The bull dozers rolled in late one Tuesday afternoon. They chugged their way up the hill one after the other, until at least twenty of them were at it. Grass melted into a large dusty crater, making the light summer wind a menace to those who lived in the town below. Within two weeks though, Neo Terra was complete.

The town didn’t know how it happened. The building was just too…enormous… to be finished in such a short amount of time. There were no warnings, no ads, no nothing. One day they were just a small town in the middle of nowhere, and now they practically were Neo Terra. Already, merely four months after it’s construction, the town had shifted to make the hill upon which Neo Terra sat, its center.

The building was gorgeous. Soft yellow chrome played sweetly off the dark green grass, the large base gently swelling and receding in a sort of elegant, inexplicable design. From afar, a dome seemed to sit atop the magnificent structure, but even within one hundred feet it was impossible to tell for sure. The smooth yellow exterior was only broken by a sheet of glass in what was assumed to be the front. It was at first thought to be a door, until one of the towns people discovered the lack of a door knob. Nobody ever entered or exited via the mysterious glass, so it was assumed to be decorative from then on.

At first the people of the town were excited for the employment opportunities which were sure to come with such a magnificent building. When the pseudo door never opened, the began to lose their hope, if not their awe. It was only four months after the constructions completion that their hope was renewed again. An add was mailed to every citizen, company, and business in the town. Consequently, only a few answered it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christi smiled again at her reflection in the mirror. Square, white teeth gleamed back at her, accentuated by bright red lips. Clear blue eyes glided up to her thick blond pony tail, checking that every hair was in place, and back down to her freshly pressed, navy blue suit. Her skirt came just below the knees, her stockings were run free, and her heels matched her outfit perfectly. She was, decidedly, perfect.

She reached the main floor three minutes later. Her heels clicked loudly in the domed metropolis, but she maintained her practiced poise while crossing the enormous floor to the glass door. If people stared, she did not see them. She knew better than to look back.

Upon arriving at the glass door she halted. Her watch read 9:00 AM. Perfect. She glanced at her long red finger nails quickly to make sure they hadn’t chipped, before waving her hand in front of the nonexistent handle. The door swung smoothly open.

The group became silent as she walked out. Smiling brightly, she could see their curiosity melt into like...trust even. Perfect.

Hello and welcome to the Neo Terra Corporation. My name is Christi. As you all know, each of you has been specially selected to participate on today’s tour. It is with great honor and respect that I may call myself one of your faithful tour guides.

Nodding curtly to the beautifully perfect woman before him Tom smiled.
He had dressed in his best suit, which he had recently had tailored for him on a holiday in the east, 50% cashmere and 50% silk, he took pride in his appearance when making first impressions and today he had taken extra care.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are very honoured to be here, and feel very flattered to have been invited.

His mind was racing, the nosey part of him was busting with curiosity about what was behind those glass doors. His patient side was struggling to keep control and so he just stood there smiling, waiting for his hostess to allow them to enter.

Ever since the bulldozers had arrived and the building had sprung up he had fantasised about this day. He was quick to reply to the invite and now his dream of exploring this wonderful structure could be realised.

Alex was standing right next to Tom and had a suit that paled in comparison to Tom's. he reached up a took off his glasses, putting them in a laptop pouch slung across his shoulder. Thoughts raced through his mind, causing him to start fidgeting slightly



she says we're going to go on a tour, but she doesn't seem like she does anything around here. She's pobably a pretty face, to the front of an ugly corporation. If my experience has shown me anything at all, it's to never trust a smart AND beautiful woman.

shaking his head as to clear his thoughts, Alex stepped forward and asked,

May we start the tour?

Widget had very important things to do.

He checked the list. Then he checked it again.

<i>Yes... very important things.</i>

His long arms and fingers dragged behind him as he walked, so he picked them up. They never did like it when he smudged the floor. They liked the floors shiny. Widget understood. He liked shiny things too.

<i>Prolly clean it later,</i> he thought. <i>Later, later, later...</i>

He tried to speed up his pace, but his legs and body were too stubby. Finally he reached the door. It didn’t look like a door. It looked like a wall, but Widget knew there was a door there.

He looked into the shiny metal where the door was. A strange, pallid creature stared back at him. It was the creature that always followed him when he was in the shiny places. It had no nose or ears, just a big long slit for a mouth. Its eyes were black and sunken into its head. Widget didn’t like those eyes. Once he had come here in the dark and seen a creature with red eyes like that. He didn’t like to think about it.

