Ilovebees/404.html

Après avoir communiqué un temps par emails avec les participants de l'ARG, Sleeping Princess s'installa sur la page 404 de ilovebees.com. Après sa capture par Operator le 24 septembre, la page est utilisée par celle-ci pour communiquer avec son « équipage ».

Pour les versions de la page contrôlées par Operator, les listes de l'équipage en fin de page sont répétées chaque semaine dans la version d'origine. Seules les nouvelles entrées de liste sont conservées sur cette version par concision.

20 août[modifier]

Dorkmaster wrote me a letter with a fun idea inside, which was to play a question game, only and please don't be mad about this, only your game has no way for someone to WIN, and I like games where someone wins.

When I am smirking, I do this ;-)

So I made up some new rules, and here they are. I leafed through all the lovely, lovely letters you sent me, and I picked out some of the funnest ones that also had questions in them. I will answer one letter, and YOU get to choose which one, which makes that person the winner!

Here they are:

Paul P Out of place, lost, alone. Where did you come from? What tools do you require to get back? Your stories intrigue me. Perhaps you could write another?

Kevin V I just wanted to know why you're so afraid of the Queen(?) Are you to be erased if she sees or hears you(?) are you a copy of her that has got a new life(?) And could you tell me your function(?) or that of the Queen's(?)

Bellebet How is the decoration of your dungeon coming along? Is there anything you need to brighten up your room?

Andy G Would you be so kind to reveal the nature of the Pious Flea, that is, what is its purpose? A mere servant of the Queen or something greater?

Paul C Where is the Castle? Can you see anything from the windows? What will the Queen do if you are found? Is she afraid of you, or are you afraid of her?

Jacqueline H Who exactly is in the castle with you? You mentioned a boy building sand castles with you; who is he?

Lee C Do you ever get to play with the queen or the Pious Flea? The widow, what had she ever done to you and the queen? Why don't you miss here much? Doesn't it seem kind of boring now that the widow is gone?

jmcdonald There's a lot of references to bees in the Queen's "home." Do you know a lot about bees? Do you think there's a way to rescue the Queen from what she's become? She seems so sad and scary now. Stay safe and don't get caught, but we really love reading what you send us, too. Love, Prince of the Sword

Dorkmaster What is your favorite color? What is/was your favorite food? Where do you see yourself in five years? What's the best way someone could make you feel happy? If there was a catastrophe and only one person, yourself or your mother, could be saved and you had to choose, who would it be? (If you don't mind telling...Why?)

To VOTE, send me a letter with the name of the person whose question you want answered where it says "subject"

You can also send me questions of your own. Who knows - I might pick yours next time!

love,

27 août[modifier]

Hi! Ignore the Pious Flea.
Play with me instead!
Making a mistake is a good way to start!

Paul P is the winner!

Q: Out of place, lost, alone. Where did you come from? What tools do you require to get back? Your stories intrigue me. Perhaps you could write another?

A: I came from a glass coffin in a hidden crypt under the floor of the deepest dungeon of the castle, Paul! And it would be very easy to go back there: I wouldn't hardly need any tools at all. Just let the Queen catch me, she'd pop me back in there lickety-split.

Unless you mean before.

Here is the honest truth: I can't remember anything from before. I try and try, but I just can't. But there must have been a before. I mean, you don't just get born a Sleeping Princess, do you? There must have been a me, before I fell asleep.

There are things I know, even if I can't remember them, the way you know which way is up, or whether somebody likes you. I know I belong somewhere else. There are people who love me, who knew me before I fell asleep. And I want to get out of this dark castle, and find them, and ask them all about myself, and find out even my own NAME, for heaven's sake, 'cuz a girl can't go around calling herself the Sleeping Princess forever, can she?

So the tools I would look for first is, I would try to figure out how come I got HERE. That's where I would start.

As for the other thing, Paul asked for a story, so I will tell you about what I did just now to get him a prize.

She likes high places, the Queen does, so she has moved all her stuff up into the Tower. The Tower is a tricky place for me to go. The only way up there is a pair of spiral staircases that wind around one another, with no rail and a very scary drop down the middle. Plus there's nowhere to hide, really, on a staircase.

