Scissors
Chapter 14: Scissors
Thema Shehata-
Dino Golzine wasn’t at his mansion. She’d gone there first, naturally, and the servant who answered the door refused to let her in, though he knew perfectly well who she was. “Monsieur Golzine is not at home to visitors,” the servant had said, briskly.
“And when might he be at home?”
The servant curled his lip with disdain. “When he pleases to be.” And the door was closed in her face. She stood there on the front step, fuming. She was simply not treated in such a manner, not for years since her rise in the HYDRA ranks. Still, she was a HYDRA agent and had little trouble sneaking into the mansion. It had, as she’d expected, been ransacked by the police. There wasn’t anything helpful in the entire house. She left the mansion and drove to the next likely spot for finding the Banana Fish - the National Institute of Mental Health. She noticed the smoke before she reached the building. It was quite early in the day, but the sky around the institute was nearly filled with plumes of black smoke. The air reeked - a familiar, heavy smell of burning meat.
The facility was in chaos. People running here and there. She saw from her lookout spot, that people ran from the building to a large parking lot behind it and took off, not down the main road in front of the building, but down a narrow dirt road behind the building that led through a dense forest. She watched the people carefully, trying to find some clue that might help her. And then she saw her, a blonde woman running from the back of the institute. She was tall and statuesque, graceful even as she ran through the parking lot. Thema raised her binoculars up to her eyes and got a good look before the woman got into a car and drove quickly away. Thema felt her breath catch momentarily. She knew the face, had seen her working with Doctor Mannerheim on the several occasions she had visited the Institute.
It was good that Thema was more than a mere paper-pusher of a councilwoman. She left her position, running. She knew the direction the road took and she knew the blonde woman had been the last one to leave the parking lot, which meant there would be no cars following. She easily cut through the forest and, at a bend in the road, she stopped and waited. In seconds, she heard the car approaching. Thema stepped into the middle of the road, where she waved her arms wildly until the approaching car slowed to a stop. The driver, Nurse Barbara, got out, her panicked eyes wide. She was a beautiful young woman and obviously intelligent as she had been, Thema remembered, Doctor Mannerheim’s head nurse and assisted him in all things - including the development of the Banana Fish drug.
“Madam Shehata? What are you doing here?”
“I was coming to visit,” Thema said as she made her way closer to the woman with seeming nonchalance. “I saw everyone speeding away and the incinerator going like mad. What’s going on, Barbara?”
“Oh, it’s awful. It’s terrible. Everything’s ruined. Someone told the police what was happening here, we had to destroy everything.”
Thema went cold. She put both hands on the young woman’s arms. “Everything?”
“Everything! All the research, all the samples, everything Doctor Mannerheim had here had to be destroyed.”
“And the Banana Fish?” Her throat was dry, painful with her own rising frenzy. “Where is the Banana Fish? There must be something left.”
“No. It’s burned. Everything. Doctor Mannerheim’s dead, we heard it on the news the other day, and no one could get in contact with Mister Golzine. We didn’t know what else to do. There’s an inside man on the police department and he told us Mister Golzine is being investigated and he said the trail is leading straight here!”
Thema thought of the incinerators belching out their smoke like a volcano ready to blow. She felt like a volcano ready to blow. Gone. It was gone? “You burned the Banana Fish? The research?”
“Everything! Everything went in the incinerator.”
“And you don’t know of anyone else who might have any of the information?”
“What does that matter? We have to...” Barbara trailed off as she seemed to think of something. “Doctor Mannerheim once complained that Mister Golzine always came here with his bodyguards. Doctor Mannerheim couldn’t get even a moment to speak with Mister Golzine alone. He said Mister Golzine trusted his bodyguards more than anyone else in the world, so I suppose if Mister Golzine had given anyone information it would have been them... but oh! We need to get out of here. If the police- ”
Thema shot her. Nurse Barbara looked surprised and even had time to look down at the gun in Thema’s hand. She blinked at Thema, delicious fear in her eyes, then died and fell. Thema made certain, of course. She checked for a pulse and found nothing, then stood up, put her gun back in its holster and started to walk away, her mind racing with what could be done. She remembered the bodyguards, always hovering around Golzine. He’d called them Angie and Gregory.
Phil-
It was still early when Phil’s cell phone rang. Clint. Clint told him about the shooting in Chinatown, about dead C.I.A. agents, and an unknown killer on the loose. He was not, to be entirely honest, happy. A great many things made him not happy, but putting his team in danger made him the most unhappy. After he’d hung up with Clint, he cleaned up his breakfast and went to work. After sending Natasha out to meet Clint, he made a phone call to Nick Fury.
