The Deaths of Tao (35 page)

“How’s Roen?” Jill asked.

“Irritable,” Tao admitted, “and not sleeping well. Lin taught him a little lesson. You are to thank for that.”

“Serves him right,” Jill said.

“Down to business,” the Keeper cut in. “We have a lot to cover.”

For the next twenty minutes, the Keeper updated them on the bad news happening all over the world. The debt woes in Europe were affecting global operations on both sides. The concrete shortage in Asia was stymieing the otherwise fantastic growth of China, which was now suffering from its own housing bubble. Prophus analysts predicted that the corn plague spreading through the Midwest would devastate the plastics, gasoline, and beef industries. The Genjix also solidified total control over OPEC and two of the five largest oil companies in the world.

On the war front, a Genjix cell was just discovered operating within MI6. While its exposure was welcome news, it was disturbing that the enemy had somehow infiltrated a Prophus stronghold. The FBI, on the other hand, was now fully Genjix-controlled, while the NSA and CIA were still up for grabs. The only solid positive news was that the Prophus had tricked the Russian government into nationalizing Krakiev, a Genjix munitions company accounting for fifteen percent of their weapons inventory and three percent of their bottom line finances.

The few bright spots in her report didn’t hold a candle to the avalanche of negative events. It was as if the entire world had turned against them, and no matter how hard they all fought and bled, the casualties continued to mount.

“There’s one more thing,” the Keeper added. “We received a report that ProGenesis is near completion.”

There was a long silence.

“New Quasing for the first time on the planet,” Yen grunted. “Never thought I would see that.”

“No longer a slowly dying species,” Tao added.

“There’s more,” the Keeper said. “We intercepted a supply manifest from Genjix test sites in India regarding Quasiform. They’re developing a Quasiform catalyst prototype utilizing large quantities of osmium derivatives. We need samples of this catalyst to know its effects.”

“First they figure out how to keep our species alive, and now they want to build a new home,” Tao mused. “Maybe we
are
on the wrong side.”

“Only if you don’t care about the consequences,” Jill said.

“Dylan spent four weeks infiltrating companies at Kaohsiung harbor,” Yen said. “The only one we could not break into is Punai Corp. It has military-grade surveillance. We were devising a plan when Roen and his band of merry bulls crashed the party.”

“Punai’s lobbying arm is a confirmed Genjix front,” Jill said. “They’ve been at the forefront of this legislative push.” There was a rustling of paper. “They do refine a specialized Osmium Quintoxide that is only available from a military plant in North Carolina. I think this could be what we’re after.”

“That is one of the primary compounds in Quasar’s atmosphere,” Paula added. “Yen, can you and Tao get eyes on the material and retrieve a sample? It could go a long way to cracking this secretive Phase III.”

“It is a lot of ground to cover,” Yen replied. “And will take time.”

“Have Wuehler’s team assist you,” the Keeper said. “That should expedite your search.”

Yen looked over at Tao and grinned. “I guess I am stuck with you louses a bit longer.”

Tao returned the smile. “It will be like the Bolsheviks all over again, except this time, neither of us gets executed.”

“We hope,” Yen laughed.

The bored female robotic voice popped into their conversation, reminding them that they had five minutes left in the meeting, and that if they wished to extend it, all it would require was a Visa or MasterCard.

“I am adjourning the meeting. I want an update in four days,” the Keeper said. There was a pause and she added. “And just in case you are curious, the new Genjix councilman, Devin’s replacement, has gone to meet Stephen on the field of battle. Stephen is winning, but has confirmed at least thirty Prophus sent to the Eternal Sea, and nearly ten times that number in humans. Our stakes are high. Remember that.” And then their time was up. The line clicked and went dead.

 

THIRTY ONE

TIDE TURNING

Even now, the Prophus fight against their own ultimate good. We forgive their ignorance, though their standing will never be that of a true Quasing. That is their penance.
 

