Paul stomped through the leaves of the forest as day slowly ticked by. He had no way of identifying what time it was but judging by the position of the sun, he guessed it was early afternoon. To his left was Juniper, whose eyes were set forward, focusing on his surroundings. Paul's eyes were nervously darting around, as if he was anticipating the worst to happen. Wild fantasies of bipedal deer flashed through his mind. It didn't help that Kristoff had caught up to them and was constantly barking orders to walk faster.

Paul used this opportunity to talk to Juniper, hoping that it would alleviate some of his anxiety of the situation.

"Juniper. Why did you join the Patriots." Juniper answered immediately.

"Because it was the right thing to do at the time." This answer puzzled Paul.

"What do you mean by "at the time?"" Paul said back.

"That night at the pits, when Ramsey gave his speech, it inspired me. His weird telekinesis powers also inspired me. I wanted to be more than what I was, represent something bigger than myself. It was a feeling that gripped me that night. So I went with it and here I am."

"Don't you worry that you could be killed?" Paul responded.

"No. Why would anyone worry about that? It makes no sense to me."

"Well—" Juniper cut Paul off.

"We all die, Paul. Eventually, we all die. It would be pathetic to live your life worrying about whether or not you're going to die..." A brief pause followed Juniper's words. Paul understood what Juniper meant, but it didn't seem to change his anxious mindset.

"So, what do you think happens after that?" Paul said back.

"Who knows... I don't think about it a lot, but if I had to guess, we go to heaven." Juniper said with a dismissive chuckle. "I guess since there's so much evil in this world, it would make sense that such a place exists." Paul was confused by Juniper's response.

"You sure ask a lot of questions, Paul. My turn. Why did you join the Patriots?" Paul was shocked by this question, he never thought someone would ask him.

"I want to not be controlled by our government, and I want to be happy." Paul responded, but he felt unsure about his answer.

"Are you happy now, Paul?" Juniper said back. Paul didn't feel happy, he just felt hunted.

"No, I guess I don't feel happy. I feel scared." As soon as Paul said this, he felt embarrassed. He had never been that vulnerable with someone before. But Juniper seemed like the type of guy who would know if someone was lying, so Paul told the truth.

"I can tell... I'm pretty good at reading body language. Here's the thing Paul, you said you wanted to be happy, but I bet if you're honest with yourself, you don't even know what it means to be happy." Paul had a puzzled look on his face from this response. Of course he knew what it meant to be happy. He's been happy before. "Think back to the last time you were happy." Juniper said with a look of intent. Paul instantly thought back to when he was a small child, building a shelter out of sticks in his backyard with his father. Paul could remember the warm breeze and the golden rays of sun on his back. He was certainly happy then. Juniper glanced at Paul while he was pondering his childhood.

"When I was a kid, before we were forced indoors, I played in the backyard with my father all the time. Back when my mother wasn't an unresponsive ghost, she would make sun tea and all three of us would drink it on our picnic table and watch the sunset. I was happy then." Juniper smiled at his response.

"That sounds like a dream, doesn't it. Do you think that when you were that age, you constantly thought to yourself, "I'm happy." Paul pondered on this for a long time. He almost wanted to travel back in time to verify it for himself. After deciding he didn't want to accidentally activate the fourth dimension, he came to the indisputable conclusion that he did not think that when he was a kid. He was just a kid. "No. You didn't think that, Paul. You most likely didn't have a care in the world as to whether you were happy or not, you just existed. And it took many years later to truly appreciate just how happy you were." Paul finally understood why Juniper didn't care about the smiling stag, or the constant threat of death. Paul tried his best, for a moment to feel the same way, but his anxiety was sharp and constant. Juniper spoke up again.

"Live your life, Paul. Don't worry about being happy, because you never will be. Life is characterized by suffering, there is no doubt about that. And if you can minimize that suffering by just a little bit, it's worth it. So stop thinking about your childhood or how you might die and just... live, ok?" Paul stopped nervously twitching. Juniper's rationale made sense. It seemed like a mindset that he mastered, Paul felt envy. He wanted to be just as disciplined as Juniper.

Ramsey divided people up into groups before the trek into the Appalachian Mountains, and to Ida's horror, Alice was in her group. Ida had become infuriated with Alice. How could someone be that fake and desperate for attention during a moment in history as important as the parade of entropy. Was all of this just a joke to her? People had died from the drone raid not two days ago and Alice was acting like this was all a vacation for her. It was pathetic. Her bubbly attitude and forced act of patriotism made Ida seethe with anger. On top of all of that, Ida noticed that she acted a little flirtatious around Abel. Not that Ida cared, she just didn't want Abel to fall for her facade.

Alice jogged up next to Ida and started walking next to her. Ida kept her eyes forward, trying her best to ignore anything Alice said.

"Ida! I know we got off on the wrong foot the other day, I just wanted to start fresh. Ya know? Get to know each other a little more." Alice announced with a huge grin on her face. Ida ignored her.

"I know that all of this marching is so important for the future of our country, so it might be a good idea to be familiar with each other. That way we can identify our weaknesses and pre—"

"You can start by focusing on the mission and quit acting like all of this is a social hour. Right?" Ida said with dead serious intent. Alice looked hurt, but then rolled her eyes.

"Ida... I just want to get to know the people I'm working with! This is just as important to me as it is for you. We are liberating our families from the cold grip of the inquisitors! When I tell my grandchildren about this, I want to remember the people I fought with!" Ida looked at Alice with a look of disgust when she finished talking.