“This better be good.”
“Good morning, Nick. Ash Lynx just got shot at. Clint’s on guard now and I sent Natasha over to help get Ash back to the Tower.”
Fury was quiet for a moment. “Damn it, Phil, why’d you let him out of the Tower in the first place? That was the whole point of protective custody - to keep him safe. Just keep him in the Tower.”
“It was one of his conditions about accepting protection - to be able to come and go as he pleases. I have the distinct impression that if we try to enforce him staying in the Tower, he will find a way out and we won’t find him until this is all over. Clint just reported that the would-be assassins are dead, so I’ll need a clean up crew over there I’m sure the police will be in the area soon, it sounds as if this whole thing grabbed a lot of attention, so residents have probably already called the police for help. I just wanted to keep you abreast, but I think things are still under control. I’m going to find out why the C.I.A. might wish harm upon our house guest.”
“Do you need me to talk to them?”
“Oh, don’t trouble yourself. I have a few contacts in the C.I.A. and I’m sure they’ll talk to me.”
His contact happened to be the C.I.A. director, but the phone call was far less than helpful. The director knew nothing, though he promised to investigate to find out what his two agents had been up to.
When Phil hung up the phone, J.A.R.V.I.S. said, “Phil, you have a message. Max wished me to inform you that Ash’s lawyer, Mister George Scott, is expected this morning to discuss his case. I told Max that Ash went out early with Clint, but he has no doubt Ash will return in time.”
Phil thanked J.A.R.V.I.S and began some of his normal paperwork. It always seemed to build up and just having Ash as their guest didn’t make his S.H.I.E.L.D. work disappear. The early morning went well and all was quiet. At eight o’clock, Phil sat in the common room reading his newspaper while Max paced at the large window and, every now and then, looked down at the street below. He agitation increased by the minute. “Why does that kid try to do everything alone?” Max grumbled at one point.
“You’re the one who told me he was independent.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I swear, I start sweating every time he gets out of my sight. He attracts danger, I think.” Max ran both hands over his head and looked down to the street, again. “Clint is really as good as you said he is?”
“He’s just about the best shot in the world and he and Natasha WILL have Ash back here any minute. You really don’t have to worry.”
“I don’t stop worrying about him.” Max gave a self-conscious laugh. “Don’t tell Ash. I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate it.”
Phil let it go. He didn’t see where it was a bad thing to worry and Ash clearly needed people to care for him, but it really wasn’t his place to interfere.
Soon enough, everyone was awake and having breakfast. Even little Michael had woken up and was sitting with his mother at the table, waiting while she cut up a banana for his cereal. Steve was talking to Michael, a very serious discussion as Michael explained about Transformers and why they were better than any other kind of robots. Tony had to get involved then and tried to convince Michael that there were no better robots than the ones Tony made, but Michael disagreed as Tony had never made a Transformer. Tony apparently took that as a challenge. Bruce kept out of their conversation, but instead talked with Jessica about how best to help Ash heal.
“You wouldn’t know he was hurt from the way he runs around,” Bruce said. “It’s really not good for him. He’s going to hurt himself even worse. He’s pushing himself too hard. He needs sleep and food.”
“I know. It’s hard for him to slow down. He’s been too alone for too long, too used to taking care of himself. Just you try to convince him that the world won’t fall down if he takes a nap.” She laughed, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “Max said he’s healing well.”
“He is. In fact, he’s healing remarkably quickly, but it was a very serious wound. I’m worried for him.”
“You and me both.”
And then Ash returned with Clint and Natasha leading the way. He was pale, Phil noted, and looked exhausted. Natasha spoke very calmly as she explained what she knew before Clint told his part of the story. Then, Clint took Phil aside and told Phil that he was convinced that Ash was afraid of what was in some suitcase that had been taken by one of Dino Golzine’s men, Gregory, who was at large. That other boy from a Chinatown gang also seemed afraid of it. Phil really would have to talk to Max and see if Max knew anything.
Ash just shrugged. “Got shot at. No one’s hurt.” He paused, thoughtfully. “Except the shooters; they’re dead.” Ash said it as if it didn’t matter. He went to the large window in the common room and stared down at the city. His expression was still, but there was a tense set to his shoulders that spoke clearly enough about stress and agitation.
