Fandom: Monster
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Angst, unbeta'd so please pardon any errors.
Spoilers: With reference to events in the last volume of the manga.
Disclaimers: Main characters are property of Naoki Urasawa. I make no
money off them.
Notes: After reading several chapters of Another Monster, I had
to make a few revisions to this story. It basically takes place a few months
after the final scene in the manga.
Paragraphs in italics are dreams - whose dreams? You'll just have to read to
find out. ^^ Enjoy!
He could hear the hollow echoes of their footsteps – two…no three of them –
finally coming to take care of him. In his prison, for almost a week, his eyes
remained wide open as they were now accustomed to the pitch blackness that had
surrounded him all this time. They had thrown him in here – a small space with
barely enough leg room with a narrow slit in the doorway for air and not much
else - as a prelude to his punishment for something he hadn’t really done.
He had only initiated the game with the other boys. He really didn’t think
they’d be foolish enough to fight with each other to the point of murder.
But then again, he thought with a cold smile. Human beings were always fickle
creatures.
He could hear the jangling of the keys, their low voices as they spoke in
hurried German. He could hear the fear in their voices and it pleased him
greatly. They wouldn’t really punish him too badly. He knew that he was needed
for something, but wasn’t quite sure of what it was…yet. But, whatever the case
may be, he was determined to escape from this prison and to find his sister
again.
We’ll be together again, Anna. Don’t worry, I’ll find and rescue you.
The heavy metal door opened slowly and the boy blinked at the flood of light
which filled the room. For a moment, he felt dizzy and could barely make out
the faces of the men who loomed over him. However, it couldn’t explain the
sudden rush of fear that crept up his spine. He was sure he knew who these men
were and was sure he had a handle on the situation, but as their features
became clearer, the boy knew with a cold certainty that he was never going to
see his sister again. They were going to take him even further away and he
didn’t want that. No, he didn’t want that at all.
“Johan,” one of them finally said as he leaned closer and held out a hand.
“Come. We have something to show you.”
The boy felt a terror unlike anything before and shrinking back slowly into the
safety of the darkness behind him; he opened his mouth and let out a terrifying
scream.
The doctors behind the thick pane of glass watched the young man’s reaction
with great interest. They scribbled hastily on notepads as the monitoring
machines hooked up to their patient suddenly came to life.
“His brain waves are erratic and slightly unstable,” Dr. Rehnquist, the top
neurosurgeon at the hospital stated flatly, even though his eyes were alight
with pleasure. “It’s to be expected after going through so many traumas.”
“And how long has he been in this state of unconsciousness?” the visiting
doctor, Penn, asked from behind the group of about ten others like him.
“Four weeks,” Rehnquist reassured them with a wave of his hand. And a very long
month it had been. Johan had given them no sign or reaction since the
spectacular operation by Dr. Tenma. It was a miracle the young man had survived
the gunshot wound to the head and although the hospital was constantly
surrounded by STB and BKA officials, it still hadn’t stopped the Press from
wanting to get their hands on the story of the decade. The dashing, young
serial killer, responsible for so many deaths across Europe had finally been
apprehended.
Doctors and psychiatrists from all over the country and even overseas had
wanted to be a part of this historic event. Everyone wanted to have an
interview with the young man – to talk about his experiences at Kinderheim 511
- of how he had escaped with his sister, and most importantly, why he had
killed so many people. What was his motive? Revenge? Or just sheer lunacy?
“How soon do you think he’ll be able to speak again, doctor?” Another one asked
and even Rehnquist was stumped for an answer with that one.
He rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. “It will all depend on the young man, I
suppose. There are no problems to him physically but mentally,” He tapped his
temple gently. “He will have to make the conscious effort to will himself back
to ‘life’.”
The other doctors nodded to themselves as if that was to be expected but
Rehnquist remained somber and lost in thought. He wondered just how long Johan
intended to remain in this deep sleep or if he planned to wake up at all. For
he knew that once Johan showed signs of activity again, the police would take
him away and probably lock him up for the rest of his life.
He made a mental note to contact Dr. Tenma as quickly as possible.
