by Wesley Chu
Hide behind these bushes and wait. See if anyone is still on your trail. It will not do you much good if you lead them to the safe house.
Roen crept into a row of bushes and tried to make himself as small as possible, while still able to see the streets east and north of his location. His reconnaissance training from the past several months kicked in. He steadied his breathing and focused on his surroundings and the likely entry points his pursuers would come from. He became very still, moving elsewhere only when necessary when a young couple walked dangerously close. Now that this was a real life-threatening situation, he was thankful for all the monotonous training he had to endure.
Watch for oncoming cars turning. Their headlights will pass right by your location.
Roen remained still, checking his watch at set intervals. Finally, after thirty minutes, he felt safe enough from pursuit to climb out of his hiding spot and head toward the safe house. Just to be safe, he went a longer route and circled to it from the west.
That was very well done. You utilized your training very well.
“I’m glad you approve. You think I can move on to something more interesting like clandestine work?”
You are not ready for that sort of espionage yet. There is a difference between that and just field surveillance. One step at a time. Remember, I have been busy trying to help you see your toes when you stand.
“I wasn’t that big,” Roen grumbled aloud.
You looked like an offensive lineman.
A train passed by overhead on the elevated tracks, temporarily overwhelming his hearing. Roen stopped, leaned against a wall, and waited. It was only after the rumbling faded into the distance that he felt safe enough to continue. Roen walked to the safe house and punched in the entrance code. Staying alert, he didn’t relax until the metal door closed behind him and locked with a loud click and a hiss.
The safe house was dark, as usual. He walked over to the control panel and flicked the lights on, only to come face to face with the muzzle of a pistol. The panic came back in a rush. The Genjix must have compromised this safe house! Instinctively he froze and threw his hands into the air.
Your first instinct is to surrender? We are going to have to work on that.
“Oh, it’s you, Roen. Thank God you’re all right.” Sonya’s voice almost stopped his heart. Roen nearly collapsed in relief. She turned on the light and hugged him. “I got the text that something happened. The GPS had you in this area, so I came to the safe house, assuming you would make your way here.”
She smelled like cucumber and citrus, and her skin felt very soft. Roen held her tightly as the shock of the night finally settled in. He almost didn’t make it! Roen suddenly became very aware of the dried blood all over his body. As much as he did not want to, he let go of her and went to the sink to wash up.
“You’re bleeding. Is it serious?” she asked, moving to one of the cabinets and pulling out a tube of antibiotic ointment and some bandages.
“Nothing sleep and a bottle of Macallan won’t cure,” he joked. Now that she pointed out his wounds, the pain that had been dulled by adrenaline came screaming back. He walked up to a mirror and studied the Genjix’s handiwork. “They did quite a number on me,” Roen muttered. His face was a mess of black and blue welts, and he was cut in several places. He grabbed his shirt and took it off, wincing as he pulled it over his head, revealing more bruises and gashes along his chest and back when he looked in the mirror.
Sonya whistled as she walked up to him and studied the cuts. “I don’t think any of them will require stitches. Did you break any bones?” He shook his head and sat down in the chair. Roen watched her as she meticulously cleaned the wounds. She took out several rolls of bandages and wrapped some of the larger cuts. Sonya then began to dab the ointment on his body. It stung, making him recoil from her touch. “Stay still, you big baby,” she murmured.
“You’re very good at this,” he remarked.
“Something Mom taught me,” she replied. “There were a few times when she came home from a mission with bullet wounds or worse. I learned to be a pretty good nurse that way.” She caressed his cheeks, checking over her handiwork; their eyes locked briefly. Their faces were nearly touching. On impulse, Roen leaned forward and kissed her.
What are you doing?!
He waited for the uppercut that would floor him at any moment. That would hurt, he thought, but it would be worth it. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised that she kissed him back. Not a big kiss, but a light, gentle one. Roen stood up and wrapped his hands around her waist. She pulled back and looked to the side. The two stood there uncomfortably.
“I’m... I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I don’t know what came over me.”
Stupidity obviously came over you.
“No, I’m sorry,” she replied. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” She was still leaning on him though. Not sure if he should let go, Roen decided to finish what he set out to do and kept holding her. She did not try to pull away again. They just looked at each other. Roen noticed that her breath smelled good too.
“You’re going to get us in trouble,” she whispered.
“With whom?” he asked.
“Baji,” she murmured. “She’s screaming at me right now, asking me what the hell I think I’m doing.”
“That’s funny. Tao isn’t saying anything.”
Like hell! You two work together. Do not jeopardize your professional relationship because you have pubescent hormones.
“He just said that I’m confusing our professional relationship with affection.”
Sonya leaned close to him again. Roen leaned forward as well. She moved past his lips and kissed him on the cheek. “I think you are, too. Let’s not do something we’re both going to regret. I like you and you’re my friend, a good friend, but we work together, and something like this could cloud our judgment and get us killed. You should get some sleep. You must be exhausted.” She put her hands on his forearms and then moved away. Turning, she walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. “You want some?”
“Is that you or Baji talking?” he asked.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She picked up two glasses and handed one to him.
