A/N: Okay for starters, this is not an actual comic yet. My Co-worker and I are working on a new comic idea for DC comics. And I thought I could get your guys' opinion on it. If it makes it through the board I might just have you all to thank.
Hi my name is Ghost.
I started off at the age of 16. There were unforeseen circumstances that left me on my own. Some of the reasons were my doing and others were others doing.
I didn't do so well on my own without a job, and that's were I get my name, I turned towards the government.
I began a project known as A-11k/C a.k.a. the suicide boys. Reason being we were a fairly new thing to old Uncle Sam, that's what made us a project. In this day and age heroes are hard to come by and legends are even harder, but I am called both.
And this is my story…….
I owe god 141 lives, I'll say that a lot thru this simply because its on my mind a lot. When I die and burn in hell, I know of 141 reasons of why I'm there.
I'm 19 years old and people think I'm a living legend and others think I'm a myth simply because of the things I have done and survived.
I don't know if I'm these things, it's not my place to decide. I know I am a leader of men and slayer of countless enemies and a lover of but one woman.
I have cleared villages in the dead of night, cut thru army after army, and been shot, stabbed and blown up, yet I still breathe and fight.
Where it began
Age 16, hungry cold and wet. I'm living in my car a 1967 ford Mustang. One day, not to sure, of the details I met up with a John Kindal this soon becomes my recruiter and enters me into early entry.
See the conversation was something like this.
"Hey there want a job with paid vacation, health, dental coverage, and free meals??" I was like, "hell yeah!!" He said "sign here" and so here I am.
As a 16 year old kid I wasn't legally old enough to enlist, but since I was emancipated I was, in the court system, 18 years old so I enlisted.
Once I was enlisted I went to basic training.
It was here that my life would change from normal soldier to adventure.
The Begining
In basic training I was selected to train for a new program the government had started. I was a lot younger than my peers and that was the main reason I was selected.
It was a four month program and in those four months. I was taught how to hunt, track, throw knives, shoot any gun imaginable, make explosives, to trap, pick locks, hot wire vehicles, scuba dive, jump out any type of aircraft, repel, repel out of a helicopter, to survive off the land, this course turned me into a well rounded soldier.
While I was in this training program I was in a class where I was being trained to escape and evade a group of enemy terrorists. I was eventually caught and taken back to the p.o.w. camp.
Once there I was interrogated and tortured. In one of the interrogations I was tied down to a chair that would submerge into a big bat of water.
They would ask me a question and if it wasn't what was wanted they would completely dunk me into water. Well after about 5 to 6 minutes of this my body was done and I took a big breathe of water and the next thing I knew, they( the instructors ) were all around me.
I gave up that day and that was my reward…death. That was one of the best lessons I ever learned, which was simple. Quit and die.
Once that was complete I was issued a beeper.
Then I was placed back into society, as if nothing had ever happened. I went to school and portrayed a normal life.
See the outline of this project was to go on "very" necessary "loss" missions, from anything like assassinations to demolitions, and this of course was to be a top secret organization.
The government would deploy a 1 to 3 man team to carry out a task. If, while on a mission, you were killed, Uncle Sam would not claim you. If your body was recovered they would pay for a military funeral. However if your body was not recovered they would hold a closed casket funeral for the families of the fallen.
Oh, and the best part about my new job was that I lived normal day to day life and got paid for it. Then there was the start of my debt.
I was at class on a December day when my beeper started to beep. I knew what the message meant. I looked at the beeper then my friends and back at the beeper, and thought, "this could be the last time I see anyone." then I placed the beeper in my bag and gathered up all my things. There was a car waiting for me outside. I was given a folder to look over on my trip and given a mission briefing.
Once at the airport I was escorted to a private jet. As the jet took off I read over my target and then looked over the specifics on the weapon I was to use.
We reached the cruising height and I was issued a "disposable" m-1 Sniper Rifle and fifteen 7.76mm rounds. I got familiar with my new buddy, then took a nap. I fell asleep somewhere over The States and woke up somewhere in Bosnia. This is where my first debt to god would be made.
