I woke up staring at the ground.  I guessed I must have been at the hospital because of the heart monitors steady beat.  I was lying on my stomach and the bed I was lying in had a hole in it where my head was.  Probably so I wouldn't hurt my neck by having my head turned to the side.  I lifted my head a bit and started to push myself up but I was stopped by a hand pushing on my shoulder.

"You shouldn't do that."  A nurse said, pushing some buttons on a machine.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but why not?"  I asked, turning my head to see the nurse.

"Do you remember anything?"  A familiar voice asked, "About how we took out two dragons and you suffered some large wounds?"

"Actually I do Elsie.  And I also remember Sam being half dragon, unless it was all a dream?"  I asked back.

"You forgot the part when one of the dragons opened you up." The nurse said cutting in, "We need you to stay still so the wound can begin to heal.  You almost became tied to a wheelchair.  A few inches off and they could have paralyzed you."

"Well when do you think I can leave?"  I asked the nurse.

"A few more days then you can go."  She said with a smile.

I sighed and put my head down.  There wasn't much else I would be doing in this condition.


After about two days of straight boredom I was allowed to come home and all was normal.  Or at least as normal as normal could be.  As it turns out, half dragons can't fly.  Well, not at first because for Sam, the following few days were spent on the roof.  To be more specific, spent being pushed off the roof by Elsie to learn how to fly.  He got it eventually.  As for the other two, Max softened up and started to like having her around.  And Daniel, he loved that someone was finally starting to laugh at some of his jokes.  And for me, well, I pretty much sat around and did just about nothing but play on my computer and hang out with Elsie until my stitches where removed.  For the next month I took it pretty easy.  I started some projects, did some work, got addicted to TV series through Netflix and spent all the remaining time with Elsie.  Daniel is such a pain sometimes but sometimes he's right, I think Elsie and I are actually boyfriend and girlfriend.  If we're not now, then probably sometime soon we will be.

It wasn't until June that anything really happened.  My birthday was coming up and I couldn't wait to see what the guys set up for me.  I had spent nearly three years with the guys and I learned that to celebrate, they either go all out or do hardly anything.  This year it was near all out.  They had planned a little airsoft op for my birthday, but a week later because some of the guys we play with where busy the week before.  Little did I know that I wouldn't be playing quite the way I thought.


It was still dark when I woke up.  I glanced down at my clock to see that it read 12:04.

Why the heck did I wake up at midnight?

I rolled over and was about to fall asleep again when I heard some growling and cursing from the living room.  I slid out of bed as silently as I could and put my ear on the door.  I couldn't hear anything except crickets but I still decided to check out what happened.  I wasn't sure what to expect but it probably wouldn't be too bad so I only grabbed the knife and my F2000 airsoft gun.  I leaned against the door to keep it from creaking as I slowly turned the handle and stepped out.

I crouched down at the end of the hallway and slowly peeked around.

Crap. was the only thing that went through my mind.

Three dragons where milling around the living room.  The smallest was an orange guy with a white underbelly cleaning up a broken glass Cocoa Cola bottle while a slightly bigger green and red guy was helping him.  Off in one corner I could see Elsie tied up in some rope and a blanket.  She must have tried to give them a fight because there was pillow fluff scattered around the room and some claw marks in the carpet and sitting over her was a big gold and blue dragon.  He looked so smug and at ease.  He must have been the leader, because his face suggested a sort of agitated boredom, due to the hiccup with the bottle leading to the fact that it would take longer to complete an already boring and routine task

Something wasn't right about this.  If one attempt to get Elsie back failed, why would they need to try again?  Unless there was something she wasn't telling me.  Either way, if I Ever wanted to find out, I would still have to get her free.  But how?  I decided to just get her out as fast as possible.  I stood up and started walking towards the center of the room, tracking all three of them through the guns red dot scope.

"Leave her alone."  I said severely.

"Oh look Ssssssir, ssssshe has a pet."  The little orange guy said.

"Ssssilence!"  Goldie scolded the other two before looking at me, "He isssss not half dragon, sssso he musssst be the one who killed the firssssss two Collectors."

"But he issss just one human."  The orange one said.

"What have I told you?"  Goldie said raising his voice ever so slightly, "Never underestimate your opponent."

"Some wise words coming from someone who I just caught kidnapping.  Now I'll ask nicely.  Please get out now before I have to use this."  I said shaking theF2000 a bit.

"I bet that gun isn't even loaded" Greenie said back.

"Care to find out?"  And I opened fire on full auto.  I realized that plastic BBs probably wouldn't do much damage to scales so instead I aiming for anything that would annoy them like the nose and other sensitive parts.  It wasn't long though before my mag ran out so I threw my knife at Goldie, where it cleanly planted itself in his thigh.

Now I expected one of two things to happen.  The first being Goldie would leave the knife in and attack or take it out and get rid of it.  Both and neither of these two things happened.  The little orange guy literally launched himself at me and I dove for the cover of the couch.  I made it behind the couch and stood up only to find myself staring Greenie straight in the eye.  He didn't give me a second to react.  He grabbed the front of my shirt and threw me right to my angered gold friend.  I flailed my arms and legs trying to slow down but it didn't help.  I thought that maybe I could grab him and throw him off balance, but then I saw what was happening, he reached down and pulled the knife out of his leg and sliced across my chest as I flew by.

I was about to scream but I hit the wall so hard, it knocked the wind out of me.  I fell to the ground gasping, clutching my chest.  I felt like I was paralyzed, like I couldn't move, couldn't breathe.  I looked at Elsie, but she just turned her head and looked away, knowing there wasn't anything she could do.

Where the hell is Sam or Max?  They must have heard something, at the very least the sound of me hitting the wall.