Three months later
Dr. Reichwein’s Residence, Munich:
“Mmmmm, delicious, doctor!” came the enthusiastic cry from the beautiful blonde
woman. “Your meat and potatoes are always the best!”
The portly doctor laughed heartily at the compliment. “Nonsense, Nina! It’s
only because you helped me out with it. Ah, Deiter, stop shoving the food so
quickly! You’re going to choke on it.”
His only response from the young boy was a thumbs up and a wide grin. This made
the doctor look a bit flabbergasted and yet he couldn’t help laughing again as
Nina’s cheerful laughter filled the air. He was glad to see the girl this happy
again. After the nightmare she must have gone through several months ago, it
was really good to see that things were finally settling down for her.
“So how’s school, Nina?” he asked kindly, shoveling another spoonful of the
meal into his mouth. “Are you almost done for the semester?”
“Yes,” the blonde replied with a firm nod and a pleased grin. “Professor
Kronecker wants me to help him with several volunteer teaching sessions for the
summer. I’ll get a chance to teach some freshmen in the upcoming school year.
Isn’t that exciting? Oh, I just can’t wait!”
“What’s so fun about teaching a bunch of people?” Deiter asked with a pout.
“It’s going to be boring like in my school!”
Nina ruffled his hair gently. “No, it’s not. It’s going to be fun and I’ll also
get a chance to watch several trials in the next few months. It should be a
learning experience for me…”
Her voice trailed off and for a moment, a melancholy look filled her features
causing her companions to watch her carefully.
“Nina?” Deiter called out softly. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” She lifted her gaze slowly and for a moment, Dr. Reichwein felt
something cold creep up his spine at the look. It was just the same! It was the
same blank and empty gaze that he had once seen in Johan’s eyes. He found
himself gripping his fork tightly and had to remind himself that this wasn’t
the psychotic killer before him but his sister. However, it was these few and
rather random actions from the girl that reminded him so painfully of the fact
that they were indeed twins and were prone to having a few similar behavior
patterns.
She blinked and the empty look was quickly replaced with one of mild confusion.
“Ah…sorry…I was just thinking about…” What had she been thinking of?
The gentle grip on her hand had her meeting the doctor’s kind gaze. “It’s okay,
Nina,” he said quietly. “I know you haven’t fully recovered from the shock of
it all and there will be moments when you ‘lose’ yourself, so to speak.”
“But…” She flushed and lowered her gaze, trying not to tremble too much. Even
though she had moved on with her life and things were looking much better and
brighter for her, there were still days and nights when she felt like she was
being thrown into the past all over again. The nightmares would return and the
same scenes would be played over and over in her mind. She looked into the
smiling faces of the men beside her and felt ridiculously close to tears.
“Than…thank you,” she whispered softly in sincere gratitude. She was glad she
had friends and a new family to call her own and as soon as Tenma returned from
his trip, she knew she would be complete again.
She was chopping the vegetables rather quickly – so quickly in fact that he
wondered if she was going to cut her fingers off. He remained crouching in the
corner, watching her beautiful but stern features as she began to mumble to
herself.
“Teach them a lesson…punish them…make them suffer…damn it!”
His eyes widened at the sight of blood. She had cut herself after all. She
stuck the injured finger into her mouth and sucked on it, but not before he
noticed that she had made no effort to clean off the droplets on the carrots.
He watched as she tossed them into the pot and began to boil them. It seemed
like he was going to have boiled carrots mixed with mother’s blood for dinner
tonight.
Bayern Police Station
Munich:
Rehnquist wasn’t very pleased as he walked after the two inspectors with a
thunderous scowl on his visage. “How many times do I have to tell you that he
should have at least been left in the hospital to completely recover?! You
don’t just take a patient and interrogate him the moment he opens his eyes,
Inspector Scherbe! Dr. Tenma specifically said…”
“I don’t really care what Tenma has to say at this time, Dr. Rehnquist,”
Scherbe replied impatiently as they made their way towards the interrogation
room. “Mr. Liebert has been in your care for the past six months now and I
think it’s safe to say that it’s our turn to deal with him.”
