The medical facilities at the Registry were a sight to behold. The most advanced technology available was neatly ordered about, even some devices that Isaac didn’t recognize. In the dark, the machines glowed with enough colored lights that Isaac would normally have had trouble sleeping. He slept enough that he thought the doctors were giving him a sedative, even if they insisted they weren’t.
    He slept enough that he didn’t want to sleep anymore, but he didn’t think the doctors would let him leave anytime soon. So he waited in bed, and slept when he can. There was a window nearby, and the view of the city it provided was breathtaking. He would normally have been excited about the view, but being nearly dead took away a lot of his enthusiasm.
    The only other entertainment he had was shooing away the occasional onlookers who dropped by to ogle him. It seemed he was the talk of the town, and everyone at the Registry wanted to catch a glimpse of the Collar who was dumb enough to torch the entire InCorp building.
    Presently, a group of young pre-Collars stood peering meekly through the door. Isaac’s room was private, a small blessing (though privacy for a Collar was a figure of speech), and he didn’t much care for the unwelcome visitors. Still, the teenagers would peek just enough to see Isaac, and then duck back, apparently thinking that he hadn’t noticed them. Isaac was about to tell them to shove off when the doctor dropped by for a check in.
    “I thought I told you rascals to go do your homework.” She sang to them as she waved them off. They scurried away down the hallway, still trying to catch a glimpse of Isaac as they ran past the door. The doctor giggled at them as they went, and then joined Isaac in his room. With a wave of her hand, she closed the door behind her. She had flowing golden hair which draped on her shoulders like a silk veil.
    “This place needs better security.” Isaac said, stretching his arms above his head as he sat up.
    The doctor walked over to the bed and moved his pillow up behind him, helping make him comfortable. “Yeah, we should get security like InCorp has.” She remarked, pulling out her LINK to check on Isaac’s information.
    “Ha ha.” Isaac added flatly. “A doctor and a comedian. Or is it comedienne?”
    “Depends on how politically correct you want to be.” She said absentmindedly as she typed on her LINK screen.
    “That depends on how long I’m going to be in this bed.” Isaac admitted, gently moving his right arm around in the air. The shoulder was still sore from the wound.
    “And that depends on how close to being dead you actually got, daredevil.” The doctor looked up at him from her LINK. “And it seems the answer to that is ‘very’.”
    “What can I say? I live life on the edge.” Talking to the doctors was one of Isaac’s last bastions of entertainment. He felt that his wit was being sharpened, with all the time he had to make quips at the staff.
    “Literally the edge.” She said, hanging her LINK around her wrist. “And that scratch you let get infected is going to make recovery take a lot longer.”
    Isaac looked at his right shoulder. The wound was bandaged, but his veins could be seen through the bandage, glowing the same green as the Thralls from before, around the actual wound site. His shoulder was tender, and his arm was weak, and moved slower than normal. “But it will heal, right?”
    “You’re a Collar. It’ll heal. It just might not be the same. Energy infections are serious, and you should have let me treat you the other night, instead of running off to kill yourself.” She sniped, crossing her arms.
    Indeed, she was the same doctor who had been treating him outside the InCorp building, and she would not let it go that he ran off in the middle of treatment. “If I was planning on dying, then letting you treat me would have been a waste of time.”
    “So I shouldn’t be annoyed with you, because you didn’t think you’d be around for me to be annoyed at?” Letting her arms drop to her sides, she walked over beside his bed and motioned for him to lean forward.
    Isaac obeyed, leaning forward and turning just slightly, so she could reach his bandage. “No, I didn’t plan on dying when I ran off. I didn’t have a plan.”
    “That was so clearly evident.” She said as she tenderly pulled the bandage away from his skin. He winced. “Sorry.”
    “So what do you mean ‘might not be the same’?” Isaac gritted his teeth at the pain as the doctor poked at his infected shoulder.
    She leaned in close, inspecting his shoulder in detail. “The infection doesn’t appear to be spreading. But it still hasn’t gone down. I can’t let you leave until the coloration fades at least a little bit. Energy infections are contagious through blood transfer, so it’s important to keep an eye on you until you’re not contagious anymore.”
    “Any idea how long that will take?” He asked as she removed the bandage entirely and started to apply a new one.
    “It differs from person to person, and from Collar to Collar. It would heal faster if Tyloki was around.” Her name tag read Dr. Ross. He wondered what her first name was, but she would never tell him. She just said it wouldn’t be professional, but he figured she was actually trying to get under his skin.
    “Speaking of Tyloki, I haven’t heard from him in awhile. Did I kill him?” Isaac gently brushed his fingertips over the tattoo on his neck.
    “Hardly.” She laughed, stepped away as she finished the bandage. Isaac sat back. “What you did is called a Burnout. It’s very against the rules.”
    “A burnout? Does not sound good.” He shook his head.
    “A burnout is when a Collar and an Indicia spend all of their energy on magic all at once. It can be used to create miracles, but when you’re out of energy, you’re dead. And someone killing themselves is never a miracle.” The last words were heavy, and Isaac wondered if they were personal.
    “So what exactly did I do to Tyloki?” He asked, moving the conversation on for Ross’ sake.
    Dr. Ross chewed on the question for a minute, trying to figure out the best way to answer. Isaac was glad that Tyloki was still being silent, a question like that would usually get him a smack upside the head. “For a Collar, the type of magic you control is based on your personality. If you’re an aggressive person, you can expect an aggressive magic. The same goes for Indicia. They’re what you could call spirits of emotion. Tyloki is known as the embodiment of fire. And you lit a big match the other day. There’s only so much fire in him, so the simplest way to explain it is you put out the fire.”
    “No offense, but how exactly do you know that?” Isaac hadn’t heard from Tyloki since the burnout, he doubted the wolf had made an appearance to explain the situation.
    “You know how your magic carries a specific wavelength? The Registry developed machines that can measure the frequency of that wavelength, not just for a Collar, but for an Indicia, too. Tyloki’s wave isn’t gone completely, but it’s reading flat.”
    “Will he get it back?” Isaac wondered, trying to imagine a Tyloki that didn’t embody fire.
    “That depends. A burnout can be a traumatic experience, the sort of thing that can really change someone. If his personality has shifted enough, he might not represent fire anymore. There’s no way to know, not until he gets his powers back.” Dr. Ross started to fiddle with a machine next to the bed, which was dripping IV fluids into a tube connected to Isaac’s arm.
