On the other side, as he stormed out of the Phasewalker Command Center, Jacob growled impatiently. There were figures in green as far as his eyes could see. Why was that a problem? Jacob didn't like orders or restrictions. He enjoyed freedom. He enjoyed the freedom to claim any woman he desired and kill any man he despised. The vice versa was true as well. The sense of order in this fortress and in its guardians made him beyond annoyed. 

The Tier 1 Mutant started walking around Fortress Alpha, poking and prodding at random corners as if he was the owner here. Every time he did that, he glanced at the Phasewalkers around him. In a sense, he wanted them to come and stop him. That would give him an excuse to have some fun slaying them to the last. But none of them did, much to his dismay. 

Suddenly, he tilted his head and turned to another one of the many concrete buildings in the fortress. It was just a faint feeling, so faint that he almost ignored, but a part of him could sense something was special with this one single building. 

Something powerful was inside. He could feel it! 

Without a sense of caution or respect that most guests should hold, he approached that building recklessly. 

“Hey! Stop right there!” Two Phasewalker sentries were standing in front of the building’s entrance, and for the right reason. This building was a cover for the Portal. It was the one and only path back to their Fatherland. 

Jacob smirked in mild interest as well as utter annoyance. Back in Camp York, if any ordinary survivor talked to him like this, even if it was a York Trooper, he would break their neck in a single strike. Now, he was on hostile ground, which was why he did things a bit more politely... 

“Get the fuck out of my way or I’ll kill you both.”

Yep. Polite indeed.

The Phasewalker sentries exchanged a glance, but they didn't back down. The Portal could never be compromised, no matter the cost. One of them rested his hand on the handle of his M4A1 while another quietly reached for the High Explosive grenades on the back of his tactical belt. 

Sensing that, Jacob slowly closed his fists. Just as all hell was about to break loose, another figure walked over from behind. The timing was so perfect that it looked like he has been there the entire time.  

“Wow wow, everyone relax!” Ryan held his hands up innocently. He was unarmed. “Sentries, step aside. This is no way to treat a guest.” 

The two sentries exchanged glances once again. They were both aware of the importance of the Portal, but at the same time, they knew who Ryan Carlson was. Battalion Commissar. One of the four vanguard Phasewalkers that survived. One of the top officers in the Phasewalker High Command. They quickly followed the orders and stepped to the side. 

Jacob smirked before walking inside. Cowards! Too bad, because he was lusting for some killing! 

As his figure disappeared into the building, Ryan quietly raised his radio and issued a series of orders.

The secret of the Portal could not be at risk. Jacob had made his choice, and Ryan has made his.  

The Tier 1 Mutant walked across two more hallways. As he walked, he could see whoever built this entire building had little to no sense of fashion. What the builders did have in mind was a tactical goal. There were concrete sandbags all over the place, one-meter tall walls designed to provide cover against hostile gunfires or act as obstacles for melee hostiles. However, as an intruder like Jacob marched deeper and deeper into the building, not a single soldier was here to use these defenses against him.

So much preparation, made useless by the foolishness of a coward!

This thought brought a smile onto Tier 1 Mutant Jacob's face. As he walked down the tunnel, the mysterious feeling became stronger and stronger. Only now did he get a grasp of the potential power of this creation, and god...it was beyond anything he has ever seen before! He suspected an entity like Lord Apollo would be a mere pawn before this object! 

If he could take over this object and the power within...

Suddenly, once again, he started to wonder why there wasn't any security inside. These people obviously knew something was in this building that was worth dying for. That was why they created all these defenses and likely even Fortress Alpha. Did the man that ordered the sentries to stand down disperse all the security as well? Just so they wouldn't offend a Mutant like him?

How nice of him! But...was he really expecting that Jacob wouldn't find this object? How foolish of him as well! 

That was when Jacob suddenly sensed something. Something off. Something dangerous. His expression changed from smug to horror as, all of a sudden, a giant metal barrier slid down from the ceiling and cut off the hallway in front of him.

