Enoch allowed them to escort him through the dungeon. That's what he thought the holding cells looked like; dark, dank, and ill-maintained, with corroding concrete walls that echoed cries from each prisoner. One of the guards walked him down the dark hallway while the other spoke into a radio. The guard opened the door to an empty cell, and tried his best to look distinguished when he couldn't push Enoch in. Enoch walked in, made sure the guard was still watching, and broke his handcuffs apart with a slight shrug. The guard took a step back, and Enoch closed the cell door on himself. He wanted to make sure they knew he was only here because he wanted to be. And as soon as he found what he was looking for, he'd be gone.
The guard walked away, glancing back at Enoch and shrinking back when Enoch made eye contact. He could hear the guard on the radio down the hall. "Not really, he just kind of... surrendered. He wouldn't give us a name. In fact, he would say anything....right. Understood, in one week." Enoch heard footsteps approaching, and the second guard came into view. "What are you playing at, huh? Why'd you turn yourself in?" Enoch didn't answer.
The guard pulled out a camera and kept talking. "Well, you've us a great service by surrendering. In one week, we'll show the public who's really in charge. Your execution will hit the demons hard, maybe even bring some of them to their senses." The guard held up the camera and aimed it at Enoch. "Say cheese!" Enoch did not say 'cheese'. The shutter clicked, but the camera made a strange whirring sound. It started billowing smoke, and the guard dropped it before it caught fire. He looked back up at Enoch, who couldn't help but smile. He huffed and marched back down the hall, leaving Enoch alone in the darkness.
After a couple minutes, someone in a cell across the hall came to their door. He had the telltale yellow irises of a Jadeon, or what those in the Order called a demon. "You handled that pretty well. Guess this isn't your first time dealing with them." Enoch only looked at him. "A man of few words, huh?"
"I'd rather not waste the breath on people that don't deserve it." Enoch said. The Jadeon looked at him, confused.
"So, you're saying I deserve it?" Enoch didn't answer. The Jadeon shrugged and sat on the ground. "Well, I hate to tell you, but you're on death row. Every week they round all us up for a mass execution. But who knows; maybe that resistance I've been hearing so much about will help us." The Jadeon put his head down.
"I don't think we're going to make it to the execution." The Jadeon looked up, a question on the tip of his tongue, but stopped himself when he heard approaching footsteps. "Our deliverance approaches."
A man in robes walked into view, carrying a book under his arm. The book had a golden cover with no title, a greek omega symbol its only cover dressing. The man was saying something, but Enoch hadn't been listening. "You are no hero." He was saying. "You are nothing more than a glorified terrorist, scaring the public into taking action where it isn't needed. I wish we could afford to wait for the day of judgement and see how the good Lord weighs your soul, but we cannot let you poison our people any longer."
"Give me back the Book." The man seemed shocked, either that Enoch spoke, or that he didn't recognize the man's authority.
"I'm not sure what power you think you possess here. The entire building is bound, you are extremely outnumbered, and this empty book was the only thing we found on you." He said, flipping through the pages. He couldn't read it, of course. It wasn't meant for his eyes. The Jadeon was looking on with curiosity, but the man wasn't paying any attention to him. He rubbed his hands together, muttering something under his breath, and snapped his hand upwards. The Book flew from the robed man's hand and slipped through the bars of Enoch's cell, landing in his hand. The man turned sharply toward the Jadeon, a feral look in his eye, but Enoch burst through the cell bars, barreling into him. His head hit the wall, and the man fell over, unconscious.
The Jadeon was shielding his eyes, and Enoch realized he was shining again. When the light eventually died down, he opened The Book, spoke a few words, and Jadeon's cell doors slid open. He reluctantly crept out, regarding Enoch with a certain caution.
"If it wasn't terribly clear, I'm the person the resistance sent." The Jadeon nodded dumbly. Enoch closed the Book and started walking down the hall, gesturing for the Jadeon to follow. He did, but at a distance.
"So... what are you?" He asked bluntly.
"I'm not quite sure. I remember seeing a light, walking towards it, and then I woke up in a strange place with this at my side." Enoch replied, hefting the Book. "I'm not sure why I was given the Book of Life... or who exactly gave it to me. I saw people in need, and decided if anyone should take action, it should probably be me." He opened the Book again, reading from it. The clatter of chains filled the hallway and shackles were broken and doors grinded open. People, mostly other Jadeons, spilled from their cells, following behind Enoch. "What's your name?" He asked the Jadeon that helped him.
"Um... Ferris." He responded.
"It seems you aren't as susceptible to binding as you should be, Ferris. That trick with throwing me the Book shouldn't have worked."
"I came from Base Horizon. They trained us to work against bindings." Enoch only nodded. He expected as much; the Order only put their prime targets on death row. Everyone here was probably capable of taking on an army on their own.
"Where do you think you'll go after this?" Ferris didn't answer. "I know of a place with people like you, relatively safe from the Order."
"That sounds great, but I think I'm going to stay for a while." Enoch turned to him, confused. "This isn't the only prison here. I'm going to try and release as many people as I can in the other cell blocks. Even if some of them really do deserve to be here, releasing them would set the Order months back, and with the Order Focusing on the real criminals, it would give us a better chance of staying free once we're out." Ferris started walking the other way, against the flow of the crowd. Enoch followed after him, catching up in a couple strides.
"You weren't just a victim of prejudice before you were put on death row, were you?" Enoch asked him. "You've been working against the Order for a while yet." Ferris shrugged, and Enoch laughed. It'd been a while since he'd last laughed. "I'll stay and help. Afterwards, I think you need to meet a friend of mine."
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