Page 5 of Semi-Human

The following week, I mostly read and hang out with Caden and some of my old friends from the orphanage. I visit Finn twice and am allowed to enter his cell for a few rounds of cards. He still doesn’t know what they’ll do with him, but he seems relieved he hasn’t been kicked out yet. I have dinner with Dino at his nice apartment, and he cooks what he knows I like. We don’t talk about the giants; instead, he shares stories about my dad, from his childhood to when he married my mom. I soak up every detail and ask to hear more, even though the experience is bittersweet. The more I discover of the man who gave me life, the more I wish I got to know him.

I make sure to volunteer at our rehabilitation center for Defenders who are wounded in battle. The place is struggling to keep up with requests for help, so it’s customary to volunteer whenever you’re on leave. Every time I go there, I become even more determined to kill Raiders, but I’m also terrified of ending up there someday.

I’m slowly getting used to the familiar rhythm of the Hive when Caden meets me one evening at The Den and tells me to follow him. He’s wearing his black uniform, his shoulders stiff.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Briefing.”

I stop myself from asking more questions because there are civilians around. We take the elevator to the Heights, then cross the park. As we’re about to reach the Defenders’ headquarters, he finally says, “We’re heading out at first light to one of the locations Finn told us about. I want you to join my squad to try it out, but it’s up to you.”

“Why do you look so nervous?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

I’ve only been to our headquarters a handful of times. It’s bigger than it looks from the outside, and it’s where our highest-ranking officers sit. We walk past security into the heart of the structure. Framed photos of the generals who led the Defenders line the walls, ending with our current leader, General McCoy.

We walk down the stairs and meet up with six of Caden’s squad members. They don’t seem surprised to see me, meaning he’d given them a heads-up about me joining this mission.

Caden leads us into a large room, where two senior officers are standing next to a table covered with a large map. Finn is sitting to the side with his hands cuffed, looking nervous. He smiles in relief when he notices me, and I reply with a quick nod.

“Gentlemen.”

I turn to see General McCoy entering the room. He has a glass eye from being injured in battle. His face is narrow, and his hair is short and silvery. Any doubt I had about the severity of this briefing is gone now.

We salute the general, and he releases us so we can gather around the table. The map shows Colorado and the surrounding areas. It stretches as far as California. Our Hive, Unity, is marked in blue, as is the Hive Mercy, which is a few days walk from here. There are also marks for some of the bigger Free Cities, like Blue Moon, High Hope, and Indifference. Besides those, there are red circles all over the map, which I assume mark Raiders’ locations. The biggest red circle is around Denver, where no Defender—or any other sane person—dares to go.

The general clears his throat, but the door opens before he can speak. Dino enters the room, wearing his beige assembly uniform. “Am I late?”

“No,”

the general says flatly.

Dino notices me and shoots a glare at Caden, who looks away. I assume they talked about adding me to this mission in advance, and it doesn’t seem like they reached an agreement—yet here I am.

“A problem?”

the general asks.

“No.”

Dino comes to stand by the table, tension in his shoulders.

“As you all know, we captured a Raider a week ago,”

the general says, and I stop myself from glancing at Finn or saying he’s an ex-Raider. “During his interrogation, we learned of the locations of five supply stations the Raiders have been using. We sent scouts to each of those locations to verify their existence. This morning, one of our scouting parties returned with news.” He points at one of the red circles, about a day and a half’s walk from here. “They noticed a small force of Raiders heading toward this supply station. They had a prisoner with them—a young man with copper hair.”

We fall silent as the general’s words sink in. One of Caden’s squad members, a bulky guy named Perez, asks, “Do we think they got themselves a Semi-Human, sir?”

“Perhaps, though it sounds unlikely.”

“You said he was a prisoner. A Semi-Human could take on a group of Raiders from what I’ve been told,”

Perez says. “And there shouldn’t be any young Semi-Humans, right?”

Those are valid questions, and I’m not surprised that Dino is the one to answer. “We haven’t met a single Semi-Human in decades, making our knowledge of them greatly outdated, but we have heard in recent years about young Semi-Humans being spotted. We believed they were infertile, but they might have found a way around it.”

All of us listen gravely, sharing looks of concern. There’s no pretending this discovery isn’t important—monumental, even. I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with the giants in the west.

“There’s no point guessing if that Semi is real or not,”

Caden says. “We’ll leave at first light and find out for ourselves, assuming he’s still there.”

“Don’t try to fight him,”

Dino says firmly. “If we end up killing the first Semi-Human we’ve met in decades…”

“I know. We’ll avoid unnecessary violence unless we have no other choice.”

“If he’s really a captive, try to rescue him,”

Dino says. “That’s our best shot at learning more about them.”

“He might not see you as his rescuers,”

General McCoy says. “In that case, he’s likely to attack. If he does, you have my full permission to blow his head off.”

Dino draws a breath but holds his tongue.

Caden glances at Finn. “I’m taking this one with us. He knows the area, and we might need a human shield.”

He doesn’t mean that last part, yet Finn’s mouth hangs open in fear.

It’s a bad idea to bring him with us, but my opinion doesn’t matter in this room.

“Be careful,”

the general says. “Nobody needs to die for that creature. Dismissed.”

*

“You’re a fool,”

Dino tells Caden once we’re out of headquarters and the rest have scattered. Finn stands close by, still shackled, waiting to be taken back to the brig until tomorrow morning.

“Why am I a fool? For wanting a great sniper?”

Dino shakes his head. “This might be the most important and dangerous mission of your life. Will you be able to be professional with him on your squad?”

Caden’s face remains stoic, but there’s fire in his eyes. “Are you questioning my experience, Assembly Member Lopez?”

Dino rubs his face in frustration. I wonder if he was the one who convinced Caden not to let me join his squad years ago.

“I counted on you to keep him safe,”

Dino says, “but you let him enlist, and now you’re pulling him into what will likely turn into a shitshow.”

Caden snorts. “Maybe you should stop counting on me to protect him. It cost me a brother once.”

I remain composed as my blood freezes. I try not to let his words get to me, but they cut deep. It takes all I have not to walk away.

“Shit.”

Caden turns to me with wide eyes. “I didn’t mean it.”

I manage a single nod, but my throat tightens and my eyes sting.

“Hey, listen to me.”

He comes closer and holds my face. “I don’t blame you for anything that happened that day. I swear.”

Liar.

But it’s not like I want him to tell me the truth. Whether he could have saved Ruben is meaningless; doubt is poisonous.

I manage another nod, wishing to be alone.

“Stay away from this mission, Josh,”

Dino says. “Please, son.”

I can’t back off now, and calling me son is unfair.

I clear my throat. “I’ll be joining Caden’s squad from now on.”

Dino shakes his head before storming off, mumbling, “You two will be the death of me.”

I quickly compose myself, though my pulse still echoes in my ears. “I’ll take Finn to the brig.”

Caden nods, not meeting my eyes. “Thank you. We leave at five o’clock. Get some sleep. I’ll have someone bring gear for Finn.”

“I’m not so great with guns,”

Finn says.

“Like I’ll ever give you a weapon.”

Once I’m alone with Finn, he asks, “Are you okay?”

No. “I’m fine. If there’s anything you’re hiding, now’s the time to come clean.”

“What? No, I told the truth.”

I hold his gaze before walking him back to the brig, wishing I believed him.