Zydeco v. John

John shook his head, his red hair falling into his eyes as he once again glanced at the Director. "You don't understand. I'm really not an attacker--"   Interrupting himself mid-sentence, he grabbed a small crystal ball from Cheya's desk and hurled it at Zydeco. But scarcely had it left his hand than it slowed to nearly a crawl, glimmering with a half-seen light behind a veil of visual static.   The latter part managed to surprise his two examiners, even though his initial throw hadn't even widened eyes. He didn't hesitate, closing the distance between himself and Zydeco faster than any ordinary human could match, especially a human caught within his static field. As he flicked the other man on the forehead, he muttered, "I'll make this up to you by buying you lunch--"   The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back with his breath knocked out, knowing only that something had hit him way too hard. Blinking up at the beamed ceiling, he dragged in a breath and then said, "Wow."   "You can say that again," said Zydeco, appearing in John's field of vision to offer him a hand up. "You okay, kid?"   "What the hell just happened?" demanded the Director. John, letting Zydeco drag him effortlessly upright, felt a little better about his confusion. Then she went on. "Did I not just explain about Mr. Liability, Zydeco? No hitting applicants!"