Roen rounded on Faust. “Why didn’t Ramez tell us?”
Faust looked just as angry. “He just told me just now. Said it was need-to-know and that no one needed to know unless Dylan was confirmed dead or failed to report in to the Keeper.”
“I hate your Quasing,” Roen spat.
“Yeah,” Faust grimaced. “Join the club. So much for the circle of trust between host and alien.”
When you are done pouting, we still have work to do.
Roen plopped down on the sofa and scowled. “So what’s our situation now?”
“Kaohsiung is the trade front for the Genjix supply chain. With Taiwan’s preferred trade status with most western countries, the Genjix are working around the most stringent trade restrictions. Anything that goes to China, Myanmar, North Korea, or Russia routes through this port. I’ve been attaching trackers for weeks to shipments and following the flow of cargo. It’s starting to draw a pretty clear map of their operations in this hemisphere. That’s how we pinpointed the prison camp in Tibet, the nuke base in Yukaghir, and the research program in Qingdao.” Dylan leaned in close. “I haven’t been able to infiltrate the southern part of the harbor. It’s heavily guarded, but I’ve got a plan cooked up.” Dylan picked up a beer and tossed it to Roen.
Roen deftly caught it and cracked it open, sucking in the suds. He smacked his lips and then clinked cans with Dylan. “Is there anything my boys can do to help? I promised the lying bastard I’d get you home in one ugly piece, and I meant it.”
“Got a meeting with the Keeper tonight. We’ll clarify orders. I have eighty percent of the harbor already mapped and tagged. Another two weeks and I bet I’ll crack that last twenty percent.” He finished his beer and tried another free throw. The beer can flew straight into the trash can. He looked at the table and grimaced at the now empty six-pack of beer. “Maybe we can meet up with Stephen in Tibet after we do the deed here,” he said, patting his belly.
“When’s the meeting?” Roen asked.
Dylan checked his watch. “In about five hours. Middle of the night while we sleep.”
Roen scowled. “Oh, one of those meetings.”
Dylan nodded. “Yep, it’s their world now. We’re only living in it, mate.”
There was a click and a soft beep, and then an electronic female voice chirped over the speaker phone in a bored tone. “Meeting place 41223 open for thirty minutes.”
Tao looked over at Yen curiously who, controlling the sleeping Dylan, shrugged. “Cost cutting measure. Free for the first half hour.”
“Quite a security risk using a public line.” Tao didn’t like stating the obvious, but in this case, felt someone had to do it.
“One we have to take,” the Keeper’s voice came across the line irritably. “Physical data centers can no longer be secured and with the Genjix influence everywhere, contracting a private third party is an acceptable risk.”
“If the Genjix wish to troll the entire Internet to find us then by all means they are free to try,” Yen added.
“But a free public channel?” Tao demanded. “That is just reckless.”
“Tao, I do not know what that host of yours has done to you but ever since-”
“Can you all save singing Roen’s praises for when I’m not here? He is still my husband after all,” Jill’s voice piped up. “Paula’s here as well.”
“Cheers, everyone!” Paula chirped. “I see we’re all one big happy family again. Yen, it’s bloody good to hear from you. The stories of your demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
“I do not suppose we can have the ladies take a nap, so we can speak with Baji and Yol,” Tao said.
“Sorry, love,” Paula replied. “Jill and I have a dinner date. We’re going out for sushi.”
“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.