"Keep your eye on the light for me, alright?"

I nod as Rylan waves a light around my head. I'm trying to keep my head still, but my neck has other ideas. I'm supposed to be following the light with my eyes, but I'm having a hard time focusing.

It doesn't help that my head hurts like a motherfucker.

"I'm... I'm trying." I manage to say.

"Just do your best." Dr. Joric calls from across the room as he types mindlessly on a terminal.

"I am doing my best."

"Which is why this is the fourth time we're doing this right?" Rylan says.

"You try doing anything with your head practically split down the middle"

I take a deep breath and focus on the light. It's a small, white spot in the center of my vision, and it's moving in a slow, lazy circle. I try to keep my eyes fixed on it, but it keeps blurring and doubling. I have to squint to keep it in focus.

Rylan moves the light closer to my face.

"Can you see the details in the flame?" he asks.

I look at the light. For a second, it's not a light anymore.

Then I snap back. The light is just a light again. The music is gone. The smell of honeysuckle is gone. The feeling of the windowsill is gone.

"Huh?"

"From the top, Lynette." Dr. Joric mumbles from the side of the room, not even bothering to look up from his terminal.

"My head hurts."

"Right. The same answer you gave me last week. What's new?"

"Nothing." I say. "Can I go back to my room now?"

"Soon." He says. "Just a few more tests."

I let out a long-suffering sigh and slump back onto the metal table.

"Soon" is never soon. "Soon" is Joric's favorite word. It's a word he uses when he wants to shut me up, when he doesn't want to answer my questions, when he doesn't want to deal with me. "Soon" is the word he uses when he wants me to go away.

"Soon" is the word I hate the most.

I let out a huff of air and squeeze my eyes shut.

"Joric... my head really hurts..."

"It feels like... like a pressure. Right behind my eyes."

He finally looks up from his terminal, his eyebrows are furrowed. "What kind of pressure?"

"Just... pressure."

"Be specific."

I try to think of a way to describe it. It's not a sharp pain, it's not a dull ache. It's more like... someone was pounding with a hammer, but took a minute to rest and never started again. The echo of it remains.

"It feels... like I'm a door and someone is trying to get in."

"Interesting." He says, and he finally, finally, gets up from his terminal and walks over to me. "Look at me."

I open my eyes. He takes the light from Rylan and shines it in my eyes again. I flinch away.

"Stay still." He says, and he grabs my chin, holding my head in place. He shines the light in my eye again, then the other. He hums to himself, then lets go of my chin. "Your eyes are bloodshot."

"Maybe its because you keep shining that damn light in my face." I grumble.

"I doubt it. Rylan, get me an ocular scanner."

Rylan scurries off to a nearby cart and comes back with a handheld device that looks like a futuristic pair of binoculars.

"Okay, Lynette. I need you to look into the lens for me." Dr. Joric says.

"I am tired."

"It will only take a minute."

I look into the lens. It whirs to life, and a green light scans my eye. It's a strange sensation. I can feel the light passing through my pupil, and it makes me feel... exposed.

"There's some swelling." Rylan says.

Dr. Joric takes a look at the screen of the device. "Hmm."

"Hmm what?" I ask.

"The optic nerve is inflamed. Possibly a precursor to another seizure." He says. "How are you feeling otherwise? Any dizziness? Nausea? Any flashes of light?"

"No. Just the pressure." I say.

"And how bad is the pressure on a scale of one to ten?"

"Um... a six? Maybe a seven?"

"Is it constant?"

"No. It comes and goes." I say. "It's... it's worse when I'm trying to remember things."

Dr. Joric hums to himself and bites his thumb. He looks at the ocular scanner, then at me. "Have you been taking your medication?"

"Yes."

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"At the right times?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" He asks. "Because you have a history of not being... compliant."

"I've been taking it. I've been doing everything you've asked of me thus far."

"She has." Rylan pitches in. "Wait I mean... He has. Sorry." He says, fumbling over his words. He looks at me, his expression a mess of apology and confusion. I wave him off.

