by Wesley Chu
Io surprised Ella again the next morning as she was about to head out. Change of plans. Grab some cash. Head east and grab a tuk-tuk.
Ella looked back toward her bedroom and squinted. “How much cash?” She had been saving the majority of her stipend and had built up quite a hoard. At this rate, she estimated she could actually move out of Crate Town and buy a home in Surat within a year. She had had to spend some of the money on Io’s requests once in a while but every time, it was only after Io had pried that cash from her tightwad fists.
Just enough to take a tuk-tuk to the airport. You do not have to worry about taking one back.
“Am I going to get reimbursed?”
No.
“Then I don’t want to go.”
That is not an option. We are not paying you just so you can live in a nicer apartment. Consider these small expenses part of your generous salary.
Ella grumbled every step of the way, but eventually grabbed a wad of cash and stuffed it into her pants. She exited her cluster and followed Io’s orders, hailing a tuk-tuk and wading upstream against tire-to-tire morning traffic until she reached the outside of the airport.
Instead of heading to the entrance, Io had her make her way to the southeast, toward a cluster of warehouses across a marshy field at the far edge of the airport. Along the way, Io gave her a quick update on the job.
Your recent work surveying the site has been invaluable. Command has escalated this Genjix operation’s threat level, and we are now moving to the next phase of the project. They are sending in an elite black ops team to assess and take over operations. The recent upheaval in Crate Town has given us the perfect opportunity to destroy the site. You will be their local support. Your orders today will be to rendezvous with the team at the airport and take them directly to a safe house.
“Safe house? What safe house? Where is it? Did Hamilton set it up?”
I kept Hamilton out of the loop and we are going to keep it that way. Your place is not large enough to house the entire team. Besides, too many people know where you live. The team requires a more secure location for their base of operations.
Something about this mission felt different, more pressing. Ella wasn’t sure if she should feel honored or terrified, but it made her feel important. She could almost sense Io’s tension seeping into her. She was also grateful that the Prophus thought well enough of her work to send another team, especially after the unfortunate consequences to the last people they sent.
“Why can’t they just head to the safe house on their own? Why can’t I just meet them there?”
Because of the recent security issues, Command is not taking any chances. There will be no middle man. You will be their first contact when they land, and their last when they leave. There is only a handful in Command who knows they are even here.
She crept ankle-deep in water along the tall grass and waited as a plane sped by and took off. Then, staying low, she sprinted across the runway into the bog on the other side, and continued toward a group of warehouses. There was a dirt road from the north that led to the main body of the airport, but she had not seen any vehicles pass through yet.
Ella flattened against the slope and peered through the tall grass. A gray van rumbled from the far street and came to a stop inside the cluster of buildings. She waited for fifteen minutes until the van sped off again toward the airport. Ella stood up and grimaced at the mud caked to her clothing.
“I still wish you would tell me ahead of time though. What if this team needs to stop by my place during the middle of the day? It’s a mess right now. I just got my laundry back from Wiry Madras and my underwear is all over the place. You have me running through sludge so often I have to wash clothes every other day.”
If I tell you ahead of time, it defeats the purpose of something being clandestine. You should just keep your place prepared for visitors at all times. You are the only designated support in this region.
“I’m too busy. If you need to control me while I’m asleep, maybe you could also clean the house a little.”
I do not take over your body to become your maid.
“I’m just saying. You should make yourself more useful. Pick up after me or do the dishes or something.”
Do not hold your breath.
Once the coast was clear, Ella proceeded to the warehouse. The morning sun was now climbing up the sky, shrinking the shadows and exposing more with each passing minute. The tall grass she was passing through rustled, making her feel as if she were being watched or followed. The cluster of buildings grew more foreboding the closer she got. Worst of all, she wasn’t on familiar turf, so wouldn’t know where to run if things went south.
