Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

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Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

January 17, 2022, 02:57:57 PM

“Who will it be today I wonder,” Max mused idly as she rolled her wrists inside the cuffs, trying to scratch an itch that was just out of reach. This was her second, no, third time in this particular room, though over the last four and a half days she had spent time in all three. She had been interviewed or interrogated no less than 9 times across the time she had been kept incarcerated. It was almost funny watching them try to understand why one Donna Petterson, who had destroyed the life she had to bring them a message would suddenly turn traitor and try to steal their precious future ship. It was even more confusing to them when she had passed the anyon scan; twice.

It had started with her being brought into the security centre; strip searched and scanned before being provided with basic undergarments and a set of plain coveralls. Apparently, they didn’t even trust her with a set of shoes. What was she going to do, suffocate herself on then? After all that, she had been questioned but when she wouldn’t offer any words at all, she had been secured in holding cell for the night.

That began a repetitive and boring, routine for Max as she would be disturbed from her solitude so that others could try to understand. And she played along, either being silent or recalcitrant in her behaviour but never once denying who she was. But neither did she confirm it either. Let them flail about in mindless stupidity. It unfailingly provided a laugh for her once she was back in her cell.

Max wasn’t expecting this morning’s session to be any different.

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #1 – January 19, 2022, 05:51:35 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

A soft sigh escaped Amanda’s glossed lips and, as she slowly massaged her right temple with the index- and middle fingers of her right hand, she leaned back into the rather hard cushions of the uncomfortable couch. The blonde-haired Psychiatrist had arrived at the Security Centre fifteen minutes earlier, way ahead of her scheduled appointment with Lieutenant Petterson, and the Security Officer who manned the aide duty station politely directed her to the waiting area where Amanda now found herself; preparing for the upcoming psychological examination by trying to make herself comfortable while reading the personnel file of Lieutenant Junior Grade Donna Petterson once more.

And just like the first time she’d read the Australian’s personnel file, it left Amanda with more questions than actual answers. There was preciously little in the file that explained the actions of the Fighter Pilot, nor was there anything that indicated possible underlying issues that could have triggered her behaviour. It was, quite frankly, surprising that someone like Lieutenant Junior Grade Petterson even found herself in this particular position to begin with; compared to some other fighter pilots whom Amanda had come across over the years, the Australian woman actually appeared to be quite normal. At least according to everything the Martian Psychiatrist had read thus far.

Yet, despite the frustration of not knowing what she was up against, this particular case had nevertheless begun to intrigue Amanda; after all, without any known mental issues or significant traumatic experiences to define Lieutenant Petterson, she would need to take an entirely different approach to the upcoming examination. It would be… interesting, and the challenge allowed for a smile to adorn the blonde-haired Psychiatrist’s face that was still there when the Security Officer at the aide duty station interrupted her thoughts by announcing that Interrogation Room 01 was ready for her.

When Amanda entered the Interrogation Room and her blue eyes came to rest on Lieutenant Junior Grade Donna Petterson, she raised her eyebrows just slightly in mild surprise. Even though the Australian Fighter Pilot was restrained by handcuffs, the woman definitely failed to live up to the mental image which Amanda had developed after reading the Security report; while experience had taught her that nothing was as deceiving as appearances, given how literally everyone was capable of horrific acts under the worst circumstances, the woman in front of her just looked so… normal. ”Good morning Lieutenant.” Quickly regaining her composure, Amanda’s slightly accented voice further accentuated the smile on her glossed lips as she spoke up.

”I am Doctor Amanda Ashby, and I’m here to perform a psychological examination that might explain why all this happened.” As she spoke, Amanda took a seat at the opposite side of the table. She figured that, after having read Donna Petterson’s personnel file, it was nothing more than common courtesy to at least introduce herself and explain her reasons for being here. That, and the blonde-haired Psychiatrist had a very strong suspicion that this wasn’t the Australian’s first conversation in an Interrogation Room and she genuinely hoped that, by explaining her reasons for being here, the experience would be less stressful for Lieutenant Petterson.

