Eric sat quietly in a corner of Fortress Alpha. He was alone, and judging by how he stared into the distance, he was deep in thoughts.
After what happened at Fort Sentinel, he was demoted to the rank of Private and placed into the 4th Motorized Battalion. This wasn’t ideal for his career, but honestly, this might be the best for him.
Not far away, dozens of Phasewalkers wearing construction helmets were busy working on an open field. A few of them were operating some excavators. Two Phasewalkers, both of them wearing glasses, were looking at the construction site, frequently pointing at something across the field and then referring back to a piece of building plan they were holding onto.
They were non-combatant Phasewalkers. All they carried were conventional US military sidearms, but their role here was almost as important as all the combatants. For example, these Phasewalkers here were building an airfield.
If anyone thought peak Earth technology was simply automatic rifles and main battle tanks, they were painfully wrong. Among the more powerful weapons in Earth’s arsenal were weapons capable of destroying cities. Nuclear missiles. Intercontinental ballistic missiles. Carriers. As of now, none of those weapons could be used by the Phasewalkers for one reason or another, though most reasons were tied to a lack of infrastructure.
Jet Fighters were a different story.
Even now, three F-22 Raptors were parked in a warehouse in Fortress Alpha. Each costing Section X hundreds of millions of dollars, these fighters were the ultimate predators in the air, capable of taking down foes both on the ground and in the air. If attack choppers could blast Tier 1 Mutants into pieces, then the Raptors could at least threaten Tier 2s or even Tier 3s.
Section X didn't miss such a great weapon. At the start of Project Phasewalker, multiple Phasewalker recruits talented with flight have been selected to become jet fighter pilots. Their training took much longer and was much more rigorous than that of helicopter pilots or tank drivers, but recently, after months of extensive training, they seemed ready. Well...at least in the training and simulations. How they would actually perform in the stressful battlefield was a whole different question, but for now, the pilots were settled.
But unlike the attack choppers, the Raptors needed a specifically constructed airfield to lift off, which was why the construction workers of the Phasewalkers were ordered to build up this airfield.
The resources available were unlimited, but as always, the lack of personnel meant progress was slower than hoped.
The Phasewalkers just had too many things to work on. Some Phasewalkers were assigned to build the airfield. Others were supposed to put together a satellite according to the directions of scientists and engineers back on Earth. Even more Phasewalkers had to work on expanding the trenches and bunkers to add more ground to Fortress Alpha to fit the ever-growing Phasewalker Corps.
Some of the local survivors that Fortress Alpha took in helped act as laborers, but again, there were only dozens of them.
The need for manpower got so desperate that Colonel Hunter had to briefly transform the 300 Assault Troopers of the 5th Motorized Battalion to construction workers. No one really wanted to lay down their Gauss Rifles and pick up shovels, but, ah well...the 5th Battalion was perhaps the weakest, most inexperienced battalion in the regiment. The other 4 battalions were fully capable of handling the combat roles.
Major Fox wasn’t too satisfied with this, but he had to put down his pride for the greater good.
A figure walked over and sat down beside him. Assault Trooper Austin Zarkin. The two were in the same platoon in the 4th Motorized Battalion. Austin called Eric his friend, but Eric kept things to himself. Fortress Alpha wasn’t a place for friendships and comradeship. No. Under Colonel Hunter and Commissar Carlson, this was a place for war and death and nothing else.
“Imagine how much better things would’ve gone if we had these Raptors with us when we moved on New Sara.” Zarkin said quietly as he glanced at the construction site.
Eric sighed. Indeed. When waves of Mutants came pouring in toward the Phasewalkers, having three jet fighters in the air raining down missiles and bullets would certainly help. But the Phasewalker High Command couldn’t even wait for the airfields to be done. No. The lives of several hundred people weren’t even worth a few weeks!
“Zarkin! Hemingway!”
Suddenly, both Assault Troopers heard the familiar voice of their Sergeant. “Get ready! The Major ordered us to assemble and prepare for a mission!”
Eric frowned. They were informed of most missions way before the actual combat happened. This level of urgency was rare. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t know. You gotta ask the higher-ups.”
