Report on Interrogation

September 10, 2011, 9:21 PM
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Megatron Skywarp Soundwave Starscream
(Throne Room, Polyhex)
The summons was not unexpected, Soundwave fully expected to brief his emperor on the information obtained from teh Autobot prisoner. However, the information retrieved so far is, truthfully, minimal, and Soundwave hopes that Lord Megatron will understand that even an exceptional interrogator like Vortex is proving to be requires time in which to work. The doors open ahead of him, and he strides into the throne room itself, bowing deeply as he reaches the approrpriate distance from the throne at the front of the dark, dramatically lit room.
Starscream walks into the Throne Room and the instant he sees Megatron he glances to his (yet another) new wing. With his customery half bow he looks at Soundwave and then approaches, though keeping himself out of arms reach from his leader. "Is this a progress report on the.. Intelligence mission?" he asks with only a slight trace of sarcasm.
Megatron is perusing the datapad with the information from Vortex when Soundwave and Starscream enter. He looks up, nods to Soundwave, and turns his gaze to Starscream. "It is."
He turns to Soundwave. "This information is far from all we need. Still, Vortex is to be commended for his work so far. We have confirmation that your hypothesis was correct, and the probable identity of another of the prisoer's team. And a lead, as it appears he is -- or was -- also connected to Lifeline."
Soundwave nods in confirmation. "Connection to Lifeline, established. Emotional connection, greater than previously expected but not entirely unanticipated." Soundwave admits. "Lifeline, potentially useful for gaining additional information from prisoner, but exact use, to be determined."
Starscream listens carefully to everything that has just been said. "But how much trust do you want to put into Lifeline? Seems rather odd that this mech joins us right before the abduction of First Aid. It stands to reason that we might look to Lifeline to get the information that we want out of the Autobot. Odd coincidence?"
Megatron nods. "That is an... interesting coincidence. But if she had been protecting him and then left, would that mean that she abandoned him? Perhaps, but she seemed reluctant to truly join us, as well. So what really happened during that argument she had with the Autobot chief medical officer?
His optics flicker as he ponders. "It is clear that she will be a useful tool to us, but Soundwave's question is apt: how best should we use her?"
He turns to Soundwave. "Have you or Vortex spoken to her?"
Soundwave 's own visor flickers as he assesses possibilities. "Best approach, still unclear. Ruse of spare parts, harmless to either possibility. Previous conversation with Lifeline minimal, that shall be amended. More details required."
Starscream suggests suddenly, "I think it would be in our best interest to test Lifelines loyalties before we try to use her to interrogate First Aid."
Megatron's optics widen. "What is this proposed ruse?"
He turns to Starscream. "What precisely are you proposing? Her loyalties were already tested, and that particular test, she seemed to pass."
Starscream smirks, "You think so, Leader?" Yes hsi tone is a bit biting. "Of course she will perform well, she was being watched. But you heard what Soundwave had to say about it after rummeging around in her CPU didnt you?" He turns to pace a bit, "She needs a test -- when shes not being watched, a test of her true 'new' loyalties..." he pauses for a beat then continues, "Give her someone of great worth to the Empire to repair and have the mech bait her with false information and see how she reacts."
"Suggested ruse by Vortex- requested availability of spare plating, servos, in appropriate colors to belong to Lifeline." Soundwave clarifies, listening with polite interest to Starscream's scheme as well.
Megatron nods to Soundwave. "Vortex is quite clever. Very well, assemble the parts he requires." 
His optics narrow as he regards Starscream. "You make sense as well, as loath as I am to admit it. But tell me, how precisely will this plan of yours work? What false information are you thinking of feeding her?"
Starscream frowns in thought as he paces back and forth, "What would I tell her? Something -- something that the Autobots desparately want to know, something that unless her loyalties are true to the Decepticons, she would try everything to get this information to the Autobots. Perhaps an energon source, battle plans for destroying a neutral heavy populated area -- whoever would be willing to be damaged to present to her would have to be very convincing in this."
Soundwave nods to the order about the parts. "As you command, Lord Megatron." He continues to listen to Starscream's plan, internally mildly impressed but giving no sign at all externally.
