“Don’t touch anything,” Nora told Fletcher as they exited the vehicle at the small valley which was to be their staging area for the upcoming mission. “And don’t wander off.”

  “Why don’t you just point to where you want me to stand,” Fletcher suggested with crossed arms.

  “Right there is perfect actually. Try not to get in anyone’s way. Some of us actually have a purpose in being here,” his sister said. She reached up to pat his head and then walked away to converse with some other officer while Jeric and Private F’ira unloaded the back of the car.

  “Want some help?” Fletcher asked.

  “What did the Captain just tell you to do?” Jeric shrugged two large canvas bags onto his back, one over each shoulder.

  “Right. I’ll just… stand here.” Fletcher glanced around the clearing which was bustling with soldiers who were all engaged in their own tasks.

  The sun was past its apex, but it provided some amount of warmth against the chilly breeze which blew through the valley. The yellow grass was up to his ankles, some of the stalks holding delicate white flowers at the tops while tall hills surrounded the entire space, shielding them from prying eyes. They were three miles away from the first defenses of the conversion facility—a hidden facility which was why they were able to camp so close. Everyone was in a rush to get the camp prepared since they planned to launch their incursion the very next morning.

  Fletcher did end up just standing around and pacing small circles while the seventy soldiers who came on the mission set up tents, including a tall one that was their command station. Several portable heaters were set up to mimic campfires but without the smoke. A ring of guards were stationed with heavy machine guns at the perimeter, and then slowly the camp relaxed as the soldiers took up spots near the heaters or inside tents.

  He would have loved to join them just to get a little warmth into his numb hands and feet, but he’d learned his lesson about disobeying Nora two nights before with the slime, and he wasn’t in the mood to piss her off again.

  The only silver lining was that she didn’t seem to be holding a grudge about his idiotic mistake from that night with the cycats, and she still made some effort to chat with him during the drives.

  All in all, it took about an hour and a half for the base camp to get put together, and then it was another thirty minutes of waiting around in the cold until Nora decided to remember him.

  “I told you to stand,” she said as she walked up to him.

  Fletcher stopped his small amount of pacing to stare at her. “Really?”

  She smiled. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you briefed on what to expect tomorrow and then get you squared away for the night so I can get a little time to myself.”

  He eagerly followed her away from the vehicle and through the camp, the movement and bits of heat from the heaters doing wonders to warm up his frigid body. They went to the large canopy covering a myriad of computers and other technical systems which was full of personnel.

  Nora marched up to Colonel White who was overseeing the whole operation. Colonel White was actually Jeffrey, the half-[Jinn] who led the ambush on the buses last summer.

  “Colonel, you remember Fletcher, my brother who’s along for an observation,” Nora began.

  “Ah, yes. General Anders’ son who has a penchant for trouble,” he said. “Lieutenant Walsh, come meet the observer.”

  A Human woman stepped forward—Human as far as Fletcher could see at least. “Sir.”

  “This is Fletcher. Give him a tour of the station and go over the rules, twice,” Colonel White instructed. He gave Fletcher one last disapproving glance and then waved him off.

  Fletcher followed the woman away from his sister and the Colonel. Lieutenant Walsh fulfilled her duty with exactness, never once deviating for anything like personal questions. She showed Fletcher where all the communication would be happening as well as the screens which held all the camera feeds from each team. Walsh then politely pointed out a chair that was placed out of the way where he’d be able to see the screens without getting in anyone’s way.

  “You’re going to sit there and watch. No questions, no comments. Understand?” she asked after concluding the tour.

  “Yeah.”

  “Sit and watch. Silently. And if anyone gives you an order, you do it. It doesn’t matter what rank they are or if you like the order. You sit quietly and obey, understand?”

  “Got it,” he said with raised hands. “I’m not here to cause problems.”

  “Having you here is already a problem. Try not to make it any worse.” Walsh motioned back to Colonel White and Nora who were conversing with an officer he’d never met.

  Fletcher walked over to them, but before he got too close, Nora gestured to the area outside the command center. Understanding the unspoken order of “wait out there until I’m done,” he walked back out into the cold and bundled his arms close as he scanned the camp again. It was evening, the setting sun sending brilliant streaks of reds and oranges across the sky.

