The Neptune Promise

by Polly Holyoke

  As we set off after the Carly Sue, Mariah and her family, Janni’s and Rohan’s dolphin partners and Ton spiral about us in their excitement. Soon we cross the bubble wall and leave our home behind us. On my side of the tow, Ree grins at me, happy to be off on another adventure. Kalli appears thoughtful, and Dai, at the back of the tow, looks preoccupied and more aloof than ever.

  :Maybe you’ll spot a new coral on this trip,: I say to him.

  :This is hardly a research trip,: he counters shortly.

  :I didn’t think it would be,: I reply, and I don’t try to speak to him again. Somehow, someway on this voyage, I’m going to find a way to convince Dai that he isn’t a danger to me. But I feel so lonely and frustrated with him in the meantime.

  The dolphins swim ahead of us and watch for trouble. By afternoon, we leave the islands of our sheltered Broughton Archipelago, and with the pod’s help, we manage to slip undetected between ships in the strait and reach Malcolm Island an hour before sunset. There we set up our hammocks in a big sea cave, and we recharge the tows’ batteries with a small portable tidal generator that Penn designed and built. Janni swims to the surface at twilight with our marine radio and brings back good news. The Carly Sue crossed the strait safely, too, and is on her way around the tip of Vancouver Island.

  By the time the water darkens, we start tying ourselves into our hammocks, except for Dai, who volunteers to take the first watch.

  :Traveling by tow all day sure is faster than swimming under our own power,: Robry says sleepily.

  :Yeah, but it’s still muy tiring,: Ree says.

  :And tough on the shoulders,: Rohan adds, stretching his arms over his head before he climbs into his hammock.

  On the second day, several of us try wearing current harnesses and clipping them to our tow loops. That eases the strain on our arms, but constantly being pulled through water at twelve knots is still an exhausting business.

  Janni calls a break midday because we’ve been fighting strong currents much of the morning, and the tows are getting low on juice. We stop in a nameless cove off the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island. Kalli and Penn take floating solar panels to the surface to recharge our batteries. Some members of our team rest and hunt for our lunch while I check the dolphins for parasites. Janni, though, keeps glancing up at the solar panels.

  :They’re too easy to spot, and there’s a lot of boat traffic out here today,: she says suddenly. :Thom and Dai, swim to the bottom and make sure there’s a place close by where we can hide with the tows if we have to.:

  The guys don’t look too thrilled by Janni’s orders, but I’m relieved when Dai doesn’t give Janni a tough time. Instead, they finish their rockfish fillets and go scouting.

  :There’re plenty of overhangs down about a hundred and fifty feet where we could hide the tows,: Thom reports back shortly.

  :Good,: Janni says. :Let’s hope we don’t need to use them.:

  An hour later, the batteries are finally charged. Kalli and Penn are bringing the solar panels down from the surface when Sokya and Densil arrow up to our group, whistling and sawing in concern.

  :a fast ship heads straight toward us,: Densil warns me.

  chapter twenty-three

  Fear rushes through me in an icy wave, leaving my body chilled and nauseated. There’s little reason for a vessel to veer from the main shipping lane unless its crew spotted our solar panels.

  :We have a fast ship heading this way!: I shout Densil’s warning at our group.

  My heart thumping, I ask Laki and Sokya, two of our fastest dolphins, to go scout it. They’ll relay images of the ship to me, and we might be able to figure out what’s hunting us.

  :Everyone, swim for cover and stay with your travel partner,: Janni orders as she powers up her tow. :Penn and Kalli, get those solar panels stashed.:

  :Densil, what kind of ship is it?: I ask, lingering behind the others to help Penn and Kalli get the panels stowed on the back of the tows. Vaguely I’m aware that Dai, my official travel partner, is hovering near me. I can hear the deep thrum of engines in the distance now.

  :it is bigger than your father’s ship and very fast. I think it is a fighting ship,: Densil replies.

  I’ve been showing our dolphins the silhouettes of navy ships so they can help us identify them. The bass throb of big ship engines grows steadily louder as Kalli and I struggle with the buoyant panels. Dai darts in to help us.

