Log Title: Under Temporary Hold
Characters: Crosscut , Dust Devil , Ghost , Starlock
Location: Iacon Medical Center - Iacon
Date: October 1, 2021
Summary: Crosscut gets Starlock to lower Ghost's dosage for a talk with permission from Jazz.
As logged by Ghost
TFU - Friday, October 01, 2021
Iacon Medical Center - Iacon[]
Starlock shuffles into the room, and flops into her desk chair tiredly, and closes her optics, clearly exhausted from her normal rounds of the day and lets out a sigh.
In the 'security' ward so to speak, is a table. On the table is a double-blanketed 'guest' There's a shimmering forcefield in the area, one section tinged purple. The guest seems to be well monitored, a fuel feed line neatly inserted into a line in an arm, monitors keeping track of system levels and dosage rates.
Ghost's been 'asleep' for a much longer period this time, medications slightly modified perhaps. Still, finials twitch even at rest, or perhaps because of the imposed rest.
Dust Devil is sitting at the forcefield controls outside of the security area. Though his focus seems to be more on the cart that is by him and the catch tray on top of that. There is an hourglass looking contraption before him. And a cupped container above and a catch container below. The cupped container above looks to have a thick liquid in it. And in between there is a forcefield with Dust Devil intently focused on it. The aperture of the opening seems adjustable and is currently fairly small. At Starlock's entrance, Dust Devil's brow ridge furrows and he seems to stare more intently at his experiment. "Hey Starlock..."
"Hey." Starlock greets to Dust Devil tiredly, before she frowns, she's not been happy with this set up, Ghost.. didn't do anything wrong and was still here and heavily medicated... It felt wrong, yes she was a con but.. She was also a person and this didn't feel right.. She had orders to follow though.
She'd let out a sigh as she takes her optics off Ghost, but does think how.. well, at least she could give some proper music, as she turns on her play list, and starts singing along to the music.
"Tired of being rescued 'cause it's just a gilded cage.
I must make amends for all the mess my elders made...
I was born to lead you all away from your crusade?
Nations held in anguish had me boiling with a rage...
Ordinary life alluded me
For my duty you are losing me
You are one of my few weaknesses
'But this girl has deep allegiances..
In the meantime the shields are down
I'm in a special place..
Survivor."
Crosscut, the Ambassador (not Cross-Cut, the Decepticon; or Cross-Country, the G.I. Joe; or CrossCHECK, the scientist; or Crosswise, the monster hunter; or Crossfire, the other G.I. Joe; or Crossfire, the R/C vehicle; or Crosshair, the other other G.I. Joe; or Crossblades, the sky jockey) walks into Iacon Medical, looking around a bit because unlike a lot of other Autobots, this isn't his second home. His focus slips first to the strange, sedated visitor, then to Dust Devil, guarding her. Finally, he glances over at the singer. "Excuse me," he says politely. "Are you the medic on duty?"
Dust Devil smiles a little at the singing and sighs before finding himself distracted by Crosscut. And with the Ambassador's intrusion, comes a rather archaic but effective swear as the liquid ends up in the catch container from his lack of concentration.
'Can you see my frozen dream? My frozen dream can never be It is a paradox, you see Such a frozen dream
Such a frozen dream that can never be..
Never be.
Waited for a century, it’s only gotten worse...
People want to stop me when I try to lift the curse
We are isolated and in close proximity..
Sisters and our brothers living in this galaxy..
Ordinary life alluded me
Was it worth it just for saving me?
You are one of my few weaknr--"
Starlock comes to a halt in her singing along to the music when she hears Crosscut and stands up.
"Erm, yes, for the moment." She'd chirp. "...Hello Crosscut." She'd add.
Crosscut sounds apologetic. "I'm sorry to interrupt your lovely singing," he says politely. "I was wondering if you could possibly lower our guest's sedative a bit. Commander Jazz wants me to have a few words with her - explain the situation, make sure she knows she's not a hostage and will be released as soon as possible. We're hoping to avoid an incident. I'm sure you understand." He glances back at the field.