  He smiled at the beauty, despite the discomfort of the whole situation. He hated being treated like a nuisance and an outsider. His sister was the only one who even tried to be casual with him, and even that was mostly in the form of relentless teasing and jokes inlaid with various insults. Jeric was like the rest of the soldiers who didn’t give Fletcher a second thought unless it was to glare at him.

  In reality, the situation reminded him of being in Bren’it’p when he first moved to the city. Only this time he didn’t have anyone like Beam to fall back on. And he had no purpose. Living in Bren’it’p, he’d been able to throw himself into his work and focus on that when things got tough. Now he had nothing. He was simply counting down the days until he got shipped off to basic training and molded into some soulless soldier in a cause he didn’t even believe in.

  Then again, if things went according to Hazel’s plans tomorrow, he’d start believing in that cause. His mom seemed to think that seeing the horrors of a conversion facility was going to rid him of his moral compass completely and cause him to jump into this whole thing with full force.

  Fletcher wasn’t as worried about that as he was about what kind of horrible things he was going to see tomorrow. Nobody really wanted to go see the worst the world had to offer, and even if it was a good dose of reality, Fletcher decided that he would rather live in ignorance and the bliss that came with it.

  But that wasn’t an option anymore. He was here to see what his dad told him would change his mind about everything in terms of war and the Mixed, whether he liked it or not.

  Nora came out of the tent, calling out loudly and interrupting his thoughts.

  “Let’s go, Fletchie boy.” She led the way back into the cluster of tents.

  “Nora, I have a question that may be a little stupid,” Fletcher began as they walked.

  She glanced back at him with one eyebrow raised. “Then are you sure you want to ask it?”

  “What makes these facilities so awful? I understand that conversion is bad and all that, but it’s not like it’s leaving behind bodies and stuff. What’s so terrible about them?” he asked.

  Nora’s steps paused. “They don’t just convert people, Fletch. They beat them and starve them and sometimes even torture them.”

  “Why? Where’s the utility in that if they can just convert them and be done with it? That seems like a horrendously inefficient system with no real benefit,” he pointed out.

  “Because they’re Unhumans. They hate Humans. They think we’re a lower form of life.” Nora’s face was angry. “But to your other point, Hexing radiation isn’t exactly infinite. They have to farm it for these facilities, which means they have to use it strategically. In order to keep prisoners managed, they convert in batches, only converting ten to twenty percent at a time. It’s painful and traumatic enough that most people can’t fight back, and then they’re sent back to their cells to wait for the next round. And when it’s all over, most of them get sent off to live as the equivalent of slaves. It’s all a game to the freaks. They want to cause the prisoners pain and see them suffer, okay? Deities, that was definitely a stupid question.”

  Fletcher swallowed. He didn’t necessarily agree with Nora’s argument that all Unhumans hated Humans since he’d met plenty who proved that wrong, but he couldn’t argue about the torture aspect since she clearly had more experience and knowledge than him. He hated to think of that kind of hideous treatment, and he hated to think he was going to have to see it the next day whether he wanted to or not.

  They stopped at a tent staked in the very center of camp.

  “Safest part of camp, just for you,” Nora said with a smile, though he saw the frustration and anger boiling underneath. She pulled open the door and motioned him inside. “Jeric was kind enough to volunteer to bunk with you so try not to piss him off, okay? I need him well rested for tomorrow.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Thanks,” Fletcher said as he entered the tent. “See you tomorrow. And… good luck.”

  “We don’t need luck, Fletcher. We’re trained professionals.” Nora let the flap close.

  Yeah, she was pissed at him again. But he was glad he asked. That was important information to have.

  The tent was small and short, forcing him to crouch down to walk around. Two sleeping bags were already laid out, and his bag was on the right side. The left side held a standard military bag with the last name “Jordan” on it, but Jeric was nowhere in sight.

  “Another version of ‘stand here and don’t touch anything’ I guess,” Fletcher muttered to himself. He plopped on his makeshift bed and pulled his shoes off despite the coolness of the tent. Given they’d skipped their last midday sleep session, Fletcher was absolutely exhausted after having been up for twenty-four hours straight.

  Then again, so had Jeric who also drove the whole time, but Fletcher actually appreciated that his former best friend wasn’t in here. It made things less awkward with the tiny amount of space. After worming halfway into the sleeping bag for a little extra warmth, he grabbed out the second novel he’d brought with him. It was intended to be for the ride back to Finnack, but he was desperate for a distraction before trying to sleep so he started it anyway.