Ella felt tingling up and down her spine. She usually didn’t get nervous running cons, even when she had robbed all those gangsters. When you had little to lose, you didn’t fear losing it. Sure, being dead would suck, but life hadn’t been that great to begin with. Now, she felt like jumping out of her skin.
Maybe it is because you have something valuable worth living for: me.
“More like the opposite. I don’t remember being nagged this much since I was a kid.”
Ella reached the first building in the cluster and pressed against the wall. She didn’t know why she was lurking, but she felt the need to. She was used to the tight, cluttered spaces of Crate Town. This much open space creeped her out. A worker walked by and gave her a puzzled look. He shrugged and continued on.
Maybe you should try to stop sneaking around. You look guiltier than if you just walked normally. Go to the building marked 7B. It should be the one on the far end to the left.
“Are you sure? I feel like something bad is going to happen if I just walk around in the open.”
Just act normal. Is that so hard?
“Fine. But if I get in trouble, it’s going to be your fault.”
Ella left the shadow of the building and made a straight beeline toward the warehouse at the other corner of the cluster. No sooner had she walked three meters than someone stopped her.
“Excuse me, miss. Can I help you?” a voice said from off to the side.
Ella jumped like a cat and came face to face with a short, dark-skinned man with a very round face. He was stocky, his body reminiscent of an oil drum, and he had crazy hair that stuck out in all directions. His eyebrows were so thick, they nearly covered his eyes.
“Nice job, Io. Stop sneaking around, Ella. You look guilty, Ella. Just walk in the open, Ella.”
Like I knew this was going to happen.
“I was just, uh, passing through,” she said aloud to the man.
“This is actually private property.” He smiled. “I’ll have to escort you.”
Ella had no choice but to nod and do as he said. There was something about him that made her squirm. It wasn’t that she felt threatened by him or that she sensed any danger. It was… his smile. She kind of liked it. He was actually sort of ugly, but there was something about the way he looked and spoke to her that made her feel a little funny inside.
You have strange taste.
“He’s cute, in an unconventionally awkward kind of way. How do we get to the warehouse if he’s going to lead me off the airport grounds?”
Just let him lead you outside and then double back once you lose him.
“I bet sneaking around sounds like a good idea right about now, doesn’t it?
No need to be smug.
Ella tried to play it cool as she walked with the man. His name was Nabin and he was Nepalese, which surprised her. His accent was a little strange for someone from there, as if it had some British or Hong Kong to it. Nabin was an aerospace engineer who maintained the planes at the airport. He was relatively new to Surat, having only arrived a month ago on a six-month contract.
“Does that mean you’re leaving after your contract is up?” she asked.
“Probably,” he replied, “unless they extend it.”
Ella successfully hid the disappointment on her face. “Well, if you need so
meone to show you around the city, I could be your tour guide.” She quailed a little inside. That was a lot bolder than she had meant to be.
“Perhaps.” Nabin’s hesitation was only for a split second, but it was there.
Ella’s heart cracked a little there too. She had had very few instant crushes in her life, and all of them were on movie stars. Anything remotely resembling a real relationship had led to nothing, and every single one of them had broken her heart. It was a good thing she was half-lizard and her organs always mended over a weekend.
Ella threw a sidelong glance at building 7B as they passed, and was surprised when Nabin turned toward it. She hesitated.
He looked back and waved at her to follow. “We have a crew digging a new drain pipe on the other side. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up falling into a ditch. It’s safer if we make a detour. Come on.”
An alarm began to ring in Ella’s head. Her gut told her to run. She looked down the path he was leading her to. Nabin stood there and waited for her expectantly.
If you take off, he will definitely know something is amiss, and will probably alert security. It will be difficult to come back later on. It should be fine.
Ella reluctantly complied with Io’s orders. Just in case, her hand drifted to her long knife. She was pretty sure she could handle him if something happened. Just as they passed the door leading into 7B, it opened. Before she could react, Nabin threw his arms around her and dragged her inside the building.