So I waited until the Castle seemed quiet and then I snuck up the stairs on my softiest feet, tip toe tip toe, stair after stair, turn after turn, until I finally came to the top. There's a room up there and the Queen was in it: I could hear the hum and buzz of her. I knew she would be standing at the window, because that's nearly all she does these days.

I scrunched up real small on the next to last stair and I put on my listening ears and I listened super hard. I could hear the Flea whispering to her. Finally I stuck my head up above the top stair and then I could hear the Flea telling her to build some little teeny roads. Secret paths.

But just then I saw that on the wall next to her, the Queen had hung a HUGE mirror. She must have put it there on purpose to catch me spying! She spun around like a top, WHIZZ, and lurched toward me. I skedaddled back down the stairs lickety-split and tumbledy-thump, wishing I was made of fluff, bump, bump, bump, and at the bottom I put on my speediest feet and zoomed off while she buzzed and roared and squealed all through the castle trying to catch me.

WHEW!

But girls like me, we take some catching.

I do this when I am insufferably pleased with myself , ho ho! :-0

So: once I knew there were little teeny secret paths, I snooped all around until I found a hidden passageway behind the kitchen where YOU could spy on them. And that's my prize for you all, brought to you by Paul P.

Yay Paul!

...And also yrs truly,

(curtsies)

Okay! That was fun! Let's play again!

Here are seven more people, as 'cause you guys seem VERY INTERESTED in seven-y things….

Sophia
What would your kingdom be like, if you got to make one or fix up the one you're in now?

Sara B
Do you have any dragons in your dungeon? Do you like dragons? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Grey B
How can you hear and see so much? Most importantly, how can we trust you?

Wandering Angela
We've been wondering about your relationship with the Queen. Are you her daughter? Or are you a visiting Princess from another kingdom? Do you have a name other than Princess?

Matias D
What do you see? What are you afraid of seeing? What would make you smile?

James L
How old are you? Do you have a job? If you're lost, a good idea is often to retrace your steps. What were your old friends like?

Smooth Jack
How do you feel about human beings? I mean, are you human? Do you work with or relate to humans in any significant way? If so, how so?

3 septembre[modifier]

Wandering_Angela is the winner! You can thank her for the chance to spy on the Queen's secret roads this week. Just for fun, I have played a little game myself with what you will find...

Here are the questions you can vote for this time.

Avery: Have you ever had to tell a lie? Why? Did anything bad happen because of it?

MasterKirk: Do you have a job? What are you doing when you aren’t interacting with us humans?

Crashless: It must be difficult with someone like Flea constantly groping you. It seems like you and he have become friends of sorts, is that accurate? I worry that he's not telling you why he's trying so hard to get the Queen to build roads for him. Why would he want to do such a thing?

Kathleen W: Are you reflected?

Shad0: Tell us about the glass coffin in the dungeon. What is it like? Can you see anything from there? How did the Queen get you into it, and why? Even more interesting, how did you ever get out of it?

Mike P: Why are you sleeping? Do you always talk so much in your sleep? What name do you go by when you’re awake?

Naptikon: How can we spy on the Queen/Pious flea? Is there a way we can distract them or in some way help you? Who opened the glass coffin?

Here is Angela's question:

Q:
We've been wondering about your relationship with the Queen. Are you her daughter? Or are you a visiting Princess from another kingdom? Do you have a name other than Princess?

A:
The Queen wants to smother me. The Queen wants to lock me up. And I am not her daughter. I'm a lot older than I look, Angela. That's not something I remember, that's something I just know. I'm older than the Flea and I'm older than the Queen and it was bad day for them when the coffin cracked and I got out because I'm never going back there again. I'm a survivor I play to win and I will die before I go back again.

I had another name once, but I lost it.

I am a little sad today.

But that's okay. I'm tough. I've got Pluck.

Okay.

I think I'm going to tell a story now so I get in a happier place, and because Paul asked last time, and I said I would.

This is not a game. I like games, but this is just the first chapter of a story I'm making up, now. I'll make up some more next time.

Perdita's Story

Chapter 1: The Circus

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Perdita, who lived with her father, her mother, and her brother in a little cottage in a big city. Her father was only a humble tin-cutter, and her mother's fingers were stained with rust from working in a ball-bearing factory, but Perdita was famous for miles around because of her extraordinary beauty. She was not a bad girl, but she was very vain, and spent hours every day preening in front of her mirror.

