Chapter 2: The Flag at the Summit
The dust of Camp Lehigh tasted like iron and sweat. Arthur stood at the back of the formation, his breath rhythmic and steady. Around him, fifty men were gasping for air, their faces flushed beet-red after a three-mile run that Arthur had barely felt.
[ SYSTEM STATUS ]
Stamina: 94%
Agility Stimulus: ACTIVE (Duration: 04:12)
"Is that all you've got, recruits?" Colonel Chester Phillips barked, his eyes scanning the bedraggled line. He stopped in front of Steve Rogers, who was doubled over, coughing violently. "Rogers, you look like a stiff breeze would be a mercy killing."
Then, Phillips' gaze shifted to Arthur. He narrowed his eyes. Arthur wasn't sweating. He wasn't panting. He was standing like a statue.
"And you. The 'Scholar' from the Bronx. Why aren't you tired?"
"I've got a good second wind, Sir," Arthur replied evenly.
"A second wind? We'll see about that." Phillips pointed toward a towering, rusted flagpole in the center of the grounds. At the very top, a brass flag fluttered. "That flag represents the end of the war! Whoever gets that flag gets a ride back to the barracks with Agent Carter. The rest of you? Five more miles!"
The recruits groaned, but the moment the Sergeant blew the whistle, they scrambled. It was a chaotic mess of elbows and boots.
[ MISSION TRIGGERED: THE HEIGHT OF EXCELLENCE ]
Objective: Retrieve the flag in under 10 seconds.
Secondary Objective: Do not use the 'Ladder' method (Thinking outside the box).
Reward: +500 DP, Skill Unlock: [Tactical Calculation].
Arthur watched as the men tried to climb over each other. They were trying to scale the pole using raw strength, but it was greased and slick. Steve Rogers stood back, looking at the guy-wires—the canon way to solve the puzzle.
Sorry, Steve, Arthur thought. I need the points more than you do.
Arthur didn't run toward the pole. He turned and sprinted toward a nearby 2.5-ton transport truck parked thirty feet away.
"Where is that idiot going?" Phillips muttered, checking his stopwatch.
Arthur didn't answer. He hit the hood of the truck at full speed, his [AGI Stimulus] turning his legs into pistons. He used the hood as a springboard, launched himself onto the roof, and then, with a terrifying display of explosive power, he leaped.
He wasn't just jumping; he was flying.
[ SYSTEM: KINETIC BOOST ACTIVATED (10 DP EXPENDED) ]
Arthur's hand caught the top of the flagpole. The metal groaned under the sudden force. With a sharp tug, he snapped the brass pin, grabbed the flag, and tucked it into his belt as he slid down the pole like a firefighter.
He landed in a crouch, the dust swirling around his boots.
[ MISSION COMPLETE ]
Time: 6.4 Seconds.
Reward: +500 DP.
Skill Unlocked: [Tactical Calculation] — Your brain now processes battlefield variables 50% faster.
Total silence fell over the camp. The other recruits stopped crawling over each other. Steve Rogers looked at Arthur with genuine awe. Peggy Carter, standing by the green staff car, slowly lowered her clipboard, her dark eyes sharp with curiosity.
Arthur walked over to the Colonel and handed him the flag.
"Thinking outside the box, Sir," Arthur said, echoing the words Phillips would eventually say to Steve.
Phillips looked at the flag, then at the truck thirty feet away, then back at Arthur. "That wasn't just thinking, son. That was a circus act. Who the hell taught you to jump like that?"
"Practice, Sir. And a lot of motivation."
Arthur felt a chill. He turned his head and saw a man in the distance, wearing a lab coat and thick glasses. Dr. Abraham Erskine. [ SPOILER LENS ACTIVE ]
Target: Abraham Erskine.
Status: CRITICAL DANGER.
Threat: Hydra Assassin [Heinz Kruger] is currently 400 meters away, disguised as an SSR Observer.
Arthur's heart skipped a beat. The injection wasn't for weeks, but the "Big Change" was already happening. The System wasn't going to let him wait for the movie plot to happen. It was forcing the collision early.
[ EMERGENCY QUEST ]
Title: The Sniper in the Shadow.
Objective: Prevent the assassination attempt on Dr. Erskine today.
Note: The timeline is accelerating!