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variance. My bonds were the obvious place to begin. The vine was too tou
gh to
break. I pictured it made of a weaker fiber and then hesitated. Would a change
in
one plant change the whole evolution of this Nexus? If I made a change i
n the
present, would it change the past? What else might spring from my tampering
with
reality? Russell might know the answers, but I didn t.
The more I thought about it, the more dangerous it seemed. Messing with
quantum reality is not an activity for the faint of heart. Fighting back a
sense of
panic, I decided on another approach. I pictured the knots tied in a certain
way, a
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way that would give if I applied sufficient pressure. I squeezed my eyes
shut and
concentrated on an image of Josie tying my hands and feet while my mind
guided
her as she tied the knots
With a violent yank, I broke free. Struggling into a sitting position, I
reached
down to untie my feet.
Good work, Lee! said a female voice.
I froze as fear stabbed through me. But the voice didn t belong to Jo
sie.
Glancing up, I saw Amanda standing in the entrance to the cave. Her arms
were
folded across her chest and she had a smug look on her face as she eyed
my
attempts to free myself.
Where the devil did you come from? I snapped.
First she d deserted her post on her assigned world, and then she had
the
nerve to show up on mine. If she d appeared a few minutes earlier, I
might have
been happy to see her, but I no longer needed a rescue. I tore the last
scraps of vine
away from my ankles and hauled myself to my feet. It took an effort to s
tand. My
legs were numb and my back muscles cramped with pain. I had two goals in
mind
to get back to the tower and deal with Josie, and to go through a gate a
nd get a new
body.
I ve been monitoring the release from a distance. Amanda took a step
toward me. It s gone better than I would have predicted.
No thanks to you. You were assigned to help the Innocents on Nexus O
ne.
What happened?
I got sidetracked by more important matters.
I stopped brushing the dirt off my pants and gave her the once over. She
didn t look any different at first glance, but something about her tone
triggered my
pattern sense into full warning mode. The sense of impending danger I
d felt for so
long was suddenly back, full force. I began to wonder how she d found
me in this
cave. How had she known my location?
What s going on? I demanded.
She sniffed. Your feeble attempt to change reality started a series of
vibrations throughout the flux that led me to you. Beings evolved enough to
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consciously manipulate the quantum potential are quite rare.
I don t feel particularly evolved at the moment.
I tried to laugh, but it was too painful. Instead, I plucked a leaf from my
hair.
Not content with banging my head against a rock, Josie must have thrown
me down
on some bushes, too, judging by the scratches on my arms. Amanda lifted
an
eyebrow.
You re not that evolved in fact, you and Russell have barely scratched the
surface of what is possible. But you ve gone as far as you re ever going to
go. Your
fear holds you back.
Sometimes fear is a healthy thing. I didn t like the direction this
conversation
was taking.
Lee, you poor, provincial Texas cowboy. You have no idea what you
re
missing, do you?
I braced myself as I stared into her face, looking for a trace of someth
ing I
knew she had lost, utterly and forever her humanity. She met my gaze
with cold
indifference. I shuddered at the pools of darkness deep in her eyes.
What have you done? I whispered in horror.
I decided to lead the way for the rest of the Seconders, instead of
encouraging them to hold back. I took the step you were afraid to take.
I went
through the sex gates and expanded my consciousness to the edge of what
a
human mind can handle, and then beyond. It is no worse than shedding an
old coat.
Yeah. I can see what a snazzy new being you are. I started edging around
her toward the entrance of the cave.
I can operate on the quantum level in ways you cannot even begin to
imagine.
She made a quick gesture, and the air around her began to brighten. In
another second she was surrounded by a pulsing halo of golden light. I t
hrew up my
hand to shield my eyes.
What are you trying to do? Look like a god? Impress the mere mortal?
You are no mere mortal. Her voice took on a pleading note. You re almost
there. You could join me.
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No thanks.
I edged closer to the entrance. Would she let me go, or was she planning
to
kidnap me, too? Getting kidnapped twice in one day seemed a bit much
it was
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