cheek with it as punishment for poisoning Thura which was done. He saw Egran was then ordered to change into a Banshee along with warned that she’ll have Tom target him whenever he was in her hands.
He heard the Queen’s voice sounding in his mind abruptly “That’s enough Tom. Stop the scans now.”
He obeyed mentally speaking “Mind reveal stop.”
He felt himself stopping the scans of the Banshee Egran and turned to look at the Queen who mentally spoke him heard “Ramses transport Tom to the High Council. Our business is done.”
He blinked his eyes and found himself in the High Council’s throne room with their speaker having head down. He felt the sensation of his mind scanned resisted only to feel the mind scanner was too powerful. He shut his eyes grimacing from the feeling as his mind was scanned then stopped.
He opened his eyes to find the speaker having head up that spoke “Says prove to us that you can shift the Berserker form away and back but keep it away once done.”
He mentally in his mind recalled scanning a Freeloader’s mind that shifted from Banshee to Freeloader form in front of him after coming upon a Banshee nest.
He mentally put away the Banshee ability by mentally speaking “Banshee away.”
He sighed feeling his hands and teeth stopped feeling Banshee like along with feeling himself First One. He felt himself not suffering from any pains despite the removal of his oxygen mask.
Tom sighed again and mentally spoke “Banshee forwards.”
He felt himself Banshee like by his hands forming Banshee like claws and fanged teeth felt on his teeth including feeling his jaw has increased in size from the feel. Tom then willed the Banshee away from him to feel himself fine with that but needing to take in nourishment.
He spoke “I need to take in nourishment.”
He got from the speaker “Ramses, transport Mindbender to Observation room three and orders are to observe him until ordered to do something else.”
He found himself out of the High Council’s throne room in a familiar round room with a black ceiling he saw as he looked up while hearing Ramses speak “The High Council orders Mindbender observed until ordered to do something else.”
Tom frowned but continued to feel the weakness feeling hitting him went to the bed and laid his form down on it on his back. He wound up eyeing the ceiling lengthy till he felt tiredness hitting him shut his eyes only to come to feeling shaking hitting forcing his eyes open. He raised one of his hands to see it shake in his eyesight. He frowned feeling himself urged to expel waste got up from the bed while having form shaking. Tom looked around to spot a bucket near the wall. He tip tossed himself towards it while dropping off his pants off his form. Tom groaned once done finding this was lengthy and ignored his pants lying on the floor by going to the bed to lie his form down on it on his right side. He continued to feel the shaking all over that became violent making him hard to lie down. Tom sat up and crossed legged his legs with effort along with putting hands fingers digging into his knees. He felt the shaking persisted as he felt pain hitting him that made him grimace feeling like needing nourishment immediately. He got up from the bed and walked tip tossing to the door in the wall. Tom felt frustration seeing the door remained shut despite his pounding efforts to will it open. He continued to feel the shaking all over along with pain. He felt his muscles screamed with pain rising after each shake. Tom collapsed onto the floor and jerked feeling himself expelling from his nose and mouth liquid he saw was white. He felt himself expelling elsewhere while giving up the white substance. He felt pain get too much screamed while expelling as he shook violently very hard. He felt a hand Freeloader like touch his forehead followed by sleepiness hitting him. Tom cut his screaming to shut his eyes coming to wearing clothes on his form. He sensed the clothes from the feel were belonging to the High Council from the feel of pants, socks, jacket like top closed in front of him instead of open, underwear and shoes on him. He forced open his eyes feeling himself sore all over from his muscles giving him that feeling including a stinging pain in his sensitive part he wasn't sure why. Tom sat up slowly finding himself in a bedroom he saw belonged to the High Council on their home base. He looked around eyeing the entire room and its contents finding himself alone. Tom eyed the open doorway in the wall as if drawn. He got up and with slowness hitting him went to the doorway to look around in it. He saw a shower stall, a toilet and a pedestal sink with a mirror above it his mind giving him the names of the objects to his confusion. He found the room was twin to a Freeloader hygiene room as his mind called it a bathroom he still confused to the wording. Tom went to the sink to eye himself in the mirror which he frowned seeing he had blue veins on his face. He rubbed the cheek with a blue veined hand where he felt the scar from being cut by a knife fully there. He groaned from the feeling left the bathroom with slowness. Tom felt himself needing to take in nourishment halted from walking to pull up the sleeve of his left arm to find the injector gone from there along with blue veins seen. He groaned out loud and then figured he’ll be taking in nourishment by mouth which he slow walked to the bedroom door seeing it slide open once he was in front of it. Tom walked out and stood in the hallway to find Barry standing there with his familiar glaring expression on his face making him nervous.
