After the death of his son Vlad Minsky wanted to find a way to make soldiers stronger. He tried several things but eventually he found a way to blend human and animal DNA. He presented the idea to the government. Most were for the idea if they could get it past those who were against human experimentation. That meant they couldn't use soldiers. At least not yet. They had to prove it was safe first. The question was where to get volunteers. They considered the homeless. After all no one would miss them. But most of them weren't in ideal condition for the experiment. They needed people in good mental and physical health. Ideal they wanted people who were young. They settled on teens. Since teenagers bodies were already changing their bodies would probably accept the changes easier. After much discussion it is agreed to offer the option to young criminals. No one would miss someone on death row so if they die no one would know. If they survived and did well this could be a way of paying their debt to society. 

As one of these young criminals you will have to learn to control your animal instincts and learn to change at will. If you survive the training you will became a soldier defending the United States. The teens are kept an apartment complex that was built underground. This was to keep the project hidden until the teens had control of their animals and were trained. It was understood that the teens would do exactly what they were told or they would be destroyed. They would be tested and educated. It was hoped that they could become the soldiers of the future saving others. They would do the missions deemed too dangerous for ordinary soldiers.