After all, they had each thought they had lost the other over the past few days. And now that they were together again, they were going off on another dangerous mission. The moment they shared right now was all they had. Tomorrow would be another day when this blasted war would threaten to take everything that meant anything in their world. They’d both lost so much already.
Roen’s looked on the edge of tears.
Jill stroked his chin. “Hey you, what’s going on inside that thick noggin of yours?”
His voice broke as he spoke. “I’m sorry. I failed. Again. I should have been there. For you and Cameron. I let the Prophus lure me away again on an inane mission, and I wasn’t there to protect my family when you were in danger.”
Jill could tell he was being harder on himself than usual. Ever since Tao had left him, he had been trying to overcompensate by being husband, father, and Prophus agent all at the same time. It was an impossible task. She hit him on the chest harder than she meant to. “Nonsense. I sent you away.”
“I should have said no.”
“You did say no. I ordered you to go.”
It is times like this I like your husband. Seems he finally got through puberty after half a century.
“Hush, Baji.”
Roen shifted in hammock, swinging it precariously. Jill was pretty sure this thing wasn’t made to hold both their weights. “Don’t do it again. Please. In fact, after this, I’m done. I quit.” He paused. “Is that okay?”
I love how he asks for permission.
“Oh, Roen. Why don’t you hold off retirement plans until after this mission?” She kissed him again. “We should probably head back. They’re probably looking for us.”
He grunted, which was his way of giving a lukewarm affirmative. “I’m going to skip the rest of the meeting and let you brainiacs figure stuff out.” He paused. “I should have asked earlier. How’s Cameron?”
Jill had hoped to delay his seeing their son as long as possible. She knew it was cruel not to tell him right away that Cameron was here, but she knew how he was going to react once he saw him, and she wanted calm Roen for just a little while. “He’s here, Roen. Sleeping. Look, he got kind of beaten up. It looks much worse than it is. Please don’t blow your top and freak out.”
Roen sat up, almost dumping them both off the hammock. “What! Here? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I know what your priorities are in life. I mean it, though. Don’t freak out when you see him.”
That just made him tenser. “I’ll keep that in mind, but it doesn’t mean I won’t freak out.”
She led him to the other side of the warehouse, to the sleeping quarters. Faust’s cover was an old theater prop warehouse, so there were many nooks and turns. Jill had put Cameron in a small guest room on the top level. She led Roen to the door and opened it slightly.
The light fell on her sleeping son’s face as they crept in. Jill had to prepare her husband for what he was about to see. She put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Roen gasped when he saw Cameron’s bruised face, and his body stiffened, all his muscles tightening.
“Remember, it looks a lot worse than it is.”
She led him to the edge of the bed. Roen fell to his knees and brushed the hair away from Cameron’s face. She could sense the struggle raging inside him. He balled his hands into fists.
She leaned over him and kissed him on the cheek. “You need some time alone with him?”
He nodded. “Please.”
She caressed his face and kissed him on the lips. “I’ll be back at the meeting. Let him rest if you can. And if it’s Tao, tell him to let Cameron rest as well.”
39 Father and Son
Timestamp: 3422
As good as Tao and I are at what we do, I don’t think either of us are prepared for how good Cameron is becoming. I haven’t been prouder and more terrified for his future than on the day I realized that he could kick my ass. With this new technique he and Tao have developed, he truly is becoming something more than human.
Here is where I realized my mistake. I’ve helped mold him into a Prophus Adonis, but this will only drive him into more and more dangerous situations. In trying to keep him safe, I’ve doomed him to this life of danger, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Roen knelt next to Cameron’s bed and held his son’s hand. His mind raced, bouncing between his own self-loathing for not being there to protect his child and his burning rage at that son-of-a-bitch Jacob Diamont. The two factions traditionally had an agreement about not touching families. Sure, Cam was a host, but he was a kid still and would always be that small baby in his arms. The longer Roen thought about it, the angrier he got.
One of Cameron’s eyes opened, then the other. “I know you are beating yourself up something fierce right now. It is at the same time endearing and pointless, so cut it out.”
“Tao,” Roen began, and stopped. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize to Tao or berate him for putting his son in this predicament. In the end, he took the easy route and let his ire show. “How could you let this happen to him?”
Tao turned to his side and frowned. “Excuse me? What exactly did you expect me to do? The farmhouse was attacked by Genjix, and I pulled your son to safety. Do not misdirect your anger because of your guilt.”
Damn, that alien knew him too well. Roen admitted to himself that his fury was completely misplaced, and that he was yelling just so he could yell at something. He was certain Tao had probably saved Cameron’s life. Still, the cuts and bruises on his son’s face were more than Roen could handle. Without an outlet for his raw emotions, his body did the only thing it could think of; he began to cry.
“Oh come on,” Tao began.
Right now, Roen didn’t care what his stinking stupid alien mentor thought. With shoulder-wracking sobs, he hugged his son and cried more tears than he had since Sonya died. The thought of the consequences of every decision he had made putting his son in danger hit too close to home. He wanted to grab his wife and son, and steal them as far away from all of this as possible. Enough was enough. His family had paid the price for his sins for too long.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed.
Tao frowned. “I forgive you, Roen.”
“Not to you, damn it. To my son. I’m his father. I should have been there to protect him. I let the Prophus lead me away from the people I love again. I’ve failed as a father and as a husband.”
Tao, actually looking awkward, put his arms around Roen’s shoulder and patted him on the back. “There, there. Things are going to be all right.”
“Shut up, Tao,” Roen snapped. “Things aren’t going to be all right. I’ve cursed my wife and child to a lifetime of this stupid war.”
“You think being ignorant of the realities of our war would make this all go away? You of all people should know better than that, Roen.”
“It’s all right to punish me. I’m a man. I can take it. Cameron’s just a kid.”
“Roen,” Tao said, sitting up. “He got slapped in the face a few times. He’s had worse in training. Remember that summer when you sent him to Lin?”
“That’s because Lin’s a grumpy bastard.”
“He’s young. He heals quickly. He’ll be fine. By tomorrow, when we head to that loyalty haven -”