Addy slithered forwards on her stomach, bits of rock jabbing into her as she went towards the edge of the cliff. She barely peeked over the edge into the narrow canyon, just catching sight of one of the many patrols out in the area after the attack in Bren’it’p. They were deep in the forest, surrounded by trees with blue bark and yellow-green leaves.

  She put a hand to the radio in her ear. “West, Dart, I’ve got eyes on a group of seven headed directly towards your position. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” West said.

  “Moni, how about you?” Addy asked.

  “I need two more minutes to finish setting up the bomb,” the woman answered.

  “The patrol is moving fast. We’ll have to distract them. Dart, West, I’ll draw their attention and then the pair of you can flank them.” Addy pulled the rifle from her back and took aim. This position had poor cover, but there wasn’t anything better nearby, and she trusted her team to have her back.

  “Ready when you are, Lieutenant,” Dart’s voice crackled in her ear.

  The Unhumans were only a few yards from where Dart and West were hidden when Addy kneeled up and unleashed half her magazine into the crowd. She didn’t care much where the bullets went, only that she caused a commotion.

  It worked. The Unhumans shouted and called out as she stood up and took off running along the edge, keeping herself in view as bullets bounced off the rocks she’d just been at. If Dart and West were just a few seconds too slow with their attack, she was going to die.

  Luckily, Sergeant Dart and Lieutenant Chris West were reliable—that’s why she had them on her team in the first place—and greater chaos broke out in the canyon below as the two leapt from their hiding place with guns blazing.

  Addy slid to the ground and centered her rifle on her shoulder again. She took the time to aim properly as she expertly downed two of their opponents. Dart and West each dropped one, leaving only three more of the Unhumans.

  Unfortunately, one of them was a [Fairy]. With a clear voice, he called out, “[Shield],” and a hemisphere of protection appeared around him and his companions.

  Dart and West both kept their weapons pointed towards the trio, but neither shot since the [Shield] would only reflect the bullets back, risking injury to themselves.

  “What now?” West asked through the radio.

  “We wait them out.” Addy glanced around, praying no other patrols were close enough to have heard the noise.

  The evening light was quickly fading, which worked against them given West was the only one who had [Dark Vision] on her team. Hopefully Moni was right about her time estimate.

  “Once the bomb goes off, this whole place will be one giant crater and all traces of [Skills] will be gone. Let’s leave them to their fate,” Dart countered.

  “We just have to wait long enough to make sure they don’t have time to find the bomb and deactivate it or else they’ll be able to call in a [Tracker] and get a trail straight back to base.” Addy pulled her hand from her ear piece, still scanning the horizon for any sign of more enemies.

  “Bomb is armed. We’ve got five minutes to get out of here,” Moni informed everyone.

  “There’s a very good chance this [Shield] will last longer than that,” West said. “They’d only need to have a level 6 [Shield] for that.”

  “But something that low level won’t last in the explosion,” Dart pointed out.

  Addy chewed the inside of her cheek as she considered the situation. As commanding officer, it was her decision. She wanted to prioritize the lives of her team, but her duty required that they not put the rest of the outpost at risk by returning there when there were enemy eyes to see.

  They would just have to wait until very close to the explosion going off before they [Passaged] back to base, but they could keep eyes on the [Shield] and the entrance to the bomb’s hiding place from where she stood while remaining on guard for enemies.

  “Everyone regroup at my position. Let’s see—”

  Addy stopped speaking as she caught sight of another incoming patrol, this one larger with over a dozen soldiers in it. Based on the haste with which they were moving, they’d clearly been alerted to the fight. “We’ve got company. Thirteen freaks incoming, ready for action.”

  “On my way,” West replied.

  “I’ll watch the [Shield],” Dart said.

  Addy pointed her rifle towards the group but didn’t fire. The four of them were no match for a group that big, especially without the element of surprise. They would have to retreat, but if they played their cards right, they could still wipe out all sixteen of the Unhumans in the area.

  “Delay that, West. Everyone meet at Moni’s position. We’ll [Passage] to base from there,” Addy ordered.

  “Ma’am—” West began.

  “Now.” Addy lowered her weapon and stepped away from the edge. She jogged through the forest of trees, their light blue trunks stretching up to meet the dark blue sky while their yellow-green leaves were only just starting to unfurl after the winter.

  She came to a collection of bushes which protected the entrance to the cave where Moni hid. She found their munitions expert waiting inside alongside the large bomb they’d brought with them from base.

