The Portal. Fortress Alpha. World Alpha.

While the Rebirth survivors and other locals have been integrated into almost all of the ranks of Fortress Alpha, if there was one place forbidden to them, it was the Portal. Colonel Hunter issued a strict set of regulations. If any local trespassed near the Portal, they could be shot on the spot without question.

But today, two locals were invited over.

“Majors.” Caity smiled as Zhao and Taylor approached. She was backed by Ryan and Cara, as well as squads of Security Troopers.

“Colonel.” The two Tier 1 Mutants nodded before Taylor suddenly asked. “Colonel, you invited us over?”

If they weren’t invited over by Caity herself, none of them would’ve dared coming here. Caity's decree was explicit, and only fools would think about disobeying her, especially after what she did to Ford.

Caity nodded. “Indeed. I have something to show you.” But before she entered the room that contained the Portal, she issued a final warning. “Majors. What you are about to see will be the greatest secret behind Fortress Alpha. If this news gets out, there will be consequences.”

The two Tier 1 Mutants exchanged a look before nodding.

“Yes sir. We will keep this secret.”

Caity nodded. This decision was made after careful observation and analysis of the two Mutants, as done by both her, Ryan, and professionals back on Earth in Section X. Finally, she led the two Mutants inside. All the way in until the two came face to face with a certain black screen.

The Portal.

“What...what is that?” Zhao’s eyes widened as he turned to Caity, but all Caity did was make an inviting gesture.

Zhao knew what Caity wanted him to do. He nodded slowly before taking a step into the Portal. Taylor took a deep breath and followed.

Caity took a deep breath. She really hoped she wouldn’t regret this.

The Portal. Nebraska. Earth.

“Oh my god…”

Taylor has always considered herself a calm person. She wasn’t even that frightened when her mutation first occurred. But now, she was truly shocked.

There were grey buildings as far as her eyes could see. Across the settlement, countless men and women in uniforms were walking around. They looked healthy, not just mentally healthy, but also physically. They seemed like anything but people who have survived in the apocalypse for a full year.

A figure in a straight uniform walked up to the two and held his hand out.

“Welcome to Earth. My name is General Kennedy, and this is the United States of America.”

As the first two Mutants truly a part of the Phasewalker Corps, both Zhao and Taylor were given a lot of attention when they arrived on Earth. General Kennedy himself came to welcome them and introduce to them the whole situation.

When General Kennedy finished, the two Mutants were so shocked they could barely speak. Could it be possible? A pair of worlds, similar and different at the same time, linked by a mysterious inter-dimensional portal? It was unbelievable, but at the same time, it also explained a lot.

Many of the Alpha locals have had many questions about how Fortress Alpha functioned. Namely, where did the seemingly endless line of resources come from? The two Majors in command of the two Rebirth Battalions were well aware of these doubts. Now, they had the answer at hand.

When the introduction was finished, Taylor suddenly turned to General Kennedy.

“General, I appreciate the trust you have placed in us. We will not disappoint you. We will do everything in our power to serve Fortress Alpha.”

If before this day, Taylor and Zhao only served Fortress Alpha because they had little other choices, then now it was no longer true. Fortress Alpha was backed by a whole world, for god’s sake! It had a near unlimited amount of resources and manpower available! If things went well, then Fortress Alpha might even retake World Alpha and re-establish human civilization!

In contrast, Ford and Camp Rebirth were like child’s play.

Beside her, Zhao made a similar promise.

General Kennedy smiled at the oaths of loyalty. The nature of Fortress Alpha couldn’t be revealed to every single local, but keeping everyone in the dark wasn’t the best either. By incorporating the two commanders of the Rebirth Support Battalions, two individuals trusted by almost every local, Section X has significantly increased their influence in the locals.

As General Kennedy and the two Mutants were talking, there was further action at the Portal. In fact, the entire 4th Motorized Battalion and the Regiment Security Platoon were coming back to Earth.

Scattered among the black-armored Phasewalkers were many trucks. They carried the corpses of Mutated Animals, which would be delivered to Section X researchers, as well as pieces of technology the Phasewalker scavenged from World Alpha.

One of these trucks was much more guarded than the others. Two Predator II tanks were on either side. Armored Troopers in Guardian IV and Archon I alike walked alongside the vehicle.

Inside the truck, Tier 2 Mutant Ford was held down by several metal chains that ran across his body. Normally, they would be around his limbs, but the Phasewalkers were forced to make accommodations given he no longer had any.

In addition to that, Ford was given so much sedative that he wouldn’t wake up for at least 12 hours.

