Evident to Some - WOrking title

Essentially a back and forth, with some extra, between a doctor and her superior where they discuss the potential consequences concerning a soldier. It's a tad dark in concept.

A young woman adorned in a lab coat, generally suited for that of doctors and specialty civilians, slowly passes through an open door of a higher ranking military official than herself. She carries with her a folder designated to one of her more recent patients.

This particular doctor specializes on what goes on 'between the ears' and she's here to bring concerns to her immediate superior, concerning one: Trevent Sawyer.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Handel.” The older gentlemen greets the good doctor from the confinements of his desk, itself adorned with miscellaneous souvenirs of war.

Ms. Handel lightly drops the folder down onto the man's desk, taking a moment to clear her throat she begins to speak “I'm here about one of your men.”

The General feigns interest in her claim as he c***s an eyebrow more humoring than anything. Before the awkward silence can be broken again by Ms. Handel the older man retorts “Is something amiss, Teresa?”

“General, it's concerning a soldier who was sent to see me recently, his name was,” she pauses as she struggles to remember his name, however everything else about this particular case was weighing much heavier than this particular soldier's moniker.

“Private T. Sawyer?” He remarks looking to the file which prominently displays the soldier's name and rank.

“Yes, regarding the evaluation I was to perform on Mr. Sawyer.”

“I wish we had more like him, he really seems to be born for this purpose.”

“Mr. Sawyer may do well to take a leave of absence so we can better diagnose his difficulties.” She said swallowing afterward, Ms. Handel is not the most confident woman even in a position of considerable importance.

“Mr. Sawyer is having difficulties? He has been nothing but exceptional since he enlisted for basic training, this very moment he is performing for our species in a war that has never once turned in our favor.” The General raised his hand as he paused to clear his throat, his hand then lowers back resting on the desk “excuse me.”

“Y, yes.” Teresa responded timidly trying to regain the purpose of why she came to him in the first place.

“However, Mr. Sawyer has raised a number of flags in tests I had him do for me. These flags generally express anything from instability mentally or some sort of mental distress.”

The General further humoring the younger doctor swiftly scooped up the file and holding it in his large palm began to flip through just barely skimming the surface of the apparently troubling documentation regarding Trevent Sawyer.

“As I said before, Pvt. Sawyer has done nothing but exceed expectations. Why is it that you feel, that he needs to be removed from duty so adamantly, Teresa?” the General was clearly a much more intimidating figure than herself, and held himself with a higher regard than she likely held herself.

“I just think, it would be neglectful to let Mr. Sawyer potentially,” she paused biting her lip to think of the proper word, “self-destruct.” she finished her eyes showing a sincerity not easily expressed.

“I have served in the field, I've been on the front lines when my name was called. I've read several reports written about the conduct in which Mr. Sawyer carries himself and quality of work he produces. He is the nightmare for our enemies that we covet the most.” The General promptly flips the folder closed and drops it back to his desk, having hardly acknowledged the pleas of Ms. Handel.

“Through a series of questions we saw stark responses from Mr. Sawyer that expressed a clear disregard for life.”

“Teresa, the man is fighting a war, for his family and for his friends. He and many others fight and kill day and night, soldiers cannot have an over-sensitivity towards life. This is war.” He looked down at her as the light from the large windows flickered as a low flying bird passed by.

“It's not that he devalues the life of his enemies, but from carefully observed and re-observed brain mapping, and neural procedures, as well as strategic questionings,” She was rambling at this point and even a caring individual would have stopped her dead, let alone a powerful speaker such as the General.

“What did he say?”

“Well through conclusive means of unearthing the truths in his words we discover,”

“Teresa,” he interrupts once more, “what did Mr. Sawyer say?”

“It's not what he says but what it means?” She responds a little taken back.

“In our culture, a man's word is as good as any 'probative' testing.”

“Sir, Mr. Sawyer is losing a fight internally that's more powerful than any weapon those things can throw at him. Further flooding his senses with blood and slaughter will not produce any kind acceptable results as a human or soldier.”

The general lets out a low audible chuckle under his breath, but clearly heard by Dr. Handel, “sir, Mr. Sawyer sees himself as a sentinel of death. He could potentially make very dire decisions that will reflect on his life, lasting long after he's dead.” She finally blurts out, likely quoting a line from her own evaluation of the young man in question.

“I don't know what you're going off about, Teresa. You're singling out a young man with a very real future ahead of him, slandering him for something that has NO probability of happening. If he was shot and wounded tomorrow you would likely feel as depressed as you ever have in your life.” The General paints a grim picture of the futility of war and enunciates masterfully.

However Teresa gathers up the file and papers, then decides to say one last thing as she finds herself at odds end to be understood. “Mr. Sawyer exhibits signs of a sociopathic nature, the same people who murder indiscriminately. His job is to fire a rifle, I don't think it's right to subject him to these images on a daily basis!” She raised her voice and stood firm in the doorway trying to be assertive after dispensing the most powerful part of her findings.

The General however appears to have found comfort in other things, drawing a pen and a paper from his to-do list followed by a halfhearted grunt “Good bye, Teresa.”

Dr. Handel slowly walks back towards her office within the compound, her head down, her arms clutching the folder. She stays strict to her pace until finally dropping into her chair letting out an exasperated sigh, with the folder falling onto the desk next to her Computer Terminal.

On the terminal is her final write up, that she is obligated to finish on behalf of the military and their program that ensures the health and upkeep of soldiers in the field. It feels rather redundant however that she continue to raise these issues with her superiors, as no one of interest sees the report until the subsequent trials and or summits resulting in calls for reform.