Dr. Joric's gaze is heavy on me. He's thinking hard, but about what? I still don't really know what I'm doing here. A "Routine checkup" really doesn't specify anything.

I kind of want to ask, but I'm a bit unsure if I should derail Dr. Joric's train of thought. But my curiosity wins.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong with what? You?" Dr. Joric asks.

I nod. "Why am I here again?"

"It's just a routine check—"

"I don't know what that means, I wanna know." I say.

Dr. Joric gives Rylan a look, and then he looks at me. His expression is... concerned?

"Alright Lynette." Dr. Joric says. "Most of your checkups have been to ensure that the NAME is still functional. Stuff like that."

"Like how?"

"Well..." He pulls up a datapad and turns it around to show me. Theres a bunch of wavy lines on it, numbers, and graphs that I don't understand. He points to a green line near the bottom. Its slightly underneath a bold red line. "This is the basic view on the NAME's connection to the receivers in both your current and host body." He taps it and it expands into a broader graph. There are lines for a bunch of various things, such as one labeled "motor skills" and another labeled "cognitive function".

"When we started, your brain activity was so low and scattered that these lines were almost flat. You could hardly move, speak, think—hell, you could barely even perceive the world around you. You know. 'A checkerboard'." He quotes what I had told him in the early days, and I feel a slight pang of embarrassment. "Now, look at this." He gestures to a different set of lines. "Your motor skills have improved dramatically, you're walking now. Your cognitive function has risen, you can hold conversations and solve basic puzzles."

"My brain like this body or the other one?" I ask.

Dr. Joric looks at me for a second. "This one, your current one. The other brain is a different story."

"Is it broken?"

"No. That brain is functional on all fronts, so long as its kept stabilized by Dr. Alani in cold storage. All that matters for that brain is the connection between the antenna and the NAME, which is above exemplary currently." He says. "Our checkups are just to ensure that this line is gradually going up."

"I see."

Dr. Joric clears his throat. "Though with your most recent concussion, its also been about ensuring that your antenna isn't broken, or that no issues arise from that. I think you'll be fine. I'm more concerned about your NAME function with the pressure in your head." He looks to Rylan again. "How have her seizures been?"

"Just the one, and he's been having auras, the ones that she described to me as 'seeing shapes that don't exist.'" Rylan says, and he glances at me. "Are you having any of those right now?"

"No." I say, though I can't stop thinking about that candle. I think about the windowsill.

"Have you been sleeping okay?"

"I suppose."

"And you've been taking your medication as prescribed?"

"Yes. You just asked me that."

"And have you been taking it with food?"

I'm starting to get a little annoyed.

"Yes."

"And have you been drinking enough water?"

"Yes."

"And have you been getting enough exercise?"

"Yes."

"And have you been—"

"Okay, what's with all the questions?" I cut him off. "I'm fine. I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself."

Dr. Joric looks at me, and he's surprised.

"What?"

"Have you always referred to yourself as that?"

"Have I always referred to myself as what?"

"As a woman. You just called yourself a grown woman."

"I mean... I am, right? I'm just... stating the obvious."

"Yes, but..." Dr. Joric says. "You've always been adamant about being referred to as male."

"Oh. Well. Its not like you've been doing that either."

"I'm calling you what the Board wants me to."

"I don't care. Call me whatever you want. Just... don't call me late for dinner." I say, and Rylan lets out a little snort.

Dr. Joric looks at me, then at Rylan, then back at me. He looks confused. Whats there to be confused about? It's not that big of a deal.

"Anyways." I say, "How am I looking?" I ask, pointing at the datapad. "All good on the home front?"

Home front. That's something mom used to say. I can almost see her standing in our kitchen, her hands covered in flour, a smudge of it on her snout. "How are things on the home front, sweetie?" she'd ask with a smile so warm and genuine.

"Yeah." Dr. Joric says slowly. "Everything looks good. But I'm still concerned about the pressure. Rylan, If... she... has any more auras, or if the pressure gets worse, I want to know immediately."

"Will do." Rylan says.

"Good." Dr. Joric says, and he looks at me. "I'll put in a word to pause your physical therapy until your head clears up. You're on seizure watch again."

