The Neptune Project

by Polly Holyoke

  :Nere, are you all right?: my mother asks me urgently.

  :I-I think so.:

  I’m aware that Lena is in the water nearby me, and she’s thrashing and flailing about. Gillian is kneeling right above her, trying to hold her head in the water. While I watch, Lena lands a punch on my mother’s cheek.

  :Just relax and breathe in—you can breathe water,: I call to Lena.

  She lashes out at me so violently that I give up and leave her to her terror. Instead, I pop my head out of the water and look for Robry. He’s on the other side of me, still sitting on the rock ledge, gasping for breath, his eyes dilated with fear.

  :Robry, don’t be afraid. I can breathe water fine now. You’ll be all right.:

  I strain against the harness holding me to the rock, and I reach out to him. I don’t want his transition to be as terrifying as mine was.

  :Take my hand, dartling.:

  He grabs it and slides down into the water beside me.

  :Just put your face in the water and breathe. It’s easy as anything.: I try to keep my mental tone light, even though a part of me still can’t believe I’m breathing seawater.

  Because he trusts me, it’s easier for him. He puts his face in the water, and with incredible self-control, he breathes in. He chokes the first time, just as I did, but then he gets the hang of it.

  :This is so amazing,: he says.

  :It gets more amazing. Open your eyes and look down.:

  :I can see everything!:

  I turn away from Robry to check on Lena. She is floating very still in the water next to me, her arms braced against the rock, her face in the sea.

  :Are you all right?: I ask her tentatively.

  Lena turns her head and glares at me. :Yeah, no thanks to your homicidal mother. She held my head under the water!:

  :She did that to me, too. At least you punched her a good one.:

  It occurs to me then to check on my mother. She sits slumped all alone on the ledge, her face deathly pale. That’s when I realize just how scared she was for us. Even as I watch, she drags her sleeve across her eyes and seems to gather herself. She stands and walks up the tunnel toward our lab, the solar pistol back in her hand.

  AFTER MY MOTHER CHECKS to make sure the secret police aren’t coming down the tunnel in the next few minutes, she helps us out of the harnesses that kept us anchored by the rock ledge. After we all put on dive fins, Robry darts back and forth, exuberant as a young dolphin in the water.

  :Why can’t we go out there right now?: he says, looking toward the open sea.

  :Because,: my mother tells us firmly, :first you need to realize that on land you were the top of the food chain, but in the sea, there are plenty of creatures capable of hurting and eating you.:

  :I know there are plenty of dangerous predators in the ocean,: I say, interrupting her lecture. :That’s why I still can’t believe you’ve done this to us.:

  :It’s good that you’re aware of the dangers, Nere,: Gillian replies, back in her scientist mode. :That awareness can help you stay alive. You must never forget how vulnerable you are, and you must never go anywhere in open water without the dolphins and a speargun.:

  She tosses a weighted buoy into the water. :I want you to practice firing at this target. Your life may well depend on how accurate you are with your weapons. As you practice, make sure you retrieve your spear darts. You probably won’t have the opportunity to obtain new ones for a long time.:

  Lena seems to take my mother’s lecture about our lower place on the ocean food chain seriously. She grabs a speargun and a quiver and starts firing away at the buoy. At first she’s rusty, but I’m relieved to see her old skill return to her. Robry and I practice as well, but I’m not sure it’s necessary, because both of us have spent hours each week snorkeling through kelp forests shooting fish for our families’ suppers, so…

  While we’re practicing, Gillian loads the zode with our packs and her own gear.

  :That’s enough for now,: she tells us. :Is anyone hungry? If you surface, you’ll find you can still breathe air for short periods of time.:

  Warily, I surface and take a breath. My mother is right. I can still breathe air, but now it feels dry and weird in my lungs.

  Gillian hands us big thick ham sandwiches made with Alicia’s wonderful bread. With a shudder, I wonder what I’ll be eating in a few weeks. Somehow I doubt there’s much fresh-baked bread where we’re going. The idea of eating raw fish for the rest of my life, however long that’s going to be, is beyond depressing.