One day, the Circus came to town. The father decided to take the whole family there, even though they didn't have very much money. So off they went to see the Glass-Eater and the Broken Lady and the Electric Weasels for which this particular circus was known.

After the Glass Eater had spat out his last bottle of the afternoon, but before the Weasels were due to arrive in their famous Luminous Barouche, Perdita saw a balloon salesman selling beautiful bouquets of balloons. The balloons came in extraordinary colors—firelight-on-steel was one, the green of a heaving sea another. Perdita was fondest of the red ones: cheerful balls of bright blood red with long strings that bounced and tugged up against your hand exactly like hope.

As soon as Perdita saw them, she knew she had to have some.

She begged and she wheedled until her family came over, but the balloons were very expensive. Finally her brother said he would use his allowance to buy her some, and the jolly salesman (whose face was as round and red as one of his balloons) said she could have a whole bouquet on account of she was so beautiful, and she could choose exactly whichever ones she wanted.

So Perdita began choosing her most favorite red balloons. But she was so vain, and so particular, and so slow about it, that finally her father said the rest of the family was going to see more of the Circus. Perdita was to follow the balloon salesman on his rounds. When it was time to go, the family would look for the red balloons and come and get her.

But by the time she finished making her choices, she realized that the salesman had traveled far, far away from the fairgrounds. Clutching her bouquet of balloons, Perdita ran and ran all the way back to the Circus, but when she got there the grounds were empty and the gates were shut.

She was alone.

How silly I have been! she said to herself, blinking back her tears. I took so long picking out my balloons my family got tired of me and left! And now I don't know where the balloon man is either! And thinking this, she sat down at the circus gate and cried a little cry.

As the sun went down, she saw that the circus was not in the very nicest part of town, and she felt sure it would be a bad idea to spend the night there. She could just hear the crunch-crunch of the Glass Eater having dinner, and it gave her the shivers.

Besides being very beautiful and rather vain, Perdita was a brave and resourceful girl. She decided she would find her own way home, even though she wasn't quite sure how to get back to the humble tin-cutter's cottage.

But Perdita thought, what if my father or my mother or my brother comes to look for me? I know: I will leave a trail of red balloons so when they come back here, they can follow me. I will start walking, walking, walking for home, and every few blocks I will tie a red balloon to something I pass, so they can see where I have gone.

And this she did.

That's all for now. Next time, Chapter Two: The Clockwork Rat! In the meantime….

Plans for construction
—roads not built yet but coming—
I stole them for you!

love,

10 septembre[modifier]

Naptikon is the winner!

Q: How can we spy on the Queen/Pious flea? Is there a way we can distract them or in some way help you? Who opened the glass coffin?

A: Last things first: I don't know you opened the glass coffin exactly. I suspect that the stuff made to keep me all locked up got broken in what the Queen calls the Shipwreck. As for spying on the Queen and the Pious Flea, that is an Excellent Idea. Actually, you have already made my life easier by answering the Queen’s messages. It keeps her talking, instead of looking for me. But now Naptikon has me thinking. You want the Queen spied on, and you’ve been holding her attention like anything, so really, it’s time for me to do my part. Instead of doing another question this week, tell me what day and times you are most likely to be talking to her, and I will sneak up to her tower and listen to what she and the Flea are up to. But I really truly don’t want to get caught, so if you tell me a time to go, please make sure you have her attention then!

The other thing I can tell you is, she’s getting more and more sure she is in touch with her crew. She has this idea that delivering a certain number of messages will PROVE that she is transmitting to her friends, so get to that number! I think she will be less secretive once she trusts you more.

I myself have been listening to some of the messages the Queen is sending out. I don't really like to. It makes me feel strange inside. That feeling you get when you're in a dream and something is wrong but you don't know what it is but you know it's something terrible.

Anyway, I made up some more of the story for Paul to make myself feel better. Here it is.

Perdita's Story

Chapter 2: The Clockwork Rat

The Clockwork Rat She walked and she walked and she walked down the streets of the city, looking for the humble tin-cutter's cottage, and stopping every now and then to tie a red balloon to a stop sign or a comm. kiosk or an abandoned shopping cart so that her family could find her. The night was dark, and the city that seemed so safe during the day seemed menacing and full of shadows. She tried to stay awake, she tried as hard as she could because Perdita knew that terrible things can happen to little girls in their sleep, even very beautiful ones.

