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.
Great, are we back to this again? Talk about two steps forward and ten steps back. Is your sense of self so weak that anyone can convince you of anything? If you were ever captured, you would crack under interrogation before they even ask the questions.
“Well, he does make a valid point. What if you’re my subconscious trying to motivate me after everything else has failed?”
What do you want? Proof? Is Sonya not enough proof? What about the Genjix that tried to kill you? Do beautiful strange women come knocking on your door in the morning to go running with you?
“Good point,” Roen conceded. “I didn’t think of that.”
And that is the crux of your problem. You do not think. I warned you. No good could have come from telling your friend. Do not bring it up again. It will pass, and if we are lucky, he will forget all about it. We have bigger things to worry about, anyway.