The Rebirths of Tao

by Wesley Chu

  “She has the most knowledge, but her skills are too valuable for the Russian presidency. I will put one of my brothers of lower standing. Matthew perhaps.”

  Conquering a kingdom is always the easy part. It is keeping it that is difficult.

  “Azumi will be needed once we start the global war. Besides, we won’t have to keep it for long once Quasiform is initiated. I will need her on the front line.”

  Again, your confidence will be a downfall. You cannot win a global conflict without Russia firmly behind you. A strong hand will be necessary.

  Enzo put his drink aside as the voting began. Each television showed a live feed of the State Duma and the Federation Council respectively with a tally of the votes on the floor. As expected, the voting began with nine straight yay votes on the Federation Council and sixteen on the State Duma for the alliance with Enzo.

  He grinned as he picked up his glass and toasted the televisions, and then threw back the vodka in one shot. He was pouring himself another when the first couple of nays came in. Enzo frowned. That was to be expected; his people weren’t able to get through to everyone. However, one of the Federation Council members who voted nay – the Krasnoyarskiy Krai – was someone Enzo had wooed personally.

  The news became grim as more votes were tallied. Enzo stared at the screen in disbelief as the number of nays climbed. His pollsters had assured him that everything was squared away. In fact, they had confidently stated that the vote of the State Duma would be a dominating landslide. However, by the time both the upper and lower houses were done, he had lost by over forty points.

  Enzo threw his drink at the fire, exploding the crystal into shards. He turned to Putyatin. “What is the meaning of this?”

  This time, Putyatin looked up and acknowledged him with a smirk on his face. He took his time walking around his desk and sat down in the wingback opposite Enzo. The Russian president poured himself a drink from the decanter and sniffed the glass before taking a sip.

  “Ah, Kauffman. My favorite Russian vodka,” he said. “Do you know why I use a decanter? Because Kauffman might be seen as, how can I put it, not presidential. It is good vodka, but not the most expensive and unattainable, maybe only eight thousand rubles a bottle. I first discovered it when I was just a lower official in the army. High enough to buy decent vodka. Low enough not to be stupid about buying too nice a bottle.”

  “You could have had a kingdom. The world, you fool,” Enzo snarled.

  “Now that I am president,” Putyatin continued with his story, ignoring Enzo completely, “I could easily have…” he made a grand gesture with his hands, “… presidential vodka. Instead, I still ask for my Kauffman, because I like what I like, and I am not a greedy man. Kauffman was good enough when I was a soldier, it is good enough for me now.”

  Enzo growled. “We had an agreement. There will be consequences for double-crossing me.” He considered reaching out and breaking the damn Russian’s neck. A quick dart forward and twist, and he could drink all the vodka he wanted in hell.

  No.

  “Zoras, he taunts me.”

  You will not touch him. You might have lost him to Vinnick, but that still keeps Russia under Genjix influence. You kill him, and the country will fall out of Genjix hands. We cannot allow that.

  “You see,” Putyatin droned on. “You offer me Germany and Champagne and all these fancy things. No matter where I have climbed in life, I will always be that young officer at heart, albeit now fatter. I want my vodka, I want money, and I want to serve Russia, with none of your strings attached.”

  “And now you might lose everything,” Enzo said, taking a step forward.

  Putyatin wasn’t cowed. He nodded to the side, and a dozen soldiers came in, rifles all pointing at Enzo. “And one more thing,” he said. “I do not like fucking foreigners threatening my family. You might be more powerful than Vinnick, but he is Russian and will do what is best for Russia. That, and he pays with cash, not promises.”

  Four of the soldiers grabbed Enzo’s arms. He considered killing everyone in the room. It would be difficult, but not impossible. The key would be to prevent any of them from escaping to alert others. The two exits in the room would prove troublesome, though.

  No. You are too valuable and the risk too high. Find another way to achieve my goals.

  “Gaaah, fine. I will have his tongue one day.”

