Scene 1: Ministry of Defense — Situation Room
The room was silent except for the faint hum of machinery and the occasional beep of status monitors. Cold white light bathed the sterile metal table where a group of high-ranking officials stood clustered around a large holo-screen.
The flickering grainy footage displayed a grisly scene from deep within Site-Δ: bodies sprawled lifelessly across the floor, pools of blood pooling and spreading like dark rivers under harsh fluorescent lighting.
A tall official with steel-gray eyes narrowed his gaze at the screen.
"Location of ECHO-00?" His voice was low but carried unmistakable authority.
The lead scientist, a woman with sharp features and tired eyes, glanced nervously between the officials and the monitor.
"Unknown, sir. The last transmission from ECHO-00 terminated abruptly. All search teams failed to locate the subject within the compound."
The official's brow furrowed.
"Status of ECHO-01?"
"Deceased. His body was recovered from the waste disposal chamber. No signs of vital functions."
The man's gaze hardened. "Any survivors?"
The scientist hesitated. "ECHO-03 was ignored by ECHO-00 during the purge. She was in submerged reset. Vital signs minimal but stable."
The official nodded approvingly. "Good. Proceed with memory realignment protocol immediately. Total loyalty and compliance must be ensured."
He turned to the gathered group. "Dispose of the deceased immediately. No loose ends. Begin preparations for the resurrection protocol on ECHO-01. If this subject is to serve, he must be cleansed and controlled."
Scene 2: Waste Disposal Chamber — Mason's Awakening
The waste disposal chamber was cold and dimly lit, thick with the stale scent of disinfectant mixed with something metallic.
Conveyor belts groaned as they carried the broken bodies of the Echoes—discarded experiments that had failed to meet the Directorate's impossible standards.
At the center lay ECHO-01's body, slumped motionless on a steel slab. The surface was cold to the touch, his skin pale and marred by bruises and cuts.
Without warning, a faint spark pulsed beneath the skin. The body twitched.
Then, a second pulse.
Mason's eyes snapped open—clouded and searching.
His breath hitched.
He tried to move, but pain flared up with every twitch. His mind foggy, fragmented.
The world around him was strange—machines hummed, the cold metal pressed against his back, and the remnants of fallen Echoes surrounded him.
His hands clenched the slab.
A flood of emotions crashed—confusion, fear, rage.
And then memories.
A lullaby his mother once sang.
The sterile cold of the lab.
Lucien's eyes. His smirk.
The massacre.
He struggled to make sense of it all.
Scene 3: Blind Rampage
Mason's body convulsed violently as the primitive instinct to survive overwhelmed the haze of pain and memory.
He pushed off the slab, standing unsteadily.
His eyes scanned the room, wide with raw terror and fury.
Around him lay the broken forms of his "siblings."
His heart pounded—not just with the need to live but with something darker—a primal rage fueled by loss and betrayal.
He staggered forward, fists clenched tight, trembling.
Then a guttural roar tore from his throat.
He smashed a nearby control panel, sparks flying.
Alarms blared through the compound, red lights flashing.
Through the smoke and chaos, a figure appeared—an official managing the disposal, clipboard in hand, calm despite the chaos.
"What is happening here?!" the man demanded.
Mason's head snapped toward him.
His eyes flared with a strange, unnatural light.
Before the man could react, Mason lunged, striking with brutal force.
The man crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
With his last breath, the official's fingers fumbled, pressing a hidden button on his wrist device.
The terminal nearby flickered alive, displaying three words:
"Event Recorded → Sent to HQ, Initiating The Lazarus Protocol"
Scene 4: Resurrection Protocol
The waste disposal chamber vibrated softly.
Energy surged through hidden conduits beneath the floor.
Machines began to hum, chemical injectors primed.
Mason collapsed onto his knees, eyes fluttering.
Pain gave way to clarity.
He breathed deeply, muscles twitching as they healed faster than any human's should.
His gaze hardened.
He was alive.
Not just alive—but changed.
Scene 6: Mason's Mind — Fractured Memories
Alone in the chamber, Mason's mind sifted through memories like shards of broken glass.
He saw the face of a woman—warm, kind, fragile.
His mother.
Then the harsh reality.
The laboratory.
The experiments.
The massacre.
Lucien's cold smile.
His fists clenched.
A new fire kindled inside.
He rose.
And stepped into a world that feared him.
END OF CHAPTER 1