Chapter One: Day 992 on the Bench

Forty-seven seconds remained, and the Harbor City Storm trailed by six. Eighty thousand people turned Blue Bay Stadium into a boiling pot. Rain cut sideways through the floodlights. Fans stamped their feet and roared, sending waves of “Get him out!” crashing toward the field. Lin Che sat at the far end of the bench beside the drink coolers, his helmet balanced on his knees. He did not need to look at the giant screen to know what it showed: Marcus Kane, the Storm’s number-one receiver, dropping the go-ahead pass in the end zone. This was Lin’s third year in the Global Professional League and his nine-hundred-and-ninety-second day on the bench. “Rookie, towel.” Kane came off the field without looking at him.