“We are our world’s only hope!”

“May the blood of the martyrs guide our paths!”

With a single warcry, the entire Phasewalker Corps was transformed. Ryan was right in that teenagers were stronger than they looked. Yes, they had flaws here and there. Yes, some of them were soft or cruel or uncaring, but when they had something to fight for, something to honor, then their efficiency and determination were astonishing.

The Phasewalkers have never been so united. Recruits spent every second they had to refine their skills. For straight days, there hasn’t been a single open shooting booth in the shooting range. Every day, there were countless requests to the Section X High Command on when the invasion of World Alpha would be.

A new section was added to Eagle’s Nest. The Hall of Martyrs. There, Section X placed eleven sub-sections, with space for thousands more. In each section, the name of the fallen Phasewalker was engraved in stones, along with pictures, the helmet camera footage if available, and a brief summary of the Phasewalker’s accomplishments and when and how he or she fell.

Perhaps their lives have been extinguished and their bodies have been lost, but their names would live on as long as Earth itself.

If these were adults here that witnessed Caity’s declaration, then they would immediately jump to anything but what was intended. Some would simply turn and leave to save their own skin, while others would conspire on how to stay and reap the most benefit without actually putting themselves under threat. They would refer to themselves as ‘geniuses’, for they were too smart to be manipulated. For those who were rallied by Caity’s declaration, they would call them ‘idiots’.

Only idiots would fall for such a simple scheme.

But in the end, like many things, Earth wasn’t saved by ‘geniuses’. No. Earth’s survival and eventually, its ascension to glory, was forged by the blood and death and sacrifice of millions upon millions of ‘idiots’.

If it was just Caity’s speech standing alone, then sooner or later, the zealotry would wear off and reality would come in, but Section X solved that problem with material backing. Compensations doubled across the board for those who stayed. With its actions, Section X told the Phasewalkers they would honor their end of the deal as long as the Phasewalkers honored theirs.

Hemley’s parents in the military, both of them, were promoted for their son’s sacrifice. Ava’s mother was moved to a hospital usually reserved for heads of states. The parents of most of the martyrs received so much money that they didn't have to work a day in the future, that was unless they squandered it all. There was nothing Section X could do to help people like that.

Seizing this period of high morale, General Kennedy organized the Phasewalkers from a group of recruits into a professional military unit. 300 Generation I Phasewalker combatants became the 1st Phasewalker Battalion, with 5 Companies. Each Company held 60 units of Phasewalkers.

The first company in the 1st Phasewalker Battalion was the 1st Armored Company. Its major component was a group of 5 M1A2 SEP tanks. These formidable beasts of war used armors reinforced by depleted uranium layers. Its main gun, a 120mm battery, was enough to rip through any obstacle. They were designed to be the fist of the Phasewalkers. Their function was simple. Charge forward and rip through anything in their way.

2nd Airborne Company. They included Phasewalkers trained in using parachutes to be mobilized onto any battlefield with absolute speed and accuracy. Their armored arsenal included a single C-17 military transport plane. Given the complexity of paratroopers, the Phasewalkers in this unit needed a lot more training to be ready for that role. Right now, they had to settle with operating with Ch-47F Chinook transport choppers, each capable of holding 50 men.

3rd Artillery Company. They utilized 15 M109 Howitzer Self-propelled guns with the objective of supporting their comrades by raining down fire and fury on their foe. These were pretty much tanks, except instead of having cannons and machine guns mounted on their turrets, they had gun batteries capable of blasting enemies to dust from 10 miles away.

4th and 5th Motorized Company. These were the basic general-purpose infantry. Of course, the obvious question was why didn't Section X make them into armored divisions as well. They certainly had the resources. But the fact was, there were different units in a battalion that served different purposes. When trying to crush through a line of defenses, armors were definitely useful, but if the Phasewalkers were trying to mobilize quickly, or if they had to pursue or evacuate, then heavy tanks weren’t as helpful. Each Company was equipped with 5 LAV-25 light armored vehicles that provided mobility and firepower.

Another weapon incorporated into the Phasewalker ranks was the AH-1W Super Cobra attack chopper. The 2nd Airborne Company had four of them while the other four companies each had two. How they would do with more advanced Mutated Animals was unknown, but as far as the Mutated Wolves, these attack choppers were pretty much invincible.

The U.S. government and Section X were dead serious in making the Phasewalkers as powerful as possible. The stronger they were, the more profit they could reap from the other world. Unfortunately, in forging an army, training was as important as the equipment. The Phasewalkers were doing the best they could, but there were so many technical pieces in the army. Tank drivers. Helicopter pilots. Artillerymen. Despite the best hopes of Section X, it would be a few weeks until the 1st Phasewalker Battalion could march out.

Caity walked through the hallway in Eagle’s Nest that led to General Kennedy’s office. A few Phasewalkers were rapidly walking by. As soon as they saw her, they nodded at her with respect. Caity returned a polite nod.

After her speech, Caity was practically made into a hero. She could sense more and more responsibility placed onto her by General Kennedy and the rest of the Section X High Command as well. For instance, she has never be summoned by General Kennedy alone before all this.