  This had been the hiding place for their vehicle, located a few dozen miles outside of Bren’it’p. After they’d stabilized Fletcher the night before, she’d created a [Passage] here where they could safely drive back to the outpost since they couldn’t risk being [Tracked] directly from the city.

  Now they were here to blow it up and permanently cover their tracks.

  “The bomb’s equipped with an anti-[Skill] shield, Lieutenant, so how are we going to get out of here?” Moni asked. She was petite, with red-brown skin and short black hair—the only pure Human on the team.

  “Disable it.” Addy swung her rifle around her back. “And then I’ll [Passage] us back to base.”

  “But if the shield is turned off, it drops the timer to five seconds as a failsafe. That’s not a lot of time.” Moni wrung her hands. She was only a private and a new addition to the team after Lastrade finished her five years of service two months ago.

  “Plenty of time for me. [Passage] is my highest level [Skill]. Don’t worry, Private. I’ve done this lots of times before,” Addy lied in comfort.

  The woman looked unconvinced.

  A few moments later, the leaves at the entrance rustled and dirt came sliding down by itself. Moni grabbed her pistol and pointed it at the [Invisible] intruder, but Addy pushed it back down.

  “Easy, Moni. That’s just Dart and West.”

  Just as she predicted, the [Invisibility] came off, revealing the [Shade] and [Dragonist].

  Dart was a full-blooded [Shade], standing there with his inky black skin, hair and eyes that blended in with the dark brown uniforms they all wore. As usual, he had a grin on his face. He was born Unhuman and joined the Mixed as a refugee after his pro-Hexed Human parents were driven from their home when he was only a child.

  “Those freaks will be on us pretty soon, Lieutenant. Even [Invisible], they had our trail,” the Sergeant informed her.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea, Lieutenant?” West stood up from where he’d tumbled in alongside Dart. Like her, he was only mostly Unhuman, reaching above the 85% mark in his conversion which allowed them both to blend in with Unhuman populations and avoid being [Sniffed] out by [Bloodhounds]. Technically he was the oldest on the team by a lot, but the age regression from having so much [Dragonist] in him put him closer to his early twenties.

  “How much time do you think we have?” Addy asked Dart, ignoring West’s concerns. She couldn’t afford to doubt her abilities now.

  “A couple of minutes,” Dart answered.

  “Then we’ll go now. Moni, deactivate the anti-[Skill] shield. Everyone stand close to me. As soon as the [Passageway] opens, we all dive in together,” Addy ordered.

  She moved to be close to where Moni worked on the bomb and shook her arms out. She could do this. It was just [Passage], after all, and she had plenty of [Mana.]

  A brief flash of anxiety passed through her brain, reminding her that it would be very bad if she had somehow accidentally spent all her [Mana], so with a thought, she called up her status.

  White text appeared in front of her vision, enough of it to cut her off from seeing much else.

  [Species: Elf]

  [Conversion Percentage: 87%]

  [Available Mana: 87/87]

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  [Skills:]

  [Heal, Level 5]

  [Temporary Weapon, Level 10]

  [Shield, Level 12]

  [Reverse, Level 15]

  [Passage, Level 35]

  Not the most impressive list of [Skills], but it was rather good considering she’d only been actively training for eight years. She’d stopped training six months prior though, since she was planning to choose a new [Skill], and she wanted room to level it up. As it was, she would only have 10 levels to devote to it unless she took on more radiation, but she didn’t want to move that conversion percentage another point closer to 100.

  Luckily she had all her [Mana] saved up still. [87 Mana] was enough to [Passage] all four of them all the way back to the outpost.

  “On your order, Lieutenant, I’ll shut off the shield.” Moni’s voice brought Addy back from her thoughts.

  She quickly dismissed the text and squared her shoulders.

  “Now,” she said.

  Moni pressed a button and an intense beeping sounded from the bomb in warning of the upcoming explosion. At that same moment, Addy focused her mind on a single word, keeping a vision of the outpost garage in the back of her mind for reference.

  “[Passage],” she said aloud. The [Skill] was a high enough level she could activate it without speaking it, but she wanted to be absolutely sure it worked given the intense circumstances.

  [Activating: Passage]

  A glowing circle appeared in front of her, the inside showing the garage of the base, just as she’d imagined it. Before she could even move, West was shoving her and the rest of the team through. All four of them collapsed onto the concrete, and Addy flipped back around and focused her mind on closing the [Passageway].

  [Deactivating: Passage]

  [Mana Consumed: 80]

  The last thing she saw as the circle disintegrated was the countdown on the bomb’s timer hitting zero. She leaned back with a sigh. They’d successfully covered their tracks.

