Chapter One: The Human Passing Machine

August heat hung over Harbor City like a wet towel cinched around every neck. Kai Lin stood at the far end of the practice field and fired his one hundred twenty-seventh ball into a moving net. It clipped the frame with a clean pop. Eight yards away, the receivers coach raised one finger without looking back. One more. On the Storm's quarterback depth chart, Kai's name occupied the fourth line. Teammates called him Kai, coaches called him Four, and franchise quarterback Marcus Vale called him Arm. “Arm, give me another set of deep balls.” Marcus sat beneath the shade canopy, ice around his right shoulder. “Higher angle. I need to watch the safety turn his hips.”