David sat anxiously in his new living room, waiting for Dr. Morris's arrival. He worried about the spells he'd started having again, hoping they wouldn't go as far as they had the last time. It was hard enough to find a new place to live where he wouldn't be recognized and remain in town at the same time. He'd almost been shot the last time. People had a tendency to get violent when faced with the inexplicable.
      He heard a car pull up to the curb. He went out on the porch to greet Dr. Morris when he saw it was her. She came right to him, concern on her face. "Have they started again?"
      "Yes." David nodded, nervously.
      "I'll go get my things. I'll be right back."
      Mark waved from his yard next door. "Hey, you didn't tell me that you had a line on hot foxes. Aren't you going to introduce me?"
      "Maybe later, Mark. Business."
      "Hey, sure. If I had a line on action that wild, I'd keep her to myself, too."
      "It's not quite that, Mark."
      "Hey, I understand. No problemo, amigo."
      Elena returned to the porch, and David ushered her inside to keep her from having to deal with Mark. "Sorry about the neighbor."
      "You actually acknowledge his presence?"
      "Neanderthals are best mollified with a front. It makes for smoother sailing in the long run. I mean, I have to live next door to him. It's not like places are easy to find on short notice these days."
      "I don't envy you."
      "He's all right if you ignore him as much as possible. Just misguided from too much pressure as a child to succeed and not enough guidance in his emotional maturity, compounded by peer pressure, a common male disease."
      "Well, enough of him. He's not my problem. How are you feeling?"
      "I've got a very bad feeling. I hope it's just pessimism, but I don't think so. I think I feel a big one coming on."
      "How big?"
      "Maybe the worst yet."
      "Why do you say that?"
      "The way I feel."
      "Describe it."
      "Uncomfortable, dreadful, wrong. Nothing to pinpoint. It's like when you know you're going to be sick, but you've not yet hit high or low on body temperature. It just doesn't feel right inside. Overall, nothing really in particular that I can put my finger on. Just very strange, but worse than before. Kind of like a dejá vu, but different. It draws attention like that, but with a different feeling. More physical."
      "Let me check your blood pressure. From what we saw in what little data we accumulated on you, you had a drop in blood pressure before each episode that we monitored. You look a bit pale. Sit down. Are you dizzy?"
      "No, but my perception is odd. Things don't appear to be too stable. I see a shifting of depth, a contracting and a tilting."
      "Sit down."
      David sat. Elena took out her stethoscope and blood pressure pad and started checking his vital signs. She stuck a thermometer in his mouth. Just after she read it, David started to tremble. He moaned and rushed to the bed, his step erratic. He stubbed his toe on the door frame, but he didn't even notice. He had his full available attention on getting to the mattress before the spell blossomed into full effect.
      He made it most of the way onto the bed before the full wave hit him. Shocks began to surge through him. Dr. Morris got him the rest of the way on the bed, feeling the violent surges in her grip, unable to restrain his motions. She guided his legs in line with his body just as the house began to shudder. David kept nothing on the shelves. Everything loose was on the floor, so nothing would fall and break or smash something else.
      She felt her feet bouncing like being on the surface of one of the old children's football games that simulated action with an imbalanced shaft on a small motor that vibrated the pieces on a flat metal playing field. David started rising and falling like a rag doll being pounded by a child in a tantrum. The bed started crashing, all four legs hitting the floor at once. Everything on the floor was sliding and bouncing in fraction of an inch tics.
      The closet door opened and things slithered their way out past the opening like a fleeing crowd in an earthquake. Elena yelled out David's name, but he had no attention to give her. If he was aware of her voice, he had no way to indicate it. The vibration reached a crescendo after several minutes and then suddenly abated. The power gripping the house suddenly dissipated. David lay there on the bed moaning loudly.
      Elena shivered and got a grip on herself. This was the strongest spell she had witnessed. She turned David on his back with difficulty, her limbs weak from the experience and David being dead weight. She began to examine him, opening his shirt for visual inspection and better readings from her equipment.
      He appeared to be weak, but everything was otherwise regular, his blood pressure dropping. He finally came to, enough to focus on her.
      "Are you okay?"
      "I guess. Weak. Scattered. I don't have full control of myself yet. But I don't hurt. I guess I stayed on the bed this time."
