A mind is a terrible thing to...

[trustycrowbar]

[He'd been trying not to show it after that mission to the tower, but Gordon was still a little shaken up. That pale bloated... thing, still haunted his mind, along with the dull remembrance headache of the psychic shockwave it sent through them all at the top of the tower. What the hell was it? Why did the name Advisor spring to his mind so quickly? God, and that thing escaped too. That means it's OUT there somewhere. Who would be able to stand up to it? Even with all their firepower, it still had all of them totally at its mercy. In fact, if it hadn't been for Samus, than Hiroshi would have been...]

[Video, to Hiroshi]

Hey, kid... You doing okay?

[Video, to Samus]

Hey. Thanks again for saving Hiroshi from that Ad--from that overgrown grub back there. You seemed to know what you were doing in that tower better than any one of us. Some of it... ring familiar to you, I guess?

[Video, to Sirocco]

Anyone here ever get the feeling that they might NOT want all their memories back after all?

Comments

[video]

[nomen_est_numen]

"Is something wrong?"

[trustycrowbar]

He glances down and away for just a moment, raking back his hair the way he does when he's thinking.

"Mission went a little weird. We found something else that looked familiar to me, this one a little more dangerous than those sonic jellybeans we saw in the ruins."

That's an understatement.

[nomen_est_numen]

Feathery brows meet and, if the length of time they're there is any indication, discuss the weather.

"How dangerous?" Beat. "Is everyone all right?"

[trustycrowbar]

"Yes, thank god. It was apparently being used in some experiments or something. Had it hooked up directly to some kind of anemoi reactor tanks. I couldn't tell exactly what they were doing, the thing had a hold of us before I could figure it out."

[nomen_est_numen]

"That sounds... gruesome. How did you stop the creature?"

[all_onis_are_true]

Better, Mr. Gordon. Still a little shaken, though. Is there any chance you've remembered any more about that thing?

[trustycrowbar]

I think... I think they can siphon information out of things. That would explain the anemoi power system, and...

[He hesitates with the rest.]

[all_onis_are_true]

...

Mr. Gordon, you know I understand, right? Remembering monsters you wish you were better off not remembering. But they're here, and we can't ignore them. If we can get more information, on them, however, we can simplify any future encounters anybody else has with them -- and reduce fatalities.

That's why I go on these expeditions myself, after all...

[trustycrowbar]

...This isn't a memory, this is just what I realized after the fact. That thing dropped that bug corpse like it was hot when it realized it was brain-dead. If it were just hungry or something it wouldn't have done that. No, it was looking for something... still active.

[only_one_m]

Some of the technology registered as perfectly commonplace to me and confusing to everyone else. That combined with finding missing parts of my suit there suggests they're at least from the same point in time as me.

[trustycrowbar]

[Time, again. Shen was assessed to be from the fifth century, and now her... she mentioned something about a galactic military or something back at the tower, and she's definitely out of this world--]

[Uh, as far as her technology level. Of course.]

Actually, I'd wanted to ask you something about that. Your suit. Is there... any way I can take a look at the schematics? I'd never seen integration technology like that before, and that... ball thing? [He shakes his head with a half-smile.] Tell you the truth, I'd give anything to figure out how that works.

[only_one_m]

I'm afraid there are a lot of gaps in its internal data. I think its memory is actually tied to mine... but if I have a while to figure out how to upload the logs to a terminal here in Sirocco, you're welcome to have a look.

[trustycrowbar]

Tied to yours...? [Good god. Just how advanced IS that thing? That bodysuit probably provides the basis for the somato-neural interface, but an actual processor able to keep up with human thought? Here he can't even find the damn mute button for his suit's voice interface--]

Uh, don't worry, it's a matter of time before it all fills in. In the meantime, if I figure anything useful out from that data bank, I'll let you know... it's the least I can do.

[Video]

[healeveryone]

Not wanting your memories...? Why would you think that?

[trustycrowbar]

There's some really bizarre stuff I've noticed that's starting to look familiar, that I can't figure out ties to the memories I have. And in thinking about it, I don't think I like the kind of stuff I'd have to have done to tie it all in...

[healeveryone]

Like...you were a bad guy? But you seem like a nice person.

[trustycrowbar]

What? No, I don't--No... I was never a bad guy.

[He says this with one-hundred-percent certainty. Even if he isn't sure where the knowledge comes from, it's one of the few things he's absolutely sure of.]

It's like we talked about before; something made me have to learn to fight. What it IS I don't know, but I can guess, and my guess involves those freaky alien things I've been recognizing.

[ video ]

[overwinters]

Why wouldn't you want your memories back? Don't you think it feels strange without them?

[trustycrowbar]

I don't know. I think I've gotten pretty comfortable with having parts of my past missing at this point. Plus I can read the writing on the wall. It looks like some idiot let loose some very bad things in my world, and I had to help hunt 'em down or something.

[It's a remarkably close guess... but at the same time, off by untold orders of magnitude.]

Who honestly wants to remember something like that?

[overwinters]

Even if the things you have to remember are painful.. I think it's better to know them than to not know them. Without your memories you can't fully be you, right?

[trustycrowbar]

[He plucks off his glasses long enough to rub a hand over his face.]

It's... it's not that easy.

[But dammit, she's got a point. He may be just fine and dandy right now with his fancy degree and warm fuzzy memories of college and unaccountable expertise in firearms and all the nasty venomous shadows tucked away in conveniently empty corners of his mind. However, even if he COULD freeze it all in that state forever it would never be a full life for him. Plus... what if there are other monsters out there, worse than the Advisor that tried to kill Hiroshi?]

[What good would he be in protecting people from them with not even a half-life's worth of memories?]

Ngh, but I guess you're right.

[very_model_of]

Series of traumatic memories lead to pavlovian fear reaction of recalls. Only natural.

[trustycrowbar]

...Yeah, it's something like that. Hey, you ever hear of a creature that can siphon information out of a person? Takes most of the brain along with it? Because I had one staring me in the face out there, and it seemed more familiar than I like to admit.

[When you think about it, backpedaling on finding out where they got cozy with a giant brain-sucking bug before is pretty reasonable.]

[very_model_of]

Most Asari commandos trained in psychic warfare.

Non-invasive, though.

[trustycrowbar]

...You remember anything of theirs that protects against psychic attacks?