    “I extinguished Tyloki the Flame?” Isaac wasn’t sure if he should be proud or ashamed.
    “For now. Though I wouldn’t say that too much, or he’ll probably have you as barbecue when and if he gets his fire back.” Dr. Ross warned.
    “What about me?” He asked, wondering about his own powers.
    “Your magic seems to be fine, according to our tests. Though we weren’t able to detect a Signature, which might be a result of the burnout. Do you know what your Signature was before?”
    Isaac looked away, embarrassed, though he wasn’t sure why. “We...uh...didn’t have one. We don’t get along that well.”
    Dr. Ross giggled. “That’s a first. I’ve never met such a pathetic pair that they didn’t have a Signature.”
    “Should you be making fun of your patient?” Isaac spat, and crossed his arms. He moved his right arm too fast, and winced as his shoulder ached.
    “You don’t want to be my patient, so I figure that gives me some wiggle room.” She smiled. Her smile was bright and friendly, it was comforting.
    “Such a professional.”
    “Always, Mr. Walker.” Dr. Ross waved as she walked towards the door. “I’ll be back to check on you again soon.”
    “Send someone else, they’d be better company.” Isaac joked, sliding back down in the bed. He pulled the blankets over his bare upper body.
    “And miss out on your charming personality? Mr. Walker, I’m a professional, not a bore.” Dr. Ross laughed one more time before stepping out of the room.
    The laugh stayed with Isaac as he slipped off to sleep once more.
    In his sleep, he found himself face to face with a snarling wolf. He stumbled backwards, fell onto his ass, and scrambled back away from the advancing teeth. He couldn’t look away from the eyes above the fangs. Eyes that once burned like flames, now cold and empty. The darkness in them was inhuman, frightening. They reminded him of a Thrall. As quickly as he crawled, he couldn’t get away, the wolf was too fast. His arm was sore, and it hurt to move. The teeth caught up with him, and then the world around him was on fire. He woke in a pool of sweat, fists clenched tightly around the blankets. The room was dark, it was night outside the window. Rolling onto his side, Isaac breathed slowly. He wiped the sweat from his brow and stared out the window. For the first time, he feared Tyloki’s return. The wolf had been silent for days, even if his presence was still there. He knew he wouldn’t stay quiet for much longer. Isaac didn’t want to go back to sleep, so he decided he would try to stay away until morning.
    He woke again as the sun rose brightly outside. With a groan, he moved to cover his eyes with his arm. So much for staying awake all night, but at least the nightmares didn’t keep up. At least, he didn’t remember them keeping up. He rolled onto his back, careful to keep weight off of his right shoulder. He wondered if it had healed at all yet. To the side of the bed, he saw someone sitting in a chair across the room.
    “I was waiting for you to wake up.” They said, and Isaac turned his head to see who it was. He hoped for Dr. Ross, but had no such luck. Still, it wasn’t too bad. Riley waved from across the room.
    “I’m not awake yet. I’m still asleep. Go away.” Isaac swatted at Riley, and rolled over.
    Riley stood up and walked around the bed. At least now he was blocking the sun from the window. “Aw, come on. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Riley still spoke as smooth as ever, and Isaac couldn’t help but like him.
    “You and everyone else at the Registry. It’s like I’m a zoo exhibit.”
    “Better than being a museum exhibit, which you would be if you died.” Riley said, looking at Isaac’s bandage. The veins were still showing through it with a luminescent green glow. Riley twisted his face uncomfortably.
    “But I didn’t. And that’s all anyone keeps telling me. I could’ve died.” Isaac sat up, and Riley helped him get the pillow behind him.
    “You could’ve. You should’ve. I honestly can’t believe Tyloki let you do that.”
    “And yet here I am, not dead.” Isaac shrugged his left shoulder.
    “Clearly not dead.” Riley moved around and looked at Isaac’s face. “I’m going to have to say something different in front of everyone else, but listen. What you did was incredible. Most people wouldn’t be willing to give their life to save someone else. Even if that’s what we’re here to do.”
    Isaac searched Riley’s eyes, and couldn’t find any reason to distrust his words. “Thanks.”
    “But officially, the Registry doesn’t permit burnouts. So we’ll have to condemn that. Personally, I think you’re a hero. Things might be rough, for awhile. Don’t forget, I’ll be around, if you need to talk.”
    “I’m not a hero. I just don’t think my life is worth as much as the rest of the people in that building. So if I was lost to save them, there wouldn’t be much lost.” Isaac said, though he wasn’t sure why he admitted it to Riley. He really didn’t know him that well.
    “You’re worth every bit as much as anyone else.” Riley said. Before he could say anything else, Rain interrupted from the other side of the bed.
    The otter stood over Isaac, beaming. “That was awesome!” He squealed, holding his paws out towards Isaac, but not touching him. “So romantic.”
    Isaac rolled over towards the otter. “What’s romantic about it?”
    “What isn’t?” The otter asked, wiggling his fingers above Isaac. He clearly wanted to touch, but knew better. “You put your life on the line to save countless others. It’s textbook heroism.”
    “Rain is a classic romantic.” Riley added.
    Isaac shrugged his left shoulder again. “It was kind of cool.” He said with a grin. He glanced at Riley, who was smiling too.
    “Don’t get too full of yourself.” Riley warned humorously.
    “You can get full of me if you want.” Rain added lewdly, grinning at Isaac.
    “I’m not exactly in the best place for that, Rain.” Isaac said, nodding towards his bandaged shoulder. Well, that and the fact that he wasn’t gay.
    “What about when you get better?” The otter asked hopefully, leaning his muzzle in close to Isaac’s face.
    The whiskers tickled, and Isaac leaned away to escape them. “Still a no.”
    “Aww.” The otter pouted, placing a quick kiss on Isaac’s cheek before stepping back. “One of these days.”
    “None of these days.” Isaac corrected.
    “Have you heard from Tyloki?” Riley asked.
    “Not since the burnout.” Isaac said.
    “I can check on him if you want.” Rain offered.
    “Really, that’s not necessary. The longer he’s gone, the better.” Isaac said. “I need time to recover before I deal with him. He’s going to be pissed.”
    “He can’t be too mad. He was the one who let you burnout.” Riley mused.
    “He’ll blame me for it anyway, I’m sure.” Isaac sighed. “But at least if I start learning to fight, he’ll have less to complain about.”
    Riley’s face lit up. “So you’ve decided to fight?”
    “Yeah. I want to help people, but I can’t do it how I am now. So I decided I need to learn to fight.”
    “That’s awesome. What do you think you’re going to choose to fight with?” Riley drew one of his daggers and held it in front of him. The sun glinted off the metal, reflected on his face.
    “I have no idea. Jin used the spear. So there’s absolutely no way I’ll choose that. Maybe the sword.” Isaac suggested, hoping for input on the idea.
