Madame (Mnesist Memory)

Type: Neo-Paris VIPs Subject: Madame Chapter: Episode 4: Panoptic Icon Can be found: In the small storage closet across the hall immediately after stealing Madame's memory. Transcript: Her position as governor of La Bastille fortress requires her to use the alias of “Madame” and she rules the prison with an iron fist. Her past may be shadowy, but her outstanding record has kept her at the top of the totally new type of penitentiary since her appointment in 2074. Although doubts may remain regarding her origins, Madame was born Astrid Voorhees in 2036, in Paris. Abandoned as an orphan from the age of eight, she grew up among the survivors of the dark years, an era torn apart by wars and natural disasters. She first appeared in the of a brand new city, Neo-Paris, aged around 30 as one of the first volunteers to accept a Sensen terminal implant to allow her to work in the municipality. She designed the La Bastille penitentiary system herself, and orders the temporary wiping of the memories of its inmates. The revolutionary idea is made possible by the omnipresent Sensen, which enabled her to manage and control docile and non-violent criminals. Relieved of the burden of their past, they resist the temptation to return to the outside world they no longer remember. Madame was appointed governor of La Bastille when it was opened in 2074 and has achieved the impressive record of not having a single escape on her watch. But rumors have persisted over the years regarding the prison’s “opaque” management style and evidence exists that, although the memories of the prisoners memories are restored on the day of t heir release, memories of their period of incarceration are wiped clean. “An essential security measure,” says Madame, “to prevent any escape organized from the outside.” Her opponents declare this a “flagrant violation of human rights that is unacceptable in a modern democracy like Neo-Paris.” Some have even accused her of memory crimes against the prison population of La Bastille, but no eye-witness reports have ever been produced to support such accusations.