Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [Kaz/Zero]

What has this man done to her... Leela pondered in her mind.

She quickly realized that this conversation was going to require sober thinking. She stood and made her way to the replicator as she pondered the augments assertion. "Computer Tea, Vulcan blend 17 Alpha. Hot." She requested. The tea materialized and she made  a move back to her chair following a sip she began to address Zero's concerns. "What did that man do to your mind Zero. What kind of triggers did he program into you."

Leela was certainly no geneticist but she knew such things were more than possible and in the case of Zero they were highly probable.

The young Augment was obviously uncomfortable about discussing what had happened at Starfleet Medical, but the thought occurred to her that, as much as she hated the minefield that had been laid out in her own mind, this Trill might be able to help her deactivate even a couple of those mines.

"My... claustrophobia was the first one that he encouraged," she admitted quietly. "He has also poisoned many elements of day to day living."

That man. Leela's brain swirled with contempt at what this man had chose to do to this individual. "Claustrophobia?" She began. Her face changed as an understanding overcame her. "I get it... Keep you afraid and he stays in control? How disgusting! You mentioned that he altered your personality in other ways too..."

Zero looked away from the Trill, wanting to throw another insult at her. It is possible that she will know of a manner in which to deactivate these triggers... she reluctantly thought to herself. Her pale grey eyes flicked briefly to Leela, then quickly became fixed on the deck plates again.

"Anything from which I may derive pleasure, in essence," she muttered, her tone as if the words had been dragged out of her at phaser point.

Leela resisted the intense urge to give Zero a hug. Her mind raced as she tried to formulate a way to break down the barriers in Zero's mind. "Do you think these triggers could be re-programmed through counseling? Or is there a medical way to remove the blocks in your mind. If you are free to think and feel on your own... It could go along way towards gaining your freedom."

Zero raised an eyebrow, a little confused by Leela's train of thought. "The only implant I have been subjected to is the tracking device in my pericardium. The rest of my retraining and the triggers have come as a result of psychological conditioning. A rather simple process of associating certain actions and emotions with negative connotations."

Leela smiled. The smile seemed out of place but she had an instant realization. "Zero, if it can be done it can be undone!" Leela stood up and moved around the table a bit. The excitement was hard to contain. "Don't you see Zero, there is a way out." She paused. "All we need to do is find someone who can conduct intensive psychological re-programming. Any therapist should have the necessary training and skill set."

Zero actually felt herself shuddering at the thought of more psychological reprogramming. A strange sensation to say the least. The reactions were subconscious, outside of her control. Her hands clenched on her lap and her eyes closed.

"I do not think I will be able to do so," she murmured. "They were extremely thorough in their establishment of my neuroses. I am incapable of many things."

Leela had sympathy for the augments situation. She knew that reprogramming had to be possible. "Zero, I can imagine that this isn't easy. Change never is. Its all about how much your willing to dedicate to change. We can do this... You can do this! I don't have any psychological qualifications but I do have an expertise in holo programming. What if I could design a program that could take you through the steps. I bet I have a friend or two who would be willing to help. I think someone still owes Juval a favor or two."

Zero shot to her feet, an unknown bubble of anger boiling in her chest, with such force that the chair fell back. She turned away from Leela, wrapping her arms over her torso.

"Many people believe that my treatment at the hands of Starfleet Medical is unethical, that the perpetrators could result in their incarceration. What they fail to comprehend, or even acknowledge, is that each procedure was explained to me in detail beforehand. I was given consent forms to sign." She shivered again. "The initial programming was difficult. I continue to believe that I will be incapable of undoing the damage."

Leela backed up a bit to give her room. The move was instinctive but she did not feel threatened. Her retreat quickly shifted as she began to plead with Zero. "But you've got to try! Even if you fall short you will be further along than where you began. The Captain and I are committed to securing your freedom Zero. Are you committed too?"

"I wish that I could be!" Zero snapped in response. "I do not find this half existence appealing in the slightest, but it is all that I have! Should Corinth catch the slightest hint that his hold is weakening, then the project will be terminated and it will be my fault that Callion will know only one of her mothers."

