The academy's pool room echoed with the slap of water against tile, a quiet rhythm that did little to drown out the noise in Alex's head. He sat on the edge, feet dangling in the cool blue, the gala's necklace data glowing on a borrowed tablet beside him. The Diver's lair—an underwater sub-base off the coast, Vortex's hidden stash of aquatic tech. The squad's next hit: dive in at high tide, snag the blueprints before the Diver could flood the net with his submersible drones. But Alex's thoughts swam in circles, caught between Mia's distant smile from last night and Lila's kiss that still lingered like a secret promise.
Mia had brushed it off in the dorm, changing out of her dress with a quick "Night, team," but her eyes had held that unspoken hurt, like a crack in glass. He'd wanted to talk, to explain the mess in his chest—the way her loyalty pulled at him, steady and warm, while Lila's fire lit him up. But the words stuck, tangled in his throat like seaweed.
Jax splashed in from the deep end, surfacing with a grin. "Pool party's on! Who's diving first?" He shook water from his hair like a dog, spraying Mia as she walked in, towel over her shoulder.
She laughed, swatting at him, but her gaze flicked to Alex, softening. "Training for the Diver? Smart. My sub-drone's ready—waterproofed it last night." She dropped her towel, slipping into the water with a grace that made Alex's breath catch. Her swimsuit hugged her like the gadgets she loved, and as she swam laps, her strokes strong and sure, he felt that pull again—familiar, like she'd always been there, a constant in his chaos.
Lila arrived then, towel wrapped around her, her presence shifting the air like a current. "Room for one more?" she asked, her smile aimed at Alex, but her eyes darting to Mia mid-lap. She slid in beside him, her leg brushing his underwater, sending a shiver up his spine. "You okay? You've been quiet since the gala."
"Just... the mission," he lied, the system's prompt from the morning buzzing in his mind:
SYSTEM PROMPT: Mission Unlocked! Objective: Plant a beacon on Mia's sub-drone for the Diver's lair. Reward: Unlock 'Aquatic Maneuver.' Failure: 'Fish Impression Classes.' Tip: Water hides mistakes—don't make waves with the girls.
Fish impressions? The system's timing was cruel. Planting on Mia's drone meant risking her tech again, after the VR hit. He glanced at her, slicing through the water, and felt the guilt twist sharper.
Jax cannonballed in, splashing everyone, his laugh booming. "Come on, lovebirds! Race you to the end!"
Lila smirked, diving after him, but Mia surfaced near Alex, water beading on her skin. "You coming?" she asked, her voice light but her eyes searching. She reached out, tugging his arm playfully, her touch lingering a beat too long. "Or you gonna sit there brooding all day?"
Alex slid in, the cold shock clearing his head for a moment. They raced, laughs echoing, but the triangle tugged—Lila glancing back with a raised brow, Mia's competitive grin hiding something softer. As they rested at the edge, Mia leaned close. "You know, you've changed. For the better. Just... don't forget the people who've always seen you."
Her words hit like a wave, stirring that ache. Lila swam up, splashing Mia lightly. "Stealing my partner?" she teased, but her tone carried an edge, the air thickening.
Before Alex could diffuse, the system urged: now. He "accidentally" bumped Mia's drone bag on the edge, slipping the beacon in during the splash chaos. "Oops," he said, heart sinking as Mia laughed it off.
The dive op waited, but so did the talk. The water rippled, mirroring the storm in his chest.
Tide's Turn: Submerged Shadows
High tide rolled in under a stormy sky, waves crashing against the sub-base's hidden dock. The squad geared up in wetsuits, air tanks strapped, Mia's sub-drone leading the plunge. "Beacon's set—follow its signal," she said, her voice steady over comms. But Alex's beacon—his secret plant—hummed in his implant, feeding extra data he couldn't share.
They dove, the ocean swallowing them in cold darkness, bubbles trailing like thoughts left behind. The base loomed below, a metal beast lit by eerie glows. Guards patrolled in sub-suits, but Lila's silenced harpoon took one down. Jax forced a hatch, grunting as water rushed.
Inside, corridors flooded with dim red light, alarms silent but tension thick. The Diver—a sleek figure in a pressurized suit—hovered over consoles, his drones swarming like fish. Mia's sub-drone zipped ahead, jamming signals, but the beacon triggered a trap—drones turning on them
"Stinkwing's glitching!" Mia yelped, her voice cracking over comms. Alex's heart dropped—his fault. The Diver laughed, voice bubbling. "Intruders? How quaint."
Chaos underwater—drones zapping, Jax smashing with a wrench, Lila spearing threats. Alex's implant pulled Aquatic Maneuver, flipping through currents to reach the Diver, snagging his blueprints. But Mia's drone sparked, sinking, and she swam to Alex, grabbing his arm. "What happened?" her eyes wide behind her mask.
Guilt crashed over him. "I—"
Lila cut in, pulling them to safety as the base flooded. They surfaced, gasping, blueprints secure—a lead to the Hypnotist. But in the boat, Mia's dress from the gala forgotten, her wetsuit dripping, she faced Alex. "My drone—again? What's going on with you?"
Lila watched, silent, the triangle surfacing like wreckage. The storm raged, but the real one brewed between them. The Hypnotist waited, but so did the truth.