GAN is the name that has been given to the respiratory virus that has been concealed underneath layers of ice in Antarctica for millennia.[the Year 2031]
Due to the continually rising temperatures caused by climate change, the virus has once again become active. What was once ice, has now become water, allowing the virus to be gradually spread to surrounding areas by forceful Nordic Winds. A mere 11 years later, the virus managed to spread across the planet.
Constant cough and sore throat have been identified as one of the main outward signs of infection. The most devastating aspect of the virus, however, is that it dehydrates the human body 12 times faster than it would normally. For humans, the adequate water consumption cycle is approximately 3.3 liters per day. This has now become 44 liters per day. Depending on the age of those infected, dehydration would set in after minutes or hours, leading to a constant urge to drink water in order to ease their pain and to stabilize their body functionality. Due to the increase in water demand, clean water prices skyrocketed globally, and the situation has reached the point where clean water has become the most valuable and highly sought after substance on earth.
A study showed that those who were exposed to the Gan virus past middle age were unlikely to withstand and endure the pain when compared to the young population (between birth and 3 years of age). The scientists conducting the study explained this by suggesting that the younger generation had developed an immunity to the virus due to self-developed antibodies that reconstructed their DNA so that the Gan virus does not harm the host. The new immune system brought up previously undiscovered body conditions such as stronger pain tolerance, the general improvement of physical apt.i.tudes, water thrust resistance, faster climate adaptation, and slower cell aging.
[the Year 2042]
There was an attempt to transplant immune blood cells from immune new-borns to other people, hoping that these antibodies would recognize the anti-Gan cells and reconstruct on their own. Sadly, partic.i.p.ants in this experimental study would suffer heart attacks and most often die. This was because both DNA structures were not able to communicate with one another, and the subjects" bodies had constant conflicts of Leucocytes (White blood cells). After a few years, the project was abandoned. In the meantime, the virus had perfectly established itself in the air, and scientists were able to create effective water filtering systems. This lead to worldwide conflicts for remaining water resources. The Atlantic ocean was soon the last existing ocean on earth.
[the Year 2069]
Three-quarters of water resources on planet earth had been exhausted. Due to rising water prices and difficulty in accessing clean water (due to the heavy protection of water resources in high-level societies) resistance groups started forming. These groups would ravage water sites. The whole planet had become a war zone. Everyone was attacking each other as an attempt to claim clean water sources for themselves. Issue of climate increase was completely forgotten and since none or very little was done in order to prevent it, the global temperature has continued to increase; Cold areas became three to four times warmer than in recorded history that resulted in ma.s.sive waves of refugees who had to leave their homelands due to the fact that it was impossible to survive in their current conditions. Because of the already established tensions, newcomers were not accepted anywhere. In fact, the growing refugee crisis sparked hatred and rejection from those who owned their native lands, not willing to share resources with other populations.
The current story is taking place after the great war of the "Slagveld" (the year 2073 – 2077). This was the war for what remained of the Atlantic ocean. Before the previous generation gets extinguished from earth because of the Gan virus infection, four prodigies were a.s.signed as the rulers of the "New Age", most of the people referred to them as "Prospers"". The world was divided into 4 continents and each Prosper was given land ownership for each of them: Aleksithimia (Grand Central - European continent), Elpida (Eurasia), Slagveld (African continent), Zenit (Nordic continent).
[the Year 2077]
Four prospers made a pact of the permanent cease-fire, however, internal conflicts of suburbanization, segregation, growth of violence and expansion of black markets were never concluded.
Following the end of the war, the amount of famine and hatred reached the new heights as people who previously owned a house and could lead an affordable lifestyle were left with nothing more than a pile of dust. After years of continuous bombing, the majority of well-populated citie"s and villages were reduced to dust. Some places were put on quarantine due to the apparition of hazardous diseases. The remaining territories were still under complete anarchy and the rules of the strongest that constantly led to conflicts between native and previously migrated inhabitants. Due to the lack of natural resources, both parties were struggling to maintain a healthy and sane balance; Depending on regions, plantation of resources and hunting were impossible without specific constructions and gears that were ridiculously expensive and hard to get specifically for low tier population.
It took years of reconstructions for Prosper Aleksithimia and his pupils to get what was lost during the war. The rumors about the wealth of the Land of Aleksithimia being referred to as the best place to live begun spreading like wildfire. "A place where everyone could have a decent life in safe and stable conditions". The whole world was rushing toward the promised lands. Because of overwhelming residency demands coming from the outside world, Prosper Aleksithimia has made a general order that the quotation of immigrants and refugees acceptance has been reached and that from now on no outsiders are allowed to enter his lands. Not even a month after he released the statement that the country has permanently closed its borders. As a matter of fact, those who broke this rule by trying to reach the capital were facing the death penalty of disobeying the Prosper.
"Eastern borders" of the Lands of Aleksithimia, the area with the most valuable resources in the world; The naturally clean water coming from the depths of the mountains. Despite the tough security, the area is being actively targeted by small groups of bandits and vagabond coming from the Land of Elpida trying to access and occupy the water resources or to sneak into the capital premises. What comes to its neighbor the Lands of Elpida has never been in contact with anyone from the other lands, there were rumors that these lands who"s had a majority of the elder population, could not reproduce fast enough. Some merchants were spreading rumors that lands of Elpida have ma.s.sive child traffic happening around its borders, however, these sources were never clarified and confirmed to be reliable.
Quarta, a member of a special mission unit called "The Keepers" which regrouped multiple individuals with the phenomenal physical and mental apt.i.tudes, so they could provide the authority and inside security. Each Keeper belongs to a specific rang going from "Prima" which is the highest all the way down through "Seconda", "Terzo", "Quarta", "Quinto" to the "Sesto" which is the last and lowest rank of the unit.
All members went through specially designed training and body conditioning. Upon on the nature of their a.s.signment, some of them had access to the latest "Body augmentation" prototypes in order to excel on the field but also making them even deadlier foes.
Phenomenal strength had its own risks as each Keeper member can destroy the whole country and murder countless numbers of people. For this reason, Aleksithimia has issued an electronic device for the emotional and physical suppression, called "Kanjöga" collar. This device is built to synchronize its host "Cardio Loop Recorder" that is surgically inserted beneath the skin of the upper chest to record the heart"s electrical activity, much like an electrocardiogram. These could prevent its host from going berserk by activation automatic shut down by provoking artificial heart seizures and other remote control features to control the host. Each Kanjöga is connected to the "Mitera Systems" server which is the core network covering the integrality of the lands of Aleksithimia.
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After conducting multiple mental & will reinforcement, critical decision abilities and other psychological tests that each member had to go through. Aleksithimia has selected Quarta as the "Test pilot" who won"t be equipped with the "Emotional suppressor aka Kanjöga" chip but instead she must wear the "Load Balancer" that would limit her physical abilities in the case of emotional instabilities making her the only person among the other Keepers who got allowed to keep all of her emotions...