The Neptune Challenge

by Polly Holyoke

:But Bria needs you,: I can’t help protesting. I know she’d be devastated if something happened to her big brother.

  :I want him to stay and look out for you,: Bria tells me, looking pale but determined.

  :How are you going to get past the shredders on the lower level with three hurt people?: Kalli asks Penn.

  :That won’t be hard,: Shadow says coolly. :The shredders are always starving. We’ll distract them with a nice snack.:

  I’m startled when she grabs the leg of a badly mangled shredder, pulls the creature toward the deck access, and leaves it near the opening.

  :All of you,: Shadow tells us, :get on the far side and stay absolutely still. The shredders on the lower level will sense the blood from this one soon. When they charge up here and start feeding on it, you can slip past them.:

  :Won’t someone notice they’ve turned on one another?: Penn asks.

  Shadow shrugs. :It’s possible, and then they’ll send more shredders after you. But you might get lucky. When you reach the entry bay, take some of the skimmers.:

  :Why are you helping us?: I ask, poised to use my telepathy to probe her mind as she answers me.

  :I like Bria, and I want her safely away from here,: Shadow says, a fierce light in her eyes. :Once he knows she’s escaped, Kuron’s going to send some of us after her on our fastest skimmers. You’ll never stay ahead of them just using your dolphins, especially with some of you injured.:

  Once again, I sense she’s hiding something, but her concern for Bria feels real.

  :The lower shredder patrol should be passing by here in about a minute,: Lena reminds us.

  Rohan meets my gaze. :I say we go for it. The way shredders react to blood, I don’t know how we’ll get past them without a fight.:

  :’Kay,: I say. :Everyone, let’s get to the far side of that deck access—fast.:

  Leaving the dead shredders behind us, we sprint over to the other side.

  :Let’s put Bria and the wounded behind us,: Ree suggests. :Who has boomers left?:

  Tobin and Penn raise their hands.

  :You’re our front line,: I say. :Have your spearguns ready. Penn, how long until they pass beneath us?:

  :Fifteen seconds.:

  If we have another fight with the shredders, I doubt we’ll all survive this time.

  I GLANCE AT my dive watch. Fifteen seconds takes forever to tick down. My stomach clenches tighter. Will the shredders below us sense the blood on our deck? I see a flicker of movement. My breath catches.

  :Shredders are passing beneath us now,: Ree reports, watching her mirror. :They aren’t stopping…uh, now they are. Get ready.: She yanks her mirror probe back. :Here they come!:

  Seconds later, the first shredder flashes up through the deck access, swimming so fast it’s a blur. I aim my speargun, terrified the shredder will scent Rohan’s and Thom’s wounds and turn on us. But the mutate never looks our way. Instead, it heads straight for the shredder Shadow left and tears at its body in great, gulping bites.

  Four others follow, and within moments, they are wolfing down their dead.

  :Nere, we’ve gotta go now,: Lena says. I force myself to look away from the shredders’ feeding frenzy.

  :Good luck,: Rohan says, his expression somber, then he ducks down through the deck access. Thom starts to follow him, but I sense how much he hates leaving us.

  :I’m so sorry,: he says, gesturing to his injured wrist.

  :We know. Take good care of him.: I nod to Lena.

  :Take care of yourself, too,: Lena says fiercely, and then she’s gone.

  Bria hugs me next. :I knew you’d come for me,: she says. :Look after my brother.:

  :I’ll do my best,: I promise her. My throat’s so tight, I’m glad I don’t have to speak to Bria aloud. She embraces Tobin quickly and follows the others.

  :Nere, you’re smart and stubborn,: Penn says. :Think your way out of this place.: Then he’s gone, too, with a flick of his fins.

  I feel so alone again, but I know Ree, Kalli, and Tobin will help me complete our mission. I draw in a deep breath, hoping I don’t look as scared as I feel. Shadow is watching us all, her face impassive.

  :Shadow, can you take us to the cell where they’re holding Robry?: Though I’m still not sure why Shadow’s helping us, she’s the best chance we have of finding Robry and getting him away from here.

  :Yes,: she replies and swims quickly down the corridor away from the feasting shredders. She moves with a strange, rippling grace.

