The wind whipped across the sandy plain, and I winced as sand stung my face. Fortunately, that was the only part of my body that was exposed. I was covered head to toe, in the style of a devout Muslim girl, but less to blend in and more to protect myself from the sand and the sun. I’m a quarter Irish on my dad’s side and part Swedish on my mom’s, which means that I inherited pale skin that burns to a crisp the instant the sun touches it. The folds of my clothing also hid several weapons, weapons I hoped I wouldn’t need.

I’d never been sent out to help pick up another verser before, and I was desperately hoping that he or she won’t put up a fight. When someone verses into this world, they get a choice. They can work with us, or they can head to the next world, by dying. I understand the rationale behind that, and even agree with it to some extent. People who don’t age, some of whom are hundreds of years old, who often possess magic or psionics or advanced tech skills, and who are willing to take risks because they know death isn’t the end for them, well, they can be a dangerous weapon. I’d rather have someone sent on to the next universe than find them working against me. Still, I didn’t like the idea of actually being the one to pull the trigger.

“Why did he have to land in the middle of the Sahara desert?” I muttered. We kept moving closer, using the scriff tracker to judge his position. Finally, he was visible, a little shape among the sand dunes. Through my binoculars, I took a quick look at him. He looked young, probably my age, with a complexion even paler than mine. He was wearing a t-shirt too, and I shuddered sympathetically at what the sand and sun must have been doing to that delicate skin. His brown hair was short, like a buzz cut that had grown out a bit, and….oh, God. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be.

“Nikita, what’s wrong?” Python asked. For a moment, I remained frozen, staring through the binoculars. As he turned around, I got a glance at his face. Even from this distance, there was instant recognition.

“I know him,” I whispered. I took a shaky breath to calm my racing thoughts. I thought I had finally made myself forget about the boyfriend I’d left behind in my home world, but seeing him now brought everything back. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. He was here; maybe we’d get a second chance.

“This is going to be a liability, isn’t it?” Iguana asked. “If he won’t go with us, you won’t be able to take him out.”

That thought made me sick to my stomach. “No,” I replied. “There’s no way I could….but he won’t fight us.” I knew Matt; there was no way that would happen. I wasn’t even going to consider the possibility.

We got closer, close enough to see him without the use of the binoculars, and finally we made our presence known. I heard the click of a gun, and my heart almost stopped. Why is it that I can have a gun pointed at me and not flinch, but the idea of a gun pointed at him made me cringe?

From beside me, I heard the words, “”Don’t move. I know what you are, and I have no qualms about sending you on to your next world if that’s what you’d prefer. You are surrounded. My boss wants to have a word with you. If you come with us there won’t be any trouble.” These, I remember, were the exact same words Sergeant White said to me a long time ago, in the middle of the jungle, when I first versed into this world.

As soon as he finished, I chimed in, “Matt, is that you? It’s me, Kelly. It’s okay; we’re the good guys. I know this isn’t a real friendly welcome into this world, but, well, you’ll understand in a little bit why it’s necessary.” I knew I was babbling, and I could hear the tremor in my voice; apparenlty, I was nervous.

He has a blank look on his face for a minute. “Kelly? Do I know you? Oh, that’s right. You’re a friend of Matt Miller’s, right? But what are you doing here?”

I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. How could he not know me? Then I realized, he was Matt, but not my Matt. An alternate version, one to whom I was just an acquaintance.

“Yeah,” I said numbly. “A friend of Matt’s.” I was dimly aware of hearing Matt agree to come quietly, and the chopper arrived to pick us up.

On the ride back, one of the guys asked, “You okay, Nikita?” I just nodded. Matt gave me an odd look, and I realized I should explain to him that I’m not known as Kelly Tessena here, but as Nikita Ivanova. If he was anything like *my* Matt, he might even recognize where I got the name. And I did want to talk to him, get to know him, even if he wasn’t my Matt. Right now, though, I had to look away from him, or I knew I was going to start crying. I’ve always felt a little awkward being the only female in the Verser Project, and I certainly wasn’t going to let myself get all emotional now. I just needed to keep breathing, keep from looking at him, and I could let myself cry when I got home.