  The smug face of Major Simpson looked down at her. “Just in time, Baltic. We’re about to leave.”

  Addy chuckled as she rose to her feet. She glanced around the garage and realized it was mostly empty, the last few soldiers from the outpost wandering outside to where the vehicles waited.

  “Well, I appreciate you waiting for us.” She tugged the rifle from her back. “You guys heard the Major. Get to our vehicle assignment so we can get out of here.” According to the plan, the self-destruct for the whole outpost would go off within a few hours, further eliminating any traces of the Mixed this close to Bren’it’p, one of the largest Unhuman cities in the world.

  After the attack from the Humans, the Unhumans would be out in droves to try to root out the terrorists, meaning the entire outpost had to be sacrificed. It was a big loss considering it was a staging point for all missions into the cities located within central Telra, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

  “Baltic, you’ve been moved to the General’s vehicle. She wants a mission report while we’re out,” Simpson informed her.

  Addy nodded and waved to her team. “You guys go load up. I’ll catch you later.”

  All three saluted before doing as she said while she followed Simpson to the SUV where General Anders would ride. She was in the back seat next to the lieutenant who served as General Anders personal secretary.

  “I thought you were watching over the prisoner,” Addy noted when she saw Simpson entering the vehicle as well.

  “That’s not really your concern, Baltic,” Simpson said. “I made sure he’s taken care of, and that’s all you need to know.”

  Addy made a fist in her lap to keep from tugging on her hair. As the engine roared to life, she slid back in her seat and buckled up. The General then entered the vehicle, putting all other conversation to a stand still, and the caravan soon took off into the sunset.

  ***

  The sun had gone down, come up, and gone down again by the time the caravan finally stopped for the night to give everyone a chance to rest. Thanks to the hyperfuel formulated from a mix of Human and Unhuman science, there was no need to worry about fuel as vehicles could go more than a thousand miles on a single tank. They’d only had to refuel once since leaving the base, and they would refuel again in the morning.

  Food was finally divvied out but in small amounts due to the rationing protocols still in effect. This was only Addy’s third meal since returning from Bren’it’p. The Central Telra Outpost hadn’t seen supplies from their people in months, so there wasn’t a lot of food to go around. The Unhumans had started up [Tengu] patrols, and even found ways to post [Physical]-type Unhumans around with high levels in [Track] which could easily target their planes, so they were forced to go minimal contact and use land vehicles in their escape instead of airplanes.

  Addy sat around a heater which mimicked a fire in everything but smoke alongside General Anders, Major Simpson, and the rest of their vehicle’s occupants, though she’d much rather have been with her team and the other soldiers who all appeared to actually be having fun.

  As she glanced around the woods where they camped—an Unhuman forest in the north of Telra with the usual blue trunks and yellowish leaves—her eyes passed by the “prisoner” sitting up against a tree with his duct taped ankles stretched before him and a blindfold over his eyes.

  Fletcher Anders. One of seven names on a list that every soldier in the Mixed military memorized. Their standing orders were that if they ever ran into someone from that list in a situation that could be considered “dangerous” they were to take immediate action to secure and protect that person.

  Addy had ensured those orders were fulfilled, even as she lay half-dead in Dart’s arms, but seeing the way Fletcher was treated made her almost regret that decision. If she’d never said his name, the others wouldn’t have known, and he might be back to whatever strange life led him to being in Bren’it’p.

  She frowned when she realized he had no food. And she hadn’t seen him out during the earlier breaks either so there was a good chance he hadn’t eaten at all during his time in captivity.

  Addy pressed her spoon around the thin soup in her bowl. As hungry as she was, she couldn’t force herself to eat when the man who saved her life was being treated so inhumanely.

  “A problem with the food, Baltic?” Simpson asked with a smirk.

  Addy ignored him and turned to Hazel. “With your permission, General, I’d like to donate my portion to the prisoner. He hasn’t eaten in at least two days by now.”

  “He’s not your concern,” Simpson snapped.

  “General.” Addy refused to look at the Major. “Last time I checked, we didn’t starve our prisoners.”

  “How dare you compare his treatment to that.” Simpson glared at her. “He’s been treated like a freaking king in comparison to—”

  Hazel put her hand up, stopping the argument in its tracks. “She’s right, Simpson. We’re better than that.” She nodded to Addy. “Go ahead, Lieutenant. You’re free to speak with him about his own life, but I don’t want you answering any of his questions about the situation, understand? I’ll provide answers when the time comes.”

  “Of course, General.”

