In front of each player lays the weapons promised to them, and everybody picks up their own set with tremendous haste. Counting down from 7 seconds on the clock, the tense atmosphere left hardly any room for breathing space. Every player scarcely glances at the neighbor next to them. Everybody except for the dude laying down at least, who, incredibly enough, seems to still be dozing off.

5 seconds.

Panic resonates throughout the crowd.

Jerome: Don't shoot no matter what, okay!?

Jerome, with his strong build and well-cut clothes, actually seems to have a delicate, professional tone about him. But little did it matter now; his entire body shakes in stunning fear.

2 seconds. Nobody responds to Jerome's desperate pleas. Everybody keeps their gun close to their bodies with a rapid trigger finger ready.

1 second. Time flows slowly in the realm of Felix's mind. He could swear Rachael is looking straight at him. The murder in her eyes... it feels all too real! What should he do!? Should he take the first shot? But tha-

BEEP! A blaring sound signals the start of the round... but something prevents the immediate rain of bullets. The first thing Felix inputs is an intense green light originating from the device on his wrist. It's so strong that it momentarily blinds him and renders him incapable of aiming his weapon. The light stuns him from taking any action. Once the surge ends, the green light remains but merely as a glimmer. Green... it means he had been made an Innocent.

When his vision shifts back into focus, he observes the surrounding players. It doesn't take him long to realize that the light had done something significant: it silenced the chaos of the moment. He could not see anybody else's device shine, but he knows that this was what the G-man must have meant by status privacy - everybody's device shined, but only the owner could detect it.

The players calm down. Nobody feels the tension from just seconds before. After what seems like eternal quietness, Felix finally speaks up.

Felix: So how are we gonna do this, men and women? Are we just going to blindly shoot and risk everybody's demise before the round that actually matters?

Mike: This muthafuckaz right, we need ta quit trippin' up n' be thinkin dis through!

Charles lowers his M16.

Charles: Alright, that's fine by me. More chance that we all make it through this.

Everybody else lowers their weapons in response to Charles' gesture, everyone besides Midgeot, who continues snoozing.

Lee: But is it really the smartest move to just sit here? I don't know about you guys, but I'm Innocent, and Traitors are out there to ensure that they don't lose their karma but take mine away in their place.

Rachael: Right, but any suggestions to root them out?

Jerome: Hehehe... isn't it obvious?

Everybody turns their sight to Jerome. His eyes are closed, which makes him actually feel more confident.

Jerome: The Innocents, in all actuality, have nothing to fear. We are the majority, after all. Remember, we won't lose anything by just standing here. The burden is all on the Traitors since they will be losing karma if no Innocents die this round. All we have to do is kill some time, and the Traitors will surely be the first to fire. When that happens, we can kill them before any Innocents end up dead! It's a flawless strategy, if you think about it. Plus, we wouldn't want to scar the lovely ladies now would we?

Everyone's eyes turn to Claire, who blushes red at the sudden attention. Rachael rolls her eyes. Of course the big breasts get the guys' attention.

Jerome: What do you say guys... and girls? We got a plan?

Mike: I be wit you all tha way!

Charles: Sucks to be you, Traitors!

Suddenly, a new voice speaks up.

Midgeot: You guys... have completely missed the point of this round.

Lee, the player closest to Midgeot, jumps from the sudden scare. The rest of the players stare at the new speaker with distrust apparent in their eyes. Rachael's free hand tightens into a fist.

Rachael: Oh, awake are you? You missed the whole explanation of the game, tough to say. Although, if you really did hear everything and just bluffed it, that sounds all the better to us. If you're against the idea, well then you're probably the Traitor yourself!

Rachael points her M16 at him, and the rest follow in her lead. Midgeot sighs and slowly shakes his head, as if shaming the other players.

Midgeot: Do you really think the owner would give instructions without knowing full well that the contenders were listening to them? I just felt that faking sleep was the best way to scout out the scenario without getting too involved myself. I especially wanted to stay clear out of the cross-fire when you guys were itching to kill each other at the start, but the devices cleared that problem for me.

Jerome points his finger at Midgeot.

Jerome: And how does this change the current dilemma? You can't take back what you just said.

Midgeot clears his bangs away from his eyes and stares at his aggressive audience.

Midgeot: What am I saying? I'm saying that the Traitors this round... are more vital than the entire Innocent group combined, no matter what team you are on.

The players almost drop their guns in surprise. What in the world could Midgeot mean by that!?

Haste-Mode: 18:45