Morning sunlight passed through the windows of the training facility.
Inside the underground laboratory at Link Laboratory, the five newly enhanced students stood in the testing arena.
Samuel adjusted the strap of his wristwatch.
CJ stretched his fingers slowly.
Clinton leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
Elwin carefully studied a tablet filled with data.
Lilian stood quietly, observing everything around her.
Across the room, several scientists monitored them from behind thick glass panels.
Dr. Esther spoke into the intercom.
"Today we will begin the first stability tests of your bio-abilities."
Samuel sighed.
"So we are basically lab rats now?"
Dr. Kelvin replied calmly.
"Not lab rats. Pioneers."
Elwin stepped forward.
"Let's just get started."
Samuel's Test
Samuel stepped into the center of the testing arena.
"Chrono Mantis test — Level 1," Dr. Jude announced.
Three mechanical drones suddenly activated and began flying around the room.
"Your task is simple," Dr. Esther said.
"Dodge them."
Samuel tapped his wristwatch and accidentally chose a higher level than his current.
His eyes narrowed.
Suddenly…
Everything slowed.
The buzzing sound of the drones stretched into long echoes.
Samuel could see each movement clearly.
One drone fired a small training projectile.
Samuel moved.
To everyone watching outside, it looked like he disappeared for a second.
But inside Samuel's mind, time felt slow.
He stepped aside easily.
Then another drone fired.
He dodged again.
And again.
Within seconds, Samuel destroyed all three drones with precise punches.
The final punch created a loud crack in the air.
Samuel suddenly stopped moving.
Time returned to normal.
He grabbed his head also bleeding from his nose.
"Ahh…"
Dr. Kelvin frowned.
"Headache?"
Samuel nodded slowly.
"Feels like my brain is burning."
"Deactivate Chrono state immediately," Dr. Kelvin ordered.
Samuel removed his hand from the watch and the pain slowly reduced.
Dr. Esther wrote notes quickly.
"Reaction speed: extremely high but not ready yet for it"
"But neurological strain is still present."
Clinton's Test
Next, Clinton stepped forward.
"King Volt test."
Two metallic targets rose from the ground.
Clinton raised his hand.
Electric sparks began to dance across his fingers.
Then suddenly
CRACK!
A powerful bolt of electricity shot from his palm and struck the first target.
The metal plate exploded with sparks.
The second target activated defense shields.
Clinton smiled.
"Let's see if this can handle it."
He released another blast.
The shield flickered before collapsing completely.
The target shut down.
Clinton dropped his arm.
"Okay… that actually drained me."
Dr. Precious nodded.
"Your power output is impressive, but your energy reserves are still limited."
CJ's Test
CJ sat in the center of the room with his eyes closed.
"Neural Synchronization test."
Five scientists stood behind the glass wall.
CJ focused.
Suddenly he spoke.
"Dr. Esther is thinking about the data charts."
The scientists looked at each other.
CJ continued.
"Dr. Kelvin thinks Samuel is not ready at all."
Another pause.
"And Dr. Jude is wondering if this experiment was a mistake."
The room fell silent.
CJ slowly opened his eyes.
"Too many voices…"
He grabbed his head.
"It's loud."
Dr. Kelvin spoke calmly.
"Disconnect."
CJ took a deep breath and the voices disappeared.
Lilian's Test
Lilian stepped forward next.
"Pulse Seeker test."
The lights in the arena turned off.
Several hidden electronic devices were placed around the room.
"Find them," Dr. Esther said.
Lilian closed her eyes.
At first there was silence.
Then…
She felt it.
Tiny electrical signals in the air.
Like whispers.
She pointed toward a wall.
"There."
A scientist checked.
A hidden transmitter was discovered.
She pointed again.
"Another one… behind the ceiling panel."
Within minutes, Lilian had located every device.
Dr. Kelvin nodded.
"Impressive sensory range."
Elwin's Test
Finally, Elwin stepped forward.
"Heatforge test."
A thick vibranium rod was placed in front of him.
Elwin placed his hand near it.
Slowly, the metal began to glow red.
The temperature kept rising.
Steam started forming in the air.
Suddenly Elwin pulled his hand back.
Sweat ran down his face.
"My body temperature is rising too fast."
Dr. Jude immediately ended the test.
The Observation Room
Behind the glass wall, the scientists exchanged worried looks.
Dr. Esther spoke quietly.
"Their abilities are growing faster than predicted."
Dr. Kelvin nodded.
"But they are still unstable and have weaknesses which must be kept secret," she documented."
Dr. Jude added something more concerning.
"If war comes soon…"
"…they may not be ready."
Outside the Facility
Later that evening, the five of them sat together outside Emerald Lodge.
The sun was setting.
Samuel broke the silence.
"Do you ever feel like something bigger is coming?"
Clinton laughed.
"Bro, we literally have superpowers now. Of course something big is coming."
CJ stared at the sky.
"I keep hearing strange thoughts sometimes…"
"What kind of thoughts?" Lilian asked.
CJ hesitated.
"Military… strategy… war…"
"They have weaknesses"
Elwin looked serious.
"Then we better be ready."
Sam
uel slowly looked at his wristwatch.
Something deep inside him told him the same thing.
A storm was coming.
And they were right at the center of it.