Max said, “Come on, kid, why don’t you come eat? You must be half-starved.” He had taken in Ash’s story of gunfire, dead C.I.A. agents, and a fearsome metal suitcase, with hardly a blink. Instead, he ushered Ash to the kitchen table where, just before Ash, Clint, and Natasha had returned to the Tower, everyone had been sitting down to eat. They sat together because even though the table had only been big enough for The Avengers team the day before, Tony liked the idea of family style meals and had bought a bigger table when he realized he had four more people to feed. “They’ve got about anything you could want here. Take your pick.” He motioned to the large selection set out on the table - everything from cold cereal to bacon and eggs to scones.
Ash wrinkled his nose. “I’ve got things to do.”
Bruce slammed his fist on the table. “That’s enough!”
Everyone jumped at the uncharacteristic outburst.
“No.” Bruce held up both hands in a ‘surrender’ gesture. “No. I’m sorry. That was rude. I’m sorry.” He took a breath, then calmly said, “Ash, you need to stop. I can understand it’s hard, I really do. When you’re used to taking care of everything yourself, it can feel like the whole world is closing in on you when even one thing goes wrong, like you can’t stop to even catch your breath because if you do you’re going to get hurt or someone else is going to get hurt. I really do understand. But you need to stop. You need to let other people worry and you need to take care of yourself.” Bruce put up both hands to cover his face and let out a long, slow breath. “You need to eat and sleep, that will fuel your healing so you’ll be strong enough to do what you want to do. If you don’t let yourself heal, you are going to do yourself permanent damage and then you’re really going to be helpless. Do you want that?”
Ash blinked, stunned. Then his eyes narrowed. “I’ll make you a deal, doc. If Max can get me some stuff, I’ll take it easy.”
“What kind of stuff?” Max asked. He sat next to Jessica and stole a piece of bacon off her plate.
Ash fished a handful of cash out of his pocket and held it out to Max. “That’s two hundred bucks. Get me a drone with a camera attached.” He named the model he wanted and told Max where to buy it. Then he said, “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., can you make it so I can watch what the drone’s camera sees?”
“Very easily. Sir will be able to connect me to your camera without any trouble.”
Tony didn’t even look up from his computer pad, typing away on it as he drank from a large mug of coffee. “No sweat. No problem. Easy as pie. I can do you better, though. Don’t spend money on some store bought drone.” He abruptly stood up and strode quickly to the door. “I’ll get you one of mine. Much better. Much more reliable with a lot more power. Loads better range, too. And it’s got a camera already attached and linked to the most incredible J.A.R.V.I.S. so you have to waste time having things connected. Save your money.”
Ash nodded, accepting the offer, though Tony left the room, without waiting for an answer. Phil made a mental note to keep track of Tony’s coffee intake. Ash said to Max, “Then use that money to get me a gun. You promised.”
Something about Ash’s words struck Phil. ‘You promised.’ He wondered how many broken promises had littered Ash’s life and hoped Max wouldn’t be the next person to break a promise.
“I never once asked for your money, kid.” Max pressed the money back into Ash’s hand. “I’ll get you one today.”
Jessica cleared her throat loudly enough that everyone turned to look at her. “If we’re all finished talking about guns and such, it’s time for breakfast. Come eat.”
Ash looked at the table and shook his head. “Not hungry.” And he walked into the common room and sat on the sofa.
Michael had been watching everything very quietly and, when Ash went to sit on the sofa, Michael smiled broadly. He pushed his bowl of cereal away and said, “No thank you, mommy. I’m not hungry.” Then he left the table and went to sit next to Ash, a beaming smile on his face as he looked adoringly up at Ash. “I’m not hungry, just like you.”
It was a telling moment and Phil saw Ash’s mask slip, a little, and show a look of horror. Phil could well guess what had caused it. Michael made no secret of his hero-worship for Ash. He idolized Ash and it was clear that he wanted to be just like his older friend. And he didn’t want to eat because Ash didn’t want to eat. Then Ash’s mask went back up and he stood up, taking Michael’s hand. “I changed my mind,” Ash told Michael. “I could eat something.” He cast a warning look at Jessica. “Something small.” Then he gave Michael’s hand a squeeze. “Come on, let’s go finish breakfast.” Back at the table, Michael happily offered his cereal to Ash and said they could share. Ash looked at the sugary cereal and turned pale. “I can’t eat that. Sorry kid, but... I can’t.”
