http://saveyoulater.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] saveyoulater.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2009-06-01 08:02 am
Entry tags:

Spy Games, 6/1

Sarah started the class by handing slips of paper to Katina, Agnes, Alice, Claire, Edmund, Effy, Griff, Karla and Liir assuming they were all here. "If you get a piece of paper," she announced, "don't read it out loud, don't show it to your neighbor, don't drop it on the floor. Consider it classified information."

The papers said THERE IS CANDY ON THE TOP SHELF OF THE CABINET IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, so it might not have seemed all that cloak-and-dagger, but Sarah was a spy.

"Anyhow, today we're talking about persuasion and interrogation. It's another basic piece of spywork -- somebody knows something you don't know, and you want to find out what it is. The ideal is to get them to tell you without realizing what they gave away, but that's not always possible. I'm passing out a handout listing off some common interrogation techniques, ranging from direct questioning -- which actually works most of the time -- to 'good cop-bad cop', playing on the other person's emotions, repeating the question until the other person gets bored enough to answer, or lying to convince the subject you already know everything anyhow. I'd recommend you take a few minutes to read through the handout before we move on." She did that, reviewing it herself while the class read.

"As you may have gathered from the start of class, half of you know something now. You're interviewees. The other half don't. You're interrogators. Interrogators, you can use any tactic up to the threat of physical force to find out what was written on the paper. No actual physical force, and if your interviewee seriously tells you to back off, back off. Work in interrogator-interviewee pairs or in small groups. And if you find out what's on the paper, you may put the information to use at the end of class. That goes double for any interviewee who makes it through without cracking."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't that Valentine was one to prey on the weak or anything. In fact, usually, she would prefer to rise to the challenge of butting heads. But when she looked over her possible interrogation canidates, she noticed the deep breaths and an underlying nervousness, and felt compelled to go over and make it easier on the other girl, feeling for her...

...and yet still pretty sure she was going to wind up trying to get the information out of her as well as she could. Ah, the duality of the empathetic manipulator. It was what got her here in the first place...

"Hi."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Agnes smiled at her. "Hello, Valentine. I'm not telling, you know."

Harpies, sure. Alligators, no problem. Professor Rimmer? Piece of cake. This? was making her nervous.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not telling me what?" Valentine asked.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Anything," Agnes asserted.

Wow, you sound positively BRILLIANT.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"But you've already told me something," Valentine said, tilting her head with a thoughtful frown.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"Fine, then," Agnes replied. "I shan't tell you anything useful, such as where the-- Such as the information you are trying to discover."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"Why wouldn't you, though?" Valentine asked.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-01 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Agnes frowned at that. "Because it's the assignment?" she answered.

Boy, that sounds like a stupid answer.

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-02 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
"Sure, but it's kind of a silly assignment, isn't it? Valentine asked. "I mean, it suggests that I actually care about what's on that paper. There's no reason why I should, except that I'm assigned to care."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-02 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, I should care, if I were you," Agnes told her. "I mean, what's on the paper is..." She trailed off.

"Oooh, headology. Sneaky. But you're right -- why SHOULD you care? It's silly, anyway."

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-02 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Silly enough that it probably wouldn't matter either way, so you might as well share what it says on that paper. “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”"

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] finding-x-dream.livejournal.com 2009-06-02 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
"And silly enough that you shouldn't care. You'll find out at the end of class, anyway."

I'm on to you, now.

"So... What did you think of Friday's interesting turn of events?"

Re: Interrogations [Spy Games, 6/1]

[identity profile] a-demosthenes.livejournal.com 2009-06-02 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
"You mean the alligators?" Valentine asked, easily going with the change of subject.