Widget lifted a long arm and twisted his fingers into a ball around a small metal object. He banged it against the door, skittering back as the monster inside the shiny metal stared at him with those dark eyes. Widget did not like the creature.

The door opened and the Lady looked down at him. The Lady had a nice face. Dark hair. Not like the other one. Widget didn’t like the other one. He liked the Lady though. She never kicked or hurt Widget.

<font color=green>What is it?</font>

The Lady had a nice voice.

<font color=gray>The other one wants you, Lady. She says they are here.</font>

Widget heard another voice, behind the Lady. It was a man’s voice, Widget knew. Soon the Lady was outside with him and had closed the shiny metal door. Now it just looked like a wall again.

<font color=green>Get back to your cage, Widget. I don’t ever want to see you up here again. If I catch you around the new humans, I’m going to have you sent to <i>Eden</i>.</font>

Widget coiled back in fear of hearing the bad name. Eden was a cruel nick name for the laboratories on floor E-10. His long arms twisted awkwardly, his black eyes widening. The Lady stared down at him for a moment before she left, pity and disgust etched on her face.

<font color=green><i>Perhaps I should have done it long ago... disgusting creature...</i></font>

Widget scurried into the nearest vent, scrambling so fast to get back that he didn’t hear her walk away.

*Lew walked in the front doors, bored and unimpressed. He looked around at the very official looking interior and grew even more bored. His brown baggy khaki pants and loose fitting green shirt didnt do too much for his laid back appearance. The blonde hair on his head was well kept but ruffled by the wind. He finally spotted the person obviously incharge.*

so why am i here again?

Sam didn't like big crowds very much. Nor did he like change, but that is exactly what had happened these past months.
His parents had had great hopes for this new building. Hoping for anything that would involve them making money. They had waited on edge for it to be completed, and as soon as it was, they sent me up to the top of the hill to investigate. I never did find anything out, because i never did find a door. All i saw was the beauty of the building. With it's yellowish walls, huge glass window and what appeared to be a dome at the top. My parents' hopes were smashed with the news, until the day we received the lettter, and once again they sent me to be their guinea pig.
As Intruiging as the building was, it was the only weird thing around him. The people with him were just as strange. Some dressed for business, some dressed like they just woke up. Sam dressed to impress, but only himself. His hair was long, brown and shaggy, and his features were fair and cut. On his body he wore a regular t-shirt that was tight on his body, over an equally tight A-shirt. His pants were baggy and long, with small holes here and there. On his arms were what appeared to be rubber bracelets with words and sayings on them, and an aged leather watch. His feet were merely covered with plain running shoes, that looked like they had seen their better times. Overall he was just a very normal, casual dressing teenager.
Suddenly the building opened, and out stepped a gorgeous woman, with blue eyes, blonde hair, and very lucious red lips. Sam had never seen anyone like this before. She was, in a way, perfect. She introduced herself as Christi, their tour guide.

tour guide, weird people, strange buildilng. he paused as he thought to himself. This is going to be a very, very weird day.

Getting over his inital fear, Sam finnally spoke up
This building, is umm... very beautiful. He said nervously. What exactly are we uhh.... going to be doing today?

Marik stood at the back of the small crowd. It had been a long while since he had first laid eyes on the magnificent structure. It hadn’t crossed his thoughts until recently, when he had received the ad in the mail. Like most people, he had quietly pushed it to the back of his mind. His curiosity fueled once again, he decided to reply.

This looks real interesting.

In actuality, it wasn’t. Marik had spent the last thirty minutes staring at the back of someone’s head. He could sense the impatience spreading through the crowd. They all wanted in on the secret and to finally be able to put this matter to rest.

Marik, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to get in on the action for once. He always had an uncanny knack for staying out of the “information loopâ€￾. Even though he admittedly never expressed the urge to jump on the bandwagon, he secretly longed to be a part of the crowd. This was partially why he’d replied in the first place.

This time, however, Marik was determined. He was going to get in the loop, and nothing was going to stop him.

“Stupid crowd.â€￾ He mumbled as he pushed his way to the front.

Alex, who was standing at the front, was suddenly blown forward into the wall of the building. he turned around and frowned as he saw Marik, one of the rudest people he'd ever met. He pulled himself off the wall and simply stood in front of Marik, blocking his view. He then pulled out a bottle of water a took a long gulp from it.

ahh..... next time, Marik, try going around instead of through.

Alex indicated the two empty spaces on either side of the woman, where noone was standing.

