Even from backstage he can hear the pounding, the pounding and the bouncing both. Those chairs had better be strong, he's thinking. Now the master of ceremonies is back at the microphone, and he's thanking the crowd for being such a crowd.
Cipher strides toward the podium, smiling and waving, waving and smiling.
The band is playing that music again, and the cheers wash over him as he smiles some more and waves some more. He'd have to be Captain Kangaroo to fit this one in his pocket. The noise is so loud, Cipher isn't even sure he hears the sound in the back row. Then he hears it a second time, a little bit louder. The crowd turns to look at the man, then turns back around to look at Cipher.