Sci-fi story, Original, novel
Instead of working on anything I wanted to, I wound up writing a scene from an old sci-fi novel of mine. Why? Who knows. Far be it for me to argue with the muses when they've been so persnickety lately.
Katie grew more agitated as the interview continued. The camera capturedevery twitch twitch, little abortive gestures that betrayed her nervousness. Every so often, her eyes would stray to something behind Dr. McCleary.
"This is where the interview begins to go downhill," Roy said. "She keeps glancing at the monitors behind me. As you can see here…" He pointed to the split screen, which showed the video that had been playing on the monitors. "…we've gotten to the part of the recording that features her on the final night.
"Look can we not… can you shut that off?" Katie said. "It's distracting."
"I think it's time you confront what happened that night. It's been three years and you never talk…" Katie cut him off in the video.
"I don't need to see this. I, of all people, know exactly what happened that day. Night," Katie said sharply. Her breathing had sped up and now she was doing her best to not look at the screen. In the video, Dr. McCleary made several notes on his notepad.
"Keep in mind, I couldn't see the monitors. They were behind me. However, I knew from her reaction what part had started playing," Roy said. He paused, the glow from the monitor throwing his face into light and shadow. When he spoke again, it seemed almost like he was talking to himself. "She never did react well to any mention of that night."
"And how does it make you feel, to be the only survivor from that night?" Dr. McCleary asked. In the present, Roy grimaced. Kurt spoke for the first time since they'd started watching the tapes of Katie's sessions.
"What's wrong?" Kurt's words drowned out whatever response Katie was giving the younger Dr. McCleary on the tapes.
"I shouldn't have asked her that." There was genuine regret in Roy's voice. He felt the need to explain, to justify himself, and continued. "I was just out of college, had only been consulting for a year or two. I thought I knew it all. Ms. Miller was my first true failure. I look back now and realize everything I didn't know but thought I did."
In the silence, the words from the recording filled the dark room.
"… two-bit, arm chair psychologist analyzing my feelings. Do you really think you’re the first to try and 'help' me? You're not here to help me. You're here to further your career, to be able to tell all your buddies over drinks that you are counseling the girl who survived the horror of Anguilla."
"Katie, you know that's not why I'm here."
"If you were so new to the profession, why did they let you work with her?" Kurt asked. He kept one eye on the screen, watching as Katie grew more defensive. She was speaking with her hands now: short, decisive motions.
"Veterans had failed. Dr. Pruitt had hypothesized that part of the problem was that she couldn't relate to older psychologists. Something about the age difference and resemblance to parental figures inspiring teenage rebellion."
"You didn't agree?" Kurt asked. Kurt didn't know why he bothered to ask. It was obvious from Roy's tone of voice that he didn't agree. He glanced away from the taped session to see Roy's reaction. Roy sighed.
"I did at the time. Now I just realize that Ms. Miller had problems with any authority figure, regardless of age. Especially those assigned to her by Child Services." Roy made a gesture towards the screen. "Here's where the proverbial shit hits the fan." Kurt turned back to the monitor.
"Dr. McCleary, I'm going to ask you one more time. Please shut off the video." Katie's voice was strained. She rested her hands on the table, but they were still tense.
"No." Dr. McCleary was calm, but firm in the video. "This isn't healthy. You can't keep running from what happened. You need to face ... What are you doing?" Katie had gotten up from the table in the video. Dr. McCleary got up as well. "Katie, sit down."
"I'm done," Katie said.
"We're not done… shit!" Kurt watched in shock as Katie picked up the chair she'd been sitting. Dr. McCleary scrambled out of the way, but Katie didn't even look at him. He wasn't her target. Instead she headed towards the camera, hauled the chair back, and awkwardly threw it. She repeated the motions again. And again.
"She's destroying the monitor," Roy explained. "The one playing the video. You can see we were right at the part where she starts talking to herself. This is the one and only time she ever showed any violent tendencies, but when she snapped, she really snapped." Another pause as Roy assessed the recording. "I pushed too far, too fast."
