“Mr. Sharp, we’ve come to...rescue you.” Alissa said, sounding unsure if a rescue was actually necessary.
    “Ah, yes, I had expected that would happen sooner or later.” The young executive stood, and finished off his scotch with a final swig. “Lead the way.”
    [What kind of scotch is that?]
    “Ah, well, that’s the thing. We’re not sure how to get out of here.” Isaac said, glancing around the room in awe.
    “What do you mean, you’re not sure how to get out?” Harland asked, and he sounded genuinely confused.
    “There’s an AI program running, it’s locked us in the building.” Alissa answered.
    “Isn’t that your job?” Harland returned, though his face didn’t reveal any malicious intent to the words.
    “Normally, yes. But we didn’t know about the AI until it activated. Since the AI seems to be acting in your best interests, we thought maybe you would know more about it.” The security officer fixed a stern gaze on Harland, but he was unaffected.
    “An AI program that is acting in my best interests?” Harland glanced skyward, thinking it over. “No. Well, maybe.”
    “Is it no, or maybe?” Alyssa tapped her foot impatiently.
    “President Shaw mentioned a security system before, one that wasn’t exactly...on the surface.” The executive shrugged.
    “The president knew about this, and he let it happen? Come to think of it, why wasn’t Shaw in the building when all this started?” Alissa wondered, looking out the window.
    It was a good point. They weren’t sure how the Thralls had been able to breach the building security, but anyone who wasn’t in the building at the time, anyone who should’ve been, was possibly suspect.
    [You don’t know anything yet and blame is useless.]
    I’m not trying to blame anyone. But figuring out how this happened might help us figure a way out of it.
    [We do know how to get out of here. And if Shaw knows something, you need to get out of here to ask him.]
    “Shaw was out at a business meeting today, InCorp is in the middle of finalizing a major acquisition. I don’t think we should start pointing fingers here, I doubt anyone at InCorp is to blame. Not on purpose, anyway.” Harland tried to redirect the conversation.
    “If Shaw knew about this AI program, and he let this happen, he is to blame.” Isaac said, still looking to place the blame.
    “What Shaw told me is that there was an old security project, an automated system, that they scrapped years ago. It wasn’t working out. If anything, this is a mistake, the thing wasn’t supposed to turn on.” Sharp certainly wasn’t going to accept responsibility on behalf of the company. Instead he rattled off his explanation as if it were practiced.
    “So the AI turned on by accident, and all of the building defenses turned off by accident. This is getting hard to believe.” Alissa said, standing next to Isaac. “But you’re right. There’s no reason to blame anyone now. We can figure out who is at fault later, when the people downstairs are safe. Right, Isaac?”
    [You say you want to protect people. Now is your chance.]
    “Alright. We’ll figure out what happened later. But we still don’t know how to get past the AI. It has half the doors in the building locked, and we have no other way to get out.” Isaac looked at the broken windows in the waiting room. “Except jumping out the window.”
    “I can’t fly, can you?” Alissa asked, looking at Harland.
    He raised his hands in the air. “I don’t feel like trying to learn tonight.”
    Isaac turned and leaned on the edge of the desk, with his hands flat behind him. “And we don’t know how many more Thralls there are, where they are, or how long until they get to us. I’m getting tired, and I don’t think I can fight many more.”
    “It could be worse.” Harland said, pouring himself more scotch. “If you think about it, the AI might be trapping us in, but it’s also the only thing keeping us safe.”
    [Scotch.]
    “If being in a maze with a viper is what you call safe.” Alissa snarked, walking to check and make sure the hallway was still clear.
    “Those monsters might have overrun us by now if it wasn’t for the lockdown.” Sharp drank the entire glass of scotch in a single gulp.
    “You, maybe. But the rest of the people that didn’t get out of the building, they’re locked in with the monsters.” Isaac said, rolling his eyes as Sharp tried to rationalize the situation.
