The Lives of Tao (15 page)

“Call it an initiation present.” Sonya grinned. “You want to see it? It’s been sitting in the garage all morning.”

Images of James Bond’s Aston Martin flashed through his head as he scampered – faster than he ever jogged – toward the garage. Maybe it was a Porsche. Or a convertible Mercedes or BMW with built-in machine guns. And flamethrowers. And oil slicks like in
Spy Hunter
. He ran to the loading dock with Sonya close behind, swung the door open, and gaped. He turned to Sonya, paused, and then looked back at the car.

“You got me a brown Fiat hatchback?” he stammered. “My old car was worth twice that! I didn’t even know they made Fiats in this country.”

The Prophus own quite a few shares of Fiat. We can get them at cost.
 

“Color not to your liking?” She was having way too much fun at his expense.

“Yeah, poop brown sucks for a car color. I thought I’d get something nicer now that I’m an agent.”

Sonya shrugged. “Sorry, budget constraints. Besides, the point of a secret agent is to blend in with your surroundings. Driving around in a Ferrari would make you stand out like a sore thumb. Besides, can you even drive stick?” That shut him up.

She gave him one more pat on the butt as she put on her jacket and walked toward the door. Before she left, Sonya turned and grinned again. “One more thing, just a little piece of advice. Make sure you have all that information memorized before you push that button. And when you do push it, don’t be near anything flammable. Well, enjoy your ride and good luck on your mission tomorrow. Try not to die.” And then she was gone.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE TRUTH

I did not say no when he invaded the southern Chinese kingdoms. I did not say no when he moved his armies west. By the time I ordered Temujin to stop warring, it was too late. I did the unforgivable thing and lost control of my host. Like many others before us, we both became victims of our success. By this time, Temujin knew nothing but war. The Mongol civilization knew nothing else as well. I had created the one civilization that I had hoped to destroy.
 

“So, what’s all this about?” Antonio demanded as Roen came home and kicked off his shoes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied innocently.

“Don’t be a smart ass. Something is going on. You’re out every morning jogging these days. This is coming from a dude who would rather break a leg than break a sweat. I haven’t heard you bitch about work in a while. You’re working out with a sizzling hot girl, and you’re not playing video games anymore.”

Roen tried to appear nonchalant as he walked to his room to change. “Priorities, my good man. It’s just time to do more with my life.”

Antonio followed. “That’s a bunch of bull; you’re different. You’re not the fat bastard I know and love. Are you doing drugs? Are you on cocaine? You can tell me. I’m a doctor and your best friend.”

Roen smirked. “You make it sound like my lifestyle change is bad.”

“Not bad, but still alarming.”

Roen hesitated. He’d been dying to tell someone about this. If he couldn’t tell his best friend, who could he tell? He finished changing and walked into the kitchen.

Antonio trailed after him, opening the fridge and pointing inside. “Look at what you’re eating now too. I came in last week to grab a pot pie, and there weren’t any! In the three years that we’ve lived together, there hasn’t been one moment where we didn’t have enough sodas and pot pies to last through a nuclear winter. I used to be comforted by the fact that if we were ever trapped in our apartment, all we needed was the food in the freezer and an oven to survive. Now, all we have is a bunch of raw veggies and brown rice! Where’s the frozen pizza? Where’s the ice cream?”

Roen sighed. A pizza would really hit the spot right about now. He’d been behaving well this past month. Was it wrong to treat himself?

Stay on the bandwagon. Avoid temptation.
 

“But... it’s been so long! Don’t I get a reward for being good?”

Fitness is its own reward.
 

“That’s easy for you to say. Argh! Now I can’t stop thinking about pizza.”

Tao and the lack of pizza had been gnawing at Roen for weeks now. His alien secret and his angry neglected stomach were itches that just wouldn’t stop. He decided then and there to scratch both itches at the same time. He had behaved well, and by golly, he was going to eat that well-deserved pizza, Tao be damned! Besides, it was good to bond with his roommate. He’d been so busy that the two had barely spoken.

“All right, let’s go to Lou’s for dinner and grab some deep dish. We can talk about it then.” Roen closed the fridge.

Wait... talk about what? About me? This is a bad idea, Roen.
 

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Antonio whooped. “Hang on. Let me get my jacket. I’ll drive, then?”

Roen twirled his keys around his fingers. “Look who got a new car!” Antonio grinned and ran into his room.

Do not say anything to your friend!
 

After knowing he was getting deep dish pizza, Roen became more and more excited. His taste buds sprang to life and his mouth watered at the very thought of cheese, pepperoni, and butter crust. The two almost raced down to the garage in glee and moments later were driving downtown to their favorite pizza joint for some Chicago deep dish. Soon, they were waiting for their order in one of the booths, the aroma of marinara and pepperoni filling their nostrils. Roen had to keep reminding himself that this was only for a special occasion.

“First of all, what’s the deal with Sonya? I mean, come on, buddy, I didn’t know you had it in you.” Antonio squinted at Roen. “Wait, she’s not a professional, is she?”

“Professional what?”

Antonio laughed. “Get your mind out of the gutter. Professional trainer, dummy. Well, if she is, I don’t blame you. You look like half of you already. Literally. So if she is, she’s worth it.” He paused. “Is she?”

“No.”

“Then who is she and how did this miraculous transformation come about?” Antonio made circular gestures at Roen’s slimmer body.

Roen did not feel comfortable talking about Tao, having promised to never reveal their secret. But Sonya’s mother had told Sonya, and it wasn’t like Antonio would ever betray him. They were best friends! There was no harm telling one person, was there? It might even help put things in perspective. Finally he decided to just spill it and see what happened.

