“Start from the beginning.” Canaan instructed as he settled into his high backed leather chair, shifting around and getting comfortable. Around the sides of the chair, Isaac had an exquisite view of the city below. From a distance, the city of Bastion resembled a mountain, and Canaan’s office was the peak. Past the city walls, Isaac could see the once blasted lands, glowing in the daylight, stubbornly returning to life. Young forests ran along into the distance, growing young trees, another step along the way on the long road to recovery. Today the view was obstructed by a pallor in the sky, which was drizzling rain over the entire city.

            “You were there.” Isaac repeated, noticing that his chair, on the front side of the extravagant desk, was nowhere near as comfortable (or large) as Canaan’s chair. The desk was particularly large, made from a combination of glass, metal, and natural wood. Isaac shook his head as he looked at the trees far outside the city walls. The introduction of synthetic wood as a construction material had helped in the repopulation of the forests, but some people with a taste for the finer things still demanded the real deal.

            “I’m not a part of the story. I need you to start at the beginning and tell me everything.” Canaan spoke calmly, obviously pleased that Isaac had finally come to talk to him.

            “You’re a part of the story. I saw you there. Unless you have a twin brother, then we both know you were there.” Isaac replied, unwilling to budge. One of the few memories he had of the time leading up to the Thrall attack on InCorp was of seeing Canaan.

            [Who cares if he was there?]

            I don’t know, I think he is up to something. I can’t say what, but why else would he lie about being there?

            [Who cares?]

            If you don’t care, then shut up.

            “Even if I was there before the attack, I wasn’t there during. That’s why I need you here. I think that InCorp is up to something, and you may be the only person who can help me prove that.” Canaan sighed and leaned forward, crossing his hands on the desk.

            See? He practically admitted he was there.

            [I ask again...]

            “I used to work there. How do you know I’m still not loyal to them?” Isaac asked, looking around the rest of the office. It was massive, more of a throne room than an office. The elevator led to a small reception room before the entrance into the chamber. Most of the walls were shining black marble, simple and elegant. A bookcase stood out along the right hand wall, seemingly out of place in the sparsely decorated office.

            [Chase is known for his love of literature. They belong to him.]

            And the rest of the office, that would be Canaan’s influence?

            [This office has been the same since the Registry was built. Directors come and go...]

            I don’t understand.

            “You’ve never been loyal to them. You blame them for your father’s death, don’t you?” Canaan stated bluntly, eyes boring into Isaac.

            “You’re wrong. I’m grateful to them for Edgar’s death.” Isaac corrected.

            [You enjoyed saying that. Maybe you’re a little sadistic after all.]

            Don’t get confused. I’m glad he’s dead, sure. I still would have preferred a good father.

            Canaan looked surprised, but Isaac didn’t buy it. Everything the man did was an act, an attempt to manipulate something or someone. He recognized the type. The director changed tactics. “They did nearly kill you, and if I’m not mistaken, your sister and step father. Sera and Roy, correct?”

            A flash of anger filled Isaac as he thought of the AI that had attempted to kill everyone in the building. Almost.

            Because we stopped it.

            [I stopped it.]

            “That wasn’t InCorp, it was a mistake.” Isaac said.

            “What if it wasn’t?” Canaan suggested.

            “What could InCorp get out of killing most of their employees?” Isaac asked, leaning forward. Canaan was crazy if he thought the AI was functioning properly.

            “Not what could they gain by killing those people. What did they stand to lose, if they didn’t?” Canaan mused.

            “Nothing. I saved everyone, and killed the Thrall, too. The AI was designed to protect Harland Sharp, it didn’t try to purge the building until we got him out. It was a mistake.” Isaac insisted.

            [A simple theory.]

            Often correct.

            “An AI of that design would have cost millions of dollars to design and implement. How likely would they be to simply forget about it being integrated into the building security system?” Canaan pressured.

            “It was a secret project to begin with. Alissa didn’t know about it, and it seemed like Parker didn’t either.” Isaac explained.

            “Parker was there, that’s right. What did he do?” Canaan asked with renewed interest.

            “He wanted to wait for help. From you, from us.” Isaac gestured to the room. “Collars.”

            “If he knew about the AI purge, there’s no way he would want to sit and wait. So perhaps you’re right, it was a secret, at least the security team didn’t know it was there. That doesn’t absolve the executives. They still had to know.” Canaan was set on his theory about corruption at InCorp.

            “Alright, if you’re sure they had something to lose, what was it?” Isaac took Canaan’s obvious bait.

            “I haven’t a clue. Also troubling is how the Thrall got into the building in the first place.” Canaan changed subjects, trying to draw Isaac into his web of ideas and theories without any concrete evidence to back it all up.

            “That’s something I’ve been struggling with, too. Someone would have had to turn off the building’s defenses. Either the AI, which shouldn’t have been active until the Thrall was in the building to begin with, or someone at InCorp.” Isaac was pleased to find they did at least have some common ground.

            “So you agree that this appears to be InCorp’s doing.” Canaan smiled.

            “No. A mole at InCorp, someone on the inside could have turned off the defenses, leaving them open for an attack. And they could have turned on the defunct AI, too. A plan designed to shift the blame on to InCorp.” Isaac considered perhaps he was giving away too much of his own theory.

            “Who?” Canaan sounded genuinely curious.

            “I haven’t a clue.” Isaac sneered, crossing his arms. “That’s all I know. I can’t help you with this anymore. If you think that InCorp is up to something, talk to Harland Sharp. I always had the feeling he knew more about what was going on than he let on.”

            “I appreciate your help, Isaac. This conversation has helped me to confirm a few things I had suspicions about, and you raise an interesting theory of your own.” Canaan stood as he finished talking.

            Isaac stood as well, ready to leave the Director’s extravagant office. They shook hands over the desk, thought it was forced, cold. “In return, I’d like a favor.”

            “What is it, Isaac?” Canaan asked.

            “I want to leave the Registry, I need some fresh air.” Isaac demanded.

            “If last night is any indication, no one is stopping you, Isaac.” The Director smiled his hollow smile, and Isaac considered for a moment punching that smile.

             He kept his hand under control and took a deep breath. “Thank you.” He said through gritted teeth. He turned and started to walk towards the far away door, shoes striking loudly against the marble floor. The door opened automatically as he approached it, revealing Riley on the other side. Whatever reason Riley had for meeting with Canaan, Isaac didn’t feel like talking.

            “What’s up, Isaac?” Riley chirped as Isaac blew past him.

            Isaac put a hand up to wave at Riley, but otherwise, said nothing as he exited the office and the door closed behind him.

            Not wanting to waste any time, Isaac took the elevator straight to the first floor of the Registry, despite Tyloki’s protests.

            [You don’t even have a weapon. You don’t have my fire. All you can do is make barriers. What will you do if a Thrall attacks?]

            I’ll make barriers, I guess. Isaac thought as he rolled his eyes.

            [I am not bailing you out again.]

            I didn’t ask you to.

            The elevator doors opened and Isaac slipped out into the predictably crowded lobby. A horde of Collars squeezed past him, forcing their way onto the car. The door could hardly close, and Isaac wondered about the weight limit. If the brakes failed from the top of the Registry...He looked up through the center of the tower, all the way to the top. It was a long way up, and a long way down. Why did all the buildings in Bastion have to be so tall?

            [Outward expansion is difficult with immovable walls on the fringes of the city.]

            So we go up instead. Hmph.

            Isaac started heading towards the security checkpoint, kept his gaze skyward, and didn’t see Shir as he walked right into him. He shook his head and steadied himself, apologizing before he even realized who he had bumped into. The sabertooth had his arms crossed against his chest, and a displeased expression on his muzzle.

            “What do you think you’re doing?” Shir growled, leaning his fangs closer to Isaac’s face.

            “Sorry, Shir. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Isaac explained, not backing away from the unhappy tiger.

            “Not that.” The tiger’s eyes narrowed.

            “Oh, well, I’m going to meet a friend. Director Canaan said it is okay for me to leave now.” Isaac said, looking for an opportunity to move around the large creature and continue on his way.

            Shir noticed Isaac’s intention to slip by, and made sure to siddle back and forth with the boy. “Not that, either.”

            “Then, what?” Isaac asked, looking around, confused.

            “Last night.” Shir raised one of his eyebrows, waiting for Isaac to understand.

            Isaac stared at Shir, dumbfounded, as he went through the previous night’s events, one by one. The only thing he could mean was...His jaw dropped and he punched the tiger on his upper arm. “How do you know about that?”

            Shir took a few seconds to react to the punch, as if it didn’t really hurt, and he was just playing along. He shook his arm in the air. “I just assumed. Now I know.” The tiger’s dumb grin returned to his muzzle.

            I have to stop falling for that.

            [That would require you to be less, what’s the word?]

            It’s not a good insult if you can’t think of the word.

            [Gullible?]

            Pardon me for taking possible threats seriously. That’s what you want me to do, isn’t it?

            [Stupid?]

            Oh, this is one of those conversations.

            [Slow?]

            Isaac punched Shir’s arm again, which merely made the tiger’s grin grow wider. “How was it?” He asked with a wink.

            “I’m not talking about it.” Isaac tried to hold back a blush, and he continued searching for a way to bypass the tiger. To the left, a gap large enough to slip by.

            “I’ll talk about it.” Tyloki said as he materialized behind Isaac, large paw wrapping around Isaac’s collar.

“You weren’t there!” Isaac exclaimed as he was jerked back to the hulking wolf.

            “That’s inconsequential.” Tyloki growled, shoving Isaac back to where he had been standing before. “He had quite the enjoyable night.”

            “I’ll bet he did.” Shir smirked at Isaac, licked his lips.

            Isaac shook his head, and shuddered. “I’m still not talking about it.”

            “You know how gentle Alkaid can be. Too gentle, if you ask me.” Tyloki shoved Isaac again, for emphasis.

            Isaac managed to remain on his feet, but he suddenly felt like a kid waiting while the adults were talking. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

            “You should hear the noises he made.” Tyloki continued, lips curved with enjoyment.

