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‘Or gettingmekilled,’ Ophelia adds dryly.
‘Of course,’ Luca agrees. ‘You can take Jupiter on board, however. He will enjoy the adventure, and he’s quite familiarwith the sub’s galley. Besides, who knows? Perhaps all this is a false alarm! Or perhaps Lincoln Base will destroy theAronnaxand save the day!’
I can tell he doesn’t believe either scenario, but he wants to keep my spirits up.
Everyone looks at me, waiting for my decision. In the end, it has to be my call. TheNautiluswill only move for me.
I turn to Gem. I wait for him to tell me that he, too, is staying behind. He will want to be where the fight is.
‘Oh, no,’ he says, reading my expression. ‘My orders are to keep you safe. Where you go, I go.’
Three days ago, this response would have irritated me. I can imagine myself saying,No, really, that’s okay. Go shoot some things. I’ll be fine.
Now I’m grateful to have his support. To my surprise, he’s starting to feel like someone Iwantat my side, like Ester and Nelinha, and I’m not sure how to process what that means.
‘All right,’ I say, before I can change my mind. ‘Luca, I will hold you to your promise. You donotget yourselves killed.’ I take a deep breath and face Gem. ‘Gather the crew. Get the orangutan. I’m taking command of theNautilus.’
Within fifteen minutes, we’re all aboard.
Nelinha gives me a high five before leading the Cephalopods to the engine room. The Orcas lug in crates of food and medical supplies, along with an impressive collection of Jupiter’s cookware, while the orangutan waddles along next to them, signing,Careful with that.
Gem sends his Sharks to the weapons room to make sure our antique torpedoes are secured. Then he follows me and the other Dolphins to the bridge.
Lee-Ann takes dive control. Virgil takes communications. Halimah takes navigation. That’s a no-brainer, since she’s our best pilot. Gem takes the weapons console, though we don’t have many weapons to speak of. Jack stands by as my runner in case ship-wide communication goes down. (Do we evenhaveship-wide communication?)
I study the captain’s chair.
I’m sure the new Florentine seaweed-leather upholstery will be comfortable. The purple mood lighting around the base is a nice touch. The armrest controls seem simple enough: place hands on globes, hope theNautilusresponds.
But this chair is still where my ancestor died. His body satthere withering for 150 years. This is the central altar in the Dakkar family mausoleum.
I have to make it more than that. I have to make this a living, working ship again.
I take my post. The chair’s padding sighs as it presses against my back.
The flurry of bridge activity dies down. Everyone turns, waiting for my commands. I feel like a little girl playing pretend, the way Dev and I used to do when we were small.
‘Nautilus,’ I say in Bundeli. (In case you’re wondering, the word isnotilas. Huge surprise.) ‘I need access to all systems, please. Our crew is on board. We’re ready to get underway.’
From the organ comes a soft middle C. Then an octave up, another C joins in, and then an octave below, until it sounds like an entire orchestra tuning itself. The volume crescendoes. The hull rumbles. Floor plating vibrates under my feet. Around the bridge, previously dark dials and gauges blink to life.
The organ falls silent.
‘Okay,’ Lee-Ann mutters nervously. ‘That was different.’
Nelinha’s voice crackles overhead from a metal speaker shaped like a daffodil. ‘Ana, you did it! Looks like we’ve got full power. And that red button for super cavitation? It’s glowing now!’ There’s interference on the line as she has a hasty debate with her colleagues. ‘Yeah, I know, I know. We won’t push it.’
‘Stand by,’ I say. ‘All we need are basic thrust and depth control.’
I realize I’m not even sure Nelinha can hear me. I grip my armrest control. ‘Is this thing on?’
My words boom from speakers across the bridge, reverberating through the ship. Thanks a lot,Nautilus.
‘Engineering?’ I try again. This time, there’s no Voice of God echo.
‘Oh, yeah,’ Nelinha says. I can hear the smile in her voice. ‘We’re all awake down here now.’
I try to remember my commands and operation procedures. I really wish I had paid more attention to Colonel Apesh’s one lecture on submarine protocol last fall.
