Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  I wonder if the history books got it wrong, and they uncovered fossilized remains of dragons.

  Dinosaurs were close relatives to the dragons, but only in physiological similarities. However, it is likely many of your ancestors unearthed slain dragons and mistook them for dinosaurs. In fact, before we left the world to its own machinations, the word dinosaur didn’t exist. Humans referred to them and us as dragons collectively and only differentiated based on supposed species. Some humans knew the truth, but many did not care to learn about our kind.

  Um, thanks. Jared hadn’t meant to say those thoughts aloud. Did I say it out loud?

  Scarlet’s voice echoed through his thoughts. You spoke them in your mind, but with intent. I can hear your thoughts most of the time. At least until you learn to close them off from me. My mother can hear the thoughts you forcefully project while touching her.

  Thanks, Scarlet. So the main difference between dragons and dinosaurs is sentience or self-realization? Physically, it is difficult to place you into an entirely different kind, but mentally you’re even more advanced than humankind.

  At a high level you are correct, but there are many physical differences as well. No doubt you’ll learn of these in due course.

  Jared stood atop the plateau and watched the land dragons make their way into a large cave within the mountain. Once the last dragon entered, the mountain sealed itself off with a thundering boom. The looming mountain faded into obscurity as the darkness once again closed in on Jared, but quickly the destroyed skyline of New York City came into view.

  Thank you, that was beautiful. He enjoyed the experience and visions. Experiencing all of the views and emotions firsthand was an experience he’d never forget. Perhaps one day, we can share visions such as this again. I’d love to see and experience a world free of destruction.

  One day, Scarlet whispered. The time has come for you to make a choice, Jared.

  Right after Scarlet finished speaking, her mother’s voice reached his ears. It had a clear note of authority.

  I charge you, Jared Cartwright, to guard, protect, and strengthen my daughter. Seek to right the wrongs committed against dragon kind and usher in a new age where dragons and man thrive side by side.

  dragon’s Legacy

  Alestrialia Maildrel, Queen of the Fire dragons, charges you to become the guardian for her only daughter and right the wrongs committed by mankind thousands of years ago. Alestrialia will grant you a boon if you vow to honor her request and never stray from the task assigned.

  What is this? A quest! This is so cool!

  Jared, please do not be flippant about this request. I generated the message for you. This is the last wish of a Queen. If you agree to the request, my mother will alter your nanites and mind, infusing the vow. If you should go against your vow, it will kill you. If you choose to say the vow, you will also get a boon in the form of nanites when my mother transfers her essence. She will share them equally between us. The only reason I generated the message is that you must make an active choice to accept this vow and allow my mother to alter your nanites.

  Jared felt the weight of the words, a mountain pressing down on him. His shoulders slumped under the burden. Tiredly, Jared cradled his head in his hands, thinking through the request. He found no reason to reject the offer since he wanted nothing more than to exact vengeance on the people responsible for killing his mother. Coincidentally, they were also the people that would try to enslave or eradicate dragons once again. Their purposes aligned, Jared placed his hand on Alestrialia’s head once again.

  “I vow to protect Scarlet and seek to right the wrongs done to dragon kind.”

  Jared grunted as pain erupted in his head. He dropped to his knees in agony, severing his connection to this ancient queen. The moment his knees hit the ground, the pain abruptly vanished.

  Let this pain be a reminder of your vow.

  “I...I can hear you without touching you? How?”

  Scarlet and I share the same genetic code. I’ve just fused a portion of our nanites together, in a similar fashion as the bonding you share with Scarlet. However, I’ve isolated the remainder using a psionic barrier so that when the time is right, you both may absorb any nanites I hold.

  “You—how can you do that? I thought only humans could control the nanites?”

  I am merely blocking your access, not controlling them.

  “Wait a second. So, you’re telling me that if you share the same DNA, I can bond with more than one creature?”

  The short answer is no. Scarlet and I are nearly identical in genetic makeup, and thus the bond will work with both of us.

  “I think I understand, but I want to know more when the time is right. I—”

  Interrupting his thoughts, Alestrialia said, Sildrainen, my time grows short. We must complete the transference soon, but first we must go back to the nest beneath the city. No creatures will enter my domain, and I will set up a psionic barrier to prevent anything from interrupting.

  Curious, Jared interrupted Scarlet’s response, and asked, “Psionic barrier?”

  It is a form of a psionic attack but projected outward for a time. It will attack anything within range and render them incapacitated until deactivated. Scarlet slithered up to her mother’s back while she explained the ability. I will accompany my mother back to our den and prepare for the transference. Please arrive as soon as you are able.

  Alestrialia rose to her feet and leapt from the island, crashing to the dried ocean floor below. Jared blinked in shock. That drop was insane, and she’d made the leap without hesitation. Then again, it was a short hop for her.

  Jared grabbed his backpack, stuffed all the boosters inside, and checked to ensure both the phase pistol and Colt remained secure in their holsters. The closer he got to the city, the more apparent Alestrialia’s destructive and frantic search became apparent. When he reached the area near the subway entrance he’d used previously, he saw every building in a two-block radius lay toppled, smashed to pieces from Alestrialia’s rampage.

