tushanshu | 006; video;

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006; video;

[Arthur is cognizant of the fact that numerous people have experienced sensory loss lately, so he's going full video today, to make sure as many people as possible can see and/or hear him. Hopefully. Not that he expects anyone to go for it, but he figures he might as well offer.]

Some people are missing memories. Can't say I know what that's like, but I've got an offer - it's possible dream share might help recover some of those memories.

[He leans back a little in his seat, making a note of something offscreen in his moleskine.]

It's not a guarantee by any means - there's no way to know if it'll work on any given person unless we try it. And it would require anyone interested to put some trust in me - give me access to limited parts of your subconscious. If that thought makes you uncomfortable, then it's probably best we don't bother. And there are... risks.

But I've been doing dream share for almost ten years. I know the ins and outs of it. If anyone wants to give it a try, I'm willing to help.

[He reaches to turn the feed off, then pauses, his face darkening a moment.]

By the way, have we made any progress on catching whoever it was that did this? Knowing who they are, why and how they did it might give us some answers.

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[Balthazar may not require this, but it sounds intriguing enough to ask about. When an angel has not really heard of such an ability from what appears to be a human, it tends to be worth questioning.]

Dream share? I must say that I've never quite heard that term before. Is that a staple of your world? Do you offer dream invasions on a regular basis?

Uh, I wouldn't call it a staple. [Arthur rubs the bridge of his nose absently.] And no, I don't just invade people's dreams on the regular. [LIAR.]

It's government tech where I come from, but I thought maybe it'd be able to help some of the people here, if they're interested.

Really? I know I would!

[It would be just delightful to visit dreams all the time. In his own case, he can do that to a degree. That's beyond the point.]

But in semi-seriousness, your government provided this equipment? It sounds like one of those things that they would consider to be an invasion of privacy.

Of course HERE you don't have that problem. And helping people at that?

You don't know much about governments if you think they care a whole lot about privacy when they've got watch lists to compile in the name of the war on terrorism.

[This catches his attention for more reasons than he's willing to admit out loud, at least right now. But he can't help but ask...]

"Dream share"...I'm guessing the name is suppose to be pretty self-explanatory. The power to join two minds, basically?

That's the gist of it, yeah. A shared dream state, of two or more people at once.

And by inducing this shared dream state, you're able to uncover memories someone may have forgotten?

It might be possible, yes. Emphasis on the might be possible. Like I said, no guarantees.

[He wants to maintain plausible deniability - he's no doctor, or therapist, just a criminal and tech geek offering up his toys to help people if they want to try it. And the last thing he wants is to try it with someone, have it not work, and then have them get upset with him because they expected a magical cure-all. Magic might exist here, but even Arthur could tell it didn't really work that way, even on the turtle.]

[There were very few guarantees in life anyway. The fact they were all stuck here said more than enough on that subject.]

Have you done it before? Restore a lost memory, that is.

Not that, specifically, no. But the process should, in theory, be the same as extracting any factual information from someone's subconscious, if a bit trickier to find.

And remember, doing this would require you to trust me with your subconscious, at least temporarily.

["In theory", huh. When it comes to matters involving the brain, untested theories don't sound all that reliable, but that's about what Barnaby expected to hear.]

What if the memory was purged or altered by an external source? Would you still theorize the original memory is still lying dormant in that person's subconscious?

Honestly? I have no idea. My dream share tech is completely untested against any kind of magical alterations at this point. Which brings us right back to the bits about risks and no guarantee.

[Arthur gives a rather eloquent shrug. Yeah, part of it might be his fault for 1) being so secretive about this for so long and 2) being unwilling to even deal with the idea of magic the whole time, but there's nothing for it now.]

[He's not exactly talking about magical alterations, whatever that even means, but he doubts the answer would change even if this man knew all the details.]

What kinds of risks? You mean something like brain damage?

Not usually anything so... obvious.

