The Rebirths of Tao

by Wesley Chu

  “Behind your right shoulder. Those are Kallis’s people.”

  “I’m not blind, Marco.”

  “Well, seems those louts thought it’d be funny to crash her date, so they all decided to have dinner here tonight. They drove up in the Penetra van and walked in here with their bloody packs.”

  Roen stole a glance at Kallis, who was shooting her underlings a dirty look. “What about your date?”

  “Nothing we can do about that now,” said Marco. “Need you to be my alibi.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell her instead of calling me here?” Roen asked.

  Marco grinned. “This makes it much more realistic. Otherwise, it would look like I just buggered out on a date.”

  Together the two walked back to the table. Marco made sure to look very angry as he berated Roen about his incompetence in his mishandling of export documentation. Roen bit his lip as Marco laid into him. One day, this guy was going to get what was coming to him. He grimaced and bore it, though, looking properly chastised.

  “I’m sorry, my dear,” Marco said to Kallis. “I will have to make it up to you. A small crisis beckons.” He shot Roen another look.

  Kallis looked puzzled. “Can it wait a little bit? Our steaks are coming any second now. I can’t eat both by myself. Or Rutherford, would you care to join me?”

  “Well,” Marco said. “I guess I could take it to-go.”

  “Well, since you’re already dressed up, no reason to waste the evening,” Roen said. “Thanks for the invite.” He looked over at Marco. “It’s a burden I’ll have to live with. Eating your steak that is. I hope you got it medium rare. You’d better get going, boss.”

  Marco looked like he was about to object, but then he nodded. “Very well. Allow me to make it up to you, my dear,” he said to Kallis. He paused in front of Roen with a forlorn look, and then departed. Roen turned to Kallis and sat down. He had been planning on having a ham sandwich for dinner, as that was all they had back at the shed. This was much better.

  Roen and Kallis watched as Marco exited the restaurant. She turned and stuck a finger in his face. “Tell me the truth. Was it that bad of a date he had to call you in to bail him out?”

  Roen held his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ posture. “You got us. This was all an elaborate ploy so Marco could get away right before the steak came, because he’s secretly a vegetarian. And I accepted his invitation to take his place because as my business partner, he doesn’t allow me to eat meat either back at the office.”

  “Really?”

  “No, not really.”

  “You wouldn’t tell me anyway, would you?”

  Roen motioned at her group of people sitting at the other side of the restaurant. “Would you cover for your guys?”

  “Good point,” she chuckled. “That’s my family there. God, country, family, and that group of assholes who crashed the first date I’ve had in months.” The group at the round table all looked their way and raised their beer glasses.

  “I find that hard to believe,” Roen said. He meant it too. Kallis looked in her late thirties or early forties, and attractive. She had a no-nonsense demeanor that probably scared some people away, but she also seemed to have a good sense of humor. Right now, she was shaking her finger and playing with her guys. In many ways, Kallis reminded him of Jill.

  “Hey, you want to take the party over there?” Roen asked.

  “You sure?” she said. “I mean, those guys are kind of a handful. They’ll eat you alive.”

  “I’ll have you there to protect me, or to egg them on.”

  “Let’s eat first. If we bring red meat to those savages, they’ll devour everything.” Kallis grinned. “You know, Rutherford, you’re all right. I have a good nose for guys, and Cornelius is a little too smooth to be real, but you’re an okay guy.” She picked up her glass of wine and toasted him. Roen grinned, taking over Marco’s scotch and doing the same.

  A few minutes later, their steaks came, and the two enjoyed a couple of twenty-four ounce New York strips. Afterward, they joined the rest of Kallis’s team at the table, and Roen got to know a few of her people.

  Most were ex-military, so he identified with many of their experiences and stories, though he had to hide that from them. Roen did his best to not have to make up any more about himself by keeping the discussion focused on them. By the end of the night, after a couple of rounds of drinks, he had trouble keeping track of what was the truth, and what he had had to make up.