    “A sword doesn’t suit you.” Rain said, looking at Isaac’s body. He licked his lips lasciviously. “Well, it doesn’t suit your personality.”
    Isaac could feel the otter objectifying him. He pulled the blankets up to cover his belly and chest. “I’m really not sure what the options are.”
    “There’s so many. We’ll have to visit the armory when you get out of here. I’ll help you pick one out.” Riley replaced the dagger to its sheath.
    Knowing he would have help when he got out put him at ease. He wouldn’t be alone. He relaxed back into the pillows. Closing his eyes, he felt tired again already. He was still sure they were sedating him.
    “Alright, Riley. I need to check on Isaac, and I don’t think he wants you in here while I do.” Dr. Ross said as she walked in.
    Rain vanished, and Riley waved at the doctor. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get going. I just wanted to make sure my friend was okay, and it seems you’re taking very good care of him.” He started for the door.
    “Despite his best efforts otherwise.” Dr. Ross replied with a grin.
    “Isaac, when you get out of here, lets grab a drink together. So get well soon, okay?” Riley said, and disappeared through the door before Isaac could respond.
    “Are you going to do more than poke at my shoulder, doctor?” Isaac asked as Dr. Ross approached the bed. He leaned forward for her.
    She removed the bandage gingerly again. Isaac tried to glance over it as she performed her inspection. The glowing color had faded slightly, and the skin around the scars was a lighter color. This made Dr. Ross nod approvingly, and she took a step back. “I think it’s time to get you up on your feet.”
    “You mean I can finally get out of here?” Isaac was hopeful, he had been conscious for three days, and that wasn’t counting however long he was asleep after the burnout.
    “Not quite. I just want to see how your entire body is recuperating.” She said, pulling the blankets down to the foot of the bed, freeing Isaac’s lower body. He was wearing his usual form fitting gray boxer-briefs. It was easier to check on his bandaged shoulder without the hospital gown on, so he chose not to wear it, rather than remove it every time he got a check-up.
    His legs felt shaky as he lifted them up, so he used his hands to help shift them towards the side of the bed. He sat on the side of the bed with his feet on the ground. As he put weight on them and tried to lift himself up into a standing position, he felt worse than shaky. They felt like they were going to give out. He steadied himself with a hand on the side of the bed. Dr. Ross watched from nearby, concerned that he might fall.
    “Take it easy.” She warned, ready to move if he had any trouble.
    “I’m fine.” He insisted, carefully removing his hand from the bed. He stood now, for the first time in days. It hurt more than he expected, and his legs were shaking.
    Dr. Ross walked around him, looking his body up and down. “I’m checking to make sure the infection didn’t move to another part of your body.” After inspecting his legs and upper body, front and back, she nodded. “It looks fine. The infection in your shoulder has started to die down. You should be fine in a couple of days.”
    Isaac smiled, the prospect of leaving the hospital was an exciting one. Even if it meant he had to start on a new life. And waiting a few days wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Tentatively, he took a step forward. At first, he thought the weight would be fine on his leg. As he tried to shift all of his weight to the foot, his knee gave out, and he fell forward. Dr. Ross saw it happening before Isaac did, and was there to catch him before he hit the ground. As she helped him back up, Isaac tried not to hold onto any part of her that she might find offensive.
    “Alright, daredevil. That’s enough for now. Lets get you back in bed.” She helped to guide him back on step, and sit on the edge of the bed. He insisted on pulling his legs back into the bed himself. And since he didn’t want to sit in front of such a beautiful doctor in his underwear, he pulled the blankets back up to their rightful position.
    “The burnout got to me more than I thought.” Isaac whispered, surprised at how weak he’d become.
    “They do that. I don’t know why you survived, but you did. So now it’s a fight to get back to normal.” Dr. Ross turned to check on the IV machine.
    “Fight. That’s a word I’ve heard a lot lately.” Isaac said, thinking of Tyloki. What would the wolf say right now? Pathetic runt. Can’t even walk on his own.
    At least I still have magic, would be his comeback.
    And you’ll still find a way to be less useful than I will without it.
    Isaac shook his head. He didn’t need to imagine what Tyloki would say, since the wolf would be all too willing to berate him as soon as he came back. Came back from where? Maybe, Isaac thought, he should have Rain check on him.
    “It’s kind of your own fault, isn’t it? You put yourself in the situation.” Dr. Ross suggested.
    “I didn’t really have much of a choice, actually. It was ‘be a collar or die’.” Isaac remembered his first meeting with Tyloki, it had only been about two weeks. It seemed like an eternity.
    “I meant the burnout. You were safe outside, and you went back inside.” She said, looking over to see Isaac’s reaction.
    “I have a problem.” Isaac said as if it were a joke. Make light of a serious topic, keep things from getting too grim. “I can’t help but stay when I should be running.”
    “Maybe you should just always do the opposite of what you want to do.” Dr. Ross suggested with a smile.
    “Then I wouldn’t be living my life anymore, would I?” Isaac wondered.
    “Are you living your life anyway?” She said, and quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth. “I’m sorry, I hardly know you. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    Isaac waved it off, though he was a bit offended. He decided to bite his tongue. “I’m actually not sure what my life is anymore.” He gestured to the room they were in. “I’ve just been kind of going with it, the past few weeks. It wasn’t until after the burnout that I actually decided to do something about it. But that doesn’t mean I have any idea what’s going on.”
    “It’s simple.” Dr. Ross said, “You’re in the hospital, but you’ll be out in a few days. Once you get out, you just take it one step at a time.”
    “I’ve got a lot I need to do. I’ll need to find someone to train me to fight, I’ll have to pick a weapon, not to mention figuring out what is going on with my job at InCorp.” Isaac stammered.
    “No.” She held up a finger to quiet him. “You’ve got one thing to do. Whatever you do first, that’s all you have to do. One step at a time.”
    Isaac thought it over for a minute. “Alright, first I need to get better so I can get out of here. It’s incredibly boring here.”
    “Have you thought about reading a book?” She asked, pointing to Isaac’s LINK on the nightstand.
    “I can never read when I have a lot on my mind.” He shrugged.
    “And you blame us for your boredom.” She said with a ‘tsk’. “I’m going to have you start working on physical therapy daily. I want you up and walking by the end of the week.”
    “What day is it? How long until the end of the week?” Isaac asked as Dr. Ross headed for the door. He’d lost track of time over the past few days.