"Aw sweet! No PT!" I say. I can't help but grin. "Don't have to see Nia's sour face."

"She's just doing her job."

"Her job is to make me want to jump off a roof." I say. "And now I don't have to put up with it. At least for a little while."

"Great..." Rylan says. "Now I have to deal with you all day."

"You'll live. You get paid to deal with me." I say. "Besides, we can do fun stuff."

"You're not going to be doing anything but resting." Dr. Joric says. "I'm going to prescribe a medication that will assist in relieving your seizure risk, but it will probably make you really sick."

"How sick?"

"Dunno, its still in the experimental stage." He says. "I got a greenlight from another project to test it on you considering how dangerous another head related injury would be to you. Really putting in that 'asset of the ICCU' title to work. We'll have to observe you for a bit afterwards, though."

"Fun." I say. "My favorite pastime is being a science experiment."

"Oh hush. Its safe, they just don't really know the proper dosage yet. Worst comes to worse you'll probably be bedridden with flu like symptoms for a few days." He says. "Usually its taken orally, but they want to try through an injection. You'll get the first injection now and you'll sleep it off afterwards."

INJECTION.

A wave of insurmountable dread washes over me at the thought of an injection. Needles. I've always hated them. The sharp sting as it breaks the skin, the cold rush of liquid flooding your veins... It's one of the few things that still makes me feel genuinely powerless, a child again at the doctor's office, hiding behind my mother's legs as the nurse approaches with a syringe.

"I can't do needles."

Dr. Joric sighs. "You're going to have to."

"No." I say, shaking my head. "I can't."

"It's a small prick, that's all. You'll barely feel it." He says. "Rylan, hold her still."

"What? No! Don't touch me!" I say, but Rylan is already moving towards me. He looks apologetic, but that doesn't make it any better.

I thrash in his grip, but it's no use. He's stronger than he looks. I try to kick him, to push him away, but my limbs feel like noodles. The pump hisses and whines as I squirm and struggle.

"Okay, this is going to be quick." Dr. Joric says, and I see him approach with the needle in his hand.

"S-stop! STOP!"

STOP!

Rylan's arm wraps around my waist, holding me in place. He's warm and solid against my back. I can feel his heart beating through my thin clothes.

"It's okay, you're okay." He murmurs in my ear. "Just breathe. It'll be over before you know it."

I squeeze my eyes shut and scream. His grip is too tight to squirm. I'm stuck.

I'm shaking. I'm shaking so hard. I can't stop shaking. I can't breathe. I can't think. The only thing I can think about is the needle, the sharp point of the needle, and how much it's going to hurt.

It's over in a second, but it feels like an eternity.

It's over.

I don't open my eyes, I just sob quietly into Rylan's chest. I can't stop shaking. I can't stop crying. Even though its over, the terror is still there. I can't get it out of my head.

"It's okay." Rylan says again, and he gently rubs my back. "It's over. You did good." He says, and he slowly lets me go.

I sit up, my body still trembling, and wipe my face with the back of my hand. My cheeks are wet and sticky. Dr. Joric is watching me. He looks... bored.

"All done." He says, and he disposes of the needle in a sharps container. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

I don't say anything. I just glare at him.

"Right. Well, you can go back to your room now." He says, and he turns back to his terminal. "Rylan, make sure she gets some rest. And keep an eye on her."

"I will." Rylan says. He hands me my cane and I take it with a shaky hand.

"Come on." He says, and he gently guides me out of the room. "Let's get you to bed."

A few hours pass since then, and I spend all of my time sleeping, or trying to sleep at least. While I haven't felt any of the effects of the medication, I'm just too exhausted to do anything beyond lay down and do nothing. Be it from physical therapy or whatever Dr. Joric gave me, its an excuse to sleep, an excuse to escape, an excuse to do anything but be here for a while. The pump whirs away, its a sound that I've almost grown used to. Its a sound that's become a part of my new life. It's not unpleasant, not anymore. It's just there. Its always been a reminder that I'm being kept alive by a machine. It's a thought that should be terrifying, but it's not.

