WHITEY IS THE FIRST to move. He lunges for Wasp, rows of sharp teeth bared, but Ocho darts between them. The water fills with a blinding cloud of dark ink that Ocho shoots from his neck. I think I see Ocho grappling with Whitey inside the cloud, trying to keep him from killing Wasp.

When Sham charges straight at me, Dai slams him aside. Sham whirls around to charge me again, but Rad dashes up behind him, and Sham stiffens as Rad shocks him.

:You’ll pay for that, you stupid sparkhead.: Sham snarls at Rad and goes after him instead.

:many shark people follow the sub,: Densil warns me.

Rohan contacts me seconds later. :Nere, a bunch of shredders are heading for your entry bay. We cut off a dozen, but the rest got past us by hiding behind that sub.:

:HUNGRY SHREDDERS HEADING OUR WAY FAST!: I broadcast desperately to everyone in the entry bay. I dive for the wall and grab the closest speargun and quiver.

:Mako, you take Robry, Tobin, and Nere and head for the lab,: Dai orders. :Find the c-plankton, and I’ll meet you at Entry Bay Two.: Ocho and Whitey are still fighting each other, but the rest of Dai’s friends race to get their spearguns.

I glance at Mako. Although his eye is twitching horribly, he seems to have himself under control. :You got it, Ice,: Mako says.

:What about Kalli and Ree?: I ask Dai.

:We’ll look out for your friends,: Shadow snaps. :You find the c-plankton. Now go!:

Seconds later, the first wave of shredders rushes into the bay. Mako grabs my wrist with one hand and Tobin’s with the other and tows us away as fast as he can. Robry, a speargun slung over his shoulder, fights to keep up with us. I glance back to see Shadow squirt a cloud of ink at a charging shredder. Moments later, through a gap in the dark cloud, I see Shadow has her arms around its neck, and she’s literally choking it to death.

Mako pulls Tobin and me down a long corridor so quickly, his legs are a blur of movement. He turns and turns again, and then we’re in front of a door marked ENVIRO LAB THREE, PROHIBITED AREA, which explains why we’ve never been in here before. Mako opens the door and we rush inside. Instantly, lights begin to flash and an alarm siren sounds. Large tanks of greenish water fill the lab. At one end, four tall, narrow machines slowly rotate dozens of small metal canisters.

Robry heads straight for the machines, ignoring the lights and sirens. :I’m pretty sure this is what we’re looking for. To keep a really dense culture of phytoplankton alive, it would help to keep rotating it so the plankton doesn’t pile up and get crushed on the bottom.:

He reaches out and snags a canister off the carousel. :Hey, Tobin, you were right. Kuron did label it.: Robry shows us the canister. It reads C-PLANKTON STRAIN 52.

:I’m just glad we found it,: I say shortly, then I unsling my quiver and toss out most of the darts. :Let’s grab as many canisters as we can and get out of here.:

Swiftly, Mako and I take dozens of canisters from all four machines and stuff them in my quiver. In the meantime, Robry sweeps up several small notebooks and shoves them into his seapack.

:Guys, we have a problem.: Tobin’s pain-filled mind touches mine.

I spin around. One of the keepers hovers by the door in full scuba gear, his speargun trained on Tobin. I look into the man’s mask. There’s a familiar long red scar over his right eye. Somehow Rad and the rest must have overlooked him when they sent the other keepers to shore.

He motions for Robry and me to dump out my quiver. Then he jabs the tip of his speargun into Tobin’s side. If we don’t do what he wants, it’s clear he’s going to shoot. Trying not to panic, I reach out and touch the keeper’s thoughts.

The boss will give me a big, fat bonus for saving his precious plankton, he’s thinking with satisfaction.

:Once he shoots, we can get him before he reloads,: Mako says.

:Yeah, but that first dart’s going into Tobin.: I have to fight to keep my mental voice steady. :Mako, help me unload this quiver slowly.:

As we lean over it and start pulling out canisters, Tobin curls up as if his injured hand hurts, and I see him inching for the dive knife on his right calf.

:Don’t,: I yell at him mentally, :it’s too dangerous!:

Robry hears me and glances at Tobin, who’s still reaching for his knife. Moments later, Robry takes his seapack and makes a big show of trying to shake out the notebooks. He reaches an arm deep into his pack and acts like one of the notebooks is stuck.

