The Lives of Tao (17 page)

It is not even really yours. If you quit your job, they keep the stapler.
 

“Hush, Tao. You’re ruining my moment with myself.”

Your moment of self-pity? And yet you cannot bear to quit the job that makes you feel this way.
 

“Well, when can I quit and get on the Prophus payroll?”

When we can trust you enough to do more than stalk a mailbox.
 

Roen sighed. “You know, I bet the Prophus have pretty deep pockets. Why don’t you put me on retainer now? My development would be so much faster if my only responsibility was to train.”

Throwing money at you just because you do not like your lot in life? No thanks. We are not your sugar daddy.
 

“You’d get better results out of me that way.”

Your progress has been commendable enough... wait... scroll back up. I see the problem. Comment that code out and change the global variables.
 

Roen complied and did as he was told.

Anyway, as I was saying, I am pleased with your progress, maybe even proud.
 

“Does this bruised and battered face look like something anyone should be proud of?”

I had my doubts at first. You were an out-of-shape man with low self-esteem and underdeveloped social skills. Now you are an in-shape man with low self-esteem and underdeveloped social skills.
 

“Thanks... I think.”

There has been a marked improvement. Your reaction time has improved somewhat as of late. Now, if you can only stop fighting like a girl.
 

“What do you expect? You got a girl to train me.”

I take that back. Saying you fight like a girl is an insult to girls everywhere. I bet you would not dare say that in front of Sonya.
 

“Damn straight I wouldn’t. I still have nightmares about her right hook.”

That is because you never see it coming. You have to read her telegraphs when she feints to your right. It is her MO.
 

“Oh, I see it coming. I just can’t react fast enough.”

This is serious. If we do not resolve this problem, you will never survive in the field.
 

Roen finished deploying his applications and crossed them off his to-do list. He opened one of his diagrams and began to make changes. With Tao’s help, his productivity had doubled and the quality of his work had improved tenfold.

By noon, he had finished almost everything, something that used to take him all day to do. Whistling, he locked his computer and grabbed his workout bag. The one redeeming value of the company was the gym located in the basement. While it was unsettling to see his overweight coworkers sweating in shorts, it served as a grim reminder that he used to be one of them.

As he often did, Roen took a detour to the elevator and walked a few aisles out of his way. Sometimes, he almost wished Jill wouldn’t be at her desk. She had been traveling for work this past month, so he hadn’t seen much of her lately. His heartbeat quickened and his palms began to sweat.

Oh come on. You treat her like a Greek goddess and act like a lap dog around her. It is embarrassing.
 

Today, he was in luck, or not in luck, depending on who you asked. Jill was busy typing on her laptop. Her auburn hair was tied in a bun, and she wore a sharp gray business suit, along with her cute nerdy glasses. Roen sucked in his breath and felt his heart skip a beat. He slowed down and stood there silently, not sure what to do now that she was there.

Can you just say something to her? This silly ritual is more than a bit creepy. If only you could tail targets as well as you tail her. Make up your mind and say something, or stop stalking her.
 

“Um, hi, Jill.”

I meant something charming.
 

Jill looked up, her eyes widening as she saw him. “Oh, hey, Roen. Wow, did you lose weight? You look great!”

“Um... uh...”

Why do I bother? Here, repeat these words verbatim. Thanks, Jill, you look pretty good yourself.
 

“Thanks, Jill, you look pretty good yourself,” he repeated dutifully.

“Aw, you’re sweet,” she said. “No, I’m serious though. Have you been working out?”

Just a little bit. I am trying to be healthier these days. But I am serious too. You also look great.
 

Roen again repeated what Tao said.

Jill frowned. “No way. I’ve been traveling so much that I haven’t been to the gym in weeks. All that eating out every night. I have a triathlon coming up and have hardly trained.”

There, you have something in common. Ask her to exercise with you.
 

Roen went out on a limb and added his own bit. “Why would you need to work out? It’s not like you’re...” He caught himself at the last second.

Stick to my script! If I wanted you to improvise, I would have told you!
 

She chuckled and then frowned at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “You’re being awfully nice to me today. Are you looking for candy?”

He laughed nervously. “Of course not. Anyway, I have to go... I’m running to lunch... to the gym. I mean... to jog on the treadmill, uh, not to eat, I mean. Well, OK... bye.” He turned and fled.

Jill looked a bit confused. “...all right, Roen. I’ll see you later.”

Ask her out, dummy.
 

“No way!”

Stop walking now!
 

“No!”

Now, Roen Tan!
 

He stopped. It was Tao’s authoritative voice.

Turn around and ask her.
 

Roen planted his feet and shook his head.

Ask, blast it!
 

With an overwhelming sense of dread, he tiptoed back to her desk. “Hey Jill, I’ve been meaning to ask you. You... hmm... want to grab dinner this weekend?” His voice cracked just a little as he spoke.

She looked up again, surprised, but not in a deer-in-headlights sort of way that he had expected. She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m heading back to Frankfurt Friday. You know how that Tillian project is.”

Roen was crushed. Shoulders slumped, he turned and walked away.

Stop, fool! She did not say no.
 

“Roen, wait,” she called out. “I need to stay with the project until the second stage is completed. Rain check for when I get back?”

Stunned, all he could do was nod dumbly.

Say something! Thank her and tell her you will call her when she gets back.
 

