A/N: This Prologue is taken from one of The Division trailers. I know other stories may have used this as well, but I have added a little bit onto that to keep things interesting. (too bad pictures can't be uploaded into stories...) I will most likely be following the game's storyline from a first-person perspective and add in more plot details from things like side quests and such whenever I can.

Please read and review! Constructive criticism will be appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tom Clancy's: The Division. That right belongs to Ubisoft. Everything mentioned in this story is for entertainment purposes only.

EDIT 3 March 2016: Changed text alignment to left. Thanks to enji-benjy

In 2001, a real-world exercise tested the emergency response to a bio-terror attack on the continental United States; the operation was called 'Dark Winter'. Within just a few days, the simulation spiralled out of control. The operation predicted a raped breakdown in the essential institutions, civil disorder and massive civilian casualties.

Dark Winter has revealed how vulnerable we've become; our lifestyle, our security, our safety, it depends on a delicate and unstable economy. We've created a system so complicated that we no longer understand how to control it; oil, power, shipping, transport - we live in a complex world, and the more complex it gets, the more fragile it becomes. The system is built on a global supply chain that gets things where they're needed, just in time. We've created a house of cards, if we remove just one, then everything falls apart.

And what's fuelling this system?

Money.

Americans can spend $90 billion in a single day of shopping. Last year, 200 million people swarmed their local stored on November 23. We call that day 'Black Friday'.

Did you know a flu virus can survive on the surface of a banknote for up to 17 days?

One day, there will be a pandemic. It could begin during the crush of Black Friday sales. A pathogen will jump from tainted bank notes to human skin, onto food, toys, children and loved ones. By the time patient zero feels the first sore throat, millions of people will already be infected.

From this point, the break-down will happen fast:

Day 1: Hospitals will reach capacity, panic will strike

Day 2: Quarantine zones will be established, resources will be rationed, transport will go into lock down.

Day 3: International Trade will stop, the oil will dry up, the stock market will collapse

Day 4: The power will fail, the shelves will be empty, the taps will run dry and once hunger and despair take hold, people will do anything for survival.

By Day 5: Everyone will be a potential threat.

In 2007, a new presidential directive was signed quietly into law, this maps out the government's response to a crisis, a plan to cope with the real Dark Winter. It is known as Executive Directive 51.

There are rumours of shadow agencies, sleeper cells, covert agents. But nothing can be confirmed.

Our complex world is prime for breakdown, and once the chaos strikes, there won't be resources to save us all.

The only question left is, what will it take to save what remains?

The Strategic Homeland Division; or called 'The Division' in short.

A stay-behind force of sleeper agents trained to be activated and operate in times of crisis if and when the United States Government and its relevant wings and departments ceased to function on a national scale.

The main difference between the Division and any other agency, organization or department is that the Division is a last resort measure. As such, the members of the Division supersede any other operative, agent or federal employee in the field. They have a form of executive power and answer directly to the President.

Simply put, the Division is intended to ensure the continuity of government in the case of a catastrophic emergency. To do this, the Division has three branches – Analytics, Strategic and Tactical operations

Aided by their skills, advanced technology and the will to fight, Division Agents are prepared to restore order and save lives; by any means necessary.

Their motto, which is an integral part of the SHD logo, is "Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia", which means "Desperate times call for desperate measures".

Now, is the time.

Welcome to New York