The moment we get back from fighting to save Tsukwani’s village, I reach out to Mariah and ask her and the rest of the pod to meet me at Dolphin Bay. Even though the first students won’t be arriving for hours yet, I’m not surprised to find Seth already preparing his training equipment for the day.
:You’re here early,: he smiles at me, :and so is Mariah. I swear she’s the most effective and hardworking teacher I have, next to you.:
:I’ll pass along your compliment,: I promise him. :She loves helping you here.:
Moments later, Mariah and her full pod streak into Dolphin Bay. A dozen dolphins circle around me, eagerly bombarding me with mental images of their night and their early morning hunt.
:Whoa, your whole pod is here. Is something up?: Seth asks curiously.
:We just need to have a family talk.:
:I will leave you to it, then,: he says, and I sense he’s trying not to feel envious.
Grateful I can understand my friends so well, I spend time fussing over each of them. I give them rubs and receive images from dolphins like Halia and Laki who can’t communicate with me using words. I spend extra time with Kona and Ricca who are both pregnant and very pleased that they will be calving at Safety Harbor in the next few months.
:you are worried,: Mariah says, sidling up beside me after I’ve said hello to everyone.
:I have to leave Safety Harbor,: I tell Mariah, Sokya and Densil and explain why it’s so important that I go south and help to cultivate the c-plankton. :You all could stay at Safety Harbor while I make this trip,: I say after I finish. :It will probably be as dangerous as our journey here, and I don’t want any of you to get hurt.:
:I do not want the seas to get any hotter,: Sokya says, serious for once. :I will help you.:
:I do not want our food to die,: Densil adds. :I will help, too.:
I turn to Mariah, who floats silently while she considers my words.
:I do not want you to make this trip without me,: she says at last, :and I would like to see Cam and our old home again. but Kona and Ricca should not come with us. they are too close to calving, and this trip would be dangerous for their little ones once they are born.:
:Can you explain to Ricca and Kona why we must go and why they must stay?:
:it will be hard to make them understand,: Mariah says, and there’s a sigh in her voice. :they do not think like humans, and they will want to stay with our pod. but I am their leader and they will do as I wish.:
:Are you sure you want to come?: I ask gently. :It could be a hard trip for you, too.:
Mariah darts down and nips at my dive fin. :I am not that old yet, young one. I still have many adventures in me.:
:Yes, ma’am,: I say, and rub her favorite spot in front of her dorsal. A part of me is relieved she is coming, but I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her or her family during the dangerous journey to the Southern Sector and back.
~~~
I tell Dad that afternoon that I want to go south with Thom. I try never to read my father’s mind, but I can sense my decision makes him both relieved and anxious. He meets with Vival and the rest of his helper staff to choose the team of Sea Rangers and other Neptune kids who will escort Thom and me to LA. They end up picking Ree and Janni from the Sea Rangers, Kalli to be our marine science and c-plankton expert, Robry for his ability to decipher Kuron’s communications, Penn to be our mechanic and fixer, and Rohan and Tobin as our medics.
Dad also asks Rad, Shadow, Sunny and Ocho to come along. All four say yes because they’re concerned about climate change, too.
“Frankly, we may need some of their unique abilities before this mission is over,” my father explains to me one night. “Rad can short out electrical systems, Sunny can blind or distract her opponents, and Shadow and Ocho, with their abilities to camouflage their skin color, may be able to go places the rest of you can’t.”
“And you want to keep an eye on them,” I say, knowing he’s still worried about Kuron.
“And I want to keep an eye on them,” Dad concedes.
“What about Dai?” I ask. I’m all jumbled up about his coming on this mission. A part of me would prefer he stayed behind so I wouldn’t have to deal with his cold, distant act. But the part of me that’s frightened of the dangers we could face wants him and Ton by my side.
“Dai’s indicated that he wants to come along as well,” Dad replies. “Vival and Janni are worried he won’t obey orders, but he’s the most capable fighter we have at Safety Harbor. I’m also quite sure no one else could do a better job of looking after my daughter, next to your dolphins, of course. Do they want to go?”
“I’ve talked with Mariah, and her entire pod wants to make the trip except for Ricca and Kona who should be calving in the next few months.”
“Do they understand you may encounter the Marine Guard again?”
“They still remember how Pani died, and they miss her,” I say, fighting to keep my voice even because I miss her, too. “They understand the risks, in their own way.” Dolphins live in the present, and sometimes it is hard to get them to look beyond today. But I do feel sure Mariah, Sokya and Densil understand how dangerous this trip could be, and how important it is that we make it.
“Besides, Mariah is not going to let me head off on a long sea journey without her,” I add wryly.
~~~
Just before dawn a week later, my friends and I gather at the hub carrying our travel gear. We split into two groups with a medic in each. Janni and Vival vetoed taking the Bus. Because of its size, it’s more apt to be detected by the Marine Guard’s sonar operators. Instead, we’ll be taking two smaller tows that each have a seat for the driver and pull loops for six. Janni will pilot one and Thom the other, and Vival made Janni the official head of our expedition.
