Read Ocean: War of Independence for Free Online

threats,” Kimo said. “I’ll keep it in the bank until the next round. First, let’s see if our latest efforts have had any effect on the stubborn American president.”
    ***

Chapter 4
    Kimo, Alicia, and other hybrids swam in warm, shallow water, just off the remote islet north of the main islands, where the Sea Warriors maintained their clandestine headquarters. The sun was rising over the Hawaiian archipelago as it did on any typical day, but Kimo knew this was not going to be an ordinary day. None were since he’d decided to target Hawaiian tourist beaches in a protest demonstration to show his unhappiness at the way humans treated the ocean. It had been an event that escalated from the outset, and with the latest developments, the conflict seemed destined to involve the entire planet.
    So be it , he thought as he dove underwater and beheld the spectacular sight of a still-vibrant coral reef colony. He watched small, colorful fish flitting about energetically, saw a stingray burrowing into the sandy seabed, and a green turtle swimming toward the surface. Momentous change cannot occur without conflict.
    The target of the Sea Warriors was the biggest polluting nation in the history of mankind—the United States of America—a self-absorbed country that was like a huge, ravenous beast that sucked up most of the resources in the world and then regurgitated what it didn’t want, with much of it ending up in the ocean.
    Focusing first on the powerful U.S. was risky, but if they could be forced to capitulate, other industrialized nations would fall into line more easily. The evening before, Alicia had recommended a Declaration of Ocean Independence to him, a severe document that would prevent humans from rampantly exploiting the seas anymore, the basis of a new international law that would make the ocean off-limits to mankind, except for any medical or other worthy uses that could be derived from those waters, under the strict control of dedicated Sea Warriors.
    A school of longnose butterflyfish surrounded Kimo for a moment, saying hello in their shy and silent way, and then darting away. Looking back, he saw Alicia swimming in the same direction as he was. Curiously, despite additional physical changes in some of the Sea Warriors, both he and Alicia still looked entirely human, with their hybrid transformations mostly concealed. In his own case, since he had looked human for his entire life, he suspected there would be no further changes, other than the normal aging he had already noticed. With Alicia, however, and others such as Monique Gatsby and Professor Greco, he wasn’t nearly as certain. Unlike Kimo, all of them were recent converts.
    Alicia caught up with him, and they shared an underwater kiss, and a long hug. As they parted, Kimo felt the lingering sweetness of the kiss.
    Side by side, they swam above a whitetip reef shark that was swimming close to the seabed, searching for worms and crustaceans to eat. Kimo smiled to himself. Even though all the creatures of the ocean were allied for a common purpose, they still understood the natural ways of things, the hierarchy of food chains involving predator and prey, and the timeless cycles of life and death that made the seas a sustainable habitat for so many different species.
    Then he faced Alicia and projected his thoughts to her through the water: “I want you to join Gwyneth. Your power with waves is a valuable additional weapon for us to use against business operations and wealthy homeowners on the west coast. While you’re on your way, I’m going to issue a specific warning through the press, and when you get there, I want you to slam waves into docks and other structures around Santa Barbara, causing as much damage as you can. Do it exactly three times, because that is what I will specify in my warning. I’m only telling them we will strike somewhere on the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but watch out for a U.S. Navy presence in the water.