The Neptune Project

by Polly Holyoke

  I look around and see that I’m not the only one shocked by his callous words.

  :Maybe there isn’t a big difference,: Robry speaks up, :but I think we’re really arguing about how we’re going to live down here. We should take time to bury our friends when it’s not too risky for the rest of us.:

  :I agree with Dai,: Kyel says flatly. :Going back on land means an unacceptable amount of risk for us at any time.:

  :Maybe we should put it to a vote,: Lena suggests.

  :It doesn’t matter how your vote turns out,: Penn says with a wild look in his eyes. :I’m going to bury Sara on land with or without your help!:

  :All right, then,: Kyel says, fighting to keep control of the situation. :A small volunteer burial detachment can remain here today, and tonight you can bury her body and rendezvous with us back at the freighter in the morning.:

  In the end, Penn, Tobin, Thom, and I decide to remain at the yacht while the rest return to the freighter. As the others get ready to leave, Dai still seems angry about my choice.

  :Just be careful up there.: He glowers at me. :I’ll be listening for you, and if you run into trouble under the water, Ton and I will come.:

  ~ ~ ~

  Tobin, Penn, Thom, and I spend most of that day sleeping in the wreck. When night falls, we head for land with Sara’s body wrapped in kelp. The dolphins guard us while Penn and Thom go ashore to pick a burial site. After they return to the water to reoxygenate properly, they tell Tobin and me where to dig.

  When I walk out of the surf and take my first deep breath of air, it feels harsh and dry in my lungs. I have to reach out my arms to steady myself because I’ve lost my sense of balance. Reluctantly, I face the truth: my parents have changed me so completely I no longer feel at home on land.

  Tobin and I find the gravesite Penn has chosen, beneath a hardy scrub oak. There, we dig at the sandy soil with sticks until we grow so hot and out of breath that we have to return to the sea. We take turns with Thom and Penn until the grave is deep enough, and then we all troop ashore to finish our sad task.

  Thom and Penn gently lower Sara’s body into the grave. We stand there awkwardly. I look at Penn, wondering if he wants to say anything, but he can only stare down at Sara’s body, his face wet with tears. Tobin clears his throat. “I could sing a song for her, or a hymn.”

  “Sara did go to church,” Penn gets out. “And sometimes I went, too, just to be with her. She always liked that one about joy.”

  Tobin frowns, and then his face clears. “Do you mean ‘Ode to Joy’?” He hums a bar of it, and Penn nods to show that Tobin has the right one. Tobin tilts his head back and launches into the old hymn. Even though he has to pause from time to time to catch his breath, he has a fine, rich voice, and the song he sings is beautiful.

  As I listen to Tobin, I feel like I’m saying farewell to my life on land along with saying good-bye to Sara. Tears slip down my cheeks, and they aren’t all for the dead girl at my feet.

  “I’ll cover her up now,” Thom offers when Tobin is finished.

  Tobin and I take Penn back to the shore while Thom fills in the grave. Penn is still crying, but he seems more at peace.

  AS WE RETURN TO THE SEA, I can’t help panting, and my lungs feel like they’re on fire. The moon emerges from its thick cover of clouds and floods the beach with silver light.

  Tobin tenses beside me. “Nere, there’s a man down at the south end of the beach. I think he’s watching us.”

  I look to the south, my heart pounding. There is a single dark figure standing absolutely still, facing our direction.

  “I don’t know what he’s doing out here, but he looks way too interested in us,” Tobin says. “We’d better get out of here, fast.”

  Tobin sprints for the water, and Penn and I follow on his heels. Maybe Dai was right after all. Maybe we were stupid to do this. We’d all be so much safer if no one knew we were here on Santa Cruz.

  I dive into a wave and let the cool seawater flow down into my dry lungs. Thom joins us shortly. Surrounded by the dolphins, we head for the yacht. As I swim, I worry about the man I saw on the beach. I wonder who he is and if he’ll report to the Marine Guard that he saw a group of young people who disappeared into the sea.

  Thom, Penn, Tobin, and I spend the night in the wreck. We leave the yacht at first light. By midmorning, we reach the place where Neptune Project survivors from all along the southern coast are supposed to rendezvous—the wreck of the freighter Alicante.