  :Are you sure Robry’s all right?: I ask. :I lost contact with him hours ago.:

  :I can promise you he’s still alive. But are you sure you want to do this?: She looks back at us. :If Kuron catches you, he won’t let you go, ever.:

  I glance at my team. Their faces look tight but determined as they swim after me. This is what we came to do. I still hope we can find a way to free Robry before we let ourselves get captured.

  :I’m sure,: I reply as firmly as I can.

  Shadow turns left down another long gray corridor, then turns left again. I feel swallowed up as we head deeper into this cold maze of a place.

  At last, Shadow slows when she comes to a large door.

  :You’ll find Robry in there.: She floats beside it, still studying us.

  I realize why Shadow’s stare is odd. She never seems to blink.

  I test the door handle. It’s locked, so I nod to Kalli, our backup demo expert. She reaches for a charge in her seapack. While Kalli sets the explosive, I try to reach Robry a final time.

  :Robry, we’re here. We’re about to blow the door. Are you all right?:

  I still hear only silence. How could Robry be so close, and I can’t hear a whisper of his thoughts? Even if he were asleep, my mental call should have blasted him awake. Is he unconscious? Shadow only promised us that he was still alive.

  I extend my senses outward, desperately trying to figure out if someone else is with Robry. Again, I pick up only blankness. I glance at Shadow. I have a terrible feeling we shouldn’t have let her lead us here.

  :This is set to fire,: Kalli says, and we all shift back from the door.

  :You guys ready?: I ask.

  Their expressions are still tense, but Tobin, Kalli, and Ree nod and raise their loaded spearguns.

  :Tobin, you shove the door open. I’ll go in first,: I say.

  He nods, his freckles standing out against his white skin.

  The charge blows with a flash and a dull thud. Tobin pushes the door with his shoulder and I lunge through, speargun raised.

  I’m surprised to find we’re in some sort of large, well-lit room full of control panels and computer screens. When I spot Robry, relief floods me. He’s alive and looks okay, but a tall, muscular boy with stark white hair and cold charcoal gray eyes has him in a headlock. Fear and anger burn my insides when I see that boy has clawlike nails on his hands.

  I draw in a breath when I realize Dai’s there, too. His arms are pinned behind him by a huge, grinning kid with a wide face and black-and-white hair. A red welt stands out on Dai’s pale cheek like a brand. His dark eyes blaze with anger.

  :Welcome to our home.: A familiar, cold mind touches mine, and Wasp swims toward us. She’s even more dramatic-looking than I remembered. Thin and pale, Wasp wears her black hair cropped short. High cheekbones and slanting amber eyes give her a catlike look, and her lips are startlingly red against her white skin.

  :Oh, would you like to be able to talk to Robry and your darling Dai again?: she asks, her eyes glittering with malicious excitement. :I guess I can let that happen now.:

  Wasp smiles, and suddenly Dai’s words are beating at my mind.

  :Nere, why didn’t you stay away?: he shouts at me. :I was going to find some way to bring Robry and Bria back to you.:

  He’s angry with me?

  :You don’t look like you can help anyone right now,: I fling back at him. :And how can we believe anything you say after the way you lied to us?:

  :You should have believed me on this. I
kept trying to warn you not to come here.:

  :I just heard your one warn—:

  :Oh, I’m so sorry about that,: Wasp says, breaking in on our conversation, :but you see, I’m a special sort of telepath.: She smiles coolly. :I can listen in and block the transmissions of even the most powerful telepaths whenever I want. It drives Dai crazy, which is why I love to block him as often as I can.:

  So that’s why I couldn’t hear Dai or Robry. While Wasp is speaking, I desperately try to size up the odds against us. The two boys hold Dai and Robry, and a blond girl sits at a control panel off to our right. Near Wasp is the boy with six arms who shot ink in Thom’s eyes the night these kids attacked us on our journey to Safety Harbor. That boy has a round, serious face and watches us carefully out of unblinking eyes that remind me of Shadow’s. None of them appear to have spearguns.

  :We don’t want to hurt anyone, but we’re taking Robry with us,: I tell them all.

  :Oh really?: Wasp looks bored. :Just how do you plan to accomplish that?:

  :For starters, that boy with the white hair is going to let go of Robry, and if he doesn’t, we’ll shoot him.:

  :I can hit him, easy,: Ree says. The white-haired kid stares at her, his eyes cold and emotionless.

