Decepticon Base - Echo

[Archivium]

At her affirmation, he resumed entering the command to finalized XNA's results, which in turn reduced the holographic figures to their simplified forms so they could be assigned a case sequence and filed back away into the console. "Well done, XNA," Modulator comments mildly, the drone hovering next to her lingering in optics' view for a moment longer before moving out of sight again. "Now, for this last section, it can seem quite intrusive, and because of this, I find many of my subjects tend to opt out of it, due to how uncomfortable it makes them feel." Modulator tilts his head up then to 'face' the femme, which curiously enough, she'd find now that her own reflection could be seen across the featureless, smooth plating that confronted her; had it always been that way?



"Again, if you do start to feel like you do not wish to continue, all that is required will be from you to tell me to stop and the session will be concluded immediately," the mech insisted, as if he could not make this point clear enough. The typing would continue, and this time it would take a while for him to access the program and set everything up, giving her time to inspect the work space more closely. The various shelves set up along the walls all carried a particular theme to them upon closer inspection, as he appeared to be a collector of time pieces: hourglasses, clocks and metronomes in a wide variety of designs, some so vague it was hard to determine how they could even tell or keep time, but they were a part of the collection, so they must in some way!


The screen in front of her flickers then, lighting up two rectangles with a small space between them in a light green. Modulator's digits had finished moving, and now slide to rest on the edge of the desk once more. "When you are ready, please place your servos down within each of the highlighted spots- you are going to feel a slight buzz for the duration of this section, that is completely normal and harmless, I promise," he assures her before continuing, "what this will allow you do to, is share with me a visual representation of a memory that you will be in complete control of, which is going to be viewed through this console. This way, when I ask you to show me a moment where you felt the most alienated, if a memory is shown, it is completely under your discretion as to how much is uncovered and shown to me."



After that somewhat long-winded explanation, the lanky mech takes a moment to straighten himself, readjusting the two drones at his sides before his servos come together in a neat fold in front of him. "If I've been clear with my instructions and you are comfortable with proceeding, then you may go ahead and show me the first memory- take your time if needed, finding the right moment to express yourself properly is not an easy process, we are in no rush here," he states calmly.

[Cybiscus]

The femme slowly tilts her helm out of curiosity, listening to the mech’s instructions and staring at herself from the reflection of the mech’s faceplate. To be honest, she really hadn’t explored it as much because of how vacant of detail it was compared to the rest of his frame. It was indeed a wonderful detail, the clear and smooth surface. How could she have missed it? It almost made her want to reach out and touch it. Of course, she knew her manners and quickly dismisses the temptation as soon as it came. Once he finishes his spiel, XNA gives him a slow nod. She can definitely see how this section of the exam, in particular, is less of a fan favorite. It was more of the personal level, something she had found a lot of Decepticons having a difficult time sharing. Definitely taking the time to think it over, she gives a simple shrug. She was going to leave soon anyway, what’s the harm in sharing a little bit of stuff? The mech might even forget about it after many years to come. She leans in now, letting her servos slide away from one another.

“Alright, sounds simple enough. Got nothing to hide~” XNA hums out with a purr, moving her servos over to the spots on the screen. With a careful touch, she places her servos flat on top of the green spots; frame twitching briefly from the faint vibration against her palms before she relaxes again. Settling in place, the femme then closes her optics, focusing on her memory files and sifting through them carefully. Something that expresses herself… Moments later, there was a buzz, and memory begins to play- one of the days where she started to learn how to do her job.

.:”Now, after locating the quad-cable within the joint, all you have to do is clip it. After that, the limb should be rendered useless.” A husky, masculine voice reverberates against the dark walls, in an instructive tone. What was noticed immediately, was the frame of an offline mech, his chest cavity ripped open in horrifying ways. His internal systems were stripped out, left with nothing but a hollow husk. The view leans over before lowering down to the back of one of the lifeless mech’s legs, XNA’s servos raising with a scalpel in one of them. She presses the small blade against one of the cables, ready to trim it. “Like this?” Surprisingly, her voice sounded softer and naive.

