The Hatching

Dr. Crocodillo has been pacing the lab for the past twenty minutes. His midnight wings are tucked tightly to his back and his tail is curled in on itself to prevent any accidental stings from his tail barb to his fellow scientists - both human and dragon. He looks very worried about something, but you don’t know what it is that he’s worried about. You have a few ideas, but you don’t know which one it is today.

You and Dr. Crocodillo have been working together at Dragumen Labs for the past five years and you trust him with your life, but this recent round of tests has had Dr. Crocodillo on edge for the past week. The four eggs that you’ve been working with are nearing their Hatch and need to be monitored almost constantly. You’ve both been anticipating the day the new dragons reveal themselves, but you’re sure that there’s something more to Dr. Crocodillo’s nervousness than just the anticipation of the Hatch.

The Resolution Project is your and Dr. Crocodillo’s pet project. It is the culmination of almost a whole year’s worth of research, study, and finally, the injection of Serum 687 into the four eggs that were currently being kept warm in the incubators.

Dr. Crocodillo isn’t offering any hint as to what has him so nervous, so you decide to check each of the eggs just to set your own mind at ease. You pick up the tablet next to Egg One’s incubator. You’ve affectionately named this egg Serge; the yellow, orange, and red swirl pattern on the shell indicate that it is a Salamandrus Dragon. When it hatches, it’ll be long, and graceful, but you don’t know which of the three colors this dragon will hatch to be.

The red Salamandrus is known to be more hot-tempered, while the orange is more level-headed, and the yellow Salamandrus is naturally peaceful. They are smart, proud, and beautiful dragons that usually prefer to keep to themselves in the rain forests. You were lucky to have acquired a Salamandrus egg and you and Dr. Crocodillo are always sure to treat this particular egg with the deference it deserves.

Serge is looking good. Everything appears to be normal. There’s a small blip in the first of Serge’s two hearts, but the other is fine. This is normal for a dragon nearing the Hatch.

You move on to Metallico, the Rhacodactyl Dragon. This egg must be treated with the utmost care and respect. The black and silver shell is indicative of the leader this dragon will grow to become. The Rhacodactyl Dragons rule over all dragons in The Realm. You check Metallico’s vitals and everything is normal here, too.

You quickly move on to the next dragon, careful not to disturb Metallico in any way, especially not with Dr. Crocodillo - a dragon of the same species - so close, as strange as he’s been acting. You check over your shoulder, but Dr. Crocodillo is preoccupied with something on his own tablet on the other side of the room, so you move on.

The third of the four dragons creeps you out a bit. You’ve named this egg, Satan. You have no idea what its temperament will be when it hatches, but the red and black Horridum Dragons are as unpredictable as the weather. There is no telling what Satan will do when it hatches. Most of the Horridum dragons have managed to get themselves banished to the volcanic plains, but there are still a few living in society with the humans and dragons who work together for the betterment of The Realm. You check Satan’s vitals as quickly as you can, ready to move on. Luckily, everything is normal with this egg as well.

You breathe a sigh of relief as you move on to the last of the four. Worm is secretly your favorite of the four. The brown Plumifron Dragons are so docile and friendly that you can’t help but love them all. You’ve never met a Plumifron that you didn’t like and you have a strong feeling that Worm will be no different. It is likely that Worm will give you a hug as soon as it hatches. You smile down at the brown, unassuming egg. Worm’s first heart is fine, but the second heart rate is lower than normal. You check the rest of its vitals and there are no other abnormalities.

Since Dr. Crocodillo is still immersed in whatever he’s doing, you call over one of the other dragons who works with you. Dr. Gila, a Plumifron dragon scientist, puts down her own tablet and approaches you.

“How can I be of assissssstance?” she asks you, her forked tongue flicking in and out. Her green scales gleam in the fluorescent lights of the laboratory.

“Worm’s —” you catch yourself. “Excuse me. The Plumifron’s second heart rate is lower than it should be. I’ve seen elevated heart rates this close to The Hatch, but I’m not aware of any usual instances of a lowered heart rate. I’d welcome your opinion,” you say to her and bow your head to show your respect.

Dr. Gila holds out her talon and you hand her your tablet. Your gaze flickers between Worm’s egg and Dr. Gila as she checks and rechecks the egg’s vitals.

“There is no hissssstory of anomalous behavior from the Plumifron?” she asks you.

“No, Dr. Gila. This is the first dip in its heart rate that I’ve seen,” you tell her.

“Mmmmonitor for the next hour. If there is no improvement, I recommend sssssssstimulous treatment,” she advises.

You nod and thank her, determined to keep a special eye on Worm as you go about the rest of your check.

Dr. Gila has moved on to speak quietly to Dr. Crocodillo, likely updating him on Worm’s lowered heart rate, so you leave them to it and refer back to your tablet. You review the past serums, comparing and contrasting the differences between previous mixtures and Serum 687.

To date, all other trials had ended in an unsuccessful merging of dragon DNA with the various metallic compounds you and your team have tried so far. Serum 687 has, so far, been nearly flawless and you are anticipating the Hatch of these four.

You smile as you remember the previous trial. You and Dr. Crocodillo and the rest of your human/dragon team tried injecting Serum 539. The two Plumifron dragon eggs you acquired had simply expelled the serum and had hatched while playing with a ball of the solidified metallic compound. An obvious failure, but at least everyone was amused by their playful nature. Sarifina and Pattleah were adopted by a wonderful family and are living happy, normal lives somewhere in the swamplands of The Realm.

“That is not advisssssssssable, Doctor,” you hear Dr. Gila say in a raised, concerned voice.

You turn just in time to see Dr. Crocodillo shove past her holding something clutched tightly in his talon.

Dr. Gila reaches for him with wide, panicked eyes. You’ve never seen this graceful dragon lose her composure before. Something is very wrong.

You open your mouth to ask what is wrong, but before you can speak, there is a blinding explosion and the entire lab is engulfed in smoke and flame, and you are thrown backward into Worm’s incubator.

~

Your head hurts and you know something’s wrong. Turn to CHAPTER 19 to find out what happens next.

You’re okay. Turn to CHAPTER 12 to try to save the eggs.