History Main / NeuroVault

* In ''Literature/TheSearchForSnout'' by Creator/BruceCoville, it's revealed near the end that the main character has a secret piece of data in his brain that will allow the villain to literally destroy time.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': O'Neill frequently gets his head packed full of deadly amounts of [[LostTechnology Lost Wisdom]] from [[{{Precursors}} the Ancients]], barely surviving long enough to get it extracted by the Asgard.

* Used as the hook to bring Agent K back from being neuralyzed in ''Film/MenInBlack II''.

* ''ComicBook/StarTrekEarlyVoyages'': In "Immortal Wounds", Ambassador Toluk determines after mind melding with Dr. Boyce that three members of a psi-adept species called the Julthans or Jultha Free Men transferred their consciousnesses or ''sira''s into Boyce many years earlier when he was a young medic. When their shuttle crashed on the remote medical research outpost to which he was assigned, the Julthans made physical contact with Boyce just before they died. It was brief but there was nevertheless sufficient time to make the transfer. The ''sira''s eventually went insane due to the confusion and pain that they experienced. When Dr. Boyce encountered Narten Phayn Drexler, the leader of the Orion raiders that destroyed their colony, the Julthans took control of Dr. Boyce and killed Drexler with a lethal injection of metrazene.

!!Examples

%%* The Whispered in ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic''.

* Index Librorum Prohibitorum from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' received her name from the fact that she was forced (using her photographic memory) to memorize 103,000 magical grimoires.

* In the ''Anime/DragonballZ'' story FanFic/HonorTrip, [[AlmightyJanitor Enma Daiou]] has a surprisingly labyrinthine mind that not even [[spoiler: Future Cell]] could crack to obtain knowledge of Otherworld's various barriers.

[[folder:Films]]
* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', loosely based on Creator/WilliamGibson's short story of the same name. Where the protagonist is a "courier" who carries data securely in a cranial implant.

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' alum ''Film/OperationDouble007'' spent its first half chasing after a woman who had been given sensitive information by a deceased operative. The trick was, it had been given to her while she was under a certain kind of deep hypnosis, and could only be retrieved if she was put back under in the exact same way.
* Sebastian Rook does this on himself in ''Film/{{Cypher}}''. He overwrote his own personality so he could become [[spoiler:the meekly protagonist Morgan Sullivan and steal a specific data file from the vault of a MegaCorp, then reset himself.]]
* The entire mission of the ''Film/{{Inception}}'' is to do exactly this, though instead of information, the goal is to implant an idea. As well, Browning suggests that Fischer Sr. may have done this to his son in the first dream layer.

* A literal case in ''Film/{{Elysium}}''. After Greg Carlyle uploads [[spoiler: the reboot code to the space station of the same name]] to an implant in his brain, encrypts the program, and smashes the computer it came from, several of the characters are feverishly after that code when the protagonist Max steals it from Carlyle, [[spoiler: so that the people on Earth can be allowed to go to the station]]. But the encryption software kills whoever holds the item after transfer, and once it's modified at the end, Max dies.

* In ''Abarat'' by Clive Barker, an important key is hidden in Candy's mind, despite its apparently being a physical object.

* In ''Literature/ManWalksIntoARoom'', a group of scientists attempt to implant a memory from one person into the protagonist's brain. The memory itself, to the scientists, is only important in that it's a strong, easily distinguished, distinctive memory, not in terms of its content: [[spoiler: a nuclear weapons test occurring too close to a group of soldiers]].
* Haruki Murakami's ''Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' is about a man whose subconscious is used to store classified data in a cyberpunk future.
* ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'' has its share of memory transfers, but specifically in ''Return of the Archwizards'' the wizard spy dropped lots of reconnaissance data (for all the audience knows, it could be ''centuries'' worth of examining SealedEvilInACan while hiding inside the same can) to another guy, because he was dying and it was the only way to save priceless knowledge. [[spoiler:Carrier used this memory only as provoked "I just feel it must be so" insights, even after he understood what's going on (which still made him so valuable that dead wizard's boss could neither let him go nor kill him, nor even use outright [[BrainWashed mind control]]).]]

