Folklore called him a vampire. However, to Delphi he was the ultimate human predator – faster and stronger with senses honed well beyond those of ordinary men. His body was highly resistant to pain or injury, and he healed with extraordinary speed. In the minds of the military, this being was the ultimate soldier. The experiment failed and the being escaped, but the data and the method for reproducing his genes survived. Quietly, specially screened servicemen and women were inoculated with a catalyst to activate dormant genes that caused the vampire’s traits to manifest. They passed their genes with those active traits to generations. Delphi was eventually discredited and forgotten.

Times passed and the world became more perilous for the US. Once again, the military sought the ultimate soldier. The Delphi Project comes to light deep within Military Intelligence. This time, advanced techniques in gene therapy can distill out the vampire’s problematic traits and producing a subject that is a living weapon. These soldiers are many times faster, stronger and more agile than a normal human with the highly enhanced senses of a predator. In rare instances, some of these Altered Soldiers can channel electromagnetic energy and convert it to lethal power.

Citizens with the dormant traits from Delphi Project inoculations were highly valued and relentlessly sought by the military. Fortunately for the government, most who have the traits manifest some of them at puberty. Teachers and physicians easily spotted these children. They faced immediate and involuntary induction into the military and gene therapy to fully activate the traits. Once fully altered, the military is the only place for these beings. The traits are extremely difficult for the untrained to control, and they are frightening to the public. For these children, the only chance at a fulfilling life is as a protector of regular soldiers and a weapon on command.

A fully trained Altered Soldier is the most dangerous element on any battlefield. Still, despite their skill and training, Altereds lead haunted lives that typically end violently. None had made it to retirement until Colonel Heron and Major Greven. While they are still willing to serve, they also know that Altereds need more help and support than the military is willing to give. Armed with the same files from The Delphi Project, Colonel Heron and Major are determined to find a new path for their kind.