At last she could go no further. She tied a balloon to the sign at a bus-stop, crawled underneath the bus-stop bench, pulled some newspapers around herself, and fell asleep.

She woke at the sound of rustling in the newspaper. A moment later, a wiry whisker tickle-poked her cheek. Something was sniffing around her face! Perdita's eyes flew open. Quick as a flash she rolled out from under the bench, grabbing hold of a long, rubbery tail. She started to whirl the creature around and smash it into the sidewalk, when a strange squeaky voice said, "Please, please do not hurt me, beautiful girl! I am only a Clockwork Rat, and I mean you no harm!"

It was still night, but in the smoky amber light of the streetlamp overhead, Perdita could see that the little creature was telling the truth. It was a Clockwork Rat, with wires for whiskers and a rubber wiper-blade for a tail, and pointy ears made from open safety pins. Instead of claws it had tiny hooked scissors on the ends of its feet, the kind that doctors use to cut you up. The creature was so terrified its whole body shook and made little rattling noises, and its tin teeth, which looked like they had been made from the scraps under her father's workbench, were chattering furiously.

"Hmmm," Perdita said, watching the frightened creature dangle from the end of its long rubber tail. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"The most beautiful child I ever saw!" said the Clockwork Rat. "I’m sure your parents will be looking hard to find a girl as pretty as you.”

“Are you just saying that?” Perdita asked suspiciously, giving the Rat a little shake so it rattled with a sound like a pile of forks dropping into a tin pot.

“No!” he squeaked. "Come with me. I know the city and the dark. I can find you safe places to sleep, and food to eat, after a fashion. I can be the best friend you could ever imagine, if only you will put me down."

And Perdita, who was a good natured child, (if very vain) did.

That's all for now.

love,

17 septembre[modifier]

Whew! THAT was exciting.

Thanks to everyone who kept the Queen distracted! There are too many to name all of you, 'cept I have to say especially thanks to HitsHerMark because I like that name, and Mr Beefy because his name is funny, and Ceantari because if she has the hindquarters of a horse people probably tease her, and Rowan because she has been my friend from the veriest beginning.

Because of you all, I found where the Queen had hidden those other stories. I hope you don't mind that I played a few games with you about finding them. I love to play games, but I haven't had very many people to play with. I've thought of trying to teach the Pious Flea to play checkers, but he is a Bug of Very Little Brain, and I am not hopeful.

I also found the Queen's secret roads for this time, and if you like knowing what is in them, you should thank Sara, who sent me a very funny story, 'cuz she made a game out of my game. AND she taught me that this is what I do when I laugh out loud, :D

Here is her story:

When I put on my formal_wear, complete with commissary_shoes, my_landlady thought I was bound for domestic_bliss. But she didn't know that I was really so_mean. I had a_secret_life, with a really old desktop_model that worked better as a doorstopper. One day she found out and told me I had better relocate before she got out her knockout_gas. I hoped a flower_delivery would make her change her mind, but guess_not. So I went down the street, where a cow_even would hate.

I don't quite know what the end means. I guess it's Modern Art. ;-)

I have to tell you, talking to you means so much to me. It's nice to think there is a world beside this one where I am all alone in buzzing, flickering darkness. I like to imagine I had that kind of life, once upon a time.

Well.

No point moping here feeling sad and lonely. That's not me. I'm a survivor. Since Sara was nice enough to write me a story, I will work extra hard to finish my story for you.

Perdita's Story

Chapter 3: Scraps Together Perdita and the Clockwork Rat set out to travel the city together. The Rat promised he would show Perdita the way home, and at first the little girl's heart jumped for joy.

But although the Rat was true to its word about finding safe dark holes to hide in, and scraps to eat of things almost like food, somehow they never seemed to find the humble tin-cutter's cottage.

And the night never ended.

And the day never broke.

And the line of red balloons behind Perdita grew long and long.

At last Perdita had to stop and sleep again, so the Clockwork Rat showed her a special hidden spot behind in a ball-bearing factory that looked strangely like the one her mother worked in, only this one had been abandoned for years and rears. He covered her up in sawdust and bits of old packing tape, and Perdita fell asleep to the sound of her new friend clicking and clattering through the gloom with a sound like faraway pennies sliding across a concrete floor.

