Sometimes, it is what you do that matters. Sometimes, it is who you are. Usually it is just being in the proper place at the proper moment in time with the will to act.

I lay there crying. I couldn't truly appreciate what was happening around me. I heard someone collapse, and looked over to wee Walker collecting Keeper off the floor. Corin drew another ragged breath. "Jams."

"Don't talk. You need to save your strength."

"Not going to work on me, Jams. You cave me my freedom remember?" He coughed a bit and red appeared on his lips.

"You can't leave me, not now! I need you."

"You don't need anyone, Queen. You are truly special, you know that? You have a powerful weapon and the will to use it." He began coughing again, and this time a cloud of red escaped his lips, and red foam remained on his mouth and chin.

I put my hand over his mouth, leaving his nose free. "Please don't talk." I cried over him. He pulled my hand away from his mouth. He smiled at me, but didn't say another word. He simply breathed through his mouth shallowly, and so I blushed. He was having breathing problems and I covered his mouth.

"We came as requested, Queen."

"Medic, get over here and save this man's life."

He silently walked over and began to efficiently try to save Corin's life.

I turned to the other man in front of me. "Who are you?"

"Major Reeves."

"Well major, you will contact your leaders and tell them what has happened here. You will do that from this room, and when they ask you to kill me, you will hand me the phone. Are your instructions understood, major?"

"Yes, Queen." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

I grabbed the radio. "Every one of you in the sound of my voice will go about your lives as if I had not given you the command. You will remember my command however, and you will never take up arms without my express permission."

The medic shook himself, and turned to me, "Queen, I'm not sure that I can save this man. He was shot in the lung, and it is filling with fluid. Unless we can get him to a full class one trauma center, he will die."

"Then let's take him there."

"We are cordoned off."

I picked up the radio again, "I need a stretcher team in here five minutes ago, and vehicle at the entrance."

The stretcher carriers came and loaded Corin up. "Hold on," I said and gave him a quick kiss.

I looked around me at the people looking at me in the room. Some looked at me with fear in their eyes, some looked at me in awe. They all looked at me.

There was a cell phone thrust into my face. I picked it up and said chose my words carefully, "Listen, and do not put down the cell phone. Hit the speaker button. Say yes when you are done."

"Yes"

"Listen and do nothing. Who is holding the phone?"

"Ivan Winters."

"Well, Ivan. Who are you and your friends?"

"We are the ruling civilian council for the Psi Legion."

"Which is. . .?"

"All Psi in the world are inducted into the Psi legion the moment that their psi ability is registered using the Psi Edict. We use you to save the world."

"That all ends now. You will leave this sanitarium to it's own devices. You will provide nutritious, and good tasting, food to these people. You will provide them will areas to see the sun. You will never again try to control them beyond that. Are my orders understood?"

"Yes," came a chorus of voices from the phone. I hung up.

"Take me to the hospital." I turned and looked at Major Reeves even as I ordered him. He gestured for me to precede him, so I did. We walked out to an obvious military vehicle, but nothing like the Humvees I was used to. Again, it had no windows, but this time there was a faint glow and a view to the outside world. We drove to the hospital that Jamie and I had entered this world through. I was taken to the waiting room. They don't change much no matter what changes in the technology. Uncomfortable chairs and industrial lighting. It was the most uncomfortable space that she had ever sat in.

Grey walls, with some flashes of color here and there. Gray tile and gray patterned carpeting in a checkerboard pattern.

Everything ratcheted up the pressure. The waiting. There were no doctors or nurses in the wall. I looked at the camera, and wondered if they needed to hear me to be commanded. . .

I focused on the person in the room that was fed by the camera. "You will get a nurse of doctor to me now!" I repeated this over and over again for a few minutes before I heard a ruckus and saw a man in a security uniform being dragged by two orderlies. "There she is! She needs to speak to a doctor. Why won't any of you listen to me?" He started struggling even harder when he saw me. I couldn't help but smile.

I looked at his face, as he looked at me, and said, "I release you."

He immediately relaxed and then looked at me again. I saw the fear in his eyes, but I didn't stop there. I looked at the nurse escorting the orderlies and security guard. This time I thought at her, 'Come over and talk to me!'

She stopped, shook her head, and started walking again.

I repeated the command, 'Come talk to me now!'

Her step faltered, but she off again, and almost around the corner.

'talktometalktometalktometalktometalktome' I rambled in my mind. She stopped, turned, and started walking to me, but the second I stopped, she turned back around after shaking her head.

"Talk to me!" I said this last aloud, but it wasn't loud enough to actually reach her ears. She turned and walked back to me. Something to think about.

When she got to me, she glared at me and said, "You wanted to speak to me?" There was a sneer on her face.

"I would suggest that you be a little nicer to me. . .Patty."

"Why's that, you little thing?"

"I will show you why not." I focused on her, and made a short command, "You will kneel in my presence!!"