    “Unfortunate, yes. But if the glass is half-empty, maybe we should just take a dive out the window.” Harland looked at Isaac, and the boy looked back. The executive’s face was stern, and for the first time, Isaac got the feeling that Harland was aware of what was going on.
    “It looks like the door to the stairwell won’t hold up much longer. Unless you want to fight an army, I suggest we find a way to get out of here soon.” Alissa said as she returned to the office.
    “What about up? Is there anything on the roof that can help us.” Isaac wondered with an upward glance.
    “Not likely. The rescue teams might fly a VTOL up there when they decide to come in, but if they don’t get to us in time, we’ll have nowhere to go. And we’d still need to use the stairs to get there.” Alissa sighed, crossing her arms.
    “And there’s no way to climb down the side of the building.” Isaac sighed with Alissa.
    [You’d think they would require emergency access for just such an occasion.]
    Yeah, I’ll drop that in the comment box on our way out.
    “What about the elevators?” Harland suggested.
    “You really think the elevators are on right now?” Isaac raised an eyebrow.
    “No, but the elevator shafts are like the stairwells. They lead right down to the ground floor.” The executive added as he set his glass on the desk.
    “Actually, that might work.” Alissa chimed in, “The elevator shafts have maintenance access ladders. We might be able to climb all the way down to the ground floor.”
    “Wouldn’t the shafts have the same blast doors as the stairwell?” Isaac asked.
    [You’re just trying to find a problem because it wasn’t your idea.]
    You think I’d waste time being petty right now?
    [Yes.]
    “No, I don’t think they would. The doors to the shafts themselves lock, but they probably don’t lock down, since the elevators are turned off during a lockdown. You wouldn’t be able to move any invading force up the shaft, so they’re less of a security concern.” Alissa said, though she wasn’t certain. “Still, it’s a gamble.”
    “It’d be a risk, but so is staying here.” Sharp added.
    “We also don’t know if we can get into the elevators shafts to begin with. You said it yourself, Alissa, the doors are locked.”
    [You’re so negative.]
    I’m just thinking it through. I know, it’s different than just barging right through, like you’re used to.
    [If you were stronger, we could burn our way out of here without a problem. You only need to think because you’re weak.]
    “I can probably get us through the doors.” Harland said, and he started walking without waiting for the other two.
    Alissa and Isaac glanced at each other before following quickly on his heels.
    “Excuse me?” Alissa asked as they caught up, following him into the waiting room.
    “High level security access codes. It’ll probably open the doors to the elevators.” Sharp said, heading for the elevator hall.
    “Why would you think that? The AI has the entire building on security lockdown. None of my codes work, why would yours?” Alissa glanced at the door to the stairwell as they passed by.
    Thunderous noises echoed through the hallway as the mass of creatures slammed themselves relentlessly on the far side. Visible dents were starting to become clear in the thick sheet of metal.
    “Call it a...hunch?” Sharp said as he stopped in front of the elevators.
    “Excuse me if I don’t find that reassuring.” Isaac said, keeping his eyes on the weakening stairwell door.
    “You need to be more positive.” Harland started to type on the security console, situated to the side of the locked doors. “You might find that things tend to work themselves out.”
    “I’m with Isaac, this is kind of a crappy situation.” Alissa shook her head as she waited for Harland.
    Harland held out his hands towards the elevator doors, and they slid open mockingly. “I was right, it worked.”
    “I don’t know how you did that, Sharp.” Alissa pointed her finger in the executive’s face, “But if you’re hiding something that could have gotten us out of here sooner...”
    “You’ll what?” Sharp asked, unaffected.
    Alissa grunted and pointed towards the elevator shaft. “Get climbing.”
    Isaac leaned over the edge and scanned down the shaft. It was dark, and he couldn’t see far. “It sounds clear, but there might be Thralls in the shaft. We should be careful.”
    “Ladies first.” Harland deferred to Alissa.
    “Alright, I’ll go first. Sharp, you’re right behind me. Isaac, take up the rear.” Alissa holstered her gun and stepped up to the ledge.

