Player and Companion (Red) walk in to hideout, where the Ghoul is waiting for them with armed guards flanking him.

Ghoul admits to using the memory device to brainwash people to build his army of Castle clones, but says it’s for a good cause to help synths be free. Truth is he also imprisoned Castle’s daughter to help keep the army in line.

Player can hear the Ghoul out and agree to a truce, or attack. Player can also find Castle’s daughter at which point Ghoul’s crew becomes hostile.

(Player walks in)

You look different than I imagined.
But that’s the problem with looks, isn’t it. You can look like pretty much anything. A railroad agent, an Institute spy, or just a cold blooded killer.
I mean look at me. I’m probably the last thing you expected.

Who the hell are you? Where’s Castle’s daughter?

The real Darsi? I don’t know. Castle thought she was still alive, but the wastes have a way of making us all liars.
But dead or alive, we’re all just fighting for their memory. And if you’ve taken a turn in the machine, you’d realize that a piece of them lives in all of us.

So it was you then. You’re behind all of this.

Guilty as charged. But be careful when you’re tallying up the score. The Railroad might not come out ahead.

We did what we had to.

You did. And we’ve both done enough to where we can’t be allies. But we don’t have to be enemies.
You know what we’re doing out there. You’ve seen it. Lived it.
All that’s left now is to decide. Draw your gun, and we fight. Leave, and we get on with our work.

(Your plans) What are you planning on doing?

Yeah, besides getting kids taken by slavers.

That was a fuck up, no denying it. We were gonna save those kids and send them off to homesteads. But you guys got there first.
The difference is, we would’ve been honest with the families and told them exactly who they were adopting. It was a lost opportunity to say the least.
As for what happens next, it’s more of the same. Only now we have the people to deliver the packages on our own. No more relying on outsiders.

And what about Boxcar? And Chaplain?

No one is forced to use the machine. They knew the dangers, just like your friend. The important thing is that they learn the truth. John’s truth.

Who are you people, exactly?
If you ran the memories, you probably saw me there. Back then, it was just the four of us. We’ve since expanded.
Of course, we all have our reasons for joining this fight. Of all the people I met after turning ghoul, John was the only guy who stuck up for me, the only one who treated me like an equal.
When I found out about his cause, I told him about the machine. With a few tweaks, we could make an army.
All it takes is one turn in the wash. Johnny boy does the rest.

This ends now.
He’s right. You killed Chaplain, Boxcar, and god knows how many people. We can’t let you endanger anyone else.

She’s right. 

Heh, I guess it’s for the best. Truth is, if the wash didn’t fix you, you’re no good to me anyway.
(Draws gun) Let’s go!

All right. I’ll leave.
Good. We’ll leave you alone, and you’ll extend us the same courtesy.

Hold on, if you guys are still outing synths then we have a problem.

You don’t have to worry about that. We only integrate new synths.
What Castle never figured out is, once you lie about who you are, it’s already too late.

Good. And another thing. The brainwashing machine gets shut down.
If you’re gonna recruit agents you’re gonna have to do it the old fashioned way.

It’ll make things harder, but fine. No more machine. So, do we have a deal?

Guess so.

Glad that’s settled. Truth is, trying to kill you was a waste of both our times, not to mention detrimental to the cause.
Because believe it or not, we’re on the same side.

Yeah, so you say.

Hellos

Glad we could settle this without a fight.

This isn’t our base, just a meeting spot. We’ll be out of here soon as you leave.

You know where the door is.

That machine and I go way back.

OLD LINES

 

 

 

 

 

Showbiz Director – Black
Actress – Green
Doctor – Blue

three friends having a conversation

So is it possible or not?

I’m afraid not. The machine is designed to extract memories, not alter them.

Couldn’t you just reverse the process?

That’s not how it works. If you put a drop of ink in a glass of milk, you can’t remove the ink without emptying the glass.
A memory is part of who you are.

Then you’re free to wipe it all. I wouldn’t mind starting fresh.

Oh? What about your memories of us, our friendship?

(joking) What do you think it is I want to get rid of so badly?

(Laugh)

If you want my opinion, I think you should toss this fool’s idea out with the rest of the garbage.
People obsess over the past enough, they don’t need to revisit it. The nostalgia you crave is nothing more than an opiate.

Does that mean you’re married to a drug dealer?

Only until you sign the divorce papers.
And as for you, altering your memories won’t do you any good, and I have proof.

And what would that be?

Well, remember the scene we did for that mystery movie? How many takes did you ask for before you were satisfied?

Jesus…it had to be close to 25.

And what was the first thing you said when we saw it at the theater?

I wished we did about 5 more takes.

You see? You can change your memories all you want, but you’re never going to be satisfied with the result. For you, perfect is the enemy of good.

Doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a try. I mean, if you had the chance to go in your brain and rearrange a little furniture, wouldn’t you do it?

Ha, if I had your memories, maybe I would.

Very funny. But let’s say in theory, I wanted to do it. Would it be possible using the machine?

Why even use the machine? Why not just replace your entire brain? All we’d need is a willing donor and a perfusion emulator.

Where can we find one of those?
Do you have a million dollars handy? Otherwise, a hospital, I imagine. But chances are they won’t loan one to either of us.

I’m not sure this is a good idea.
No, it’s a terrible idea, but that’s not the same as saying it won’t work.

How much of the brain do you need exactly?
For it to work? Who knows. It might be the entire temporal lobe. Like I said, memories rarely stay confined to one part of the brain. 

Could you say that like Doctor Frankenstein? “Igor! Fetch me the brain!”
I could, but my wife hates horror movies. 

Not unless I’m getting paid to act in them.

But it is possible to use the machine. To implant memories instead of extracting them.

Anything is possible. Practical is another story.
And even if we found someone to donate the memory, there are consequences to consider. I don’t think you realize the level of danger involved.

What do you mean?

We aren’t talking about growing a beard or borrowing your neighbor’s hat. Incorporating other people’s memories is fundamentally changing who you are. Your entire mind could be replaced without you even knowing it.

In theory. You’ve never actually done it.

My theories are usually right.

I’d be willing to wager you’re wrong.

And there it is. It wouldn’t be a discussion between you two without money changing hands.

It’s not your money you’d be gambling with. Are you really willing to offer yourself up as a test subject?

Me? Of course not. I want to make sure it works first. We could find someone off the street, pay them a few dollars, get them to sign a waiver.

You two do realize the ethical quandary that poses.

Ethics shmethics. Your husband’s a doctor. He should know scientific discovery requires bending the rules from time to time.

Only if you went to the Transylvania school of medicine.

If we’re doing this, and it’s a big if…the memory in question has to be completely innocuous. We don’t want to traumatize the patient.

Sure, sure. In fact, what about this conversation right here? Just a harmless bit of dialogue between four good friends. And using my memory would help them understand my motives.

God forbid you infect someone with your brain.

She’s right. You’re too invested in this. The memory is so strong it might infect the patient. 

What about her? She’s a neutral party.

(male PC) What about him? He’s a neutral party.

Hm…I suppose it could work.

Sigh…The best laid schemes of mice and men…

Then it’s a deal.