  Janni glances back at us angrily. :I ordered you two to take cover.:

  :Believe me, we’ll go the moment we get these panels stashed,: I say as Dai forces the last of the air from the panels’ floats and we lash them down.

  :We’re good back here,: Kalli yells, and Janni puts the tow into a steep dive. I just have time to grab a loop, and Kalli and Dai do the same.

  Thom drives his tow toward the bottom, too, Penn hanging off the back.

  Sokya contacts me. :this is the ship,: she says, and she sends me a clear visual of a dark gray vessel with two conning towers and several big guns. My blood races faster. The ship heading our way is definitely a destroyer of some sort.

  :Keep an eye on it. Can you see what they’re doing on the deck?:

  :there are many men moving around the base of a wide gun,: Sokya says, her mental tone worried.

  For a second, my mind freezes. But then I react out of fear for the dolphins. :MARIAH, they may launch depth charges. Get your family clear!: I yell. With their delicate hearing, dolphins are even more vulnerable to underwater explosions than we are.

  Then to everyone else I shout, :Get rock between you and the surface, NOW! That ship could be about to launch depth charges.:

  :They must want to flush us out,: Dai says, his mental tone amazingly calm considering an explosive could crush us at any moment.

  As Janni drives us deeper, we lose the light fast. Now I almost wish I’d asked one dolphin to stay behind to guide us.

  :Guys, head this way,: Ocho calls to us. :We found an overhang down here big enough to hide both tows.:

  :I’ll make sure you can see where,: Sunny adds, and seconds later, a golden light flares in the black water beneath us. Way to go, Sunny!

  Janni puts the tow into an even steeper dive and guns it toward Sunny’s light.

  :Something big just splashed above us,: Dai says tightly. His underwater hearing is keener than anyone else’s.

  We shoot under the overhang right behind Thom’s tow as brilliant white light from above fills the water.

  :COVER YOUR EARS!: Dai shouts.

  I barely have time to clap my hands over my ears before the first shock wave strikes. The water fills with a roar, and a wave of white bubbles fills my vision. It feels like a wall of pressure is pushing against my entire body. Seconds later, another shock wave slams me against the roof of the overhang. My shoulder hits the rock, and several of my friends cry out in pain and surprise.

  :This must be the force from the explosion reflecting off the ocean floor,: Robry gasps. :It’s still better than getting hit straight on by the first wave.:

  :If you say so, Squirt,: Ocho grumbles, rubbing two of his arms.

  Another flash sears my eyes. I just have time to cover my ears again before a second explosion roars through the water and tumbles me upside down. At least this time I don’t hit rock again. Two more explosions thunder in the distance, but their shock waves don’t reach us.

  :Is everyone all right?: Janni calls out when the water calms a little.

  One by one we check in with her. Sunny and Kalli were tossed into a colony of sea urchins and stung several times. Rohan treats the girls while Tobin works on a nasty cut Robry received on his forearm. The rest of us have bruises, but, all in all, we’re lucky none of us was hurt worse.

  :Mariah, are you all okay?: I reach out to her.

  :our heads hurt a little, but we swam away in time. you are safe?:

  :We’re mostly bruised and shaken. Could you please keep an eye on that ship? Stay well away from it but let us know when it leave
s this area.:

  :we will watch,: she promises me.

  Janni starts to swim out from the overhang. The visibility is much worse now because of all the sediment churned up by the depth charges.

  :I wouldn’t go out there yet,: Dai calls after her.

  :I’m just going to take a look,: she say irritably. :And by the way, you aren’t supposed to give me orders.:

  She swims out a little farther, just as I sense a strange vibration in the water. A second later, Dai flashes past me, swimming faster than I’ve ever seen him. He grabs Janni around the waist and pulls her back under the overhang. A second later dozens of big rocks and chunks of coral tumble down from the steep wall above us. Several pass right through the space where Janni hovered a heartbeat ago.

  Her face turns white as she watches the underwater rockslide and the clouds of black sediment it churns up. I cough because of all the gunk in the water now.