The maintenance ladder was on the adjacent side of the shaft, and it was a small shimmy around a narrow ledge to reach it. She carefully slipped her foot onto the ledge, and held tightly onto the side of the door as she swung herself out towards the ladder. When she was firmly situated, she motioned for Harland to follow.

Just as carefully, Harland started to climb around the inside of the elevator shaft, towards the ladder. Alissa started her descent, to give room for Harland to climb onto the ladder. As Harland climbed, Isaac turned his attention to the noise echoing through the hall. The sound of the Thralls slamming themselves against the stairwell doors was getting louder. The worse part was that it wasn’t random anymore. It was methodical, like a hammer swinging on a nail. Clang. Clang. CLANG.

And then the sound stopped. There was the sound of metal wrenching, which was beginning to become familiar to Isaac, and his heart stopped. Eyes wide, he watched as the door tore open, and Thralls stormed through the hole. Alissa and Harland were already on the ladder, it was too late to run anywhere else.

    [This is where fighting would be useful.]
    Ignoring the wolf in his head, Isaac leapt towards the elevator doors. “Go, climb, now!”
    Alissa was already on her way down, and Harland was beginning his trip as well. Isaac stepped out onto the narrow ledge, and reached out to find something to hold onto, something to help balance. His hands didn’t find anything, and he teetered towards the edge. For a second, he thought he would fall. A furred paw grabbed his shirt and held on, giving him time to steady himself. Shimmying around, he climbed onto the ladder just above Harland and started to climb down.
    Above him, in the doorway, he could see several Thralls already leaning over the edge, looming. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, partially illuminating the shaft in green. They were out of reach, which made Isaac feel safe. They wouldn’t just throw themselves down the shaft, that’d be suicidal.
    [The first thing you need to learn about Thralls is that they will do anything to cause destruction and pain. We might not know where they come from, but we know what their purpose is. Don’t feel safe all of a sudden.]
    You’re kidding. Isaac glanced up at the creatures again, waiting to see if they would jump at them. It’d be a long drop, but they would probably be able to take him, Alissa, and Harland with them. “Climb faster!” He shouted down.
    “Unless you want to jump, I’m going as fast as I can!” Alissa shouted back, more than a little annoyed.
    “They’re coming!” Isaac accidentally kicked Harland in the head, but he didn’t feel too bad about it.
    “Watch it! You’re gonna knock me off!” Harland complained.
    “I do not care right now.” Isaac said, climbing as fast as he could, regardless of Alissa and Harland’s speed. It was a long way down still. He had no idea how long it would take to climb all the way to the ground floor.
    When it happened, he couldn’t believe it at first. The Thralls that were hanging over the edge climbed down and threw themselves into the shaft. Isaac had seen the Thralls attack and destroy the city before, but he hadn’t known the extent they would go to in order to do so. One of the Thralls whipped past him, just narrowly missing the group. Isaac felt a slight burn on his shoulder, and found it hurt to climb now.
    [Looks like it winged you with its claws.]
    Perfect. Isaac grunted, struggling to hold onto the rungs of the ladder as they climbed down into the darkness. The second Thrall missed the group by a large margin, and illuminated the shaft on its way down. It took several seconds for them to hear the thud of the creatures hitting ground. It would only take one lucky jump to take them all out. Isaac climbed down frantically.
    [Did you forget you have magic?]
    “How exactly am I going to fight them while I climb?” Isaac asked, staring up at the approaching horde.
    [No, not to fight them. To hold them off, like you did before.]
    Isaac wasn’t sure if he could manage magic and climb at the same time, but it was worth a try. Like in the elevator shaft, he focused his energy, building a blue energy barrier above them. He tried to make it the size of the shaft, but couldn’t get it large enough. It covered just enough to block any Thralls from jumping straight down on top of them. Good enough for now. He found climbing while holding the field up to be incredibly draining.
    The Thralls continued to throw themselves into the shaft. Those that came close enough to hit the group instead came to a halt on top of Isaac’s barrier. The first time one hit the barrier, he felt light headed. The creature bounced off the energy wall and fell limp down the rest of the shaft. The next one that hit the barrier made Isaac feel like he was going to pass out. His hand felt like it was going to slip from the ladder, but he felt a paw on top of his hand again, steadying him.
    The three climbed as fast as they could, even as Thralls rained down on top of them. The ones that missed, Isaac hoped, were dying at the bottom of the long fall. The ones that hit the barrier bounced off and did the same. But he could only take a few more hits. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer.
