Britton, Downer, Truelove, and Richards silently followed Fitzy toward a gap in the fence line, overlooked by two large guard towers. There, the fence was wheeled at the bottom to form giant sliding panels that rolled aside as they approached. Guards scurried out to drag wooden barriers wrapped in razor wire out of the way.
A long sign spanned the length between the two guard towers. FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTIER, IT READ. SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT AND MAGIC INDOCTRINATION SECTION.
Just inside the gate, a short walk from the entrance to the Quonset huts, a waist-high bit of telephone pole had been erected in the mud. A thinner pole reached from it roughly ten feet skyward. Lowered about the base was a rigid plastic American flag, colored reflective orange, the stars and stripes in subdued black.
Just beyond it, tucked into a corner of the compound, was a flat-topped cinder-block pillbox, scarcely seven feet high and fitted with a single, rusty metal door stenciled with the words: INTENSIVE ROOM. The door was handleless, its chipped surface marked only by a sliding panel at eye level. Two Suppressors stood vigilantly just outside it, their belts replete will the full scope of law-enforcement panoply — collapsing baton, pepper spray, Taser, zip cuffs.
The guards snapped crisp salutes, which Fitzy returned as they entered. The knot of indolent-looking civilians rose to their feet, extinguishing cigarettes and looking toward the group, whispering among themselves.
A small cluster of them stood apart from the rest, casting surly glances toward Fitzy and his Coven. They surrounded a tall man, pale and sickly thin, his black hair plastered to his forehead. His face was narrow and arrogant, with a hooked blade of a nose and small, dark eyes. His mouth was set in a look of dramatic disapproval. Noting Britton’s gaze, the pale man crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow. Belts of lightning sprang from his shoulders to crisscross his chest before one of the Suppressors on the catwalk above him rolled his magic back. The Suppressor yelled something and was met by the man’s middle finger. But his eyes never left Britton. The group gave a wide berth to a long-haired boy not much older than Downer, his clothing soaked, skin beaded with moisture. The water coursing through his hair made it look grayish, slick as seaweed. The boy’s wet skin and clothing made him shiver in the chilly air, and one of the soldiers guarding them offered him a parka in military camouflage. The boy looked sheepishly like he might take it, then shook his head angrily at a glare from the black-haired man. The rest of the group nodded their approval of the refusal. The boy stood shaking, looking miserable.
“What’s that all about?” Britton asked.
“That’s the No-No Crew,” Fitzy replied, “and the piece of crap they have elected to lead them. They’d rather have that kid freeze to death than take a coat from one of us. You want to learn how to be worthless, there’s your best bet. I catch you hanging with them, and I’ll know you’re well and truly lost. The upside of that will be that you’ll have outlived your usefulness, and I can pound you into oblivion with a clear conscience.”
He turned and grinned at Britton, his sunglasses preventing Britton from telling if his eyes were smiling or not.
“The No-No Crew?” Downer asked. “Why do they call them that?”
“I suspect you’ll find out shortly,” Fitzy answered.
A SOC major, whip-thin and with a shock of flaming red hair, strode forward to meet them. The pale sun flashed off the Pyromancer’s pin secured to his lapel. He returned Fitzy’s salute, then shook his hand with genuine affection. “Chief Warrant Officer Fitzsimmons.” He nodded to Richards and Truelove. “Good to see you two again as well. Colonel Taylor told me to expect you. So these are the new enrollees?”
“Yes, sir,” Fitzy replied. “Just these two”—he indicated Downer and Britton—“I’ll be collecting them just before chow. Colonel Taylor just wants the control quals met, and we’ll take it from there.”
The major chuckled. “You sure you don’t want them spending the night? We just had four enrollees raise the flag this morning. Got a few empty bunks in the squad bay.”
Fitzy didn’t appear to appreciate the humor. “Thank you for the offer, sir, but Colonel Taylor’s orders are clear. They’ll be bunking in the P pods.”
“What’s the matter?” the pale man called. “Afraid we might be a bad influence? Teach them how to think for themselves?”
“Ah, our dear Swift,” the major said. He nodded confidentially to Britton and Downer. “You’d best steer clear of that one. He won’t be happy until no one is. All righty then, we’d best get you started. I’m Major Salamander, and I run our little corner of paradise here.”
“You obey the major’s commands as if they were my own,” Fitzy growled, “with a sense of deference and urgency.”
“All right, Chief Warrant Officer, I’ll take it from here,” Salamander said indulgently. He returned Fitzy’s salute as the chief warrant officer led Richards and Truelove back out through the gate, then steered Downer and Britton toward the line of Quonset huts. Swift moved to intercept them, his group coming with him, but a SOC Aeromancer leapt from one of the guard towers and hovered over them, conjuring a gust of wind that knocked them all backward, checking them hard against the hut wall.
“Sorry about that,” Salamander said. “Some folks are bigger fans of how we do things around here than others, but I’m pleased to say that we get through to pretty much everybody sooner or later.
“So, on behalf of the Supernatural Operations Corps and the Camp Commandant, welcome to FOB Frontier’s Suitability Assessment Section, or as most folks call it, the SASS. This is where we put our captured Selfers until we can be certain that they can be trusted with a SOC commission. We aim to please, and I know you’re going to enjoy your time here.”
Over Salamander’s shoulder, Britton could see the far end of the compound, lined by another length of high chain-link, razor-wire-topped fence. Through it, he could see the rolling plain of land outside the camp. The SASS was located right up against the edge of the FOB, with only a few bits of chain link between the inmates and whatever roamed outside.
Britton thought of the fighting he’d seen coming from the LZ to the FOB, and shuddered. The wind picked up, turning it into a full-blown shiver, and he felt Downer jockey against his shoulder instinctively.
Behind them, the gates rattled shut with a click, and he could hear the scuffling of boots as the bladed barriers were drawn back into place.
CHAPTER XIV: SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT
Supernatural Operations Corps Media Services
Major Salamander led them opposite the pillbox to a low building: plain, unadorned, and constructed of plywood and corrugated metal. A screen door swung on rusted spring hinges, shutting out clouds of tiny, weird, varicolored bugs.
Inside, a uniformed SOC sergeant sat behind a plastic desk typing at a laptop. He took Britton’s and Downer’s names, checked their badges, and tapped away. He handed each of them a laminated piece of poorly mimeographed paper that listed bulleted rules of conduct for the SASS and explained what was required for enrollees to be deemed “suitable.”
“Just remember,” the sergeant said, his voice monotone from long practice, “our watchwords here are ‘safe and controlled.’ Don’t rumble with the other enrollees, follow the orders of your instructors, and, above all, no unauthorized magic use. We’ve got Suppressors but prefer not to engage them. Every time your magic is forcibly
