Extrinsic

Twelve

“I’m sorry Nina, but Commander Richard is not here at the moment, he’s at the military base taking care of important matters.” His assistant, Izar sat behind his desk across from me, while I crossed my arms in my own chair.

“Then call him, I have to talk to him right now. It’s urgent,” I demanded.

Izar just shook his head at me, and laughed.

“Nina, the Commander already has a lot of responsibilities he has to take care of. If you have an issue, I’m sure it can be resolved with the many resources we have to offer. In fact, here’s a list of people you can talk to. Is this a work issue? You can contact the-”

I slammed my hands on the table which got him to shut up and stare at me in shock. I leaned forward in my chair and it was my turn to smile at him.

“Izar I get you’re trying to do your job but I’m pretty sure no one on your list can help me. I have to talk to the Commander right now.”

Izar just scoffed.

“Nina, he can’t talk to you right now. In case you haven’t realized we’re losing troops on the front lines right now and the Commander is doing his best to make sure we don’t lose anymore. Your issue can be dealt with here.”

“No. I don’t think you understand.”

“Then tell me what is wrong and I will take care of it.”

Izar was getting irritated with my behavior but at this point I didn’t care. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. He folded his hands on his desk in front of him and watched me, waiting to hear what I had to say.

“I’m not like my mother, or my sister. Everyone knows that. I can’t leave my father, okay? I don’t think you realize what’s going to happen to him if I leave.” I started.

Izar’s eyes softened.

“If this is about your service being needed, we have counselors you can talk to.” I just laughed at his response.

“Izar. I’m the freak. I’m the only one living on the moon who can’t look out into space without having a panic attack. I can’t go down to Earth, I’ll die. You can’t send me down there.”

“I understand your concern, but only those who are healthy enough to fight were eligible for the draft. You have no medical records of a mental disorder Nina. This ‘anxiety’ you speak of, is only temporary, you’ll grow out of it.”

I slammed my hands onto his desk again but this time Izar didn’t jump, he kept a straight face.

“There’s no medical record because no one believes me, but if you guys would actually test me and send me to a specialist, then you’ll see what I’m talking about. Everyone has been telling me I would grow out of it since I was kid. Well guess what? I’m nineteen and it’s still here.” I hissed.

Izar just leaned back.

“Here’s what we’ll do, Miss Nina. I’m going to make an appointment for you to get a full mental and physical exam. If your theory turns out to be true then you are unfit for combat and can stay, but if it’s wrong, you still have to fight. Your people could really use your help down there.”

I rolled my eyes but nodded my head and sat back down.

He picked up the phone on his desk and started to book my appointment.

I left his office with a post-it note that said my appointment was in two days.
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Thank you for reminding me about this! Let's get this ball rolling.