“No.” A large, dark servo carefully takes XNA’s wrist, moving it slowly to have the scalpel shift to a thicker cable, “This is the one you cut.” The servo runs down the femme’s arm before it leaves her view. She adds pressure onto the blade, letting it slice through the cable with sufficiency.

“Well done. Next, we will go over how to disconnect the energon tank from the pumps.” The mech’s voice was right next to XNA’s audial, smooth as silk. This prompts the femme to turn her helm towards the source of the sound, a glimpse of a dark, winged mech beginning to form. However, before a clear image of the mech could develop, the memory files come to an abrupt stop, everything going blank.:.

[Archivium]

Curiously enough, as the memory feed plays, all attention remains on the femme seated before him. Both drones again focus their lenses to capture every reactionary movement or variable throughout its duration, and by the end, Modulator finds himself leaning forward ever so slightly. "A bold statement to make, and yet you do not shy away from exposing what makes you who you are, even if it set you apart from the rest. Interesting. Very interesting," he concludes, his smoothed over faceplate never so much as turning a fraction away from hers, as if caught in an intense stare with his subject... which clearly could not be the case. Still, that mirrored effect at least gave her something to stare back at.

"How about we search for something you sought from others, but could never quite receive. Tell me XNA, can you share any memories where you felt envious?" He requested calmly, voice still as monotone as ever, even if his mannerisms and posture might have indicated more enthusiasm in what he was partaking in now. Allowing himself to remain this way for just a while longer before he inevitably leaned back to straighten himself back out, smoothing all the kinks along the front of his chest plating that had accumulated when he had dared to get so close.

A servo lifted then to carefully press in the last pointed edge that seemed to struggle in flattening back against his front. "I feel I must apologize, for speaking out of turn just now- in reference to what you showed me," his lengthy digits gestured outwards and to the vacant display, before settling back over the other servo in front of him. "Though it is merely a hobby of mine, I have often found myself further analyzing past traumas to better understand those who have experienced them, and more importantly, to find the means to cope with current and future obstacles- as a form of therapeutic..." His words stray, and then fade into silence, as if realizing it was a fruitless effort to bring up such a topic, especially during an exam. So the slender mech simply waited for enough time to pass, before refocusing his lenses:

"You may proceed with the next memory now."

[Cybiscus]

The femme opens her optics to gaze back at the mech’s faceplate- her own reflection. What she saw came as a surprise to her, part of an expression she hasn’t made in a long time. A slight curve of her lips, with her optics sparkling with warmth. Was it admiration? Adoration? Whatever it was, it quickly leaves her faceplate as soon as she notices it, not even sure how long she had that look on her. With a blink, she focuses on the lenses of the drones before her, putting on a smile as she heard his apology.

“Oh, please, don’t worry about it. I assume that you’re only following your own procedure, right? What I’ve shown you is merely a coincidence.” Her optics roam over to the mech’s frame now, taking note of all of the noise of the clanks it was making. Such an odd thing- a bit worrying if anything. But, she doesn’t mention it at all, mainly focusing on the instructions at hand. Though, her curiosity did pique its interest when she hears what the next subject for her memory lane. Envy? At this point, it seemed like such a foreign concept to her. XNA never really experienced such a gross feeling, except when...she closes her optics with a vent, letting the next file flicker on.

.:Currently washing surgical utensils, the femme’s gaze flicks over towards two Cybertronain’s every now and then. One of the figures weren’t as apparent until the peeks drew out into longer stares. It was the back of the dark mech’s frame from the previous memory. The other was a short, light blue femme with beaming purple optics. Oddly enough, her faceplate was faded- it was as if static was obstructing it lightly. A severe distortion from XNA’s perspective. The observing femme couldn’t stop herself from watching the mech’s servos occasionally hover over the blue femme’s frame, not touching, but enough to send XNA’s vision into a light buzz.

“I think that this procedure will be the best approach to fixing your T-Cog. This is for joining the law enforcement, correct? You will need to be your best after all. Your alt. definitely will be the best for it.” The mech states, his voice alluring and smooth as usual.

