Outside the emergency room at Lambstone Medical Center, Jack had just finished a call to Hannah, reassuring her that he was safe. Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Turning, Jack saw Jason Hayes charging toward him like a quarterback on a blitz. His eyes were bloodshot, and with surprising agility for someone of his size, he dodged a few startled nurses before zeroing in on Jack.
"Hey, she's fine. I took her to the operating room myself," Jack said, catching Jason to prevent him from barging into the surgical area in his panic.
"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" Jason grabbed Jack's shoulders, his face a picture of pure fear, like a lost little boy.
Jack couldn't quite wrap his head around it. How could this hulking, battle-hardened soldier appear so vulnerable? But there was no better description.
"Listen to me. I may not be as qualified as your team's medics, but trust me. I checked her thoroughly—no internal bleeding, just some fractures. She'll need time to recover, but she's going to be okay."
Jack patted Jason's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Jason released Jack's shoulders but kept his eyes fixed on the operating room door, even though there was nothing to see from their vantage point.
After what felt like an eternity, a middle-aged nurse in blue scrubs emerged. "Alana Hayes. Are you her family?"
"I'm her husband, Jason Hayes," he said, stepping forward. His imposing frame startled the nurse for a moment.
"She's going to be fine," the nurse reassured him. "Dr. Robert just finished her surgery. Despite multiple fractures, none of her internal organs were damaged. It's a miracle—your wife will recover quickly."
"Thank God." Jason, overwhelmed with relief, threw his arms around Jack in a bear hug so tight that it felt like he might crush him.
"Thank you, Jack. Thank you!"
---
To join SEAL Team Six, one must first become a SEAL, which involves completing the grueling BUD/S training and SQT SEAL Qualification Training. Only after passing these can candidates qualify for SEAL Team Six selection.
Those who make it past the initial screening, physical fitness tests, and interviews enter the Green Team for 8–9 months of rigorous training.
Green Team trainees train six days a week from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., with at least one night session weekly. Field exercises often span seven days straight.
Ultimately, about two-thirds of the candidates are eliminated, and only the remaining third are assigned to various squadrons, becoming full-fledged SEAL Team Six members.
Jack wasn't here for selection. He didn't need to train alongside the Green Team candidates, but the three-month acclimation period was no walk in the park either.
Surprisingly, physical training turned out to be the easiest part. Starting at 6 a.m. each day, sessions lasted about an hour and a half, featuring 10-mile (16-kilometer) runs, push-ups, pull-ups, and various exercises that looked more like torture to the average person.
These included flipping 450-pound (205-kilogram) tires repeatedly, pushing cars or buses across a lot, and swimming laps around small islands.
When Jack finished these sessions, utterly exhausted and with his heart pounding, Jason Hayes would shove a loaded firearm into his hands and send him to the tactical range for shooting drills.
He'd navigate obstacles, take cover behind burning vehicle wreckage, and even sprint for dozens of meters before doing a set of pull-ups—only to continue firing.
Jack's near-superhuman physical fitness allowed him to handle these exercises without breaking down. While they didn't come easily, he managed to complete them with proficiency.
Still, appearances had to be maintained. For a young FBI agent whose training was limited to the LAPD academy and Quantico, being somewhat fit could be chalked up to talent. But anything beyond that required careful masking.
Physical training wasn't just about conditioning—it was also about pushing the body to its limits to uncover latent potential. By the time Jason Hayes shredded the third training schedule in frustration, Jack knew he needed to start faking signs of fatigue.
"This guy's physical fitness might even surpass Clay, the youngest and fittest among us. I think we can move him to the next stage of training," remarked Ray Perry, Jason's second-in-command, after watching Jack complete a series of obstacle challenges, including ladders, rope bridges, climbing frames, pipes, slanted boards, and balance beams.
For Jack, shooting drills and driving exercises like PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) were no challenge. He even ended up unofficially coaching some of the team, forcing Jason to keep rewriting his training plans.
VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) was a mandatory skill for SEALs. This special operations tactic involved air, sea, and underwater boarding techniques. While Jason required Jack to become proficient enough to work with the team for air and sea methods, underwater operations demanded mastery since they were life-and-death matters.
After nearly two weeks of grueling training, Jack finally got his chance to learn a new skill: diving.
Diving included two types: free diving and scuba diving. The former relied solely on holding one's breath, while the latter used equipment for extended underwater durations.
SEALs approached free-diving training with brutal simplicity: bind the trainee's legs and hands, then toss them into a 3-meter-deep pool. The trainee had to complete the following tasks:
- Float up and down for 5 minutes.
- Tread water for another 5 minutes.
- Swim 100 meters forward.
- Float up and down for 2 more minutes.
- Perform 10 front and back flips.
- Retrieve a boot from the bottom of the pool using their teeth.
- Float up and down five more times.
Techniques like the Frenzel maneuver for equalizing ear pressure were taught as well.
Jack nearly drowned the first time. Despite having grown up in a water-rich region, this extreme type of training, with both hands and legs bound, was entirely new to him.
After pulling Jack out of the water, Jason explained that this was the most basic underwater anti-drowning drill in the SEALs' BUD/S course.
Over the next three days, Jack experienced near-drowning twice more. Thankfully, the SEALs didn't push him to the brink of death. Otherwise, the accumulated trauma might have led to Jack venting his frustrations by picking fights everywhere.
After completing the anti-drowning training, Jack moved on to rescue drills. SEALs took turns simulating drowning victims, flailing and resisting in every way possible.
Jack's task was to subdue these burly men in the water and drag them to shore.
For Jack, this wasn't difficult. While he couldn't dislocate their joints, he had plenty of tricks to render them temporarily incapable of resistance. Actual underwater combat wasn't required.
However, a few of the team members, embarrassed by being overpowered, dragged him to the gym afterward. They decided to "spar" with him in the boxing ring, turning it into a friendly, fists-on-skin contest.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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