Eric sighed again. That was perhaps one of the many issues with being a foot soldier. He quickly stood up and started moving toward the armory.
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Half an hour ago, a platoon of Airborne Troopers of the 2nd Airborne Battalion was scouting across the perimeter when they encountered an unexpected guest.
On the ground below, a figure was dashing across the rural plain. He was a man in his twenties dressed in all black. As he moved, he could be seen looking up from the ground. A thrilled impression appeared on his face when he spotted the squad of 4 helicopters.
“He’s definitely a Mutant.” An Assault Trooper noted as he realized how quickly the figure was moving. The helicopters weren’t at their top speed, but the figure was able to catch up with them on foot.
“Tier 1?”
“Don’t know for sure.”
“Cut the chatter.” The lieutenant’s voice, commanding the platoon, echoed through the helicopter squadron. “Chopper 4A, 4B, hold your position. Chopper 4C, 4D, lower attitude and engage the individual. Find out his intentions. Don’t hesitate to open fire if he shows any ill will.”
He was cautious. Scouting parties like this one have encountered many ordinary survivors wandering into the perimeter of Fortress Alpha. Most of the survivors were taken into the fortress. The few that, for some reason, decided to take on squads of armed soldiers by force were terminated. But this time might be slightly different. This was the first Mutant to be met, and one of unknown power.
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The Assault Trooper pilots complied at once. Two attack choppers hovered in the sky while the other two landed on the two sides of the Mutant, flanking him. Assault Troopers jumped out with their Defender-Is and Defender-IIs raised.
In the two hovering choppers, two snipers raised their Defender-IIIs and trained them on the Mutant. Mounted machine guns and air to ground missiles locked onto the Mutant as well.
One wrong move, and the Mutant would be reduced to pieces.
The Mutant held his hands up. As the Phasewalkers approached, he suddenly opened his mouth and yelled.
“Please! Take me to your leader! We need your help!”
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Rebirth. Camp Rebirth.
This was the name of a human settlement over 50 kilometers to the West of Fortress Alpha.
Rebirth’s story was not too different from Camp York. Several hundred survivors around the area gathered up around several Mutants. To keep the hostiles out, they built walls and trenches. Some of the original settlers and Mutants died in the wide array of conflicts that followed, only to be replaced by new survivors who stumbled upon the settlement. Gradually, Rebirth’s population reached 2,000.
Things weren’t going too well for Rebirth, but it sufficed to say the survivors of Rebirth were much more fortunate than those of Camp York or Kaneton. There wasn’t much abuse. In fact, the only Tier 2 Mutant in Rebirth alive now, Ford, led the half dozen or so Tier 1 Mutants to actively protect the ordinary survivors and even scavenge food and resources for them. This was something Apollo and his peers, including Aryan, would never even think of.
Just look at the name they chose: Rebirth! Perhaps in their wildest dreams, these survivors hoped to rebuild the human society in this apocalyptic world. A society of order. A society ruled by laws.
All that changed recently. Hopes were turned to dust. Expectations were replaced by dread.
The figure the Assault Troopers took in, a Tier 1 Asian Mutant named Zhao, was almost on his knees when he saw Caity.
“Colonel Hunter!” He exclaimed, having known Caity’s name and title from the Assault Troopers that escorted him in. “We need aid! Rebirth is under siege!”
“Under siege? By who?”
Caity was in her black Guardian IV armor. She wasn’t going to be in danger anytime soon, hopefully...nonetheless, she enjoyed the feeling of having a layer of protection over her skin. It made her feel a lot more secured. A bright red sigil was on her shoulder armor, identifying her presence as a member of the Phasewalker Corps.
Ryan and Cara stood beside her as the Rebirth Mutant gave voice to his answer. A haunted look was on Zhao’s face. It was obvious whatever he saw, it wasn’t nice and friendly.
“Ants. Mutated Ants.”
“Mutated Ants?” Caity frowned. The Phasewalkers have never really encountered any Mutated Ants before, but she would be a fool if she undermined these ants because of that. “How many of them are there?”
Zhao bit his lips.
“Beyond count.”
“I’m sorry?”
