Return From Mars

Psychotherapy

The room was dark, like pitch.

The door opened and Price was escorted in by two Delta Force troops. They held her, one at each arm. The open door allowed a sliver of light to reach into the room, caressing the darkness like a lover. The troops guided Price to the chair and sat her down. Then they left, shutting the door behind them.

            I stood in the corner of the room behind the door, covered by a cloak of darkness. I was wearing a pair of night vision goggles, lent to me by one of the Delta Force troops and I stood watching her for a moment. My heart went out to Price. I had grown fond of her over the last three days and this was no way to be treated, but I also realised that this was better than the alternative.  

            Price was nervous, you could tell; but she hid it well. The army had trained her to control fear, and that was exactly what she was doing. The hardest thing about psychotherapy is to try and get information out of the patient without them realising that was what you were doing. For this to succeed I would have to be on my game.

            I let her sit quietly in the darkness for a while, and after she had sweated enough I took a step towards her. The noise was quiet, but was enough to get the Captains attention and her head pivoted towards the sound.

"Whose there...?" Her voice sounded nervous, but ready for any eventuality.

"It was dark in the cave wasn't it Captain Price."

"James is that you..."

"Answer the question soldier."

"Cave? What cave...?"

"Mars, Captain Price."

"Yes, it was dark. Sir, what has this got to do with anything...?"

"I ask the questions Captain Price. It was also cold was it not?"

"Yes, but the suits kept our core temperatures normal."

"Of course." I replied. I had been about to give the signal to make the room colder, and had forgotten that their suits would have protected them from the majority of the Martian atmosphere. I had set this plan up perfectly, but like all good plans it never survives the first encounter. I had to change tact.

"And the smell captain?"

"It was the smell of oxygen from our suits sir."

            The air in the room was coming in through the air conditioner, and I had asked the Colonel to make sure that the same oxygen that was going into the suits was the same as that coming into the room.

"How was the darkness Captain? Did it scare you?"

"No sir. I have been in worse places."

"What could you see Captain?" I asked.

"Nothing much, it was dark. The only light came from the illumination of our headlamps."

"And what did you manage to see with the headlamps captain."

"Not a lot really, it all came in flashes."

"I see." I removed my night vision goggles and pressed a button. A light flashed, and in that moment I saw Captain Price's eyes widen. The light flashed again ten seconds later. Price looked uncomfortable now. I could see her visualising the environment around her. In the next flash I saw her eyes glaze over. She was doing exactly what I thought she would do, reliving the events on Mars, and I had her exactly where I wanted her."

            I stood and moved around until I was behind her.

"What happened in the cave Price?"