The Neptune Challenge

by Polly Holyoke

  “I’m getting there,” my dad assures Tobin. “While working on the Project, Idaine met a charismatic marine geneticist named Ran Kuron. They fell in love and married. They even had children while working secretly on the Project, and then something went terribly wrong. Idaine’s research vessel sank in a calm sea off the coast of Vancouver Island, and Kuron became more and more unstable after her death. He refused to give us the c-plankton cultures she’d developed. We also discovered that he’d sought out rich investors around the world and used their backing to break the most fundamental rules and ethics of our program.”

  I stare at my father’s set face. I’m not sure I’ve ever sensed so much anger in him.

  “Our goal had always been to create humans who were superbly adapted to the sea, but still human in terms of their basic nature. Kuron became obsessed with creating the perfect species of humanoid to dominate the world under the waves. He began splicing genes from all sorts of sea creatures, including sharks and electric eels, into his human subjects, with little concern for their mental stability or happiness. Wasp and her gang are examples of his warped program.”

  I remember an old novel my teacher back home gave me to read. It was the story of a man who was determined to create life no matter what the consequences. He even loved the tormented monster that he made.

  He sounds like a Dr. Frankenstein of the sea, I key quickly.

  “That’s a good analogy, although I think Dr. Frankenstein had a conscience and was a great deal saner than Ran Kuron is at this point,” my father replies grimly.

  Are Idaine’s c-plankton cultures in his fortress? Kalli asks, her face intent.

  “We think it’s likely. Kuron seems obsessed with her memory and determined to hold on to every bit of her research. We’ve tried to make him see what incredible value these cultures have for all life on the planet, but Kuron won’t listen to us. He doesn’t care what happens to the surface world because he’s so determined to establish a new civilization under the waves, one that’s completely under his control.”

  “That’s why we’re now willing to take some greater risks where Kuron is concerned,” Vival says. “Millions are dying all around the world because of the scarcity of food and water caused by global warming. We can’t afford to wait any longer. Your mission would be to infiltrate Atlantea, find your friends, and try to free them. But we also want some of you to locate those cultures, steal them, and bring them back to us.”

  My heart skips a beat. Densil told me this place is huge, I key quickly. We’ll never find the cultures and get out without being caught.

  “You’re right,” Vival says. “You will be caught, but that’s also part of our plan.”

  My friends and I glance at one another uneasily. I wonder if we heard her right.

  “You see, Kuron seems insane to us,” Vival continues calmly, “but he has been consistent in his ultimate goal of creating the perfect human to survive in the sea. We believe he’s come to realize the results of his own program are too wild and mentally unstable. That’s why he’s become so interested in our program again. He has demanded several times now that we send him some Neptune young people. Of course we refused, and now he’s resorted to this.”

  So that’s why he took Bria and Robry. He wants us to go after them so he can capture even more Neptune kids. Tobin looks like he’s ready to hit someone.

  And you want us to swim in there and say, “Hey, go ahead and take us prisoner”? Lena scowls as she keys her question into the computer.

  “No, we want you to do your best to not get caught,” Vival replies. “We want you to find Bria and Robry and send them back. But we need a team of four volunteers who will penetrate farther into the fortress, knowing full well they eventually will be caught. Their mission is to stay on; pretend that they are willing to join Kuron’s group; and, when they can, steal the cultures.”

  This Kuron nut job isn’t going to let us just swim out of there when we’re ready, Thom points out.

  “That’s why Nere’s dolphins are going to play a crucial part in this,” Vival declares. “We need one of you with the ability to speak to Mariah and her family to be on that team. You can tell them when you are ready to escape, they will relay that information to us, and the Sea Rangers will mine the fortress supports and stage a diversionary attack to help you get away safely.”

  Tobin and I look at each other. We’re the only two who can actually hear Mariah’s words in our minds. Bria can, too, but I know if we manage to free her, Tobin and I will send her straight back to Safety Harbor.

  What about those shredders we ran into on our last two patrols to the south? Janni asks. If Kuron has a hundred more of those monsters swimming around his fortress, it’s really going to be tough for us to get away.

