"Colonel Hunter, we have decided to honor our end of the deal. From this day on, every Rebirth personnel will serve you with loyalty and dedication!"
The next morning, Ford went to see Caity and pledged her his allegiance. He did so smiling, believing that he had made the right call.
But soon, he wasn't smiling anymore.
Caity acted quickly. The 900 Rebirth survivors were first divided into two groups. Only 100 of them were non-combatants. They were assigned to the same group as the Phasewalker non-combatants, with duties ranging from being cooks, construction workers, or even accountants.
The 800 others were made into Rebirth Troopers. They were given Guardian IV armors, Defender-I Gauss Rifles, and pretty much everything Phasewalker Assault Troopers were equipped with. These were elite troops and Caity had no intention of wasting them just because they weren't Phasewalkers.
All Rebirth Troopers bore brown markings.
But problems arose with how these Rebirth Troopers were organized.
Normally, the common expectation was for Caity to organize these troopers into a single battalion and make Ford the commander, rewarding the former leader for his loyalty. Instead, the Hunter did things differently. She divided the 800 Rebirth Troopers into two separate battalions.
The 1st Rebirth Battalion was commanded by Major Ford, as expected.
The 2nd Rebirth Battalion, on the other hand, had Zhao as its leader.
Yep. Caity made the Tier 1 Mutant at the same level of authority as his former leader, Tier 2 Mutant Ford.
"This is not going to go well with Ford." Ryan warned Caity almost as soon as the designations were issued. "He will be begrudged at the very least."
"I know." Caity returned the Regiment Commissar's doubts with a wide smile. "But he made a deal with us."
"Yes he did, Caity, but he doesn't feel like the type of person who would honor it." Ryan was unconvinced. He knew all too well not everyone would stay true to their words regardless of the circumstances. If they did, his job simply wouldn't exist.
That was when Caity Hunter let out a mysterious smile.
"Well, if he refuses to honor this deal...then he is a traitor. And, Mr. Commissar, what do we do to traitors?"
The answer was simple.
Ryan nodded slowly in understanding. As the Regiment Commissar walked out of the room, Caity found the smile on her face gone, and for a moment, she sat back in her seat, alone.
She did what she did for a reason. The Phasewalker Corps had to serve a great cause, and she wouldn't let anyone stand in its way. The Phasewalkers had their loyalties ensured, but the Rebirth Troopers...they had no families on Earth, nor were they paid by Section X. They could turn against the Phasewalkers easily. Caity had to fully control them, and Ford was the primary obstacle.
Ford's influence among the Rebirth Troopers was significant. One wrong move, and he could inspire a revolt that might cripple Fortress Alpha and even threaten to sabotage Earth. Caity couldn't allow such a threat to exist. That was why she split the Rebirth Troopers into two groups and placed one under Zhao to decrease Ford's control over his men.
But splitting the men was just one of many steps. This was also a test for Ford. If Ford tolerated this, cool. He could be trusted in the future with more authority and influence. But if he was offended and decided to turn that offense into action...well...that meant he couldn't be trusted at all.
Just as she said to Ryan, that would make Ford a traitor, and traitors only deserve one thing.
A quick end.
But after all the scheming, Caity suddenly felt tired. No. She felt exhausted. She felt like she was a hamster on wheels, constantly forced to keep moving and working just to survive. She needed to relax, to take a break, but here, in Fortress Alpha, there was no rest.
Even worse, after all the chaos, she didn't even have anyone to lean on. To share her burden. Her parents were in another world, probably hating her right now for what she decided to do with her life. Eric wasn't any different. She has completely alienated him with her decisions.
When she chose her path, a path of placing her duty before all, Caity surrounded herself with a certain group of people. People like Ryan and Cara and Katherine and even Charlotte. They were brilliant officers and fighters, but they weren't exactly people that she could just talk to.
The Colonel sighed and closed her eyes. She just needed a damn break...
---
Caity's maneuvers were fast and deadly. Before Ford knew it, half his men were being assigned to someone else. One of his former underlings, no less!
"This is a fucking outrage!"
Ford barely made it back into his own tent before he exploded in endless fury. He set aside his pride and yielded to someone who he barely knew, and what did he get in return? Disrespect! Disgrace! He was a damn Tier 2 Mutant, god damn it! How dare a non-Mutant like this damn Caity Hunter treat him like this?
"I will not be cast aside like a used tool!" He growled in frustration and slammed his fist into the table, sending a giant crack across the wooden surface.
In front of him were all of his lieutenants from Rebirth. Taylor. The man who advised against submitting to Fortress Alpha named James. And, finally, awkwardly, Zhao.
The lieutenants glanced at each other before Zhao spoke up hesitantly.
"Sir...what Colonel Hunter did was...rude, yet...yet there is a reason behind this! She doesn't trust us and rightfully so! If we can prove to her that we can be trusted…"
His voice trailed off when Ford looked up at him with a look so vicious that it sent chills down his spine. This was a look of utter despise.
"Of course you would say it, Major Zhao." He emphasized on the title Caity assigned Zhao with.
"Sir…"
"Oh don't call me sir!" The Tier 2 Mutant snapped. "Not after what you did to me! Why did Hunter make you the other Major, Zhao? Tell me! Why not Taylor or James? Why you?"
"I...I don't…"
"Lies!" Ford stepped forward menacingly. "This was all part of your plan, isn't it? You made the offer to surrender our men because that's your deal with Hunter! In exchange, Hunter gave you this title!"
"That...that is not true!" Zhao was taken back. How did Ford come to this conclusion? "I was just trying to save everyone!"
