On the other hand, I don’t think Hewett is faking his coma. I doubt he would knowingly risk his life to lure us to a secret base and betray its location to LI.

Also…I hate to admit it, but I love treasure hunts. Secret maps. X marks the spot. Nobody at Harding-Pencroft doesn’t love that stuff, and all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life is explore the world, solving its puzzles. Whether this is a trap or not, it’s hard to resist.

A lot of things could go wrong. We’re only twelve hours out from San Alejandro. The responsible thing would be to turn around, but who on the mainland could help us?

Our class has trained, suffered, and worked for two years. The goal has been to graduate from Harding-Pencroft as the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world.

We owe it to our lost schoolmates to find out what’s at the other end of that glowing line. I want to know why my parents sacrificed their lives, and why Dev is…gone, too. But I can’t make this call on my own, no matter what Hewett said about following my orders.

“Assemble the crew,” I tell my friends. “We’ll make this decision together.”

I’ve never liked oral reports.

Put me in a group project, and I will volunteer to do the research. I will draw the maps. I will write the essay and create the multimedia slides. I prefer to leave the presenting to somebody else.

This time, though, it has to be me who delivers the news.

Everyone assembles on the main deck. They line up by house, the way we did yesterday at the docks in San Alejandro. I don’t tell them to do this, it’s just our custom. The only people absent are Linzi, who is attending to Dr. Hewett in the sick bay, and my fellow Dolphin Virgil Esparza, who has the bridge. I’ve already filled them in personally.

It’s midmorning. The ocean is ash gray with light swells. Clouds hang low and heavy, promising rain. Not the most auspicious weather for making a major decision.

Gemini Twain stands on my right. I guess I appreciate the backup, but I’m still not used to having a heavily armed Shark breathing down my neck. I half expect him to push me out of the way and say, So, now that I’m in charge…

The worst part is, I’m not sure I would object. I didn’t ask for leadership. I don’t like everyone staring at me, waiting for answers.

“Here’s the situation,” I begin.

I know there may be spies among us. Somebody betrayed our school to LI and sabotaged our security from the inside. That somebody may be on this deck. But I can’t let that paralyze me. My classmates and I have been through a lot together over the last two years, and the last twenty-four hours. I’ll keep trusting them until one of them gives me a solid reason not to.