章 18: Chapter 18: Blood of the Martyrs
Three days later. Eagle's Nest.
Three hundred recruits walked into a large stadium in the training facility. Some of them walked and acted with more confidence than others. They were here since the program started a month ago. Others were more like civilians, which was normal because they have been here for just a few weeks. Most of the Phasewalkers were soldiers, but not all of them. A number of Phasewalkers were non-combatants who had minimal training with weapons.
They were the first products of Project Phasewalker. They were Generation I Phasewalkers.
When all of the recruits were seated, a figure walked up to the elevated stage in front of them. She was wearing a black suit that was given to every recruit when they joined the project. She had blonde hair, but unlike that of most girls, it was cut short in a tom-boy fashion.
Caity stood there, in front of four hundred people. The past Caity Hunter would get some stage-fright, but after killing at least a dozen people and confronting multiple man-devouring monsters and surviving, public speaking was nothing.
As the recruits got ready, she slowly tapped her short hair. She got the haircut three days ago after she was told to leave the house by her father. She has always enjoyed her long, straight hair. Even after joining Project Phasewalker and realizing how much her hair hindered with wearing helmets, she kept them long. Perhaps at that time, there was still a strand of hope left in her head that sometime soon, she would go back to school and return to her normal life. At that point, a head of short hair would be awkward.
Not anymore. As the sound of razors echoed and severed blonde hair covered the ground of the barbershop, she felt a strange sense of relief. Now, she was definitely not going back.
When all the recruits were silent, Caity raised her microphone and started speaking.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Caity Hunter, and I am a Phasewalker, just like all of you. Six days ago, I was part of the vanguard squad that ventured past the Portal, led by Captain Hemley Shane."
Some of the crowd started whispering, but those whispers quickly died down as Caity continued.
"A lot of you have been wondering what happened on the other side of the Portal. Well, let me give you a summary." She took a deep breath. "Fifteen Phasewalkers went over the Portal in three Humvees. One Humvee returned, with four of us. Survival rate? Less than 27%."
The crowd exploded again. Already, some recruits were considering bailing the program, but most were silent with their brows darkened. Caity went on.
"Of course," She raised her voice to bring all the attention to her. "in case numbers don't fully describe the horrors of that world, I hope video footages can do a slightly better job." Her dark humor only added to the dread in the heart of the Phasewalker recruits as the lights across the stadium suddenly snapped off, leaving the entire room in darkness with the only light being a giant screen on the stage behind Caity.
The first set of videos played was from Christian's and Ava's camera. Each perspective took up half the screen. Caity watched silently as, in the video, a pack of wolf-like creatures leaped out into the open and forced the Humvee to a stop.
"What the hell is that?" Christian exclaimed in surprise. "Some sort of local animal?"
Meanwhile, Ava turned to the back of the Humvee. Caity felt her face twitch slightly as she heard the medic's familiar voice, but she kept her straight face. "Sit back!" Ava told the women in the back in reassurance.
Wait happened next was a slaughter.
One of the Wolves jumped forward and crashed right through the bulletproof glass windshield of the Humvee. "Shit!" Christian swore and raised his M4A1, but it was too late. The creature removed his head straight from his neck with a single swipe. The camera's perspective shook violently before landing on an angle that had a clear view of the Humvee. There, in the driver��s seat, blood spilled out of the decapitated body like water out of a fountain in the malls.
Some of the Phasewalkers turned and threw up on the ground at the bloody sight, right there in the auditorium.
Ava quickly pulled out her handgun. The battlefield was truly a great forge, and the medic whose mind would go blank as soon as she heard gunfire has learned to react properly. Unfortunately, the odds were just stacked against her. The wolves first removed her gun holding arm before slicing off her head, ending her chilling screams. Only then did they leave the two battered Phasewalker corpses behind and turn to the defenseless women in the back.
Caity felt her fist go tight, digging her fingernails into her palm, as a familiar scream cried out. Katherine.
In the end, when all the passengers in the Humvee were reduced to bodies, the two cameras recorded as the Mutated Wolves devoured the human remains.
Half the Phasewalkers had faces as pale as printing paper.
But the videos kept on playing. This time, a wave of engine sound approached. The 400 recruits watched as the perspective switched to a new one, one that Caity was familiar with. It was the recordings of her helmet camera.
The ambush wasn't as bloody, but the chilling screams of dying men, bloody roars of the Mutants, and the endless gunfire still struck deep into the heart of the recruits. When Captain Hemley and his Humvee diverted the creature horde away, many recruits lowered their heads. A few girls even had tears in their eyes.
Finally, the recording ended, and Caity was the center of the stage once again. This time, almost all of the recruits turned to her with respect. Many sat up straight or uncrossed their legs. Before, she was just a fellow recruit. Yes, she saved some people and was admired by some, but that was about it.
