Troubie Rising
She trained her whole life for the deep end. She just didn't know it would be a war zone.
Lauren D'Alessandro lives for the water.
Between grueling 4:45 AM practices with her Saint Francis High School "Troubies" and battling for national cuts at the Speedo Junior Nationals, the pool is her sanctuary. Her goal for 2026 is simple: drop her 500-free time at the CIF State Championships and earn a college scholarship.
Half a world away, SSgt. Michael Nantz is counting down his final months in the Marine Corps. Twenty years of service, countless deployments, and the weight of lost men he couldn't save. He's ready for retirement.
Then the meteors stop being meteors.
When an alien force descends on California to harvest the Earth's water, Lauren's world floods with chaos. Separated from her family during the Sacramento evacuation, she finds herself trapped behind enemy lines. Her swimmer's lungs and iron endurance are no longer just for medals-they are her only weapons.
Thrown into the path of Nantz and his battered Marine platoon, Lauren must trade her swim cap for survival gear. As the Marines plan a desperate strike against the alien command center, they realize their secret weapon might just be a teenage girl who can hold her breath longer than anyone else on the battlefield.
They don't need a soldier. They need a swimmer.
In a race where the finish line is survival, every lap is a fight for humanity.
Note: I don't own any of the characters from Battle: Los Angeles except my own.