      "I got you centered on the bed as it hit."
      "Thanks. Well, did you learn anything?"
      "No. Nothing new. I wasn't really prepared for it to be this bad. I didn't have enough time to get set up. But I do know that this one was worse than any other I've seen you undergo. How soon since the last one?"
      "You saw the one previous to this."
      "So they are getting further apart and more violent."
      "What am I going to do?"
      "We don't know yet. Like I told you, there is nothing quite like this in the medical journals. This is not a nervous disorder. That is obvious by now. A person bouncing on a bed doesn't make things slide around on the floor like everything did here. To be honest, I'm stumped as a doctor. David, you have got to come in for more thorough testing. Not medically. I want to talk to a physicist I know and see if we can't get a qualitative analysis about what is going on around you when you have these spells.
      "You display symptoms of a seizure, but they're by no means classic. And considering the other effects that surround you, I'd expect them to be far more pronounced. You have no typical muscle contractions. You turn a bit flushed, but not the bright red of a major seizure. And from what I observed, your motions are not from your muscles. I've never seen anyone bounce like that. You were limp, not tensed for exertion. I honestly don't know what it is, and I can't suggest treatment on the limited knowledge I possess. Please consent to come into a testing lab. It won't be a hospital. No checking in or anything like that. Just a personal visit to a research facility."
      "Okay. I'm convinced. Where and when?"
      "I'll call when I've made arrangements. How do you feel now, better?"
      "Yeah, I'm starting to come around. I still feel drained."
      "I'm not surprised." she responded.
      "Look, there's nothing more for you to do here. Why don't you go on and make contact with your people for the tests?"
      "I'll stay awhile longer to make sure that you don't relapse. I still have a few questions. Did you feel anything during the event?"
      "No. I was blank. I remember dropping to the bed, and that was it."
      "Did you fade out or was it lights out, like a snap?"
      "It was like being stretched like taffy, a pulling away, but not slow. It was like being pulled in two directions. It wasn't like falling down a hole, like when you pass out. Swoon. You know what I mean, when you fall out of consciousness? Like the floor falls away?"
      "I understand the meaning."
      "It was like something was pushing and pulling at the same time, and I was separated, like water from a big hole in a bucket. Squeezed and drained at the same time, but no falling. It was sort of like when you pass out standing, numb, and you don't feel hitting the floor, though your other senses tell you that you're bouncing off the floor, then gone."
      "An odd description."
      "Does that surprise you?"
      "Not anymore, David. Do you sense anything different?"
      "I feel weak."
      "Physically?"
      "Yeah, like my body is lead. Moving takes an effort."
      "How about mentally?"
      "Nothing major that I notice."
      "Can you sing?"
      "Sing?"
      "Singing comes a slightly different area of the brain than does talking. Try to sing."
      "What?"
      "Something you know."
      "Okay. 'Miles on the road, I've seen too many hours away from home. Oh my heart's so tired of this string of hotels and pay phones. Too many stop lights on the main streets have robbed them of their charms, and all I want is be right there, sweetly in your arms.' Is that enough?"
      "Yes. I don't recognize the song, but I heard no falters of notes or memory. Where did you learn it?"
      "It's part of a song I wrote."
      "You wrote that? I'm impressed. Do you play an instrument?"
      "Guitar.
      "Could you play the song for me?"
      "I doubt that I could squeeze the strings to the frets hard enough."
      "But you remember how to play it?"
      "Yes. It's in the key of A. I had to go through a dozen rewrites to get it to come out the way I wanted it to both sound and singing."
      "There's a difference?"
      "Yeah. Pauses for breath, tempo and flow of the words from the lungs and across the tongue. A song not only has to sound right, but it has to feel right in mechanics."
      "Okay. I never could sing worth a darn. Why did you sing that song? Do you feel displaced, away from home? Are you lonely?"
      "I guess. I don't know if it was that. I guess it was because I worked on it and practiced it so much to learn it. It's not the easiest song to sing. I guess the difficulty in singing had something to do with it. I felt that if I could sing that, I could sing most anything I know. It has long lines and takes considerable breath, and some of the notes are subtle choices, harmonies to a main line. And timing is sticky. Miss a cue to a line and you lose the line. It only fits one way with no room for slop."