  He was only in the second chapter when the door rustled and Jeric entered. It was hard to adjust to his [Bloodhound] features with the ears on the top of his head and his hair and beard a crimson color. His dark skin remained furless though, so as long as one avoided looking above the neck, he seemed like any other Human.

  “Hey, Jeric,” Fletcher said, lowering the book slightly.

  He grunted in response as he bent over to take his boots off.

  “Headed to bed?”

  “I don’t know why else I’d be in here,” Jeric said.

  “Right. Dumb question.” Fletcher closed the book and set it on his bag. “Oh, and thanks for letting me crash in your tent. It would have been really awkward to share a tent with Nora.” The other times they’d slept on the journey, he’d just slept in the car while the others used tents.

  “It had to be someone.”

  Fletcher chose not to be offended by that.

  Jeric finished preparing for the night and then slid into his sleeping bag. He glanced at Fletcher and then, without saying anything, reached over and turned off the lantern.

  Fletcher worked his way all the way into the sleeping bag and blew out a long sigh. It was colder than sleeping in the car, and as tired as he was, his mind didn’t want to turn off.

  “Are you nervous for tomorrow?” Fletcher didn’t know why he said it, and he regretted it the instant it left his mouth, but he supposed some part of him was looking for solace.

  There was a long pause of silence, and he decided Jeric probably wasn’t going to answer. Just as he’d given up hope, his friend did respond.

  “No. I’ve done this a lot of times before.”

  “But it’s gotta be hard going into one of those places after having been stuck in one while you were a kid, right?” Fletcher couldn’t force himself to face a cell after a terrible nightmare, so he couldn’t imagine being as strong as Jeric to walk back into a place that had done such horrible things to him.

  Unsurprisingly, Jeric didn’t answer that.

  Right, dumb question, Fletcher thought to himself as he flipped on his side. He seemed to be full of those today. It took a long time, but eventually sleep did find him.

  ***

  A beeping noise woke Fletcher, and he blearily sat up, his mind not quite ready to function.

  Jeric moved in his sleeping bag and the noise stopped. He then pushed out of the bag and turned on the lantern. “Time to get going.”

  “Uh-huh.” Fletcher stretched out, sore after a night on the ground.

  Jeric shoved him. “Get moving, Fletcher. I need to drop you off at command before I round up my team.”

  “Sorry. I’m going.” Fletcher shuffled out of the sleeping bag, grimacing as the icy air sucked away the last of his built up warmth. He moved quickly, getting ready as fast as he could, but Jeric moved at superhuman speed it seemed like, and his friend was ready several minutes before him.

  Fletcher barely finished tying his boots and zipping up his bag before Jeric stepped out of the tent and held the door open for Fletcher to follow him.

  The outside air was even colder than the tent, and there was no hint of sunlight to warm them yet. A few stray soldiers huddled around heaters, but it was obvious the camp was still only just waking up.

  Even with the small number of awake soldiers, there was a certain electric feeling in the air as Fletcher walked with Jeric to the command center. It was even busier than the day before as people milled about issuing orders and checking screens.

  “Lieutenant Walsh, the observer,” Jeric called out once they were close.

  The female lieutenant rolled her eyes and motioned Fletcher over. “I’ve got him. Thank you, sergeant.”

  Fletcher made his way over to her, but as he got within five steps of her, she pointed at the solitary chair.

  “You remember the rules?” she asked with a tense voice.

  “Yeah. Sit, watch, and obey. No questions or comments,” he said.

  “Good.” The Lieutenant diverted her attention elsewhere.

  Fletcher sat down and silently watched the chaos gain more organization as the morning wore on. Eventually the buzz died down as teams and squads formed up. Everyone in the command center stood at attention as Colonel White walked in, followed closely by Nora and another officer. He stepped outside to address the troops who stood in formation and issued a last set of orders, lots of typical military stuff about watching each others’ backs and making sure they killed every monster they saw.

  He then sent them off, and the soldiers gave back one final salute before they all jogged away, Nora and the other officer included. Within a few minutes, it was just a set of patrol guards, the command center team, and Fletcher in the camp. Even the medical team was going closer to the facility to manage triage there.

