by Wesley Chu
She crossed her arms as Ella walked inside the front lobby. “You again, Black Cat? What are you doing that you have to wash every day? It’s not healthy, especially since what I charge you barely covers the hot water. Also, your laundry isn’t ready. I need to have Kaea wash it again. There’s some stains in there that…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed the five additional obviously military-like bodies walk in after Ella. There was only the briefest of pauses before she went off on Ella again. “You stupid girl. What did I tell you about bringing trouble to my door?” Ella opened her mouth to reply, but Wiry Madras cut her off. She bowed to Nabin, the one brown person in the group who she must have assumed was the one in charge. “Officer, I don’t know who this wretched girl is. I’m just a humble old merchant. Whatever she said–”
“They’re with me,” said Ella.
“Well then.” Wiry Madras eyed the dangerous but exhausted looking crew up and down, probably trying to decide if they were worth the trouble. “Water is still boiling if you want it hot. Five hundred rupees. Cold baths only two hundred. If you have laundry, it’s by the–”
“We need a place to stay.”
Wiry Madras shook her head. “I take in homeless girls, not strapping big men in uniforms. These people are obviously trouble. I won’t have that in my–”
“We’ll pay you a hundred Euros a day.” Cameron held up one finger. “One room, total privacy, and your silen–”
“Welcome, welcome, my friends, to Wiry Madras’s.” She opened her arms magnanimously and stepped to the side. “Right this way.”
Wiry Madras shooed one of the girls to prepare a room and then gave them a guided tour of the four large communal pools and the dozen smaller individual tubs, past the laundry room where ten of Madras’s girls were hand-washing clothes, to the back of the building.
It brought Ella back to her early days in Crate Town. After being run out of Metal Mountain by the gangs, she had survived on the street for a few weeks before Wiry Madras took her in. The old woman had put a roof over her head, given her a mattress, fed her two meals a day, and then put her to work for fifteen hours at a time.
It was hard, and Ella hated Wiry Madras for much of it, but she loved the old hag as well. The woman had protected her and the rest of the girls when they were most vulnerable, and had helped them move on with their lives when it was time for them to go. She still remembered the day she had left. Wiry Madras had given her a hug – the first that Ella could remember – and slipped five thousand rupees into her pocket. It had brought Ella to tears.
Wiry Madras slapped her on the back of the head. “Pay attention, Black Cat. Listen, you keep your thugs here in line. Walk in through the back door. I don’t want them to spook my good customers.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Wiry Madras turned to the others. “One more thing. The price does not include bath and laundry services. If you want a hot bath, it’s ten Euros. For a cold one, it’s five. Laundry is ten Euros per basket.”
“What?” Nabin exclaimed. “Earlier, you said it was five hundred rupees.”
“That’s international business for you,” Wiry Madras shrugged. “If there’s nothing else…”
Ella exchanged glances with Cameron, and then gingerly raised a hand. “There’s one more thing, ma’am.”
“What is it, cat?”
“We have a dead body in the van. We need you to store it for us.”
Wiry Madras looked as if they were all crazy. Negotiations went downhill from there.
* * *
Ella found some time alone on the roof of Wiry Madras’s four-story building later that day. By now, the team had settled in, taken baths, and eaten. Madras was pulling out all the stops and catering to them as if they were staying at the Taj Lake Palace. She was probably making a killing too, although it seemed money was no object to these Prophus foreigners, or at least they had no idea what things should cost in this part of the world.
When Wiry Madras had asked for a thousand Euros to store Dubs, Ella had gotten indignant on behalf of the Prophus, even though she felt a greater allegiance to Madras. It was outrageous, but Cameron had accepted her demands without a fuss. Even the old woman seemed surprised that he agreed to her initial offer. At the very least, he could have asked for some free baths or something.
You cannot ignore me forever. You will have to deal with this awkward situation sooner or later.
Ella might not be able to ignore that traitorous alien forever, but she was certainly going to try. At the very least, she was going to pretend that parasite wasn’t living in her body right now.
The situation is a lot more complicated than you realize. I am doing what is best for both of us. Your life depends on it.
Why should she care what this stupid alien was thinking, anyway? All this time, Io had made Ella think she was her friend. Now, she knew this flaky two-faced liar had tricked her, had used her. She had only pretended to be Ella’s friend. In fact, she could never trust Io again. That no-good traitorous backstabbing manipulating snitch had gotten good people killed.
I have my reasons. You are still young. I have been on this planet since before humans walked the Earth. There is much you do not understand about the way things are in this world.
Ella did her best to tune Io out as she sat on the roof with her legs dangling over the edge. Her view wasn’t great. Madras owned the entire building, but her four floors paled in comparison to the neighboring six- and seven-clusters nearby. All she ended up being able to see were the side walls of other clusters, save for the main street in front. Still, it was high enough that the noise on the ground felt distant.
This day has been trying and you are still in shock. Get some rest. Come back to me with an open mind tomorrow. I will explain everything. It will be for the best.