She dropped to her knees and glared at me.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

She continued to glare but said, "Yes" with a pained smile on her face.

"I release you!"

She got to her feet, and turned to leave.

"I am not done with you, Patty. I have been left here without any news of what happened to my friend."

"you mean the thing with a gunshot wound."

"I warned you, and I showed you I could make my commands felt," fear appeared in her eyes, but I continued. She got up to run, but it was already too late. I hated myself for this already. "We are people, and children most of us. You will think of us as people and treat us as such!"

She stopped and turned around. There was a little hate left in her eyes, but it faded as I watched. "I'm sorry sweetie, I shouldn't have acted that way."

I vomited all over my feet. I needed to stop doing this.

"Let me get someone out here to clean that up, and I'll find out what is happening for you."

She walked away, and a few minutes later an orderly came out with a mop. He even cleaned off my feet. Something about this one was different.

"Why aren't you treating me poorly like the nurse did?"

"I don't want you frying my mind."

"You will never obey my commands! Now, does your mind feel fried?"

He shook his head, his eyes widening. "Thank you, Queen. I won't betray your trust in me. Thank you!"

There were tears in his eyes. What had I just done? I thought I'd made it so he could never obey my commands?

Seeing my confusion, he spoke to me, "You didn't have to give up your power over me. You could have commanded me to stop being afraid, or anything like that. What you did was make it so I was safe from you instead. You are special, and give trust where it isn't earned. Thank you so much for my mind."

He hugged me, and I returned it awkwardly. He then finished his job and walked off. I hoped I wouldn't live to regret this.

I again started waiting.

"They told me you were here!"

I turned to look at the person who had yelled. It was the guy who had been sitting next to Jamie₄'s bed. He wasn't wearing his glasses this time, and something about him seemed familiar. I looked hard at him.

"Brian?!"

He sped up. "Jamie, you're ok!"

"STOP!" He came to a halt. I felt my skin crawl. "I need for you to stay back, Brian."

"You can't do this to me, Jamie. We're going to be together finally now. You and me, right? We were meant to be."

"We're not anything, Brian."

"I know you. I know, I know. We could never be together because your family would never have understood. I only look like a boy now, after all. I have changed to be the one for you, Jamie. But you remembered my boy name. You and I are meant to be together."

'Wait...WHAT?!' I looked at him again. . .his face was a bit softer than the Brian I knew, and his hips were wider.

"I love you, Jamie"

"No, this can't be right. What's wrong with this world?" I was confused. This was all wrong. Everything here was wrong.

"Jamie?"

I saw in his eyes the same look he had when he killed me. I couldn't let him do this again.

"Stay away from me!"

"I don't need to get near you to kill you, Jamie. We will be together in another world." His face took on a rictus grin and he raised his right arm. "You know what this is, Jamie? No? Of course not. You never graduated, did you? I went through that sanitarium on my own. They gave me a Lance. Only, they didn't know what my power was. This lance makes me, a lowly level V your equal. . .no, your better. I improved it."

"What are you talking about?"

"No more explanations, Jamie. Let's go to hell!"

"Forget me. Forget you ever knew me. Forget your plans for me."

Brian blinked a couple of times, saw me, and smiled. "Hi, I'm Brianna, but all my friends call me Bree."

I smiled at her and responded, "I'm Jamie, nice to meet you."

"Jamie's a nice name. Want to see my Psi Lance?"

"What's a Psi Lance?"

"It's a weapon for Psi users, like me. I wouldn't normally be able to use it, but I have a Psi boost I made." she giggled. "I found some of Kyle Longtree's notes while hiking a few years ago." Her face showed confusion, "or was I hiking. . .no matter," her smile came back, "I found his notes in a safe in the woods. It was a cabin of some sort. He had the schematics for the psi booster there. Gave me enough power to get arrested. . .why did I want to get arrested."

"So, this is a Psi lance?"

She walked close and whispered. "It's a special one. Mk ii. It is about four times as powerful as a Mk i." She giggled. "More than powerful enough. . .I don't know why I wanted it."

"Don't worry about it, Bree."

"Ok. I won't. You're so nice, Jamie."

I felt a little uncomfortable with her hero worship, but I didn't know how to 'fix' her without changing her completely.

"Jamie, Corin is awake." I turned to see Patty standing there. "He's asking for you."
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The last view I had of that world was the blood on the shower walls. I let go of the world and it all went away. Something was wrong this time. The last time that I was floating between worlds, it was floating. I was comfortable. Free.

This time I was in wracking torment. I could not even focus well enough to find my endpoint and grab hold. I tried again and again, but my grip kept slipping.

Then something grabbed me and I was pulled in. It wasn't the right way. I needed to go the other way. I made a final effort and grabbed onto my destination with both hands, and instantly I was there.

I blacked out after looking into the bluest eyes I had ever seen.