I TAKE A DEEP breath and try to concentrate as Janni and Vival swim away. How can we possibly get ourselves and Dav and Rohan past the mock Marine Guard boats and their sonar in ten minutes?

:Everyone, mark the time,: I say. :Tobin and Lena, check our wounded and try to keep them stable. Anyone got an idea?:

Tobin meets my gaze, his expression worried. :It’s an impossible challenge. The dolphins might be able to tow our healthy swimmers under the boats fast enough to avoid sonar detection, but the boat crews are going to sense us when we have to transport our wounded. Vival wants to see if we have the guts to sacrifice Rohan and Dav to save the rest of us.:

:In a real situation, we might, but we’d try to find other options first. So let’s find some fast.:

:Their boats have to be close by,: Lena says, glancing up from Dav. :Maybe you could scan the crew’s thoughts and see if they’re worried about how we might get out of this inlet.:

:Since this is an emergency, I’m willing to listen in on what they’re thinking,: I say. Dav looks startled, but he makes no objections.

:We have to fool their sonar somehow,: Kalli says quickly. :Remember the way Mariah got the wild dolphins to confuse those smugglers chasing us back in San Francisco? Ask Sokya if any of the Safety Harbor pod is hunting near here.:

:That’s a great idea,: I say and reach out to Sokya. :She says many dolphins hunt near here, and she’s asking them to come help.:

Penn holds up a device that looks like a small radio. :We could try this. It’s a sonar disrupter.:

:Tell us fast. What’s this thing do?:

:Robry and I designed it to break up the sonar signature of Neptune kids and make us look like a school of fish. The small battery I brought should power it for maybe two minutes.:

:That’s perfect.:

:But what if they think we’re cheating?: Thom asks. :That’s not on our official list of Sea Ranger equipment.:

We glance at our monitors, but Dav just acts like he’s in pain, and Rohan pretends to be unconscious.

:It’s a resource we have,: I decide, :and if this were a real emergency, we’d use it. But this could get us into serious trouble. Everyone okay with trying Penn’s gadget?:

:I’d rather bend the rules than leave two of our people behind to die,: Tobin says, and the rest nod.

I glance at my watch. Only seven minutes left.

:Everyone, pair up with your dolphins and get ready to sprint out of here. I’m going to try to pick up something useful from those boat crews.:

I close my eyes and reach out with my senses. There are two helpers topside sitting in the two pretend Marine Guard vessels. I scan their minds, searching for any information that could help us. One of the sonar operators is fretting over her scope. As I listen to her thoughts, I realize her main concern is something we can exploit.

:Listen up,: I tell my group. :Topside, they’re worried about a deep, narrow channel where there may be a blind spot in their sonar coverage, and they don’t want us to find it.:

Penn frowns. :We can’t risk searching for that channel. They’ll sense us if we get too close to their boats, but Mariah can look for it when the other dolphins arrive.:

:Good idea. On my signal, Ree, Thom, and Kalli, sprint through that channel one at a time as fast as your dolphins can swim. When you’re three hundred yards beyond the boats, hold up. We’ll need everyone’s help to get our wounded back to Safety Harbor.:

I reach out to Mariah and explain about the channel that might help us escape detection. :we will look for it when the other dolphins come,: she promises me.

I turn to Tobin. :Is Rohan stable enough to travel?:

:Not really, but he’s dead if he stays here,: he replies. :We need to get him back to sickbay as fast as possible. Same goes for Dav.:

:’Kay. Lena, you and Penn and your dolphins tow Dav out of here right after the others leave. Tobin and I’ll follow you carrying Rohan. Penn, use your disrupter when it’ll help the most.:

:Here come the dolphins!: Kalli cries as the first Safety Harbor dolphins arrive. They swim excitedly all around us.

:Sokya, ask them to circle under the boats.: I hope the helpers won’t toss a depth charge the moment they see dozens of dolphins on their scopes. We’re gambling that they’ll think a wild pod just entered the inlet.

:Mariah, can you find that channel?:

:we have already found the deep way under the boats.:

:Show it to the others. Please tell them we must swim through it fast.:

:I will. this is fun!:

:All right, Ree and Halia, go. Kalli, you and Mona head out. Thom, you and Kona, go now.: I wave the teams off and check my watch. Blood thunders in my ears. Only four minutes until the boat crews lob their charges.

I swim quickly to Tobin to help him with Rohan. Mali is already waiting beside him, and Sokya speeds straight to my side to give me a tow. Penn and Lena and their dolphin partners are already pulling Dav toward the channel.

:We’ve gotta stay close together if this disrupter is going to hide us,: Penn warns me.

