The Days of Tao

by Wesley Chu

  You are far enough away. Get your people and get out of this country.

  Cameron’s emotions were a bubbling cauldron of conflicted and unfocused anger as he made his way north to his friends. The truth hurt; it hurt badly. Outside of Emily, the three survivors still with him were his closest friends this summer. One of them was a Genjix, or at least was actively working with the Genjix. That traitor had led to Seth’s death. The very thought made him want to throw up.

  “I’m such an idiot, Tao. First Alex, and now these guys.”

  This is a sad and all-too-common occurrence in our line of work. You must harden your soul, because this will happen again. Edward Blair, my host before Roen, was betrayed by his partner. In the future, people must not earn your friendship and trust so easily.

  Cameron hated that idea, but he had been burned far too many times in his young life. This was the last time. It had to be. His anguish and pain turned into rage when he reached the beach. The fact that he wasn’t sure who it was just made things worse. He didn’t know at whom he should direct his wrath.

  Nazar, standing on top of a small dune at the edge of the rock outcropping, saw him first. Yang, Surrett and Negin, were waist-deep digging a pit in the soft sand with the shovels they had purchased at the convenience store. By now, they had unearthed most of the rubber craft.

  “Cameron!” Negin said, trying to climb out of the hole to greet him.

  “Stay there. Keep working.” He spoke more harshly than he had intended, but he was having trouble not lashing out at one of them. He immediately felt bad for the hurt look on her face. “Let’s just focus on getting the work done.” He stood next Nazar and watched the progress below. “How goes it?”

  “We should be able to start inflating the craft soon.” He held up his mangled left arm. “It’s the one perk for having this. I get to skip all the menial labor.”

  Cameron leaned in closer and whispered. “Any suspicious activity?”

  Nazar shook his head. I’ve been keeping careful watch on our friends. Whoever it is, he hasn’t had a chance to contact the Genjix.”

  “Where’s Emily?”

  “We didn’t need four bodies to dig since we only have three shovels and two headlamps.” He pointed at small piece of land sticking out into the water. “I sent her over there. There’s a high vantage point that gives eyes on a good part of the beach as well as the road leading up here from Loutsa. I can call her back anytime with two blinks of a flashlight.”

  “Good.”

  By now, the three students were struggling to lift the raft out of the hole. Cameron jumped in to help push the large black rubber cube to the surface. They unrolled it and after some puzzling together, began to attach the motor to the back of the craft. Emily appeared a few minutes later, just as they were about to start inflating it.

  “There are people coming up along the beach,” she panted in between breaths. “I can’t tell how many.”

  Damn it. How did they find us?

  “Do they know we’re here?” Cameron asked. “How far away are they?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. They can’t be more than half a kilometer away. I think they’re just moving up along the beach. I couldn’t quite tell through my binoculars. It’s too dark. I thought I saw a Penetra scanner.”

  The craft will need about ten minutes to inflate and be ready to deploy. Fifteen optimally.

  That was an eternity. Not to mention that the noise the inflater was going to make would be a dead giveaway. Cameron drew his pistol. “I’m going to buy us some time. Keep working and get it into the water. If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, leave without me. If you see them approaching, leave without me.”

  Emily gasped. “No, you can’t.”

  Nazar nodded. “Don’t force our hand, Cameron. Until the Eternal Sea.”

  Cameron paused and looked back. “If I don’t make it, tell my parents…tell them sorry, and that I tried my best.”

  Yang made a face. “Are you crazy? You can’t go up against an army of guys by yourself. Wait, Cameron, let me help.”

  “You stay with the others!” Cameron hissed. “Don’t you dare follow me.”

  He began sprinting south down the beach.

  “You’re not seriously going to let him go by himself, are you?” he heard Yang say to the others.

  Cameron crashed through the trees, abandoning all attempts at stealth. He needed to put as much distance between the Genjix and his friends as possible. Besides, if they did have a Penetra scanner with them, it was useless trying to be sneaky.