Barry spoke “Took you long enough to wake up. The High Council insisted that you wake up sooner. I talked them out of that reason that you’re recovering from some kind of addiction to a drug that was fueling your system as nourishment.”
He frowned hearing Barry’s words as Barry continued talking “I took the liberty of convincing the High Council that I have the means to teach you how to take in nourishment instead of having it injected so come along now.”
He wordlessly followed Barry to the barroom which inside he sat on a stool as the male did the same.
He frowned as Barry spoke to the bartender “Tell me you heard what the High Council said regarding Mindbender taking in nourishment.”
He eyed the Listener bartender who spoke “I heard very crystal clearly, Barry but I talked them out of giving Mindbender alcoholic drinks for his nourishment. I didn’t think it was best for a recovering addict to take any anyway.”
He heard from Barry “You thought wisely Bartender so give him and me something to drink now.”
He shifted to look at Barry who he saw met his stare followed by the male speaking “You’ll be fine taking in nourishment that way. Your sickness from drinking was the drug rejecting the nourishment and making you sick as a result.”
He spoke as Barry became silent “How did the High Council figure that out that the nourishment I was taking not really helping me?”
He frowned as Barry spoke “Actually Mindbender, it wasn’t the High Council who thought that. Someone else figured that out. This someone observed you taking in the nourishment and figured that out that it was really an addicting drug. The drug was tested on other manoids with similar results. The High Council from communication from a Freeloader Queen through Ramses admitted that the drug addiction was a result of poor judgment on what nourishment you would survive on. The drug addiction as a result was formed due to poor knowledge of Freeloader and First One hybrids and how they survived on nourishment. The Freeloader Queen as a result of the tests on you, given her, assured the High Council that she has sent someone to Uzan to tell the natives and their ruler of the test results done on you. That including laying off having hybrids taking in that drug as their nourishment.”
He sighed as Barry paused give off an ahem sound then the male added “I think its best for you to take your time drinking along with taking sips of it. Your system from the looks of your face is still recovering from the drug withdrawal.”
He frowned to nod his head and felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked to see the bartender had a gold cup in his hand who handed it to him.
The Listener spoke “No gulping it down period regardless of how thirsty you are. That’s a policy around here which is no gulping down
drinks period.”
He spoke “Fine.”
Tom brought the cup holding white liquid he saw to his mouth. He with a great deal of effort forced himself to sip it slowly finding the substance tasted fine to him. He felt himself continued to make himself drink it slowly. He sighed once the cup was empty of its liquid and placed the liquid holder down on the bar’s top. Tom rubbed a hand on his forehead feeling his body gaining strength from the drink from the weakness feeling felt was slowly going away. He cut off his sighing to frown feeling a hand tapping him on the opposite shoulder. He looked to find a Listener with facial hair standing next to him that removed the hand to fold arms as he put his hand on his lap.
Tom frowned as the Listener spoke “A certain First One female was tested and discovered that she was dying from some kind of painful sickness that involves her own body ending its life due to reaching the end of its lifespan. Someone did her a favor and ended her life with a painless death. The sickness the First One female was suffering would be slow to put her down on a permanent basis along with very painful as well.”
He stiffened hearing the Listener’s words as the Listener continued “The sickness was detected within this female soon after she had offspring in some