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/CitizenOfTheGalaxy'', Baslim hypnotizes his foster son Thorby into memorizing a coded final report to the SpacePolice, as well as a message to a ship's captain to help Thorby escape off-planet.
* In Heinlein's ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn'', Lyle is told he has been given critical information that he has to get to LaResistance. When he gets there he is put under anesthesia to extract the information. He later asks one of the Resistance scientists what was the nature of the "really important" message. He is disappointed when he is told that it was just lots of routine information. The scientist realizes he made a mistake, the man did have very important information. He also had his resistance credentials, "If they hadn't checked out, you would never have woken up."
* This is pretty much the entire premise of ''One of Us'' by Creator/MichaelMarshallSmith. The main character makes his living storing memories that others want to get rid of temporarily -- for instance, a businessman about to screw over his partner hands over a memory of a moral lesson from his father. (Permanently destroying a memory screws up TheForce.) Unfortunately for him, someone figures out that this can work as LaserGuidedAmnesia for the giver, and that the BigBad only wants to kill anyone who ''remembers'' a particular secret.
* In Creator/PiersAnthony's Macroscope, [[spoiler:Brad Carpenter]] hides [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord information]] about Schon inside [[spoiler:Afra Summerfield's]] mind.

* The ''distrans'' of the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' universe is used to encode messages in the voices of bats and birds. It can be used on humans, but it is frowned upon. So naturally both the protagonists and antagonists make use of human distrans.
* The Amnesia Arc in the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures (and the EDA series itself) ends with the revelation that [[spoiler: the Doctor's amnesia was caused by downloading the ''entire Time Lord matrix'' into his mind, thereby enabling Gallifrey to be restored from backup at a future date]].
* In ''Literature/TheJenniferMorgue'', Bob Howard has the briefing for the next stage of his mission implanted this way. Unfortunately the circumstances change halfway through the book, so thanks to this trope Bob is forced to endure an InfoDump that's no longer relevant.
* Tracer from ''Literature/FloatingPoint'', being a [[ArtificialIntelligence living A.I.]] in a [[InsideAComputerSystem digital world]], was able to install one of these to help him sort and cross-index his memories. [[spoiler:Also quite handy for [[MemoryGambit erasing memories]] he doesn't find pleasant.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. In this case, it turns out to have been entirely accidental, and those whom the information concerns [[HeKnowsTooMuch want to keep it under wraps]].

* O'Neill frequently gets his head packed full of deadly amounts of [[LostTechnology Lost Wisdom]] from [[{{Precursors}} The Ancients]], barely surviving long enough to get it extracted by the Asgard on ''Series/StargateSG1''.
* Donna Noble on ''Series/DoctorWho'' is a variation on this trope. [[spoiler:She has Time Lord knowledge embedded in her brain, and for her own well-being she had to lose all her memories of the time spent with the Doctor. If she were ever allowed to remember him or her adventures all over the universe, it would destroy her.]]
* In Harper 2.0 of ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'' Harper gets the largest library in the universe downloaded into his brain. This slowly begins to burn up his brain until he gets rid of it. It's used for a ContinuityNod later when trying to remember where he hid some of the data.

%% * ''Series/DarkAngel''

* ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'': "Hidden Knowledge" psychosurgery conceals information somewhere in a character's mind until released with a trigger word. Or more psychosurgery.

[[folder:Theater]]

* Asimov, the hero of ''VideoGame/MrRobot'', saves his friends from being permanently scrapped by downloading their brainmaps into his system. Conveniently enough, this is also how you add members to your party for hacking missions.
* A variant in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. Your character was getting Force visions and flashbacks of an allegedly-dead Sith Lord named Revan, leading both Bastila and themselves to Star Maps that will reveal the location of the Star-Forge. [[spoiler: However, it turns out that Revan isn't entire dead [[TomatoInTheMirror as everyone thought]].]]
** A relatively minor one, galactically speaking, is Consular companion Felix Iresso in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic.'' A Force-insensitive Republic grunt, he and his buddy were captured by the Sith and had a Sith holocron forcibly downloaded into their heads because the crazy Darth did not want to share the contents with the rest of the class. Iresso's pal went insane, but Iresso seems relatively normal. No, he can't access the contents, and doesn't much want to.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'', Matriarch Benezia does this to herself to avoid being completely [[MindControl indoctrinated]]. It works long enough for her to give vital information to the protagonists, before the indoctrination reasserts itself.
** Due to both the Prothean Beacon and the Cipher, Shepard has the experience and collective knowledge of the entire Prothean race implanted within their subconscious mind, which leads them eventually to Ilos. It's also the key to waking Javik in ''3''.
* Goal from ''VideoGame/{{Deponia}}'' stores some important codes along with her consciousness in her implant.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' has Sora, whose memories are nearly constantly used for this.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Galerians}}'', the protagonist and MacguffinGirl heroine have programs stashed in their heads by their parents. The programs are the key to destroying an A.I their fathers created which slipped its leash [[AIIsACrapshoot to supplant the human race with its own creations.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Asimov, the hero of ''Mr. Robot'', saves his friends from being permanently scrapped by downloading their brainmaps into his system. Conveniently enough, this is also how you add members to your party for hacking missions.

