Why was his memory not cleared?

[Tundra]

My character is kidnapped by aliens. Her existance is removed from her family's brains, somehow. And her friends have a slower memory loss of her. But, her brother still remembers her, and no one else does. If he talks about her, they remember, but they think that she's just out at work, or something.

What's a reason for the fact that his brain wasn't erased? other than "his brain just is wired differently". or "he's immune to it"

[Aimless]

Practical joke?

Or maybe a safeguard, or some sorta... I dunno, like, in case they decide to return her or something :o Obviously the memories haven't been erased if he can make them temporarily remember, so maybe he needs to keep reminding them so the memories don't deteriorate completely?

[Tundra]

yeah... maybe the alien that took her did it out of pity. Like he didn't really want to take her, so hoped that it would mean she might be able to get some help.

[Thren]

Maybe her brother had a colander on his head? :D

Or you could have it that he got an electric shock or something around the time the aliens were mind-wiping people, so it short-circuited it and he still remembers?

[AXJ]

My vote is for a procedural slipup on the part of the aliens. Xorg thought Grox did it, Grox thought Xorg did it. That might actually make for a funny plot point... at some point an alien auditor discovers the oversight, and they go looking for him.

Or, what if the brother was out of the town/state/country at the time? So he gets back and says, "Hey, where's Cindy?" And they all look at him and go, "Who??"

[snooze]

The brother was also abducted by the same aliens for study when he was very young, and so he's somehow "been there, done that" about the whole thing. Like he doesn't know where Cindy went, but he knows something fishy is afoot.
Is her name even Cindy?

[Tundra]

No, her name's Katia.

And aliens aren't allowed to take humans for study. Katia's taking is completely illegal.

[Sammi]

If it's an illegal operation, maybe their amnesia machine was second-rate and missed a spot. I mean, if it's not legit, they might not have been fully funded or have had to get equipment off of less-than-reputable types. Mobsters don't usually sell you the highest-quality amnesia machines when they have a slightly obsolete model sitting around which they can attempt to extort you with...

[Tundra]

I'm not quite sure how this machine works. I think the first part of it is to make witnesses forget HOW she was kidnapped. So maybe they just forget she was kidnapped at all, and then in a few hours they realise she's missing. Or maybe it gives them the impression that she was killed/they saw her kidnapped by some other means than some dude who can fly. Then the memories fade after a few weeks, so that everyone who knew her well forgets about her existance, and everyone else think she's dead, from the first stage of it. But the brother remembers both her existence, and how she was taken. Um yeah... that was my thoughts. Any additions to it?

I think i'll make it so that Serr (the alien) doesn't really want to kidnap her, but he has to, because he has orders. He knows that the machine for amnesia can be pretty bad sometimes, reliability wise. But he uses it properly, but deliberately skips the brother. And then plans to blame it on the dodgy machine later on.

[Sammi]

I can do sci-fi physics, but amnesia machines are beyond the range of my expertise. Or maybe I'm just not that creative tonight...

[Tundra]

oh, physics are almost totally being ignored in this. Think Hitchhiker's Guide style 'sci fi technology' where Infinite improbability drives are around, and are created by connecting a finite Probability drive to a cup of really really hot tea. So, reasons, and explanations, can be weird. I have to be able to explain them, but the explanation is allowed to not be physically possible.

[Sammi]

So maybe the machine-thing just makes the person really unpopular so it's like they didn't exist. Like certain kids in high school. :D

[vampindelibleink]

His brain might have been affected by drugs (legal or illegal, depending on the age and kind of brother involved) - drugs including alcohol.

Or he might have been daft enough to help himself to some drink or other belonging to the aliens which they didn't expect humans to touch, on account of it being green, smelly (say he had a cold at the time so he wouldn't have smelt anything) and having steam coming off it.

Or even, he might have had a virus that protected him (the common cold maybe?)

[AXJ]

I think i'll make it so that Serr (the alien) doesn't really want to kidnap her, but he has to, because he has orders. He knows that the machine for amnesia can be pretty bad sometimes, reliability wise. But he uses it properly, but deliberately skips the brother. And then plans to blame it on the dodgy machine later on.

Why does he deliberately skip the brother? If you've got a good reason for that, this scenario sounds pretty solid.

[Tundra]

Um... because he doesn't really want to kidnap anyone... and though he doesn't like the idea that it will create torment for the brother, with only him remembering his sister, he also doesn't think it's fair to totally wipe her from existence. He also is sort of hoping that he'll be able to free the humans, somehow... and he'll need the help of a human on earth to do it. He is doing this because he has to. He likes what the outcome of stealing humans will be, but he thinks the stealing part is cruel. But he has to do it anyway. So, maybe he'll turn into a double agent or something , that'd be cool.

Oh, and the brother is 16 years old, and no, he's not into drugs or alcohol.

[Thren]

I reckon have the brother be into electronics and computers and messing around (most boys are at that age). Have him mildly electrocuted by one of the things he's working on whilst the aliens are using the machine. He passes out from the electric shock and when he wakes up, no one remembers Katia...