The world had changed. In the second decade of 21st century the private military companies were the real sources of power. 2022 was a year, when two deadliest companies merged and cooperated their forces to monopolize the whole planet underneath their will. Since this nobody could feel them safe from the new era's plague. PMC 'Radiance' seizure of power across the globe set the United Nations on theirs guard. They've been trying to find a cure for this disease, but cure found itself.

In secret association with the Group of Eight[1], United States started a campaign based on destroying the dominance of private military companies. Each country created its own elite forces section and performed a different kind of operations. Ghosts' squad of United States Armed Forces were the pure professionals with the only one task: they had to stop the cruel company of murderers, drug lords and slavers once and for all. With carte blanche in technologies and gear, that would be a piece of cake to them, as their current leader thought.


Prologue

Ghostlead Honoka Kousaka, a soldier, a warrior and a person, who was just doing her job to ensure the prosperity for herself and her entire family. She had reached the majority age and joined the army with her childhood friend Umi Sonoda. Together, they passed the hot spots in the Middle East and joined the operation of preventing an outbreak of an armed conflict between the mercenaries' shooters and Africans states. The half of their comrades never came back; they were either kia or mia[2]. Umi Sonoda was wounded and Honoka managed to save her life back there; these events bred the seed of hatred inside of their souls. Since then it had been personal. Both of them left Africa with new stripes and insignias: Honoka as captain and Umi as lieutenant.

Another member of Ghosts was a shady person, a marksman, who fought across the world for a good reward. Red haired girl, whose name was Maki Nishikino – daughter of a famous dr. Nishikino – joined the operation because of the personal profit, though it didn't make her skills any worse.

The last member, Rin Hoshizora, was an engineer and just a soldier with quickened reflexes. She knew all about drones and new tactic gear and could easily control it. Also, she was a good runner, so it made her a nice member of recon teams.

The four of them met in Bahrein, where they were invited to visit by Colonel Parker, a man, who had given an impulse to Ghosts conception over the highest ranks among the army. They had discussed the most important problems and the solutions. For the very beginning they were heavily inspired with a warrior soul and pride for themselves.

As the mission was speeding up, Ghosts faced the various consequences of their actions and mistakes. In the end Honoka Kousaka was chained up to the chair in the same room with crazy maniac with severed arm. His clothes were covered with blood of Honoka and the manner of his speech was going the most unfavorable way for captain.

The bald man bent over his table with medical equipment. Freeze eyes could tell he was dying both mentally and physically. He had harsh accent and spoke in English and added some Russian abuses from time to time, but Honoka didn't listen to him. Trying to move her hand to get free of leather belt over her wrist, she couldn't feel anything at all; due to her fingers were crooked and broken and it felt nothing more like mash of blood and meat and some bones.

Man slapped Honoka and his dull voice finally reached the listener; causing only more blood to run down her face mixing it with tears, he tightened his grip on Honoka's neck and laughed. "Beg me for a fast death."

"Fuck you…" She answered to him and spitted the blood over his legs, because she couldn't lift her head any higher. She gained nothing more than a slap for an act of disobedience. Man took her by the head and she tried to look away, to obscure her eyes from his mad glare, though it was just a wasting of an energy she was crawling for.

"I am done with you. Blame your country for what happened to you and your friends." He said and returned back to her with a meat cleaver.

Sapphire orbs could find strength to see the light the last time and it was just a light of the bulb over her head. There was no air circulation at all, but the bulb was waving from side to side as it was a pendulum, a messenger of something coming. The russian had raise his healthy arm with a cleaver, but then an explode with a burst wave slammed the wall, throwing him off and leaving him unarmed; the blazing flash brought Honoka up to remember her service for this year, and when she hit the floor with her nape she blacked out.

There was a point of no return; a point, where the story began.


1 Group of Eight (G7) – group of seven most advanced nations (either economy or politics)
2 K.I.A./M.I.A. – military terms in relation to losses of personnel ( .Action. .Action.)