Leela pondered the thought of Zero as a parent. Kaz had been a parent several times and raising children was hard enough without having Zero's underlying issues. "Don't you think that Callion deserves a mother who is free to love her and care for her in all of the ways she needs. If this continues you know, as well as I do, that you will struggle as a parent. These walls in your mind will block out what you want to share with your new child. So if you won't do it for yourself... do it for the kid." Leela was pleading with Zero. She felt as if Zero's very existence hinged on her fighting this battle.

"Jiseth will be her primary guide," Zero replied,closing her eyes. "I wish for Callion to know the life that I have not been permitted, even if that means that I must have a diminished role in it. It will not be healthy for her to be exposed to my... difficulties."

"Jiseth...?" Leela was surprised that she was so willing to let her role in her child's development go. "... She's not this childs only parent. Don't you want her to know you well? Wouldn't you be a greater inspiration to her if you were able to show her how you overcame the cards you were dealt?" Leela walked over to the table and poured herself another drink.

"I wish her to know a normal life," Zero retorted. "Moreso than that which I experienced. My presence will only poison her growth. If I am able to sufficiently heal myself in order to provide a positive influence, then I will be content. If I am not, then that is nothing more than I expected."

Leela was surprised to hear her concede that she could potentially be healed. "Does that mean you're open to it Zero?" A smile lit up Leela's face. She was cautiously optimistic but she realized that she may have just had a breakthrough.

"I continue to believe that it will be impossible to remove the triggers adequately for me to live a normal life, or even to give the illusion of such" Zero reiterated. "Claustrophobia is only one of a catalogue of triggers that have been established over the time that I have been in Corinth's custody."

"You're not in Corinth's tender love and care anymore Zero. You're free from him. Maybe that means you can overcome it... you don't have to get rid of everything in a day. You just need to garner enough support to be released from your obligations to Starfleet Medical."

"All that is required is that he sends an order for me to return and it will all be for nought," Zero replied. "Should he learn of what we are attempting to do, I will be forced to return to Starfleet Medical for retraining, and I doubt that I will be allowed to return."

She ran a hand over her white hair, letting out a quiet breath. "It is not only the claustrophobia that will cause a problem. There are also other triggers."

Leela emptied her glassine more and moved closer to Zero. She lowered the volume of her voice, as if someone was listening, she knew it wasn't possible. "Zero, he only knows what I tell him. My report will say nothing other than that you are performing your duties and working on research." She looked to her empty glass and then back up to Zero. There was a hint of hesitation in her voice. "If it ever becomes necessary Zero, ill take care of it. He won't hurt you... ever again."

Zero snorted derisively. "You believe that you are his only source of information aboard this ship? That is rather naïve of you," she drawled, turning to face the Trill with narrowed eyes. "I have only one designated handler, but he will ensure that there are several others of whose identities I am not aware of in order for him to verify the information being sent back to him. He will be aware of all of my dietary habits so that he will know if I deviate from his set plan, of my holodeck activities so that he will know if I use it for anything other than for my work. He believes that his... training in areas of intimacy is enough to prevent me ever seeking such activities or relationships, and in that he is correct."

"You think I don't know that Zero!" She set her glass back on the table and moved further from Zero. She began to pace in her quarters. "We'll just have to be secretive about this. And remember, I am an engineer. I'll get permission from the captain. We can install a secret holodeck in one of the cargo bays that aren't often used. We can separate it from the rest of the ship. No one else will know... I will have it taken off the grid."

Zero first raised an eyebrow, then looked worried about the plan Leela was proposing. Her overactive mind was taking it apart, examining it, pointing out all of the flaws and pitfalls and possibilities for failure or discovery and causing her heart to sink and her stomach to clench with every point.

Her hands clenched at her sides. "If you believe that we will be able to keep this exercise off the sensor grid..." Oh, she wanted to say yes. She wanted to work through this and finish with the constant fear, yet it was that same fear that was preventing her from doing anything.

"It can work Zero." She lowered her drink and set it on the table. The tone in her voice was cautious yet confident at the same time. She was definitely a competent engineer and could certainly pull off such a feat. The engineering was easy. It was convincing Zero to go along with the plan that would prove far more a herculean task.