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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 11:40:57 GMT -5
((NEST Base - Bring Late Morning, November 17th, 2027)) After spending some much needed quiet time resting with Red Alert, Jazz emerged from the Security Office and stretched out his silver frame, in-taking and venting air as he did so, more relaxed now after the stressful night he had earlier. He thought of Phayze then and sighed, knowing there was not much he could do alone and that he needed help if he was going to save the poor lost Autobot. So he opened his com line, reaching out to the only one he could think of who could help. <"Charter, I need to you meet me in the brig. Ironhide found Phayze last night, but he seems out of it, like he doesn't remember who he is anymore; he thinks he's a Decepticon. Think you can help me get through to him?"> he called over the secure coms, hoping the psychologist was up and about by now and not too busy.
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 12, 2013 13:11:26 GMT -5
Charter had been in his office, hard at work as usual, when he received the comm from Jazz, causing him to pause as the message broke his concentration. Phayze... It had been some time since he'd heard that name. <"Of course, I'll be right there"> He remembered meeting Phayze before. They hadn't had much time before the mech left for his undercover mission, something Charter knew that he himself could never do, but the two had gotten along quite well. He'd had an interest in psychology as well, though had cut his schooling short in order to lend himself to the Autobot cause.
Filing away the papers he'd had out neatly and locking everything up he stood and made his way to the brig. He'd never expressed it before but he'd been concerned when he had learned of Phayze's mission, it was very dangerous in more ways than one. Of course there were the obvious risks, ending up killed by your unaware allies, being found out by the enemy, but what had bothered him more was the knowledge of what such a mission could do to him mentally. There's a saying, 'Repeat a lie enough times and it becomes truth.' Repetition has a way of ingraining things in a person's mind. Hearing, saying, or pretending something enough times could trick a person into accepting it as reality, even if it wasn't, and with no one around to remind Phayze of what the truth really was the risk of that happening was quite high. He had hoped that Phayze's knowledge and experience with psychology would help him to resist the effects, that when they began hearing from him less and less it was just a precaution. Once they stopped hearing from him altogether there was no telling what had happened, but now it seemed Charter's concerns had been realized, he just hoped it wasn't too late to undo the damage.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 15:53:12 GMT -5
Jazz moved to the brig and was in the outer observation room when Charter walked in. He looked over at the tall slender mech, glad he was on Earth for multiple reasons. "Hey Charter, he's in one of the cells, but I thought you should see what happened last night first." he told the psychologist, then manipulated the controls to display the feed from the night before that encompassed the cell and the area right outside. Ironhide: While carrying a bound Phayze over his shoulder into the brig, "What, Megadork can't keep track o' his own troops now? Not surprisin' there. Maybe Soundwave ate yer lost scout. He's just as bad as Megs 'bout that from what I hear. So, who's lost? Wildrider get himself munched on by the orbital el creepo?" Phayze: Snickers. "I'm sure you Autobots would just love it if you didn't have to deal with the Stunticons anymore, wouldn't you? Nah, they're looking for Barricade. Megatron's starting to think that he's turned traitor, and our lord just loooooooooves the Sparks of traitors. Almost as much as he loves the Sparks of Autobots." Ironhide: Lets out a derisive snort. "What do I care if he eats that slagger. Been tryin' ta scrap that one myself." he retorted irritably, then opened the cell door and rather unceremoniously dropped Phayze inside and shut the door, locking it securely. "The more o' his own chumps Megatron eats, the fewer I have ta waste ammo on." he added and stalked off, heading out of the inner brig. Phayze: Let out an oof once more as he was dumped in a cell, struggling onto his feet. "Oh, don't worry. You and Jazz are quite high on his list as well. Megatron was quite interested in hearing that Jazz was still alive. Now...let's see..." He began twisting himself a bit, testing the strength of the binders. A little more than half an hour passes before Jazz and Red Alert enter the brig. Jazz: Once within the inner chamber with the holding cells, Jazz looked at Phayze, his expression a bit mournful, as Red Alert stepped to the side while Jazz began to talk with Phayze. "Phayze, do you remember me? We were friends, we trained in Special Ops together." Jazz offered gently, moving to stand just a few feet from the cell. Phayze: Phayze was now sitting on the edge of the berth inside his cell. At the sound of Red Alert and Jazz entering, he looked up, three violet optics watching his cell door. "Jazz; First Lieutenant of the Autobots and the head of Special Operations. Offlined by Megatron during the battle for the All Spark. The death was a severe blow to the morale of the Autobots, and the subsequent resurrection has been proving to be a large morale booster." Jazz: Jazz smiled a bit. "Yeah, that's right. it's Jazz. We were friends for a long time, we trained together. When the war started, you volunteered to go in deep cover and send us info about the Decepticons to help us shay ahead of them. Optimus didn't like it and we both worried about you, but you insisted, said it was the least you