      "So it was as much testing yourself as anything."
      "Yeah."
      "Well, you seem cognizant, and I haven't observed any uncontrolled movement. Touch the tip of my pen with the ring finger of your left hand."
      David complied without overt difficulty or hesitation.
      "Well, you seem normal enough now. How has this event made you feel?"
      "Emotionally? A little scared. I'm no longer as confident that a solution can be found. I now know that I can't fight this off by myself. I don't see myself being as strong as I had previously thought. I want to have faith, but it's escaping my grip."
      "Well, I'll go. You seem to be settling quite nicely and returning to normal. Heart steady, pupils constant, skin color average, breathing regular and easy. I'll go now and start getting things arranged for the tests. Will you be home?"
      "Are you kidding? I wouldn't dare go out after that. I can just see me doing that in some store."
      "I'll come by and pick you up to take you there. Best that you not drive for the time being. Even with the warning signs coming earlier each time, I don't think it's a good idea for you take the chance. I'll call and let you know when. If you feel another episode coming on, call my office. If I'm not there, I'll be paged, top priority. And don't give up hope, David. Maybe once we find out what this is, we can find out what to do about it."
      She stood from the bed, and David got to his feet, feeling his strength returning. He walked her to the door to demonstrate his increasing vigor. He went out onto the porch with her, and Elena squeezed his hand and smiled to encourage him to have hope. She turned and went to her car.
      "Hoo boy, you put me to shame!" called Mark from the next door yard. "You almost had the whole house shaking. I guess you're not the wimp I had you pegged for."
      Elena smiled at David, signaling that at least his secret was still safe in this new location. She closed the door to "Hey, baby, any time you want spread the action around a little, you're always wel. . .
      "Mark, did anyone ever tell you that you could use a bit of practice on tactfulness?"
      "Oh, is she one of those sensitive women? You could have fooled me from the way your house was rattling."
      "She's not the kind to fall for words. She looks for something a bit more revealing."
      "Oh, I get you. You're hung."
      "Close, Mark. Very close, but not yet."
      "Huh?"
      "Never mind. I'm going to go lay down for awhile."
      "Wore yourself out?"
      "I wish." David went back inside, seeing Dr. Morris drive away and being tired of having to devise cryptic answers to Mark's insipid questions.

      

 
      Two days later, David sat in his living room and waited for Dr. Morris. He heard her pull up and went outside.
      "Are you ready to go?" she asked.
      "I guess." He went out to the car and got in, and Elena drove off from the curb into traffic.
      "You don't seem too eager for this." she offered.
      "At this point, I can't get too eager about anything."
      "You look depressed."
      "I think that I have a right to be, don't you think?"
      "Well, have some hope. I feel that we will get some answers on your next event. Have you had any symptoms?"
      "Not since the last time. How long will I be at this place where we 're going?"
      "Depends on what we find. Hopefully, you'll be able to go home after you have your next event."
      "I wish you'd stop calling them events."
      "What would you like me to call them?"
      "They're spells, aren't they?"
      "If you want me to call them spells, I will, but I don't see them as spells. Were it a standard condition, they could be spells. But this isn't a standard case, and the symptoms don't seem to be internally generated."
      "Not internal?"
      "No. These vibrations and spasms are not of your body's doing. I've determined that much. How do I say this? I feel that what is happening to you is not caused by internal processes. I feel that something external is acting upon you."
      "Like what?" he asked, showing alarm.
      "I don't know. That is what we hope to discover."
      "What could it be that's doing this?"
      "I don't know. I've done a lot of consulting on this, and no one has yet to give me a firm idea of a possible cause. But we will be measuring the physical forces that surround you during these episodes. We're also going to do a thorough medical analysis. We've assembled a crew of some twelve authorities in their fields to study as thoroughly as possible everything that is going on when you suffer one of your spells."
      "Like what? Who?"
      "Forces acting in the room, forces in your body, reactions of your nervous system, and more. We've three physicists, a chemist, an atmospheric specialist, several technicians, and three doctors that are specialists. You'll be in a harness that will be suspended on elastic chords. We'll be monitoring your body's responses from start to finish."
      "I'll be tied down?"
      "Yes." she replied, trying to seem routine.
      "For how long?"