“Yup! Law enforcement. I wanted to make sure I’m at my best before signing up. I’d be embarrassed if I went in and sent away because I wasn’t transforming properly. So yes, I’d like to have the procedure!” The femme giggles nervously, fiddling with her digits in front of her. Looking over her again, she appeared so attentive, her gaze looking right up at the mech. She was trying to look attractive, and XNA could read all of the signs- it was apparent. And the mech was feeding right into it, by casually touching the femme’s arm now. ~Just get on with it already.~ XNA’s voice buzzes within her mind.

“Yes, I can see why something like that would be embarrassing. You seem like the type who would like to make a good first impression.” The mech gently removes his servo, motioning over to the doorway towards the operating room. “Well, if you have nowhere else to be, as you’ve stated before, shall we?”

“Of course, thank you, ////////////!” The femme’s voice buzzes out at the last moment- the fault of memory file itself. With an eager step, she moves on through the doorway, her doorwings hiking up high on her back.

“Excellent. XNA?” The mech purrs, making XNA twitch once, “Would you be a dear and gather up the equipment?” As if she were programmed to obey anything he says, XNA begins to place all of the tools onto a cart, preparing to push it along into the operating room. Thanks to the mech’s soothing words and his charm, they have yet another fly caught in the trap. And XNA was almost too excited to tear this femme in particular apart. And she will be enjoying it along with the femme- something she was even more so looking forward to. ~Finally…~ Once again, the file cuts out.:.

[Archivium]

The pair of lenses dilate at the brief shift in expression, no doubt intent on capturing it during the course of her evaluation, along with the rest of their keen observations of the subject seated before them. The mech however did not acknowledge to how she reacted to his absent ramblings, in fact he acted as though the event did not take place - and for all she knew, he was deleting that bit of audio from the recording in that very moment as he quickly typed a few commands into the keypad before she was ready to play the next memory.

From there, all attention snapped back to the screen and Modulator froze. More details could be gleaned from this video feed, even if XNA left certain pieces obstructed - there was plenty to work with still. The narrowly constructed mech patiently waited for the memory to complete before he lifted his helm to face the femme once more, both drones mimicking his motions. Before he could even speak, something may have surely caught her attention along that smooth metallic surface- for the briefest of moments, she could have sworn the face staring back at her was the very mech from her memory feeds. A flicker from her optics later and XNA would find her own reflection again. Was it just a trick of the light? A side effect of dredging up these files?

"You are doing spectacularly well, XNA. I should only require one more memory before we can conclude this evaluation," he approximates, his digits curling in towards his servos for a moment before laying flat along the desk's surface. "As for your final emotion to draw from, I'd like you to search for a point in time where you felt something akin to 'bittersweet'," his tone only shifting from that typical monotone droning at the very end, only to brought to the brim to the of what could be considered... excitement?

[Cybiscus]

The purple femme opens up her optics just a smidge, the light of them dull in comparison to what they were before. It was difficult to speculate what her thoughts of the previous memory were with her faceplate void of expression. At this point, she was quiet, seeming to be unphased by the illusionary image she catches on Modulator’s faceplate for only a brief moment. However, her spark had already gradually begun to race during the last memory. The heel of her pede raising and falling onto the floor with gentle tapping, though the movement was sporadic. There was an attempt to think of other moments relating to the next emotion the mech desired. Even with the change of his tone, XNA didn’t seem to mind it at all. She was more concerned about how she just kept thinking about only that part of the time during her existence. Now that she thought about it more, her life has been short between the time she was created and when she joined the Decepticons. Unfortunately, there was one distinct memory where she honestly felt that way. And so, she plays the file.

.:It was like any other typical day. XNA had just finished cleaning the energon off of her frame, stepping out of a room that could be considered a washing room. She could remember that her spark was beating faster than usual that day. With thoughts of confession racing through her processor. It was only on the matter of timing should she bring it up with him. And by some strange coincidence, the door to his office opens, and the tall jet steps out. In her optics, the mech’s armor glistens with brilliance, with each small scratch or dent on his plating extenuating the glimmer from the lights shining down onto him. However, despite how incredible his appearance was, there was something off about his faceplate. Just as it was like for the poor femme from the previous memory, the mech’s faceplate had the same obscurity. Why XNA would choose to obscure such an individual was unknown. Despite that, the file continues to play like it was normal, the femme finally taking up the courage to speak.