    “It’s either Monday, or Thursday.” She bit her lip and pointed a finger at her chin. “Oh well, you’ll just have to work extra hard to make sure you’re ready.” And with that, she took her leave.
    The rest of the day was uneventful. Isaac forced down the hospital food, though his lack of appetite had more to do with his infection than the food’s quality. It was actually reasonably well prepared, and he wished he was more hungry, it would’ve been nice to eat more of it. He also wished for more visitors, but as the day waned, and sun set outside, he knew visiting hours were over, and no one else would be by to help pass the time. In particular, he wished Riley and Rain could have stayed longer. They were the closest thing he’d had to friends in years. Maybe they could come back tomorrow. As he mused, he didn’t notice himself start to fall asleep.
    There was something on the ground in front of him. Whatever it was, it was massive, slumped over on its side. Thickly covered in dark fur. He took a step towards it hesitantly. It wasn’t moving, and it didn’t seem to react to him. He stepped closer. Now he was close enough to touch it. He reached down, felt how cold it was. It felt dead. With a little effort, he flipped it onto its back. Tyloki’s face stared up at him lifelessly. Gone was his harsh snarl, and his glowing eyes. Even his once sharp fangs seemed dull and harmless. “Tyloki?” Isaac asked, and his voice echoed endlessly into the distance.
    “What do you want? Are you trying to get me killed again?” Tyloki’s voice echoed back, though his muzzle didn’t move.
    “No, I don’t want to get you killed.” Isaac replied, looking up to see where the voice was coming from.
    “Are you sure? You seem to be trying every chance you get.” The voice came from below now. Isaac snapped his attention down. Tyloki’s eyes remained devoid of life, but his muzzle spoke. “If you want to kill yourself, go ahead. Don’t drag me down with you.”
    Isaac backed up, horrified by the sight. As he stepped away, the body slowly started to stand, its movements jerky and uncoordinated. No matter how far back he walked, he was the same distance from the wolf’s moving corpse. He started to run as fast as he could, without taking his eyes off of Tyloki. The wolf turned slowly, fixed his cold eyes on Isaac, his tongue hanging loosely from his muzzle. As he started to walk towards the boy, Isaac spun and started to run forward. He looked up, and was face to face with that lifeless muzzle again. He screamed, and sat up in bed.
    There were hands on him, all of a sudden, which did little to calm him. He screamed again, trying to get the hands off of him. They struggled to hold him still, and he started to calm as the dream gave way to reality.
    “Isaac! Calm down, it’s okay. You were just having a nightmare.” It was a familiar voice. Isaac looked at the owner of the hands. Rufus.
    Breathing heavily, trying to calm down, he took a look around the room. The sun was up already. He slept through the whole night. “What are you doing here?” He asked, gently shoving his brother away.
    “I came to check on you. They let me in this morning, you were still asleep, so I waited. Then you just woke up screaming.” Rufus stepped back from Isaac’s bed.
    “You came to check on me? I’ve been here for, what, six days?” Isaac asked, not even looking up at Rufus.
    “I came once when you were still in a coma. I haven’t had a chance to make it back until now.” Rufus defended himself.
    “I guess I’m surprised you came at all. I’m a Collar now, and suddenly we’re brothers again.” Isaac growled.
    “This again? Come on, Isaac. We’ve been over this. I came to see you because you nearly died. I can’t get a straight answer out of anyone about what happened.” Rufus stepped closer to the bed again.
    “I burned out in the InCorp building, and I should be dead. That’s it.” Isaac said, as if it was nothing interesting.
    “You what?!” Rufus leaned forward, over his younger brother. “Are you crazy?”
    “I didn’t really think about it at the time. I just did it. I didn’t know what I was doing.” Isaac lied, but it was okay to lie just a little. He had fully expected to die.
    “I can’t believe you. That’s the most reckless thing I’ve ever heard.” Rufus turned around, threw his arms up in the air.
    “I’m sorry?” Isaac said with a raised brow.
    “What were you thinking? What would Mom or Sera think if you died in there?” He asked as he started to pace around the room.
    “What would they say if you died? How is what I did any different from your way of life?” Isaac attempted to derail the conversation with an accusation.
    “I’m different. They don’t expect to see me again. You, they still want you. You can’t just die, that’s not a choice you get to make.” Rufus walked back and forth angrily from the wall to the bed.
    “I wasn’t aware you got to choose what I did with my life.” Isaac spat sarcastically.
    “I’m not the one choosing. You’ve got responsibilities, you can’t just abandon them on a whim.” Rufus stopped pacing and stood by the bed.
    “Okay, well, I didn’t die. So drop it.” Isaac rolled his eyes.
    Rufus huffed a heavy sigh. “Isaac, I didn’t come here to fight. I came to make sure you were okay. Are you okay?”
    “Yes. I am okay. Alright? I’m fine.” It came out more curtly than Isaac intended.
    “Oh, man. Look at that.” Rufus gasped as he saw the bandage on Isaac’s shoulder. The glow could still be seen through the bandage. “Is that an AE infection?”
    “I had a busy night.” Isaac admitted.
    “Clearly. InCorp isn’t saying much about what happened, but their building is completely trashed. Knowing them, it’ll be back to normal by next week. But if you did that, I’m a little impressed. Still angry, but a little impressed.” Rufus moved to take a closer look at the infection.
    Isaac turned so that Rufus couldn’t see. “It’s getting better. There’s no reason to look at it. And honestly, I’m tired of people looking at me like that.”
    “Sorry.” Rufus nodded and let it go. “How are you, other than that?”
    “I’m..weak.” Isaac reluctantly said. “But I’m starting physical therapy to get me on my feet again. I should be out of here by the end of the week.”
    “You’re not weak. I’m sure you’re as strong as me. We’ve got good genes.” Rufus clapped a large hand on Isaac’s uninjured shoulder.
    “I disagree there. But thanks for the sentiment.” Isaac didn’t react to Rufus’ touch.
    “What does Tyloki have to say about all of this?” Rufus asked as he pulled his hand back.
    “Nothing, apparently. I haven’t heard from him since the burnout.” Isaac looked at his totem sitting on the nightstand next to his LINK.
    “That’s strange. Do you want Nanook to check on him?” Rufus offered.
    “No, thanks. If he’s off in a hole, I don’t want to poke him with a stick.” Though he was starting to get curious about why the wolf wasn’t around pestering him.
    “Let me know if you change your mind.” Rufus said, and he picked up Isaac’s LINK. “I’ll add my info here.”
    “I probably won’t need it.” Isaac said, and once again regretted how cold it sounded.
    Rufus shrugged and put the LINK down after he was done. “Just in case.”
    “Oh, I apologize. I didn’t know anyone was here.” Isaac and Rufus turned to the far side of the room, where a kangaroo now stood.

