"It's been two weeks," Deagon slapped Megatron's file in front of her.
Aurora slipped it from his desk, opening it up once again. She had the same one in her own bag beside her, but it felt different than her own. Deagon had little scrawls of notes along the edges, some incomprehensible with the chicken scratch. She resigned herself from solving them, knowing this was not the place nor time.
"You hear me?" his tone was dark.
Aurora looked up from the file, closing it in her lap. "I heard you loud and clear, Deagon." She tried to keep her voice light but could feel the clip behind her words. "And I know it's been two weeks."
"Silence." He leaned forward in his leather chair. "Two weeks of absolute silence. I don't think I have ever seen a therapist break him like that before." There was sarcasm from his words digging into her.
She wouldn't let it take hold. "He caught on quick to what I'd found out about him. Megatron doesn't want to open up about his past, but in order to get what you want, I need him to. I figured if I kept trying for a few days I might be able to-"
"Bore him back to his past?" Deagon snapped.
Her eyes dug into his soul. "No. . ." But yes, though she wasn't going to admit that to him. "I can't just try a new way for one or two days. I need to see if it will work. Plenty of clients after repeated tries tend to start reacting positively to sessions - if only you give them time to warm up to them."
"You've been sitting in there asking him questions about his life. Hell I've even seen you sit there as silent as him!" Deagon's tone wasn't growing lighter. "Plenty others before you tried your same idea and failed. What makes you different?"
"Nothing." She moved the file back onto his desk. "Nothing does. You as well as whoever hired me knows that. They're just trying to stall what you see as the inevitable."
"His corpse becoming a pile of scrap parts." Deagon quipped. "As it should have been five years ago."
"You don't want information for your government?"
"I get enough as it is."
Aurora paused at the statement. Then she moved on, deciding that not knowing more would be the smartest decision she made in the moment. "I have other things to try up my sleeve. You just need patience."
"I've been having patience for five years."
"Well, have more." She groaned. "You already got your go ahead from higher ups that I have to give you whatever I get from him. I'm under your law in a way that I know isn't right. But I'll respect it." she felt the venom seeping through her words. "For the sake of keeping cordiality between us." she jabbed a finger onto his desk, her body rising from the chair. "But if you want that information, you have to be willing to be patient for it. The problem I see that everyone else had, be it them or because of you, was they were trying to expedite some sort of giving nature in Megatron. But this is a long game, Deagon. Far longer than some five hour football hoopla, okay? I am trying something new today. Allow me to take the time to get through to him and when I do, it won't just be bits and pieces, it will be everything you and your higher ups wanted to know. More than I'm sure Optimus Prime could give you."
Deagon leaned back in his chair, hand folded over his stomach. His eyes were trained on her, expectantly waiting for some quip to come into his mind so he could say it. Finally he leaned forward. "Fine." She could see it in his eyes, how that was the only thing he could muster. He knew she was right, no one could doubt the truth she just said. "You have six months."
"You can't timeline these kinds of things."
His eyes narrowed. "Six months or I'll be cracking his silver plated skull open and finding that information for myself."
"You won't nearly get as close to as what you can with his own words."
"At that point, Doctor Clark," his eyes shadowed. "I won't be doing such a thing for information." A skewed darkness fell over his face as a smile formed over his lips.
Shivers ran up and down her spine. Gulping, she picked up her bag and stepped backward a few paces. "I see. Six months." She nodded and turned her back on him, his smile lingering in her mind's eyes. It made her stomach twist into knots. Did he deserve that kind of torture? Would it be penance for his own sins he committed during the war? Maybe, but it still sickened her to think of that happening to a living being.
She wound her way through the halls, nodding to the soldiers standing guard outside cells that she had come to realize held prisoners the same as if not more volatile than Megatron. They were all barricaded by the same door so she could never see in. It was only through her passing and hearing conversations that she pieced it all together. This wasn't just a place for Megatron, it was for him and his kind. There were numerous Decepticons held here in this prison. Of whom she knew no names and she wondered if Megatron knew. It was her tactic of today. To talk about the current now. No war. No fighting. Just his life in the moment and who else he was sharing the same fate with.
"Duver," she nodded her head at the lead guard standing before Megatron's door. He bowed his head back with a smile.
"Miss Clark! Monday already?" His jovial tone was a stark contrast to the job he was doing.
"As it always is after Sunday."
The man who was closely nearing his fifties laughed. "Oh how time skiffs me daily. I swear it was just Friday evening and I was sending off my first to college."
She smiled. "Congratulations."
"Ah, not yet," he waggled a finger. "I've still got three more before me and the missus are empty nesters. We were a bit late bloomin' when it came to having kids. Decided in our twenties to enjoy them in the freedom of just us."
"Sounds like a wonderful plan."
"Certainly was!" he began the unlatching sequence to let her in. "Now we're enjoying our kiddos. Two graduates this year, one from high school and the other from kinder," he chuckled.
