Enter Asher
“Asher, it’s so good to see you after all these years!”
The doctor stretched his hand out over the table to greet the man, only to retract it when met with a cold, piercing gaze.
“Why don’t we just move this along? I thought I was going to be talking to a psyhchiatrist.”
“In due time, Asher. I just thought that since it’s been so long…”
“What did you think this was going to be? A homecoming or happy reunion? Let’s welcome Asher back to the facility where he experienced some of the worst…”
“Now Asher, please play nice,” A voice spoke over the intercom. “Dr. Ostrand means no ill will towards you. He was your physician, after all.”
Asher took a deep breath as he ran his hands through his spiked blue hair, which contrasted to his elfin appearance. Sitting up straight, he then folded his hands in a mockingly cordial fashion.
“So nice to see you doctor,” the biting sarcasm dripped from his lips. “Do you want to know if I still have nightmares? Because yes I sure as hell do. Or maybe if I still get headaches and have trouble remembering things? Yes, yes I do. Anything else you want to know?”
“Well, I was going to ask those questions, but I wanted to get a gist of your overall health.”
“You mean outside of the obvious reason I’m here?”
“Yes, I wanted to do a basic physical first and then go into some of the more particular reasons why you’re back.”
“Fine, let’s get this over with.”
After a series of shining lights, balance tests, jotting down hear rates, and much more the doctor gestured Asher back to his seat.
“Well, doc am I in perfectly good health?”
“Yes, extraordinarily. It was to be expected considering your abilities and prowess.”
“Don’t be coy, just say the obvious…I’m the best assassin in Terralīs, quite possibly in the world. That is, unless everyones been blowing smoke up my skirt all these years.”
“There is no doubt that your speeds can’t be truly matched, they’re off the charts. NOSRAD didn’t send you to military school for nothing.”
“You mean when they sold me to Minerva? After all the rigorous testing, of course.”
“I’m sure it felt that way, Asher, but please understand that everything that was done for the greater good.”
“Greater good?” He let out a guffaw. “Is that what you call trading vulnerable people’s freedoms for security? My mother and brother would disagree.”
“I am sorry for your loss, Asher. I truly am.”
Asher’s scrutinization of the doctor waned and his eyes softened. He nodded and looked into the corner for a moment. It was the first time since he could remember that someone associated with the science or military division had shown any true empathy for him.
“What else do you want to know…?”
“So, let’s talk now about the reason you’re here…the murders. When was the first?”
“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure. That is, when the killing wasn’t sanctioned. When you kill for a living and for sport over time they seem to just sort of…meld together. And I know you’re going to ask me why so I’ll go ahead and tell you — I honestly don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it because I push it into the back of my mind. Maybe its ingrained in me. Perhaps its to feel something.”
At this, there was a strange glaze in Asher’s eyes that shifted the atmosphere in the room. Dr Ostrand lifted an eyebrow and scribbled furiously. Armed guards watched them through a viewing window, ready at a moment’s notice.
“So…what you’re saying is that you normally don’t feel anything?”
“I suppose I don’t. Maybe I’m a zombie, wandering about and feeding, yet never quite full. I suppose when I’ve killed I felt more complete somehow. Although ‘complete’ doesn’t quite explain it. It’s more like…feeling less empty. Can I admit something to you?”
“Sure.”
“Well, in the moment when someone dies there’s a sort of a light that leaves their eyes. It’s actually quite beautiful.”
Asher’s piercing green eyes bore into the doctor’s and yet seemed far away, as if reminiscing. Dr. Ostrand shifted in his chair, unable to meet the half-elf’s gaze once he realized that there was a mirthfulness there.
“Well, it is very fair to say what you’ve described is abnormal.”
Asher’s grin turned back into the blank stare from earlier. The doctor uncomfortably looked down at his notepad and began jotting more down, pushing his glasses further onto his nose.
“I suppose you would think me a monster. Isn’t that what your reports will say?”
“Not as such. I’m here simply to help observe and document your well-being. I want to understand you and your nature just as much as your appointed psychologist will be. You are searching for answers , aren’t you? Wanting to learn who you are.”