Bosnia
It was of course raining, and I thought how typical. I laughed off my nervousness and my fear. I was taken to a car then driven to the bottom of a hotel. The plan was for me to go up to the top set-up a good vantage point and wait for my target.
That's exactly what I did. My target was to arrive at 2100 to make some kind of exchange. I waited for the better part of ½ an hour. Then the time came, my target had appeared.
He was a short fat kind of sleazy looking man. Dark brown hair and pale sick looking skin, I guess the rain didn't help much. With him were to big stocky looking men. I guessed they were his body guards.
I remember thinking that a body guards no good to you if he's dead. I thought, which first. I had a clear shot of my target and then I held my breathe. I didn't hear the shot I just saw my target fall and as I watched, my body reacted.
I stared at what I had done and my body was fervently reloading. As I watched and loaded the agent that was on the ground(the one that was suppose to be paying the target) had pulled out a pistol and shot one of the goons in the head.
I wheeled my rifle around and finished the job by ending the last goons life. I broke the rifle down, and let it drop into a dumpster that was about three feet from the building on the ground. After that was done I calmly got up and left the roof. I walked to the subway and caught a ride to my evac point. A plane was waiting for me once again. I loaded the plane, and then got assessed by the doc on board.
After about what seemed to be a million years he said that I was good to go. That night I tried to think about how I felt. I tried and I tried, but no luck. I eventually fell asleep looking at an ocean.
I woke up at the Cleveland airport, then caught a ride to my apartment(the army was paying for the apartment.).
That was Bosnia.
The next day rolled around so quick I was at school dosing off in my art class, when my buddy asked me to come over and stay the night at his place.
Of course I said yes. That night we went and played paint ball. I slaughtered him and when we were comparing welts he made a comment about the bruise that he left on my right shoulder.
I knew that was from the rifle, but his comment gave me an idea. I'd need an excuse if I were to keep my bumps and bruises a secret, and so my paintball career was born.
I was out on the field playing hard and having a blast when my beeper started to beep. Just like last time I made an excuse of where I had to go and went.
At my apartment there was the car waiting. I got in and was handed a folder and 2 suitcases. The folder was labeled Tokyo.
Tokyo
Once on the plane I was given plenty of time to check out the suitcases. In the larger of the two there was a silenced 9mm., two small explosive charges and detonators, and lastly there was a broken down silenced submachine gun.
The second case contained what was referred to as a "skeleton" suit or a C.S.-114(combat suit version 114.). This was a light weight full body armor. The skeleton suit allowed you to maintain a constant body heat and not give off a heat signature. It also focused on presure points that help maintain a humans stamina and allowed the ribs to be pushed in just enough so that the lungs could breathe. It was by far one of the coolest things I had ever seen in my life.
The folder contained the information on the mission and, the bios on my targets and on my teammates.
The team.
The first listed was the commo (communication) guy. His call sign was Radiohead. This guy was supposedly a genius with electronics, and he was only 18. He had been on one mission to japan. Once he was there he sent out an e.m.p. for a 7 mile radius. This was amazing, because he hadn't a lot to do it with.
Then, listed after him was Jackal. This guy was your basic run of the mill psycho. I mean that in the best way possible. He was an exceptional well rounded soldier, but his most outstanding skill was his long range marksmanship. The Jackal, was most know for his Taiwan campaign, where he and he alone took out a total of 36 targets over a two year span. The jackal was a seasoned assassin. He was quite simply a great if not the greatest sniper of our time.
Meeting the team.
Jackal
I took to the sleeping quarters of the plane and allowed my mind to sleep. When I was awaken form the bed we were in Tokay international airport. I was given instruction on where to go and who to meet I was to say a phrase and he would say some type of crazy shit back.