  “Simpson, go with her and make sure those orders are followed.”

  Addy stood up, ignoring the sting from Hazel which made it clear how little trust she had in her. She walked across the grass with Simpson, soup in hand, to where their captive lay. Simpson motioned off the guard as Addy bent down and removed the blindfold, earplugs, and gag.

  Fletcher’s green eyes stared up at her, that hint of anger in them fading as he realized who it was.

  “Deities, please tell me we’re getting close to wherever we’re going,” he said with a hoarse voice as he looked up at the stars.

  She knelt next to him. “Simpson, the cuffs?”

  The Major huffed and squatted down to undo Fletcher’s bindings. Once his arms were free, Fletcher immediately brought his hands around front and rubbed where the metal had met his skin. Addy winced at the red rings around his wrists.

  “Hungry?” She held the bowl out.

  “Starving. Thank you.” He eagerly accepted the food, but that eagerness faded after a single bite.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “It’s fine. Beggars can’t be choosers.” Fletcher ate another bite, clearly caught between his hunger and his disgust.

  “So I never heard why you were in Bren’it’p…”

  Her friend smiled at her, that same disarming smile he’d had when they were kids, and gave her the short story of going from teacher to a city-wide education administrator in one of the largest Unhuman cities on the planet. Normally, Addy would have been critical of a Human willingly joining in with the Unhumans, but she couldn’t fault Fletcher for it. He was obviously passionate about education, to the point it was a bit contagious. And Fletcher had basically been a brother to her when they were kids.

  “The gala sure was something,” Addy continued after he finished, hoping to keep him from having the chance to ask her anything.

  “Yeah. The architecture in the whole city is just stunning,” he concurred before taking another bite of soup.

  “Did you get to try any of the food there at the gala? They had classics from all the species. I’ve always been partial to the [Vampire] blood-tarts, weird as it is. Once you get past the fact that it’s actual blood, they taste really good.”

  Fletcher laughed. “I didn’t get to try anything while I was there. I was on my way to the refreshments table when I saw you, and…”

  “Right. When we get to—”

  Simpson cleared his throat, keeping her from spoiling the name of their next location.

  “Sorry,” she muttered. Taking a breath, she tried again. “Remind me to find you some blood tarts when we get to… where we’re going. I think you’ll like them.”

  “Sounds good.” Fletcher looked up at her with those startling green eyes, a question on his face. “Addy, can I ask what happened to you? I mean, I saw you less than ten years ago, and you were… normal.”

  Addy sighed. As long as she was careful, she felt she could answer this without disobeying General Anders’ orders. “I got Hexed that day out in the Cloud, same time as Jeric, but it was a low percentage so it went unnoticed. Until blood tests got better. When I got my yearly physical the summer after graduating high school, my Hexing was discovered. I was rescued soon after by the Mixed.”

  Fletcher nodded, understanding on his face. He seemed to recognize that she wouldn’t say more about it than that. He took his last bite of soup and held the bowl back out. “Thanks for the food, as awful as it was.”

  “The least I could do for the guy who saved my life.” She took the used dish in hand. “About that…”

  No. Now wasn’t the right time to apologize for the trouble she caused him, not with Simpson right there, ready to report anything she said to Hazel. “Thanks for saving me, Fletcher. It was a remarkably selfless thing to do for someone you haven’t seen in ten years.”

  “Well, we did make a pact to do just that,” he reminded her.

  “Future Breach Explorers.” She smiled, thinking of simpler times. That day with the Cloud came back, bringing with it the bitter memories of getting Hexed, losing Jeric to the Unhumans, watching Fletcher move away, and then being left alone for what would be the darkest time in her life.

  “If you two are done, I’d like to wrap this up before the morning,” Simpson said abruptly.

  Addy sighed as she stood up. “It was good chatting, Fletch. I’ll see you around.”

  “See you.” He forced a smile as Simpson set to work cuffing him and replacing the gag, earplugs, and blindfold.

  She hated that they treated him this way, but General Anders insisted they continue treating Fletcher as a top-level threat despite the fact it was very clear he wasn’t one. Knowing Hazel, this was probably her way of punishing him for whatever he did to piss her off. There were plenty of rumors about what that might have been since the General’s demeanor had become exceptionally sour since their reunion, but most of them were absurd. All Addy knew for sure was that Hazel wanted Fletcher handled as roughly as possible until they got back to Finnack Mountain Base.

  She walked away from the prisoner as the guilt ate at her soul. For some reason, her gut warned her that bringing Fletcher in was going to be a mistake. A big one.