      "Well, we don't know if there will be time for you to get a warning and then get you hooked up. You'll be placed in the harness when we get there, then we'll wait for an episode. It shouldn't take too long. Your last episodes were fifty seven hours apart. It was fifty hours before that. It's been fifty five hours since the last one. I don't see the wait lasting more than eight hours.
      David sighed. "Oh, what the heck? I'm not doing anything anyway."
      "It will take a few hours to get you hooked up properly. I'm sorry, but if we're to determine exactly what is happening, it's necessary."
      David fell into silence for the rest of the drive there, which took almost half an hour. Elena didn't push him into any more conversation. They arrived at the modern looking complex, a solid building made out of heavy concrete. David felt that he wouldn't rattle this place, at least physically. Elena led him inside. David was hurriedly introduced to everyone, but the names were a blur soon forgotten. Elena stayed with him as they led him to the testing room and started getting him prepared. He was stripped and bathed and marked with a pen after an examination by the specialists. Then he was led to the testing harness and strapped in.
      The process took over three hours. Adhesive sensors were placed atop the pen marks on his body and response tests were run, team by team. Once everything was in place, the equipment that wasn't to be attached to him was rolled into place and tested, then another test of his personal equipment was run with the rest of the equipment running to make sure that there wouldn't be interference. Adjustments were made, and the waiting began. Elena tried to cheer him up, having finished explaining what everything was as it was being attached and checked.
      "You don't look too thrilled about all this." She patted his chest.
      "This is not the way I prefer to dress. I hope these i.v.'s don't break during the spell." David sounded worried.
      "They shouldn't, with the way they were inserted and anchored. Are you comfortable?"
      "Could you scratch behind my left ear? It itches."
      "Not an easy request. It's easy to scratch your own itches, but difficult to scratch other's. Tell me where and when you've had enough."
      "You got it, but harder. There."
      "I'm sorry you have to go through with this, but we need to know with what we are dealing."
      "How long will it be before you know anything?"
      "Hard to say. Data takes time to interpret properly, especially with so many fields being studied at once. Some we'll know at a glance. Others will take longer to determine. Then there's the correlation of data into a whole picture. We're going to try a few things during the episode, like shielding, sedation, and more. We're going to try and pinpoint the cause by studying a few variables. Some will depend on cues from the incoming data. More than likely, we'll inject you with a tranquilizer during the episode, and you'll wake up in a bed in another room."
      "Not before?"
      "No. We want a natural state at the onset. Would you like a little music to distract you while you wait?"
      "I guess."
      "What kind of music do you like?"
      "Do they have any blue grass, contemporary country, or soft rock?"
      "In that order of preference? I'll go check. Holler out if you feel the onset of a spell."
      "Okay. Are you going to be beside me when it hits?"
      "Yes. Everyone else here is concerned with the gathering of data. My main concern is your well being. I'll be by your side."
      Elena went and asked for some music to be played, then returned to wait at his side. They spoke over the music in time-passing small talk, and David sang along with some of the songs he knew at Dr. Morris's request, giving the sensors something to measure before the onset as added base data.
      Three hours passed before David felt the first premonition of an upcoming spell. Everyone went their stations and began marking the hard copy records with notes.
      "Are you scared?" she asked.
      "Yes. This is worse than the last time. My stomach wants to turn flips. I'm feeling things I haven't before. This is bad. Real bad. Dr. Morris, I want you away from me. Go get behind shelter."
      "Why do you say that?"
      "This one is different. Something is going to happen on this one. I can feel it. I don't how to tell you how I know, but this isn't going to be an ordinary spell."
      "What are you feeling?"
      "An anticipation, but not my own."
      "What?"
      "It's like somebody licking their chops before dinner, and I'm the main course."
      "I don't follow."
      "I feel a presence of another being that isn't me. I can't understand what its thoughts are, but I feel like I'm being examined. Anticipation, perplexity at all the attachments, determination."
      "You're not making sense."
      "Yes, I am. Maybe you were right about this being external. Go, get away from me. I don't want you to be hurt. This is going to be different. More violent than before. Much more so. Go."
      "David, I. . ."
      "GO!" He started trembling all over, then his eyes rolled back into his head. There was a cessation of the music, and Elena was warned over the speaker to retreat from the patient. The warning was repeated emphatically.