The first teammate I meet was Jackal. I had expected to see a tall no that's not right a very tall dark looming tower of a man. I thought of the Jackal as man with his left arm a high powered rifle, but to my surprise who I meet was a quite ordinary man. He was a pretty thin man with sweaty pale skin, and moderately thick glasses and behind the rims of those glasses were the palest almost gray, blue eyes so very, very emotionless this man was quite ordinary indeed except he had the eyes of a killer. His hair was blonde and short, he kept it in a high and tight. He looked strong and healthy all and all he was a fairly handsome guy with a bit of death to him.
He greeted me with a hand shake, a sweaty hand shake. I asked " how is business in the fathers home?"
He stated, " alls well at home it is mother that worries me.", he smiled a big broad smile and said
"now that's out of the way would you like to grab something to eat or do you want to drop your bags first?"
I decided to drop my bags. On the way there we talked and talked.
He would ask "where you from and why did you leave"
"you got any plans for the future"
"you got any family"
"you do any…"
"what's wrong, why you just staring?"
That's was my queue for it to be my turn, "we need not to know the things of which you ask." I stated blankly.
He turned and looked at me in total silence for a minute or two, then burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he started to cry. After a bit of him laughing I lost it and started to laugh also. Thru the laughter I manage to ask what was so funny. He told me that I sound like a TM (training manual) ,then I realized that the answer I had give was exactly form a book on how to treat operatives. Once the laughing was done we talked, I answered his questions and he answered mine.
The only thing we didn't ask was each others name, no that question would be asked many missions from this one. Turns out that Jackal was 20 and had been doing this military thing for quite some time. He told me he was from Oregon and had a big family.
"Why did you join this career field?"
" I needed a job and didn't have much going on in my loser ass life."
He said, " well that's about the same for me."
By this time we had walked from the taxi to my room dropped the bags and made it to the café.
" there was always fast food I guess"
"yeah but this pays a lot better"
After I said that we both kinda just laughed a bit then ordered our food.
He told me this and that. He said that I was the team leader( that was something I already knew, but acted as if he was informing me, respect). We were to pick up Radiohead from the airport at 2330. Somehow I just couldn't figure he and I talking to Radiohead the way he and I had spoke. He and I had become friends in the few hours we had, not just associates but friends, that was cool, I knew I would miss him when he died, and I do.
Then there was
Radiohead
I pictured this guy as a skinny, dark haired, no tan type of dork guy. I wasn't that wrong. This guy was a dork of a cool sort. He had a medium build and wore glasses, the lens of his glasses turned his eyes a hazel and brown color it truly was a sight , he was tall and a hint of a tan, but not much that's for sure. He carried two bags and a suit case. This guy looked like a lost puppy.
This guy looked to harmless to be the same guy who took out the power of a pretty technologically advanced city for three days.
" how is business in the fathers home?"
He stated, " alls well at home it is mother that worries me.", then we nodded and walked to the taxi. We didn't speak to one another we just rode in silence.
The lobby
The taxi pulled up to the hotel that we were staying at about 2315, it had started to snow. So we hurried in. once he was checked in we sat in the lobby and I briefed them for tomorrow , "while we're here we'll call each other by the name that we are checked in under, Is that understood?"
"yes sir"
"yes sir"
"Good, now tomorrow we are to meet here at 1500. We have to go to work at 1530 and I want to tell you two what the business plan is."
"yes sir"
"yes sir"
"good, don't forget your tools and do not be late, I will fire you myself, understood?"
"yes sir"
"yes sir"
"James, you'll stay, I need to speak with you."
"yes sir'
"Tom , you may turn-in for the night."
"yes sir"
Jackal(tom) stood and nodded to us and said as he turned around, "night, boys"
Then Radiohead asked, "is there a discrepancy, sir?"
"I need to know if you have the capability to create a jammer that will kept all transmissions down with a radius of about the size of a football field, and if you do ,do you have enough time to create this for me?'
"I should but it would only be able to hold the jam for probably 20 minutes."
"that should be long enough, make it."
"yes sir,… if I may… why do you need that?"
"that's not your worry, now turn-in, and make sure you have the jammer with you tomorrow at 1450 so you may show me how to use it. Go"
"yes sir"
He stood mumbling math and sorts to himself as he walked absent mindedly towards the elevator. Then I sat there, alone. After about 15 minutes or so I also turned-in for the night.
