Cleared For Duty

++ Medical Facilities <Decagon> ++

Occupying levels near the ground floor for fast access, the Medical
Facilities on Cybertron are some of the finest. Equipped with the best
medical staff and latest tools and technologies, the military and
government agents that work within the Decagaon rest easy knowing that even
the worst injuries or ailments can be treated quickly and efficiently.
Quarantine cells, medical research stations and even spark nurturing
facilities are located on the premises. Mostly white and gray with red
markings, the surgical wards and recovery bays are kept pristine and
well-lit, with patient comfort and even privacy kept in mind. Medical staff
are easy to recognize in white and red paintjobs, standing out from
patients. Security guards are posted at the entrances and exits to prevent
enemy forces from harming the injured.

Exits:
[O] - Grand Hall

Torque looks worried when making her way to the medical room Whirl has been brought to and lft ti his own devices, And rightly so, what with the recent issue with Scattershot and Feint. She doesn't know what to make of it, but something just isn't right.. and has always been a bit warey of people able to perform mnemosurgery.

Upon reaching the room, Torque retrieves the hanging chart and nods the the guards outside, both of them allowing her through before sealing the door behind her. "..Whirl? It's Torque." The femme remains in the doorway with optics fixed upon him, making sure he's well enough for her to enter further.

Whirl really didn't want to do this. The idea of having to talk to someone about his problems and have them determine if he's mentally well enough to continue doing what he was doing is stressful as all hell, but it was either this or jail and he'd really rather not go back to jail. Thankfully he was able to get Torque as his mental evaluator and not Feint. He can't deal with Feint right now (or ever) but he thinks he can deal with Torque. He likes her, she fixed his optic afterall.

Currently Whirl sits on a berth, his strangely jointed legs dangling off the edge. He lifts his head when Torque enters, staring at her through that cold, emotionless optic she gave him so long ago. "Hello, Torque. Been a long time, hasn't it?"

He seems calm enough, so Torque takes that as a sign to move further into the room, greeting him in return with a warm smile. "Really has. Heh, almost felt like yesterday I was puting that new optic in. How's it been working out for you, by the way?" She figures she'll break the ice with some harmless conversation for now, setting chart down off to the side as she speaks and pulls up a tray of standard medical tools. "Mind layin' down? Just gonna do a quick checkup to make sure everything's running smoothly."

"It took some damage not too long ago but it's working just fine still," Whirl says casually, seemingly content with this small talk. Maybe this wont be so bad afterall..

Until Torque lays out those medical tools and asks him to lay down. Whirl visibly tenses, claws gripping the edge of the berth hard enough to leave dents. "Everything's running fine, I'm just fine. No need to go digging around or anything, really!" He looks around the room a bit before returning his gaze to her. "Look, can't we just SAY you examined me and tell everyone I'm good to go without having to do it? This is all really unneccesary, isn't it?"

Torque figured this would happen... So instead of outright push him into letting her do her job, she instead relents for the moment and gives him a chance to calm down. Hand reaching for a tool pauses and retracts to fold in her lap with the other, the medic making no other move to work on him just yet. "Whirl.. I know things haven't been at all easy for you lately. Hell, not even fair. But you know I hae to do this. If I just said we did this and there actually was something wrong that I missed, what kind of medic would I be?"

She frowns softly and sighs, shaking her head. "I'm here for one reason. You. Not for anyone else. As a patient you're my top priority above what everyone else wants. Please believe me when I say that.."

Whirl didn't think it was going to be that easy but it was worth a try. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, claws still gripped tight around the edge of the berth. There's a pause as he considers her words, giving them careful consideration, before his grip loosens and he slowly lowers himself onto his back.

"Fine. Whatever. Just make it quick." He lets out a frustrated sigh. "But if I feel any needles in my head, I can assure you that it will not end well for you." Not that he actually thinks Torque would do that. Not by her own choice, at least.

Torque looks appreciative once Whirl eases up enough and finally gives her permission, the femme nodding and stepping up beside him, tools in hand. It's not really that invasive of a procedure, just a standard examination with the most work involving checking under a few panels. "Not a fan of mnemosurgeons, eh..? That makes two of us..' She mutters softly while she works, usually cheery expression appearing a bit more somber. "..Whirl, what was it you were talking with Feint about before? You said you knew what she did.. Just what do you know about her, anyway?"

Optics glance to him, concerned. And just to show she isn't on the wrong side, she says, "..I'm worried about Scattershot. I think I may have reached him too late."

Whirl can't help but feel a little.. something about having a femme poking around in his paneling. Routine medical procedure or not, it's just a /bit/.. uh.. exciting. He's not really able to enjoy it though because Torque's words bring him back to the reality of the situation. About Scattershot. About Feint.

"Scattershot has been tampered with," he says, his voice flat and cold. "He's not right. He's not the same mech, but he thinks he is. He has aboslutely no idea what Feint did to him because she wont LET him know. She probably wiped the entire memory of that experience from his mind." His voice grows quieter as he continues. "Considering what she's capable of.. the horrors she can inflict upon you.. he got off easy. It's still unsettling though and it shows how corrupt the Autobots really are that they deploy people to dig around in their soldier's brain modules to make them do what they want."

Torque had an inkling of that being the case. She almost doesn't want to believe it, but.. things involving the government haven't been going well for a long while, and if Feint says Sentinel Prime ordered her to do this to Scattershot, then.. Then it must be true.