            “I imagine I’ll get to hear them eventually.” Shir added with another wink at Isaac.

            Lunging forward, Isaac raised his arms up and threw his hands over Tyloki’s muzzle. Or, he tried to. His hands weren’t big enough to fit around the wolf’s open jaw, so instead of the muzzle, Isaac got a fistful of fangs. His eye twitched when he realized what he was holding. Tyloki looked down at him, smile faded from the edge of his mouth. His eyes spoke of his intent.

Isaac knew it was a contest of speed, and he was glad now to have the combat training, the practiced reflexes he would need to get himself out of danger. He could already feel the muscles in Tyloki’s jaw moving to crush his fingers, he would have to move fast. Releasing his grip, he pulled his fingers out of the wolf’s mouth as quickly as he could. He felt the tips of the razor ivory graze against his skin as the jaw snapped shut.

Inspecting the front and back of his hands, he found small cuts on the palms, just starting to bleed. Shaking his hands in the air, he glared up at Tyloki.

“Don’t even complain. You put your hands in my mouth.” Tyloki cut him off, not even giving him a chance to protest.

Isaac opened his mouth to complain regardless, but Tyloki’s paw clasped easily over his face, muzzling him. Point taken, Isaac crossed his arms and waited.

“He’s still a fresh runt. Once I break him in, I guess I’ll pass him around.” Tyloki told Shir, whose eyes glinted at the words.

“Actually, go ahead, talk away.” Isaac conceded, “I’ll just go ahead. Catch up when you’re done.”

Isaac started to walk away, but Tyloki grabbed the back of the collar again, holding Isaac in place. He sighed, arms crossed, as he waited for Tyloki to let go. Neither Shir nor Tyloki were paying him any actual attention, instead focused on talking about their inappropriate things. The only reason Tyloki had to hold on to the collar was to display dominance. The paw slipped off of the collar and Isaac started to walk away again, bracing himself for the wolf to grab his collar once more. It didn’t happen. The Indicia ignored him as he walked away, seemingly to make him feel forgotten or abandoned.

It didn’t bother him. He made a wide arc around the two, weaving his way through the crowd, and made a beeline for the entrance. He stopped when he heard someone call his name. Too many more distractions and he’d have to reschedule with Alyssa.

“Good morning, Isaac. Well, good morning again.” Alkaid purred as he walked up beside Isaac.

“Oh, uh, Alkaid. I was just heading out, so...” Isaac’s voice wavered, and he gestured towards the doors. He was so close to freedom.

“I know, that’s why I’m here, actually.” Alkaid said with a sagely nod.

It wasn’t what they had done together that made Isaac uneasy. It was the unknown thing, the undercurrent that drove the last kiss they shared that morning. It wasn’t lust, it had been...”Oh?” He kept his eyes on the doors, the rainy street outside, the people coming and going with impunity. Soon it would be him. He had waited months for the opportunity to leave freely. That along with the enticement of the mystery that Alyssa might be able to help him solve, it was enough to make him rock back and forth from one foot to another.

“You haven’t been out there in awhile. Your popularity may have died down by now, but people still treat Collars differently than civilians. You have to remember to carry yourself with dignity.” Alkaid explained, though he made no extra effort to fight for Isaac’s attention.

“Yeah.” Isaac said, still thinking about the first step through the door. It was raining outside, the rain would feel so good on his skin.

“You’re still in the middle of your training, but if a Thrall were to show up, people would expect you to fight. You understand that, correct? And you are willing to fight?” Alkaid asked slowly, making sure to speak clearly.

“Right.” Isaac said, and he glanced back at Alkaid. He saw that the cat was now holding something in his paws. He was extending it towards Isaac. As if he was supposed to take it.

“Collar usually work in teams of two or three. It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.” The thing in Alkaid’s paws was moved closer, waiting for Isaac to take it.

It was a long metal pole, made up of three discrete segments. The finishing work on it made it smooth and glossy, and it reflected light well, but not enough to reflect an image. It was made up of a dark black metal, unusual in a city where most of the metal was made in white, silver, and chrome. Isaac didn’t have to think long to know what it was. The staffs he had been practicing with had been made of wood, but the one in Alkaid’s paws was still recognizable. Reaching out hesitantly, he accepted the weapon from Alkaid.

The weight felt good in his hands. He lifted it up and down a few times just to get a feel for it. “This is mine?”

“I had it made for you. One of the perks of the Registry.” Alkaid nodded, and Isaac could see the edges of a proud smile on his lips.

“It’s kind of big to carry around everywhere, isn’t it?” Isaac asked as he looked along the length of the staff.

“It’s retractable, and modified to attach to the usual sort of mag-holster you would find equipped in most tech armor. I know you like that high tech stuff. Personally, I would have gone for a basic stick, but I had it made for you, not me.” The cat sounded judgmental, but it was worth it for the gift he was giving.

Isaac found a switch in the middle of the staff that, upon pressing it, caused the staff to quickly retract to the size of a thick baton. He slipped it around his back and got his first chance to use the mag-holster in his armor. The baton clung to his back as if it were hanging in a strap, but required no such attachment. With the weapon hanging readily on his back, he felt empowered. It had more to do with his training than the weapon, but in this case, the staff was a symbol of how much he had already changed.

            “Thank you.” Isaac said, truly grateful for the gift. Between the staff and the lighter in his pocket, and the magic in his fingers, he felt closer to a hundred percent than he had in months. Ever since the burnout.

            “It’s nothing.” The usually well composed cat glanced sideways as he spoke. “Isaac, your hands. They’re bleeding.”

            “It’s nothing.” Isaac echoed, shaking his hands in the air again. The pain from the scratches had already started to dull. He could wash his hands later.

            “Isaac.” Alkaid said simply, but he left it at that.

            What had been behind the kiss that morning?

            Isaac felt a brief urge to ask Alkaid, or worse yet, to kiss him again. It faded quickly, to Isaac’s relief. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, before Alkaid released them. He gave an awkward sort of wave and started to walk away.

            “Be safe out there.” He said as he walked backwards, giving Isaac space to start walking his own way.

            Isaac wondered for a moment why Alkaid never vanished or appeared suddenly, like most Indicia did. He thought knew the answer already. With a small shake of his head, he turned and headed for the doors. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the world, truly on his own for the first time.

            The rain was cold, colder than he’d remembered. Then again, he had never intentionally gone out in the rain before. Maybe because rain was usually cold, and he didn’t like being wet. Before he had left, going out into the rain seemed like it would be refreshing or rejuvenating, but now he just felt damp. It would have been a better idea to bring an umbrella. Shivering, he tried to stick close to the sides of buildings, walking under awnings whenever possible. It didn’t help, he was soaked to the bone.

            [Should have brought an umbrella. First perk collaring you has ever provided. I can reside safely in here.]

            Oh, good. You’re back. Isaac thought as sarcastically as he could manage.

            [Sure is warm in here.]

            It’d be warmer with a little fire, don’tcha think?

            [You’re no more able to make a fire than I am.]

            Isaac pulled his lighter from his pocket, thumbed the roller, let it spark once. Of course it wouldn’t catch in the rain, but he still felt it got his point across.

            [I’ve called you a small candle before. That hasn’t changed.]

            Whatever you say, Ty. Isaac thought as he suddenly realized he wasn’t even sure where he was going. His muscles had simply been taking him towards the rail station. He checked Alyssa’s address on his LINK and realized that she lived close to InCorp. That made sense, she was a high ranked security officer there. He wouldn’t need to take the monorail. Great, he had been looking forward to the shelter from the rain. Now he would have to walk the whole way.

            [My name is Tyloki. Do not shorten it.]

            Isaac ignored the wolf for the moment. He looked up and found the name of the street he was walking on. He wasn’t too far from Alyssa’s, luckily. He turned at an intersection and corrected his course. He didn’t even need the GPS to find her place. Having a delivery route that took you over the entire city had its advantages. As he walked, he saw a group of people huddled under a Lightglass bus-stop.

            All you have is your barriers.

            It gave him an idea, and he felt like an idiot for not coming up with it sooner. With a small amount of concentration, he formed one his usual blue energy barriers directly above his head. It was rectangular, and so the wind still blew water into his face. He concentrated harder, trying to curve the barrier. It was something he thought he should be able to do, but so far, he had only made flat barriers. Somewhere inside him, it felt like it was in his chest, but he knew better, he could feel the magic pulling on his energy. He pictured the weak glowing orb that Tyloki had showed him in his own head. He had learned what it felt like when magic was being drawn from the sphere, from his...soul, for lack of a better word.

            The barrier curved down, forming a pulsing blue dome above his head, acting as a functional umbrella. Isaac actively ignored the strange looks the few bystanders were giving him.

            Umbrella magic. Being a Collar finally pays off.

            [I am truly astonished by the lengths to which you make your abilities useless.]

            And yet I have abilities to waste.

            [Yes, an umbrella will save us from the Thralls.]

            As he walked, Isaac found himself partially distracted by the drops of water bouncing off of his barrier. Each one was like a tap directly at his skull. They were light and weak, but noticeable. Maybe it wasn’t worth the convenience after all. For now, at least, he would put up with it. There wasn’t far left to walk.

            [You are still weak.]

            The rest of the trip passed without much disapproval from Tyloki, which Isaac considered as good as it gets. Eventually, he could see Alyssa’s building down the street. Looking at the building numbers and trying to figure out where exactly to go demanded more mental attention, and so the barrier faded. Isaac became wet again, after he had almost started to dry. He would have to work on multi-tasking. Alkaid had been pestering him to practice it, but he was always too tired at the end of the day to keep up with it.

            2508 Vincent Road.

            The building that Alissa lived in was peculiar in the city. Most buildings in Bastion were built high, to accommodate as much usable space as possible in as little square footage. The first floor of Alissa’s building had stairs leading up to apartments that made up the entire floor. A second stairwell by the front door led up into an upper lobby, which allowed access to the smaller, more affordable, less luxurious apartments. Alissa was at least paid well, to afford a first floor apartment. Actually, Isaac considered it closer to a house than an apartment.

