Free The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu

with you. Over the years, we have moved from host to host. As each host died, we found another, eventually moving from the dinosaurs to the first mammals.  
    “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. So you guys were in dinosaurs; then, did you all get together in your dinosaur bodies and build dinosaur cities?”
    You are getting a little carried away. We were cut off from each other for the first several million years. The early animals were too primitive for us to communicate with. It was not until the evolution of the primates that communication between survivors was first established.  
    Over the course of many years, we individually gravitated toward primates, having discovered that they were evolving at a faster rate. That and having opposable thumbs helped a great deal. They were also more easily influenced and less instinctual. Eventually, two Quasing inhabiting primates of the same tribe began to communicate. You will find that many primate rituals were actually ancient Quasing methods of communication. After that, it became a slow process of gathering all the survivors together.  
    “Oh, this makes perfect sense now. Million year-old geriatric aliens. How do you stay alive for so long? What’s your secret?”
    Technically, we self-reproduce, similar to how amoebas on your planet reproduce. Over the course of time, we continually regenerate, sustaining ourselves from the nutrients of our hosts.  
    “So you’re a parasite?”
    We like to think of it as symbiotic, but we can discuss biology another time.  
    “Discuss? I feel like a schizophrenic talking to myself. You know, crazy people don’t know...”
    I have already heard your theory on conscious insanity.  
    “Fine. Prove that I’m not the mayor of Cuckoo’s Nest.”
    All right. What if I ask you something that you do not know? Would that satisfy you?  
    Roen nodded.
    What is the capital of old Assyria?  
    Roen frowned. “Is this a Monty Python question?”
    No, this is not. What is the capital of old Assyria?  
    “I must have missed that episode on Jeopardy . I didn’t know there was an old and new Assyria.”
    Assur. I was there when it was destroyed. Look that up if you like. And since there is no way you could have known that, how could you know that now unless someone else told you?  
    “I guess...” Roen sounded anything but sure. “Let’s say I’m not crazy and you are whatever you say you are. What if I don’t want you here? How do I get rid of you?”
    We can only leave a host upon its death.  
    “What?!”
    You have to die for me to get out. Trust me, sometimes we wish we could just leave voluntarily. It would make things a lot easier for us. If it gives you any comfort, I am as stuck with you as you are with me.  
    “I’m really not comforted here. But, assuming I believe you, which I don’t, if your kind has been here for millions of years, what do you want with me?”
    We want to go home, Roen.  
    “Go home? But if what you’re saying is true, which I still don’t buy, why...”
    Can you just take this at face value for a moment?  
    “Fine. You seem to be very advanced aliens. Why don’t you just build another ship? You’ve had all this time to do it.”
    We cannot live in your atmosphere. Our way of existence is vastly different from yours. The gases and environment we need to survive are not indigenous to this world. That is why we need hosts. We cannot recreate technology from our home world. In fact, the ships we used to travel through space are bred, not built. That is something we cannot do here. We have to make do with what this planet has to offer.  
    Our plan is to utilize the intelligent creatures of this planet to one day take us home. When it became apparent that humans were becoming the dominant species, we pinned our hopes on humans to carry us into space. Over the course of centuries, we have guided humans to greatness in order to further advance your evolution. You will find that a