The Deaths of Tao Page 5

  “Sorry, sir,” Roen shrugged. “I operate better without that bitch Keeper always yelling at me. By the way, where are you finding these new recruits? The two kids up front, their voices are still cracking.”

  “Not much more inexperienced than when Tao found you. Give them time.”

  Our need to recruit younger and more inexperienced reminds me of the final year of the Third Reich. They were drafting children off the streets.

  “And why is Dylan in China?” Roen asked. “No Prophus should go anywhere close to that continent these days.”

  “That’s where the good action is these days,” Stephen shrugged. “The Genjix have free rein there. They consider the States too restrictive. The Atlantis was providing support for him when it was crippled.” He grimaced. “Eighty-three hosts, a hundred and ninety-four crew, not to mention a three billion dollar sub.”

  “We didn’t actually pay for it,” Roen said. “We stole it from them.”

  “Still a three billion dollar asset lost.”

  “What’s the situation now with the Atlantis?” Jill asked.

  “Still being towed,” Stephen said. “The South Sea Fleet forced the sub to the surface but was unable to cut in. They won’t be able to, short of blowing it up. They’re towing it to the Fuzhou Naval Base. From what I hear, all the maneuvering thrusters on the Atlantis are working against the tow. It’ll take them a few days.”

  “Why didn’t they just sink her and be done with it?” Roen asked.

  Stephen shook his head. “The Genjix, at a very high cost, have been capturing Quasing rather then send them to the Eternal Sea. The ProGenesis experiments demand a lot of host test subjects. Dylan discovered that the Genjix have been stashing all their prisoners in an internment camp in Tibet. It’s the logical place for the prisoners on Atlantis to go. We’re going to try to break them out there instead of in China.”

  “Is that why Dylan was in China? He was searching for the internment camp?” Roen asked.

  Stephen shook his head. “Discovery of the camp was just gravy.” He leaned in close. “You want to know why? He was following up on your intel.” Stephen’s face broke into a wide grin when he saw the shocked look on Roen’s face. “You didn’t actually think that mole you were using to check up on Jill actually worked for you, did you?”

  Roen was speechless. “You... were spying on me!”

  Stephen laughed. “Let’s say we used you as an unpaid intelligence consultant.”

  “Tao, oh my god! I was contracting for free!”

  I have always considered Stephen’s Quasing, Camr, my equal. It seemed I have underestimated him.

  Stephen winked. “Do you want to know what he found?”

  Roen nodded.

  Stephen opened the double doors. “Follow me.”

  The three of them entered a small room with nine people huddled around a large round table. Roen didn’t recognize all of them, but the three he did told him that he was in rare company.

  The Keeper looked up from the map they were fussing over and scowled. “Who let that traitor in here? Put him in cuffs right now.”

  Two guards as young-looking as the ones Roen had met at the entrance appeared. Immediately, an escape plan involving a pretty rough firefight popped into his head. Unfortunately, the plan entailed taking Stephen hostage and shooting the Keeper. Roen put a hand on his sidearm and the two guards raised their rifles. At least they were holding them right this time.

  This is certainly going to be interesting if you draw. And no, you are not allowed to shoot the Keeper. Try being civil.

  “Technically,” Roen shrugged as casually as a person could with two rifles trained on him, “I’m a deserter, not a traitor, and I’d like to see these kindergartners try.”

  Your interpretation of civil needs a bit of work.

  The Keeper had aged quite a bit since he had last seen her, and she wasn’t that young to begin with. Her host, Meredith Frances, was a distant Astor through marriage. She and the Keeper had been the head of the Prophus longer than anyone could remember.

  The Keeper was the only Quasing from the original Grand Council to side with the Prophus, and she had held the honored post of the Historian of the Ship since they first journeyed from Quasar. She was the closest thing the Prophus had to a head of government. Unfortunately for Roen, she hadn’t thought much of him even before he left. Now she thought even less of him. It didn’t bother Roen that much though. He hated the Keeper’s guts.

  You did get her heir killed.

  “On a mission. She tried to have me arrested for disobeying orders.”