“Is that you or Baji talking?” Roen repeated.
“A bit of both,” she replied. “Are you going home in the morning?” Her sudden change of topic had a tone of finality to it that told him the discussion was over. Reluctantly, he nodded.
“I’ll go with you,” Sonya said. “There might be trouble at your place. No matter what, don’t call your roommate. He might be compromised.” She pointed at the glass in his hand. “And don’t think for a minute that I’m your maid. Wash the glass before you go to bed.”
And before Roen could utter another word, she went into one of the bedrooms, shutting off the light – and left him standing there in the dark.
Sonya’s angry face came very close to Roen’s as she reached over and pulled him up by the front of his shirt. “Damn it, Tao, what was that all about?” Sonya growled.
Twenty minutes ago, Roen had fallen asleep on the couch at the safe house while Sonya took the lone bedroom. Now Baji, controlling Sonya, hovered over him and looked like she was about to take a swing at him.
Tao, controlling a sleeping Roen, feigned confusion. “You mean the ambush tonight?” he asked innocently.
“No, I mean your host trying to stick his tongue down Sonya’s throat!”
“I’m sorry, Baji. I did not know he was going to do it.”
“Well, she is confused now. She has spent so much of her life preparing for her role that she has not experienced much of a social life.”
“That is your fault, not mine. You should have made her a more balanced individual.”
Baji replied, “All your hosts seem to share the same womanizing traits.”
“Why are you so upset? Do you mean she likes him?”
“No, I mean she’s not focused on the task at hand. Get your playboy
under control, Tao, or I will put him in his place.”
“Easy there, Baji – you sound like a disapproving mother.”
“You are damn right I am disapproving. Sonya has been groomed for great things. She has more potential than any other host I have had in centuries. Do not ruin her, or I swear...”
“You really should let her live a more balanced life,” he said.
That probably wasn’t the right thing to say. She glared at him and snapped. “Shut up. You take care of your host, and I will take care of mine. I never intruded on Edward’s training.”
“I let Edward marry and live a semblance of a normal life.”
“That is a tragedy in itself when you consider the usual fate of our hosts.”
“What about Dania? Do you regret her having a family?” Tao asked.
“What I regret is her marrying another host. Jordan’s death broke her will. I will not let the same thing happen to Sonya.”
“By not ever letting her discover love? Sorry, Baji, but I do not have as much control over my host as you have over yours. I will work on getting rid of his free will right away.”
She said, “Do not turn this around on me.”
“I suggest you just let them be for now and worry about it later. We have a little crisis on our hands. Have you notified Intelligence?” Tao asked.
As Baji finally began to calm down, Tao pulled her clenched fist away from his shirt.
She scowled and slumped into the recliner next to the couch. “This is not over yet, Tao. We are going to finish this conversation later. And yes, Intelligence found a hit on Hamilton Lee getting a speeding ticket off of Highway 80 last night. With all of Roen’s information washed, it must have tripped an alarm when his identification hit a dead end. That means the Genjix are actively monitoring for him and parsing through negative hits as well. Tell your boy to be more careful. They must want you badly.”
“What can I say? I do good work. At least one good thing came out of all this.”
Baji shook her head. “What good can possibly come from this? Roen’s risk levels now are exponentially higher. I would almost call in bodyguards if I thought they would be of any use.”
Tao grinned. “No, bodyguards would just attract more attention. I think tonight’s little encounter should prove to the Keeper that Roen is ready. Even with only a few months of training, he performed admirably.” Tao stood up and walked over to one of the computers. “You should get some sleep. They are getting up in three hours. This might not be over yet.”
“You are not going to bed?” Baji asked.
“Not yet. I need to expand Roen’s data wipe. From now on, he will only be Roen to those around him. Once that name enters a government system or credit agency, he will become Ron Tam.”
“Cute, just enough to cry user error.”
“I thought so too. Goodnight, Baji.”
Baji stood up and walked toward the bedroom. She glared at Tao one more time before going in. She said, “Hey Tao, we did well with Roen. You should be proud. But regardless, tell Roen to keep his mitts off Sonya or I will kill him myself.”
“He loves you too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
AFTERMATH
After driving back the Yuan, the Ming were the dominant power in the region and had few enemies. So without an outside enemy, the Council ordered that I oppress the people, to drive them into rebellion in order to create more conflict. At that time, I was on the cusp of a cultural revolution. I was close to fulfilling my dream. So again, I tried to refuse. And again, I was weak and failed my host.
“So how’s t’ai chi with Lin going?” Sonya asked as the two stood in the elevator at his apartment building, watching the numbers climb.
“Great,” Roen replied. “It’s working well for me. Why didn’t you ever study with him?”
Sonya shook her head. “I tried a few years back. T’ai chi isn’t my thing. It’s too slow-paced and I couldn’t grasp all that internal stuff. I’m more suited to Savate and Krav Maga.”
There were a few more moments of awkward silence as they stood on opposite sides of the elevator. She had let him sleep in until noon. Roen was grateful for that, considering the previous night’s events. The two had had a quick lunch in silence and then headed toward his place shortly afterward. Sonya’s question to him just now was the first words they’d spoken all day.
