The Neptune Challenge

by Polly Holyoke

  :They appear to be working just fine,: Wasp says with satisfaction. :And by the way, if you try to leave the fortress without the keepers sending your collar the proper signal, you’ll receive a lethal dose of electricity. You know, I just realized I’m starving. I’m off to lunch.:

  She sends us an airy wave and swims from the room. Dai, Shadow, and Sunny stay with us while the rest of Kuron’s kids follow her.

  :I’m starting to despise that girl,: Kalli says, looking after Wasp.

  :Take a number and get in line,: Ree says.

  :So who controls the collars when the bossman’s gone?: Tobin asks Sunny.

  I notice we’re all trying not to look at Dai. I guess I’m not the only one still coming to terms with the fact that Kuron is his dad.

  :The keepers stand in for the bossman when he’s away,: Sunny replies. :If they catch us going someplace we shouldn’t or they think we’re about to break something they’re going to have to fix, they’ll definitely zap us.:

  :So they’re watching us right now?: Tobin asks, glancing around the lab.

  :Cameras are hidden in every room of this fortress, and the keepers watch us constantly on a bank of monitors in their control room. The bossman has a set of monitors in his own rooms, too,: Shadow replies coolly, but once again, I can feel the hatred in her mind when she mentions Kuron.

  I glance at my friends. They appear as freaked as I feel over the news that we’re being watched constantly by keepers who can shock us whenever they wish.

  :We’d better go to lunch,: Sunny says, and heads for the door. As I swim after her, I can’t help expecting my collar to go off.

  :Nere, we can all talk now,: Dai says, moving up beside me as we kick our way down the long corridors. :Wasp knows my dad will punish her if she interferes with us.:

  Just looking at his familiar face makes me ache inside. His mental tone is so earnest, I almost burst into tears.

  :I really don’t feel like talking to you right now,: I say instead, his father’s collar pressing hard and cold against my neck.

  :Look, I really meant it when I promised I was going to find some way to help you guys escape.:

  :Do you honestly think we’re going to believe a word you say after this?: Kalli asks him, her eyes flashing.

  :No, I guess not,: he says. :You guys always trusted each other more than you trusted me. Some things never change.: He looks away from both of us, his mouth twisted in a bitter smile.

  None of us says another word until we reach the mess hall. There I find the only way I can choke down a few bites is by focusing on my food. Whenever I look up and see Dai, I think of the insane man I just met and how much it hurts that Dai didn’t tell me the truth about himself.

  WE EAT AT THE FAR END of the table from Sham, Mako, and Whitey. Once again they rip apart a big salmon after a keeper leaves it on the table. Little bits of torn salmon float through the water toward us, and Kalli waves them away from her in disgust.

  :So, what happens now?: Tobin asks Ocho when we finish eating.

  :Now we get a break for two hours before we have to go back to the school room.:

  :What are we supposed to do during the break?: Ree asks Rad. I notice she’s been friendlier toward him since this morning.

  :Pretty much whatever we want,: he replies with a smile. :You wanna see our skimmers?:

  :Sure,: I reply before Ree can turn him down. :We might as well see how those skimmers operate,: I tell her on a private send. :Maybe we can use them when it’s our turn to get out of here.:

  Rad leaves the mess hall, talking excitedly to Ree about their skimmers.

  :If I didn’t know better,: I say to Tobin, :I’d think he’s crushing on Ree.:

  :Makes sense.: Tobin shrugs. :How many new girls do you think he gets to meet living in a fortress in the sea?:

  :I guess not many,: I reply.

  Rad leads us to the same entry bay where we snuck in. Looking around the huge space, I can’t help thinking about the rest of our team. Hopefully they got back to Safety Harbor okay.

  I freeze when I spot a keeper watching our every movement through a wide window in the interior wall of the bay.

  :Looks like we have company,: I warn my friends. One by one I see them register the fact that there’s a keeper staring at us.

  :He makes me feel like I’m some sort of animal in a zoo,: Kalli mutters angrily, and I know exactly what she means.