            Isaac trotted up the stairs to 2508, and found the mail slot labeled Avery.

            Alissa Avery. Second officer of InCorp’s security force.

            Alissa had said that Isaac was the only person she trusted. That there was someone she wanted him to meet. He knocked on the door without hesitation, then tried the doorbell, as his heartbeat picked up. He was intrigued, to say the least.

“Isaac?” He heard a woman call through the door.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He replied, waiting for the door to open.

“If it’s you, make one of those blue barriers in here.” Alissa sounded worried. Isaac had been unaware her paranoia had become this severe.

“I don’t think I can do it without being able to see.” Isaac returned, becoming impatient now. He wanted to get out of the rain.

“Through the mail slot, then.” Alissa said, and the mail slot flipped up, allowing Isaac to see the faux wood flooring directly inside.

With a shrug, Isaac focused and created a small square barrier just inside the mail slot. He saw a hand reach out, touch the energy, press against it like glass. The slot flipped closed, the barrier shattered, and Isaac felt a sharp tug in his chest. Several thuds later, the door was pulled open. Alissa was standing in the doorway, wearing what appeared to be normal day clothes, but with a gun hanging from a shoulder holster. She looked tough, ready to defend herself and her home.

“Sorry, I had to make sure it was you. You’re the only person that I know wasn’t up to something that night.” She said, gesturing for him to come inside.

That night. He was never sure what to call it. The night of the burnout. The night of the Thrall attack on InCorp. That night.

“How do you know that?” Isaac asked, stepping inside anyway.

“Because you were with me. If you had other motives, you wouldn’t have helped me get Harland out. And you wouldn’t have...gone back in.” She said, closing the door as he entered. She locked several different locks before turning to face Isaac again.

“I...we...I never had a chance to thank you, Alissa. We wouldn’t have been able to save everyone alone.” Isaac smiled awkwardly. He held out his hand to shake, but pulled it back before she could respond. They didn’t know each other well enough to hug. They had been through Hell together, and then they hadn’t talked in months.

“It was nothing. I was really just trying to save myself.” She said, shaking her head. “But afterwards, I started looking into it.” She walked into the next room, and Isaac followed.

The living room had a door at the back, it looked as if it led to a bedroom. There was a small kitchen, relative to the size of the apartment, separated on the corner of the living room. It reminded him of his own house. He hadn’t been home in months, and now that he was free, the first place he went wasn’t home. Things were different now.

Roy and Mom probably think I’m just like Rufus. The men in our family sure have a knack for disappointing others.

“You started looking into it.” Isaac said as he took a seat in the living room.

There were several folders sitting on the table, disorganized, as if someone had been reading them frantically.

“I didn’t find much for a while. There were no files I could access regarding the AI, and there were no leads on the errors with the defense systems.” Alissa explained, sitting across from Isaac. She looked around as she talked, her hand resting on the butt of her gun.

“You said there was someone you wanted me to meet.” Isaac tried to steer the conversation.

“I’m getting to that. See, there wasn’t much I could find, until I was talking to Chief Parker one day. He mentioned,” She looked around and leaned closer, whispering, as if someone might be listening in, “he mentioned that he didn’t want to look into the AI any further. Parker likes to be in control, if he didn’t know about something so big, so important, he would want to know about it.”

“So? He just wasn’t interested.” Isaac was willing to play devil’s advocate to coax more information out of Alissa.

“If he did know about the AI, he should've known that it would purge the building when Harland was brought to safety. So when he let us go find Harland, he either was gambling on us not succeeding, or had a back up plan.” She didn’t even consider the possibility that he hadn’t known about it beforehand.

“If he didn’t know about it...” Isaac said, but Alissa shook her head.

“Then none of this matters, and I’ll buy you dinner sometime.” She said to shush him up. “But if he did know, gambling on our failure with his life seems pretty drastic.”

“So you think he had a back up plan. A way to turn off the AI?” Isaac asked, thinking back to how close the AI had come to purging the building with plasma.

“If he did have a way to turn it off, he was taking his sweet time.” Alissa agreed with what Isaac was thinking.

“So then he must have had somewhere...” Isaac started, but Alissa cut him off.

“Somewhere else to go. Somewhere safe.” She said, glancing at the door to her bedroom.

Isaac glanced too, but he didn’t know what they were looking at.

“Alright. Where?” He asked.

“I started pulling up building schematics for InCorp, looking for anywhere that might make a good panic room. The problem with that is that most rooms double as a panic room, if the defenses are working properly, and aren’t being overridden by lunatic AI.” Alissa pointed at the folders on the table.

“So what did you find?” Isaac was getting tired of her need for him to ask for more information.

“Nothing, really. Every inch of the building that I know about it also in the blueprints. So that was when I hit a dead end. I wanted to know more about the AI, but I was told it had been completely dismantled. I couldn’t find out any more about Chief Parker, he wouldn’t talk. There was nothing more I could do.” Alissa sighed, crossing her arms.

“But that isn’t where the story ends.” Isaac assumed, waiting for whatever punchline might be coming.

“Then I met him.” She said, standing up. “Or, more accurately, found him.” Alissa made her way to the bedroom door, and Isaac stood up to follow.

Alissa pushed the door open gently, and Isaac leaned in through the opening. It was dark on the other side, but he could make out a bed, a nightstand, a small Lightglass nightlight fixture. There was clearly someone on the bed, though he appeared to be asleep.

Isaac looked sideways at Alissa. “Who is it?”

Biting her lip, she walked past Isaac, into the darkened room. He followed closely behind. Alissa stopped by the side of the bed and leaned down, close to the figure’s face. “He’s still asleep right now. He wakes up now and then. I found him...escaping, I think.”

“Escaping from where?” Isaac whispered, mainly out of instinctive respect for the sleeping.

“InCorp.” She said, shaking the man’s shoulder gently. He groaned, but it was quiet and hard to hear.

Isaac’s heart skipped a beat. “You said he wakes up sometimes.”

“He told me they were sedating him, to keep him from getting away.” She explained, moving out of the way so that Isaac could get closer.

He walked up and looked at the sleeping man. He had wild brown hair, it hadn’t been cut in a while, and his facial hair looked unkempt, unshaven not by choice but by necessity. Most interesting was the purple band around his neck. He was a Collar.

“He’s a Collar. I should get him back to the Registry.” Isaac said, looking over at Alissa.

Alissa simply shook her head, making direct eye contact with Isaac. “No, he isn’t.”

“Then...” Isaac looked down on the Vassal in the bed before him. He had heard about Vassals, but he had never met one.

“He told me his name is Jensen, and he begged me not to tell the Registry he was here. I told him I wouldn’t. I promised.” She said, pleading with Isaac to go along with it.

“Have...I met you before?” A weak whisper came from Jensen, whose eyes were slightly opened now.

“No, I don’t think we’ve met before.” Isaac answered, not sure what he wanted to do. He wasn’t all that loyal to the Registry, and the Vassals had never done anything to him personally. But being a Vassal was illegal.

“You’re...a Collar.” Jensen gasped, shifting away from Isaac slightly.

“He’s a friend of mine.” Alissa reassured Jensen, nodding inquisitively at Isaac.

Isaac smiled and nodded along with her. “Yeah, I’m a friend. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the Registry about you.”

“I found Jensen hiding at InCorp. He needed my help to get away, because of how long they’ve had him sedated. They wanted to keep him from using his magic, and lockboxes are hard to come by.” Alissa said, placing her hand on Jensen’s hand to calm him.

“When was this?” Isaac asked.

“Yesterday. The sedatives should be completely out of his system soon. But I think that somebody has been following me since I found him. That’s why all the secrecy.”

“Why were they holding you, Jensen?” Isaac asked, but Jensen shook his head.

“He either doesn’t want to talk about it, or it’s too complicated to explain right now.” Alissa mused, “But this is proof that there is more going on than we know.”

“I guess you’re right. I didn’t believe before that InCorp was at fault, but if they were holding someone captive...” Isaac admitted, it was pretty strong evidence. He still thought that Canaan was up to something. This just meant that both parties were in the wrong.

“InCorp must have been holding Jensen for months, and I didn’t know about it. Which means he was being held somewhere I don’t know about. Understand?” Alissa asked, apparently hoping Isaac could keep up.

It wasn’t a problem, Isaac did understand. “If he can tell you where he was held, you can figure out where Chief Parker was planning to hide from the AI purge. And if you find that out, you figure out just what’s worth hiding with an AI that destructive.”

Alissa opened her mouth to reply, but instead, the building shook, and a deafening crash prevented Isaac from hearing what she said. Isaac and Alissa both turned towards the front of the apartment, where the noise had come from. Both of them were tense, Alissa’s hand was on her gun, Isaac’s was behind him, ready to grab his staff.

“Stay here.” Isaac instructed, rushing through the door to the apartment’s main room. He tried to ascertain where the noise had come from. It appeared to be from the street. Through the window, he caught a glimpse of something black. He didn’t know if Alissa had obeyed, if she had stayed by Jensen’s side or if she had followed, gun drawn. He pulled his staff from his back, undid the locks on the door.

[For once, you’re going in the right direction.]

Towards danger?

[Forward.]

Outside, in the middle of the street, indifferent to the pouring rain, was a hulking black creature. It was two people tall, with unsettlingly long arm and leg shapes. A purple barrier pulsed lamely against the torrent of the rain, the same way Isaac’s barrier had. Purple etchings glowed in the tar-like skin of the Thrall. It let out another deafening screech, an impossible noise, one that Isaac couldn’t describe with words, and wanted never to hear again. A noise not issued by a mouth, Thralls lacked mouths, but simply from the creature’s being. Thralls spat in the face of existence.

I know that Thrall.

[I know that Thrall.]

