Brutal Honesty and a Hatred of Therapists

Posted on Mon Dec 29th, 2008 @ 5:52am by

Mission: Dark Discoveries
Location: turbolift
Timeline: backpost (pre-catastrophe)

ON

Linnix enjoyed the ethereal white noise of the turbolift mechanically whirring around him. He was heading nowhere in particular, for the moment at least. He always found something extremely cathartic about riding the lift. It seemed somehow secure and safe from the rest of the chaotic workings of the ship. His mind slowly began to draw to a blank and he could feel the cool air being pulled into his lungs. Free from thought, free from the stress of sickbay, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the silence.

He lost his balance as the lift snapped silently to a stop. The doors slithered open and Norvin sleepily opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with humanoid female. He tilted his head to the side as he saw her blue collar and chief petty officer rank on her collar. He stretched his mind to try to recognize her.

"Hello warrant officer," the woman said with a smile as she stood beside he paramedic. "You're Norvin Linnix, right? How is your stay on the Iapetus so far?"

"Fine." Linnix said, trying to end the conversation there.

"I'm CPO Capet, one of the assistant counselors."

"I see." Norvin replied with a muted nod, stared straight at the door and was painfully careful to avoid eye contact.

"So, being a paramedic must be stressful." Capet said in an analytical tone, "Do you ever have problems with that?"

This forced Linnix to scowl angerly at the counselor and then back at the door. What in the galaxy was taking it so long to reach her stop?

"Every job in Starfleet is stressful." he sighed, "I'm not in the mood to be analyzed. I am already scheduled for a psych exam."

"I'm not trying to analyze you. I'm just making conversation."

"Computer!" Linnix said in an irritated voice, "Stop the turbolift."

The lift snapped to a stop in mid path, and Capet gave Linnix an accusing look.

"Is there..." Capet trailed off for a moment, "Something you want to tell me."

The trill turned and faced her, his expression was stark as he started to speak.

"Yes." he said blankly, "I often fantasize about committing a bloody and violent public suicide. I am insecure in my masculinity because my mother didn't hug me enough as a child, and my next door neighbor molested me. I can't close my eyes to sleep without imagining being tortured by deranged terrorists, and still have the physical scars to remind me. You can't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering they put us through! I have social anxiety, separation anxiety, performance anxiety, and a phobia of spiders. It irritates the living hell out of me when my patients are hypochondriacs, and I usually just hope that they actually do have some kind of terminal illness to teach them a lesson."

There was a long silence as Capet stared at the paramedic. Her lips twisted into a strange smirk and her brows were furrowed into a concerned expression. Linnix's expression, however, was a smug one. He felt a sick sense of joy over his brutal honesty. Few people would expect such a blunt response and he loved the sheer shock value of the entire thing.

"I am sorry that has happened to you, Linnix. You know you can get help."

To this the trill just laughed.

"Help?" he snickered, "I don't need help. The universe is a dangerous place, and counselors are the bane of humanoid existence. I don't need medication or psychotherapy. I go on every day knowing that the federation needs me, and that I am stronger for what I've overcome. I am so sick of you people harassing me all the time. If I needed your help, I would ask for it."

"Very well then." the counselor said, in a faux-understanding nod. "If you ever need anyone to talk to-"

"I know where to find you, and I know the drill." Linnix said, retaking his original stance, staring straight at the door.

"Computer!" he said, "Resume turbolift."

The lift glided effortlessly into motion, the sound whirring noise deafening in the background of silence. The two crewmen said nothing to each other for the duration of the ride. Linnix felt slightly embarrassed for his reaction, but disclosed nothing that the counselor didn't already have access to. To him, the federation kept in frightening detail, the events of its members lives. Anyone with the proper clearance could read the most intimate and traumatizing details of an individual's life. It was a fact he tried not to think about, and his reason for avoiding counselors.

Finally, the lift came to a stop and Counselor Capet wordlessly stepped off onto her floor. Linnix watched as her back disappeared into the creases of the closing lift doors.

"Computer," Linnix said, a wave of relief washed over him once he realized he was alone and away from the counselor, "Take me to deck twelve."

OFF