Rylan is reading a book, his legs are propped up on the table by the window. He's been in and out of the room all day doing who knows what. The sun is setting. The room is filled with a warm, orange glow. It's a peaceful scene in a life that's been anything but. I think for the first time I feel alright. Not like good or anything, but just okay. I could get used to this. The quiet, the calm, the feeling of being safe.

The sheets are so soft against my fur. I feel so warm, so comfortable. I don't want to move. I don't want to do anything.

So I don't. I just lay there. Everything is slow. Everything is quiet. The sounds of the room are starting to fade.

...

...

And then I'm back. I'm in my bed. The sun has set, and the room is dark. The only light comes from the glow of the E-reader still settled in Rylan's lap. He's asleep. His head is tilted back, his mouth is slightly open, and he's snoring softly. I can see the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each breath. He really should go back to his room and sleep there, but I think its too late to bother him now. I'm kind of glad he's here, though. The silence is a little less... silent with him here.

I lay my head back on my pillow and close my eyes. The memory is still there. It's so clear, so vivid. I can almost feel the warmth of the sun on my fur, the touch of Clay's hands on mine. I don't know why, but it feels...

Wrong. It feels like I'm intruding on something that's not mine. It isn't mine. I don't know Clay like she did, I don't care to know. But still, the feeling... its an ache in my chest. Its a memory of something I never had. And I miss it.

I turn onto my side, facing away from Rylan and the window. I pull the blankets up and curl into a ball. I don't know how long I lay there, but I can't sleep. There's too much to think about, and too much to feel. So I do what I always do. I think of the past. But not her past. My past.

I think of the rallies. The feeling of standing in a crowd of like-minded individuals, the roar of the crowd, the passion in the air. I think of the speeches. The words that would pour out of my mouth, the fire in my belly, the conviction in my heart. I remember the feeling of being right, of being on the right side of history. But now it doesn't feel so good.

Its like a feeling of shame. Something I've never really had to deal with before. But it's there, and it's growing. I try to push it away, but it's like a weed. The more I try to pull it out, the deeper its roots go. I'm supposed to hate them. I'm supposed to hate the Taijekan. I'm supposed to be angry. But I'm not. I... regret what I've said. I regret what I've done.

I don't want to be that person anymore. But I don't want to be her either. I'm stuck in the middle. I've never felt that way before. I've always been so sure of myself, so sure of my beliefs. But now... now I'm not so sure. I'm not sure of anything. Except maybe that I don't want to die.

And I'm scared.

I'm so, so scared.

I sit up. I need to get out of this room. I need to move. I can feel a sense of panic creeping up on me. I don't know where its coming from. It's just... there. I have to get out. I don't want to wake Rylan. I don't want to deal with Dr. Joric. I just want to be alone.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up. I'm a little wobbly at first, but I manage to keep my balance. I grab my cane from the nightstand and creep towards the door, but its locked. There's no keypad. Just a card reader and a deadbolt. I can't get out.

I shuffle my way to the large window at the side of the room. It goes from the floor to the ceiling, and I can see quite a lot out of it. Or I would if it wasn't so dark. I can still make out some of the...

Stars... I... I see stars... in the sky, they're like glitter... They're beautiful.

...

I lean my forehead against the cool glass of the window and watch the stars twinkle in the inky blackness. I wonder if she's out there somewhere. Lynette. The real Lynette. Does she know what happened to her? Does she know that I'm here? Or is she just... gone?

I don't know. And I don't think I want to know.

I trace the outline of a constellation with my finger. I remember this one. The Seraph. He used to point it out to me on nights we could see the sky.

"See that?" He'd say, puffing out a warm cloud of breath in the cold night air. "That's you. Strong. Proud. And a little bit stubborn."

"I'm not stubborn." I'd pout, even though I knew he was right.

"Sure you're not." He'd chuckle, and then he'd pull me closer. "But that's why I love you."

I shake the thought away. I don't want to remember him. I don't want to remember any of it. But it's hard. It's like trying to hold back the tide. The memories keep coming, wave after wave, and I'm drowning in them. But... they feel like mine.