“Yes. But does it truly matter to Minerva or NOSRAD what I am? Or does it only matter because I quit my last assignment?”
“I can’t speak on behalf of either. But you’ve shown that you have no qualsm with violence or combat considering what you’ve been doing these years. It was obvious from your days in military school that utilizing your talents made the most sense. Yet, we were never aware that you were murdering people outside of your mission parameters.”
“What is NOSRAD’s stake in this? They develop scienctific research to be used for war and Minerva enacts it. We are in the business of killing, so why does that it really matter if I take extra lives with me? Is the hypocriticy not plain to you?”
“I understand your point and it’s well noted. But Minerva is not a military organization for outlandish murder. We’re here to keep order to this planet. Those who pose a threat to society must be neutralized to keep the balance in this world.”
“Interesting choice of words for a doctor. I thought you were impartial. Wait a second…” Asher tapped his chin for a moment and smiled. “How much are they paying you to put out this agenda?”
“I’m being paid nothing, I only see things from the agencies’ side. The most important thing I want to know is…do you have it under control? Will Asher kill again?”
“I should think not.”
“And why would I think that to be true?”
The half-elf’s eyes looked elsewhere.
“I have my reasons, that is all you must know for now. Why do you ask?”
“Because some of my notes here will be remanded to other governing bodies. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but your murders have caught the attention of local police over time. I thought after having this chat that we can put the public at rest knowing that if there any unsolved murders that the killer has been found.”
“And what if I’m not the one responsible for all of them?”
“Does it really matter? They can rest comfortably knowing their Bogeyman has been caught and that NOSRAD and Minerva are responsible for the apprehension.”
“Ah, thank you for reminding me of our government’s true nature, I’d nearly forgotten. They must be so proud to play the hero.”
“If you rolled your eyes any harder they may get stuck there.”
“We both know what our government is capable of, no sense in pretending. They are funny, though. The idea of me being under their control right now is ridiculous.”
“I suppose that is why your not restrained.”
“It would do them no good. I’m here on my own recognizance, and that is the truth. But they…they live for propaganda and lies. It will also be their undoing.”
“Is it strange to hear yourself? A serial killer casting judgement.”
“I kill people, yes. But at least I’m honest about it, both with myself and anyone else who would ask. If I was so inclined, right now I could reach across this table and snap your neck before you even perceived me as a threat. But see that wouldn’t be right for me. When I killed for hire, it was quick and easy. For fun I’d have to take a moment to delight in your increased heart rate, listen to your ragged breathing as I held your pathetic form in my grasp. Then I would snap your neck like a twig. If I were to do it, the only regret I would have is not doing it sooner.”
Dr. Ostrand smiled nervously, but Asher maintained his cold stare.
“Would you truly do this for such a simple thing?”
Asher leaned forward, and he fought the urge to get up. Despite the lack of noise, the sincerity in Asher’s eyes seemed to make the room quieter. The doctor’s blood ran cold, and he feared for a moment that Asher may actually kill him.
“Before I decide to end your life, tell me why NOSRAD is so interested in my blood. I keep hearing whispers about it. Is it…special?”
“We’re testing in case there’s something biological that could tell us more about your condition. I’m glad you brought this up because I wanted to ask you something else. It’s about your memory. I know that you’ve said there’s trouble remembering things. There are some past notes that say your memory is worst right before and after your special Injection procedure. Apparently at that time it’s spotty at best. How much do you remember now years later?”
“Injection procedure? That doesn’t sound familiar to me.”
“It was the catalyst for the skills you possess today. You would have been around 14 years old.”
“I uh—”
Asher concentrated hard, pushing back to earlier memories but it fell upon a thick fog. The more he thought about it, the more it began to make his head hurt.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s okay, no need to worry. Do you know anything about the Nephilim?”
The familiar voice on the loud speaker came to life.
“Please continue on another subject, it is irrelevant,”
Dr. Ostrand nodded nervously and smiled.
“Never mind that ten. Asher, can you tell us your earliest memory then? Think back as far as you can remember.”
