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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 7, 2011 22:48:21 GMT -5
Month 1, Week 3, Day 3, Event Horizon, medical, semi-private
Visiting those sick with a disease that makes their flesh rot. How Biblical. Emirate Xaaron is up on his Corrostop by now; he just needs to worry about Gold Plastic Syndrome, himself, and even if he didn't, he generally has no fear for his own well-being.
Emirate Xaaron goes through the necessary checks and counter-locks, and eventually, he's there, to speak with Oil Slick's last unrecovered victim.
He says softly, so as not to hurt by speaking too loudly, "I trust your spirit is radiant as ever, though your body may be weak."
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 7, 2011 23:09:29 GMT -5
"You need not whisper, Emirate. I am much improved from our last meeting," Botanica says. It is true. She's still dressed more in autumnal colors, but there's life and vibrancy to her now, and she doesn't look as tired as she did when she gave her Big Reveal Speech, or when she dressed down Mayday.
She sets aside the paperwork she was reviewing. Actual paperwork. She didn't want to risk destroying a perfectly good datapad.
"And you? Are you well?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 7, 2011 23:36:38 GMT -5
"So you are," Emirate Xaaron agrees in a more conversational speaking tone. He fetches a chair and settles himself beside her. He suggests teasingly, "Of course, what I'm most interested in at the moment is neither spirit nor body but your lovely mind. I am quite, quite well myself."
He glances at her... paper, which is still a bit of an odd concept, despite Pz-Zazz, and then he presses gamely on, "So, have you kept abreast of the situation with Hook?"
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 8, 2011 21:26:43 GMT -5
Botanica raises a brow, "Emirate, when you pour on the charm this much, I tend to get worried. Not that I mind the flattery," she smiles, "Quite appreciate it, truth be told." Is that a bit of sadness that flits across her face? Surely not.
His question turns her expression serious, however, and she frowns. "I have. I even understand the reason for it, gray though the ethics involved may be."
"What do you need of me?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 8, 2011 22:09:51 GMT -5
Why-for the sadness, lovely lily? Is she not an officer, well-respected by her peers?
Emirate Xaaron mock-pouts and teases, "You mean I'm not this charming all the time? So much for maintaining a uniform standard of excellence. That aside... your reality is known for shell programs and amnesia coding, I do believe?"
There, that's the still-beating fuel pump of the matter.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 9, 2011 11:13:02 GMT -5
Botanica leans forward and starts to rest her hand on Xaaron's arm, though her fingers stop just shy of the touch. "You are always charming, of course, but you are at you best when you want something from someone."
She smiles brightly, "And that is a compliment, by the way."
His next words make her eyes narrow a bit, though her smile doesn't falter.
"You don't think what was done to Hook can actually be undone fully, do you?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 9, 2011 11:23:36 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron obligingly moves his arm over to brush against her hand if she'll let him. He's a very tactile person, always grabbing people or hugging them in canon. Emirate Xaaron agrees pleasantly, "I wouldn't dream of taking it any other way, but you should know that I always want something or other out of everyone."
He frowns sadly and nods, "It's been tried before by... at least two different groups from his own reality who should, in theory, know his code well enough. That's why I fear a different approach from another reality may be needed. Whoever built the robo-smasher never dreamed of your reality."
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 9, 2011 23:21:53 GMT -5
Botanica wasn't touching Emirate Xaaron because she didn't want to. She wasn't touching him because she has a contagious disease! He may have been inoculated, but still!
Of course she accepts the touch when offered, though. Xaaron isn't the only one who trends toward the tactile, and being so completely locked away as she is... the absence of another wears on her.
She sighs and shifts slightly on the berth. "It would be no small task. Even then, I can't guarantee it will work. If the coding change was as invasive and thorough as I understand it...."
"I'll try. For Long Haul's sake."
"What exactly are you looking for in this?" she asks. Knowing what outcome the Emirate really wants makes a very big difference in how she goes about things.
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 9, 2011 23:30:00 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron has to take a decon shower when he leaves, anyway. May as well make it worth it. He explains, "You can't just give Hook back his old worldview and ethical code and keep his memories intact. A relatively normal person recalling what Hook's done and thinking it was all right at the time is going to go insane trying to reconcile the contradiction. At the same time, we can't wipe his mind, either. Even if it wasn't wrong, we need what he knows too much. We need him as close to his previous self as possible, with his memories... fuzzed, a bit, so he won't recall what he's done unless he specifically thinks about it, and so he'll have some detachment from the memories, like someone else did those things, not him. We don't need him constantly self-flagellating over Crystal City or any of his other atrocities to the point of uselessness. Might as well kill him if we were going to inflict that kind of torture on him. Is that clear enough?"