Michael turned those big blue eyes up to Ash. “Want peanut butter toast instead? Mommy makes it for breakfast, sometimes.”
“No. Thanks, though.” He took a single piece of buttered toast Jessica offered him. Without a word, she also handed him a small glass of orange juice. Ash ate standing up then drank the juice, but he didn’t look as if he were getting any pleasure from it.
When he finished the toast, Jessica told him, “A little more, please, Ash We talked about this and you know Doctor Banner is right.”
Max looked confused. “Talked about what? What did I miss? What’s the big deal about food all of a sudden?”
“Just something Ash and I are working on. Never you mind.” Jessica stared at Ash until he slowly went to the refrigerator and looked in. For a moment he looked frozen, as if there were simply too much to chose from. Then he reached in a pulled out a bottle of milk. He held it up, obviously showing it to Jessica. She smiled. “Good choice. A full glass, please.”
Ash didn’t look happy. “I’ll try.”
“I’ll help.” Jessica went to Ash and got two glasses out of the cupboard. She had Ash pour a glass for himself and one for her. Then she stood with him and they drank together. It took a while and Ash almost looked like he’d be ill, but he finished the glass the same time Jessica did and she gave him a little nudge with her elbow. “I’m proud of you, Brat.”
Phil felt little alarm bells going on. Ash had said that he ‘couldn’t’ eat the cereal, not that he ‘wouldn’t’. He’d looked sick at the idea of eating peanut butter and toast. Jessica had helped him through something as simple as drinking a glass of milk. He’d refused food on the way to the Tower when his stomach had audibly growled. It seemed clear that, on top of everything else, Ash had an eating disorder.
“Eating a balanced diet is important to health,” Natasha commented. “A body needs appropriate fuel in order to operate at peak efficiency.” It sounded like one of the lessons that had been drummed into her at the Red Room. It was technically correct, though Phil was certain the lesson had been meant as a way for them to keep their weapons operating properly rather than concern for the children’s health.
Ash turned away from her. “Yeah, whatever.”
“Kid,” Max stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving Ash. “Have you been eating?”
Ash rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Stop worrying, pops.” He slipped away from Max. “I’m tired. I need to sleep.” And he started to walk off, but stopped when Tony returned with the drone he’d promised.
With Ash looking over his shoulder, Tony set everything up and launched the drone off the Tower’s roof. “It’s got a couple of miles range and J.A.R.V.I.S. can see everything the camera does.”
Ash took the controls from Tony and, at Bruce and Max’s urging, went back to bed. Two minutes later, Ash was in bed, but not in the little room he’d originally been given. He was, instead, taken to the room in the suite Max and Jessica had been given. Ash clutched the drone’s remote control and stared at the room.
“If you don’t like it, I can have it redone,” Tony said, frowning at how Ash just stared.
“No.” Ash said, faintly. “It’s... it’s fine. Yeah, it’s just fine.”
The room was nothing fantastic, as Phil could see it. Tony had done his best as he didn’t really know Ash’s taste, but it wasn’t a bad room. The bed was twin-sized with a blue and white quilt on it. There was a bedside table with several books that a teenager might be interested in, novels of this-or-that, though given what Phil had seen of Ash’s intelligence, he was willing to hazard a guess that Ash would prefer something a little more challenging than Harry Potter or Star Wars. There was a slinky on top of the books and Tony had brought in one of his Rubix Cubes. There was a dresser on the wall opposite of the bed and on that was a house plant - a spider plant with long, draping leaves. There was a small television on one wall. There were no windows in the room - a security measure as well as the fact that the room had been a last minute change in plans - but it was brightly lit. There were pictures on the wall - a seascape, some rock star Phil had never heard of, and a movie poster of Frankenstein. The room seemed warm and comfortable, a cozy space.
Tony took a look around the room and then at Ash and Phil saw in Tony’s face the same insecurity that Tony had tried to hide that day when he’d invited all The Avenger’s to live with him. “Well?” Tony asked, at last. “Is it alright?”
Ash nodded. “I haven’t been in a room like this in a long time.” He looked behind them at the door and his eyes flickered upward to a small sliding bolt near the top of the door and an indescribable emotion flashed across his face at the sight of the lock. “Thanks. Really... thanks.” He pulled that emotion back into himself and sat on the bed, all cool and reserved. “So, J.A.R.V.I.S., can you let me see what the drone’s doing now?”