Dust Devil makes a face. "Yer not the only one hopin ta avoid an incident. Why do ya think I tinted some of the shielding and have been volunteerin ta work the shields? All we need is Sideswipe comin in here and startin stuff with Ghost or worse, somehow hurtin her. Already had Brainstorm in here....She does not deserve ta be experimented on or tormented."
Starlock waves it off. "Its fine, I was more doing it as.." She trails off as she listens and actually lets out a sigh of relief. "Alright, Thats.. actually a relief." She'd smile weakly. "I can do that.. I'm not really okay with the amount of tranqs that been used the past.. what, week? Could cause problems down the line." She'd ramble to herself as she headed for Ghost, and then stopped herself mid thought.
"...Guess its better then the alternative, I guess." She'd huff, entering the field and started lowering the medications. "Uuuhg last thing we need is Soundwave seeking revenge for getting his girlfriend hurt, and then TRYPTICON seeking revenge for going after his Cityspeaker." Starlock groans.
The guest.. well Ghost.. doesn't react to Starlock nearing. If anything, she appears to be resting were it not for the monitors, forcefield, and blankets. Starlock moves and adjust the medications and the monitors pick up an immediate rise in internal activity - as if her systems are fighting, have been fighting for her to wake up. It's a sharp jump upwards once the dose drops enough, a sudden registering of things internal attempting to cycle online.
There's a twitch of blankets, a full-frame shudder and a flick of a single finial as the haze.. slowly recedes. Not entirely, but more than the usual waning between doses. And from beneath those warming blankets a datacable snaps outwards, claspers clicking, reaching for something 'blindly' as there's a faint "I'm dead. Let me rest.."
Crosscut looks sincerely at Dust Devil. "I completely agree, and so does Commander Jazz. He felt that her first interaction upon waking up should be with the Autobot's diplomatic team. I wouldn't mind your assistance, Dust Devil, if all your attention isn't required in maintaining the forcefield keeping her in check. I know Director Alert had some.... concerns." Crosscut glances at Starlock. "You raise excellent points as well, Starlock. I'd do what I can to avert such alternatives."
Turning back to Ghost, Crosscut says somewhat dramatically, "You are not dead. Arise, Ghost! You have been rescued by the Autobots, and as soon as you have recovered, we will ensure your safe return to the Decepticons. This isn't an interrogation - at least, I have no questions for you. I am willing to answer any of yours, however. It is Ambassador Crosscut, and you are in the Iacon Medical Center."
Dust Devil snickers at what Ghost says, "Nah....wouldn't have one wall purple if you were in the pit. It'd be all orange. Besides I think you haven't been bad enough ta deserve ta be dead or in the pit. So yer stuck with us...."
Starlock nods and goes quite, letting Crosscut work but.. his dramatic opening to her draws a look from Starlock, that of a raised brow and a twitched up lip and lidded optics that said 'really?' but no words where spoken as she judged silently. She crosses her arms in repose though.
GAME: Ghost FAILS a LEADERSHIP roll of Immense difficulty.
GAME: Ghost PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of Immense difficulty.
"What.. the.. everlovin'.. SLAG?!" is staggeringly spoken, rising in tone on each word as Ghost works more and more towards being -awake- and /aware/. Finials snap forward, then slick back as her optics open and she makes a face.. You know the one, the expression of someone who's world is disoriented and dizzy and unbalanced. "Frag.. me.. what.. the.. frag.. what.. the.." A shake of her head, a tensing as she tries to sit up and finds herself.. unable to. Optics slit.. and a second cable rises out of her comfortable bundle of blankets, "Why am I in Iacon?! What.. happened? Where's... Omen.. Rescued? What?" Wings rattling beneath her as she wakes more and more. And apparently in a mood. "What.. the hell?!"
"Docked." Starlock says in response to one of the questions, but lets Crosscut handle the rest, before offering a shrug at the rest. "Alpha Trion Shenanigan's from what I know?" And that could be a number of things.
