The Neptune Promise

by Polly Holyoke

  “The good news is, our helpers and Sea Rangers have seen no sign of Kuron’s sub,” Dad tells us during a briefing on the back of the Carly Sue, “but four days ago our Sea Ranger patrol did catch a glimpse of a school of shredders and some prowling solo as well.”

  The members of our salvage team exchange anxious glances.

  “Whenever you’re on your way to the wreck or in it,” Dad says, “I promise we’ll have our sonar operators on alert. We’ll let you know the instant we see any sign of that sub or shredders.”

  “And I’ve asked Mariah to tell all of the dolphins to be on the lookout, too,” I add. Our dolphin friends make an even better alert system than dozens of sonar buoys.

  I’m not sure what we’ll do if Kuron does show up, except race back to the Carly Sue. Judging by the awkward silence that follows my comment, no one else knows, either.

  “The weather report is looking good for tomorrow, and slack tide will be 9 AM,” Captain Gonzalez says at last. “We’ll send you down then, and you’ll ascend during the next slack tide.”

  We dive back into the water, and Janni drives the Bus to a sea cave where the Sea Rangers have been sleeping at night. It’s tight quarters, but somehow we find room for all twelve of us. We share a fresh king salmon that the Sea Rangers shot, and they brief us on the currents we might experience during the first three hundred feet of our descent to the wreck.

  We’re a quiet group as we tie ourselves in our hammocks. I’m lying on my back trying to fall asleep when Ree asks me on a private send, :You don’t think we’re going to see any bodies down there, do you?:

  :I asked my dad about that. Idaine’s first mate said everyone got off the ship before it went down.:

  They just weren’t all alive.

  :All right then,: Ree says, sounding relieved.

  I fall asleep wondering what actually happened on the Storm Petrel the day Idaine Kuron died. That night, I dream again of being left alone inside a cold, black wreck. The dream is so frightening that it’s almost a relief when Ree shakes me awake. Our first dive down to the real wreck is about to begin.

  As we climb aboard the Carly Sue, dense gray fog drifts silently around the old trawler and the water is relatively calm.

  “This fog should help to hide the Carly Sue while she’s anchored over the Storm Petrel,” Dad says as we gather for a final briefing.

  “Waters are clear of any boat or sub traffic,” Captain Gonzalez announces at 8:30. “The weather looks good. Your salvage dive is a go.”

  My stomach twisting like a sea spout, I say little as we don our hoods, gloves, and current harnesses and help each other with our heating packs. I’m grateful now for all the times we’ve practiced with this gear. Just before 9:00, we’re lined up by the bow and ready to splash.

  “Good luck,” Dad says to us all.

  :You be careful down there,: Tobin tells me on a private send, his face pale. :I wish I were going with you.:

  :Thanks,: I say. A selfish part of me wishes he were coming, too.

  The moment I hit the water, I realize we’ve timed the dive perfectly to coincide with slack tide, the quiet period between incoming and outgoing tides. There’s almost no current as we work our way down the anchor chain. I hope we don’t ever have to ascend from the wreck when the current is raging through this pass.

  We lose the last of the daylight at one hundred feet, and I’m glad that Mariah and the rest of the pod keep us company until we reach three hundred feet.

  :be careful down there. we will be listening for you,: she promises me before she and Tisi head back to the surface. We both know I’m going deeper than the dolphins can swim because the Storm Petrel lies more than a thousand feet below the surface.

  Although I’ve made dozens of dives to the Twilight Zone, this one feels way scarier as we keep swimming down into the blackness. I appreciate the steadiness of my friends’ mental voices as we check to make sure everyone is handling the increasing cold, dark and pressure.

  It feels like we’ve been descending forever when Kalli says quietly, :We’ve reached one thousand feet now.:

  My pulse drumming in my ears, I stare into the depths below for some sign of the wreck, but there’s only blackness.

  As we work our way farther down the anchor chain, Thom says suddenly, :There she is!:

  His dive light flickers across a gray mass. As we draw closer, a ship’s wheelhouse takes shape out of the dark. We swim downward until we float even with the Storm Petrel’s upper deck. She appears to be one piece, and she sits upright with a small list to port.

