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Yesterday Sarah had felt better, then it hit her again in the middle of the night and she was driving the porcelin bus for a couple of hours.  Mart, her brother, had coined the phrase from a t-shirt that had all the names for getting drunk on the front and all the names for throwing up on the back.  the porcelin bus was his favorite.

The fever dreams were the worst, and tonight they were pretty bad.  She'd been having the same flashes for the entire time she'd been sick.  The whole Luke and Yoda sequence from Empires Strikes Back, only she was playing the role of Luke and a very short Greg was playing Yoda.  It was disturbing and funny all at the same time.

Tonights was bad, and the fact that none of the other actors were on the stage as the really hard part, then she realized she was on the stage, the drama stage at Oak Park.

"You're not trying."  A warbly voice said from the other side of the stage lights.  "You have to focus, clear your mind."  Great, now Sarah had wondered into the matrix and Morpheus was trying to coach her.

"You can call me Morpheus, it'll make things easier."  This time the voice was clear, it was the voice that had been in her head when her powers were working.  The voice that guided her and the voice that made her doubt her sanity.

Sarah sort of realizes now isn't the time to get into a debate over the merits and flaws of the Matrix series so she thinks for a moment before responding.  "Okay 'Morpheus' what do you mean I have to clear my mind?  This is dream time.  I'm supposed to be rehashing the day... which I mostly spent puking so its sort of wasted effort.  Or travelling astrally or..or.. revising old scifi films in my mind." 

Sarah pauses and takes a breath, "You might have a point about clearing my mind.  How about I just listen while you tell me whats going on?  Who are you?  What are you?  Where are you?  Why me and why now?  Take your time.  No pressure really."

"It's a complex story, one that is long and boring.  I am Morphius, I am a disembodied consciousness.  We are the High Lightning, an ancient order of warrior spirits from all across the galaxy.  Like magnets we are drawn to certain spirits, I was drawn to you.  I have access to your subconscious and from there can draw on your memories and experiences to explain things in terms that make sense to you.  So, Morphious says to free your mind, and Yoda says to clear your mind."

"You are what we call An' Zhanti, it means peacekeeper but it also means much more.  Together we are known as An' Zhanti High Lightning.  Basically warriors which guard peace.  You are a creature of free will, you can choose to do nothing with your gifts, or you can interfere in other lives.  the choice is always yours."

"An' Zhanti High Lightning?  So you're like galactic space cops.  Except your a disembodied conscience.  At least that I understand.  So you visit people like me?  And ask us to bother other people?  Is there a list of badguys or do we just look for trouble?  Because I and my friends seem to have found a whole mess of it."

She walks across the dream stage and sits on the edge of it.  "Do you know where my powers came from?"

"Other beings on your world have powers, I have to assume they come to you in whatever manner they get their powers.  We are warriors, not police.  Language is an imperfect form of communication.  There is no list, the world will certainly give you plenty to do.  Remember, you are a being of free will."

"You've been sick, your body is reacting to the changes.  With practice you should be able to hear me without stress, and to reach me whenever you wish.  I'm not in your head, but that's the place were we will meet.  I am alsways behind you, but unless you need me my back will be turned.  Do you understand?"

"Yes.  That's easy enough.  So you're not watching over me in the shower and your not some stranger wandering through the thoughts in my head but you're there when I call.  Thats okay.  It's still really weird though." 
Sarah looks out into the empty rows of seats of the theatre and swings her feet a bit.  "The only one I could explain this one to is Colin.  Can I tell him about you?  Maybe I shouldn't.  I mean these people just used him like a crystal ball apparently and I'm not sure if he's free of their influence yet or not.  I'm not even sure if when I talk to my friends now if they're not sitting there listening in.  How does the High Lightning feel about revenge?   I figured I'd ask up front because the girl that cast the spells on Colin is due for a fat lip at the least.  She and her friends apparently cast spells on two of my friends and I can't let them continue.  I'm sure my smarter friends are working on plans to reveal these girls for what they are but I just want to start kicking and punching... except I've never been in a fight in my life."

She recalls the party, "Okay well one.  But that was against some Man-Snake thing.  You remember right?  Do you happen to know what that thing was?" 

"The thing at the party was some kind of urban spirit.  As for revenge, it's one of the many things we understand very well.  There is a darkness in everyone, and you have yet to tap it.  It you're lucky you will live your whole life without seeing it.  Revenge is not an eye of an eye.  Revenge is something better and worse.  It'll take me a while to really understand your cultural references and use the right ones.  The dark side is not stronger, easier, but not stronger."

"As for telling Colin, he should be able to see me, in a way.  He might be the reason I was drawn to you, they never give them any real weapons.  People like him always end up relying on people like us.  We are their darkness when they can't act and thier voice of conscience when they are about to leap into the abyss.  We are their balance.  We also fight most of their battles for them, and sometimes they don't like us because of it."

Sarah nods, "Fight most of their battles huh?  I guess I'm going to be busy because Colin already has a knack for walking into trouble.  He has a generous heart though and he never turns his back on a friend.  He'd probably offer his hand to an enemy if they needed help."

She walks back across the stage kind of looking around for Morpheus or whoever or whatever this person was.  "I think you might be right that someday he won't like' me.  He keeps telling me I'm nice but I'm not.  I just keep poking my nose into other peoples business because I hate not knowing whats going on.  If I happen to do some good along the way.. well that's just lucky.  He's put me on a pedastal and I'm going to fall.  I'm afraid it will break his heart.  Sooner or later.  Ah well you didn't drop in to listen to a teenager whine about this stuff.  You came recruiting warriors.  Well you've got one.  If you need me for something just call.  Oh and thanks for all the help so far.  Its nice having someone in my corner who's not trying to leap to my rescue."

"If you even need a voice, I'm here.  You should hurry before you make a mess."

With that Sarah starts awake, rolls out of beed and barely makes it to the porcelin bus for another dirve.  Being sick sucks.

*Hurp!* *Glurg* "Oh man..."