@reddityavsj: "You don't talk to me like that." The airman backhanded me across the checkpoint, and my lip split. His buddies howled. "Cry about it, sweetheart." I wiped the blood, stepped to the reader, and scanned my card. The screen flashed, and every light on the panel turned red at once. The senior sergeant behind the glass stood so fast his chair hit the wall. "Sergeant, seal the gate."