Category Archives: Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 5

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I asked, “Can you remove the suggestion?”

The scene froze, and Daniel frowned, “Well, it’s not easy. Sometimes. Dominator commands have a shelf life. If they’re close to expiring, telepaths have found that you can modify the victim’s memory of the event, and the command disappears. If the victim’s been in regular contact with a Dominator, the Dominator typically reinforces the command. Then, well, you know how the brain stores memories in multiple places? The best thing you can do to memorize something is to associate it with other things—other memories, colors, sounds…

“In that situation, we might remove the main version of the memory, but bits of it will remain connected to other things. Sometimes the connections will even reform. Then the victim will start following the command again or a mangled version, which can be worse.” Continue reading Regression: Part 5 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 4

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The scene switched from his bed to somewhere else. Jody didn’t know where it was. In his memory, we saw a brief flash after he’d reached a people-free corner downtown, checked his phone, and found himself somewhere else.

He’d reappeared outside a great white building. Behind the building towered a volcano. Along with that sight came a pervasive heat, a cool wind, and the smell of the ocean. He’d only ever seen the ocean when Stapledon fought aliens in and around New York City, but this felt different.

He’d seen it briefly then, framed by buildings. Here, it extended outward forever on the three sides in his view. He had to be on an island, literally a tropical island. He could see the palm trees. Continue reading Regression: Part 4 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 3

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“I’m following his associations with Magnus,” Daniel said. “That means whatever comes next might not be strictly in chronological order, but it’ll be close. This next bit is definitely in order. You can tell by how this scene hasn’t ended.”

It hadn’t. While Jody ran and the outside world blurred, Daniel, Julie, and I floated behind him like ghosts or realistic, human-shaped balloons.

Julie looked over to me, “How much of that was true? Do you know?”

“All of it,” I said, “from a certain point of view.” Continue reading Regression: Part 3 →

Arc 14.4.5: Regression

Regression: Part 2

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The fear came from the fact that he did remember. He’d felt a disquiet starting just before Magnus stepped into the room with Dayton back at Sean’s mother’s apartment.

It made me wonder if the root of our issues might be feeling something similar at a low enough level that neither of us could tell. Also, it might be that Jody was a jerk.

Magnus continued talking, leaving me no time to think it through fully. Continue reading Regression: Part 2 →