could do. Optimus and I were the only ones who knew about your mission, and we kept contact, picking up the data clips you left for me at drop sites to protect your cover. We feared the worst when we lost contact with you, afraid Megatron had found out and killed you. Wasn't long after that Optimus was forced to launch the Allspark to keep it away from Megatron." he said and stepped closer, placing one hand on the transparent wall between them. Phayze: Phayze watched Jazz as the mech spoke, a good bit of suspicion in his optics. Though, the hard gaze he was giving softened a fraction as Jazz finished. "I kept putting them there." He replied. "Just like I always did." He blinked a couple times, as if trying to remember more, then shaking his head when he failed to do so. Jazz: Jazz looked rather surprised at that, then lowered his gaze in thought. "I never found them..." he murmured softly. "Someone else must've found them, but didn't know who was leaving them there. That's why we lost contact n you were never found out." he offered, looking back to Phayze. "But you're home now, you're safe. Every Cycle I prayed to Primus you were still alive out there somewhere n that we'd find you n bring you home." His words were genuine and sincere and it showed in his face and in his voice. Phayze: "I'm not safe..." Phayze, responded, a slight growl to his voice. "I'm in here, instead of being out there. Megatron will know, and he'll take it out on my being, or he'll have Soundwave do it. Or Scalpel. I never liked that little insect. Why my optic never got fixed..." His gaze wandered to the floor, and his optics shuddered as he attempted, yet again, to break the binder on his arms through pulling them. Jazz: Jazz looked a little stricken then, and he brought his other hand up to rest on the cell wall between them. "Phayze, you were never a Decepticon, you're an Autobot like me. We were afraid we had lost you. But you're safe here, we won't let Meh... we won't let them hurt you, I promise. And we can fix your optic for you. I promise we won't hurt you, Ratchet's the best medic on Cybertron, or anywhere else. He saved me, he can help you too." he urged, a slight flinch showed when he tried to say the Decepticon Leader's name. Phayze: "Hrmph..." Phayze snorted, turning away from Jazz. "Same stuff over and over. I don't know why you keep expecting me to believe it. It won't work." With that, he found a spot where he could lean as comfortably as he could against the wall, and shuttered his optics, making a point of ignoring Jazz. Jazz: "But it's the truth, Phayze. I wouldn't lie to you." he insisted. "Oh Phayze, I'm so sorry... Have you truly been lost among the Decepticons so long you've forgotten who you are?" he asked softly, then lowered his head sadly. After a moment he over at Red Alert, then back to Phayze again, he vented sadly. "I'm truly sorry Phayze..." he offered again, his voice carrying a slight tremor in it. Red Alert: Red Alert nodded to Jazz. "I'm sure Charter will be able to help Phayze. If anyone here could, it would be him. You did what you could, Jazz." Then Red Alert walked over and put a hand on Jazz's shoulder, giving the silver bot a small smile. Jazz: Jazz nodded at that and turned more towards Red Alert as his dear friend placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I just hope we can help him." he replied, his head down in sorrow. "Everyone deserves that chance..." he added softly. Red Alert: Red Alert began to walk, leading Jazz away from the brig. "Give Charter a comm. Right now, it's the most we can do. I'm sure it'll help." Jazz: Jazz nodded and followed, glancing back at Phayze for a moment before finally leaving fully. "I'll wait til he's up, then I'll call him." he said as the door shut behind them.Once the playback finished, Jazz looked at Charter. "Well, other than the fact that he attacked Ironhide right outside the base, you're pretty much up to speed on what's gone down so far." he told Charter, closing the video file. He then looked at the monitors and the current feed to see what Phayze was doing as he waited for Charter to make a decision on what they should do first. ((Full details of the incident described in italics above can be found in the thread titled Lurking and Looking.))
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 12, 2013 18:24:33 GMT -5
Charter watched the feed, taking in the scene. He reviewed it in his mind, taking note of all the reactions, tones, even exact wording, every bit of information that was exchanged be it verbally or physically. Jazz had the right idea asking Phayze if he recognized him but there were flaws in the execution. For starters, Jazz was a rather high-profile mech and, as such, highly recognizable whether the person actually knew him or not. Additionally he hadn't waited for the answer. He stated what he had wanted Phayze to remember clearly from the start. Perhaps it was impatience, or an overwhelming desire to have his friend back after so long, but anyone could make claims about the truth to try and manipulate one's memory and someone with knowledge of psychology would recognize that fact. The trick was going to be getting Phayze to remember the truth for himself.
"I'd like to try talking to him one on one first. You're welcome to observe but I think it may be easier if I'm the only one he sees and hears at first." By all technicality this wasn't a formal session and Phayze wasn't a patient, therefore it was perfectly alright for Jazz to observe, especially considering that it was one of Jazz's own agents in question. There was also the fact that, as of currently, Phayze was a potential security concern. Should Phayze request or be required formal therapy later then the circumstances would be different but as far as privacy policies were concerned this was no different than an interrogation.