Numbly, I watch them while my heart beats in hard, fast strokes. I can sense the keeper’s rising impatience.

There’s a flash of movement as Tobin twists about and slices through the keeper’s air hose. The keeper fires at Tobin, and silver bubbles flow from the hose, making it hard for me to see. Mako darts across the room in a blur of motion and wrenches the speargun from the man’s grasp. Then he clubs the keeper unconscious with the butt of the weapon.

I launch myself at Tobin. :Did he hit you?:

:J-just missed me,: he replies. He’s shaking hard again. Gently, I take his knife and slide it back into the sheath on his calf.

:Um, Nere, this guy’s gonna suffocate in about two minutes,: Robry says as he looks at the unconscious keeper floating there with bubbles still streaming from his air hose.

:Switch him over to his backup hose. Mako, help me gather up all these canisters again. We gotta get out of here.:

:If this guy doesn’t wake up before his oxygen runs out, he’s still gonna suffocate,: Robry points out as he quickly adjusts the keeper’s breathing rig.

:At least we’re giving him a chance. That’s more than he’d give us,: I reply.

The moment we finish gathering up the c-plankton canisters, Mako grabs our hands and pulls Tobin and me out the door. As he tows us down the corridor toward Entry Bay Two and Robry sprints alongside us, I realize I’m trembling from our encounter with the keeper. Red lights flash and the alarm siren continues to sound. Where are Kalli, Ree, and the rest? I hope they’re doing all right against the shredders.

We’ve only made it halfway down the corridor when Sham’s threatening voice fills our minds. :Hey, little buddy, it’s time to play some hunt and seek again.:

I glance back and spot Sham. He’s closing on us fast. His thick lips are pulled back in a fierce grin. Mako sprints forward, towing us so quickly that my shoulder burns.

:Tobin and the Neptune princess are just slowing you down, Twitchy-boy. You let go of them, and you could get away from me no problem.:

:I’m not gonna leave them,: Mako says, and he swims even faster.

:Then I’m gonna catch you. And you’re gonna wish you’d stayed to play with those sharkheads instead of with me.:

:Sham’s right,: Mako tells us on a private send. :He’s gonna catch us before we can reach Entry Bay Two, and then we’ll be in big trouble, but he gave me an idea. Let’s duck into the Maze. We’ve got a better chance of losing him in there. I can’t use my speed against him while I’m dragging you around out here.:

:’Kay,: I reply, fighting a surge of nausea. Entering that maze again is just about the last thing I want to do.

:Robry, once we’re in there, I’ll lead Sham away from you guys, and you can guide Tobin and Nere back out,: Mako says.

:I’ll try,: Robry replies.

Mako pulls us around a corner to the door to the Maze. He dashes inside with me, Robry, and Tobin right behind him. Mako slaps off the lights. Instantly I’m staring into total darkness. At least the Maze is bigger than the cell I just left.

Mako takes my wrist again. :Grab my leg,: I order Robry. :Otherwise, you might get left behind.:

:Good idea,: Robry says, and I feel him grip my left leg just as Mako jerks me forward again.

My shoulder and arm muscles quiver from the extra strain of towing Robry as Mako darts and weaves through the Maze. After the first three turns, I’ve completely lost my sense of direction, but Mako never hesitates as he pulls us deeper and deeper into the heart of Kuron’s labyrinth.

:So you wanna play shark versus whale in here. That’s never gone so well for you,: I hear Sham taunt Mako. I shiver when I realize Sham must be in the Maze now.

:I wasn’t playing for keeps before,: Mako says, surprising me with the steel I hear in his mental voice. :Now I am.:

:That’s supposed to scare me?:

:It should,: Mako replies steadily as we turn and turn again. :I’m faster than you, and before, I still wanted to be your friend. Now I know you’re a coward. You just left your best friend to be chewed up by those sharkheads.:

:I’m just smarter than everyone else. I plan to get out of here alive, but first I have a little unfinished business with the princess and her friends. She needs to pay for messing with my pod.:

Mako suddenly comes to a stop. :You guys stay here,: he tells us on a private send. :I’m going after Sham. When I tell you, head for the door as fast as you can.:

I risk lighting my watch and shine it on Mako’s face. :Sure you want to do this?:

:I’m sure,: he says as he checks his speargun. He looks amazingly calm, and his tic is gone. :Head for Entry Bay Two. I know Ice will meet you there if he can.:

:Thanks, Mako,: I say, my throat gone tight.

