Page 5 of PSYCHOlogical

I closed his folder. “Now that we’ve determined you acted in accordance with your training and had no control over the armed neighbor, explain how having a woman target made you feel.”

“Guilt. I’m used to that.” His gaze fell to the floor. “This time it’s different. I feel regret.” He looked up. “That’s what I’m struggling with. She seemed, I don’t know, like a typical housewife.”

“Does it trouble you that she looked like a housewife?”

“The housewife comment was an observation.” He lifted his brows and shook his head. “Until now, I’ve been convinced these assignments are securing the safety of this Nation. Feeling regret is a new thing for me. I don’t know that I like it.”

Vincent’s justification for completing his missions was derived by convincing himself the targets posed an imminent threat to the security or welfare of the Nation. The regret he felt made sense, as his justification was likely missing—typically, men didn’t feel threatened by women.

If we could agree that she was a threat, it would be the first step in minimizing his feelings of regret.

“None of your previous assignments were women,” I said. “None that I’m aware of.”

“That is correct.”

“If you were in combat, and encountered her in the streets of Fallujah, what would have been your reaction?”

“If she was armed?”

“Yes.”

“I would have eliminated her.”

“Without hesitation?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Why?”

“If she was armed, she would have been a threat. Elimination of the threat is paramount to my survival.”

“In this instance, she was armed with enough C-4 to blow Dallas off the map,” I reminded him. “She was a threat to this Nation’s security, and to the welfare of society.”

He nodded once. “Understood.”

“Did you have reservations about the assignment when it was given to you?”

“I did not.”

I knew what his response would be. Vincent had never questioned a mission, nor would he. He viewed his job as an extension of his military training. Completing the tasks assigned to him without reservation was one of the strengths noted in his file.

“Upon completing the assignment did you feel differently?” I asked.

He brushed the wrinkles from his tee shirt. “I need to think about it. This assignment isn’t as easy to accept as the others. Hopefully, in time, it’ll all make sense.”

“The brain’s lateral orbitofrontal cortex plays an important part in making moral decisions,” I explained. “Using MRI’s to measure the brain’s activity, studies have proven that killing an enemy soldier—a perceived threat—creates minimal activation of the cortex, while killing innocent civilians—not a threat—causes an influx of activity. That response in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex creates the feeling of guilt. To convince yourself that your actions were warranted, it’s critical that you see the woman as a threat.”

“I’ll give it some thought.”

“We can readdress it in your next visit,” I said. “If you like. In the interim, I’d like for you to think about the threat she posed. She was assembling a rather large terrorist cell on US soil.”

“I’ll chew on it. Let’s look at it the next time I visit.”

“Is there anything else that’s troubling you?” I asked. “That you need to discuss today?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“Have you experienced any short-term memory loss?”