Chapter 16: Death and Sacrifice

The two Phasewalker Humvees drove through the night road. Behind them, countless creatures pursued after. Their deadly forms shined under the red tail-lights.

"We can't lose them!" Ryan glanced at the rear-view mirror of the car. Behind them, the Wolves managed to give the Humvees at top speed a run for their money with just their sheer limbs. "Gunners, keep firing!"

Jack, the turret gunner, didn't answer. Ever since escaping from the ambush, they have never stopped firing on the encroaching hostiles, and they did manage to kill a number of them. Yet, for every Wolf that fell, another would quickly take its place. Their fearlessness made the gunners flinch.

"We should see the Portal in another twenty minutes." One of the other Phasewalkers added. "If we cross the Portal, they can't come after us, right?"

Captain Hemley was silent. There was no proof that was the case. If the same rule that applied to the Phasewalkers applied to these creatures and only a few could pass through, then all would be fine, but in the off chance that there was no restrictions and swarms of these creatures pour through the Portal...yes, these creatures could be fended off with rifles and machine guns, but what if these were Mutated Animals! What if they managed to infect someone from Earth? What if the deadly virus that doomed this world got through the Portal through these Wolves?

If the Phasewalkers lead the virus to Earth, then they would be the ultimate sinners. All evidence suggested they themselves didn't hold the virus. The Wolves, on the other hand...

"We need to throw them off our back before we go to the Portal." Hemley suddenly spoke up. "We can't take the chances, no matter how low it is."

Ryan thought about it. "Those Wolves that ambushed us sensed us coming, likely by our car lights or our engine sound. If one of our Humvees can attract the attention of those wolves, then the other may have a chance of making it out quietly."

The radio channel was silent for a moment. Throwing the creatures off their backs was necessary, yet at the same time, it required the sacrifice of one of the two Humvees. Needless to say, those doing the diversion wouldn't live to see the Portal again.

"The Portal has been up for months," Another Phasewalker whispered. "if none of the creatures came through over all those months, then chances are they can't."

"We can't risk it. What if those things simply didn't stumble upon the Portal? No way we're going to lead them there."

Once again, the radio went back to silence.

It was Ryan that first spoke up. Before he said it, he turned to Caity, who gave him a solid nod. He stole a glance at the other Phasewalker in the back, Fox, who equally gave him a nod.

"We are ready to do our duties," Ryan said quietly. His voice gentle, yet determined.

Caity closed her eyes and gripped tightly onto her weapon. This was the last thing that could offer her some comfort. Goodbye, mom, dad. She whispered, but even now, she didn't find any regret in her heart. If it was her time to die, then so be it. At least, she would go down fighting. That was the least she could do. She stole another glance at Ryan.

"It has been an honor." She stated quietly.

But the voice from the radio made clear of one simple fact: this wasn't their day to die.

"Ryan, you need to get back through the Portal." Captain Hemley emphasized. "Your interrogation records! Everything we gathered from the locals is in your helmet camera! You need to take it back to Section X! And...and the hard drives for Ava and Christian. You have to escort them back!"

That meant one simple thing. If Ryan's Humvee couldn't be the diversion, then Hemley's had to do the job.

"We are not leaving you!" Caity declared, her eyes widened. "We have lost too many people! Christian! Ava! Katherine! We're going home with you or we're not going home at all!" Surprisingly, she found it more difficult to watch her comrades die than meet the end herself.

"Our mission is more important than anything else!" Hemley cried out on the radio, his voice filled with anger. He was angry that Caity was placing her comrades before the objective. The objective that several of their comrades died to ensure. "If I am the one with the hard drives, I would do the same thing! Go! Ryan, follow your orders!" He turned to the one who he knew would follow the orders.

Caity turned around, but her objection died in her mouth.

Ryan paused before answering. "Yes sir. It has been an honor, sir."

Slowly, Ryan's Humvee turned off most of its lights, and its turret stopped firing. Hemley's, on the other hand, turned its engine as loud as possible. All the lights were turned on. The turret mounted on its back opened fire like crazy. Even the Phasewalkers inside the car popped their arms out and started tossing grenades out of the window. Shrapnel grenades. Incendiary grenades. Even stun grenades. They were doing anything and everything to ensure that those Wolves would come after them and not their comrades.

Slowly, the two Humvees parted ways. Soon, even the lights from the other Humvee and the sound of grenades and gunfire disappeared. Caity watched silently as the vehicle finally made its way back to the familiar dark screen.

