[ WP ] A psychologist has to defeat his patient 's inner demons . Literally .

Dr. Silverstone clicked his pen absentmindedly, trying to remember the name of his next client. It started with a M, or an H, but he could n't quite remember which. Leaning forward, he pressed a button on his desk, and the intercom crackled to life. `` Who's appointment is next?'' 
 
 A young, bouncy female voice answered, sounding ecstatic just being alive. `` The two o'clock is Mr. Shackleton, Doctor!'' 
 
 With a grunt, he leaned back again, releasing the intercom button, and scribbled down the name. Apparently it was n't an M *or* an H. Filling out the rest of the form, he paused at the last section. 
 
 *Reason for therapy: _________________* 
 
 Glancing up at the clock, Dr. Silverstone saw that it read 2:03. Shackleton was late. Leaving the last spot blank, he placed the pen and clipboard down, and was just about to reach for the intercom again when it turned on by itself. He could practically feel the smile through the intercom when she said, `` The two o'clock has arrived, Doctor!'' 
 
 Frowning, he glared at the speaker that lay on his desk. She must be new. No one smiled for long when they worked next to him. 
 
 He was about to stand up, when the door opened, and a small, rather disheveled man peered in. `` Is this the right place?'' 
 
 Dr. Silverstone raised his eyebrows. `` There's only one office in this building, so unless you wanted to find an empty room to cry in, this is where you need to be.'' He gestured to the red couch that lay in front of his desk, and rolled his own chair around, scooping up the clipboard as he went. 
 
 Hesitantly, the man sat down on the edge of the couch, and folded his hands in front of him. For a brief moment, he was still, but then he started nervously tapping his shoe. Dr. Silverstone watched this with a skeptical eye, until the man noticed, and forced himself to stop 
 
 `` Lie down, make yourself comfortable.'' While the sentence was amiable enough, the doctors tone made it sound more like a threat. A grumpy threat. Glancing down at his clipboard, he took off his glasses. `` You are... Mr Shackleton, right?'' 
 
 The man had started wringing his hands, but he lay down obediently. `` Nackleton, actually. Timothy Nackleton.'' 
 
 `` Hmph.'' Silverstone scribbled a note down. He probably had n't felt like correcting the intern when she got his name wrong. `` Well, I suppose we had better get to work, then.'' Glancing over at the figity man, he frowned. `` Put your arms at your sides and hold still, for Pete's sake.'' 
 
 Puzzled, Nackleton slowly obeyed. `` Um, excuse me, but... are you really a therapist, sir?'' 
 
 `` What makes you say that, Nackle?'' growled Dr Silverstone. He fumbled around on his desk for a moment, looking for something. 
 
 The man frowned. `` I thought therapists were supposed to be... I dunno, nice and cheerful, or something.'' 
 
 Finally finding the thing he was looking for, a black remote, he rolled his chair back to the couch, and checked Nackleton over, tucking in any bits that stuck out too far. `` Never liked those half-witted excuses for therapists, always dancing around the issue with their *talking* and their *sympathizing*. It's much simpler just to get to the root of the problem.'' With that, he pressed a big red button on the remote. 
 
 Immediately, large metal bands slid out from under the couch and wrapped themselves around Mr. Nackleton, securing his so tightly they knocked the air out of him. A feeble scream escaped his lips. 
 
 Guiding his chair back around behind the desk, Dr. Silverstone punched in a couple more buttons on the remote. Bright lights flared from each corner, and a panel opened in the wall, revealing an array of glowing weapons, from a tiny, shining dagger, to a massive broadsword. Picking up a pair of curved blades, he swung them around experimentally. 
 
 `` Wha... What's going on?'' Nackleton was frantic, struggling against his bonds. `` Who are you? What are you going to do to me?'' He paused, gasping from the exertion. 
 
 `` I'm your therapist, Mr Nackleton. This is going to be your first, and hopefully *only* session.'' Discarding the dual swords, he picked up an axe, the head glowing with an unearthly light. He tested the edge on his finger, and it passed right through, leaving an ice cold wake behind it. Hefting it over his shoulder, he turned back toward the couch, and pressed one more button on the remote. `` Lets get started.'' 
 
 Immediately, the couch started to glow, and Nackleton screamed again, holding it out for several seconds before running out of breath. Gasping, he screamed again, but this time it was deeper, strange coming from a man so small. This time it did n't stop, instead just getting louder and louder, until it shook the walls. 
 
 A dark blob appeared on Nackleton's chest, and quickly grew. Looking carefully, Dr. Silverstone decided the slight tinge of blue probably meant it was anxiety, which made sense, considering how nervous the man seemed. 
 