  The old cargo freighter looks much the way I remembered her from a research trip we took to Santa Cruz when I was ten. The ship sits upright against a rock reef in fifty feet of water. She was a big vessel with a raised wheelhouse. Fifty yards from her stern is the start of a large kelp forest, which gives us a good escape route if we come under attack. Even though she sank just twenty years ago when her drunken captain ran her into a shoal, her rails and hull are already covered with a thick growth of sea fans, barnacles, algae, and seaweed.

  Bria and Robry rush out of the freighter to greet us, and Kyel follows them more slowly. :Welcome to the Alicante Hotel,: Robry says with a grin as he gestures to the wreck. :It’s the very best in undersea lodging.:

  Kyel orders Robry and Bria to show us around. Talking excitedly, they give us a tour through the wheelhouse, crew cabins, crew mess, and hold. My parents did choose a good spot for us to hide out. Because the Alicante is a relatively young wreck, her bulkheads are still in good shape and strong enough to offer us protection from predators and sonar sweeps.

  :You won’t believe what we found in the crew’s mess,: Robry announces in a dramatic tone. The gleam in his eyes gives me some warning. I fall back and let Tobin, Penn, and Thom go ahead of me into the mess. A second later, Bria pops out of a dim corner holding a big dead crab in front of her, waving its pincers in the boys’ faces. All three of them jump in surprise while Robry and Bria giggle in triumph.

  :Dudes, that was so not cool,: Thom complains, but he smiles at their trick.

  :I’m going to get you for that later,: Tobin promises his little sister, which just makes her giggle harder.

  Finally we manage to convince our laughing guides to continue with our tour. I leave my seapack and speargun in the large crew cabin that we’re using as the girls’ dormitory.

  As soon as we’ve finished exploring the wreck, Kyel calls a meeting in the wheelhouse. As we find places to settle, Kyel watches us, his expression serious. I realize I’ve only seen Kyel really smile twice. The first time was when he met the dolphins, and the second was when Kona gave him his first tow. Kyel’s solemn air makes him seem older than the rest of us; though I’d guess he’s only a few years older than me. Maybe if I’d spent most of my life fighting the Western Collective, I’d look older, too.

  :Now that we’re all here, we need a plan,: Kyel begins. :I think we should take turns swimming patrols every day. We all need to get more fit:—Kyel’s gaze lingers on Lena—:and ready for our long trip north to Dr. Hanson’s colony. These patrols will also prepare us to deal with trouble out in the open ocean.:

  :Furthermore, I think we need to teach one another useful skills while we wait for more Neptune kids to make it here. Dai and Robry, you two can teach the rest of us how to shoot our spearguns more accurately. I’ll teach a class on hand-to-hand combat. Tobin, I think you should teach us as many of your medical skills as you can. Nere, you need to teach us how to communicate with the dolphins. Right now, if something were to happen to Nere or Tobin, we’d be in big trouble.:

  I feel my cheeks heat while I stare back at everyone. I understand that they need me because of the dolphins, but I can’t help feeling glad that I’m important to this group. I’ve spent so much of my life being invisible.

  :Robry actually knows most of the hand signals I use,: I point out, :but I’d be happy to teach them to everyone anyway.:

  :Good.: Kyel nods. :No one should leave the freighter without a partner and without letting me know. We’ll have one person up here i
n the wheelhouse on the lookout for danger at all times. I’ll take the first watch. Everyone rest up for an hour, and then we start our training.:

  Feeling like I’ve just been dismissed from class, I head for the girls’ dormitory. I need to figure out what to do with my hair. For days it’s been floating around me in a tangled mess.

  I fetch a comb from my seapack and set to work. After five minutes of tugging at the snarls, I’m swearing and ready to give up. Maybe I’d be better off wearing it short down here. I yank my knife from its sheath and I’m about to saw off the first piece when Lena, Kalli, and Ree swim into the cabin. Clearly they’ve already become friends and allies, just like Robry and Bria.

  :What do you think you’re doing?: Ree asks me with a surprised look at my knife.

