The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,32

and PADI master scuba diver.”

This is my moment. I straighten my shoulders, my adrenaline kicking into gear as he speaks.

“As you know, the Final Six’s first and most crucial task upon landing entails drilling through Europa’s ice crust to reach the ocean and rocky surface beneath—the most Earth-like segment of Jupiter’s moon, where we will build our human colony,” he says. “We need one exceptional leader and athlete to serve as underwater specialist and spearhead this effort, but the other five must become scuba-certified divers as well.”

It has to be me. What are the chances that anyone else here can come close to executing the kind of deep dives I performed as a scavenger in Rome? I was tailor-made for this, my body built for it.

“On that note, today we’ll begin with a diving tutorial,” Lieutenant Barnes continues. “You all have bathing suits on under your uniforms, correct?”

We nod, as Lark’s instructions from last night suddenly make sense.

“Good. Once I hand out your diving equipment and wetsuits, change out of your uniforms and meet me at the edge of the pool.”

I’m about to tell him that I actually don’t need any equipment when it occurs to me that I might want to keep that particular trick under wraps until the right moment. I stay quiet as Lieutenant Barnes passes out backpacks filled with scuba tanks and rebreather sets, diving helmets and masks. And then out of nowhere comes a whirring sound, followed by a series of beeps punctuating the air. We all turn in the direction of the sound—and find the lead robot, Cyb, advancing through the double doors toward us. The sight makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“It must be here to evaluate us,” Katerina says, watching Lieutenant Barnes jog over to the AI. And as the six of us exchange glances, I can feel an instant shift in the mood, an undercurrent of competition crackling between us now that Cyb is here. I already knew I had to be at the top of my game today, but this is starting to feel as high stakes as the Olympic moment I once visualized.

I’m so preoccupied staring at Cyb, straining to hear what it’s saying to Lieutenant Barnes, that I fail to notice my competitor moving past me and tossing his uniform on the floor. It isn’t until I hear Asher murmur “What is he doing?” that I glance up—and see Beckett climbing up to the three-meter diving board.

“Oh, boy.” Naomi cringes.

I hold my breath, watching as Beckett stretches his body in a pencil-straight shape, assuming a dive pose. His form looks good so far. . . . And then he leans his head forward and lifts his legs, leaping off the springboard in a swan dive.

His entry is flawless. My heart sinks at the realization that my edge is no longer mine alone.

“You don’t need to teach me that one, Lieutenant,” Beckett boasts from the water. And though he’s speaking to Barnes, his eyes are locked on Cyb, making sure the robot saw.

Lieutenant Barnes arches an eyebrow.

“Noted. Does anyone else consider themselves exempt from this lesson, or should I continue?”

The thumping in my chest tells me what I have to do. I may not be a pompous jerk like Beckett, but right now, I need to take a page out of his playbook. I have something to prove.

I strip off my uniform and walk right past the three-meter diving board Beckett chose—climbing up to the ten-meter instead. I hear someone say “Oh, God.” And it’s the last thing I hear before my body tenses, my muscle memory taking over as I perform a twist dive from thirty feet high, somersaulting through the air before entering the water with a clean splash.

Nailed it. If this were a meet, I would outscore Beckett in both difficulty and execution. And this is what happens when you try to show the rest of us up, Beckett Wolfe.

He climbs out of the pool with a scowl on his face while our teammates gape at me. I glance up at Naomi, who watches me with raised eyebrows and a half smile. The thought that I might have impressed someone as accomplished as her makes my shoulders puff up with pride.

“Well done,” Lieutenant Barnes says at last, striding toward me with Cyb at his side. “You must be Leonardo Danieli.”

“That’s me.”

I hoist myself out of the pool with a grin. I’d almost forgotten how good it feels to do what