The Lives of Tao

CHAPTER THREE

THE CALL



Tao watched with interest as his new host milled about in his drunken state. After living through hundreds of lives, he had become quite adept at reading humans. He studied Roen’s mannerisms and behaviors, his driving habits, the tidiness of the bedroom, and his interaction with his roommate. He even made a mental note that Roen forgot to brush his teeth.

Waiting until his new host faded into a deep slumber, Tao made his move and suppressed his host’s consciousness, and then sat him up. Tao had never been that good at unconscious manipulation to begin with, and already exhausted from the night’s ordeal, his control was shaky. He maneuvered Roen like a minivan across the room to the desk and pawed at the football-shaped phone. It took a few tries, but Tao finally dialed the emergency line and waited the established fifteen rings before someone answered.

The other voice said, “Twenty-four-hour wake-up service. We wake up to wake you up. Can I help you?”

“Identification Tao.”

“Voice recognition does not match host Edward Blair.”

“Host has been terminated.”

“Base binary code required.”

“Binary code one, one, zero, zero, one, zero, one, one, zero, zero, zero, one.”

Silence.

“My condolences, Tao. Edward was a good man.”

“Thank you, Krys. Register the new host and patch me through to the Keeper.”

“Of course. Will it be long before you are active again?” Krys asked.

“I do not know. Depends on the host; you know how it is.”

“Aye, I do. Putting you through now. Good luck, Tao.”

“Thank you.”

Tao felt a sharp pang of regret as he waited. He dreaded this call. It marked the somber finality of losing Edward. He would have to make good on his previous host’s last wish soon. That was something he was not looking forward to either, but Kathy deserved better than to be kept in the dark.

A woman’s voice came on the line, “Hello, Tao.”

“Keeper.”

“I am sorry to hear the news. When Edward’s tracer stopped moving, we were concerned that you might have been lost to the Eternal Sea.”

“Edward made sure I had a chance to find a new host. Did Command receive the upload?”

“Affirmative.”

“Is it true?” Tao asked.

“This so-called P1 Penetra program does not seem to be a weapon. Our engineers are analyzing the blueprints now and believe it may be an advanced communication or surveillance array.”

Surveillance? With the amount of security surrounding the project, that hardly seemed accurate. The agent they had in the Genjix research division said the project had the highest priority and was carried out with the utmost secrecy. “Did you see the chemical list?” Tao asked.

“We have. It is a mystery. Our people are working on how these chemicals will correlate with such an array.”

Tao was silent for a few moments, deep in thought. Finally, he asked the question he was dreading. “Were we able to retrieve his body?”

“I am sorry.”

Tao cursed. Kathy would not be able to lay her husband to rest. He had hoped that it was a solace he could provide her. Now, she was robbed of even that. “Marc. He killed Edward. The operation was a double-cross. We need to lock him out of our systems.”

“Global security changes have already been initiated. Do not worry about Jeo, Tao. You have more pressing concerns. What is your new situation, and how long can we expect you out?”

Tao pulled out Roen’s wallet and recited the information on his driver’s license. “New host name: Roen Tan. Age: thirty-one. Height: five-nine. Weight: hmm... someone obviously lied on his license. I believe he is currently north of one hundred twenty kilos. I am still assessing the situation, but I believe I have my hands full with this one. Training time could be significant. Has both mental and physical issues which first will have to be resolved before he can be any use to us.”

“Pulling up his complete background now. Nothing overly unusual. No military record. No police record, slightly above average grades in high school, slightly below in college. Hay fever, minor asthma, and some Alzheimer in the family history. Interesting, one of his ancestors a few generations back was a Prophus. Seurot, who is no longer with us, lost during the 228 Massacre.”

“I knew Seurot. He was a good Quasing.”

The Keeper said, “His records dating back from grade school indicate low self-esteem and social isolation, but a higher than average intelligence and a history of obesity. Initiating host transfer protocols now. Roen Tan will no longer exist in a few minutes. Be sure to make first contact before he tries to pull up his Social Security number or other washed data. Tao, I am going to lay out your situation right now. From his files, this new host of yours is completely inadequate for our needs. Time is short. If he is not flexible for immediate orientation, we will send someone to dispose of him.”

“That should not be necessary,” Tao cut her off before she could continue. He tried to keep his voice calm, but inside, he fumed. Voluntary transitions were a despicable practice, regardless of how dire the situation was. He had never had to perform one before, and did not intend to start now. “I will attempt to expedite integration. I have already begun his case study...”

“No case studies or gentle awakenings. We cannot afford the luxury of a long honeymoon. I want results in weeks. He needs to be online and ready to work in months, understood?” she said.

“Keeper, please be realistic. He has no military experience. It takes at minimum two years to train an agent, and that is not including his current physical condition. Asking for results in months is an impossible deadline. You might as well send someone in tonight and shoot him.” Roen snorted and dropped the phone, mumbling something in his sleep. Tao temporarily lost control and almost fell over. Muttering under his breath, Tao picked up the phone again. “My apologies, Keeper, he is being uncooperative.”

There was a pause on the other end. “What if we sent you help to push the host along? There are a few unallocated agents recovering from combat. I can assign one to you.”

Tao hated receiving help with the training. He preferred to mold new hosts to his own exacting standards. However, under these circumstances, he had little choice in the matter. “Who is available?”

“Haewon’s second year. Eva’s fifth. Baji’s fourth. Vou’s ninth.”

“Baji’s fourth, is it Dania’s daughter?” he asked.

“I thought you would select her. She is in the Philippines right now. I will have her transferred over.”

“Yes, perfect. Thank you, Keeper.”

“Of course, Tao. Be safe, you were always one of our best.”

Roen twisted in his sleep and dropped the phone again. This time, Tao lost his balance and fell over. Near the end of his strength, he gave up and left the body where it lay. The mission, compounded with the strain of a new host, had pushed him to his limits.

Tao needed to rest. For the next few days he would observe his host. Then at the right time, he would introduce himself to Roen Tan, though in reality, there was never a good time for these sorts of introductions.

Usually, he would spend months observing before making contact. But there was much to do and little time to do it. Roen’s life was now in Tao’s safekeeping. The Keeper had made the consequences perfectly clear. Tao did not intend to lose a second host in such a short period of time. As he retired for the night, he couldn’t help but wonder what lay ahead. Chances were he might have lost a generation staying in this host. But what if this Roen Tan could be another Edward, Zhu, or Temujin?