The sacrificing of the Prophus toward ProGenesis is an unfortunate necessity. It is punishment for disobeying the Council and the will of the Genjix. We honor them still, for they are still Quasing, and their sacrifice moves us toward our ultimate goal.
 

Zoras

 

Enzo scanned the map as his scouts reported in one by one. It had been four days since the large-scale attack on the camp. Since then, the situation had stabilized, and Enzo’s position was no longer as touch-and-go as it had been when he first assumed command. He had ordered another fifty meters of forest of the no man’s land burned, and after a few more failed probes, the Prophus had all but abandoned their efforts to penetrate the perimeter. Enzo attributed this major turn of events to his superior tactics and leadership.

Two thousand new reinforcements and outnumbering the enemy nearly three to one might have something to do with it.
 

Zoras might have a small point. Dramatically outnumbering the enemy did give Enzo a slight tactical advantage as well. With plenty of manpower now, Enzo could afford to go on the offensive. For the past few days, his scouts had pushed deeper and deeper into the forest to establish a larger zone of control. With the proper manpower and constant surveillance of a five kilometer radius, there was no longer a threat of surprise attacks.

There had been one raid since, which had ended in disaster for the Prophus. The Genjix were prepared and flanked the attack from the forest. Enzo even came out of that last melee with prisoners, including two vessels. With additional breathing room, he ordered construction of the airfield to begin. Until then, heavily escorted convoys delivering small numbers to the Langtang Airport in Nepal ensured the uninterrupted progress of the ProGenesis project.

Right now, an hour before dawn, Enzo, with a contingent of nearly five hundred men, was pressing northeast through a mountainous forested area a day’s journey from the camp. When the Genjix expanded their zone of control, they discovered several Prophus camps numbering anywhere from twenty to a hundred. These camps were loosely spread out, allowing them to cover large tracts of land. It was an effective tactic for intercepting Enzo’s convoys. His men were now systematically hunting and destroying these camps, taking prisoners when they could and killing the rest.

Yesterday, one of his scouts reported what they believed was the enemy’s main base camp, and Enzo had personally led a sortie. His forces were less than fifteen minutes from the coordinates and had already killed two lookouts. They still had twenty minutes until dawn, which meant that if he timed it correctly, the Genjix could sneak in under the cover of darkness and attack at first light. He ordered his men to spread out into attack formations, and then signaled for Palos and one of the scouts to accompany him to reconnoiter the camp.

After a brief protest about how he exposed himself too much to risk, Zoras acquiesced to Enzo. It was how their relationship had developed. It took time but his guardian eventually realized that Enzo was not like most other fervent vessels who obeyed their blessed ones like automatons. His guardian had come to understand that Adonis Vessels were vastly superior to mere humans. And it was for this reason that Zoras consented that, especially at his young age, Enzo needed to experience what his training could not provide. They were now more like partners, working toward the same goal, if not always seeing eye to eye.

The three crept along the thickets up a hill. Already, the forest was coming to life, and the cover of darkness was beginning to lift. The scout signaled for a stop and pointed at a shadowy figure standing on top of the reach. Enzo nodded and motioned for Palos to stay at his position. This lookout he wanted to take care of by himself.

Again, your youthful foolishness can ruin your great potential.
 

“Most vessels earn their guardian. I was groomed to be one. I still intend to earn my place.”

A breeze from the mountains swept in, rustling the leaves to mask his movement. Enzo crept behind the lookout and came to a stop six meters away. There, he waited. And just as the lookout let go of his rifle with one hand to pull his jacket tighter to his body, Enzo went in for the kill.

With a lightning first step, he launched himself at the lookout, smothering his mouth with one hand and jamming a knife into the back of his neck with the other. He held the man still for a second and then slowly laid him down on the ground. Enzo focused on the lookout’s eyes as the life left them and then signaled to the others.

They continued up the steep terrain until they reached the crest of the hill. Peering down at the valley below, Enzo saw a sprawling camp, neatly organized and situated under the forest canopy to avoid aerial surveillance. He counted sixty small tents and a larger central tent hung from an old tree. Less than a dozen figures wandered outside.