  Putyatin walked up to Enzo and jabbed him in the chest with his finger. “No one threatens my family, you son of a bitch. You are lucky you are an official envoy. Your delegation has two days to leave Russia. One minute past and I will have the military storm your compound and have you all dragged off to the gulag, diplomatic status or not. Now get out of my sight.”

  Enzo and his entourage were pushed and herded through Moscow under armed guard. His limousine was led by no less than four police cars and two Typhoon armored trucks. It would have been flattering if it wasn’t so humiliating. When the convoy reached Novo-Ogarevo, they were met with an extensive military blockade. Obviously, both Vinnick and Putyatin had conspired ahead of time and were aware of the results beforehand. This made Enzo fume even more. They had made him look even more the fool.

  Worry about your pride and revenge later. Vinnick has struck at you once; he may do so again.

  The military blockade opened just enough for his limousine and one of the Typhoons to go in and then closed behind them. Enzo looked out the window and noticed his entire security on high alert. All of his brothers and sisters were armed and operating as if a force under siege. This complex was tactically indefensible. The drain on Hatchery talent would be immeasurable if they were killed. No, open conflict was not an option. However, Enzo was not ready to admit defeat.

  He stepped out of the limousine and stared at the Typhoon transport that had followed him into the compound. “What is Putyatin playing at now?” he muttered. He pointed at a group of agents nearby. “Secure that vehicle.”

  He watched as a group of men and women stepped out and realized right away that they weren’t regular military. All were uniformed, but he could tell these people were not just administrators. No, by the way they moved, and the look in their eyes, these were Spetsnaz or possibly KGB, or both.

  The last to come out, an older woman with a long neck and sharp nose that reminded Enzo of a hawk, walked over and nodded. He noted the lack of respect in her demeanor. “I am Natalya Voznesenceva. By order of President Putyatin, I am the envoy assigned to oversee your withdrawal from Russia. I will have full access to your embassy and will accompany you any time you depart the premises. These terms are not negotiable.”

  One step would cover the distance. He could crack the woman’s skull, get two shots with his pistol, and pull back behind cover before those Spetsnaz knew what happened. The rest of his brothers and sisters would follow suit and wipe them out within a second.

  There are a thousand troops surrounding your complex.

  “Do we have an alternate exit route?”

  One established by your scout team before your arrival. We will have to check if the Russians have blocked it. For now, bide your time.

  Enzo, in what he considered a shameful act, turned away from the Russian envoy and retreated into the main building.

  Amanda met him at the door and bowed. “Councilman Vinnick is on the phone, Father.”

  See to his terms.

  Enzo took the ear piece from her and stepped off to the side, noting the envoy following him every step of the way. He nodded to his two guards at the door to let the woman pass. The words being passed to her ears would be harmless.

  “Brother,” Enzo said into the ear piece, not willing to give Vinnick the pleasure of hearing his frustration.

  “Threatening the president and trying to bribe the Federal Assembly with things that don’t cost you anything?” Vinnick chortled. “As unpredictable as you are as a person, you are mightily predictable in your tactics, boy.”

  “Thank you for the lesson, old man.”
>
  “Listen, Enzo,” Vinnick said. “I won today, and I do so for the good of all Genjix. You are the future. Surely we can accommodate each other. Together, we are stronger. The planet is still not ripe for Quasiform. It needs a few more years to incubate. Can we not agree on this?”

  “Your greed betrays you.”

  Vinnick barked a sharp laugh. “You think it is greed that motivates me? I’ll drop dead any day now. Stupid boy. All I care about is seeing Flua and the Holy Ones’s objectives completed, but the risks you take are too high. Quasiform will fail if the planet’s conditions are not within parameters. Right now, Earth is barely within range. The Genjix only have one chance to get this right. Even increasing global temperatures a few more –”

  “The parameters are acceptable, and have been for years,” Enzo snapped. “It is non-believers like you who drag your feet because you fear the evolution that lies ahead.”