  Rad, though, seems oblivious to the keeper and proudly shows us his skimmer, which looks like a short surfboard with a low, V-shaped windshield. He lies down on it and steers with handlebar controls. Built into the bottom of the skimmer is a powerful torpedo-shaped engine and propeller. Grinning, Rad sends the skimmer flying around the entry bay.

  :That’s gotta be a great ride,: Tobin says, looking envious.

  :Oh, yeah,: Ree sighs.

  Sham, Whitey, and Mako arrive in the bay and go straight to the window and com-keyboard beneath it to ask the keeper for permission to leave. After they fire up their skimmers, they race off, laughing and yelling. When Rad goes to the same com-keyboard, I hover behind him. I want to get a closer look at that keeper.

  A guy with a shaved head and tattoos all over his muscular forearms, he appears bored and irritated as he sends a command to Rad’s collar. Following the other kids out of the entry bay on his skimmer, Rad leaves the rest of us just floating there.

  :They don’t seem too worried about us escaping,: Ree comments.

  :Now that we have these collars on, they know we aren’t going anywhere. Besides, the keepers could catch us in about a minute on these things,: Tobin replies, wandering over to examine the remaining skimmers. :Looks like someone’s already installed a thick cable with a lock on this one. I guess they weren’t too happy about our team making off with four of their skimmers last night.:

  :What kind of lock is it?: I ask.

  :You need a code to open it. We’ll have to get ahold of that code if we want to steal some of these.:

  :It would be a lot easier if we could get these kids to help us,: I say. :Have you noticed that some of them don’t seem to like each other very much?:

  :Oh, yeah. Shadow hates Wasp,: Kalli says.

  :I’m pretty sure Rad hates Sham’s guts,: I add, remembering their exchange in the computer lab this morning.

  :Mako, Whitey, and Sham all give me the shivers,: Kalli says, rubbing her arms.

  :You mean the shark crew?: Tobin looks up from the skimmer.

  :Yeah, well, the shark and orca crew, I guess,: Kalli replies. :I think Wasp said Sham had orca spliced into him. Those guys are crazy.:

  :But the other kids aren’t too bad,: Robry says. :They’ve been looking out for me.:

  :I guess Shadow and Sunny aren’t as scary as the other kids,: Kalli says. :Rad drives me nuts, but he seems okay.:

  :Ocho may be okay, too,: I say, thinking of the kindness I saw in his eyes at breakfast. Octopuses are fierce protectors of their family, and I’m guessing that both Shadow and Ocho have plenty of octopus genes in them. :We should try to get to know those kids better. We sure could use their help to find those c-plankton cultures in this huge place.: Quickly I fill Robry in on our real mission.

  :Don’t you think these kids will be too loyal to Kuron to help us?: Ree asks.

  :Maybe not. They hate him worse than anyone, and I can’t blame them,: Tobin says.

  :His collars are horrible,: I say, fingering the cold metal band around my neck.

  :Yeah, and how are we gonna escape if we get fried the second we go outside without those creeps’ permission?: Ree asks, jerking her head toward the keeper.

  :No matter what Wasp said, the central computer system here must control the collars,: Kalli says thoughtfully.

  :If we can hack into that system and disable it,: Robry adds with a gleam in his eyes, :we could escape even if we are wearing these.:

  :In the meantime, I think we need to be careful around all the keepers,: I say, and I warn the others about the hatred I s
ensed in the diver at breakfast this morning.

  :So our job for now is to find out more about our collars, these kids, and the computer system. Most importantly, we look for likely places Kuron might keep the c-plankton,: Tobin sums up for us.

  Rad reappears and parks his skimmer.

  :I’m gonna hang out here for the rest of break: he says casually. :You guys wanna come see our gym?:

  :Sure,: I reply. We might as well spend our free time learning the layout of the fortress and getting to know at least one of Kuron’s kids better.

  Rad takes us down the lowest deck, and on the way, I keep an eye out for any labs that look like a promising spot to store c-plankton. He shows us into a large chamber that really is a gymnasium, complete with exercise machines cleverly designed to function underwater. Ocho and Shadow are already there, working out. Once again, I find myself staring at Ocho as he lifts weights with all six of his arms at once.