      She backed off reluctantly. The elastic restraints started stretching and contracting to the movement that the harness started taking. David opened his mouth and screamed, then he said in a deep voice, "Colmotae brosgrot portetomei!"
      Elena retreated to a leaded glass screen and watched in horror as David began to bounce violently in the harness, twisting and turning as he rose and fell. His voice rang out more unfamiliar words as he rode the harness. Reports of lost tracking from the remotes began to sound. Everyone then began to shout reports as a vortex of energy established itself in the room, David at the center.
      Elena turned to Dr. Felding and shouted, "Sedation!" over the roar in testing room. He made an attempt, then shrugged and yelled, "No response from the remote!"
      A cry of "Radiation rising! " stopped her from going out to see what she could do for David. Large equipment began to vibrate on their racks, and a few toppled over. Wind began to churn wildly in the room as David churned and flew wildly in all directions, the harness coming dangerously close to the floor. Some of the test equipment was struck and smashed.
      The center of the room surrounding David began to emit a strange violet light, uneven and dancing. Then there was an ear hurting pop, and suddenly everything subsided. The sudden silence was uncanny, and Elena didn't trust it. "Report." she requested.
      One by one, the stations reported that the surviving equipment had shown that things had returned to normal. She didn't wait for the responses to finish before rushing out to David's side. She gave him a hurried examination to find him alive and stabilizing, but he remained unconscious. She drew a quick blood sample and had an assistant rush it for analysis, making sure that he understood that the first test was to see if the sedative had been administered.
      With help, she got him out of the harness and onto a guerney. They rolled him out of the ruin and into a private room. Further tests were run, and all indicated that he was doing well or returning to normalcy. But he still didn't waken. He was given a stimulant, and that failed to bring him to. When they had exhausted all tests available, they left him in the room under guard, and she ordered that she be notified immediately upon his waking. Elena returned to the testing room and asked for the available data to be brought to the conference room. They specialists gathered with their information and started reconstructing the events in ten second intervals, correlating what was available.
      The data showed far more than met the eye. While still functioning, the equipment showed energy levels in David's body that should have killed him. Analysis showed chemical levels that were quite toxic to the average person. Brain wave scan showed violent activity within the brain, growing ever stronger until it overloaded the equipment's ability to accurately record. His vital signs were a roller coaster during the episode.
      The aparatus set around David showed severe stress forces acting on the structure, high levels of radiation on many bands from infra-red to gamma, with a very high neutrino count present in the latter stages. Ion counts became considerable during the violence. Atmospheric pressure fluctuated and temperature readings were dynamically unstable.
      Once the data had been reviewed, Dr. Greenspan turned to Elena and said, "From all accounts, your patient should be quite dead, not merely unconscious."
      "Does anyone have any theory as to a cause of this series of events?"
      There were many mutters, but no proposal came forth as to cause. During the confusion, a guard came into the room, looking distressed. "Dr. Morris, your patient vanished."
      "Vanished?"
      "Yes. He just faded out in a couple of seconds."
      "Faded out?"
      "Yes, he started becoming transparent, then disappeared, and the sheets collapsed where he had been. He's no longer there. We checked."
      "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen." Elena ran from the room to the room where David had been placed. An empty bed with ruffled sheets was all that she had found. She sat in the chair in the room and tried to find a reasonable explanation. None came.
      She stayed at the complex for two days, sleeping there, looking at the data as it was further interpreted and waiting for David to hopefully reappear. He didn't. She eventually left, her sanity in question in her own mind. She wasn't alone in the feeling. No one there could assimilate what had taken place with any logic.

      

 
      Elena took a vacation, as shaken as she was by the events. She took with her the accumulation of data and looked for an answer. She retreated to a friend's weekend cabin by a lake and studied the results of the testing without any progress in her overall comprehension. She was stumped for a logical reason. Government officials had been out to ask questions more than once. She could give them no reasons that satisfied them and ended up being terse with their demands for answers.
      She had been away for a week and was just sitting and staring out over the water, the breeze blowing her hair, when she was startled by the appearance of man behind her. It was David.
      "What in the world happened to you? Where did you go?"
      "I don't know. I just woke up at home. There won't be anymore events, though. I know that."