Kurt guessed she'd managed to destroy the screen, because Katie abruptly put the chair down. Dr. McCleary had moved to the opposite side of the table and was staring at the destruction in disbelief.
"I do believe we are done here," Katie said in between panting breaths. "Thank you for your time, but there's nothing more that needs to be said."
"You need help," Dr. McCleary said in the video. Katie gave a little startled laugh.
"Maybe. But I don't want it."
Roy hit a button and the video stopped. "Less than a month later, Katie turned eighteen. We had three more weekly sessions, but they were of little consequence. After she came of age, she refused all treatment. Katie was not a danger to herself or others, so there was nothing Child Services could do to make her continue treatment."
The last sentence caught Kurt's attention. "If you didn't think she'd be a danger to anyone then, what makes you think she is now? What has changed?"
"That's not what you asked," Roy said. "You asked if I thought she'd be able to handle going back. The answer is no." He shut off the screen and switched on the lights. "I could get in a lot of trouble for showing you this video. I've broken so many laws I don't even want to think about it. But we've been friends since college. I wanted you to see for yourself what could happen."
"What am I supposed to take from this then?" Kurt asked. He shook his head. "I don't have time to play games, Roy."
"Ms. Miller's problem is that she's unstable. She's calm, even rational, until pushed too far. And in my professional opinion, taking her back to Anguilla would push her so far that you'd be if she didn't take everyone out with her." Roy looked at Kurt. "If you want to go to Anguilla to figure out what happened, then go. But don't take her with you."
For a long, Kurt said nothing. He weighed what he knew about the situation, about Katie Miller, and about his expedition against his old friend's advice. Then he gave the most diplomatic answer he could. "I'll take it into consideration."
"Which means you'll ignore my advice and do what you want," Roy replied. There was a trace of gallows humor in his voice. Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Roy held up a hand. "Don't bother. I'm not one of the board members that you need to sweet talk. Just be careful."
"I always am." Kurt clapped Roy on the shoulder. "I always am."
Katie grew more agitated as the interview continued. The camera capturedevery twitch twitch, little abortive gestures that betrayed her nervousness. Every so often, her eyes would stray to something behind Dr. McCleary.
"This is where the interview begins to go downhill," Roy said. "She keeps glancing at the monitors behind me. As you can see here…" He pointed to the split screen, which showed the video that had been playing on the monitors. "…we've gotten to the part of the recording that features her on the final night.
"Look can we not… can you shut that off?" Katie said. "It's distracting."
"I think it's time you confront what happened that night. It's been three years and you never talk…" Katie cut him off in the video.
"I don't need to see this. I, of all people, know exactly what happened that day. Night," Katie said sharply. Her breathing had sped up and now she was doing her best to not look at the screen. In the video, Dr. McCleary made several notes on his notepad.
"Keep in mind, I couldn't see the monitors. They were behind me. However, I knew from her reaction what part had started playing," Roy said. He paused, the glow from the monitor throwing his face into light and shadow. When he spoke again, it seemed almost like he was talking to himself. "She never did react well to any mention of that night."
"And how does it make you feel, to be the only survivor from that night?" Dr. McCleary asked. In the present, Roy grimaced. Kurt spoke for the first time since they'd started watching the tapes of Katie's sessions.
"What's wrong?" Kurt's words drowned out whatever response Katie was giving the younger Dr. McCleary on the tapes.
"I shouldn't have asked her that." There was genuine regret in Roy's voice. He felt the need to explain, to justify himself, and continued. "I was just out of college, had only been consulting for a year or two. I thought I knew it all. Ms. Miller was my first true failure. I look back now and realize everything I didn't know but thought I did."
In the silence, the words from the recording filled the dark room.
"… two-bit, arm chair psychologist analyzing my feelings. Do you really think you’re the first to try and 'help' me? You're not here to help me. You're here to further your career, to be able to tell all your buddies over drinks that you are counseling the girl who survived the horror of Anguilla."
