During Picking Your Brains and talking with Doctor 8, after exhausting all conversation options (all of them resulting in incomprehensible responses due to 8's damage voice module), new dialogue options become available where one can identify Dr. 8's efforts at communication (as that of RobCo termlink protocol) by having either 7 Perception or 75 Science.
Upon passing either check as well as a further 75 Science check, the player character has two options for how to deal with Dr. 8:
If the one threatens Dr. 8, they'll be given a randomised quantity of energy weapon ammo and the Easy locked door near him will be unlocked, as a condition of leaving Dr. 8 alone and not reprogramming him. This will result in Karma loss.
If one promises not to exploit his vulnerability, saying they know what it's like to be experimented on (referring to their non-consensual lobotomy), the Doctor will be grateful and Karma is gained.
After passing the check to understand Dr. 8, the player character will have the opportunity to speak with him about the sonic emitter, one of his creations. This can lead to rather humorous dialogue about Dr. 8's apparent fetish over the device, as well as "sonjaculating" (his method of activating the emitter). He also has an option to reveal the presence of an audio file and the holotape for the Sink's Jukebox that can be used to recalibrate the sonic emitter in his house in Higgs Village (marking the structure on the map). If Higgs Village was visited already and both items recovered, a unique dialogue option allows for telling 8 the player character already ransacked his former house to find them.
An alternative dialogue option allows the player character to imply some unorthodox, libertine tendencies, resulting in one of two reward sets depending on the player character's gender: a male Courier states they search for Cram and duct tape when the need arises, and Dr. 8 will then give the player character two of each, plus a copy of ¡La Fantoma! whereas a female Courier indicates the utility of a modified fusion cell which earns microfusion cells, and a copy of Tæles of Chivalrie instead.
Quest stages[]
Stage
Status
Description
10
Investigate 8's termlink code
Notes[]
Completing this quest prior to the climax of Old World Blues earns Doctor 8 as 1 of 3 required "votes" to get Dr. Klein to back down and spare the Think Tank.
