Katherine was wheeling a display in front of the bench.

“OK guys, we all know why you’re here.”

One of the boys spoke up, “Ms. Anders, is this gonna hurt?”

“Nope, just a pinch. I’ll get to that in a bit. Let’s talk about the Overpopulation Prevention Act of 2009. In 2009, Congress decided to do something about our overpopulation problem. You were all selected in a random lottery, out of all of the 11 year olds in the school. 4 boys at every elementary school in the district were selected this morning; they’re all going through exactly what you are.”

The display turned on, an anatomical view of male genitalia appeared on the screen.

“These are the testicles. When a boy grows up, these will produce sperm to fertilize a girl’s egg and make a baby. We have too many babies already, so we have to make sure that a certain percentage on the population can’t have any. If these cords are cut, the testicles will wither up and disappear. We only do this to boys because it is much easier and safer than it would be for girls. We choose 11 year olds because you are less apt to have begun later stages of puberty, and everything is the right size to work with.”

On the screen, the testicular cords are cut and the testis shrink to nothing. Katherine pointed to the device on the far wall. It was a small box with a rectangular metal bracket protruding from the front. The entire thing was mounted on an articulated arm that was bolted onto the wall.

“That’s the sterilization device. We call that the clicker, because it clicks when it is working. That machine is going to snip those cords. The clicker focuses energy through your scrotum, onto your cords, cutting them. The scrotum is unharmed and the cords are cut so fast, all you’ll feel is a pinch that might last for a few hours. OK, everyone get undressed and step into the shower, there are towels on the table behind me.”

The room was already very warm, the showers just made it hotter. All the better though, this procedure could be a pain in a cold room.

As soon as they were finished in the shower, Katherine assembled them in front of the clicker.

“Is there anyone that’ll go first to show the rest of the guys that it doesn’t hurt?”

No one replied.

“Do you want me to choose?”

Still nothing.

“Ok, Joey, come here.”

A boy with brown hair stepped forward.

“Step onto the footprints painted on the floor. Everyone else, gather around.”

Katherine pulled the towel from his waist and felt his testicles.

“We have to make sure that everything is in place before we start, some boys’ testicles never drop down into the scrotum.”

She pulled the clicker towards him and slipped his testicles through the retention bracket while lifting his penis out of the way. A plastic head slid towards that back bar of the bracket, sandwiching Joey’s scrotum in place. Katherine reached under and made sure his testicles were in position. The clicker beeped.

“The clicker just found your cords with ultrasound, that’s why it beeped. Are you ready?”

The boy nodded. True to its name, the clicker clicked rapidly. Joey grimaced. The clicking stopped and the clicker released him. Katherine moved the device aside and gave Joey’s testicles a squeeze.

“Can you feel that?”

“No.”

“Did it hurt?”

“Just pinched a little.”

“Good, here’s your towel back, you can go sit down. Alex, Jamie, you can sit as well. Ben, it’s your turn.”

Joey sat at the end of the bench, probing his scrotum. He could feel where the cords coming out of his testicles ended, the other end of them had retracted into his body. Alex and Jamie sat closer to the clicker, watching Ben. There was the beep and the clicking. Soon, Ben sat down, slightly dazed, and Alex was called. After Alex was castrated, Jamie was called. Jamie stepped onto the footprints and was clamped in.

“By the way, you did very well on that math test.”

The clicker beeped, then clicked.