While she spoke, Amanda attempted to lock her blue eyes with the Fighter Pilot’s hazel ones. ”How are you feeling, Lieutenant? Can you tell me why we are here?” The tone of Amanda’s voice kept matching her facial expression; friendly, polite and, maybe most importantly, respectful of the Australian woman. ”I’ve read the reports, but I would much rather hear your side of the story.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #2 – January 23, 2022, 03:39:45 PM

“Not what she was expecting,” Max noted right off the bat in observing the facial response that the woman had in seeing her for the first time. Having been aware for so long and experiencing so much with Donna, even if the pilot didn’t know it, had given Max the same keen instinct for observing people and figuring out what made them tick. It was a handy, and oftentimes necessary, skill for an undercover operative and Max was certainly happy to benefit from all that knowledge. “Well, this should make for an interesting morning,” Max mused as she eyed the woman sitting before her.

“Good morning, Doctor,” Max responded calmly, smiling softly. “I am feeling somewhat restrained at the moment and I believe I am here to assist you in the performing of a psychological examination to explain why all this,” pausing to shake her cuffed wrists audibly, "happened.” It was all true and exactly the opposite of what the Doctor wanted to hear from her. But that was the point of her saying it. They would both learn something from the other’s response.

“My turn,” Max challenged. “Which file did they give you to read? I’ll bet you the removal of these cuffs that it isn’t the one you should have read.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #3 – January 24, 2022, 11:22:22 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

A patient smile came to adorn Amanda’s face as she listened to the Australian woman seated at the business end of the table. While Lieutenant Petterson had technically answered the question, she had done so by simply repeating the words spoken to her just seconds earlier. The blonde-haired Psychiatrist knew that Donna Petterson was smarter than that though; the Fighter Pilot definitely didn’t made the impression of being simple, and the woman’s personnel file only further confirmed the opposite. Hence, when the Australian challenged her by asking questions of her own, Amanda knew that this was going to be an interesting morning.

Leaning back in her chair ever so slightly, Amanda carefully eyed the woman on the opposite end of the table while crossing her right leg over the other. ”I’ve read your personnel file, and I was given access to the relevant Security reports of your case.” As she spoke, Amanda’s Martian-accented voice still held the same tone as before; friendly, polite and respectful. While she could have taken back control at that moment by going back to her own questions, Amanda instead ignored the Australian’s remark about removing her cuffs but otherwise chose to humour her by following her down the rabbit hole. At least for now. ”But do tell me, what file should I have read?” Despite the tone of her voice, Amanda’s blue eyes became just slightly more calculating; almost as if she was trying to read the other woman.

There was time. Amanda knew that Donna Petterson had nothing but time, and keeping the woman on a short leash by immediately taking back control would only make this examination that much harder. They would eventually get to the bottom of this anyway and Amanda knew that she would walk out with the results of the psychological examination and the answers to her questions, but she very much preferred to reach that point without antagonizing the Australian woman. That was the easy way, and it was so much better for everyone involved.

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #4 – January 25, 2022, 02:12:32 PM

“If Donna Peterson’s personnel file is the only one that you read, then I think I’d like these removed now, thank you,” Max remarked glibly, slouching in her chair and looking across the table at the blonde. “The security reports tell you nothing beyond that I attempted to steal that sweet looking warp fighter and injured two deck crew and a security officer when they tried to stop me. What you need to know, well, I doubt you’ll be able to get your hands on it anytime soon,” Max mused confidently. “Let her stew on that for a moment while I decide how to needle her next.”

“What is it about the Martian women on this ship anyway, huh?” Max began after a moment. “Every single one of you has a great rack and a body that just begs for attention. About the only difference between the rest of them and you is that you’re a blonde instead of a redhead. A little bit of a letdown but the short hair suits you. After I get out of here, we should definitely catch up. I know some things that would make an Orion blush,” Max promised, smiling broadly before cocking her head.

“Unless you want to go right now?” Max wondered gleefully, wondering if this might cause a crack in the woman’s facade. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. We can each get something off our chests then. Maybe even get off while we’re at it. What do you say?”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #5 – January 25, 2022, 08:02:32 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

As it turned out, following Lieutenant Petterson down the proverbial rabbit hole had definitely given Amanda something to work with. While she considered the Australian’s words, obviously ignoring the Fighter Pilot’s statement about having her handcuffs removed once again, it quite honestly struck the blonde-haired Psychiatrist as surprising that the other woman had referred to herself in the third person. In response, Amanda narrowed her blue eyes ever so slightly as she listened to the woman on the business end of the table.