Zhao sighed. He knew what he was going to say would hurt the chance of this Colonel Hunter sending help, but he had to say it. If he withheld some information and these people realized they were fooled when they arrived, they would turn around and leave Rebirth to die without a second thought.
“Those Mutated Ants came out of nowhere. First, we lost contact with our perimeter sentries. All of them. The detachments we sent to check on the sentries never returned. Before we could do anything else, those Ants just closed in on our camp from all directions and we were fully surrounded. Their numbers were endless, stretching deep into the horizon beyond anything we can see.”
“Before Rebirth was fully cut off, Ford sent several of us Mutants out to look for help. I had to fight a way out...” Zhao’s eyes deviated away. “I may be the only one who made it.”
Right in front of Zhao, Caity could see stains of green and red blood all over Zhao’s body, giving off a slight hiss that made her realize the blood was highly corrosive. There weren’t any wounds on the man’s body, and the acidic Ant blood couldn't really burn through his body, but there were more than plenty of cuts over his clothes. Some sort of rapid regeneration power coupled with enhanced muscular strength, likely.
Dragging her mind away from the sciences, Caity found herself wondering what she should do. In a sense, she admired how honest Zhao was, but at the same time, she had to fulfill her duty as the Colonel in command.
“My condolences.” She said quietly. “Yet...Fortress Alpha doesn’t have the forces to help Rebirth lift the siege. We just don’t have the manpower.”
“Sir…” The decision hit the man like a train. For a moment, Zhao was almost begging. “there are 2,000 people in Rebirth! Innocent people! If Rebirth falls...” He trailed off. When he broke out, the Ants barely completed the siege and there were multiple openings. Even so, he was almost overwhelmed. If Rebirth’s defenses were breached and the Mutated Ants were swarming into the settlement, there might not be a single survivor left out of those 2,000 people.
Caity nodded slowly, but her heart was unfazed. It was the inherent duty of people in her position to make tough choices. Yes. She was willing to save innocent people if she could. That was what she did to Katherine from the Marine camp. But she would be damned if she threw away her own troops to do so.
Ultimately, Her loyalty was to Earth and the Phasewalker Corps, not the locals of World Alpha. Due to the nature of World Alpha, Section X and General Kennedy wouldn't get to hear about this and make the call until a lot later, likely not until all was settled, but Caity knew this was what they would do as well.
“I am sorry.” She repeated, maintaining a stoic expression. “I offer my condolences for what is happening to your people, but we can’t help you.”
Zhao nodded before slowly taking a step forward. Cara, Ryan, and four Security Troopers in the room immediately tensed up. Their hands rested on their weapons. The Security Troopers silently raised their Deflector Shields in their commander’s defense.
And then, in a move that surprised everyone, the Tier 1 Mutant knelt down on his knees.
“Colonel Hunter, the leader of Rebirth, Ford, has made a promise. If anyone lends a helping hand and saves Rebirth, he or she will have the full allegiance of everyone in Camp Rebirth.” He glanced up at Caity’s expression. “Including we Mutants.”
Caity, who remained untouched throughout all the pleas and emotional appeals, found herself truly touched by the offer.
As Zhao explained, Rebirth had 1 Tier 2 Mutant and multiple Tier 1 Mutants. Now, how many of them would live through this whole mess was another matter, but either way, they would be a huge addition to Fortress Alpha, which, as of the moment, didn't have a single Mutant.
Artillery units and jet fighters were good and all, but having the allegiance of several Mutants wouldn’t hurt at all.
This was not to mention the 2,000 survivors. Many of the construction projects that were crucial to the advancement of the Phasewalkers were not held back by technology or the lack of material, but rather simply by the number of hands operating the machines. If only half of the survivors were saved, the one thousand survivors left could still help the Phasewalkers significantly.
This was a reward that was well worth the risk. As the Commander of the Corps, she couldn't throw away Phasewalker lives for free, but she was not only willing to, but also had to, trade their lives when opportunities presented themselves.
And one just did in the form of the Rebirth Mutant.
She turned to Cara.
“Lieutenant, gather all the Majors and Battalion Commissars. We have an operation to plan.”
On the ground, Zhao let out a breath of relief.