Asher furrowed his brow in suspicion, but decided against pressing the point.
“If you insist. My earliest memory…is about my mother.”
“Really?”
“I was around twelve years old, and I was standing beside my mother’s bed. There was the sound, that terrible incessant beeping of the heart monitor. It told me how slow her heart rate was. And there was the bright lights of the room, all the walls were white. Must have been here. I remember wondering if where she was going would be a bright place.
She had contracted some rare disease, only a year after my brother had died from the same. Her health had begun to suddenly fade for the past month. For some reason, I was immune to it…which is perhaps why my blood is so important. Anyway, NOSRAD did all they could, but it still wasn’t enough.
“I remember feeling so helpless and only able to watch as she withered away. It was devastating...my brother and I were the only family I had. As you already know, she was pregnant when she first came to the facility here. She’d made a deal to provide for us and signed herself as well as us into the program for food and shelter.”
“What made her decide to come to Minerva? She had no friends or family she could go to?”
“No. We lived in the southern continent of Latheria and was estranged her from her family. She was essentially shunned because her lifestyle was deemed ‘adulterous’ or ‘ungodly.’ She was young and naive, allowing herself to fall in love with a man who was nothing less than a brute. She tried to make it work, but our father refused to marry her. He did at least support her, somewhat. When he became violent she knew it was time to leave. So she ended up in here in Nostromus after she learned of the program that NOSRAD freely offered. It seemed the best decision to ensure our survival.”
“That must have been hard.”
“It was but…mother always had the ability to keep everything positive for us. For me, it was easier because I didn’t know any better. I was only a year old when I came to NOSRAD. The lack of freedom was burdensome for two young boys who wanted to explore. Yet, my mother was able to make everything seem more normal and even fun at times. She made the best out of a strange upbringing. Before she went, she had enough strength to hold one last conversation with me. I’ll never forget it.”
“What did she say?”
“She said...‘Asher, I love you as much as I ever loved your brother Skye. Of all the mistakes in my life, you two were the few things I did right. Being a mother gave me so much more joy than any romantic love could have. You and Skye are growing up so fast. You’re smart, and NOSRAD can help you get to any school you want! You’re going to have a great life ahead of you. Asher…you know that I’m dying...you can’t deny it, but there is something you can do for me. I always loved to hear you sing. I know it seems odd but...could you sing one last time, for me?’
I of course obglied her and I sang her favorite song. It was an old Gaelic tune her mother sang to her, and she also sang to us as infants. I loved it, it was...sweet and pure...and it felt like it came from the soul. And just as I got the last verse...her monitor flat-lined.....and she um…”
Asher paused for a moment, and the doctor was floored to see the assassin was on the verge of breaking down. His face was stone, but his lip quivered ever so slightly. Against everything he assumed, the doctor realized that Asher was not the emotionless archetype that was always assigned to a serial killer. There was humanity there.
“It was a long time before I let go of her hand. Even as the doctors rushed in to revive her, I refused to leave her. I think a part of me died along with her that day.”
Asher trailed off, and an entire minute went by in silence, but it seemed like forever.
“I think that’ll be enough for now,” Dr. Ostrand said softly. “We can pick this up later.”
“I think that’s probably best.”
The doctor pressed a button on the desk, and said, “I’m done talking to him now.”
This signaled a guard in that carefully led Asher away to his cell. A man in a lab coat and glasses came in to escort him out. The scientist scanned him Dr. Ostrand out of the room with his card and they walked through a couple of corridors in silence.
“So, Dr. Pennington...are you planning on telling Asher the truth about his heritage? I mean, don’t you think telling him now rather than later would be easier? If he knows you’re lying to him about the blood test, wouldn’t that potentially set him off?”
“Perhaps it would, but he won’t find out the truth. You have to understand that Asher is unaware of many things involving him and NOSRAD. We took great lengths to see that he can be…managed if need be. If he were to find out the truth, he would lose all trust in us and that can’t happen. That’s why we’ve destroyed all the files on his past experiments, lineage, and everything else.”
“That’s probably for the best then. Is it true he can get out if he wants?”