She shared the laugh as the door clicked open for her. "Well I wish you the best with those parties."
"Thanks Miss Clark. Kinda fun when one is world travel theme and the other is Thomas the Train." he laughed again.
She smiled brightly and turned her head to the other soldier who stood at firm attention. His eyes were staring absently toward the wall opposite of them, sweat beading down his brow. His arms pressed hard into his side, fingers digging rivets into his palm.
"Ah," Duver waved him off. "He's fresh meat. He'll get used to this door real quick with you 'round."He opened the door enough for her to walk in and she bowed her head in thanks. He bowed back and as she entered, shut the door tightly behind her.
Taking in a deep breath, Aurora stared upward toward the towering mech. "Good afternoon Megatron," her shoes padded quietly across the cement floor.
He sat, his optics watching her with an intention she couldn't read. Today would be a no speaking day again or it would be the beginning of their journey on a new foot.
"I wanted to come in with a new perspective today." she let her eyes watch the stairs instead of him as she headed toward the platform. She could feel him watching her closely, studying her as he had for the past two weeks. It had been unnerving at first, the silent studying. It still was in its own way, but she was becoming used to it, knowing there was only so much he could get in her own silence.
Setting her bag next to the table, she sat and grabbed the edges of the seat, pulling it in ever closer so she sat with her stomach touching the table just enough to feel its presence. "I've been prodding you too much." She pulled out his file and opened it to wherever the center of all the information was. To his image taken by the scared photographer and the most recent notes of Doctor Yark. "I wanted to reel back, take some moments to think about the now." her eyes scanned the folder haphazardly, a way to keep them from staring directly at Megatron. She needed to seem distant herself, not so invested in all he had to say just yet. He needed to feel that she wasn't going to try and crack him open fully. "I was wondering, in this prison, do you know who also is here with you?"
Scratching from the chains erupted in the silence of the room. She looked up to see him sitting straighter than he had when she'd come in, his optics trained on her in a lasered focus.
"I only ask because I realize, walking down these halls so much that each cell is as large as this one and also secured with guards like yours. So I only assume it's other Decepticons or rogue autobots."
A noise arose from him. "Why would you assume autobots?" His words were quipped, angered by curiosity.
"Well," she shrugged, tracing the crimped center of the folder with her finger. She felt the worn ribbing and how it was holding on for dear life. "Even the good make bad choices. I don't assume but I surmise. This place clearly was built for transformers with your Decepticon faction in mind and the off chance an autobot might decide to turn against humanity. Or rogues, I guess in your war you might have had those who chose not to sit with either side, but instead be there own." her hand waved in the air. "But that is a discussion for another time. I said we would step back from the past. Today I want to talk about now."
He sneered, his head jilting to the side ever so, his optics watching her as carefully as a cat observed its prey.
"I," she thumbed through some files. "I saw in here somewhere that you had close loyalists. Mmm," she tried to find the page she'd ran across earlier that housed the names of all those that had been at Megatron's right side. "Ah," she pointed to the small pictures. Most of them were from news articles that had barely gotten a good shot of each. Just enough to see their frame and make out their towering frame compared to humanity. "Starscream. Shockwave. Soundwave. Those are the three top listed that were your closest allies in the war. Are they residing with you here?"
His sneer deepend, a snarl escaping him. Silence passed between them and she began counting seconds, waiting for the right time to jump in with another question that might kickstart the conversation in a different direction. "What makes you think I would know that?"
She hid the sigh of relief, hoping their game of silent cat and mouse was coming to an end. "Well, it was stated that when you were taken in, others had been taken with you. I only wonder if you know who."
"No."
"Well. . ." she let out a calm breath. This was either going to work or horribly backfire on her. "Would you like me to find out?" she met her eyes with his optics. Something in them lifted, a darkness rising for only a moment before crashing back down again.
"What makes you think I care if they are here?"
"They were your loyalists. A family in a way."
He chuckled. "We were not a family. We were not the Autobots. And while Shockwave and Soundwave were loyal to me, Starscream was only loyal to his own ambitions. He was only close to me so I could, as you humans say, keep him on a short leash." A smirk crossed his expression before fading back into a snarl.
"Oh, keep your enemies closer kind of thing."
He huffed, his optics lolling to another part of the cell. "I'm done talking with you."
"Well, I'm not done talking with you." she slapped the folder closed, garnering his attention again. "Would you like me to see who is here? Maybe send them a message."
"I doubt Deagon would approve."
"Deagon. . ." she had so much to say in a non-professional manner. Shaking her head she smiled at him. "Deagon can suck it." the smile pressed firmer into her face until her cheeks hurt. "He's not the one with the degree in psychology and understanding what another needs to help them along their journey. I am. I'm the one with the Masters and he's the one with his thumb stuck up his-" she caught herself, realizing she'd gone on a small tangent. Gritting her teeth, she bared another smile. "Forget what I said. I'll make sure I have the clearance. I've come to know people here."
