RAD’S BODY convulses as his collar shocks him. He falls to his knees and then to the ground as his muscles seize and jerk. Mako watches Rad, and even from here I can see his eye is twitching.

:Mako, you gotta stay clear of him!: Dai shouts telepathically.

:Why?: I can’t help asking.

:Mako can’t touch him,: Dai explains. :That voltage is so strong, it would flow right into him from Rad and stop his heart immediately.:

My eyes sting with tears. Oh, Rad, thank you for risking this, I think. Like Kalli, I slip my arm around Ree, who is trembling now, and we stay by her side. Seconds seem to crawl by, and finally Rad’s body goes slack. Now he’s sprawled on his back and he’s clearly unconscious. But is he dead?

Mako waits for an endless minute. At last he leans over and gingerly checks for Rad’s pulse. He turns toward the camera and gives us a big grin. He picks up Rad like he weighs nothing, slings him over his shoulder, and dashes out of the room.

Now I understand why Dai chose Mako to help. He’s strong and fast, and he can handle staying out of the water better than the rest of us.

We glance at one another uncertainly.

Ocho reaches for his collar first. He finds the release catch with his fingers, rips off the collar, and throws it away from him. :Way to go, Rad!: Ocho pumps several fists at once. :He really did it.:

Seconds later, we’re all reaching for our collars, but I can’t seem to get mine off. Tobin can’t get his off, either, with his right hand so swollen, but Shadow helps him.

Dai is beside me. :Lift your braid,: he says, and he presses the catch for me. He pulls off the collar and tosses it away with a look of pure loathing. Instantly I feel lighter.

:Thank you.: I turn to Dai. :Thank you for everything.:

:You can thank me after we get you guys out of here in one piece.: He turns to Ocho. :Let’s check the camera feed and make sure that jammer Kalli and Ree placed next to the shredder tank is still working.:

:You know about the jammer?: I ask in surprise.

Dai nods to my friends. :They told me about it.:

:The moment I heard we were going to try to escape, I thought of the jammer,: Kalli explains. :I figured we should take it to the shredder tank to make sure no one could send them after us.:

:What happened when you turned it on?:

:That happened,: Ree says, and points toward the screens. :Guess the prototype worked okay after all.:

I stare at a screen full of red water and floating bits of shredder. Occasionally there’s a flash of gray in the red murk. I look away from the screen, my stomach lurching.

:They’re still tearing each other apart in there,: Dai says grimly. :I’m guessing a few dozen will survive, but they won’t be hungry for a long time.:

:It’s more merciful this way,: Shadow says, her eyes haunted. :They were too human to be happy as sharks, and too sharklike to ever be human.:

:Right,: I say, but I can’t help shuddering as Dai leads us out of the control room, with Ocho and me helping Tobin along.

We reach Entry Bay One just as Mako arrives towing Rad in a lifeguard hold. Gently, Mako lays Rad down on the deck, and Ree hurries to his side. As she checks his pulse, Rad’s eyes flutter open and his gaze focuses on Ree’s face.

:Hey, chica, do I have frizzy hair?: he asks her weakly. :I got a pretty big zap.:

:You got some nasty electrical burns around your neck, but your hair’s looking good.:

:That’s the first nice thing you’ve ever said to me,: Rad says, struggling to sit up. :Maybe I’m finally getting somewhere.:

I glance away from Rad and Ree and realize Dai and the others are busily unlocking a variety of skimmers we can use to make a quick escape.

:Nere, are you okay in there?: A familiar mind contacts mine.

It’s Rohan! :Yeah, we’re okay.:

:Great. We’ve got the mines set to bring the whole place down. They’re rigged so we can blow them in sections. Let me know the moment you’re safely out of there.:

:We should be leaving in a few minutes. I’ll keep you posted. Dai, we’d better go find that c-plankton now.:

:Yeah, I just want to get this unlocked.: He motions to his own powerful skimmer.

I reach out to my dolphin companions. :Sokya, Densil, you guys close?:

:yes, and we are happy to see our friends from Safety Harbor,: Sokya replies excitedly. :my mother and her little one are here—:

:the other young humans return on their skimmers,: Densil says, breaking into our conversation, :and a sub comes quickly from the south!:

:Rohan, some of Kuron’s kids and a sub are heading for Atlantea,: I warn him. :You’ve got to hide and send your dolphins away.:

:Roger that,: Rohan replies coolly.

:We’ll tell you when to blow those mines,: I add.

I really hope we don’t have to fight our way out of here, but I have a nasty feeling Wasp isn’t going to just let us walk away. And I bet Kuron’s on that sub.

I warn the others that the shark crew will be here any moment.

:I still think we should ask Wasp if she wants to come with us,: Ocho says.

I stare at him in disbelief. Wasp is the last person I’d want swimming around Safety Harbor.

:Bro, she’s so broken and twisted now, she’ll never be happy.: Dai shakes his head.

:She would have let Tobin die without a second thought,: Sunny adds indignantly.

:I think she’d be different away from here. We’d all be different,: Ocho says, looking stubborn.

My heart sinks when an angry mind touches mine and I see a blur of movement behind me. Wasp and the others are parking their skimmers on the deck.

:Just what do you think you’re all doing?: Wasp asks, her pale cheeks flushed, while Sham and Whitey flank her.

:We’re leaving,: Dai replies steadily. :And we’re never coming back.:

:Rad flipped the kill switch to disable the collars, and now we’re all free,: Shadow adds, moving up beside Dai, her face cool and watchful. Rad and Sunny gather around Dai. Ocho and Mako hover on the sides. I’ve seen this divide between Kuron’s kids before, but it’s never felt this ominous.

:So, this really doesn’t work anymore, huh?: Sham reaches up and quickly tugs off his collar. :Isn’t that too bad? Now the keepers can’t zap us if we misbehave.:

The menace I hear in his tone makes the hair rise on the back of my neck.

Whitey pulls off his collar, too, his cold, slate gaze never leaving me. :Princess, you’re the reason everything changed around here. Maybe if we feed you to the sharkheads, Ice here will get his act together, and we can go back to the way things were before.:

:We were one big ol’ happy pod and doing fine until you came along,: Sham adds.

Dai shifts until he’s floating in front of me. :You really think we were doing fine? I’m glad Nere and her friends showed me there’s another way we can be.:

:Most of us have never been happy,: Shadow declares defiantly. :We’ve been treated like lab specimens ever since we were little.:

:Hey, it worked for me.: Whitey shrugs.

Wasp gasps, and her gaze goes distant. :There are dozens of Neptune kids outside. They’ve come to destroy Atlantea, and Ice brought them here.:

She turns on Dai, her mouth twisted in a strange smile. :You really want to tear everything apart? We mean so little to you? Then let’s have some real fun.: She raises a hand and pulls out a knife.

:No!: Ocho cries.

He lunges for her, but he’s too late. Wasp slices the palm of her hand, and blood blossoms like a scarlet flower in the water in front of her.

Whitey, Mako, Dai, and Sham stiffen as if the keepers just zapped them.