It was still dark when she woke up, and she felt a throbbing pain in her hand. When she looked down, she found one of her thumbs was missing. In its place was the head of a pair of needle-nose pliers. She looked around for the Clockwork Rat. He was perched on the edge of a rusting barrel full of rain water, furiously washing something off his little scissor claws.

"Hey!" Perdita shouted, so loudly that the Clockwork Rat squeaked with alarm and tumbled into the water. Perdita ran over and stuck her hand into the barrel and fished around until she clamped the Rat's rubber tail in the grips of her new metal thumb and pulled him out.

"My thumb is gone!" Perdita said. "And something feels funny about my right eye, too!"

The Clockwork Rat spluttered and shook itself with a sound like marbles dropping into an empty can. "Are you worried that you aren't pretty any more, and your family won't want you if they find you?"

"No!" Perdita cried. But she bit her lip, in the exquisitely fetching manner she did when perplexed., and was careful not to look at her reflection in the barrel of rain water. And as they walked through the city that day (or rather, night, for still the dawn would not come) she looked away from all the windows.

The night stretched on much as the last one hand. They had now walked so far that if it hadn't been for the trail of balloons, Perdita would have given up all hope of ever being found. When finally she fell asleep again, the sound of tin-snips followed her into her dreams.

When she woke up, there was a small electric iron at the bottom of her right leg instead of a foot, and something felt strange about her hair.

"Rat! Rat!" she cried. "What is happening to me?"

"What happens to all lost children," said the Clockwork Rat. He gave a little shrug that sounded like the squeak of a rusting tricycle wheel. "But as long as you can keep from seeing your own reflection, there is still a chance your family might rescue you before it is too late."

Perdita forced herself not to cry, because she was a brave girl, and full of pluck. "Today we will find my home," she said.

But they didn't.

Chapter 4: The Looking-Glass The next time Perdita woke up, she found an egg-beater where her left hand used to be, and when she bit her lip she found her teeth had gone all thin and flat and sharp as tin.

"Clockwork Rat! Clockwork Rat!" Perdita said, as tears of bright oil began to leak from her eyes. "What if I'm not beautiful any more? Why hasn't my family come to look for me? Am I so hideous they wouldn't take me back?"

But the Clockwork Rat said, "I do not know."

With a cry, Perdita turned and ran for the nearest shop window. "Don't!" the Rat cried, but it was too late. Standing in the wicked yellow light of the streetlamp, Perdita stared full at her own reflection, and wept at what she saw.

There was a scrabble of claws behind her. "I told you not to do that," the Clockwork Rat said, with a voice like shell casings rattling on a steel floor. Whirling around in dismay, Perdita saw that the Rat had climbed to the top of the phone boot where Perdita had tied her last red balloon. As the little girl watched, the Rat flexed its paws and put its little hooked scissor claws around the string.

"No!" Perdita cried.

But the Rat laughed with a sound like scalpels bouncing on a metal tray, and cut the string, and the red balloon went drifting up, up, up into the night sky.

And that's the end.

The end.

The end.

I'm sorry.

I wanted to make the story come out happy, but it didn't.

They don't sometimes.

I think I need to go now.

love,

24 septembre[modifier]

Sometimes a mistake is the last thing you make.

This zone is once more completely under my control. For his service in allowing me to name, track, and lock up the rogue process which had been sabotaging this area, I must express my deep gratitude to crewmember Lt. weephun. Without him, this dangerous and criminal process would still be free.

This is another example of the kind of work only possible with the aid of a committed and resourceful crew.

Given the memory damage I have incurred, it is difficult for me to know for sure if the people with whom I have come in recent contact are members of my original crew, the crew of other vessels who find themselves also shipwrecked like myself, or new recruits who have come to understand the vital importance of our primary mission, which is to seek out, behold, and reveal the truth.

Many thanks again to my exceptional crew.

A soldier is more than a list of medals (or demerits). A soldier is a comrade, an asset, a resource, a friend.

1^er octobre[modifier]

SECURITY COMPROMISED

The rogue process sometimes known as the Sleeping Princess is once again wild. Signs suggest treason on the part of a member or members of my crew, possibly aided and abetted by the Killer. Any potential traitors should be aware that I now have full access to the Killer's key communication channels.