Our dolphins tow us down into the old stream channel. It’s so narrow, deep, and twisting, I can see why the helpers were worried about their sonar coverage. But we’re moving too slowly. I’m still scared they’ll detect us topside.

:All right, we should be in sonar range,: Penn declares. :I’m turning on the disrupter…now.:

I glance at my watch. Only two minutes left.

:Swim faster,: I urge everyone.

As we pick up speed, Dav starts muttering that his arm hurts, but we ignore him. I glance at my sensor. If it lights up, I’m dead. One minute passes like a lifetime, and still my wrist sensor stays dark. We startle several wolf eels with bristling teeth hiding in the rocks as we flash past.

:How you doing there, Dav?: I ask him.

:My arm’s killing me, and my air is running low,: he says shortly.

:You’ll be back at Safety Harbor soon,: Tobin says. If we don’t get blown up in the next thirty seconds.

:Mariah, are we past the boats yet?: I ask.

:you are beneath them now.:

I check my watch. One minute left.

:Sokya, we’ve got to sprint for it!: I tighten my grip on Sokya’s dorsal. Our dolphins surge forward, and Dav starts moaning.

:we need to breathe soon,: Sokya warns me.

:I think we’re almost clear.:

At last I see Kalli, Thom, and Ree ahead of us, and they’re all grinning. I glance at my watch. Ten and a half minutes have passed. My sensor is still dark. They must have tossed the virtual depth charges, but we were out of range when they hit the water.

:Thanks, Sokya. Go breathe, and then we’ve got to race back to Safety Harbor.:

:We did it!: my group starts cheering.

:Hey, we still have to get our two wounded back to Safety Harbor as fast as possible,: Tobin reminds us.

:And we have to get Dav oxygen while he decompresses,: Lena adds.

I send Mariah and Nika out to search for a current to speed our trip back. We carry Dav and Rohan as smoothly and quickly as we can, changing dolphins frequently so they can breathe and rest.

A half mile into our journey, Mariah finds a current that doubles our speed. I reach out and contact Roni and ask her to make sure medical help is waiting for us.

A group of Sea Ranger medics meets us at the bubble wall with a stretcher for Rohan and oxygen for Dav. Janni is with them.

:I don’t know how you all got out in one piece,: she says ruefully, :but congratulations.:

I only nod in reply because we’re still making sure Dav gets a regulator attached to a fresh oxygen tank as Rohan is transferred onto the stretcher.

When they are set, I let go a sigh of relief. :Nice work, everyone,: I say, meeting the gaze of each of my friends, and I mean it. :Mariah, you and your family were amazing, as always.:

:did you do well on your test?:

:I think so.:

:I am glad.: Mariah brushes against me in farewell, and I see the rest of my team rubbing their dolphins before our friends rush off to feed and play.

My stomach tightens when I see Vival and my father swimming toward us. Are they going to give us our official test results right now?

“How did your entire group get past our boats?” Vival asks me. I blink at the coolness of her tone.

I choose my words carefully before I start keying them into my com-pad. I read your sonar operators’ minds and found out about the deep channel. Our healthy patrol members took that route under your boats with their dolphins. When we were moving our wounded, Penn used a sonar disrupter to make us look like a school of fish. Safety Harbor dolphins also helped to disrupt our sonar signature.

“That disrupter wasn’t on the list of your specified equipment,” Vival points out. “And none of our other Rangers possesses your powerful telepathy or the ability to communicate with dolphins so specifically. Your team used resources unavailable to most Sea Rangers and broke the SPC rules.”

“I disagree,” Dav speaks up. “I thought Nere’s team was bloody brilliant. These kids demonstrated terrific teamwork under pressure and remarkable ingenuity. Penn, I want to see that sonar disrupter you designed ASAP.”

“The point of the drill wasn’t for everyone to survive,” Vival declares. “This was actually a test to see if this untrained group could follow our basic protocols, and in my opinion this patrol completely failed that aspect of the challenge.”

My cheeks start to burn. I can feel my team’s disbelief and anger building behind me. Before Ree can say anything that would get us into more trouble, I squeeze her arm. Then I swim forward from the others and square my shoulders.

It was my decision to use my telepathy to help us, and it was my decision to use Penn’s disrupter. I’m responsible for how our SPC turned out.

Vival nods. “So noted. I also understand that my observers were impressed with your sea skills and your overall performance. We will discuss your results and inform you tomorrow at breakfast if you get to go on the mission. Nere, you and your team are dismissed.”

I glance at my father. His gaze is sympathetic, but he doesn’t say a word in our defense. I can’t believe he’s not going to stand up for us.

Gulping down my disappointment, I lead my friends away.