by Wesley Chu
Tao did some quick calculations in his head. “It’s not an easy trip for two teenagers. Cameron has funds hidden in an emergency pack at school. We can try to retrieve it tomorrow, though public transportation poses a risk if the Genjix are watching.”
“Steal an automobile then.”
Tao grunted. He had hoped to hold off a little longer before starting Cameron’s criminal career. Well, it was their best option until he could think of something better. He spent the next five minutes filling in as much information as he could about the attack, including the military-issued gear the sentry wore. In the end, it narrowed down which Genjix faction had attacked them, though Tao had a pretty good guess it was either the Chinese or the Russians, so either Enzo’s rabid Quasiform group or a remnant of Vinnick’s trying to either reclaim their assets – of which Rin was a valuable piece – or someone there trying to clean up loose ends.
In either case, it seemed more an unfortunate incident that Jill’s operation was found, as opposed to a personal vendetta, several of which Tao knew he might be the target of. It shouldn’t have made him feel better that he was probably not the cause of the attack, but it did.
He thought back to his old host Edward and his wife Kathy. It was as if history was repeating itself. In the end, what trail of tragedies and chaos would he leave this family? Probably the same as he had left the previous one, and the one before. Every time he tried to break this cycle, the hundreds of times, no matter what time period, where he moved or what he tried to do, the results were always the same. Maybe it wasn’t the war that was evil, maybe it was him.
“Tao, are you there?”
“Yes, Datlow. By the way, have you heard from Roen Tan lately? He was missing-in-action last I heard.”
There was a pause. “Records show he reported in a few days back with a Mountain North Region crypto key.”
Relief flooded through Tao. Not knowing what had happened to Roen had weighed heavily on both him and Cameron. Tao had put on an optimistic face for the boy, but had feared the worst. The boy would be thrilled to learn that his father was all right.
“Thank you. I will figure out the logistics for getting to the Fort Bragg safe house. Inform Jill we are on our way and should be there in a few days.”
“Will do, Tao. Be safe. I hope it will be a long time before I see you in the Eternal Sea.”
“Likewise, my friend.”
Tao hung up the phone and made his way back toward the corner where Cameron and Alex had passed out. It would be another couple of hours before they would have to wake. They would have to make a short trip to the school and then start making their way south. Best to steal the automobile outside of town limits, which meant…
Tao stopped as he turned around the corner into the kitchen and saw Alex standing there, arms crossed and leaning against the walk-in freezer. He noticed the knife in her hand and took a step back. Immediately, he considered three ways to disarm her, one of which might not injure her.
It would also depend on whether he was fighting Alex or Tabs. If it was the Quasing in control, he was fairly confident it wouldn’t come to that. Tabs had only had a few months with Alex, while Tao had spent almost all of Cameron’s life with him. His control should easily outclass Tab’s. However, if it was the girl, he could be in trouble.
“Tao,” the girl said, “you were on the phone.”
“Tabs,” Tao replied. “What is it to you, and what is with the knife?”
Tabs looked down at the knife and sheathed it. “Apologies. Never can be too careful, especially these days.” She looked up. “You made contact. Where to next?”
Tao studied her. Could he trust Tabs, especially after what had happened over the past few days? “I think I prefer to keep that private for now, all things considered.”
She gave him a flat stare. “After everything we have had to deal with together, I think I have earned a modicum of trust.”
“Things are need-to-know, especially for you. I do not trust you.”
“You still do not trust my loyalties, even after Alex and I helped you and your boy kill that Genjix soldier? Yes, I know you knew it was a Genjix. You lied about it being IXTF. You talk about how I am untrustworthy; you are one to talk.”
Tao was silent for a while. Finally, he nodded. “You are right. Trust needs to begin somewhere, and since both of our hosts are in this together, I will bridge that gap. The good news is that Jill, Vladimir, and Rin are all well. They are holed up in a safe house south of us. We will head out tomorrow, right after we stop for supplies.”
“Alex will be pleased,” Tabs said. She held out her hand. “Come, let the children rest then. They have a long journey ahead.”
Tao took her hand and together, they walked back to the corner behind the front counter, where for the rest of the night, they once again huddled to stay warm and to prepare for the long day ahead.
27
Voter Tampering
It was not until the Industrial Revolution that our many centuries of work on the humans began to pay off. Before then, humanity had evolved at a meandering pace. The wars we pushed, while driving innovation, had taxed the species heavily. We considered abandoning them several times, but, by then, we were already too committed.
The arrival of the Industrial Revolution changed everything. Humans finally began to fulfill the potential we saw in them.
Zoras
* * *
“The joint meeting between the State Duma and Federation Council is in session, Father,” Azumi said. “President Putyatin is on his way to the main floor as we speak.”
Wait until he is in position before securing the exits. The interior chambers should have eight security, and two at the central podium.
Enzo looked over at Natalya. “Are the Spetsnaz in place?”
She nodded. “On your order… um, Father.”