“Um- ////////////. Can I talk to you?” Her voice was timid, shuffling in place. Immediately, the mech’s helm turns, beading red optics shining through the obscurity over his face. His posture straightens, wings hiking up on his back with prideful authority. Those steps of his were heavy, as he glides his way over to XNA, bright optics peering over her frame.

“Ah, XNA. Splendid work today. I’ve gathered enough resources from the subject today to finally test a component of the multi-T-cog technology. Soon, people will see the wonders of freely having as many alts. as they want.” Slowly, he raises his servo to brush it lightly against the top of her helm, before the clawed digits lower down to caress the femme’s cheek plating. “You have done well today. I applaud your handiwork.” His voice vibrates down to her core, making her almost tremble in place. As much as her frame wanted to melt from his touch, XNA keeps her composure, standing up straight as the mech looms over her. Though, her voice was an obvious tremble. “Um…”

“Oh, yes, right.” The mech casually lowers his servo away, clasping both of them now behind his back, “What did you need to speak to me about?” This was when her spark begins to beat faster, taking a long pause to try and get her words out. The mech’s patience shows tremendously, his gaze never wavering even when she eventually speaks.

“Well...I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. And since we’ve worked together for a couple of years now, I’ve always had this feeling for a while now, and-” the femme glances up to the mech’s piercing gaze for a moment, before letting out a vent. “I was hoping if- we could both consider maybe...becoming C-...Amica Endura?” XNA glances to the side, fiddling with her digits quietly now and waiting for his response with bated breath. The long silence from the mech was worrisome enough, not to mention that he was standing still as a statue now. The sudden movement of his arm jostles the femme a bit, his servo returning to her cheek.

“XNA. What a surprise.” The femme freezes up while the mech turns her helm again so that she could look straight into his optics, which were now searing into her processor. It was...difficult to remember his expression, but the gentle touch to her cheek sent her processor soaring. Just as her spark flutters, it only skips a beat. “You know...my work is critical to me. I want to see it finished. I simply can’t bear the thought of having it come between you and I. I would like to finish this before making any commitments so that I could focus my time on you. But as soon as its finished, I will gladly accept.” His thumb slowly brushes over her cheek, the tone of his voice difficult to read, becoming static even. “You’re doing a fantastic job. I would love to have you continue working by my side. Will you do that?”:.

A twitch from one of her digits.

.:She stares right into his optics, mesmerized by them. As much as she adored staring at them, she couldn’t help but feel...a bitter taste in her mouth from his words. They were sweet, they sounded gentle. But, why did they give such an awful taste in her mouth, that it made her processor spin? Ignoring the pit in her abdomen, she gives him an answer, nodding her helm. “Yes- of course.”

“Splendid.” And just like that, the mech’s servo falls away from her cheek plate, turning around to answer the office door, as it was ringing right before XNA gives her answer. Motioning to the femme, the mech speaks before opening the door, “Get some rest. There is much work to be done tomorrow.” With another nod, the femme slowly walks towards the door that led to the stairs to the quarters, barely catching the commotion when the mech answers the office door. The rising voices were only a muffle until suddenly- a loud start of a bang before the audio and file cuts out. Oddly enough, there was a brief flash before that file ended- a still image, though it could be possible to decipher within those few milliseconds of popping up. It was dark, but light enough to show a limp, dark frame laying facedown in a glowing pool of energon, surrounded by pedes of a few individuals- the framework of those individuals looking common, similar to a design of law enforcement.:.

Another twitch of XNA’s digit and she opens her optics quickly, yanking her servos away from the glowing rectangles. Her spark was now beating just as fast as it was in the memory file, the force of it pounding against her chest plating. She blinks her dilating optics a few times, sitting still for a moment to recollect herself. The femme’s thoughts were swirling, too careless at the last moment there- though she couldn’t help but think of that blip. With her thoughts steadily falling back into place, her servos slowly clasp together, allowing the tips of them to rub together; a thumb running against one of her palms. Once she knows she is collected, her gaze quickly falls on one of the drone’s optics, staring before slowly giving it a wide grin, her optics squinting slightly from her cheek plating gently pushing upwards. It was as if her brief, strange actions before never happened.