“You serious?” was all he could muster.

No, dummy!
 

Jill giggled. “Of course. I’ll get you the dates and we’ll plan something.”

“Great!” He turned to leave again.

How are you going to call her? Get her number!
 

“Oh!” He turned back again. “Let me get your number. I mean, could I get your number?”

She grinned impishly and jotted it down on a piece of paper. “First Friday back, OK?”

He nodded and practically skipped down the aisle, the butterflies in his stomach bubbling up in joy. “She underlined her number twice on the Post-it. That means she likes me, right?”

Stop grinning like a mad fool and get to the gym, you big peacock.
 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

RECONNECT

Through the next century, I drifted, moving from animal to animal, observing and learning about man. My thoughts often returned to Temujin and the mistakes I made. I had tried to build peace through war. I would not make that error again. Undeterred in my ambition for a new enlightened world, I traveled from the Mongolian steppes to the kingdoms of the south and was spoken of as a mythological creature among the Chinese people there. Those who profess to enlightenment called me the Ho Lung, the Fire Dragon.
 

That night, Sonya came over to watch a boxing match, much to Roen and Antonio’s delight. The fact that she enjoyed sports was just another added bonus for them to have an even bigger crush on her. Antonio fawned over her every request, much to her evident amusement.

Having been knocked out several times by her, Roen was no longer as susceptible to her charms. To his surprise, she was the one to suggest staying over. The plan was to wake up at sunrise for a training session. The Chicago summer was in full swing and they planned to take full advantage of it by running along the lake. Afterward, she said she wanted to lay out at Oak Street Beach, lamenting how Lake Michigan was a poor substitute for the Caribbean, but it’d have to do.

Sonya also finagled the use of his bed, leaving him the living room couch. Roen wasn’t sure how she pulled it off, but at the end of the night, he found himself holding a pillow and blanket staring at the lumpy old taupe-colored couch his parents had donated from their basement. Falling asleep was never a problem though. Grumbling aside, he was asleep the instant he laid his head on the pillow, his shallow snoring resonating across the entire apartment.

A few minutes past midnight, once he knew that Roen was hibernating like a bear, Tao got up and walked his body toward his bedroom. There were still sounds coming out of Antonio’s room, which was expected as Roen’s roommate kept odd hours. Antonio saw Tao walk by and waved. “Where’re you going?” he asked.

“To my room,” Tao replied, eager to brush him off.

Antonio smirked and winked. “You mean to Sonya’s room? Sly dog. You could have told me you wanted to call dibs. I won’t try to compete with you if you like her. You’re my boy. I’ll let you have her.”

Let him have her? Tao couldn’t help himself. “You know what, buddy? You think you can beat me for her? You go ahead. Want to make a little friendly wager?”

Antonio looked up from the computer and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? I see your newfound weight loss is accompanied by brain loss. What’s the bet?”

“Hundred dollars on her affections.”

Antonio whistled. “Not so friendly after all. Sure?”

Tao nodded.

“What if she doesn’t like either of us?”

Tao smiled. He said, “If she does not like either of us, then you win as well, yeah?”

Antonio grinned and walked up to Tao, extending his hand. “Deal. Honestly, if you find a girl who likes you, I’m happy for you, man. It’s win-win for me.” He grinned and pointed at his face, “But you’re not going to beat this.”

Tao winked and shook Antonio’s hand, and then walked over to his room and tapped on the closed door. Not waiting for an answer, he opened it and walked in, locking it behind him. The light was on and Sonya was sitting on the bed waiting for him.

“Hello, Tao. It has been a while.”

“It is good to speak with you again, Baji. How are things with Sonya progressing?”

“Very well. Her talent is unmatched; without a doubt the strongest host I have had in a thousand years, even more than her mother. You?”

“It has been a long time since I had a host this raw. I have to admit, Edward spoiled me. He was a joy to work with. I still have to settle with his family.”

“Shame on you, Tao. You should have seen to that already.”

“Unfortunately, Edward did not have a contingency plan with his family. He never wanted to think about it. Right now, Roen is too delicate to handle the trauma of condolences.”

“The young man is not doing too badly, Tao. He did start late but has progressed well. How long has he been with you?”

“Just under three months.”

“A pittance, Tao. He will be competent soon enough.”

Tao sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. “Time is a luxury I do not have. The Keeper has made it very clear Roen needs to be up to speed soon. He begins actual combat missions in two months and he hasn’t even held, much less fired a gun yet. The Keeper is correct, though. I need to be back in the field as soon as possible. With the current debacle in the Middle East with Israel and Iran, and the loss of influence in two South American countries, we are being pushed back on our heels. To make matters worse, China is poised to be the new powerhouse in the world, and the Genjix has made sure we have no foothold in their government. We are dangerously out of position in the world.”

Baji shook her head. “How were we supposed to predict the rapid ascension of the communists? Aligning with nationalists was a losing position, but the right thing to do. We were in too deep regardless.”

“Have we made any headway with the Vatican?”

Baji grimaced. “We have lost ground. Our bought neutrality is over. With Jerrix as the new pope, expect a cleansing from within that will push us out entirely. It will become as bad for us as during the Dark Ages.” She grabbed a stack of papers on the desk and handed it to him. “The last few months of intelligence reports you have missed; fun reading.”