an opportunity rejected

Edward arrived at the camp twenty minutes early to make a favorable impression on his superiors and peers. Around ten minutes later, the rest arrived early to do the same, and they began light stretches even though they would stretch when the official training began. Looking around the camp, there were quite a few guys my size and some even bigger than me, except for one guy who looks to weigh maybe 100 pounds. Not what one imagines when thinking of a soldier. His face shows he is super happy yet depressed at the same time, which throws me off a bit.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Edward Hodges. Nice to meet you all."

"Hi, my name is Steve Rogers. It's great to meet you too."

"Howdy, my name is Thomas Green. It's good to meet ya."

"Hi, my name is..."

One by one, they became acquainted with each other. Edward noticed the ostracized Steve looking sad, so he decided to move next to him and strike up a conversation. He didn't particularly want a new friendship, but it looked like Steve needed a friend, and it's always nice to have another guy watching your back.

"Hi Steve, how's it going? If I may ask, why are you wanting to join the effort?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking. And if I'm being honest, I just can't sit around while my country is fighting for freedom. I have to contribute, you know."

"Good man, only the bravest men fight for others. Just remember to keep yourself as a priority too. A soldier has no use dead."

"Haha, thanks. Will do."

(2 hours later, in a SpongeBob voice)

*Random soldier's perspective -

"Our drill sergeant is named Duffy, and my God is he a hard ass. Though we were lucky enough to go slower due to the pipsqueak in the back running with the pretty boy. Regardless of that, I hope to God we get to wherever we're randomly running to. I'm getting tired. *Sigh* If only I could be riding with Agent Carter, or better yet, ride Agent Carter! Ha! Oh shit, looks like Duffy is talking again."

*Perspective end*

"Pick up the pace, ladies! Let's go! Double time! Come on! Faster! Faster! Move! Move!"

They get near the flagpole.

"Squad, halt! That flag means we're only at the halfway point. First man to bring it to me gets a ride back with Agent Carter. Move, move!"

Edward stays back, not caring about having to jog a little bit longer. Honestly, he wished they could carry their backpacks with them so he could sneak in some weights to challenge himself. With his week of intensive training, his body has already improved so much. He can curl 220 pounds on each arm, and his overall abilities have also increased. As an unexpected reward from boxing, he gained a more durable body. He mostly noticed his skin feels denser when he tries to poke it with his knife. He's not self-mutilating or anything; he just wanted to see if he could also improve his healing speed. It seems he can increase it, but not by much at the moment.

Once all the soldiers fail to grab the flag, he exits his train of thought and gets ready to jog back. Only then, Steve walks up to the pole, pulls out the screw at the bottom, making it fall, and hands in the flag to Sergeant Duffy. He then proceeds to get in the car with Agent Carter. In all honesty, it was pretty cool.

'Huh'

All the soldiers' thoughts resonate with the same word, in disappointment of not seeing such an obvious problem. In the process, a few even respect Steve, not that they won't keep giving him shit, but still. Deep, deep down, like really super deep down, they have a subconscious respect for him.

Once they got back, they had the option to train in fighting or shooting. As expected, most chose the gun range, and Edward was no exception. What was someone going to do to a guy with a rifle 40 yards away? Therefore, the logical route was to become proficient in shooting to be well-rounded in battle.

Edward started off with a handgun and found it incredibly easy to get good at. With his high dexterity and arm strength, aiming and negating recoil became child's play. He moved on to sniper shooting and learned it was just as easy, if not easier, than a handgun. He figured that his newfound bodily function growth may have increased his aptitude for learning most physical things since he had also gotten a lot better at boxing lately. He hit bullseyes at 100 yards and moved on to 125... then 150... 175... 200... 250... 375... 500... 620... 850. Then his bullets became a lot more inaccurate. He didn't know much about shooting, but he knew the gun he was using, the M1891/30 Mosin–Nagant, had a max range of around 875, so he figured becoming a sniper might be a good route since he was limited more by the gun's capabilities and his scope's quality than anything.

Colonel Chester Phillips' perspective -

"Fuck me."