  You have two full magazines, twenty rounds. Do not stay put for more than one grouping. If you need to waste bullets, waste them taking out the one with the scanner. You may have a fighting chance then.

  Cameron reached the top of a small crest near the edge of the water and saw the group moving up along the beach.

  “Wow that is a lot of bodies.”

  Cameron, it is too many. You have little to no chance of surviving that fight.

  “Well, maybe I can buy enough time for Nazar and those guys to escape. That’d be worth my life, right?”

  Honestly, no. If there is one thing I learned from you and Roen, it is that you are worth more to me than what is on that air drive. I would order you to abort this mission and save yourself if I thought you would listen.

  “You’re right about that, Tao.”

  About what?

  “I’m not going to listen.”

  There. See that. One of them near the back just pointed in our direction. They know you are here. That guy just marked himself as the one with the Penetra scanner.

  Cameron aimed his sights at the man holding the Penetra scanner and trailed his movements. The Genjix were still over a hundred meters away. Even from his higher vantage point, it was an impossible shot. He’d have to wait until they closed the distance. However, if he waited too long, they would have him pinned with his back to the sea. He began to move inland to give himself more room to maneuver.

  No, stay put. They have slowed their advance. They think they are getting the jump on you. Use this to your advantage. Hold your shot. Hold…

  Cameron relaxed, emptied his mind, and let go. He inhaled, exhaled, and found calm in the chaos. Tao’s voice echoed through his body, his words seemed to merge with Cameron’s thoughts. He felt himself detach from his body, even while his vision sharpened and hands steadied. He felt more in control than ever, even with Tao’s subtle touch directing his aim.

  Fire.

  Cameron pulled the trigger before Tao even finished the word. He was rewarded with the silhouette of his target falling from his sights. Immediately, the ground around him began to pop with bullets. He pulled back and disappeared into dark forest. In a way, this situation felt familiar. When he was a teenager, one of his fondest memories was Jill’s early-morning games of tag in the forest. Where Tao taught Cameron tactics and Roen taught him how to fight, Jill taught him guile.

  Tao began translating everything the Genjix agents were shouting in Russian. “Spread out and move in twos. Keep line of sight. Yuryev, find where Pavel fell and get that scanner. Who has the flame thrower?”

  Cameron made short work of the first two Genjix who crossed his path. He let the first one slip past him and jumped on the second. A quick body lock and snap of the neck, and the man was dead. Then, still holding the body as a shield, he turned toward the first, who managed to shoot two rounds into his friend. Cameron returned fire, taking him down with three shots, then disappeared back into the shadows.

  The next two he got the drop on, climbing up a tree branch, moving around the trunk to the other side, and dropping down from above them. His aim was a little off, and he crashed onto the ground behind his intended target. Fortunately, his flailing arms struck the guy in the side of the head, and they both went down. Cameron rolled to his side, feeling dirt kick up where he had been a split second earlier.

  To your left, near 10:30.

  Cameron sho
t blind, and his faith in Tao was rewarded with a groan and a body falling forward. He scrambled to his feet and plugged two slugs into the guy next to him, then one more down into the guy he had hit earlier. He came up lame and grimaced as he retreated into cover. The ground was slanted and uneven with tree roots and loose dirt, and his ankle hadn’t liked that landing.

  Shake it off. Three rounds left in the magazine.

  “Four down, like five or ten to go.”

  By now, the Genjix knew they had their hands full and were reorganizing, consolidating their ranks and shifting their flank to the right. Cameron crouched behind a thick tree and scanned his surroundings. He had less than fifteen meters to play with before hitting the water, and about twenty of open space before they had him boxed in.

  “I’m not liking this situation much.”

  I’m not, either. To your right. One in sight by himself. Go low and quiet.

