[center][h3]Barney Rynsburger[/h3][/center]

For a moment the nature of the questions posed to the group of captive intruders both took Barney aback and put him at a loss for words. The gavel-bearing doppelganger didn’t offer any earth-shattering revelations of course; what he asked really wasn’t anything special. Rather, Barney couldn’t for the life of him figure out what to say when faced, in such a surreal location under bizarre circumstances, with what seemed to be a mundane security concern.

Should he tell the truth? Well, in a broader sense, yes, but right now the urge to not be killed, beaten, put in a money-sucking helmet, or otherwise made to suffer (more than usual, anyway) was conducting his train of thought. What did this austere, imperial judge, so calm and well-kept despite being the ‘boss’ of a facility that treated countless humans like livestock, want to hear? That a bunch of random people fell from the sky? In the real world a story like that wouldn’t fly, but considering everything unreal about this place maybe it would hold water. Then again, what exactly could Barney tell this guy instead? Even without the psychological battering ram that was this nightmare world pounding his head, he wasn’t creative enough to come up with a convincing fib. His mind raced for the right answer, but the wheels were spinning, going nowhere.

With Barney overthinking this it fell to the more impulsive individuals among his not-so-merry band. Dakota took his shot straightaway, and as a straight shooter he delivered the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The judge stroked his beard as he listened, stone-faced despite a tale that would be beyond incredulous by any conventional standards. When Dakota suddenly reached into a pocket for his phone Barney experienced a momentary jolt of terror, afraid that the trigger-happy guards might interpret the motion as going for a hidden weapon and jump on him, but the watchful sentries held their positions. Maybe they weren’t as quick to jump the gun as he thought--or maybe they just wanted to look professional in front of their boss. Either way, Dakota offered the judge the video recording from earlier as proof, which he deigned to watch for a few seconds to see for himself the truth in the former singer’s words.

Emboldened by what appeared to be a reasonable attitude on the judge’s part, Jin offered a few words as well. A very slight look of interest crossed Shadow Pondwater’s face when he heard the word ‘school’, but he ended up declining the janitor’s list of cracks. Something seemed to have dawned on him, and along with it came a certain assurance. “No need for that. I believe I understand. Given the circumstances I suspected something like this, in fact, but I’ll confess to being surprised at just how many of you there are. This is not an everyday occurrence, oh no. Quite the stroke of luck for the both of us.”

After seeing the way he talked, Barney found himself agreeing with Mila completely. "Yeah, one hundred percent," he whispered back. One thing in particular that the judge said took him off guard again. “Just a moment, if you don’t mind? You mentioned the circumstances. Has this happened before?”

“Oh, yes,” the yellow-eyed Pondwater said, wearing a pleased smile. “I wouldn’t even call it terribly rare.”

Barney couldn’t suppress a shudder. An irrepressible question surged up from within him. “...Why?”

With one hand on his gavel Pondwater raised the other to gesticulate artfully as he replied. “As you are all no doubt keenly aware...our reality is a cruel one. An existence of ceaseless competition. Everyone wants to succeed and be happy, but there are far too many people out there for that to happen, yes. Many will stumble, trip, and fall. And even those that don’t at first may fall later, if their success was not by their own merits. Simply put, there are those who have what it takes, and those who do not. Winners and losers. The worthy and the unworthy. The innocent and the guilty. To answer your question, this place is one where people, of their own free will, come to be tried. Where those who can withstand the crucible emerge radiant with success, welcomed among my anointed and bound for greatness...and where those guilty of failure are sentenced.” He gave an offhanded shrug. “Naturally, wherever there are failures, some are bound to fall through the cracks.”

Barney stood still, mouth slightly ajar, as he mulled over the alarming information. It was a lot to take in, and phrased in a way that made it difficult to parse, but the more connections he made the more horrified he felt. Suddenly the prison, the inmates, the machines, Pondwater, and the placement of it all made a freakish sort of sense. Fittingly enough for a dream, everything was suddenly starting to seem so disgustingly symbolic. Barney could only shake his head in resignation. [i]What kind of drugs did I get slipped to have a fever dream like this!?[/i] “I need to wake up already,” he murmured to himself.

The motion and noise caused the judge’s brow to furrow. “Hm? You disagree?”

Barney’s own brows shot up. “Oh! Uh, no, sorry! Just, uh, thinking about...my job.” He looked warily at the menacing guards, into the dark pits where their faces should be. This time he didn’t dare move a muscle or mutter anything, feeling like he was going crazy.