Standing before Isaac was the Thrall that had killed Jin, had destroyed his home, had forced him into the pact. It was the cause of everything. Isaac extended his staff to it’s full length. A tendril-like arm whipped out towards him, and he jumped off the side of the stairs, diagonally towards the street. He rolled as he landed, and scrambled to his feet. The Thrall’s tendril tore Alissa’s door off of it’s hinges, destroyed the door frame.

The Thrall screeched again.

It won’t get away, this time. I’m going to kill it.

An appointment to keep, that was what got him out of bed. It wasn’t that he wanted to get out of bed, he much preferred to sleep until the sun was high enough to wake him, and on this day, his narrowly opened eyes revealed no sunlight, only the gloom of a cloudy sky. He had agreed, however, to a meeting today. His arm was draped over a warm, furred figure that was still asleep.

Indicia didn’t need to sleep, not in the real world, anyway. They could sleep, though, and it could be as pleasurable for them as for any human. He carefully pulled his arm back, not wanting to wake his partner. If the otter could sleep for a while longer, he should get to enjoy it. Stealthily slipping out of bed, a hand lingered on the furred shoulder for a moment before letting go. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the otter’s cheek, eliciting twitches from the whiskers.

The rain and gloom appeared to have caused many Collars to sleep late, as evidenced by the relative quiet in the showers. Only the trickle of a few showers could be heard running, nothing in comparison to the storm that seemed to be looming outside, waiting to fall. Riley made his shower quick, he did have an appointment to keep, after all. Most days, he would linger in the showers with Rain, enjoying the warm water, the relaxing steam, and occasionally, the otter’s body. He didn’t feel embarrassed by showering with others, it was something he had been doing his entire life, even before meeting Rain.

As for others watching them have sex, that only made it more exciting. There were others in the showers now, and he didn’t need Rain to get off. But it would be a waste to do it quickly. He would want to take his time. Riley shook those enticing thoughts from his head as he rinsed his body off. Today wasn’t a day to waste time. Part of him wanted to go straight back to bed, to climb in with Rain and get dirty all over again. But he’d promised.

He forced his eyes forward, not taking glances at the others in the showers as he made his way back to his locker. He dried off quickly and got dressed. If he didn’t leave soon, he would get caught up in something, and he would definitely be late. He blamed Rain for his near constant interest in sex, but luckily it wasn’t something he couldn’t keep under control. When he needed to be serious, he could. It was just so easy to distract him. He glanced back as he left the locker room, hoping to catch a glimpse of something interesting. So very easy.

Riley and Rain were well known for their lasciviousness. Most Collars just rolled their eyes and continued on their way if they saw the two fooling around somewhere inappropriate. Sometimes, the newcomers would stop and watch, sometimes they would be offended. Riley couldn’t keep the smirk off his face as he thought about it. Collars and Indicia were a lewd bunch, but Riley and Rain were near the top of the pack.

The elevator ride up to the top floor of the Registry was a long one, and not many people would remain on the elevator for the trip all the way to the top. Luckily, the sparse population of the showers continued into the elevator, and Riley didn’t have to wait for it to stop at every floor on the way up. Floors for recreation, briefing rooms, offices, the hospital, R&D, and portal access, all flew by as the elevator rose.

The doors opened to a chamber of black marble, a waiting room with a reception desk and several chairs off to one side. A heavily reinforced metal door led into Director Canaan’s office which, when locked, could only be opened again by Canaan or Chase. Riley approached the reception desk, waved to the receptionist. She had the look of a librarian, with short, feathery brown hair, big glasses, features that she seemed to pick specifically to make herself less attractive. It was debatable whether it worked or not, but Riley was at least willing to call her cute.

Or she would be cute if she had a more genuine smile. The smile she gave was instead forced, like she had to smile non-stop for too many days, and her lips got stuck that way. Riley was used to her receptionist smile, and he had never seen her outside of work, so he never had a chance to check if she had a real smile hidden underneath. She waved back and gave her usual smile.

“Director Canaan is busy right now. I see that you had an appointment, but the Director didn’t want to pass up the opportunity that arose.” The receptionist chirped. What was her name? Leah? Leia?

“That’s okay, I’ll wait.” Riley said pleasantly with a nod. Taking a look over at the waiting area, he realized that he had never been made to wait before. Only the slightest annoyance at the situation crossed his mind before he shrugged and took a seat. The table in front of him had nothing on it, no newspapers or magazines.

Call me old fashioned, but there should be magazines.

Rain must have still been asleep, as no answer came. Still, there was a familiar hum in his head that let Riley know that Rain was still there. He crossed his legs, sat back in the chair, tried to get comfortable. Comfort didn’t happen. He sat forward, leaning on his legs, instead. He checked the table again, still no magazines. His fingers were fidgeting with each other.

“Do you know how long it will be?” Riley asked Leah or Leia.

Leah or Leia just shook her head, but she did give him a sympathetic look. He settled back into the chair again. Slipping his LINK off of his wrist, he scanned the news headlines. None of them were interesting, he had known about them all before they were news headlines to begin with. Still no headlines about the disappearances. That was a blessing. Keeping that quiet was hard enough as it was. Keeping people calm if they knew about it would be near impossible.

Near impossible? No, worse than that.

Leah or Leia was staring at her Lightglass screen, not paying Riley much mind. He wondered how much longer it would be. Bored with the news, he put his LINK back around his wrist and started to tap his foot on the ground.

He knew he was impatient, but he tried to be positive about it. There just wasn’t much to do. It was a particularly boring room, to have nothing in it that Riley could distract himself with. Distraction was usually so easy to find.

[We could always have some fun.]

It would be indecent. Leah or Leia is watching.

[It’s Leia.]

Leia is watching.

[Doesn’t look like she’s watching to me. She’s too busy on that computer screen thing.]

I think she’d notice.

[Even better.]

We were at it just last night. You’re insatiable.

[It’s not just me.]

Riley found himself fidgeting even more than before, now that he was in a battle of wills with the otter. Mercifully, Leia smiled and waved at him. He stood and walked over to her desk.

“Director Canaan is just about ready.” She gestured towards the door.

The large door opened soundlessly, and Riley was surprised to see Isaac coming through. “What’s up, Isaac?” Riley chirped as Isaac blew past him.

Isaac looked unhappy, which wasn’t a surprise. Riley knew about his distrust for Director Canaan, and he couldn’t really blame him. The reason he was friends with Isaac was because Canaan had assigned him to follow the boy. He had even recruited Isaac to the Registry at Canaan’s behest. The Director hadn’t given Isaac much reason to trust him, even if Isaac wasn’t aware of all of that.

The other Collar managed a wave, but he didn’t respond, and he didn’t stop walking. Heading straight for the elevator, Isaac left without even saying hi. Riley wasn’t sure he liked the influence that Tyloki was having on the boy. He didn’t used to be so grumpy. On the other hand, his combat potential was increasing every day.

Glass half full.

[He just needs to have more fun.]

Not your type of fun.

[I still think he’d like it.]

“What’d you do to piss him off?” Riley called out across the large office as he stepped through the door.

“I told him the truth.” Canaan responded, his words echoing coldly through the room.

“No offense, but I find that hard to believe.” Riley spoke as he walked confidently towards the desk.

“That’s quite offensive.” Canaan crossed his arms across his chest, but didn’t sound displeased.

“I’m just saying that the truth for you is usually more complicated than it appears.” He leaned on the desk when he reached it, rather than sitting in the uncomfortable chair in front of it. He had spent long enough in an uncomfortable chair.

[It was five minutes, tops.]

Five unbearably boring minutes.

[Which was it? Boring or uncomfortable?]

Both.

“That tends to happen.” Canaan shook his head, he kept standing as well.

“Did you learn anything helpful?” Riley asked, reaching for a shimmering rocks glass on the edge of the desk.

            Before he answered, Canaan poured a shot into the glass Riley was holding. “Isaac thinks I was behind the attack on InCorp. Not much besides that. Not much that I didn’t know before, anyway.”

            “I knew at least that much already.” Riley said with a shrug, setting his full glass down on the desk.

            “What about you? Did you learn anything?” Canaan changed the subject.

            “I haven’t learned anything about anything. There haven’t been any disappearances in awhile. Hey, maybe whatever it is making people vanish decided to give it a rest.” Riley said with a hopeful shrug.

            “The world doesn’t work that way, Riley. It’s not so kind.” Canaan let out a weighty sigh.

            “I know, I’m not ignorant. Just optimistic.” Riley smiled, despite the worry that tugged at his chest.

            “It won’t be long before we can’t keep it a secret anymore.” The Director shook his head, turning to look out towards the city.

            “The disappearances, or...” Riley trailed off, suddenly not wanting to finish his sentence.

            “Neither.” Another voice cut in as Riley saw the familiar dust storm that heralded Chase’s arrival. The kangaroo faded in, arms crossed, next to Canaan’s desk. He looked the same as ever, refusing to wear clothes as usual. Riley didn’t mind the view.

            “The disappearances.” Canaan answered, glancing over at the kangaroo disapprovingly.

            Chase gave a disapproving look right back to Canaan. “We have to keep it from the public. At least until we figure out what’s causing it.”

            “I’m working on it.” Riley said, a little too defensively. “But you have to understand, there isn’t much to go on. If it wasn’t for the residue, we wouldn’t even know there had been a disappearance.”

            “If there’s a Vassal that can make people disappear so completely, then he is beyond simply dangerous. We need to figure out who or why, and soon.” Chase responded.

            “In the meantime,” Canaan said, opening a drawer on the front of his desk, he slipped a manilla folder out. Underneath, Riley saw a glint of light, reflected metal. A sword wouldn’t fit in the desk, and Canaan didn’t use daggers. “I’ve got you an update on Isaac. There’s some other names in here you should keep an eye on, too.”

            “Is that a gun?” Riley asked, ignoring Canaan, referring instead to what he saw in the desk.

            Canaan tilted his head to the side, waited a moment before answering. “It is. Why?”

            “We’re Collars, we have magic. Why have a gun?” Riley asked as he took the folder from Canaan’s hand. He flipped it open and started to look it over. Isaac Edgar Walker Cross, all of the same information as before. Nothing new he hadn’t learned from Isaac personally.

