The room itself seems to be a giant dome, with the walls on the other side of the room full of windows. Outside the windows looked to be an endless mass of water, as if the entire room was floating along the waves. There is an elevated portion of the room a few steps ahead that showcases various artifacts similar to the ones in the hallway. There are bookshelves that line the office space, in addition to a set of couches and a shiny metallic desk. Towards the windows there is a woman standing and gazing out onto the view of the vast ocean beyond. She is dressed in a tight black business suit with white and red trimmings. She has dark brown skin that glistens and reflects the sun's rays coming off of the ocean. As we approach she turns and stands tall and proud, making intense eye contact with the both of us.
As the guard pushes me further I trip and fall to the ground, making blood splatter from my face to the shiny white tile below. The warden's stoic face changes abruptly and she yells, "You idiot! I asked you to bring him here quickly after he awoke, not beat him half to death before getting here! Leave him be and go get a mop to clean up this mess!" As she speaks her voice boomed and echoed throughout the room. The guard quickly moves away from me and stands completely still. He then starts to move in a strange manner, as if he is being pulled by strings like a puppet. He walks to the door and leaves the room without saying another word.
After the door closes the warden reaches for a remote on top of the metallic desk and says, "Why don't we take those cuffs off of you." The shackles unlock and fall to the ground. As I try to push myself up she says, "Come sit, won't you join me?" Her voice booms across the room and my body somehow pulls itself up. As if by magic, my body starts to move on its own. It feels like I am being pulled by strings towards her, first my arms, then my legs move in unison towards the small library.
My body stumbles toward a pair of white couches in the middle of the study. My body sits itself down in an awkward position, but then feels normal again. I raise both my arms and legs to try and understand what just happened. Then, the warden leans down and places two glasses in front of me. She fills one glass with some type of drink and then says, "Would you like anything to drink James? I'd like to enjoy a nice cocktail before we get down to business." I shake my head "No," afraid to say anything aloud. As she finishes pouring her drink she sits down gracefully, folding her legs and showcasing the tightness of her suit. As I look towards her face I see that her eyes have a red undertone to them, glowing ever so slightly.
She takes a small sip of her drink and proceeds to say, "Sorry for how my little minions treated you earlier. I've told them time and time again that violence is never the answer. But, I'm not opposed to a few scuffles now and again to make sure everyone stays in line. You understand, don't you James?" I nod quietly, and she takes another sip of her drink, looking disturbed. She notices my lack of response and says, "Alright James, I really do hate having one sided conversations. I can see you don't trust me…" She stares at me calmly and I tense up. I think of the first thing that comes to mind and abruptly say, "Nice to meet you ma'am…"
Her face grows into a big smile and she says, "Now isn't that better! Seems like you have proper manners to go along with that adorable little face of yours. Well, you know, when it's not beaten to a pulp. But you know what James, you are really quite special..." As she says my name I feel chills go down my spine. She crosses her legs once more and looks directly into my eyes, waiting for a response.
After a brief moment of silence she says, "Hmm, I realize I haven't properly introduced myself, have I James? Don't be afraid James, I only want to discuss a few things with you." She stands up and says, "My name is Madam Carmina and allow me to give you a formal welcome to my prison." She waves her drink in the air as she looks around the room. She continues to say, "I was placed here by our Savior to watch over the utter filth of humanity. I have graciously been given the task of monitoring this prison so that the Savior can rule without any…problems. But enough for introductions, I am here to ask you a few questions after all." She walks over to the edge of the table and grabs a small tablet while flicking her wrist upwards.
Just then a see-through screen emerges from within the table. The screen changes slides as Madam Carmina flips her fingers back and forth. Several photos appear on screen and she stops on one in particular. As she turns her wrist the screen flickers and is then rotated towards me. She says, "There are some things I would like to know about you." Then points to a photo of a body falling out of the sky. "This is you James, seemingly unconscious as you plummet from outside the atmosphere. Not only are you not burning or spiraling out of control, you didn't even gain speed as you hit the ground. You simply smashed into the field, and by the looks of it, you came out completely unscathed."
She leans back into the couch and points at me through the screen, "At this point in time you are, without a doubt, an enigma James. You have no previous history, no government identification, and most importantly, no registry as an echo. In a way, you could be considered to be something else entirely. A revenant perhaps, or better known as someone who has returned from the dead…" The energy in the room becomes heavy as she says that word… 'revenant.' She looks at me for a reaction, but I sit there unmoving.
Without a response she begins again, "When we arrived on site we found a giant crater in the ground, surrounded by an excessive amount of energy coming from the site. Everything from cosmic, elemental, and supernatural energy were found around the area. To be frank James, it seems like you're hiding something; and the Savior doesn't like surprises."
She makes direct eye contact with me from across the screen and puts down her drink. Her face turns to anger as she yells, "What are you, and why are you here!?" As she yells I feel a sonic boom echo across the room. It feels as if someone reaches inside me and is trying to pull my soul right out of my body. Her glowing red eyes open even wider as she says, "Tell me who you are!"
My body reacts on its own and I scream out, "My name is James! I think I'm 20 years old and I-I...don't understand what is happening or why I'm here! The last thing I remember before coming to this prison is falling from the sky!" Her face grows angrier. She picks up her cup and throws it across the room, shattering it into pieces. She leaps across the table and lunges towards me. She grabs my uniform and her fingers wrap tightly around my neck. "How are you able to lie like that?! Where did you come from?!" A second boom goes through the room, shaking my bones and making my head feel like it was about to explode. Her eyes were now fully red as she pulls me closer and closer to her face.
I still can't move but I manage to scream, "I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything wrong! I told you I can't remember anything from before this morning! Please stop hurting me!" Her face grows even angrier and she raises her hand to hit me, but before she can a voice comes from behind her, "Carmina my dear, put the poor boy down he clearly has no idea what's happening…" The warden's face turns bright red as she realizes what she is doing. Her eyes slowly change back to their original color as she slowly lets go of my uniform.
She throws me back onto the couch and turns around to face the voice, "Lazarus, what a pleasure for you to drop by unannounced, right after I put this place on lockdown. Might I ask why you've come on this day in particular?" Her tone changes again as she faces the figure on the other side of the room.