"Shadow! Stay still!" Topaz exclaims, firmly gripping my arms.

"It hurts!" I yelp back, trying to yank myself away from her. "I don't want an ear tag! I already have the stupid bracelet!"

"It does not hurt; Miles hasn't punched it in yet! Now, hold still!" I refuse to listen, squirming and yanking my head from side to side. Topaz and Wright struggle with me for a few moments longer, but, eventually, Topaz realizes I'm not going to give up anytime soon. "Ugh. Shadow, if you're going to be a pain about this, then I'm going to have to put you under until we're done."

"No! I don't want an ear tag!" I insist, my eyes pleading and large. Topaz groans, rubbing her forehead as if to dispel a headache.

"Why? Why are you so opposed to this? That bracelet isn't permanent, and it won't tell people everything they need to know about you. This tag will. Besides, I know it's not the pain you're fighting; this is only going to hurt for a few seconds. So, tell me why you won't let us put this in already."

"I-I... For one, it's my ear, and I don't want to have things stuck through it! Ear tags are for animals; it's not like you wear them! I don't want to be put beneath humans more than I already have been!" I plead, my ears completely flat in an effort to protect themselves from the evils of getting punched with a tag.

"Shadow, humans get dog tags for identification. This isn't that different. This is just to make sure you can be found and identified should something untoward happen, alright?" I gulp, casting an uneasy look at the steel tag that's causing me so much stress.

"I still don't want it," I proclaim, glaring at it.

"Will you stay still long enough for us to put it in now, or will we have to knock you out and create more trouble for everyone?" Topaz asks, sighing. I look down, feeling mixed emotions on whether to listen to her or continue to be stubborn. After a brief mental battle, my good sense wins.

"I'll let you put it in..." I grumble, not at all happy about the prospect. I lie down again, Topaz holding my head still and Wright pinning me to the table. I feel a brush of metal on my right ear and prepare for the pain that will inevitably follow.

"OUCH!" I yowl as discomfort shoots through my head. I whimper as Topaz applies an ointment to the wound. At least my healing is still faster than normal; I won't have to deal with this very long. I scowl angrily as I'm lifted off the table, determined to stay grumpy about this incident as long as I can. Reaching up, I cautiously poke my still-bleeding ear carefully.

"Shadow! Don't touch it until it heals!" Topaz scolds, swatting my hand down. "I'll tie your hands to your waist if you don't promise here and now not to mess with it."

"..." I don't reply, instead letting my arm relax again. Topaz glares at me suspiciously, and I pout at her. She sighs, grabbing my arm and tugging me over to my bed. She tells Miles and Wright to pack up the foldable table and makes sure I'm sitting comfortably on my bed with the small, light olive blanket I've now been granted. She tucks the blanket in around my shoulders, easily calming me with her motherly touches.

"Get some rest, alright? Tomorrow is your first day of training, and you'll want to be alert. Don't fiddle with your tag; I don't want to have to give you a new one in the other ear. Just go right to sleep."

"Mmm...okay." I yawn, my mouth opening substantially. Topaz smiles softly, rubbing me behind my uninjured ear.

"Goodnight, Shadow," she says, leaving the room along with the two men. I lie down as the lights dim, making sure to lie on my left side so I don't put pressure on my ear. I curl up, snuggling into the blanket and relaxing. I can't believe I was going to be killed by these people only a week ago. Now I'm treated like a normal Chaos Creature child by G.U.N...with the exception of the ear tag. I'm still not happy about the ear tag. Not that it matters, anyways... Before I know it, I'm asleep, passing the time until tomorrow with ease.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmm...? My eyes blink open as they detect a change in the amount of light in the room. I lie still for a minute, letting my pupils adjust and my mind wake up. Then, I roll up, sitting on my bed and yawning. Just like yesterday, a small slot opens in the bottom of the door and a small dish of food is slid in. I stand up, stretching my muscles and cracking my back. Walking over to the food delivery, I inspect the contents.

A grain bar and peeled orange. I still can't believe I didn't know oranges had to be peeled to be eaten... I grin at my own ignorance as I pick up an orange segment out of my bowl and chew it. The tangy sweetness stimulates my taste buds and helps wake me up further. I start nibbling on the grain bar, pleased to find that it has a raspberry filling.

I like these things... I think as I eat, finally taking a draught of water from my ever-present water dish. The fact I'm eating out of bowls bugs me slightly, but I know not to make a fuss. Once I finish, I sit again, letting my stomach's metal-melting acid digest my meal. After about half an hour of sitting and contemplating what I'll be doing today, Topaz arrives at my door.

"Good morning, Shadow," she greets as she comes in. I return the sentiment, standing up to follow her. She snaps on my leash, and I fidget with my recently-aquired shock collar. It hasn't been used on me yet, thankfully, but I know it's just a matter of time. Then, a thought strikes me. I carefully reach up and feel at my ear, eyes widening as I feel the tag is now securely set into my healed flesh. "Better already?" Topaz asks, gesturing at my ear. I nod, and she inspects it just to make sure.

"Well, Shadow," she says, "that looks pretty good. Be careful not to tug on or pick at it, but it looks like it's fully healed. I'm impressed by your regenerative abilities." I nod detachedly, still fingering the metal tag. The idea it's inside my ear bothers me, but I try not to think about it. "Alright, ready for your first ability test?"

"Not really," I reply sheepishly, cheeks reddening as I think about my few abilities. Despite the fact I'm sure I have more powers than I know, I still feel as if I'm below expectations. I can't think like that. I'll prove to them why I'm worth keeping around.

