Dark Life

Ty and Gemma stay hooked to the whale all the way to the Peaveys’ home, where the rest of the pioneer families are bringing fish livestock and food to help the family rebuild.

Inside, Jibby asks Gemma to live with him, which Ty clarifies is a proposal of marriage. Gemma refuses, although Ty is shocked to see she is intrigued by the offer to stay in Jibby’s empty home, since she has never had so much space.

Ty finds Doc to confront him, but Doc is with others and Ty knows the conversation needs to be private. After helping put things away and then eating with the other kids, Ty hears the adults still talking about the Seablite Gang and slips into the back of the room to listen. When Shade comes up, he jumps in to tell them about Shade not having albinism and then tells the entire story of being at the Trade Station saloon and then being followed by the Specter. Ma and Pa are clearly angered, but they do not address Ty’s rule breaking in that moment. The other adults gear up to go to the Trade Station despite Ty’s assurances that Shade wasn’t there anymore.

Doc holds Ty back when he moves to follow the adults. Ty confronts him about the reformatory, but Doc argues that the boys were “sociopaths” and criminals. Doc admits that speaking up about the place was why he was demoted and discredited, sent away to work in Benthic Territory.

Ty asks Doc about Gemma’s brother. Doc claims that the blood on the submarine that Ty and Gemma found in Coldsleep Canyon belonged to her brother. He says that the Seablite Gang murdered Richard Straid. Gemma overhears their conversation.

Gemma is quiet on the ride back to the Townsons’ home. Doc told Ma and Pa about her brother, but not about her running away from home, keeping his word. The group receives a call upon reaching the Townsons’ home and entering the “wet room,” where submarines enter the building. Ms. Spinner, director of the boarding home, has found out from Ranger Grimes where Gemma is. Ms. Spinner loses her temper before Ma and Pa step in to offer that Gemma stay with them.

Ms. Spinner reveals her prejudice against pioneers when she insists they are unsuitable foster parents since they live subsea. She does not want a lawsuit 10 years down the line because Gemma experienced ill effects from living undersea. She deems the Townsons unsuitable foster parents but they can consider adopting Gemma if they move Topside. Ms. Spinner informs Gemma she will be sent to a reformatory, and Gemma flees upstairs before the call ends.

Waking from a nightmare about his time being studied by doctors, Ty hears a splash from the wet room and investigates. Gemma has pulled up the mini submarine and is preparing to run away. Ty gives her supplies and advice rather than stopping her.

Before she leaves, the lights around the house go out. The Specter circles the house rapidly, creating a whirlpool. Ty sends Gemma to watch over Zoe while his parents rush down to the wet room. They go outside with weapons and order Ty to stay in the wet room to shoot any outlaw who comes inside.

Ty checks on Zoe and Gemma, then hears a splash in the wet room. He sees the mini submarine he and Gemma had used that day, the one the Specter had captured, and Shade. Shade had used the vehicle’s homing feature to find them. Ty creeps to the weapons rack and grabs the largest harpoon gun, usually for sharks. Using his biosonar, he locates Shade and shoots.

Shade is pinned against the wall by the harpoon. Ty grabs a lantern to see whether Shade is still a threat but loses his opportunity when Shade pushes the harpoon through his arm and frees himself. Shade pins Ty and demands to know where Gemma is. As Ty struggles, Zoe comes down the stairs along with Gemma. Zoe confronts Shade. With Ty’s permission, Zoe puts her hand to the puddle on the wet room floor and uses her Dark Gift. Both Ty and Shade are electrocuted and fall unconscious.

Ty hears Zoe wailing as he wakes and finds himself wheeled toward an MRI machine by Doc. Ty panics and flees into the hallway where his family waits. Doc tries to convince the Townsons to force Ty into tests to make sure there is no permanent damage from the electrocution.

Doc confronts Zoe about the electrocution. Ty lies about putting a “shockprod” into the puddle. Doc clearly doesn’t believe them, but Zoe goes along with the story, so he storms off.

The pioneers are all waiting for the family outside the infirmary to celebrate Shade’s capture. Gemma pulls Ty aside and tries to convince him to share the truth about Dark Gifts. She believes others should know Shade can disguise himself in case he tries to escape. She also thinks Ty is teaching his sister and pioneer friends to be ashamed of themselves by hiding their gifts. Ty insists they would be dragged Topside to be studied for being “abnormal” and refuses to share the secret. Ranger Grimes appears, taking Ty away to identify Shade. Gemma accompanies them.

Grimes leads the two teens to the storage area where he’s keeping Shade. Ty identifies Shade, but Shade shows off his Dark Gift camouflage, scaring Grimes into fleeing.

Ty confronts Shade for openly using his Dark Gift. Shade tells Ty he shouldn’t be ashamed. He thinks Ty should flaunt his gift and make others get used to it. Shade explains that he and his men tried to make it Topside after escaping Seablite, but some of them could not blend in. They must have harvested millions of dollars worth of black pearls with no compensation, and he believes the Commonwealth owes them.

Gemma finally steps forward and asks about her brother. Shade pulls out her photo that Ty and Gemma found in Seablite and stashed in the mini submarine. When Gemma lunges for it in anger, Shade grabs her around the throat and orders Ty to get the keys for the cage if he wants Gemma to live.