Most of the Spetsnaz Natalya and Akelatis had converted were pragmatic; only two had tried to reject their destiny and had had to be put down. The loyalty of these new vessels was still suspect, though, which was why, without their knowledge, Enzo had small explosive detonators attached to the rear interiors of their helmets. After all, they were blessed with a Holy One now. It was Enzo’s duty to see to their safety.
You are using the shade teams too freely. The rest of the Council will disapprove. Several already insist on banning this practice.
“The final battle is near, my Guardian. Sacrifices are needed.”
It is distasteful. However, as long as you produce results, some compromises are acceptable.
“Once again, the rest of the council has proven not to have the fortitude to do what needs to be done. The Genjix have fallen soft and play down to the level of the Prophus. Perhaps after Quasiform begins, it will be time to consider disbanding the Council in favor of more centralized leadership?”
Dangerous thoughts, vessel. Keep them to yourself. For now.
Enzo held position behind the ornate door leading to the Federal Building main hall. Behind him, thirty of his operatives and ten of the former Spetsnaz stood ready.
After taking control of Genjix headquarters in Moscow, all that was left was to show the rulers of this country which Genjix was in control, and who they should really be aligning with.
“They’re all in place, Father,” Azumi nodded.
Enzo kicked the door open and strolled into the main hall, where the bulk of the Federal Assembly was in session. To either side of him, his people spread out to cover all the doors. Several of the politicians stood up in their seats, either looking for their security or trying to flee the room. To his left, Palos incapacitated one of the guards with a punch to the gut. Further down the hall, Azumi stabbed another in the leg with one of her Emei piercers. Seconds later, his people had secured the chambers and had trapped everyone inside. Enzo, hands on the hilt of Hanjo Masamune, casually strolled to the center of the hall and nodded to Putyatin, whose glare followed him defiantly all the way to the podium. His facade broke
and he cowered when Enzo got close.
“Mr President,” he bowed.
“You should have left Russia by now,” Putyatin hissed. “You risk war between our two countries. I will have you imprisoned for this.”
Enzo put a hand on the president’s shoulder and shoved him aside. “I don’t think so.” He turned to the full assembly. “A few days ago, you held a vote regarding the relationship Russia would have with the Genjix. It has come to my attention that some in this esteemed council were inappropriately influenced by Vinnick’s people. For that, you have the apologies of the Genjix. Those who committed the fraud have been brought to justice.” He nodded at Palos in the back, who opened the door. Matthew and Akelatis dragged Vinnick’s surviving intermediaries in single-file and forced them onto their knees in front of the entire chamber.
“Consider all of their promises void,” Enzo said. He pulled out his pistol and shot one. The rest of his people inside followed suit as a thousand rounds fired from everywhere in the chamber pierced the dozen bodies. The weak-willed politicians screamed as smoke and loud bangs filled the air. He waited a few seconds for the chaos to subside before continuing. “Vinnick has fled Moscow. My people are searching for him as we speak. I intend to bring him to justice. For now, the Genjix call for a new vote. An honest one without the corrupted influence of my predecessor. As a last gesture of the sincerity of our intentions to be one with Russia, I offer you one last gift.”
Enzo nodded toward Palos again. He opened the door once more and several agents carrying large black containers entered the room. They then locked the doors behind them and opened the lids. Dozens of sparkling lights drifted into the air and swirled around the ceiling of the chamber. Then, driven by instinct and survival, one of the lights moved into one of the Duma members. The man screamed. Another scream joined with his as another member was blessed with a shade. Then even more followed. Soon, the entire chamber of the Federation Council was filled with a chorus of terror and pain.
Enzo turned to a huddled Putyatin curled up and shaking on the floor next to him. He offered his hand. “Welcome to the family, brother.” Enzo smiled as the horrified Putyatin recoiled backward. No matter. This would be the last time Enzo ever offered him his hand. The next time, the president of Russia would bend a knee.
He stepped off the podium and watched as hundreds of Russia’s top officials reacted to being forcibly blessed by Quasing shades. Most were already on the ground retching, crying, or groaning in pain. It brought Enzo back to his own ascension, when Zoras had first blessed him. There were still a few Holy Ones in the air, searching for vessels. There must still be some members here who had escaped.
He continued to scan the room and saw a terrified older woman make a break for one of the doors. A Spetsnaz blocked her path. She screamed at him to let her pass. A moment later, the sparkling white light of a Holy One shot into her back, felling her.
“Father,” Amanda’s voice in his ear crackled. “We have an update on Councilman Vinnick.”
“Hang on. I can’t hear you over these blessings.” Enzo walked toward one of the exits, turning back at the door one last time to witness his political masterpiece. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. “Continue.”
“We extracted the travel records from one of his administrators during interrogation. The councilman took his entire entourage to North Korea.”
Sung controls North Korea. He has always been unpredictable, but has never catered to either faction.
Enzo frowned. Sung was one of those shadowy Holy Ones who never played on the world stage. His control of his small fiefdom was near-absolute, and he held one of the only familial Quasing dynasties. His only responsibilities at this moment were production and storage of the catalysts. North Korea was currently one of five catalyst production facilities. Their production was minuscule compared to the others. China itself produced seventy percent of the catalysts. However, China sent all their manufactured catalysts to North Korea for storage.