Including Hell
Dust Devil makes a face. "Sorry Ghost. I didn't realize how outta sorts ya were when ya left Vector Trion and the others. I was supposed ta lead ya ta the surface safely and....I'm really sorry I failed ya. I was too distracted ta realize how bad off ya were."
"We don't have all of your answers, Ambassador Ghost, but Dust Devil and I'll answer what we can," Crosscut replies calmly, glancing back at Starlock and nodding approvingly before taking a step closer to the Decepticon. "You were found in our Pious Pools, dangerously low on energon, and brought back here to recover. You are being temporarily held while we rule out intentional sabotage, but once Imager's report comes back you will be released to the Decepticons, unharmed. Please remain calm."
Ghost blinks, then shakes her head again, as if trying to clear it of the lingering drugs. To no avail. "How.. long?" she finally asks, distracted as she tries to reach inwards, checking on her 'pet' as it were. "I.. Oh!" Optics widen and she tenses again, jerking against the restraints, "I have to.. I need to -go-. I have to make sure they got back. Ran out of fuel.. had to. I think I got them out." She blinks again, settling, if tense, peering at Crosscut.
A frown crosses her face as she' fights whirling and panicked thoughts, "Temporarily being held? I'm a prisoner. Lovely. Be calm?! I.. what have you -done- to me? I feel.. Omen's.. I'm.. everything's so -distant-. How long have you held me.. here.. /drugged/ and restrained? What have you been doing to me while I was out?"
Starlock just has a look on her face that was pretty much one of resigned-long-suffering, this is what she'd been worried about. But she lets Crosscut do the talking, despite her cringes and knitted ridges.
Dust Devil frowns and looks down, "When we first found ya you were starved and freezing. It took a while ta get your temps and energon levels stabilized. Red Alert and them had ta make sure that you hadn't come here ta mess with the pools. Once I talked ta ya...I realized what happened and I've been arguin on yer behalf...as has Starlock and others. We want ta get you home. Soundwave sounds fine other than missin you."
"Absolutely nothing untoward," Crosscut promises. "Just emergency repairs and re-energizing," he assures Ghost, glancing at Starlock for confirmation. "We haven't done more without your consent," he continues, again looking to Starlock to make sure his information is accurate and up to date - he has no intention of unintentionally lying to the Decepticon.
Crosscut glances back at Dust Devil. "Do you know if the other visitors you guided got back safely?" he asks. He listens and then turns back to Ghost. "We have security protocols we must follow, but I assure you. You are NOT our prisoner, and you will be released as soon as possible. This conversation is a step towards that goal."
Starlock glances away, arms still crossed, she closes her optics. "I've ensured no one has done anything untoward too you, under threat of me and Ratchet." she adds, with a nod. She feels a bit.. awkward with Dust Devil mentioning how she spoke up.
Ghost blinks, finials twitching but remaining cocked back. "I have -no- idea how I ended up here. Or even in your pools." She frowns, narrowing optics, "The last.. -clear- thing I remember is pushing them across the threshold and praying to Primus I had enough energy left to get them translocated safely. Then everything went dark. I didn't expect to wake up again." Frowning. "Let me see.. Crosscut.. I'm strapped down, maglocked.. it feels itchy.. I'm.. -drugged-.. and I'm /not/ a prisoner? Did they get back?" peering at Dust Devil, then Starlock, worry and.. fear crossing her face, voice a murmur, "Did they make it back?"
Dust Devil looks at Ghost, "I haven't spoken ta Soundwave directly because I didn't want ta lie ta him. But it sounds like he was only looking for you and Omen. I'd been monitorin what broadcasts I could ta make sure he wasn't putting himself in danger ta try and find you. And not much ta do about the itchy part. I've complained about that before and Ratchet still maglocked me down."
Crosscut reaches out towards Ghost, the intention to comfort in his body language but not quite touching her without her consent. He listens to Dust Devil and then turns back to Ghost. "It sounds like they did," he says as reassuringly as he can. "And, again, we have to protect ourselves from you - you are a powerful Decepticon outlier. But I give you my word as Autobot that we will release you unharmed once we've assured ourselves you've done no intentional permanent damage to our base."