      "When did you wake up?"
      "Ten minutes ago."
      "You were at your house ten minutes ago?"
      "Uh, yeah. I called your office first to see what had happened, but I was told that you were on vacation. Then I sort of saw you here, then I was here behind you. What happened?"
      "That's what I've been trying to find out. You disappeared after the event. You were taken to another room, and then you just vanished from bed. All on camera. You just faded out. Poof. How do you feel?"
      "Odd. But I feel all right as well."
      "You said that the events had come to an end. How do you know?"
      "I just do. Whatever was supposed to happen did happen the last time, during the tests. What did you find out?"
      "That you should be dead and that none of what happened should have happened. I'm baffled. I need answers, David."
      "You first."
      "You're not going to vanish on me again, are you?"
      "I don't think so. I came here wanting to come here. I'm not ready to leave yet. Tell me what you learned."
      Elena told David all that had been accumulated and played the video tape of the event for him. Then she started asking questions.
      "You said that you just arrived here. How?"
      "I guess it was teleportation. I saw you sitting here in my mind, and that picture became real to me, and I was here."
      "This was the first that you knew of this?"
      "Yeah. I'd only been awake a few minutes, and most of that was spent wondering how I'd gotten home and what had happened."
      "Could you do it again?"
      "I believe so."
      "Can you see remotely without traveling?"
      "I think I can. Yeah, if I have something on which to focus."
      "What else can you do?"
      "I don't know."
      "Can you read my mind?"
      "I don't know."
      "Try. I'm thinking of something specific."
      "Hmm. The song I sang after the spell I had at the house?"
      "Yes, as a matter of fact. Try again."
      "A field of flowers that you used to visit as a teen-ager."
      "This is incredible. What else can you do?"
      David shrugged.
      "Concentrate. Introspection. Dig down inside and look at yourself and what you can do."
      David closed his eyes, thought, and after thirty seconds slumped into unconsciousness.
      He woke a short while later, seeing Elena on the phone. He broke the connection by pressing the cradle buttons with his mind. She turned around to look at him.
      "Sorry. Dr. Morris, I'll give you what answers I can, but then I have to go. I now know what happened to me. I know the different things that I can do. But I won't allow people to tie me down for study. That has come to an end. No more probing. I won't sit still for it. You have a video camera. Go get it and set it up. I'll leave a statement on record, but I won't allow the government to control me. Believe me, they will want to control me. I can not allow them to do so."
      "Why?"
      "I was a weapon, one too powerful for the likes of mankind. Go get the camera and set it up. Then I'll make everything clear to everyone concerned."

      

 
      Elena entered the conference room, and all eyes turned fully on her. "Gentlemen, you have all the data that was done at the test site. You have also heard testimony from everyone involved except the test subject and myself since the subject's return and subsequent departure. I have with me the video tape I described, containing the statement the subject made upon his return.
      "Before I show it to you, I will make a statement about the contents of the tape. The tape was made shortly after the return of the subject. He showed to me a range of remarkable talents which he explains on the tape. I will say that everything he claims to be true, though verification on much of it is impossible. Much will need to be taken on his word. Our relationship, based on trust, leads me to believe that he had no reason to lie to me. I accept what he has stated on the tape.
      "As a doctor, I am always on the look-out for charlatanry. It is my firm opinion that none exists here. The unusualness of the events of the testing should give you some clue to the authenticity of what the subject says on the tape. I have prepared a written report that I will hand out after the tape is played. It covers as much as I can offer. I hope that it will suffice enough that you will not tie me up for long with questions. There is little, if not nothing, that I can verbally add to the report."
      Elena took the tape from her purse and slid it into the video player. She turned on the television and started the tape playing. There on the screen sat David, composed but appearing concerned.
      "To whom it may concern. I am aware that there is much interest in the events surrounding me. With this tape, I hope to answer a few of them. The parties responsible for the events that occurred to me do not reside on Earth. They live elsewhere, around different suns than our own. I will not name them, since they might resent my divulging such information. They are quite powerful, and I for one would not wish their ire turned upon the human race. Let it suffice to be said that they do not at this point desire diplomatic contact with our race.