    Down below, they could see the glowing coming from the dead Thralls as they landed, before they faded into clouds of dust. They were almost there. Isaac was so tired, he thought about how nice it would be to get to sleep after they got out. The elevator shaft practically spun around him, and he felt his eyes close as he fell back. His hands slipped off of the rungs, and he knew he was going to die at the bottom of the elevator shaft with the rest of the Thralls.
    He opened his eyes to find Alissa pulling him to his feet. It was hard to keep awake, but he stood with her help. The door to the elevator shaft was open already, and he could see Harland climbing out. On the outside of the shaft, he could see the ground floor and main lobby. They made it. He wondered how far he had fallen, but it couldn’t have been far. He was sore all over, but he thought it was more from the magic than the fall. With Alissa’s help, the two climbed out of the shaft behind Harland. Thralls were still raining down from the darkness, and they made an uncomfortable screeching noise as they hit the ground.
    Alissa propped Isaac up with his arm draped over her shoulder. They walked together, as quickly as they could, towards the exit. Harland walked leisurely along with them. Isaac wondered how the executive could be so calm. They passed the security room, Isaac could see the security cameras inside were still working, displaying almost the entire building. The cameras were still on, during the lockdown. The rescue teams should have been able to see where everyone was.
    Thinking made his head hurt, so he let it go for now. The flaring lights of the rescue vehicles outside filled his vision as the trio burst through the front doors of the building. A horde of personnel, that reminded Isaac morbidly of the Thralls, approached them. Both InCorp employees, Registry Collars, and standard emergency rescue. Someone helped Isaac stand, and Alissa moved away. He tried to see where she went, but between keeping his eyes open and walking, it was too much effort to keep track of her. He was led to an ambulance, where he was set gently down at the back.
    He wanted to go to sleep, but a doctor was standing by.
    “Stay with me.” She said, and Isaac tried to look at her. He took a deep breath and regained himself. “Are you hurt?” The doctor asked, shining a light in his eyes.
    He winced at the brightness. “I got a little scratch, and I’m tired. But there’s tons of people still inside. We need to get them.”
    “Someone else will handle that. You need to focus on yourself for a bit now.” The doctor said, and she attached some sort of device to Isaac’s arm. The pain in his shoulder faded slightly.
    “I’m fine.” Isaac said, brushing the doctor away. She didn’t leave, but she did give him space.
    “Let me decide that, it’s my job.” She said, looking closer at his shoulder. “This might get infected. You should let me close it up.”
    “Alright, fine, but I need to talk to someone in charge.” Isaac said, not resisting as the doctor cut his shirt off.
    “I might be able to help you there.” A tall man approached Isaac and stood imposingly above him. He spoke with a thick accent, different from Riley or Roy’s, but still exotic. He had circuit armor on, but it wasn’t InCorp issue. His dark hair was neatly combed, and he had a dark tattoo around his neck. “I’m Canaan. Weiss. Director of the Registry.”
    Beside the Director, Isaac saw a kangaroo. It was almost comical enough to laugh, standing in the midst of such chaos. “And I’m Chase.” The kangaroo said, “I’d shake your hand, but I don’t want to impose.”
    “What took you so long?” Isaac asked, focusing on Canaan as the doctor tended to his wound.
    “It is a delicate situation. We had to proceed carefully.” Canaan said calmly.
    “There are people in there.” Isaac said.
    Canaan was holding a LINK in his hand, and his attention appeared divided between Isaac and the screen.
    “Did you hear me?” The boy asked.
    “I did.” Canaan said, typing something on the LINK screen.
    Isaac looked up at the Director. He looked familiar. He racked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen him before. “So what is more important than that?”
    “The AI that is in control of the building. It is still in control, even with Mr. Sharp safely outside.” Canaan replied.
    At the meeting, earlier in the day. Isaac had been meeting with Harland, and Roy. But there had been someone else there. He closed his eyes, he was at the meeting again. Across the table, Harland. Next to him, Roy. And next to Roy was Canaan. “You were there...why were you there?”
    “What do you mean?” Chase asked, leaning back on his tail. “Are you having trouble remembering things?”
    “No, I remember fine. You were there at the meeting with me.” Isaac pointed at Canaan.
    Before the Director could respond, a voice filled the plaza. It was being sounded from speakers on the InCorp building. It echoed with a cold intensity. “All essential personnel evacuated safely.”
    “There’s the AI now. We need to find a way to take the building back under our control before we can rescue the rest of the people inside.” Canaan said, ignoring Isaac’s comments.
    “Beginning purge sequence.” The words rang out, filling Isaac’s ears. The chaos around him died out. He couldn’t hear them anymore. The words just filled his head. Purge sequence.
    “What is the purge sequence?” He asked, looking to Canaan for answers.
    The Director looked at his LINK screen again. “It would seem the AI is enabling a cleansing of the building.”
    “Cleansing? Purge? There are people in there. It can’t purge the building when there are still people inside!” Isaac shouted.
