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.

And that's the second time that I appeared as Corin and Olivia were kissing. It's like they're dating or something.

"Jamie!"

"Hey, Liv."

"I haven't had my name for two days and already you've given me a nickname."

"Of course. You didn't think I would keep saying a mouthful like Olivia all the time, did you? Oh-liv-ee-a. That's like, four syllables." Giggles all around. Well, except for Corin. He just sort of smiled.

"So, Queen Liv, we going to do this thing?"

"Let's get everyone in here before we start then." We waited for Keeper, Lacey, Walker, and Pedant to come before Olivia continued.

"You got the cell phones?"

"We've got something better," Bree replied going into her full geek mode. She reminded me a bit of a female Q. My step-father was a big James Bond fan. I watched them because I thought that Roger Moore was cute.

"These headsets will not only communicate cross dimensions, but will tap into local dimension communications. They are thought controlled, and completely autonomous. They have a battery life of approximately sixteen hours, and self charge when not in active use."

"Wait, I thought perpetual motion was impossible. How can they self charge?" Corin looked confused.

"The energy differential between dimensions actually causes. . ."

"Ok, I don't think we need to know quite that much, Bree." Olivia put up her hand to stop Bree from continuing. She looked a little upset about it. This was her area. Her one moment to shine.

"Sweetie? You can tell me later if you want?" I'm not sure if it was the endearment, or the offer of me listening, but Bree perked back up.

"Ok, simple version then: They will work pretty much indefinitely, and you just have to concentrate on who you want to talk to. You can communicate with as many people as you can think about at the same time."

"Bree, honey, as cool as that is, did you think to have it lock onto people? Set it up more like a phone than telepathy."

Bree looked at me, blinked, and then started to smile. She touched each of the headsets in turn.

"Ok, think of a person, and think call, and it will connect you. Think lock and you can call another person without losing the first. Think release to unlock a specific person."

"Wait. . .person?"

While we watched, Bree put on the headset. "For the demonstration, I will speak the commands, but you can just think them. Call Jamie, Lock Jamie, Call Olivia, Lock Olivia, Call Corin. Hello World!"

I heard her words in my head. 'Ok, so that's different.'

'Jamie?'

'Olivia?'

'Ok, so now we can hear each other's thoughts.' I assumed that this new "voice" was Corin. I recognized Olivia from when we'd shared the same body.

"And I hear it as words. Here, Jamie, you try."

I put on the headset, and spoke into it. "Ok, guys, talk to me."

"Wow, that's cool." thought, said, whatever Olivia.

I took off the headset and handed it back to Bree. "Um, upgrade? "

"Well, Jamie, it's all your fault. When you mentioned the way I had it set up was more like telepathy, I figured, why not. The wavelength that telepathy runs on is not all that different to the cell phones. Sure, it is a different radiation type. Ok, I know, too much info."

"I love you, Bree. You're so cute when you go all techie on me."

I gave her a quick kiss and then turned to Olivia. "So, Queen, what's the plan?"

"Why me, Jamie?"

"Code names, Queen. We are on operational footing now. It's time we took out the Beast."

"Why me, Journey?"

"You are the leader. That is why you are Queen." I smiled at her and continued, "You understand the needs of command. You are our commander. Lead us, Queen."

Olivia took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and began. "Journey, can you take us directly to Beast?"

"No, Queen. I've been trying to get a sense of him, physically, but all I get is his mindscape. Maybe if he was possessing someone here I could follow him back, but without that. . ." I stopped for a moment.

"I can't find him. I don't know enough about him physically to pick him out from the other male Jamies out there."

"Ok, so before we can get to him, we need to wait for him to attack us again," Olivia stood for a moment, thinking, and then turned to the others. "Pedant, we'll need you to stand out for this one. Your training ability is best for us here."

"But, Queen."

"If my ability were not so necessary, I wouldn't be going. You are my second in command. You kept all of them going for months. Organized them. Unified them. "

"Yes, Queen." Pedant, was smiling.

"Just don't get cocky."

He made a mildly rude gesture.

"Lacey, I need you to stay here as well. The little ones trust you."

"Yes, Queen."

"With me will be Walker, who will be linked with Journey to assist her in tracking Beast. Keeper, I need you to wear the new booster. You've been practicing like we discussed?"

"Yes, Queen."

"You know what to do, then. Well, for now, we wait. I want everyone to keep their headsets near them at all times. If this works according to plan, then we capture Beast and I start some major reprogramming." Olivia shuddered at this.

When the others left, and Bree, Corin, Olivia and I were the only ones in the room, I decided to get it out in the open.

"Liv, if this is going to take too much out of you, we can always just let me take him out on the dreamscape with Traveler."

"You don't have enough practice there. We can do this, Jamie. Rest. You made me leader for a reason."

I couldn't fault her on her logic. But I was her sword and shield, and if I could help it she would never need to put herself into harm's way.

I went into my old room here, and lay down on the bed in preparation of leaving my body

When I'd first taken a step out into the astral plane, I had been almost completely out of energy. I was running on my body's reserves, and causing damage that had taken a week to recover from. This time, I was topped out, and ready to go. I had mastered my first ability, for the most part. I could master this one as well. Then, when I was ready, I would pull the Beast into my world, and finish him off.

I slipped out of my body, sure in my ability to do this little task. I moved toward the barrier and slipped myself through it. I felt the strength of the yellow ribbon leading back to my own real home. It even pulsed a bit. I guess this is what it felt like to enter here ready. I looked around me at the expanse that before had seemed so barren.

Perception forms reality. I saw trees with yellow leaves dancing in the purple sunlight. The birds swam in the brook, while the fish sang their soft melodies in the branches.

