Asylum: 10 Strange Spy Stories

By Hei Sing Tso

Short spy thrillers are rare in the market. Blending spy stories with speculative elements is totally entertaining. If you like Bourne Identity mixed with Inception, you will like this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543915860

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Introduction

There are many spy thrillers in the market but most of them are novels. Someone suggest that it is difficult to write short spy stories. In fact, some James Bond movies were adapted from Ian Fleming’s short stories. Writing short thrillers is challenging but totally possible. On the other hand, some critics say that speculative element is totally incompatible with espionage thrillers that should be highly realistic. Blending the spy story with speculative elements is entertaining at all. An obvious example is Inception directed by Christopher Nolan. Here are ten strange spy thrillers. Hope you enjoy them

Hei Sing Tso

October, 2017, Hong Kong

Asylum

3rd May 1968, 4: 00 am in the morning, Levi was dreaming in the bed. He was a top assassin of Mossad branch in U.S, had just been back from mission to assassinate a Palestine who planned a bomb attack at Tel Aviv last week. Phone rang for five times. Levi was too exhausted to answer the call. Strong breeze through the window. Levi felt cold air touching gently over his face. Phone rang again.

Hello, Tortoise speaking

Morning, little boy, do you have time to join me for breakfast?

So early?

Levi tried hard to get off the bed, dragging his body towards the bathroom. He heard a vehicle approaching after brushing teeth. He said to himself, Boss always pushes people!

Yousef, 51, rabbi as cover, was the chief of US Mossad.

In the Jewish Synagogue, Yousef, code name Monkey , was reading the Torah as usual in his office, waiting Levi.

Morning, Tortoise boy!

Boss, just back , very tired! Terrorist attack again?

No this time, Nazi criminal.

Wow, my team does not work on Nazi!

This is a tough job, But let me give you an incentive?

Incentive?

I know you will marry soon. Would you like to buy a big house?

Of course, Janice wants to have sea view.

Director understands that this is a tough job, additional allowance will be given after mission.

Levi thought that he was so lucky. Janice's dad did not like a poor son-in-law.

Yousef continued : Intelligence found out a Nazi Criminal code name Butcher who was responsible for a secret experiment involving Jews in Poland in 1942, he is now living in a mental asylum in Texas.

Particulars, name? age? features?

I have said this will be a tough job.

hm..........

We only know the code name, may be man or woman, you need to infiltrate the asylum to find out and extinguish him or her!

Levi considered it a great challenge because most of his previous missions were only ad hoc operations, hit and run were routines.

'Do you need time to consider?'

'No, with pleasure!'"

Over the next month, Levi attended lessons from a psychiatrist to learn about behaviour and psychology of mental patients. This would help his undercover work and finding out who the true Butcher was.

Concord Mental Asylum was a Georgian house in the country side. Few people lived nearby. There were about 50 patients and half of them were elders. Levi was escorted by ambulance men to the asylum. After registration and basic medical check up, he was admitted to a ward shared with another guy in thirties. Levi lied down on his bed and turned right. A face was close to his eyes. Levi was shocked and shouted.

'Hello! How do you do! New to this home? Welcome! "'

Nice to meet you, I am Matthew.

You can call me Dwarf, Haha, This is a wonderful world. Let me tell you a secret!

Dwarf, What secret?

Dwarf smiled mysteriously and then whispered near Levi's ear , We have a witch here! Very horrible!

Are you sure?

Suddenly someone knocked the door. This was time for medicine. A lady nurse came in with a huge male who was supposed to force any patient to take drugs if necessary. The lady gave three pills and a cup of water to Dwarf who at once swallowed all down to the stomach. In Levi 's turn, he took the pills and asked, May I take these after a while? . The lady shook her head with a smile. When Levi glanced the muscle man, he crossed arms with the right hand holding a leather belt. Levi took the water and swallowed the pills. After the nurses went out, Levi rushed to the toilet and used fingers to trigger his gag reflex. After about 15 seconds, he threw up and left semi-digested bills behind in a mess. Levi picked up the pills and kept for later urine tests. Coming out from the toilet, Levi saw Dwarf sleeping. He then laid down on bed, considering this a tough mission.

