The woman was already sitting at the table when he was lead in, shuffling since his ankles were manacled together. She sat patiently, her eyes on him as she waited for him to be seated. "Hello, Mr. Stevens. I've been sent here to assess you." Her eyes flicked to the guards standing on either side of him against the wall. "You may leave, I'll call you when we're finished."
The younger guard had started shaking his head before she even finished speaking. "No, ma'am. The prisoner is not allowed to be anywhere without a guard present."
One of the woman's eyebrows raised imperiously, "I appreciate that you haven't had this experience before, but psychological assessments are best conducted with as few witnesses as possible. I'll wait while you check with the Warden. This has already been arranged."
The young guard glanced at the other guard who tipped his head toward the hallway. The young man stepped out and was visible through the window using his radio to call up her request. After a few moment he returned, "It's like she said, she's supposed to be left alone with him." The other guard stared at him, so the young man shrugged and added, "From on high."
The older man glanced over at the woman but before he could say anything she spoke up, "If Mr. Stevens decides to kill me, your presence will not stop him." The guard's eyebrows raised in surprise. The woman smiled, more a baring of teeth, "I'm aware of Mr. Stevens' background and skill set."
The older guard stared at her for several long moments before nodding, "As you say, ma'am. We'll be right outside the door."
"Thank you."
The two men stepped out and closed the door behind them leaving the woman in silence with the prisoner on the opposite side of the table. She inhaled and started again, "As I said, Mr. Stevens, I have been sent here to assess you as the results of the previous attempts were deemed inconclusive."
"Because they was morons." The first words the man had spoken were tossed out contemptuously, the obvious implication being that she was not much different from her predecessors.
The woman seemingly ignored the statement and continued, "I've read all your files and the government has sent me to assess you. I am familiar with your background and skill set as I told the guards, so we're going to skip straight to the part where I ask you questions and gauge your responses."
"So who sent you?"
"The United States government."
The man snorted, "They want you to decide what to do with me?"
"The government has already decided what they want done, they want me to have a couple sessions with you and declare you fixed, Mr. Stevens, so you can return to the field. You were exceptional among your peers. The government expended a great deal of money on you and they want a return on their investment so they sent me to see if that was feasible."
"You gone tell them what they want to hear?"
"That depends on you." She shifted in the chair, crossing her legs. "Let's start with your feelings about your father." She could swear she saw his lips twitch.
