video; ~5 pm

[momchester]

[Mary looks... well, alive, which is a bonus, but also frazzled and exhausted, with pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, lips chapped, hair falling out of her ponytail.

But more than that, she looks haunted.]

I'm back. I'm alive. [Her lips press together in a thin line. She bows her head and talks to her knees.] No thanks to those monsters.

I don't know if anyone else made it out... there were no- [sniffing hard to avoid tearing up.] -shelters. Nothing Darkness proofed. [Head still bowed tightly.] I don't know if any of those people I fought with made it out alive, but if they didn't, I'm going to tell you all right now.

[She finally looks up, eyes welling now with tears she refuses to cry.]

They hunted us. They bound us, put collars on us, they put us in cages. They chased us and hunted us down like we were fucking dogs and we couldn't-

[she claps a hand over her mouth, breathing hard to rein in her emotions. When she opens her eyes again, there's something chilling and deadened in her eyes.]

When I died at home- the first time, before I came here... it was a demon. A demon pinned me to the ceiling and burned me alive in my baby's nursery, and I didn't feel as violated as I did those two days. In that cage. [She shakes her head intently, looking away.] Those monsters kidnapped children. They wanted to see every one of us die like dumb fucking animals.

I wonder what would happen if I prayed for them. [There's a weird look in her eyes. Something you wouldn't leave your children alone with.] It's the Christian thing to do.

Would I get their souls into Heaven, or their heads on a plate?

[With a last ugly look at the NV, she turns the public feed off.]

[Private to Jinx]

I found a plus one.

[Private to the angels]

Did you hear my prayer? [The one she whispered as she lay dying.] Please, tell me none of you- tell me you didn't go there. Please.

Comments

private

[momchester]

Oh, I'm so happy to hear that. How are you?

[showbizpanache]

I'm...functioning.

You're very brave, Ms. Mary. I haven't been able to talk about this with anyone yet-- Other than you and Mercy and the others, that is.

[momchester]

I'm not that brave. Just mad.

I wanna go to the police. And the media. Will you go with me?

[showbizpanache]

Yes. Yes, but--

It's best if we don't show them any hostility. We have to take the high road.

[momchester]

I know. We can't get too uppity.

I need the names of everyone who was there. I know.... ah... ten. Ten of the people who were there, but I feel certain that more people were involved.

[showbizpanache]

Me, Gohan, Mercy--and us, of course. I'm afraid that's all I know.

And I'm not terribly worried about being uppity, I just-- We mustn't let this color our perception of every native in the Port. We have to try to coexist with them, right?

[As much as he'd love to find every one of those hunters and sing them a nice tune.]

[momchester]

Kurt.

He's done this before.

[showbizpanache]

Then we'll stop him.

[momchester]

We're the underdogs. We need every resource we have.

[showbizpanache]

I understand. That's why I plan on helping to mobilize the NPP to deal with this. I'll do everything in my power to stop these people.

I'm just advising against any sort of hostility--revenge. That absolutely cannot happen, not if we hope to survive here.

[momchester]

We aren't surviving.

[showbizpanache]

[He sighs, falling silent for a while.]

I...I know. I know what you're saying.

[Pause.]

One of them cut up my arms. Tore off the skin and kept it. Like a souvenir. They're disgusting now. I can't even look at them, and I can hardly move them. I can barely let my boyfriend touch me anymore.

It doesn't compare with what was done to you, though. You--you have every right to be angry--more than all of us. But we have to be careful.

[momchester]

I know that, Kurt, don't worry. This is the only home I get, forever.

Do you need someone to heal you?

[showbizpanache]

That would be nice, yeah.

But-- [He presses his lips together.] Maybe not completely, not right away. If we go to the media, we'll need something physical to show them.

[He's frankly nauseated by the idea, but whatever hammers the point home...]

[momchester]

...Oh god, you're right.

Okay. Uh. I know people who can take the pain away, at least.

[showbizpanache]

That would be really nice.

Thank you.