Sergeant Mercer took them back to the elevator, which the trio (or quartet, depending on what you wanted to consider Nalisry-Gianold) rode up several more floors. The new hallway they were deposited in mostly matched the one they'd left behind, including the giant insignia decorating the floor. Instead of inspirational posters decorating the walls, this floor had photos of planetary landscapes. In passing, John glimpsed a caption in the corner of each one, identifying the planet's name and Multiverse classification.

Amidst the mind-boggling magnitude of this outrageous situation John found himself in, there was at least some reassurance to be had in the fact that -- even if he wasn't in his home Tier anymore -- he was still in a Tier that was familiar to what he knew, at least so far. According to Hyrura, John recalled, Nalisry and Gianold came from someplace that didn't even know about the Multiverse -- an "Unaware" world, as the terminology went -- though obviously someone from a "Recognized" world knew about theirs just fine.

They passed several people, alone and in clusters, with hardly a repeat species among them. John supposed that was to be expected, if these COMETS people abducted their recruits from all over the Multiverse. Even if there were species that reappeared with extreme frequency, like humans, an infinite number of Tiers meant an infinite number of sentient species, regardless of how few might be found per Tier. For all John knew, what duplicates he did see were just examples of mirror species from different Tiers.

Nobody was uniformed on this floor, however. Simply dressed, yes, but not in formal gear -- if they had bodies that necessitated clothes at all. John and Nalisry-Gianold garnered looks that ranged from amiably curious to blandly disinterested, up until Mercer halted them before a door plainly marked "Isolation 1".

"After I let you in," Mercer began, "the door will lock behind you. You will be retrieved for meals and allowed to socialize in the cafeteria for that time, but otherwise you will remain in here. There are cots, a shower and latrine, and educational materials on our organization you may review if you want." The sergeant gave them a small smile. "There won't be a quiz afterwards."

This sudden bit of humor from the otherwise solemn man caught John by surprise and he forgot to laugh, but Mercer didn't seem to be expecting one. He palmed the scanner by the door and motioned John and Nalisry-Gianold inside when it slid open, then closed it again behind them.

It was a bunk, mostly empty and big enough for Nalisry-Gianold to have pacing room, with two cots of appropriate sizes for a human and a Watarus. There was a folded bundle on each bed, a door in the opposing wall, and a fireball leaping at them across the floor.

::Hey, Frosty!:: a cheerful voice crowed. ::Seems today's your day to get chosen for important things! Guess what I am?::

John, recoiled with a shocked yelp and jumped back right into Nalisry-Gianold, who had come after him through the door, causing them to exclaim in turn as he collided with their snouts. The fireball jumped forward, Nalisry-Gianold jerked back, and John tumbled onto his behind with another startled cry. The jolt of pain that shot up from his tailbone went all but unfelt as two glowing eyes peered out from within the bright red flames and around the peaks of his bent knees.

"Jesus!" John squeaked, crab-scuttling backwards and coming up against Nalisry-Gianold's forelegs.

::Haha! No, but I don't mind the comparison!:: the fireball laughed. ::Chill out, Frosty! I'm your new partner!::

The bewildered man gaped briefly, trying to find his words again. "You're, ah... you're a... Comet? Hyrura didn't... say anything about--"

::Course he didn't, he didn't know I'd be in here,:: the fireball giggled. As John stared at it, he realized there was a little creature inside the roaring fire. It was cat-sized, if even that, with four legs, a stubby tail, and a round face. Wherever the flames thinned as they danced and crackled, he thought the hide he glimpsed was coal-black.

::I'm Sunart,:: the fireball-creature went on, as John started to relax. ::I'm a fireling, son of two fire elementals and a light goddess, and I'm here because of all the people in all the worlds and all the Tiers, I liked you best! So you, and me, and Nalisry-Gianold, we're going to be Comets and give those Wisps a whuppin'!::

John... blinked. Then he looked up at Nalisry-Gianold, whose legs still held him up. "Did he just say...."

They looked back down at him, looking just as bewildered as John felt. "So this is not normal for your world?" Nalisry asked, ears slightly skewed.

The laugh that escaped him was more shocked than amused. "Normal! Oh God." Now John groaned, covering his face with one hand. He was wet, his clothes were a mess, his head hurt, and he didn't know what to think. Not thinking at all sounded really good, in fact.

John levered himself back off the floor, leaning on Nalisry-Gianold for a moment while the Watarus had one set of eyes on him and the other on... Sunart.

"I," he drawled, lengthening the syllable for several extra moments, "am going... to shower. And then... um...."

He stared down at Sunart, who wagged his little tail and happily returned the look.

"...yeah." That was all John could manage. He was exhausted, mentally if not physically. This had been the kind of day you'd never read about or see in a movie. Nobody would believe it, not even as fantasy.

John stepped around the little fireball and over to the smaller cot, investigating the folded bundle and finding it to be a change of clothes. The folded red bandanna on top of the pile confirmed that the white tee and camo cargo pants had come from his own dresser back home. That, at least, was not so surprising, considering everything else that had come before. The little bit of familiarity was even kind of reassuring.

The back door opened to a large, if militaristically rudimentary, shower stall and latrine. Before he closed the door behind him again, he peered out at his alien roommates. Nalisry had taken Gianold off and set him on their cot while she sat their body beside it and groomed their fur, which had mostly dried in disheveled tufts during the long walk out of the Gauntlet. Sunart had jumped up on John's cot, apparently able to keep from burning anything around him, and was chattering happily. Seemed he could speak aloud, as well as telepathically.

"--you know you have to stay here with us, right? You're Frosty's new buddy, too! That rebellion's nothing--"

John shut the door with a sigh. It was definitely time for a shower. A long shower.