100 years ago, wars tore the world. Nations bickered and entire populations suffered under the weight of man-made destruction. Borders were constantly redrawn, families separated and lives wasted all for the good of nothing. In-between the squabbling polities, a new power emerged. Lead by those who were enlightened and had the will to end the discord that plagued the world.

I was among the ones thrown into the early wars. I saw the blood of the enemy and the innocent spilled against the roads and walls of their houses. I saw the fear in the eyes of the children as their parents were murdered and violated in-front of them. I witnessed entire towns and cities wiped out by bombs. I looked over the horizons and saw not the blue sky but the smoke of destruction that lingered for many more years to come.

It was when I was deployed in Austria did I finally come to my senses. After the operation that ended in failure, I deserted the army and fled my duties. I became a coward but I did not look back at the life I left behind. But sooner than later, I found myself being chased by that life. Wherever I went, destruction caught up to me as if I was a magnet.

And as I lied motionless under the ruins of my home, somebody grabbed my hand and spoke to me. I remember his words clearly, sweeter than the words I have so far heard. He lifted me and fled together. Or so I thought we were. Instead, he lead me to a place where the people were safe but not for long, they needed more people like me, willing to fight for peace.

But I did not have that will, yet he welcomed me into this paradise. I spent a month in there until I heard of the news, the formation of a new polity spearheaded by none other than my savior who left the safety of the paradise to pursue his goal. A united front against these bickering nations who knew nothing but their own interests. I pondered at the idea of peace, was it possible? Deep inside I yearned it, I wanted it but could it be achieved?

I found my answer when our paradise was attacked. When the dust cleared and the bombs ceased, I saw the mangled remains of a child. His eyes were full of horror even after death. I found myself enraged, engulfed by guilt and overwhelmed by the determination to end this once and for all.

My savior returned to relocate us, I went to him and told him.

I want to fight.

He gave me a pat in the back and led me to where I wanted to be. In the front-lines of the conflict, I found myself in a hypocritical situation where I was disgusted by death but I took death into my own hands. I then thought This is for the greater good of all.

And so it was, I proved myself in the line of duty and saved countless lives compared to the lives I took away. The sacrifice of the lives of the enemy served its purpose of protecting the lives of the innocent who had gone through enough.

Through my achievements, I distinguished myself from the rest and was given permission to form my own team of elite soldiers whose sole purpose is to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy and show their people the horrors that we wish to eradicate. My team were my friends, we all had the same thinking, the same strong will and the same fears that we wish to forget yet haunt us. We marched into battle as one who would end the war.

One by one, nations fell under the United bloc and peace was gradually restored. It was not long before the remaining nations whose peoples have not yet fallen into the fire of destruction noticed the ever-growing presence of this new global superpower, the United Bloc.

After ten grueling years of war, the United Bloc integrated every nation in every continent. For the first time since the birth of human civilization, we finally stood as one. I and my comrades watched the fruits of our labour bloom into the civilization we dreamed of, a world without war.

The fear that was within us was gradually integrated into every human. It reminded us of the horrors that we escaped from, always reminding us that if we were to revert back to our old ways, we will suffer. That trauma has become universal.

When we thought we could finally rest, my savior went to us and gave us a talk.

Our mission was not over, nor will it be over. He reminded us that the suffering we have defeated may come back and plunge the world once again into darkness, we gritted our teeth and fumed with our rage at that very thought.

Fret not.

He told us that we would be the eternal guardians. He lead us through a facility whose whereabouts even we do not know. We were lead to these casings, of which we were supposed to rest.

One of my friends protested.

How can we protect if we are put to sleep?

My savior replied.

You will be summoned at once when you are needed. You must first rest and let the world you have fought so hard to rebuild, you are our guardian angels, you will be our last hope.

And all of us were placed inside the cases, my faintest memory of that day was when I felt a shiver run down my spine and my skin felt numb all over.

And so, I slept. I did not know for how long did we sleep. I did not dream of anything, I saw only a void. Was I dead? Did I die? Did my savior lie? But it was also possible that peace had prevailed indeed and that we were no longer needed for the time being.

That was until..

-

The thawing process is almost complete.

Will this be necessary?