  It really didn’t matter anymore, anyway. In a couple of weeks, whenever the hospital released Prie, these IXTF agents would try to transfer him up to Seattle while Roen and his guys would try to stop them. That was probably the last time he would see any of these people, so he might as well make stuff up to fit in while he was here.

  The group around the table ended up closing the restaurant. By then, the scotch had gotten to Roen, and he felt weird driving back to the base not totally sober with so many federal agents in the parking lot. Now that he thought about it, they didn’t have a designated driver, either. In fact, the entire team all downed their beers before heading out, insisting they couldn’t waste alcohol. Roen found himself liking these guys, even if they were the enemy. In another lifetime, perhaps, things could have been different.

  “Hey, Rutherford,” Kallis stuck out her hand as her group hopped into the Penetra van, “thanks for saving the evening.”

  Roen shook her hand. “It was my pleasure. Sorry about crashing your date. I’m sure Cornelius will make it up to you.”

  “No, I don’t think I would have had a better time than the one I did. I’m sure it worked out for the best.” The Penetra van’s horn honked twice. Kallis looked over and gave it the bird, and then turned back. “You know, Cornelius is a smooth talker and probably the face of your company, but he’s lucky to have you.”

  Roen shrugged. “Old Cornelius is a burden I have to live with.”

  “I bet it’s a real heavy burden,” she grinned. “But really. I know who the heart of the business is.”

  There was an awkward pause as Roen froze. It was times like this when he wished Tao were here. A guy his age should know how to handle these situations by now, but for some reason, it was a big hole in his education he had never filled.

  “Thanks,” was all that came out of his mouth, leaving an awkward pause hanging in the air before he was able to recover. “Why don’t we all hang out again soon?”

  Kallis hesitated. “Not sure if I’m going to be able to. You ever up in Seattle?”

  Roen paused for only a split second, glancing down on the ground before nodding. “Sure. I’ll look you up.” He watched as the Penetra van pulled out of the lot. Once it was out of sight, he dialed the base. “Sheck, turn that bug on. I think IXTF is on the move.”

  32

  Finishing the Game

  The technology that arose from the Industrial Revolution gave us new hope for this species. It not only allowed humans to experience massive population growth, it also allowed them to expand rapidly in their never-ending hunger for resources. This, in turn, allowed the Genjix to push the boundaries of our Conflict Doctrine even further. For the first time in history, we began to see them as not unlike ourselves.

  Zoras

  * * *

  Ever since Baji’s Great Betrayal, the United States had been the most vigilant in the ill-conceived war against all Quasing and had set up the world’s most effective Penetra net on their borders. All flights, sea routes, and border checkpoints were continually scanned. It made leaving the blasted country difficult, and entering near impossible, at least without extraordinary effort and cost. Unfortunately, Canada had extended to the United States the right to watch their borders in a similar fashion. Therefore, any movement to the entire North American continent was expensive and risky, and had to be carefully planned.

  Unless you were on the Council, then extraordinary cost be damned.

  The trip from Moscow had been physically draining, an
d had taken much longer than necessary. Enzo had left the same night as the Genjix takeover of the Federal Assembly, routing to North Korea first, and then flying overseas to an ocean-bound freighter. Due to the stringent security of the IXTF, especially across the western coast of North America, the Genjix had to be airdropped a day out of Vancouver. Then it took another two slow days for the damn ship’s cargo to offload into Port Metro.

  Fortunately, the IXTF watched the ports in Canada much less stringently than they did the ports in the United States, and all the two hundred Genjix had to do was stroll out of their containers in the middle of the night and board the six transport helicopters waiting to ferry them over. Enzo scanned the landscape below him as his little armada passed from land to water over Great Slave Lake.

  It was little surprise that Vinnick had chosen this location for the loyalty haven: heavily wooded area, large body of water, isolated, mountainous landscape. The perfect location for a hidden base to survive the apocalypse. North America was the only continent lagging in these facilities, the inherent government difficulties slowing construction. Because of all these heightened restrictions, building costs for haven facilities were four times what they were anywhere else in the world. Well, except for maybe in Japan and southern Britain. The real estate prices in those regions were out of control. It was all a colossal waste of money in his opinion.

