She clenched her teeth and breathed through them shakily again, tightening her grip on my shirt as she sobbed over and over again. Rolling my eyes, I ...laced my left hand on her shoulder and squeezed, not knowing what else she needed. As I did this it almost made it worse, she began openly crying, really pouring out as the barrier she’d built finally collapsed, washed away with the tears the flowed. ‘Sshhh’ I hushed, blowing into her hair as she wrapped her right leg around mine, crying deeply. Then the time toreap his life came. He gasped as his life faded away."I might've lied a little to you Doc. Mmmm. I'm not as stupid as I toldyou when I was a boy. I let him see and feel what I want. I'm notmindless. I'm a perfectly designed being. I'm a conversion program, andI'm working at full potential. Can you imagine if we could turn anentire army into me? Just with one gas canister? I have to absorb lifeto make me stronger. Soon, I'll shed this boy shell for good, he'llbecome completely. They made a lot of cooing noises, but they also were busy with some mental noises. I realized that Chuck's and Lisa's kids were gifted and wondered how that would affect them as they grew. Dora and I didn't know that we had that gift, but it had affected our early lives. Our mother used the gift to keep us in line and to teach us to be good kids. Our friends all fought with their siblings, but Dora and I never did. We always invited each other to join with our friends to do things, but we. .. was ... Andrew Conner. There isn't a whole lot I couldtell you about me as a living guy. I was a nobody, a tiny cog in themachine, and I don't think I ever did anything that helped another person.Boy, is that changed now.My job is like this. I get sent to a person who is in trouble. I can see,hear, and feel what they do, and I can access their memories so I figureout what's going on.But I don't control them. All I can do is offer ideas, like the littleangel on your shoulder.My first case.