  :Wow, check out all those rusticles,: Kalli exclaims.

  :What’s a rusticle?: Rohan asks curiously.

  :They’re rust deposits created by colonies of microbes eating away at a wreck’s metal railings and bulwarks. The Titantic was covered with ’em.:

  :Guess it’s show time,: I say. We all unclip from the anchor chain and pair off with our dive partners to explore the outside of the wreck.

  My partner, Thom, moves slowly down toward the ship’s keel.

  :Whoa, there’s a big hole down here,: he says, shining his dive light at the side of the ship.

  :Does it look like she ran into something?: I ask, moving closer.

  :Most of the metal is bent outward, like maybe some sort of explosion went off inside her.:

  When I swim up next to Thom, I see a wide black tear in the side of the ship that’s at least eight feet long. I remember the first mate said there’d been a big explosion before he left the ship. A hole this big definitely could have led to the Storm Petrel sinking.

  We glance at each other uneasily. Was that explosion an accident or purposely set the day Idaine Kuron died and her ship sank to the bottom?

  After we survey the outside of the Storm Petrel, we decide the hole that Thom found will be the easiest way to enter the ship. That opening is amidships on the port side, which means it shouldn’t be too far from Idaine’s lab.

  The Storm Petrel appears to be as silent and empty as a ghost ship, but before we enter the wreck, I reach out with my telepathy to make certain we’re alone down here. I can’t hear any thoughts except those of my friends.

  :Watch out for these jagged edges,: I tell the others as I tie the start of our penetration line around a pipe just inside the torn bulwark of the ship. I glance at my team. They look tense but ready.

  I take a deep breath and swim through the opening. Holding the reel that plays out our guide line, I pause just inside the black wreck to shine my dive torch around the large compartment. The water is clear here, which is a good sign for us.

  :No one’s been in this area for a long time,: I tell the others and we all breathe a little easier.

  The first compartment is barren and empty except for a colony of white tube worms and some translucent anemones. The blast twisted and buckled what remains of the walls, and several rusticles indicate that colonies of bacteria are busy eating away at the metal inside the wreck, too. Reeling off more cord, I head for a black doorway that might let us move forward toward the bow.

  The moment I shine my light through the door, a big orangey-white octopus darts straight at my head. My heart stampeding in my chest, I duck as the octopus shoots over me.

  :Heads up, everyone,: I warn the others. :A scared octopus wants out of here.:

  :That is one weird-looking sucker,: Thom says as the octopus flies past him. :It has big fins on its head.:

  :I think it might be a cirrate octopus,: Kalli says wistfully. :I wish I could have gotten a better look at it.:

  As I pass through the door, strange white crabs scuttle away from my dive light and vanish into dark corners. Trying to stir up as little sediment as possible, I fin gently down a long passageway where dark doorways lead to shadowy cabins and storage areas.

  Kalli calls up the schematics of the ship on a small hydro-pad and does her best to help me figure out where we are. I feel the weight of the black seawater pressing down on me, and its coldness chills my fa
ce and hands.

  :The main forward salon should be at the end of this passageway,: Kalli says.

  When we reach the door to the salon, I pause to look over my shoulder.

  :I think this might be it,: I tell them and swallow hard. We’re about to see the room where Dai’s mother did her research. It might also be the room where she died.

  I kick slowly into the dark salon, and the others follow me. It’s a relatively large space, and my torch illuminates the remains of a big table and stools lying on their sides. It’s hard to see past the table because there’s much more sediment in the water here.

  :Guys, keep an eye out. I think something big churned up all this silt,: I tell the others.

  Suddenly, a cold mind that I haven’t felt in over a year touches mine.

  :That would be us,: Wasp says smiling coolly as she swims out of the cloud of silt with Dai and Whitey at her back. All three of them have powerful spear guns pointed right at us.

  chapter eleven

  Waves of adrenaline pump through me. My spear gun is loaded and slung over my shoulder, but I’m still holding the guide line reel in my right hand. Whitey or Wasp could shoot before I could bring my weapon to bear. Thom and Ree, who entered the wreck holding their spear guns ready to fire, have their weapons trained on Kuron’s kids. We’re in the middle of a deadly undersea standoff.

