The tremors stopped cold, moments before the mermen and mermaids came flying up out of what seemed like the center of the Earth. Workmen flew backwards and upwards in their wake, though none were struck or molested by the surging hordes.

  Under normal circumstances they might’ve flown into a panic, seeing that mass of bodies come flying at them. But at the same time as the event occurred, a sort of a calming wave swept over each and every worker, prompting them to stay in place, relax, and set their minds to pleasant topics.

  They might’ve been tempted to warn the city, as well, but that, too was gently discouraged. And although they didn’t feel particularly compelled to obey, not really, they enjoyed the peaceful feelings enough to want to do just that. Just because.

  Within a few minutes, the lot of the merpeople had swum past, heading for the city. Only after they were gone, little by little, did the workmen start to come around. One by one, their own thoughts returned to the surface, like bubbles bursting open.

  What do we do?

  We should tell someone!

  Shouldn’t we have thought of that before?

  But even as the realization dawned, it fizzled, replaced by the sheer contentment of the moment.

  I really ought to report in.

  We’ve got to warn the city.

  Why, though? That collective, calming thought told them to relax. To stop thinking. But it was fading.

  Because it’s an invasion! The workers snapped back to reality in a collective reaction of their own, that of revitalized concern.

  Some reached for their communications equipment. They wanted to report there was an invasion force, emerged from the depths of the Earth below the construction site, and heading straight for the city. Take cover, use caution! Prepare!

  They wanted to send all those messages, but something held them back. A confusion of some sort, something they couldn’t explain. They couldn’t work out how to use their equipment. Or else they thought of what to say, took up a frequency, only to forget why they were radioing in the first place.

  Agitated at first, they began to float idle, unable to put their concerns to good use. The lot of them finally calmed into a blissful state of relaxation, some even dipping their heads down to take in a nap.

  * * *

  The mayor didn’t need to hear from her workforce. She knew full well that the invasion was underway. The only question was, would she be prepared for it. She’d sent her aquasentinels to the edges of the city, where they would defend it to the death if need be. And the sentinel guards would keep watch, alert to the moment of approach. There wasn’t much more to be done but wait.

  But there was still one more x-factor she had to deal with. Something that could turn the tide one way or the other, if she could get a proper handle on it. The merboy, the one they called Kyle. He was still somewhere in the city. And he could still be of some use, if she could put him in the kind of position that might do some good.

  She called upon the two aquasentinels she’d been keeping tabs on, Alyson and Lam. The only ones so inept they’d gotten caught in the flood of sewage. But in a fortunate twist, they’d been so disgraced they hadn’t joined their brethren at the city limits. So she could use them for herself. Perfect.

  She didn’t have to wait long for them to show up. Clearly they’d been cooling their jets in the aquasentinel headquarters, or perhaps cleaning themselves up. It hardly mattered. So long as they could handle what she needed them for.

  “I want you to find me that merboy, the one who fouled the two of you up.”

  The pair of aquasentinels looked none the worse for wear, aside from their forlorn expressions. They’d been taking a good deal of abuse for the day, that much seemed certain.

  “The boy’s still in the city, then?” Aquasentinel Lam asked, seemingly unsure of what was expected. “We’re to track him down.”

  “Assuming you’re capable of it,” the mayor shot back, “yes. And yes, he’s still in the city, but he won’t be here for long. He’s probably heading out as we speak, off to re-join his savage family out there tearing down our gates.”

  “I don’t think so,” Orwen said.

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  The mayor shot him an angry glare. But she didn’t tell him to shut up. His opinions were too valuable for that.

  “There are two working assumptions here. One, that he’s interested in getting back home. And two, that he’s got a plan for doing so. It’s conceivable that he has some vague idea of what his people are up to, but it’s unlikely they’ve been in close enough contact for any concrete communications. So he only knows they’re coming, but not in detail. So he’s got to assume he should do his own part to get back home, and in order to do that, he’s got to speak with us.”

  “Us? Meaning me?” The mayor asked. “He wants to negotiate?”

  “Well, let’s just assume he’s not that sophisticated. He doesn’t know enough to come knock on the mayor’s door, but he does know that he has upset the people. And that he should speak to the people in order to get him home, and stave off what he assumes will be a war.”

  The major, Lam and Alyson all listened intently. It seemed reasonable enough.

  “So he’s going to be heading as close to the center of the city as he can get. Because to communicate he has to be in close quarters. From the middle, he can reach as many citizens as he can.”

  “So he is coming here. To the central plaza.”

  “More likely, to the central plaza aquacenter. Aquasentinel Lam, Aquasentinel Alyson, I think you’ll find your wayward merboy right up there, and from there you can escort him out to the city gates and return him to his fast-approaching family. That should put to rest this whole mess.

