Chapter 1 - Lock 'n Load

“Alright people listen up; we’ve received reports of Russian activity in sector twelve. We’re to move in covert and investigate, and if there are Russians here, we get some action.” The squad captain explained.

It was dark and cold inside Dropship 01. There was a lot of radio chatter between the pilots of the two dropships. They were keeping each other informed on vectors and landing distances. Command was also on the horn with them, making sure the pilots stood on full awareness of the mission at all times. The crew compartment was nothing special. The small eight person compartment was very dimly lit; it was difficult to tell each other apart. The cold metal floors were flat with lights along the main walkway to make sure everybody could see where they were going.

There was no need for walking though. The compartment was nothing exciting to see. Each soldier sat in their seats awaiting the opportunity to jump. One soldier was already done preparing for the mission; he was always the fastest at doing his preparations. But something was different this time around, the soldier sat right across from a person he had never seen before. The person was female, in strange, hi-tech looking armor. It was protecting only her upper torso, her forearms and her shins. Everything else was guarded by a tight fitting synthetic fabric; unbeknownst to the soldier it was Nano technology at its finest (able to take a bullet as well as any regular soldier’s armor.) The armor was a shiny navy blue while the fabric was a white color. Small lights over the shin and forearm guards trailed from top to bottom and then back down again. It was odd, but it looked interesting.

The female herself was also very interesting. She had medium length blonde hair and azure blue eyes. The soldier was sort of checking her out until he noticed she was looking at him. Her eye color changed; from blue to red. It was odd, but clearly some sort of bionic implant able to indicate emotion. Her facial expression also changed, she clearly didn’t like his ogling. The soldier stopped staring and turned his head to the sergeant sitting next to him. “Hey, what’s with the pretty girl?” the soldier asked. “It’s odd seeing a person like her in a place like this.”

	“I hear she’s some government elite, the best they got to be precise. “ Sergeant Anders replied.

	“No way, a Ghost? Do you think Command is hiding something from us?” the soldier asked.

	“Not my place to know. Just keep quiet Taylor. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

	From the roof of the compartment, the intercom began propelling words, “Thirty seconds to drop First Recon. God’s speed.”

	The soldiers got up from their seats and stood two by two in front of the rear dropship door. Small red lights on the left and right sides came on. They stood making last minute preparations to make sure everything was in check. Exactly thirty seconds later, the rear door opened. At first it was only a little crack, followed by blinding white snow and cold wind. The door continued to open, and the white wall and wind continued to get worse. The squad major raised his hand signaling to put on gas masks. The soldiers all followed their orders and grabbed their full-face gas masks from their belts. The Ghost didn’t worry about it. Now the fully geared, masked soldiers were waiting for their major’s order to jump. It came quickly at the same time the lights turned green.

	The soldiers ran off of the ramp and into the blizzard. Not long after, they began to report their landing.

	“This is Xander, on the ground.”

	“Fisher, on the ground.”

	“This is Anders, I’m on the ground.”

	“Cray, on the ground.”

	“Taylor, on the ground.”

	“Operative One, on the ground…”

	“This is Michalov, all units on the ground.”

	The soldiers all regrouped and awaited their orders from their major. The Ghost stood quietly in the group; a couple eyes here and there were staring at her. After a few seconds, the Major came to squad, stowing his radio away. “Well now comrades, the supposed East Russians were last sighted in a valley eight miles west from here. Let’s move and investigate, I want a twenty foot spread between soldiers, constant communication.”

	The Ghost took notice of this man’s accent. It was Russian, and it was very familiar. She stood still while the rest of the team began moving out. “Wait…” she said somewhat aggressively.

	The team all looked back at her with concern, the Major in specific grinned beneath his gas mask. He turned completely and walked up to the Ghost. His tall, broad form completely overtook the Ghost’s shadow. “I had a feeling my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me...” the Major said.

	The large man grabbed hold of his gasmask and raised it to reveal his face. The Ghost froze for a moment when she saw his face. Without thinking, she clenched her fist and brought it to meet the man’s nose. The rest of the team immediately pointed their rifles at the Ghost as the man recoiled. The major got back up and wiped some blood from his nose, “Good to see you’re well, Crystal… I thought you were lost back in Cuba.”

	“Partners don’t abandon one another on a mission, bastard!”

	“I was going to get you, but Command told me to fall ba-“ he was interrupted.

	“We’ll talk about this later. Let’s just get this mission done and over with…” Crystal said with irritation in her voice.

	Michalov wiped his nose once more before putting his gasmask back on. He ordered his team to move with his commands. Michalov delayed himself for a moment, watching Crystal as she disappeared in the white wall of falling snow. Michalov smiled and began walking at the rear of his team. After so many years, he was beginning to think about the mission. “Ghosts…” Michalov said to himself.