Sunday November 21, 2010
Book 11: Massively Parallel — Part V: Command and Conquer

Transcript

TAGON: Petey.  I never would have agreed to take a job from you.  The last time you hired us you stiffed us and left us to die.

PETEY: Would you like to know what really happened?

PETEY: Your company uncovered a dangerous secret, got caught with it, and then agreed to have your memories re-written by the U.N.S. using technology I helped to refine.

TAGON: That's not how I remember it.

PETEY: Case in point.

SCHLOCK: Sir?  I remember things a little differently than you.

TAGON: Go on, Sergeant.

SCHLOCK: I remember you dying.  I remember your dad and Captain Kevyn running the company.  And I remember when suddenly none of that ever happened.

TAGON: The Core War, your time-clone... I was briefed on all that.

SCHLOCK: Yeah.  But lots later, I remember we all had to make this awful sacrifice, and then I had to keep it a secret.

SCHLOCK: Petey's telling the truth, Captain.  We all agreed to have our memories changed.

The U.N.S. was gonna torture us and kill us if we didn't.

I cheated, because I wanted to remember to kill and eat this one guy.  But he had it coming.

TAGON: You think we should trust Petey, then?

SCHLOCK: I remember that he's our friend.

PETEY: I know I've hit a rough patch when a violent, amorphous sociopath is my best character reference.

TAGON: He's the only reference I'll trust.  What's that say about me?