The Neptune Project (25 page)

:There're eleven of them and only ten of us,:
I counter.
:And something tells me they know how to use those spearguns.:


:BUT WE HAVE THE DOLPHINS,:
Thom says.
:They're like an army in themselves.:
He looks calm and ready to get into a full-scale battle with these strange kids, but the idea terrifies me. I just want to get us all safely to my father's colony.

:There's no reason to get into a fight here if I can talk us out of one,:
I think at my group quickly.
:Let me try that first.:


I look the black-haired girl straight in the eye.
:If we fight you, a lot of people are going to get hurt. Some may even die.:


:We're not afraid of dying.:


:Good for you,:
I say, trying to keep my mental tone even.
:Me, I am afraid of dying, at least over something as stupid as ‘turf,' as you call it. I'd rather live, and I bet a bunch of your friends probably would, too.:
I can tell my words are surprising them.
:So, why don't you tell us the boundaries of this turf of yours, and we'll just go around it.:


:Maybe we don't want to let you go around us,:
she says. The eager look in her eyes makes my heart fall. For some reason this girl
wants
to fight us.

:Our group can shoot.:
Dai speaks up for the first time.
:She's right.:
He gestures to me.
:A lot of us are going to get hurt if you push this to a fight.:


Dai and the strange girl stare at each other for a long moment, and I wonder if they are talking on a private send.

:All right.:
She addresses me again, and her yellow eyes still smolder.
:If you cowardly bunch of sea slugs head west for five miles, we'll leave you alone. But the toll for your passage is one of your dolphins. I meant it when I said we were hungry.:


:Why would you want to eat dolphin when we can give you fresh tuna?:
Dai says smoothly. Moments later, Ton appears, a big albacore struggling in his jaws. He drops the large fish in the no-man's-land between our groups, and one of the boys shoots the crippled tuna through the heart so quickly that I flinch. Now I'm convinced that we don't want to get into a shooting fight with these guys.

:Come on, Wasp, albacore beats dolphin any day,:
one of the boys speaks up.

This earns him a furious look from the girl, but clearly the rest seem to agree with him. Two even break ranks and eagerly fetch the dead fish.

:All right, you can go, and we'll leave you alone. For now,:
she says with a disgusted look at the boys.

Without another word to her, I quickly lead us seaward, up and over the western edge of the undersea canyon we had been following. We keep a close eye on the group behind us until the rock ridge hides them from view.

:What was that all about?:
Kalli asks in disbelief.

:Let's talk about what just happened while we keep swimming,:
I say. I realize I'm trembling.
:We need to get some distance between us and that group. Dai, you and Thom are our rear guard.:


Then I reach out to Mariah.
:Tell the rest of the pod to stay close, and let us know if you sense them coming after us. I think they meant it when they said they eat dolphin.:


I can feel Mariah's fear and revulsion.
:we will watch. there was something very wrong about them.:


:Dai, do you know anything about that group?:
I ask as I head west.

:I've run into them before, and you don't want anything to do with them. Their leader who spoke to you is called Wasp, and she deserves her name. She wears gloves because her fingers are covered with the same venomous tentacles as the sea wasp.:


I feel the hair rise on the back of my neck. The sea wasp is the most lethal species of jellyfish in the sea, killing many more people every year than sharks do.
:How can she possibly have sea-wasp venom on her fingertips?:


:Maybe she's a really messed-up Neptune kid,:
Kalli suggests.

:Or maybe someone else has been doing some gene splicing besides the scientists who created us,:
Robry speaks up.

:You mean, someone else got the bright idea of breeding fish-kids?:
Lena asks.

:Yeah, that's exactly what I mean,:
Robry replies grimly.
:I was watching the guy with the extra arms while Nere was talking, and the skin on his face actually changed colors when Ton brought the albacore. I know it sounds crazy, but I think someone spliced some octopus genes into him.:


:Is that possible?:
Tobin asks skeptically.

:Is it possible that we're all here with altered eyes that can see in the nighttime ocean and lungs that can breathe seawater?:
Robry counters.

:Good point,:
Penn says.

I go back to trying to dig more information out of Dai.
:Can you tell us anything else about them?:


:Just that you did the right thing to avoid a fight with them.:


:But where do they live? Do they have a base around here?:


:I'm not really sure. I only know I've run across them in these waters before,:
he says with his mind so tightly shielded, I'm sure he knows more than he's telling me. But it's clear I'm not going to get anything else out of him for now.

~ ~ ~

I'm determined to reach the safety of my father's colony before that mutant gang decides to challenge us again. We swim well into the night until we find a cave. I assign four of us guard shifts throughout the evening. We start off before the sea lightens, and other than a brief encounter with a big sixgill shark that Densil runs off for us, it's a tense but uneventful day.

