Part 40: Episode 7-3: Identity Loss

Episode 7-3: Identity Loss



Everett: An electronic device has been implanted in his brain, as you can see in this picture.

…Good to know this episode doesn't waste any time in the shallow end.

Tsuji: But, how was he able to conduct Kidman's Stigma research? I mean, with that thing controlling his brain.

Everett: It's like being under hypnosis. He could be manipulated by the power of suggestion, but he still retained his intelligence.

Tsuji: So, is it possible to change him back to normal?

Valerie: His family would like us to try.

Irene: The authorities have also consented. They want to hear his testimony in his normal state.

Everett: I believe it's possible, if the device can be removed without damaging his brain. Dr. Vaughn, I'd like to hear your opinion.

Markus: I… I think we should give it a shot, for the Professor's sake.

Irene: Then, we should start considering the obstacles. Dr. Everett, we'll let you know a time and place once we've given this some thought.

Everett: Yes, ma'am. …There is one more question I'd like to raise, though. It may have occurred to you, but I don't blame you for not mentioning it. Who was able to perform such a difficult operation?



Markus: I'd be lying if I said it was going to be easy, but it's necessary to return you to your normal self.

Spoiler: It's going to be easy.



Elena: I don't think he can hear you, Dr. Vaughn.

Markus: I'm a doctor, and he's my patient. He deserves an explanation.

Valerie: Is he even aware his name is Wilkins? Maybe you should call him "Director."

Markus: That would defeat the purpose, Val. Professor, if you know the name of the surgeon who operated on you, could you please tell me? Otherwise, we'll have to make our diagnosis during the operation.

Wilkins: ......

Markus: …Do you despise me, Professor? If I hadn't discovered Stigma, then none of this would have occurred, and… you wouldn't be in this condition. If only I'd done things differently…

Wilkins: You are mistaken. Stigma was destined to be born from the very beginning. It matters not who is responsible for its discovery. We are blessed to have witnessed such a marvellous creation.

Markus: Professor?

Wilkins: Can you not imagine the possiblities of the next generation of Stigma? It searches for a way to coexist within the human body, and I intend to grant its wish.

Valerie: That's not the Professor. It may be his body, but there's something else inside of him.

Personally, I thin he was always a little screwy. In any event, let's fix this.



Everett: I'll explain the situation. The objective of this operation is the removal of a number of plugs from an implant in the Professor's brain. This complex device releases a weak electrical current that can modify a person's personality. The plugs transmit the current to a certain section of nerves in the brain.

Markus: I can't believe Kidman and his group were capable of creating something like this.

Everett: Nor can I. It would require advanced equipment as well as skill to implant something like this. Extracting the plugs will be a difficult task, but I've told Elena the operational procedure. This goes without saying, but working on the brain carries great risk. You must work with the utmost care to prevent minimal aftereffects to the Professor's brain.

I think we'd WANT minimal or no aftereffects.

Valerie: A device like that… shouldn't exist.

In this case, the danger to the brain manifests as a penalty of 30ish vitals with every miss. That's assuming you don't lose instantly. Markus gives you the ability to perform tasks easily, while Valerie gives you room to make mistakes.

That said, I have no intention on using the Healing Touch, so it makes no difference!





OPERATION VIDEO

Viddler Backup



Here's a lesson on electronics for you: devices are put into sleep mode by removing entire chips(glowing yellow circles) while being careful not to touch the little glowy sparks. Your computer has to do this every time it goes into hibernate. Touching one means instant death of the user, which also applies to your computer.



Luckily, the sparks move slowly, so it doesn't require much effort.



In order to stop the device affecting Wilkins's brain, you need to remove these plugs, which are probably embedded in his cerebral cortex or something. One at a time will glow, starting on the right and moving counter clockwise. Don't touch the one that's glowing.



There is also a period when none are glowing. Think of it as an invisible plug on the bottom that you don't need to remove. Also, the lengths of the different plugs are each unique, so be aware of that when pulling them up.

Be thankful, too, that this isn't UtK2, in which you must complete three of these consecutively.



Another electronics lesson: leaving a device in sleep mode makes it highly unstable. That's probably bad, so to take it out of sleep mode, you need to replace those chips. This time, though, there are a lot more sparks, and they move much faster. One of them will actually home in on any chip you hold. Touching anything is still instant failure, unless you use Valerie's HT. Markus's, however, makes the entire thing trivial, eliminating the risk. I didn't use either, naturally.





Whatever that was, it's over!



The only tricky part of all of this, is being gutsy enough to complete the last section without the Healing Touch. Do that, and you're golden.



Granted, I made some errors, so my score wasn't quite up to potential.



Elena: He's awake!

Wilkins: I see the operation was a success. I'm glad I didn't fall victim to my creation. To Stigma.

Valerie: His memory has reverted back to when we operated on him at Concordia.

Wilkins: Markus… I've decided to take your advice and stop researching Stigma. I had a dream… Actually, it was more like a nightmare. So, I'm terminating the project.

Markus: I think that's best.



Markus: It's not for me to say. It's the director's decision.

I think he might notice having been moved across the country.

Irene: Good, you're all still here.

Valerie: You could have just paged us.

Irene: That's okay; I'm sure you're all tired form the surgery.

It took 30 seconds.

Irene: I apologise for the short notice, but there will be another meeting tomorrow. We'll be discussing the international investigation of the Stigma syndicate. Doctors from the other Caduceus branches will be present.

Markus: I'm concerned about the Professor's condition, but I'll try to make time for it.

Irene: There's one other thing you should know, just so you aren't taken by surprise. One of tomorrow's topics concerns Cynthia. She's in Central Asia- Caucasus to be precise. She appears to be there on behalf of the syndicate.

In the end, a better third clue would have been to outright say "It's not Cynthia" since that's what I was going for. Anyway, next time: the beginning of the final mission!