:No biggie,: Mako says as he darts away. :I owe you, and I owe Ice.:

I raise my watch to check on Tobin. He’s cradling his swollen hand, and he’s still shaking. :We’ll get you out of here soon.:

:D-don’t worry about me.:

I load my speargun. :Robry, let’s float back to back with Tobin between us, just in case.:

:You got it,: Robry says. We shift around so that we’re facing different directions. After a long moment, Robry asks in a small voice, :Do you think Sham really wants to kill us?:

:If I catch her, I’m gonna kill her and her little buddies, and then maybe things will go back to the way they were around here,: Sham calls out. :I’m not looking for you, Twitchy; I’m looking for them. So you can just stay out of this.:

:Guess that answers your question,: I tell Robry.

I strain my eyes, peering into total darkness. Mako’s faster than Sham, and I hope that his shark’s senses will be more effective than Sham’s ability to echolocate.

Over the pounding of the blood in my ears, I hear a low-pitched series of clicks to my right. I grip my speargun tighter. Sham is definitely using his personal sonar system as he prowls the maze searching for us. He can’t sense us through the thick dividers, but if he turns on to our row in the Maze, he’ll find us in seconds.

Raising my speargun, I keep my finger on the trigger. I don’t hear anything now. Is Sham sneaking up on us? I can sense his rising excitement, but he’s shielding his thoughts so tightly that I can’t read him directly.

Suddenly, I hear a burst of clicks straight ahead.

:Did you hear those?: I ask Robry and Tobin on a private send.

:Yeah,: Tobin replies. :Mako’d better make his move soon.:

:I think Sham’s right in front of me.: My heart races faster and faster. I stare into the darkness. Should I fire? But what if I miss? It takes at least ten seconds to reload, and Sham could be on us by then.

I start to tighten my trigger finger, but then Sham’s psychic shout roars out.

:OW, YOU LITTLE FREAK! I can’t believe you shot me. I’m gonna make you pay for this.:

:I got him from behind. Nere, Robry, go!: Mako shouts on a private send. :If Sham can still swim, he’s gonna chase me first. I’ll lead him away from your route out.:

:Make sure he doesn’t catch you,: I tell Mako.

:He won’t, not with a spear dart through his thigh,: Mako replies. Then I hear him call out to Sham, :Hey, you big moron, I’m back this way.:

:Help me pull Tobin,: Robry says breathlessly to me. :We can’t get separated in here.:

I sense Tobin stiffen in pain as we grab him, but he doesn’t say a word as we sprint away from Sham for the door.

:Left, and then a right, and then another right,: I hear Robry murmuring to himself as he leads us through the dark. I can’t believe he has any idea where we are. I hear Mako taunting Sham again, and Sham swearing angrily as he tries to chase him.

:One more left should do it,: Robry declares.

Seconds later, we turn left again and swim hard until I hear Robry’s hand smack into a wall. :The door’s gotta be around here somewhere.:

I risk using my watch for a half second to scan the wall. :There’s the door handle.: I almost sob with relief. I twist the lever, and moments later, we burst into the corridor. I check both directions for shredders, but the hallway’s clear for the moment.

:Kalli, Ree, where are you guys?:

:We’re in Entry Bay Two, waiting for you. No one else is here yet.:

:Don’t wait for us. This is an order. Go find the Sea Rangers. We’ll follow you as soon as we can.:

:’Kay, but we’ll be right outside. Call us if you need help,: Ree replies. :Rad’s with us.:

At least two of my team are safe now. Robry and I sprint down the corridor, pulling Tobin along as fast as we can. I hope Mako’s going to be okay, too.

Dai dashes out from a corridor on our left. The right side of his face looks swollen, and there’s a makeshift bandage wrapped around his forearm.

:You guys all right?: he asks.

:Yeah. Sham came after us, but Mako hid us in the Maze and shot him in the leg,: I reply.

:Did you get the c-plankton?:

:This is crammed full of the stuff.: I pat my quiver.

There’s motion on my right, and suddenly Mako’s swimming beside me.