A large holographic image appeared on one empty wall, a view of the city from above. “The drone is currently hovering. You may take over control when you wish. Do you need instruction about how to use the controller?”
“No.” Ash confidently examined the drone’s controller. “I got this.” He looked around the room. “I don’t need an audience.”
Outside Ash’s room, Tony said, “What’s he doing with the drone, J.A.R.V.I.S.?”
“He’s moving it through the city. He appears to be methodically going through each street, as if he’s looking for something.”
Phil and Tony exchanged a puzzled look, but Phil decided that so long as Ash was quiet and resting, all was good.
Later-
Ash’s lawyer, Mister George Scott, showed up near lunchtime and was let into the home of The Avengers with an awed look on his face that was all too familiar on the faces of civilians who met The Avengers for the first time. He was not the most cut-throat looking lawyer Phil had ever seen. He was rather average height and carried a few too many pounds. His hair and beard were very curly, almost to the point of being fluffy. He wore a suit that looked as if it had been bought several years earlier - clean, but well-worn - and the suitcase he carried had certainly seen better days. Phil liked him. His face was open and friendly and he shook hands warmly with both Max and Jessica and then with all Phil’s team before he looked at Ash with a deep frown. He walked over to Ash and said, “So, Max tells me you’ve been busy since I last saw you. And you jumped bail on me!”
“Sorry.”
George Scott reached up a hand up and ruffled Ash’s hair. “Don’t do it again, kid. Now, let’s get down to work. Are you feeling well enough for all this? I can come back another time.”
“No,” Ash told him. “I want to get working on this.”
They sat at the kitchen table to talk while Mister Scott filled out paperwork and had Ash sign here and there. Phil noticed, even as he sat with the others in the common room, that Ash read the papers he was signing, something most people didn’t do. They were talking for less than a half-an-hour before J.A.R.V.I.S. announced more visitors for Ash. “Detective Dickinson and Captain Jenkins have arrived.”
“Again?” Bruce said. He sat on the sofa and had been reading, but his brow furrowed with displeasure. “There can’t be anything wrong, now. Ash can’t keep getting upset when he’s supposed to be recovering.”
Max shook his head. “They wouldn’t be here without reason. I’ll go walk them up.”
Phil followed him out of the room. “Do you really think there’s more trouble?”
“Don’t know. Ash won’t thank anyone for trying to shield him, though.”
They were in the elevator when Phi finally asked, “Max, Clint told me Ash seemed upset when Sing had mentioned someone had a metal suitcase. Any idea what that’s about?”
Max looked down at his feet, scowling.
“I just want to help,” Phil said, keeping his voice as soft and neutral as he could. “You know we’re all on your side. My team likes Ash, they want to help him.”
“That suitcase... look, I know you want to help, but Ash doesn’t want to anyone to know what’s in it. I don’t see how it can be helped. With Captain Jenkins and Charlie investigating the National Institute of Mental Health, they’re bound to find some evidence about it, but Ash is determined not to talk about it. It’s something that he just wants to die, but that’s not going to work.” Max chuckled. “Ash is smart. You know that, right? You’ve seen it? He’s a real bright kid. He can get stubborn, though, and this is a tender subject for him. I don’t think he’s thinking real clear about it.”
“And you won’t tell me without his permission?”
“It must seem weird, huh? A grown man taking orders from a kid? I don’t listen to everything he says, you know, but he needs to know someone’s respecting his wishes. It’s all going to come out in the end, one way or the other, but I can’t go behind his back, he’ll see it as a betrayal and I won’t lose his trust.”
“But I need all the information I can in order to keep Ash safe and to keep my team safe.”
“I know. I’ll talk to Ash, see if I can get him to come around. The only thing I can tell you, is we have to keep an eye on him, now.” Max finally looked at Phil, his face deadly serious. “Ash is going to try to leave the Tower and he won’t want anyone trailing him. He’s going to go after Gregory. He’s not going to just lay around resting while Gregory has that suitcase.”
Phil almost laughed. “The drone. That’s why he wanted the drone and he wanted J.A.R.V.I.S. to show him what the drone’s camera was seeing. He’s looking for Gregory.”
Max nodded. “Yup. He was looking at all the streets to find some clue and if he finds it, he’ll be out of here the first moment he gets a chance.”
They brought Captain Jenkins and Detective Dickinson up to the common room where, again, hands were shaken all around before the two police officers sat at the table with Ash and Mister Scott. Captain Jenkins said, “I’m glad you’re here, Mister Scott. Ash, you need to listen to your lawyer, he’s working in your best interests.”
