A/N: My first Repo! fanfic to be posted here...it's an occasion. Also, my first ever songfic! I was inspired by the fantastic Canadian band Mother Mother's song Body, which is so fantastically Repo!esque, I was amazed it hadn't been a deleted song or something. As well, it so perfectly captures the utter resignation that Blind Mag must feel, after all those years of imprisonment. Once again, please read and review. All constructive criticism is loved to death and probably responded to. Also, there are some slight spoilers and Mag/Marni hints, so if you have some sort of moral opposition to this, I suggest you turn back now.
Now, because this is a songfic, I feel I need to put that the lyrics are in italics, centered and in seperate paragraphs. As well, these lyrics are not mine, they belong to Mother Mother, who you should go listen to while reading this fic. Especially Body, the song I used here.
Take my eyes, take them aside!
Every day of her life after the age of 19, she'd suffered through this. The indignity, the hurt, the hatred. Rotti Largo, that foul, silver-tongued demon, had promised her sight after all those years of darkness; what could she do but say yes? Now, though, it was too much. After all those years -- 23, to be exact -- she wanted out. She would be free, if only for a few minutes.
Take my face, and desecrate
My arms and legs, they get in the way...
She didn't know when the resentment had begun. Probably around the time all the children were finally grown up, when they decided that the Voice of GeneCo was their plaything to be tortured as they liked. Luigi was horrid, with his knives and growled profanity, but he wasn't the worst. No, that was Amber, whose venom was once veiled until recently, as she smelled the scent of decaying fame. She knew Mag was going to die, and decided to try and accelerate the process with outright attacks. Verbal attacks, but they would cut and weaken her nonetheless.
And take my hands, they'll understand,
Take my heart, pull it apart...
Marni...it was a good thing she had died so long ago. Mag would never want her to see the way the Largos treated their troubador, their shining star. She was their little pet dog, their bitch. Soon enough, her triumph would be at hand. Once more she could be with her sweet friend, this time forever. Thinking of all the time that had passed since she last saw Nathan, another dear friend, Mag dropped down onto the edge of her bed. So long, so very long..., she thought, placing a hand on the silky covers beside her.
And take my brain,
Or what remains and throw it all away 'cause
I've grown tired of this body,
A cumbersome and heavy body...
There was her escape, lying so docilely on the table. Reaching for them with her other hand, Mag cradled the shining metal. The claws seemed to smile at her, saying I will save you, Magdalene...One easy step. She resisted the urge to end it as swiftly as she could at that very moment. No, she wouldn't let Rotti have the last laugh. Though she'd lost her faith in the years of her servitude, Mag knew for a fact the Largo family would rot in Hell for all they had done to the world. Of course, she'd be gone, dead and gone, in the company of those she loved most: Marni, and her dear sweet godchild Shilo. They were too good for this sinful earth.
Take my lungs, take them and run,
Take my tongue, go have some fun,
And take the ears, take them and disappear...
When the time called for it, Mag painted on her false smile for her captors. She would listen to their orders, respond softly, and curse them when their backs were turned. However, she'd never attempted to escape -- she was smarter than that. Had she run away at any point, she would have been cut down without a second thought by one of the Repo Men. They would make quick work of her, in their cruel and clinical way, or so she thought. Being the prized songbird of GeneCo, she'd never really met any of them -- a fact she was thankful for. The Repo Men were nothing but a pack of rabid dogs, psychopaths for hire at the beck and call of Rotti. Her mind drifted back to Nathan, the beloved of Marni once she came to her senses and left the head of GeneCo. He was a humble surGEN, always busy trying to help, always willing to learn. A kind, gentle man who was completely the opposite of Marni, the wild-child and snarky beauty. Nathan...how must he feel, without a daughter or a wife?
And take my joints, take them for points,
Take my teeth, tear through my cheeks...