  You did disobey orders.

  “I was a hundred meters away from the entire Genjix Council. It was worth the risk.”

  That I agree with.

  “So why are you arguing with me?”

  I am not. Just reminding you that you disobeyed a direct order and Hubert died for it. He was her favorite nephew after all.

  Roen took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and counted down from fourteen. He opened them and looked straight at the Keeper. He could tell from his peripheral vision that the guards were a little trigger-happy. “Look, I’m here to help. I owe Dylan more times than I can count. If you want me on board, my gun is yours. If not, you can try to arrest me.”

  Jill just rolled her eyes while Stephen tried to defuse the situation. “Put the guns down,” he snapped at the guards. He turned to the Keeper and Roen. “Meredith, now is not the time. Roen, grow up. We have bigger issues at stake here. Hundreds of our people’s lives are forfeit unless we act. If you’re with us, obey orders like everyone else. If not, you know where the door is. Understood?”

  Roen nodded.

  “Good.” Stephen looked down at the map. “The parts are already moving. The bulk of our forces will enter Tibet via commercial transport over the course of a week. Our infrastructure in Nepal fortunately remains intact and will supply us from across the border. That entire region hasn’t seen much action from either side in over forty years or the Genjix probably wouldn’t have built the internment camp there.

  “What’s our troop count?” Roen asked.

  “Stripping available personnel without crippling world operations, a shade under two thousand,” Stephen answered. “This will be largest direct operation we’ve had since World War II. Advance scouts already on the ground estimate nearly fourteen to twenty-two hundred prisoners. With the Atlantis added to those numbers, that’s far too many Prophus to leave in Genjix hands.

  “I’ll need to clear time off with Wilks,” Jill said.

  “You’re not going,” the Keeper said. “Through attrition, you’re moving up the food chain here at the capital. Adam’s dropped the ball around here. In the past six months, we’ve lost nineteen political operatives. You have an important job on the Hill and I want you to focus on our initiatives there. No more off-the-program work for you. I’m assigning an agent to your protective detail as well. This city’s gotten too dangerous, and we can’t afford to lose any more, especially a key legislative operative such as yourself.”

  “You’re taking me off the line?” she gasped.

  “More like we’re narrowing your focus. As much as I hate to say it,” the Keeper sniffed toward Roen’s direction, “he might have been on to something. The Genjix have been applying pressure in Congress to loosen trade resolutions with China. There are a few bills in particular that seem to be part of a larger initiative. Until we find out exactly what they’re after, we need you to shut them down.”

  Stephen looked at Roen. “That’s where you come in. Dylan was following leads from your intel in China and it pointed him to the island of Taiwan. The Atlantis was taking him there when it was attacked. Last communication we got from Abrams was that he got away in an escape pod. We don’t know if he made it or not. I want you to pick up where he left off, find what he’s looking for and, if possible, bring him safely back as well.”

  “Who’s going to protect Jill then?” Roen asked.

&
nbsp; “Aw, I didn’t know you still cared, Roen,” Jill said. “Now, if you only cared enough to not leave me and our child...”

  “Can we not do this in front of our friends and alien colleagues?” he said.

  Stephen wagged his finger at both Jill and Roen. “And that’s why it’s a standing policy to not let agents in a relationship, or whatever you two are right now, work together. People get emotional. People get killed. The Keeper has it covered.”

  “Covered like last night?” Roen spat. “Forget it. She’d be on her way to that camp right now if it weren’t for me.”

  “I know about last night’s fiasco. As far as I’m concerned, the only operation Adams is managing from now on is the annual Christmas party,” the Keeper said dryly. “I’m taking him off operations in Washington and transferring him to the Midwest.” She pointed at the map. “Trust me when I say Jill is an important asset. We are slowly losing the United States. We’re bringing someone with a proven track record to stem the tide of Genjix influence in the States, and we’re going to need Jill. We need someone she can depend on to protect her.”

  “I’m sure the Keeper has an able agent assigned,” Stephen added just as Roen opened his mouth to tell the Keeper where she could shove that not-so-subtle jab at him.

  “I don’t trust any of these kids you assign to her,” Roen snapped.

  “The only one I see acting like a kid here is you,” someone piped up from the door.

  All eyes turned to the new voice. Paula smirked and walked in. “I see all the best and brightest are here. Well, the brightest at least. Now that I’m here, the best as well.” She turned to Roen. “Why does it seem like I’m hearing babies prattle on when you’re around, Roen?”

  He grinned and shook hands with her. “It’s good to see you again. You too, Yol.”

  Stephen nodded when she gave him a casual salute. “Thanks for making the trip on short notice. You’re being reassigned to do here in the capital what you did in London.” He looked up at the rest of the room. “Paula will be directing all DC operations from here on out.”

  Paula bowed magnanimously. “Queen, country, and the Redskins.”

  “If Paula’s handling operations, who’s taking Jill’s protective detail then?” Roen demanded.

  “I’m putting Marco on the job,” the Keeper said with a satisfied smile on her face.

  “Marco!” Roen’s voice rose up three octaves. “I hate Marco!”

  I hate Ahngr!

  “Ooh, Marco. We really are bringing the big guns,” Paula quipped, her smirk getting wider. She turned to Jill. “You’re in for a real treat. Marco’s so dashing with that nose and jawline and debonair ways. And he’s got these...”

  There are quite a few Genjix that I like more than Ahngr.

  Roen’s face turned red and he felt his entire body tighten. “If you think I’m letting my wife hang out with that egotistical self-centered leech and his...”

  “...dreamy eyes. A total charmer, but watch out, he’s such a cad sometimes,” Paula winked at her. “And such a legend at European Command. He makes James Bond look like a pimply virgin. Makes a girl swoon.” She pretended to fan herself.

  “I’m in love already,” Jill winked back. “Guess I’m in good hands.”

  “Like hell you are!” Roen roared. “I won’t have it!”

  “That’s enough!” Stephen snapped at Roen. “This is a military operation, not high school drama club. The decision’s been made. You’re either on board or the door is over there.”

  The room was silence as Roen weighed his options. He felt torn between wanting to protect Jill and the promise he just made to Stephen. Jill had a bodyguard now, and even Roen had to admit that Marco was good. Probably better than Roen, but did it have to be Marco? Of all the jerks in the Prophus ranks, and there were a fair amount of them, Marco took the damn cake.

  Did I tell you that Ahngr twice sacrificed my host so his could get away? Once in Sumeria and once during World War I.

  “I know! How can I trust that asshole with my wife?”

  Roen racked his brain for a few more seconds, warring between his protectiveness for Jill and his respect for Stephen. Finally, after he ran out of alternatives, he grudgingly nodded. “Fine. I owe it to Dylan. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead ten times over.”

  Stephen nodded. “Alive preferably. In good health if possible but I’ll settle for breathing. I’d love to hunt for Dylan myself but two thousand lives have priority.”

  Roen nodded. “I’ll find our Aussie for you. Alive, in one piece and ugly as ever.”

  “Good,” Stephen nodded. “Find that fat bastard, finish the job in Taiwan, and join up with us in Tibet afterward.”

  “How many men am I getting on my team for this mission? There are a few guys I’d like to ask for.” Roen asked.

  “You don’t get anyone. I’m attaching you to Wuehler’s black ops team. Follow his orders.” He paused again, the appraising look returning. “Will that be a problem?” Roen gritted his teeth and swore under his breath. This was just getting worse and worse.

  “What the hell, Tao? Wuehler and Marco of all people. I think the Keeper is messing with me.”

  I know she is. This will be interesting. I wonder how many nights in a row he will make you stand guard.

  Roen nodded reluctantly.

  “Good then. Alright people,” Stephen scanned the group. “You have your orders. Let’s see it done.”

  SIX

  MEETING WITH WILKS

  I became Prophus in the worst way. At the time, I, alongside many others who did not heed the command of the old order, hid from their decree that all Quasing must come into the fold or face the Inquisition. The simpleton who was my host at the time could not stop talking about the voices he heard in his head, and was eventually taken for questioning. That was how I was found out.

  My host was imprisoned by the Inquisitors by command of the Genjix, and framed as the murderer of a Spanish Cardinal, one Francisco Ciserno. For two years, he languished in a damp prison in Valencia. He was near death when a hooded figure appeared and opened his doors. Half a dozen guards lay dead in the hallway.

  Terrified, my host asked what the stranger wanted.

  The man’s answer was, “Your freedom. You have paid for my crimes long enough.”

  Baji

  When the meeting ended, Paula signaled to Jill to fall in with her. Paula, a former MI6 agent, was considered the rising star at European Command. She had twice refused promotion in order to stay in the field and was eventually forced into a command role. Since then, she had been instrumental in keeping the Genjix from infiltrating Her Majesty’s Secret Service. If the Prophus ever needed to turtle up, Iceland and England would be their centers of operation. It was unfortunate that Ireland had been compromised the previous year or the Prophus could realistically have kept some semblance of a stronghold in that region. Her Quasing, Yol, was one of the foremost computer experts within the Prophus and Tao’s close friend. Jill had a sneaking suspicion that Paula was Roen’s leak.

  “I don’t have a lot of pieces to play with, Jill,” she said as they walked through the busy hive of the command room, “so I need all of them working. Marco is en route. You listen to him and don’t give him a hard time. He’s quite lovely if you’re on his good side and a real troll if you’re not. Just ask your husband.”

  “Why does Roen hate him?” Jill asked. “I’ve never seen him react this strongly to any Prophus before. Not even the Keeper, and he uses her picture as a dartboard.”

  Paula chuckled. “Imagine Tao, all snarky and self-righteous, add an overdose of self-confidence and a title, and you have Marco. And to double down on that, Ahngr is even more insufferable. Roen and Marco ran a series of missions together in Egypt three years ago. You remember that?”

  Jill nodded. “He came home pissy for a month.”

  “Those two were joint leads on the operation. They were at each other’s throats and had to be physically separated f
our times. According to eye witnesses, Roen lost every fight.”

  Witnesses say it was not even close.

  “That would explain it.”

  “It gets worse. Tao hates Ahngr even more than Roen does Marco. Yol says they had a pretty bad row during the Thirty Years’ War, and it lasted for the entire thirty years. Some Prophus believe their bickering changed the outcome of the war.”

  You do not know the half of it.

  Jill frowned. “So if they have such a long and bad history together, why did the Keeper send for him? She must know it’d just infuriate Roen.”

  Paula glanced to the side to make sure no one was listening. She leaned in. “Don’t tell Roen, but I asked for Marco.”

  Jill stifled a chuckle. “Why? You’re his friend.”

  Paula shrugged. “Because Marco’s one of the best. Taking care of you is the perfect assignment for him. Trust me, Roen will thank me for this. Just don’t ever let him know.” She paused. “What’s going on with you two anyway? Are you...” Paula’s voice trailed off.

  “Still separated? You don’t forgive a father who abandons his son on some alien’s say-so.”

  Paula nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that. He’s a good bloke though, and Tao can be very persuasive.”

  “No need to enumerate Roen’s good qualities to me.” The words tumbled out of Jill’s mouth a bit harsher than she intended. She tried to rein her emotions in. “I know you just flew in, so let’s schedule a meeting after you get settled. Dinner and drinks? We’ll catch up and acclimate you to the political arena here. It’s a lot less civilized than what you’re probably used to.”

  Paula sniffed. “You obviously haven’t seen our House of Lords. Would strain anyone’s patience.” She checked the time. “I’ll need seventy-two hours to take control of operations and lay out a new strategy. Then you can brief me on the latest intelligence reports.” She gave Jill a nod and left.

  Jill watched Paula walk away. She had worked with the British agent before, and they got along well. Paula was a cheerful woman, a rarity in this line of work. She credited Yol for her sunny disposition. But regardless, she was always thoughtful and competent. If the Prophus were ever to change the momentum of the war, they would need more people like her.