  :I’m going to cut off my stupid hair,: I say. :It’s just one huge knot now, and it keeps getting in my way.:

  :That’s what you get for rushing off to fight sharks and bury people,: Lena says with a shrug.

  :I guess so,: I say, trying to act as though her words and tone don’t sting. I take a deep breath and start sawing at the first big tangled lock.

  :Stop!: Kalli cries, and grabs my wrist. :We can help you get this mess untangled, unless you really want short hair.:

  I study Kalli. Her skin is brown, her eyes are large, and she has a long oval face framed by thick dark hair caught back in several braids. She’s tall and skinny and built like a distance runner. Her expression is friendly. I remember she didn’t want to stay with Sara when she was dying, but maybe she didn’t really know her. Their first day in the sea must have been terrifying.

  :I’d rather keep my hair long,: I admit, :if I can figure out a way to keep this mess out of my face and out of the way.:

  :Ree’s got that all figured out,: Kalli says. :She braided mine for me last night, and it turned out great.:

  Kalli’s many braids do look pretty, and practical. She has them tied in two sets, one on either side of her head.

  I look at Ree. :I can do yours, too,: she offers grudgingly.

  :That’s all right,: I say, feeling my face start to burn. :I can figure something out on my own.:

  Kalli sends Ree a long look. :I’m sure Ree wouldn’t mind.:

  I can tell Ree does mind, but Kalli wins out. Even Lena ends up fetching a comb. Soon, among the three of them, they have my hair untangled, and Ree deftly begins to braid it. Even though I still feel uncomfortable with the girls, I can’t help closing my eyes and enjoying the touch of Ree’s hands on my head. Bria floats in after a time and hands Ree ties she’s cut from a thin black cord she found in her seapack.

  It’s easier after Bria comes. She chatters away happily to all of us, and even Lena is nice to her. I try to pretend we are a group of girlfriends. I’ve never been part of a group before. There would have been six of us if Sara had lived. I can’t forget her face.

  I open my eyes, and my gaze finds Kalli. :I’m really sorry about Sara.:

  :I am, too,: Kalli says. :But I didn’t know her well. She lived two villages down the coast from me. I just saw her a few times at gatherings. It’s much harder for Penn. They grew up together.:

  :Was there supposed to be more of you?:

  :There were seven in our group originally. Somehow the secret police found out about us, and soldiers came right as we finished transforming. Only three of us made it out of Oxnay Harbor. I watched my cousin Ter get cut down and killed by soldiers with solar rifles.:

  I can feel the grief and horror roiling in her mind. :I’m sorry,: I say. I want to tell her about Gillian and Cam, but I just can’t. Instead I ask, :Did you always know you were a part of the Neptune Project?:

  :My mother told me when I was eleven, just after I almost died from a lung attack. I think she knew how much I needed to know my lungs would be better someday. That’s when I started to dream about living in the sea. I read and learned everything I could about oceanography. It’s amazing down here, but I never thought it would be this hard.…: Kalli’s mental voice trails off.

  :Her mother only got around to telling us three days ago.: Lena breaks in on our conversation and nods at me.

  Something in me snaps. :That would be the same woman who died when she stepped in front of a solar blast to help you, Robry, and me get away,: I remind her fiercely.

  Lena’s gaze falls before mine. Abruptly, she spins away and leaves the cabin.

  :Whew, what’s between you two?: Kalli asks.

  :She used to be my best friend.:

  :What happened?:

  :I don’t know,: I say bitterly, and it’s true. Did she stop being my friend because she wanted to become popular at school, and she had to dump me to make that happen? Or was there something more? I used to catch her gazing at me reproachfully, but I can’t remember doing anything, ever, to hurt her.

  I’m very aware that Ree is standing behind me, listening in on our conversation as she braids my hair. I wonder what Lena has told her about me.

  :We can tie your plaits into two clusters, or all together, like Dai’s, if you want,: Kalli suggests after an awkward pause. :Ree is almost finished now.:

  As if the sound of his name had summoned him, Dai pops his head in the door. Tobin, I see, is right behind him.

  :What are you doing?: Dai asks us curiously.

  I almost laugh at the effect he has on the other girls—even Bria. They all sit up straighter and smile at him.