:Sham’s not too happy with me right now,: he tells us with a shaky grin. :My spear dart won’t kill him, but he’s gonna have to stop and patch himself up, and that should slow him down some.:

:Nice job, bro,: Dai says.

:I’m glad shark beat whale this time,: I tell Mako.

:Yeah, me too.:

:Let me and Mako take Tobin. We’ll go faster,: Dai says, and we transfer Tobin over to Dai and Mako as gently as we can. We still jostle Tobin’s hand and he groans.

:Just keep going,: Tobin urges us.

:Hang in there,: Robry tells him. :We’ll have you to a medic soon.:

As we kick as fast as we can for the entry bay, I say to Dai, :I was surprised you came back. I thought you were furious with me.:

:I wasn’t too thrilled to see you with Tobin, but you did hand me a good excuse to go storming off and lead Wasp away while the Sea Rangers set their mines.:

:You really want them to destroy Atlantea? This is your father’s dream.:

:They can bring it down around his ears. My dad wanted to help the world, but he’s too warped and twisted now to help anyone. I have to make sure you’ll be safe from him…and I have to prove to you that I want to be different.:

:What about Wasp, Whitey, and Sham?:

:They’re just too violent for Safety Harbor. I hope I’m not, also,: he adds darkly.

Seconds later, we reach Entry Bay Two. A small sub is moored along the bay’s southern side. Kuron glares at us through its large porthole. He’s wearing a full wetsuit, and I shudder when I see anger in every line of his taut body. Dai freezes when he spots his father. Then he squares his shoulders and swims on into the bay.

Wasp kneels on the deck next to a torn and bleeding Ocho. Whitey hovers behind them, a loaded speargun in his hand. His face looks strained. Sunny and Shadow are working over Ocho feverishly. I wince when I see he’s missing at least one of his arms, and Sunny has a bandage tied around her leg.

I sense Whitey is fighting to keep himself under control, and in his cold way, he’s sorry for hurting Ocho.

:It got pretty ugly back in Entry Bay One,: Dai tells me on a private send. :Whitey bit Ocho, and then a sharkhead ripped off his injured arm. Whitey got himself together, and once we shot enough of the sharkheads, they turned on one another, and we slipped away. Whitey and Wasp must have overheard me telling the rest of us to meet up here, and wanted Shadow and Sunny to help Ocho.:

:Ochy, I’m so sorry,: I hear Wasp say, tears in her voice. :I never meant for you to get hurt.:

:I know,: Ocho says. He reaches up one of his unhurt arms to touch her cheek. But then his eyes roll back in his head, and his hand slips from her face as he passes out.

Her face stricken, Wasp looks up at Shadow. :You have to save him,: she says. :Please, I don’t want him to die.:

:He’s going to bleed out unless we can get him to their medics,: Shadow says sternly and motions to us. :There’s no one left here who can help him.:

Wasp glances at the sub. Kuron has vanished from the window. She draws in a deep breath. :Then take Ochy and go,: she says. :I don’t care what the bossman says.:

Shadow looks away from Wasp and meets my gaze, her eyes full of concern.

:Good luck, Nere,: she says as she and Sunny gently pick up Ocho. Moments later, they swim out of the bay, towing Ocho between them.

Once they’re safely away, I realize that Whitey is staring at me malevolently, his loaded speargun pointed right at my gut.

:Robry and Tobin, you guys should go, too, if Whitey will let you,: I tell them.

:Yeah, go on and get out,: Whitey growls. :We never wanted any of you here. It’s all about the Neptune princess now. She’s the one who messed with Ice’s head.:

Robry shoots me a worried look.

:You’ve got to get Tobin to a medic,: I say quickly. I’m dying to pass Robry my spear-dart quiver, but I’m afraid to draw too much attention to it.

:W-we can’t leave you here,: Tobin protests, his eyes glazed with pain.

:Dai and Mako will look out for me. Go!:

Robry doesn’t waste another second. He grabs Tobin, and an instant later, the two of them disappear over the deck’s edge into the sea.

“Mako, Dai, and Nere, drop your spearguns now,” I hear a familiar male voice through my ear receivers. “Whitey, if she so much as twitches after she puts her weapon down, shoot the Hanson girl.”

I turn, shivers tracing down my back. Kuron is hovering by his sub in full dive gear. Through his wide dive mask, I can see his expression is cold and set.