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The Asset is ushered in from his latest mission and laid on the metal table. He notices how cold it feels against his head, against his flesh hand; he doesn’t care.
The men circle around him, talking as they always do; he doesn’t care.
“What are you doing?” There’s a panic to this man’s tone.
“We need to fix his arm. He took a direct hit to the hardware.”
“He’s been out of cryo too long. I need to get him wiped and under.”
“And we need to fix his arm.” He speaks slow, like talking to an imbecile. “Then he’s yours.”
Lying there, The Asset’s mind wanders; he thinks about his mission. He has fragments of older missions sometimes, but he never tells them. They only put him under the ECT longer when he does. He thinks how he won’t recall this mission either soon enough. He believes there have been many missions, so many more that he’ll never know about because each time, every time, they take it nearly all away again. He has this moment to think and that is all.
The metal table still feels cold. He remembers cold and needles and darkness, though the lights are very bright right now.
He remembers a face. A man helping him up from the table. This is an older memory, he realizes. He did not see this man’s face today.
Distant, he hears his own voice. “Steve? Steve!”
The Asset feels something. His heart rate has increased. So has his blood pressure.
“What are you doing?” The first man’s voice has jumped in pitch and speed, frantic. “His vitals are climbing! I thought you could turn off the pain sensor on that thing?”
“I did!”
The Asset can only think of this memory; he doesn’t want these men touching him. He pushes the man off his arm and sends him stumbling backwards until he crashes into a cabinet.
Sitting up, The Asset stares at the concrete floor. There’s something there, something close to the edge of his mind. A memory, but not like his missions. A place, a face, a name.
Steve.
His respirations have increased. Who is Steve? Why can’t he remember Steve? Everything is wrong. Everything!
“Get him under NOW, he’s going to snap if he stays awake longer. Fix the damn arm next time!”
Steve was important; The Asset knows this! The men are circling him; they try to grab his arms. He throws them off. Is Steve here? Is he hurt? Should he find him?
The Asset stands and there is so much yelling. They are terrified of him, but he doesn’t care. He wants to chase this memory until it’s fully before him and he can embrace it. Has he ever had a memory like this before? If he did, would he even know? Have they always taken it from him?
When the men come at him again, he feels his anger as never before. He rips a gun from one man’s hands, then reaches out and lifts another by the neck. He throws the man and watches him bounce off the wall like a doll.
Then the man is only lying there, crumpled, motionless. The Asset thinks: “This is wrong.”
It’s his last coherent thought.
The Tasers strike him and he stumbles forward until he’s crashed to his knees. There must be 15 or more on him. It’s the only way.
The only way.
He falls.
End