  :We’re trying to keep Nere from cutting her hair off,: Bria tells him cheerfully.

  :I’m glad to hear it. That would have been a terrible crime.:

  Kalli laughs and Bria rolls her eyes. I would guess Ree is grimacing. I sit there as stupid as a giant clam, painfully aware that I’m blushing, and wishing that Dai would just go away.

  :Your wish is my command,: he tells me on a private send.

  :Stop reading my mind!:

  :Stop thinking so loudly about me, and I will.:

  I’m relieved when Dai and Tobin do go away, and Ree finishes tying back my new plaits all together.

  :Thank you,: I tell her, but she’s already turning away from me. She leaves the cabin, probably to find Lena.

  Kalli purses her lips as she studies me, and then she smiles. :I think that style suits you. It emphasizes those incredible cheekbones of yours.:

  I smile back at her. I didn’t know I had incredible cheekbones. I never really liked looking in a mirror, but for once, I wish I had one.

  Just then, Kyel calls us all to the cargo deck, where we work on hand-to-hand fighting for the next hour. Demonstrating various moves with Dai as his partner, Kyel shows us several ways to protect ourselves and to wound and disable divers. Kyel is clear and patient, even with Lena and Bria, who are the slowest to understand the various moves he wants us to practice.

  In the middle of their demonstration, Dai uses a move that Kyel isn’t expecting, and Dai’s knife ends up against Kyel’s throat. For a long, tense moment, the two of them stare at each other. I can sense the dislike and distrust radiating from them both. I’m relieved when Dai lowers his knife, and they both go on with the demonstration as if the moment never happened.

  Near the end of our lesson, they have us spar with a partner, using our knives still sheathed. I work with Robry, who is as quick and hard to hit as a little eel. We both earn words of praise from Kyel and from Dai.

  :All right, Nere.: Kyel startles me when the hour is over. :You’re up next. Teach us all about your dolphins and how they can help us to survive.:

  Suddenly, everyone’s eyes are on me. I gulp and wish I were anywhere else but here.

  AS I STARE AT EVERYONE staring at me, I decide that fighting a shark might be easier than trying to teach a big group like this. I reach out to Mariah and ask her to wait nearby to help. But I still can’t think of what to say. My stomach tightens and the awkward moment seems to stretch into forever.

  Ree grins maliciously and leans her head closer to Lena’s. I bet they are exchanging thoughts about me on a priv
ate send. I feel my face start to flush.

  :Maybe you could begin by telling us how you call the dolphins to you,: Tobin suggests with an encouraging smile.

  :Well, it depends on who I need to call.: I focus on his face and pretend I’m just talking to him, and suddenly it’s easier. :With most of the dolphins, I just send them a feeling that I need them, but with Mariah, Sokya, and Densil, I actually tell them in words what I want them to do.:

  Dai looks stunned. :Your dolphins can communicate to you in English?:

  :Well, yes, mostly because of Mariah. She was orphaned as a calf and grew up with my mother, who is—I mean was—a strong telepath.: My cheeks burn hotter over my stumble, but I make myself keep going. :They played together all the time, and somehow Mariah learned our language from her. She taught it to Sokya and Densil. The other dolphins in the pod just don’t seem interested or able to pick it up. I use hand commands or send visual images to them.:

  :Will we be able to communicate telepathically with Mariah?: Kyel asks me intently.

  :We’ll have to try and see. I’m going to call Mariah down here, and one at a time, you can try asking her to come to you. She’ll let me know if she can understand your thoughts.:

  I call Mariah and explain to her what we’re trying to find out.

  :I hear the youngest female, and she understands me,: Mariah replies promptly as she swims down from the surface with Tisi at her side.

  I look at Bria in surprise. :Mariah says she’s already been talking with you.:

  Bria blushes and looks uncomfortable at becoming the center of attention. :I started hearing her words in my mind that first day when Kyel and I saw the shark. She told me the dolphins were my pod now and they would make sure I stayed safe.:

  :This is great!: I tell her. :I’d like to start teaching you how to work with all of them right away.:

  :I’d love to,: Bria says, her eyes shining.

  Kyel looks pleased. He knows now that if something happens to me, he still has a way to communicate with the dolphins.