[b]"What do you mean [i]she cut off contact[/i]?"[/b] A fuming Dragon stood in the communications room. His arms folded across his chest. One could almost see smoke roll out of his nose and ears if they looked hard enough. He was alerted half an hour ago that Nova had made it to the underwater facility despite some pressure issues in the submarine. When she made it inside, the connection disappeared.

[b]"I mean, Star, cut off her comms. I don't know why. I asked what she could see. She reported that she found Ghost, then poof!"[/b] Julia began to blubber. Her hands and arms flailing about her immediate space. 

Dragon pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. The frustration was directed at both his communications assistant and Nova. Nova was too new at this to ignore connections to the surface. The Louvre hadn't reported Thierry's return, so he hadn't returned to the surface yet. Dragon didn't want to go down into a second-hand, Louvre-turned-HiveMind-bullshit facility to blow up and drag the woman he saw as a sister and the other...well, he still had to figure that one out. 

Nova was bright, resourceful, and gorgeous to boot. Dragon knew he shouldn't get attached. Agents were lost in the field on a consistent enough basis. Two agents in a relationship could compromise projects and missions along the way. But damn if he didn't want to wrap his arms around Nova and pull her flush against him to see that cute blush burn across her cheekbones. 

Dragon's thoughts were interrupted when Nova's voice came back online. His eyes darkened as he moved Julia out of the way with a push of her roller chair and pressed the button on the comms unit. [b]"Star,"[/b] he all but growled Nova's codename. [b]"We talked about keeping your comms open at all times. Your new augmentations are fresh enough that malfunctions could still go wrong. Report back to Juila once you find a way out. Ghost will keep you safe. We will be [i]discussing[/i] this when you return,"[/b] Dragon spoke with such heat that he had to lift his finger off the button on the microphone. His augmentations threatened to melt the comms unit.

[hr]

Stella followed Nova through the water path, guiding #3 until they were on a platform. [b]"Hey, look at here. Towels!"[/b] She laughed as she reached into one of the lockers and pulled out the dry fabric. Sure, their clothes were still damp, but Stella's mane of white hair wouldn't be drenched anymore. 

Stella glanced over at Nova and smirked. The expression on the new field agent's face told Ghost who was talking to her new coworker. When Star appeared like she was back in the present. Stella arched an eyebrow. [b]"Dragon chew you out? You'll get used to that,"[/b] she laughed lightly as she was checking out TRUMPET devices and helping 3 put on a hazmat suit. Seeing yellow jumpsuits wasn't the greatest sign, however, it was the only way out.