* Sebastian Rook does this on himself in ''Film/{{Cypher}}''.

Compare the various amnesia tropes, such as CriminalAmnesiac and EasyAmnesia. See also NeuralImplanting, another method this can be done. Contrast AlternateIdentityAmnesia.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' has the "Data lock" implant, which is clearly a shout out to Johnny Mnemonic.

* In Heinlein's ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn...'' Lyle is told he has been given critical information that he has to get to LaResistance. When he gets there he is put under anesthesia to extract the information. He later asks one of the Resistance scientists what was the nature of the "really important" message. He is disappointed when he is told that it was just lots of routine information. The scientist realizes he made a mistake, the man did have very important information. He also had his resistance credentials, "If they hadn't checked out, you would never have woken up."

* In ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit451}}'' the secret society of readers [[spoiler: use PhotographicMemory techniques to memorize books so they can be written again once the book-burning government dies in the coming nuclear war.]]
* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', Zaphod buries the [[spoiler: location of the man who rules the universe]] within his brains.

* ''Literature/ForgottenRealms'' has its share of memory transfers, but specifically in ''Return af the Archwizards'' the wizard spy dropped lots of reconnaissance data (for all the audience knows, it could be ''centuries'' worth of examining SealedEvilInACan while hiding inside the same can) to another guy, because he was dying and it was the only way to save priceless knowledge. [[spoiler:Carrier used this memory only as provoked "I just feel it must be so" insights, even after he understood what's going on (which still made him so valuable that dead wizard's boss could neither let him go nor kill him, nor even use outright [[BrainWashed mind control]]).]]

** In Heinlein's ''Literature/IfThisGoesOn...'' Lyle is told he has been given critical information that he has to get to LaResistance. When he gets there he is put under anesthesia to extract the information. He later asks one of the Resistance scientists what was the nature of the "really important" message. He is disappointed when he is told that it was just lots of routine information. The scientist realizes he made a mistake, the man did have very important information. He also had his resistance credentials, "If they hadn't checked out, you would never have woken up."

* The eponymous carbosilicate amorph [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20080222.html pulled one of these]] in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary''.

* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', loosely based on WilliamGibson's short story of the same name. Where the protagonist is a "courier" who carries data securely in a cranial implant.

* In ''[[TheLaundrySeries The Jennifer Morgue]]'', Bob Howard has the briefing for the next stage of his mission implanted this way. Unfortunately the circumstances change halfway through the book, so thanks to this trope Bob is forced to endure an InfoDump that's no longer relevant.

* In the ''Anime.DragonballZ'' story FanFic/HonorTrip, [[AlmightyJanitor Enma Daiou]] has a surprisingly labyrinthine mind that not even [[spoiler: Future Cell]] could crack to obtain knowledge of Otherworld's various barriers.

* In ''The Search for Snout'', the third book in Creator/BruceCoville's alien series, it's revealed near the end that the main character has a secret piece of data in his brain that will allow the villain to literally destroy time.

* From ''[[Literature/WellWorld Midnight at the Well of Souls]]'': Vardia Diplo 1261 is, for the most part, a human cassette reel -- a NeuroVault with legs. A message is encoded in her head, to be shuttled to another planet's embassy, where the vault is unlocked, and she's basically written over with the base "Diplo program".

* In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/CitizenOfTheGalaxy'', ObiWan Baslim hypnotizes his foster son Thorby into memorizing a coded final report to the SpacePolice, as well as a message to a ship's captain to help Thorby escape off-planet.

* In ''SwordOfTruth'', Richard's adoptive father had him memorise a book, destroying it after he was satisfied that Richard could recite it verbatim. The first book of the series revolves around the BigBad's attempts to extract this information from him.

* In ''Literature/TheThirtyNineSteps'', the top secret information the bad guys are trying to smuggle out of the country is hidden in the mind of the "Memory Man", a showman who has [[PhotographicMemory the ability to take in such information.]]