    “Believe me, I’d stop it if I knew how.” Canaan said, typing on his LINK screen. “Its main goal seems to be to clear the building of Thralls.”
    [Too bad you can’t fight. You would be able to save the people trapped inside.]
    Shut up! I can’t stand you right now. Those people are going to die. We have to do something.
    [You’re too weak. Sometimes you have to let someone else take care of things. You can’t always save the day, especially if you’re not willing to fight.]
    “What do you think the purge is?” Isaac asked
    “I’d imagine it’s some sort of energy burn. It would negate the Thrall’s shields and burn their bodies.” Chase said nonchalantly.
    “An energy burn?” Adrenaline pumped into Isaac’s veins as he thought about the purge. He felt newly awake, energized, even through his exhaustion.
    “It’d be the most efficient way to clear the building of Thralls.”
    “And people.” Isaac said, wincing as the doctor applied a gel to his wound.
    “At this point, there is nothing we can do. As long as there are Thralls in the building, the AI is going to purge them.” Canaan warned.
    “No, we can’t let that happen.” Isaac struggled to stand up, but the doctor held him still.
    [You heard him. There is nothing we can do.]
    “Roy is in there. Not just Roy, but tons of other people. They’re going to die.” Isaac pleaded, though he wasn’t sure who he was pleading to.
    “There’s nothing we can do for them now.” Chase said, trying to calm Isaac down.
    Isaac wasn’t listening. He pushed the doctor away, and she held up her hands. “If you don’t let me close that wound, it could get an AE infection!”
    Standing up, Isaac looked around, covered his eyes from the bright lights of the rescue vehicles. He found the InCorp building. It wasn’t far away. He could make it back inside. Fight the Thralls.
    [There are too many. You’re nearly dead now. You’re going to get yourself killed.]
    So stop me. Isaac thought, and he pushed, forced himself to move forward, towards the building.
    [I don’t care if you die. All I care about is the pain I feel when you do. So try not to die in a painful way.]
    You make me want it to be painful, just to spite you. Around Isaac, voiced yelled, people moved to stop him. No one had expected him to run towards the building, so he had a head start. No one could catch him.
    [Do you even know how long until the AI purges the building?]
    No, I don’t care. I have to try. If I don’t try, then we didn’t do everything we could to save them.
    [Why do you care so much about saving them? Even if it means you’ll die. Ever since I met you, you’ve been willing to throw your life away to save others. But you’re not strong enough to do even that.]
    Because I have to. I have to be better than him. Isaac saw his father’s face in his head. It’s not about the pain he caused. It’s about the good he could’ve done. He was strong, and he only cared about himself.
    [You’re not strong. Getting yourself killed in the name of someone else is no better than wasting power.]
    I have this power now, and I’m ready to use it. Isaac burst through the front doors of InCorp. It was dark inside, but the glass exterior of the building allowed all of the light from the rescue vehicles inside.
    He couldn’t go back up the elevator shaft, the stairs were locked. There was no way to get to the people he needed to save. The alarm lights of the building had gone off. The AI was silent, a constant buzzing noise had replaced the voice. Looking around, he searched frantically for something to do. He saw the security cameras in the security room. They showed the entire building.
    [I know what you’re thinking. Don’t even think about it.]
    Tyloki knew what Isaac was planning before the plan had even been put together. I need fire. A lot of fire. If the AI is going to purge the building, I just have to do it first.
    [You’ll die. No, we’ll both die. We can’t do that right now. You’re too tired.]
    You can help me. I know you can, you helped me before. Help me save those people!
    Isaac stood before the camera console. He started to flip through the camera views. Nearly every inch of the building could be shown remotely. Every Thrall, every person. He knew where they all were. Tyloki stood next to him.
    “You’re not going to do this. Indicia can die, and this is one of the ways. I’m not sacrificing my life for a runt like you, and your stupid martyr complex.” Tyloki grabbed Isaac’s hands in his paws, held them in the air.
    “Let go.” Isaac struggled, but couldn’t break his hands free. “I need to do this.”
    “You can leave the building right now, or the AI will purge you along with the Thralls.” The wolf growled, not offering any other options.
    “You wanted me to fight, here I am.” Isaac said, locking his eyes with the wolf. “I’m not running away.”
    “This isn’t fighting, its suicide.” Tyloki shouted at the boy, who didn’t flinch.
    “You’ll have to drag me out of here if you want me to leave.” Isaac pulled on his hands, but the wolf held tight.
    “What is wrong with you? You always do the opposite of what you’re told. You fight when you should run, and you run when you should fight.” Tyloki let go of Isaac’s hands.
    “I just do things differently than everyone else.” Isaac said, pulling his hands back slowly. “If I’m going to die eventually, let me die doing something great.”
    “This isn’t you doing anything great. You want me to kill us both.”
    “What was it you wanted to do when you were fighting with Jin? What would Jin have done? He died, doing this. He died fighting.”