His former leader nodded slowly before suddenly forcing a small smile onto his face. But this didn't make anyone in the room feel any better.
"Zhao, my friend." Ford said quietly. He was almost whispering. "I am sure that as the Commander of the 2nd Rebirth Battalion, you have a lot to attend to. In that case, please…" He pointed at the door.
"Sir…"
"Get out!"
Zhao nodded slowly before glancing around the room. Almost everyone was looking at him with distrust and even hatred.
As the Tier 1 Mutant left, Ford completely dropped whatever facade he was able to create.
��Caity Hunter betrayed us." Ford suddenly announced to the room. "She must pay for it."
Pay for it? How? On the side, Taylor raised her eyebrows. She took a step forward and spoke up.
"Sir, we can go talk to our people from Rebirth. See who wants to leave. I'm sure Colonel Hunter will be fine with us leaving on our free will…"
"Leaving?" Ford turned to Taylor, hissing like a viper. "Oh...we're not leaving, Taylor. No…" He looked around the cement-crafted room. "as a matter of fact, I quite like it here…"
Oh no...Taylor's heart sank as she realized what Ford was talking about.
"James. Frank." Ford turned to two of his most trusted lieutenants. "I want you two to go through our people and select the loyalists who will only answer to us. When the time comes, storm the fortress's armory and access all the firepower."
James nodded, but he had some doubts. "Sir, after everything, I say we have at most twenty men who would turn on these people at a moment's notice. After all, they saved us a week ago. That is not enough to do much."
There were over one thousand Phasewalkers in Fortress Alpha. Most of the 800 Rebirth Troopers would likely stay out of this or even help the Phasewalkers during the firefight. As of the moment, the rebels just didn't have the numbers.
"That's not enough to fight Fortress Alpha head-on, but that's enough to take over a leaderless faction." Ford said quietly before turning to the two Tier 1 Mutants who survived all this. There were three in total, with one being Zhao.
"Taylor. Kane. I will take you two and find an excuse and have a meeting with Caity Hunter. When she sees us, we take out her and every member of the Fortress Alpha High Command we can find. In the resulting chaos, as the only leaders left, we will seize this so-called Fortress Alpha..."
"Wait…" Taylor suddenly cut in. She just couldn't keep going with this anymore. "We are killing Colonel Hunter? Sir, Colonel Hunter and her people saved our lives! We would all be dead without her! If you have problems with her designations, then we can just leave!"
"Leave? Where to?" Ford was almost scoffing. "Where can we go with a dozen men? With no weapons or supply?" His gaze softened. "After we take over Fortress Alpha, with all the resources and manpower under our control, we can create another Rebirth here! It will be a settlement stronger and more capable than the old one ever was! With it, we can save more people than we ever could before!"
Taylor almost couldn't believe her ears. Really? Ford was using the prospect of saving people to justify murdering the people who took them in as guests? This...this was just wrong! What in the world is happening here?
She could remember once upon a time where Ford would die before falling to something this low. What happened? What changed?
She wasn't the only one with doubts. A few other lieutenants did as well, so Ford gave it a final push.
"Gentlemen, we tried to be nice. We tried to keep our hands clean and do things the right way, but what did we get in return?" He glanced across the lieutenants. "Rebirth is gone. Our people are massacred and scattered. If we don't act, they will be used as cannon fodders by a faction we know nothing about and doesn't give a damn about us."
"Sometimes, to get what we are after, we need to get our hands dirty. Now is the time."
Taylor found herself nodding.
Perhaps now is indeed the time...but the time for what?
---
Ford planned his uprising three days after the meeting. This brief moment gave him some time to plan things out.
First, he sent one of his lieutenants to Zhao and apologized on his behalf. The reason he didn't go see Zhao himself was because he wanted to put up an act of a leader who was disgruntled but was willing to settle things for the good of the long term after the initial outburst. He hasn't really changed his mind, but he was sending a message to Zhao showing that he didn't want to be an enemy of Zhao.
All to blind the traitor from what he was really planning.
After that, he waited patiently. Throughout the days, his lieutenants talked to many of the Rebirth Troopers in secret. Loyalists. Individuals who owed their lives to Ford. Even against people who saved their lives, they would gladly draw their blades at a moment's command.
Finally, when all was ready, Ford talked to Lieutenant Mason to schedule a meeting with Caity.
Three days after Ford made up his mind, everything was finally ready. As the Tier 2 Mutant stood in his room in preparation, he couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.
Was all this really necessary? When he first heard Caity's appointments, he had to admit he was beyond furious. But through the days, fury has died down. Anger has been washed away. A sense of logic had returned to him.
The way of the sword wasn't the only choice. If he went and expressed his grievance to Caity...whether this rebellion was successful or not, countless human beings would be the victims. These were human beings that could've lent a helping hand against the Mutated Animals that have been terrorizing the planet.
Instead, because of his selfish desires, they were about to lose their lives fighting their own people.
Behind him, Taylor walked up. She looked at Ford with a complicated look.
"Sir, are you ready?"
Ford froze.
"Sir," Taylor repeated. "If we do this, when we pull the trigger now, there will be no turning back."
In other words, right now, they still had a choice to drop all this and act as if nothing happened.
Ford turned back and faced the Tier 1 Mutant loyalist. The hesitation in his eyes was replaced by determination. He wouldn't settle with being treated like a mindless tool, forever serving someone who has shown no hesitance in disrespecting him or his authority.
Today, she could take away half his men. Tomorrow, she could strip away all his forces. And then, all would be lost.
"Let's move."