Prologue
Amaya's eyes opened to the harsh light of the lab and she closed them again in disgust.
Behind her she felt her brother stir, and shifted to glance at him. "Are you okay Kevin? What did they do this time?"
Kevin blinked and finally opened his eyes to make sure none of the scientists were around. Reassured that they were safe for now, he shifted his arm so she could see. "They put metal in me, they…" he broke off in a whimper but quieted as a scientist passed through the other end of the lab after another experiment to test with.
Amaya gently soothed him as she examined the computer that had merged into the flesh of his arm "They get tired of animals?" She sighed and turned over to a more comfortable position.
It was then that the scientist entered, the one that called himself King and used the five-year-old twins. He regarded them with possessive pride and smiled, never a good sign, as he examined them "I've got a treat for you two, a new creature just brought from the Rukbat System. It's really too bad we can't go back for more."
They were grabbed roughly from their cage and forced to march in front of the scientist as he led them to a back room. Inside nested a small pile of eggs with a strange golden creature resting beside them that resembled a small dragon from legend.
"Grab one egg each or I'll have your hide, it's a special treat you experiments get to help with the new creatures." King laughed and shoved them forward so that they nearly toppled into the nest.
Amaya steadied herself first, her long brown feline-like tail curling around the nearest table leg. She resented what they had done to her all the more but she obediently picked up an egg, the largest of the pile, and moved away.
Kevin's brown-orange wings fluttered uselessly as he tried to right himself and he ended up on his knees beside the nest with a good view of the eggs. He grabbed the smallest egg and carefully stood back up beside his sister, hugging the strange treasure to his chest.
King laughed at their antics and shoved them back in their cage before going off with his work.
The twins were left alone with their treasure while King and the other scientists began to examine the dragon-like creature more closely, killing her to study her DNA coding when the eggs finally cracked.
Only half of the young hatchlings survived but the twins were happy with their new pets. Amaya's golden queen hatched as it should but the little gray of Kevin's had to be sliced free by Amaya's claws.
More weeks passed while they learned to understand the 'fire lizards' and communicate with them. But the scientists began designing a new creature from the old gold's coding and dragged them out for the first batch of experimental eggs.
The hatching was great for the three experiments who bonded with the dragons but the scientist became angry and went back to the coding. The three dragons were too small to be of use in any war and their coloring was wrong. Eventually the 'failures' and their partners were thrown into the back cages where experiments went to die.
