[ She is... definitely drunk. And this is definitely not a tale of fantasy, the bitterness in her voice should make that clear, despite the faintest slurring. I am so sorry about her bad French accent, it is honestly this corny in the game too, I don't know what else to do.]

Once upon a time, zhere was an ingenue starship called zhe Von Braun. She was accompanied out into zhe stars by a military vessel, zhe Rickenbacker. Zhe first few months of zheir journey was moderately successful.... zhe Von Braun was a prototype and not quite ready for zhis.

Travelling by light years, zhey made zheir way to Tau Ceti V, where a distress signal called zhem to investigate. A military man and a corrupt scientist went to zhe surface first, intent to hoard any discoveries and zheir credits to zhemselves.

What zhey found were zhe eggs and zhe annelids. And their hunger for power blinded zhem as zheir minds were overtaken. Zhey brought zhe infection onto zhe ship, and zhey left Tau Ceti V with nowhere to run from what zhey had done.

Infested, zhe ship began to tear itself apart. Zhose infected with the parasites, zheir bodies overtaken, began to attack others. More eggs were laid, and in need of midwifes, zhey began to take young women from zhe Hydroponics sector and refit zhem as cyborgs with no purpose but to protect zhe young ones.

Zhe biomass spread everywhere, impossible to exterminate.

Zhe remaining security force began to mow down zhe infected, some of who begged for release even as zheir body was driven forward into zhe spray of bullets.

Zhe security for was eventually ended as well. The halls going quiet except for faint sounds of suicide, one gunshot and done, and zhe infernal hypnotic singing of zhe annelids, which tempted zhose very few which still resisted.

Zhey hid in corners, stalked by annelid larva at every turn, screaming things which stank of contamination.

And zhen the biomass consumed zhem and zhey met zheir 'orrible fate.

The end.

[Kind of anti-climactic Marie...............]

DELACROIX to CITIZENS: 05-01-???? re: the CLOCK

Do not be so complacent and easily distracted. We are at a tenuous juncture. New methods must be put into place or this city is at an end.

I do not yet know how thoroughly entwined that clock is with this environment, but it is failing.

DELACROIX to NETWORK: 05-01-???? re: RESIST

Do not listen. You must resist.

[ action ]

[ This has happened before, the singing. The infernal singing picking and plucking at her will. It has no effect on Marie any longer, not because of a spectacular strength of mind, although she certainly has that. It saved her from the annelids who had sung to her on her ship, who had desecrated the Von Braun and all of its crew with the sweet promise of unity. Of power as one.

Perhaps it is experience that saves Marie's mind. Perhaps it is the paranoia born of it: she cannot be lulled into trust, into belief.

And she is determined to save the others from whatever ill-fate the sirens seek for them. She's very heavily armed as she makes her way into the streets, but there is a certain intimacy she has begun to favor in a pistol. ]

[This is, in fact, an accidental video. Good morning, City. You know the best answer for a hang-over? Keep drinking, and continue to drink Marie Delacroix shall. She usually sticks to white wine, but she drank all that some time yesterday. What she has now is a tall can of beer that she pounds back like a champ before she's flicking a cigarette to life.

She most assuredly has work today, and she while she looks very tired, she moves about the apartment, disappearing in and out of shot without a grumble or a stumble.

Another beer is obliterated before she leans down to grab the device off the table to toss into a purse. She observes the recording light and scowls promptly.]

I will never understands zhis place's obsession with invading one's privacy.

[Now if you will excuse her B|]

[The sound of a great many hens hemming and hawing away is the first sound. The chatter is so loud there is no way to distinguish the conversation at hand.

Until, above their clucking,]

Faire taire! Faire taire! Faire taire!

[And should you happen to be beneath her window at this unfortunate time, there will be hens tossed from the third floor out into the street. One by one by one. Careful not to be shat upon.]

COME ONE, COME ALL, A MARVEL IN OUR MIDST, A GODDESS IN OUR GRASP!
SEE HERE BEFORE YOU THIS LIMITLESS BEING BOUND IN HUMAN FLESH!
SHE DOES NOT BREATHE, SHE DOES NOT SLEEP.
TAKE UP THIS BLADE AND SHE DOES NOT BLEED!
[ But there is a scream, indignant and aching. ]
BRING HER YOUR MOST PONDEROUS QUESTIONS!
HER MIND KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
BUT BEWARE: A GODDESS' WISDOM MAY SHATTER YOUR TINY MIND.

[ And here is a new voice before the curtains are pulled back to reveal her, seething, ]

I i i insects. INSECTS. You_you will suffffffffffffffer f o r ^this.

[ And the velvet curtains part, the woman is there, something strange glowing beneath her skin, making nearly arcance patterns of lights; her usually brown eyes glowing green. The 'goddess' is a defiant one, and has been chained inside her little display case, arms extended to the sides like an angel taking rise, her feet just barely off the ground. She glowers out at the crowd, a cut in her arm gaping light, but the announcer told the truth, there is no blood.

If you stay and watch a little longer, the woman will begin to scream and twitch for a little while, before those lights blink of her eyes and she is challenging, ]

She cannot 'ave my mind! She cannot 'ave it now!

[ It won't last long. ]

W ell, in_sect? Whaaaaaaaaat will^willwill you ask of ME ?

[ Her smile is terrible and cruel and furious. ]

Action


Video
DELACROIX to NETWORK + DEITIES: 08-09-???? re: Nuisance

[Good morning, City. This morning Miss Marie Delacroix is looking a bit under dressed and out of sorts. She's staring disdainfully down at her hand, which unfortunately has been connected by chain to Mr. Andrew Ryan, who really doesn't look any more pleased about the inconvenience. Still,]

Clearly, I will not be in to zhe laboratory zhis evening. I would prefer zhat zhe area remained closed in my absence, I do not in fact trust my interns to avoid ruining anything.

[She fidgets, twisting her wrist.]

...I 'ave been stricken with a number of curses since I arrived here in January. I 'ave to say zhat zhis is one of zhe more irritating.

[More irritating than the cat-hugging curse, Marie, really?]

[[ooc; Replies may be delayed to the evening o7]]

DELACROIX to NETWORK: 29-08-???? re: A Show



[ The video is taken from above. Marie is perched on the top of a stake of crates, a now customary array of cigarettes and white wine arranged alongside her. Below, milling about on the concrete below, are the robots, asking in cheerful beeping tones, Can I help you? Can I help you? ]

Engage orders 227.

[ Marie's voice, and at her instructions a few of the robots go still. One self-destructs moments later, sending some of its fellows toppling over, shrapnel pieces flying everywhere. The others take on aggressive modes, lashing out at the unsuspecting.

Delacroix sets down the camera, taking up her glass of wine instead, one foot swinging contentedly as she watches the little heard of robots attack and defend one another, each one certain they act on her behalf.

The carnage ends with one injured bot limping impotent circles.

Marie sets down her glass, shifting to take a pistol out of a leg holster. She fires one armor piercing round and the machine goes down. Just as calmly, she tucks the pistol away, takes up her cigarette. ]

Hm.

[ Here you will see a video of one Marie Delacroix with her arms spread out in a doorway, looking absolutely furious. A group of bewildered young men are standing in the hallway in front of her. ]

No. Stay out of my laboratory.

[ Someone lifts a hand to try to placate her, but she slaps his hand away, a really loud BZZT echoing down the hall. That seems to get the attention of her interns. ]

No one gets near zhe prototypes. Get out and go home.

[ She points angrily. ]

Go!

[ They file off, maybe relieved to get a day off from their slave driver... ]

Imbeciles.