Ella squirmed but his grip was a vice, so she bit him. He cried out and loosened his hold. The knife appeared in her hand and she jammed it at Nabin’s ugly face. To her surprise, he dodged it at the last possible second and grabbed at her again. The man was faster than he looked, but not fast enough. Ella twisted away before he could wrap his fingers around her wrist. She slashed once at his chest and again at his throat. Both times he just managed to stay out of her reach, if barely.
Nabin tried to close the distance and smother her, but she rewarded his efforts with a nick to the arm that sprayed blood into the air. He grunted and backpedaled. Sensing an opportunity, Ella charged, swinging the knife in short vicious arcs. Nabin managed to dodge her attempts to eviscerate him, but lost his balance and fell backward. Ella straddled his chest, knife coming down at his throat.
A hand grabbed her knife wrist and Ella felt cold metal pressed against the side of her head.
“Drop it.” She heard a click of metal near her left ear. “I will not say it again.”
The knife fell from Ella’s hand and clattered on the ground. She raised her other arm.
“Get up. Slowly.”
This time, Ella understood his words. Those lessons with Io were paying off. She did as she was told. She glared. “I thought you were nice.”
“I’m the one who’s not nice? Look at this.” He held up both arms. One had a set of teeth marks and the other was dripping blood. “Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth?”
“I hope your arm rots and falls off,” she spat.
Ella became aware of several figures close by. The one to her left was still pressing a gun into her temple. The rage she had aimed at Nabin was replaced by a growing fear. She was in way over her head.
Make no sudden movements until we know who they are.
“Is this the host who the Penetra scanner was chirping about?” a woman said from the darkness.
“Yep,” Nabin replied. “It was either her or the janitor. I checked him first.”
An Asian woman in combat fatigues appeared. She held some contraption up to Ella and nodded back into the darkness. “This is the one. Get the Adonis.”
Watch what you say carefully.
Io had told Ella enough about the Genjix breeding program and Hatcheries that she expected a swimsuit model.
A hooded figure appeared behind the woman and reached out to Ella. She pulled back, but that asshole Nabin prevented her from squirming away. The figure touched her arm. “It’s Io. You can release her.”
That is him. That is the person we are supposed to meet.
Nabin let go of her. He picked her knife off the floor and handed it back to her handle first. “Sorry about the cloak and dagger, girl. We just had to be sure.”
She shot lasers at him with her eyes as she rubbed her bruised wrist. She took back the knife and considered stabbing him with it. Instead, she slipped it back into her sheath.
“Asshole,” she muttered, and turned her glare back to the hooded figure. “Who the gods are you, kidnapper?”
“A feisty one here,” the woman chuckled.
The figure pulled the hood off his head. Ella gaped and couldn’t recall a time in her life where she was more disappointed by the way a man looked. Being called an Adonis came with certain expectations. He wasn’t good-looking or bad-looking, just… just plain.
The Adonis stuck out his hand. “You must be Io’s new host. Welcome to the Prophus. My name is Cameron Tan.”
Twenty-Nine
Past and the Present
Over the next several hundred years, I moved from human vessel to human vessel, trying to find my bearings and understand humanity. I traveled across Europe, from Rolf the supposed berserker to a Saxon trader to a Frank monk and a Spanish peasant. None of my vessels ever made a mark in history and were quickly forgotten.
Unlike a few of my kind, I struggled to lift my vessels to become more than what they would be without a Quasing. Whereas Tao built an empire in Asia and Chiyva revolutionized warfare with the Roman Legions, I was barely able to coexist with my vessels, let alone influence them, let alone drive them to perform great deeds and rise above their place in life.
* * *
Ella stared at Cameron Tan’s outstretched hand. Even though they were technically on the same side, she didn’t know who these people were. Her natural reaction, honed by years of living on the street, kicked in. She kept her hands at her sides. “Ella. Just Ella. I’m here to take you guys to the safe house.”
