Inside were pages filled with surveillance notes, photos—of them.

  Mia Carter – Codename: Falcon

  Exceptional speed and reflexes. Olympic-level potential. Untrained combat skills but strong instincts. Natural leader. Highly competitive.

  Ivy Reynolds – Codename: Cipher

  Advanced hacking skills. IQ in the top 1% of her age group. High-risk tolerance. Needs discipline but has potential for cyber espionage.

  Lena Torres – Codename: Oracle

  Exceptional memory and deductive reasoning. Skilled in multiple languages. Observant, detail-oriented. Prefers strategy over direct combat.

  Sora Nakamura – Codename: Wraith

  Unmatched stealth ability. Quick adaptability. Highly intuitive. A natural at reading people. Prefers working alone.

  Mia’s breath hitched. “They’ve been watching us.”

  Ivy flipped through more pages, her fingers shaking slightly. “Not just watching… recruiting.” She held up a page with notes written in red ink:

  Subjects have been monitored since childhood. Testing stage complete. Next phase: Initiation.

  Lena felt her stomach turn. “We didn’t choose this. They chose us.”

  Sora’s voice was barely above a whisper. “But why?”

  The answer came in the form of a distant alarm.

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  They froze.

  “Someone tripped the sensors,” Ivy hissed. “But I disabled them—”

  The door slammed open.

  Agent Carter stood there, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

  “Ladies,” she said coolly. “I was wondering when you’d find out.”

  Mia’s pulse pounded. Every survival instinct told her to run. But there was nowhere to go.

  Carter stepped forward. “You were never here by accident. Everything—the test, the files, even finding this room—was part of your training.”

  Lena narrowed her eyes. “So what now? You erase our memories?”

  Carter smirked. “No, Torres. Now we see if you’re really ready.”

  The room shifted. The walls slid back, revealing a massive underground training arena. Spotlights flickered on, illuminating obstacle courses, combat rings, and weapons stations.

  Mia exhaled. “Okay, that’s kinda cool.”

  Carter gestured toward the open arena. “Your real training starts now. No more tests. No more safety nets.”

  Sora’s gaze was sharp. “And if we refuse?”

  Carter’s smile didn’t waver. “Then you’re free to leave. But if you walk out that door, you’ll never remember this place… or who you were meant to be.”

  The four girls looked at each other. They had only been at Blackridge for a day. They had no idea what was ahead.

  But one thing was clear: they weren’t backing down.

  Mia cracked her knuckles. “Let’s do this.”

  And just like that, their real mission began.

  Mission: Survive Initiation

  The moment they stepped into the training arena, the floor beneath them shifted.

  Metal panels slid apart, revealing a maze of obstacles—walls that moved, platforms that collapsed, laser grids that flickered on and off. The air smelled like cold steel and adrenaline.

  “Welcome to Initiation,” Agent Carter announced over the intercom. “Your objective: reach the exit before time runs out. You have fifteen minutes.”

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  A countdown appeared on a massive screen overhead.

  15:00…

  “Easy,” Mia smirked.

  14:59… 14:58…

  The floor dropped out beneath them.

  Ivy screamed as they fell—but landed safely on a lower platform. The ground was metal, smooth, and moving.

  “It’s a shifting maze,” Lena realized. “It’s designed to change as we move.”

  Sora was already scanning their surroundings. “Then we don’t have time to think. We move. Now.”

  The first challenge was a corridor lined with motion-sensitive lasers.

  Mia cracked her knuckles. “I’ve got this.”

  She sprinted forward, dodging with perfect agility. Twisting, flipping, sliding—moving so fast the sensors barely registered her. She reached the other side and turned, grinning.

  “Come on, slowpokes.”

  Ivy bit her lip. “I, uh, don’t do well with lasers.”

  Lena was already analyzing the pattern. “There’s a rhythm to them. Four-second intervals. Move when the left row shuts off.”

  Sora nodded. “I’ll go first.”

  She moved like a shadow—silent, precise. Not a single beam touched her.

  Lena and Ivy followed, syncing their movements perfectly.

  They reached the other side just as the clock hit 12:00 minutes left.

  A gate slid open, revealing a combat simulation room. The second they stepped in, four robotic opponents activated—tall, faceless figures with metal fists.

  Ivy groaned. “Why does it always have to be fighting?”

  “Because we’re spies now,” Mia grinned. “And spies kick ass.”

  She lunged first, dodging a metal punch and countering with a powerful roundhouse kick. The robot stumbled but recalibrated instantly.

  Sora moved next, weaving around her opponent’s attacks like smoke before striking hard and fast.

  Lena ducked a punch and used her analytical mind to find a weak spot. “Aim for the joints!” she shouted.

  Ivy sighed. “Fine.” She grabbed a broken metal rod from the floor and jammed it into her opponent’s knee joint. It collapsed.

  10:00 minutes left.

  The next door had a digital lock with a complex puzzle. Numbers, symbols, shifting patterns.

  “On it,” Ivy said, already typing.

  Mia tapped her foot impatiently. “Hurry up.”

  “Do you want me to do it right or fast?”

  “Both!”

  8:00 minutes left.

  Ivy gritted her teeth. “Almost… got it…”

  The lock turned green. The door slid open.

  The last challenge was a drop into darkness. A glowing sign read:

  “Leap of Faith.”

  Sora peered over the edge. “We don’t know how far it goes.”

  Lena checked the timer. 3:00 minutes left.

  Mia shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

  And then she jumped.

  Ivy yelped. “MIA?!”

  A second later, Mia’s laughter echoed from below. “It’s fine! There’s a net!”

  Sora went next, then Lena.

  Ivy clenched her fists. “I hate this.” Then she jumped.

  The second they landed, the clock hit zero.

  The arena lights flickered off. The walls slid back, revealing a group of agents—including Agent Carter—watching from an observation deck.

  Carter smirked. “Not bad.”

  Mia grinned. “Not bad? We crushed it.”

  “You survived.” Carter nodded. “But this was just the beginning.”

  Ivy groaned. “Oh, come on. What’s next? A shark tank?”

  Carter didn’t answer.

  But behind her, the doors to the next test slid open.

  And the sound of rushing water echoed from inside.

  The next morning, Carter led them to a dark briefing room.

  A map of the world glowed on the screen.

  “Welcome to the real world,” she said. “Blackridge doesn’t train students. We train agents.”

  Lena’s eyes widened. “You mean… we’re going on a real mission?”

  Carter nodded. “You leave in 72 hours.”

  Mia smirked. “So… what’s the mission?”

  Carter’s expression turned serious. “Infiltrate an underground spy network. Someone on the inside is trying to take down Blackridge.”

  Ivy raised an eyebrow. “And you’re sending us?”

  Carter crossed her arms. “You four just hacked into a classified room, broke through an elite training course, and outsmarted every test we threw at you.”

  Sora exhaled. “And now you want us to spy on the spies.”

  Carter smirked. “Now you’re catching on.”

  The four girls exchanged looks. Less than 48 hours ago, they were just ordinary students. Now, they were Blackridge agents.

  Mia cracked her knuckles. “I hope the bad guys are ready.”

  Lena adjusted her glasses. “Because we are.”