  :That isn’t such a good idea,: Wasp says smoothly. :Whitey has plenty of great white genes. And Shamu here, or Sham for short:—she nods to the boy holding Dai—:has a lot of orca spliced into him.:

  Sham glares at us. He has a thick neck, blunt features, and massive shoulders. He’s bigger than Whitey, but somehow Whitey and his distant stare scare me more.

  :I’m afraid our boys always go a little crazy around the scent of blood,: Wasp continues airily. :We can never be sure whom they’ll attack when they get worked up. But since Robry and Dai are closest, I’d guess they’d probably tear a few chunks out of them first.:

  With a shiver, I can’t help remembering how the shredders tore one another apart just a few minutes ago.

  :Is this true?: I ask Dai, hoping he’ll be honest about this, anyway.

  :Yeah,: Dai admits. :If you shoot Whitey, a lot of people in here are going to end up hurt.:

  I lower my speargun, my heart dropping like an anchor. We’d planned to be caught, but I had so wanted to get Robry out of here first. I reach out to contact Rohan. Wasp may be able to overhear me, but I have to take the risk.

  :Rohan, leave now. There’s no way we can get Robry to you.:

  :Roger that. Good luck, Nere,: Rohan replies.

  I glance around the big control room. Is there another way out? The only exit appears to be the door behind us. I’m not giving up on freeing Robry, but for now that seems impossible.

  :We aren’t the least bit surprised to see you,: Wasp taunts. :Our sonar buoys picked up your patrol five miles out. We had so much fun watching you trying to sneak up on—:

  :Um, Wasp,: the blond girl peering at one of the consoles interrupts her, :those Neptune kids just stole four of our fastest skimmers.:

  :Well, send Rad and Mako after them,: Wasp says impatiently.

  :Rad says they can’t get any of the other skimmers or tows to power up. Somehow the Neptune kids must have disabled them all.:

  :I gotta admit, Penn does good work,: Ree says with a grin.

  :If they took my skimmer, I’m going to tear them apart.: Whitey’s mental voice is like a growl.

  :The bossman isn’t going to be happy about Bria getting away with the rest of those kids.: The girl at the sonar scope shakes her head. She has short blond hair and a thin face. I think she may be the one who emitted flashes of light that blinded and confused us the night we first fought them. Only, that night I mistook her for a boy.

  :Sunny, he’s not going to care. We have her now.: Wasp jerks her head toward me. :Her father will probably exchange a dozen Neptune kids to get her back.:

  :He’d never do that,: I declare.

  Tobin reaches out and squeezes my wrist, hard. :Actually, I think he might. Dr. Hanson was really happy when Nere showed up at Safety Harbor a few weeks ago.:

  He shoots me a sideways glance, and then I get it. If they think my father might bargain for me, they’re more likely to keep me alive. I’m glad someone on my team is thinking more clearly than I am.

  :Shadow, stop skulking around back there,: Wasp says crossly. :Come out where I can see you.:

  Shadow appears in front of a nearby support pillar. I had no idea she’d been hovering there. I gasp when I see her skin shift from dark gray back to its normal pale color.

  :She must have some squid or octopus genes that give her camouflage abilities,: Kalli guesses.

  Shadow swims slowly past us toward Wasp. Her expression is as impassive as ever, but I can feel anger and resentment radiating from her.

  Tobin and I exchange looks. Not everyone around here is happy with Wasp. I sense a sudden commotion behind us. Two grinning boys hover in the doorway, and both of them are armed with lethal-looking spearguns.

  :RAD, YOU TWO are supposed to be chasing down those Neptune kids,: Wasp says angrily as the boys enter the control room.

  :Kinda hard to do after they put all our skimmers out of commission.: The first boy shrugs as he swims around us.

  When I see he has a lightning bolt tattoo zigzagging down his right cheek, I realize Rad’s the kid who shocked Dai and knocked him unconscious the night Wasp and her gang attacked us. He’s not nearly as big or muscular as the boys holding Dai, and he has short brown hair and coffee-colored eyes. Maybe it’s just because he’s smiling, but he doesn’t seem quite as frightening as the other kids.

  :Besides, we didn’t want to miss all the fun here,: the second boy adds. He darts around us so quickly that I blink in surprise. Even Dai can’t move that fast. The kid fidgets with the grip on his speargun as he peers at us curiously out of wide gray eyes. He looks a year or two younger than the others, with silver streaks in his shaggy brown hair and some kind of round flower tattooed on his right cheekbone.