  :Should we shoot?: Ree asks, her tone fierce.

  :No,: I tell her and Thom on a private send. I realize too late that Wasp is such a powerful telepath, she can probably overhear what I’m saying. :If someone starts bleeding in this small space, Whitey and Dai could lose it.:

  I can’t believe Dai is pointing a spear gun at me, and his expression’s just as cold as Whitey’s!

  :Wasp and crew are—: I start to warn Janni topside, but a strange, muffling interference cuts off my connection to her mind. I glare at Wasp. She has the unique ability to stifle telepathic communications, and her blocking abilities must be why I didn’t sense anyone in the wreck. She’s also a strong enough telepath to sense what I’m thinking even when I’m shielding carefully.

  Wasp sends me a malicious smile and her strange amber eyes glitter with excitement. She’s even thinner now and wears her black hair short. Her red lips stand out against the paleness of her skin.

  :Of course I’m the reason you couldn’t sense us,: she says. :We wanted to give you a nice surprise welcome. We thought you’d probably enter the wreck through that big hole, and sure enough, you Neptune idiots did exactly what we expected.:

  Whitey stares at me out of his cold charcoal gray eyes. :Hello Princess,: he says, his mental voice harsh and rough. He smiles, bearing rows of triangular teeth that are the result of the great white genes Kuron spliced into his DNA. :I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again.: The menace in his tone makes me tremble.

  Whitey looks even stronger than I remembered, with wide shoulders and muscular arms. He wears his white hair buzzed short in a flattop, and his right cheek is tattooed with the outline of several shark teeth. As he floats side by side with Dai, I can see the resemblance in their bodies and their faces. The resemblance is more obvious because… Dai’s braids are gone! Now his black hair is almost as short as Whitey’s.

  :Oh, yeah, your precious Dai is back with us,: Wasp says with relish. :You and your dad shouldn’t have hurt his feelings. This time Ice is here to stay. He cut his hair to prove his loyalty to his father. The bossman always hated his braids.:

  :What exactly do you want?: I ask.

  :This ship belongs to Ran Kuron,: she replies, :and the bossman doesn’t want you trespassing or taking anything from it. We know you’re here to find his wife’s computer.:

  :And if we do find it, we’ll actually use it to help the seas and the world,: Kalli says angrily.

  :That research belongs to Idaine’s husband and her son,: Wasp declares with a toss of her head, :and they’ll decide what happens to it. So, here’s the deal. You four can all go, but she stays.: As she gestures to me, the poisonous clear tentacles on her fingers wave back and forth. I stifle an urge to back away, and Wasp smiles at me nastily.

  :If we sense or see any of you coming near here again,: Whitey says, :Nere dies. She’s our insurance that you Neptune morons will leave this wreck alone.:

  :Nere, what do you want us to do?: Thom asks.

  I look at my friends, their faces white with their fear for me. :Y-you all should go. That’s an order,: I say, even though I’m terrified of staying in this dark wreck with Wasp, Whitey and Dai. :Their taking me is way better than starting a shootout where a bunch of us could die. Tell my dad—: and then Wasp’s telepathic interference cuts us off.

  :I don’t think you need to tell your dear daddy anything. Now, the rest of you, get out of here.:

  I nod to my team that they should go, and slowly, one by one, they leave the salon. Thom and Ree are last, and from their fierce expressions I can tell they both still want to fight. I shake my head, and reluctantly they leave, too.

  Taking a deep breath, I look at Dai. :Are you truly going to make me stay down here?: I ask, unable to keep the pleading from my voice.

  His expression is as cold and distant as I’ve ever seen it. :Wasp is right,: he says. :I follow my father’s orders now. I’m glad to be back with people who actually trust me. Give me your spear gun and dive knife.:

  Wordlessly, I drop the guide line reel and hand them over to him. I search his face, looking for any sign that he might be lying or bluffing, but I can’t find it. He looks as though he hates me just as much as Whitey does, and that thought makes my eyes prickle with tears.