“I thought cops wouldn’t want me talking to a lawyer.” Ash grinned when he said it.
Captain Jenkins returned the smile. “We’re working with you, not against you. Ash, there is something we wanted to talk to you about. We found it when we were investigating Golzine so I’m sure it’ll come up in court.” He hesitated and looked around at the room filled with not only Ash’s friends, but also all The Avengers. “Do you want some privacy?”
“No point, if it’s going to come out, anyway.”
“Alright. Then I thought you should know that while your juvie records are sealed, everything that happened after you turned eighteen - what happened with Arthur and everything else - is gone.”
Ash frowned. “Gone? What d’ya mean it’s gone?”
“We have a very good computer technician who’s going through Golzine’s personal computer and it turns out that after he adopted you- ”
Tony spit out the water he’d been drinking. “What?!”
Captain Jenkins kept focused on Ash. “After Golzine adopted you everything just disappeared. There are no charges against you. We still have to deal with the fact that you skipped bail after Marvin Crosby got killed, but considering everything that’s going on, I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
“Dino probably had all that stuff taken care of. He wouldn’t want it to come out later that the heir apparent to his empire has a record.” Ash slouched in his seat. “Couldn’t have anything coming out to embarrass him, after all.”
Steve, who had been keeping politely quiet, raised a hand. “Excuse me, please, but I’m a little confused. Heir apparent? He adopted you? I thought you were...” Steve’s voice trailed off and he looked uncomfortable, no doubt he was unwilling to cause Ash further pain by talking bluntly about what Ash had gone though.
“A couple of weeks ago, Dino got hold of me, again. He adopted me. Go ahead and look in the papers; it’s probably in there. He did it all legally. He had a big party with lots of other rich and famous people to tell them the news. Legally, my name is Ash Golzine.” He couldn’t have sounded more disgusted. “That’s gonna change as soon as I can get it done. Dino even put me in his will, left everything to me.”
Detective Dickinson said, “There’s more. We started taking a closer look at Evanstine, after you told us what you suspected, and things do look fishy. Not just your case, but other things he’s worked on have had connections with Golzine. Evidence has gone missing, witnesses changed their testimony, and all sorts of other little things. And, you’re right, some evidence went missing from the evidence locker - a metal suitcase found at the scene of the helicopter crash. He must have got wind we were looking at his old cases, because now Evanstine’s vanished. We don’t know where he is.”
Phil stepped forward. “Forgive me for interrupting, detective, but do you believe there’s any danger that man will try to hurt Ash? If so, we’ll need a photograph of him as well as any pertinent information.”
Ash said, “He’s a peon Dino kept on the payroll to do little jobs inside the police station. A very small fish that I’m not worried about.”
Still, Phil requested the information and Detective Dickinson was more than happy to oblige. They then went on to talk about the incident at the Chang Dai. Clint and Natasha, again, filled in with what they knew, but, unfortunately, they knew very little. Even the team Phil had sent over to investigate had come back with very little. They knew who the shooters were, but not who they were working for or who had killed them or why they’d been killed. They told the officers about the man who’d taken the metal suitcase from Detective Evanstine, someone who’d worked for Golzine named Gregory, but there wasn’t much more information. It worried Phil. Guarding Ash was the prime mission, but he would very much like to know what was going on. He wanted to be on the ground and do some investigating of his own because there were too many questions.
When the business of what had happened at the Chang Dai had been wrapped up, Captain Jenkins spoke up. “There’s one last thing.” He picked up a briefcase he’d brought with him. “I’m not sure how to tell you this, but... ah. Well,” he paused and glanced around the room before he looked at Bruce. “Doctor Banner? Right? Maybe you can help me out.” He pulled a photograph out of his briefcase and handed it to Bruce. “Do you know what that is?”
Phil went to stand beside Bruce to look over his shoulder as did Tony. The photograph was of a page of chemical equations and notes that involved words Phil didn’t even know. Bruce studied the photograph for some time before he said, “I believe... I’m almost entirely certain... this is notes about human cloning.”
Captain Jenkins’ shoulders slumped. It was not the answer he’d wanted. “Right. Okay. That page was found at the National Institute of Mental Health. Ash, I’ll be asking you for a D.N.A. sample.” He hesitated and folded his hands on the table in front of him. “Ash did Golzine ever take bits of your hair, blood samples... anything like that? Anything that might have your D.N.A.?”