"Whirl, I.. I wanna find out more about Feint and see if I can maybe stop this. Scattershot didn't deserve that.. No one does. A medic can only do so much to change a person, but mnemosurgery.. It's dangerous. It's.. It's straight up labotomy is what it is." Creasing frown deepens and brows knit. "People shouldn't be forced to be something their not. They need to be given a chance to change on their own..." Amber optics flick up to fix on his single one. "And.. listen. If you think you're in danger with her around, I think you should go somewhere. Get away and hide."

Whirl is relieved to finally hear that someone believes him, that someone else actually sees what's going on and how messed up it all is. He was starting to think he was crazy, or paranoid, and for a bit he was starting to seriously doubt himself. Torque's thoughts on the matter puts him at ease and he feels that she 'gets' it and that he can be a little more honest with her. Unless of course she's secretly an evil spy, but he figures she would've tried something by now if that was the case.

"I want to, Torque. Primus knows I want to. I want to just run away from it all, leave this horrible place. I want to get out of the Autobots so bad. I could handle living in hiding, I lived on the streets for a long time, I could do it." He looks away, optic flickering slightly. "But I can't. I have to stay here. It's.. a long story, but trust me, I don't want to do it and if I didn't have to, I sure as hell wouldn't be here right now."

There's another long pause as he falls silent, his voice quiet and strained when he finally does speak. "Do you remember what Feint said to me on the radio? Kiss.. kiss the corpse. It wasn't just her being mean, it.. was a trigger. She was testing me, trying to get a reaction out of me."

Torque's antennas droops slightly, working and listening at the same time. It's not something easily accepted, but she understands what Whirl is getting at. Sometimes you just have to do something even if it's not in your best interest. "Well.. even so, if you ever need somewhere to stay, come to the free clinic in the Dead End. I work there from time to time now, you'll be safe there."

When he speaks of Feint's words over the radio she pauses and glances his way, pressing lips into a thin frown. "..I won't ask what it means, but you have to realize that you can't allow her to wrile you up like that. I know it's hard, but that's how someone gets to you. By prodding at what hurts the most. You gotta show 'em you're not about to be intimidated so easily."

The Dead End? Whirl isn't really welcome there and he knows it. Sure, he used to live there and everything, but that was before he encountered Shiftlock and then as a direct result, Barricade. Since then, it's hard to wander around the Dead End without someone trying to beat his not-face in but maybe he can make it if he just hides in the clinic and never leaves.

"It's more complicated than that, Torque. It wasn't /my/ trigger. She's never done anything to me personally, but I know what she's done. I've seen it, through someone else's memories." He turns his head at stare at Torque, that emotionless, unreadable stare of his. "And she knows that. She knows there is no way for me to know the significance of those words unless I accessed those memories from her victim personally. She's got me by the ball bearings, Torque. She can ruin my life and the life of the person who shared those memories with me."

...This makes things much more difficult. "..So she was taunting you. Whirl, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Torque looks down at her work for a moment, pensive. "..I'm not really sure how I can help in that, but I'm gonna do what I can to figure out all of this. First I need to know if she even really wants to do this.. or if her hand is being forced." That's the first step, at least.

"I don't know how, but I'll figure it out as I go along. Anyway.. Everything looks good. Your systems are in proper, working order, so I'll be clearing you from medical." Closing him up and removing the monitoring device, Torque sits up straight and smiles to him, soft and thoughtful. "Things aren't lookin' too good for any of us, but we gotta be strong. And you gotta be strong for whoever that other person is. Don't let her or anyone else try to stop you, alright?"

"Don't be sorry, you wouldn't have known that. No one else does either, so don't say anything, okay?" Whirl hesitates for a moment, lost in thought. "I guess it's kind of obvious if you're paying attention, but it's different when there's actual proof, you know?" He sighs. What a friggin' mess that romantic romp of his is starting to become.

As soon as Torque finishes her work and closes him up, Whirl sits upright and positions himself to better look at her. "Don't worry about me, worry about yourself. You need to be real careful around here. I like you Torque, I really do. You're a sweet person but you also don't let yourself get stepped on and you helped me out a few times already.." He starts trailing off and he becomes noticeably embarrassed, looking away and scratching at the back of his helm with a claw. "I feel like you're one of the few remaining people I can still trust. Just be careful, okay? Watch out for Feint. And Blurr."

Torque can feel the faint glow of a blush rising on her cheeks at Whirl's trusting words, smiling bright and warm now. "Hey now.." When Whirl looks back he'll find the femme giving him a little friendly bump of her knuckles under whatever serves as a 'chin' on him. "You're a good mech, too. Maybe a little stubborn, but heh, who isn't these days." She beams, chuckling a little. "But don't you worry, I'll be careful. I'm not ready to let anyone stop me just yet. Not when so many things need to be done."

Standing now, the femme takes his medical chart in hand and writes something on it before tucking it away. "In any case, you're free to go. I'll have my report up soon, so you shouldn't have any problems once you're outta here." A pause. "..And Whirl, if you're having any problems, anything at all, just stop in, alright? A medic's doors are always open for any problem."

Torque's smile only serves to make Whirl even more embarrassed, the lights on his body seeming to glow brighter. The antennae on the side of his head perks up a bit at the bump to what ever counts as his chin now. "Heheheh, I'm glad to hear it. I know you can handle yourself pretty well but nevertheless, if anyone tries to screw with you, let me know and I'll cut their faces off for ya. Teach them a lesson."

He hops off the berth and gives his arms a good stretch. "..Thank you, Torque, I appreciate it. You're a good friend, you hear me?" Yes, Whirl considers Torque a friend now. Congratulations, Torque, you know get to experience his craziness on a whole new level.