CHAPTER 2 — THE FIRST TEST
The sun hung low over West Haven High's practice field, coating the turf in gold. Players jogged out with helmets under their arms, cleats crunching through the grass. Jaden walked among them with a calmness that felt unnatural. His senses were tuned to everything. Every sound, every shift in the wind, every distant footstep blended into a pattern he understood without effort.
Super Soldier Serum, zero point two percent.
The number repeated in his mind. A small dose, yet enough to change everything.
Coach's Challenge
"Brooks!" Coach Daniels barked.
Jaden jogged over.
"You looked sharp yesterday. Today you run with the second team. Do not make me regret it."
"Yes, Coach."
Coach studied him, suspicion and curiosity mixed in his eyes.
"There is one thing you cannot fake, Brooks. Consistency. Show me yesterday was not a fluke."
Jaden nodded, steady and focused.
First Snap
The second team offense lined up. The defense shifted in front of them, lean and eager. Some players wanted to test him. Others wanted to knock him into the ground.
"Blue eighty! Set… hut!"
The ball hit his hands and the world stretched.
A rusher burst through the right guard. Before a normal quarterback would have reacted, Jaden stepped left, glided up in the pocket, and fired a dart on a deep dig.
The receiver barely saw the ball.
It slammed into his chest with a loud thud.
"Brooks!" the receiver gasped. "Warn me next time!"
Jaden smiled."I threw it when you were open."
The offense laughed and slapped his helmet as they lined up again.
Coach's Reaction
Coach Daniels watched from behind his clipboard, his jaw tightening.
"That release. That footwork. Since when does he move like that?"
The offensive coordinator shook his head."Kid looks like he leveled up overnight."
"Or sold something," Coach muttered.
A Real Test
Coach Daniels crossed his arms and shouted,
"First team defense! Get on the field!"
The sideline erupted.
The first team defense was trouble. Big, fast, angry trouble.
Darius Cole, the star linebacker at six foot three and two hundred thirty five pounds, cracked his neck and grinned.
"Well, well, well," Darius said. "Number three wants to be a hero."
Jaden met his eyes without blinking."I just want reps."
"Oh, you will get some."
The Play That Changed Everything
Coach Daniels called a complicated play.
Trips left. Z motion. Fake stretch. Boot right. Deep cross.
The kind of design that fooled inexperienced defenders. But the first team defense was not inexperienced. This was a trap.
Jaden stepped into the huddle.
"Run it clean," he said. "Hit your marks."
The players nodded, surprised by the authority in his voice.
Motion. Snap.
The defense bit for a moment, then recovered instantly. Jaden rolled right, only to find two defenders closing in.
The pocket collapsed.
Gasps spread across the field.
"Brooks is done," someone whispered.
Jaden's mind sharpened.
A gap. A lane. A perfect timing window.
He planted his foot, spun in a smooth whip of motion, kept his eyes level, and launched the ball across his body. Thirty five yards downfield, the receiver sprinted into the deep cross.
The ball dropped into his hands in perfect stride.
Clean. Calculated. Impossible.
Silence swallowed the field.
Then it exploded.
"BROOOOOOKS!"
Coach Daniels lowered his clipboard slowly, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"That was not luck," the offensive coordinator breathed.
"No," Coach said, eyes wide."That was something else."
After Practice
As Jaden walked off the field, Darius jogged up beside him.
"I will admit it," Darius said. "I hit you on that play. Hard."
"I know," Jaden replied calmly.
"You did not even flinch."
"I did not have time."
Darius stared at him, unsure whether to be impressed or concerned. Then he smirked.
"Keep playing like this and you are going to earn a nickname real soon."
Jaden chuckled."We will see."
Inside, the power hummed like a quiet storm building in the distance.
Night
That evening, Jaden stood in front of his mirror once more. His eyes did not glow now, but something behind them had changed.
Confidence.Control.Purpose.
He lifted the injector case.
Zero point two percent achieved.Next upgrade locked.Requirement: physical and mental stabilization.
Jaden smiled.
He was not rushing.He was building.
"One day at a time."