Prologue

Alex Paris was a cheerful teenager in the backwater state of Nevada. Despite the poverty his family faced, he led a good life. David Robbins was that kid you saw smoking dope with his friends behind the portables. Black shaggy hair hid his bloodshot eyes from his teachers and he had a reputation for being a slacker. Trevor Stage knew how to work life in his favor. Enlisting in the Army National Guard, he had the U.S. Army pay for his degree in business. All three had sworn an oath to defend their country, but none of them expected to be forced to fulfill it.