            “We’re still human. Even with our improved healing and tough bones, a bullet is still a bullet. When you become arrogant and let your guard down, and someone gets the drop on you with a gun, none of that matters. You die like anyone else.” Canaan explained, even as Riley looked through the folder.

            “It might be a threat to one of you, but to us, it’s nothing but an annoyance.” Chase added haughtily.

            “It still doesn’t feel good.” Canaan mimed the action of shooting Chase, who threw his hands over his heart and fell back dramatically.

            Riley smirked as he watched out of the corner of his eye. He was glad that the mood had lightened up. “If you say so. Who’s this, Jensen Stiles?” The page behind Isaac’s was a biography on a Vassal named Jensen. Indicia was a rabbit, seemed he had the ability to phase through solid matter.

            [Rabbits are fun.]

            I bet they are. Riley’s smile grew.

            “He’s a Vassal, and I believe it’s possible he had something to do with the attack on InCorp. That is, he’s a terrorist.” Canaan elucidated.

            “I’ll keep an eye out for him.” Riley said, closing the folder. Catching a guy had to be hard if he could walk through walls.

            “Isaac’s going out today, I reckon.” Chase said, “Would you mind keeping a tail on him, in case something comes up?”

            “I had nothing else planned to do today.” Riley kicked himself inside, he did want to go back to bed after the meeting. Not to sleep, but back to bed.

            [Another time.]

            “I’d better catch up to him.” Riley said, holding the folder under his arm as he started for the elevator.

            “Riley,” Canaan started to say, but he stopped, shook his head.

            Riley didn’t even stop walking when Canaan said his name. Too many of their conversations had ended with the Director starting to say something, and never finishing. He waved behind him before stepping through the door.

            “What were you going to say?” Chase asked, even though he already knew the answer.

            “The list...” Canaan opened his desk drawer again, moved the gun aside. It was heavy, but that only made it a good paperweight. Underneath the gun was another manilla folder. Pulling it out, he looked inside. “I was going to tell him to watch his back.”

            “You know better than that.” Chase said, placing his paw on Canaan’s shoulder.

            “I know. But he deserves better than that.” The Director said, placing the folder back in his desk, under the gun, and he shut the drawer tight.

            By the time he reached the lobby, he saw Isaac stepping out the front door, he saw Alkaid watching from nearby. He saw Tyloki talking to Shir in the middle of the lobby by the security scanner, both laughing jovially. He saw all this, and he saw the massive crowd of Collars and Indicia that normally made their way through the lobby during peak hours of the day. There was a good chance that Tyloki wouldn’t warn Isaac he was being followed, even if he saw Riley doing so. A good chance wasn’t a guarantee, however, and Riley wanted to be sure he was following unnoticed.

            He waited at a distance as Rain approached Tyloki and Shir. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but he could tell they were enjoying is by the looks on their muzzles. The two Indicia turned their attention to Rain as he stopped near them, waving his paw wildly in the air to greet them. Rain was always a little over the top, a little too energetic. That was part of why he loved him. The grin on Rain’s muzzle couldn’t be contained. For a moment, Riley regretted not being a part of the group.

            But every minute he lingered was another minute that Isaac was unsupervised. He came up with a back up plan in his head. If he lost Isaac, he would head to the boy’s home. That was the most likely place for him to go on his first day out. Slipping past Tyloki wouldn’t be difficult with Rain’s helpful distraction. Riley waited for a large enough group to exit the elevator, and slipped in along with them. Casually, he walked past the wolf and sabertooth, out through security, and towards the entrance.

            It was raining outside, Riley remembered as he saw the water hitting the glass doors. When he had awoken it had simply been a light drizzle, now it was a full blown rainstorm.

            Perfect.

            He pushed through the doors, heading outside into the wet day. As the water started to hit him, to cascade down his skin, he smiled and concentrated. Freezing water wasn’t his only ability. Using his magic, he made sure the water wasn’t too cold as it hit him, and he kept it from clinging to his clothes. No need to be cold and wet, just because he didn’t bring an umbrella.

            He stopped walking as a cat suddenly appeared in front of him, between one blink of his eyes and the next. Alkaid had his arms crossed, and he didn’t look too happy. Riley took a step back to keep from running into the cat. “Alkaid, fancy running into you here.”

            “You say that as if you’re surprised.” Alkaid took a step towards Riley.

            “I am, I didn’t expect to run into you. Out here. In the rain. You are a cat, after all.” Riley explained.

            “You didn’t expect to run into me? But I’m following Isaac.” Alkaid said, taking another step forward.

            “What?” Riley asked. It was obvious that Alkaid knew he was following Isaac, but why did he seem so cross about it? And better yet, how did he know?

            “That boy deserves his privacy. He’s been cooped up for months. He doesn’t need you to follow him now.” Alkaid said, “If you want to accompany him, you should have asked to go with him. Instead, you do it in secret.”

            “I’m doing it to make sure he stays safe.” Riley defended himself.

            “He won’t understand that, when he finds out his first real friend has been spying on him.” The cat stomped a foot on the ground.

            “He will understand it, when I’m there to keep him from ending up like Jin.” Riley said, and he felt a soft ache in his chest at the thought of Jin. Had it been months already?

            “Do you really believe that?” Alkaid asked, and he looked disappointed now, more so than angry.

            “I do.” Riley said, he knew that Isaac would understand. It wasn’t something he needed to worry about. And if Isaac didn’t understand...

            Alkaid stepped to the side, allowing Riley to pass. “Just don’t expect me to help pick up the pieces.”

            Riley found himself in particularly a more foul mood as he started walking again, hoping he could pick up Isaac’s trail with little trouble. If he was heading home, in the rain, the most likely place for him to head was the rail station. Leaving Alkaid forgotten behind him, Riley walked with a small hop in his step, hoping to reinvigorate himself. It would do him no good to be in a negative mood for the rest of the day.

            Alkaid knew about his history with Canaan, he knew why Riley did what he could to help the Director when he needed it. Keeping tabs on Isaac was about more than friendship, it was about...purpose. It was a special word to Riley, one never spoken lightly or without meaning. He had a purpose, and it was one he would fulfill. Being angry or sad didn’t fit that purpose, so he simply avoided being those things. Happiness was what he needed, positivity, optimism.

            More accurately, they were his purpose.

            Most people found the rain to be gloomy, depressing. Riley felt a connection with it, and his ability to control the water that washed over him helped to make it more of a boone than an annoyance. He kept his eyes peeled for Isaac as he headed down the main avenue from the Registry, towards the closest rail station. He didn’t see the boy in the street, despite the sparse number of people currently out and about.

            He kept walking forward anyway. If he didn’t manage to find Isaac, he would head to him family home, and if he didn’t find him there, he had other ways to track him down. He had found him the day after he made a pact, after all. As soon as Canaan asked him to find him. Isaac would never know that Canaan instructed Riley to follow him around. If he did find out, Riley was confident there wouldn’t be a problem. Isaac wouldn’t be upset.

            [That’s not fair.]

            Of course it is.

            [He doesn’t have a say in it.]

            They never do.

            [You know how I feel about that.]

            So you’re saying I should feel guilty about it? It isn’t like I can help it.

            [You should avoid situations where it becomes a problem.]

            Further ahead, rounding a corner, Riley saw a faint light flicker to life. Though it resembled any old Lightglass, he recognized the hue as Isaac’s blue. It was shaped like a sheet above Isaac’s head, no doubt as an umbrella. So Isaac was smart enough to use his magic to fend off the rain, the same as Riley was. Perhaps not as effectively, and honestly, it was bound to draw a few crooked looks. Using magic frivolously could be looked down on.

            I’m not happy about it. Riley thought as he picked up the pace, hoping to reach the corner where Isaac turned before he lost sight of the Collar.

            [So do something to fix that. If you want to be happy, you have to make it happen yourself. No one can give that to you.]

            Riley peeked carefully around the corner and saw Isaac still walking at a lazy pace. The sheet of blue above his head had become a dome, better able to shield from the rain. Clever. Like Riley predicted, a few of the people who were out, under awnings or traveling in the rain with umbrellas, kept their eyes fixed on Isaac as if he were an exotic species of bird that had landed a little closer than expected.

            You did, Riley thought, hoping that the sappy sentiment would set the otter on a different course.

            Rain saw through the intent, no doubt, but he played along. [Awww.]

             The conversation was over for now, but Riley knew it would be revisited later. As carefree as the couple appeared, Rain liked to keep Riley on a rather short leash. In his defense, it was probably necessary. Riley could get himself into so much trouble...

            Following Isaac would be easy, especially in the rain. He kept a reasonable distance, and only turned corners when he was sure the coast was clear. Following people was something he was used to, Canaan used him almost anytime he needed someone tailed. Unofficially, of course. There were other Collars with more useful abilities for espionage, but ultimately, were less trustworthy.

            Given the path that Isaac was following, he wasn’t heading to the rail station, or to his family home. Riley’s interest was officially piqued. Isaac hadn’t had much outside contact since his stay at the Registry began, and Riley had known about all of it. This was something he didn’t know about. Which meant there was a gap in the information he was delivering to Canaan, and that could be a problem.

            Riley was absolutely sure the Vassals hadn’t gotten to Isaac before the Registry had. He knew that Isaac hadn’t had any significant friends as a child. Where could he be going? It wasn’t exactly a secret, per se, as Isaac had never been asked about it. Still, Riley couldn’t help but wonder where he was going. He kept a tail on Isaac as much for his own interest as for Canaan’s benefit. He didn’t know what made Isaac so important, so his work for Canaan was based in friendship, not interest. That he actually cared what Isaac was doing was a surprise.

            Surprise wasn’t the right word. He had been told to befriend Isaac, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they were friends. It just caught him unaware. He wasn’t sure exactly when they had actually become friends, but it had definitely happened.