  Exactly what are these shredders? Lena keys in before I can.

  “Kuron appears to have spliced great white shark genes with human ones to create a powerful new mutate to guard his fortress,” Dav replies soberly. “We won’t lie to you. These shark mutates will make your mission even more dangerous. We’re certain, though, that Kuron controls the shredders through an underwater radio frequency, and we’ve been developing a system to jam that communication. You’ll be taking some of our jammers with you, but they’re still prototypes.”

  Meaning you’re not exactly sure if they’ll work, Penn points out.

  I don’t care if those jammers work or not. I’m in, Tobin keys swiftly. When can we leave?

  My father holds up a hand. “We plan to send you off first thing in the morning. Remember, we need four of you to stay on and try to steal the c-plankton. Don’t volunteer for that job unless you have strong mental shields. We have reason to believe Kuron has some powerful telepaths working for him.”

  With a pang, I wonder if they’re referring to Dai, who is one of the strongest telepaths I’ve ever encountered. I glance at my friends. Dad, could we have a few minutes to talk this over?

  After a moment, he nods, and we all swim from the cave and float in a circle outside it.

  :I think this Kuron guy and his shredders are a major threat to Safety Harbor. I’ll volunteer to stay on. We have to find out what he’s really up to,: Janni says earnestly.

  :I’m in, too, for all of it,: Thom declares, his face serious. :I fought the Western Collective and saw a lot of friends die, but we never changed anything. We pull this off, we change everything for people back on land.:

  :Yeah, it will help people on land, but we don’t live on land anymore,: Penn points out. :Our future is in the sea now. Is this really our fight?:

  :It totally is,: Kalli argues. :Phytoplankton, the foundation of the food chain, is dying as the oceans heat. The seas are also absorbing more carbon dioxide and becoming more acidic, and that’s killing corals and shellfish.:

  :A whole bunch of life down here will die if global warming isn’t reversed soon,: Seth adds soberly. :That’s why I’m volunteering to be one of the four who stays.:

  :Me, too,: Rohan adds.

  :The gangs I ran with back home,: Ree says, her expression pensive, :we were always fighting just to live. There was never enough food and never enough water. It all goes back to this planet burning up. Those loco kids at Atlantea scare me, too, but we gotta try to steal that c-plankton stuff. I’m in.:

  Closing my eyes, I think of the scorching days I endured down south and all the species of plants and animals that have disappeared from there. Because I already love this green, rugged coast, I don’t want it to die, too. I also know my telepathy could be a big help on this mission. Telepaths are great at finding things that people want to keep hidden, things like secret c-plankton cultures.

  But I’m not sure I’m brave enough to face Dai or Wasp again, much less to try to save the world. I just want Bria and Robry back safe with us.

  I open my eyes when Tobin speaks up. :I’m going to volunteer to be one of the four as well,: he says, his gaze never leaving my face. :I can talk to the dolphins, too, so there’s no re
ason for both of us to stay on there.:

  I am sure of one thing. I don’t want Tobin to become a prisoner in Kuron’s fortress, surrounded by Wasp and the rest of those angry mutates.

  :You can’t be one of the four volunteers,: I blurt, :because I’m also volunteering.: I decide on the spot. :And they don’t need both of us to talk to the dolphins.:

  Tobin has a stubborn set to his jaw that tells me he’s already made up his mind. Desperately, I search for a way to convince him he shouldn’t volunteer.

  :Bria will need you when we get her back to Safety Harbor. You can’t leave her on her own. You’re all the family she has.:

  :I wouldn’t be leaving her on her own. I know you’ll look after her. She already feels like you’re her big sister.: He turns and looks at the others. :But if something happens to me, you guys will look after Bria, too, right?:

  :You know we will,: Lena promises him, and the rest nod.

  :That settles it, then,: Tobin says. :We’ll tell the doc and Vival that eight of us volunteer, and they can decide which four should stay on to steal the c-plankton cultures.:

  We return to the briefing cave, and my father and the helper staff promise they’ll tell us after lunch which four of us they’ve chosen.