  :That’s why I didn’t want you to go out there,: Dai says curtly. :I had a hunch those explosions destabilized the wall above us.:

  For a moment I think Janni is going to yell at him. But instead, she straightens her shoulders. :Okay, Dai, I’m ordering you to tell us about your hunches from now on. I-I know you’ve lived in the sea longer than any of us, and I was stupid not to listen to you. Thanks for saving me from a major headache, or worse.:

  :You’re welcome,: Dai says, his expression a little warmer.

  :So, whose ship do we think that was, anyway?: Rad asks as we gather in a circle.

  :From the image Sokya sent me, I’m pretty sure the ship was flying a Canadian flag,: I reply.

  Kalli looks puzzled. :The Canadians didn’t used to be this trigger happy.:

  :Yeah, well, war has a way of changing people’s attitudes fast,: Thom says, his face set. I wonder if he’s thinking about the years he fought the Western Collective with Kyel and his dad’s men.

  :I bet they thought our panels were charging a small Western Collective spy sub,: Robry says, and then he flinches as Tobin ties off another stitch on his arm.

  :Maybe we should put a red maple leaf flag on those panels the next time we charge up in Canadian waters,: Ocho jokes weakly.

  I don’t smile because I can see the tension in Dai. Thanks to his shark genes, it’s always hard for him to be around blood.

  :I’d like to patrol beyond this overhang now,: Dai says to Janni. :Out there I can watch for sharks better. Robry’s bled enough, we could be attracting some soon.:

  Janni takes in his tight expression. :All right,: she says, :but let us know at once if you run into any trouble.:

  Dai slips away into the murky water, and I nod to Janni. She made the right call to let him go. We sling our hammocks and try to rest as the destroyer prowls the surface and Dai prowls outside our hiding place. He has to chase off a couple of small, pesky blues, but no large sharks scent Robry’s blood. Mariah lets me know when the destroyer finally sails away two hours later, and Densil and Laki follow it to make sure it doesn’t double back. We wait another hour and then start off again with the tows. We stay submerged and hug the coast where we are less apt to attract the notice of navy vessels.

  Janni is quiet for the rest of the afternoon, and when she speaks to Dai, there’s less bossiness and more respect in her tone. I hope this means the two of them will get along better now. We still have thirteen hundred miles to travel to LA, and it’s going to feel even longer if our two most stubborn team members can’t get along.

  chapter twenty-four

  After our frightening encounter with the Canadian destroyer, we spend the night in a sea cave near Cape Scott, the most northwestern tip of Vancouver Island. The next day we experience a few close calls, but we manage to safely race across the busy shipping lanes west of Vancouver and head out to sea. We still want to stay over the continental shelf because larger predators like giant squid roam in the deep beyond the continent break. Once we’re beyond most of the boat traffic, we turn south.

  We still see and hear plenty of warships in the distance, and on the third night when we surface briefly to radio the Carly Sue, we see flashes illuminating the night sky along the horizon.

  “Is that an electrical storm?” Rad asks curiously. “I don’t see any clouds.”

  “Those flashes are probably shells exploding over the besieged city of Vancouver,” Thom replies.

  “I’ve always wanted to visit Vancouver,” Sunny says wistfully. “From the pictures I’ve seen, it looks like a beautiful place.”

  “It used to be, anyway,” Penn says, his expression grim. “I visited family there when I was little. Their mountains and skyscrapers were amazing and their parks were full of trees and flowers, but the Western Collective is probably going to pound it all to rubble unless the Canadians surrender soon.”

  “All to grab their fresh water and northern farmlands where it still rains once in a while. So much war and misery goes back to climate change,” Kalli says soberly.

  We’re a quiet group as we slip back beneath the waves. That night Kalli slings her hammock next to mine. I’m just drifting off to sleep when she says sadly, :Even with all the danger down here, our world is a more peaceful place than the poor surface world right now.:

  :We have to find a way to grow the c-plankton,: I say, :and get it spread throughout the seas before it’s too late for all of us.:

  Once we travel south of Vancouver and Seattle, we see fewer Marine Guard vessels. Maybe most of their ships and manpower are needed for the fight against the Canadians. As the days pass, I see that Dad was right. In the past year, we have become better at staying safe in the sea. Our group is full of seasoned travelers, and the kids from Atlantea know how to handle themselves in dangerous situations.