He was silhouetted by the sun through the window, but Isaac could still see him better than when they had first met. He had been about to pass out at that point, after all. The kangaroo had creamy fur, and was stockily built. His tail was thick enough for him to lean on, and his feet and legs looked powerful. The next most noticeable thing was between his legs, where his balls hung over his generous sheath. Isaac wondered why he was noticing that at all, told himself it was because what else would you notice on a creature like that, and then moved his gaze upward. The kangaroo’s muzzle was a smirk, and his eyes were full of confidence. Isaac’s first inspection hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Chase!” Rufus straightened up as noticed the kangaroo. “Not at all, sir. No need to apologize. Was there something you needed?”

“I just need to have a chat with Isaac” Chase gestured towards the bed.

“With me?” Isaac wondered what the Director’s Indicia could want with him.

“I was just leaving.” Rufus gave a slight nod. “If that’s alright, sir.”

“I wouldn’t want ya to leave on my account, but if you’re already on your way out.” Chase waved a large paw at Rufus.

“Give me a call, Isaac.” Rufus said, and he left.

“Sir?” Isaac asked, turning to the kangaroo after watching Rufus leave.

“Do you know how long the Registry has been around?” Chase leaned back on his tail, watching Isaac from across the room.

“Uh, no.” He knew it was a long time, but he wasn’t sure on an exact number.

“Almost as long as I have.” The kangaroo’s voice was loud, powerful, and his voice had an exotic twinge that Isaac couldn’t quite place. “So you can imagine me buggered when I see you run back into that building and light it up like a...a what...a bonfire. A burnout!”

“I didn’t really know what I was doing.” Isaac tried to imagine where Chase was going with this. He didn’t think he was going to like it.

“Become a Collar and burnout within a week.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “Burnouts are against the rules, of course.” The kangaroo took a few steps closer to the bed, and leaned on his tail once more. Leaning back on his tail like that, Isaac found him less threatening than if he was standing up straight. The kangaroo looked so laid back, even if he spoke with authority.

“So I’ve heard. But I didn’t know, at the time.” The boy tried to defend himself.

“Not knowing doesn’t make it any less against the rules. And when you break the rules, there have to be consequences.”

“I’ve been in the hospital for a week. Can’t that be consequence enough?” Isaac tried his best to sound vulnerable.

“If it were up to me, that’d be plenty. But what you did was very...public. Visible. So we need a visible consequence. Something so that Collars don’t start to get it in their heads that burnouts are okay.”

“What did you have in mind?” Though his voice showed his worry, he kept his gaze solidly on the kangaroo. Then he gave another involuntary glance at the kangaroo’s groin. Closer now, not back lit by the sun, Isaac could see the roo better than before.

