Jessie pulled herself out of her reverie. This wasn't getting her anything but the beginnings of a migraine. She got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.
      Suppressing a sigh, she turned around and surveyed the room. Tired as she was, she didn't think she was going to get any rest right now. Her stomach was in knots. It'd been an hour since she'd got here. She had a good 3 hours before her "date" with the security officer.
      Jessie couldn't remember the last time she'd gone out on a date. She'd 'gone' with guys in school occasionally, of course, but she hadn't gone out with anyone since she became a telepath. Her mother hadn't exactly forbidden it, she was eighteen when it happened, but she knew she had worried constantly that if someone got too close to Jessie they'd find out.
      As for Jessie, it didn't seem to matter much one way or the other. The problem was she was a telepath with no instruction whatsoever. It had been hard enough for her to keep control of her "gift" at home, let alone in crowds, so she hadn't been that keen on going out anyway. Sure, her father had been informed when they'd become aware of her abilities, and he'd stepped up his recordings to every 3 months instead of six,at great risk, so as to form some semblance of training for her, but it didn't help her a whole lot. What she needed was hands on guidance. A teacher who could physically help her and nurture her thru the process. Jessie never said anything to her mother, but secretly thought maybe Psi-Corp wasn't such a bad idea in that respect.
      The best, and most useful thing, she'd ever been taught was "the wall". Building an imaginary wall in her mind to keep out all the noise and interference of other people's thoughts. She hadn't perfected it yet. Things still leaked in occasionally, and it was hard to keep up for long periods of time, but she was getting better at it every day. Or she had been til a few months ago when the headaches started.
      She'd also been taught how to do a surface scan on someone. And how to look for a particular piece of information, if it was ever needed. But her father and mother both had expressly forbidden her from doing that, ever, unless she'd been given permission. But how was she supposed to get permission if she couldn't tell anybody she was a telepath?
      Jessie felt the headache start again. This would all go away, she told herself , when she finally got to her father on Mars. He'd help and show her what to do. Until then, she was on her own.
      She grabbed her bag from the bedside dresser and started digging thru it. There weren't very many clothes in there, so there wasn't much use in unpacking, but at least it gave her something to do. Most of what she owned was left in storage on Proxima 3. Who was she kidding though? She'd never see those things again. Once she got to Mars and her father left Psi-Corp they'd be on the run. She pushed it out of her mind. Why think about that now? At least she had a week to recuperate before the REAL fun started.
      She finished unpacking into the little dresser across from the bed. Then she checked the chronometer on the wall mounted terminal. It was set to Earth Standard time. Well, golly,that took care of a whopping five minutes. Running her fingers thru her shoulder length hair she thought about killing some time with a vibe shower to get rid of the travel grime. She almost jumped thru her skin when the terminal beeped. "In station call for Jessie Devereux," noted the gentle female voice of the computer. Jessie wondered how she could possibly be receiving an in station call. She didn't know anyone, except Mr. Security Chief. She was a little annoyed. Couldn't he leave her alone for an hour? She approached the terminal with her hands on her hips.
      "Computer,display call."
      She was surprised to see, not Zack, but a pleasant looking older woman on the other end. "Miss Devereux?" Jessie nodded. "Good! I'm Liza Sherry, with the B5 visitor's welcoming committee, Human Services division. How do you do? Is there anything you need or require? Can we be of assistance to you in any way? We're here to help you." Jessie found her tongue. "No, I don't think so. I mean, I'm fine, thank you for asking."
      "Good, good! Is your room satisfactory? Do you have any questions? You know, if you're interested, there are guided tours for visitors. Either group or private. If you like, I can show you where to access the information for times and rates." This cheerful woman appeared well suited to her job. She seemed ultimately thrilled to be able to offer her services.
      "No, no, I'm all set, thanks. Everything's fine." she answered.
      "Well good, then I'll leave you to it. If you should need anything, just contact me here at Human Services. Ask for Liza."
      Jessie smiled, "Thank you."
      "No thank YOU, Miss Devereux, have a pleasant stay." She smiled one more time as the screen winked out.
      "End Transmission," said the computer.
      Jessie stood there, musing. Then she accessed the computer. She'd thought of something she did need.
      "Computer, display map of Babylon 5."
      "Input clearance level please," the computer voiced.
      That made sense. You don't exactly go around letting everyone know where the, say, weapons rooms or fighter bays are.
      Jessie consulted the pamphlet that was set on the dresser.
      "Clearance level, visitor, Alpha, #774."
      "Clearance level, visitor, Alpha, #774, granted. Displaying map."
      "Computer, print map."
      "Working.......(chime)........map printing, now."
      Well look at that. Everything laid out in proportion to where her room was. Color coded too. Tailor made for the dysfunctional traveler. They sure saw her coming. She took the map and laid it on the bed, then headed for the shower.When she was done, she intended to brave the challenge of finding a shop. A dress shop to be more precise. Edward had made sure his daughter had more than enough credits in her account to get to him. She decided to use the extra for something decent to wear tonight, considering she had brought nothing appropriate with her. When you intended to be a fugitive, one did not bring along an evening gown and high heels. Besides it would be fun. Jessie figured she deserved a little of that. She even found herself looking forward to tonight. And thinking of Zack.
      He was handsome, there was no denying that. At least she thought so.
      And she found it funny how he had kept subconsciously pulling at his uniform, as if it didn't fit. She'd seen nothing wrong with it. In fact she'd liked the way it looked on him..
      Jessie blushed at that, and slipped into the shower.

       
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