** Due to both the Prothean Beacon and the Cipher, Shepard has the experience and collective knowledge of the entire Prothean race implanted within their subconscious mind, which leads them eventually to Ilos.

* In the ''DragonballZ'' story FanFic/HonorTrip, [[AlmightyJanitor Enma Daiou]] has a surprisingly labyrinthine mind that not even [[spoiler: Future Cell]] could crack to obtain knowledge of Otherworld's various barriers.

*** [[spoiler: Humans apparently aren't Earthlings.]]

* In PiersAnthony's Macroscope, [[spoiler:Brad Carpenter]] hides [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord information]] about Schon inside [[spoiler:Afra Summerfield's]] mind.

* Similarly, Jake in the SNES ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' game has some sensitive files in his head computer, which starts off locked until an attempt to repair it sets off a [[WhyAmITicking Cortex Bomb]]. This is, of course, perfectly normal within the confines of the Tabletop Game.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', Matriarch Benezia does this to herself to avoid being completely [[MoreThanMindControl indoctrinated]]. It works long enough for her to give vital information to the protagonists, before the indoctrination reasserts itself.

* The titular carbosilicate amorph [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20080222.html pulled one of these]] in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary''.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Literature/FloatingPoint'': Being a [[ArtificialIntelligence living A.I.]] in a [[InsideAComputerSystem digital world]], Tracer was able to install one of these to help him sort and cross-index his memories. [[spoiler:Also quite handy for [[MemoryGambit erasing memories]] he doesn't find pleasant.]]
[[/folder]]

* ''GIJoe'', "There's No Place Like Springfield": Plans for a deadly super-weapon are implanted into Shipwreck's head, and can only be retrieved if a certain code word is spoken to him. Cobra conducts an [[FakedRipVanWinkle elaborate ruse]] to try and figure it out.

* In ''ManWalksIntoARoom'', a group of scientists attempt to implant a memory from one person into the protagonist's brain. The memory itself, to the scientists, is only important in that it's a strong, easily distinguished, distinctive memory, not in terms of its content: [[spoiler: a nuclear weapons test occurring too close to a group of soldiers]].

* ''ForgottenRealms'' has its share of memory transfers, but specifically in ''Return af the Archwizards'' the wizard spy dropped lots of reconnaissance data (for all the audience knows, it could be ''centuries'' worth of examining SealedEvilInACan while hiding inside the same can) to another guy, because he was dying and it was the only way to save priceless knowledge. [[spoiler:Carrier used this memory only as provoked "I just feel it must be so" insights, even after he understood what's going on (which still made him so valuable that dead wizard's boss could neither let him go nor kill him, nor even use outright [[BrainWashed mind control]]).]]

** In Heinlein's '':iterature/IfThisGoesOn...'' Lyle is told he has been given critical information that he has to get to LaResistance. When he gets there he is put under anesthesia to extract the information. He later asks one of the Resistance scientists what was the nature of the "really important" message. He is disappointed when he is told that it was just lots of routine information. The scientist realizes he made a mistake, the man did have very important information. He also had his resistance credentials, "If they hadn't checked out, you would never have woken up."

** In Heinlein's ''If This Goes On...'' a guy is told he was given critical information that he has to get to LaResistance. When he gets there he is put under anesthesia to extract the information. He later asks one of the Resistance scientists what was the nature of the "really important" message. He is disappointed when he is told that it was just lots of routine information. The scientist realizes he made a mistake, the man did have very important information. He also had his resistance credentials, "If they hadn't checked out, you would never have woken up."

* A variant in ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. Your character was getting Force visions and flashbacks of an allegedly-dead Sith Lord named Revan, leading both Bastila and themselves to Star Maps that will reveal the location of the Star-Forge. [[spoiler: However, it turns out that Revan isn't entire dead [[TomatoInTheMirror as everyone thought]].]]

* Goal from {{Deponia}} stores some important codes along with her consciousness in her implant.
* Franchise/KingdomHearts has Sora, who's memories are nearly constantly used for this.

** A relatively minor one, galactically speaking, is Consular companion Felix Iresso in ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic.'' A Force-insensitive Republic grunt, he and his buddy were captured by the Sith and had a Sith holocron forcibly downloaded into their heads because the crazy Darth did not want to share the contents with the rest of the class. Iresso's pal went insane, but Iresso seems relatively normal. No, he can't access the contents, and doesn't much want to.

* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', loosely based on WilliamGibson's short story of the same name.