  Cameron dove from his position, grabbed the guy around the waist, spun, and threw him on the ground. Kneeling on top, he struck the man in the temple once and was about to deliver the killing blow when pain exploded through his body, first in his shoulder, and then in his hip. He fell onto his back and instinctively opened fired, taking out at least one of the guys who had shot him.

  “We got him,” one of them shouted. “Vadim, bring the flamethrower. Don’t kill the boy until he is in position to fry the Holy One.”

  Cameron blocked the kick of the first Genjix who jumped on top of him, and shot two rounds into the man’s body at close range. He looked to his other side at two more charging in. He shot the first one in the chest, but his next three trigger pulls were empty clicks.

  A kick in the arm knocked the pistol out of his hand. Something hard struck him in the side of the face. Another kick to the gut bent him over into a fetal position. He tried to cover the blows raining down on him, blocking another kick to his face, but taking a hard shot in the back made him arch backward.

  Sweep out and crawl to your right. There’s two more coming behind you. Let me take control.

  However, it was too late. Cameron couldn’t quite grasp the balance of calmness and clarity needed for Tao to take control through all this pain. Someone punched him so hard he momentarily blacked out. Stunned and in shock, he watched the world sideways as one of the Genjix calmly strolled toward him with a hand-held flamethrower.

  Panic grabbed ahold of Cameron and he felt a momentary burst of energy. He glanced through the trees at the sea just a few meters away. He might not survive this fight, but if he could make it close enough to open water, maybe Tao could escape and find another host. That would be victory enough. If he bought enough time for the others to escape, that would be gravy on top of everything else.

  Cameron reached out with one hand and clawed the dirt, pulling himself a few centimeters toward the sea. He reached out with his other, and then one of the Genjix stepped on it, and he felt the bones in his hand crack. Cameron screamed.

  “Where do you think you’re going, betrayer?”

  This time, the Genjix spoke in English.

  “Vadim, come here,” another Genjix said. “Everyone else step back. “Once I shoot him in the head, Vadim fries the Holy One.” Cameron felt cold metal pressed against the back of his head.

  He closed his eyes, and thought about his mom and dad, and how much pain they would be in when they found out he had died.

  He thought about Tao, and how sad it was for such an eternally old and wise being to die today. Cameron felt so sorry, not just for Tao and his parents, but to Seth and Emily and Nazar. He had let everyone down.

  That is not true, Cameron. You have been the joy of my existence. Find peace, my son. Until the Eternal—

  Half a dozen loud pops punctured the air. A body fell on top of him, and then he heard yelling, and strangely a high-pitched, squeaky war cry. The roar continued for several seconds until it cut off as quickly as it came.

  Gritting his teeth, Cameron rolled over and pushed the body off of him. He looked around and saw several more Genjix laying on the ground. Some were no longer moving; others were groaning and struggling to get up. Further away, a Genjix with his back to him was cautiously walking toward something near the edge of the ridge line.

  Then Cameron saw him, Yang Shi, with his glasses crooked on his face, slumped against a tree. There was blood all over his chest, and his head was tilted to the side. His body spasmed and he coughed. He was still alive.

  Ignoring the excruciating pain coursing through his body, Cameron struggled to his feet and half-ran, half-hopped toward the Yang. He struck the back of the head of a Genjix who was trying to stand, and grabbed his gun. Cameron grimaced again as his broken left hand tried to clasp the pistol. He raised it and fired, striking the stalking Genjix in the back.

  To your right!

  Cameron swung around and shot another Genjix rising to his feet. He scanned the area around him and plugged every remaining body with a slug to make sure they were all dead. He counted over thirteen bodies in all.

  That should be all of them.

  The pistol fell from Cameron’s hand as he hopped on his one good foot toward Yang. His friend looked up at him, and blinked.

  “I didn’t think…it was a fair fight, so…I came to even the odds, Cameron.” He coughed again and blood dribbled from his lips. “You were supposed to stay with the others,” Cameron choked. “I need to ask you…for a favor, Cameron Sun,” Yang said. “It’s Tan, Yang. My name is Cameron Tan. Ask me for anything.”

