All's Forgotten Now

Yuri recognized Kessler's voice; calm, melodic, with a quality that forced you to listen whether you wanted to or not. He turned to face the speaker. Yuri was less than impressed by Kessler's physical appearance. The Russian stood six foot eight and weighed in at a muscular three hundred pounds. Kessler was a foot shorter and less than half his weight. He was dressed in a black business suit, expensive leather shoes, and a pair of dark gloves. His skin was the color of alabaster and his long white hair was pulled back into a pony tail. He wore a pair of stylish wrap-around shades that hid his eyes. Yuri's immediate reaction was disgust. The man was a weakling, a defective, a fucking albino. Kessler's mouth curved into a smile and Yuri had the irrational feeling that his mind had just been read. "Help yourself to a drink Comrade Zhukova." Kessler motioned graciously to a small bar nearby. Yuri nodded in thanks. He went over poured himself some vodka, draining his glass in one gulp. He poured another. On second thought Kessler didn't appear so much as an albino as a corpse. The skin was pulled tightly over his skull and his lips were a thin, taut line. Yuri drained his second glass. Kessler watched him silently until Yuri finally managed to ask, "You vanted to see me Mister Kessler?" Kessler moved casually over to a leather chair and sat down. Something detached itself from the shadows next to his seat and skittered up to perch on his shoulder. Yuri couldn't decide if it was a large black ferret or weasel. He found himself transfixed by the steady stare of its gleaming red eyes as Kessler stroked its fur, speaking to it as if it understood. "What do you think Kibit? His name is Yuri Zhukova, a veteran of the Russian mafia, imported directly from the roughest slums in Moscow. He's an incredibly strong-willed man, keenly intelligent for someone in his line of work and most importantly, he is completely lacking in human empathy of any kind. That's why I hired him. No qualms about committing theft, torture, rape, or murder." When Kessler turned his attention back to Yuri, the Russian wasn't sure if he should reply. The thing on Kessler's shoulder opened its mouth revealing rows of needle-like teeth and Yuri had the feeling it was smiling at him. Kessler continued stroking its fur. Yuri drained yet another glass of vodka. "Ve all have our talents Mister Kessler." Kessler gave a humorless laugh. "I suppose so. It's unfortunate following orders isn't one of yours. I've been told you carried out an unsanctioned killing last night. None other than the woman I told you to ignore. Is this correct?" "The nosy bitch had it coming. In any case, someone you knew delivered her, bound and helpless. I took the opportunity to put an end to her game." Kessler froze and the thing on his shoulder tensed beneath Kessler's hand. "Someone who knew me?" Yuri swallowed heavily despite himself. "A Middle Eastern man in expensive threads. Called you da Keeper of Shadows and said da woman was a gift from da Pharaoh Club." Kibit squirmed free of Kessler's grip and disappeared behind the chair. Kessler pondered the news several long moments before he straightened his shoulders, took a breath, and smiled mirthlessly. "It was I who gave you the order Yuri and only I could rescind it. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Given his employer's icy tone, Yuri felt like he'd just been caught beating up Kessler's grandmother. He refilled his glass with vodka, draining it before responding, "She was endangering the smuggling operation. I decided our profit margin vas more important den playing games." Kessler sighed and shook his head dismissively. "The smuggling operation is just an insignificant piece of a much larger picture." Yuri was speechless. Millions of dollars of contraband moved through the warehouse every week. "Now one of my greatest hopes for the coming endeavor is almost certainly ruined thanks to your lack of impulse control. However, there is one way you could redeem yourself Yuri. Tell me you retrieved her medallion." Yuri looked blankly at his boss and an expression of displeasure crossed Kessler's pallid face. "How unfortunate. Now the question is, are you still of any use to me?" Yuri's mind worked quickly. He wasn’t going to wait around for Kessler to summon his hired muscle. Taking the small man hostage might buy him time to get out of the building. He quickly pulled the small automatic pistol concealed beneath his belt at the small of his back. Before he could even aim it, his employer became an impossible blur of motion. The next thing Yuri knew, Kessler had swatted the gun from his hand and slammed him into a picture window causing it to crack with the force of the impact. The small man's gloved hand was wrapped snuggly around Yuri's throat. As hard as Yuri tried, he couldn't dislodge himself. His employer's voice was calm. "Perhaps you're just the person I've been looking for. Are you familiar with Nietzsche? 'And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you'. Perhaps I know of something even more monstrous than you Mister Zhukova." Kessler removed his shades and smiled, looking into the Russian's eyes. When Yuri's mind finally comprehended what was happening, he screamed.