  “God damn it, Enzo. What is the hurry? Time is all the Quasing have. Why don’t we meet –?”

  Enzo hung up on him. “Assemble,” he said to Amanda standing at the door. He looked over at the envoy following close behind.

  You can be assured this Natalya is fluent in most of the Chinese dialects.

  “Portus Cale,” he added to her.

  Amanda nodded and stepped away, butchering the Portuguese language as she attempted to relay his orders. He was expecting too much from her, though. She was not blessed, after all; one could not expect too much from lower humans. As long as the message reached his siblings, that was all that mattered. Enzo would have preferred to use a dead language, perhaps Coptic, but most of his Hatchery siblings were not as learned as he was.

  Fifteen minutes later, all from the Hatchery stood around him in his state room. The room stayed silent until Amanda gave the signal that the room had been soundproofed. Enzo looked over at Putyatin’s dog standing at the doorway. She would get nothing from this meeting.

  Enzo began speaking in perfect Portuguese. “What happened, and can it be resolved?”

  Azumi, a chastised look on her face, shook her head. “Vinnick threw a third of his entire fortune into this vote. It seems the short-sighted Federal Assembly prefers money now rather than wealth later. Putyatin threw his support in with Vinnick right after your first meeting. They have been conspiring since last week.”

  “Recommendations,” Enzo asked.

  “Withdraw and wait for the Councilman’s death,” Akelatis said. “His heir will be weakened during a transition and will not be difficult to defeat.”

  Azumi shook her head. “Sergii is competent enough and the transition has been long-planned. He is not true Hatchery, but he is not weak, either. Flua will not lose much in the transition.”

  “Our situation is tense, Father,” Palos added. “We are at a severe disadvantage politically and tactically. You stand to lose everything if we are defeated.”

  “But if we withdraw, we are back to a complete stalemate,” Matthew said. “Worse, if Vinnick passes and Sergii consolidates his control.”

  The debate went on for another twenty minutes, but Enzo had already made up his mind. After everyone had presented their recommendations, he glanced over at the confused envoy, and spoke to his assembled. “No retreating. Prepare for the reckoning.” He turned to Amanda. “Send scouts to survey the escape tunnel. Make sure it isn’t blocked. I want full blueprints by this evening.”

  “What about our shadow?” Matthew asked, gesturing over at Natalya, who was studying the meeting with unabashed interest. No doubt she had recorded this conversation from somewhere on her person and was now studying their mannerisms.

  Enzo turned to Azumi. “Summon a shade team.”

  “How many targets, Father?”

  “All of them.”

  19

  Night Watch

  In the years following the ESA’s passing, thousands of Penetra nets were installed in every major airport, government building, and high-value facility. It became as common to see a Penetra scanner as a metal detector. Transportation around the world became extraordinarily difficult. Prophus operations were crippled.

  The political arms of both factions were wiped off the face of the Earth in many countries. Governments confiscated properties, accounts, and even entire companies. Within weeks of its passage, the Prophus were decimated to a fraction of their original strength. Fortunately, the Genjix lost even more.

  Baji

  * * *

  Nothing made Jill stew as much as being cheated. Well, except for maybe when Roen did something asinine, which was quite often. In his defense, though, once she yelled at him about it, he rarely repeated the mistake, though he had this unique talent for finding new dumb things for her to yell at him about. She had assumed he’d eventually run out of original ways to mess something up, yet he kept impressing her with his imagination.

  God, she loved that man.

  Right now though, she was pissed and ripping one of her agents a new asshole. “Six thousand dollars, Hite! What did I tell you about counting that money? Do you know how many cases of ammo I can buy with that? I’m taking the missing amount out of your salary. I don’t care if you don’t draw salary.”

  Jill clicked him off and briefly considered chucking her headset at the nearest wall. Then she remembered that she was running low on those and decided against it. She stopped layering the lasagna she was building, turned around to wash her hands, and saw Vladimir waiting at the doorway.