A paw smacked the boy upside the head, a loud snarl echoed ferociously in the oddly empty room. “I told you runt, you’re not worthy to mention the name of a real warrior like that.”

    Isaac stood his ground when he was smacked, quickly turned back to the wolf. “I know. I know I’m not as good as him. I know I’m weak. But you want me to fight, like he would have. This is me trying. Even if he was weak, he would fight to the end, wouldn’t he?”
    The wolf growled with his breath, paw tensed, clearly wanting to strike Isaac once more.        “You care that much? You want to die. Swallow your pride then, beg me. Show me just once you understand what it takes to be a Collared.”
    “We don’t have time for this.” Isaac shouted, wondering how much time was actually left.
    “You’ll die, just as you want. With the others, too. But I’ll be fine. Why should I throw my life away for some fucking runt of a useless Collared who still hasn’t learned his place, even moments before his death.”
    Isaac dropped his hands to his sides, balling them into fists. This wasn’t the time to be arguing about whether he was useless or not. It was time to do something. “Please-”, he started.

“-On your knees.” The wolf interrupted harshly, clearly upset at the prospect and not giving the boy any leniency.

    Biting his tongue, screaming inside his head, Isaac dropped to his knees in front of the wolf. Looking up at the looming figure, he continued. “Please help me. Please help me save these people.”
    “-I didn’t hear a single ‘please master’” The wolf cut in again, arms crossed, irritated face glaring down at the human boy.
    “Please, master! Please save these people!” The boy shouted as loud as he could, frustrated by the wolf.
    Tyloki exhaled with a huff through his nose, clearly not impressed.
    The boy threw himself forward in desperation, beating his fists feebly on Tyloki’s belly. “I’m yours. I need you to do this. Please.”
    Tyloki snorted as those weak hands pounded lightly on his stomach. “I knew it was a bad idea to take you.” The wolf shook his head, grabbed the boy by the shoulders and spun him around. “You want to be a part of something great? Fine. This is what real power is.”

The large wolf knelt behind the boy, took hold of his hands, easily dwarfing Isaac in every way, “Hold your hands out and push. Push with all your might, but watch that screen. Focus harder than your feeble mind has ever focused on anything before. Save those people. Protect them. No matter how much it hurts, or how tired you get. Push with all your might. Scream with all your mind. Protect them. Falter once, and everyone dies.” His voice was clear, and commanding, but for once it held something different, less harsh.

Isaac fixed his eyes on the camera screens. Tyloki wrapped his arms around Isaac’s shoulders, leaning in close, pressing his chest against the boy’s back. Around them, a circle of flame burst to life, swirling as a tornado. It reached from the floor to the ceiling, engulfing them in a pillar of fire. Isaac kept his eyes on the cameras, searched the floors for survivors.

    “Thank you for helping me save my family.” Isaac whispered, as he caught a glimpse of the wolf’s reflection in a window across the room. His powerful body, wrapped around him, his eyes blazed a deep inferno, paws wreathed in flames holding tight just under his neck, warm but not scalding to the touch, squeezing at his collar as it burned brighter and brighter.

Concentrating, he tried projecting a barrier in one of the security feeds. The wall of energy sprung to life, and he could see it on the camera. Flipping through the rest of the camera feeds, he started placing barriers all around the building, whenever he saw a lone survivor. When the screens showed the cafeteria, he made sure to block the room off safely.