The Phasewalkers couldn’t take any chances. The idea of a powerful, spiteful Mutant with an unknown virus roaming around an unsuspecting Earth would be the creation of nightmares. Evidence suggested Ford no longer had the ability to transform Mutated Humans, not that he had any to begin with in the first place, but precautious had to be taken nonetheless.

Both Caity and Ryan returned to Earth, along with the convoy. Right now, Fortress Alpha was placed under the command of Major Jack Nelson of the 1st Armored Battalion. After the recent events, both had affairs to deal with back home.

As the conversation between General Kennedy and the two Mutants finished, General Kennedy ordered a few lieutenants to show the two Mutants around. As for the general himself, he had more important things to deal with.

Caity and General Kennedy walked into a large meeting room, filled with men and women in military uniforms.

“I want to congratulate you on how you handled Camp Rebirth, Colonel Hunter.”

General Kennedy started. The way Section X and the Phasewalker Corps interacted was rather interesting. On the surface, in terms of significant plans and strategies, Section X and its countless military analysts provided some guide to Caity for what to do, but most of the split-second decision-making was up to Caity. She also had a significant say in what the Corps actually did, as no one outside of the Phasewalker Corps could even step inside World Alpha, making them not the ideal at making the calls. She was the one that came up with the idea of testing Ford, and due to time constraints, she was the one who ordered the rescue of the survivors of Camp Rebirth.

At the same time, Ryan and Shieldbearer personnel regularly sent messages to Earth in regard to Caity’s decisions. This was to make sure a simple mistake in judgment from Caity wouldn’t destroy the entire program. As of now, Section X saw no need to intervene.

“Thank you, General.”

Caity was unfazed by the compliment. She knew she should be proud of herself. After all, from a random Phasewalker recruit to the commander of nearly 2,000 Phasewalkers, she has made a lot of progress. She even incorporated nearly 1,000 people into her ranks. Two Mutants, entities powerful enough to take on armies given the proper circumstances, died at her hands.

Yet, she wasn’t satisfied. Earth was still in peril. Across the Portal, on World Alpha, countless innocent were still living in the hellish apocalyptic world. Hundreds of Phasewalkers have perished, with thousands more at risk.

No. She wasn’t satisfied at all.

General Kennedy nodded and went to the point.

“What are your future plans for Fortress Alpha?”

“The airfield and the satellites in Fortress Alpha are being constructed as we speak. With the help of the Rebirth Support Battalions, the progress has been accelerated significantly. Once the F-22s can be launched and the military satellites in the air provide us with communication and information advantages, we will make a move on New Sara.”

“When that happens, we will purge every single foul Mutant in that city and incorporate the locals there into our ranks.”

Caity’s eyes were fierce as she made the declaration. She meant what she said. She could incorporate Mutant humans who retained their free will into her ranks, but for Mutated Animals, they only had two fates. Death or being captured and brought back to Section X for experimentation.

She had no love for beasts that devoured countless innocent and toppled an interstellar human civilization.

“In the meantime, while we wait for the construction projects to be finished,” Caity continued. “the 2nd Airborne Battalion will scour through several potentially valuable military and civilian positions we have identified. The rest of the Regiment will expand our sphere of influence, purging any hostile Mutant in our path.”

“Very well.” General Kennedy nodded in satisfaction. “How about the Mutated Ants that destroyed Camp Rebirth? Will they be a threat?”

General Kennedy knew Fortress Alpha was a level above Camp Rebirth. This was especially true after it added the survivors from Rebirth into the two Rebirth Support Battalions. With the backing of the Portal, Fortress Alpha wouldn’t really run out of bullets. But the notion of endless waves of Mutated Ants swarming into the Phasewalker lines wasn’t something one could just ignore.

Caity had the answer ready. “When we brought the survivors back from Rebirth, I had Major Blyfield deploy a pair of choppers to follow the movement of the Mutated Ants. The Ants moved to the West for some unknown reason.”

Fortress Alpha was on the East of Rebirth. The Ants were moving in the opposite direction. They wouldn’t be a threat in the near future.

“As prepared as always, Colonel.” Kennedy nodded in satisfaction once again. His choice to make Caity Hunter the Commander of the Phasewalker Corps might be the best decision he has made in a long time. “How about Camp York? Will they be a problem?”

“As of the moment, Camp York is perfectly content with its diplomatic relations with us. We are regularly trading food and supply for locals and weapons. My assistant Cara will hand you a detailed report. Words from the Security Troopers stationed at Camp York tell the same story. As of now, Apollo is fine with things as they are.”