Dreams aren't real. But they can feel damn real. Sometimes you might see something, or someone, or just... I dunno. Let yourself become convinced that it's real. They can mess with your head, if it's not screwed on straight enough to begin with, is what I'm saying.

Someone with enough memories missing might not know whether their head is screwed on straight in the first place, which I'm assuming is where a lot of the risk comes in.

Yes, that is a risk. The key is to never forget you're in a dream, but that can be easier said than done.

[A dream. Even if it's a product of the mind, Barnaby knows firsthand how real a dream can feel, so he understands.]

Is this a natural, innate ability of yours, or do you rely on special equipment?

It's technology. Anyone can learn how to do it, but you need the right equipment. [Equipment which he, thankfully, has.]

[That actually surprises him a little. Barnaby had initially assumed he was some sort of NEXT. Even so, it's not at all difficult to imagine this technology's original purpose, but Barnaby doesn't comment on it.]

I see. And you just happened to arrive here with your equipment?

Yeah, I did. [Which is true, at least in the sense that he wasn't offered a choice of what to bring with him - it just happened to be on him when he showed up.]

[It's pretty obvious that Arthur prefers to get straight to the point, which suits Barnaby just as well. That's why he doesn't bother to pepper his questions with the usual niceties and small talk that would go along with them under different circumstances.]

What is the procedure like?

We hook up to my machine and it pumps the drug into us via IV. Puts us to sleep, and we share a dream.

Do you normally have a doctor or anyone of that nature observe?

No. Allergic reactions to the drug are rare, and not usually that dangerous.

[That sounds awfully convenient. Then again, if the technology is used with any sort of regularity where this man supposedly comes from, then it would make sense.]

I see.

[There is a brief pause before he goes onto the next question.]

May I ask why you're offering to help people with this?

Because at least two people I know don't remember who I am. [Something that's really bothering him, for some reason.] It sucks, and if I can help fix it, I want to.

[For once, he's not even really lying. At this point, it's just altruism guiding him.]

[Barnaby considers him carefully for a moment in an attempt to assess his intentions. He figures if this man was trying to take advantage of people who are already vulnerable enough, there would be less obvious ways to go about it.]

Understandable. I hope you have some success, then. [He offers a faint, politely neutral smile.] Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Mister...?

[He lets the statement hang as an indirect way of asking for his name.]

No problem.

My name is Arthur.

[Woops he forgot to introduce himself in his original post. Oh well, that gets tedious after the first few times.]

How does dream share work?

[It sounds both invasive and awesome.]

I have a machine that we hook up to. It pumps a drug into everyone that allows them to enter a dream together.

That's pretty wild.

[And a bit unbelievable.]

And this could help people who've lost their memories?

[She hasn't been looking directly at the video feed. Just off and to the side a ways. Her ear is tilted towards the device as if sound is more important than the video. Which is the case.]

[He sees, but doesn't comment on it - he knows more or less who she is and what she's dealing with, because even though he doesn't comment all that often, he is a great big stalker on the network.]

Possibly. The mind tends to shut away information it's trying to hide or keep safe for any number of reasons. Dream share allows a way into that place, to dig it out.

[Such a creeper, Arthur.

She scratches the back of her neck, thinking carefully. While the idea is neat, it's not something she'd do. Her dreams and memories are kind of fucked. Showing someone else exactly how warped they are? Not her idea of a good time or bonding experience.]

Hopefully it works.

[She had someone try to help her a couple days ago. It didn't work out so well.]

Were you affected at all?

No, I wasn't. [Arthur SUCKS AT SMALL TALK sorry Julie.]

But people I know were. Figured I should extend my offer to the community.

Not enough progress, no. All there is? A description of a kedan who tampered with the invitations to the museum.

[Arthur's got quite a bit of righteous indignation about this state of affairs, and it probably shows in his voice. Contempt for authorities is go!]

I don't suppose the official kedan police force is doing much to help catch whoever victimized so many foreigners with memory loss, blindness, and who knows what else. The foreigners that they're demanding help them fight their war.

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