As soon as I enter the room, it is an assault on my mind. So many mental images flooding the place. Fortunately, my ring is able to help keep my mind from be overcome with it all, and my will power (I did say the thing runs on it) helps to keep me sane also.

I see images; almost ghost like, of little children being taken from their parents, grown people being starved to death, a young couple being married, an older couple being harassed by some street kids and the older man being brutally beaten. I do notice that the young woman that was getting married, she looks a lot like Annabella.

Finally, I am able to see the real Annabella. She is just standing and staring at the mirror. Touching her face, as if she hasn't seen herself before. It's obvious these images are coming from her, but why? I reach to touch the images of the young children and my hand goes right through it. Just a mental projection. I make my way over to Annabella, letting my shields down to try and put her at ease.

"Excuse me?" I say to her, "Annabella?" She doesn't even look at me. I'm not even sure she hears me.

I gently place my hand on her shoulder. "Are you Annabella?" I ask; when all of a sudden I feel myself being pulled from her, like a hook is pulling me. I crash through the window and begin to fall; 25 stories.

I give a sigh, and collect myself from the sudden ejection from my own home and think of flying. My body gets covered in its green aura and I begin to slow and I head back up. I go thru the big bay window that is in my bedroom, the one I was just thrown out of, and see that Annbella has turned around.

She is just starting in my direction. Not really at me, but in that area. Her head is tilted a bit to the side as her eyes, which coincidentally are green, are just kind of blank.

"Ok lady. I can understand being under distress, but was using your mind powers on me really necessary? I hate to brag, but I did save you and bring you here to recuperate?" Nothing. No response. "This is going to be a very boring conversation unless you decide to talk. You do know how to talk, don't you?"

Than I could feel it. Inside my head, almost like someone was knocking on a door. This, in a way, is what she was doing. She was trying to get into my mind. I got caught off guard the first time, not again. I use my willpower to push her away, or try to. Her mind is strong, but I don't sense anything unusual about it. Nothing to say that she had a cosmic being merged with her.

Maybe Ganthet was wrong. Maybe this Phoenix Force isn't that powerful. He has been wrong before, like that time when I was still a rookie. Shit! One thought of the past, one stray thought, and I feel her enter my mind, my memories flooding out for her to see. Oh my, this is what they must mean by your life passing in front of your eyes.

I see my parents and me as a baby; growing up in Boston; my dad, the policeman, going to work that night and never coming home; my mother drinking herself into a bottle; me entering the marines, the black ops missions, my unit being killed as I was left for dead with them; being rescued from them two weeks later; the calling from the Corps; my ring seeking me out; the training from Killowog; my early assignments; being partnered with some of the other veteran Earth Green Lanterns before they retired; meeting the love of my life, Marquessa of the planet Hae'kas; her death at the hands of the Sinestro Crops. All of that, ending with the present, with me finding her; bringing her here, my talk with Ganthet and her throwing me out the window with her TK powers.

Finally, I feel her leave my mind. I'll never forget that feeling. Hell, my head feels like it is going to explode as is. I look up at her as she gives an embarrassed smile.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I….I just don't know what happened to me. I needed to know."

"And you didn't just ask because…." I say sarcastically, as I get back up.

"I….I don't know. I still can't make sense of this. What ahs happened to me?"

"Well, you saw. A very powerful and dangerous cosmic being has decided to use you as its host."

"That I saw. I still find that hard to believe, but I can feel it inside me. But, how did my body get to look like this?" she asked as she gave a twirl.

She did have a nice figure. Curvy in the right places, nothing overdone on her, her skin a bit paler than most, especially people living in Texas. Her hair so dark, like the night and those green eyes and those full pouty lips.

"You mean you didn't look like this?"

"I did….50 years ago." She said, her voice raising, almost sounding panicky, as my mouth just fell open.

"Oh" was all I could say.