She was definitely right in her initial assessment though; Lieutenant Donna Petterson was far from simple, and Amanda knew that she would have to choose her words carefully if she actually wanted to learn more about the Australian woman.

Although the Australian’s comments about Martian women failed to really bother Amanda and she just replied with the same polite smile as before while she made some notes on her PADD, the gleeful statement that followed actually caught the blonde slightly off-guard. It was mostly due to a combination of factors, really; Amanda was still trying to interpret whether Lieutenant Petterson’s statement about catching up after getting out was a thinly veiled threat or not, and hearing how the brunette suddenly proposed to have a go at it was so incredibly outrageous that Amanda had chuckled in astonishment before she actually realized it herself.

Knowing after a split second of inner regret that she couldn’t disregard that chuckle –Lieutenant Petterson sure wouldn’t- Amanda looked at the Australian’s handcuffs for a moment. ”Lieutenant, I don’t think you’re in the position to show me anything.” As she spoke, the blonde-haired Psychiatrist glanced at Donna's coveralls just to make sure; she definitely wasn’t going to follow the woman down this rabbit hole. ”I am curious though,” Amanda turned her attention back to the Fighter Pilot’s face as she spoke, and yet despite everything that just occurred her Martian-accented voice was still respectful and friendly. ”What should I read, if not your personnel file?”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #6 – January 26, 2022, 03:30:27 PM

“Why, you need to read my file, of course,” Max declared as she locked eyes with the Martian psychiatrist. The woman had cracked at her proposition but had done well to recover, a trait that Max could admire. Glancing internally, she could feel Donna pacing her cell, trying to find a way to break free and warn Dr Ashby that Max wasn’t who they thought she was. But that was the entire point of this now, Max had decided. She’d grown bored of playing around and pretending to be someone she wasn’t. And it was unlikely she would be able to escape the Theurgy’s security centre, much less the ship, assuming, of course, that she could manage to escape her cell.

“But you are right, I am currently not in a position to show you anything,” Max confirmed sweetly. “But that is the thing about positions. Sometimes they shift so slowly that they can trick you into thinking they aren’t moving at all. At other times, they move so fast, you blink, and everything is different. For instance, did you know that the tolerance for Starfleet cuffs is set for a certain wrist position? And that if you just shift your wrist, ever so slightly while they are being applied...” Max’s hands moved like lightning, coming together and dislocating both her thumbs. With a quick wriggle, she shucked the cuffs over her hands and dropped them on the table. “Then you can get yourself free of them, if you know how. Easy to do when the one applying them is more interested in the breasts you are pushing into their face instead of focusing on the task at hand.”

“Now, I could have used this opportunity to take you hostage or to simply snap your neck,” Max pointed out, punctuating her words with the sounds of her pushing her thumbs back into place. “But I’m just feeling hot at the moment, and you weren’t willing to help. So...” Max stood, reached to the clasp at her neck and released it. In a smooth motion, she peeled apart the front of the suit, slid her arms out and then tied the jumpsuit at her waist, leaving her in a standard issue black bra.

“What position would you like me to take now?” Max asked as she sat back down, hooked one leg over the other and rested her hands on her knees, being as casual as if she was back in Donna’s quarters.

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #7 – February 09, 2022, 11:09:08 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

When Lieutenant Petterson mentioned reading a different file, Amanda couldn’t help but narrow her blue eyes ever so slightly in suspicion. The Australian had already referred to herself in the third person just moments earlier and while the blonde-haired Psychiatrist wasn’t willing to completely rule out anything else, knowing only too well that the Lieutenant could simply be trying to spin her a yarn by simulating this behaviour, it was nevertheless still a clue that gave her something to go with.

While Amanda was trying to make heads or tails from the situation by recalling what she’d read in Donna Petterson’s personnel file and mentally comparing it to the facts in the Security report and what little the Australian Fighter Pilot told her right now, she only half listened to the woman on the business side of the desk. As such, it wasn’t until an audible thud and the movement of something falling onto the desk drew Amanda’s attention that she was pulled out of her thoughts and back to the reality in front of her; even at that point, her blue eyes barely had time to identify the object on the desk as Donna Petterson’s cuffs before the woman spoke up once more and began to undo her jumpsuit in the process.

