Categories > TV > Dark Angel > Early Days
Early Days - Memory
November 2018
"That should be enough," the doctor announced. He flicked a switch and the thin beam of red laser light disappeared, leaving a brief afterglow. The X5 strapped to the table gave no indication he noticed his hours of torment had come to an end. His eyes remained wide open, staring at nothing. Only the irregular rise and fall of his chest and the occasional twitch of a limb when a synapse misfired in his abused brain indicated he was still alive. Mercifully, he had stopped screaming a while ago, his throat raw and vocal cords shredded. It had been a relief for all involved in the procedure. They knew, once the screaming stopped, it was as good as over and merely a matter of time.
"So, his memory is wiped clean?" Major Sandoval asked. "He will not remember Berrisford, or his assignment?"
The doctor smiled at the ignorance the question revealed. "Nothing so simple," he said. "It's impossible to truly erase someone's memories, at least if you wish to keep the subject's personality and skills intact and not turn them into a blubbering plant."
"Then, what good is this?" The major turned angrily to the doctor. "You've had him for days, under orders to prepare me a blank slate suited for reindoctrination. Now you tell me that cannot be done?" He ground his teeth. "I might as well have put him down right away."
"Like I said," the doctor continued, not in the least disturbed by the officer's temper, "we cannot wipe his memory. A brain isn't a computer hard drive. What we did--it's hard to explain in layman's terms--we severed the neural pathways needed to access the memories. Plus, we planted a suggestion that associates areas where the undesirable recollections are stored with severe physical pain. Not unlike the stimulae the laser provides. Chances are good that he will never recall those memories you want buried."
"But it is possible that he will remember one day." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. There are no guarantees in psychological matters. There is too much we don't know yet about the brain and the way it functions. I would advise that you don't send this soldier on missions to Seattle. Familiar surroundings might jog his memories loose in spite of our work."
The major snorted in disgust. "Get him out of here," he ordered the two soldiers who stood watching passively near the door. "Put him in solitary until he's recovered enough to go through reindoctrination. Let's try to salvage what we can."
November 2018
"That should be enough," the doctor announced. He flicked a switch and the thin beam of red laser light disappeared, leaving a brief afterglow. The X5 strapped to the table gave no indication he noticed his hours of torment had come to an end. His eyes remained wide open, staring at nothing. Only the irregular rise and fall of his chest and the occasional twitch of a limb when a synapse misfired in his abused brain indicated he was still alive. Mercifully, he had stopped screaming a while ago, his throat raw and vocal cords shredded. It had been a relief for all involved in the procedure. They knew, once the screaming stopped, it was as good as over and merely a matter of time.
"So, his memory is wiped clean?" Major Sandoval asked. "He will not remember Berrisford, or his assignment?"
The doctor smiled at the ignorance the question revealed. "Nothing so simple," he said. "It's impossible to truly erase someone's memories, at least if you wish to keep the subject's personality and skills intact and not turn them into a blubbering plant."
"Then, what good is this?" The major turned angrily to the doctor. "You've had him for days, under orders to prepare me a blank slate suited for reindoctrination. Now you tell me that cannot be done?" He ground his teeth. "I might as well have put him down right away."
"Like I said," the doctor continued, not in the least disturbed by the officer's temper, "we cannot wipe his memory. A brain isn't a computer hard drive. What we did--it's hard to explain in layman's terms--we severed the neural pathways needed to access the memories. Plus, we planted a suggestion that associates areas where the undesirable recollections are stored with severe physical pain. Not unlike the stimulae the laser provides. Chances are good that he will never recall those memories you want buried."
"But it is possible that he will remember one day." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. There are no guarantees in psychological matters. There is too much we don't know yet about the brain and the way it functions. I would advise that you don't send this soldier on missions to Seattle. Familiar surroundings might jog his memories loose in spite of our work."
The major snorted in disgust. "Get him out of here," he ordered the two soldiers who stood watching passively near the door. "Put him in solitary until he's recovered enough to go through reindoctrination. Let's try to salvage what we can."
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