Large camp. Estimated numbers at four hundred.
 

“I need some men on the northeastern side. Our flank won’t reach there in time. Need to cut off their escape.”

No time. The sun is rising.
 

Enzo looked up and cursed. His men barely had time to get to the crest for the attack. He peered over the edge. Sixty meters at a twenty degree angle. The only way to prevent the Prophus from fleeing east would be to get the drop on them and attack at close range. They had the numbers to easily win a sustained battle. His losses would be higher, but he had the men to spare. It was worth the gamble.

Enzo muttered into his comm and ordered his men up. He had originally anticipated a larger enemy camp than this and had brought more than necessary. Still, it was better to assure victory through sheer numbers than have to win an equal battle through finesse.

“No incendiaries until the vanguard reach the camp. Then only onto the far edge,” he ordered as the first line of men crept over the top and began to make the descent. Enzo waited with the sniper teams as everyone got into position. Still, with several hundred people, it was nearly impossible to avoid detection. At about thirty meters from the edge of the camp, the closest Prophus guard opened fire. Several guns must have been trained on him since he was instantly cut down by a barrage.

We are not as deep as we should be. Order the right flank to disengage and circle to the rear.
 

Enzo did so and proceeded to move with the second wave of men. With the outcome still in contention, the first few seconds of this battle would be key. During the medieval days, Zoras would never voluntarily engage in a fight unless he had more than half the number of the opposing army. With technology becoming so deadly, the number needed to guarantee victory had increased.

The first row of tents was shredded by machine gun fire. Enzo was halfway down the hill when he saw several groups of Prophus flee eastward toward the forest line. Some were caught by his men, but more got away.

Where is the right flank?
 

“Tomlinson, where are your men? They’re escaping,” Enzo yelled into his comm. There was no response. “Tomlinson, report!” Still no response.

Something is wrong. Prophus numbers are too low.
 

Enzo stopped near the base of the hill and took a quick count. His men were a quarter into the camp by now. He had seen less than sixty Prophus total. Then he looked up at the ridge line as his men continued to pour into this basin.

“Teams on the ridge, hold position,” he ordered. “Teams on the ground–.”

The forest came to life as machine gun fire ripped from the thick trees. Panic ensued with Enzo’s ridge teams reporting an attack from the rear. Two of the tents exploded into plumes of fire and debris. The Genjix were suddenly being attacked from all sides.

It is a trap!
 

Enzo looked around wildly. How could he get his men out of this situation? Coming back the way they came in was out of the question. Pushing forward would force them deeper into the camp, which was laden with explosives. North was an even steeper climb than west. That left only south.

Leave them. Have the men lay suppression fire. Get all the vessels to safety.
 

“I’ll lose the battle then.”

The fight is already lost. Suppression fire to cover the south. Now!
 

Reluctantly, Enzo gave the orders, and six other vessels, with Palos and his personal guard at his side, began to make their way south as his troops were realigned to punch a hole through the enemy trap. They barely made it a hundred meters when the Prophus responded. Within the thick forest, the fight became up close and ugly. Soon, Enzo lost his guards among the foliage and found himself alone.

Suddenly, two Prophus agents attacked, the bursts of their rifles blinking like yellow stars. Enzo returned fire, strafing as he slid behind a tree for cover. Tree bark exploded into hundreds of small fragments. Enzo listened to the rhythm of guns. One was using an M model rifle with the loud hollow metal sound of the casing ejection. The other was using a G3 variant. He timed his attack perfectly, first pinpointing their positions, then attacking when the magazine expired.

The M reloaded first. Enzo stuck his arm to the right and then turned left, shooting with precision and taking the M gunman out with two hits. Then an image flashed in his head of where the G3 gunman was kneeling. Enzo fired blindly on faith and was rewarded with a kill shot to the chest.