  :The bossman is into us staying fit mentally and physically,: Rad explains as he shows us around the gym. Wearing weighted vests, we can run on a treadmill that rises up and down or bounce on a trampoline. There’s a balance beam and rings, and even a trapeze. Rad coaxes us inside a big, round device he calls the “Bounce Our Brains to Mush,” or BOBM for short, which turns out to be a spherical trampoline. Then he proceeds to perform a series of spectacular flips and twists in slow motion.

  Tobin talks me into trying the BOBM with him, and it’s way cool. We can always do somersaults in the water, but the BOBM gives us extra speed as we bounce off its sides or ceiling. I grin after I pull off a double flip.

  After an hour or so, Shadow and Ocho leave the gym together. Soon I hear haunting music that sounds like underwater church bells, but it’s hard to tell where it’s coming from. I notice my friends are glancing around curiously.

  :What’s that music?: I ask Rad.

  :That’s just Shadow and Ocho practicing,: he replies.

  :They’re really good,: Tobin says. :Do you think we could watch them play?:

  :I guess,: Rad says. :They’re always bugging the rest of us to come to their concerts. Shadow writes their stuff, and Ocho’s constantly trying to find ways to make new sounds underwater.:

  Rad leads us down the corridor to a large room that appears to be filled with piles of undersea junk. Hoses and weird long metal tubes that look like organ pipes cover the walls. Near the center, Shadow plays some sort of keyboard, her long black hair twining around her. Ocho’s six hands hold hammers of different sizes. He strikes metal tubes, bars, pots, and bowls hanging down from a complex, twisting network of cables and metal supports that surround him. Both Ocho and Shadow seem lost in the music they’re creating.

  As we follow Rad into the room, the sound grows more intense. Deep bells, tinkling chimes, and muffled whistles seem to echo and vibrate inside my head. Their music is incredibly beautiful, but it’s sad, too, and makes me miss my family.

  Abruptly, Shadow seems to sense our presence and looks up from the keyboard. She stops playing, and then Ocho stops playing, too. They both stare at us.

  :What are you doing here?: Shadow asks after an awkward pause.

  :We just wanted to listen,: Tobin says quickly. :Is it okay if we stick around for a while?:

  Ocho and Shadow exchange a long look.

  :If you want,: he says with a shrug.

  They start playing again, and I think they’re continuing the piece they were playing before, the one that makes me think of people and things I miss, like our snug little cottage back home overlooking the sea.

  We can’t really make noise when we clap, so we smile and cheer mentally instead when they finish the piece. Ocho and Shadow look surprised but pleased by our mental applause.

  :Did you like it?: Shadow asks us shyly. :We call that one ‘Lost.’:

  :It was amazing,: Tobin answers for all of us. :I’ve never heard anything like it. But what’s that instrument you’re playing?:

  :It’s our water organ. It creates sound by forcing water through all these pipes and hoses,: Shadow explains.

  :And I’m playing my Omniphone.: Ocho pats his creation. :I call it that because it includes pieces of just about everything I’ve found that I can hit to make sound.:

  I smile. Ocho does have a crazy variety of objects tied on his Omniphone, including metal spoons and forks.

  :What you just played felt so much more intense than music on land,: Kalli says wonderingly. :I could hear your music inside my head.:

  :That’s because you’re used to sound traveling through air and making your eardrums vibrate,: Robry says, his eyes sparkling as he examines Shadow’s keyboard and the elaborate network of hoses leading to it.

  Ocho nods. :Squirt here is right. Down here, water conveys the sounds we hear and touches our ear and skull bones directly.:

  :Do you guys want to hear something else?: Shadow asks.

  We all nod enthusiastically.

  :Yeah, but play something more up. That last one was a downer,: Rad adds.

  Shadow and Ocho launch into a song that’s dramatic and angry, with deep rumbling vibrations, metallic clashing, and drumrolls. It reminds me of a stormy sea crashing on the shore.

  Reluctantly, we all head back to the school room when they finish their second piece. We have to spend the rest of the afternoon on the computers, but I keep thinking about Shadow and Ocho and their music. The anger and sadness in their pieces still gives me goose bumps. Before I came here, it never really occurred to me that Kuron’s kids might not be happy.