    Tyloki said nothing, but he snarled. The pillar of flame around them exploded, and fire began to flood through the lobby, up the elevator shaft. It found its way into the maze-like hallways of the building’s upper floors. All over the building, infernos burst into existence, tore through, incinerating everything they touched. As the fires found the survivors holed up in the building, blue barriers of energy raised to protect them. Isaac dripped sweat onto the console as he worked, trying to make sure he didn’t miss anyone. It must have been the heat of the fire. It was so hot in that room. The screens were cutting out as the fires destroyed the cameras. Isaac had to hold up his barriers, he couldn’t let a single one go.
    Thralls cried out in unison, calling their wicked cry as their barriers were burned into nothing, and their flesh was burned to ash. The ones that could manage tried to flee from the conflagration by running away, but they didn’t stand a chance. The fires were overtaking the building. Isaac wondered if the building looked like a swirling firestorm from outside, like the one he was inside right now. One by one, the cameras went out, leaving Isaac feeling alone in the security room. He had a second to think that he was glad that he had someone there with him, holding him, as the fires burned out. Falling to the ground, he kept his eyes on the blank screens even as the world went to black.
    The world was dark, but he didn’t think he was asleep. He could look around, but all he saw was blackness. It was a complete blackness, as if his eyes were closed, though they weren’t. And it was quiet, and cold. Above him, a golden light appeared. Out of the light, a hand was offered. He stared at the hand, wondered who it belonged to. He reached out to take it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    “The AI worked as we planned, president Shaw.” Chief Security Officer Parker said.
    “Yes. It did it’s job quite well. I wish there hadn’t been so much...spectacle.” The president said, his voice gravelly and rough.
    “An unfortunate turn of events, sir. What should I do about Alissa?” Parker asked. He stood behind Shaw, and they both were facing a large metal door. It was different from the other doors in the building, more resembling a vault.
    “Nothing. What does she know? No. Nothing yet, unless she starts asking questions.” Shaw said, taking a long drag on the cigarette in his mouth. He blew the smoke towards the vault door.
    “Sir, if she were to compromise Nova.” Parker said, “I really believe we should transfer her.”
    “Enough. I don’t want to hear about your personal issues with the woman. She is a good officer, and I won’t have her removed because of a one night stand.” Shaw barked, dropping the issue.
    “Yes sir. And about the boy.” Parker moved on, as he was told.
    “What became of him?” Shaw asked, though it wasn’t a personal interest. Purely professional.
    “The Registry is in possession of him, currently. We could bargain for him, if we wanted. Nova would benefit, I’m sure.” Parker said, speaking as if he were talking about a piece of equipment.
    “No, let them have him for now, as well. If we took him, it would draw more attention. Nova is not ready for attention. What’s important is that no one in the building knows what the AI was truly protecting.” Shaw dropped his cigarette on the ground.
    Parker picked up the discarded cigarette and disposed of it in a nearby bin. “That is something I am certain of, sir. Even Director Canaan is unaware that Nova even exists.”
    “And what about the outer security? What happened?” Shaw asked impatiently.
    “I don’t know. The security systems all turned off at the same time. It’s like someone threw that Thrall at us. They just didn’t count on the AI being in place.” Parker admitted.
    “Find out who attacked us. I want them dealt with.” Shaw said, walking towards the vault door. He placed a gloved hand on the cool metal. “I want to know how this all happened.”
    “One more thing, President.” Parker said, standing his ground, several yards from the vault. “Harland. How should he handle this, publicly?”
    Shaw turned to look at Parker now. He ran his hand through his snow white hair. “The boy at the registry is a hero. The AI was an old project, a mistake. Keep the eyes off of us. Make the boy the center of it. Make him a hero.”
    “Yes sir.” Parker said, and he turned to walk away.
    “Find out who did this, Parker. I want to know who did this.” Shaw’s words were laced with an unspoken threat, and it sent a chill down Parker’s spine.
    The head of security shuddered as he walked away.

