"I feel a bit like a lab rat," said Arthur as they pulled up to the building.
"Don't worry," said John, "I won't let them crack your skull open and rewire you. I thought this was what you wanted - to learn more about your implant and the technology in general?"
"Yes, it is. Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous. I've a feeling that cracking my skull open is exactly what most of these scientists would like to do."
They passed through the new and highly improved checkpoint, handed in their weapons to the T14 agents in reception and made their way towards the inner core of the building.
"Remember," said John, "no mention of what went on here. Most of the staff have no idea what happened that night."
He introduced Arthur to Simon Parker, the labs director of research, and the three of them went through several of the security doors until they reached what looked like a small lecture room.
"I'll tell them about the implant if you want," said John.
"Yes, I'd much rather that, I feel a bit stupid not knowing how part of my brain works."
"Nobody properly knows how the brain works. But you don't mind taking questions about the practical applications?"
"No, that's no problem, just the technical stuff."
Around two dozen scientists and technicians sat in neat rows, some of them with laptops, or notebooks of the paper variety.
John plugged his laptop into the hundred inch screen and Arthur was treated to a giant scan of his brain with a bullet lodged in it.
"As you can see," said John, "the bullet almost totally destroyed the hippocampus. The prognosis was that Arthur would have no short or long term memory and would essentially be the intellectual equivalent of the current US President. Many of us at T14 have signed up to undergo experimental treatments if we are badly injured. If Arthur hadn't signed up for this he would probably have died. Instead he had this implant wired into what remained of his hippocampus."
He pressed a button on the laptop and a close up photo of Arthur's actual implant (before insertion, obviously) filled the screen.
"This was four years ago so it probably seems rather primitive to you guys now, but at the time this was very advanced. We believe it was one of the very first implants of its type to be successfully installed anywhere in the world. After a few initial teething problems it has functioned perfectly, and Arthur's hippocampus has demonstrated considerable cell regrowth, to the extent that his brain is slowly taking over memory functions from the implant. In a few years he should be able to return to using an entirely organic memory, although at the moment he is still vulnerable if the implant malfunctions. We'll come to that later but now Arthur will explain what the implant allows him to do."
Arthur stood nervously and went to the front of the room, turning to face the expectant audience.
"I'm no bionic man," he said, not for the first time, feeling even more foolish than usual. "Apart from having a digitally assisted memory all the implant does is allow me to access digital information and 'see it' in my head. Please don't ask me how it works, I just know it does. I can search maps as if I had them in front of me and read any kind of digital information that's loaded onto my stick, though for obvious reasons I can't connect my brain to the internet. We recently found out what would happen if a malicious code was introduced into my system, and that's why I'm here. We've been totally unable to figure out what happened to me, and... I need to know."
"Apart from the people in this room fewer than twenty others in the world know my implant even exists, never mind what it actually does. But we are... I am willing to trade this classified information with you in the hope that it will help you with your work, and that you'll be able to help me ensure that I can never again be sabotaged."
He looked to John for support, indicating that he didn't have anything else to say. John got up and stood next to him.
"You've all this morning received a copy of everything we have on the implant and the virus that compromised it. Anything you can tell us would be gratefully received."
One member of the audience stood up.
"Donald Edwards, specialising in biomechanical software. I've done a cursory analysis of this code and it seems fairly amateurish."
"That's what our tech guys thought," said John, "but the problem we have is that we still don't know what the code was intended for. Arthur experienced severe mental disorientation and memory loss, got on a plane to America, removed his Firewire stick and then seemed to wander at random before, possibly, ending up exactly where the people who produced the code intended him to be. What we need to know from you guys is whether it's possible to turn somebody with this sort of implant into a Manchurian candidate, and how much whoever wrote the code knew about the implant."
"Based on my initial observation," said Donald, "I'd say that it wouldn't be possible to do anything more than disrupt or wipe his memories. Surely that would be enough to disorientate and confuse anybody?"
"But could they programme me to do something without my knowledge?" asked Arthur.
"I don't see how that's at all possible."
"Well somebody did something to me that made me go to another country and... do things. Things I would never have normally done. That sounds like brainwashing to me."
"Would it be possible to implant suggestions verbally when his mind was confused?" asked John.
"That's a possibility with anyone," said Donald.
"You've never mentioned that before," said Arthur suspiciously.
"It's never occurred to me before," said John, "but if they couldn't have implanted any direct instructions then that's the only explanation. Maybe it's sort of like sleep deprivation - if you disorientate someone enough they'll just do what they're told because they're too tired to resist."
"So it was really nothing to do with my implant - they could have got the same effect by drugging me?"
"Probably."
"Could you stop this happening to me again?"
"I have observed that access to the implant is very insecure," said Donald. "Leave it with me and I'll see what I can do."
"Okay?" asked John.
"Yes," said Arthur, "at least we seem to have made some progress."
"Right then," said John, "that's our end of the bargain. Now you can tell us what you're up to and maybe you can try some of your latest software out on Arthur."
Arthur didn't look keen to have more people fiddling with his brain, but he didn't voice any protest.