“This is preposterous!” the doctor cried out with indignation. “Just because
he’s a murderer doesn’t mean that he hasn’t got his rights as well! Give him
some time to fully recuperate…”
“That will be all, Dr. Rehnquist,” Inspector Nieman, who had been silent all
this time, said firmly as he spun around to face the older man. “Please allow
us to do our jobs. You’ve done fine work this far. Leave the rest to us.”
“You’re making a big mistake…!”
But the door to the room was shut in his face and the doctor could only bang
his fist against the wall in frustration. He glared at the two policemen that
walked up to him and cursing softly, he straightened up.
“Don’t worry,” he grated coldly. “I can make my way out on my own.”
As soon as Scherbe entered the room, he sensed the tension and faint uneasiness
in the air. There were two armed officers positioned by the door, Inspector
Haas and Dr. Gillen the criminal psychologist also in the room. Scherbe was
also sure that behind the one-way mirror on the wall, several more agents and
inspectors were watching the events in the room with great interest.
There was only a table and two chairs as expected and while Gillen had made
himself comfortable in one, the young man who had once reigned over Germany by
instilling terror in the hearts of its people over the years, sat quietly at
the other end. He looked a bit gaunt, no surprise since he had been bed-ridden
for the past few months. His hair was a bit longer, but he was still relatively
clean-shaven. His hands were in handcuffs and placed upon his lap and the
simple white dress shirt and khaki pants he wore fitted him rather nicely.
“Has he said anything?” Scherbe whispered to Haas quickly as they eyed the
silent prisoner.
Haas shook his head with a barely audible sigh of exasperation. “Nothing so
far. The doctor’s been trying his best to get him to say something…anything but
all he does is look at the floor like a zombie.”
“Hmm…maybe it’s a good thing he doesn’t look up,” Scherbe said enigmatically.
“Huh?”
“Nothing…just thinking out loud.” He couldn’t explain it, but he was sure that
if he or anyone else was to look into Johan’s eyes, they would see something
extremely terrifying. There was an aura around the young man that was slightly
disturbing. Scherbe had been around murderers and robbers before and he had
developed an immune system towards their characters. They were almost always the
same – men who had passionate temperaments and came in with loud mouths and
insults or the blubbering idiots who wanted to beg for mercy.
But this man…this man was something else. He didn’t even look like a murderer
which was the worst part of it all. There was an air of quiet intelligence that
was even more frightening than any sight of a criminal brandishing a weapon.
This was a man who could destroy one’s soul by toying with him or her mentally
and emotionally and to Scherbe, that was indeed the worst way to kill another
human being.
“Johan,” Gillen’s soothing voice interrupted the tense silence. “I know you can
hear me, Johan. Is there anything you wish to talk about? Anything at all?”
The blond remained immobile, like a carved marble statue, stubbornly refusing
to say anything.
“Goddamnit,” Haas whispered harshly. “How long do we have to do this? Someone
should knock some sense into him!”
“You might end up killing him this time,” Scherbe replied absently. “Can’t help
thinking of what that damn doctor was saying. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought
him in so early. Perhaps he’s not fully awake, doctor,” he said a bit louder,
causing Gillen to spare him a look. “Maybe we should give him some time to
fully recover and then we question him.”
Gillen’s lips pursed tightly at the suggestion before turning his gaze towards
his silent patient. “Perhaps…but we need to at least get a few things out of
him now. If he slips into another coma, who knows when he’ll wake up again?”
“Damn doctors,” Scherbe muttered. He needed a cigarette.
Gillen leaned closer again, hating to admit that ever since Johan had been
brought into the room, he had felt an uneasiness and reluctant fear settle in
the pit of his stomach. Of course dealing with criminals on a daily basis always
had the tendency to leave one concerned for his safety, but with Johan…it was
definitely different. Gillen knew he wasn’t just dealing with any ordinary
criminal, but was dealing with a man who could very well turn the tables on him
and drive him insane!
“Johan…do you remember anything about the past? Your childhood? Your…mother…”
He watched carefully for a reaction and was rewarded with a slight jerk of the
younger man’s shoulder. At least they were getting somewhere.
“How did she make you feel, Johan? Did you…love her very much? Or did you…hate
her?”
He remained silent.
