Chapter 64: Perfect Days

"That's cheating!" 

Sarah's laughter danced across the Academy's rooftop garden. The wind played with loose strands of her copper hair, escaped from her usually pristine braid. Her white medical coat lay forgotten beside their picnic spread, revealing the fitted black training gear underneath.

Kasper caught another grape mid-air, his movements liquid-smooth. He dialed back his enhanced hearing – no need for full combat mode just for their lunch game. "Can't help what I hear." Her heartbeat still came through, steady and warm like summer rain. "Though right now, it's mostly you trying not to giggle."

"I do not giggle." She threw another grape with deadly accuracy – those hands that could thread microscopic neural connectors clearly had other talents. "I express measured amusement."

"Sure," he drawled, catching it between his teeth. "Very measured."

The afternoon sun caught her smile, lighting up those green eyes that had first caught his attention in the med bay three months ago. Something in Kasper's chest tightened.

His neural comm chimed softly in his skull. The text overlay blinked in his peripheral vision:

*LUCKY SHOT WHERE ARE YOU??*

*Lab emergency!!*

*Ok not really emergency but DUDE*

*-L*

Kasper dismissed the messages with a subtle eye movement. Lucas could wait.

"You're getting better at ignoring those," Sarah observed, tilting her head. The motion exposed a small scar behind her ear – an old neural port surgery, different from standard Academy work. "Used to be you'd jump at every ping."

"Had a good teacher." He smiled. Sarah made everything feel... easier. Where Nailah had pushed him to his limits, Sarah showed him how to breathe.

A familiar whoop from below drew their attention. Sean was chasing Lucas across the courtyard, the latter clutching what looked like prototype enhancement schematics.

"I SAID I'D TEST IT WHEN IT WAS READY!" Sean bellowed.

"IT IS READY!" Lucas vaulted over a bench. "YOU'RE JUST BEING A BABY!"

Maria watched from her perch on the fountain, sniper rifle disassembled for cleaning beside her. She caught Kasper's eye and made an exaggerated eye-rolling motion.

His neural comm lit up again:

*Seriously though, breakthrough with the resonance modulator! Also Sean's going to kill me. Worth it. -L*

*P.S. Maria says you're adorable and also an idiot for missing training. But mostly adorable. -L*

Sarah's medical scanner chimed – a different tone from its usual diagnostic sound. Her expression shifted for just a moment as she checked it. Something darker flashed across her features, gone so fast Kasper almost thought he'd imagined it.

"Break's over," she sighed, packing up their lunch with practiced efficiency. "Got a new batch of enhancement calibrations to run before tomorrow's Cold Blood Trial announcement."

"Already?" Kasper forced his tone to stay light. "Thought that was next week."

"Schedule change." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Team dinner tonight though? Lucas is dying to show off his new mod."

"Wouldn't miss it." He caught her hand as she stood, surprising them both. "Thanks for... this."

Her fingers intertwined with his, warm and sure. The sleeve of her training gear rode up, revealing an intricate tattoo of medical circuitry patterns. "Anytime, Lucky Shot."

Below, Lucas had finally been caught. Sean had him in a headlock while Maria applauded sarcastically.

"OKAY FINE," Lucas wheezed. "I'll add more safety protocols!"

Kasper grinned, watching his team's antics. His family, chosen and true.

His enhanced hearing picked up the soft click of Sarah's scanner as she reached the stairs. Then her voice, barely a whisper into her comm:

"Confirmation received. Subject's resonance patterns exceeding expectations. Accelerate the timeline. Tomorrow changes everything."

The words hung in the air like smoke.

But that was tomorrow's shadow.

Today was for grapes, and laughter, and pretending they could stay in this moment forever.

Even if forever was already running out.