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The story follows the narrative of a boy telling the story of his father's role in the military. His father was a Captain in the Syrian campaign. The story switches perspective throughout, from the son's narrative to the flash backs of the actual events that unfolded. His father joined the military while he was still a young boy growing up, and he never forgave him for it. He originally served in Iraq, but could not adjust to living at home again once finishing his tour of duty. He fought with his wife, and became paranoid of even children carrying water pistols, most likely due post traumatic stress disorder or perhaps from the side effects of taking the blue pills, or "Diagra". When the academy awards were bombed in 2009 (-13 BA), it was his "excuse" to return to the fighting.
The story begins on February 3, 2022 (0 BA). While in Syria, the regiment discovers a destroyed town and helps a young 12-year old Syrian girl. The group spots [[The Presence]] shortly after rescuing the girl. They attempt to help her to her relatives in Tadmur, 50 miles away from their current position. The trip requires the regiment to travel through a mine infested desert, with the constant threat of snipers looming. They lose their Medic, Gomez, along the way after he is blown up by a land mine while he is going to the bathroom. While on the mission to return the girl to safe hands, [[The Presence]] reappears, and the convoys come to a stop. Unaware of the other dangers around them, a soldier falls victim to sniper fire from a rocky hilltop as they watch the giant hand cross the sky. After disposing of the enemy sniper, the Captain charges forward towards [[The Presence]] screaming, "Is this how it was supposed to happen? Are you happy now?" as he fires towards the hand. The regiment's sniper, "Blip," then fires a round into the back of his head and kills him. While their new medic says, "But...this looks more like an entrance than exit wound," the other soldiers silently commend Blip with a pat on the shoulder, presumably for preventing harm to the entire group of soldiers by stopping the Captain from angering [[The Presence]]. It is also noticeable that the Captain's ideals are different from that of the other soldiers, in that he is losing his faith in the war efforts, and he takes more care into helping the Syrian people rebuild and recover. The Syrian girl slips away from the regiment during the fighting.
Prior to leaving for Syria, the son's parents planned their divorce. Later on, his younger sister Angie was abducted, raped, and murdered by an ex-Special Forces marine commando at the age of 14. He turned himself in and was hanged on a public telecast. His mother is currently suffering with an alcohol addiction. The son is, at the present, part of the resistance movement.