Of Poseidon 02: Of Triton

lagoon full of all kinds of fish species, which will make my job ten times easier. The seven or so Trackers who have kept watch tell us that so far, no one has left the island and no one has come in—a good sign.
    Rachel had a fabulous time screwing with flight schedules and such. Soon she should be arriving by boat with the life jackets. Galen and I make it clear to the Trackers that she is not the enemy.
    “She’s going to spread them all over the place,” Galen tells them. “Our goal is to rescue Jagen and Musa. We do not want human casualties.”
    But some of the Trackers look like maybe they do want human casualties. I can’t blame them. Right now, they perceive the humans as villains. As a threat. Still, if they can’t control their anger, they aren’t of any use to us. “If you’re not going to help, then you’re going to be in the way,” I say. “Decide now which it will be.”
    They don’t seem to like my giving them orders. Toofreakingbad, I want to tell them. Two of the Trackers actually do leave, and it makes me want to sic some sharks on them, just as a scare tactic. So much for feeling compassionate .
    One of the remaining Trackers glides closer to me. “Emma, daughter of Nalia, granddaughter of Antonis. I am Kana, Jasa’s mother. I want to thank you for helping her escape the fishermen’s net. I am indebted to you.”
    “You can pay your debt here today,” I tell her solemnly, which makes me feel a little cheesy. “By helping save human lives.”
    In the distance, we hear the thrum of a boat. Rachel signals her arrival by dumping piles of life jackets on the surface. She makes her planned circle around the island, leaving a trail of dissipating wake on the surface. The life jackets land with muted plops. Soon, and as expected, we hear the thrum of a second boat.
    I watch as they converge on each other. Rachel shuts off her engine. My eyes meet Galen’s. This is all according to plan, which means the plan is happening. We are really doing this. The other boat’s motor remains a constant thrum. We anticipated that Rachel would get pulled over by one of the patrolling boats; since they’re probably policing for potential commercial fishermen in the area, her little stunt will be an unexpected diversion.
    Galen and I surface quietly behind Rachel’s vessel to eavesdrop. Even if we don’t learn anything critical to our cause, I already know the exchange will be full of entertainment value.
    The two-man crew of the patrol boat does not speak English. Rachel exploits this as best she can, while still dumping life jackets in the water. “What? I don’t understand what you’re saying? Do you speak English?”
    They confirm in their native tongue that they obviously do not. Rachel must be putting on a theatrical display, because the small boat rocks while she talks. “I don’t need these life jackets anymore,” she says, in her thickest Italian accent. “The colors are all wrong for me. I mean, look at this orange. Ew, right?”
    Galen rolls his eyes. I try not to giggle.
    “And this green? Hideous!” she continues.
    The men get more irate when she doesn’t stop littering their domain. “Hey, what the … Don’t touch me! I have a foot I injury, you jerk!”
    Galen and I slink below the surface. “We knew that might happen,” he says. More accurately, we were hoping it would. If Rachel is on a boat with other humans, they’ll feel obligated to look after her safety. Plus, that’s two humans we can count on who won’t be on the island when it floods. Two human lives we don’t have to worry about. If Rachel’s estimates are correct, that leaves ten left to look for.
    Galen glances up at the belly of Rachel’s abandoned boat. “So now they’ve got Rachel in custody. Make sure to keep an eye out for her when we flood the island. Her cast is going to make it next to impossible for her to swim, in the event that the boat tips.” But we’re really hoping the patrolmen will stay away from the waves. Right now they’re moving in the opposite direction of the island, probably looking for more boats in the area who might be conspiring with Rachel.
    “Will do. I think it’s time to go ahead and start, don’t you? We don’t want them to have enough time to make a trip back to shore with her.”
    Galen swims to within an inch of my face. His lazy grin sends a thousand butterflies whipping up a tornado in my stomach. “Start what? The rescue, or the rest of our lives