"Those are blankets to warm you up, as for the maglocks.. do your medics not mag lock patients down to keep them from attacking you in a PTSD educed wake up?" Starlock asks with a raised ridge and pointed finger. As for the drugs.. Well, She couldn't say much regarding those.
She then gestures to Dust Devil confirming the maglock protocol with patients. She shrugs regarding who else was there, she only knew of Soundwave.
Ghost crinkles her face, brow furrowing, optics slitting. "Right.. I.. didn't -plan-.. on coming here. I.. We.. I didn't expect to -wake up again-. I don't know how I got into your pools, I was on the other side of the fraggin' planet when I passed out."
Starlock shrugs. "Far as I know, I'm willing to label this as Alpha Trion or Vector Sigma did it, and leave it at that but.. ehh." She'd shrug again.
Dust Devil grins at Ghost, "I will say I did enjoy talkin to ya the first time you were verbal....We were discussin whether or not you are now one of the Primal Vespers...or somethin like that from all yer time in the Pious Pools...."
Crosscut nods quickly. "I believe you. WE believe you. But you ARE a member of Decepticon Intelligence. We'd be fools not to check to ensure our positive impressions of you aren't a trick. I am a good judge of character, but I'm not arrogant enough to believe it is impossible to deceive me." He glances at Dust Devil and back. "I also promise that any additives administered to you were not done so for interrogation...," A pause and another glance at Dusty, "...or entertainment value," he concludes.
Ghost ex-vents a heavy sigh, closing her optics. She remains tense, listening but struggling to fight against those drugs still. "What.. do you want from me?" tone quiet. "Why did you even wake me of you weren't going to set me -free-?" Pause, "Alpha Trion's a -fragg-er." tone sliding to a grumble.. "Who's.. Cricket?" frown as she tries to cycle through fragmented memories of semi-lucid periods. "What do you want to ask me.. Since I'm.. guessing that's why you woke me?'
"That would be Cerebros." Starlock nods. Starlock then nods to Crosscut, as.. she was sure this is what the intent was.
Dust Devil grins brightly, "Love the nickname for him. And we've been watchin over ya as much ta protect you from any bots who got issues as much as anythin else. Red Alert is suspicious as always but I think I got him won over that yer no threat and can be released inta Soundwave's care."
"No, no," Crosscut insists. "The waking is the first step in releasing you. We wish to give you time to recover before we simply drop you off at Kaon's gates or whatever. I wouldn't mind a two-way conversation once you've recovered a bit - diplomat to diplomat - but there will be no interrogation. You came to us, Ghost, intentionally or not. Blame Alpha Trion if you wish, but we intend only to re-energize you and return you safely."
Starlock nods, grateful there is no other motive in this, she seems to relax physically.
Ghost blinks optics open, expression disbelieving. "Right. I'm afraid that my.. past experience in the benevolence of Autobots holding me.. 'for my own good', has not lent itself to a sense of security and trust here, Crosscut." Finials flick forward, "You're going to keep me -awake- in here, now, while your jury is still investigating if I broke something in those pools when I don't even -know- why I or how I ended up in them? That's.. not smart."
Dust Devil says, "I'd hope that they'd be done or almost done by now. The fact that I got Red Alert ta realize that one...tryin ta get me ta keep ya from escapin wasn't smart or possibly possible and two, releasin ya would do more for maintaining peace and all. I'm really glad that you didn't seem to suffer any damage from where you were at. If it wasn't time for routine maintenance on the pools....you might not have been found for months or more. How is Omen? We chatted a little when you were first found but nothin really since.""
Crosscut chuckles. "We know that if you become fully conscious, there is no way we can hold you. We're asking you to cooperate, out of goodwill, in exchange for not keeping you drugged against your will." He glances at Dust Devil and Starlock. "I will release your restraints, although of course you can keep the blanket. The forcefield will remain, but since we both know it won't hold you, please believe it is to keep YOU safe from rogue Autobots, not the other way around." He quiets to allow Dust Devil to converse with Ghost.
Starlock nods and wonders if she should step over to undo them now, or wait till Crosscut has his word from Ghost.