  “Can you bring my viola back to my parents? I…I think my little sister will want it, even if she always preferred the violin.”

  His head lolled to the center, and Yang Shi died.

  Cameron closed Yang’s eyes. Overcome by grief, he hugged the body of the friend who had saved both him and Tao. He began to cry. How could he be so wrong about everything, about everyone?

  “I turned on him so easily.”

  I misjudged him as well. I thought he was guilty too. I am sorry. The minutes passed. Cameron didn’t know how long he stayed there. He didn’t care. This man had saved his life. He deserved better than to be left here among his killers.

  Cameron, I know you do not want to hear this but we have to go. If Yang is not the traitor, then it is one of the others. We cannot leave Nazar and Emily by themselves. The Genjix will find them unless you guide them to safety. We have to go. Cameron!

  The thought of losing Emily brought Cameron back. He nodded, whispered one more thank-you to Yang, and promised to fulfill that final request. Ignoring the pain everywhere in his body, Cameron struggled to his feet and hobbled back to the others.

  Consequences

  Cameron had half-expected the group to be gone by the time he returned to Alonaki beach. However, they were all still there and apparently waiting for him. The rubber craft was inflated, the motor was installed, and it was now sitting in the water. That made what he was about to do worse in many ways. He checked the time.

  “It’s been twenty minutes,” he said. “You guys suck at telling time.”

  “Blame her.” Nazar threw a thumb at Emily. “Girl wouldn’t let me leave. Trust me, I tried.”

  Emily, who was standing at the back of the craft guarding the motor with her arms crossed, shook her head. “I lost one best friend already. I’m not losing another.”

  “Cameron,” Negin said. “Did you see Yang? He went to go find you.”

  Fresh tears rolled off Cameron’s eyes. He shook his head. “He’s gone.”

  She began to cry and threw herself into his arms. Cameron hesitated and then embraced her.

  “He grabbed Emily’s gun when she put it down to help install the motor,” Surrett said quietly. “We tried to tell him to stay. He wouldn’t listen.”

  “He saved my life,” Cameron replied. “He probably saved all our lives.”

  He looked over and saw Yang’s viola case lying on its side. He let go of Negin and picked it up. He opened it slowly and carefully, and
examined the instrument inside. His throat caught at the curve of the wood and the beauty of its shape. He strummed the strings and felt the viola vibrate as it came alive.

  “So this is what all the fuss is about,” he murmured.

  It is beautiful.

  Cameron closed the case and put it inside one of the waterproof packs. “I’m taking this back to his family.” He stepped onto the raft and helped Nazar on board. When Negin reached her hand out to him for help getting on, Cameron drew his pistol and pointed it at her. Negin’s eyes widened, and she stepped back with her hands raised.

  “What are you doing, Cameron?” Emily gasped.

  “Put that down,” Nazar said.

  Cameron moved the gun to point at Surrett. “One of you is a Genjix spy. You’ve been feeding them our locations, and you got Seth and Yang killed.”

  “How can you believe that?” said Negin.

  “You’re crazy, you know that?” said Surrett.

  “I can’t take any more chances,” Cameron replied. His cheeks burned and his vision blurred. He could feel his arms shaking under the weight of the pistol. He must be weak after that harrowing fight, or perhaps it was something else. In any case, he knew he couldn’t hold it up for much longer, not without breaking down entirely.

  He turned his back to Negin and Surrett. “Get us out of here.”

  “Cameron…” Emily whispered. “Don’t…”

  “Now!”

  “No!”

  The look on her face cut deep into him. Cameron all of a sudden found that he had nowhere to look, so he just stared at the floor of the craft. “Get us moving. Please.”

  Nazar gently moved her to the side. “Let me.”

  “We’re not…” her voice trailed off as Nazar spoke softly into her ear. “It’ll be all right, girl. We need to go.”