It's true Teresa hadn't seen the horrors and realities of war, when you're on the field and the only thing left to grip to is a rifle capable of ending whole families.

The truth is Trevent Sawyer is just the next one, in a long line of celebrated serial killers working for the military. For all the bad they may eventually commit against the human race, they will have likely killed thousands of enemy troops, destroyed hundreds of enemy vehicles all along a brutal campaign that inevitably ends in tragedy.

It is well documented when these soldiers are put into a situation where the environment is much more urban, and populated by human civilians a dense number of casualties can be accumulated.

As a frantic woman rattles off a report, millions of miles away on a planet too far to be seen by humane eyes a fresh batch of human soldiers embark on a mission into a desert occupation. Where potential human civilians are being kept as collateral for possible terrorist acts to further evoke action from the UN forces.

One human soldier charged with liberating this particular encampment is that same Pvt. Trevent Sawyer, of whom the good doctor was so concerned.

With over 78+ confirmed kills to his name Pvt. Sawyer is held in high regards among his squad, and his superiors often task him with the more intense situations where a calm head is required.

They embark up the pathway towards the desert encampment that is currently occupied by enemy forces, just as millions of miles away that same doctor is finishing her report.

Trevent Sawyer has exhibited many signs that he finds it easy to dehumanize himself and those around him. He has shown that it is not only a disregard for the enemies that he sees daily, but the people around him and those he's supposed to protect.

There is a high probability that if Pvt. Sawyer is not relieved and these issues addressed, that potential consequences will be inevitable.

The Captain of the group signals to Sawyer to hop up around the back of one of the major compounds, as he complies the rest of the team assembles around the entrances. Tactical grenades are thrown in that are used to distract and stun the potential targets inside.

The command is given for 'safeties off and weapons high' the group operates in unison charging inside and beginning the liberation easily systematically conquering the obstacles within.

We have seen many times, well documented cases where other professionals have addressed other soldiers with the same potentially dangerous signs as Pvt. Sawyer. Documentation from case studies performed on Sgt. Jackson Presley and Pvt. Miller O'nally, where soldiers exhibited sociopathic tendencies and were not properly handled. Heavily commented already the case of Jackson Presley and the murder suicide committed which killed over 9 UN soldiers of varying ranks and purpose.

Regarding Sgt. Jackson his case file clearly outlined the potential of acting out in that manner, where as I fear the potential for Pvt. Trevent Sawyer may have the probability for a much more demoralizing end.

The group stakes out another building as the dust clouds begin to swarm around them compromising some of the vision even regarding the advancements in their suits and equipment. The red and yellow blurs they've been taught to cope with, so as they come to this final identical setup with a powerful sun illuminating every possible shadow Pvt. Sawyer takes his place in heaven.

They act in unison and dispense of the last of their tactical equipment having this last building to liberate. The group below charges in with guns high and proper form, the Captain notices the silence and the absence of enemy activity.

The Captain organizes the group and radios to Sawyer over the comm system with which they are connected through suit mechanics, “Sawyer, what's your status?” he calls a second time.

He alerts his team that Sawyer may have been compromised and the group splits up 2 to a side and they embark up the poorly crafted staircases. A thin railing that would barely support the weight of a fully equipped soldier if he leaned on it.

The two groups met at the top ceiling bunker within the compound, for the most part the rest of it was pretty well open and used mostly for housing supplies for the community that existed in this encampment. A proper meager living but still, they had every right to live within the UN's territories.

The Captain attempted radio once more as the 4 stood outside the door to the roof bunker, generally referred to as heaven in a squeeze. “Sawyer, we are outside heaven and coming in, stay low.”

The Captain postures in front of the door and sends a heavy weighted kick into it slamming it in two and falling to the ground with the bottom half clinging to the hinges. Inside heaven it was a darkened area but it was clear you could see Sawyer walking out from the shadows with nary a scratch on him.

“Sawyer?” One of the group asks as he walks through the doorway and past them.

The Captain picks something up from inside his suit, and tells the other two to go with Sawyer to the extraction point where they'll have a shuttle waiting. The other soldiers comply and retreat from the compound behind Pvt. Sawyer.

War brings out the absolute worst in us, and it takes a clear and stable mind to be able to handle what difficulties are brought to us. As a doctor of mental health I may never fully understand the merits of a particular mind in armed combat when it means the safety and never compromising heart of the Human worlds all strung together.

But when a potentially unstable mind acts out, it may be a situation no one possibly saw coming. And as much as it may hurt the integrity of the program of which we all abide, it may very well destroy what was once a good hearted human being.

The Captain takes a step inside the box room to confirm what he was told, and he grits his teeth as he looks on in disbelief at a small lifeless body on the dusty floor matted in blood. He kicks the bottom half of the door hanging off the hinges and as he leaves the room he mutters under his breath, “Christ Sawyer....” he holds back letting anymore slip out, and furiously exits the compound to awaiting team.

The look on Sawyer's face is one the Captain has been trained to deal with, it's not something that comes easy in fact it comes with much more weight than any other.

Private Trevent Sawyer was born a killer, and it will one day be tasked upon one of them to end his life's work prematurely as has happened hundreds of times before..

Before we lose another one, please consider these findings. It may not mean much to the world, but it would mean the world to this young man and his loved ones.

Signed:

Dr. Teresa Handel

Author's Note

You can pick at anything and everything, I want to get better at writing a less comedic way. Any tips/faults will hopefully help me with future writing or conceptual thinking.