  “Have you given consideration to my request,” he asked.

  Persistent, is he not?

  “Great, just great. This is exactly what I need right now. I don’t know how many ways I can say no before it sinks into his concrete head.”

  The rich rarely accept “no” as an answer.

  She put on as apologetic a face as possible. “Of course. Unfortunately, the arrangement for your transport from Las Vegas to Cuba and the transport to Panama can’t be rescheduled.”

  Not to mention the four connection journey from the farmhouse to Vegas, the forged passports with set dates for St Johns once they boarded the cruise ship, or the dozens of bribes for the workers and officers on duty the day they were being moved were already arranged. Oh no, all the Russian cared about was getting things his way because he wanted to leave two weeks early. Of course she didn’t mention any of it, though she desperately wanted to take this cooking pan and hit him on the head with it.

  “If it’s a matter of money…” he began.

  Typical of someone from Vinnick’s faction. For a while, I thought their plan was just to buy their way to victory.

  “Not a bad plan, to be honest.”

  True, but it has been proven again and again that money can only buy so much before brute force wins out. Look at Athens.

  Jill shook her head and said aloud. “I’m sorry. You’re set for two weeks from tomorrow, and that’s that. You might as well sit back and enjoy the fresh air.”

  “You tell your boy to stay away from my Alex,” he said, his face darkening. “I know how you Americans are.”

  She looked away and began to work on layering the pasta and cheese with renewed fervor, lest Vladimir see the scowl on her face. He was getting on her last nerve. This was going to be one glorious lasagna when it was done, fueled by her long list of irritations and constant worry for her husband’s welfare. It had been four days now and –

  “Jill,” Shiloh, the new operative on comms loaned from Faust cut in. “We have a direct route request to Pacific Northwest command from a Mountain North Region secured encryption. Your eyes only.”

  Jill’s heart rate picked up as she responded. “Double-check the crypto key as well as the route hops, then patch them through.”

  Keep a good head on you. The news could be anything.

  The five minutes it took for Shiloh to perform due diligence on the comm route were some of the longest of her life. A dozen scenarios ran through her head, and most of them were bad. From the scout team telling her that R
oen never made it, to them reporting him dead, to… she shook her head. Every subsequent scenario was worse than the previous. There was only one possible good outcome, and considering the luck they’d had lately, she wanted to pick up this stupid lasagna and smash it against something.

  “Hey, babe,” Roen’s voice said through her headset. “Babe? Jill?”

  It took Jill a few seconds to regain her composure. She fought back the swell of relief that rose from her chest, threatening to have her in tears in front of Vladimir. She looked at him and shooed him away with her eyes. He must have recognized the look, because he drifted backward out of the room sheepishly.

  “Where have you been?” she demanded. “You were supposed to report in right when you got there!”

  “Car got ambushed on the way there. Genjix patrol. Our crypto key got shot up in the process, and I didn’t want to risk contacting you until we reached the scout team and used theirs. Why? Is everything okay? How’s Cameron?”

  She was never so glad to hear his stupid voice. “I was worried about you.”

  “We’re fine, but I can’t get into that right now,” he answered. “Can you pull up the Keeper?”

  Jill checked the time. “Are you sure? It’s the middle of the night in Greenland right now.”

  “It’s always night in Greenland. This is important. We need to pow wow right away. Don’t worry, if she complains, tell her it was Marco who called the meeting.”

  “Can’t you just take credit for this? She hates you already. Why do we both have to get in trouble?” Marco’s voice joined in the call. “Actually, Jill, he’s right. This can’t wait. We’re sending you the scout team’s intel right now. Forward this on to Command.”

  “All right. Fine. Roen, ping me at twenty-three-hundred. You can tell me all about it, and I can tell you about Cam’s new girlfriend.”

  “Sure thing. Don’t worry about me, hon. No Genjix can bust your hubby up. Old Roen is as tough as rusty nails. Wait, what girlfriend? What are you –?”