I don't know how long I stood there, but it felt like a while. I finally got tired of staring at the stars and decided to make my way back to the bed. But as I turn, my head is filled with the faintest of whispers. Its not a voice, but a feeling. A feeling of...

I ignore it. I'm probably just tired. I'm probably just having one of my "auras." But as I climb back into bed, I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me. I look over at Rylan, but he's still asleep. The room is empty. I'm alone.

But I don't feel alone.

I lay my head back down on the pillow and pull the blankets up to my chin. I'm being paranoid. I'm just being paranoid. I'm just being...

A shadow moves across the floor of the door. There's someone outside.

I watch as the keycard reader light turns from red to green. I hear a faint click, and the deadbolt unlocks. The door slides open, and someone steps inside. I can't make out any of his details, but they're on the short side. I shut my eyes and pretend that I'm asleep. Maybe they're in the wrong room. Maybe they'll leave.

I hear the door close, and the lock click back into place. Their feet shuffle as they walk across the room. They stop at the foot of my bed. I can feel their eyes on me. I can feel the weight of their stare.

I don't move. I don't breathe. I just lay there, my heart would be pounding in my chest. I'm a statue. I'm a rock. I'm a...

They shuffle right to me, stopping at the bed's head. My eyelids are almost sealed shut with the effort of pretending, but I can see the outline of their form against the dim light from the E-Reader. They're just standing there... menacingly. Do they know? Do they know who I am?

My mind races, trying to place them. A guard? An nurse? A ghost? I have to do something. I have to say something.

"Who's there?" I whisper, and the sound of my own voice makes me jump.

The only response I get is a hand firmly placed onto my mouth.

Something is wrong.

"Mmm!"

The sound is muffled by the rough texture of a glove. I can feel the panic rising in my chest. I have to fight back. I have to get away.

I open my eyes to get a better look at who's holding me down, but all I can see is a hand on the side of my head where the NAME's receiver is. They're holding something in their hands. I try to thrash around but they're too stro—

U...

...

...

...

...

...I...

Wh...

The world comes back in pieces. First the smell of the air fresheners. Then the taste of blood in my mouth. Then the feeling of something... soft... under my head. It's a pillow. A pillow with a little bit of drool on it. Gross.

I'm in my bed. I can hear... people around me. Talking. I can't make out the words.

I feel someone holding my hand. It's Rylan. I can tell by the way he's rubbing the top of my palm with his thumb. He's worried. He's always worried. I try to squeeze his hand to let him know I'm okay, but I can't. My fingers won't move.

My eyes flutter open. The room is bright. Too bright. I have to squint.

"He's awake!" Rylan says. I can hear the relief in his voice.

I blink, and the world starts to come into focus. Dr. Joric is standing at the foot of my bed, his arms crossed over his chest. He's... he looks worried. That's a new expression for him. There's another man standing next to him, one I don't recognize. He's wearing a lab coat, but he's not a doctor. He's got a datapad in his hand, and he's looking at me like I'm a bug in a jar. That's not good.

"Mthh Hdd..."

"Don't try to talk." Dr. Joric says

"Whhhi?"

"You had another seizure."

I blink again. I don't remember having a seizure. The last thing I remember is...

...I must have had it in my sleep.

"Ouhh..."

"Lynette, please rest your voice. It's important you don't overexert yourself." Dr. Joric says. "You have a fractured orbital bone from thrashing. You bit your tongue pretty bad, so don't try to talk." He gestures to my face. "Don't touch it either."

I don't feel any pain. I just feel... numb.

The other man notions to Joric and mumbles something to him. I can faintly pick up what theyre saying."

"...Dosage was too high...?"

"...Impossible... was a quarter of the recommended amount..."

"...Estimations might have been..."

"Could be, though I'm not entirely sure..."

I can't make out the rest. They're huddled together now, looking at a datapad. I try to sit up, but Rylan holds me down.

"Easy, easy. You need to rest."

"Nmm..." I try to say no, but it comes out as a muffled garble. I need to sit up. I need to see what's going on. I need to...