  :Speaking of the bossman, he wants to see you right away,: Whitey growls. :He’s not too happy about you and your friends blowing up his base. We aren’t too happy about your destroying our home, either.:

  Kuron’s here? But how could he be? We’re eleven hundred feet below the surface.

  :You’ll see,: Wasp says with a smug smile, evidently reading my thoughts again.

  She turns and swims from the salon along a passageway that leads forward. Whitey gestures with his spear gun that I should follow her. I notice Dai follows next. I wonder if he intentionally put himself between Whitey and me. My heart pounding against my ribs, I follow Wasp along the short passageway and up through a narrow hatch that leads to the top deck.

  After she exits the hatch, Wasp pauses to swing her dive torch in a full circle and the others do the same. I’m puzzled when I pick up raw fear leaking through her mental shields. What could possibly be making Wasp so terrified? When I shine my own dive light around, I just see Wasp, Dai and Whitey who are plenty terrifying enough in their own right.

  :I don’t sense anything,: Whitey tells the others and kicks swiftly across the deck and down the vessel’s starboard side, opposite from where we entered the Storm Petrel.

  Light from our dive torches plays across a huge, long mound buried in the silt right next to the wreck. A hatch opens in the mound, and a gray light inside illuminates a big, muscular figure with a spear gun. Gradually it dawns on me. The mound must be some sort of sub. Our sonar must not have detected it because it was buried in the soft sea floor so close to the Storm Petrel.

  As we draw closer to the sub, I recognize the person waiting for us. It’s Sham, a huge bully of a boy with orca genes spliced into his DNA. His body is thicker and wider than Whitey’s or Dai’s, and his face is rounder. His black hair still has a dramatic white stripe down the middle, and the outline of a killer whale is tattooed on his right cheek.

  :Welcome aboard the Ophion, Princess,: Sham grins at me, his thick lips parting to reveal round orca teeth. :The bossman wants to see her right way,: he tells the others.

  Wasp and Dai swim into the airlock, but I can’t help hesitating. Although my claustrophobia is less severe than it was, I still have to nerve myself before entering a tight space.

  :Inside now,: Whitey says, and he shoves me forward hard enough to make my shoulder ache. Dai starts toward Whitey, and
then he stops himself. The hatch slides shut behind Whitey. There’s another hatch on the interior wall of the chamber, but it’s closed right now. I breathe deeply, trying not to panic at being shut in such a small space with Whitey, Sham, Dai and Wasp.

  :The lower half of the Ophion is flooded with seawater,: Dai explains, :so we can breathe and move about comfortably on the sub. Right now, this waterlock is changing the pressure back to what we’d experience at a hundred feet.:

  I’m glad for the explanation, but I don’t want to look at Dai or the others right now. So as the pressure begins to change, I stare down at my dive fins. Slowly the water becomes less heavy and dense. When we leave the chamber, the temperature feels much warmer, too. The others take off the heating packs they’re wearing and secure them in lockers. After a moment, I remove my pack along with my hood and gloves.

  :Do you still have your earbuds in?: Dai asks me curtly.

  I nod.

  :Then you should be able to hear my father when he talks to us. His technicians designed much of the communication equipment you use at Safety Harbor.:

  This time Dai leads us along a water-filled, well-lit passageway that runs the length of the sub. Vaguely I’m aware that we’re passing a variety of compartments and sealed metal doors. Dai swims into an empty chamber with a big viewing window along one side. I tense when I see the frowning man staring through the glass at me.

  Whitey nudges me closer with the butt of his spear gun so I’m face to face with Dai’s father. I tremble as I stare at him through the thick glass. Ran Kuron looks so different from a year ago. Now there’s a livid red scar on his right cheek that reaches all the way up to his ear. He used to wear expensive black suits and his black hair was perfectly groomed. Now he wears a dirty blue shirt and gray pants, and his graying hair is long and disheveled. The last time I saw him, he stood absolutely still, but today he fidgets and shifts his weight from foot to foot.