“Get Sung on the comm immediately,” he barked to Amanda. “Verify our catalyst stockpile levels.”
“Stand by, Father.” Amanda clicked over.
“He wouldn’t move them. He risks everything we have built if he does.”
It would be a desperate move for Vinnick to try to ransom the catalysts for his control. He would turn the rest of the Council against him.
Enzo paced the room for several excruciating minutes. He had nowhere to go! Surely he wouldn’t destroy years of work and irreplaceable resources for petty politics. The Earth was a planet of abundance, with resources, alive and dead, that were near infinite. However, the particular minerals and radioactive iridium derivatives for catalyst production were extraordinarily rare.
“Father,” Sung’s voice clicked over the comm.
Already, Enzo knew the news was bad. He could hear the fear in the weak-minded vessel’s voice. “How much of the stockpile did he take?”
“Sixteen tons. Forty percent of our storage capacity.”
Enzo raged. That was enough to initiate Quasiform processes at nine catalyst facilities. “How could you allow Vinnick to take them?”
The fear in Sung’s vessel’s voice grew. “Apologies, Father, but Councilman Vinnick is on the Council and Flua is on the Grand Council. I dare not disobey.”
That much was true. Enzo could not fault Sung for being loyal. “Where did he go?”
“He said he was going to relocate his operations to North America in order to personally oversee catalyst distribution over the hemisphere. I arranged for the transport.”
A surprising choice. The United States was a wasteland for all Quasing, Prophus and Genjix alike. Vinnick must be in one of the many bases hidden on the continent, though only a few were large enough to store that much catalyst. That meant it would have to be either a catalyst facility or a loyalty haven.
There are four catalyst facilities in the United States, one in Mexico, one in Brazil and one in Peru. Only one in the United States has completed construction and is ready to go on-line. The facilities in Kentucky and Oregon are the largest, situated over fault lines on the continent.
There are three loyalty havens in the hemisphere: northern Canada, the Caribbean, and the Archipelago. They are likelier candidates, since all are under his direct control.
Enzo clicked over to Amanda. “I want you to pull up all the loyalty havens and catalyst facilities in the Western hemisphere. Send envoys on the ground and demand a full audit on my authority. Whichever one refuses is the one Vinnick is hiding in. Arrange for transport. We’re just about done in Russia. I will be there in person to grind that old man under my boot.”
28
School Day
The friction between the Prophus and Genjix is an unusual occurrence for our kind. We have almost always acted as a collective, having our merged ideas debated and agreed upon until we functioned as one focused being, a combined singularity, if you will. That is our true disconnect on this planet, something the Genjix had hoped to overcome with their recent invention of ProGenesis.
Tao
* * *
Cameron felt like crap the next day as he and Alex walked to school. His back was stiff, his clothes were still soggy, and he was exhausted. Tao and Tabs had woken them both up before dawn to clean up the mess they had made at the burger joint. His mood brightened a hundredfold when he learned that both his mother and father were all right, and it made Tao ordering him to mop the kitchen and wipe down the grill much more bearable.
An hour later, their Quasing had ordered them both to head off to school. He looked over at Alex walking beside him down Harrison Street. Strangely, her walking beside him holding his hand, coupled with finding out that his parents were all right, could very well have made this the best day of his life.
He began to whistle as they turned onto the block of his high school. With luck, he could swipe the survival pack and get fixed up by the nurse’s office before classes started. Once they did, th
e entire high school would get locked down and that would make leaving much more difficult. The walk wasn’t too far and soon they were crossing the football field into the main building. With the luck he’d had this morning, he might be able to see Mom by dinnertime.
“Look,” he chirped cheerfully, pointing at a small grove of trees across the street. “Why don’t you hang out there until I get back?”
Alex looked over at the park benches and shook her head. “No way, mister. I’m coming.”
“It’s an unnecessary risk,” he said. “I can grab my stuff and be back in thirty minutes. Hour tops.”
“Fine,” she said. “You go get your bag of money and that cut taken care of. I am going to the locker room to take a nice long shower.”
That is a really good idea. You two have been on the run and have not showered for days.
Cameron sniffed his shoulder. He did smell a bit pungent, though to him, it felt completely natural. He smelled like the forest.
Oh please. I have been in dinosaurs that smelled better than you two. As hard as I have tried, you somehow still follow in many of your father’s footsteps.
“I should probably take one, too,” he said grudgingly.
You also would attract a lot of the wrong attention in your current state, and it is doubtful they would let you onto a bus, either.
“It’s settled then,” she said. “I bet I can find a change of clothing, too.”
Cameron looked at the shirt he was wearing. It looked like it was hanging onto his body by its last threads. On top of being smeared with dirt, grass stains, and hot oil, it had a dozen holes in it, as if someone had shot him full of arrows, courtesy of the many sharp brambles and thorns in the forest.
Another good point.
“Boy, you’re really on her side today, aren’t you?”
Logic over loyalty. Sorry.