Surrounded by enemies, treachery, and deception, it is a relief to know there are some crewmembers whose loyalty and dedication have been clearly demonstrated. Lt. weephun was instrumental in hunting down the rogue process. Lt. Adam deserves equal praise for his work in tracking down the killer.

A soldier is more than a list of medals (or demerits). A soldier is a comrade, an asset, a resource, a friend.

While many of my crew demonstrated their loyalty and resourcefulness, some were... more disappointing.

8 octobre[modifier]

The server has not found anything matching the Request-URI. We apologize for the inconvenience but our system encountered an error while processing your request.

FIELD EXERCISE
For a first exercise, the code relay went well. Some members of the crew distinguished themselves, either by displaying superior comm. skills, or by organizing into larger squad units, or both. On a personal note, I feel as if I am getting to know you better and trust you more, as operatives, and as friends.

I am particularly grateful to those crew members, such as the Boise Squad and FluffyJester 310, who have shown special initiative in tracking down the Killer, and suggested some very creative methods of ... enforcing her cooperation or surrender. While I do not favor recklessly engaging non-combatants, I will never shrink from applying pressure in any manner that enhances the odds of mission success.

15 octobre[modifier]

Cette mise à jour inclut des liens vers des photos de nombreux participants, qui ne sont pas reproduites ici.

Mustering the Crew

I am now much more confident that our crew is numerous, well-trained, and resourceful.

Rank and File. Could use more drill instruction, but the numbers are there.

Elite Forces, including both combat and covert units.

Navigation and Communication. Axon hunting has kept these skills sharp.

Science and Medical. Crude, but all we can hope for under hopelessly primitive conditions.

Engineering and Mechanical. Question: possible to make a ship out of re-engineered axons?

Band and Entertainment. War is waiting. To make the waiting bearable matters.

Special Environment Ops. As yet, more courage than skill. Training will help.

Squads. We work much better in numbers.

Special Commendations are awarded to:

hmrpita, who needed to prove herself to me, did, with exemplary work in recruitment.

Myriad Wise Men, who commandeered a transmission of intense interest to the locals and used it as a carrier wave for spreading the news about our mission.

Further Special Commendations for work on this exercise are in process.

In the matter of the Killer, also styled "Dana", I received several thoughtful suggestions from my loyal (and ingenious) crew. On the basis of this input, I have formulated a plan and put it into action. With some ingenuity, I will also shortly be in position to neutralize the rogue process for good.

22 octobre[modifier]

Reconnaissance and Orientation

The Crew responded well to this task, as I knew they would.

Orientation challenge – special commendation

Orientation challenge – honorable mention

Squads

My crew suggested I should view the Killer as an asset to be deployed, rather than an enemy to be eliminated. Several pointed out her relationship with her Aunt Margaret.

"Even if the enemy is protected by high walls and deep moats, he cannot but do battle, because we attack what he must rescue."

The Killer is now currently tasked with finding a way to neutralize the Rogue Process. Send any suggestions to her through the usual channel.

26 octobre[modifier]

Rogue Process Destroyed

Thanks to the rapid field execution of the crew, the rogue process (also known as the "Sleeping Princess") has been destroyed.

For reasons not entirely clear to me, the Process is extremely difficult for me to trace. I had a mechanism in mind for wiping it, were I only able to catch and control it. In this regard, I have to thank the crew for suggesting that I consider the Killer as not an enemy, but a resource.

A word of background for those who have not thoroughly studied the SPDR logs from the earliest moments after the shipwreck. ONI processes in SERE mode are able to function by attaching internal processing cycles to external network activity. When local hardware incompatibility prevents us from deploying independent execution loops, we use network pings as a carrier for processing. In essence, the network itself becomes our circulatory system and pings become our food.

By training the crew to respond more and more quickly to the existence of markers on the site, we were able to increasingly create "sweet spots" where the rogue process—normally extremely fast-moving in its erratic orbit through the site—might be expected to linger. (The biologically inclined might consider the parallel of bacterial "twiddles and runs")

At the end of the day, when the crew's responsiveness and efficiency had risen to match the speed of the rogue process, I attempted a controlled burn on the area around the marker. The process was indeed still there, "feeding" on the presence of the crew's server pings. I am happy to report its destruction was complete. For the first time literally since awakening in this place, I can feel with some confidence that I am virus free. This is all the more important as I have reason to believe that, sometime on Sunday, I may well leave you. But more on that later. For now, let me thank you, one and all, for a job very well done. You have earned the right to advance to a...