Chase grinned, but otherwise ignored Isaac’s glance. “Normally, we’d put your totem in a lockbox, probably lock you up for a little awhile. Do you know what a lockbox is?”

Isaac shook his head.

    “It’s a horrible little thing you humans invented. Indicia are only able to be in this world through the use of our totems. The lockbox cuts that link right down the middle. The Collar loses his Indicia, and the Indicia is stuck on the other side. Until the totem is removed from the box, that is. It’s a right awful time.” Chase spoke slowly, giving time for the words to sink in.
    Isaac had a decidedly different response than most Collars. “That’s possible?” He asked brightly.
    “It is. Why do you sound excited about that?” Chase raised a brow at the boy.
    “Tyloki is an asshole. You’d be doing me a favor.” Isaac smiled pointedly at the kangaroo.
    “I remember hearing you had a less than friendly relationship with Tyloki, but I didn’t think it was that bad.” Chase sounded genuinely surprised.
    “It’s not good.” For Isaac, it was the first way out that he had seen since first meeting Tyloki. “I don’t think I’d mind that punishment.”

“Then that won’t do. You don’t have to make this so hard for me, ya’know.” Chase crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side as he considered Isaac.

Isaac waited for the kangaroo to decide what to do.

“I don’t want to lock you up, and putting your totem in a lockbox is no good either. Instead, we’ll just have to keep you close. You are not to leave the Registry until you get my say so.” Chase stated with a nod.

“But the doctor said I should be out of hospital in a few days.”

“Good on ya. I still can’t have you going around town yet. The Registry has everything you need to live.” Chase leaned off his tail and stood directly next to Isaac’s bed.

“What about my family? They’re going to want to know if I’m okay.” Isaac hoped he had found a hole in Chase’s plan. Spending the next who-knows-how-long in the Registry was not a part of his plan.

“They can visit on the lower levels.” Chase said as a matter of fact.

“And I’ll need a place to sleep.” Isaac added.

“I hear you’ve decided to come work the Registry. We’ll find you a dorm.” Chase smiled, though Isaac wondered how he had heard so quickly. So far, he had only told Tyloki and Riley.

With a sigh, Isaac decided it wasn’t the worst possible punishment. “Alright.” He agreed.

“Ripper!” Chase shouted. “Glad to hear it.”

“I don’t really have much other choice, do I?”

“Not at all.” The kangaroo grinned and clapped Isaac on the shoulder with his large paw. “But it’s much easier if we both agree.”

Isaac smiled reluctantly and waited for Chase to take his paw back. During the long silence, he looked down, and found his eyes once again drawn inexplicably to Chase’s equipment.

“Is there something down there you’re interested in?” Chase asked, his paw still on Isaac’s shoulder.

“N...no. No.” Isaac stammered, looking up quickly. His face flushed, and he turned to look away from the kangaroo entirely.

Chase couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he took a few steps back. “I’ll be around, mate.” Isaac looked over, and the kangaroo gave him a wink before vanishing in a small eddy of dust.

    Isaac buried his face in the pillow as soon as he was alone. He allowed himself to give a small groan. What was wrong with him? Chase’s groin should have been one of the few things he was specifically not interested in. And yet he found himself looking at it three times. He decided being in the hospital was driving him crazy. He would need to get out soon. It wasn’t long after Chase’s departure that he fell asleep again.
    Opening his eyes, he found himself looking in a mirror. He was looking at his own face, but it wasn’t his face. It was twisted wildly, eyes blazing with malicious intent, mouth bent in a psychotic grin. It was enough to make him recoil back, away from his reflection. Then he found that it wasn’t a reflection in a mirror, he was looking at himself. Or another version of himself. The twisted Isaac followed him as he moved away.
    He felt sluggish, his body wouldn’t move how he wanted it to. Looking down, he could easily see why. He wasn’t in his own body. He was larger than he usually was, and covered in gray black fur. No clothes, hefty paws. He was Tyloki. His breathing was ragged and rough, his throat practically produced growls on its own. At the top of his vision, he could see the twisted Isaac approaching slowly. As fast as he moved back, Isaac was always the same distance away.
    It was time to turn and run. Twisted Isaac started to cackle as he spun around and got used to running in Tyloki’s body. It was large, unwieldy, but also powerful in a way he had never felt before. He could turn around and knock Isaac over in a single swipe. Or eviscerate him with his claws. But that wasn’t how he thought. He didn’t solve problems with violence, if he could avoid. He glanced back, he hadn’t put any distance between Isaac and himself. Isaac was walking, how was he not gaining any ground?
    He turned forward again, and halted as quickly as he could, to avoid tumbling head first over the cliff in front of him. The edge of the cliff ran as far as he could see in both directions, leaving him nowhere else to run. The drop over the edge went further than he could see, too, so jumping wasn’t an option. Turning around, Isaac was standing right in front of him, face broken and repulsive.
    “Stay away, or I’ll throw you over the cliff.” He said, trying to sound like Tyloki, trying to scare himself away.
    “You think you can just push people around, get whatever you want, whenever you want it.” Isaac said, showing off the fangs that filled his mouth.
    “If I’m strong enough to earn it, I deserve to have it.” Tyloki said, standing strong in front of Isaac.
    “You mean if you’re strong enough to take it.” Isaac held out his hand, looked at it in the air in front of him. He made a grabbing motion at nothing.
    “Quiet, runt.” Tyloki growled, the urge to throw Isaac over the cliff was building.
    “Or what? You’ll kill me. But you promised you wouldn’t.” Isaac giggled, and he took a step closer to Tyloki.
    “One more step and you’re done for.” The wolf warned.
    Isaac looked pointedly down at his own feet, and took a step forward.
    Tyloki swung his fist at Isaac, but the boy raised a hand and grabbed the wolf’s wrist, stopping the strike before it could connect.
    “The only thing worse than being weak,” Isaac placed his free hand on Tyloki’s chest, “is having power, and not using it to make things better.” Isaac pushed forward on Tyloki’s chest, and on his wrist, shoving him back and over the edge of the cliff.
    As he fell, he looked up at his own face, laughing hysterically. He hit the ground, and landed in his hospital bed. Relieved that he wasn’t Tyloki any longer, relieved to be awake, Isaac was more sure than ever that it was time to get out of the hospital.