Roen was equipped with a pistol, a machete, and a pair of knives. He wore a thin Kevlar suit underneath the rest of his clothing and had the gun cleverly hidden in his thin leather jacket. The machete sheath was strapped to his back – and the knives were inside his boots – in case the fighting got close and ugly.
Sonya, on the other hand, was armed to the teeth. Besides a small rack of throwing knives strapped to her back, she carried three pistols hidden somewhere within her bodice. Her Kevlar outfit covered her torso, and the weapons were neatly concealed so that she looked like she was wearing a business suit.
Roen desperately wanted to talk about last night with her, but was actually relieved that she didn’t bring it up. He didn’t know how she felt about him. In fact, Roen perceived a subtle coldness that wasn’t there before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should he tell her how he felt? How did he feel? Was he being impulsive or did he really have feelings for her?
Maybe Tao was right; maybe it was all in his head. Roen just didn’t know. And then there was Jill. What about her? He cursed himself for putting himself in such an awkward situation. For years he’d had no love interest. Now he had two.
A little focus, please?
Tao was right. None of this would matter if he didn’t get through the next ten minutes alive. Roen pushed those thoughts into the back of his mind and concentrated on their plan. They could be walking into a trap.
“Why do they want me so bad?” he sighed.
“Tao’s a valuable capture,” Sonya answered. “According to Baji, he’s upset many in the Genjix hierarchy and is considered a top-twenty target. He must be on someone’s grudge list, because I don’t think Baji even makes the top hundred.”
That is because Baji is a slacker.
“What a dubious honor to be proud of,” Roen muttered.
Hey, it took a lot of work to make that list.
“I’m sure you’re very proud of yourself.”
Quite, thank you very much.
The elevator doors opened with a soft hiss. The two stepped out and crept toward his apartment. As they neared it, they heard a click and froze. It was all Roen could do to keep his gun in its holster and not fire at the first thing that moved. Mrs Fitzgerald, his elderly next door neighbor, came out with her little dog Mocha.
“Good morning, Mrs Fitzgerald.” He waved with a plastic grin.
“Hi, Roen. I see you have a friend.” She smiled at them both. “She’s so pretty. My, did you lose weight?” Mocha jumped and barked at them. Roen bent down to pet the dog and moved aside to let her pass.
“What are you two up to?” the elderly lady asked.
“We’re pretending to be secret agents,” Sonya said, and winked.
Mrs Fitzgerald laughed. “You kids have fun. Come on, Mocha. Let’s go for a walk.”
The two waited until she walked into the elevator before they moved again. Standing on both sides of his front door, Sonya drew her gun and waited for Roen to unlock it. As soon as he opened the door, she moved inside to sweep the entranceway.
“Clear,” she whispered.
Roen drew his gun and went in after her. They searched the apartment, one in front of the other, positioning themselves against walls and behind furniture as they swept each room. Both the bedroom doors were closed. The living room and kitchen were exactly as he had left them the night before. There was no one in the hall bathroom either.
“Your room,” she whispered and pointed. Sonya turned the doorknob and moved in. Roen stayed by the door until she waved him in. She waved her gun toward his bathroom. It was clear as well. It seemed the Genjix d
idn’t know about his place after all. Then they heard a loud thump coming from Antonio’s room. The two immediately raised their guns again and moved to his door.
“On three,” she whispered as she kicked the door open. Antonio was sprawled on the floor in his boxers. Sonya holstered her gun and put a finger under Antonio’s nose.
“He’s breathing,” she said, “and he smells like a wino.”
“He’s snoring too.” Roen added, “I think he just fell off the bed.”
“Antonio, you all right?” She patted him on the cheek. “Wake up. You alive and kicking?”
It took a few seconds before Antonio opened his eyes. He looked at them standing over him and yawned. “Water,” he croaked. “I have a horrible hangover.”
Roen went to the kitchen and took a couple bottles of water from the fridge. He brought one to Antonio, who sat up and winced. He downed the bottle and looked back and forth at them. “Why are you guys so dressed up? Damn, your face, Roen. Who were those chicks that wanted to kick your ass?”
Roen shrugged. “Um... Beats me. Just some girls that thought I was someone else.”
Antonio stood up and stretched, a little unsteady on his feet. “Well, they tore the place up. By the time the cops came, they had bolted out of the club. Most of the bouncers had to go to the hospital. The cops are writing it down as gang violence. Ha, ha. They think you’re in a gang. Anyway, that was an eventful night. I think it was the first time I ever got beat up by a girl.”
“It’s all right.” Sonya smiled. “Roen’s used to that.”
Antonio grinned and checked himself in the mirror. “God, I look like Frankenstein.” He made a face. “So what do you two lovebirds have planned for today?”
Roen almost choked on his water, but Sonya took it in her stride and shrugged. She said, “Not much, holding hands at the beach, seeing a movie, making out, lifting weights together, you know... the usual stuff.”
“Wearing all black leather? Not sure what sorts of workout you two have in mind.” Antonio snickered. “Unless you’re off saving the world with your aliens.”