The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,54

WARNING! O2 AT 5%. I grin, knowing this means I get to use the thrust-booster.

My fingers fly over the touch screen, jabbing different buttons until I find ENGAGE EMERGENCY THRUST. A rumbling echoes from the engine below me, the pool water ripples around the submersible—and the vehicle shoots straight up, breaking the surface with a loud splash.

I open the pilot’s seat hatch and climb out of the glass dome, still thrumming with adrenaline.

“That was awesome!” I yell from the pool. No one responds, and as I glance at my teammates, I notice they are all looking at me strangely.

“Your time is three minutes even,” Lieutenant Barnes reads from his stopwatch, raising his eyebrows.

“Holy . . .” I trail off, taken aback by my own speed.

“All right, when I blow the whistle, finish the drill by holding your breath underwater for two minutes. Ready?”

I nod. This will be a cinch, after my days diving in Rome without any breathing equipment. I hear the shriek of the whistle, and I plunge back underwater, sucking in my breath. The two minutes pass effortlessly—I could always manage that—but then I hear the Lieutenant’s muffled voice shouting out, “Five minutes!” and, what feels like only seconds later, “Ten!”

The weird thing is, I’m not even struggling. Normally by this point I’d be hungry for air, but right now, I feel like I could stay down here another ten minutes or more. Still, a nagging voice in my head tells me I’ve shown off plenty for one day. I don’t need to make this whole training period the Leo Show. So when I hear Lieutenant Barnes cheer, “Fifteen minutes!” I finally rise out of the water.

A tall shadow looms at the edge of the pool, and as the water clears from my eyes, I see who it is. Someone must have sent for Dr. Takumi while I was underwater, because there he is, standing in front of my thunderstruck teammates.

Dr. Takumi extends his hand as I hoist myself out of the pool, and our eyes meet. He gives me a rare smile—and I know I’ve done it.

I’ve impressed the most important figure here.

Twelve

NAOMI

WHAT I JUST SAW CAN’T BE REAL. IT’S NOT . . . HUMAN. I FEEL the blood roaring in my ears as I watch Leo shake hands with Dr. Takumi, and I wonder who he really is—what he is. But then he catches my eye across the pool, flashing me that dimpled grin, and the familiar warmth in my chest replaces my fear. Still, as soon as we’re back in uniform and leaving the diving pool, I pull Leo aside.

“What was that? I’ve seen you swim before—I knew you were good, but holding your breath like that? It was almost like you were . . . amphibious.”

“It was crazy, right?” Leo’s cheeks flush as he smiles, and I realize he thinks I’m simply complimenting him.

“Crazy is a good word for it,” I say dryly. “I’m not trying to downplay how great a swimmer you actually are, but . . . was there something different going on today?”

Before he can respond, Lark motions for the five of us to follow her to our next training session on the Mission Floor. Leo and I hang back a few paces as we follow our teammates down the long corridor to the elevator bay, keeping our voices low.

“Well?” I press him. “What exactly happened in the water?”

“I don’t know. But I felt something different as soon as I got in the pool,” Leo admits. “It was like a—a physical, instinctual charge. I don’t know what it was. Maybe heightened adrenaline or something?”

I shake my head.

“No. Adrenaline doesn’t completely alter your physicality. It doesn’t give you otherworldly speed or the ability to go without breathing.” I look into his eyes. “You know what this is, don’t you?”

Leo folds his arms against his chest. He doesn’t want to hear it, doesn’t want me bursting his bubble. But I have no choice.

“It’s the RRB. That has to be what caused this. You and Suki both had a reaction, only in your case, it wasn’t adverse. At least not yet.” I think quickly. “I’ve got to find a way to get a sample of the serum, so I can find out what’s in it. I just know there’s something they’re not telling us, something off—”

“No,” he interrupts me. “I don’t want to see you get in trouble, and that’s exactly what will happen if you go poking around and try to swipe the