The world goes dark for only a moment. I open my eyes back up again to see the man has gone. It's just me, Rylan and Dr. Joric. Now they are speaking to eachother. I can hear them better now.

"This is going to put the project back months." Dr. Joric says, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She's stable though, right?" Rylan asks.

"I can't believe this happened. This shouldn't have happened."

I try to talk again. I try to ask what happened, but all that comes out is a gurgling noise.

Dr. Joric ignores me. He starts pacing back and forth at the foot of my bed. His movements are jerky, agitated. "The dosage was calculated perfectly. There was no reason for this to happen."

"Could it have been an interaction with her other medications?" Rylan asks.

"I've checked. There are no contraindications."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know." Dr. Joric says. "I don't know."

He's scared. I can see it in his eyes. He's scared of what happened to me. And he's scared of what it means for the project. For his career. I've never seen him like this before.

"Ghh..." My tongue is swollen and sore.

Dr. Joric stops pacing. He looks at me, and for a second, I think he's going to say something comforting, but he turns and walks out of the room. I hear him muttering to himself as he goes.

...

The room is silent for a long time. I can feel Rylan's eyes on me, but I don't have the energy to look at him. I just stare at the ceiling. I want to sleep, but I'm afraid to. I'm afraid of what might happen if I close my eyes.

A seizure in my sleep... What if it happens again? What if it's worse next time? What if... what if I don't wake up? I'm not ready to die. I'm not ready to disappear. Not yet.

"Rythh..." I try to say Rylan's name, but it's just a muffled mess.

"I'm here." He says.

"Mmth... Scr..."

I feel the familiar sting of tears welling up in my eyes. I try to blink them away, but it's no use. They roll down my cheeks, leaving wet trails in the fur.

Rylan doesn't say anything.

He grabs a tissue and gently dabs at my face, wiping away the tears. I appreciate it. I'm a mess.

"That makes two in the last month..." He's speaking to himself now. He's thinking out loud.

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to think. I'm just... scared.

He lets go of my hand to pick up a datapad and read through its contents. Its nothing he hasn't already looked at I'm sure, but maybe its something to occupy himself.

I watch him for a while. I watch the way he scrolls through the pages with a flick of his thumb, the way he frowns when he reads something he doesn't like, the way he runs a hand through his hair when he's frustrated. He's so... sapient.

I don't know why that's such a surprise to me. He's always been that way. But... I don't know. I think back to when I was in that vegetative state at the very beginning. How much I hated him. How much I hated everyone. I thought he was just a cog in the machine. A mindless drone. He's just a guy with a job. He's a person. He has thoughts and feelings and... and I was so mean to him. I was so... so mean.

It doesn't matter. I push the thought away. It's not going to do me any good to dwell on the past.

I'm starting to feel a bit better. The numbness is fading, and I can feel the dull ache in my face. My tongue is still swollen, but I can move it a little. I try to sit up, and Rylan is there to help me. He props a few pillows behind my back, and I lean against them. He's gentle. He's always been gentle.

"Water."

He grabs a cup with a straw from the bedside table and holds it to my lips. I take a sip and it soothes my sore tongue. I'm thankful for it.

"Thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm trying to feel anything."

He nods. He gets it.

"I seized up again..." I say, my voice is hoarse. "In my sleep."

"Yeah."

"How... how bad was it?"

"You hit your head. And your tongue is... yeah. But you're okay." He says. "Dr. Joric is worried. He thinks it might have been the new medication."

"It was supposed to help."

"Sometimes experiments don't go as planned."

"Tell me about it." I try to smile, but my face hurts too much. "So... what's the plan? Do I get more fun shots? Or do we try something else?"

He sighs. "Dr. Joric hasn't said anything yet. He's..."

"Worried?"

"Very." Rylan says. "He's worried about you. And he's worried about the project."

"I'm fine. I'm a tough girl."

He doesn't look convinced.

"He says that another seizure could cause irreparable damage to the brain. You'd probably lose motor function in your hand or... I dunno, something bad. Anything past that and..." He doesn't finish.

"I'm on deaths door?"

"..."

"What happens if this body dies? Where... do I go?" I ask.

