Caleb barely had time to react. The beeping intensified, rapid and urgent. His instincts screamed at him to move.
A second later, a concussive blast shook the steel chamber. The force sent him skidding back, ears ringing. The heat of the explosion washed over him, but no flames followed. A flashbang mixed with a pressure wave—meant to disorient, not kill. Another mind game.
Caleb blinked through the haze, senses recalibrating. Footsteps rushed toward him. His opponents had used the explosion as cover.
Smart.
A fist came from his left. Caleb swayed back, barely dodging. A boot struck his side—he absorbed the impact, twisting with it, using the force to redirect himself into a counterstrike.
Three seconds. Two more bodies down.
Five left.
They hesitated now. He could hear it in their breathing, the small shuffle of feet. Doubt was creeping in.
Colonel Briggs' voice crackled through the speakers.
"Finish it, Mercer."
He did.
Caleb surged forward, striking fast, precise. He didn't give them time to regroup. A kick to the ribs. A sweep to the ankles. A brutal elbow to the temple. The last trainee standing raised their hands in surrender.
Caleb exhaled, standing alone in the wreckage of the trial.
The steel doors slammed open.
Briggs entered, flanked by two armed officers. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—approval, maybe.
"That will do," Briggs said. He turned to the rest of the trainees, who were picking themselves up. "You are no longer recruits. You are operatives of Project Guardian."
Silence. Then the weight of the words settled in.
Briggs turned back to Caleb. "Mission briefing. Now."
Mission Start
The briefing room was cold, sterile. A massive screen flickered to life, displaying satellite images of a dense jungle. Overlays highlighted a facility hidden beneath the canopy.
Briggs stepped forward. "Your first mission is simple. Infiltrate, extract, exfil. A VIP has been taken hostage inside this compound. You will retrieve them. Stealth is priority."
Caleb's mind processed the details rapidly. No room for error.
Briggs continued, voice sharp. "You leave in one hour." His gaze locked onto Caleb. "I expect you to lead."
The room emptied. Gears turned. Weapons were prepared.
The training was over.
Now came the real test.