Intense scalding heat and something moving against my back woke me harshly. My arms and legs were tight and cramped and the thing, person? seemed to be trying to shove me out of the way as it tried shuffling away from the heat. To weak to protest, I gave into the darkness already creeping into my mind.

~•~

When I woke again, muffled voices could be heard outside of whatever box we were in. Someone picked up the box and held it, their nails scrapping against the material of it. I froze, trying to breath as softly as I could in the already suffocating space we were in. After awhile, they put it back shifting it back into the scalding heat. With a silent whine of agony, I passed out again.

~•~

I was roused as my unfortunate roommate pushed me into the wall of our box. I gave a silent whine of agony, struggling to protest or do anything. I gasped in mouth fulls of stale, stinging air that scorched my already burning lungs. Struggling to push back I thrust my arms and legs forward repeatedly, trying to break through the box. My arm burst into open air and a loud crack echoed around us. The person behind me paused, and after awhile, continued. After what felt like hours, my meager attempts to get out and my partners pushing caused the box to split with a deafening crack. We tumbled to the ground and I lay sprawled out, gasping for fresh air. Then, cracking open my eyes slightly, I saw blurry shapes around me. I weakly turned my head upwards to see a glowing red heat lamp above me.

"Are you okay?"  Echoed a masculine voice in my head.

To dazed to even be scared I nodded weakly blinking slowly in realization. Wait. What? My mind clearer, I shook my head, staring up in pure shock and fear at the what I could only describe as a dragon with vibrant blue skin with black marks, webbed hands, no wings, and no scales, staring at me from behind a glass wall. I shook my head, dazed and struggling to push myself up. Rubbing my foggy head, I froze at the sight of, not my lightly tanned peach hand, but a four fingered golden scaled hand with a prominent thumb with claw extending from each finger. I looked behind me to find gold wings, black diamonds running down my spine, and a spiked tail with a rattle.

"What is going o- ahh!" I attempted to say, before cutting myself off as a string of quiet slurred chirps, clicks, and coos sounded from my mouth.

A series of chirps and clicks that I made out as, "What in the world?" sounded from behind me and I looked behind me to see another dragon. This one was silver with a cobra like hood and a spiked tail like a stegasuarus, I identical to mine

We stared in shock at each other before I whimpered in fear and he hissed in defense and we scrambled away from each other, each hitting a wall of glass.

"Whoa okay, slow down you two,"  said the voice.

Our heads both simultaneously turned towards the other dark blue dragon mine with an expression of fear, the other with an expression of anger and confusion. He paused, stunned for a second at our desperate faces before shaking his head and sighing.

"Try pushing your words at me, and I'll hear them,"  he explained calmly.

As weird or, as my brother would say, as scientifically inaccurate as it seemed, I might as well try it.

"Like this?"  Mine and someone else's mindvoice echoed at the same time.

He snorted in amusement before nodding in approval.

"Just like that,"  he confirmed.

"Now what is going on and why are... Well... This?"  The dragonet beside me said, waving a silver scaled talon almost identical to mine.

He nodded.

"So long story short, we were kidnapped by mad scientists and turned into mini dragons with alien tech found in Area 51,"  he said bluntly.

"WHAT?!"  We cried at the same time.

He winced rubbing his head.

"Wow this gives a whole new meaning to twin telepathy,"  he muttered.

We stared at him, waiting for further explanation.

"CJ..."  Came a stern female voice.

I turned to see another dragonet with bright red scales, feathered colorful wings with blue and yellow, and a feathered fan at the end of her tail that matched her wings. She looked at me with a soft, friendly expression.

"You're confusing the poor things even more then they already are,"  she said gently.

At this point. I had backed up against the back wall, trembling. She gave me a comforting coo at me as my unfortunate roommate spread a silver wing over me protectively.

"Unfortunately, Less than two hundred have survived, and even fewer of us hybrids. So therefore, out of the thousands kidnapped, there are only one hundred and dragonets and thirteen of us hybrids including you two,"  CJ said sadly.

We stared at him in disbelieving horror and sadness and I bowed my head, trilling my grief.

"Hush now little ones, eat and sleep, you need your rest,"  said the red dragonet.

The silver dragonet helped me up before wobbling over to some bowls. I had barely taken a step before I fell onto my stomach. Looking back at myself, I stared at my foot, or rather, where there was no foot all. Just like how I was when I was human. I hobbled over to my own bowls sipping some water and eating some fruit. Then, with some help from the silver dragonet, we pushed the eggshells aside before curling up together, his wing over me.

"One thing you need to know, never ever reveal your intelligence, the scientists will put us down if they see any evidence that we are intelligent, it's best to act like a cat or something,"  he said grimly.

I cowered in fear as the silver dragonet beside me nodded slowly. After awhile, despite my fear and stress, I started feeling drowsy. Just as I was about to slip into a light uneasy doze, CJ's mindvoice sounded again, waking me.

"By the way what are your names?"  He asked.

"I'm Phoebe,"  I murmured at the same time as the dragonet beside said "I'm Preston."

Jerking further awake, I stared at him in disbelieving shock and hope.

"Wait Preston?"  I said, hoping.

He paused and nodded smiling. If I were still human, I would've been crying in happiness at that moment as I hugged him the best I could. My brother was back. After awhile of greeting the other hybrids, Preston finally fell asleep, but I was still wide awake. I had so many questions. So I just curled up and closed my eyes, knowing sleep was a long way off.

~•~

Shuffling woke me and I lifted my head. At least a dozen people in white lab coats room, checking the hybrids. As one woman with auburn hair came towards us, CJ hissed and we clearly saw her face for the first time. Preston and I paled, freezing as betrayal and fear flashed through me. Preston growled as he saw her. I mouthed one word out loud that came out as the tiniest chirp.

"...mom?"