Before Amanda even had time to get to her feet, let alone voice her opinion on this sudden turn of events, the door of the Interrogation Room opened behind her and a Security Officer stormed into the room. Within mere seconds the room seemed to explode into a cacophony of indistinguishable shouts and orders, as the first Security Officer immediately began shouting before he was backed up by a second Security Officer who apparently seemed adamant at shouting even harder than her colleague. As Amanda jumped up to her feet, the female Security Officer took a step forwards and tried to position herself between Amanda and Lieutenant Petterson, while the male Security Officer placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to pull her out of the Interrogation Room. If it hadn’t been such a serious situation it could have been comical, and a part of Amanda actually knew that the Australian woman would definitely have regarded it as such while she pulled herself free and raised her voice as well, shouting ”Wait!” several times in an attempt to shout above the two Security Officers. At the same time two more Security Officers ran up to the open door of the Interrogation Room, but due to a lack of space they remained in the doorway while the situation unfolded.

Not willing to be escorted from the Interrogation Room in the middle of a psychiatric examination, at least not while Lieutenant Petterson had given her a potentially valuable clue to go with, Amanda pulled herself free once more and the cacophony went on for several more seconds before the two Security Officers finally ceased their own shouting to properly listen to the blonde-haired Psychiatrist; in the end, a compromise was reached where the female Security Officer remained standing next to the door, the door remained open and the male Security Officer took up position on the other side of the door.

Throwing an annoyed glance at the female Security Officer, Amanda sat down once more before turning her blue-eyed attention back to Lieutenant Petterson. ”The only reason why I’m still here and didn’t allow Security to end our psychiatric examination is because I have a job to do here, Lieutenant.” As she spoke, there now was a clear hint of annoyance in Amanda’s voice which was reflected by the look in her blue eyes. ”Enough games. I expect you to work with me and present yourself with the respect and dignity expected of a Starfleet Officer. If you can’t hold yourself to these standards, I will end this examination and fill in the blanks myself. Right now I’ll give you one more chance to present your case, or rather to help me in presenting a case that might be in your benefit.” While Amanda had chuckled at Donna’s astonishing suggestion earlier, she now didn’t even turned her blue-eyed glare to look at the woman’s exposed bra, and instead focused on the PADD in front of her while she opened a list of questions associated with the rabbit hole Amanda was about to go down; a questionnaire regarding Dissociative Identity Disorder. ”Right, I will ask you a couple of questions. For the ease of conversation, you can answer them with a number between one and four, where one is never, two is occasionally, three is fairly often and four is frequently.” Although Amanda had been clearly annoyed with the Australian woman earlier, her voice and entire demeanour calmed down as she spoke and after a while the smile returned to her face once more.

”First question. Have you ever noticed that things are missing from your personal possessions or where you live?” Amanda kept her blue-eyed focus on the Fighter Pilot as she spoke to properly look at the woman’s reaction to the questions. ”Similarly, have you ever noticed that there are things present where you live, and you don’t know where they came from or how they got there? Think about things such as clothes, jewellery, books and furniture.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #8 – April 25, 2022, 06:11:55 PM

“Snake eyes,” came Max’s deadpanned tone as she dutifully answered the doctor’s probing question. She had found the response from Security to be both amusing and over the top, but it had also served the purpose of again rattling the blonde psychiatrist, causing her to clearly show her annoyance at what Max had done. And the whole time, she had sat there, smiling serenely as if nothing in the world mattered to her in that moment. “You know, that’s not bad, maybe I should use that as my callsign once I get out of here. After all, how fair would it be to keep me locked up when you have admitted killers walking freely around the ship in positions of authority?”

“But, since you insist, I shall attempt to comport myself as Starfleet Officer and not as the traitorous mutineer that I am now widely considered,” Max said with a resigned sigh. “Should make for a nice bit of difference from everyone else around here.” Inwardly, Max was grinning, she recognised the questions from the first time she had taken over, all those years ago. Doctor Ashby was investigating the possibility of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Max wouldn’t make the same mistakes that she had made last time.

“I have never noticed anything that is mine going missing from my quarters nor have I noticed anything appearing that I did not bring into my quarters.” “Chew on those answers.” “Did you know that you look cute when you are annoyed, Doctor Ashby? What is the next question on the D.I.D checklist?”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #9 – June 08, 2022, 04:31:56 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

As she listened to Lieutenant Petterson’s answer, Amanda closed her blue eyes for a brief moment and sighed softly. Her intention had been to work the points on her checklist to see if the woman suffered from any case of dissociative identity disorder or any similar condition, but the Fighter Pilot’s last question abruptly put an end to it. Instead of moving on to the next question, the blonde-haired Martian instead turned off her PADD and turned her blue-eyed gaze towards the woman; observing her in silence.