Uncharacteristcally late, and somewhat flustered because of it, Scott flung himself through the doors of the Neo Terra building. Dressed smartly, but casually, in a black shirt with suit trousers, he hurried through the building looking for where the tour began.

After ripping his way through what felt like the majority of the company, he was eventually put on track by a bewildered young man who looked like he had about as much as to what he was doing here as Scott did.

He finally crept his way to the back of the group, hoping that no one would notice his late arrival and ran his eyes over his fellow group members in a quick inspection.

They all seemed aimable enough.

<font color=silver><i>Now we just have to wait for the fun to begin...</i></font> his sarcasim echoed in his mind.

Christi stood quietly as the group fidgeted before her. A few ventured questions, some even moved closer, hoping to gain her attention. She smiled, refusing to acknowledge either.

Assessing the primarily male group, she knew that Neo Terra had chosen properly. It was to be expected. The faint traces of alliance and dissension could already be seen within the small group, combined with a unifying curiosity and an array of character types, everything would be… perfect.

Christi’s blue eyes squinted at her watch in the morning sun. 9:15 AM. Perfect.

Without a word to the fumbling group, Christi turned to the sheet glass, quickly waved a delicate hand, and proceeded inside with the suddenly silenced group behind her.

Neo Terra was magnificent she knew, but she could not help the faint smirk from showing on her perfect face as she saw the onlookers gawk as they entered. It was simply apart of human nature to desire and worship a thing of beauty. She of all people, understood that.

The domed entryway was soft, immaculate, inviting. Much like herself, she thought, smiling once again. Turing on her navy blue heels, Christi moved forward, desirous to reach their destination on time. Her blond pony tail swung gently back and forth to the rhythm of her steps and she could feel them watch her from behind. Perfect.

The smooth yellow walls glided past without hiatus. There were no windows, no doors, no stairwells. The inner walls were flawless and smooth and somewhat uninteresting to look at. Still, there was much to be seen from within. Christi had no time to let others gawk however. Their planned arrival was in four minutes.

When the six pairs of feet behind her became five, Christi froze. Turning abruptly, she found her straggler staring intently at Dimitri’s waterfall.

Gorgeous isn’t it, Mr. Collins? Christi breathed, ice in her voice.

Tom turned, wide eyed. You now my name?

Of course. she replied tightly. It would be….recommended…that you stay with the group from here on out.
Turning back to the once again silent onlookers, she continued forwards, checking her watch as she did. 9:23 AM. She would have to hurry.

Their final destination was not differentiable from any other spot on the wall inside the great building. It just as pale gold, just as smooth.

Christi grinned tightly as the confused faces.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. My associate will be with you momentarily. she said sweetly, the yellow walls sliding smoothly open behind her.

Sam stared blank-faced as she utterly ignored his silent plea for knowledge, and everyone elses for that matter. Soon it did not matter however, as she opened the door to the great building and proceeded inside.
Sam could hear the gasps and awes coming from his comrades, but he himself was distracted by something else pale gold, swaying back and forth in rythem. So distracted was he that he didn't notice any of the scenery passing by them, until Christi stopped, and the sound of her voice snapped him out of his trance. It was then he started noticing something weird, something odd. This part of the buildling was all wall. There was nothing! No stairwells, nor windows, not even a door!
How very strange, he thought to himself. How very, very strange.

Sam turned to the group as Christi disappeared behind yellow walls.
Does anyone get a very, very strange vibe from this place? I mean, maybe it's just me, but most of the buildings i've been in had windows and doors.
Sam etched a pattern in the floor with his foot nervously as he waited for a reply from this ever so somber looking group.

Don't you find that to be part of the magestic nature of this place though? For months i've wondered what lay inside and now we are here, it is more perfectly seemless then i could ever have imagined.

Tom was a person who's head was always enchanted by his surroundings. As a small boy he was amazed and captivated by things like the migration of monarch butterflies, which flew past his childhood home each year. He would gaze into pools trying to peer into their fathomless depths and he stared at the stars,willing them to move. He was a dreamer and he knew that if someone poured sweet words into his ear he was theirs completely.

What kind of technique must they have used to build such a splendid building?

Alex crouched down and put his laptop on his knee. He started clicking away at the keyboard with almost unnatural speed, concentrating on the symbols flashing across the screen.

these walls are made up of an unknown alloy, possibly a tungsten/lead composite. grimaced Alex as he kept on typing. He continued to type, taking pictures of the walls around the group.

He rested his chin on a clenched fist as he slowly accessed the town's server. Nothing. words on his screen flashed.

can not find server.

