A Day at the Beach

Leyati slouched back in his elevated lifeguard chair, lazily looking up at the colorful clouds overhead. He listened to the monotonous tones of waves crashing against the beach. It was a sunny day, thanks to the augmented solar lamps glowing through the dome. It wasn't exciting work, but it paid well and he could use those credits on video games.

Residents of Titan City were clad in swimsuits and busily running around and playing in the shallow waters of the lagoon. The bio-dome was full of laughter, especially at this spot where young children gathered. It wasn't a glamorous post, but it was uneventful and so the main assignment for rookie lifeguards.

Leyati let out a yawn and gazed across the waterfront, idly scanning for any signs of trouble. There were none. There never were. They just splashed each other and took selfies.

Yet this time, a flash of color caught his eye. Deep in the water, beyond the designated swimming zone, was something moving erratically. He squinted, trying to get a better look. Was it a swimmer fighting the current, or a piece of debris?

He leaned forward. His casual demeanor vanished. The flash of color was a bioluminescent shark, with a genetically engineering body glowing an eerie blue as blue as the water itself.