  The chicken part of me really hopes they don’t pick me to try to steal the c-plankton. Rescuing Robry and Bria is scary enough. Staying on with those freaky kids, the shredders, and the twisted man who created them is even worse.

  We spend the rest of that morning poring over charts of our route to Atlantea and Nootka Sound, where Kuron’s fortress is located. We also study photographs the helper staff took of the surface fortifications of Atlantea, which bristle with formidable laser-gun emplacements. Penn spends a great deal of time with Dav looking at the jammers and figuring out how they’re supposed to work.

  After lunch, Vival and my father call us back to the briefing cave. I try not to look too scared when they name me along with Thom, Kalli, and Janni as part of the team to steal the c-plankton. Tobin, Ree, and Rohan are alternates in case some of us get hurt or killed. Tobin does not look happy that I was picked instead of him.

  “Janni, you’ll be in charge of the team as you travel to Atlantea. Nere, we’re placing you in charge of the insertion team,” my father says. “We hope you’ll have a chance to use your telepathy to search Kuron’s mind and find out where he’s keeping the c-plankton.”

  As I look at my worried dad, I realize my strong telepathy is probably why he had to agree to my selection even though he really doesn’t want me to go on this mission.

  We spend the rest of that day packing our travel gear and training Sokya to carry the probe we’ll use to scout the fortress.

  After dinner, I swim to the perimeter and surface. Looking at the craggy, forbidding coast of Vancouver Island, I picture sweet Bria and smart, funny Robry clearly in my mind. Atlantea lies on the far side of the island, so I know they are beyond my telepathic range. Still, I call out to them, :You guys have gotta hold on just a little while longer. We’re coming to get you!:

  The next morning, our rescue team gathers by the bubble wall with our travel gear just as the sea starts to lighten.

  JANNI AND ROHAN carefully inspect our gear and spearguns. After they finish, my father’s helper staff hands out spear darts tipped with powerful explosive charges, or “boomers,” as everyone at Safety Harbor calls them.

  :In case shredders or large sharks attack us, each of you will be issued one of these today,: Janni tells us soberly, nodding toward the boomers. :I know you’ve been practicing with mock-ups, so remember to be careful as you carry these. If you trigger a boomer by accident, it could blow off your head or your hand.:

  I watch as Janni slips her own boomer cautiously back into her quiver. I really hope we don’t run into shredders today. Those mutates sound so dangerous, I wonder if the boomers could truly help against them.

  Vival, Dav, and my father wish us good luck, and then Janni leads us through the bubble wall. After we cross it, Mariah and her family swim excited circles around us. Four dolphins from the Safety Harbor pod join us as well. Soon we settle into our travel formation with Janni swimming point, Seth bringing up the rear, and our dolphins swimming protectively around us.

  Although we’re constantly on the lookout for danger, I can’t help smiling when we come across a group of playful sea lions diving, flipping, and twisting through a nearby kelp bed. A curious pod of black-and-white Dall’s porpoises, which look like small killer whales, keep pace with us for a time, and once we even hear a pod of real orcas squealing and calling to one another in the distance.

  As we swim, Janni explains Sea Ranger procedures for dealing with various threats, from sharks to Marine Guard vessels. Clearly she sees this time as a chance to further our training. She even talks to us about Sea Ranger protocols for hunting. I’d be more irritated with her, but I’m starting to understand that Janni wants to keep us safe, and her lectures do help to keep my mind off Bria and Robry, and where we’re going.

  We’re three hours out from Safety Harbor and making good time when the dolphins start whistling and clicking in alarm.

  :What is it?: I ask Sokya. She’s scouting the waters to the south of us.

  :there are many shark people coming.:

  A shiver races down my backbone. :Can you send me a visual?:

  Halia, who is with Sokya and can’t communicate in human words, sends me a vivid picture instead. I try not to panic as I absorb her image of several strange shark mutates cutting swiftly through the sea. They look like strong teen guys with elongated shark faces and sharp teeth.

