This is a re-post from r/WritingPrompts.

The Therapist

I turn on the camera, check the sound. It's the thirteenth session with this client. You can never get comfortable with super-vlllains like this.

"We're in session now with client ID 2858, popularly known as The Narc."

"Yes it's short of narciccisism, not drugs. You told me that last time."

"I also asked to come up with a better reason why you have to livestream your crimes, without which you'd rather not do it."

"Yes, because I want the attention."

"That's the easy answer, I don't think it's that simple. Let's focus on the time when you threatened to trigger an earthquake. Whose attention did you want, specifically?"

The Narc is actually giving this a serious consideration. I'm making progress.

"You know, I wanted the world to know me and what I'm capable of. But deep down it's about Shirley."

"The girl who left you."

"Yes." The Narc looks hesitant though.

He continues: "But that doesn't add up either. Shirley knows what I'm capable of, I have nothing to prove to her."

"So what does being a super-villain achieve for you?"

The Narc clearly doesn't like the label. I often bring that label up just to get a reaction from clients.

I can't tell he's thinking hard or he's not happy with my narrative. So I offer him something.

"I think you did all that to get your own attention."

"I don't have split personalities!"

"It's like you've been in a trance so bad you can't see yourself anymore. So you trigger an earthquake to throw you out of that trance. Other people wouldn't matter to you."

The Narc looks real confused now. Maybe he's coming around and accepting my theory.

But before he can give me anything, someone crash through the office window.

Another one follows. It's Terminal-Man and Shell-Man. Are they trying to stop The Narc at something? Maybe The Narc has some kinda bomb in the room?

Interestingly, they get up and point their weapons at me. They're not at all intersted in The Narc.

"I'm sorry it has come to this. I know we've been good friends but we can't let you follow through with this." says Terminal-Man.

"This? This what?" I asked.

"Curing super-vllains. This is all a waste of time. The longer you keep doing this, the likelier you'll turn into one of them, we can't take that chance. So please, follow me and get let's get out of here."

Terminal-Man take The Narc out of the room while Shell-Man is by my side.

Shell-Man apppears hesitant, almost guilty. Is there something more to this?

In a low voice, Shell-Man says to me "Look this is not really about you. You gotta understand, we need these villains."

I'm confused. "Are we not here to safe the world?"

"Yes. But to do that we need something to safe it from. Without the villains we get no budget support. How are we gonna go on being heroes then? Surely you wouldn't want to live in a world without heroes."

The Narc

The camera is on.

"We're in session now with client ID 2858, popularly known as The Narc." says the therapist.

I'm forced to go through this as part of the punishment by the court for committing financial crime. I caused the collapse of two banks, and I did all that live to an audience.

"So whose attention do you really want, specifically?" the therapist asks.

"You know, I wanted the world to know me and what I'm capable of. But deep down it's about Shirley."

That's not true either. Keep digging.

"But that doesn't add up either. Shirley knows what I'm capable of, I have nothing to prove to her."

"So what does being a super-villain achieve for you?" asked the therapist.

Super-villain. Is she being colorful with her language or does she mean it? Is it even professional to bring her own ideology into this?

"I think you did all that to get your own attention." she says.

I'm not adding to this confusion. She continues.

"It's like you've been in a trance so bad you can't see yourself anymore. So you trigger a financial earthquake to throw you out of that trance. Other people wouldn't matter to you."

At this point the door knocks. Before it's answered two men in suits come in.

One of them is Senator Sloan. He promised he'll show up and put this to an end for me. I told him how much I dislike this therapist.

"Miss Chan I'm sorry it has come to this. The eviction is way overdue. You can't operate this anymore, we have to vacate this premise."

I need him here to handle this without the blowing up into a PR disaster.

As I'm leaving with Sloan, the other man reasons with the therapist.

"Miss Chan I'm sure you're a fine therapist but your techniques are not friendly to our friends. We need our friend to keep making money to fund us. Politics run on money too. For you to know our friend that well is a risk we can't afford to take."

She stood speechless as we leave.