Oceania: The Underwater City by Eliza Taye (novels for teenagers .TXT) 📕

I twisted my chair to the side so that I could pay attention to Dylan’s face.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “No, it doesn’t make any sense. Plus, I don’t think they are worried that I am meeting a Land Dweller. And never in their wildest dreams would they think I’d befriend one.”

“Okay, but I still don’t know. Something is really off with that guy.”

“How so?”

“Well, for one, his clothes were very weird. He was dressed in old clothes that looked like they belonged in last century, or even before that. For another thing, he gave me a business card. People don’t use those anymore; they just sync information. If I remember correctly, business cards went out of use well over a century ago.”

“Hmm,” was all Dylan muttered, sitting back in the chair and staring absentmindedly through the viewport.

Awaiting a real response that I never got, I asked again, “Are you sure it couldn’t have been the Master Coders?”

Dylan’s confused gaze settled on me for several seconds before he replied. “No, I don’t think so. People don’t leave Oceania. Very few of us even take submersibles close to the surface. And out of those people, almost all of them are marine scientists.”

“So you don’t think there’s even a slight possibility they sent him?”

“No, Allie, it’s impossible. Besides, they would have said something to me in my interrogation.” Dylan placed his palms together and tapped his fingers against his lower lip, shaking his head. “No, I’m positive. Maybe it was someone from your side.”

“No…” I paused to reassure myself, mentally checking every precaution I’d taken. “I never left my bike out in the open and there was nothing else that could have exposed me. Each time before I used the rabbit hole, I checked to see if anyone else was around.”

“Either way, you should be careful around him, and I think it’d be best if we both laid low for a while. I know you said Sunnyville is a sleepy little town, but maybe you should find something to do there for a week or two. I’m waterlogged for two weeks, so I’m going to be watched closely until then…well, my code usage will be.”

“Okay.” Changing my focus to the encompassing viewport over my left shoulder, I stared at the sea lions making their way to shore amidst a small school of fish. Of course I couldn’t identify the fish, but I marveled at how the sea lions moved through the ocean like silk in the wind. Perhaps when I got back to Gran’s house tonight, I would read up on some of the fish and other species that lived off the California coast.

Snapping back to inside the vessel, I questioned Dylan, “What did they interrogate you on?”

“The Master Coders?”

“Yes.”

“They were only curious as to why I had used my code so often and then abruptly stopped for a couple days. They also wanted to know why there was hardly a lag in my departure and arrival times except for a few days when it was too long. They wanted to know if I was tampering with any of the vessels or equipment in the docking bay or whether I was just exploring the open ocean or doing something for a school assignment.”

“That seems like a lot to go through for just having time differences.”

“Well, people under the age of twenty aren’t exactly supposed to take the seamobile out for more than two hours at a time without prior permission from a parent or professor.”

I felt my jaw drop and my eyes bulge. “But you were using it for more like twelve hours that one time you visited the beach.”

Dylan winced. “Yeah, I did…that’s one of the main reasons I was waterlogged.”

The rear door flung open and slammed into the metal walls with a thud, making me jump out of my seat.

“Allie, I see what happened to the SCUBAPS. I’ll have to work on fixing it when I get it back to my lab. I cannot believe it clunked out on you. I’m sorry for doubting you. Sometimes when we scientists create inventions that we’ve poured countless hours and sleepless nights into, we are baffled when they do not work.” Dr. Wilcox smacked the table with his open palm, draping the SCUBAPS on the back of the chair. “I’m sorry the camouflage system failed and you nearly got attacked by a shark, but I am glad that you are safe.”

“Thank you, Dr. Wilcox. Your apology is accepted.” I nodded once at him as he shuffled sheepishly back toward the rear room.

“So, Dylan, you said we needed to lie low and stay away from the beach for a while, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Gran invited me to go with her to San Francisco.”

“Great, then you should go. It would give you something to do.”

“Well,” I anxiously tapped my foot, “she was asking if there was any way my new friend could come. So, do you want to come to San Francisco?”

Dylan was quiet and didn’t move for a while. “It will be difficult to sneak out of Oceania, but there’s no way I’m passing up a chance to see a Land Dweller city as famous as San Francisco!”

Boots thudding on the tiled floor alerted Dylan and me to Dr. Wilcox’s second return. “It is time for us to go, Dylan. We don’t want to make the Master Coders suspicious.”

“Can I have the SCUBAPS so I can make it back to land?” I glanced at the suit draped over the chair.

“Nope, I will need it to make my repairs.” Dr. Wilcox shook his head with thin-lined lips.

“Well, then how am I supposed to return home?”

“We should be able to hack the GPS reporting system on the submarine long enough to take you to your