  :I think the dolphins just spotted several shredders,: I tell Janni quickly. :And they’re headed right for us!:

  Janni doesn’t hesitate. :Signal your dolphins that you need a tow, and load your boomers. We have to be able to react quickly. Stay in tight formation as we keep heading south.:

  :We’re still going on? Shouldn’t we try to hide from these things?: Lena asks exactly what I’m thinking.

  :Our job is to get to Atlantea as quickly as possible,: Janni snaps. :Last time we saw these shredders, we kept calm and pretty much ignored them, and after they checked us out, they left us alone.:

  Tobin and I exchange looks of disbelief. Right now we’re in open water with only sandy bottom beneath us.

  :But, Janni,: I blurt, :we just passed an underwater canyon that could give us some protection if these mutates do decide to attack us.:

  :I’m the leader of this mission, and I say we stand a better chance if we keep going,: Janni retorts. :Your job is to follow my orders, whether or not you’re the doc’s daughter.:

  Is that what’s been bothering her? I don’t have time to deal with her issues now. Instead, I call Sokya to tow me, and I tell her that the rest need tows, too.

  :Mariah, we’re going to try to slip past those shark mutates, but no matter what happens, you and Tisi hang back.: Mariah’s like a mother to me, and her language abilities are so valuable, I never risk her life in a fight if I can avoid it.

  :be careful. they feel very wrong to us,: she warns me.

  :We will be.: I hope I can keep that promise.

  Our dolphins quickly find their human partners while three from the Safety Harbor pod come to tow Seth, Janni, and Rohan. I take hold of Sokya’s dorsal. She surges forward, her powerful tail propelling us both through the sea. My heart is thudding against my ribs as our brave dolphins pull us toward the approaching shredders.

  :There they are!: Janni says, pointing to the southeast. :I’m going to lead us around them. Have your spearguns ready just in case the shredders do attack, and Penn, get ready to turn on your jammer if we need it.:

  At first all I can see are six dark shapes kicking swiftly through the water. As they draw closer, I shudder. Their bodies appear human, but their faces are impossibly long and pointed. They swim with their mouths partly open, the way sharks do. A big school of Pacific cod darts away from them in a silver flash.r />
  When the shredders get closer, I see they have at least two rows of sharp, pointed teeth in their lower jaws. Their eyes are a flat, dark slate, with little sign of feeling, like bull sharks and great whites.

  I feel Sokya’s fear rising, just like my own. I give her a quick rub, then grip my speargun tighter and get ready to fire.

  But the shredders don’t attack us. Instead, they swim right past our team. At first I think they are going to ignore us completely, and then they turn and start circling around our group.

  :Should we turn on the jammers now?: Penn asks Janni tightly, his hand hovering over the small square device clipped to his utility belt.

  :Not unless they charge us. This is like what happened last time. They just watched us and we watched them,: Janni says, her mental tone cool. She might seem calm, but these mutates have me completely freaked. :They didn’t attack us that day, but they did tear apart one of our dolphins when it got curious and swam too close.:

  :You’ve told the dolphins to stay away from them?: Seth asks me anxiously.

  :Oh yeah,: I reply. :My dolphins want nothing to do with these things.: It’s eerie to watch the shredders swim in perfect unison, just the way schools of small fish do.

  :Hey, Nere, check that out.: Kalli points to a shiny shape in the distance. There’s a small triangular-shaped sub hovering to the south of us.

  :That’s probably the same sub they used to snatch Robry and Bria,: Tobin says, his face flushing.

  :I bet someone in that sub is controlling them.: Penn jerks his head at the shredders. :Do you want to try and get a read on whoever’s driving that thing?: he asks me.

  :Good idea.: I close my eyes and extend my senses, but I’m overwhelmed by an intense, gnawing hunger close by. I open my eyes and stare at the shredders circling us.

  :Those shredders are starving,: I tell the others as goose bumps chill my skin. :It’s like all they can feel is hunger. They desperately want to eat us, but something’s stopping them.:

  :Or someone,: Penn says with another glance at the sub.