Megatron turned his full attention back to her. "What do you not like about him?"
Her head shook, not expecting a question to be flipped onto her. "Well, I. . . That's really not. . . Your concern."
"Oh," he leaned forward. "But it is." his optics brightened a little, as if he had found a way into her mind. "We both clearly have a common enemy in this forsaken place. Would you not say so?"
"I can't really say I see him as an enemy, more of a hindrance."
"Hinderance? How so?"
"I. . . Well. . ." this was not what she had expected to talk about today. But, maybe, this could be her own vulnerable spot to him. "Let's make a deal." she pressed a smile. "This will be our little secret."
"It is no secret that I hate Deagon."
"No, and it's not quite mine either," she couldn't help but let a chuckle escape her. "But, it will be our secret that we are discussing our shared frustrations. I'd be putting my head on the line for confiding in you."
His helm raised a little, his optics watching her carefully. She stared back, studying his features as carefully as he did hers. It was odd here, finding something where he would open up. Something that could get her in so much trouble if it was overheard. Yet, it seemed almost intoxicating to think about just letting herself spill out about her frustrations to someone who also understood them. No matter how messed up that someone was. A smile covered his expression, a lightness to his features filing away at the darkness. "And for keeping your secret, Aurora Clark, what will you give me?"
Her head pulled to the side, her eyes staring at the square feet of the table as she thought. "Well, Megatron, what do you want?"
A quiet hum came from him as if he were lost in deep thought. "You will tell me every Decepticon who resides in this place. I don't want names, I want your proof that you have seen them. I want you to report to me the state of each one."
Her brows knitted close. "I can't make that promise. There is only so much I can do before someone catches on."
His expression darkened again. "Then I will not promise to let it known that you are so willing to share your hatred of Deagon with me. I am sure he would appreciate the information."
"Are you blackmailing me?"
A smile spread across his face. "You catch on quick, Aurora Clark." He sat up as straight as he could and even seeing it she could tell it was not his full height.
She nodded. "Okay, I promise. But here's the deal."
"We already made a deal." he snarled.
"You keep my secret, that is our deal, but I'm going to make a second one with you. I get you the names of all your Decepticons followers who are here, proof of life and wellbeing. When I have done it all, you are going to start opening up to me."
Now the light was gone, replaced by the anger she was so familiar with seeing. "You cannot demand such deals as someone in your predicament."
"What, hating someone who's desire in life is to be hated? This is not a predicament for me as much as it is for you. I am your last resort to not being broken down into parts, Megatron." she watched her words hit him, the subtle way his expression shifted as she spoke. "If I am gone because of your revelation about me, I may be without a job, but you will be without life."
"This life is not one I would mourn."
"No, but it would take your opportunity of ever seeing past this."
He chuckled. "You and I both know that will never happen."
She pursed her lips in silence. He was right, and it was an obvious reality to anyone who thought of it. "Yes, but. . . There is always a chance. A possible, if not slight one, that your freedom would simply be a casting from earth. If I see something in you that cannot be refuted as change, I can make an argument for your release."
His expression shifted to where she couldn't understand what she was seeing any longer. "Even if you could prove a change. . . You would not argue for my release after you learn of what I have done. You would fight for my death. That, Aurora Clark, I know is true."
"You speak as if you know me, but you haven't talked to me in two weeks. You want to know how I feel, how I can help you, how I will help you on the truth of my promises? Actually share, talk, and allow me in."
"There is nothing in me to let you in to."
Her own expression softened somberly. "You say that now, you feel it, and I know you think it's truth. . . But Megatron, I have seen men come from war who only thought of themselves as an empty shell. I have brought them to a new identity, one that is of their older self combined with what war made them into. I have heard countless stories of brutality, and not once have I looked at those I worked with and saw monsters. That is not my job. I am to see the best in what the world sees as corruption. It's. . ." she reflected on them choosing her. "It's why I'm sure they brought me here. Because I can stand in fear of you, while also knowing that there is a possibility. There is always a possibility. But only if it comes from both sides."
"Do not speak to me of reformation, human." he spat. "I am past that."
"So I have been told by many soldiers."
"Tell me, Doctor Clark, have any of your clients ever not been reformed by your work?"
Her gaze fell, her mind sifting back into her hundreds of clients. A haze overshadowed her thoughts, bringing her back to, "One." she looked up, tears glossing her vision. "One."
"Tell me then."
She gulped at the demand. "I don't speak of my other clients to anyone." She released her fingers, the pain of her nails digging into her skin releasing.
"I have not asked."
Her chest felt heavy, a burden weighing down at the memory she had long buried. "You really want to know?"
His head tilted upward, his optics watching her with expectation.
"Then if I give you this, you must give me something in return. You have to tell me about Starscream." She watched his expression shift again, his body idle, waiting for her to talk. It wasn't words, but it was enough. Taking a deep breath, she nodded quietly to herself and began. "He was a veteran of your war."