  The aquasentinels departed for the upper levels, while the mayor began monitoring news from the city gates. From the sounds of commotion, it was an all-out panic out there.

  If the walls fell, the city fell. But if she sent terms, she fell. She clenched her fists, staring at the gate monitors. “Let them come,” she murmured under her breath. If The Shallows burned, she would burn with it. But so would they.

  * * *

  The dolphin and the merboy were none the worse for wear once they finally got into the aquacenter, a veritable oceanic playground for merpeople and mammals alike. There were tunnels, baths and entire square pools fit for exercise, recreation or just relaxation. It was also located atop the government complex, and thus suited for break-time gatherings and high-powered meetings alike.

  The place was all but deserted, what with everyone hunkered down in their homes and workplaces, waiting for the invading hordes that—all had been assured at this point—were at the gates and waiting to kill them all.

  The fact that not one invader had yet been seen didn’t seem to phase anyone, and the mayor hadn’t made things any better by scrambling her entire aquasentinel corps to the city gates in an obvious show of force.

  As for the merboy and his pet, they were glad to be able to stretch their fins after winding their way through the city lying side by side. The headmaster and Mr. Albi laughed as they watched the pair jump and frolic, wending their way through waterslides and surface jets and on into the central pool cube. The two men could watch them play from an enormous plate glass window extending from the bottom to the top of the tank. They might’ve even joined them for a dip, except this tank was reserved for full-gill citizens only, so there was no land-based access.

  Headmaster Oliver was just relieved that they’d made it after all, and that they still might just get themselves out of this mess. He was so relieved, he didn’t even notice the pair of aquasentinels arrive in the room. Lam and Alyson remained quiet, not wanting to startle the group before they could get into position.

  Oblivious, Oliver tried to catch the attention of the merboy, hoping he would calm down long enough to address the citizens as planned, so as to perhaps stave off this panic the city was under.

  As if reading Oliver’s mind, Kyle stopped his frolic long enough to swim over and give the headmaster a nod. Kyle treaded his way back toward the center of the tank, Salty doing a little happy-dance around the boy. Kyle closed his eyes, tipped his head backward, and projected a booming voice into the chamber.

  People of The Shallows, hear me. I come from Solaria to ask—

  A tremendous whoosh shattered the hushed stillness. Water spiraled downward in a crushing vortex, stealing Kyle’s words along with his balance. The dolphin began swimming in panicky circles, trying to protect the boy. Kyle, stricken, had lost focus on the monumental task he’d accepted, his youth betraying him as he began to panic.

  “Kyle!” Oliver screamed. “Get out of there! Albi, get them out!”

  But Albi could do nothing. There was no available access from the ground. The only way in or out was through the tubes, and they were all running dry as fast as the cube was draining. Soon there would be no water left at all.

  As quickly as Kyle’s panic surfaced, it vanished. His body stilled, his expression sharpened in quiet certainty. His piercing gaze locked onto Oliver, and a pulse of something—not words, not sound, but knowing—washed over the headmaster like a tide pulling him under.

  Oliver staggered, gripping the edge of a nearby railing. He wasn’t hearing Kyle. He was feeling him.

  The others shifted uncomfortably at the long silence.

  “She’s alive,” Oliver murmured, his own voice sounding distant.

  Albi blinked. “What?”

  “She was swept into the waterways by the tremors. But she’s—” Oliver stopped, his breath catching. He wasn’t sure how he knew it, only that Kyle knew it. That Kyle felt her somewhere, a fragile but unbroken thread between them.

  “You’re sure?” Oliver found himself asking, responding to a question no one had spoken. “She had no breathing equipment. The chances—”

  A deep stillness passed between them. Kyle’s expression never wavered.

  Oliver exhaled. “Alright.”

  Turning to Albi, he steadied himself. “Calistya is alive.”—he motioned for Albi to refrain from argument, just as his colleague was opening his mouth to respond—"Kyle knows it. And I believe him.” His voice left no room for argument. “I have to go. You stay and get the boy out of here. Do you understand?”

  Albi hesitated, his confusion plain, but something in Oliver’s face—his urgency, his conviction—made him nod.

  Oliver hurried out of the chamber, as Albi stepped over to the ruptured tank and peered. Salty swam in protective circles around his trapped friend, the roar of the draining system drowning out his frantic clicks.

  Satisfied that Oliver could help, Kyle re-focused on saving himself, but the channels were no longer swimmable. A fresh panic set in as he realized what that meant.

  Albi cursed under his breath. The boy had seconds—maybe less—before he’d be stranded in open air.