01-23-2018, 01:13 PM
Marcus was satisfied that Carpenter was where he was. He looked forward to speaking to the man further. It was always interesting, trying to find a person's handle. For some- Dr. Greybill for example- just the threat of harm, or even just fear, was enough to get what he wanted done.
But as motivating as fear was, it required constant reinforcement. Fear bled away quickly, like a balloon with a whole in it. Sometimes, the effort was worth it, to keep it up. Keep the person off balance and never knowing what you knew or where you would show up next. Worked for informants and the like.
But when you wanted willing compliance- and more than that, you wanted The Buy-In- then you had to appeal to their desires. Some were idealistic. Others liked the mystery of the work itself. He thought of Dr. Zayed. There was no need to find a handle with her. She would do her work because she wanted to. In his case, he just needed to be close to her. And he was willing to admit that what she studied intrigued him. More, in fact. She was the only other person who had used the tools of science and mathematics to study the Force, though she didn't necessarily recognize it for what it was.
Yes, her work intrigued him. Enough that he looked forward to seeing her again. The Ball would be a good place to interact, though he doubted they'd be able to get into anything deep. But the thought of spending the evening with and even better, dancing with a beautiful woman- and she was beautiful- was pleasant to consider.
He decided to head to the surface. Jay would soon be facing a battery of tests with Dr. Weston. And he had other work to do.
~*~
The next day, he returned to the facility. He wore a slate grey suit with dark maroon shirt and checked yellow iridescent tie and pocket square, his shoes soft black leather. How long Dr. Weston's tests would run, he didn't know. Likely, Carpenter was irritated and tired of being prodded, treated like a lab rat. Which was also part of the process. Dehumanization.
Not that Dr. Weston saw it that way. She was professional and focused on work, with little time for chit chat. In some ways similar to Dr. Zayed, though the contrast between the two was stark. Very different personalities. Marcus suspected that a lot went on underneath the surface, but for whatever reasons, she chose to keep her private life walled off. Which was fine. It did make getting a thread tied to her harder. In fact, this was the first time they interacted since he had first visited the facility months ago.
And as of yet, nothing in her work called out to him, so he was content to leave things as they were. He didn't feel the need to find a handle for her. Not yet.
But Carpenter's testing was playing its own role. It was a simple tactic. After being treated as a test subject, the smallest acts of kindness (and he did have to be careful not to overdo it, less he raise the man's suspicions) had magnified results. It built trust. That, together with more experimentation with the power would do its job, he was sure.
In the meantime, though, there was a new prisoner. Marcus compressed his lips. This was not his own doing. That rankled more than it should. The oversight of the Atharim Registration made sense. It sould be part of his Consulate. But the way it was done- or what it implied- is what irritated him. He knew it was irrational, but he didn't like things that weren't anticipated or the result of his own planning. Still, after the attack in the Ascendancy's apartments, it would be a good thing to gather as much intelligence on the Atharim as possible.
He looked at the man's file. Nox Durante. Channeler AND Atharim. An oxymoron, of course. There was a story there. He had a sister, though her whereabouts were currently unknown. He raised an eyebrow. Plane explosion. That was interesting. Prior to that, lived in the US. Travelled a lot.
Despite his irritation, he actually found himself looking forward to this.
He approached the room and had the guard open it. Durante was on the ground doing push ups. Always has to be doing something. He filed the fact away. He wasn't sure what angle to take yet. Would depend on the push back. And he wouldn't lie or mislead. But he wasn't going to volunteer either.
He stepped into the room, this time taking the stool the guard had been sitting on. They really should always have a chair or stool in the room. It made things easier and less confrontational that way.
He sat down and looked at the man. "Mr. Durante. My name is Marcus. You recently filled out the online registration as a channeler. And then, even more recently, you filled out the form as an Atharim. I'd like to ask you some questions, if that is ok."
Edited by Marcus DuBois, Jan 23 2018, 01:24 PM.
But as motivating as fear was, it required constant reinforcement. Fear bled away quickly, like a balloon with a whole in it. Sometimes, the effort was worth it, to keep it up. Keep the person off balance and never knowing what you knew or where you would show up next. Worked for informants and the like.
But when you wanted willing compliance- and more than that, you wanted The Buy-In- then you had to appeal to their desires. Some were idealistic. Others liked the mystery of the work itself. He thought of Dr. Zayed. There was no need to find a handle with her. She would do her work because she wanted to. In his case, he just needed to be close to her. And he was willing to admit that what she studied intrigued him. More, in fact. She was the only other person who had used the tools of science and mathematics to study the Force, though she didn't necessarily recognize it for what it was.
Yes, her work intrigued him. Enough that he looked forward to seeing her again. The Ball would be a good place to interact, though he doubted they'd be able to get into anything deep. But the thought of spending the evening with and even better, dancing with a beautiful woman- and she was beautiful- was pleasant to consider.
He decided to head to the surface. Jay would soon be facing a battery of tests with Dr. Weston. And he had other work to do.
~*~
The next day, he returned to the facility. He wore a slate grey suit with dark maroon shirt and checked yellow iridescent tie and pocket square, his shoes soft black leather. How long Dr. Weston's tests would run, he didn't know. Likely, Carpenter was irritated and tired of being prodded, treated like a lab rat. Which was also part of the process. Dehumanization.
Not that Dr. Weston saw it that way. She was professional and focused on work, with little time for chit chat. In some ways similar to Dr. Zayed, though the contrast between the two was stark. Very different personalities. Marcus suspected that a lot went on underneath the surface, but for whatever reasons, she chose to keep her private life walled off. Which was fine. It did make getting a thread tied to her harder. In fact, this was the first time they interacted since he had first visited the facility months ago.
And as of yet, nothing in her work called out to him, so he was content to leave things as they were. He didn't feel the need to find a handle for her. Not yet.
But Carpenter's testing was playing its own role. It was a simple tactic. After being treated as a test subject, the smallest acts of kindness (and he did have to be careful not to overdo it, less he raise the man's suspicions) had magnified results. It built trust. That, together with more experimentation with the power would do its job, he was sure.
In the meantime, though, there was a new prisoner. Marcus compressed his lips. This was not his own doing. That rankled more than it should. The oversight of the Atharim Registration made sense. It sould be part of his Consulate. But the way it was done- or what it implied- is what irritated him. He knew it was irrational, but he didn't like things that weren't anticipated or the result of his own planning. Still, after the attack in the Ascendancy's apartments, it would be a good thing to gather as much intelligence on the Atharim as possible.
He looked at the man's file. Nox Durante. Channeler AND Atharim. An oxymoron, of course. There was a story there. He had a sister, though her whereabouts were currently unknown. He raised an eyebrow. Plane explosion. That was interesting. Prior to that, lived in the US. Travelled a lot.
Despite his irritation, he actually found himself looking forward to this.
He approached the room and had the guard open it. Durante was on the ground doing push ups. Always has to be doing something. He filed the fact away. He wasn't sure what angle to take yet. Would depend on the push back. And he wouldn't lie or mislead. But he wasn't going to volunteer either.
He stepped into the room, this time taking the stool the guard had been sitting on. They really should always have a chair or stool in the room. It made things easier and less confrontational that way.
He sat down and looked at the man. "Mr. Durante. My name is Marcus. You recently filled out the online registration as a channeler. And then, even more recently, you filled out the form as an Atharim. I'd like to ask you some questions, if that is ok."
Edited by Marcus DuBois, Jan 23 2018, 01:24 PM.