      "They are powerful, but they are peaceful. Were they not, we wouldn't have survived this long. But they found themselves in a conflict which threatened the fabric of their culture. In order to settle this conflict with as little violence as possible, they turned to me, transforming me into a weapon. I was used to settle the issue after my transformation became complete. You were witness to that transformation, if you have reviewed the tape of the tests that were made on me. It was not a natural event, nor was it manmade. It was the product of a highly advanced technology, and was done remotely.
      "In carrying out my assigned duties, I was delivered to their opposition in a show of strength, as warning of what they would face if they continued their aggression against the culture that remade me. I was sent as a representation of what they would face if they insisted on continuing the conflict. They chose me because I grew up in a warring society. They also chose me because I am basically a peaceful person that would chose non-violent methods when possible in convincing their opponents to desist.
      "I was fortunate in convincing them, and thus I saved the human race from being transformed into the same thing as I now exist and being drafted into a war not of our own making. Perhaps many would consider this to be a positive thing, since I have gained many powers that many people dream of possessing. But let it be known that we would have been exterminated for the sake of safety. Defused, so to speak.
      "In essence, I have become something of a god. I can travel far distances instantaneously, see things remotely by merely focusing my attention, create and destroy matter, read and control minds, and more. In other words, I have the power to control the fabric of reality. That is why I decline to make a personal appearance. I do not wish to tempt you into trying to figure out how to enlist me into your system of defense.
      "Do not look for me, since your searches would yield nothing. I will be where you can not find me. I have not yet had sufficient time to reflect upon how I shall carry on with the rest of my life, having just gained the knowledge of my abilities. There is much upon which I must reflect before I will feel comfortable in doing. Let me say that I offer you no threat, as long as you carry on in a peaceful manner. Mankind faces many problems, and I might possibly be able to help solve many of them, but at this point, I need more time to consider consequences. Often times good intentions have disastrous results. I intend to play to the side of caution with the powers I possess.
      "For a demonstration of my powers, there will appear in Death Valley a circle in the sand where I will demonstrate my abilities. All those that wish to observe are welcome to do so. The demonstration will be given on May first, noon local standard time. Be it known that once the circle is formed, no one will find it possible to enter that circle. That is for the protection of those viewing. I do not wish to harm anyone. It will appear six days before the demonstration is to begin, and any living thing within the area where I will place the circle will be transferred outside the perimeter.
      "In the meantime, let me reiterate that I am not your enemy and that I intend harm on no one. I may in the future contribute my efforts to the betterment of mankind, but not without long study and consultation. I'm not out to rock the boat. I'll try my best not to surprise you.
      "In closing, I want to thank everyone that helped with the tests that were conducted on my behalf, and I apologize for any discomfort your participation may have caused you in confusion or the subsequent actions of others investigating the events. And let me warn those of you doing the investigation that I do not want those involved in trying to help me to be harassed on my account. Most of these people have things to do, many of which are needed by others. They have lost enough time paying attention to me. If you insist on getting answers, wait until I appear before you and then ask me. I will be monitoring those that gave me their time, and if I see them harassed with questioning that they do not wish to entertain, I will intervene remotely by placing those doing the harassing in a remote location where they will not cause a bother. I won't harm them, but I will make it difficult for them to continue such harassment. So ask, but make sure that you have a willing audience before you do so. This goes double for Dr. Morris. Though she saw me on a professional basis, I consider her a friend. I treasure her freedom. She is a doctor and has patients that depend on her.
      "Again, I would advise that you do not see me as a threat. I am powerful beyond comprehension, but I do not intend to disrupt people's lives with my power. It is my way. It is why I was chosen for the role I played. If you wish to compile a list of things that could possibly warrant the attention of my powers, I would be willing to consider them. I make no promises that I will act upon them, but I would appreciate my attention being brought to bear upon them."
      The screen turned to snow. Elena turned off the tape player and the television. She placed the tape on the table with a gesture of offering the tape for further inspection. Next to it, she laid down a stack of paper.
      "So, gentlemen. There is the tape, and there is my report. As I stated, I believe the subject to be of right mind and honest. I witnessed a few of his powers, as my report states. I am convinced that he is powerful, but that he intends no malice toward anyone without due provocation. He was a man of gentle nature, often excusing the actions of many that most people would criticize. I would describe him as warm-hearted and forgiving. I do not feel that he is a threat to any of us. He is intelligent and tries to see the motives of others when judging actions. He is now quite capable of doing a thorough inspection of people's thoughts and motives. My advice to you is to accept this report and consider him a potential factor for positive change. Try to work with him, not against him.