It must be some sort of defensive mechanism built into these halls!

The same thing happened behind him. As the sound of metal clashing against concrete rang out, all of a sudden, Jacob found himself trapped in a metal prison with no way out. All the exits were either blocked by concrete or metal. 

“This is an ambush!” Jacob’s eyes went wide open as he came to a conclusion that was, although correct, all too late. The man at the gate must’ve let him in so he could ambush him in the restrictions of the narrow halls! But if he thought this was enough to trap him, then he must be delusional! The Tier 1 Mutant held his fist tight, and instantly, an invisible force smashed into the barrier in front of him. 

Metal screeched from the impact. A single strike was enough to make a crack. 

If he was given sufficient time, he probably could’ve broken out, but time wasn’t on his side. A narrow tunnel appeared from the ceiling above Jacob, another hidden feature in the building used to catch attackers by surprise. Before Jacob knew it, fifteen grenades slipped into the tiny cell. 

“Fuck!” 

Now Jacob was a bit terrified. High explosive grenades in such a confined space where he had no choice but to take the full blast of the explosions! These damn vicious bastards! But if they thought these grenades could kill him, they must be delusional! Jacob thought arrogantly for the second time as, refusing to give up to a bunch of mere mortals, he quickly condensed his power and formed an invisible barrier around himself.

He was ready. The only problem was that when the grenades exploded, Jacob wasn’t shelled by shrapnel, flames, or shockwaves. Instead, the mixture of bright flare and deafening sounds consumed him. 

Stun grenades. 15 of them. 

Jacob collapsed on his knees. Blood dripped out of his eyes, nose, and ears. He could deflect flying pieces of metal with his mind, and even put down a ring of fire, but what the hell was he supposed to do about the light and sound? He wasn't powerful enough to completely seal himself off, for god's sake! This was so unfair! 

But that wasn’t over. The rear metal barrier was suddenly lifted. Through the opening, twenty Phasewalkers charged into the cell with M4A1 automatic rifles raised. Granted, only a handful of them could fire at the same time, but that was more than enough against the crippled Mutant. 

“You bastards…” Jacob struggled, trying to stand back up with all his strength, but it was useless. He had telekinesis, but the power required the full focus of his mind, which was a bit difficult when he could barely produce a full sentence. His power didn't help him recover from the blast either. Without another word, the Phasewalkers rained down a storm of bullets on the Camp York Tier 1 Mutant. 

Most Mutants, despite their powers, were still human. Put a bullet in their head and they perish just like the ordinary survivors they looked down upon. It took mere moments before Jacob collapsed in a pool of his own blood. 

Just like that, the arrogant Tier 1 Mutant who frequently preyed on ordinary mortals met his end in the walls of Fortress Alpha, in the hands of a group of ordinary mortals. 

Jacob made a deadly mistake. If there was a trigger for the Phasewalkers, it was the Portal. The Portal was the heart of the Phasewalker Corps and the meaning of its very existence. If the situation came down to it, every Phasewalker would give their lives to keep it secured, for behind it was their Motherland, their very homeworld at which their friends, families, and everything they knew and cared about resided in. 

If it meant killing a member of the local envoy and risk starting war with a local faction of great power and threat alike, then so be it. 

So who was delusional now? 

Ryan shot Jacob’s body in the head twice just to be sure before issuing another series of orders. If he had to turn on the locals, then he might as well pluck out all the roots while he was at it. Killing Jacob wasn’t enough. He had to make sure the entire situation was under control and the rest of the envoy was taken care of if the need arose. 

The entire Fortress Alpha was sprung into motion. 

As Aryan was talking to Caity, the York Troopers at the convoy were sitting around their motorcycles and SUV, relaxed. After all, they didn't expect anything to go afoul here. One of the most powerful beings in Camp York was here! Who would dare mess with them and risk pissing off a Tier 2 Mutant! 