  Just when I can’t bear to stare at my screen a minute longer, Ocho tells us that we have one free hour until dinner.

  :This schedule stuff is starting to get to me,: Ree grumbles.

  :Let’s head out on our own and get going on our search,: I say because Rad, our usual guide, is totally absorbed in some sort of combat game he’s playing on the computer.

  We split up into two teams. Kalli, Robry, and Ree head one way down the corridor outside the school room, and Tobin and I head another. Every door we pass has a number on a colored plaque.

  :Do you ever get the sense that this place is obsessively well-organized?: Tobin asks after he glances at a plaque that reads, DECK THREE: FIRE PROTECTION EQUIPMENT.

  :Oh yeah. I definitely get the impression Kuron is a serious neat freak,: I say after glancing into a storage room full of perfectly coiled hoses and cables.

  :Wasp mentioned that he often goes off to meet with his investors,: Tobin says. :Must’ve taken a bundle to build this place and keep it running.:

  Before I can ask Tobin more about what Wasp told him, we pass an open door marked ART STUDIO. I look in and see Sunny’s already there, chiseling away on a large stone sculpture of a dolphin. Afraid to disturb her, I start to retreat, but she looks up and sees me.

  :Hey, it’s okay,: she says with a smile. :You guys can come in if you want.:

  :Thanks,: Tobin says, and we both enter her studio. Along one side is a floor-to-ceiling window that looks out onto the sea.

  :Wow, this is really good,: I say after I circle her sculpture.

  :Thanks,: Sunny says, her cheeks turning pink.

  :Did you do all these, too?: I ask, looking at beautiful drawings of seals, dolphins, and killer whales that cover the interior walls. She nods, and I realize she must have drawn the dolphin in Bria’s room, too. Familiar spiraling lines also surround many of the dolphin images. :Based on these, I’m guessing that you designed everyone’s tattoos, too.:

  :Yeah.:

  :So why’d you guys decide to get tattoos?:

  :We wanted to belong to a group,: she says, her smile fading. :We did them right after Rad and Ocho finally managed to hack into the main computer system, and we found out a little too much about our birth mothers.:

  :Like what?: Tobin asks curiously.

  :Only a few of us remember our mothers.: Sunny returns to her chiseling. I’m pretty sure she’s whacking her chisel with the mallet a lot harder than she was before. :We were dy
ing to know how we came to be with the bossman. Everyone had different theories. Mako and Sham were sure he’d stolen us. I thought maybe he’d tricked my mother into giving me up. But when the guys broke into our files, they found the legal contracts our birth mothers had signed with the bossman.:

  She looks up from her sculpture briefly. :Basically, our mothers sold us to him before we were ever born. After we found that out, most of us stopped dreaming about trying to find our real families and decided to build a family of our own. Ocho and Shadow came up with the idea of tattoos to show we’re closer than family.:

  Although Sunny says these words matter-of-factly, I sense her pain and disappointment.

  :So why don’t Dai and Wasp have tattoos?: Tobin asks.

  :Wasp said she didn’t need to be a part of any family,: Sunny says with a shrug, :and the bossman wouldn’t let Ice get one.:

  I wander over to inspect a big mirror on the interior wall. :This is huge. Do you dance, too?:

  :Nah, I’m too much of a klutz. That’s actually a two-way mirror. The bossman brings investors to watch me work. He likes to boast about the fact that I’m artistic. I don’t like being shown off, but at least he gets me all the art supplies I ask for,: she concludes practically. :Plus, I’d rather investors watch me through that thing than the keepers.:

  :Guess I’d feel the same way,: I say, rubbing my arms. I can’t help wondering if there’s someone on the other side of the mirror watching us right now. :Thank you so much for letting us see your studio.:

  :You’re welcome to come back anytime,: she says, and I think she really means it.

  :I just might.: I smile at her.

  Tobin and I head out the door and return to our search.

  :I’m not sure I would have turned out that nice if I’d been raised the way she was,: Tobin says after a while.

  :Me neither.:

  Soon the corridor we’ve been following ends abruptly at a huge window. I jump when a gray shadow glides past on the other side of the glass. We swim closer, and I realize we’re looking into a giant five-story tank full of shredders.