In a world of raiders, indent gangs, and acid rain, a hidden secret breaks men apart...
Sergeant Master Chem Stewart Collins, current First of Unit 23, has a problem. He has too many problems that, if he fails in any, several people will die. Including his brothers? the men he has served beside for nearly twenty years. He's been on the Front Lines in the war with Eli, a dangerous sociopath and human trafficker, for nearly eight months. What should have been over in two weeks has become a feud that may very well turn into a revolution or increase the war with Southern. He knows that famine is around the corner in one to two years. It is August. He knows that if he does not end this conflict, and soon, his Brogans will be fighting a prolonged, pitched battle into it's second winter. He is the head chemist of his unit. The very reason they were called to Ridge Lake? the poisoning of Sisihall Creek? he has had to hand off to Oak, the doctor of the unit, since Jordan, their former commander and his bag buggy, has his hands too full, trying to cope with disease outbreaks, a war zone, smuggling operations, his family falling apart, and several mutations. Not to mention. Jordan isn't exactly stable. Neither is Gabe, Oak, or himself. Has their four man finally cracked for good? Can trust ever be rebuilt, between him and the three men who he'd been incarcerated with during Novo, the ones who left him to deal with the lives of over three thousand people almost entirely on his own, to the point where his own sanity no longer hangs in the balance?
Hazel and her family have run from Okder, Eli's seat of power. They are running for their lives, with no more than a single bag of food, one bag of personal possessions each, their wagon, and two donkeys. During the escape, she rolls down a hill and smashes her body into several trees and rocks. She has already had one head injury in her lifetime that caused permanent amnesia. Mother, Sev, and Edward leave her and her father with half of the food, traveling on foot to try and get out of the war zone. Hazel and Owen stay with the wagon. They don't know they are being hunted, targeted by one of Eli's patrol crews, also trying to leave the war zone.
Sergeant Master Chem Collins walks into their camp, in the middle of the night. He offers them protection, the services of a doctor, food, safe water, and medicine. He tells her that her paranoia is perfectly acceptable. Hazel winds up making an offer that might end the war and might buy her family a safe house to live in...