  :Hey, they sent three girls,: he says in surprise.

  :Well, yeah, they’re girls. Sharks alive, I’m glad you can tell the difference, Mako,: the first boy says, shaking his head.

  Despite their light mental tone, the two boys have spread out and are keeping their spearguns carefully trained on us.

  :Since you’re here, Rad, why don’t you do something useful like take away their spearguns,: Wasp says, looking tired. :Mako, keep them covered.:

  :You heard the boss girl. I guess we have to take your weapons now.: Rad moves closer to us.

  He reaches for Ree’s speargun. There’s a blur of movement, and then she has him in a headlock, a dive knife at his throat.

  :No one takes my weapon away from me,: she says with a wild look on her face.

  Sometimes I forget the rough gang world Ree came from. She drags Rad back toward us, and we close ranks around our new hostage. The blond girl looks worried, and the boy with the speargun raises it to his shoulder. Instantly, tension is thick in the room. Only Wasp looks nonchalant.

  :Um, Ree, let’s not lose it here,: I tell her on a private send. :They’re supposed to capture us, remember?:

  :Hey, that was one sweet move,: Rad says, looking surprisingly unconcerned about the knife Ree is holding to his throat. :Would you show it to me sometime?:

  :I’ll show you how to cut your tongue out, idiota,: Ree says.

  :Stop messing around, guys,: Wasp orders them. :Rad, just fry her.:

  :You really want to let go of me, my chica,: Rad says to Ree.

  :I’m not your anything,: Ree snarls.

  :Ree, you need to let go of him before he shocks you,: Dai speaks up. :Rad has a lot of electric eel spliced into him.:

  :I take my orders from Nere,: Ree retorts.

  :I think you’d better let him go,: I say.

  Smoldering, Ree lowers her knife. Rad turns to face her and smiles widely.

  :Gracias, pretty señorita.: Rad nods. :And now, if I could have your speargun, por favor, and your knife,
too.:

  Wordlessly, Ree gives them to him.

  :You can try that same move if you want,: Rad says hopefully as he approaches Kalli.

  :I’ll pass,: Kalli says with a scornful look as she hands him both her speargun and dive knife. :You didn’t warn us that we’d land in the middle of some girl-crazy boys,: she says to me.

  :That possibility hadn’t really occurred to me,: I admit, feeling a little dazed.

  :Guess it’s your turn now,: Mako says to me. Then he glances over his shoulder at Dai. :Hey, Ice, this is Nere, right? I don’t get why you’re so gone on her. She’s just okay-looking.:

  :Shut up, Mako,: Dai says.

  :I guess I like her eyes. They’re like the color of a clear sky, and her yellow hair’s kind of pretty.: Mako tilts his head and stares at me, looking younger than ever. He reaches toward one of my braids. Tobin grabs Mako’s wrist before he can touch me.

  Faster than thought, Mako bares his pointed teeth and lunges forward to bite Tobin’s arm. I just have time to block him with my speargun.

  :Mako, BACK OFF,: Dai roars.

  Mako jerks back from us as if he’s been struck.

  :Ice, I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…: Mako moans, the muscles around his right eye twitching. :I did something wrong again, didn’t I?:

  :Mako, you can’t go around biting people,: Dai says with a sigh.

  :But he touched me. I don’t like when people touch me.:

  :You were about to touch her.:

  :I just wanted to feel her braid.:

  :Cut it out, you guys,: Wasp barks. :Mako, Rad, take Nere’s and Tobin’s weapons now.:

  Tobin stiffens when Wasp uses his name.

  :Oh yes, Dai and Bria told us all about her wonderful big brother,: Wasp taunts him. :I’ve so been looking forward to seeing you again and finding out if you’re as good a medic as Dai said, or as brave and smart as Bria claims. The fact you’re here does make me wonder about the smart part.:

  The fact Dai told her anything about Tobin makes me furious.

  :So you did join our group to spy on us,: I accuse Dai, but he won’t look at me. I try not to notice that the red brand on his cheek looks painful. Did Wasp sting him there? Numbly, I hand over my speargun and dive knives to Mako. He smiles at me shyly, but I don’t smile back.