“He had my doctor run blood tests and stuff all the time.” Ash looked at the photograph showing the cloning equations and notes. “He could have got my hair anytime he wanted. You think he cloned me?”
“We’re not sure,” Detective Dickinson told him. “We went to the National Institute of Mental Health to check on your accusations. It looked like a lot of stuff had been moved out in a hurry. There were a lot of strangely empty rooms. There was an incinerator that appeared to have been working at full blast for hours before we arrived. We think we found some human remains in it. It’s all being tested, now.”
Ash’s mouth opened and closed. He sat up straight and turned his head a little to the side and let his face fall forward enough that his long hair partially covered his face. “And you think Dino had someone clone me and now, because I spoke up... they... they killed my clones?”
Phil couldn’t blame Ash for the disbelieve in his voice. It sounded far too wild to be true, like a bad science fiction movie.
Captain Jenkins kept a remarkably calm demeanor and Phil could only credit years of police work with his ability not to flinch from Ash’s pained words. “We don’t know. That’s why we’d like a D.N.A. sample, so we can find out for sure, one way or the other. Look, don’t panic. Don’t work yourself up. This could have nothing to do with you.”
“Right.” Ash rolled his eyes. “I’m sure every mental hospital routinely cremates the patients. They’ll have burned all the brains, too.”
Detective Dickinson nodded. “Probably. We haven’t found a room full of brains in jars, yet, so I can only guess that was what had happened to them.”
It was, without a doubt, one of the most disturbing conversations Phil had ever heard. “I’d like to know what this is about? Why were there brains in jars at the N.I.M.H.?”
No one answered.
Max rubbed the back of his neck. Charlie awkwardly looked down at the table. Mister Scott looked just as confused as Phil felt and said, “Is this something I should know about?” He looked at Ash. “I need to know everything to help you, Ash.” When Ash didn’t answer, Mister Scott said, “We can talk privately, if you like.”
Ash’s face went blank. “No. No. We’re not talking about it.” He looked coldly at Phil and repeated, “We’re not talking about it!” Ash was decided and all Phil’s training in reading people told him that Ash wouldn’t change his mind and he was immediately reminded of what Max had said about Ash being extremely unlikely to talk about whatever was in the metal suitcase. It was connected. All of it was connected.
With a thump, Max hit the table in front of him. He swore, loudly. “I should have guessed something was up.” He put a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “When they went and took you to the National Institute of Mental health, they announced to the world you were dead. You remember I told you that?”
“Yeah.”
Max continued, “They said you died during transportation and George and I went to witness your autopsy. It was a real autopsy and the boy they had on the table sure looked like you. Something told me that it wasn’t really you, but I couldn’t figure out how they found someone who looked so much like you in such a short time.”
"That's what made me think of Ash when we suspected someone had been trying to clone a human," Detective Dickinson said. "The resemblance between Ash that that other boy was just too close."
“It had me fooled,” Mister Scott admitted. “I’d have bet money that was you on the slab, Ash. A clone? Do we really think Golzine made Ash clones and one of them was used as a decoy so people would stop looking for him? But the boy they showed us at the autopsy was Ash’s age. How did he get so old so quickly? He should have been years younger than Ash.”
Ash pushed the photograph back across the table to Captain Jenkins. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed. Tell Max when you need your D.N.A. sample. I’ll give it.”
“Ash, we still need to finish the paperwork and talk, especially about what we just learned.” Mister Scott stood as he spoke and collected the papers he and Ash had been working on. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Right. Right.” Then Ash left the room without another word.
“Human cloning? That can really happen?” Steve looked mystified. “What would he want with a bunch of Ash’s?”
Tony leaned over and cupped his hand around his mouth when he whispered something into Steve’s ear.
Steve turned green. “That’s horrible! I don’t even have a word for what this Golzine character is. I’ve fought megalomaniac psychopaths and I don’t think they were as bad as this guy. Cloning? This sounds like something HYDRA would be involved with. Can’t we do something more to help?” He looked at Phil, angry.
“Not much,” Captain Jenkins answered Steve. “It’s really just investigating and forensic work, now. Golzine’s dead.”
“He is?”
