CHAPTER 45
IRIDIUM
Mentally gifted extrahuman students should consider a Therapy internship to hone their skills.
Promotional booklet published by the Executive Committee
Normally, Iridium would be glad for the interruption, but her stomach sank when the Containment team shuffled into their Applied Extrahuman History class.
One by one, the students stopped moving their styluses across their datascreens, staring at the silent faces under the riot shields.
Beside Iridium, Frostbite’s breath hitched.
He and Chen had made up in the week since Hornblower’s scene in the common room. Nobody had started looking at them strangely, or sending hate messages, and no proctors had so much as turned a hair. Derek and Chen were partners. It was natural for them to be together.
“Is something the matter?” said Charisma, their instructor.
The Containment worker at the head of the column pushed past her and they filed through the classroom, massing around Red Lotus.
“Derek Gregory,” said the Containment worker in a flat tone. “He in this class?”
Frostbite laid his stylus aside, his fingers shaking so that it slipped off the podium and rolled away. “Yeah. I’m Derek Gregory.”
The Containment worker tightened his grip on his stun blaster. “You need to come with us, son.”
“He’s not going anywhere,” Iridium spoke up, holding her arm out between Frostbite and the team.
The Containment worker frowned at her. “Stay out of this, girl. There are some very serious allegations leveled at Mr. Gregory. We need to get to the bottom of them.”
Iridium stuck her chin out. “What allegations?”
“That’s between Mr. Gregory and the Superintendent, miss.” He lowered his voice. “Get out of the way before I stun you.”
“Get out of mine before I blind you,” Iridium hissed. “You’re not taking him.”
The Containment worker jerked his head at one of his companions, who reached out and yanked Iridium’s right arm behind her in a submission hold. She struggled, but unless she wanted to break her arm, she wasn’t going anywhere.
“See here!” Charisma snapped, leaning on her cane and starting forward. “You can’t just come into my classroom and manhandle my charges.”
“Stay out of this,” snarled the Containment worker. “You have no idea what this boy has been accused of.”
Iridium glared at Hornblower, who was watching the scene unfold with a slack-jawed equanimity.
Frostbite must have had the same thought, because he rounded on Hornblower. “You are so f*cking dead, Tyler. I’m going to freeze your tiny little prick off and feed it to you!”
“Me?” Hornblower squeaked. “I didn’t report you! You think I’m stupid?”
The Containment team traded looks. “I guess we weren’t wrong,” the leader said.
“No,” Frostbite said, his voice rising. “No, you weren’t wrong. I’m gay. I like men. When I’m in the shower, I think about Keanu Reeves. I kiss men and someday I’ll f*ck men and you all can just quit whispering about me, because you’re all absolutely right—I’m a big old queer!” He glared around the room, daring the other students to say something. “There. That’s what you wanted, right?”
Iridium squirmed, tried to break free. “Derek …”
Frostbite ignored her and turned to Chen. “I’m sorry. I know this wasn’t how you wanted it. Please believe me.”
Red Lotus looked at the floor, slowly backing away from Frostbite. “I’m sorry, too, Derek.”
Another Containment officer put his hand on Chen’s shoulder. “You did the right thing, son. We’ll take you up to the Mental wing after your classes let out for the day to begin your treatment.”
Iridium felt the floor drop away from her feet.
All the blood drained from Frostbite’s face. “Chen,” he rasped, “you reported us?”
“I can’t get a sponsorship if I don’t agree to Therapy,” Chen said quietly. “I need to be able to survive in the real world, Derek. How can I be a hero without backers? When everyone is looking at me and whispering?”
“How could you do this?” Frostbite shouted. “I love you!”
The Containment officer held Frostbite back with his baton. “It’ll pass.”
“F*ck you.” He ducked under the man’s arm, running to Chen and grabbing his hands. “This doesn’t matter. We can drop out and go live with my aunt in Hawaii. The Squadron there is friendlier—”
“Yeah,” said Chen coldly. “Because I’m going to have a great damn career protecting surfers from sunburns.”
“Move it,” said the Containment officer, pulling them apart. “You’re going upstairs, Gregory. Now.”
“I don’t need Therapy!” Frostbite yelled, struggling against the Containment team. One of his punches landed on the man’s riot shield and it snapped backward, causing a red spatter to erupt from his nose.
Two more Containment officers shot Derek with their stun blasters, and he collapsed, twitching, to the floor.
“Stop!” Iridium shrieked, summoning a strobe.
An alarm triggered as she accessed her power, and the rest of the students cried out, hands over their ears.
The Containment officer holding Iridium pushed her to the ground next to Derek, who was still feebly fighting against stun-cuffs.
“Tell Chen …” he groaned. “Tell him … I’m so sorry.”
The Containment workers dragged Frostbite up and out, and a flash of blue was the last Iridium saw of him for nearly a year.