guard cutter. My heart races while I relay her news to Kyel. There’s nothing but sandy bottom below us. Quickly, I ask the pod about the terrain around us.

  :The dolphins say there are rocks ahead, maybe a quarter mile away,: I tell Kyel and the others.

  :We’ll have to split up and sprint for them, using the dolphins,: Kyel decides quickly. :After the pod gets here, Bria and Lena will come with me. Ree, Thom, and Tobin, you stay together. The three of you:—he gestures toward Dai, Robry, and me—:spread out, but stay in visual contact with one another.:

  After a long, agonizing minute, the pod arrives. Now I’m glad I suggested that everyone practice being towed. Without my asking, the dolphins go straight to the person they worked with yesterday.

  :We must reach the rocks before the boat reaches us,: I tell Mariah and Densil, and they tell the others in excited whistles and sawing sounds. Wasting no time, we head off in our different groups.

  I can tell that the dolphins are having fun racing one another with their human partners against the approaching boat—except for Mariah and Densil. They understand we could be killed or captured if that boat finds us.

  I try to keep my body still and straight so that I create as little drag as possible while Sokya tows me. Dai’s and Robry’s dolphins are keeping pace with Sokya. The others have disappeared in the cloudy water. I listen hard for the sound of engines in the distance, and then I hear them. Is that boat in sonar range yet? When will the sand below me change?

  There! I see the first dark ribs of rock appear on the ocean floor. Sokya starts angling downward.

  Suddenly, a piercing scream rings in my head. I think it’s Bria!

  :shark!: Mariah calls to me a second later, and I feel her panic and fear for little Tisi, who is never far from her.

  Sokya starts whistling and sawing wildly.

  :Go!: I tell her as I swim for the rocks. I’m sure I can find some crack where I can hide. Right now I want Sokya to help Mariah and Bria. Sokya dashes away with Nika at her side. I hope Bria is all right.

  I see that Robry is swimming hard for the rocks, too. Where are Dai and Ton? I can’t see them anywhere. I feel a sharp stab of disappointment. I thought we could depend on Dai. But what do I really know about him, anyway?

  :Nere, head north!: Dai calls me. :Ton’s found a hiding place for us. It’ll be a pretty tight fit, but I think it’ll work. I’m sending Ton to find you.:

  Seconds later, Ton streaks up from the rocks. He turns around when he knows we’ve seen him, and leads us back the way he just came.

  The sound of the engines is growing louder. We don’t have time to reach Dai’s hiding place. We are going to be in sonar range any moment.

  DESPERATE TO ESCAPE that boat’s sonar, I reach out to Ton. I don’t know the signal Dai uses to ask him for a tow. Instead, I try to send him an image of what we need, the way I communicate with Kona or Ricca, who can’t use human words.

  I can tell that Ton is startled by my mental contact. An instant later, though, he swims between Robry and me.

  :I think he’s willing to give us a tow,: I gasp to Robry.

  We both grab on to Ton’s dorsal. The big dolphin surges forward through the water, pulling us down toward the rocks much faster than we could swim on our own.

  :In here!: Dai calls. I look to my left. Dai is waving to us from a narrow, horizontal gash in the rock wall. As Ton pulls us closer, I see that Dai was right: it is going to be tight.

  :I’ll go first. I’m the smallest,: Robry offers, and he flashes past me, takes off his fins, and wedges himself into the back of the cleft.

  After taking a look at Dai’s long legs, I slip off my own fins and settle myself next to Robry. I try to send feelings of gratitude to Ton as Dai sits next to me. Ton bobs
his head at me before Dai sends him away with a hand signal.

  I close my eyes and reach out to Sokya.

  :Is everyone all right?:

  :no one was hurt. together we made the big shark go away.: She sounds pleased with herself, as always.

  I sigh with relief.

  :Bria’s fine,: Kyel reports to everyone moments later. :She’s just a little shaken up. We were hunting for a place to hide, and we came face-to-face with a large shark. The dolphins chased it off. We’re waiting under a large ledge. Is everyone else hidden from that boat?:

  I overhear Dai, Tobin, and Thom all check in with Kyel. Everyone has found a place to hide, and not a second too soon. The bass vibrations from the cutter’s engines fill the water all around us.

  :Well, isn’t this cozy?:

  Dai is grinning at me. We are packed in so tightly, I realize our shoulders and arms are touching.

  :I think I owe that boat captain a favor,: he adds, a gleam of mischief in his dark eyes. :I wouldn’t mind if he decided to drive in circles over our heads for the next few hours.:

  :I think your muscles would get a little cramped by then.: I nod at his long legs, which he’s had to bend to fit into our hiding spot.

  :The pain would be worth it,: he says, looking at me. I feel my cheeks heat up as I stare back at him. Is Dai actually flirting with me? No one’s ever flirted with me before, but I’ve seen boys flirt with girls at school. Lena seems so much more his type.

  My gaze falls to a small black coral ring he’s wearing on a thin black cord around his neck. Trying to hide how uncomfortable I feel, I ask, :What’s that?:

  He looks down at the ring, and his smile fades. :It’s something my sister gave me a long time ago. I wear it to remember her.:

  I sense the sadness he is trying to hide. :Did she die?:

  :Yes. Did Cam?:

  I close my eyes as pain sears through me. :I don’t know,: I answer after a long minute.

  :You can never be with him anyway,: Dai says matter-of-factly. :You breathe water now, and if he’s still alive, he breathes air. The Neptune transformation is permanent. There’s no going back to a life on land for you.: