The Deaths of Tao (7 page)

“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 four 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.

There was a lot to do over the next few days. She had a meeting with Wilks on the Hill at 10am. No doubt Simon had already sent his demands to her office. Threat or no threat, she had to do due diligence before making a recommendation to the senator. It was a lot more complicated than determining if a political deal was worth Wilks’ support. How would it affect the Prophus? What advantages were the Genjix seeking? There was layer upon layer of intrigue that would need to be vetted first. Working for the interests of both the Prophus and the senator was tricky business. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

One thing at a time. You have me.
 

That much was true. Jill learned early on that Baji was infinitely sharper than she could ever be. And while Baji’s expertise was in covert operations, Jill found that her Quasing was equally proficient in political chess. That was how Jill had risen so fast on the Hill and within the Prophus ranks in the government.

First things first, she needed a shower. She still had grime from the previous night as well as a dozen or so bruises to cover up. That and a gunshot wound to address. Her leg had stiffened up and the cut on her cheek stung; it would probably scar. Jill went to seek out her estranged husband, found him talking with Stephen and pulled him aside.

“Hey,” she began, and then the words got stuck in her throat. A range of emotions from anger to concern threatened to pour out of her all at once.

Roen didn’t bother hiding his feelings. “Listen, those idiots are sending me halfway around the world. Promise me, if it gets too hot in the capital, you leave. You go into hiding. Alright?”

“You know I won’t do that,” she said. “I’m not going to cut on the team.” She closed her eyes. Even when she was being sincere, she couldn’t help but antagonize him. “That wasn’t meant to be a dig on you.”

He bit his lip and forced a less-than-convincing smile. “You know that was a dig, and I know you didn’t mean it that way. It’s just the truth.” He pulled her in close with a sudden urgency. “I’m not going to be there to watch your back.” His voice quavered.

She had to remind herself that he had a lot to make up for. The puppy dog worry in his eyes was touching, though. She stiffened, trying hard to keep her own emotions from bubbling to the surface. “I’m a big girl.”

He became serious and his grip on her elbows tightened. “If things get hairy, I want you to hide out at the missile silo. No one knows about it, not even the Prophus. It’s stocked with food and ammo for years and depending on how bad your shot is, you can hold off the Canadian army for at least six months. Got it?”

“All forty Mounties?” she laughed, trying to brush off the awkwardness of the moment.

“Front entrance and the mainframe are all authenticated single sign-on via retina. You can override with the master phrase ‘Baby Bear versus the Big City’. The arms locker is Cam’s birthday in reverse. There’s a hidden exit in the back connected to the third silo. The key to that is behind the ant farm.”

“You have an ant farm in your underground bunker?” she chuckled. “How poetic.”

“Can’t keep anything else alive down there,” he grinned. “Feed them if you can.” He gave her a peck on the lips and held her tightly. “Be safe,” he murmured before running off.

Baby Bear versus the Big City? How childish.
 

Jill stood there for a few moments, running that last moment over in her head. “I like it.”

It is asinine. I wonder what it means.
 

“Cubs versus the Yankees. Our first date.”

That is strangely romantic in a juvenile way, I guess.
 

Jill allowed a small smile to break on her face. It was as much of a compliment as Baji was willing to offer Roen. She watched as he disappeared with a group of agents, presumably off to Taiwan, and prayed that she’d see him again.

She left Command and walked down the newly redusted corridor toward her car, bottling her emotions back up. It had been over a year since she last saw him. And just like that, he was gone again. As she got into the car and pulled out of the garage, her thoughts raced in circles about the man she had once loved. Did she still love him even after the decisions he’d made?

You forgive too easily.
 

“Who says I forgave him? Trust me, Baji, I just want to kill him myself.”

What Roen did, choosing Tao over her and Cameron was unforgivable. She still remembered those nights begging him to stay home instead of running off on his little crusade, but Tao had already convinced him it had to be done. He had no choice, he said. It was during those moments that she realized that he would never truly be hers as long as Tao was with him. And Tao would always be with him. His wife would always be a distant second to his Quasing and to the ghost of Sonya Lyte. And that broke her heart more than anything else.