I went to my room ,but before I slept I cleaned my weapons and admired them for a moment or two then broke down the silenced sub-machine gun, put it away, then slept.
The deed
Well time for the team to meet was now and Radiohead had been down stairs in the lobby with Ghost explaining the sequence to operate the jammer, when Jackal sat down and listened.
Jackal came to the lobby with a briefcase and sat down very professionally that it was hard to imagine that the briefcase had a very high powered rifle in it.
Radiohead had a matching but smaller briefcase and a medium backpack he looked very comfortable sitting there talking to ghost. Whom had a briefcase medium briefcase that was the same also. Now that Radiohead was done it was my turn to speak.
"Today is a beautiful day for business."
"we are trying to complete a deal for our father and the clients names are stated on the handout I've made up for you." as I said this, I handed them each a mission briefing. This briefing contained 7 names of corporate leaders of a fortune 500 technology company, and photos of the targets. Then under the pictures there was a lot of text describing how they were to "close the deal" with these men. On the attached page there was a building layout and escape plans and vantage points. As I went over the plan, they listened very carefully and followed along with there hand-outs.
"and lastly, if things do go wrong we will remember our training and stick to the plan.".
Once my final sentence was spoken, we set out from there to do our deed.
We took a cab from there and went to a tourist there we looked at all possible vantage points of this "target" building. Once that was complete we went to the building itself.
THE PLAN
The plan was, like most things military, simple. A meeting was arranged for us to gain access to the building. After we were inside I would detonate the E.M.P. that would drop the security system for a bit, at least until the back-up generator kicked in.
After the discharge we would proceed from the 31st floor up to 53rd floor of which was holding the conference were all of our targets but 1 would be. After we clear the room and made sure no man or woman survived we would go to the roof and base jump to a barge( this building location allowed that to be the best possible escape route, because the building was sea side.).
After we landed we would go to the "factory" where the company developed new technology. There Radiohead and I would infiltrate the 'factory and blow up the newest weapon they were devolving, called "PAT"
(Particle Atom Transplacer) this weapon was the end of the American rule if it were allowed to be made. Jackal was to cover our exit point.
As that was being done Radiohead would find the designs and the designer. He was to kill the designer and keep the designs. If he could not find the designs then he was to keep the designer himself.
Then once we reached our correct distance I would blow up the facility. So now it's go time, everything surprisingly went according to plan, that's unusual as soon as the first shots are fired all plans normally go to shit. Everything was great until we jumped. Radioheads chute didn't deploy, and jackals was tangled up it was called a cigarette roll. Radiohead fell 110 floors and land face first in the traffic below, it was safe to say he was dead. Jackal un tangled and landed on the barge but broke his right leg.
After we landed we both assessed our current situation and decided to proceed with the mission, after all it only takes one to capture to capture one. Jackal was still going to cover the exit, he is a sniper you don't have to fight close if you're a sniper. I went in found the papers pretty easy and a bit more looking around and I found the designer, one shot between his eyes and he was done. I left the way I came in and jackal called the evac in, in less then a day we were back to our normal day-to-day lives.
For a while I went on missions (we started to refer to them as fishing trips) alone, and for a long while I got a break from the fishing trips.
I played paintball and video games and occasionally I killed people, your run of the mill normal kid, right? Well it was cool to chill out for a bit and live like a kid.
Chapter
Alone
I was still living by myself and had lost all connections with everyone but my paintball buddy, I realized that I missed the feeling of importance and being needed ( at the time it didn't matter if I was only a pawn ). I was a
THEN THERE WAS THE SEA.
Some where in the pacific ocean was the target. A Korean military vessel. Our plan was(yet again) simple, get on the ship and sink it, making sure there were no survivors. Basically kill everyone.
Its march '01, I'm sitting in class drawing in my text book. My beeper starts vibrating the hell out of me. Like before I stopped what I was doing cleaned up my area, and checked myself out of school.