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    With a hefty sigh, Director Canaan slumped back into his chair. His office was nicely decorated, but in an old style. Instead of bright whites and cool metals, the office was designed in a wood style, like an old study. The walls were lined with bookshelves, packed with books. On his desk, a lone file folder sat open.
    [What a day.]
    “You’re telling me.” Canaan sighed, crossing his arms as he stared at the file on the desk.
    “What’s coming?” Chase asked, materializing next to the chair.
    “I’ll tell you when I know.” Canaan replied.
    The file folder contained a picture of Isaac. “Isaac Edgar Walker. Formerly, Isaac Edgar Cross. Brother of Rufus Cross. Name Edgar comes from his father, who died working for InCorp several years ago.” Canaan read aloud, shaking his head.
    “InCorp took care of Isaac and his family, financially. Their settlement was enough to live on, and they gave them all jobs. Mother met Roy Walker at InCorp. So they’re a family again.” Chase said, nodding.
    “Not quite. The family fell apart after Edgar died. Rufus, he’s one of ours. Doesn’t see his family much, though my little mole tells me that Isaac and Rufus met earlier this week.” Canaan added.
    “So why isn’t Rufus involved?” Chase wondered aloud, knowing Canaan didn’t have an answer.
    “Whatever is happening, it has to do with InCorp. And Isaac is involved. So we keep our eyes on them. Rufus isn’t involved, so we let him go for now. The less people that know, the better. We don’t want word getting around.” Canaan leaned forward and closed Isaac’s file.
    “We’re going to have to make a statement about what happened at the InCorp building. That Thrall went completely under our radar.” Chase said as he disappeared.
    “It was a mistake, and it was handled poorly. But we won’t let one of ours be thrown to the wolves for it. InCorp has more security than we do, it was turned off. They’re too blame. We need to keep the heat off of us. Keep everyone thinking about InCorp.” Canaan stood up and walked to the window behind his desk.
    Outside, he had a view of the entire city. It was a crystal landscape, glowing brightly with Lightglass constructs as far as he could see. The buildings gleamed like jewels in the night. The only dark spot was the InCorp building, almost dark enough to vanish in the night sky.
    [We could make the boy into a hero. Spin it to be all about him.]
    “That might backfire. Someone needs to give him hell for what he did. We don’t allow burnouts at the Registry.” Canaan looked over the city, remembering why he loved his job. It was the view from the top of the Registry tower.
    [So we approach it from both angles. He’s a hero and a fool. I can work that.]
    “Good.” Canaan said, as there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t a real knock, but Canaan preferred the sound of a nice wooden door to alert him to visitors. “Come in.” He called, and the door to his office opened.
    Riley walked in, shoes making loud noises on the wood floors. “You wanted to see me, Director.”
    “Yes, thank you for coming. I was wondering if you had an update on that file I had you looking into.” Canaan asked, pouring Riley a drink.
    Not one to turn down a drink, Riley stepped forward to accept it graciously. “There’s been no sign of them, sir. Completely gone. I’m beginning to wonder if you have me running in circles.”
    “Not circles, no. That you found nothing is perhaps more telling.” The Director picked up Isaac’s file from his desk. He held it out towards Riley, who took it in his free hand.
    “What’s this?” He asked, flipping it open.
    “Your next task. I need you to be friends with him. Keep him close.”
    “Sir?” Riley asked, hoping for an explanation.
    “It’s important that we keep an eye on him. There is something going on, but I’m not quite sure yet.” Canaan said, and that was all he intended to say. “And Riley, don’t let him know you’re watching him. Don’t spook him.”
    “You don’t think he’s involved in anything with the Vassals, do you? He was only Collared a few days ago.” Riley said, sipping his drink.
    “I don’t know what to think, anymore. Not after tonight.” Canaan turned back to the window.
    “You need more friends, Canaan.” Riley said, putting his glass on the desk, still half full.
    “No time for friends, Riley. Besides, you’re my friend, aren’t you?” The Director rubbed his temple and forehead, hoping to knead out the headache that was forming.
    “Of course, sir. Just like I’m Isaac’s.” Riley turned to leave, and headed for the door. “The disappearances, you really don’t know any more?”
    Canaan didn’t answer. He walked over to the window and pressed his hand to the glass. After a moment, Riley let himself out.
    [He’s right. You need more friends.]

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    Isaac reached out to grab the hand that was being offered, but a paw latched onto his wrist, stopped him. He pulled his hand back, and the golden light dimmed. The darkness faded, and he saw the sky above him. It was the ethereal blue sky of the Indicia’s world. The ground beneath him was cold, and for that, he was grateful. He felt like he had a ridiculous fever.
    On his back, laying next to him, he saw Tyloki. Tilting his head to the side, he looked at the wolf.
    “We didn’t die.” He said with a grin.
    The wolf didn’t grin back. Something was different about him. The confidence, the fire in his eyes was gone. “Just barely.”
    Isaac was too tired to even move. He was too tired to close his eyes. He just stared at the sky, tried to focus his eyes on it, but they wouldn’t focus. They never would focus completely on anything in the Indicia’s world. Tyloki appeared the same way. Content to stare at the sky, happy that he didn’t need to move.
    “What happened? I wonder if we saved everyone.”
    “We tried. That’s what you wanted.” Tyloki growled, the wince in his voice practically tangible.
    “What’s wrong?” Isaac turned his head a bit more to look at the wolf. His eyes looked empty, cold.
    “We should be dead.”
    “Oh.” Isaac said, wiggling a few of his fingers just to see if he could.
    “There will be more people that need saving.”
    “I know.” The boy said, taking a deep breath. It was time to make a decision. Something had to change.
    “What will you do?” The wolf asked, though he already knew the answer.
    “I’ll protect them.”
    “How will you protect them?”
    “I’ll...fight.” Isaac said, and his hand brushing against the side of Tyloki’s paw was the only contact they were making. For now, that was enough.