He looked around, blinked, and said, Were on skeleton crew, so probably no more than fifteen minutes once the alarm sounds. Thats to load everyone into the vehicles and evacuate to the secondary rally point.

I loved a place that had their drills down cold. It meant people might actually survive this. Not me, of course. But these people, in specific.

You know about the Djinn, right? He nodded. Id figured that since he knew about Wardens, hed be up on the current information out there on Djinn as well. The Djinn arent under the control of the Wardens anymore. Theyre under the control of the Earth, and the Earth is very, very angry. Understand? The Djinn are going to come here, and theyre going to destroy everything. So you need to be sure you get this done, doc. If you dont, its going to be very, very deadly to your colleagues.

Ive got to talk to Director Miles.

If you want my advice, dont, I said. Director Miles will have an apparently sensible solution that will mean a short-term gain for you here, and long-term disaster for the human race. Let me do this. Im a Warden. I wouldnt take this risk if there was any alternative, believe me. I hesitated, then said, I dont plan on walking away from it, if that helps.

Youre not talking sense, Reid said. We can defend this place. Thats the whole point.

You cant defend shit against the Djinn, not when theyre like this, I said. Trust me. Ive been up against them, and its not a war you can win. Its not even a war. Its more like an extermination.

He knew enough about Djinn to understand I wasnt overselling it, and he shut up, watching me.

Look, I said, more gently. Doc, I know you wouldnt be working here if you didnt have the highest ethical standards. If you werent completely trustworthy. But the thing is, Im not some agent of another government or cause. The organization Im part of transcends borders, and governments, and causes, and religions. Were here to save the most lives we can, just like you. You have to help me. I know it seems wrong, but

With no warning at all, guards flooded into the room, boots and helmets and hard expressions. Oh, and large weapons, which all ended up aimed at me.

Director Miles walked in. Dr. Reid cast a guilty look around, then stepped away from my bedside as Miles advanced toward me.

Did you really think I wouldnt have you monitored? he asked.

I smiled. Actually, I said, I was pretty sure you would. That was the whole point. Now that I have your undivided attention, lets talk about how this is going to go.

Oh, I already know how its going to go, he said. With you, handcuffed to your gurney, heading to the nearest FBI holding cell. Probably the medical wing, of course. Were not lacking in compassion.

Only in sense, I snapped back. I could bring down this place around you, you know. And I will, if I have to. But Im offering you the chance, one time only, to save your peoples lives. I suggest you take it, Miles.

Tell you what. The doctor here is going to trank you up six ways from Sunday, and you can tell the FBI all about it. He nodded to Reid, who stepped up to my IV with another syringe.

I yanked the line out, clamped down on the immediate bleeding, and used a sudden, localized increase in air pressure around the syringe Dr. Reid was holding to crush it, spilling liquid sleep all over the floor. Good luck with that, I said. Youre going to have to kill me.

Miles hesitated, then nodded. Regretfully. I suppose so, he said, and addressed the guards surrounding me. Shoot her if she moves a muscle. Or opens her mouth again. Lisa, get her handcuffed to the gurney, now.

Wait! Reid said. Let me bandage that first. He meant the leaking hole in my arm where the IV had been. Miles didnt like it, but he nodded. Reid was efficient with the pressure bandage and cloth tape, and stepped back as the guards moved in to slap the cuffs on. I winced as they closed around my still-swollen wrist, but they were fairly gentle about it. Didnt matter, anyway. Clearly, Director Miles had never tried to jail an Earth Warden, even a relatively inexperienced one like me. Handcuffs were a nuisance, but a completely insignificant one.

Since the orders had been pretty clear to the guys with itchy trigger fingers, I kept still and quiet, and reached down deep into the ground for power. It came slowly; this wasnt a place that was rooted deep in natural forces, but no matter how industrial it was, no man-made structure could keep out the flow of power to a Warden.

Instead of using it in an attack, I let it gather inside of me in a thick, still pool, filling me until I felt like an overflowing tub. Seductive and slow, that power; not like the energy I pulled for weather, or for fire. Instead of trying any dramatic gestures, I began to hum, very softly. It was Brahmss Lullaby, and with the power imbuing every gentle note, it began to affect everyone in the room almost immediately. I was carefulI didnt want them falling over, just drowsy and slow. I even got Director Miles, finally.

The only one I excluded was Dr. Reid.

I deepened the humming, and the power, and the guards one by one slid into a very gentle sleep. They didnt fall, exactlyjust folded up against whatever wall was closest and slid down to curl up in an utterly blissful rest.

I was kind of proud. That was subtle stuff, and not something Id been able to do very often. But it almost emptied out my power reserve, and I didnt have time to replenish it now. I expended a little more energy zapping the handcuffs, which fell away with a soft little click, and then swung my legs out of bed.

Dr. Reid was clearly trying to decide whether to tackle me, shoot me, or help me. He must have come down on the side of helping, because as my balance wavered dangerously, he moved to me and got me steady again. This is crazy, he said. Theyll kill you.

Eventually, I said. Really not an issue right now, though. I didnt hurt them. Theyre just sleeping. What I need you to do is to declare a medical evacuation, now. Miles cant stop you. I assume youre pretty much the authority now?

He nodded. His face was taking on new lines and stress, and I was sorry for that. How do I know youre telling me the truth, about what youre going to do? What if youre just here to steal warheads?

If I was going to steal warheads, I could get a Djinn to do it, I said. Im not stealing anything, and I promise you, nothing is leaving here except your people. Deal?

Deal, he agreed, but he didnt look happy about it. Only because Im pretty sure that if I dont agree, youll just put me out, too, and find some other way.

Thats true. But Id rather not. Doing this kind of thing takes power, and I need to preserve mine right now. Understand?

No. He checked my pulse, and frowned. Hows your pain level?

Manageable. Ill be okay. Relatively speaking, anyway. Do your thing, Doc. Get them out of here.

Where are you going?

Where I need to go. I reached out and took Director Miless badge from his jacket, and replaced my bright red visitors ID with his. This will get me in the doors?

No. Biometric scanners. You wont match.

I could handle those, but it would mean expending more power. Ill make it work, I said. Get moving. You havent got long before this place isnt safe anymore.

I left it deliberately vague as to whether I was going to make it unsafe, or the Djinn would. To be fair, it was probably going to be a team effort.

Reid didnt like it, not at all, but I could see that hed been doing some checking on who I was and what the situation out there in the rest of the world might be. He was convinced, but like all good humans, he was still in denial.

I didnt really have time for his stages of grief. One other thing, I said. I need your coat.

My coat? He looked down at it. Why?