      "His power comes from the distant stars, from a place we do not yet comprehend. I understand grounds for apprehension, but I personally do not feel them to be warranted. If you follow such apprehensions to actions that he would construe as reprehensible, you are, in my opinion, making a grave error. He is a good man. Treat him as such. I have nothing further to add. If I may be excused, I have a practice which I have neglected to this occurrence. I need to turn my attention back to those that need me. Any objections?"
      Elena could see those wanting to object, but none spoke. "I'll see you out." offered one of the men at the table.

      

 
      Elena sank into her favorite chair at the end of her first week back at her office. She moaned to the pains she felt. "Oh, I had forgotten how rough my schedule was. Why do I miss him?"
      "You sound like the second verse of that song I sang you."
      "David! You scared the fool out of me!"
      "Sorry. I'll start letting you hear a little melody before I appear."
      "Please do. What second verse?"
      "Remember the song I sang to you after the spell at my house?"
      "Oh, right. How does it go?"
      "Every bump in the road adds to this weariness I feel. Oh, just to sit in my favorite chair, a small chance to heal, to hear your voice once again without having to call, to hear you singing oh so sweetly, just right down the hall."
      "Loosely appropriate. You were eavesdropping."
      "I can't travel like this without sneaking a peek first."
      "Well, to what do I owe this visit?"
      "I felt you missing me. I can go if it was not sincere."
      "No, David, stay. How are you doing?"
      "That's an improvement over 'How do you feel?' I'm doing okay. I've been doing a lot of research and thinking."
      "Come to any decisions yet?"
      "Not really. I keep going around in ontological circles. In helping, do I end up hurting the future? Before I gained the power, such an argument wouldn't have presented such a problem. The responsibility is awesome."
      "True. But at least you're being sincere in your efforts. Far better that than just jumping in without forethought. Can I do something for you?"
      "Oh, I guess I was just feeling a bit lonely for some conversation. I got tired of hearing my own thoughts. One can't think properly without educated feedback and remain justifiably confident. I guess I missed you."
      "How so, like your neighbor envisioned?"
      "Oh, Mark? Hardly. No, just some conversation. Nothing heavy or demanding. I just need to share time and thoughts with a friend."
      "I'm honored to be considered such. Just casual conversation? I guess I could handle that. I'm not too tired to talk."
      "Want a little relief from the work week? I can spruce you up with no harm done."
      "Okay. I'll be your guinea pig." Elena felt a surge of energy replace the weariness of the work week. "Right handy little power you've got there. Have you though about bottling it?"
      "Oh, yeah. But I'm not sure yet."
      "If you take this issue of responsibility too far, you'll never accomplish anything in fear of doing the tiniest harm. You need to start thinking more in terms of net results rather than zero error. If I were let my fears of harming a patient rule my thoughts, I'd never see anyone as a patient."
      "Perhaps you're right. But I still feel that I need to be extra careful. I have no precedence to follow as you do."
      "Just don't overdo it."
      "Point taken. You look like you could use some sun. How about a little weekend get-away?"
      "Such as?" she inquired.
      "I know of this nice little deserted island out in the Pacific that would be perfect. Nice little cottage, very comfortable and elegant, if I do say so myself. A perfect place to talk without interruption, as long as parrots don't distract you."
      "Depends on what they say."
      David chuckled.
      "Sure, why not. I still have a few questions for which I never got answers. I assume that you are supplying the transportation."
      "Yes. It would take too long for conventional travel. You'd burn up the weekend just getting there."
      "Do I need to pack?"
      "Not unless you want to be staunchly independent of my providing."
      "I think I could handle it for a weekend, as long as you don't get too overbearing."
      "Moi? You wound me." he pouted.
      "Oh, poor thing."
      "Ready to go?"
      "Sure. Take me away from it all, my god among men. Show me a good time, as Mark would probably say."
      "By whose definition?"
      "If you can't figure that out, I'm overestimating you, mind reader."
      They vanished from inside the house, an faint echo of Elena's giggling tease remaining.