Neo Hong Kong, 2097: The world has changed. Advances in genetic engineering and cybernetics have created an environment full of artificially enhanced humans and intelligent super-computers that operate using biological software. But the same technology that has allowed man & machine to merge has made both susceptible to a new kind of threat - digital viruses capable of controlling their hosts. The last line of defense against this insidious foe is an elite task force known as STAND. Equipped with state-of-the-art armored cybernetic suits known as "variable gears," only this special law-enforcement arm can deal with virus-infected war machines on their own terms.