Gillen sighed and leaned back to pick up a few pages of the papers before him.
“Do you remember any of these people, Johan? Micheal Liebert? Adolf Junkers?
Christianne and Erich Fortner? Ivan Kuerten? Margot Langer? Peter Chapek?
Franz…Bonarparta…”
There was another jerk of the blond’s shoulders and Gillen stopped reading the
names. He leaned close again in earnest, staring at the shock of yellow hair
before him. “You knew these people, didn’t you, Johan? Franz Bonarparta was the
one responsible for doing this to you, wasn’t he? Or rather to Nina, your
sister, whom you loved more than anything in the world.”
It seemed as if everyone in the room was holding their breath now for some
extreme reaction from the young man. It was as if Gillen was becoming
relentless in his questioning and seemed determined to get an answer anyway
possible.
“You love Nina, don’t you? Or perhaps I should say Anna, since that’s what
you’d rather prefer. Why did you become Anna, Johan? Why did you want to hurt
all those people? Why did you become a monster?!”
A firm hand on his shoulder had him turning his head quickly to stare into the
stern features of Scherbe.
“Calm down, doctor. You’re the one sweating bullets here.”
Gillen nodded softly, a bit embarrassed at losing his cool so easily. He wiped
his brow with his handkerchief and turned to face Johan again, only to stiffen
in his chair as he noticed the small smirk on the blond’s visage. Although, Johan
hadn’t lifted his head, there was no mistaking the motion of those lips. Gillen
gripped his pen tightly and struggled to control himself. Tenma was right.
Johan really did enjoy toying with his victims and he was determined not to
give in to this demon before him.
“I apologize for raising my voice,” he finally said quietly. “Now, let us try
again, shall we?”
“Tenma.”
The sound of Johan’s voice actually sent everyone starting in surprise. They
had definitely not expected to hear him say anything for some time and hearing
that soft and yet harsh voice (thanks to months of not speaking) sent their
heartbeats pounding with reluctant excitement and anticipation.
“Did you say Tenma?” Gillen asked, pushing the ‘rec’ button on his recorder
with a finger that trembled lightly. “Do you wish to speak to Dr. Tenma?”
For some time, the young man said nothing and Gillen had to prod him again.
“Tenma is not around at the moment, Johan. He works in different parts of
Europe now as a member of the MSF. Would you like to speak to him?”
The smirk became a small smile and Johan lowered his head even more.
“We could send for Tenma, Johan,” Gillen said softly. “If it would make it
easier for you…”
“Where is Anna?”
“Your sister? She’s a student now at Heidelberg University Law School. She
hopes to become a lawyer someday, Johan. You too were studying to become a
lawyer, weren’t you?”
A small sound escaped the blond’s lips and his shoulders began to shake gently.
The officers exchanged wary looks with one another and had to suck in a harsh
breath as the young man suddenly threw back his head and laughed heartily. It
wasn’t a maniacal laugh that they were used to hearing from criminals that had
lost their minds, but rather it sounded genuine, as if someone had cracked the
greatest joke of the century at a dinner party.
Johan lowered his head again, his laughter becoming softer until it became a
harsh sob of pure suffering. Gillen, who had felt his blood run cold at the
laugh, could only stare helplessly at the man who seemed to be crying now. He
coughed lightly and tried to gather his scattered wits about him.
“Johan…” he began but was interrupted as the blond lifted his head to pin an
intense gaze at him. To Gillen’s surprise, there were no tears in those
piercing blue eyes, but there was no denying the anguish on those handsome
features. It was a mixture of sadness, confusion and yet an underlying tone of
frustration.
“Anna…let me see Anna again…or Tenma…let me see…any of them…both of them!”
The officers exchanged looks with each other and Scherbe spoke up for them.
“Tenma will be a lot more difficult to get a hold of. We don’t know his exact
location at the moment…”
“Anna…” Johan pleaded, holding out his cuffed hands as if begging for mercy.
“Let me see Anna.”
Gillen lowered his head and wondered how he was going to put this. It was Tenma
and Reichwein that had suggested the twins do not meet for at least a few more
months. Reichwein had reported that Nina was still prone to mild bouts of panic
or shock and it would be best if they steered clear from each other for a
while.