A little while later, she felt someone approach from behind. She tensed and reached for a knife near her thigh. No one knew she was up here. She had run away from the group at her earliest opportunity. Her nerves were on tilt from the day’s violence, and she was having trouble processing her recent revelation.
“Hey Ella, mind if I join you?” Cameron said.
When Ella didn’t answer, he invited himself and sat down next to her, kicking his legs up over the side. Neither said a word as they stared at the setting sun. She honestly would rather have been alone, partially because that was the company she usually kept, but mainly because she was afraid she might accidentally leak that her stupid stinking alien was a stupid stinking traitor. After all, it was all she could do right now not to blurt it out.
Listen to me very carefully. They cannot know what you think you know. Remember, the only way anyone can get to me is by getting through you. Hear me out first. In time, you will realize that our goals are aligned.
“Just shut up, alien! Can’t you take the hint? I don’t want to talk to you. The Genjix killed my amma, and you convinced me you were fighting them. And now I find out you’re one of them!”
Ella might have been raging at Io in her head, but her anger must have been painted on her face. Cameron looked at her worriedly. “Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “Did I or my team do something to offend you?”
Tell them everything is fine. Trust me, you do not want to give me away. You say anything and at the very least, they will cut off all support. That means no more stipend and no more training from Manish. Is that what you want?
Ella grimaced. She felt trapped either way. She was stuck in this predicament as long as Io inhabited her, and there was nothing she could do to rid herself of this blasted Quasing. It took today’s harrowing events for her to realize how serious this alien war was. She couldn’t just hide in her container here in Crate Town any longer. She was involved in something way over her head. Sooner or later, someone was going to catch her.
I can give you a way out. Let me explain everything once we are alone.
“Fine, but if I don’t like your answer, I’m turning you in.”
You do
that and you will have signed your own death warrant.
“Don’t threaten me, alien. I won’t be blackmailed.”
Just assure Cameron for now that you are fine.
Ella swallowed her anger and threw Cameron a weak smile. “I have a headache, and Io’s being an asshole. That’s all.”
Cameron chuckled. “Emily always did say Io was more trouble than she was worth.”
“For an alien that’s supposed to be millions of years old, she makes a lot of dumb decisions,” said Ella. “Is your alien like that too?”
Cameron shook his head. “Tao’s usually on point. He used to be in the likes of Genghis Khan and Lafayette and other military geniuses. He invented Tai Chi.”
Now he is just bragging.
“All Io has inhabited are a bunch of people I have never heard of. I must have a defective alien.”
“Perhaps.” Both Cameron and Ella laughed.
No need to be insulting.
“You deserve it.”
“I just wanted to thank you personally,” said Cameron. “Your warning at the factory bought my team the precious seconds we needed to escape.”
“I led you to that trap,” said Ella. “Mr Dubs died.”
“If you hadn’t warned us, we all would have. You saved our lives today, Ella Patel. My team and I owe you our gratitude.” He held out his hand.
Ella shook it, but inside she quailed. It was eating her up. She was the one responsible for all this in the first place.
In this instance, you are innocent.
“I should have figured you out months ago.”
You give me far too little credit.
“You also saved me when that last guy at the van got the jump on me,” Cameron continued. “I personally owe you my thanks for that as well.”
“You’re welcome.” The words came out hardly more than a whisper. Ella’s face flushed, partially from how much of that fight was sheer luck and partially from all these excessive compliments. It was just too much, and she wasn’t used to it. It felt weird.
“Is this a private party?” a voice piped up from behind. “Or can anyone crash?”
Both Ella and Cameron looked over as Nabin strolled up.
“Something up?” Cameron asked. “What’s with your girlfriend there?”
Ella’s face flamed until she realized he was referring to the rifle Nabin had strapped around his shoulder.
“Lam decided we should start a guard rotation. I drew the short straw.” The Prophus agent sat on her other side and placed the rifle on the ground. He checked their hands. “Anyone have booze?”
Cameron shook his head. “I asked the madam for some earlier. She tried to charge me so much I thought we were back in South Korea.”
Nabin laughed. “That one nightclub, man. Cameron, I warned you. You just about popped a vein in your neck when you got that bill.”
Cameron made a face. “Yeah, that didn’t go over well back at base. Audit flagged it and escalated it to my mom. You believe that?”
“His amma?” Ella asked.
Nabin grinned and nudged her with his elbow. “Our glorious commander here has the additional great honor of being the son of Jill Tesser Tan, the Keeper and leader of the Prophus.”
Ella’s eyes widened. “You really are an important person.”
Cameron blushed. “I prefer to keep that on the down low.”
“Your amma runs the whole thing and she lets you come to places like this?”
He tapped the side of his head. “The host follows his Quasing’s specialty. In my case, Tao is one of our best covert operatives.”
The host follows the Quasing… Ella wondered what that made her. Did that mean she would be marked as a traitor as well?
Or you could just follow my lead next time.
“By the way,” Nabin said, “Lam wants to talk to you. She and Dana are taking inventory. We need to source more supplies. We lost most of our gear when the shit hit the fan.”
