Urban

The explosion was tremendous, followed by a deafening roar, and a shockwave that slammed into Kate's chest and hurled her backwards.
She had just enough time to scream, "Get down!" to her teammates before the blast wave knocked the wind out of her.
The warehouse erupted in a fireball, the windows shattering outwards in a spray of glass and metal. Rico and Mia never had a chance. Their bodies were simply gone, vaporized in the inferno.
Kate hit the ground hard, rolling instinctively as debris rained down on her. Shrapnel bounced off the ground around her, and she had to cover her face.
When the roar faded to a crackling blaze, she pushed herself up on trembling arms. The rest of the team stared at the burning ruin in stunned silence.
Jax's face had gone pale beneath his bravado. Lena clutched her tablet like a shield. The others—ten recruits who had survived weeks of hell together- simply

Flames rose through the alley and up the walls, but Kate was already airborne again, riding the updraft over the blast.
One by one, she hunted them down. A sniper on a water tower took a shot at her, which bounced off her armor. She retaliated with a grapple line around his ankle, yanking him off the platform. He landed hard and broke his legs. She sighed, realizing she didn't even need to secure him.
Kate took a shortcut through a building, constantly checking for explosives. A burly convict jumped her with a shotgun. She slid under the blast, swept his legs, and drove her foot into his gut. The man keeled over and went out cold.
The last follower realized he was in for a nightmare and tried to flee towards the central silo to join his boss.
Kate cut him off from the rooftops, dropping in from above. He swung a machete at her wildly, but she casually parried with her armored forearms. A