At sunset, when I figure our position, I realize we should be able to make my father's colony by late tonight if we push hard. Heading down to the rock overhang where we're eating dinner, I frown when I see Dai swimming toward me. I refuse to speak to him first. Over the past few days he's been so short and sarcastic that I don't want to give him a chance to be horrible to me again.

He stops right in front of me, blocking my way to the others.
:So, are you happy that you're about to see your dad?:
he asks.

:I'm…not sure,:
I admit, surprised by Dai's abrupt question.
:I haven't seen him for two years. He and my mother staged an accident that made my brother and me think he was dead. I cried for months after we lost him. And I can't forget he's part of the reason I'm breathing water right now.:


:Can you forgive him?:


Of course Dai barges straight to the painful heart of the matter.

:I don't know,:
I say, glad that I don't have to speak past the sudden lump in my throat.

:If he could hurt you that much, you must love him a lot, which means eventually, you'll end up forgiving him.:


:If you say so.:
I shrug.

Dai sends me a crooked smile.
:Nere, you're not very good at acting callous. You're all about loving and forgiving. I'm banking on that
—
that you'll have to forgive me, too, in the end.:


I frown as I try to sort through his words.
:You make me sound like some kind of mushy-minded sea cucumber.:


:Just the opposite. I don't know how you can care so much.:


:That's the job they gave me,:
I say quickly, hating the fact my cheeks are starting to heat. Why do I always end up blushing around Dai?
:I'm supposed to look out for everyone.:


:Nere, they gave you the job because you were already doing it.:
Dai sighs and shakes his head.
:We could argue about this all night. Instead, I want to ask you a quick favor.:


I look at him suspiciously.
:What is it?:


He smiles at me, a real smile with no mockery or anger in it, and my heart begins to thaw.

:Just close your eyes for one minute.:


:All right,:
I agree doubtfully, and I make myself close my eyes.

I feel from the currents in the water that he's moved up right in front of me, but I can't tell what he's doing. After half a minute, I can't bear the suspense any longer. I cheat and peek. He's just floating there, staring at my face.

The sadness in his eyes keeps me from teasing him.

:You could just kiss me, you know,:
I blurt, and then I can't believe I just said that.

:But I might hurt you again.:


:You didn't really hurt me before.:


:All right. I know I'll be mad at myself later if I don't.:
Without touching me anyplace else, he presses one long sweet kiss on my lips, and heads back to the group with a flick of his fins. After barely speaking to me for days, he goes and does this. Being with Dai is like being tossed and spun inside a killer wave.

I take a second to pull myself together and then swim down to the others. As I speak, I try not to look at Dai.
:I know we're all worn out, but I think we should keep going. I
really
don't want to run into that Wasp girl and her gang again. We're closer to my father's colony than I realized, and there's a chance we can reach Safety Harbor tonight if we swim hard.:


:I don't want to run into those kids again, either,:
Lena says with a shudder, and the rest agree with her.

As I lead off, Dai's kiss tingles on my lips. Swimming through the black ocean, I can't help thinking about Wasp and the strange, angry boys and girls who were with her. They seemed to know we were coming. I wonder if they've stopped and fought other Neptune kids, and why they hated us so much.

James's final words to me, that our father's colony had come under attack, start to make sense. Maybe Wasp and her gang are somehow part of his problems.

Suddenly, Mariah startles me with a frantic call.

:the strange ones are all around us!:


I GRAB FOR MY SPEARGUN AS
I desperately try to figure out what's happening.

:Nere, those freaky kids are back!:
Ree yells.

:Everyone, load your spearguns!:
I shout. Chaos erupts as kids with tattooed faces charge at us from every direction. Our brave dolphins rush to protect us. Pulses of searing white light, like intense camera flashes, blind and confuse me. Ree is wrestling furiously with a boy who is trying to wrench her speargun out of her hands. Thom is slugging it out with the big boy with six arms. I take aim at Ree's assailant, but Kona gets in my way.

Through the tumult, I hear Dai shout,
:NO! Don't take the little girl!:


I whirl around just in time to see Dai charge right at a tall skinny boy who is holding Bria. The skinny boy lights up brighter than a flare torch, sending out a pulse of light so intense that I have to shut my eyes. When I open them, I see that another boy, one with a tattoo of a lightning bolt on his cheek, is sneaking up behind Dai.

:Watch out, Dai!:
I yell. I'd shoot, but I'm afraid I'll hit him. The boy reaches out his hand and places it on Dai's back. I swear I see a bright spark travel from his hand to Dai's body.