Megatron's optics flare with interest as he listens to Starscream's plan. "But what information should we feed her? Something important, yes, and something she would be tempted to bring back to any Autobot allies she might have -- but something that will not overly harm us if she reveals it."
Starscream nods, "But it has to seem very damaging to us." hes trying to think of something but a lot of ideas are running through his mind. His helmet vents tilt up and the fans activate as he paces.
Megatron's optics brighten again. "Mention the plans to rebuild Kaon. Suggest to her that a base of operations there could allow us to mount an assault on Crystal City. Such faulty intelligence would never convince Jazz or Prowl, but Lifeline is a medic, not a spy. And if she remains Neutral, rather than loyal to the Autobots, she may be more likely to respond to a threat to the City, rather than to the Autobots."
Starscream grins as he looks at Megatron, "I like that, Excellent idea if I say so myself. I will be sure to--" his wings suddenly hitch up, "I tell her? What? What do you mean?"
Soundwave nods. "Lifeline's non-medical expertise, likely to be nominal."
Megatron smirks. "I mean you tell her. You are high-ranked, and therefore she should believe that you would be privy to such plans. You are not a member of Intelligence, so she should be less suspicious of you than she would of someone who is. You're talkative, so it should be more credible that you would mention it. And last of all, your irritation with me is legendary, so it would only make sense that you would want to talk about things you ostensibly shouldn't." He snickers. "Especially if you fabricate some reason to complain about the supposed plan."
Starscream stands there stupefied for a moment. "Wait... she's a medic -- I don't want to get shot!" now hes mad. How did his own plan get turned on him? He turns for the door, "I won't do it. Use yourself, /Leader/."
Megatron's optics widen. "Starscream, what precisely are you --?" He stops, laughing. "That wasn't what I had in mind." His expression hardens and he raises his arm. "But if you try to leave this room, it might be."
Starscream hears the sublte shifting of metal as Megatron raises his cannon arm and he looks back over an intake, "You cant fool me. What am I suppose to do? Just walk up to her and go 'hi how's the weather oh guess what?" His wings twitch as he restrains his fight/flight instinct.
Soundwave watches. The visor and mask cover his face, but there might be an amused gleam as the visor flickers.
Megatron smirks. As frightened and angry as Starscream is, he isn't moving. "I only said I had no interest in shooting you when you yourself are the one who came up with the useful plan. I never said you didn't need a reason to go to the medbay. But I had no reason to be irritated with you, so I saw no reason to damage you too severely." 
The air around him hums as his cannon crackles with energy. "But since you are so obsessed with defying me that you loathe your own plans when you hear them out of my vocalizer..."
He fires, taking careful aim at one of Starscream's wings. That should hurt terribly, but avoid any essential systems.
The new wing gets blasted and too burnt out on all the recent pain hes had to endure recently on his run of damaged wings, the Seeker just crumples with a pitiful whimper. "Thishurtsthishurts." he mumbles just num from feeling it all over again! "Youhave..noidea..how..bad..thishurts..." he stammers in a daze. Hes literally reached hsi thresh hold on handling the pain of a damaged wing.
Megatron pauses a long moment for Starscream to process the pain. "Then go and do as I have bid you. Or do I have to do the same to the other one?"
Soundwave watches silently, staying out of things.
Starscream shakes his head as he stumbles back to his feet. "Nnno..." and he makes it out of the door to find Lifeline.
<Decepticon> Skywarp has connected.
Soundwave bows to Lord MEgatron. "With your permission? Prisoner monitoring should be resumed."
<Decepticon> Megatron says, "Skywarp, report to my throne room immediately and escort Starscream to the medbay."
Megatron gives one last look to the Seeker stumbling through his rather charred doorway and then nods to Soundwave. "Granted."
Skywarp arrives, having been commed by Starscream with a whiny complaint. He bows to Lord Megatron, gives Soundwave a suspicious look, and then eyes his trine leader suspiciously- what did you do this time, Starscream?
Soundwave silently leaves the throne room without a backward glance.
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