Chapter 16

The Choice Is Made

David West tried and failed to appreciate the panoramic ocean view from the living room window of his condo. A large part of his paycheck was dedicated to this room with a view. This morning, however, he was distracted from the play of light on the waves, the passing flights of birds, and the enticing outline of a ship on the horizon. His thoughts continually returned to the competent but bizarre man with whom he had spent the evening out in the Zodiac. West thought about the choice Adam had thrust upon him, the choice between advocating for dolphins and pursuing his current job as trainer for the Navy. A day or two ago, David West would not have considered that there was even a choice to be made. He had convinced himself that he could both immerse himself in his love for the sea and earn a decent living training the dolphins. Now Adam's earnest face imposed itself wherever he looked and his promise to make Kozy's welfare a priority did not leave his thoughts for more than an instant.        "Forget about it," West told himself, "The man's a loony toon. Helpful but... crazy." The young scientist reasoned that worry about losing Kozyrev and the long night stranded on the bay had somehow disrupted his usual good sense. Still, he felt strangely energized since the encounter with Adam MacArthur. West told himself he was going to need some extra energy. After only a few hours sleep, he'd been awakened by Captain Graves' call announcing an unscheduled exercise for that very afternoon. He'd been warned that observers would be present, Rear Admiral Terrell and a colonel from the National Security Agency. This would have to be a thorough demonstration of his program. He'd have to call in temporary help to handle the large group of dolphins, use live ordnance, and probably risk working without retaining nets. West sighed and began dressing for a return to the lab.        West's customary sprint across the grounds to his office was interrupted by shouts and gestures from the morning crew out at the holding pens. "Mr. West! Mr. West! Quick! We need you over here!"        "Coming!" he shouted, wondering what else could go wrong this early in the day.        "We've got a loose animal!" a new handler shouted, pointing toward the dorsal fin circling out in the bay. "I don't know how that could have happened."        "Get the clicker," West directed, heading for the dock. "Have you taken a head count in the pens? Who are we missing?"        David West stopped in mid-step, holding his breath. A large dolphin surfaced several hundred yards out in the water for a good blow. West strained to make out the shape and features on the fin. He was about to call for binoculars, when an odd feeling of certainty convinced him to act. Using Kozyrev's personal call on the clicker, he added hand signal and voice to summon her. Kozy's dorsal fin was at last recognizable, seconds later when she surfaced nearer the dock.        West choked back tears as he again signaled the large dolphin and offered the reward. Kozy entered the holding pen, joining others from her group as if she had never left. The handlers looked on in amazement to see this "runaway" return so easily after nearly a week's absence. West had no time to join them in the conversation that followed. Preparations for the afternoon exercise could not wait. Feeling vulnerable in his unexpected emotional state, West quietly hunched his shoulders, turned his back, and walked to his office, his thoughts in turmoil.        The telephone's persistent ring intruded on West's inner debate before he reached the door. "That'll be Graves," he thought, beginning to see the pattern of events shape itself into a whopper of a bad day. Taking five quick steps to the desk, he delivered a curt greeting, "West here."        "Hello David, this is Adam."        "Who?" David gradually recognized the voice, "Oh, MacArthur? Listen, it's not a good time..."        "I won't keep you long," the Visitor interrupted. "Anyone ever tell you that you work too hard?"        "Yes, that's come up." David found himself distracted by the comment, unable to recall what he had wanted to say.        "Well, take a deep breath now and then," laughed the Visitor. "I just want to know if your buddy, Kozy, got back okay."        David West took at least three deep breaths in the silence that passed for his response. He quickly formulated several logical explanations for Kozyrev's return that morning. None of them found their way into conversation.        "David? I have a feeling everything's going to work out for the best. You have a good head. And when you listen to it, your heart is in the right place, too."        West cleared his throat and began, "Adam, while I've got you on the phone, I want to thank you for helping with Kozy last night. She did get back, just minutes ago, as a matter of fact."        "Ah, good." MacArthur waited.        "I appreciate your showing me that boy, Joshua, too. I've never seen behavior between humans and dolphins quite like that."        "Like you said in your lecture, David, there's a lot we just don't know about dolphins." The Visitor continued, "With people like you trying to understand them, we're in a position to make a real connection. The earth is maybe seventy percent water, right? For Kozy and her kind, that's their dominion. I think they have something to teach us, if we're open to it."        "Adam," West changed the subject, abruptly. "I could use your help today."        "How's that?" MacArthur remained quietly non-committal.        "Something has come up rather suddenly. I need to take a large group of dolphins out today, including Kozy." West elaborated. "An exercise of this size requires adding temporary handlers to the crew, people who aren't familiar with our animals. I'd feel much more at ease if you could hire on as one of the temporaries and keep an eye on Kozy for me." With no immediate response, West added, "There'd be a little money in it for you."        "Okay, David, I'll come if you're sure my help is what you need." MacArthur's voice remained calm and quiet "I'll need a ride."        "You'll need more than that, my friend." West proceeded to direct MacArthur to an address at the marina where he could be outfitted and join the other crew.        The events of the morning raced on leaving no time for reflection. David West continually returned to the thought that something momentous had happened, but exactly what that was eluded him.