Do not go down this path. It is dangerous for you and your friend. If the Genjix ever find out where you live, they could get to you through Antonio. And I promise you it will not be pleasant for him. For both your sakes, do not tell him anything.
 

“Tao, I know what I’m doing. He won’t give me away. Besides, I need to tell someone. Even Bruce Wayne had Alfred to cover for him. I need an Alfred.”

You need to shut your mouth if you know what is good for you.
 

“Antonio, do you believe in aliens?” he said in a low voice.

Damn you, Roen.
 

Antonio’s brow bunched up. “Aliens: like the movie
Aliens
,
Star Trek
aliens,
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
aliens, or do you mean illegal aliens?”

“The
Body Snatcher
variety,” Roen replied.

“Good movie and no, I don’t believe in aliens, especially those that come all the way over here from another galaxy to take over someone, unless they’re here to steal our women. That I’d understand, and even then I think they’d have hotter women over there anyway. There’s no need to steal ours.” Antonio laughed half-heartedly. His laughter died when he noticed Roen’s face darken. “Are you implying you’re acting weird because you were body-snatched and you’re not the real Roen, but a fake clone Roen, and the real Roen is in a cocoon on some mother ship where they plan to suck his blood?”

Roen shook his head. “You’re getting
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
mixed up with
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
. They’re the ones that wrap you up in cotton candy and drink your blood.”

“Close enough. So what about them? You saying you have some alien in you?”

Roen looked both ways over his shoulder and leaned in, his voice reduced to a whisper. “What if I told you that for the past few months, I’ve had an alien life force living in me named Tao?”

You just do not know when to shut up.
 

“Tao is a Quasing,” he continued. “His kind is involved in some civil war. These aliens are powerless to do anything on Earth due to our atmosphere, but they can inhabit humans and speak to us. Tao came to me when his previous host died on a mission. He’s a being that’s been around for millions of years. He’s inhabited all sorts of people and used to be in Lafayette and San-Feng.”

“What the heck is a San-Feng?”

“Beats me. Someone important, I guess.”

“Hmm.” Antonio looked worried. “And what does Tao want with you?”

Roen sighed. “He wants to train me to be a field operative so I can carry out Prophus missions. That’s why I’ve been getting in shape. I’m being deployed in the field soon.”

Antonio frowned. “You know, I’d swear you’re trying to pull a fast one on me if I didn’t know your lousy poker face. Is Tao with us right now?”

“He’s always with me.”

“Can I say hi?”

Roen shrugged. “I guess. He can hear everything we say.”

Antonio leaned forward and raised his voice. “Hi, Mr Tao. How are you? How does it feel being in Roen? I bet you’re not used to that much space.”

“Not funny.” Roen scowled. “Come on, I’m serious.”

“You want me to take you seriously?” Antonio looked exasperated. “All right, I’m sorry. Does Tao want to say hi to me?”

“Do you have anything to say, Tao?”

Go to hell, Roen.
 

“Tao says hi,” Roen replied.

Antonio leaned back and took a sip of his drink. The waiter brought the pizza and the two took a break from their discussion to help themselves to a few slices. Roen passed Antonio the grated cheese and grabbed the crushed pepper. His stomach groaned with anticipation at the piping hot pizza with the generous heaping of marinara sauce spread over the thick crust. Each slice was two inches thick stuffed with pepperoni, olives, spinach, and onions. Roen cut the cheese strings that stuck to his slice and took a large bite. It tasted like heaven.

“So is Sonya one of them body snatchers?” Antonio asked, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth.

Roen nodded.

Antonio shook his head. “I don’t know, buddy. Look, you’re my boy, but this is nuts. I think you’re going crazy.”

Roen scowled again. “I’m not crazy, Antonio; don’t say that. It took me a long time to come to grips with this.”

Antonio shook his head. “Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Some need a heart attack to decide to hit the gym, while others just wake up one day and think it’s time. Maybe your motivation is interstellar war, but I think your type of motivation is borderline schizophrenic.”

Roen slammed a fist onto the table, earning him looks from those around them. “Look, for the last time, I’m not crazy; this is serious! You wanted to know, and I trust you enough to tell you. You have to promise to keep this a secret.”

For the first time, Antonio looked uncomfortable. “Who am I going to tell? What am I going to tell them? My roommate thinks he’s possessed by an alien that’s training him to be James Bond?”

Roen shook his head. “Tao was right. This was a mistake. You know, forget it.”

“Come on, Roen, what did you expect me to think? I mean, show me some proof. Show me some alien technology or superpowers or something. Bend metal or fly or grow a tentacle. You can’t expect me to believe you on blind faith.”

“I have no powers. It doesn’t work that way. The Prophus can only act through their hosts.”

“Right. That’s awfully convenient,” Antonio didn’t bother hiding his disbelief. “Like Kyle Reese not being able to bring a weapon back from the future.”

“But in
Terminator
, he was right. They should have believed him,” Roen countered.

Antonio shook his head. “That’s why it’s a movie.” He stood up and put some money on the table. “Look, I’m going. You should think about getting help. It’s cool that you’re losing weight and working out, but it’s not healthy how you’re going about doing it.” He patted Roen on the shoulder and left him sitting alone at the booth.

Roen brooded for several minutes. Antonio’s words stung, and at the same time, made sense. Could he be using this story of aliens and wars as a way to subconsciously force himself out of his rut? He could imagine doing something like that. The idea of being a cog in something important appealed to his ego. His own unhappiness might not be enough to make him want to change, but a covert war with the balance of humanity at stake certainly would.