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 10, 2011 18:32:50 GMT -5
"Hrm."
Botanica is frowning. Reaching for a pen, she starts to make some notes.
"I may need to talk to him- or Long Haul. Do you know, does he have any recollection of what he was like before falling prey to Megatron's machinations? It could help with the integration."
"Xaaron-" she crosses her arms over each other and leans toward the Emirate," Even going at it from this angle, there's no guarantee the hardcoded reprogramming won't re-exert itself. How far are we going with this?"
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 10, 2011 18:45:52 GMT -5
"You can talk to Long Haul now. You'll have to wait on talking to Hook until after the trial. Propriety," Emirate Xaaron gives her a ghastly smile, lopsided and dark. "I'm not sure if he remembers or not. You might want to talk to Dinobot and Ultra Magnus after the trial, after well. They're defending him. I'm sure they'll get to see an... interesting side of him."
He shrugs and suggests, "You're familiar with the concept of a virtual computer, correct?" A simulated computer running on another computer. "My understanding was that shell programs do something similar with minds. It shouldn't matter what his damage is... that won't get to the outside world, anyway. Hopefully not even conscious thought. But if we can't fix Hook... I suppose we get out what we can about combiner technology from him and then put him in a box and hope that, someday, we'll have a new avenue to fix him."
It's blunt and brutal and ugly, but there are no good options here.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 10, 2011 19:57:07 GMT -5
"Even if it work's, you're still locking him in a box," Botanica points out dryly, "Except the box is his mind."
"It would work as you say, yes, and I'm fairly confident it would work. I've been working on a personal side project that involves technology that might be helpful to this case." Botanica stares down at her hands.
"Xaaron, I do not like this. I do not like this trial and I do not like what we are discussing, but it is the best option short of true execution. I would see him salvaged, for Long Haul's sake, if nothing else."
"Perhaps there are some who would call me hypocritical for my views." She raises her head to look Xaaron in the optic, "But I will not be party to mind rape, stripping the useful from him and tossing him aside for some nebulous later. Nor will I have him existing as a possible threat to those under my care."
"This will either work and he will be salvaged, or he will die. I will not chance it otherwise."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 10, 2011 21:06:20 GMT -5
"That's the thing. Hook's ill, and any cure is going to be rather drastic." Emirate Xaaron peers at the threads of rust that still lace Botanica. "If we had to yank your spark out and put you into a new body," probably a blue Seeker, "to save you, I'd have it done."
"Now, do I get to hear what this side project is, or must I wait in sweet anticipation?" he asks coyly, placing his free hand back up and under his chin.
Emirate Xaaron shrugs and clarifies, "I didn't say mind rape. I'm talking an old fashioned interrogation. I think Rattrap would be up to it." He likes Rattrap. Rattrap is Emirate Xaaron's kind of vermin.
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Shanodin
Major
The Chamberlain, Her Chivalrous Immensity, Lady Botanica. The Unyielding Vanquisher of Weed Killer
This is NOT her field of dreams
Posts: 700
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Post by Shanodin on May 10, 2011 22:00:42 GMT -5
Botanica goes a bit pale at the suggestion of a spark transplant. A shudder runs through her.
"Honestly Xaaron, I think I'd rather die. I've been removed from this body before. It... was not a pleasant experience." She visibly regains her composure before answering his question.
"I've been examining some of the technology from your and Rodimus's reality. I think utilizing a mesh of the Pretender and Master partner technology might allow me to incorporate an internal radio back into my systems. There are times when relying on my external has cause problems."
Botanica tries to look Xaaron in the optic, "I want permission to incorporate a terminator failsafe in the shell program. If he reverts, it will send him into instant and irreversible cascade failure. I'm serious Xaaron. Even my history is rife with stories of what they did as Decepticons."
"I'll not risk them."
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Post by Emirate Xaaron on May 10, 2011 22:13:17 GMT -5
"I wouldn't let you die," Emirate Xaaron says firmly, and that is that. Life is wonderful, and one can get used to almost any form of unpleasantness with enough time. Just look at Impactor, and he's not even alive.
He listens along to her idea, to put an internal radio into her, and he smiles. "That sounds like a splendid idea. Your people back home will surely benefit from it, as well."
Emirate Xaaron rubs his chin when she outlines her other idea, and he replies, "Many Transformers in my reality had cortex bombs, in case they needed to suicide. Those weren't remote, however. They were voluntary. I am... not sure how I feel about a remote death trigger. You see," he leans forward, "it is exactly my style, and that is why it worries me."
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