"The doctor is really getting on my nerves, changing all our plans for that gerbil. All of these capable young men are more qualified, yet he picks the one throwing himself on grenades, trying to die as soon as possible."

Needless to say, Phillips doesn't like Steve as a candidate for the super soldier program, but he wouldn't oppose the doctor too much since it is he who's covering most of the bases needed.

Phillips walks to the gun range to let off some steam and picks a stall two away from the pretty boy they brought in (aka Edward since his muscles are becoming more compact, he appears slimmer and, of course, has a smoother complexion). He starts letting off some smoke and lead, really putting some rounds downrange. Taking a deep exhale, Phillips aims at a far target, only to lose focus from seeing Edward hitting the bullseye on his second shot.

He puts his gun down, sits on the stall to his left to be closer to Edward's stall, and starts spotting him. While looking at the 100 yards, he hears another shot and sees that Edward missed. "Ah, must've been a lucky shot then." He takes his eyes off the lens and sits back, watching where Edward's bullets are landing, watching where the dust flies.

He hears another shot and sees a small dust spurt at the 150-yard line. He looks through the lens and sees... a bullseye at 150 yards in two shots!

"Not bad, kid. Four shots and two bullseyes. I remember learning to shoot and getting to that point. The good days before all this fascist bullshit. Come to think of it, why did he skip 125?" He thinks while moving the scope to see 125 with a bullseye partially missing. He hears another shot and looks to the 175 to see if Edward is doing what he thinks he is. Bullseye again! Shot after shot, he gets more and more impressed with the boy next to him. Although it takes him a few shots to hit the bullseye at a few hundred yards out, he still progresses rapidly! When Edward stops firing after hitting 850's bullseye, Colonel Phillips gets up immediately and puts his hand on Edward's shoulder.

*Perspective over*

Edward feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to see Colonel Phillips, the older colonel from earlier, who seems to be very happy.

"Colonel Phillips, sir, do you need any assistance, sir?" Edward says in a respectful tone, as one does with their superiors in the military.

"Son, do you know that you're one of the best shooters I've ever seen in all my years in the military? Excluding Agent Carter and Duffy, of course, but you don't seem too far off," Colonel Phillips says.

"Thank you, sir," Edward replies.

"Son, I'm going to give you two offers and four options. The first two options you already had: you can become an infantryman or get dishonorably discharged. Besides the standard soldier roles, I'm giving you the option to go on espionage missions, to be our man on the roof, if you catch my meaning. As for the last option and opportunity, we'll have to talk somewhere else."

They chat about some small talk while Edward puts away his materials, and then they walk to Colonel Phillips' quarters.

"Son, the reason you're here is because of a top-secret experiment that the United States is conducting. We've found a way to create super soldiers, thus naming it the Super Soldier Program. Now, I want you to get this serum, and I'll back you since you're not the only candidate. I can guarantee you that if you can shoot like that again in front of my people, you'll be a top contender and likely receive the serum. I'm asking you now if you want the opportunity to become more than just a soldier."

"With all due respect, Colonel, I do not and will not need this serum to be a great soldier. I feel there are more qualified candidates," Edward responds.

Although he said this, he was actually more concerned, thinking about the potential side effects that such a "super serum" could have on a person. There was no way in hell he was going to be a lab rat to get stronger when he's about 95% sure he can reach a greater height through hard work with his natural ability for growth. Also, he doesn't exactly know why he can get stronger so quickly, and he doesn't want to risk injecting a foreign substance and potentially lose his abilities.

"Now, son, I don't think you understand what I'm offering. You would be able to rid yourself of any physical or genetic flaws and become incredibly strong and durable, a man above men," Colonel Phillips insists.

"With all due respect, sir, I do not wish to reach the pinnacle, sir. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown,' and my neck will always be too weak, sir. When one hits the peak, there is no more room for improvement, and improvement is the driving force of my soul, sir," Edward explains.

"Just say no next time, son. You didn't have to get all poetic," Colonel Phillips says with a chuckle.

"Yes, sir!" Edward replies.

And with that, Edward decides to decline the offer of the super soldier serum, remaining true to his belief in the power of hard work and continuous improvement. He continues his training, pushing his limits and striving to become the best soldier he can be through his own efforts.