  “That’s strange. I don’t feel the least bit thirsty,” Robry declares after he’s halfway through his sandwich.

  “That’s because your body needs less water now. It can filter out the water you do need from the fish you’ll be eating, just the way dolphins do,” Gillian tells us.

  When we finish the sandwiches, she checks her watch. “The tide should be low enough to get the zode out of here in another half hour. I’m going to come with you as far as Tyler’s Cove just to make sure you get off all right,” she says, and her gaze lingers on me.

  “In the meantime, I want you to put these seasuits on over the swimsuits you’re wearing now,” she continues in her usual brisk way. “Both were designed by our scientists to function much like the slick skin of marine mammals, reducing drag as you swim. They also contain a light, strong polymer mesh that should protect your arms and legs from coral cuts and jellyfish stings.”

  She hands us the suits. After I wiggle into mine, I find it’s surprisingly light and comfortable.

  Next she hands each of us two dive knives, one to wear on a utility belt at our waists, and one in a sheath we strap on our calves. Then we don seapacks and adjust their straps so that they fit snugly and don’t interfere with our swimming. Our spear quivers buckle onto the side of the packs so we can easily reach more spear darts.

  Even though I’m still furious with her, I’m impressed with the amount of thought my mother’s obviously put into preparing each of us for travel in the open sea.

  :It’s past time we left here,: Gillian declares with another uneasy look up the tunnel. Then her gaze goes distant.

  :The dolphins say the north cove is free of boats. They’re eager to see the three of you now that you can stay underwater longer than they can,: she adds with a smile.

  My mother goes first in the zode. She orders Lena to follow her, then Robry, with me bringing up the rear. We hold our loaded spearguns at the ready. The tide is just low enough for the zode to scrape under the craggy entrance to the cave. I realize it’s a still, clear night when I surface on the other side. The pod is there, and the dolphins are overjoyed to see us.

  Mariah heads straight for Lena and swims tight, happy circles about her.

  :She missed me!: Lena says.

  :Of course she did,: I say. :She never understood why you stopped coming to swim with her.:

  I never understood, either, but this doesn’t seem the right time or place to get into it with Lena. We pause long enough to introduce her to Tisi. As he butts against her playfully, I see Lena smile. I’m glad the dolphins can distract her. I know she’s just lost everyone she cares about.

  My throat tightens when I remember that I will be saying good-bye to Cam soon. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. I don’t know how long I will survive in the sea. I don’t know how long he will survive living away from it, but Cam is strong and stubborn.

  :a big boat comes.: Densil’s words break in on my thoughts. :it sounds like the dark one with the big motors,: he warns us from the mouth of the cove, where he’s keeping watch.

  It must be a Marine Guard cutter. A cold wave of fear surges though me, leaving me feeling shaky and breathless. My mother is the first to react.

  :Right. The three of you help me get the zode behind that big rock. I’ll hide with it, and then you are going to dive for the bottom and stay there until that boat goes.:

  I hear Gillian issue rapid orders to the dolphins as well. :Mariah, take the po
d inside the cave. If they see you surface, they may guess we’re nearby. Densil, stay where you are and don’t let them see you.:

  My heart is in my mouth as we push the black zode toward the large rock, kicking as fast as we can. Once it’s hidden directly behind the rock, Gillian slips into the water and holds the zode steady.

  :Go, and don’t you dare surface, even if they find me. The latitude and longitude of your father’s colony is marked on charts in each of your packs. Now dive!:

  My pulse racing, I slip beneath the water and kick for the bottom of the cove. Robry and Lena have found a big rock slab to hide under, and I join them, keeping a wary eye out for eels.

  I can hear the deep-pitched rumble of the cutter’s engine and feel the vibrations from its powerful screws churning through the water. Then those engines cut back to idle, and the big boat glides into the cove.

