Brooklyn
Early Morning.
The city was just beginning to wake up.
Shops opened their shutters.
Newspapers rolled across doorsteps.
Street vendors pushed carts toward busy intersections.
And Steve Rogers was running.
Fast.
Very fast.
He didn't mean to.
It just… happened.
Steve slowed down abruptly, skidding across the pavement as he stared behind him.
The entire street stretched out like a blur.
"…okay."
He placed both hands on his hips.
"That's definitely new."
The symbiote shifted slightly beneath his clothes, reacting to his elevated heartbeat.
The connection between them had stabilized overnight.
Not perfect.
But functional.
And the results were… impressive.
Steve had started the morning with a simple jog.
Now he was pretty sure he had just outrun a taxi.
He scratched the back of his head.
"…maybe we should keep this quiet."
The symbiote pulsed softly in response.
Agreement.
Unfortunately—
The universe had other plans.
A loud crash echoed from the intersection ahead.
Steve looked up.
A delivery truck had lost control.
The vehicle skidded sideways across the wet road, its tires screaming as it slammed into a parked car.
People scattered.
A woman fell while trying to escape the path of the truck.
The vehicle kept sliding.
Straight toward her.
Steve didn't think.
He ran.
The world slowed around him.
Not because time changed—
But because he was suddenly moving much faster than everything else.
The symbiote responded instantly.
Muscles reinforced.
Reflexes sharpened.
Steve reached the woman just as the truck came sliding toward them.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her backward.
The truck crashed into a fire hydrant with a deafening impact.
Water exploded into the air.
The woman stared at Steve in shock.
"…how did you—"
Steve froze.
He realized something.
There were witnesses.
A lot of witnesses.
People stood on both sides of the street staring at him.
Some had seen him move.
One man pointed.
"Did you see that?"
Another shook his head.
"No way… that guy moved like a bullet."
A third person stepped closer, eyes wide.
"Are you… one of those military experiments?"
Steve blinked.
"…what?"
Across the street, a young newspaper boy whispered excitedly to his friend.
"I told you! I told you!"
"Super soldiers!"
"They're already here!"
Steve suddenly realized the situation had become very complicated.
The symbiote sensed his discomfort and slowly withdrew its enhanced muscle output.
His breathing returned to normal.
But the damage was already done.
People were watching.
Questions were forming.
Rumors were beginning.
The anomaly had been witnessed.
High above the city—
An observatory telescope shifted slightly as a scientist recorded unusual electromagnetic fluctuations.
The data made no sense.
He frowned.
"…that's strange."
Inside a government office in Washington—
A military communications officer placed a report on a desk.
"Sir… we received several civilian reports from Brooklyn this morning."
The officer behind the desk looked up.
"What kind of reports?"
The soldier hesitated.
"…possible enhanced human activity."
The officer leaned back slowly.
"Enhanced how?"
The soldier cleared his throat.
"Speed… strength… reflexes."
The room became quiet.
Because the United States government was already working on something similar.
The Super Soldier Program.
Back in Brooklyn—
Steve helped the shaken woman stand.
"…are you alright?"
She nodded weakly.
"Yes…"
Then she looked at him carefully.
"…how did you do that?"
Steve opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
"…good reflexes?"
The crowd around them wasn't convinced.
Whispers spread quickly.
"Did you see how fast he moved?"
"That wasn't normal."
"Maybe he's military."
"Or a mutant."
"Or something else."
Steve suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
He gently stepped away.
"Alright folks… show's over."
And then he walked away quickly.
Inside his mind, the symbiote pulsed with curiosity.
External attention increasing.
Experiment exposure probability rising.
Steve rubbed his forehead.
"…yeah I noticed."
Far beyond the universe—
Aiden Vox observed the entire event from Throneworld.
The Codex updated again.
Abyss Codex — Experiment #001
Host: Steven Rogers
Mutation: Adaptive Combat Symbiote
Anomaly Event:
Host displays abnormal physical capabilities during civilian incident.
Witness count: multiple.
World Reaction Initiated.
Prediction:
Civilian rumors
↓
Government investigation
↓
Military interest
↓
Strategic exploitation attempt
Aiden leaned back slightly on the living throne.
"Excellent."
The first ripple had appeared.
And ripples always grew into waves.
Because somewhere in Washington—
A scientist named Dr. Abraham Erskine had just been handed a report.
And the report described a skinny young man from Brooklyn…
…who moved faster than a truck.