Chapter 24

The new public bathroom was very utilitarian and white.

Still, it had ten stalls and five sinks. A mirror ran the length of the sinks, and it even had a full-length one beside the sinks. Five boxes on the far wall blew air over your hands to dry them, and bars of yellow soap were on the sinks. It would serve the purpose.

“What about the Men’s?” Boyd asked.

“Oh, do we need one for each of the sexes? Therians don’t have that problem,” Catia replied.

“Welcome the world of single sexed beasts,” Boyd offered. “Anyway, I got a Psychic mage for you.”

“Really?” Hadi asked.

“Yep. She flashed blue, green, and I think red, then settled on Yellow. She was also a teacher who specialised in history and the social sciences. And ... she has had premonitions.”

“Ooh, a Seer. We haven’t had one of them in a long time.” Hadi gushed.

“Yeah, well, I was thinking that if we kept her out of stasis for a bit, the entities may take pity on her and change her medallion like they did for me. She is a very insightful lady, and she just might be a help.”

“We will need a family to take her in. Oh, you want to bring her home,” Catia said slyly.

Boyd was disconcerted when he blushed. “Catia, not like that. I mean, there is room for her, but ‘That’ isn’t why I suggested it,” he stumbled over his words.

All three women giggled at his discomfort. Boyd was just glad the shorts he wore kept him in check enough that he didn’t blouse his tunic. Who knew that all them old broads had been hot when they were younger?

“Did you finish testing them all?” Catia asked.

“No, I have two tables left. I’ll get it done so we can move on to the next group, shall I?”

“Please do. Can you also tell the monitors to bring their groups in to use the facilities and then take them back to the stasis room?” Catia asked.

“Right, I get it, no rest for the wicked,” Boyd grumbled.

Boyd turned to the door and headed back out and into the dining room.

Skirting the long tables, he headed to the back of the room again. He soon tested the last ten people and told them that necessaries were available for them to use. Their monitors would take them as soon as the other groups had trolled through.

He headed back up to the front of the room and leant against the servery. He was just people watching when he noticed the creepy man again. John Carlos wasn’t that assuming. He had dark Mediterranean looks with a big hook nose. He had a slight build, and Boyd doubted he made it to 167cm (5’ 6”).

As the blonde-haired monitor got up to collect the questionnaires, the man also stood. He moved towards the woman and proceeded to wrap his left arm around her throat. He held the cheese knife from the table to her throat.

The monitor was a good 18cm shorter than John. She looked terrified and about ready to faint as the cold steel flashed in front of her eyes, and she was pulled tightly into his embrace.

John then yelled out, “I don’t give a fuck who is in charge of this shit show. But someone will take me outside and get me a car.”

The room went deathly quiet except for the scraping of chairs as people scrambled away from the man. He backed the monitor out into the open area so that no one was behind him. He then looked around for Boyd and the two women who had been with him at the start of the farce.

Still leaning against the counter, Boyd replied, “Sorry ol’ man, but they don’t have cars here, just horse-drawn carriages.”

“What?” the man said in confusion.

“Yep, you are not on Earth. Haven’t you noticed that the gravity here is lower? Watch...”

Boyd stepped away from the counter a couple of steps and then turned towards it. He then jumped and landed softly on top of it. He turned to face the man again. He now had the advantage of looking down on him from a greater height.

John goggled at Boyd’s feat. He had been so stressed out that he hadn’t really noticed that the weight of things was slightly off even though others at his table had commented on it.

“Get me out of here,” John growled as he tried to get control of the situation again. He tried to ignore the cold sweat sliding down his back.

“John, what did I tell you about that silver band on your wrist?”

John glanced at the band and back at Boyd. “It can’t stop me,” he growled.

“Just try and cut her and see what happens!”

John got a determined look and pressed the knife closer to the woman’s throat. As he did, his hand started tingling, and the harder he tried to force the knife, the stronger the tingle became until he felt all of the nerves in his arm buzz and sting.

He then screamed as a massive jolt shot up his arm and ignited pain all through his body. He flung the woman and the knife away as his body shuddered. Seconds later, he was a shivering mess on the floor and curled up in the foetal position.

Boyd turned to the shocked assembly. “And that is why you can’t hurt these people or each other. If nothing else is learned from this deplorable episode, take that away with you.”

After a short pause, he said, “I believe the facilities are now usable. Please wait at your table until your monitor escorts you. Once you have relieved yourself, go back to your monitor, and she will take you to your room. We will meet up again soon, and I’ll be able to tell you what has been decided.”