This is Action News at 11.

"Good evening, this is Kent Tucker, and we have a very special treat for you here tonight on DragonWatch: a live debate between some of the greatest scientific minds of our age on the dragon and how we, as a nation, should respond it. We now go live to our correspondent out in the field, Marjorie Wickerman. Marjorie?"

"Thanks, Kent. As you can see behind me, the participants are currently taking a ten minute recess before proceeding into the second half of the debate. There have already been some interesting developments tonight. Just a few minutes ago it looked like we were going to have a physical fight between noted herpetologist Sofia Leone and cryptozoologist Royce Coroman, regarding disagreements over the dragon's origins. It had been originally postulated by Dr. Leone that the dragon was, in fact, not really a dragon, but something more to the effect of a mutation, or even an as of yet undiscovered primordial species that has been dormant for thousands of years. Dr. Coroman countered by citing a lack of evidence on her part, and years of research into the subject of dragons on his. He believes that there is no question about this being an actual dragon, and that trying to come up with alternate explanations in the name of supposed 'common sense' and 'logic' is only wasting time that could be spent capturing the creature for study.

In a bizarre twist, Dr. Leone was further refuted by fellow herpetologists, Dr. Bianca Swartz and Dr. Arnold Mulligan, both of whom have several times expressed staunch disagreement with Dr. Coroman, his theories, and his practice as a whole. Today, they put their backing behind Dr. Coroman, if only because their own research into the subject of the dragon has provided no substantial results by way of standard scientific reasoning."

"Very interesting, Marjorie, and I believe there was talk of some of the dragon's scales being found out in the desert?"

"That's right. Several days ago, a group of dragon enthusiasts wandered into the Mojave desert, wanting to catch a glimpse of the fabled beast. This was after the most recent reports of the dragon sighted in Las Vegas, carrying something or, according to certain claims, someone in its claws. The scales were found in an unmarked location, partially buried in sand, with the majority having been seized by the US Government for study. So far, no statements have been released, though it has been speculated that there are more scales to be found. This has led to a mass exodus to the Mojave desert, second only to the California Gold Rush of 1848. Others have-"

"I hate to interrupt you, Marjorie, but I can see behind you that it looks like we're starting again."

"Alright, let's listen in..."

...

"If you will all please take your seats, we will begin. Dr. Coroman, the floor is yours."

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying when we left off, I do not believe that, at this juncture, it is wise to continue under the assumption that this is something we can explain through the work of our scientific predecessors. Brilliant and innovative they may have been, they never encountered something like this, and I believe it would be in our best interests to put aside their teachings for a time, for the sake of moving forward to an incredible breakthrough in our knowledge of both this world and any other worlds that may exist in our galaxy."

"Ah- pardon me, Mr. Coroman, I hate to interrupt-"

"Hasn't stopped you so far, Dr. Leone."

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing. Please continue."

"Yes, well, I hope I'm not speaking out of turn when I say that I have to question your assertions that we should, more or less, proceed blindly into our next phase of operations. To throw aside actual documented facts in favor of legends and folklore would be foolhardy and reckless at best, and a potentially fatal error at worst."

"If I may, Dr. Leone, that is not what I said. We are all of us students of science, if different branches. We know what is fact and what is fiction, it just so happens that the line between the two are not quite as clear as once thought. What we perceive as being fiction may very well become fact, as it has with this dragon. Need I remind you that the giant panda was once a creature of myth as well?"

"Forgive me, Mr. Coroman, I-"

"Dr. Coroman, please."

"Of course. While I understand where you're coming from, please don't forget that the giant panda is a subspecies of bear, and one can just as easily call the creature we're dealing with now a sub-species of lizard or, as I have for some time suspected, a long forgotten lacertilian predecessor. It is my humble opinion that our main course of action as scientists be to discover what has caused this prehistoric ancestor to be reborn in modern times. Further information on my theories can be found in my upcoming book: The Great Lizard: Debunking the Dragon Myth."

"Sure to be a best-seller..."

"I'm sorry, if I might cut in?"

"Yes, Dr. Mulligan, what are your thoughts?"

"Well, let me first just say how honored I am to have this opportunity to sit down with some of today's most notable and promising members of the herpetology committee. And Dr. Coroman as well."

"Thank you."

"Thanks..."

"As you all know, Dr. Swartz and I have been working together to observe the dragon's behavior and collect data from the reported sightings. Due to the vague nature of the creature, and minimal physical evidence, we have, like our colleagues, not had much by way of success. We simply cannot make a definitive statement about the creature at this point. Whether it really is a dragon, as Dr. Coroman states, or something else entirely. I feel that if we are going to come to any sort of agreement here, it's that there is, as of yet, no way to determine anything concrete about the creature, and that we should stay open to all possibilities. Yes, Dr. Leone, even dragons."

"Hmm... I can't say this doesn't come as a surprise to me, Dr. Mulligan. I assume Dr. Swartz is in agreement?"

"I am."

"I see. Well, while you do make a good point, it's going to take quite much more than that for me to accept a possibility as fantastic as a dragon."

"As is the nature of science."

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we are almost out of time. Thank you, Doctors, for your participation, I hope we can all take something from tonight's proceedings."

"You're welcome."

"Our pleasure."

"To those of you watching at home, thank you for joining us, and have a good night."

"Dr. Leone's book, The Great Lizard: Debunking the Dragon Myth, is scheduled to be released in bookstores everywhere later this month. From Action News at 11's DragonWatch, this is Kent Tucker, signing off."

A/N: A little more insight into the world at large. Next chapter proper will be up October 16th.