Alex scanned the walls, and started grimacing.

We aren't getting out of here. These walls, nothing can get through them. Not light, not radio waves, not LASERS.

He put his laptop back in its case and stood up.

And have any of you noticed that there aren't any light sources, but this foyer is as light as day?

“Must you be so mellow-dramatic? There is a way in; there must be a way out.â€￾

Marik shrugged off Alex’s premonition of danger. Besides, the unknown isn’t always awful. Something so beautiful couldn’t possibly be any threat to them. Marik did, however, share the same sense of curiosity as the others.

It was amazing. The smooth flowing walls, gliding in and out seamlessly produced an elegant calm among the group. Marik’s head began to follow the curves upwards. He became so mesmerized that he nearly fell backwards to the ground.

“I feel like a little kid who’s been invited into a chocolate factory.â€￾

<font color=silver>"Pity we haven't been given any chocolate then..."</font> Scott said, somewhat sinisterly as he took a few steps about the room, glacing around and taking in his surroundings.

<font color=silver>"So far we've just some colourfull wrapping. I'm more concerned about what we're going to find when we open it all up.</font>

Sam watched as one of his fellow persons crouched down with a laptop on his knee and began clicking away. He watched him for a moment and listened to his rantings on the walls, then his eyes moved to a new voice.
“I feel like a little kid who’s been invited into a chocolate factory.â€￾
"Pity we haven't been given any chocolate then..."
"So far we've just some colourfull wrapping. I'm more concerned about what we're going to find when we open it all up."
Intruiged, and eager to put in his two cents Sam approached the two.
"I see your points, but i too am cautious as to what's inside this 'candy shop'. I'm afraid that in the end we may not want to know at all. " He said as his voice, and eyes dropped lower, and lower. Raising his view back to the two he stated " I do find it strange however, that through all this we have not had proper introduction, and i think this is the perfect time. The name is Sam. Sam Morovian. It's nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you Sam. My name is Marik Kahn." Marik smiled as he stretched out his hand towards Sam, who took it with a firm unwavering grip. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.â€￾

Marik smile faded into an uneasy stare. "Not to complain, but don't you find it strange that we were the ones chosen out of that mob?" he gestured back to where they had come from. "What makes us so special?"

<i>
9:23 AM</i>

The dark haired woman had been standing in the empty hallway only a few minutes before the wall wavered and the elevator became visible. Christi was inside, primping her hair in the mirrored walls and checking her bust line. It took some effort to draw herself away from her reflection, wasting precious seconds before she turned to get off and noticed someone was waiting.

<font color= dark red>Oh! <i>Lady Delauny</i>...</font>

Christi gave a slight sneer at the title, swishing past, her heels clicking on the polished floor. The dark haired woman caught her by the arm. Christi turned around, floundering like a fish out of water as her graceful walk was impeded upon.

<font color=green>You can address me by my station.</font>

Her gaze on the vain creature was as cold as steel. Christi’s return was no warmer.

<font color=dark red>Excuse me, <i>Doctor</i>. Your new toys are here; you’d best go and get them. It’s 9:27 already.</font>

Christi pulled her arm free and stepped back indignantly, straightening her ruffled outfit. She had no sooner turned to leave again when the cool voice echoed behind her once more.

<font color=green>Oh, and Christi, I want you to make sure Widget doesn’t leave the Nursery again tonight.</font>

Christi’s perfect face puckered into an unflattering look of disgust.

<font color=dark red>I’m not a Nursery Assistant to that disgusting... <i>thing</i>.</font>

The dark haired woman sent the command to take the elevator down.

<font color=green>That is a command, not a request.</font>

The metal wall flickered and returned, leaving Christi alone once again.

<center>~~~</center>
<i>Exactly 9:30 AM.</i>

The group had been standing around talking idly. She made a note not to give them so much time alone again. When the elevator became visible, she quickly stepped outside. Her tone was businesslike as she addressed them, keeping some of the cool edge she had used before.

<font color=green>Hello, and welcome to the Neo Terra Corporation. My name is Dr. Leila Delauny. As you all know, each of you has been specially selected to participate on today’s tour. It is with great honor and respect that I may call myself one of your faithful tour guides.</font>

Strands of her dark hair fell to frame her face as she adjusted the thin-framed glasses she was wearing. She was wearing a suit similar to the one Christi had been wearing only hers was black instead of navy blue. A few unintelligible pins were fixed into the neatly pressed collar of the white shirt she wore underneath.