Ashfield Academy rallied its trainees early the next morning. Kate Harper stood at attention in the front row of the elite squad.
The initial training had been a brutal filter for most, weeding out the weak and the unprepared. However, for Kate, it had been a cakewalk considering her vigilante training.
From thousands of applicants, only forty-eight remained. Hardened young men and women ready to claim their place in Springfield's military police.
Sergeant Harlan, a grizzled veteran with a leathery face and a gruff voice, paced before them. "Listen up, recruits!" he barked.
"You've survived the basics. Forty-eight of you stand here today, the best of the best. And topping the charts is Recruit Harper. She's outshone you all in every metric. If the rest of you slugs can't keep up, you'll be washing out soon enough."
Kate felt a momentary flush of pride, but then remembered her purpose. She was here to infiltrate the military police and learn more about Victor Cromwell.
The girl had dominated the training because her vigilante nights as the Raven gave her an edge in endurance, combat, and strategy. But this wasn't about personal glory. Her yearning for Roadkill grew stronger with each passing day.
Moreover, the mystery of the blonde woman, who bore a striking resemblance to the corpse from the factory, also needed to be unraveled.
The others murmured congratulations to Kate, but Jax, the hulking brute she had humiliated in wrestling, shot her a venomous glare from the back. Her instincts told her to be wary of him.
"Training is over, kids. Now comes the real deal—a mission designed by the Mayor's own security team. You'll be tested in the field under fire. Based on your performance, ranks will be assigned. If you succeed, you're in the military police elite. However, if you fail... Well, don't fail."
The recruits exchanged uneasy glances. Kate's mind raced. What kind of mission was Harlan talking about? Before anyone could ask, the double doors of the academy's main hall swung open with a dramatic boom.
Four figures strode in. Their presence commanded the room like a storm front rolling in. They moved in perfect sync as if they owned the world.
Leading them was Valeria Armstrong. Her towering six-foot frame and Amazonian blonde looks made everyone's jaws drop. She wore black tactical gear that hugged her muscular build.
Beside Valeria was Drew Archibald. Lean with silent steps. His dark hair was slicked back, and his eyes suggested a brain on overdrive.
Maverick Grimes lumbered in next with his scarred face twisted in a perpetual scowl. Lance Baker brought up the rear, still in military uniform.
The recruits straightened instinctively with their whispers rippling through the ranks. "Who are they?" someone muttered. "It looks like they are foreigners."
Valeria stopped before the group. "I'm General Armstrong. These are Generals Archibald, Grimes, and Baker. Let's cut the bullshit and come to the point. We're the Mayor's personal security team, and we've crafted your final test. Now, listen well, because your lives may depend on it."
Drew stepped forward with a polite but artificial smile. "All forty-eight of you will be divided into four teams of twelve each. You'll be transported to a large abandoned compound on the outskirts of Springfield."
"It used to be a munitions factory once, but now it's a ghost town. The compound will be your test battlefield. It is divided into four sectors, one for each team. You'll be locked in at noon, and there will be no escape until the mission's complete."
Maverick grinned. "And here's the fun part, kids. We've released a group of dangerous death row prisoners into each sector. These aren't your garden-variety thugs. They will be your opponents."
"These are hardened killers, terrorists, and psychopaths who've earned their spots on the gallows. We've given them weapons, supplies, and a full run of the facilities. Bombs, guns, traps. Expect anything."
The trainees exchanged frightened glances. Killers and terrorists? Kate bit her lip hard. She was expecting such a gruelling test in the final stage.
Lance nodded. "Each team has until sundown to arrest or neutralize every criminal in your sector. Capture them alive if you can, and dead if you must. However, if you fail to clear your sector, the entire team shall be disqualified from joining the military police."
"There will be no second chances, and nobody will come to your aid. And if you die... Well, you'll be forgotten. No memorials, no honors. The Mayor's office will issue the news that you died in a gas leak explosion."
The recruits paled, the weight of the upcoming mission sinking in heavily. Kate's heart pounded. This was no simulation. It was a blood trial. Victor Cromwell wasn't kidding around this time.
"This is insane," Jax grumbled nearby. "Death row prisoners? We're not executioners. We don't even have training to be regular police."
Valeria's eyes flashed. "This is what it means to protect Springfield. The Mayor demands the elite, those who can handle the darkness. Teams will be assigned randomly. Gear up and move out."
The division happened swiftly. The names were called out like lottery draws. Kate found herself leading Team Delta, a mix of eleven others, including Jax, who sneered at her appointment. "Great, the princess is in charge. This'll be fun."
They boarded armored transports to reach the compound. Kate reviewed her team during the trip/
It was a diverse group. Some were athletic like her, while others were bookish but skilled in tech. There were a few bruisers like Jax. She outlined a plan en route.
"We stick together, and begin with scouting carefully. There will be no heroics. These prisoners are desperate, probably having traded this for a reduced sentence. They'll fight dirty."
The battlefield compound was a sprawling maze of rusted warehouses, crumbling silos, and overgrown lots. It was fenced in by razor wire and guarded gates. It spanned acres, divided into four sectors by high barricades.
Team Delta was allotted Sector D, the southernmost area. It was dense with crumbling buildings, perfect for ambushes.
As the gates clanged shut behind them, Kate felt the isolation settle in. There were no communications to the outside world and no backup. It was just them against whatever horrors the generals had unleashed upon them.
Valeria's voice crackled over a loudspeaker from the observation towers outside. "Team Delta. In Sector D, your target is the notorious terrorist known as the Unabomber. His real name is Theodore Kaczynski, a mathematician-turned-bomber. Neutralize him and his accomplices by sundown. Good luck."
Kate's blood ran cold. The Unabomber? Seriously? The infamous psychopath was famous for his mail bombs that killed three and injured dozens over nearly two decades.
Kaczynski was a recluse genius who lived off the grid, fighting against industrial society in his head. And now he was here, armed and free in their sector. He must really dislike the changes in the military-industrial city of Springfield.
"Everyone, stay sharp," she ordered. "He's an expert at setting traps. We will move slowly and check every corner before proceeding."
Her team nodded, gripping their issued rifles and stun batons. They advanced into the sector gradually. Kate, her senses heightened from vigilante nights, was the first to spot tripwires glinting in the grass.
She motioned her team to walk around them. "See? Watch out for those."
Two recruits, Rico and Mia considered themselves hotshots and were eager to prove themselves. They rolled their eyes at Kate's instructions.
"This is taking too long," Rico muttered, pushing ahead. "I see a building with movement in the windows. It is probably where he's holed up. Let's rush it before he notices our presence and attacks first."
"Rico, wait!" Kate hissed. "It's a trap—"

The explosion was tremendous, followed by a deafening roar, and a shockwave that slammed into Kate's chest and hurled her backwards.
She had just enough time to scream, "Get down!" to her teammates before the blast wave knocked the wind out of her.
The warehouse erupted in a fireball, the windows shattering outwards in a spray of glass and metal. Rico and Mia never had a chance. Their bodies were simply gone, vaporized in the inferno.
Kate hit the ground hard, rolling instinctively as debris rained down on her. Shrapnel bounced off the ground around her, and she had to cover her face.
When the roar faded to a crackling blaze, she pushed herself up on trembling arms. The rest of the team stared at the burning ruin in stunned silence.
Jax's face had gone pale beneath his bravado. Lena clutched her tablet like a shield. The others—ten recruits who had survived weeks of hell together- simply looked at the flames, then at the two empty spaces where Rico and Mia had been seconds ago.
One gir

Chapter 283 The Unabomber