My train of thought was interrupted by Goldie standing over me.  "Well I guesssss we aren't going anywhere.  You however, are going to look much different in a few minutes." He turned to the other two, "Get him up!  Put him on the table!"

The other two grabbed my arms and hauled me onto the table, well sort of threw me.  There sadly wasn't anything on the table to break and make noise.  That would have been too easy.  They held both my arms and kept me pinned to the table.  It had become easier to breathe but I still had a large open wound across my chest.

"Here we are boy."  Goldie said to me, grabbing a small vial with a blue liquid inside from a pouch on his side, "Thissssss isssss a derivative of the powder we usssssse to improve you humanssssss.  All it needssssss isssss contact with blood from a hosssst.  Witch you ssssseem to have plenty of."

He removed a stopper from the top of the vial and poured the liquid into the cut.  "I forgot to mention that it isssss also a prototype.  I'm told that it hasssss a 75% chancccccce of killing you, but if it doesssssn't then it sssshould improve the ssssstandered dragon form.  Either way you won't be human for much longer."

"Wait, a 75% chance that it could do what!?"

He just smiled a bit and watched the transformation from the foot of the table.  I started to panic.  I thrashed around trying to get free but the hands just clamped down harder.  I kept tugging and pulling but then mu chest began to burn.  I looked down and the cut was healing and closing up right before my eyes.  I couldn't believe it.  It kept on healing until it closed up but instead of skin, small dark grey scales grew and spread yielding only to large white "V" shaped scales in the center of my chest.  I kept watching until they crept under my shirt where they continued to spread.  The three dragons watched expectantly for something to happen.  I needed a way out.  I needed to get on my feet again.  I pretended to continue watching my transformation while I formulated a plan.  If pushing and pulling didn't work then perhaps twisting would work.  I waited until the right moment before I put my plan into action.

I didn't have to wait long because soon the two holding my arms released their grip ever so slightly and I jumped.  I pushed off the table making sure to kick Goldie in the face as my feet flew by.  I was almost off the table when I felt the two release their grip.  I hit the ground awkwardly and almost fell over.  I was more concerned at keeping the three dragons in my sights but curiosity got the better of me and I looked down.  Jet black claws protruded from the tips of four toes instead of five.  The whole foot was longer and I felt a lot more balanced on the balls of my feet.  I heard something move to my right and I looked up only to catch a punch square in the face.

I went down hard.  I hit the ground and rolled as best I could to lessen the impact but it didn't do much.  I slammed my head against the wall and something clicked.  It felt like I had just taken some painkillers or something because all the pain was nearly gone.  I stood up and the little orange guy rushed forward.  He didn't slow at all so I ducked down grabbed his legs and flipped him over my head.  I turned to punch him but I realized that my hands had changed in to claws and they looked razor sharp.  Instead of a fist I opened my hand and stabbed him.  He gasped and clutched his chest.  He was still alive but he wasn't going anywhere soon so I focused on the next one.  I must have kicked Goldie pretty hard because he was just standing up so I went for Greenie.  I went for him claws open and he did the same.

We locked claws and stared each other down for a second before he finally said, "You're a lot quicker than I thought, and a good deal sssssstronger."

"Well I will admit that if it wasn't for what you guys did to me I probably wouldn't be beating you."  I said through clenched teeth.

He was about to say something but instead someone behind us yelled, "What the hell!"

Sam and Max had finally woken up and not a moment too soon because Goldie was back and looked ready to tear me apart.  "Well don't stand there, HELP ME!!" I yelled.

After they had shaken off the shock Max raised his Magnum and shot Goldie in the arm.  Max was easy to wake but he was always a little dozy in the morning.  Sam however shared no such problem and was able to get a knife imbedded in Goldie's chest.  He roared and that got the slightest attention of Greenie, whom I was still trying to get an advantage on.  In that small moment he was distracted I ducked, spun around, and crossed my arms to fling him and myself to the ground.  I landed hard on top of him and I felt what must have been budding wings get crushed between us.  I ignored the pain and looked up to see Goldie lying still on the ground and Sam wiping blood off his knives.  I would have been terrified if I didn't know him but my attention was drawn to something moving beneath me.

I rolled off Greenie only so I could right myself and pin him to the ground.  "Edge?  Is that you?" I heard max say.

"Yes, now I'll answer questions later but first, Sam get the rock climbing rope we cut up.  Max, could you get Elsie untied please?" I asked.

"Yes Sir!" they said in unison.

"No!  Thissss issssn't sssssupposed to happen!  You ssssshould be dead!"  Greenie said as he thrashed beneath me.

"Well, I'm not and an old saying comes to mind right about now."  I said, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

"I got the rope Edge.  Elsie, get him up so I can tie his hands together." Sam said, taking command.

I got off as Elsie took my place but not before giving me a concerned look.  She grabbed him and hauled him up so that Sam and Max could get a rope around him easier.  I was tired.  And all the pain was back.  Mainly my whole back ached.  I looked back and saw a tail had ripped a hole in the seat of my pants but what really caught my eye were the two dark grey wings that had ripped through my shirt.  They really started to hurt as they continued to grow.

Why didn't they hurt this much before?

I just sat down as best I could with a tail and rubbed my neck.  It was starting to ache and I could feel scales growing under my fingers.  It started to get warm under my hand and before long my whole head felt like it was on fire.  I grabbed my head as a muzzle pushed out from the front of my face.  My teeth began to fall out to be replaced by fangs.  My ears elongated and I could feel my eyes change as well.  I couldn't take it anymore.  I screamed but it came out more like a roar.  I also felt something add to my mind, instincts, and information.  All of it was an overload for me.  I let out one more roar before I blacked out again.