Roen nodded. “I’ll find our Aussie for you. Alive, in one piece and ugly as ever.”
“Good,” Stephen nodded. “Find that fat bastard, finish the job in Taiwan, and join up with us in Tibet afterward.”
“How many men am I getting on my team for this mission? There are a few guys I’d like to ask for.” Roen asked.
“You don’t get anyone. I’m attaching you to Wuehler’s black ops team. Follow his orders.” He paused again, the appraising look returning. “Will that be a problem?” Roen gritted his teeth and swore under his breath. This was just getting worse and worse.
“What the hell, Tao? Wuehler and Marco of all people. I think the Keeper is messing with me.”
I know she is. This will be interesting. I wonder how many nights in a row he will make you stand guard.
Roen nodded reluctantly.
“Good then. Alright people,” Stephen scanned the group. “You have your orders. Let’s see it done.”
SIX
MEETING WITH WILKS
I became Prophus in the worst way. At the time, I, alongside many others who did not heed the command of the old order, hid from their decree that all Quasing must come into the fold or face the Inquisition. The simpleton who was my host at the time could not stop talking about the voices he heard in his head, and was eventually taken for questioning. That was how I was found out.
My host was imprisoned by the Inquisitors by command of the Genjix, and framed as the murderer of a Spanish Cardinal, one Francisco Ciserno. For two years, he languished in a damp prison in Valencia. He was near death when a hooded figure appeared and opened his doors. Half a dozen guards lay dead in the hallway.
Terrified, my host asked what the stranger wanted.
The man’s answer was, “Your freedom. You have paid for my crimes long enough.”
Baji
When the meeting ended, Paula signaled to Jill to fall in with her. Paula, a former MI6 agent, was considered the rising star at European Command. She had twice refused promotion in order to stay in the field and was eventually forced into a command role. Since then, she had been instrumental in keeping the Genjix from infiltrating Her Majesty’s Secret Service. If the Prophus ever needed to turtle up, Iceland and England would be their centers of operation. It was unfortunate that Ireland had been compromised the previous year or the Prophus could realistically have kept some semblance of a stronghold in that region. Her Quasing, Yol, was one of the foremost computer experts within the Prophus and Tao’s close friend. Jill had a sneaking suspicion that Paula was Roen’s leak.
“I don’t have a lot of pieces to play with, Jill,” she said as they walked through the busy hive of the command room, “so I need all of them working. Marco is en route. You listen to him and don’t give him a hard time. He’s quite lovely if you’re on his good side and a real troll if you’re not. Just ask your husband.”
“Why does Roen hate him?” Jill asked. “I’ve never seen him react this strongly to any Prophus before. Not even the Keeper, and he uses her picture as a dartboard.”
Paula chuckled. “Imagine Tao, all snarky and self-righteous, add an overdose of self-confidence and a title, and you have Marco. And to double down on that, Ahngr is even more insufferable. Roen and Marco ran a series of missions together in Egypt three years ago. You remember that?”
Jill nodded. “He came home pissy for a month.”
“Those two were joint leads on the operation. They were at each other’s throats and had to be physically separated four times. According to eye witnesses, Roen lost every fight.”
Witnesses say it was not even close.
“That would explain it.”
“It gets worse. Tao hates Ahngr even more than Roen does Marco. Yol says they had a pretty bad row during the Thirty Years’ War, and it lasted for the entire thirty years. Some Prophus believe their bickering changed the outcome of the war.”
You do not know the half of it.
Jill frowned. “So if they have such a long and bad history together, why did the Keeper send for him? She must know it’d just infuriate Roen.”
Paula glanced to the side to make sure no one was listening. She leaned in. “Don’t tell Roen, but I asked for Marco.”
Jill stifled a chuckle. “Why? You’re his friend.”
Paula shrugged. “Because Marco’s one of the best. Taking care of you is the perfect assignment for him. Trust me, Roen will thank me for this. Just don’t ever let him know.” She paused. “What’s going on with you two anyway? Are you…” Paula’s voice trailed off.
“Still separated? You don’t forgive a father who abandons his son on some alien’s say-so.”
Paula nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that. He’s a good bloke though, and Tao can be very persuasive.”
“No need to enumerate Roen’s good qualities to me.” The words tumbled out of Jill’s mouth a bit harsher than she intended. She tried to rein her emotions in. “I know you just flew in, so let’s schedule a meeting after you get settled. Dinner and drinks? We’ll catch up and acclimate you to the political arena here. It’s a lot less civilized than what you’re probably used to.”
Paula sniffed. “You obviously haven’t seen our House of Lords. Would strain anyone’s patience.” She checked the time. “I’ll need seventy-two hours to take control of operations and lay out a new strategy. Then you can brief me on the latest intelligence reports.” She gave Jill a nod and left.
Jill watched Paula walk away. She had worked with the British agent before, and they got along well. Paula was a cheerful woman, a rarity in this line of work. She credited Yol for her sunny disposition. But regardless, she was always thoughtful and competent. If the Prophus were ever to change the momentum of the war, they would need more people like her.
There was a lot to do over the next few days. She had a meeting with Wilks on the Hill at 10am. No doubt Simon had already sent his demands to her office. Threat or no threat, she had to do due diligence before making a recommendation to the senator. It was a lot more complicated than determining if a political deal was worth Wilks’ support. How would it affect the Prophus? What advantages were the Genjix seeking? There was layer upon layer of intrigue that would need to be vetted first. Working for the interests of both the Prophus and the senator was tricky business. She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
One thing at a time. You have me.
That much was true. Jill learned early on that Baji was infinitely sharper than she could ever be. And while Baji’s expertise was in covert operations, Jill found that her Quasing was equally proficient in political chess. That was how Jill had risen so fast on the Hill and within the Prophus ranks in the government.
First things first, she needed a shower. She still had grime from the previous night as well as a dozen or so bruises to cover up. That and a gunshot wound to address. Her leg had stiffened up and the cut on her cheek stung; it would probably scar. Jill went to seek out her estranged husband, found him talking with Stephen and pulled him aside.
“Hey,” she began, and then the words got stuck in her throat. A range of emotions from anger to concern threatened to pour out of her all at once.
Roen didn’t bother hiding his feelings. “Listen, those idiots are sending me halfway around the world. Promise me, if it gets too hot in the capital, you leave. You go into hiding. Alright?”
“You know I won’t do that,” she said. “I’m not going to cut on the team.” She closed her eyes. Even when she was being sincere, she couldn’t help but antagonize him. “That wasn’t meant to be a dig on you.”
He bit his lip and forced a less-than-convincing smile. “You know that was a dig, and I know you didn’t mean it that way. It’s just the truth.” He pulled her in close with a sudden urgency. “I’m not going to be there to watch your back.” His voice quavered.