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James Axler - Outlanders - Devil in the Moon
"That's true," Brigid replied matter-of-factly, then fell silent.
Eljay eyed them all critically, as though he found something in their
appearance or manner substandard.
His next question surprised and confused them all. "Are you familiar with the
practice of distributive analysis?"
Before any of them could so much as shake then-heads, Eljay said crisply,
"It's a question-and-answer technique. The queries are directed by the
psycho-therapist along the lines suggested by the patient's symptoms,
problems, attitudes and fantasies. You ap-parently are fantasizing that you're
in charge here.
That shows a cognitive disorder. The only way it can be effectively treated is
if you cooperate with me."
"Is that what's going on here?" Kane ventured. "A therapy session?"
Eljay regarded him bleakly. "Everything in the Valley of the Divinely Inspired
revolves around ther-apy, young man. That's how we have survived and thrived.
That's why we have no dysfunctional citizens among us. In order for me to
provide both a diagnosis and prognosis for you three, you must cooperate."
Kane stopped short of rolling his eyes skyward, but Grant snorted derisively.
Brigid interposed, "We're here under duress, through coercion. Therefore, due
to those circum-stances, any diagnosis you'd make would be highly questionable
as to its accuracy."
For the first time Eljay showed an emotion other than disapproval. His
pendulous lips creased in a cold smile. "A very good point. However, I can
change the circumstances by permitting you to be admitted for elective
observation and treatment."
Brigid matched his frosty smile. "Isn't forcing us to participate in an
elective program something of a contradiction?" Her emphasis on the word
elective fairly dripped with sarcasm.
Eljay seated his pince-nez more firmly on his nose and blinked at her over the
frames. "It's a form of counterinvestment, I must admit. However, I'd had good
luck with it in the past. For example " he pointed the caduceus toward
Sardonicus '' the doc-tor here once suffered from hebephrenia, a variety of
schizophrenia marked by exceptionally foolish behav-ior and compulsive
laughter. He laughed all the time and even thought it would be a joke to
replace his bad teeth with steel ones. A very wasteful undertak-ing."
"And it hurt like hell, too," Sardonicus said flatly.
Eljay didn't appear to have heard him. "Ordinary therapies only exacerbated
the problem. He just laughed during the sessions, a very disquieting out-come.
So I applied counterinvestment to his condi-tion. If he was compelled to laugh
at everything yet constantly trying not to, I determined the best course of
treatment was to make it easier for him."
Lifting an index finger to the corners of his mouth, Eljay made two sharp,
upcurving motions. "I gave him a perpetual grin. After the surgery, the acute
symptomology all but disappeared& didn't it, Doc-tor?"
Sardonics dipped his shaved head in a short bow. "It did indeed. I find very
little worth laughing about now."
Kane murmured, "I can't imagine why."
Eljay swept the snake-decorated staff to encompass the ampitheater. "So, if I
force you three interlopers to undergo elective therapies, you'll be able to
face your disorders and become valuable members of our community."
Affecting a bored, almost detached tone, Brigid Baptiste asked, "What do you
propose as the first step in counterinvestment therapy?''
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James Axler - Outlanders - Devil in the Moon
Eljay pursed his lips again as if pondering the mat-ter. ' 'I should say an
object lesson would be the most beneficial. Psychodrama will allow you to gain
insight and render you more tractable and cooperative."
"What the hell is pyschodrama?" Grant de-manded.
Eljay's head swiveled toward him, eyes flicking up and down his body in swift
appraisal. "Essentially, patients assume roles that provide them with the
op-portunity to act out their internal conflicts and reveal repressed
material. I'd judge you have a severe prob-lem dealing with authority figures.
Therefore, one of my staff oh, let us say Groundskeeper Hogan will assume an
authoritarian role. You will then act out your resentment. By working
together, you will even-tually come to terms with your problem."
He paused, smiled slyly, and added, "If you sur-vive the first session, that
is."
"You're talking trial by combat," Brigid snapped angrily. "A gladiatorial
contest."
Eljay shrugged as if the matter were of little im-portance. "What were the
gladiatorial games of an-cient
Rome but elaborately staged psychodramas?"
Kane cleared his throat. "If Grant survives, what's the pay off& besides his
life?"
"All of you will be allowed to remain here as pa-tients. Who knows, perhaps as
your therapy pro-gresses you might even become valued members of the
sanatorium's staff& like good Dr. Sardonicus."
Grant glared at Eljay from beneath his furrowed brow. "Let me get this
straight," he growled. "If I fight and win, that'll make us worthy to stay
here and undergo even more therapies?"
Eljay nodded. "That is so."
In a remarkably gentle tone, Kane inquired, "Wouldn't it be easier and a lot
more efficient to just and it's a wild concept, I know let us go back to where
we came from?"
Eljay's response was short and brooked no debate. "No."
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