“I…we will try to get her to see you…” Gillen finally replied with what he
hoped was a reassuring smile. “But until then you should…”
With no warning whatsoever, Johan slumped off his chair and to the floor with a
rather sickening thud, causing the uniformed officers to run towards him in
panic.
“He’s out cold, sir,” one of them reported. “Still breathing though.”
Gillen nodded softly, trying to still his racing heart. He wiped his brow again
and motioned for the officers to take Johan out of the room. He hated to think
that he had somehow sent Johan back into deep mental anguish. The remaining men
watched as he was hoisted up between the officers and all but carried out of
their presence. As soon as the door was shut behind them, there seemed to be a
collective sigh of relief and Scherbe could finally pull out his cigarette to
have a much needed smoke.
“Damn…that was…”
“Scary,” Haas finished. He too was trembling and wanted to leave the room as
quickly as possible. “Wonder how that guy can stand dealing with stuff like
that.” He nodded towards Gillen who was now packing away his documents.
“So what’s the verdict, doctor?” Scherbe asked. “Do you still want to keep
interrogating him?”
Gillen remained quiet for some time and looked lost in thought. Finally, he
replied softly. “If and when he does wake up, I’d like to continue, of course.
But until then, let’s do our best to find Tenma. If that’s the only man that
can make Johan talk, then so be it. Find him and send him back here as quickly
as you can.”
Ceske Budejovice
Czech Republic:
“And that’s the story, doctor,” Scherbe finished with a sigh as he crushed out
the cigarette in the ash tray. The outdoor café was a nice spot to have this
conversation in his opinion
He eyed the man before him with reluctant admiration. Tenma had really changed
from the scraggly looking guy that had been arrested almost a year ago in
Prague. He was now clean-shaven; his hair much shorter and he even looked a bit
happier. Well, the man’s eyes would always have a perpetual look of
long-suffering but yet there was no denying that Tenma was different this time
around. He was dressed in a simple dress-shirt with its sleeves rolled up to
his forearms and a pair of dark pants which fitted his slender frame nicely.
It had taken them quite some time to find the doctor, but after a month of
scouring the Czech countryside, they had finally found him in this city.
“Will you come, doctor?” Scherbe asked again, watching the lowered head with
interest. “He has gone back into his coma and I have the feeling that he’ll
wake up again only when you return.”
Tenma seemed lost in his thoughts for some time and his features gave nothing
away. Finally, after Scherbe had assumed he wasn’t going to get an answer, the
doctor replied quietly. “You should let him be, Inspector.”
“What do you mean let him be?” Scherbe asked in bemusement. “He’s an important
witness in this case and needs to be…”
“What?” Tenma asked with a small but sad smile. “What would he do when he wakes
up from his coma? Question him and then send him away to prison for the rest of
his life? What good would that do? Perhaps it’s much better this way. Let him
remain locked in his dreams for now and away from the harshness of his
reality.”
“Dr. Tenma…”
“It is best for everyone this way.” He rose to his feet and bowed politely to
the officer. “Thank you for the coffee, sir. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have
several patients waiting.”
Scherbe watched the man walk away until he became nothing more than a speck in
the distance. He sighed and drowned the rest of his coffee before leaning back
on his chair to stare at the azure skies above him.
“Leave him to his dreams, huh?” he whispered to himself. “Although I can’t help
wondering, Dr. Tenma of just what kind of dreams they are…”
__
He watched her laughing in her pretty new dress – running across the lawn with
her golden hair flying in the wind behind her.
“Come, come, Johan!” she cried out happily. “I’ve caught a butterfly, Johan!
Come see!”
He dusted his knees and rose to his feet, his heart filling with joy that she
had called out to him. He had been hiding in the shadows, hoping she’d notice
him and she finally had! He would play with her for as long as she wanted
because he wanted to make her happy – very, very happy – like he had promised
when they were much younger. He would protect her with everything he had and
would never let anyone take her away from him again.
Everything belongs to you, Anna, he thought as he caught up and laughed happily
with her. Everything and anything will be yours. I will never leave your side,
Anna because I love you…always…
~The End~