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Otto on the shoulder, making him wince; it was like being hit with a sack filled with bricks.
    Otto checked to see where the Contessa was and was pleased to observe that she was being loudly complained to by the blonde American girl who was demanding to know when she’d get her clothes back.
    ‘Listen.’ Otto led Wing slightly further away from the rest of the gathering students. ‘Did H.I.V.E.mind say anything odd to you while you were getting changed?’
    Wing looked slightly puzzled. ‘No. It did take my measurements again in the cubicle because it thought the first set were wrong, but nothing else. Why do you ask?’
    ‘Oh, no reason.’ Otto wasn’t sure he wanted to share what H.I.V.E.mind had said to him with anyone yet – at least not until he understood what it meant.
    The conversation between the Contessa and the American girl was becoming more heated – at least the blonde-haired girl seemed to be getting angrier and angrier.
    ‘. . . were designer clothes, and what do I get in return? A garbage collector’s overalls. And I had to strip in front of that thing,’ she pointed at the blue face of H.I.V.E.mind that still hovered above the white pillar, ‘which was like, hellooo, embarrassing, and now you tell me that I can’t . . .’
    The Contessa bent forward and whispered something into the girl’s ear. Oscar couldn’t hear what the Contessa was saying but the girl’s face went from surprised indignation to ghost white in the space of a few seconds.
    ‘Y-you’re r-right. Who needs expensive clothes anyway?’ the girl stammered, backing away from the Contessa. ‘I love my uniform, I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.’
    ‘I knew you’d see things my way,’ the Contessa smiled at the girl. She was like a cat playing with a mouse. Otto remembered his own experience with the Contessa and felt an uncomfortable chill run down his spine.
    ‘Are you all right, my friend? You look disturbed.’ Wing looked curiously at Otto.
    ‘Oh, it’s nothing. Someone just walked over my grave.’ Otto gave a weak smile. ‘We need to be careful around her, Wing.’ He glanced over at the Contessa. ‘I don’t know what it is that she does to people, but I don’t think she’s a great believer in freedom of speech.’
    Wing nodded once. ‘Or any other kind of freedom for that matter,’ he replied.
    The Contessa turned back towards the group. ‘Now that Miss Trinity and I have finished our little discussion we should hurry along to the mess hall. I’m sure you’re all hungry by now.’ There was a murmur of agreement from everyone. ‘Gather together then, please. Let’s see, are we missing anyone?’ She scanned the crowd of students.
    Behind them the last remaining cubicle door hissed open.
    ‘Excuse me, could one of you be helping me with my zipper? It is malfunctioning!’
    Franz emerged from his cubicle, tugging furiously on the zip at the front of his overalls. He had managed to fasten the zip halfway up but was struggling to make further progress. A couple of the others nudged each other, sniggering.
    Laura looked angrily at the giggling boy next to her and marched towards Franz. ‘Here, let me help.’ She pulled hard on the zip, but made little progress. ‘You’re going to have to breathe in, Franz,’ she told the red-faced boy. Franz nodded and sucked in a huge breath, his face going even redder, his cheeks bulging like a trumpet player. Laura continued tugging at the zip and finally it began to creep upwards until finally it seemed to give up the fight and shot up over Franz’s chest right up to his neck.
    ‘Now it is being a little on the tight side,’ Franz gasped, his head looking as if it would pop like a balloon at any second.
    ‘Sorry.’ Laura quickly pulled the zip down a couple of inches, loosening the collar around Franz’s neck. Franz exhaled explosively, his face turning a slightly lighter shade of red.
    ‘Ja, thank you. That is much better. You are most kind.’