They have made it home, but 11 of their comrades weren't so fortunate. Within less than a day, 11 Phasewalkers gave their lives for their mission, their bodies never to be recovered. For some, their last mark in this world was a miniature USB drive, a record of their last moments in this world. For others, it was nothing at all.

Such was the fate of Hemley and the others, and such would become the fate of countless Phasewalkers in the decades to come.---

Eagle's Nest. Earth.

Caity sat on a sofa. It has been 12 hours since she and the three other Phasewalkers returned to Earth. As soon as they were back, they first went through a full physical examination. As far as Section X knew, they might have been attacked by alien facehuggers the moment they got to the other side.

When they were declared safe, they were greeted by Section X officials, including its leader, General Kennedy. What happened next was a series of reporting and examining. Even after the physical examinations, Section X personnel asked a bunch of questions to make sure they were the same people who crossed the Portal. When the safety of Earth was at stake, one could never be too careful.

The camera hard drives of the Phasewalkers were delivered to the Section X High Command to go over. After the checks were over, all four Phasewalkers gave separate reports to General Kennedy and the rest of the Section X High Command. They went over every detail, from the moment they arrived in World Alpha to the moment they departed.

The Gauss Rifles Caity and the others retrieved were brought to the labs for scientists to review.

Finally, when all that had to be said were spoken and all that had to be done were completed, the Phasewalkers had a moment to rest. That was when the sadness of all the losses sank in.

Footsteps approached as Ryan sat down next to Caity. The girl glanced at him, and she was a little surprised to see Ryan was putting up the best smile he could muster.

"It's so unfair." She suddenly said.

Ryan rose his eyebrows in inquiry.

"We Phasewalkers, all of us, joined this program because we needed something from section X. In most cases, it's money. These are money we have to give our lives for, but why do we need money in the first place?"

"Because you are poor?" Ryan shrugged.

"And we should pay for that with our lives?" Caity snapped. "Does Ava deserve to be mauled to death because her family isn't as wealthy as the Trumps? Do I deserve to be sacrificed because I want to make my parents' lives better?"

Ryan paused for a moment before answering. "Here's the thing, Caity. You are wondering why certain people get to live because they have richer families, but the thing is, these people don't have to pay the price because their ancestors paid it for them. When the ancestors of most people were sitting back and doing nothing, the ancestors of these individuals risked everything. They chose it, and they and their descendants were rewarded for that choice. Is it absolutely fair for us? No way, but as far as I can see, that's how things are."

Caity turned around to Ryan. This was the first time Ryan has said this many things to her. And...was that concern in his voice? Yet, she still had her doubts. "I don't get it, Ryan. How are you always so determined? So brave? You didn't seem to hesitate for even a second to sacrifice yourself!" Caity knew she made the same choice, but it was hardly an easy one. Ryan though...he made it look like an everyday affair.

Ryan froze before giving an answer that surprised Caity. "I am not afraid of death because there are so many things worse than death."

"Such as what?"

Ryan sighed. "Such as being a failure. Such as being weak, being vulnerable, being...being soft."

"You would rather lose your life than lose your honor." Caity thought she got what Ryan meant.

"I don't care about honor." Ryan suddenly scoffed. "Honor gets people killed. I am better than that."

"Then what do you care about?"

Ryan paused. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. "Just doing my job. Doing my duty. Doing...doing the right thing." Suddenly, he snapped. "That's enough about me. How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine. It's just..." She sighed again. "I know I might look weak or something, but Ava...she's got such a bright future ahead of her. She's so gorgeous, and, well, she probably could've found herself a good husband."

"Perhaps, but so what? Even if she lived an ordinary, peaceful life, sooner or later, she would die, and her death would be a meaningless one." Ryan leaned back on the soft sofa. "Countless people die every day, Caity. Some, meaningful. Others, not as much. But how many of them can say they are dying for a cause greater than themselves? A cause worth fighting for? Ava had a chance to do that."

"And, what, she should feel honored?" Caity glanced at Ryan with confusion in her voice. The man's cynic tone felt off.

"I don't know if she should feel honored, but I know I would rather die in a blaze of glory than on a hospital bed, old, frail, and sick," Ryan replied quietly.

Caity glanced at Ryan, and she could see very well that he wasn't joking. If this came from a politician or a general who was sitting in the safety behind battle lines, then it would be no more than a justification to send soldiers on the front to their graves. Yet, it held a lot more meaning when the one saying it was backing up his words with his actions.