That's not right. I looked again, and realized that I was under water. I was standing on the under surface of the water. Thought guides perception.

The moment I realized that I was actually floating in the water, I flipped myself around and swam to the surface. I looked for the shore, and realized there wasn't one. As I continued to look, something strange began to impinge upon my awareness. The ribbon connecting me to my body didn't lead into the water. It lead into the sky from here. I knew that I'd walked along the surface of whatever it was to get here. I was completely turned around.

Sometimes the way back, is the way forward.

As it spoke in a relatively silent moment of my thoughts, I realized that I was not alone here. Finally, the youngling sees. Welcome to my world, Jamie.

"Who are you!"

I am this plane. This in between. I reside in your thoughts and give thought to them. I am not your thoughts, nor are you me.

"Why do you have to talk in riddles?"

Because, Jamie. It's fun. I get so bored out here alone. There are so few of you left.

"I don't understand!"

In ages past, this land was filled with people who walked the planes. It was an ability taught by parents to their children. I lived and breathed with the life of you all. But then people forgot. They decided that magic was a children's story. They turned away from the old ways, and let technology rule their lives.

"Progress happens. It isn't good or evil."

Anything that turns humanity away from the wonder that can be found in a single leaf, or a sunset, or a baby's cry is evil.

"You are wrong. We are meant to progress. In childhood, we see everything with young eyes. We witness everything as if it were new made. It is age that brings this loss of wonder. You are growing old. People have moved on from you."

You think people have moved on? This was a land of dreams in the past. It linked every sleeping mind. Now, only those such as you can enter. I will show you the world of your nightmares.

The sky darkened, and I found myself on a desolate plain. A single dead tree broke the endless expanse. A body hung from one of the branches of the tree and looked at me as I approached. The sun disappeared from the sky, and the shadows lengthened. I will show you the evil in your heart before I take your life.

"Show yourself, Beast!"

I don't know what made me think of that. It was so much easier, I guess, to believe that this place was alive. A laughing croak emitted from the corpse on the tree. "So, you finally realize it's me. You're so deliciously trusting"

The body dropped from the tree, and began a shuffling gait toward me. It seemed deformed in some way. It was as if its proportions were perfectly disproportional. It hurt my eyes to watch him walk. "Stay there, Beast."

"Ah yes, the new name. Did I ever thank you for it? Are you my little Beauty? Gives us a kiss, Dearie."

Tendrils emitted from his mouth. I reached out and grasped my sword, slashing through the filaments that he sent toward me. Once again, I was in my adult body. My silver armor shifted around me, its weight settling upon my shoulders and breasts. The weight of the chainmail skirt pulled at my waist. I heard it skirl across my leg plates.

"You cannot defeat me, Demon!"

"I love the thoughts that you think. I think the thoughts that you reject. Let's see how you face against a real Demon!"

His body shifted, twisted, loosing itself from the frame within which it had been hiding. Before me stood a monstrous being. Its wings were black as midnight. A fire burned in the coal of its eyes. Red skin shimmered in the source less light of this place.

I slashed at the claws he extended toward me, doing little more than creating sparks. Dodging aside at the last minute, I felt the passage of air and smelt the stench of him. Something told me that letting his substance touch me wouldn't be a good idea.

What could I do? There was a skritching sound behind me. The bits I had cut off before had woven themselves into a hideous worm. I flipped the worm thing away with the tip of my sword. In the moment of my distraction, the Beast had charged. Sidestepping, I brought my sword around in a massive arc. It bit deeply into his shoulder, but bound there. The force of his passage wrenched the blade from my hands.

"Points for originality, but really, Jamie, do you think you can defeat me here?"

For the first time, I noticed a chain around his neck. It dragged along the ground, connecting him to it. There was no ribbon connecting him to his body.

"Epiphany begins! I am a part of this world. You need to keep better track of your tether."

He grabbed hold of my ribbon and pain ripped through me. I collapsed to my knees, no longer able to stand.

"You have much to learn, little Jamie. and I'm afraid that your time is now run out."

The talons extended and he slashed through my ribbon. Before it could get away he grabbed hold of it. I felt the cold take me. This is what it felt like to die, and yet be fully aware of your surroundings.

"You little fool. I have been searching for the right body for ages. Do you know how hard it was to manipulate the situation? To bind you to your alternate so you could see a version of my life? To force that slave Brian into killing her? Every step along the path, you have been my little pawn. I leave you a journal, let you believe that I am weak and conceited. People stronger than you trapped me in this world. That is the reason you couldn't even get to me. I was outside reality.

I watched as the cut end of my ribbon began to steam and evaporate. So slowly its length became less. My legs had no strength, and I collapsed even as I tried to stand.

"Give up, little Jamie. Your life is mine now. I can finally begin to take what is mine again. Believe me when I say that I feel your pain. The good news is that you won't feel it for long."

"This isn't over, Beast!"

"Yes, Jamie, it is." His form had shifted until he looked an almost duplicate of me. He pulled the chain out of the ground, and it quickly shifted into a pale blue ribbon and began to dissolve. When he tied it to my yellow ribbon, they merged together. After a brief back and forth, the ribbon turned blue. I felt as if a spear had been thrust through my heart.

"Goodbye, Jamie. You've been an excellent playmate." He laughed manically as he walked away. I expected for it to get darker, but everything began to get brighter and brighter. A voice began to call what I assumed was my name.

A mere moment to go. I looked at my ribbon, watching as it continued to disappear. Laying back, I stared at the blood red sky. So, this is what failure feels like. It had always seemed to me that it would feel worse. As the ribbon began crawling its way across my chest everything went dark.