"You know Alice? No one is buying your fake charade. We all know that you are pretending to be someone you're not. People like you drive me crazy and if you truly want this group to work out, leave me alone." Ida finished talking with an exasperating breath. Alice looked back with dead eyes. She seemed to have quit the act for a moment and what was underneath was cold nothingness. It was as if what Ida said didn't hurt Alice at all. Ida recognized a manipulator when she saw one, and Alice was just that. Ida looked back at Abel and then back at Alice.

"You leave Abel alone too. The poor boy probably thinks you actually like him." Ida then turned forward and kept marching deeper into the woods. Her unease about the mission grew.

June 30th, 7:45 AM Eastern Time, 2nd Atlantic District, Capital of Soviet Commune of America. Keyboards were clicking away in distant rooms as an inquisitor guard walked down an underground hallway deep within the capital. She had a mission briefing with the General at 8:00 AM sharp. She lowered her cap to cover her eyes as she entered the office space filled with hanging Soviet flags. Her comrades were all lined up against the wall, patiently anticipating the General's arrival.

The clock struck 8:00, firm footsteps entered the room. Everyone swiftly raised their hands to a salute and remained deadly still. The General sat down at his desk and grunted as a sign of at ease.

"Men and women of the 73rd covert spy inquisitor branch. News has broke from Albania that Prince Jaka has officially endorsed the fascist representative Nik Kovacic. This of course has caused a slight uptick in riots and rebellion across the states that our infantry inquisitors are handling promptly. But with that being said, we still have a major problem on our hands, and that problem is Prince Jaka." Each spy kept their heads down and recorded each word in their mind like jotting notes in a journal. "The Premier is very unhappy with such an important foreign dignitary swearing allegiance to an ideology that is antithetical to our own, so he took it upon himself to form a plan. The Helegian Summit will be a perfect location for this plan to be carried out. Just after the announcement of his endorsement, The Premier sent an invitation to the princes desk for the Summit. We need all of you present during this event and dispose of Prince Jaka accordingly." Each inquisitor stood still, recognizing the next atrocity they needed to carry out. The General dismissed everyone, and as each spy exited, he stopped one in particular before leaving.

"Agent Larisa, please remain in my office." Larisa stood still as her comrades each filed out of the room. She felt sick to her stomach at the recent mission, it was another life that she had to take. Another family she was going to ruin. But, that is what she signed up for. Larisa trained her whole life to be on the 73rd branch, and here she was. Larisa walked up to the General's desk and lowered her head to avoid eye contact. "Take your hat off, agent, this is an informal discussion." Larisa took her hat off and noticed the General motioned her to sit down. She took a seat surprised by the sudden hospitality from her cold boss. He began speaking with a somewhat relaxed voice.

"Agent, on behalf of leadership, we want to thank you for your expertise in the drone strike in the 5th Midwestern District. Because of you, we avoided a potential personnel crisis. I just wanted to let you know that your work is not going unnoticed." After the General's words there was a brief pause, as if the General was expecting Larisa to respond.

"Thank you, General." The General grinned at the response.

"It is nice that we can be... relaxed once in a while. Our jobs are so stressful." The General got up and walked behind Larisa. He started massaging her shoulders. Larisa froze in the obvious breach of agency policy. What would she do if he tried to make further advances? Larisa remained still, gritting her teeth, hoping he would go away. "Larisa, how would you like to be an intelligence officer? Work alongside Agent #13?"

"It would be my honor, General."

"Call me Zachary, we will be equals soon after all." Larisa cringed at his words, she wanted to grab her gun and execute him right there on the spot, but she stayed still and thought about what it meant to be an intelligence officer. It would be more killing. Her hands were stained with enough blood. Every fiber in her being wanted to say no, but this government considers that mutiny if she refused the position.

"Now, I can make that happen, Larisa. I just need a little cooperation from you." Larisa wanted to throw up all over his desk. But, to her absolute surprise, the General's bookshelf swung open like a door. It must have been a passage for higher ups to avoid the traffic of the normal hallways. A tall man walked through with nothing but sweatpants and a jacket on. The jacket had #13 embroiled on it. He had slicked back hair and glasses on. His eyes were sharp like a predator searching for its prey. Larisa's breathing missed a beat. She had never met Agent #13 before, but his name was steeped in infamy. She had heard the legends of his ruthless nature and surgical tactical ability. He took one look at the General and spoke to him like he was his child.

"Zachary, get your hands off of her. Now." The General took a step back from Larisa with hesitation and disappointment. Agent #13 approached Larisa and looked down at her, analyzing every detail of her face.

"Zachary, you can leave us." The General exited his office. Larisa was shocked that someone could ever talk to the General like that. "What's your name again?"

"Agent #13! My name is Larisa Lebedev of the 73rd Covert Branch. It is a pleasure to be in your pres—"

"Shut up. I heard about your drone strike that you spearheaded." Larisa lowered her head in fear. This man had a chilling presence that shook Larisa to her core. She waited for him to speak.

"You did a nice job... except you didn't finish the job, Larisa. Over 100 little ants are still marching towards the capital. We have been observing them through a commandeered cell phone that one of them stole. Stupid creatures. Nevertheless, I still need them." Larisa was slightly relieved to hear about the survivors, but was confused by what Agent #13 meant by him needing them. He continued. "The General doesn't need to know about the survivors, in fact no one needs to know besides you and your branch. I'm making you our newest intelligence officer. Lead your branch into the Appalachian Mountains and observe this... parade of entropy. If anyone spots you, kill them immediately."