<font color=green>If you could all step into the elevator, please...</font> She herded them into the small circular room and the span of metal became whole once more, closing them in. The floor lurched and they began to move downwards.

There were no buttons on the walls, only highly polished metal and a small table in the center. When she was sure they were settled, Delauny moved forwards and picked up one of the metal rings sitting on the stand.

<font color=green>In order to make your stay here at the Neo Terra Corporation more enjoyable, we ask that you please take one of our InterLocke bracelets and place them on your wrists...</font>

She unhinged the circle and snapped it onto one of her wrists for demonstration.

<font color=green>This will allow us to position you in the event that you get lost during the tour. </font>

Unsnapping the metal ring she set it on the table once more. It glimmered iridescently in the false light. There seemed to be three sets of two and the labeling on each of them was different: <b><i>A-1, B-1, C-2, D-2, E-3, F-3</i></b>. The words <i>InterLocke: Phase One</i> were etched into the other side of the rings. Delauny smiled and gestured for them to take one.

<font color=green>Please, take your pick.
</font>

"Yes, Nice to meet you Marik, and i do not think that it's that we're special. I think it's that we're not special. That's why they chose us to do this. Don't ask me why, it's just a hunch"
Their conversation was cut short as someone stepped from the wall. She was dressed nicely in a black suit.
Not quite as pretty as Christi. Sam thought, I'm not here to find a girlfriend though.
Dr. Delauny, as she called herself, ushered the group into an "elevator", though it looked nothing like he had ever seen. It had no buttons or anything. Merely a table in the middle. There were 6 bracelets on the table. Dr. Delauny demonstrated how to put one on, and then told everyone to pick one.
Sam was excited, he didn't know why. He thought the bracelets were very interesting! Quickly he reached onto the table and picked one up. He examined it, and read what it said. 'InterLocke: Phase One' 'F-3'
Very interesting. Sam thought as he snapped it to his wrist. Very, Very interesting

Alex picked up his bracelet,the one labelled A-1, only to hesitate to place it on his wrist. He examined it and then spotted an oddity on them. They all had holes on the inside with little ridges around them. thinking it not a large matter, he snapped his bracelet on and pulled out his laptop. he started clicking away as he tried again to access the town's server. Again flashed the words can not find server. He grimaced and swore under his breath as he put his laptop back in its case.

“I sure wish you’d keep that thing in your bag. If it didn’t work the first time why on earth would it work any other time we’re in this place. Especially the elevator...â€￾

Marik gave a glare towards Alex, as he grabbed one of the remaining bracelets off the table. As Marik backed away from the table he caught a glance at Alex’s bracelet.

“A-1, huh? You got an affinity for steak sauce?â€￾

He looked down at his own metal band pensively.

D-2... Hmm, I wonder. Why do they have numbers? It must serve a purpose.

“Just like this then?...â€￾ Marik mumbled, locking the bracelet onto his right wrist. “It sure isn’t a fashion statement.â€￾

<center>-------------------</center>
OOC: You should read more carefully, Chalgrish. You were supposed to pick a number.

Did it ever occur to you that there was a skylight where the elevator is? A skylight means that I might be able to have a signal. But this elevator is still the same alloy that the walls were.

Alex slipped off his formal sports jacket and put it into his laptop case. He then held up five fingers, then four, then three, then two, then one, and finally dropped his last finger as the elevator shuddered to a halt. Looking at the others, he grinned.

Lucky guess!

(Grrrrr... Teirnan forgot to sign out after using my compy! ~Sarina)

<font color=green>There are no signals going in or out of the facility.</font>

Delauny’s voice was once again unnaturally cold; there wasn’t an ounce of feeling in it. She looked at Alex’s computer as if the pitiful piece of technology amused her. Her gaze then returned to the group in general.

<font color=green>Please make sure that your bands are fastened securely.</font>

The elevator came to a halt, but it didn’t stand still for long. An intense red light filled the space and the elevator lurched. A calm voice echoed through he room.

<center><b>ENTERING LOWER LEVELS.</b></center>
It repeated the phrase in multiple languages, some familiar, some not, until finally they were silently moving downwards once more. Delauny waited as the others chose their bands.

*Lew reached down to the table to pick up one of the bracelets in a careless manner.*
F-3? Darn its not my lucky number.
*Said lew rather cynicaly. For some reason the tour guide and her friend just werent that stunning to Lew. Not that he liked men, just that out of all of their beauty, something seemed somewhat sinister or maybe just untruthful.*