  Fletcher remained in the chair, ignored by the people who sat at the various stations managing communications and monitoring screens. He tapped his fingers against the arms of the chair. He didn’t know why he was nervous when all he had to do was sit there, but whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was worried for his sister and friend who were going in, even if they weren’t concerned for their own safety.

  Several minutes of anticipation passed as Fletcher watched the set of screens before him, each carrying a video feed from one of the team leaders. The officers who headed up squads also got their own feeds.

  “Squad Echo, taking down the first defensive,” a voice said from the general radio.

  “Squad Delta, following suit,” another said.

  Shooting sounded as more chatter picked up, the teams communicating with each other and the command center. Lieutenant Walsh watched the screens while Colonel White issued orders and precautions.

  Fletcher watched on several of the screens as the fighting officially began. The sun had risen, making the feed visible, but with all the movement and shooting, it was hard to tell what was actually happening.

  So far, if he was being honest, this was taking on the appearance of a poorly shot action film, but he had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t remain that way. Eventually the element of surprise would wear off, and then the Unhumans would be able to pummel the Mixed with their [Skills]. While he saw plenty of Mixhumans among the soldiers going to the facility, he knew that full Unhumans had a lot more fire power thanks to their unlimited cap on [Skills] and levels.

  “Squad Alpha, approaching facility perimeter,” a voice he attributed to Nora said. She was going in first? Wasn’t that really dangerous for a regular Human? How would she avoid being Hexed?

  “Squad Charlie is in position.”

  “Squad Delta, in position.”

  “Squad Beta, in position.”

  “Squads, you have a go. Activate the [Skill]-shield,” Colonel White said into the comms.

  All three reported back of successful activation.

  That answered the question of how they planned to deal with [Skills]. It would be a lot fairer of a fight if no one had access to magical abilities. He remembered learning a bit about [Skill]-shields in his college classes, but he’d always been taught that scientists weren’t able to perfect it. Clearly the Mixed had more scientific knowledge than he’d been giving them credit for.

  “Ready to breach on your mark, Colonel.”

  Colonel White looked around the command center, getting confirming nods from all the others. “Squads, you have a go. Commence rescue operation.”

  Shooting, shouting, screams, and more sounded from the video feed and comms as the main part of the mission began. Fletcher remained in his seat, his hands wrapped around the arm rests as he watched the screens all become violent pictures of the Mixed killing Unhumans as they entered the facility.

  It was a rather gorey scene, and he had to look away several times to keep his stomach together, even without having gotten breakfast.

  When the first reports of reaching the cellblocks came in, Fletcher forced himself to watch closer. He had to see for himself just how bad this was.

  The video feed wasn’t great quality, but it was more than enough for Fletcher to see naked, bloodied forms of half-Humans. They were all covered in bruises, and some even nursed what looked to be broken bones. Each face he saw held a shallowness he knew came from starvation, and many cried as the soldiers released them from their cells. Every single person had some amount of Hexing. A few were in the early stages, but most were probably well past the fifty-percent mark.

  Other teams were running into resistance, and his eyes darted to Nora’s feed to ensure his sister wasn’t dead yet. When he glanced back to the video of the teams rescuing the first set of prisoners, he caught a surprised gasp before it could escape.

  He’d know that beady face anywhere, even if it was growing the black chitin of an [Insectoid].

  “Caston,” he mumbled to himself.

  The former principal looked to be in pretty rough shape with various bruises and cuts, but what concerned Fletcher more was the obvious amount of Hexing he’d endured. Caston was so humanist, it seemed unusually cruel for him to end up like this. As much as Fletcher had hated working under the man each summer, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t think anyone deserved this fate.

  Fletcher looked around the command center and discovered that everyone was engaged with something. He listened closely to the radio chatter and picked up on the location where all the freed prisoners would be taken.

  He was going to get in trouble for doing this, but after the trauma Caston went through, it would be good for him to see a familiar face, and Fletcher couldn’t stand sitting there any longer, unable to help. He wanted to try to do something for these people. Besides, everyone in the command center was so busy, no one would notice if he snuck off for a few minutes to check in on a friend.

  After ensuring no one was watching, Fletcher slipped out of the canopy and made his way towards the temporary medical base a mile away.