  Seconds later, a brilliant light dances across the surface above our heads. They must be using a searchlight to sweep the cove. Will they spot the zode? No matter how angry I am with my mother, I don’t want the Marine Guard to take her away.

  :ROBRY, WHAT ABOUT OUR locater chips?: I ask him in a panic. :They might have tracking equipment on that boat!: Instinctively, I touch where the chip is embedded. I wince because my left armpit feels so sore.

  :That’s why we’re hiding under this rock. It might help block their sensors. Plus, there’s easily fifty feet of water over our heads.:

  :That was quick thinking, Robry,: my mother says, breaking in on our mental conversation. :But I removed your locator chips while you were sleeping. You’ll need to keep an eye on your stitches. We designed you to heal quickly, but your wounds can still get infected.:

  Her mental tone is awfully calm for someone with only a rock between her and a trip to a work camp.

  :Are you all right?: I ask her. :What about your chip?:

  :Mine is buried in the last heel of Alicia’s bread in our kitchen, where Hycault is welcome to find and choke on it.:

  I chew my lip. My mother has truly burned her bridges. Removing a locator chip is a serious crime. If they do find her, she’s heading to a work camp for sure.

  :I think they’re moving on now,: she reports, and moments later we hear the powerful engines start up.

  I relax only when I can’t hear or feel the vibrations from the cutter anymore. I glance at Robry and Lena. They are both pale.

  :Do you think they were looking for us?: Lena’s mental tone is subdued.

  :I bet they’re searching for fisher folk who decided to try to run rather than move inland,: I tell her, but I’m not sure my words make any of us feel safer.

  After Densil reports that the Marine Guard cutter has moved on well to the north of us, we begin carefully working our way along the coast to Tyler’s Cove. Lena and I travel beside Gillian’s zode while the dolphins swim in a protective formation around us. Robry keeps darting down to the ocean floor to look at fish and shells. He flushes a large, harmless angel shark out of the sand and laughs when it startles us.

  :This is so much better than swimming with a snorkel!: he exclaims. :I can’t believe I can see everything so well!:

  I’m glad one of us is happy. I’ve never loved night diving, even though my parents insisted that I do plenty of it. Under a dive torch, the colors of reefs and marine creatures become brilliant, but I can’t forget that sharks and squid are constantly on the prowl in the dark.

  :I wish you three would head straight out to sea right now,: Gillian says, and I can sense the strain in her mental tone. :Hycault may already have troops combing the coastal hills for us.:

  :But I have to see Cam one more time!: My chest tightens at the thought of heading off into this dark, dangerous ocean without saying good-bye to him.

  Then an awful possibility occurs to me.

  :Can I even talk to him now? How long can I breathe at the surface?: I don’t want to say good-bye to Cam if it’s going to be like my nightmare where I became a monster that’s half fish and half human.

  :Your lungs can function for a brief time out of water, but then they will begin to labor.:

  :You mean I’ll be just like a fish out of water, flopping around and gasping for air.: I can’t bear the idea of Cam seeing me that way.

  :No, your lungs should work better than that, but you may start to feel light-headed after several minutes above the surface.:

  :We are close to the cove now. Do you think my parents will come?: Robry asks me.

  With a pang, I remember that Robry is about to lose his whole family. At least I’ll see my mother as she supervises our “transition,” as she calls it, to our life in the ocean, and I can look forward to seeing my father again—if I can bring myself to forgive him by then.

  :I doubt it, dartling,: I reply sadly. :I heard Gillian tell Cam to come by himself. At least you can see him one more time.:

  Robry stops exploring. Instead he swims quietly beside me, his face set. We reach the entrance to Tyler’s Cove at four thirty a.m., according to my marine watch, which means we have over an hour until sunrise. I’m tired, but I don’t feel the least bit sleepy. I’m too worried about whether or not Cam made it past the Marine Guard.

