The Lives of Tao (40 page)

“I’m not such an easy target anymore,” Roen hissed, before hesitantly sitting back down.

Sean smirked at the guards eyeing them warily and followed suit. Behind him, Marc stayed standing. Sean ordered a coffee and took a long exaggerated sip when it came. He then put the cup down on the table, crossed his legs, and leaned back. Neither Roen nor Sean said a word as they studied each other.

Sean said, “You’ve never been an easy target, even since the beginning. You’ve avoided the mental midget here a few times now.” Sean gestured back at Marc. “And you’re looking well, like you almost fit your role with Tao. Almost.” Sean wiggled a finger at Roen’s chest. “There’s a whole lot less of you now than initially reported. That or our operatives need new glasses.”

“You should have made your move a year ago when I wasn’t ready,” Roen said haughtily.

“Well, there are ten million people in Chicago.” Sean shrugged. “Like finding a needle in a haystack. Trust me, if we could have found you sooner, we would have. Oh well, there’s always next time.” He chuckled. “That’s the thing about us blessed ones. There is always tomorrow, if not this lifetime, then the next.”

Roen did not know what to make of this stern, coldly polite man. He was actually let down by Sean’s appearance. He looked normal, even handsome. There was a touch of gray in his neatly trimmed black hair that made him look like a statesman. Otherwise, he had just a normal face with a slightly longer chin. Then Roen realized: it was his eyes. Sean’s gaze was one of complete confidence, as if he knew something no one else did. This was a man so sure of himself that nothing else mattered. It was all Roen could do to rein in his emotions and not flee the table. Sean seemed relaxed and smiled humorously as Roen squirmed in his seat.

Sean picked up his coffee and took another sip. “I’m sorry, how rude of me. Would you like another drink?” He signaled for the waitress. Roen shook his head emphatically.

“Can I get either of you anything?” she asked, pulling out a notepad.

“I’m fine, miss,” Sean said. “But my young friend would like a drink.”

“No, I’m fine, really,” Roen started and then looked at the waitress. Oh, what the heck, he might as well order as long as Sean was paying. “I’ll have a venti mocha latte with skim milk, extra dry with a dash of nutmeg, and a half shot of hazelnut.”

“Got it. I’ll be right back,” she answered and left.

“That’s quite a tall order you have there.” Sean chuckled. “Whatever happened to just coffee?”

“I like to have it my way.” Roen shrugged.

“Yes, yes,” Sean said, taking another sip. “For me, the world’s complicated enough as it is. Why does one’s drink have to be? But then, that’s always been the Prophus way, hasn’t it? To make things far more complicated than they should be. You muddle things up so badly that it’s difficult to know what’s right from wrong, unlike our clarity and single vision.”

You mean simple-minded vision?
Roen snarled Tao’s response in the same tone.

Sean laughed. “Possibly. Tao might call us simple-minded for not taking into consideration all the factors that might contribute to the issue, but we Genjix think that it’s more about staying on course with our end goals. We believe the Prophus have lost that perspective. You’ve lost sight of what’s important and have become too concerned with humans this and social issues that.”

“We just do not believe in destroying and enslaving humanity just to get home,” Roen said, repeating Tao’s words.

Sean’s calm expression altered, and for a second, Roen thought he was going to spit out his coffee. Sean stared at him for several seconds before breaking into laughter, a deep, loud uproarious outburst that was the last thing Roen thought would come out of the man. It was an awkward moment and he retraced their conversation trying to figure out where the comedy in the whole matter was.

And just as quickly as it began, Sean’s fit of joviality ended. Moments later, he looked calm and composed again as he shook his head. “I must say,” he began, “I’m surprised. You still think we care about going home.”

What?!
 

Roen was stunned. Obviously, so was Tao. What was the whole point of all this then?