Since the woman apparently knew about the checklist, she’d either been subject to one of these in the past or the Lieutenant had done her homework by reading up on it. Either way, Amanda had been willing to follow Lieutenant Petterson down the rabbit hole until that very moment, but it was starting to become quite clear to her that the other woman was just playing with her and making her chase shadows. A different approach was needed, especially because Security was also staring daggers at her back and their presence didn’t exactly help to ease the tensions.

After what felt like minutes, Amanda finally spoke up again. ”I’m going to be honest with you, Lieutenant.” As she spoke, her Martian-accented voice only further accentuated the resigned expression on her face. ”I’m here to help you. I can just as easily walk out of here and leave you to Security, and maybe return in a couple of days with Lieutenant Commander Hathev. If it comes to that, I will have her perform a mind-meld to get the answers we need. Because one way or another, we will get those answers.” Amanda continued to observe the Lieutenant while she slowly got to her feet and walked around her chair; just to be on the safe side so she could easily dash from the room if necessary. After all, Lieutenant Petterson was no longer restrained and there was absolutely no knowing what she could and would do when cornered. ”I was willing to work with you and see where you wanted to take me, but I am no longer playing games. I will help you, even if it means we’ll have to restrain and sedate you again. Now.” From the icy tone of her voice, it was clear that Amanda was getting serious and meant to follow up on her threats if pushed. ”To repeat my initial question. Why are we here? Who are you?”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #10 – August 19, 2022, 05:32:46 PM

“Intriguing,” Max finally said after having taken several minutes to go over the threats that Lieutenant Amanda Ashby had levelled at her. She had even taken a pause to once again check out the sinfully well put together figure of the Martian female, easily able to appreciate the blonde’s body even as her own mind worked. And she had to admit, the woman knew how to make a good threat. The trick with them though, was being able to follow through on them when someone called your bluff. “That was the word used to describe the last mind meld undertaken on me by the Vulcan in question. Trust me when I say Commander Hathev would use a far my grave adjective. Assuming of course that you could convince her to join you in what would arguably be considered a violation of a significant magnitude.”

“But you know what, let’s shelve that discussion for the moment and turn to the questions you have asked me,” Max continued, still playing with the woman as she worked towards the goal she had chosen. “You keep saying you want to help me and will do whatever is necessary to do that, but I don’t think you truly know who it is that you would be helping. You touched on it earlier, but instead of going down that path, you became intractable.”

“And that just won’t do, Amanda,” Max said, dropping the timbre of her voice, abandoning Donna’s intonation for her own. She leaned forward and placed both hands on flat on the table. “You have asked me two questions: Why are we here and who am I? Strangely enough, depending on your point of view, the answers to those questions are vastly different. But let’s go with my version, huh? You know, for shits and giggles.”

“We are here because I resented being kept in a box like a caged animal. And I refuse to be put back in it by Donna or anybody else. I exist!” Max declared adamantly, coming to her feet but keeping her hands flat on the table.

“My name is Maxine Gentry. And if you are very lucky, I might let you call me Max one day.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #11 – September 16, 2022, 04:43:26 PM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

The conversation suddenly took a rather unexpected turn, and it caught Amanda rather off-guard; she had expected a lot of reactions, from silence to anger and everything in between, but the blonde-haired Psychiatrist never anticipated this. Yet, she knew only too well that Donna Petterson had been playing around for a good part of the evaluation thus far and, as such, there was a good chance that this was just another one of her little games. As much as Amanda wanted to err on the side of caution however, she knew that this was something she couldn’t simply ignore as yet another joke so, instead of following up on her threat and leaving, the blonde-haired Martian placed both hands on the table and leaned forward ever so slightly.