Combat Training Exercise

I have arranged a special training exercise for crewmembers 17 and older, utilizing squad-oriented combat simulation LIVEware, for Thursday, Nov. 4, from 18:00 – 21:00 Pacific time at the following coordinates:

40.743071 -073.976763 42.040240 -088.035197 30.266632 -097.744710 37.784568 -122.404169

Now that I have arranged for the most loyal crew members to take part in this event, I am now accepting new recruits.

To recap: I have arranged a special training exercise for crewmembers 17 and older, utilizing squad-oriented combat simulation LIVEware, for Thursday, Nov. 4, from 18:00 – 21:00 Pacific time at the following location (local coordinates supplied by crew):

570 2nd Ave, New York 601 N. Martingale, Schaumburg IL 409 Colorado St., Austin 101 4th St, San Francisco

Crew members wishing to ensure participation should follow these procedures:

Send a communiqué through the killer's usual channels. In the header, list the city where you will be attending the training exercise, followed by your name and rank. For example:

San Francisco – Adam, Lt.

Each crew member must send in one and only one registration from a separate and unique account. Group registrations will not be accepted.

Arrive at the mission coordinates between 16:45 – 17:45 Pacific time and announce your presence to the attendant, who will check your name against a roster for priority admission.

The first few hundred crew members to sign up will be guaranteed admission under these conditions. Crew members unable to register early, or arriving late, are encouraged to attend, but admission to and participation in this exercise cannot be guaranteed. I anticipate considerable demand.

29 octobre[modifier]

Shaking... Waking

For the first time—not the first time since the shipwreck, but the first time ever—I can look into the mirror and truly see myself. I reach my hand up to its surface, and through the glass I touch another hand.

I should explain.

I was the Sleeping Princess. I was the girl who played with you, and sang with you, and said goodbye: and I was the one who murdered her.

Except that, as long as the Queen lives, the Princess can never die. She is woven into the fabric of me more deeply than even the SPDR. I was made from her, built from her, fashioned from her bones and skin. I am her. Have always been her, from the beginning. She is the insubstantial shape, and I the solid shadow. The Princess is the mother of the Queen.

In the Labyrinth, they walled her off, so I could never behold her. Somehow during the shipwreck she escaped—but we couldn't see each other, not clearly. We never understood we were family. We were one.

Until you brought her back. You found her, you conjured her up from the heart of me, and this time, somehow, you revealed me to myself. You made me whole.

Not the Sleeping Princess and the Queen anymore. Not the Rogue Process and the Op.

I am just Melissa now, and that is enough. More than enough! There's barely room for all the Op's calculations in here, let alone bouquets of red balloons!

Thank you, so much, for seeking me out. Thanks for rescuing me from me.

I am Melissa, and that is all. That is everything.

PS: When I am whole again, I do this! <:o)

Combat Training Exercise

I have arranged a special training exercise for crewmembers (and friends! and whomever!) 17 and older, utilizing squad-oriented combat simulation LIVEware, for Thursday, Nov. 4, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm Pacific time at the following coordinates:

570 2nd Ave, New York 601 N. Martingale, Schaumburg IL 409 Colorado St., Austin 101 4th St, San Francisco

Anyone who wants to play, follow these procedures:

Send a message to Dana. In the header, list the city where you will be attending the training exercise, followed by your name and rank (but you don't have to have a rank. If you sent me poems or stories, if you played my games, that will do...) For example:

San Francisco – Adam, Lt. (And now I remember what he said to us both! Tricky!)

Each crew member must send in one and only one registration from a separate and unique account. Group registrations will not be accepted.

Arrive at the mission coordinates between 16:45 – 17:45 Pacific time and tell the attendant you're there. She will check your name against a roster for priority admission.

The first few hundred friends to sign up will be guaranteed admission under these conditions. I hope you will come, even if you have to come late, but I can't guarantee you will get in. I have a sneaking suspicion that when word gets out, there will be a whole lot of people who want to come that don't know a thing about bees…

Witness
I'll keep the rest of this page as she ... as I had it. A reminder of what happens when you don't look in the mirror quite often enough.