Sonya’s angry face came very close to Roen’s as she reached over and pulled him up by the front of his shirt. “Damn it, Tao, what was that all about?” Sonya growled.
Twenty minutes ago, Roen had fallen asleep on the couch at the safe house while Sonya took the lone bedroom. Now Baji, controlling Sonya, hovered over him and looked like she was about to take a swing at him.
Tao, controlling a sleeping Roen, feigned confusion. “You mean the ambush tonight?” he asked innocently.
“No, I mean your host trying to stick his tongue down Sonya’s throat!”
“I’m sorry, Baji. I did not know he was going to do it.”
“Well, she is confused now. She has spent so much of her life preparing for her role that she has not experienced much of a social life.”
“That is your fault, not mine. You should have made her a more balanced individual.”
Baji replied, “All your hosts seem to share the same womanizing traits.”
“Why are you so upset? Do you mean she likes him?”
“No, I mean she’s not focused on the task at hand. Get your playboy under control, Tao, or I will put him in his place.”
“Easy there, Baji – you sound like a disapproving mother.”
“You are damn right I am disapproving. Sonya has been groomed for great things. She has more potential than any other host I have had in centuries. Do not ruin her, or I swear…”
“You really should let her live a more balanced life,” he said.
That probably wasn’t the right thing to say. She glared at him and snapped. “Shut up. You take care of your host, and I will take care of mine. I never intruded on Edward’s training.”
“I let Edward marry and live a semblance of a normal life.”
“That is a tragedy in itself when you consider the usual fate of our hosts.”
“What about Dania? Do you regret her having a family?” Tao asked.
“What I regret is her marrying another host. Jordan’s death broke her will. I will not let the same thing happen to Sonya.”
“By not ever letting her discover love? Sorry, Baji, but I do not have as much control over my host as you have over yours. I will work on getting rid of his free will right away.”
She said, “Do not turn this around on me.”
“I suggest you just let them be for now and worry about it later. We have a little crisis on our hands. Have you notified Intelligence?” Tao asked.
As Baji finally began to calm down, Tao pulled her clenched fist away from his shirt.
She scowled and slumped into the recliner next to the couch. “This is not over yet, Tao. We are going to finish this conversation later. And yes, Intelligence found a hit on Hamilton Lee getting a speeding ticket off of Highway 80 last night. With all of Roen’s information washed, it must have tripped an alarm when his identification hit a dead end. That means the Genjix are actively monitoring for him and parsing through negative hits as well. Tell your boy to be more careful. They must want you badly.”
“What can I say? I do good work. At least one good thing came out of all this.”
Baji shook her head. “What good can possibly come from this? Roen’s risk levels now are exponentially higher. I would almost call in bodyguards if I thought they would be of any use.”
Tao grinned. “No, bodyguards would just attract more attention. I think tonight’s little encounter should prove to the Keeper that Roen is ready. Even with only a few months of training, he performed admirably.” Tao stood up and walked over to one of the computers. “You should get some sleep. They are getting up in three hours. This might not be over yet.”
“You are not going to bed?” Baji asked.
“Not yet. I need to expand Roen’s data wipe. From now on, he will only be Roen to those around him. Once that name enters a government system or credit agency, he will become Ron Tam.”
“Cute, just enough to cry user error.”
“I thought so too. Goodnight, Baji.”
Baji stood up and walked toward the bedroom. She glared at Tao one more time before going in. She said, “Hey Tao, we did well with Roen. You should be proud. But regardless, tell Roen to keep his mitts off Sonya or I will kill him myself.”
“He loves you too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY: AFTERMATH
After driving back the Yuan, the Ming were the dominant power in the region and had few enemies. So without an outside enemy, the Council ordered that I oppress the people, to drive them into rebellion in order to create more conflict. At that time, I was on the cusp of a cultural revolution. I was close to fulfilling my dream. So again, I tried to refuse. And again, I was weak and failed my host.
“So how’s t’ai chi with Lin going?” Sonya asked as the two stood in the elevator at his apartment building, watching the numbers climb.
“Great,” Roen replied. “It’s working well for me. Why didn’t you ever study with him?”
Sonya shook her head. “I tried a few years back. T’ai chi isn’t my thing. It’s too slow-paced and I couldn’t grasp all that internal stuff. I’m more suited to Savate and Krav Maga.”
There were a few more moments of awkward silence as they stood on opposite sides of the elevator. She had let him sleep in until noon. Roen was grateful for that, considering the previous night’s events. The two had had a quick lunch in silence and then headed toward his place shortly afterward. Sonya’s question to him just now was the first words they’d spoken all day.
Roen was equipped with a pistol, a machete, and a pair of knives. He wore a thin Kevlar suit underneath the rest of his clothing and had the gun cleverly hidden in his thin leather jacket. The machete sheath was strapped to his back – and the knives were inside his boots – in case the fighting got close and ugly.
Sonya, on the other hand, was armed to the teeth. Besides a small rack of throwing knives strapped to her back, she carried three pistols hidden somewhere within her bodice. Her Kevlar outfit covered her torso, and the weapons were neatly concealed so that she looked like she was wearing a business suit.
Roen desperately wanted to talk about last night with her, but was actually relieved that she didn’t bring it up. He didn’t know how she felt about him. In fact, Roen perceived a subtle coldness that wasn’t there before. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should he tell her how he felt? How did he feel? Was he being impulsive or did he really have feelings for her?
Maybe Tao was right; maybe it was all in his head. Roen just didn’t know. And then there was Jill. What about her? He cursed himself for putting himself in such an awkward situation. For years he’d had no love interest. Now he had two.
A little focus, please?
Tao was right. None of this would matter if he didn’t get through the next ten minutes alive. Roen pushed those thoughts into the back of his mind and concentrated on their plan. They could be walking into a trap.
“Why do they want me so bad?” he sighed.
“Tao’s a valuable capture,” Sonya answered. “According to Baji, he’s upset many in the Genjix hierarchy and is considered a top-twenty target. He must be on someone’s grudge list, because I don’t think Baji even makes the top hundred.”
That is because Baji is a slacker.
“What a dubious honor to be proud of,” Roen muttered.
Hey, it took a lot of work to make that list.
“I’m sure you’re very proud of yourself.”
Quite, thank you very much.
The elevator doors opened with a soft hiss. The two stepped out and crept toward his apartment. As they neared it, they heard a click and froze. It was all Roen could do to keep his gun in its holster and not fire at the first thing that moved. Mrs Fitzgerald, his elderly next door neighbor, came out with her little dog Mocha.