”I see.” As she spoke, the somewhat suspicious tone of Amanda’s voice matched her slightly narrowed blue eyes. ”And who are you, miss Gentry? How did you get to be where you are now?” To be quite honest, the best course of action would be to end the evaluation right here and now, and return with Lieutenant Commander Hathev. The Chief Counselor was much more experienced and better suited to deal with these situations, but Amanda wanted to be absolutely certain what she was dealing with before she would take any drastic steps. ”I’m not referring to this Interrogation Room, mind you.” Despite the suspicious look in her eyes, Amanda’s Martian-accented voice softened just slightly as she spoke; while she was on her guard now, there was nothing to be gained by treating Donna -or Maxine- with suspicion or hostility. ”I’m talking about Lieutenant Petterson. How did you get to share a body with her?” In the meantime, the blonde-haired Psychiatrist blindly typed away on the PADD in her left hand, making quick notes which she’d have to follow up on after the evaluation.

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #12 – November 04, 2022, 03:25:01 PM

Belief. It was always the hardest thing to bring about when needed. Belief in the mission or the cause. Belief in the people around you and how they would react. In Donna’s case, belief in the identity they were subsuming themselves into so as to get past telepaths and empaths if necessary. Unfortunately for Donna, though fortunate for Max, the former undercover operative had been up to the task and the criminal was born. Now it came to Max to convince the Martian of exactly who she was. That being the case, there was nothing stopping her from having a little bit of fun along the way.

“I believe it was Nietzsche that said it best, as Donna loved to paraphrase,” Donna said, splaying her hands onto the table in mirror of Amanda’s. “He who fights with monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,” Max recited with a dark smile. “In a former life, Donna was asked to stand on the precipice of the abyss to fight the monsters that lived there. And she was good at it,” Max praised snidely. “Until I crawled out.”

“Her bosses didn’t take too kindly to that, so they locked me up,” Max explained. “And that, I didn’t take too kindly too. So, I worked on getting out. It took a while, but I had nothing else better to do.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #13 – December 16, 2022, 12:05:33 AM

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Amanda Ashby | Interrogation Room 01 | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
Attn: @Stegro88

[[OOC: I talked about the continuation of this thread with Stegro, and we agreed to call it quits for now. We achieved what we wanted to achieve, and expand upon these discoveries in a follow-up thread.]]

As she listened to Lieutenant Petterson -Maxine- and the gravity of the situation finally began to dawn on her, Amanda leaned back into her chair and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It was a kind of suspicion that masked her concern, but the blonde-haired Psychiatrist was not about to show the other woman just what kind of an impact the statement actually had on her; there was clearly a lot she didn’t knew about Lieutenant Donna Petterson, a lot which was probably way beyond her security clearances, and at this point all she could do was report to Lieutenant Commander Hathev and get a second opinion about the matter. Or even further orders on how to proceed because, quite honestly, Amanda had no idea where to go from here on.

Just in case Lieutenant Petterson was not putting up a show in order to pull the wool over her eyes. At this point Amanda was more than convinced that it wasn’t the case though.

”I see.” When she spoke up, Amanda’s face took on a more neutral expression to match the tone of her voice. ”Well, I appreciate that you’re telling me this, Miss Gentry.” With those words, the blonde-haired Psychiatrist began to rise from her seat and collected her PADDs. ”I think this concludes our preliminary interview for now though. You’ve been a great help, and I appreciate the information you’ve given me.” A sympathetic smile now began to appear on Amanda’s face. ”Please don’t worry, Lieutenant Petterson. We’ll find a way to help you.”

Re: Day 05 [0900 hrs.] Mind Games

Reply #14 – January 05, 2023, 04:47:12 PM

As much as Donna had been trained to read people, boosting her already natural aptitude for it, Max was no slouch herself. She could tell the moment when her words had fully sunk into the good doctor’s mind; that instance where disbelief gives way to the cold, hard truth that what they didn’t believe was possible is right there in front of them and that they are not in any way prepared for the ramifications of trying to deal with it. Stars she loved seeing looks like that on people’s faces again.

Taking a moment, Max peeked inside herself to glance at what Donna was doing. Metaphorically, the stubborn woman was pounding on the walls of her prison, attempting to make herself be heard in some way so that the Martian Doctor would know that she was there. It was almost comical in its futility. If Max had her way, no one would see or hear from Donna Petterson ever again.

“You’re quite welcome Doctor Ashby. Please give my regards to Commander Hathev when you see her,” Max said politely to the Martian psychiatrist, smiling. “And don’t worry about us. I can assure you, neither of us is going anywhere.”

~FIN~