            After a short while, Isaac finally came to a stop in front of a building. Riley pressed his back to the wall around the far corner, turning his head around just enough to keep an eye on the boy. It was an expensive apartment complex nearby to InCorp, with the large corporation’s headquarters looming ominously above. Several months ago, it had been a completely burnt out husk. Now it was up and running again. Riley wondered how the InCorp employees could go back to work so easily.

            [Maybe it wasn’t easy.]

Isaac stepped up to the entrance of one of the first floor apartments. He knocked on the door, and eventually he said something. RIley wished he could hear what was being said, but that was really only his own fault. There were devices made for just such an occasion, but he never managed to have one on him when he needed it. He could have one built into his LINK, but that felt like...

[Cheating.]

It’s more fun this way. He thought with a nod, keeping his eyes on Isaac.

            After some more talking, and something involving the mail slot, the door opened. Riley didn’t have an angle to see who was inside. Isaac went in, and the door closed. Riley rounded the corner and cautiously approached the building. He would have been able to watch the two through the windows, but the curtains were drawn. Regardless, he approached and tried to find a hole in the curtains, a small space to spy on what was happening inside. He didn’t have any luck. Whoever this place was owned by either didn’t like seeing the rain, or was pretty paranoid.

            Money’s on the latter.

            [I don’t understand how anyone could dislike the rain, anyway.]

            He could knock on the door, and then hide. Get a good look at whoever Isaac was with. It was risky, but it would help with his information gathering. But if they were as paranoid as they seemed, it was likely they wouldn’t open the door without checking to see who it was. If no one was there, it would just put them more on edge. The only other option was to wait it out, and try to get a look when the door opened again. Riley turned around, scanning for a good place to wait. It was a residential street, so most of the buildings let into the first floors of apartment buildings. A good place to hide in a spy film, but impractical for his uses.

            [What do you mean? I haven’t seen many spy films.]

            Oh, the spy always has an apartment or hotel room across the street from the person they want to assassinate.

            [Assassinate? Shouldn’t that be assassin films, then?]

            The jobs tend to overlap, in movies. Also, remind me to show you some good spy movies.

            Riley walked casually across the street, still looking for a good place to hide. There was nothing convenient, and he was getting frustrated. Bored. He scuffed his shoe against the ground, crossed his arms. If he couldn’t find a good place to wait, he would just have to stand around the corner like he had been. He looked up at the sky, checking to see how long the rain would last. The cloud coverage was pretty severe, dark skies as far as he could see. He also saw a good place to hide.

            The fancy apartments on the street had false rooftops, awnings over the entrances. Glancing around, he found a good handhold to climb onto one of the awnings directly across the street from the apartment where Isaac was. Unfortunately, the handhold was too high. If only he were twice as tall. Suddenly, Rain was hanging off the top of the awning, holding his paw down for Riley to reach up for. It appeared as if his tail was hooked around something, keeping him from falling.

            “Jump.” He said, waving his paw in the air excitedly.

Riley jumped for Rain’s paw, reached out for it, jumped as high as he could. Paw and hand clasped together, and Riley grunted at the tug on his shoulder as he was lifted by one arm onto the rooftop. He reached his other hand up, wrapped both around the paw, to lessen the strain on his one shoulder. When they were both safely on the roof, Rain vanished.

Thanks for the lift.

[Anytime. Though you can pay me back for it later.]

Like I always do.

Riley head a scream from down the street that caused him to whip his head around so fast, it strained his neck. Instinctively, his hand reached for one of his knives. He didn’t know if he’d need it yet, but it never hurt to have one ready. Several more screams, in the distance, echoing down the empty streets like caves.

Of course, as soon as I get into my hiding spot, I’ve got somewhere else to go.

[Maybe it’s less hiding space, more strategic advantage.]

Good point, lets see where this goes.

One hand shot to cover his ears as he heard the unmistakable screech of a Thrall. He would need his knife after all. He watched as the creature came around the corner, onto the street he was waiting above. In a single motion, he slipped his LINK from his wrist and sent a message to Archer.

Hopefully this time you make it on time. I don’t know how many Thralls you expect me to kill on my own.

[You’re hidden right now. Don’t start fighting alone unless you have to.]

I know.

            The Thrall lumbered slowly down the street, it’s purple barrier revealed continuously by the pouring rain, pattering against the shield like breadcrumbs. It screeched again, slammed a large amorphous fist against the ground, leaving behind a sizable crater. Curiously, it stopped directly in front of the door where Isaac was. Riley thought for a moment it had seen him, and was preparing to attack. But the Thrall turned the other direction, and screeched directly at Isaac’s door.

            What’s it doing that for?

            [Like it’s hunting.]

            Thralls don’t hunt. They just destroy.

            [Look, it’s waiting.]

            Thralls don't wait.

            But it was waiting. The door opened and Isaac stepped onto the porch. Was it waiting for Isaac? Riley didn’t know what made Isaac so important, but...

            The monster took a swing at Isaac, which the boy dodged rather gracefully.

            There’s two of us. I’m going to fight. It might kill him alone.

            [No argument here.]

            Riley grinned devilishly, looking up once again at the cloud filled sky. It was raining so heavily. Nothing made him happier. And happiness was his purpose, after all. The rain was less than an annoyance to the Thrall. Riley intended to change that.

            A swift stroke coupled with a fluid forward motion. The edge of the blade made contact with the creature’s flesh, and tore through it mercilessly. Archer didn’t even turn to inspect the result of his attack, he was confident it had been effective. He didn’t even wince as the Thrall made a dying screech. By the time he turned to look upon it, it was nothing more than a pile of ash on the floor.

            Another Thrall stood waiting, ready to attack. It’s barrier had not yet been rendered void, so there was still work left to be done. It was a large Thrall, not the largest Archer had faced, but it’s slow, lumbering body packed a hefty punch. It stood on all fours, or at least, on the twisted mockery of four legs. It didn’t so much have a head to speak of, it was merely a mass of oily black flesh on four oily black stilts. It issued a screech from it’s body as it charged forward suddenly.

            The runes that lined the Thrall’s body were worn, a sort of silver color, but they faded into it’s dark flesh and were hard to make out. Archer slipped swiftly to the side, dodging just so as the creature rushed past, close enough that he could still make out those faded gray runes. Another screech as the monster turned on its heels, readying for another charge. Damaging the thick flesh of the creature was going to prove to be a challenge.

            Archer moved to sheath the katana he held, though there was no sheath hanging on his belt. As the tip of the blade passed through where the sheath should have been, a bright silver light shone from the metal. The sword passed through the light, vanishing into the air as if it had been put into a proper sheath. When the metal of the blade was completely hilted, Archer released his grasp on the weapon, and it disappeared entirely with a quick flash of silver. His hands now free, Archer waited for the creature to attack again.

            It took only seconds. The creature was screeching wildly, most likely in an attempt to stun or throw off it’s target. Most people were indeed stunned by a Thralls otherworldly noise, but Archer learned to ignore it, even as it scratched at his ears. Another wild charge forward, often a poor battle tactic. Patience was a far better strategy, but it was hard to blame the Thrall. It lacked intelligence enough to plan ahead in such a way.

            Archer steadied his feet, ready to react. Thralls did learn, they simply didn’t begin with much combat knowledge. But they could learn quickly. There was a good chance that another dodge to the side would fail, the creature would expect it and compensate. He could dodge the other direction, but that offered only a 50% chance of success. Though Archer was considerably more agile than the beast he was facing, he didn’t want to rely on chance.

            He wasn’t going to simply win. He was going to crush the Thrall, and he was going to do it without receiving a single scratch. His armor was tight, fitting close to his athletic body, not weighing him down, while still providing decent protection against kinetic force. Decent, not great. The circuits in his armor pulsed gold, while the fibrous metal that made up the armor itself was black and white. It made for a stunning image as Archer stood tall, hands at his sides, waiting for the correct moment.

            He didn’t flinch as the Thrall approached, and he waited for the last possible second to act. As the monster was about to barrel through him, he leapt upward and forward, twisting nimbly in the air so that he landed facing the other direction, towards the Thrall’s back. No hesitation, he rushed forward, and a hand dropped to his waist. He grasped at the air, but instead of making an empty fist, his palm closed around the hilt of a weapon. Silver light flickered and flared as he pulled on the handle, sliding a sort of metal club out of the air. It was the length of a baseball bat, but the tip was shaped like a cross instead of rounded off.

            He swung the mace upward with all of his might, anticipating where the Thrall’s front end would wind up as it spun around to make yet another charge. He anticipated correctly, and the thick metal made contact with the Thrall’s gray barrier, rocking it upward violently and making the barrier pulse brighter. It elicited a different sort of screech from the Thralls, though Archer was one of the only few people who could tell the difference. It was the sound of pain.

            Following through with the swing, Archer brought the mace down again, directly on top of the Thrall’s front. Two direct hits, strong enough to kill a man, were enough to crack the barrier. The fissure ran along the barrier, spreading out from the initial point of impact. It wasn’t enough to break through the energy, and Archer still couldn’t attack the monster’s flesh. He had assumed the fight would be over now. He had been incorrect.

            The creature leapt forward, and Archer was too close to dodge. Luckily, the close proximity they shared kept the creature from being able to pick up any speed, and the attack’s strength was relative only to the monster’s weight. The shield cracked further as it crashed into Archer’s chest, sending him flying back, skittering along the floor. The gold circuits in his armor flickered as he rolled along the ground, then returned to their normal luminosity as he came to a stop.

            No time to worry about pain, Archer ignored it as much as he could, quickly moving to stand up. His hands were empty, his mace gone. He looked around for it. It had gone flying along with him when the monster struck, and he had lost track of it. Another screech from the Thrall, this time it was starting to get to him. The monster charged again, and Archer rolled out of the way, this time less than elegantly. He had wanted to win without a scratch, now he wanted the fight to be over.

            A quick glance around the room revealed the location of his mace. Not too far away. He kept his eyes on the rampaging Thrall as he moved towards it, placed his hand on the leather bound handle, and pulled it close to him. He wrapped both hands around it, holding it tightly, almost as if he had been afraid of losing it forever. It was time to end this.