In an effort to get out as quickly as possible, he put every effort into his physical therapy. Each day, a nurse would come and help him out of bed. He was only supposed to walk across the room a few times. He found himself pushing harder than that, wanting to regain his normal strength as soon as possible. Even as the nurses insisted he get back in bed, he would always go for one more walk. From the bed to the wall, and back again. He would walk until his legs wouldn’t hold him up anymore. When he eventually started the fall, the nurses would help him back into bed. The days passed with little fanfare, the only notable events consisting of Dr. Ross’ visits, which Isaac was beginning to really enjoy, and his physical therapy.

    As physical therapy was the only thing for him to focus on, Isaac made rapid progress. Between his effort and Collar healing, it was only a few days before he thought he’d be able to walk around like normal. Dr. Ross still wasn’t convinced. The infection in his shoulder was still glowing green, albeit very dimly. Isaac insisted it wasn’t a big deal, his shoulder hardly hurt anymore. But Dr. Ross was a good doctor, and she didn’t want him to leave until he was fully healed, or so she said.
    Tyloki was still missing, though as the infection receded, Isaac’s morbid nightmares about the wolf did as well. The boy wasn’t too worried about where Tyloki might be, as there was still a pressure at the corner of his mind that felt like Tyloki hanging around. He just wasn’t saying anything. He did consider calling Riley or Rufus to check on Tyloki, though he admittedly wasn’t sure how that worked exactly. Did the Indicia know how to find each other in the spirit world? He would have to ask that sometime.
    “Admit it, you just don’t want me to leave because you’d miss me.” Isaac joked as he stood up for Dr. Ross.
    “If you leave, we have to give the room to someone else. It’s more of a devil you know situation.” She smiled, though, and brushed her hair back over her ear.
    “Are most Collars jerks?” Isaac wondered, stretching his right arm out straight to prove that he could.
    “Let’s just say they’re not all as quick as you are.” She looked over his arm and shoulder.
    “Doctor, be careful, that was almost a compliment.” He levered his arm up and down, and she watched the muscles move as he did.
    “Walk over there for me?” She asked, and pointed to the far wall.
    Easy. Isaac had made that walk plenty of times since he started his physical therapy. With a careful stride, he walked to the wall and turned around triumphantly. He never thought he’d be proud just to be able to walk. He thought Dr. Ross looked proud, too, but he couldn’t be sure.
    “Very good!” She clapped, as if he were a child walking for the first time.
    “You see? I’m ready to go.” He said as he walked back to the bed.
    “I agree.” She said.
    “Why not?” Isaac started, not hearing her at first. Then his brain managed to put together what she said. “Wait, really?”
    “Yeah. You’re ready to get out of here.” She typed a few things on her LINK. “I’ll have someone bring you some clothes, and we’ll get you checked out by lunch.”
    Isaac sat back down on the bed. Remembering he was still in his underwear, he pulled the blankets over his lap. “That’s great. But doctor, I can’t leave yet.” He sounded disappointed.
    “Why not? It’s all you’ve wanted for a week now.” She put her hands on her hips indignantly.
    “I still don’t know your name.” He grinned at her hopefully.
    She sighed back at him and shook her head. “Miria.”
    “Doctor Miria Ross.” He said, and nodded. “I like it. And how old are-?”
    “Not a chance.” She snapped, shutting him down.
    “I’ll just have to get injured so I can come see you again soon.” He said with a shrug.
    “Please don’t.” She pleaded genuinely, she really didn’t want him to get hurt again.
    “Alright. I’ll do my best. Thanks, doctor.” He said, and they smiled at each other.
    “I’m just doing my job. Like I said, I’m a professional.” Miria said.
    Shortly after Miria left, one of the nurses brought Isaac a change of clothes. They were boring, not the sort of thing he would usually wear, but clothes were clothes. It was more than the nothing he had been wearing the past week or so. He slipped into them quickly and clipped his LINK around his wrist. Wearing clothes again, it made him start to feel somewhat normal. It had been awhile since he had felt anything even resembling normal, so it was a feeling he was glad to have.

Picking up his collar off the nightstand, he stared at it for a moment. Now that he was out of the hospital, he would have to carry through with his plan to fight. Tyloki wouldn’t let him back out now. Worse yet, he wasn’t sure he wanted to back out anymore. He couldn’t see a future with InCorp anymore. He couldn’t see a future without his collar, anymore. So he fastened it snugly around his neck.