“Well, I guess that was the last of them, right~?”

[Archivium]

When XNA opens her optics, she is greeted at first by a harsh and bright lime light that fills her visual sensors, its origin coming from the twin lenses belonging to the drones centering their spotlight gaze down onto the femme. It would perhaps leave her a bit disoriented, just as a flash passes through the room before it all grows dark, even the drones' lights had become eclipsed entirely. Modulator's narrow figure would have been difficult to make out this whole time, but he had not moved an inch since she started to relay this final memory, his servos neatly folded one over the other. The mech was nothing more than a dark silhouette at this point, no reflection could be gleaned from his faceplate, or details noted along his frame, even the lights along his desk had been switched off, the rectangles where she had placed her servos faded away - leaving them to sit in an almost completely darkened room.

"What you have shared with me today, is something you have kept locked up deep within your memory vault," he started, his tone returned to neutrality and its dulled monotony. "I don't believe it was mere coincidence that what was shown had a clear pattern, a message, which I could not help hearing," he explained calmly, still unmoving, not even his drones adjusted themselves or rotated their lenses as if they were frozen in place, "and that is what I want you to know above all else before you leave my office, XNA." His movements must have looked so sudden and rigid after being still for so long, when his servos reached across the desk to help bring his slender frame forward, that featureless helm of his lowering sit at level to her own then... before it fractured and split apart, just like the plating along his chest, revealing a symmetrical design of sharply constructed mandible-like features guarding what may have looked like a hollow interior; as the opening was not wide or large enough to reveal much more than that.

"You are not alone, and will never be alone in this, XNA. Please, try to always remember that. Remember that if you should ever wish to talk about these memories in depth, or any others, about the feelings they evoke, I will always answer that call," surely his words were meant to ease the femme, but the manner in which they were offered, by such unsettling imagery of the mech's truly distorted faceplate to the fact that this was all be delivered still by the drone hovering behind her and out of sight. None of this likely came off as particularly soothing, which may have been his actual intention. Regardless of her reaction to this all, Modulator would move back to compose himself shortly after his little 'pep talk', the plating along the front of his helm smoothing out entirely into the featureless, yet completely dull and unreflective slate of metal once more while the rest of his frame followed suit.

Pushing himself up to stand, the lights would turn back on as the office would resume its normal state completely. "I'll submit your standardized results of the evaluation to Decepticon High Command, who I am sure will be quite satisfied with my findings," he concludes, bringing a servo down to press that singularly sharp digit against a button on the side of his desk to release the small data pin for him to take. "You are, by all accounts, a perfectly functioning mind that shows great potential towards our collective cause," he pauses then, his helm tilted downward at the device clutched in between in thin digits now. Both drones had finally broken their focus on XNA, turning to hover off towards the back end of the office, scanning over a part of the wall like they were searching for something. The third drone however remained at the femme's side, slowly coming into view as it rotated its lens to zoom in on her faceplate.

"I believe this should conclude our session. Was there anything else you required from me?"

[Cybiscus]

The lights from the two drones were certainly a surprise to XNA, her frame leaning back into her chair while squinting her optics to adjust to the beams. If that wasn’t bad enough, the room going dark only builds the uncomfortable effect on the femme’s visual sensors. Modulator was just a still shadow in the dim past the bright drones. Once the mech finally speaks, she lowers her gaze away to the side somewhat, purely to give her optics a bit of a break from the stark contrast of the lime-colored lights. The grin she had on her faceplate slowly dissipates, with more than Modulator’s words on her mind. The memories she had shown, they were ones in particular that she doesn’t re-play too often. However, there was always one thing that was on her mind, one thing that was apparent throughout all of the files. And as wrong as someone else might see it as, it was the thing that would always bring XNA warmth and joy.

