If there was one thing Dr. Culver couldn't stand it was a last minute notice, like the one that was sprung on him this particular morning. He was wearing a scowl on his face when he walked into the room where Rachel's session was being held. This, however, did not concern Rachel nearly as much as the man that immediately followed Dr. Culver into the room. The moment the tall, dark man walked into the room the overhead lights hummed and flickered. Dr. Culver froze in mid stride and glared up at the lights. There was panic in his eyes. "Mommy," the little girl's voice from the tape cried out in his head. The voice he now referred to as the "anomaly." The lights only flickered on and off a couple of times, but every time they went off Rachel noticed the tall, dark man staring at her, his steely, silver eyes penetrating the blackness.

When the lights finished, the two men took a seat across from Rachel. Dr. Culver did so rather tentatively, still glaring at the lights above him.

"Rachel," Dr. Culver finally said, regaining his composure. "I would like to introduce you to Professor Qara. He is going to be observing our session today."

Professor Qara reached across the table, offering his hand to Rachel. She took it unwillingly. She could tell his hands were very cold even through the thick, black gloves he was wearing.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," he said.

"Thanks," she replied at a loss. What a strange thing to say, she thought. And then, noticing the bewildered look on Dr. Culver's face, she felt a little more at ease and added, "It is a pleasure to meet you too."

"All right, then. Now that the introductions are out of the way," Dr. Culver said. "Let us begin, shall we?"

Play it safe: that was the theme of the session. Dr. Culver didn't want to do anything at all to upset Rachel in front of Professor Qara. He felt that he was already walking a tightrope, so Dr. Culver made sure to steer clear of the triggers that had set Rachel off in the past.

"Well, that was a very good session, Rachel," Dr. Culver said and began packing away his things. "I feel that we made real progress today." This, of course, was a lie. In truth, he felt that it had been a completely worthless session. No progress had been made. He found out nothing new or helpful. And he got nowhere near the meat of the matter. No progress whatsoever. He may as well have stayed home. At least everything went smoothly. Professor Qara would have nothing negative to report back to the committee.

"Excuse me, Dr. Culver," Professor Qara said. "I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask Rachel, if you don't mind?"

But Dr. Culver did mind. This was his patient. But how would it look to the committee if he didn't grant Professor Qara this freedom? He didn't know.

"No, I don't mind," Dr. Culver said, flatly. He had liked Professor Qara when he was quietly observing, but now, a feeling of hatred churned in Dr. Culver's gut as Professor Qara took center stage.

"I was wondering about the tape," Professor Qara said, turning his attention to Rachel.

"You watch it, you die," she blurted out. She didn't like the professor. He had done nothing but stare at her with those creepy eyes the whole session.

"Yes... yes, I gathered that from Dr. Culver's notes. That is not what I am interested in. I am more concerned about the tape itself."

"What about it?" Rachel asked.

"Professor Qara," Dr. Culver interrupted. "Perhaps we should have a quick word outside."

"In just a moment, doctor," Professor Qara replied. "You destroyed the tape, did you not?"

"Yes, I destroyed it."

"Professor Qara," Dr. Culver demanded. He knew the direction the professor was going headed for disaster.

"Dr. Culver please," Professor Qara insisted and stared Dr. Culver down. "Just a minute... that is all I am asking for."

Never in all his days as a psychiatrist had Dr. Culver been treated like that. Anger seethed within him.

"What I am most interested in," Professor Qara said, turning back to Rachel, "is what you did with the two copies that you and your son made."

Not once in all the sessions with Dr. Culver had this question come up. It took her a bit by surprise. Why did he want to know, she asked herself. What good could possibly come from him knowing? Her first instinct was to lie and tell him that she destroyed those tapes as well but there was something inside her that stopped her from doing this. Something deep within her wanted to tell him the truth, something that would not be denied.

"I took them to a video store," she finally said.

"Which video store?" Professor Qara asked.

"Professor, really! What difference does that make?" Dr. Culver couldn't stand it anymore. He had to say something.

Professor Qara shot him a quick, disapproving look and then turned back to Rachel. She didn't want to tell him which video store she had taken the tapes to. She felt that if did something terrible was going to happen. A ringing came to her ears. She fought it. The ringing became a screech but she still did not give in. The screech grew louder and her vision began to blur. The only thing in focus was a pair of eyes in front of her. They were searching, burrowing into her soul for the answer she was so desperately trying to keep from them. Her head felt like it was about to explode. Then...

"MARVIN'S VIDEORAMA, YOU SON OF A BITCH! THERE, I SAID IT! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The screeching stopped and Rachel collapsed. Two orderlies rushed in and carried her away.

"I am a bit confused, professor," Dr. Culver said. "Maybe you can explain it to me. Just what exactly was the point of that line of questioning? What were you hoping to achieve?"

"You should be happy, doctor. We made progress today."

"Progress? How was that progress?"

"She had to face her own delusions. The outburst was a result of that realization. You see, doctor, her delusions are bound by rules, which she has set for herself. Both you and I know that there is no tape. Deep down she knows it too. And if there is no tape then everything she believes is false. For you see, doctor, in her mind, it all began with the existence of the tape. It started it all. Now, however, she realizes that there is no tape and that is progress."

"And why would she come to that realization, professor?"

"She has no choice now. When I asked her about the copies she made it confused her. The reason it confused her is because she had forgotten about them. She knew that she couldn't say that she destroyed them like she did the original because of the rules that she has set for herself. In her mind, she knows that she would have said that she destroyed them along with the original when you first asked her about it, but she didn't. So if she did not destroy them, then they still exist, and if they still exist then they must be somewhere, and ultimately she would know where. But she doesn't know where they are because they don't exist. That is why she took so long to answer. She had to create a new fabrication in her story, and during the time it took to create that fabrication she came to realize that her whole story was a fabrication. Thus causing the outburst that we witnessed."

Dr. Culver hated to admit it, but it made sense. Still, he did not agree with the professor's tactics. He felt that a "meeting of the minds" was in order.

"What are you doing tonight, professor?"

"Ah, I am afraid that I have other business to attend to this evening. I am free tomorrow."

"Excellent. Tomorrow it is," Dr. Culver said.

Judging by the doctor's demeanor, Professor Qara knew that Dr. Culver bought his explanation completely. However, he sensed that in the long run the good doctor would become a liability... a liability that would have to be dealt with.