Free The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu Page B

with him receiving the honor of being the transfer vessel. He had been with Palos’ detail for over a decade and had worked under Devin for fifteen more years before that. It was a fitting end to a loyal Genjix agent.
    With feverish devotion, he kissed Enzo’s hand. “I bring you the god to infuse your body. May you serve the Holy Ones well.”
    Then Saldhana took out a serrated knife and disemboweled himself. His body shook as he dragged the knife across his abdomen with painstaking slowness. Zoras appreciated this final gesture.
    The transfer ceremony, created by the Genjix in Japan over eight hundred years ago, was a time-honored tradition. The longer and slower the death, the gentler the transition for the Quasing. Sudden ejections from vessels were painful. The lingering bleed of life pushed them out of the body in much more comfort.
    Saldhana’s body shook with pain as his mind screamed with agony. Zoras flashed several images of the first time he took a bullet for Devin during the assassination attempt in Cairo, and of the time he was elevated to his personal detail. Then he flashed several more imageries, a montage of his years of service. Then finally, Zoras flashed Saldhana the rise of the Genjix, overwhelming his brain with the entire history of the Genjix through Zoras’ eyes in a matter of seconds. Such overload often disoriented and dulled the pain.
    Your standing is high. Begin your elevation.  
    It took Saldhana forty minutes to die. The last image he saw was Quasar, the closest thing to heaven the vessels believed in. Finally, he spasmed one last time and his body slumped over the large pool of blood in the center of the room. At the same time, Zoras felt a soft pull, as if a gentle ocean wave, move him away from the body.
    Everything went black and then Zoras awoke hovering over Saldhana’s body. His sparkling form, a gaseous stratus cloud, expanded and contracted as he floated in the air. It was the second time in so many days he had been exposed to the planet’s atmosphere. Zoras made one loop around the room and then blanketed Enzo, who had waited patiently all this time with hands raised toward the ceiling. Tiny bursts of white light spread all over Enzo’s body, permeating his skin until Zoras once again felt the warm cocoon of a vessel.
    Enzo gasped and fell to his knees. His stomach churned and he threw up his last meal. His vision blurred as his eyes watered, and he had to take deep breaths to stop himself from passing out. Quasing integrations had always been painful to the beings on this planet. Over the course of several minutes, Zoras waited until Enzo’s shocked nervous system relaxed and his heart rate slowed.
    Rise.  
    Enzo lifted his head in exaltation, basking in the voice of a god. “Your command, Holy One,” he called out.
    Speak with your thoughts, vessel. Heed my words. But first, relay to Amanda that death is the solution to all problems.  
    Enzo repeated the phrase verbatim.
    Amanda nodded and looked at Palos. “Release command accepted.”
    There is much to do. Devin’s place among the United States government is not something you can replace. Your immediate concern is to manage his proxies and oversee the ProGenesis project. The Quasiform program can wait. Everything else is of secondary priority. Amanda will address the succession of his senate seat. For now, you must secure your holdings within the Council.  
    There wasn’t much time for the two to get acquainted, and frankly it wasn’t necessary. Enzo’s sole purpose in life was to serve Zoras. The Quasing relayed dozens of instructions and was pleasantly surprised at how well his new vessel assumed the mantle of control. Enzo began to dictate to the aides around him as if he were an experienced Councilman. He told Amanda to return to Washington immediately to oversee Devin’s burial. He called for a meeting with the head researchers of the programs under his responsibility. He summoned the French Ambassador to