The Lives of Tao (25 page)

What are you planning to do?
 

“I might as well lead them on a wild goose chase and head back to my car after I lose them.”

Too risky. They might have someone watching it. You better leave it there.
 

“The Prophus must go through a lot of cars.”

Roen turned at every other corner and moved through different crowds, trying to make his movements as random as possible. He reached Michigan Avenue and headed south. It was nearly two in the morning, and the crowds had thinned out. He was tired and desperate to get home, yet the fear of the Genjix kept him moving.

“What should I do, Tao?”

Well, you are the mark, and the only way for you to know if you are still being followed is to know where the trackers are at. Protocol is to stop moving and try to locate them.
 

“Stop moving? I don’t want to do that.”

I sort of figured. Resort to plan B.
 

“What’s plan B?”

Text message 227 to the number 64732 and head for the safe house.
 

“Go to the safe house. Gotcha. What’s the text message for?”

It alerts Command of an incident and they can home in on your location through your phone.
 

Roen dug out his phone and texted the message. “Now to the safe house? It’s not that close.”

Time to put all that running to use. Get going.
 

Roen took off in a sprint, running south on Michigan Avenue and turning west onto Lake Street. Behind him, he heard the distinctive sounds of rifle shots. Who was shooting at whom? He didn’t stay to find out. He ran as hard as he could, changing direction every few blocks in order to throw off any possible pursuit. He was near the safe house when Tao ordered him to stop running.

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.”