It will be necessary, let us not be lenient. It is time for them to save us once again.

Can they? It’s been well over a century.

We could only hope on their records, make sure the others are processed and briefed before meeting each other. The situation, for now, is under control but we do not know until when the council wishes to postpone the operation.

Yes, sir.

When I first heard them, I thought I was dreaming. Not until I opened my eyes for the first time in decades and saw the face of a young man staring at me through the glass of my casing. He was a short, fair-skinned man wearing the usual white coat and tie while having those funny glasses over his eyes.

He stared at me intently, staring directly into my eyes. I decided to widen my eyes but it seemed like I was yet to calibrate my movements and accidentally startled the fellow. He jumped back and placed his terminal in his hands in front of him like a shield. I heard someone laugh from the rear but I could not see him.

Their voices were not familiar at all, is my savior here? Probably not. If what they were saying was true then he may have already died many years ago.

Hello, Ghost

A tall man walked from the rear and went near the glass of my casing. He had white hair but looked considerably young, a young adult I assumed. He was also wearing the same white coat albeit had a badge on his right chest.

I squinted my eyes and looked at the badge.

UB-DOD

An unfamiliar acronym.

Although you’re still in the process of thawing, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Director of this facility, Director Bullwright from the United Bloc- Department Of Defense. It is but an honor for me and my staff here to meet you in person.

He greeted me but I did not know how to respond, hell, I don’t even want to respond. I want my mission, where is my mission?

Director, the council has called for you.

Ah yes, tell them I am on my way. Sorry, Ghost. Save me your terrifying gaze later, feel free to get comfortable first.

Just like that, he scurried off with the female assistant.

I was left alone with this naive-looking man.

It wasn’t long until I felt my body again. I felt healthy, nothing ached even after being frozen for so long. My casing opened and I slowly took a step outside. That was when I felt nauseous though it wasn’t as severe as I think the scientists here had thought. The bastards were carrying large barf bags.

“Uhm, pleased to make your acquaintance, Ghost. I am researcher Paul and I am in charg-”

The young man suddenly stopped in the middle of his greeting and was staring at me with frightened eyes. I was not doing anything, just looking at him. I could see his fingers shake and the terminal he was holding tremble.

“Y-yes, I will now guide you to your personal quarters,” He said. He turned his back and walked away.

A weird fellow.

I followed him through the long halls of sterile metal and titanium. It had been so long since I walked through there, the walls back then were made of white marble but now I could already feel that the floors were now made of steel, hard steel to be exact.

He lead me to my quarters, it looked rather new. A simple yet large room with no windows, gray walls and ceiling. A bed to the left and a set of couches to the right. There is also a television attached to the wall facing the couches and there was also a large mirror.

“Please make yourself at home, uhm, er, I’ll be leaving now. The Director will visit you shortly”

And off he went, faster than when he walked in.

I walked towards the mirror to see how I looked. Tall, hulking, scarred. No wonder why the poor fellow was scared, my eyes looked as if I was angry all the time, maybe I was? I was bald and a scar ripped through both my eyes. I had the face of a monster, a monster I have embraced.

I took the time to exercise, to see if I still had the strength from a hundred years ago in me.

As I was doing push-ups and jumping jacks, I failed to notice that the floor now had small cracks.

Was I that heavy?

No matter, I continued anyway. Sweat trickled down my body but not as much as I had hoped. My body did not feel as tired as it should be. I have been doing a hundred push-ups but felt like I could do a hundred more, and another hundred.

I must still be getting used to my body, I was frozen for a hundred years. Maybe that was the reason for my strength, I just forgot I was this strong.

I finished my workout after an hour or so, I still don’t know the exact time. There weren’t any clocks inside my room nor did I have my watch. There was this television but I saw no buttons or remote for me to turn it on.

I then heard the door behind me open.

“Ah! Ghost, I see you have made yourself comfortable and.. uh.. destroyed the floor” he walked in and saw me sitting on the couch. I stared at him and he gave me a smile.

“Alright.. so,” He said as he sat down on the couch facing me.

“Let’s get straight to the point. I am here to debrief you of everything you need to know and the mission you will be undertaking in a month. I have the highest hopes that you will follow”

I believe he was expecting a reply, I did not give him one.