Whirlwind

Carson lifts his eyebrows, a little surprised as he shakes Hope's hand. She wasn't at all what he'd expected. At this hour, he was too weary for formalities. "G'day."

Listening to Hope's request, he considers his options. Glancing to Scott, it strains his shield of coldness even more. But he had to hang on just a little longer.

He gestures for Hope to step away from Scott for a moment, taking her to the counter to speak to her quietly. "I don't mind you being there with Scott. I'm sure he'd feel safer with you there." Carson hesitates, but knows he has to go on. "The last thing I want to do is put him through any more pain, but there are a few things you have to know."

He glances back to Scott, still thinking, then returns his gaze to Hope. "After someone is assimilated by the Agency... that is, after they've absorbed all of the information fed to them... the Agency has one last step. They force the victim to bring up the data on command. I know it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but their technology is unlike anything else. Once the victim has all that data in their brain, they don't naturally know how to retrieve it."

Carson pauses, making sure Hope was following him. "The extraction phase isn't easy. If the victim can't bring up the data on their own when asked, force is used. They're threatened and physical force is usually implemented. Like Scott has already demonstrated with me, when the victim's life depends on it, they figure out how to pull out the information because if they don't, they're going to die. Sometimes the extraction phase takes one setting. Sometimes ten. It all depends on the victim."

Another hesitation. Carson leans on the counter, his head pounding with a headache. He keeps going though. "Once a victim realizes they can call up the data whenever they want, they can do it on verbal command, then on their own, whenever they want. It's like me remembering your name is Hope. I don't have to think about it - I just know it when I need to.
Now... I'm telling you all of this because Scott hasn't made it past that final stage, at least as far as I can tell. I kept thinking about it, and I realized that if he's telling the truth about not remembering, then the Agency must never have finished off the process. Scott has the data, but he hasn't had that final piece that would train him to pull up that information. For some reason, the Agency had to have terminated the project before getting to that stage. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. They could have been interrupted, or they could have just been saving him for later."

He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "That final extraction phase is like a system's check... it's what triggers the natural memory response. I don't know why it works that way... I'm sure it's a mix of science and psychology. But no matter the case... Scott needs to go through that final stage. It's a good sign that he's already been able to pull up a few pieces of data, but until he can do it on his own, the information he holds is simply trapped in his brain. It has to be forcefully removed before it will come on its own. It's like.... siphoning a gas tank... you gotta suck on the hose first to get it started, but once it's flowing, it does the rest itself."

Carson's eyes look into Hope's, his gaze steady. "If we want Scott to remember, and he wants to remember too, then we have to siphon the data. If I'm allowed to do this, then you have to know that I will use physical force if I have to. And when I do, there can be no interferance. You have my word that I will not put Scott in real danger. But like any other victim... making them believe they are in danger aids in triggering the response mechanism. Without that kind of pressure, there's simply no reason for them to remember. But when their life is on the line, or they're afraid of getting hurt, the effort to remember is a hundred times greater, enabling them to finally do it."

He grits his teeth. He didn't want to be the one to interrogate Scott, but he was the only one who knew how. "If you can stand back and watch no matter what I do, and trust me that he'll be okay, then I'll do this and I'll allow you to be there. If you can't, then you either can't be there, or this needs to be called off - but for Scott's sake, I hope you can handle it."


Scott has his back to them, but he can hear just enough of their conversation to know what's going on. He knew what Carson was talking about.

He curles up in a tighter ball. He was terrified. He was ashamed. But he had to remember. Whether it would help the current case or not didn't matter... he'd been a traitor and he needed now to give TJY all of the information he could.


Reese looks up to Phinox and takes the letter slowly. He could tell by the look on the agents face that whatever he'd written had been difficult. Reese could only imagine. "I'll do my best," he promises.


Kyle looks down at Alice, a new grin spreading. Spinning around, he flops down beside her, once again lying on his back, putting his hands under his head. "Best friend," he repeats. A laugh escapes. "You're a whirlwind, Alice. You know everything there is to know about me, including all my secrets. We he haven't even known each other all that long, but I'm closer to you than people I grew up with."

He throws her a sidelong glance. He wouldn't have traded her company on this trip for anything. He was close to the others in Break Out, sure, but she was the one he could go to no matter what... she was the one he could confide in... she was the one that would laugh at his stupid jokes and actually mean it... she was the one that would join in his craziness and not just sit back and watch. "How do you do it?"