            The Thrall didn’t appear to be growing exhausted, but Archer was. Another strike like the previous two, directly into the crack, should be enough to break the shield. But the creature was no doubt building a resistance to kinetic energy. He would have to make sure the hit was strong and accurate. He planted his feet solidly on the ground, and he wound up the mace like a bat. The Thrall was across the room, far enough away for it to build up speed as it charged towards him. It ran.

            As it started forward, Archer took a practice swing, readying his aim. He had only a few seconds. It had to be timed perfectly. The creature was approaching, screeching incessantly, almost there.

            Archer swung the bat, but instead of holding on and following through, he let it go, throwing it as hard as he could at the Thrall. It flew forward like it was shot from a cannon, and the Thrall charged directly into it. The mace was sent pathetically flying into the far wall, where it lodged itself, drawing sparks from the metal. The room flickered, the image of the walls and scenery fading in and out at random. The Thrall’s barrier shattered, shards of energy falling to the ground like snow flakes, before fading from existence. The monster flickered as well, and finally, the entire room went dark.

            Red lights turned on, revealing the chrome interior of the ARTS chamber, where Archer’s mace had punctured through a wall, and subsequently, some of the necessary machinery. He walked over with a sigh and placed his foot against the wall. He pulled on the mace, kicked against the wall, dislodged it. Then he unceremoniously sheathed the mace into silver light at his side.

            “This is why I prefer real fights. Real rights don’t malfunction.” Archer said, disappointed that he didn’t get to move in for the killing blow.

            A computerized voice spoke, detailing the errors that Archer had caused. He waved his hand in the air as he walked towards the exit, “End simulation.”

            At that, the red error lights shut off, replaced with the normal natural lighting that adorned the inside of the ARTS chamber when it was not in use. The door opened and several technicians rushed in, each one giving Archer a dirty look, but none said anything. Archer slipped past them and into the hallway. He whispered an apology to himself, and promised to get into a real fight sometime soon.

            Archer heard the cacophony of the classroom as he approached, even through the closed metal doors. The doors opened automatically in front of him, and the noise became pandemonium, almost tangible. Inside, he could see the auditorium style seating filled to the brim with teenagers, few of whom looked prepared for class. Several of the students were standing on top of their desks, Archer had no earthly clue as to why they would stand on top of their desks, and it seemed everyone was shouting to everyone else, all at once.

            A typical morning.

            After his early training session, Archer got a quick shower and changed from his combat armor into his teaching outfit. It resembled a military uniform, most black and white with accents of gold around the seams and interiors. The uniform had a heavy overcoat, and overall, it was uncomfortable and not fit for combat. On the positive side, it took his slim figure and expanded it into a more imposing one.

            He walked into the room, and as he did, the chaos in the auditorium continued. Under his arm, he carried a thick textbook. It was composed of all of the teaching materials usually provided to Collar candidates, but Archer had bound them all properly into a physical book. Most students accessed their learning materials on LINKs or brought the individual lessons, printed but simply as loose pages, not bound.

            Archer slammed the hefty book, entitled “CCs Guide”, on his desk. The noise caused by the book echoed through the now silent auditorium. The teacher kept his head down, eyes up, on the class, waiting for something. His fingers brushed lightly over the cover of the CC’s Guide, and he couldn’t help but smile. He hoped the students couldn’t see.

            “Good morning, Professor.” Most of the class said in unison. Some who didn’t join in the chorus were asleep, others were simply sitting far back in their seats, too timid to speak along with the crowd.

            Archer had no idea how any of the students could be sleeping, given how loud it had been moments ago. “Good morning, Candidates.” Archer bellowed in response, his voice filling the auditorium. Several of the sleeping students shot up in their seats, grabbing pencils off their desks.

            Granted, it was early. No doubt Riley was still asleep, but he was known for sleeping in. Archer was slightly surprised Alkaid hadn’t roused yet, but he assumed that just meant his night with Isaac went well. It brought joy to his heart, allowing Alkaid to teach a promising young warrior like Isaac Walker. He had rough edges, and pairing with Tyloki was insanity. But he was promising nonetheless. And Heaven knew what Dominic might be up to. He was always coming up with new schemes and plans to become, if not the best fighter, the most famous. Dominic the Elemental. Archer shook his head and opened the CC’s Guide.

            “Turn to page 674 of your teaching materials.” Archer said as he turned and pressed a button on a computer console attached to the side of the desk. The wall sprung to life with a Lightglass screen the size of a large chalkboard.

            “Professor, we don’t have page numbers like you do.” One of the bolder students said at the same time as he raised his hands.

            “Oh, yeah.” The Lightglass screen on the wall hummed softly. “I always forget.” Archer walked to the center of the open space in front of the board. “Did everyone have a good weekend?”

            “We don’t have weekends, Professor. Just combat training.” The same bold student said. Archer looked over at the boy. His name was Oliver, and he was definitely one of the sharpest students in the class.

            “So everyone had a good weekend, indeed.” Archer replied with a smirk, and Oliver responded with a weak, fake smile.

            Oliver was sharp, but his combat potential was questionable. The class gave a similarly uneasy response to Archer’s statement. They didn’t understand yet how important regular combat training was, but if they were to succeed as Collars, they would come to learn.

            “You all sound so enthused.” Archer said, crossing his arms. It was going to be a long two hours. “I’ll tell you what, we’ll go easy for today. Start the week off slow, and build up to an exam on Friday. Sound good?”

            “Will the exam be cumulative?” was the immediate response from many of the students.

            Archer raised his eyebrow at the class. “Let’s decide with a quiz. Two questions.”

            The shuffle of papers and LINKs as the students prepared to answer the questions. Archer waited for them to quiet down before continuing. “First question. What is the term that refers to the contact between two disparate Aer Wavelengths?”

            Aer was the term the CCs used for ‘AE Energy’, and Archer had found himself picking up on the slang. It was certainly easier to say when teaching. He heard a few chuckles from the class as most of the students raised their hands.

            Archer called on the boy sitting next to Oliver, who was still asleep. Oliver had to nudge the boy to wake him up. He coughed and looked around worriedly, trying to appear as if he had been awake all along.

            “Mr. Abel,” Archer spoke slowly, allowing the boy to catch up. “The answer to the question?”

            “What was the question again?” The boy asked in return, wincing as the class groaned at him. Someone threw a paper ball at his head, and it bounced limply to the floor.

            Archer made eye contact with the boy from across the room. He had piercing green eyes, black hair, and dark skin, closely resembling Riley. There was a good chance they were cousins, given the way that Acadians treated their ‘chosen ones’. To Acadians, the green eyes were considered to be a sign of a chosen one, boys who were taken from their homes as children and forced into becoming Collars. Studies had shown, however, a correlation between those emerald eyes and magic potential. Just not between those eyes and intelligence.

            “I’ll take that as an incorrect answer.” Archer said, and the room practically erupted into noise. “Come on, now!” He held up his hand to silence the class. “You still have one more question.”

            The room settled down, and the students prepared again. They definitely wanted to get the question correct. Cumulative exams from Archer could cover anything.

            “It’s a simple one.” Archer reassured them, but they only grew more tense. “If an Aer Wavelength of 567.98 AWS comes into contact with a Wavelength of 389.98 AWS, what will be the magnitude of the resonance. Resonance, Mr. Abel, resonance was the correct answer.”

            Archer could hear the students giving up, one by one, as pencils and LINKs dropped to the desks. After a few moments of silence, Archer was ready to put the class out of their misery. It looked like it would be a cumulative exam, after all.

            “The magnitude would be 522.98 AWS.” Oliver said as he finished scratching the required arithmetic on a piece of scrap paper.

            Archer smiled and enjoyed the stunned silence of the room, the students waiting apprehensively on the edges of their seats to learn if Oliver was correct. He nodded, and a collective sigh filled the room.

            “The exam will only cover what we discuss this week. Good work, Oliver. I didn’t think anyone could solve that problem in such a short time.” Archer said, and Oliver beamed. “Now, we should get started.”

            Walking over to the computer on the desk, Archer pulled up images of the CC’s Guide, page 674. The students all recognized which page of their materials this corresponded to, and so they began flipping through pages.

            “This past month, we have been studying Noetherian Coordinates in greater detail. Learning how to calculate them by hand, first, and then using algorithm after that. Simple Coordinates, of course. We use computers for the very complicated ones. Could someone remind me what a Noetherian Coordinate is?”

            “A Noetherian Coordinate is the name given to the set of numbers that correspond to reality.” Abel said, and Archer glanced over, surprised that he had the correct answer so quickly. Oliver was pointing at a piece of paper, where Abel was simply reading the definition from. That made more sense.

            “Correct. Can anyone tell me the Noetherian Coordinate for our reality?” Archer asked, waiting for the simple answer.

            “1/1.000/1” Oliver said quickly, not even looking up from the papers on his desk.

            “Also correct. And the Noetherian Coordinate for the Indicia’s realm?”

            “1/1.000/2” Another student called out. These were the shorthand for the Coordinates, which were in reality far longer.

            After hearing this answer, Archer pressed a key on the keyboard, and an image appeared on the Lightglass board. It was a photo of a large structure set up in an even larger warehouse. The structure was a massive ring made of metal, and was covered in various differently colored lights. People who appeared to be scientists and researchers milled about the warehouse. “This is an old image, but it remains relevant, even today. This is what you’ve all been waiting for.”

            Nearly every student sat up, leaning forward over their desks. Gasps escaped a few of the boys. “This is what we use Noetherian Coordinates for. This is how you’ll travel to the Indicia realm when your training is complete. This is the portal.”

            “Can we really use Noetherian Coordinates to travel to other realities?” Oliver asked, staring intently at the photo.

            “Unfortunately, despite the fact that the math works, only one known Noetherian Coordinate allows us to travel anywhere. 1/1.000/2.” Archer admitted, and some of the students seemed let down.