The mech’s movement was noticed by the femme right away, her optics shooting to the corners to see him closer in front of her compared to where he was just seconds ago. What takes place soon afterward makes her slowly turn her helm, getting a clear view of the mech’s frame splitting apart just a little bit. Her faceplate was blank, remaining the same as it was, except now her optics begin to slowly glow more in the dark. Modulator’s sharp features attract her attention, mentally restraining the urge of engines purring out of nowhere. XNA’s pink optics rest on the mech’s fractured faceplate once his voice radiates from the drone once more, slightly tilting her helm from such words. How strange of him to make comments like that with a ghastly appearance. Well, it would undoubtedly bring specific bots on edge, but to the femme, it was very interesting. There was even a possible desire to want to peer into the light gaps of his frame, but she knew better. Nevertheless, she will remember his offer to listen to her thoughts.

XNA blinks once when the mech leans back away from her, seeming to disappear behind the drones’ light before she winces. The lights of the office make her optics dilate quick, making her close them along with the wince. She pulls her derma to the side somewhat from the slight discomfort, letting her optics adjust to the lighting before they lay on the mech once more. Her helm never follows the two drones that hover past her, due to the third one catching her attention. The femme should be glad that she seems to be functioning well. It was essential for her to be collected enough to be able to do her work- to have a stable enough mind to gather the information she needed. Flicking her optics away from the drone for a second, she notices the mech gazing down at his servo, her helm still a tilt. Strange...was that normal? The drone’s question pulls her gaze away from Modulator, her pink lights peering at the floating bot. With a click, her usual sense composure returns, a smile creeping back onto her faceplate. “No, nothing I can think of really~” XNA softly replies to the mech’s inquiry, her arms lifting up slowly.

The femme’s digits splay apart as her servos gently cup around the drone’s form, “I must thank you, really. You’ve reminded me why I’ve taken the job in the first place. Why I’ve decided to join the cause. Not that I’ve ever questioned it at all- just the reason why I’m here now.” Her thumb slowly runs near the lens, simply using it to give the drone pets. It was then she uses her pedes to push her chair back, giving her the room to rise from her seat, “Thank you for your time, Modulator. It’s much appreciated.”

[Archivium]

Much like before, the drone would not try to evade being captured by XNA, especially if all it amounted it was such gentle treatment. It's various plates folding back along the curvature of its form as its lens fluctuated wildly at first to try and observe the movement of her digits up close, only to settle from the motion she made along the thick slate of glass; resting ever so slightly against the open palm of her servo for as long as the femme would support its weight. "There is no need to thank me, XNA, I am simply fulfilling my own purpose and to do so in accordance to by the most efficient means possible," the way in which these words were delivered, sounded even more distant than if they were simply conveyed in any other manner, but the emotionless tone that sapped every last bit of sentiment from the statement, and how far off the mech stood from her with his frame partially turned away, his posture almost dismissive; all of it seemed so very cold and clinical all of a sudden.

The data pin was carefully rolled from one slender digit to the next, then back again as the angularly constructed decepticon stood there in quiet contemplation for a long while. Surely this was the end of her session, and he should be showing her the way out now, right? Why was he just standing there...

It was then that his pointed shoulders seemed to bunch up, a moment of tension for narrowly framed mech, only for it to pass with what sounded like an ex-vent - accompanied by an expulsion of a green mist that could be seen seeping from the series of openings lining the under portion of his jawline. The data pin was hastily stowed away in a compartment along one of the many plates that opened up along his chest, and once it was out of sight, the featureless faceplate turned to femme.

"Even if I have only known you for a short while, it is through my methods that it seems as though I've been observing you for much longer than that, which is why it is such a shame now to recall that you will be departing soon," he speaks this all quite plainly, the drone's lens narrowing on her optics ever so slightly while the mech brings his servos back to clasp behind him. "Then again, I should be mindful of such circumstances," he'd straighten himself ever so slightly as he'd finally stride forward and towards XNA, only to take a sudden turn off to the side about partway so he could instead access the door - opening it for her, "attachment of any kind in excess could be quite unhealthy."

With that, he moved away from the exit so he could return to his desk as the two drones from before accompanied him. Nothing more would be said, but when she let go of the third drone, it would follow her out and into the hall, stopping then to watch her until she was out of sight.