[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG5SK-P2h5o&w=560&h=315]
FROM: Psychological Operations Department, Esoterics Subdivision
TO: Control, Diogenes Club
RE: The Quaid Imprint
ABSTRACT
That an agent or rogue agent can be turned by having their memory overwritten, placing them in a deep cover position where they will be close to a target or able to gather valuable counter-intelligence without ever knowing they were doing it. As a side benefit, the method is useful for ‘retiring’ agents who are past their best, significantly more cost effective than the traditional methods for this (See my previous report ‘The Village: Containment through Subversion’) or have suffered an ethical event (See ‘Damascene Protocol’).
In addition, should the asset go rogue, a ‘Rekall scientist’ identity can be used to contact them and hopefully bring them back into the fold.
OPERATIONAL HISTORY: The Quaid Imprint has been deployed in the field twice, with varying degrees of success. This report will break down each one of these uses into the following criteria for assessment:
-Initial Personality Imprint
-Constructed Life For Imprint
-Reasons for Failure
-Successful Elements
-Conclusions
1. Initial Personality Imprint
In the first deployment of the Quaid Imprint, the new personality was of a ‘blue collar, working class’ man in his early ‘40s named Douglas Quaid. The decision was made, given the tremendous physical size of the individual in question, to place him at a reclamation site as a day job. Whilst this was in keeping with the physical parameters of the agent, it also allowed him ready access to numerous potential weapons and, more importantly, kept him in peak physical condition, a fact all involved with this individual would come to regret later.
In the case of the second deployment of the Imprint, the same Quaid background was used but was modified significantly. This individual, whilst in peak condition, was substantially smaller and better suited to detail work. This, combined with the organization responsible for the deployment’s tremendous fondness for robotics, placed him in a robotics assembly line. This had the added advantage of being enclosed, in an area surrounded by minders and additional security, but again, gave the subject the unwarranted tactical advantage of advanced knowledge about his eventual robotic adversaries. As one of our earliest members once remarked, those who do not learn from history’s mistakes, are bound to be brutally murdered by them.
2. Constructed Life For Imprint
In the first case, it was deemed necessary to have Operational Security (OpSec) on site 24 hours a day. This led to the subject being ‘married’ to a loyalist agent, who was given additional unarmed combat training to help subdue him if necessary, and who was under orders to execute the subject the moment he showed signs of recovering his memory. This, largely, proved successful, although the psychological pressures on the agent severely impacted on her ability to work efficiently. The subject’s previously mentioned physical frame also caused severe problems, meaning that despite her training he was able to subdue her relatively easily.
The second case learnt from this mistake, not only placing an agent next to the subject as his ‘wife’, but ensuring that agent was fully briefed on who this man had previously been. The decision was also made to condition her to loathe the subject, constantly praising his previous record over her own, citing his achievements and establishing him as a paragon of ability that she could never hope to aspire to.
The end result of this was, frankly, extraordinary. When the subject’s cover identity began to collapse the ‘wife’ not only got far closer to killing the subject outright but was relentless in her pursuit of him. This programmed hatred ran so deeply that she even attempted to kill him when it was clear she was the last member of her organization left standing, fully prepared to die as long as he died first. This level of dedication not only earned her a posthumous commendation it also showed that the natural antagonism this role catalyses in the agent should be exploited as much as possible for future deployments of this imprint.
3. Reasons for Failure of Imprint
In the first case, there were three primary reasons identified for the failure of the imprint:
-The presence of Rekall technology in the public domain
-The aspirational qualities of the imprint
-Plausibility breakdown
Rekall technology being in the public domain and the relative merits of it are a conversation society has insisted on having for close to five decades. My own opinion of this is a matter of public record; that without Rekall technology, Doll technology, the Screamer-class weapons systems and recent advances in artificial intelligence would simply not have occurred. The genie is out of the bottle and the beauty of this technology is we can choose which bottle it’s put back in.
That being said, it’s clear that the aspirational qualities of the Quaid personality were a major factor in leading the first subject to Rekall. The blue collar element of the imprint is perfect for placing a subject within a controlled environment but the natural tendency is to want more, and Rekall remains the height of aspirational technology. As a result, I would recommend that any future deployments of the Quaid Imprint are modified, perhaps to someone in middle management or a medical patient under long-term care.
Finally, special note must be made of the plausibility breakdown that undoubtedly took place in the first deployment. The sheer size, and physical prowess, of the subject ultimately led to his own subconscious rebelling against him and undermining the foundation of the imprint. The first Quaid simply looked too perfect, was too instinctively well trained that in the end he didn’t believe his own imprint and it crumbled around him.
In the second case, the reasons for the failure deviate in a single, but significant manner;
-The presence of Rekall technology in the public domain.
-The aspirational qualities of the personality.
-Emotional attachment
Again, the presence of Rekall technology in the public domain has an undeniable effect and again the nature of the blue collar work ‘Quaid’ performed naturally led him to aspire to more. If anything, this was a stronger motivational factor than the previous deployment due to the subconscious resentment at building his ‘replacements’ Quaid undoubtedly also felt.
However, the major factor in the second failure was emotional attachment. Whilst the second subject lacked the physical strength of the first, he was extremely tenacious and has almost escaped prior to the implantation process. The escape had been aided by several resistance members, including his significant other and the memory of this, and his admittedly brutal recapture, proved too recent and too strong to overwrite.
4. Successful Elements
Whilst both deployments ended with the dissolution of the Quaid personality and catastrophic societal change as a direct result, each deployment also has several notable successes that must be noted:
First Deployment
-The imprint’s aspirations of going to Mars actually increased the chances of the incident being contained. The fact it was not has more to do with the original subject’s huge physical stature and talent for violence.
-Whilst the massive societal upheaval that was caused by the activation of the extra-terrestrial terraforming system on Mars had short term, catastrophic effects on Earth and it’s political structure, it ultimately led to the end game that had been in place for decades (See ‘The Great Game’).
Second Deployment
-The subject’s physical size was far better suited to his job, ensuring he was put, and held, in place substantially longer.
-As stated above, the changes made to the training of the subject’s ‘wife’ proved vastly successful in increasing her desire to bring the subject down.
-Again, the widespread societal change catalysed by the subject, whilst not part of the overall plan, offers us unprecedented opportunities to develop both cultures on Earth separately, and, ultimately, to decide which one is best suited for our needs (See my previous paper ‘Life in the Petri Dish’)
5. Conclusions
The Quaid Imprint is widely regarded in intelligence circles as a brave failure. I prefer to view it as an unusual success. Yes, the original Quaid killed dozens of security officers and was instrumental in the death of several of our most successful puppets and, yes, the second Quaid was responsible for cutting the Earth’s culture effectively in two.
But change is pain and the pain these two men have suffered, and inflicted, is directly responsible for us being in the advantageous position we are today. It should also be noted that the second Quaid Imprint was, in many ways, substantially subtler than the first. The operatic levels of bloodshed inflicted by the first subject were largely absent and we should continue to not only refine the process but actively begin searching for the next Quaid. This man, or woman, will be a catalyst for tremendous change and if we can harness them, combine the best elements of the previous incarnations, then nothing will stop us. After all, ideas are bulletproof.
Yours,
Doctor Lin Grace, Esoterics Department