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Post by Jazz on May 12, 2013 18:35:42 GMT -5
Jazz nodded at that, though he still looked a little concerned. "Can we help him?" he asked softly. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" he added with a bit more concern, wondering if his approaching Phayze last night had done more harm than good, which worried him more than a little.
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 12, 2013 19:18:54 GMT -5
"There is certainly a chance of getting though to him, but it's difficult to say how easy it will be or how long it may take." Charter replied honestly. The tall, slender mech had quite a bit of patience himself and was not one to give up easily. He would work with Phayze for as long as it took at whatever pace was necessary. "It's actually good that I have something to go off of right now, I have a better idea of what I'm dealing with." he added. He wouldn't consider Jazz's mistake as doing something wrong. Anyone who wasn't trained in the field of psychology was liable to make the same mistake and it hadn't seemed to do too much damage.
He looked back to the feed of Phayze currently on the monitors. It seemed rather surreal seeing him there like that, but it was something he pushed to the back of his mind for now. he couldn't afford to be distracted by his own feelings, his own friendship with Phayze, he had to focus on the task at hand and treat it professionally. With a slight nod to himself he entered the brig to begin. He would wait for Phayze's reaction, then go from there.
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Phayze
Laser Fodder
Undercover Psy Ops
Posts: 36
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Post by Phayze on May 12, 2013 19:24:24 GMT -5
Phayze looked up when the brig door opened. "Oh, look. More Autobots. Here to tell me I'm crazy in the head as well? Honestly, you're the ones who are crazy." He snorted, shaking his head. "Trying to tell me I don't know what I am. Well, I do know what I am, and it's not of you!"
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 26, 2013 13:17:40 GMT -5
"I wouldn't say you're crazy at all. I've met a lot of 'crazy' people, I don't believe you're one of them." Charter responded calmly. This was going to be tricky. With Phayze already having knowledge of psychology the normal "tricks" wouldn't work. In fact, they were more likely to do more harm than good. Charter couldn't afford to show any bias one way or the other, he had to act as a completely neutral party and get Phayze to realize the truth for himself. The fact that Phayze was already mistrusting of him would make things even more difficult. "Besides, what business do I have telling you what to believe? No, I'm just here to speak with you, Phayze, that's all."
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Phayze
Laser Fodder
Undercover Psy Ops
Posts: 36
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Post by Phayze on May 26, 2013 13:22:11 GMT -5
Phayze crossed his arms, a typical "defensive" action during a conversation. "That make this something of an interrogation, then?" He gave a wave with his hand, as though motioning for Charter to continue. "Then talk away. I just can't promise that I'll actually listen." Some part of him, he wasn't sure what, was curious about where this was going.
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 26, 2013 13:56:08 GMT -5
Charter gave a slight, gentle smile. "I suppose one might consider it an interrogation of sorts..." Actually, the method he was planning to use involved asking a lot of questions so it was actually quite suiting that Phayze would assume that. "So I suppose the first question is do you recognize me at all?"
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Phayze
Laser Fodder
Undercover Psy Ops
Posts: 36
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Post by Phayze on May 26, 2013 14:00:55 GMT -5
Phayze looked the tall, thin Autobot up and down at the question of recognition. The answer rushed forward from his vocalizer before his processor could catch up. "Why wouldn't I, Charter? We worked together for a bit before I had to leave." He blinked, confused at the response that he'd just spoken. He didn't actually recognize the Autobot in front of him...did he?
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 26, 2013 16:19:41 GMT -5
Charter was relieved by the response, though he didn't show it. He simply continued, gently but sternly. "Do you remember anything about what we did?"
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Phayze
Laser Fodder
Undercover Psy Ops
Posts: 36
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Post by Phayze on May 26, 2013 17:10:13 GMT -5
Phayze frowned. "We were both in SpecOps, did some training together. We weren't really friends, but we weren't really acquaintances. Somewhere in between." He blinked a couple of times, then scowled. "What the frag kind of interrogation is this?"
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Charter
Laser Fodder
Resident Psychiatrist
Some said I had nothing left to fight for. The way I see it I have nothing left to lose.[A1i:1]
Posts: 40
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Post by Charter on May 26, 2013 17:59:36 GMT -5
"I never said it was an interrogation. You were the one who suggested it was." Charter answered simply, still showing no sort of emotional response whatsoever. "What makes you say we were in between acquaintances and friends?"
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Phayze
Laser Fodder
Undercover Psy Ops
Posts: 36
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Post by Phayze on May 26, 2013 18:07:43 GMT -5
'We got along, but we didn't have much time to really get to know each other." Phayze replied, once again before he could stop himself. Where were these memories coming from? He'd never experienced them. Had he? "Especially because I had my mission coming up, and it was decided that it would be best if I spent as little time around other Autobots as was possible."
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