"Katie, you know that's not why I'm here."
"If you were so new to the profession, why did they let you work with her?" Kurt asked. He kept one eye on the screen, watching as Katie grew more defensive. She was speaking with her hands now: short, decisive motions.
"Veterans had failed. Dr. Pruitt had hypothesized that part of the problem was that she couldn't relate to older psychologists. Something about the age difference and resemblance to parental figures inspiring teenage rebellion."
"You didn't agree?" Kurt asked. Kurt didn't know why he bothered to ask. It was obvious from Roy's tone of voice that he didn't agree. He glanced away from the taped session to see Roy's reaction. Roy sighed.
"I did at the time. Now I just realize that Ms. Miller had problems with any authority figure, regardless of age. Especially those assigned to her by Child Services." Roy made a gesture towards the screen. "Here's where the proverbial shit hits the fan." Kurt turned back to the monitor.
"Dr. McCleary, I'm going to ask you one more time. Please shut off the video." Katie's voice was strained. She rested her hands on the table, but they were still tense.
"No." Dr. McCleary was calm, but firm in the video. "This isn't healthy. You can't keep running from what happened. You need to face ... What are you doing?" Katie had gotten up from the table in the video. Dr. McCleary got up as well. "Katie, sit down."
"I'm done," Katie said.
"We're not done… shit!" Kurt watched in shock as Katie picked up the chair she'd been sitting. Dr. McCleary scrambled out of the way, but Katie didn't even look at him. He wasn't her target. Instead she headed towards the camera, hauled the chair back, and awkwardly threw it. She repeated the motions again. And again.
"She's destroying the monitor," Roy explained. "The one playing the video. You can see we were right at the part where she starts talking to herself. This is the one and only time she ever showed any violent tendencies, but when she snapped, she really snapped." Another pause as Roy assessed the recording. "I pushed too far, too fast."
Kurt guessed she'd managed to destroy the screen, because Katie abruptly put the chair down. Dr. McCleary had moved to the opposite side of the table and was staring at the destruction in disbelief.
"I do believe we are done here," Katie said in between panting breaths. "Thank you for your time, but there's nothing more that needs to be said."
"You need help," Dr. McCleary said in the video. Katie gave a little startled laugh.
"Maybe. But I don't want it."
Roy hit a button and the video stopped. "Less than a month later, Katie turned eighteen. We had three more weekly sessions, but they were of little consequence. After she came of age, she refused all treatment. Katie was not a danger to herself or others, so there was nothing Child Services could do to make her continue treatment."
The last sentence caught Kurt's attention. "If you didn't think she'd be a danger to anyone then, what makes you think she is now? What has changed?"
"That's not what you asked," Roy said. "You asked if I thought she'd be able to handle going back. The answer is no." He shut off the screen and switched on the lights. "I could get in a lot of trouble for showing you this video. I've broken so many laws I don't even want to think about it. But we've been friends since college. I wanted you to see for yourself what could happen."
"What am I supposed to take from this then?" Kurt asked. He shook his head. "I don't have time to play games, Roy."
"Ms. Miller's problem is that she's unstable. She's calm, even rational, until pushed too far. And in my professional opinion, taking her back to Anguilla would push her so far that you'd be if she didn't take everyone out with her." Roy looked at Kurt. "If you want to go to Anguilla to figure out what happened, then go. But don't take her with you."
For a long, Kurt said nothing. He weighed what he knew about the situation, about Katie Miller, and about his expedition against his old friend's advice. Then he gave the most diplomatic answer he could. "I'll take it into consideration."
"Which means you'll ignore my advice and do what you want," Roy replied. There was a trace of gallows humor in his voice. Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Roy held up a hand. "Don't bother. I'm not one of the board members that you need to sweet talk. Just be careful."
"I always am." Kurt clapped Roy on the shoulder. "I always am."