A voice floated in from outside her room. "Um, Miss Defoe, they need you in Wardrobe soon..." Mag rose, wiping the few tears from her cheeks. The Renaissance carnival was the biggest celebration, the night before the Genetic Opera. Of course, Rotti wanted his little doll to be there beside him, as this was to be her last performance. They had decided to kill her, this much she was sure of. But they would find themselves far too late. Tossing the claws into the nearby drawer, she walked calmly and surely out the door and down the hall, ready to face her foe.
And take the nose, go and dispose,
Oh would you go dispose,
Just go dispose 'cause I've
Grown tired of this body
A cumbersome and heavy body..
They teased her hair and made her ethereally beautiful, her too-pale eyes peering out from under heavy black lashes. This was her prison. A cage made of gold was still a cage, trapping her in. They would soon see their error, when, after all these years of docile servitude, she would turn the tables. As the attendants finished off her preparations, she thanked them quietly. It was not their fault she was chained so; they were merely like her, indebted to the devil. But they had families, friends, others; Mag was all alone. For so long, she had trained herself not to cry, but today was a day where her control was slowly weakening.
I've grown tired of this body,
Fall apart without me, body...
Ooo-oooh woooh...
Little by little her defenses were crumbling. The Largo children, those horrible brats, were torturing the citizenry as usual. Luigi, so violent, so angry, so unlike his father, was once more thoughtlessly killing some poor soul when she decided it was enough. She stepped in, only to regret it as Amber berated her and challenged her status. Besides learning how to hold in tears, Mag had also figured out the perfect way to lose focus and zone out. It was only when Rotti stormed over, a young girl in tow, that she woke from her trance. Marni! came the thought, until reality sunk in again. But the girl was so perfectly like her friend: the same long black hair, the same dark eyes staring out at the world. The only thing she lacked was the daring smile on those beautiful rosy lips.
Take my eyes, take them aside,
Take my face, and desecrate,
Arms and legs, get in the way,
Bodies break...
Her mind was back to that fateful day when she signed away her life, all for the chance to see. Of course, her mind had been on Marni, to see what she had already felt, to look at the softness of her sweet friend. This girl, this perfect child that stood before her couldn't be anymore than 13 in that little dress, but her eyes seemed somehow younger. At the same time, there was something about the child that said she was too old already, forced to grow and cope. Just like me... The 19-year-old who had entered the office of the head of GeneCo, along with her best friend and guide in the unknown world, forced into singing for the pleasure of the city and the profit of the Largos... Mag wasn't listening as Rotti introduced them, until one name was said: Shilo.
I've grown tired of this body,
Cumbersome and heavy body...
I've grown tired of this body,
Fall apart without me, body...
The name sent shivers up and down her spine. Shilo, Shilo, Shilo, Shilo! Of course the girl looked so much like Marni; it all came together, so perfectly weaving around her heart. She wanted to reach out and grab the child, clasp her to her chest and comfort herself with the thought of some piece of Marni still on Earth. This peaceful dream was smashed, however, at a sudden realization: Nathan. He had lied to her, lied about the one thing that would have brought her peace in this world. He had said Shilo had died, perished just after he had named her, just like her mother. The mix of rage and love and everything in between was blinding. Later, when she could find a way out, Mag swore to confront him. She would know why he had kept her away. But for now, she resumed her eerie smile of utter compliance and affected happiness. The announcement of her retirement from the Genetic Opera was now at hand.
I've grown tired of this body,
Cumbersome and heavy,
Tired of this body,
Fall apart without me,
Tired of this body,
Cumbersome and heavy,
Tired of this body,
Fall apart without me...
Tired of this body!
Tired of this body!
Tired of this body!
Cumbersome and heavy body,
Heavy body!
He couldn't hold her down, no matter how he smiled for the press, one arm around her shoulders, the other making theatrical gestures. Rotti Largo would have no more control on her, she knew that for a fact. His perfectly-planned execution for her would never take place. The world might have been his, but she had her life. Always would she have her life.
Heavy body...