For the first time ever Colin found himself in a line to enter the Steam Tunnels. He wondered why, it was a popular place to drink but never to the point that a queue had taken form. For a brief moment the scene reminded him of the cafeteria in junior high, when Gavin would try to (subtly) prod him to read the lunch lady's mind and find out what the mystery meat was. Colin had even caved in once and swore never to again- not only because of what it actually turned out to be, but also because he ended up discovering things about the woman no one would ever want to know.
"Seriously?" hearing a voice Colin turned his head. About six or seven people behind him stood Elle something-or-other, a student he was passively acquainted with; she noticed him looking back and asked, "Can you see what's holding them up?"
Colin could have mentally 'reached out' to see what caused the delay, but lessons of being careful not to advertise psychic abilities drummed into him over the years motivated him to take a more mundane approach. Leaning steeply to his right he saw men working on a device similar in appearance to the metal detectors that were once used in attempts at keeping weapons off aircraft.
Turning back, he said to Elle, "It looks like they're either fixing or replacing the bioscanner, hard to tell from here."
Elle's eyes widened at this for a second, then she grumbled, "Bioscanners- you know what those are? A way to cash in on society's paranoia, that's what."
Colin gave her a what-can-you-do shrug. Finally, the workmen finished whatever they were up to and left. A couple seconds later the bouncer-bot started letting people in but only after the scanner pinged and flashed a green light, as it fortunately did for him.
Once inside Colin waved a hand to the bartender. Wally was an old guy who claimed to remember customers from back when the Steam Tunnels was first opened. A likeable enough guy- though he'd probably have been more so if he didn't insist on disturbing freshmen by pulling back the fake skin on his prosthetic arm and telling the story of how he lost the real thing along with most of his original face in one of the last drone strikes before "the damned things" were banned by international law. Wally acknowledged Colin, and was reaching for the cooler for Colin's preferred brand when a shrill klaxon from just before the entrance started wailing. Looking behind, Colin saw Elle standing at the bioscanner turn and bolt away from the Steam Tunnels.
Moving to block the other would-be patrons the bouncer-bot started to send a transmission to the police.
"Confirmed gender deceiver fleeing north of Steam Tunnel drinking establishment at Mignola Institute," it started, "Sending picture, name used and last known residence."
"What the Hell?" Colin said out loud; turning back he said to Wally, "She never set off the Jenner alarm before."
"That," Wally pointed to the bioscanner, "Is the new model the gay bars have been using- detects genetic alteration, not just surgical."
"Genetic- that's actually a thing?" Colin asked.
"Who knows how many of those freaks have gotten past the radar before tonight," Wally answered. Colin payed for his beer and walked to find a table.
Alecia showed up- to Colin's relief she triggered no alarms- and waved to him. As she got her beer Sarah and Jada entered; Colin noticed a tense silence as Alecia and the two stared each other down for a moment before Alecia approached his table.
"Everything alright between you guys?" Colin asked as she sat down, noticing Sarah and Jada chose an empty table on the other side of the room.
"Going through a bit of a trial separation with the girls," Alecia answered, "Got into another fight with them because I insisted on hanging around a so-called weirdo."
Colin took this in before asking another question, "Would it be too much to hope that you mean someone else when you say weirdo?"
"What can I say? They're just not willing to give you much of a chance," Alecia shrugged, "Oh- you made any plans for Spring Break?"
"Oh right, that's coming up," Colin remembered, "Not really, but that's partly because getting stoned and making life hell for old people was never really my thing-why?"
"There's this annual gala my folks are part of back home. I was going to blow it off and join Sarah and Jada at the Lunar Hilton but since that's probably not going to happen I was hoping I could convince you to be the pretty thing on my arm."
Colin's eyes widened a bit, "You want me to meet your parents?"
"I can't promise you won't get stoned- they still haven't figured out what last year's punch was spiked with," Alecia started, "But I know two specific old people who'd see you as a much welcome change from the guys I've brought home in the past."
Colin inwardly decided he didn't need details about those other guys, "Okay- that sounds alright- just out of curiosity what does your family do?"
"My folks run a law firm," Alecia began to answer, "But really, most of the family fortune came from when grandpa invested in an invention his family and friends told him nobody would buy."
"Really?" Colin was intrigued, "What invention was that?"
Alecia pointed her thumb at the entry doors, "Bioscanners," seeing Colin's confusion she elaborated, "Back then people were under pressure to *accept* their kind."