“We keep training,” I say. “We keep fighting LI. We keep learning about Nemo’s tech. We know he had at least a dozen secret bases, and Ester thinks there are more still undiscovered. Who knows what we’ll find? And we haven’t even scratched the surface of what the Nautilus can do once we get her in prime shape.” I glance around at my crew. “We will be the first class of HP to actually crew Captain Nemo’s ship. Can you imagine how much we’ll have learned by the time we graduate?”

“Enough to scare the holy bejabbers out of Land Institute,” Nelinha says.

“But I’m not going to lie,” I conclude. “It’ll be a tough three years ahead of us. Rebuilding everything. Always looking over our shoulders for another attack. Those who are interested in staying, maybe just a show of hands…”

I hope about half of them will stay. For me, and for Ester, it’s not really a choice—it’s our destiny. But for the others…They could walk away and have normal lives, along with a robust chunk of change for their college savings accounts.

Instead, every hand goes up.

Gem makes a show of counting votes. “I think it’s unanimous. My only question is what’s next, Captain?”

“To Harding-Pencroft!” Nelinha yells.

“To Harding-Pencroft!” the crew responds. “To Captain Nemo!”

I share in the toast and the laughter. I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude for my friends. But in the back of my mind, I’m also pondering Gem’s question: What’s next? Because there’s one conversation I still need to have, and it will be the hardest of all.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Dev paces restlessly in his cell.

I suppose I can’t blame him. It’s been two weeks. As nice as the former guest room is, he must be getting stir-crazy.

He stops when he sees me. He’s wearing khaki shorts and one of Luca’s old T-shirts that says UMBRIA JAZZ ’09. He’s gripping his arms, probably freezing, as usual.

“You’re here.” He tries to look angry, but his lower lip quivers. I can tell he’s on the verge of tears. This hurts even worse than the insults he’s thrown at me on my previous visits.

He marches to the grate across the doorway and grips the top of it with his fingers. He hangs there like Jupiter might. The barrier was created by the Cephalopods from nemonium mesh. It’s light and flexible, but Dev could never get through it, especially since he has nothing more dangerous in his room than a pillow and a roll of toilet paper.

“You need me, you know.”

I was anticipating a lot of things he might say, but that wasn’t one of them. “Do I?”