| Episode 8 - Ashes - Ashur Badaktu |
| Stone is dreaming about an ornate knife being made. A faceless being holds it over him, and plunges it toward his eye. Stone wakes up to find The Devil in bed with him. The Devil tells him he should spend more time in church. Ash shows up at a crime scene, a burnt church. Her partner, Fraker, is there. Stone shows up and sees a civilian someone taking pictures of the crime, then driving away. He notes the license plate, 2GAT123. Stone sneaks into the church, and finds a cat that reminds him of his old cat Buster. He also finds a knife like the one in his dream. Stone goes to a synagogue, looking for the owner of the car, Rabbi Samuel Weisberg. He meets Rabbi ‘Sammy’ and asks why he was taking pictures of a burnt church. The rabbi says he is part of an interfaith committee that deals with this type of things. Neither buys the idea police theory that this is the work of a group of skinheads. He has two knives just like the one Stone has. The writing is an ancient Canaanite language that hasn’t been spoken for almost 4,000 years. It translates as rites of sacrifice to a serpent god, progressing from food, from smaller to larger animals, and now a human sacrifice. Stone goes to visit Robert Busch, a knife maker. He saw one of his custom pieces at Jimmy G’s World of War. Stone tells him that he knows about his criminal record. They go back into Busch’s office, which has various Nazi artifacts. Busch says he didn’t make the knife, and after Stone roughs him up, says there of 3 or 4 guys on the west coast who could have done it. After Stone leaves, there is some strange chanting in the background. Stone breaks in that night, and Ash catches him in the act. He can’t find anything on paper, but Ash looks on the computer and copies the files. When they realize they are on camera, Stone shoots the computer. Outside, Stone is not under arrest. Ash says she is not tired, and offers him a ride. They go out to a bar. She tries to find out more about his mission, but he won’t say anything. She asks if he is married, and he says yes. When she asks when the last time he saw her was, he tells her “I don’t even know where she is.” She puts money in the jukebox and they dance (Peter Gabriel? I don’t know), holding each other close. Stone leaves, saying he is having too good of time. The next day, Stone is feeding his cat. A knock on the door reveals a smiling Detective Ash. The cat hisses at her. After Stone apologizes, she tells him that looking over the computer files gave them a suspect. She asks him to come with her to find him, telling him that she wants to keep an eye on him. |
| Walking down the street, she tells him about Lee Varner, an arsonist with a history going back 14 years. He was thought to have died in a fire 2 years ago. They get to Varner’s place, but he moved out yesterday. The place is clean, no evidence. Someone comes up the stairs, and they pull their guns on the… mailman. Stone opens the mail, and finds a letter from a pipe manufacturer. The address where the pipes were sent is a different one. They go and check it out. It looks like a bomb factory, explosives are everywhere. They find Varner in the back, and as Ash pats him down, he pulls a torch to attack her. Stone jumps in the way and stops the attack, but his coat gets burned up. Outside, Ash asks him how she can adequately thank him for saving her life. At the police station, Varner is being questioned by Fraker. Varner won’t talk, and we hear that low chanting in the background again. Fraker looks up to Stone and Ash watching, and we can tell he is giving up. Ash and Stone are having coffee. Stone convinces her to give him 5 minutes with Varner. In his cell, Varner begins chanting. A trail of smoke opens the door, and stuns the guard. Ash and Stone come in to fine the guard asleep on his feet and Varner gone. Stone leaves. Stone goes to visit Rabbi Sammy, who asks about Lee Varner. As Stone tells him about it, Rabbi Sammy gets a call about a breaking at a mosque. Stone enters the mosque to find Varner splashing gas around and chanting. Varner runs down the aisle, but Stone snaps the rug and knocks him down. Stone stands over him, ready to send him back, and sees that he has a cut on his head. Back at the police station, Varner is in custody and still chanting, Stone says he is not the one. Ash says he is, that he was caught in the act. Stone says maybe it was Busch, they argue over his sources. Fraker tells them not to have a lover’s quarrel. They walk away from each other angrily. Out on the street, Stone goes to buy some roses. The merchant is, of course, The Devil. The Devil tells him to get his head out of cupid’s ass, but then gives him the flowers for free. At night, on a hill overlooking the city, Stone presents her with the flowers, but she won’t take them. She tells him that she found out that Ezekiel Stone was killed 15 years ago, that either he faked his death or he is faking his life. She tells him to go, but he says no, and kisses her. They end up in her car, and kiss until she lifts up his shirt and she sees the tattoos. She points to one over his heart, asks what it means, and he says he does not know. She leans back in her seat, and says she doesn’t know him. Stone leaves. Rabbi Sammy and someone from the mosque are reviewing Varner’s chants with Stone. There is one part that they can’t translate, Ashur Badaktu, which could be the name of the human victim. Stone realizes it is Ash’s name. He calls her, and Fraker tells Stone that he was supposed to meet her at St. Mary’s, something about him being right about Busch. At the church, Busch stands over Ash, holding another knife. There is more chanting. Stone tells him to stop but he brings the knife down… into his own belly. He falls and Ash continues to chant. She stands up and draws the knife from his body. Pointing it at Stone, she says, “Didn’t really know who you were, Zeke. Didn’t want to believe what I was thinking until last night, when I saw… (laughs) my name tattooed to your chest.” Ash tells him about her daughter Seri, and how she sacrificed her to her gods. This was 4,000 years ago, before Yahweh. When she was slaughtered in the name of the one true god, she was judged by his rules, not hers. Stone asks why she is burning churches, she says for revenge against God. She chants and stuns him, making him lower his gun. He stands there as her hair and eyes change, telling him “I am Ashur Badaktu of the Temple at Tyre, Priestess of Asherah, the Serpent Queen.” They fight, Stone takes aim at her, but when she sees that he will not shoot, she smiles and runs, leaving a wisp of smoke where she stood. Stone lowers his gun. The Devil walks up behind Stone, “Why didn’t you pull the trigger?” Stone does not answer at first, and continues to stare ahead at where he last saw Ash, “You’re afraid of her, aren’t you?” The Devil answers slowly, also looking straight ahead, “You have no idea how dangerous she is.” He appears stunned. "Why was she running around playing cop all this time?” “Same reason as you are, to track down all the damned souls. Only in her case, it is to get rid of the competition, the ones that don’t want to play on her team. You think you’ve stopped her from burning any more houses of God? Don’t fool yourself.” As he speaks, he walks up to Stone and turns to face him, “She’ll be back. I know her.” Stone turns to him, almost, but not quite, smiling, “She was the ringleader, wasn’t she? The brains behind the breakout?” "What do you think? And you, you fool, you’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you? That’s why she’s so dangerous, so powerful. Power over the heart - the strongest weapon of all.” “That’s how she got away from you?” Stone asks, a smug look on his face. “Don’t be a fool; the only thing I’ve ever loved was God.” Stone walks away, as The Devil continues, “And that was a long time ago.” |