Before he could ask, a tall young man – dark-haired, with a thin chiseled face – appeared next to Sean and whispered into his ear. For a brief moment, Roen thought he saw a flash of uncertainty in Sean’s eyes. Then he politely excused himself and walked off with the young man as they whispered together off to the side.

There was something very unsettling about that young man. For one thing, Roen couldn’t tear his eyes off him. For another thing, the young man made the statue of David look like a sumo wrestler. He had muscle in places Roen didn’t even know had muscles. His physique could put an underwear model to shame. And to make matters worse, he was handsome beyond belief. Roen hated to say it, but he could very well be staring at the most perfect looking human being he’d ever see. It made him feel more than a bit jealous. But there was also an inhuman quality about him as well; something impossibly cold in the young man’s eyes and an arrogance that turned Roen’s blood to ice.

Snap out of it before you become a groupie.
 

“I can’t help it. That is one good-looking dude. Is he even human?”

An Adonis Vessel, the Genjix practice of eugenics. These unnatural beings are chosen at birth for their genes, and trained since infancy for the only purpose of being a replacement vessel for senior Genjix. They are travesties of nature.
 

“Travesty or not, I feel totally inadequate around him. He’s built like a superhero or something. Now I know how normal chicks feel when they’re standing next to a supermodel. He also seems to be bossing Sean around.”

That Adonis Vessel must be from one of the Council then. Be careful if you ever encounter one, Roen. They are very dangerous.
 

Finally, after their conversation ended, Sean returned and sat down. “My apologies. A personal matter, I’m sure you understand.”

“When are you getting your personal Ken doll?” Roen smirked.

Sean shrugged as if it was the least important thing in the world. “One day, when Chiyva reclaims his rightful place.” He took a sip of his coffee and leaned back. “But back to us; where was I? Oh yes, what we’re doing here. Do you even remember what the mission is, Tao?”

“I thought I did,” Roen said, repeating Tao’s words. “It seems we have differing goals now.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Sean shrugged. “It’s just that your focus is so... narrow. The Genjix prefer to see the bigger picture, to keep our eyes on what really matters, my old friend, which in this case would be to see the survival of our kind. I would say that we’ve done a rather fine job of that since our time here. Wouldn’t you agree, Tao?” Roen reluctantly nodded. Sean leaned forward and spoke in a more serious tone. “And yes, we have had to crack a few eggs along the way, but the job gets done. And isn’t that what’s important?”

“Look, I’m just a lowly human that’s nothing more than a minor nuisance and a stepping stone to your master plan,” Roen drawled, “but just because you believe I’m beneath you doesn’t mean I should just roll over and die.”

“I’m glad you realize that you’re nothing more than a nuisance. Your life, the entire century of it if you’re so lucky, is nothing more than a drop in the ocean for us. So, why are you even bothering to get involved?” Sean spread his arms and waved at their surroundings. “Go live life and enjoy it. Don’t worry about our little family conflict. Do you really want to waste what precious few moments you have on this planet fighting a war that’s not yours? Instead of listening to that delusional voice in your head, why don’t you go see the world, get married, have children. Don’t be another Edward Blair, Roen, and waste your life.”

“Who said Edward wasted his life?” Roen scowled.

“I guess it is all perspective then.” Sean paused and studied him for a moment. “Tell me, Roen, what’s in it for you?”

“What’s in it for you, Sean?” Roen shot back.

“Fair enough. What’s in it for me – besides power, prestige, an endless source of knowledge and wisdom, and all the resources I need at my fingertips – is that I will stand with those others that follow the Genjix in the afterlife to a higher plane of existence. You don’t realize the great gift that has been bestowed upon you by these divine beings, do you?”

Roen rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not one to fall for religious psychobabble, but then I’ve always had a problem with a rabbit that lays painted eggs.”