Now, after seeing how ferociously she fought in the field and how willing she was to sacrifice herself, the recruits looked to Caity in utter admiration. Most of the Phasewalkers, even some of the most arrogant, asked themselves, and realized they couldn't get as far as Caity did.
"Those creatures were Wolves. Mutated Wolves. And despite what you have seen, they are not the most terrifying foes we will face in World Alpha." The short-haired blonde woman scanned her audience.
"Soon, I don't know if it's a week or a month, everyone here will march through the Portal. Some will not return. In fact, perhaps all will not return. The fallen will be ravaged. Devoured. Mauled. They will die alone, in the darkness, with legions of hostiles as far as their eyes could see. Their bodies will never be returned to their families. Perhaps the only thing they will leave in the world...will be their helmet cameras."
She took a deep breath.
"I know we are all here for different reasons. Money, mostly. For some, glory. There's no shame in admitting it." She scoffed. "I was here for the money, and I know what you're thinking. Why the hell is Section X sending us to die? Why? Why why why? Well, here's the answer. Whether we like it or not, we are not the only world! This time, the Portal opened up to a waste world, fine! And if we leave it alone, then perhaps nothing will happen. But tell me, Phasewalkers! What happens if those beasts do come over the Portal, huh? Or even worse! What happens if another Portal opens, and those on the other side decide to take Earth for themselves?"
"What happens if the guests from the other world decide that they need slaves? Should we go down on our knees and watch as our people are put into shackles? And worse! What if they decide we don't deserve this planet? Should we just all shoot ourselves? Before someone says that will never happen..."
She waved her arm, and the screen behind her changed to the interrogations of the locals, done by Ryan.
"World Alpha thought they were safe! And they looked like they were! They had space travel! They took over the Moon and Mars. They had super-tanks and gauss rifles and entire fleets of starships! Guess what happened to them?" She waved her hand again, and the screens showed the wreckage of the super-tank and confiscated gauss rifles.
"Their government was overthrown! Their military, gone! Their population, decimated! That is what the Alpha-virus did to World Alpha! If we sit back, then sooner or later, this will be what happens to our world!" Caity was practically screaming. "We! The Phasewalkers, we are the only chance! It is up to us to cross that Portal and do everything we can to strengthen our nation! Our world! We are the only hope!"
The stadium was dead silent. Not a single one of the 400 Phasewalkers made a sound as Caity continued.
"Whether we like it or not, we are part of a cause much greater than ourselves! This is a war we cannot lose, no matter the cost!" She turned and pointed at the door of the stadium.
"Now, if you still want to leave, fine. General Kennedy has notified me that anyone who leaves here will not be punished. Yes, their compensations will be ceased, but they will not be charged for desertion. If you want to leave, now is your chance. Walk out that door and never come back." She smirked mockingly. "Now or never."
No one moved, so Caity added some flames.
"Go on! Do the smart thing and get the hell out of here! If you stay, then know that from this day on, you give up yourselves fully to the cause!" She put her hand over her chest. "If you are told to hold the ground, you hold the damn ground! If you are told to charge into an enemy horde, then that's what you will do! Anyone who refuses to obey an order, anyone who tries to flee after today! They will be summarily executed as traitors to the nation!"
The room was silent again. Finally, a teenage girl stood up. "I'm sorry. This is a mistake. I don't want to die so young." She dropped a whisper before turning and running out of the door, tears flowing out of her eyes.
With the example, a handful more Phasewalkers stood up. One of them, a boy, sighed as the others fled in shame.
"I didn't sign up to die. I have a family business to succeed." He stated matter of factly. "I'm sorry."
Caity tilted her head, but the mocking look on her face was obvious. "Get out." She said explicitly, as if wasting another word on the teenager was a sin. The man blushed before dashing for the door.
Alex sat among the audience in silence. She was disturbed by what she saw and heard. This, she could admit. But when Caity called for people to leave, she didn't move an inch. Her pride prohibited her from bailing on her friends now.
Unfortunately, one of her friends didn't share her decision.
Alex's eyes widened in shock as, right next to her, another girl stood up.
"Jessica!" Alex couldn't help but cry out. Not Jessica! How could she? Jessica was not just her friend. She was her girlfriend! How could she do this to her? She wasn't even in a combat role! Alex herself was more likely to die on the battlefield than her!
Jessica looked away from Alex's gaze and turned and left the stadium without another word. What could she tell Alex? Her parents were old and she was their only child. If she died...her parents would lose any hope to live. When she joined the program, she was after the money. Yet, after what she saw and learned, she realized a cold, merciless reality.
Program Phasewalker just wasn't for her.
Finally, after eight Phasewalkers jumped ship, Caity found herself looking down at barely over 400 Phasewalkers. Suddenly, she cracked a smile.
"In that case, let us carry the torch of the fallen. Let us honored the dead with our actions!"
She saluted.
"May the blood of the martyrs guide our paths!"
Across the stadium, countless Phasewalkers stood up and saluted.
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