:I still wish they’d named you our captain,: Ree complains to me on a private send as we watch the Carly Sue cast off from her moorings.
:I’m glad Janni’s our captain,: I say honestly. :She’s a good leader, and since she was attacked by that shredder on our way to Atlantea, she’s gotten a lot better at listening.:
:I still think she’s spent way too much time around Vival. She’s probably gonna want to inspect our gear every five minutes,: Ree predicts gloomily.
The water fills with the deep, throbbing sound of the old trawler’s engines as the Carly Sue pulls away from the dock. She and two other surface vessels carrying barrels of the starter strain of Idaine’s c-plankton will make the trip south. The other two boats have already left Safety Harbor. Vival sent them separately, hoping that at least one of them will make it to Los Angeles. Even though the voyage will take longer, our ships are going to head out to sea with their precious cargo to avoid the busy shipping lanes along both sides of Vancouver Island, and we plan to do the same.
My throat goes tight as I watch the battered old Carly Sue motor off into the fog with James and Dad aboard it. The first part of the voyage is particularly dangerous. We all have to dodge our way past warships from both Canada and the Western Collective sailing the Queen Charlotte Strait, and then we have to travel around the busy northern tip of Vancouver Island.
:Your dad and brother will be all right,: Tobin says, hovering by my side. :Captain Gonzalez is one smart old sea salt.:
:But if the Carly Sue is stopped and boarded, their forged papers or those identity chips Doc Iharu implanted in both James and Dad might not be convincing enough.:
And if they get in a tight spot, James might have to use his Controller abilities, which could lead to terrible consequences for him.
:They’re carrying state-of-the-art forgeries,: Tobin points out, :thanks to Lena and Sunny, and you know Robry did a brilliant job of creating those ID chips.:
:True,: I admit, but only time will tell if their forgeries are good enough to fool officials.
:Now your job is to concentrate on staying alive for the next thousand miles,: Tobin says soberly before he swims over to Thom’s tow. Shadow takes the pull loop beside his, and he turns to her, talking on a private send. I’m glad they are spending more time together, but I miss hanging out with Tobin.
As we set off after the Carly Sue, Mariah and her family, Janni’s and Rohan’s dolphin partners and Ton spiral about us in their excitement. Soon we cross the bubble wall and leave our home behind us. On my side of the tow, Ree grins at me, happy to be off on another adventure. Kalli appears thoughtful, and Dai, at the back of the tow, looks preoccupied and more aloof than ever.
:Maybe you’ll spot a new coral on this trip,: I say to him.
:This is hardly a research trip,: he counters shortly.
:I didn’t think it would be,: I reply, and I don’t try to speak to him again. Somehow, someway on this voyage, I’m going to find a way to convince Dai that he isn’t a danger to me. But I feel so lonely and frustrated with him in the meantime.
The dolphins swim ahead of us and watch for trouble. By afternoon, we leave the islands of our sheltered Broughton Archipelago, and with the pod’s help, we manage to slip undetected between ships in the strait and reach Malcolm Island an hour before sunset. There we set up our hammocks in a big sea cave, and we recharge the tows’ batteries with a small portable tidal generator that Penn designed and built. Janni swims to the surface at twilight with our marine radio and brings back good news. The Carly Sue crossed the strait safely, too, and is on her way around the tip of Vancouver Island.
By the time the water darkens, we start tying ourselves into our hammocks, except for Dai, who volunteers to take the first watch.
:Traveling by tow all day sure is faster than swimming under our own power,: Robry says sleepily.
:Yeah, but it’s still muy tiring,: Ree says.
:And tough on the shoulders,: Rohan adds, stretching his arms over his head before he climbs into his hammock.
On the second day, several of us try wearing current harnesses and clipping them to our tow loops. That eases the strain on our arms, but constantly being pulled through water at twelve knots is still an exhausting business.
Janni calls a break midday because we’ve been fighting strong currents much of the morning, and the tows are getting low on juice. We stop in a nameless cove off the northeastern tip of Vancouver Island. Kalli and Penn take floating solar panels to the surface to recharge our batteries. Some members of our team rest and hunt for our lunch while I check the dolphins for parasites. Janni, though, keeps glancing up at the solar panels.
:They’re too easy to spot, and there’s a lot of boat traffic out here today,: she says suddenly. :Thom and Dai, swim to the bottom and make sure there’s a place close by where we can hide with the tows if we have to.:
The guys don’t look too thrilled by Janni’s orders, but I’m relieved when Dai doesn’t give Janni a tough time. Instead, they finish their rockfish fillets and go scouting.
:There’re plenty of overhangs down about a hundred and fifty feet where we could hide the tows,: Thom reports back shortly.
:Good,: Janni says. :Let’s hope we don’t need to use them.:
An hour later, the batteries are finally charged. Kalli and Penn are bringing the solar panels down from the surface when Sokya and Densil arrow up to our group, whistling and sawing in concern.
:a fast ship heads straight toward us,: Densil warns me.