"You'll do fine. Just do your best," Topaz reassures me, opening the door so we can be on our way. Together we head to Sublevel 10, eventually arriving at the weapon-testing simulator. The room is large, extremely secure, and can launch attacks of varying difficulties and styles. For now, it's being used to protect my observers from my powers.

"Project: Shadow, today you're going to be demonstrating your abilities. Only do what you're told, nothing more. Any attempt to escape or attack will be met with lethal force." I shiver as the voice over the speaker finishes speaking, my ears going back slightly in apprehension. Topaz leaves me in the training area, heading up to the protected observatory above me. I wait for several seconds, and the first, thicker collar around my neck that prevents me from using my powers beeps. I nearly gasp as my powers return, Chaos flowing through my body and giving me immeasurable strength.

"First, demonstrate your speed by running in counter-clockwise laps following the walls." I blink at the command, then realize I need to get started. I clench my feet talons abruptly, giving my air shoes maximum power. Flames burst out of the bottoms, something I didn't expect, but I start moving.

Chaos! I'm even faster when my shoes are flaming! I easily break the sound barrier, going in large ovals so fast it makes me dizzy. Realizing I might not be supposed to use my shoes, I cautiously unclench my talons. Hellfire! I stumble slightly as I come down onto the ground, nearly tripping over my feet as I continue my speed. Despite my best efforts, I find it far harder to stay above the sound barrier without my shoes, and the concentration it takes to not trip taxes my energy. Tired, I slow and come to a halt, wondering if I should have kept going.

"Now, you will start with the smallest block on your left, lifting it, and work upwards with the larger blocks until you cannot lift them." Looking to my left, I see a dozen different blocks of metal rising from the floor. I start with the 'smallest,' a hunk of metal that weighs easily several hundred pounds or about a hundred kilograms. Hefting it, I pick it up and hold it, unsure as to when I should put it down. "After you lift a block, set it down and lift the next." Nodding, I set the metal down and pick up the next one. I continue in this fashion until I get to the last block.

This...is hard. I'm panting slightly by this point, arms shaking from exhaustion despite my Chaos flow doing the majority of the work for me. Grimacing, I fit my arms in the two grooves on the bottom of the block and lift.

"*Hurk!*" I nearly choke on my own breathing as I stagger backwards slightly. This block is so ridiculously large and heavy that I feel I might be crushed beneath it. It seems to weigh about 7,000 kilograms, and I can barely keep standing with the immense weight. Forgoing any hopes of setting it down gently, I drop it, wincing as it slams into the ground. I partially collapse next to it, falling to my knees and trying to clear my vision of spots. If someone is talking over the speaker to me, I don't hear it.

"Now, demonstrate your spindashing ability," says the voice after several minutes, and I clamber up. Taking a deep breath, I launch myself at the ceiling. I hone my small form into a buzz saw, bouncing around the room. After about twenty seconds of doing so, I stop and land on my feet with grace.

"Perform your known Chaos Energy moves." A small frown of concentration coming to my face, I reach out to my energy and channel my emotions to my hands. My hands erupt into emerald-green fire, warming my legs in a pleasant way. Then, I slide forward on one foot and take a stance, throwing my arm out and summoning a Chaos Spear. Drawing my arm back, I aim and hurl the crackling energy at the wall. It sparkles as it dissipates, making a pretty display of yellow fireworks.

I hope I'm done now; I'm exhausted! Using all of my abilities in such short succession has really taken a toll on me, making me realize my endurance is going to take time to build up. Having not been given a command yet, I lie down on the floor to try and recover my lost energy. Oh, come on! I hold back a growl as my first collar beeps, feeling my connection to Chaos vanish. Suddenly, the fatigue I felt before is multiplied a hundredfold, and I'm utterly confined to floor by my own body weight. I couldn't sit up to save my life... I groan internally, closing my eyes and continuing my reprieve. A sound make my ears twitch, but I otherwise remain motionless.

"Alright, sleepyhead. You need to get up now. It's not nap time." I lazily open my left eye, my dominant eye, and roll it over to look at Topaz. "You heard me. Up, or I'm going to shock you."

"Fine..." I whine, trying to sit up and failing. My abdominal muscles just don't have the strength to get my upper body up. "Can you help me up?" Topaz looks unimpressed by me, but she reaches down and grabs my hands, pulling me up. My knees buckles slightly, and I fall into her.

"Shadow! Support your own weight!" Topaz barks, and I feel my head spin slightly from lack of oxygen. I stumble slightly, my stomach trying to reject my earlier food. Come on, body! Get in the game! I reassert control over my limbs, my mind clearing.

"I think I may need a bit more time to recharge next time..." I say woozily, shaking my head like an Earthen dog to wake myself up more. Topaz sighs, steadying my shoulders.

"You don't have any endurance yet, but you'll improve. Now, come on. You've earned your rest." I yawn, trotting after Topaz until we arrive back at my cell.

"How did I do?" I ask sleepily, blinking at her as she unhooks my leash and tucks me into bed. "Was I below expectations?"

"No, not at all," Topaz smiles, looking fondly down at me. "Everyone watching was amazed by your abilities. You're far more powerful than we expected." I nod, resting my head down and curling up. I'm too tired to make much conversation, but I feel oddly satisfied with my work. Topaz reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small pill. "Here," she says, reaching down and slipping it into my mouth. "That will help you sleep so we can still get some things done today." I swallow the pill, almost immediately feeling effects. My eyes close, and I fall into a deep, rejuvenating sleep.

Author's Note: This chapter had some weird ideas (*cough* the ear tag *cough*), but I hope it was fun! Character development party, am I right? xD Keep reading, fellas! Next chapter is awesome, and might come out a bit before the weekend if I decide I can't keep it to myself. Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to comment, vote, and give me feedback! Until next time... ^-^