Fire! Fire!

Levi woke up and found the room full of smoke. He breathed difficultly. Dwarf had run away so he got out of the ward. It was very hot in the corridor. Flames everywhere and all doors on the whole floor opened. Every room was empty. Levi ran down stairs at the end of the corridor. On the ground floor, there was no fire. The lobby was empty and all lights off. Suddenly singing and murmurs came behind a wooden gate. Levi walked on tiptoe and listened with his ear against the gate. Louder and louder! He pushed the gate. It was unlocked. Another corridor appeared and there were torches with green flames hanging on both sides. Levi removed one torch as a weapon, moved forwards cautiously. At the end of the corridor was down stairs leading to a basement. Songs and murmurs louder than before coupled with smell of sour meat. The stairs descended with several turns and finally led to a steel gate. When he opened the gate, the room was empty. There was a small box on the ground. Levi knelt down, picked up the box. There was a jade ring inside the box with Chinese characters carved.

Wake Up! Breakfast time!,Levi opened his eyes. It was a dream. He felt very strange since he had not encountered any Chinese related stuff recently.

All patients were required to have breakfast together. Levi searched for any possible target. The first hint was age. Butcher should be a Germanic person in fifties or sixties. After browsing around the tables, Levi identified three suspects. The first man wore full black suit with tie. During leisure time in the afternoon, Levi approached that man.

Hello, I am Matthew, nice to meet you!

Gentleman, you could call me Mr. Kaiser, the old man spoke slowly with German accent.

Mr. Kaiser, how long have you been here?

I have been here for two years. Little Boy!

You came from Germany?

No, Austria!

Same as Hitler!

Kaiser stared at Levi unfriendly.

Have I said something wrong?

No, Little Boy!

What do you like to do in spare time?

I liked rifle hunting!

Levi said to himself: this Kaiser matched too much with Butcher! At the following night, Levi sneaked into the file room with spy skills and checked patient records.

Helmut Kaiser, born in 1930 in Austria, joined the Nazi party and SS, transferred to Poland after invasion, war prisoner after liberation by Red Army, back to Vienna, emigrated to USA in 1960s, suffered illusion at home, injured wife and children, court imposed hospital order, Schizophrenia diagnosed...

Bingo! Easy job! Kaiser is Butcher! Levi sent this name by ciphers to Yousef, hoping to leave this ghostly place soon. Few days later, Yousef visited Levi at the asylum and instructed him to keep surveillance on Kaiser pending further intelligence research and analysis in Tel Aviv.

The weather had changed. This was a cold night. Levi had the same dream again and woke up. Dwarf was in deep sleep. Songs and murmurs came from downstairs. Levi got up quietly. The main lobby was dark and empty but there should be nurses and guards on duty. Songs and murmurs again from outside. Levi stood beside a window and looked out, found Kaiser walking towards the woods. He decided to leave the asylum and followed Kaiser at distance. After about five minutes, Kaiser stopped and turned around.

"Little boy, why did you follow me? 'What are you doing here?'

I….I…., Kaiser's mouth opened widely, a bundle of white snakes flowing out of his mouth, flying towards Levi.

"Oh, My God………'

Levi waked up with cold sweats. It was a dream within dream. So horrific!

Yousef visited Levi again.

Tortoise, you seem not good!

May be the drugs. You know. Traces may remain in my stomach after throwing up .'

Bad news.

Huh…….

Kaiser is not the guy, please continue to search.

OK!! ,Levi was a little bit disappointed.

The second target was a lady, Madam Rosenberg.

Patient record retrieved:

Margret Rosenberg, born in USA but went back to Germany with parents during World War Two, single, back to USA last year, self bodily harm, Compulsory Disorder diagnosed….

Afternoon there were fifteen patients in the leisure room. Rosenberg was watching TV with three others. Levi joined and sat beside her.

Madam, I am Matthew, nice to meet you!

Little Boy, you seem new here?

Madam, yes, May I call you Margret?

Certainly!

You came from Germany?

How did you know?

Your appearance and assent.

"Good