FOR THOSE THAT FOLLOWED THE CROWD
There's a buzz of excitement in the air as the people invited to the event begin to condense together at the end of the main hall, the guards from before loosely surrounding them. Dr. Nadir stands at the head of the crowd, her calculating eyes making a sweep of the faces in front of her — looking for something or... Someone. The expression on her face doesn't change, but she leans in close to a guard to whisper something in his ear before she turns her attention back to the crowd of guests.

"Thank you everyone for your cooperation. For the main event, we will be taking you to another level of Cypher's headquarters. This floor is not usually open for the public to visit, restricted even to many of Cypher's own personnel. It is my privilege today to accompany you to our restricted section to unveil our latest project." Once Dr. Nadir finishes speaking, she heads off down one of the many halls that split from the main entrance.

The group of attendees gather near a set of elevators, and slowly people are loaded onto the elevators and taken down into the restricted area of Cypher. As people are being loaded, guards keep to the outskirts of the group — loose in formation, although a few more than necessary pack in the hallway leading back to the main entrance hall.

As if to prevent anyone else from leaving.


FOR THOSE THAT TRIED TO LEAVE
At first it appears as though no one is going to be stopped from leaving the event. All attention is focused on the people that have gathered where they were supposed to, led away by Dr. Nadir and Cypher guards. No one pays attention to those sneaking away.

Not until a comm is received.

Although no one is directly confronted yet, the guard that Dr. Nadir had been whispering to just moments ago now lingers in the main hall, watching the exit with sharp eyes.

CHALLENGE ROUND

  The next staff post will be on July 18th.

Everyone's shepherded into the elevators like cattle.

Dr. Nadir doesn't join the crowd at first, staying off to the side with her bodyguards, clinically watching as groups enter the elevators one at a time. Slowly the elevators descend into the earth, going through basement one, basement two — all the the way to basement 10. An armed guard accompanies every group for the duration of the elevator ride, and once the destination is reached, the guard leads the group out of the elevator and into a small hallway.

The ceiling, walls, and floors are white as before — still the same, sterile environment as the lobby. It's crowded now, the air buzzing with excitement from sporadic chatter from the guests. The last to arrive is Dr. Nadir and she immediately takes to the head of the group, leading everyone down the hall. The trip appears to take everyone down a long winding hallway, the clicking of footsteps echoing off the harsh architecture. Arriving at a set of locked doors, Dr. Nadir snatches her Cypher pass out of a pocket to scan and unlock the doors.

In the brief silence — a sound is heard.

Was that a scream?

It's too quick to tell, and before there's any chance to question it, Dr. Nadir is on the move again, guards at the rear hurrying everyone along to keep pace. The head scientist doesn't slow her walk until everyone finally pours out from the cramped hallway into a massive room — from the doctors rushing around, pushing buttons on various different medical machines, it appears to be some type of control room. Dr. Nadir turns on her heel to face the crowd, an unusual and rehearsed smile on her face now. It looks out of place, even if it does appear as though she's truly excited.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, what you've all been waiting for! Meet Project X!"

A dramatic flourish of her arms draws everyone's attention to the left, where a massive set of windows look down into a large, circular room. While everything is the same monotone white, the walls, ceilings, and even floors appear to be padded. And in the middle...

In the middle sits a lone chair, with a man strapped to it. Or at least, what appeared to be a man. Shackled practically from head to toe, it was difficult to see any part of his body except for his head. Massive, fleshy growths covered what used to be his eyes, the entire rest of his face scarred and torn, and covered with patchy grows that made him appear much more monster than human. He appears to struggle before he suddenly gapes open his jaw and releases a feral scream — his jaw opens an entire ninety degrees, all of his teeth long and pointed. Like fangs.

"Isn't he magnificent?" Breathless.

CHALLENGE ROUND

  The next staff post will be on August 1st.

Gasps. Quiet murmurs. One or two claps from those still enraptured by the entire event. It's clear there's a disconnect in the crowd as some look on with horrible fascination — others, in fear. The expression doesn't change on Dr. Nadir's face, who instead remains looking pleased with her unveiling.

"Indeed it is, Dr. Scofield. A genetically modified Infected." There's pride in her voice.

But not all who attend are so taken by the creature. Dr. Nadir's piercing gaze turns on the two soldiers that become vocal about their disgust in the creature. While her expression does not change, it is clear she's not impressed by them speaking out against her. It's a cool rage, a quiet rage. The guards shift slightly as they stand beside her, but they do not draw their weapons.

"You act so enraged for something that your very Military pays for. While kept under a blanket of secrecy, Project X is a joint venture between the Military and Cypher." She sweeps a hand in the direction of the creature behind the glass. "Meet your modern day super soldier."

Dr. Nadir snaps her fingers and one of the guards beside her disappears through a door at the back of the large room. "Thank you for your interest, Ms. Beckett. This has been decades worth of research in the making, and our first successful test subject to undergo the process—" a hint that there had been many more that had come before, "which is a secret that only our top scientists to have access to."

"Now watch our super soldier put to the test." A dramatic hand wave towards the room.

A previously hidden door opens up, and the guard that had previously left the crowd now enters the room. The creature seems to sense his presence, as it begins to scream once more and struggle against the binds that keep it pinned to the chair. As if rehearsed, the guard takes a couple steps into the room, lines up his shot — then fires without hesitation. The previously white room gets painted in red as blood and body matter explodes from the creature's skull, a perfect headshot.

It falls silent, and the guard lowers his gun.

A second—

Five seconds.

Flesh stitches itself back together, repairing what normally would have been a killing blow to any other level of Infected. The creature stirs back to life and screams once more.

CHALLENGE ROUND

  The next staff post will be on August 8th.