Cameron looked at Ella. “Can you help with that?”
She nodded. “I know people. Crate Town is mine.”
“I kind of figured. I’ll get you a list.” Cameron patted her on the shoulder and stood up. He stretched and winced. A groan escaped his lips and he touched his lower back again. She couldn’t help but notice the muscles rippling underneath his loose shirt. If only his face was as nice to look at as the ones on those people who were trying to kill them.
Nabin and Ella watched until Cameron disappeared down the stairwell. He leaned into her and Ella felt her heart beat faster. She still wasn’t sure what she saw in him. Maybe it was the way he always smiled, maybe it was because he was her bodyguard during that firefight, or maybe it was just because she felt safe.
He shivered. “It’s cool tonight.”
“You should be used to it,” she said.
“Nah, I like my heat.”
“You don’t sound like any Nepalese I’ve ever met,” she said. “Where are you from?”
“My family moved to the States when I was four. Raised in Atlanta, actually, where it’s sweltering. Actually, it’s not too different from here.”
“How did you get involved with the Prophus?”
“Crappy grades and an extensive shoplifting record closed some doors. Joined the army instead. Found out I was actually pretty good at playing soldier and got recruited by the Prophus. You?”
“Genjix killed my amma. Living on the streets ever since.”
“And now you’re my superior officer, Commander,” he joked. “You’re pretty good with a knife. You almost got me back at the airport.”
“I would have if the rest of your folks didn’t save you.”
“Probably true. Where did you learn to fight?”
“Kung fu movies and a pole dancer.”
He chuckled. “Is there a reason you don’t use a gun?”
“There are no guns in Crate Town.”
Nabin frowned. “That’s not really a reason, but OK.”
The two settled into a comfortable silence. By now, Crate Town had shut down, and the horizon to the west was nearly pitch-black except for occasional lights dotting the night. In the sky, she saw the blinking red light of a plane descending. A lone dog howled until someone yelled for it to shut up.
Ella thought about her home. Were the Genjix looking for her there? She thought about that stash behind the hidden plate and worried. Everything she had in the world was in there, and now she might not be able to go back. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. If the Genjix had known about her place all along, why wouldn’t they have just picked her up long ago?
Then it hit her. The answer was staring her in the face. They hadn’t picked her up all this time because they didn’t want to. “Io, what game are you playing?”
All you had to do is ask. Of course they knew where you lived. You have to believe me when I say I hid my real plans from you for your own protection.
“You should get some sleep,” Nabin said. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
The idea of sleeping after the adrenaline-filled day reminded Ella how exhausted she was. She was about to drag herself off to bed when she realized that Nabin was going to be on watch up here by himself for gods knew how long. She stifled her yawn. “How long are you stuck up here?”
He checked his watch. “Three hours thirty-nine minutes and forty-one seconds.”
“I’m not tired yet. Mind if I keep you company?”
“Would be my pleasure.”
Ella thought she heard Io make a strangled noise. She leaned into Nabin and looked up at the stars that were just beginning to pierce the black veil of night. “Tell me about this Atlantis place you’re from.”
“Atlanta.”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
“No, you said Atlantis. That’s a mythical sunken city… never mind.”
Thirty-Three
The Past
The Genjix wielded the Inquisition like a club. Though I did not inhabit
a king or a warrior or any vessel in positions of power, they hunted me down just like they did any other Prophus. None of us, regardless of standing or position, were spared. This conflict between the two factions fell perfectly into the Genjix’s plans, and into their Conflict Doctrine, and set the tone for the next three hundred years in Europe.
I decided to flee rather than fight my own kind. In the early sixteenth century, my host crewed one of Juan Ponce de León’s expeditions to the New World, where he discovered the land now known as Florida.
* * *
Cameron Tan woke with a start and tried to sit up, stopping only when the pain in his chest reminded him of yesterday’s events. He took a labored breath and forced himself up. He took a quick count. He was missing one.
It is 0600. Dana has third watch.
“Got it, Tao.”
It was a good thing someone was on watch, if anything just for the space it freed up in this small room. It was so cramped, they wouldn’t have been able to fit anyone else in here unless they started stacking bodies. Heck, he didn’t know how they were squeezing five in now. He made a face at Jax’s bare feet inches from his face.
Jax and Lam were sleeping next to the cot in the center of the room. Nabin and Ella were asleep on the other end, leaning against each other back to back. That did not look comfortable. A wave of guilt washed over Cameron for having hogged the only cot. The team had insisted though. He was the only one dumb enough to get shot.
Twice.
“Thanks for the reminder.”
There was also Dubs. Cameron spent a few moments mourning his friend. No matter how many times it had happened to Cameron, the hurt never went away. Dubs was one of the first to sign up when Cameron had created this team. They had met in the early days of the war and had promptly gotten into a fist fight over a game of bridge on a C-130 transport flying to the front line. The guy had bloodied Cameron’s lip. Cameron ended up separating Dubs’s shoulder. Dubs was in a firefight that very next day and had scored the most Genjix kills. That was when Cameron knew he wanted him on his team.