"You are a fascinating person, Ryan Carlson."

Ryan grinned in return. "And you, Caity Hunter. You are a respectable person. Everyone on that trip is."

Everyone on that Humvee was willing to die for their obligations.

Caity felt herself smiling. But as she regained her spirit, she found herself facing another dilemma.

"I guess a side effect of surviving is having to deal with troubles with the living." She commented quietly. "What should I even say to my parents? Do I lie to them and say that was a safe trip? Ryan, how did your dad react when you told him you're going to World Alpha?" She asked curiously.

"Well," Ryan shrugged. "let's just say he wasn't as concerned about my safety as he was to me doing the right thing."

"For real?" Caity knew exactly what that meant. "Ryan, I'm sorry…" She reached her hand out, but Ryan dodged it.

"Don't be. I am perfectly content with that." He quickly switched the topic back to Caity's parents. "The thing with me is I don't lie, or at least I try not to."

That was true. When he was concerned about the President's intentions, he flat-out told those concerns to the man himself. Even in interrogations, he preferred brute-force than using tricks. "Just tell them the truth. If they accept it, fine. If they don't, well, they don't have any power over you, not anymore. The one real question is, do you know what you want?"

Caity nodded slowly. If she was first lured into Section X by promises of money, and she was forced to go on the mission by the threat of punishment and respect for her comrades, then that was no longer the case now. Now, she was doing this because she was part of something great. She has fought and killed. She has saved people, and she has lost people. She has made friends, and she has suffered the pain of losing them. She has tried to sacrifice herself, and she has failed.

She couldn't go back now. She had a destiny, one that she was willing to give her life for.

---

Caity didn't expect herself to be welcomed, but her expectations didn't prepare her for what his parents had in mind. As soon as she walked through the door of the house, Mrs. Hunter leaped up and wrapped her arms around her. She gripped onto her tightly, as if wanting to make sure Caity was truly here, and not just a hallucination generated by her mind.

"My baby girl! Thank God! You're safe!"

Mr. Hunter wasn't as vocal with his feelings as his wife, but the movement of his face showed Caity he wasn't as calm as he was pretending to be. "It's nice to have you back home, Caity."

Caity smiled, and for a moment, the house was covered in a warm atmosphere, but that atmosphere suddenly turned awkward when Mrs. Hunter asked a question. "Are you staying?"

Caity's smile disappeared. "Mom, dad. I have something to tell you."

She led them to a sofa in the living room. As they sat down, she walked back to the front of the stage and started with brutal facts.

"World Alpha was...deadly. 15 of us went through. 4 of us returned. I was stabbed here, in the shoulder." She tapped the part where the wound still bothered her. "It was only luck that I made it back."

"Oh Caity…" Mrs. Hunter whispered. Her husband sat silently beside her, but his fists were gripped tight.

"But I saved people." Caity's tone changed. For a moment, she seemed so enthusiastic. "I saved five girls from practical hell, and in the process, I made rapists and murderers pay for their crimes! I delivered justice! Look, mom, dad. I know you guys just want me to stay home and be safe, but that is not what I want! This," She pointed at her injury. "this is what I want."

As the Hunters were silent, Caity continued.

"I made a friend on the mission. He is the bravest and more responsible person I have ever seen, and he said something that I agree with. Most people in the world live through life without meaning. Their only purpose in life is to live until they cannot. That is not what I want! I want to find my meaning, and Section X and Project Phasewalker, that is it! That is my meaning!"

"It's not safe!" Mr. Hunter raised his voice. "You said it yourself! It is only by the grace of God that you survived…"

"It is by the sacrifice of my comrades that I survived." Caity cut him off darkly. "As for safety, I would rather live a short, meaningful life than a long yet pointless one."

Mr. Hunter stared at his daughter. He couldn't believe this confident, unflinching woman was the same girl who shed tears after her boyfriend cheated on her. But the character growth only left him with endless fear.

"Section X has poisoned your mind." He said, shaking. "It turned you into a killing machine with its propaganda and you don't even know it!"

"Perhaps," Caity sighed. "but it's a poison I willingly swallow. Mom, dad. I love you, but I am afraid the choice of this matter is no longer yours. I have made my decision. This...this is merely to inform of you of what that decision is."

She turned around and walked for the door. Her father called out from behind, covering the soft whimpering of Mrs. Hunter. "Leave this room, and never come back! This is not the daughter I raised!"

Caity paused for just a brief second before marching straight out of the door.

Then so be it.