The Lives of Tao (22 page)

Faust appeared a second later and checked the body. He picked up Roen’s rifle, helped him up, and handed it back to him. “I owe you one, sir,” Faust said, and grinned.

He gestured for Roen to follow and they continued inching closer toward the main fight. Two other Genjix agents appeared along the way, and both times, Faust took them out before Roen could even aim his rifle. Roen realized that without Faust, he’d be a dead man by now many times over, though technically, it’d be true the other way around as well. He gritted his teeth and stayed close.

They engaged two other small groups and pinned down a third before backup flanked them. In every exchange, Roen was fairly confident he didn’t hit a soul. By the time they reached the north end of the warehouse, the sounds of the battle were dying. The other Prophus agents were already securing the rest of the warehouse when they joined the main group.

Wuehler appeared through the haze and walked up to Faust, asking for a status. The mission had gone off without a hitch. There were three casualties on the Prophus side and fifteen on the Genjix side.

“Well done, team,” Wuehler said. “Get the trucks back here and start loading.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Roen muttered. “I just laid suppression fire and shot at the ceiling.”

“Nonsense,” said Faust. “You saved my life back there. You followed orders; you didn’t run away; and you lived. That’s all anyone can ask of a squad-mate.” Faust stuck out his hand.

He is right. You did well.
 

Roen shook his hand, feeling anything but brave. He stood next to Faust and Wuehler as they directed the rest of the team to load the crates onto the trucks. “What are we after anyway?” he asked Wuehler.

“Not for me to ask, I just follow orders,” he replied. “These all seem like advanced electronic parts. Seems the Genjix are building something new. There’s a refrigeration unit with several drums of chemicals, some of them toxic by the skull and crossbones. My boys aren’t equipped to touch the stuff. We’re calling in specialists now. Whatever these Genjix are building, our job is to make sure they don’t finish it.”

Roen nodded and looked around. “What about this mess? How do we hide what just happened?”

“Our cleaners are good.” Faust grinned. “We’ve gotten pretty good at keeping a low profile.” He paused. “You really are new at this, aren’t you?”

Roen nodded.

Faust put one hand on his shoulder. “You did a good job, sir. Whoever trained you would be proud.”

I know I am.
 

And for some reason, that meant more to Roen than anything else in the world.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FREEDOM

The visit from the Council came from Zoras in the guise of a Westerner. I was being commended for my work with the Mongols, he said. The conflict created by Genghis’s war engine was more than they could have hoped for, he said. It was a stab in the heart to hear those words. Then he gave me even worse news. The Council had ordered me to replicate my achievements with these people as I did with the Mongols. Here was the second time I faltered. I did not say no. Back then, a Quasing did not say no to the Council.
 

Roen barely had time to get back to Chicago and shower before going into work late. He strolled into the office just after 10am, aware but apathetic to the raised eyebrows that followed him to his desk. Thanks to Tao, work was now a breeze, and as long as he finished his projects, why should anyone care when he came in? Besides, he’d just returned from a firefight. After that, being a little late hardly seemed a big deal. What could possibly faze him here?

There was a Post-it note on his monitor: See me at once! Mr Musday.

What kind of person signs his signature with Mister? Roen crumpled the Post-it note and tossed it into the garbage. He took an apple out of his bag and cut it in half, taking a bite as he opened his email and checked his messages.

Peter looked over. “Where were you this morning? Musday’s looking for you. He wasn’t happy you weren’t in yet.”

“I had a very long night.” Roen shrugged. In the past, a summons from Musday would leave him full of anxiety. Now, he just let work roll off his shoulder. When thrust into a five-hundred-year war with the fate of humanity on the line, pleasing the boss at work no longer seemed like a big deal anymore.

“Well, you should go see him soon,” Peter said.

“I will, after I finish my apple.” Roen took another satisfying bite.

Ten minutes later, he stood outside Musday’s door and tried to whistle Adagio in G Minor while the man pompously checked his email and pretended to be too busy to notice him. He surprisingly didn’t feel the same apprehension he usually felt standing outside his manager’s door.

Listen, Roen, whatever you choose to say, just do not forget about you.
 

“What does that mean?”

It means whatever you think it means. Just remember who you are and have confidence in yourself.
 

Roen spent the next few minutes contemplating those words until Musday finally beckoned him in. “Sorry to make you wait. Have a seat.”

Roen sat down and leaned back. “You wanted to see me, Tom?”

Musday shot him a grim look and pointed at the clock. “I need you to be on time. You’re part of the team, and we need to be able to depend on you.”

Roen tried his best to respond in a calm voice. “I don’t see a problem. I had something important come up last night, and I did work late the previous night, not to mention I stayed over on Sunday to help Peter with the Kol project. Also, I delivered all the Claims projects a month early. Everything else on my plate is on time and my development teams love me.” In the past, being defensive was his first response to any form of criticism. Now, he just wanted to get his point across.

Roen, whatever you are getting at here...
 

Musday’s voice rose. “You came in late. What if we needed you? We have strict rules about our hours. If everyone ignored them, our team couldn’t function properly. It’s like stealing from the company.”

“I’m working overtime with no extra pay,” Roen countered. “You could argue that the company is stealing from me.”

...keep it up.
 

“The overtime is built into your salary.” Musday tapped his finger on the table for emphasis.

