“Dad, I was six and the tree had it coming. It was between me and the sea lion pen.”
Roen watched Cameron pedal away until he was only a speck disappearing down the road. He wondered what Tao meant. Wait, no, he bet he could figure out what his best friend and mentor was going to say.
The only good Genjix is a dead one. Usually followed by shoot them or stab them through the heart. That was regular Tao wisdom, second only to get your ass out of bed.
Roen chuckled as he walked back toward the farmhouse. The climb up the hill always reminded him of his age. His right knee ached again and both of his hips were flaring up. His lower back hurt. His left shoulder was starting to lose its range of motion, and he caught himself slouching more and more these days. Other than that, he was the picture of health. Now that he thought about it, he needed to take a piss more often, too.
Roen walked through the front door and found Jill in the kitchen, sorting out several plates of food. Either she forgot to tell him about the squad of agents coming in, or she was going to use blueberry pancakes for advanced interrogation. He opened the fridge and pulled out a container of orange juice.
He sniffed it and looked up. “Where’s the good stuff?”
Jill shook her head. “Out of the non-concentrate. You’re stuck with that until next week. Did you get confirmation from our VIP guest?”
Roen nodded. “She’s our girl, and by all indications, a whale.”
Jill lifted an eyebrow. “A real one?”
“As real as it gets. She smuggled some documents on this chip.” He held it up. “Harry is skimming the download now. If it’s legit, I’m shooting it off to Command for the brain boys to break down. I’m keeping her in the locked cells until we find out the other three’s intentions. No need to blow her cover unless necessary.”
Jill nodded. “What about the others?”
“Unknown. About to hit them up next.” He motioned to the humongous stack of pancakes. “Are we using these as an interrogation tactic or are you pregnant again?”
“That’s not funny.” Using the spatula, she flicked a pancake at him. Roen caught it and put it in his mouth. “I’ll come with you to talk to them.”
“You know, instead of feeding them,” he made a twisting motion with his hands, “I could just tighten screws into their thumbs.”
She picked up the plate of pancakes. “Hearts and minds, dear. Hearts, minds and stomachs. Nothing speaks to a bunch of refugees like pancakes with mounds of syrup. Have they been separated?”
He nodded. “Block D. I gave the Russian and his daughter the last two rooms with the connecting door. We can separate them during interrogation.”
“What about our man on the inside?”
Roen shook his head. “Sachin didn’t make it. He sacrificed his life to buy them time, and he initiated a firefight with IXTF purposely in order for me to pinpoint their location. I wouldn’t have reached them in time otherwise.”
Jill cursed. “We are rapidly running out of agents in Asia. Do you think anyone will turn?”
Roen shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Moderates on the run. Lost everything but the clothes on their backs. What do they have to gain dying by the sword? The line has been blurred since the Council Power Struggle enveloped all of Asia. Everyone’s loyalty is flexible. It’s just too bad the Prophus are so weak, we can’t take advantage of the chaos.”
Jill exhaled. “It’s a shame. Even with their Council at odds, everyone is more powerful than us. But as long as Rin’s turned, we might finally have found a way to win.”
“Ohr should turn as well.” Roen tried to pluck another pancake with his fingers, only to be rewarded with a slap on the wrist and a stern look from his wife. “The interesting one will be the Russian. We’ll have to play him close to the vest.”
“Rats scurrying off the sinking ship? His network files had both him and his wife pretty high up in Vinnick’s hierarchy. In fact, Alexandra is Vinnick’s goddaughter.”
“Fleeing that psychopath Enzo for sure.” Roen paused. “The girl’s a host. We could use her as leverage.”
“Have we sunk so low we use children now?”
“Pfft. Pretty sure we kicked down that threshold four hundred years ago. It’s a burden I’ll gladly live with if it means getting the upper hand.”
“Doesn’t mean we should give up civility.” Jill handed him the plate and picked up a bottle of maple syrup. “Let’s go feed our guests.”
The two of them went down the secret staircase to the main safe house area and then into a series of single-file corridors. Most of the tunnels here predated the farmhouse, a veritable maze of old mining tunnels, except now some of the walls closer to the main living space were plastered with rough and uneven drywall, courtesy of Roen’s handyman skills. He had spent much of their first year here excavating and making the mineshaft functional for their needs by building everything out with nothing more than power tools and a do-it-yourself manual he bought from the Internet.
He admitted the hallways and rooms looked hideous, but they were his hideous hallways and rooms. He swelled with pride every time he led anyone down here and was always sure to let them know about his handiwork, even the prisoners. Especially the prisoners.
“Remind me to call the IXTF office after this meeting,” he said, as they walked toward the doors at the far end.
“You tied them up and asked for animal shelter ransom again?”
“Might as well go to a good cause.”
“You know, you’re not helping any of these shelters by putting so much heat on them. I bet every charity you force a donation upon has gotten their books audited with a fine-toothed comb. One day, it’s going to catch up with you.”
“If they do, I hope they remember all the living IXTF agents that could have been dead IXTF agents.”
They unlocked the door on the right and entered a small cell. There was a bed against the right wall, a small table with chairs on the left, and a toilet and sink on the far end. There was also a door that connected to an adjacent room. Vladimir was sitting at the table with Alex, whispering with their heads close together. The two stood up, and he moved his daughter behind him as Roen and Jill walked in.
“If you have any decency,” Vladimir said, “do what you must, but not in front of Alex. Send her away. I beg you.” He looked down at the plates of food in their hands and took on a sheepish look. “Perhaps I spoke too soon.”
“Oh no, you were right,” Roen quipped. “We just like to eat while we torture.”
Jill slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “Vladimir Mengsk, would you like some breakfast? I’m going to take your daughter next door.”
Roen watched as she coaxed the girl out from behind her father and ushered her into the next room. She looked back and nodded before closing the door. He gestured for Vladimir to sit before joining him. Roen watched as he dug into the pancakes, and waited a few minutes to let the guy swallow a few big bites. After all, the man had been on the run and hadn’t eaten for a while. Not to mention that Roen still might have to shoot him, and he’d hate to execute someone without a last meal.
After he had polished off five pancakes in less than two minutes, Vladimir wiped his mouth and studied him. “The famous Roen Tan.”
“Famous?” Roen perked up. “I mean, my exploits are pretty damn awesome, but I wouldn’t go that far. What’s my rookie baseball card worth these days in Genjix circles?”
The reference must have been lost on Vladimir, who looked puzzled. “Exploits? Sorry. I wasn’t even aware you were an operative. You’re only known as the human who survived a Quasing transfer. That was thought to have been impossible.”
“Wait, you mean you’ve never heard of me? I’m pretty sure my Quasing was on several of your most-wanted lists.”