Dai convulses violently for several seconds, and his body goes slack. He's unconscious now, or worse—it's like Cam on the beach all over again. I force down my pain and panic and take aim at the boy with the lightning bolt on his cheek. Then a harsh female voice invades my mind.

:Everyone, stop where you are, or I'll kill her!:


I look at Bria and shiver. Wasp has hold of her now. Her ungloved hand is at Bria's neck.

:Mariah, tell the pod to stop attacking,:
I order, fear for Bria rising inside me in a choking wave.

:Do you know what I have on my fingertips?:
Wasp's amber gaze meets mine.

:I've heard that you have sea-wasp stingers,:
I say, fighting to keep my mental voice steady. I swim to Dai's side. I'm relieved to see his eyes flutter open, but he looks dazed.

:That's right. If I sting her on her neck and face, her airway will constrict, and she'll be dead in less than a minute.:


Bria's face is paper white and her hazel eyes are as round as sand dollars as she stares at me beseechingly. She stays absolutely still. I glance at Tobin. His face is even paler than Bria's.

:Should I shoot her?:
Robry asks me on a private send. Robry is hovering a little above me, his expression cool and focused, his speargun already aimed right at Wasp.

:No, her hand is too close to Bria's neck. If you shoot at her and miss, she might kill Bria out of spite.:
There's something so angry and twisted in Wasp's eyes, I don't want to push her.

:You show some signs of intelligence, for a Neptune idiot. Even if he did hit me, I'd definitely make sure she died, too.:
Wasp sends me a cold smile.

I blink when I realize Wasp just overheard the thoughts I directed only at Robry. She must have a strong inherited telepathic ability like Dai and me.

:Wasp, don't do this. Let the little girl go,:
Dai says to her, his mental tone pleading.

:Then stop being so stupid and come home.:


I look from Dai to Wasp and back to Dai again, completely confused.
:You know her?:


:Of course he knows me. He's one of us,:
Wasp says impatiently.
:Now, are you coming, or do I have to hurt her?:


:I'll come,:
Dai says with so much anger and bitterness leaking through his mental shields that I wince. Then he looks at me.
:I'm sorry, Nere.:


He leaves my side without another word and swims over to the other kids. All I can do is stare after him in disbelief. As soon as he joins their group, Wasp shoves Bria away from her with her gloved hand. Bria darts back to us fast as a frightened minnow, and Tobin catches her in a reassuring hug.

:Dai?:
I call out to him, but he won't look at me. His face is more closed than I've ever seen it.

:I'd love to see you again in our own backyard,:
Wasp declares with a triumphant glance at me.
:Ask your daddy where to find us, and you can come visit Dai whenever you want.:


She backs out into the center of the canyon, her gang gathered around her and Dai, their arsenal of spearguns pointed at us. Moving in a tight formation, the group swims away to the west. I notice that Ton follows them, keeping his distance.

Our frantic dolphins dart back and forth. My human companions cluster around me, talking and arguing about Dai. I feel their confusion. They call him spy and traitor, their angry words pounding at my mind.

:Is everyone okay?:
I have to shout mentally to get their attention.

:Penn has a spear-dart cut on his arm, and Kalli has a graze across her ribs,:
Tobin reports.

:That mutate with the six arms shot some kind of ink at my face,:
Thom says furiously.
:My eyes are burning.:


:Mariah, are any of the pod hurt?:


:Mali and Ricca have cuts.:


:All right. Ree and Lena, I want you to help Tobin treat our wounded people. Robry, you keep watch while I look after the dolphins.:


:But what about Dai?:
Ree asks.

I turn away from Ree because the last thing I want to do is talk about Dai.
:I guess he wasn't who we thought he was,:
I reply tightly.
:We need to patch everyone up and push on. I think Wasp and her crew got what they wanted.:
I can't keep the bitterness from my tone.
:But I don't want to risk running into them again.:


After Tobin finishes sewing up Penn and Kalli, he turns to the nasty cut across Ricca's back. I help steady and calm Ricca as he works. The moment he's finished treating her, she flashes away into the dark sea.

:I know I hurt her with those stitches.:
Tobin sighs as he packs away his first-aid gear.
:I hope she's not going to hold that against me.:


:Mariah made her understand that you were helping her.:


Tobin gives me a steady look.
:Nere, I'm sorry about Dai.:


:I can't believe he lied to me,:
I burst out.
:He lied to all of us.:


:I don't know why he did it, but for what it's worth, I think he really cared about you.:


:That's pretty hard for me to believe right now,:
I reply. I wish Tobin would hug me the way he hugged Bria, but there's been a distance between us ever since my birthing day, and I don't know how to cross it.

Swiftly, we gather everyone together. Swimming with our spearguns loaded, we head out for Safety Harbor.