Ghost frowns, "Omen's.." flick of finials, "Omen's out, still?" A twitch of wings now. "I'm not usually this slow - I'm.. there's a lot of data and I'm not.. able to parse it all, still. I need a -proper- defrag." She opens optics and tries to peer at Crosscut. "If I'm let loose I have to, in all fairness, try to get out. If I'm -awake-, /he/ will know before you can finish your work on proving I didn't do a fragging thing to your pools. Not intentionally." A snort, words catching up, "Lovely, does sleeping in the pools make me an anointed of Primus now or something? Do I get a neat cape?" One brow cocking up, some sardonic wit making an appearance. "Crosscut, I.. Having me here, -awake-, is far more dangerous. Either release me.. Or put me back under."
Crosscut sighs. "Very well." He turns to Starlock. "Starlock, please re-administer the sedative." Turning back to Ghost, he promises sincerely, "We will finish our work as quickly as possible. We do NOT wish to hold you. The moment our security concerns are addressed, we will awaken you again and immediately deliver you to the Decepticons, wherever you wish to meet them. I'm very sorry about the need for these precautions," he says sadly, and then steps back from the Decepticon.
Dust Devil rubs his chin ala Alpha Trion, "Could see if I can convince Optimus that due to your extended stay in the Pools, you've become appointed by Primus to be part of his Harem. Might even get a couple of the Pool attendees to agree with me and even make a formal statement. Wonder how long it would take for Optimus ta swat me. Or if he'd just have Elita do it..."
Starlock sighs and rolls her optics, its clear she's tired and finds this a bit.. Overboard, but what can she do? Even if it feels like a violation of her medical oaths, one of the few things she clings to that isn't related to this war.. Before she makes it over to the machine though, she gib-slaps Dust Devil upside the helm and does as she's told.
Ghost's optics widen. She had, honestly, hoped to simply be let loose. Brows lift, "Wait. I don't.. wait I don't-" datacables snaking out, claspers clicking aggressively, "I don't want to be here! Let me.. go.. Let me.. I didn't -do-.. anything to.. th.. to.. pools. Don't want. not.. not harem.. frag.. he's going to be.. -mad-... I didn't.. please I didn't do.. " trailing off as the meds hit, systems whining up in an attempt to burn off the meds but they hit hard and fast. "Didn't.. do.. "
Starlock just rubs her nose bridge and starts making for her chair again. "this is dumb." She'd huff out but says nothing more as she sits back in her chair, almost looking like she's getting ready to go to sleep.
Crosscut looks genuinely distressed at this turn of events, even behind his silver mask. His normal calm composure is shaken, and he looks between Dust Devil and Starlock before ordering, "Ensure she is safe and protected, and repair and refuel what you can without violating her internal integrity. I will report to Jazz and Prime and see what I can do to help speed things up." With that, he simply walks off, his troubled brow unaware of his uncharacteristic rudeness.
Dust Devil yelps as Starlock hits him in the back of the head. "What was that fer!?:
Starlock opens an optic. "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." She says simply.
Dust Devil frowns slightly and sighs, "Hey if it convinced Optimus ta let her go quicker it'd be great. I can make her a ta go bag ta help keep her energized. Is there any way ta reverse those drugs fully so that she's fully awake when we let her go? It'd probably not be good fer her ta be addled.
Starlock frowns. "I'll do what I'm told." She says, almost hollow.
Dust Devil sighs, "There's doin what yer told....and then there's doin what yer TOLD...ya gotta find the wiggle room. If ya don't wanna rock th boat just tell me. I'll do the rockin. I'll ask about the reversal drug or whatever else. Just because yer told ta do things a certain way, doesn't mean you have ta completely bow ta their yoke. Ya just gotta learn ta pick yer battles better. Had ta learn that the hard way. And there's times I still don't get it quite right. But it's worth tryin. And if ya ain't sure, there's no harm in askin. Just...gotta watch who you ask."
Starlock sets there and bites back some truly /resentful/ words. She sighs out and closes her optic, laying back there in the chair. "Good night Dust devil.."