“Where does it say that in my contract?” Roen reminded himself to stay in control. He wasn’t here to pick a fight.

“Look, Roen.” Musday leaned forward as if divulging a secret. “We’re a team, and we have to function as one. I’m telling you what is best for your career. This is a warning.”

“For what? Talk to me if my projects are running behind; talk to me if I’m not getting the job done; otherwise, I believe I can manage my own time.” Roen was surprised at how composed he was.

Musday became angry. “Fine, you’re not doing your job.”

“Then fire me.” Roen stood up and turned to leave.

Musday scowled as if he had something to say and then stopped. Finally, he spoke in a measured tone. “Just make sure your projects don’t fall behind.”

Roen smiled and nodded. “Of course, Tom.”

When he left Musday’s office, he threw his hands up in elation.

That was good.
 

“That felt liberating.”

Do you know why?
 

“Because he’s been a total ass and had it coming to him?”

Possibly, but the real reason is because you are not afraid of your job anymore. You have more confidence now. You believe in yourself more.
 

Roen stopped walking and looked out the window. It had rained the past few days, but the sun was out now, a beautiful yellow ball of warmth shining in the sky. From his building, he could see Lake Michigan stretch out for several miles. He remembered to convert that to kilometers. Roen was starting to think in metric, but sometimes he slipped and reverted back to his old habits. Tao still continued to badger him about that.

Across the street were Buckingham Fountain and Millennium Park. He remembered all the days he wistfully thought about going for a walk while still stuck in this prison. Then Roen realized that Tao was right. He spent all those years living to work and not working to live, always afraid of losing a job he hated; therefore, he accepted anything they asked of him. He had become so used to this monotonous life that maintaining the status quo became more important than his own happiness. Standing up to Musday was the first step to reestablishing his freedom. Smiling, he decided to take the scenic route back to his cubicle.

When he sat down, he received another pleasant surprise. An appointment he had made quite some time ago appeared on his schedule. Jill was flying in today.

Roen’s stomach was in twisted knots when he pulled into the driveway of her high-rise. He stopped at her front door and waited, fingers tapping the steering wheel as he tried to calm his jitters.

If you keep this up, you are going to start sweating. And really, it will go downhill from there.
 

“I feel like throwing up.” His nervousness increased when a few minutes later, Jill came out of the building and waved. He got out of the car and opened the door for her. She gave him a hug and got in.

“I’m so glad we’re going out tonight.” She smiled as they pulled out of the driveway. Roen beamed. She looked great, exactly as he remembered. Her hair was trimmed a little shorter than the last time he saw her, and she seemed to have lost a little weight.

“Did you lose weight?” he blurted out, instantly regretting his words.

Idiot!
 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jill asked, giving him an inquisitive look.

“Um... Uh... I didn’t... I mean...” he stuttered. Thirty seconds in and he already had a misstep.

“Hah, I’m just kidding. I did lose a few pounds overseas. German food is so heavy it’s hard to stomach sometimes. I also got my butt off the couch and started training for that race I signed up for.”

At least think before you speak. Better yet, do not say anything else without my express approval if you want to get anywhere.
 

“Yeah, too much sauerkraut... ha, ha...” Roen struggled mightily for a witty response. Upon failing to think of one, he settled for, “So, how’s the weather? There, I mean, in Frankfurt. Not here. Obviously we know how the weather is here.” He gave a nervous chuckle.

Stop talking. I am serious.
 

Jill took it all in her stride. “It’s a fun city, and the culture there is fabulous. It’s such an old place with so much history, I spent days just walking around being the silly tourist. I did miss home though. How are things here?”

“Much better now that you’re back,” he blurted out.

There was a moment of silence.

You did not just say that.
 

Finally, she smiled. “Aw, that’s sweet, Roen. I’m happy to be back.”

Listen; let me drive from this point on.
 

“Um... yes please help, Tao!”

This is what you are going to say.
 

“So what’s the big surprise tonight?” she said. “Why were you so mysterious about it?”

“I wanted to take you to someplace different instead of a dinner and a movie,” Roen repeated Tao’s words verbatim. He headed north along Lakeshore Drive and exited the highway onto Addison Street and headed toward the large ballpark. “So, we’re going to a Cubs game!”

Jill gasped, “Really? That sounds great! I’m not really a sports fan, and I know nothing about baseball, but I always wanted to check it out.”

Roen shrugged and tried to appear cool. “I figured it’d be something new and I wanted our first date to be memorable. Besides, you can’t live in Chicago and never go to a Cubs game!”

They parked in one of the side lots and followed the throng of people moving toward Wrigley Field. The air was electric as they joined in the festive atmosphere. He handed the attendant their tickets, and they strolled into the complex and into the hallways decorated with rich baseball history. Roen pointed out the different portraits of players that lined the walls, as they stopped by one of the booths to buy hot dogs and beer, before making their way to the bleachers to find their seats.

“You know a lot about baseball,” she marveled as they sat down. “I never had you pegged as a sports buff.”

“I’m not,” he admitted, “just something I’ve gotten into lately.”

In reality, he knew nothing about the game except for the lines Tao fed him. Roen had to admit that Tao was one smooth cat. He had a knack of saying the right charming lines. During the course of the game, they had a good time as the Cubs played the Mets in an exciting game. Roen made sure to keep the beers and food coming, joking that she’d always remember their first meal together as beers in plastic cups and pretzels.