But it seemed like they were to be proven wrong. One of the York Troopers frowned when a little too many Phasewalker Troopers were moving in around them. He could tell this was more than just normal patrol or movement. 

The way these Troopers looked at them...when a few Phasewalkers set up several machine gun positions facing exactly where the convoy was parked, they finally realized something was up. 

“We need to move! Inform Lord Aryan...” The Trooper snapped around to his comrades, but it was too late. 

The entire 5th Motorized Company moved forward and surrounded the six York Troopers. All of them had the Phasewalkers automatic rifles raised. Machine guns and rocket launchers were on the ready. Several pieces of armor approached from a distance. 

“Drop your weapons!” Captain Henry Fox of the 5th Company yelled as loudly as he could manage. “Drop your weapons now!”

“You’re surrounded!” Another Phasewalker Lieutenant warned as he saw the York Troopers getting anxious. His finger pressing right on the trigger. "Give up now! It's over! Put your weapons down and we won't hurt you!"

The York Troopers froze, unsure of what to do for a moment. They didn't even have to look around to realize they were completely outgunned and outnumbered. Make a stand and they would be wiped off the surface of the world without even firing a shot of their own. They were elite bodyguards of Aryan, but willing to die for him didn't mean fine with getting helplessly slaughtered without putting up a fight! 

Finally, they pulled out their Defender Rifles and set them on the ground gently.

Inside the tent, Aryan’s ear suddenly twitched. For some reason, he suddenly had a very bad feeling about this meeting. Suddenly, the room's door was pushed open, and Ryan and four Phasewalker Troopers walked in. Ryan whispered something into Caity’s ear, and the Colonel’s expression changed into a stoic look. In one moment, she went from a negotiator to a warrior. 

“I am afraid there has been an incident,” Caity said slowly as Ryan took a step back. Aryan glanced across the newly entered Phasewalkers, who had intense looks on their face. Their hands never strayed far from their weapons. 

“What happened?” He asked carefully, as confused as he was concerned. 

The door was pushed open again. This time, two Phasewalkers dragged in a corpse. Jacob, or rather what was left of him after he was riddled with bullets. A bloody trail tailed the body as it moved, dotted with random bullet shells. 

“Your companion attempted to break into one of our top-secret locations and, as a result, was executed. Any explanation for his crimes?”

Aryan looked down at Jacob’s body briefly. Eric took half a step forward and placed himself between Jacob and Caity. Just like what he told Caity, he was the bodyguard. In the event of danger, whatever he thought about the Phasewalke Corps or Section X, it was his duty to put himself in front of Caity. 

Ryan’s hand rested on an SMG. There were half a dozen Phasewalkers inside the office room. All five Companies of the 1st Phasewalker Battalion have been mobilized. If this Tier 2 Mutant decided to fight, then the full mechanical might of the Phasewalker Corps would descend upon him. 

Yes. Everyone in the room might die, but the rest of the Command Center has already been evacuated. In the case that both the Battalion Commander and the Battalion Commissar were killed in action, the Commander of the 1st Company, Major Nelson, would take over command and continue the mission of the Phasewalker Corps. Either way, Aryan shouldn't live to see another day, should he choose to fight. 

Finally, under the alert eyes of all the Phasewalkers, Aryan made up his mind. 

“I have never been a fan of the man. It will be a shame to let his insolence disturb such a valuable relationship.” The Tier 2 Mutant tapped the corpse gently, and the next moment, every Phasewalker in the room watched as a layer of white mist washed over the corpse. The temperature in the room dropped drastically as ice came out of thin air and slowly froze the remains of Jacob. 

And then, with a final crack, the frozen corpse exploded into a thousand pieces of ice shards and flesh pieces, painting the ground of Caity's office in red.

If it wasn't for the backstory, some might even call it art.  

Instead of turning on the Phasewalkers and avenging the death of his fellow Mutant, Aryan chose to tarnish his corpse and use it to ensure the relationship between Camp York and Fortress Alpha. 

That was...unexpected.