 It got bigger and bigger, leaving Nackleton's chest and stretching up to the ceiling. It was enormous, bigger than anything Silverstone had seen before, and he had to suppress a twitch. Anxiety fed off of fear, so it was better to give it as little as possible. 
 
 Finally, it stopped ballooning. At the top, a gaping mouth appeared, stretching wide. The wailing continued, but by now it was clearly inhuman, a screech beyond the reach of human vocal chords. 
 
 Rather suddenly, the screaming stopped, and the blob slithered off of the glowing couch to the ground. Above the dripping maw, two sideways slits opened, each with a mass of tiny blue dots. The swirling eyes gazed down at Silverstone. 
 
 Not wasting a moment, the doctor swung his axe, aiming to slice it clean in two. It hissed, and slid away from the blow. It stretched out, getting thinner and longer, until it resembled an enormous, oozy snake. Curling up, it watched Silverstone carefully. 
 
 Lifting his axe defensively, he stalked closer to the beast, watching for any movement. With every step forward, it curled tighter and tighter, looking ready to strike. 
 
 But he was ready for it. He feigned forward, and the anxiety struck, mouth gaping wide. Dodging to the side, he swung the axe in a small arc, and the glowing blade sliced right through the neck of the snake as it flew by. 
 
 The two separate pieces fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The cut edges started dissolving, and he kicked them into a corner to finish disappearing. With a sigh, Silverstone sat back down, placing the axe casually on his desk. 
 
 Scooping up the clipboard and pen, he scribbled down a summary of the session. Halfway through, a huffing got his attention. Nackleton was still bound to the couch, and he was watching the snake dissolve with wide eyes. `` What *was* that?'' Glancing briefly at the doctor, his eyes focused on the glowing axe. `` Did you just... kill it?'' 
 
 `` That was your Anxiety, Nackle. It's gone, for now. You get to experience a bit of freedom from it.'' Peering over the clipboard, he looked Nackleton in the eyes. `` But you ca n't be lazy about it. If you let it, it'll simply grow back.'' 
 
 Nackleton would n't look at him, instead gazing over Silverstone's shoulder, avoiding eye contact. `` Why'd you kill the snake, but not that one?'' 
 
 There was a moment of silence. 
 
 And then Silverstone spun around, twisting the cap on his pen as he went. A glittering blade burst from the tip of the pen, and he swung out behind him. 
 
 But he was too late. Something small and fast hit his face, knocking him from the chair. They hit the ground, and Silverstone dropped the pen, instead grabbing frantically at the tiny demon that snarled and scribbled at his eyes. It was strong, and at the ends of its hands and feet were sharp claws. 
 
 When he finally got a grip on it, he peeled it from his face, and held it up. From the glimpses he got, he saw no color, aside from its eye, which was a single ball of dark red hate. It was a suicidal thought, the most dangerous of all. 
 
 It scratched at his wrists, trying to get closer to him, and it was all he could do to hold it in place. Rolling over, he pinned it against the floor with his whole body weight, and reached out for his pen with his free hand. Snatching up the blade, he lifted up and stabbed at the ground beneath him. 
 
 There was nothing there, and the blade stabbed into the floor, stopping at the pen hilt. It hit with such force that the pen snapped, and the blade fizzled away. 
 
 Abandoning useless pen, he whirled around, just in time to see the little dark demon launch itself toward him again, and he raised his arms to cover his face. 
 
 Between his arms, he saw a flash of light, and a horrible gurgling noise. When nothing happened, he peeked out. 
 
 The demon lay on the floor, cut clean in half, and a young woman wearing a sweater and jeans stood before it. She was holding one of the swords from the rack, and she lowered it. She wiped her brow and grinned at the doctor. `` Whew! Good thing I came in when I did, huh?'' 
 
 He recognized her voice from the intercom, and gazed at her disbelievingly. `` You're the new intern?'' 
 
 She smiled even wider, teeth shining almost as much as the sword. `` Yep! Heard some weeeird noises in here, so I decided to see if you needed any help. Saw the little monster and a bunch of glowing weapons, so I did what seemed the most prudent. I stabbed the little bugger with the first thing I could get my hands on!'' She stuck her hand out to help him up. `` This was certainly an interesting first day on the job!'' 
 
 Taking her hand and standing up, he gave her a once over. She was spattered in dark flecks, held a glowing sword, and had possibly just saved his life. Despite himself, Dr. Silverstone grinned back at her. Maybe this one was a keeper. 
 
 From the couch, Nacklton cleared his throat. `` So... do I pay at the front?''