  Enzo scanned the vast body of water as they neared the center of Great Slave Lake. Nothing; just calm waters. He turned to Amanda. “Is our man in place?”

  She raised a finger to him as she spoke into a comm. He allowed this indiscretion, if barely. Sometimes, when she was busy or stressed, she forgot her place. She nodded a few times, and then looked up at him. “He is, Father. Stand by.”

  A few seconds later, four large metal towers rose up from the depths of the lake. The gray structures, shedding water as they grew, were large cylinders with domed tops. They reached approximately twenty meters above the surface and stopped, then four square wings hanging inside the space between the towers swung up until they formed a giant platform.

  “First three transports, prepare to airdrop,” Enzo instructed. “Second grouping lands once we secure the area.”

  Have your people secure the area. You do not need to be the first to land.

  “Very well.”

  It was a common wisdom Zoras often needed to instill in him. Even after all these years, Enzo had to fight the urge to be the first in every battle. It wasn’t a surprise that Protesilaus ranked as one of his favorite childhood heroes. Now that he commanded the fate of the world, his wise guardian had to be heeded. Still, he felt his toes and hands itch as he saw the units from the three transports rappel down onto the platform. Within seconds, they had secured it and waited for the other three transports to land.

  He tapped his foot impatiently as his transport moved into place, deciding to leap as it hovered two meters above the ground. He landed with a loud clank against the metal floor and was instantly surrounded by the units already there, taking defensive positions around him.

  What are the odds of Vinnick lowering this platform while we are here?

  “I was assured by our contact on the inside that it won’t happen.”

  There was a grinding sound from the northeast tower, followed by a hiss of air pressure releasing. The door opened, and three men walked out. His men moved in to disarm and disable them.

  Enzo raised a hand. “Hold.”

  Obviously, they hadn’t come up here to fight. He recognized two of the men. One was Sergii, Vinnick’s heir, and the other was Gates, his handpicked commander for this haven. Interesting choices. The third seemed just a bodyguard, a foolish and wasted security measure.

  Sergii is a highly-trained Sambo practitioner and trained in savate in France. Gates is the cousin of a Dutch politician, and earned his Holy One while they were playing golf and the politician suffered a stroke. The third is an unknown.

  “The commander and his future. This is his surrender.”

  Be wary. We saw this before at the Church of the Disposition of the Robe.

  Enzo watched as the sea of his black-garbed units parted, and the three approached. The Adonis appeared relaxed, but Enzo could detect tension around his eyes, the slightly forced casualness of his movements. By all accounts, he was very well-trained, even though Enzo didn’t consider him a real Hatchery brother. Vinnick would have accepted nothing less. At one point, the two of them were competitors, spoken of equally highly as potential vessels and discussed in the same breath. Maybe it was time to test that.

  Gates, on the other hand, looked like he was about to soil himself. He was a vessel barely worth mentioning. Highly valued vessels did not become commanders of backwater bases whose only purpose was to keep insecure believers alive during the greatest elevation of the species.

  He bowed a little lower than Sergii did when they reached Enzo. “Father. This is an unexpected honor. We did not anticipate your arrival.”

  “He means he does not know why the platform was brought up.”

  Indeed.

  Gates wasn’t used to conflict and the power struggle within the council. Enzo could see desperation in his eyes as he looked at the group of armed men. Enzo didn’t blame him; the two most powerful Genjix Council members were quarreling in his front yard. He’d be forced to choose sides shortly. Before he could say another word, Enzo walked past him toward the entrance. Akelatis fell in line to his right. Azumi to his left. She signaled for the rest of their people to follow.

  “Father, a moment,” Gates called, running up beside him. “Due to the sensitive nature of the facility, I’m afraid the inner sanctum of the catalyst facility needs to be locked down.”