  Just like during our long trip from the Southern Sector, each of us takes on different chores. Penn and Ocho keep our tows and equipment fixed, and Rohan and Tobin keep our bodies healthy. Ree, Rad, Shadow, Sunny and Dai do most of our hunting while Kalli finds us good sea plants to eat. Robry runs communications with the Carly Sue, Janni keeps an eye on all of us, Dai and I share navigation responsibilities, and I look after the dolphins when they aren’t looking after us.

  Once again Mariah and her family help to protect us every day, and they often make us smile, too. During our travel breaks, our dolphin partners cheer us up by coaxing us into games of tag and capture the flag.

  I haven’t had a chance to be with my dolphin friends like this since I left the Southern Sector. When we get back to Safety Harbor, I’m going to do a better job of spending time with them. As we swim along, Mariah often stays close and shares stories about my mother. Her tales about their adventures and the scrapes they got into when they were young make me smile. I’ve never felt like I knew my mom well, but Mariah’s stories help me picture Gillian when she was a mischievous girl, long before she became the cool, driven scientist I remember.

  Three weeks after we leave Safety Harbor, we arrive, tired but safe, in the Northern Channel Islands where we’re supposed to meet up with Cam.

  ~~~

  We reach the wreck of the Alicante just before nightfall.

  :So much has happened since we were here last,: Penn murmurs as we hover above the wreck of the old freighter. It looks much the same as it did a year ago, still covered by sea fans, barnacles and seaweed. The big, long vessel sits upright, leaning against a black rock reef, with a forest of kelp growing near its stern. We used to have strategy meetings in the Alicante’s raised wheelhouse and keep watch from there.

  I glance at Thom. From his sad expression, I guess he’s thinking about his friend Kyel, who led our group during the two weeks we trained and sheltered here, hoping that other Neptune kids might join us for the journey to Safety Harbor. But no other kids came, and hours after we finally left the shelter of the Alicante, Kyel was killed when he blocked a spear dart the Marine Guard fired at Bria.

  Robry and I head to the surface with the radio to try to contact my dad on the Carly Sue. The others descen
d to the Alicante to make certain that nothing dangerous lurks in the main salon and crew cabins where we’ll be sleeping.

  “It feels weird to be back here,” Robry says after we pop our heads out of the water and glance around. Above us rise the steep hillsides of Santa Cruz Island, dotted with gray-green brush and yellow grass that has managed to survive decades of heat and drought. “It reminds me of home, at least a little.”

  “It’s certainly as hot as Goleta, even out here on the water.” Although it’s October now and the sun is about to set, the air feels hot as an oven. Santa Cruz does look like the hills around our old home, but I think the Channel Islands are much more beautiful in their harsh, wild way.

  Robry pulls our compact marine radio from his seapack. Because the Western Collective monitors all radio frequencies, we have to keep our transmissions short and partially coded.

  “Papa Sue, are you there?” I radio Dad right at 7:00 PM, the time we try to schedule our calls.

  I hold my breath, hoping the Carly Sue has made it to the islands as well. We haven’t contacted the old trawler for three days now, and I’ve been worried by the increasing boat traffic.

  “We’re here, safe and sound,” Dad’s voice crackles over the radio, and I sigh in relief.

  “Glad you made it. Any news?”

  “Rendezvous with the package is set for 1 AM tomorrow off the cove where we saw the bottlenose dolphin calve. Over.”

  “Understood. Over.” Dad means Robry and I should meet Cam at Forney’s Cove on the northwestern side of Santa Cruz. My family used to sail out to the Channel Islands to do research, and one day we watched a bottlenose dolphin give birth in that cove.

  “Cam will be different than you remember,” Dad warns me. “He’s been through a lot, and make sure you bring plenty of backup. I think we can trust him, but I’m not absolutely certain. Good luck. Over and out.”