The truth was that humanity was fighting a war it couldn't win this time. As time went by, millions of infected were wiping out the resistance settlements.
Alan had realized this long before everyone else, so his idea was actually very simple: create a shelter that could secure humanity's future, and from that place, begin to recover.
The difficulties they would face were unimaginable. The number of people who would die building that place would be countless, but he was certain that everyone would understand—just like General Shelton did, who agreed to give him full authority to proceed immediately.
That's why Alan was promoted to Colonel and was immediately informed where his team was located. Yes, the special forces—the soldiers he had led several months ago.
General Shelton had made sure that every man who fully trusted Alan had survived until his return to the army.
"I wish you'd been here from the beginning, but this is the best thing that's happened to us so far," said General Shelton, visibly exhausted. His pale expression suggested he didn't have much time left.
At that moment, Alan felt pressure like never before, so he went quickly to find his team.
As he entered the building where the remaining special forces in the base were stationed, Jack, who was accompanying Alan to assist him, shouted, "Attention!"
Everyone who heard that turned to the entrance and, without hesitation, stood up straight, ready to receive orders.
"Colonel, some of these faces might look familiar. As you'll see, we preserved all elite forces on this military base in the hope that this would be our final option. Now that you're here, they're your men now."
After that was said, Alan walked in front of the soldiers. This time, he wore a clean military uniform with the medals backing his new rank.
"Your faces look gloomy. Yes, we're losing to a natural enemy. However, now that I'm here, grab your weapons and meet in the briefing room. No exceptions."
"Yes, Colonel!"
When Alan left, a bearded man smiled and shouted, "The Captain's alive!"
"Told you that man wouldn't die so easily! He was probably just at home watching those old '80s movie marathons."
Riya, a woman cleaning her sniper rifle, watched Alan leave and muttered, "Bastard…"
"Things are going to get violent now that the Captain's freeing us. I hope everyone is mentally prepared for it," said a burly man named Brion, who never parted from his heavy machine gun.
Davis, a Black man who seemed especially excited by Alan's return, said, "We've waited long enough. I bet we're getting deployed today."
"Yeah, I'm itching to shoot some of those monsters."
Riya, who had watched all the commotion, stepped out of the room and walked outside to clear her mind.
A young soldier asked, "What's wrong with the Sergeant?"
"Oh… That's a complicated subject," Davis replied, making a face that clearly showed he didn't want to explain anything about that woman.
Once he was sure Riya couldn't hear them, Brion said, "She's the Colonel's girlfriend. They were once engaged… But everything fell apart when a mission went wrong due to bad intel. The Captain distanced himself from everyone—even her."
"Best to leave that in the past. Everyone here knows the last mission led by the Captain was a nightmare."
The veterans fell silent. Alan's sudden departure from the army made it clear he had taken on blame that wasn't his, and everyone was still sensitive about the matter.
He never talked about it with anyone. He simply took responsibility and was even blamed for the deaths of two young soldiers under his command.
Those who knew the way Alan led could only say one simple thing: be prepared to go against your morals, because winning is the goal—no matter the wounds on your body.
Winning is the goal…
That's what everyone needed.
…
It was said that in the heart of the southern United States, Texas stood not only as a symbol of identity and power but also as a strategic epicenter for the country's special operations.
Across its vast plains and top-secret military bases, elite units from both the National Guard and the regular Army were silently deployed. Though the exact number of troops remained hidden behind a veil of confidentiality, their presence spoke volumes: Texas wasn't just guarding its borders—it was training those who crossed the world's borders on missions that would never make headlines.
In this scenario, where the visible and the covert intertwined, Alan would take command starting today and begin a race against the clock.
If he didn't act quickly, everyone would die.
And no matter how many soldiers were under his command, they would keep dying until no one was left.
That's why today, they would take a new path—one that had never been taken before.
"Everyone's ready, sir," said Jack, now looking at Alan with absolute respect.
Alan walked onto the stage and saw more than ten thousand special forces before him—a third of the power General Shelton commanded at this site.
"Soldiers, I present to you the Prometheus Initiative."