  Enzo ignored him and continued to the door leading down to the haven. He was well aware of Sergii trailing to his left, as well as the guard keeping pace to his right. He knew that Azumi had her eyes on the Adonis Vessel. He was the real danger here.

  Gates continued to plead with Enzo until they reached the door. The fool actually had the audacity to jump in front to block his path. “Father, please. I serve the Holy Ones, but this is an untenable situation and a risk to this very important Genjix operation. There are issues that must be resolved by both sides, I understand. However, I must insist that this conflict be resolved elsewhere. The Council Power Struggle has no place in a loyalty haven.”

  Enzo gave him a flat stare and watched Gates shrink before him. Then, without looking, he pulled out his sidearm and shot Gates’s guard in the neck.

  “You have an objection?”

  Gates’s face turned a shade of purple, and the sounds coming out of his mouth became half-stutters and squeaks. Akelatis walked up and clubbed the man on the side of the head with the butt of his rifle. Enzo continued walking down the stairs of the metal tower into the base. Once on the main level, he was met by quite a few black rifle muzzles.

  Sixteen Epsilons, forty standard security. No vessels among them.

  Gates staggered up from behind. His eyes were still unfocused, but he seemed to have learned his place.

  “Zoras, what do you know about his Holy One?”

  Jara is a scientist and has focused on technological evolutions since the early Mesopotamian period. He is credited with the invention of the chariot and later notable inventions such as bleeding, the axle wheel, and condoms. He is best known for several high-profile failed inventions.

  “Like what?”

  He once tried to create a courier system using trebuchets.

  “Not a bad idea, actually.”

  I thought so, too, until the system started accidently killing people.

  “So he is a scientist and not a warrior.”

  You will have to treat him delicately, since his reactions can be unpredictable.

  Sergii appeared next to Enzo and bowed deeply. “Father, Councilman Vinnick also has a large stockpile of the catalyst reaction rods. As you know, they are invaluable to Quasiform operations, and this underwater
base is extraordinarily delicate. Please see the wisdom in parlaying first to insure that holy relics are not put at risk.”

  Interesting. He just called you stupid and threatened you with the catalysts’ destruction. If Vinnick has brought the stolen stockpile here, then Sergii is right. It is far too valuable to risk destroying.

  Enzo looked at the sixteen Epsilons behind the barricade and considered his options. Violence in this space would be messy. Any invading force would have to fight through modular rooms. The defenders would have several bottlenecks to keep them contained. He glanced up at the ceilings. Any rupture of these facilities would probably doom them all as well, which ruled out explosives.

  As always, your habit of embracing risk will be your downfall. Seek another option.

  “It hasn’t yet, my Guardian. Recommendation?”

  Parlay first. Turn the tide in your favor before striking. The current odds are against you. The base defenders alongside the Epsilons vastly outnumber your forces. They also hold the tactically superior position. This is a test. Prove you are able.

  “Your will, Zoras. However, I cannot tolerate the way that worm continues to bargain with me.”

  Hold him accountable, but do not endanger the catalyst reaction rods. That is strong leverage.

  Enzo grimaced. The past few weeks in Russia had showed that if there was one thing Vinnick could beat him at again and again, it was duplicitous diplomacy. It was time Enzo stopped playing this game and leveled the playing field. There was more than one way to play at diplomacy.

  It had always been his experience that if you removed someone’s choices, they would more often than not do what they were ordered. In the case of Gates, Enzo planned to do just that. Show authority, and the followers would be more than happy to just follow.

  He looked at Gates. “Commander, have your security forces arrest the Epsilons.”

  Gates blanched, and his security forces balked at the command. However, before he could respond, Enzo had turned to the Adonis Vessel. “Sergii, my son. You have a choice now: whether you wish to be a Genjix or dead. You are an Adonis Vessel, and I understand your loyalty to Vinnick, regardless of how misplaced it is. You are also an asset to the Holy Ones and the Genjix. Do not make the mistake of following a vessel and not the Holy One. Flua is still yours if you wish, but you must follow the true Genjix.”