  Scarlet? Can you hear me?

  I can hear you.

  How exactly will I get down to the nest? The staircase doesn’t really exist anymore.

  Circle around the ruined buildings to the south. There is another staircase left mostly intact.

  Jared circled around the destruction and found the staircase next to a massive crater, easily explaining how Alestrialia entered the sub-level.

  All right, I’m in the tunnel. Which way do I need to go?

  Head to the right. When you get to a section of the tunnel that collapsed, climb over. The nest is just on the other side. My mother will activate the psionic barrier as soon as you are within range and inside the radius.

  Jared picked up his pace, found the pile of rubble, and climbed over. Sure enough, Scarlet and her mother were in the center of the nest. Jared sat on the edge of the crater until Scarlet turned to look at him.

  It is time. Please come close and place your hand on her head.

  Jared followed Scarlet’s instructions, once again picking his way through the hundreds of bones and bits of debris that made up the nest. After he’d made it to a clear space next to Scarlet and her mother, he sat down and placed his hand on her head. A prick of static shocked his hand and he pulled it away in surprise.

  Scarlet, what—

  His thoughts interrupted, Scarlet said, Please get comfortable. This will be another painful process, and there is nothing I can do to shield you from the pain.

  Crap.

  He’d already endured so much pain in the past twenty-four hours, his nerves were already screaming in protest. Drawing in a deep breath, he placed his hand against Alestrialia’s head. The jolt shot up his arm once again, but he forced himself to remain in place.

  Are you ready, my children?

  I am ready, Mother. Sadness laced Scarl
et’s thoughts, but threaded through the sadness was a reassurance that her mother would live within her.

  A pregnant pause lingered before Jared said, “I am ready.”

  He really didn’t want to go through another round of torturous pain, but in the end, his desire to grow stronger prevailed.

  I, Alestrialia Maildrel, Queen of Fire dragons, hereby relinquish my sovereignty to Sildrainen Maildrel and her guardian Jared Cartwright. Henceforth, Sildrainen shall carry her birthright and rule as Queen. Jared as her faithful guardian will protect her and remain true to his vow on pain of death.

  To Scarlet, she whispered, Goodbye my love.

  To Jared, she whispered, Protect my child.

  With the last utterance of these words, many lifetimes of memories and emotions flowed through him. Time was nonexistent in this moment as the memories flitted by faster than he could focus. Fast though it was, understanding blossomed into his mind and he knew. He knew Alestrialia as if he had lived every moment of her life. Every momentous occasion, every battle, all the heartache and loss—he experienced it all until brightness transcended all else. This moment eclipsed all the memories in the thousands of years Alestrialia lived. It was the moment of Scarlet’s birth.

  Jared felt guilt and pain at denying Alestrialia the opportunity to be physically present for her birth. In that moment, he would’ve moved heaven and earth to turn back time and let her experience the most joyous occasion. Sadly, he could not. He should’ve felt animosity and anger from her, but all he felt was love and acceptance.

  He’d passed her examination, and she had accepted him into their family. Tears trickled down his face as he thought about his mother and father. He missed them so much, and he never expected feeling whole again, of feeling that sense of belonging that only family could give.

  Yet here he was, accepted by Scarlet. Accepted by Alestrialia. Given the opportunity to experience their entire lives in so intimate a fashion. Joy and happiness bolstered him, and he knew then, no matter what obstacles stood in front of him, he would lay down his life for Scarlet. Their fates sealed, Jared reveled in the emotions and memories that swirled through him.

  The moments stretched into minutes, and then hours. Abruptly, the vortex of memories ceased, and his skin started crawling.

  Pain.

  Agony.

  Gut-wrenching, torturous pain ripped through his body as if a torrent of fire shot from Alestrialia, searing the flesh from his bones.

  “It. Hurts. So. Much,” Jared said through gritted teeth. He lasted only a few seconds longer before blackness enveloped him, and unconsciousness rescued him from the pain.

  Jared awoke in darkness. As his mind cleared, he looked around and found himself curled up next to—

  “Scarlet!” Jared exclaimed.

  Hello, Jared, Scarlet said in a smug tone.

  “Wow! You look…”

  Scarlet no longer resembled the small red lizard with nubs for wings. She stood as tall as Jared on all fours, and a beautiful pair of scarlet wings protruded from her back. Her eyes reflected Alestrialia, and Jared knew that she lived on within Scarlet. Where her mother had radiated deadliness, Scarlet personified majesty and grace. Her scales shone with a soft inner glow, highlighting the pattern that adorned her entire body.

  “You’re beautiful!” breathed Jared.

  Thank you!

  Pride shot through their bond and Scarlet reveled in the compliment. He couldn’t wait to see her in the sunlight and observe her soaring through the sky. She was an amazing sight to behold.

  Jared realized he’d stared for a long time and awkwardly cleared his throat before asking, “How long was I unconscious?”

  You were asleep for three days.

  “Three days! Why was I asleep for so long?”