            “Why?” Someone asked.

            “Answer that question, and you’ll be the one teaching the class.” Archer responded with a chuckle, but the students didn’t sound convinced. “But as of right now, every accurate Coordinate we plug in leads to nowhere. Best case, whatever probe we send through just comes right back. Sometimes, though, things-”

            One of the students cut off Archer, “What if that’s all there is, man? Just like, there aren’t any other realities. Just us and the Indicia.”

            “We already know there is more than that. You forgot the Thralls. They have to come from somewhere. Stupid.” Abel responded, and Archer was glad to hear him say something that didn’t come from Oliver.

            “As I said, the math works. There should be other realities. There is just a lot we don’t know. Which is why we have kept studying it, even after so many years of failure. For now, its just the Indicia, the Thralls, and us.” Archer agreed with Abel. The Thralls had to come from somewhere.

            “What is it like?” Another student asked.

            “I’m sorry, what?” Archer responded.

            “The portal. And the Indicia realm. What is it like?” The student elaborated.

            “Just, a whole ton of a lot of burning hellfire.” A voice spoke from the chair behind Archer’s desk.

            Archer turned to see Alkaid sitting cross legged in the chair. He crooked an eyebrow and glanced at the door, wondering when the cat had come in.

            “Ah, and it hurts, too. Like your skin is melting off, constantly.” Alkaid added, standing up, his reflective cat eyes could look quite menacing when he wanted them to.

            “That’s not true.” Archer shook his head.

            “Oh, but it is.” The cat smirked, walking up to the desk, where he leaned forward with his paws on the top. “Horrors more terrifying than your worst nightmares await. How do you think I became such a good fighter? I wasn’t born this way.” He turned his head to the side and started to lick the back of his paw.

            “It’s hard to be scared when you’re that cute.” Abel said, and Alkaid stopped licking his paw, turned his glare on the boy.

            “You think I’m cute? I’ll be sure to prepare the most unimaginable, twisted torments for you.” Alkaid growled.

            “I’m not scared. Bring it on.” Abel responded fearlessly.

            “You know nothing about me. Objectively, you should be very afraid.” The cat said, nothing but glowing eyes and shining fangs inside a hood.

            “I know enough. I know your height, I can guess your weight. I know you fight with a sword. It doesn’t mean you can only fight with a sword, but I know to be careful if you’ve got one. I know you can move swiftly, and without being noticed. I know that because when you showed up, Professor looked at the door and paused, as if he was confused about when you showed up. Indicia can materialize generally wherever they want, but if Archer thought you just appeared, he wouldn’t have looked at the door.” Abel sounded confident, proud of himself.

            “Oh, that’s quite attentive of you. But even knowing all that, do you know how and when I did come in? No, I didn’t think so.” Alkaid countered.

            “Alkaid, that’s enough. I’m trying to teach them. Don’t you have other things to do? Where’s Isaac?” Archer asked, standing next to the desk, hoping to take control of his class back from the cat.

            “He earned the day off.” Alkaid said, and he resumed licking the back of his paw,  one claw extended to point at the student who challenged him.

            “Oh, good for him. I might as well call class done now, then.” Archer said, and immediately, papers shuffled and students began to stand up, ready to leave. Archer held up his hand and shouted. “I said ‘might as well’!”

            The students returned to their seats.

            “I’ll take the time now to correct Alkaid’s...misinformation. Traveling to the Indicia realm can be frightening enough for a first timer, even without his lies.” Archer said, glaring at Alkaid playfully. “It’s a lot like our world, to be honest. Only there’s no technology. As a matter of fact, manufactured technology from our world can’t exist in their realm. Don’t ask me why.” He threw his hands up in the air helplessly.

            He smiled as he noticed the students’ rapt attention focused on him. This is what it was all about, why they were all here. “The region of their world you end up in can vary, but the biomes match that of our own world. Different species of Indicia live in different areas of their world. While there, your senses have a heightened quality. You can see colors brighter, smell scents stronger, hear sounds more acutely. It’s like a dream, but you can remember it when you come back. Hell, I still remember it clearly.”

            Archer didn’t know how long he stood silently, thinking of his first trip to the other world, when he first met Alkaid. None of the students said anything, they simply watched and waited for him to continue.

            “I’ll leave it up to you who is telling the truth.” Alkaid swished his tail around in the air behind him as he scanned his eyes along the auditorium, resting them on each and every student.

            Archer cleared his throat as he came back to his senses. The students were all watching still, and the usual whispers that filled the classroom were absent. Alkaid took a seat in the chair behind him, hands folded on the desk.

            “If you would be so kind.” Archer glanced at Alkaid and then turned back to the Lightglass board.

            Alkaid nodded dutifully and pressed a single key, changing the photo on the board into another page of notes.

            Class went on as usual for the rest of the hour, though the attention that Archer and Alkaid had earned from the students eventually waned. They became restless again, and by the time Archer dismissed them, they clambered out of the classroom as if it were any other day. The noise they made as they left somehow rivaled the Registry’s lobby, a fact that Archer found to be somewhat impressive.

            “Isaac.” Archer said to Alkaid once most of the students were gone. “How is he?”

            “He’s performing quite well. His combat skills have improved considerably, though I do worry about Tyloki’s tendency to influence him. Isaac usually has a level head, but with Tyloki’s influence, his temper is shortening. He will need to learn to coexist with the wolf, and not to become too much like him.” Alkaid explained.

            “He needed to toughen up a bit, if you ask me. So a certain amount of rubbing off might be helpful.” Archer retrieved his book from the top of the desk and shutdown the computer.

            “Professor, is it true that you’re friends with Isaac Walker?” Oliver walked up behind Archer, notebook held under his arm.

            “We are friends with him, yes.” Alkaid answered instead.

            “It’s safer to say that he is a student, like you are. He has a lot to learn. I don’t know if I would use the word friend. I don’t know him all that well yet.” Archer corrected. “But Alkaid is training him personally.”

            “Awesome.” Abel whispered, taking a spot next to Oliver. “Ollie, ask him.” He nudged Oliver with his elbow.

            “Ask me what?” Archer raised an eyebrow at the boys.

            “We thought what he did at the InCorp building a few months ago was...inspiring.” Oliver started.

            “It was badass.” Abel continued.

            “It was reckless. You should never do that.” Archer held up a finger at the boys.

            “Of course we wouldn’t. But it was still impressive.” Oliver said.

            “I have to give you that one. That boy is something else.” Archer glanced over at Alkaid, who turned his head and looked away. “Perhaps, impossible is a better word.”

            “He did something impossible. It’s incredible.” Abel seemed to be having trouble controlling his excitement. He was fidgeting with his hands, and it appeared hard for him to stand still.

            “We were wondering, if well, maybe...” Oliver led on, until Archer snapped his fingers, and the boy finished his thought, “If you could get us his autograph.”

            “His autograph?” Archer wondered why the boys would want something so trivial. A warrior’s skill had nothing to do with his signature.

            “We’re huge fans.” Abel added, in explanation.

            “I’m not sure ‘fans’ is something Isaac needs right now. He’s not too far along ahead of you two.” Archer looked at Alkaid, hoping to get his opinion.

            The cat was still turned, looking away, apparently distracted by something in the corner of the room.

            “I’m sorry. I think it would go to his head, get in the way of his training.” The Professor shook his head, and tried not to look at the disappointed faces on the boys.

            “That’s not true. It would make him want to be better. It would make me want to be better.” Abel pleaded, but Oliver put his hand on his arm, tugged at him.

            “Lets go.” Oliver said, over Abel’s protests.

            Eventually, the two boys had finally gone. Archer turned around and crossed his arms at Alkaid. “That’s troubling. Isaac has a fan club.”

            “Boys will be...” Alkaid said, “Anyway, they’re not very much different from how you yourself used to be once upon a time.”

            “I learned better. And they will too.” Archer said, exiting the classroom with his book under his arm.

            “In time. But for now, would it hurt to indulge them?” Alkaid asked as he followed.

            Archer waited for the elevator without answering the cat. He thought of a good answer, but he didn’t get a chance to say it. The subject was dropped as Dominic sauntered up, a backpack in his hands. The top of the bag was zipped up most of the way, but the end of a rope was slithering out the side.

            “Good morning, Archer.” Dominic said, staring at the elevator.

            Archer nodded at Dominic, looked at the bag in his hands. “You going camping?”

            “Oh, no. I’m grabbing some rope to help build some obstacle course setups, for training.” Dominic explained, stuffing the end of the rope into the bag, zipping it up. “I was going to use the ARTS, but someone broke that already today.”

            “Good luck with that.” Archer said, stepping onto the elevator as soon as the doors opened. Dominic followed him on, and they rode together in silence.

            Archer let out a sigh as Dominic exited on the two floors up. “He’s always up to something.”

            “Don’t sound so judgmental. He’s got tenacity, give him that much.” Alkaid argued, likely just playing devil’s advocate for fun.

            “Sticking to something pointless merely serves to make you pointless. He should train in combat more, instead of trying to find the quick way out.” Archer countered. Dominic and him had never seen eye to eye on the matter, so they avoided discussing it. That didn’t mean that Archer had no opinion.

            Alkaid nodded a few times, with a “Hmm” added for emphasis.

            They both tensed and looked at Archer’s wrist as his LINK produced a familiar beeping noise. Checking the message, he nodded at Alkaid, who pressed the button for the dorms. He needed to change out of his teaching uniform, and back into his armor.

            “This is exactly why I want to be able to teach in my armor, not this damn uniform.” Archer shrugged the jacket off of his shoulders, starting to undress in the elevator. He couldn’t waste a second. No one had been there to help Jin, and he’d died. Months ago, already? And Riley had killed a Thrall on his own just after that. He couldn’t let Riley be reckless enough to fight on his own again. That, and he didn’t want to miss out on the action. He had promised himself a real fight, and now he was going to get it. He smirked as the elevator doors opened, and he stepped out, coat under his arm. Alkaid followed along beside him as they went to prepare for battle.