“Ash told us and we just found and positively identified the remains today. It’ll be announced in the news tomorrow. If you really want to help, make sure Ash stays safe and gets to the courthouse. We’ll be looking for that unknown shooter, though, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you happen to hear anything.” He paused on his way out. “By the way, Mister Stark, if you wouldn’t mind coming down to the station tomorrow, I have a few questions about that building of yours that’s under investigation.” Then he nodded and left with Detective Dickinson and Mister Scott trailing behind him.
Ash-
Later-
Ash didn’t sleep after Charlie and Captain Jenkins left. He couldn’t. He lay on the bed for hours, quiet and still enough to please anyone worried about his health. Dino had cloned him. The knowledge floated around his head and wouldn’t leave him alone. It was obvious and, in hindsight, Ash wasn’t all that surprised. Of course Dino had him cloned. He had the money to buy the right technology and the perversion to want more ‘pets’ around to hurt. Ash had no doubt why Dino had done it - it was because Ash was beautiful. Dino had made people he could hurt because Ash was perfect. He’d made them to hurt them solely because they looked like Ash. In a way, it was Ash’s fault. Had his clones been able to think? Had they been afraid? Maybe Dino had just made living dolls who didn’t feel anything. Maybe his clones had cried, maybe they’d fought and screamed.
‘God, I’m so sick of everything!’ Ash hit the bed beside him with a fist. ‘I hate this! I hate all of this! I hate him! I never wanted this. I never wanted to be perfect for him.’ And then, Ash very suddenly wanted to be anything but Dino’s idea of perfect. He sat up and his wounds hurt more than they had since he’d woken up in the hospital. For a moment, the pain almost took his breath away. “Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S., you said you don’t look in bathrooms, right?”
“That is correct.”
Ash stood up. “I just want to wash.” What he really wanted was a shower. He felt filthy. However, with his wound still healing, a shower might not be a great idea. “I’ll be out in a minute.” Once in the bathroom, he filled the sink with steaming hot water and washed all over with a face cloth. He kept scrubbing and scrubbing. He still didn’t feel clean, but his skin was starting to hurt and was turning pink and the last time he’d stayed too long under hot water, Blanca had given him a lecture about properly taking care of himself and not trying to scrub his skin off. So he stopped and looked at his reflection in the mirror over the sink once he ran a hand across it to wipe away the fog.
He looked down at the bandage covering his most recent wound then peeled it back a little and decided he was healing well enough. It still hurt, but it could be worse. The stab on his shoulder from Foxx looked equally reassuring.
He looked back at his reflection. He was tired. “This was supposed to end. Everything was going to be better when Dino was dead. Everything was going to be fine.” But it wasn’t. There seemed to be just as many problems and his nightmares were just as vivid as ever, he was still having a hard time eating and he felt guilty for that because it upset Jessica and she’d been a lot nicer to him than she had to be ever since he’d gotten her involved in his train wreck of a life. “I thought everything would be better.”
When he left the bathroom, J.A.R.V.I.S. said, “Mister Lynx, do you need assistance getting to sleep? I believe there is soothing tea in the kitchen. If you are no longer tired, I will alert Bruce so he may assess your current health and determine next steps.”
“No. I’m alright. And leave Doctor Banner alone; no point in waking him.” Ash left the room and went to the common room. Night had fallen. All was quiet. J.A.R.V.I.S. obligingly turned on lights as Ash walked along. In the common room, Ash went to the large window and looked out at the city Dino had promised to give him. He looked at his reflection in the window. He put out a hand and touched his reflection’s face. He didn’t want to be like that. His hair... his body... his face... everything was just what Dino had wanted - his ideal of perfection. Ash hated it. Hated all of it. Hated himself. He put his hand over the face of his reflection before he turned sharply and marched into the kitchen.
J.A.R.V.I.S. said, “Ash, are you alright? You seem agitated.”
Ash didn’t answer. He went to the kitchen cabinets and began searching through the drawers.
“Ash, please answer. Are you alright?”
Ash felt funny as he dug through each drawer. He distantly realized he was panicking and thought Blanca might be disappointed in his reaction, but it was only a distant thought. He found silverware, cooking utensils and all manner of other things customarily found in kitchens, but didn’t stop until he open one final drawer and seized a pair of scissors. He took those scissors and went back to the window and his reflection. His hand tightened on the scissors so hard that his hand began to hurt.
“Ash?” J.A.R.V.I.S. said. “I will summon assistance if you can not answer me.”
“I don’t want to be what he wanted me to be.” Ash hissed the words at his reflection. “I won’t be his perfect pet anymore!” And he raised the scissors up, determined to make himself imperfect.
To be continued...