She stopped in front of the office before giving it a slight knock. “Come in!” The general’s voice called out, and she promptly walked in and saluted.

“Sir.”

“Ms. Hunter,” General Kennedy looked up and nodded for Caity to sit down. He no longer called her ‘Recruit Hunter’ like he did before. “you did well with that speech. The impact it has made on your comrades is obvious. We are impressed.”

“Just giving voice to my thoughts, sir.”

General Kennedy nodded before going straight to the point of why he called her here. This was a critical time for Section X and the Phasewalker Corps. Neither he nor she had much time to waste. “As you know, Ms. Hunter, we have been working to craft the 1st Phasewalker Battalion into a real army ready for combat. We have implemented a system of units. We have put in place weapons and training, but we are still missing a critical component.”

Caity frowned. She still couldn’t see where all this was going, but she remained silent as the general continued. Patience, after all, was a virtue.

“The Phasewalkers are missing...a leader.”

The nature of the Phasewalkers meant professional military personnel like General Kennedy could only remotely monitor their movements. The Phasewalkers couldn’t constantly send messengers back and forth to ask for orders, and no one has found out a method to make phone calls across the Portal. Someone capable of actually stepping into the alternate worlds had to be the one doing the leading. In the past for the vanguard, that role belonged to Hemley. Now, it was Caity’s turn to lead.

She was the most experienced and the most skilled, and she definitely had the respect of her peers. More importantly, psychological analysis on her determined she was fit for the duty.

General Kennedy took out a small box before reaching in and pulling out a carefully crafted insignia and laying it down on the table in front of Caity.

“After careful consideration, Section X has decided to promote you to the rank of Colonel. You, Caity Hunter, will be the field commander of the 1st Phasewalker Battalion.”

Caity was speechless. For a second, she sat there, frozen. Really? She was made to a Colonel? For what? How old was she? 16! She was in school two months ago! What...how…

General Kennedy went on. “The U.S. Marine Corps uses a yellow insignia. The Air Force, blue. Army, green. The Phasewalker branch,” He tapped the piece of clothes. “is bright red.”

Bright red. The color of blood and fire.

Caity looked down. In the middle of the blood-red insignia, a black eagle spread out its wings. She snapped back at General Kennedy. “Sir, I can’t take it. I can’t just go from a recruit to a Colonel! I didn't earn it! All I did was do my job and follow orders...”

General Kennedy couldn’t agree with that more. In the U.S. military, to become a Colonel, by law, one had to have at least 22 years of cumulative service and at least three years acting as a lieutenant colonel. 22 years. That was longer than the time Caity has been in this world. Yet, the fact was they didn't have a choice. The United States had countless units made up of millions of professional soldiers and competent officers, but the only unit that mattered had to be made up of these teenagers. Completely untrained, inexperienced teenagers. And among the teenage recruits, Caity was perhaps the only choice.

Well, she wasn’t exactly the only choice, but Ryan Carlson has made it clear that he would never stand in the spotlight and lead an army. Plus, he had another task to attend to. One as important as the commander of the 1st Phasewalker Battalion.

“We have no choice. You are the best person for the job.”

Caity bit her lips. “I don’t deserve it.” Just the notion of surviving and advancing in her career by stepping on the bodies of her comrades made her sick. What right did she have to climb up the chain of command when the others didn't even have the fortune to make it back to this world?

The general’s answer was cold as he tapped the insignia. “Make no mistake, Ms. Hunter. This is not a reward. This is not a privilege. This is a responsibility. A burden. You said it yourself, Ms. Hunter. The fate of our world depends on the Phasewalker Corps, and the fate of the Phasewalker Corps,” He pushed the insignia forward once again. “depends on its commander.”

“Are you willing to accept the responsibility, Ms. Hunter?”

Caity bit her lips before finally nodding.

“Yes sir. I am willing to do my duty.”

The news of Caity’s promotion to Colonel was quickly spread through Eagle’s Nest, and it was followed by another series of promotions. All of the five companies got a Captain as the commander. Two of those Captains were the two other survivors from the trip to World Alpha. Jack Nelson and Henry Fox.

The other three were picked from recruits who have shown virtue, courage, and tactical-mindset during training.

Strangely, Ryan was the only survivor who wasn’t promoted. This raised many questions among the Phasewalkers. All of them have seen Ryan on screen. His skills and determination rivaled that of Caity’s. Caity also asked Ryan a few times, but even she couldn’t get an answer.

Each Company had 5 squads of 12, with each squad led by a Lieutenant. The rest were mostly Privates for the moment, but their ranks could rise as time pass. Section X has made it clear that these promotions were by no means permanent. If she screwed up, even Colonel Hunter could get removed from her position. If he or she performed well, even a Private could climb up the hierarchy like riding an elevator.

The message here was straightforward: the Phasewalker Corps was constructed as a meritocracy. Here, it didn't matter if you came from a poor family or if your parents were of the lower social class. Whether you were a man or a woman or gay or straight or trans was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was performance. Show strength both at home and on the battlefield, and you would get power, money, and whatever you wanted.

Fail, and you would lose everything.