“Yes, but I have trouble believing a faction like Camp York will just observe Fortress Alpha expand and do nothing.”

“I don’t expect them to do nothing, General.” Caity explained, her gaze as fierce as a dagger. “Sooner or later, they will make a move on us. Our objective is to make sure when that conflict erupts, we can put it down effectively.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“The common York Troopers are weak. They are more like thugs and militias than soldiers. They have little heavy armor and air or artillery support. Their ranks are filled with corruption and nepotism. In combat, we will crush them.”

Victoria could use the Security Troopers at Camp York to gather information on the Phasewalkers. Caity could also use the troopers stationed there to learn more about Camp York. Which was more effective? Spying on a few highly trained operatives or spying on thousands of people starving or freezing to death?

Apollo wasn’t an idiot. Neither was she.

“Of course, the York Troopers were never the issue. The Mutants are.” As General Kennedy was silent, Caity continued. “There are four Tier 2 Mutants and one Tier 3 Mutant in Camp York. There are plenty of Tier 1 Mutants, but they should be irrelevant in front of our superior firepower.”

Tier 1 Mutants were more difficult to kill than Tier 0 Mutants, but they were still highly killable. Even when the Phasewalkers first arrived at World Alpha, they slaughtered multiple Tier 1 Mutated Animals with attack choppers and artilleries. Now, they had upgraded weapons and additional manpower. Tier 1 Mutants were no longer a problem when engaged front on.

“From our experience with Ford, Tier 2 Mutants can still effectively be killed by explosions and artillery. Ideally in battle, we will use artillery and air support to wear them down before our Archon I Power Armors close in and finish the kill.”

That was how they took down Ford.

“What truly bothers me is Apollo.”

“Yes. Tier 3 Mutant Apollo.” General Kennedy nodded. “He may be a lucky thug, as your report suggests, but I have trouble believing he climbed to his position without any scheming. He cannot be underestimated.” He warned.

“Yes sir.” Caity nodded. “We have never had any experience with fighting entities of that caliber. As of the moment, the best chance for the kill seems to be using the F-22s first, coupled with other sorts of bombardment by attack choppers and other aircraft. It won’t be easy. Luckily, Apollo shouldn’t be our enemy in the near future. We have tricked him into believing the Corps is stronger than it truly is.”

The Commander of Section X nodded, completely satisfied.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am, Colonel. Honestly, when I first made you Colonel, I had my doubts. Now I can tell those doubts were indeed quite foolish.”

He took out a piece of paper.

“Let me give you some good news, Colonel. We are working hard on preparing the Generation IV Phasewalkers. They will be 2,000 units. They should be ready for combat in about two weeks.”

Ready for combat...as in the recruits would know the very basics. The real transformation of them from civilians to soldiers had to take place in the heat of the battlefield.

“2,000 units…” Caity nodded before snapping around. “Sir, if you may excuse me, I should get back to Fortress Alpha at once.” Her mind was turning fast. Adding 2,000 fresh recruits into the ranks wasn’t an easy thing. She had to expand the individual units, select capable Phasewalker veterans to promote into officers, and coordinate all sorts of resources.

She couldn’t wait to get back to work.

“But you just got home, Colonel.” General Kennedy frowned. “Might as well take a break.”

When Phasewalkers get deployed, they might’ve just crossed a Portal, but in a sense, they were further than anywhere any U.S. troops could be. Whether it be Iraq or Korea, at least those troops would be on Earth. The Phasewalkers...they would be in a whole different world altogether.

That was why whenever there wasn't much combat, many Phasewalkers could apply to spend some time off. They could do pretty much anything they want, from meeting their families to blowing hard-earned paychecks in casinos in Las Vegas to spending a night in the most expensive hotel in NYC with a beautiful woman.

After all, any Phasewalker, combatant or not, might end up dead the next day. They might as well enjoy when they could.

Caity frowned at the suggestion. “Breaks can wait.”

“Actually, no they can’t.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

General Kennedy sighed. “Look, Caity. I appreciate what you have been doing. We all do, even the President. But people are like bows. Pull them too hard for too long and they wound up snapping.”

He looked at Caity.

“Go on. Take a day off and have some fun. You have spent so much, sacrificed so much, to protect this world. Might as well enjoy the peace you have fought so hard to maintain.”

Caity nodded slowly before turning and leaving the room somewhat reluctantly.

Behind her, General Kennedy sighed once again.

It’s all worth it...he reminded himself once again.