Sean drained the last of his coffee and asked for another cup as the waitress dropped off the latte. He looked at Roen and smiled all too knowingly. “And yet, you have an infinitely old being residing within you that’s had the experience of a thousand lives. You and I, of all people, should know enough to suspend this standard belief of reality shared by these non-blessed sheep. Don’t you realize? We are no longer mere humans. We are chosen beings fighting for a greater cause. We are evolved. We are the shepherds that guide the flock of humanity. Such mundane concerns that you and these Prophus have are quite beneath you.”

Roen took the cup and sipped the hot drink gingerly. He said, “The difference between us is that you think being a Genjix host makes you a gift to God’s green Earth. You’ve been Genjix so long now that you forgot what it means to be human. You think you’re so above the rest of us that you don’t value humanity anymore. Me, I’m quite fond of being human with my primitive beliefs and emotions. Call me old-fashioned.”

“It doesn’t matter what your perception is. Fact is fact, my young friend, as much as you deny it, you and me, all other Prophus and Genjix vessels, are superior beings. The difference is that the Prophus stoop down to humanity’s level. The Genjix choose to rise above it.”

The waitress came back with another coffee. Sean politely thanked her and continued. “Don’t you see that I’m trying to help you, Roen?”

“That’s what the first Genjix in the garage told me right before he tried to kill me.”

Sean smiled. “Let’s put that behind us, shall we? We’re acquainted now. I want to open your eyes.”

Roen snorted. “He said that, too.”

“You should have listened,” Sean said. “Why fight a losing war?”

“Who says we’re losing?” Roen snapped.

Sean looked genuinely surprised. “You mean, you don’t know? Tao didn’t tell you, did he?”

“What’s he talking about, Tao?”

Do not listen to him. He is just trying to spook you.
 

“Well, let me enlighten you then on your precarious situation,” Sean continued. “That little Prophus faction – and their philosophy that you have so enthusiastically embraced – are on the brink of collapse. They’ve been steadily retreating and losing ground since their inception and have had their backs against the wall for centuries now.”

“Tao, is this true?”

Tao hesitated before answering.
The war has not been going well, but it is nowhere near as bad as Sean claims. I would not put too much stock in his words.
 

“Why don’t you sleep on that?” Sean said. “You might wake up tomorrow and realize that this might not have been a wise career choice after all.”

“You’re bluffing,” Roen shot back. “From what I’ve seen so far, they’re doing just fine. Brink of collapse? Give me a break.”

Sean shrugged. “Perhaps, perhaps not. I doubt they can survive the century.”

“A hundred years is hardly the brink of collapse. It’s not like you’re the Red Army marching into Berlin.”

“A hundred years is a flash in the pan. Roen, we’re not only in Berlin, we’ve surrounded it, blockaded the ports, and we’re about to throw a grenade down the bunker you’re hiding in.”

Roen struggled to control his temper. He said, “You know, that’s what your problem is. You’re so busy looking at this stupid big picture of yours that you ignore the small things that make the big picture matter. You treat us mere mortals like pawns for your amusement. But remember this; without humans, you superior Genjix are nothing. You need us, yet you treat us as if we’re disposable. You keep going down this path, and one day, you’ll find that there will be no more lowly humans for you to control.”

Sean bared his teeth. “Good thing there are seven billion of you. A few losses are perfectly acceptable.”

“We’ll see about that. Let’s see how acceptable your human losses are after I whittle down your ranks,” snarled Roen. He stood up, pulled out his wallet, and put a few bills on the table. “Thanks for the drink, but I can pay for myself. Next time we meet, I won’t be so civil.” He turned and walked away, not looking back. Roen was so worked up that he stormed back toward his room. He didn’t calm down until he jumped into the shower and then prepared for bed.

“Now I know why you think this conference is a waste of time. There’s no reasoning with these guys. By signing some rules of engagement, we’re just hampering ourselves.”

They play dirty. We just have to play dirtier. Be very careful of Chiyva, though. He is extraordinarily dangerous.
 

“Chiyva, isn’t that some Hindu god? God of destruction or something?”

Where do you think the name of the god came from?