    “Oh, I’m glad I caught you before you left. Though I’m not sure where you’d go.” Isaac turned around quickly to see Director Canaan at the door.
    “Did you need something?” Isaac asked, annoyed at his escape from the hospital being held up any longer.
    “I was waiting until you got better to ask, but I was wondering if you would be willing to meet me in my office sometime. I need to ask you a few questions about what happened that night in the InCorp building. We’ve gotten accounts from anyone who is willing to talk, but by far, you seem to have been the most pivotal piece.” Canaan took his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt.
    “What more do you need to know?” Canaan was blocking Isaac’s exit from the room, so he couldn’t leave until Canaan did.
    “I just have a few questions, that’s all. If you could drop by sometime soon, that would be excellent.” The Director’s smile seemed manipulative instead of friendly.
    “It’s not like I’ve got anywhere else I can go. Sure, I’ll tell you everything I remember. But on one condition.” Isaac didn’t trust Canaan, but he wasn’t sure why. Chase was his Indicia, and he seemed far more trustworthy.
    “What would that be?” Canaan asked with a chuckle.
    “You’ll have to tell me what you were doing there, before the attack.” Isaac said, a challenging tone in his voice.
    “I’m sure I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” The Director said, with a small shake of his head.
    Isaac closed his eyes, remembered the meeting before the attack. Harland, Roy, and Canaan. They were all there. He just couldn’t remember the afternoon leading up to the attack. Nothing about the day seemed to add up. InCorp security being off, the AI being on, Canaan being at the meeting, and the fact that the rescue teams didn’t move in until after the burnout. None of it made sense, but Isaac knew he didn’t have the pieces he needed to put it together. “You were there.” He stood his ground, not backing down.
    “Maybe if you come talk to me about what happened, we can figure out why you think I was there. I’m sure there is an explanation for everything, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to figure out what happened that day, so it won’t happen again.” Canaan turned around and stood in the threshold to the hallway. He was still trying to sound friendly, but it wasn’t working.
    Without saying anything, Canaan held out his finger and pointed down the hall. Immediately following, several of the young Pre-Collars who had come to spy on Isaac scrambled down the hall and out of sight.
    “You were there. And I’m going to figure out why. It’ll be a lot easier if you just tell me.” Isaac walked towards Canaan.
    “You’d do well to remember your place.” The Director said, taking a stern tone to remind Isaac that he was in charge, after all.
    “I’ll be going now.” Isaac moved to walk past Canaan, into the hallway.
    “Where are you going?” Canaan asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean just what I asked. Where are you going? You still need a place to stay, if I recall correctly.” His tone had changed back to being friendly now.
    He had a point. Isaac still didn’t have a dorm to go to, and he couldn’t leave the Registry yet. He yearned to go home, back to his room at the house, but he couldn’t do that yet. He figured if he did, they really would arrest him and lock him up. “I don’t...know.” He admitted with a huff.
    “I took the liberty of setting up your accommodations.” Canaan turned back to Isaac, with a keycard in his hand. He held it out to the boy.
    Isaac stared at it before taking it, looking it over. “Thanks, I guess.”
    “You’ll find find your room on the 7th floor. I trust you know where the rest of the facilities are?”
    “Yeah, I can get around. I got the tour. Are we done?” Isaac asked impatiently.
    “We are done. Don’t forget to set up an appointment with my secretary.” Canaan smiled, and waved over his shoulder as he walked away.
    Isaac shook his head. He did not like that guy. Something about him seemed less than genuine, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Wait, the 7th floor. That doesn’t tell me which room is mine. Canaan!” He called out, looking down the hallway for the Director, but he was already gone. With a sigh, he headed for the elevators. At the very least, he was glad to say goodbye to the hospital as the elevator took him away to the 7th floor.
    He looked over the key, checking to see if it had a room number on it. No such luck. Getting off the elevator, he recognized the hallway, at least. It was where Riley had taken him on the tour. That gave him an idea. Retracing his steps from before, he came to Riley’s dorm. Somewhat confident that it was the correct door, he knocked several times.
    At first, there was no response. He knocked again, and heard a muffled noise from inside. Tapping his foot, he waited for Riley to come to the door. When the door opened, it opened just a crack. Riley stood on the other side, but he was naked. His lower body was hidden by the door, and he peered out through the small crack.
    “Oh, Isaac! I was expecting you.” He said, and looked down at himself. “I mean, not like this. I was expecting you at some point. Rain and I were just, you know...” He coughed. “Let me get dressed.”
    The door shut, and Isaac waited once more. When it opened again, Riley had a towel wrapped around his waist. Rain was sitting on the couch with a pillow in his lap. He waved enthusiastically at Isaac.
    “You were expecting me?” Isaac asked.
    “Yeah, you’re our new roommate. Isn’t that why you’re here?” Riley asked, walking to the couch, he sat nonchalantly next to Rain.
    “I guess it is.” Isaac said, stepping into the common room, which had 4 other doors, leading to individual bedrooms. “Which one is mine?”
    “Pick any of those.” Riley said, pointing at two of the rooms to the left, and one room to the right. “That one is next door to mine.”
    “Why not?” Isaac said, walking to the door adjacent to Riley’s room. Ignoring what was going on on the couch, he opened the door to his new room and walked inside. He closed the door behind him, to give Riley and Rain privacy as they moved towards each other, presumably picking up where they left off. Or maybe it was for his own privacy.
    The room was sparsely decorated. A bed, desk, chair, and dresser. He would need to get his clothes delivered from the house. And maybe some Lightglass fixtures for the walls, the white was boring. The desk appeared to be stocked with the usual tools, paper and pens and the like. Walking over to the bed, he sat down on the side. Now he wasn’t sure what to do. He had just gotten out of the hospital, where he was stuck in bed all day. No way he wanted to sit in his room any more than he had to. But Riley was busy, and he didn’t want to just wander the Registry halls. And the quiet in his head was starting to get to him. It had been a week since he had heard Tyloki’s scathing voice in his head.
    He leaned back, and expected to fall back to sprawl on the bed. Instead, he hit something and stayed in a sitting position. Whatever he was leaning on was warm and furry. He looked over his shoulder to find Tyloki sitting on the opposite side of the bed, leaning so they were back to back.
    [Runt.]
    Tyloki. Isaac thought, almost glad to have the voice back in his head.
    He had wanted to get out of the hospital more than anything. Now that things were back to normal, he was excited to get started on his new life. He noticed that he thought of being a Collar as normal now. It didn’t scare him, not anymore. But it wouldn’t be long before he realized that his time in the hospital had been a vacation. One that he would long for, soon enough.