Rylan puts the datapad down. He looks at me, and he looks... sad.

"It depends. In your current state? You'd probably return back to your body mentally disfigured in some way. But considering the seizures make things worse?"

He pauses. I don't need him to finish to know where its going. I'd probably go brain dead.

"So how do we stop the whole..." I make a gesture with my hands, trying to mimic an explosion. "...you know."

"That's what Dr. Joric is trying to figure out right now. That's what were all trying to figure out." He rubs his face with his hand and turns the datapad around to show me a couple images. He swipes between the graphs on screen as if I understand any of it. "Seizures themselves are relatively easy to counteract, given our day and age and modern medicine. But the problem is that you show almost no real signs of having a seizure, then it just happens." He swipes the graph again, showing a table with a bunch of lines near the lower end of it. "This is the neurological readings of a healthy individual" He swipes again, and the lines are more erratic "This is someone with symptoms of an upcoming seizure." He swipes again. "And this is you."

Its basically the same as the first one, though a bit flatter.

"Your readings are... flat. Until they aren't. There's no warning signs, there's no build up. There's no aura."

"But I get auras." I say. "Like the other day. You saw me. My head was hurting."

"Headaches aren't always auras. Headaches can just be headaches. The thing is, even with auras, the readings would still spike. We can't predict the seizures. We can't prevent them. We can only deal with them after the fact."

"It's random."

"It's not random. There's a cause. We just haven't found it yet."

"Could it be her? The real her?" I ask. "Could it be her brain... rejecting me? Like some kind of immune response?"

Rylan looks at me. I think he's going to say something, but he doesn't. He just looks back at the datapad.

"No. The brain operates on nothing more than electrical signals and hormones. There's no 'her' still inside of the body. She died, and those signals stopped. That's the only reason we were able to place your mind inside in the first place. You have complete control, the only reason you have trouble moving is when those signals are impeded. Be it due to the antenna's connection to the NAME, or a sever between you and the brain." He says. "The seizures are a byproduct of... something." He swipes through a few more graphs on the datapad. I don't understand what I'm looking at, but I can tell by the look on Rylan's face that it's not good.

"So, we're playing a guessing game. And the prize is my life."

"We're not playing a game." He says.

"What else would you call it?"

"Science."

"Science. Right."

"Dr. Joric to Rylan, do you copy?" Rylan's radio goes off. Its Dr. Joric. Rylan picks it up and presses the button to speak.

"Loud and clear, what do you need?"

"I need you here with me. Conference room 8C. Eighth floor. Take a datapad with you."

"Right away." He clips the radio back onto his belt and picks up his datapad.

"Okay. Well, I guess I have to go." He says. "Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?"

"I'll be fine." I say. "Go save the world."

He gives me a small smile and a nod, then he heads out into the hallway. The door closes behind him, and I'm alone. I lean my head back against the pillows and close my eyes. I feel like I could sleep for a week. But I'm afraid to.

...

The door opens again some time later, and a wolf with a face mask walks in wearing Commons scrubs. He smiles and waves and brings a small cart into the room full of... stuff. I can't really see what's on it from here.

"Hey there." He says. "Just here to check your vitals and change your sheets. Won't be a minute."

I nod and watch as he goes about his business. He's quick and efficient, precise and practiced. He checks my blood pressure, my temperature, He fiddles with the autopump for a minute and types out some numbers onto a datapad.

He moves to the other side of the room and grabs a fresh set of sheets from a small cabinet. He's in and out in less than a minute, the old ones stripped away and the new ones in their place. He's a blur of blue and white.

"Alright." He says, folding the used sheets and placing them on top of the cart. "We're all done here. Is there anything I can get for you? Water? A snack? Another pillow?"

"Did Dr. Joric send you?"

"I think so." He swipes on the datapad for a bit. "Yeah, he did. Said he wanted a few assistants to keep an eye on you while he's in a meeting."

"He's in a meeting?"

"The whole floor's been buzzing about it. Its with the director."

The Director.

"What's it about?"

"Can't say."

"Its about me isn't it?"