  My mother sends the dolphins ahead of us to check for boats. They report back that there’s just one small dinghy drawn up on the cove’s only beach. Gillian insists that we leave our fins, seapacks, and spearguns at the bottom of the cove, where we can retrieve them safely, just in case we have to leave here in a hurry.

  After we surface at the entrance to the cove, I look toward the beach. A shadow detaches itself from the rocks beside it. Even from this distance I can tell it’s Cam. I tense when I realize there are two more people with him. Lena’s parents have come as well.

  “I told them it was dangerous for everyone,” Cam says to Gillian the instant she beaches the zode, “but they insisted on coming.”

  Lena hurriedly splashes out of the water. For all her talk of being angry with her parents, she throws herself into her mother’s arms. I follow her out of the water more slowly. I’m trying to get used to breathing air again. My mother was right: I can breathe it, but it feels dry and strange, and there’s not nearly enough oxygen in it.

  Lena and her mother are crying now, and Lena is speaking angrily to her father. I turn away to give them privacy.

  Cam is talking with Gillian. I hear the tension in his voice. “I don’t think we were followed, but I can’t be sure. There’re soldiers everywhere now.”

  “We have to make this quick, then,” my mother declares, even as she scans the steep hillsides around the cove.

  “Robry, you can say good-bye first,” I say thickly. I need more time to pull myself together. Now that I’m here with Cam, I don’t want to cry all over his shirt.

  Robry looks at me and nods. I retreat back toward the surf so that they can be alone. Cam talks urgently to him, his hand on Robry’s shoulder.

  I think I’ll always remember them that way: Robry standing there in a wash of moonlight, trying to be brave and looking like a smaller version of his big brother. Then Cam gives Robry a long hug. It’s as if he’s trying to pass on the love and caring of their entire family.

  Robry splashes past me into the water, staring down at his feet, his face wet with tears. Suddenly, I’m facing Cam all by myself. I walk out of the surf to be closer to him.

  All at once there’s such a big lump in my throat that I have to struggle to speak. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m sailing south once I drop off Lena’s parents. I might try to start a sail-making business with some of my cousins on the other side of the border.”

  I frown, thinking of the armed patrol boats he must pass in his tiny sailboat.

  “Promise me that you’ll be careful,” is all I can think to say. I feel tears well up in my eyes. Gillian altered my body in so many other ways; why didn’t she plug up my stupid tear ducts while she was at it?

  “Nere, there’s a chance I will see you again,” C
am says, his dark eyes intent. “If you ever need help, get word to me through the smugglers. I’ll come.”

  I can only nod, afraid to trust my voice. I must look miserable, though, because moments later, he hugs me. I bury my face in his shoulder, his arms tighten around me, and finally I feel safe.

  “No matter what happens, I’ll always love you,” he whispers in my ear. I close my eyes. Do I love him back? I just know Cam is more important to me than any friend I’ve ever had. I open my eyes and raise my face to him, and then he kisses me. I realize I’ve been waiting forever for this. Cam’s lips are soft and he smells like salt water and fresh sea air. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back.

  “There they are!” Hycault’s exultant shout rings out over the little cove, and we freeze. I look up just in time to see dozens of soldiers charging down the hillside directly toward us.

  I STARE AT THE SOLDIERS stupidly until Cam shoves me toward the water.

  “Run!” he yells. Then he turns to face the rush of men. He pulls a knife from a sheath at his belt and tries to block their path to me.

  “Cam!” I shout.

  Even as I watch, he’s hit by a blast from a solar rifle. He staggers and drops his knife.

  “No!” I cry, and struggle to reach him. But someone’s holding my arms.

  “Nere, there’s nothing we can do!” Robry yells. He and Lena are there, dragging me toward the water.

  “You’ve got to come with us. He’d want you to get away,” Robry insists, but I can hear the tears in his voice.

  Somehow Cam is still standing. The soldiers are on him now. He punches the first one in the face and knocks a second one off his feet. But a third raises the butt of his rifle and slams it into Cam’s head. He crumples to the sand.