Rose paced the floor of Jin Wu's living room,it was well into Sunday evening in Hong Kong and both of the girls had a final examine coming up;one she couldn't study for.

The Chinese teen examined her concernedly."Rose,this is last test for the semester.This will determine final grades."

"Jin Wu,"she stopped to sigh in exasperation but tried to not let her friend's poor English annoy her."I know.I have a lot of trouble right now with my parents and then with..."

Just the thought of what might have happened to Jake,to think that he was being held captive and that they had no way of knowing where he was.It made her so frightened.

"We'll make up something to Jake's parents and then get any lowdown we can on Panderous."Trixie had tried her best reassuring."Jake can handle anything thrown at him."

That's right,Rose thought as her eyes drifted up to the lit window outside.And so can I.But I can't keep on lying.

"Jin Wu,"she said uneasily and tried her best to smile in a pleasant manner."I need to get home.Will you do okay?"

"Well,now I finally can look at something beside you."

Jin Wu laughed slightly at the absorbed pacing her friend had done the last half hour.Rose,shaking her head,walked over to collect her things and walked out without a word.

"Rose?I was only joking."

The door closed carefully for an answer.

If she was ever going to set the record straight,then she would have to be honest with Jake's parents.Though she had insisted no one speak a word,it was a large mistake.

Revealing the truth on the matter would pave the way for a better future with both families.Rose finally reached the sidewalk with this decision and then cringed at a thought.

What if Panderous and Jake could not be located?

x.x.x

It was so cold.His scales felt frozen in place and only the inside of him retained a gushing warmth.Around Jake he could sense motion yet he could not hear or see anything.

He felt the vibrations from some type of buzzer going off swirling through him rapidly.Then there was the sensation as though the heat within him was being drained from him.

"Remarkable,"A man's voice marveled."I knew a dragon of his type would withstand but I didn't know how well."

Where am I?He thought meekly.

"I never thought I'd find the laboratory after that Morton fool and his wife caused the entire place to go to flames but I did it!Now I need only one more day to stabalize."

Where is everyone?Mom,Dad?Where are you?

The voice sighed roughly."I really need to stop talking to myself.It isn't as if you can hear me where you are now."

Jake's thoughts centered on more immediate needs.Lust for the ability to breath correctly made his lids twitch and his wings curve in this tundra that incarcerated the dragon.

Gotta...he strained without movement.Got to get out.I gotta do my dragon duties,I have to do school work.

"Hmm?"

So much stuff isn't getting done.Why can't I move?I've got to see Haley to school,I've gotta go see my friends.

"Stop it!"The man's voice commanded."Stop it now!I've paid a great sum of money for everything.Stay still,child!"

The rush of anger from the person's voice caused Jake to tense up even more as full frontal reality flooded back to him.Current events rushed back to his head very quickly.

His eyes snapped open and he realized his entire body at this point was encased in an ice block within some type of tubular structure,mouth clamped closed with a hose inside.

Panderous patiently awaited as Jake ran short on the little energy he had,his fitful struggle had quickly exhausted into a weak attempt to punch at the glass.He couldn't escape.

At least not as weary as he was.Still,he kept moving inch by inch until he could no longer and had no choice but to resign for rest in order to move again.Panderous cackled.

"Fear not,you will not be in there much longer.Only until I can accurately coat every last DNA strand of your being with my feral toxins.Or should I say,the Morton Mutation.

My colleague and I engineered this machine years ago in an experiment to rebirth miniature dinosaurs.I paid for all you see now to fund the project and he did the dirty work for me.That is,until he turned his back on me for another."

Jake hardly heard him,his eyes were closing and his mind was spinning.What happened to his friends?And to Rose?

"When you awaken,"Panderous's voice sounded faint."I promise you will be invincible as you're only the first one."

As the dragon sank into sleep,he looked upon a picture.

It was of the couple he had murdered long ago.

x.x.x

Brad Morton hooted and hollered as he managed to get his eighteenth birthday present to rove around the corner on only two side wheels;his old truck resided in impound.

"Best gift ever!"He declared as drove up to his house and hopped out,admiring the gleaming red paint job as he did.

The day was a startling beautiful one after a week's worth of rain,though Brad had his mind elsewhere as he strolled into the door to give a standard if not required thank you.

"You guys went all out.That ruby of a truck goes zero to seventy in nothing flat-uh,hey,what the heck is going on?"

His parents looked up at him woefully and a petite pretty woman in her late thirties,his mother,looked at him with a film of tears in her eyes.Brad gasped,she had never cried.

"What is it?"he turned to his father awkwardly,not use to such strong show of emotions."Why all the water works?"

Charles sighed and lifted his heavy frame from the center of the couch to approach the unsettled young man.There was uncertainty and yet motivation rising inside of his eyes.

And,much to his shock,his father's shades were removed.

"Look at this picture."He held out a framed photo to him.

It was a lanky blond man in his mid-thirties behind dark blue, horn-rimmed glasses next to a gorgeous raven-haired lady.

"Fine lookin' chick but who's the nerd with the specks?"

"Excuse me!?"

"I mean,"Brad fiddled his thumbs."Who are they,sir?"

Pain outlined his father's face now."You're actual parents ,son.They were killed fourteen years ago in an explosion."

"What?"he felt a strange pang within him."You're my real-"

"My older brother Robert Morton was a scientist."Charles went on to further explain."He lived far off the coast from the Hudson River with his wife,Olivia.They were private."

"W-what?"

"A lab experiment went out of control and wiped them out in an explosion..."he paused to let the news sink in."They found you less then a day later floating on a wood plank."

"Because I was unable to have children,naturally we were jumping at the chance to adopt,"His mom concluded with a gentle smile."You're older,Bradford.We had to tell you."

"Bradster!"He snapped."I-I mean,Brad!That's my name."

"It is."Charles placed his hands on his shoulders."And you are our boy.By blood or any circumstance.Are we clear?"

Brad threw the man's hands down in a split second."You aren't my parents.You're my dirty,cheating aunt and uncle."

"What did you just-?"

"No."he resisted the urge to sock him."You would've told me the truth a long time ago.You call yourself my mother?"

His eyes blazed on the heartbroken woman.

Charles's hand blockaded him."If you ever speak to her that-"

"Whatever!"Brad nearly yelled,forgetting that taking out his rage on his mother was an easy pain reducer."I'm leaving."

Hands in his pockets,he turned and started for the door.It was the first time he had ever disobeyed a direct order his father had given him and it would be the last that he gave.

"Brad,"She said desperately."We love you,dear."

He closed the door regardless and was gone.When and if Brad returned home,it would be to clear out his room and go live with a friend while he continued his mechnic's job.

Might as well drop out of school and work full-time.

To be continued...

LP