“Of course. There’s no way we could have gotten him here by force. It’s a mere stroke of luck he turned himself in. We’ll keep him here on the pretense of him getting better, since that’s why he’s interested in being here. If the therapy works and he’s willing to work again we can release him back into the field with Minerva, doing what he does best. If he’s unwilling to go back out, we’ll simply tell him that he’s sick and needs out help until we figure out what to do with him.”
“If he’s so dangerous, why don’t you just kill him?”
“Kill him? Why, that’s ridiculous! Do you know how many people we had to kill to find a candidate that was compatible with the Injection procedure? We’ve found one of the greatest discoveries of the century, and you suggest we throw it away? Hardly! We have a tool and tools are meant to be used. We can try brainwashing him again if we have to, but we’d prefer not to. Having Asher as a willing participant will prove him to be a much better use.”
“I see…”
“Now don’t look so crass about it. You know this is all for the greater good. For science, he will prove as the greatest subject for advancement. Those he’s put in the grave for Minerva has done our country a great service.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“So glad to see that you’re on our side! See you same time tomorrow?”
“Yes, I will. Just one question.”
“Yes, what is that?”
“Why don’t you bring in Sade to speak with him? He’s known Asher for years and a more trustworthy source to get Asher to talk, no offense.”
“We’ve already got him scheduled. By the way, I do want to say that your session with him went much better than expected. Keep up the good work Mr. Ostrand.”
“Thank you. You know, Asher was genuinely hurt by his mother’s death more than I thought. I imagined with his memory issues that he would have forgotten, but something that deep never goes away.”
“As much as I would like to say that he still maintains his humanity, I retain the notion that he could be lost. He has a sordid history of unnecessary aggression and unchecked murder. And never forget that sociopaths can hide in plain sight if need be. I think whatever emotional being Asher was died with him after his Injection. But just because his memory may be spotty doesn’t mean he’s stupid. Part of his training was the art of deception...never forget that.”
“Quite true...I will see you tomorrow then.”
“Oh, and before you leave, Director Krane wants to speak with you.”
Later that night, Asher sat silently in his cell, staring at the padded walls and the large iron door. He smiled, imagining a moment of unleashed fury upon all the workers, scientists, and burning everything to the ground.
But...it would have to wait.
He needed to find out more, and for now his bloodlust was in check. The desire to kill was a very dull ache in the back of his mind, lying dormant. The sleeping dog would lie...for now.
As the security guard’s shadow passed over his cell, his keen eyes caught a small white rectangle appearing under the doorframe. He tapped into his mind’s psyche, reaching out with it and pulling the slip of paper towards him. To his delight, it was just as he thought. The note read
“I am looking further into your inquiry.
They will not tell you what you need to know.
Just be patient, and cooperate.
It’s easier if they don’t know.
Once I find out what you need, do as you wish.
For now, keep doing as you are now.
Sincerely, A Friend”
“Excellent.” Asher said to himself. He already knew what to do, he just needed confirmation. Balling up the piece of paper, he held it in his hand and focused while speaking an arcane language under his breath. A red light appeared through the crevices of his fingers and the paper was incinerated. Things were going exactly as they should...for now.
For a moment, he pondered over the story of his mother’s death. Rage and anger were the only emotions he could muster for the past ten years, but he was surprised at how fresh the hurt from his mother’s passing was. The doctor had surprised him as he was one of few that had “seen” him for quite some time. But the thing Asher left out was that the memory he had at his own mother’s death bed was the only one he could conjure. The rest was all hazy bits and pieces, only seeming to remember general facts about his family’s situation.
He tried to remember more around the time of his mother’s death, or really anything from his childhood. But much like before, it all seemed like some distant dream that faded the more he focused on it. A dull throbbing eventually turned into a sharp pain, and he stopped trying to remember. It all hurt too much.
“Mother, I know you meant so much to me, but I simply can’t remember. Forgive me.”
Thirty minutes later, his mind finally shut off and he fell into a deep sleep. Unknown to him, a small tear formed and trickled down his face, and quietly dripped to the floor.
