An older man in a stained white lab coat stands at a podium at the front of a lecture hall. He’s leaning on his left leg, and using the old podium as a support. Twenty, or so, people, of a variety of ages, sit in brown and grey metal folding chairs, the type with cushions on the seats, in front of him. The hall is rectangular in shape, with plastered concrete walls dotted occasionally with vents; maybe 24 acoustic ceiling tiles and lighting tiles on the ceiling, in rows of four and columns of six; and a simple design of light and dark grey vinyl composition tiles, freshly waxed and polished, on the floor. A slate grey, metal door with a well worn leaver-style handle, a compact safety glass window, and a black rubber seal around the edges, stands along the left edge of the southern wall, across from the speaker.
The old man speaks. “I’d like to thank you all for volunteering here today. I’ve always had an interest in transformations, ever since I was a young boy. I worked for years to perfect the serum. And now you’re all here to test it out,” the elderly lecturer softly orates into the podium’s microphone, “Of course, if anyone wants to leave, now is the time to do it, since the door will lock when we are ready to begin.” A few people leave, mostly older folks who had misread the advertisements.
“This is safe, right?” someone asks.
“I am afraid that I can not guarantee that. This is the first test, after all,” the man replies.
A few more people get up and leave. There are now around twelve people left in the room, not including the speaker.
“Now,” the old man states, “the door is locked, and we are ready to begin. I am sorry for not informing you earlier; My name is Dr. Braeden Ben Mathews.” Dr. Mathews takes out a ridged metal briefcase with a five cylinder combination lock and places it on the podium. He quickly unlocks it, as if he has done that many times before.
“These are the boosters. They determine what animal you will turn into,” the doctor explains, “Who’s first?”