"Why would it be?"

I don't think he knows. He's just following orders. But I have a feeling the meeting is about me. It has to be.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Have you... have you ever had a seizure?"

He stops and looks at me. "No. Can't say that I have." He says. "But I've seen them. They're not pretty."

"Are they... are they scary?"

"For the person having them? I wouldn't know." He says. "But for the people watching? Yeah. They can be pretty scary."

"I don't remember mine." I say. "The last one, at least."

"It's probably for the best."

"I don't know." I say. "I think I'd rather know than not."

He doesn't say anything to that. He just finishes up with the datapad on the wall and begins moving the cart out of the room. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"I'm okay." I say. "Thank you."

He gives me a small smile. "You're welcome. I still need to do a few things but I'll check back in on you in about half an hour, alright?"

"Alright." I say.

He nods and then he leaves. The door clicks shut behind him.

...

A good few hours pass before Rylan returns, but Dr. Joric never came back. I've spent most of the time sleeping, but the nightmares keep waking me up. Most of them were abstract, just feelings of dread and despair, but some of them were more concrete. In one, I was back at the rallies, but this time, everyone was staring at me. Their faces were blank, their eyes were empty. They were chanting my name, but their voices were flat and monotone. They were there to hate me.

In another, I was standing in the middle of a field. There were trees all around me, and the sky was a deep, dark blue. I was holding a flower, but it was wilting in my hand. I could feel the life draining out of it, petal by petal. And then a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw a figure standing above me. It looked almost like a scarecrow, all bony limbs and tattered clothes, but it was moving, and it was reaching for me.

Rylan basically tumbles through the door. He really doesn't look good.

"How'd it go?"

He just shakes his head, and drops into the chair by the window. He's got a datapad in his hand, but he just stares at the wall.

"That bad, huh?"

"It wasn't... bad. I just don't like being in meetings."

"What did they talk about?" I ask.

"Nothing. Just... logistics. Boring stuff. About the results of the medication you took and taking more preventative measures on the seizures." He's still not looking at me. "And about how to proceed with the project."

"Oh?"

"Even the Board is stumped on whats going on." Rylan leans forward and plants his face in his hands. He groans. "I'm so tired..."

"Then go to sleep. You've been up for... I don't even know how long." I say.

"I can't. I have to stay here and watch you. Joric's orders." He says, his voice muffled by his hands.

"I'll be fine."

"You're not fine."

"I know, but I'll live."

He doesn't respond, he just looks out the window.

...

I feel like its partially my fault that he's like this. I guess sole assistant really does mean he's just going to be here around the clock. That's not fair to him. I can't imagine its easy being an assistant to a guy like Joric. It must be a lot of pressure. I can't imagine the kind of stress he's under.

"Rylan, please." I say. "Get some rest. I'll be okay for a little while. I promise."

He finally looks at me. He looks torn.

"Please." I say again. "I don't want you collapsing or... something like that."

He lets out a long, slow breath. "Okay." He says. "Okay. But if you feel even the slightest bit off, you call for a nurse, or Dr. Joric. Or... or someone. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Alright." He says, standing up. "I'll be back in a few hours. Try not to die."

"I'll do my best."

He gives me a small smile, and flicks on his radio. "Dr. Joric?" He says into it.

"Yes?" A tinny voice responds from the speaker.

"I'm taking a brief rest period. Six-eighty-two is stable enough. I... don't think it would be wise for me to remain in my current state."

A moment of silence.

Rylan speaks again "I'll call for a commons nurse to check on her while I'm out. Is... that okay?"

"How long is your 'brief rest period?'" Dr. Joric asks.

"A couple hours. Four? Three? Somewhere around there."

"Three. Have one of the commons staff check on Lynette every hour on the hour. Understood?"

"Understood. Over and out." Rylan says, and clicks the radio off. He looks at me. "Nap time."

"And a shower."

He nods and heads for the door. He stops and turns back. "Don't... do anything stupid."

"Couldn't if I tried."

He gives me one last look, and then he's through the door. It slides shut behind him, and the lock clicks into place.

Get some sleep, Rylan.