Cameron took being left hanging in stride. “We’ll be ready in a few minutes.” He turned to the rest of the people around them. “Secure the area. Three on the perimeter. Keep the Penetra working. Load up the van.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Two more figures appeared from the shadows. Ella counted six total bodies, including Cameron, Nabin, and the woman. The Nepalese and two others exited the building. Her first instinct was to search for a way out. One end of the hangar was the large bay doors. The only other exit was the one she had come through, which at the moment was being guarded by the woman and one other. Just a quick eyeball on both told her that these guys could take her in a fight without even trying.
“Walk with me,” said Cameron. “I have a few questions.”
There was something in his demeanor that made her wary. He wasn’t cocky, just confident. This was a guy who was used to having his orders followed. She crossed her arms. “We should get going.”
“Show the commander some respect,” the woman said sharply.
Ella glared at the woman. “Mind your own business.”
“No, no,” Cameron said. “The girl is right. We should get to the safe house. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.”
Ella turned her attention to Cameron. At first, he seemed unassuming. He was of medium height, medium build, and had a normal face. He had some Asian features, but his darkness came from the sun. He sported a beard that almost managed to connect at the sides. Not quite, though. He was maybe in his late twenties, early thirties. He carried himself much older than he appeared, and he somehow looked laid back and intense at the same time.
Even with her untrained eye, Ella could tell Cameron was a dangerous man. It wasn’t just because he was muscular; he wasn’t big, but she could see definition under his clothing. It was in the way he moved. The man was graceful; not like a dancer, but like a snake. He appeared relaxed, lazy even, but the tension around his eyes told another story.
Maybe he just likes tight
clothing.
“Maybe he thinks he is a superhero.”
Maybe he wears children’s clothing.
Ella bit her lip and masked the grin growing on her face. She enjoyed making fun of these people. They all took themselves so seriously. She also appreciated the fact that Io had loosened up with her too. It made her Quasing so much more bearable.
Fifteen minutes later, the seven of them were in a van rumbling north up the road toward an industrial district next to Magadalla Port. At least that was where Ella assumed they were going. Io was only providing instructions at the turns. Three of Cameron’s people sat up front while he, Ella, Nabin, and the woman sat in back with all the gear. Ella rolled her eyes at the metal cases stacked next to her. She was so over metal luggage.
She noticed Cameron staring, making uncomfortable googly eyes at her. Being noticed was almost always a bad thing in her line of work. Being stared at usually meant she had just got caught. She squirmed and instinctively looked for some shadow to disappear into. Then she noticed something else in Cameron’s stare; he was sad, grieving almost. Was this guy feeling sorry for her? That pissed her off. She didn’t take pity from anyone.
“What are you looking at?” she snapped.
“Seeing you sitting there with Io made me think of an old friend.” He gestured at the rest of his team. “By the way, this is Dana, Nabin you’ve already met.” The two waved. Cameron patted the driver on the shoulder. “That’s Dubs driving. Lam’s in the middle. She’s my second in command. Jax’s my rookie on the right.” Dubs, eyes still on the road, raised a hand. Lam looked back and smiled. Jax gave them all the middle finger.
Cameron grinned. “Jax is actually a ten-year veteran, but he’s new to my team. There are no actual rookies here. This is about as crack a group as you’re going to find. We draw from the best.”
“Damn right, sir,” Dana said. “Everyone wants to work with Tao and the Adonis host.”
Ella made a face. “Adonis, eh? You’re not that good looking.”
Cameron smiled. “A beautiful human is a Genjix requirement for an Adonis vessel. It is a term they apply to people trained since childhood at their hatcheries to become perfect vessels for their high-ranking Quasing. The Prophus don’t have Adonises, but I guess I’m the closest thing our side has to one. My Quasing, Tao, joined with me when I was three and has trained me to be an agent almost since then.”