The Experimental Population, often shortened into Ex-Pop, are some of the main antagonists of The Outlast Trials. They are the failed test subjects of the early stages of Murkoff's experiments for PROJECT LATHE, rendering many of them brainwashed, mutilated, and violent. Ex-Pop that have not been abandoned to die in the Sinyala Facility are utilized as deadly obstacles within the Trial environments to challenge Reagents. Doctor Easterman, the director of PROJECT LATHE, sorts Ex-Pop into three different categories: Prime Assets, Specialists, and Grunts.
Background[]
The Experimental Population come from various backgrounds, mostly depending on their class. Prime Assets have the most rich background story compared to the rest of the Ex-Pop. The bulk of the Experimental Population like the Grunts and a few of the Specialists are taken from Mount Massive Asylum, the streets and independent experiments ran by associates of the Murkoff Corporation.
Hundreds of participants willingly enroll in the Murkoff experiments. However, only around 150 of them were taken and the others were sent away to another facility. While there are at least three Prime Assets in the Sinyala Facility, the rest are classified as either Specialists or General Ex-Pop.
Like the Reagents, Ex-Pop consist of hopeless and desperate victims of the Cold War. Unfortunately, they have a worse fate as they are never given the freedom they hoped for.
Story[]
The Outlast Trials[]
The Ex-Pop were the main subject of Project LATHE's first iteration and lived in several controlled artificial environments. However, their most often already violent and broken states made them uncontrollable, eventually resulting in a catastrophic incident with casualties among Sinyala personnel and Ex-Pop alike. As Project LATHE was being shut down, Dr. Easterman had another idea for the brainwashed, violent human experiments he had created. In need of more human subjects that meet the criteria of "Blank Canvas", the Ex-Pop were put aside and treated only as deadly obstacles for the Reagents or fodder for fellow Ex-Pop.
A different treatment is given for the Prime Assets, however. They are still taken care of by Murkoff, as they interact with some personnel regularly, such as the Guards and the Doctors. They are like the "Golden Child" of the Ex-Pop, owning entire Trial Environments in the Sinyala Facility, such as the Police Station, which belongs to Coyle. These Trial Environments are frequently inhabited by Ex-Pop who serve the Prime Assets or suffer under their thumb.
After Project Breach update, it appears that some Reagents, like Henrietta Grubbs, can be converted into Ex-Pops. However, some Ex-Pops have managed to possess a strong psyche, rendering them immune to the charisma of the Prime Assets, and even outright attacking them. Those unaffected by the charisma were eliminated and sent to the Biohazard Disposal Shuttle.
Physical description[]
Physical characteristics of most Experimental Population differ depending on overall appearance and, in some cases, physical modifications; for example, Ex-Pop who had received limb extensions and enhanced physical strength are classified as "Heavy Ex-Pop", otherwise known as Big Grunts, while average-height Ex-Pop of average strength are classified as "General Ex-Pop", otherwise known as Grunts. Just like any other Murkoff experiment, their bodies are heavily deformed, from one eye-popping out to limbs being amputated and changed into weapons. Bleeding scars decorate their bodies, with some having feces on their clothes. Some Ex-Pop are even blinded despite having perfectly normal eyes previously.
They also have strangely proportioned bodies, such as Big Grunt's wide torso and Pusher's growing tumors on his flesh. Prime-Assets are the ones that don't have many body deformities, although Whitehorn has an abnormally gigantic body compared to Coyle and Gooseberry. Prime-Assets mostly have scars rather than body deformities; for example, Coyle has burn scars on the right side of his face, while Gooseberry wears a facial prosthetic to hide her injuries.
Ex-Pop with the fewest body deformities and scars are usually the ones that are neglected, as Murkoff didn't even bother experimenting on them, thus letting them turn into fellow Ex-Pop fodder.
Characteristics[]
The Ex-Pop are fierce and deadly, not hesitating to hurt anyone standing in their way or those who are against their beliefs; in this case, the Reagents. Brainwashed into believing they are doing good for their country, they are tirelessly hunting down every single Reagent once they are deployed in the Trials. Some even took pride in killing the unfortunate Reagents, stating that they were either doing the country a favor or just wanting to make Easterman happy. The others think that the Reagents are intruders in their homes, which makes them protect their house at all costs.
They do not mind blood; they are used to the feelings of pain, believing that the experiments are turning them into superior human beings. However, not every Ex-Pop is successfully brainwashed by Murkoff. Some are doing it out of fear, not wanting to be disposed of like garbage by Easterman, as the Sinyala Facility is their only choice to inhabit. They have no house, so they are forced to live with fellow psycho-human experiments that are also no other than victims of Murkoff's greediness.
Prime Assets were already criminals at the beginning, willingly taking Easterman's words without a second thought. Coyle takes sadistic pride in his law-enforcing job, Mother Gooseberry believes she is protecting children under her care, and Franco fiercely protects his illegal rackets while satiating his childish tendencies.
Prime Assets[]
Prime Assets are the most recognizable and important of the Experimental Population. They are charismatic murderers who once possessed legitimate professions in their previous lives before they were recruited by Murkoff Corporation so they can be engineered to emulate their former lifestyles in extremely twisted ways and allow them to hold dominion over the Trials' themed environments and become formidable leaders of the Ex-Pop due to their charisma. As such, they are the primary danger to the Reagents in each Trial.
Specialists[]
To provide Reagents with unique roadblocks, the Murkoff Corporation dispatches Specialists throughout the Trials. While they are not always directly lethal under most circumstances, each Specialist provides a supporting role to the Prime Assets and Grunts by using special abilities to jeopardize Reagents.
Grunts[]
Grunts are the most common of the Ex-Pop, exploited as basic hunters for the Murkoff Corporation throughout all of the Trials. They appear as regular-sized Grunts with various weaponry and Big Grunts. However, some of them serve as bystanders that do not actively chase but will strike any Reagents approaching them.
Trivia[]
- The term "Ex-Pop" likely derives from a similar sounding term known as "gen-pop" (general population). In prison jargon, gen-pop refers to groups of inmates who are not segregated into specialized housing units. They all reside in one cell block and typically make up the majority of residing inmates.
- One of the Ex-Pop occasionally says "I'll find all you whores." when chasing a Reagent. This references Chris Walker's line in Outlast when searching for Miles.
- For unknown reasons, hazards like the Toxic Shock gas or Winter Kills's cold air do not completely affect them.
- All traps inside the Trials are designed to harm the Reagents and ignore the Ex-Pops. However, Reagents can trigger some traps by throwing items when Ex-Pops are nearby, momentarily stunning them.
References[]
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