  The transference taxed your body significantly, and you needed the rest. I also rested for two days. Do you need more time?

  “No, I…I’m fine. In fact—” Jared examined his body and realized he did feel great. “I feel amazing, and my body no longer hurts from the bonding or the nanites your mother...” Jared’s voice trailed off. He didn’t want to upset Scarlet with the memory, but she only smiled in response.

  She lives within us. We absorbed her essence and nanites while her physical form dissolved.

  “Can all dragons do that? Transfer themselves like that?”

  No, the process only occurs between a matriarch and a female progeny.

  Jared nodded his head. He thought he understood it now, but time for questions could come later. Now that they had an influx of nanites and essence, he had more pressing questions.

  “Now that the process completed, how do we—I don’t know, use this essence?”

  The essence is for me alone, but the nanites should be available on your status screen.

  Flicking his eyes over to the outline of his body, it expanded into view. “Whoa! According to this screen, I’ve only assigned twelve percent of the available nanites! I thought I assigned a hundred percent of them from our bonding process?”

  You assigned only the nanites granted to you from the booster and any nanites you already had within your body. Those nanites have already taken effect. We can assign the remaining nanites now and let them take effect before the psionic barrier lapses.

  “Already taken effect? I don’t feel any changes.” Jared looked down at his body and froze.

  What the—

  Jared launched to his feet, peeling off his blood-caked shirt. Bones scattered around him in his excitement to see the massive physical changes wrought on his body.

  Previously, he’d stood around six feet tall and had a lean, athletic build. No longer was that the case. He stood several inches over six feet, and bulging muscles adorned his entire body. Rippling abdominal muscles replaced a normally flat stomach. He probed and prodded himself, enjoying the improvements. Before he finished his self-examination, a huffing, wheezing noise interrupted him.

  Jared whipped his head around to see Scarlet staring right at him as he admired his body, her mouth pulled back into a grin. His face burned with embarrassment, and he quickly pulled a fresh shirt from his pack, discarding the other one permanently.

  Turning away from her, Jared cleared his throat and said, “Scarlet, this is—it’s incredible! This seems like a pretty radical enhancement. How did the nanites alter my body so much? I was expecting incremental changes, not a metamorphosis. Especially not in three days. And why am I not hungry after all that? It seems like I’d use a lot of energy up.”

  Scarlet snorted and laughed derisively. If you lived during my mother’s reign, you would realize men were…let us just say their stature was much more impressive even after your new changes.

  Jared narrowed his eyes at her, about to utter a snarky comment for deflating his ego, but she spoke right over his objections.

  You had a lot of dormant nanites. Only those used for your Night Vision and Temperature Regulation were used. As for energy, I can only speculate that there is so much radiation and nuclear waste in this area that your body didn’t need additional sustenance.

  “I didn’t think about that, but I suppose it makes sense. Is there a—I don’t know—physical limit to these augments? I don’t particularly want to be ten feet tall, and I definitely don’t want so much muscle it hinders my movement. Speed is sometimes the only thing that’s kept me alive.”

  There are no limits necessarily, but if you gain too much muscle that your movement, dexterity, and speed decrease, you could then increase your height to even it out.

  “Wow! No limits? But, surely there’s only so many nanites I can fit into my body.”

  Yes, but it could take decades to gather than many nanites. Even with the nanites granted from my mother and what you already had, it is barely a fraction of what you would need to reach that stage. Though, if you did reach that st
age, you would effectively be a nanite construct more than human.

  Jared shuddered at the idea of converting to a machine and decided to shelve that conversation for a later date. “Is there a way to specify how tall or how much muscle I want? The percentage thing makes it hard to guess.”

  Once you understand the nanites yourself, you can influence them to a greater degree, but you must increase your Mind attributes first. Specifically, your Intelligence.

  “So, you’re saying I’m too dumb to understand and control them?”

  Precisely.

  Jared blinked in response to Scarlet’s brutally honest answer. “You know there’s a word called tact?”

  Yes.

  Jared’s mouth resembled a fish, opening and closing. He had no response to her comments, and though she was absolutely right, it stung a little to be reprimanded by a creature that was barely taller than his ankle just a few days prior. Overcoming his shock, Jared chose to ignore the snarky attitude…for now.

  “I think I’ll get used to this new body before making any more changes. It feels a little strange being taller.” Jared busied himself getting ready and ensuring he had all of his gear on him before saying, “We need to get moving and find a safer place to camp. I’m guessing I’ll be out for several days again if I assign the nanites from your mother, and we can’t afford that down in these tunnels. At least, not in this wide-open area.”

  Before heading out, Jared searched through some of the bone piles, hoping to find something worth salvaging when he remembered the other explorer, the other Scarlet, might have had another phase pistol with her. It took a few minutes to find the boots and the rest of her body. Nothing was where it’d been before. No doubt, more evidence of Alestrialia’s rampage after he’d stolen her egg.

  “Aha!” Jared exclaimed, his search unearthing a beat-up, mostly depleted phase pistol.

  Two phase pistols. Who was this explorer that she’d have two? Was she even an explorer? Was she from the cities, perhaps?