In the late twentieth century, a secret government experiment was begun in the United States called "Manticore." This project used recombinant DNA to produce superior human soldiers. Each genetically-engineered child created by Manticore had a barcode on the back of their neck to identify them. These children were subjected to subliminal messages, experiments were performed on them, and they were given full military training. One group, X5, had in its ranks a girl named Max, who was born in 2000. In the winter of 2009, the commander of the X5s, Zack, led an escape from the Manticore facility. Twelve X5s got away that night and Max was separated from her siblings in the panic.

In June of 2009, terrorists set off an electromagnetic pulse off the coast of California from 80 miles up. The Pulse destroyed America's cyberinfrastructure and societal breakdown soon followed. The government, police, and social safety nets broke down and were taken over by a new corrupt government. The USA became a third world country steeped in economic depression.

Since that time, Max has been living amid the chaos of post-Pulse America, keeping off the radar of Manticore's tracking team, while trying to find her siblings.