Read Online The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu - Free Book Online

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