Of Cinder and Bone

by Kyoko M

  “What a coincidence! So do we.”

  Hayley’s face split into a delighted grin. “I’m gonna be a princess when I grow up and I’ll have a pet dragon.”

  “That sounds lovely,” Kamala said. “What will you name it?”

  Hayley thought about it. “Pete.”

  Jack laughed a bit. “Good name for a dragon. Or someone who was friends with one.”

  The child sent him a questioning look and he coughed slightly. “Sorry. I’m an old-timer, ignore me.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Wow. I’m six an’ a half.”

  “Mazel tov.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  Jack scratched the back of his neck. “Technically in Hebrew it means ‘good star.’ It’s like congratulations.”

  “Congratumalations?”

  “Something like that.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It’s like saying good job.”

  “Oh! Like when I get a star ‘cause I spelled something right?”

  “Exactly like that.”

  They reached the customer service counter and Kamala came forward. “We’ve got a lost child here. Her name is Hayley. She was next to the Baba Yaga exhibit and she said her mother’s name is Barbara.”

  The girl at the counter grabbed her phone. “I’ll get help right over to you guys.”

  She tossed a worried glance over the crowded museum and then glanced back at Kamala. “Though it might be a while. When we’re at this capacity, it takes a bit to get someone over here.”

  “That’s alright,” Kamala said reassuringly. “We’ll keep the little one occupied until then.”

  Jack felt a sharp tug at his coat and he returned his attention to Hayley. “Yes?”

  “How come you guys know so much about dragons?”

  He knelt in front of her. “Can you keep a secret?”

  She grinned and nodded vigorously. Jack looked left and right, pretending to check that no one else was listening. “Someday, we’re going to bring them back.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can I have one?”

  Jack laughed softly. “Uh, that’s probably not a good idea. But one day, when you’re older, you might be watching T.V. and you’ll see one on National Geographic. And I hope it won’t be the only thing you see there. You might see all kinds of animals who were around a long time ago. That’s what we hope to do someday.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Jack’s smile widened. “Me too, kiddo.”

  “Tell you what,” Kamala jumped in. “Why don’t we give you a little history lesson about dragons while we wait for your mother?”

  “Okay!”

  The pair led her over to one of the plasma screen televisions against the far wall, one that stretched about seventy inches across, with a documentary on loop discussing the differences and similarities between dragons and dinosaurs. They moved towards the edge of the throng of onlookers who had gathered, watching the female Australian host who gestured towards the bones of an Allosaurus and a pre-historic dragon.

  “Most people know that the dinosaurs perished during the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction, sometimes called the K-T event: a theory that there was a massive comet or asteroid impact that wiped out an estimated seventy-five percent of all life on Earth. The wildlife that did survive then underwent evolution and that’s where we have seen most of the species of animals that now exist today, from mammals to insects to amphibians.”

  She gestured towards the Allosaurus skull. “Unfortunately for the dinosaurs, evolution decided that their design was no longer necessary. We also said g’day to most of the large species of dragon, like the infamous Baba Yaga. However, the dragons did live on through several smaller species. They ranged from being as small as some salamanders to being the size of giant squids.”

  The screen switched to show tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and written texts from various cultures. “Written records of dragons exist all over the world, from North America to China to even the good ol’ outback. Based on these records, we’ve been able to determine that dragons continued living on until the 1400’s. Because they were large predators who lived near important water sources and often preyed on children and livestock, the societies of that period encouraged knights, soldiers, mercenaries, farmers, and anyone who was able-bodied to kill them. Festivals were held for those who brought home the biggest kills, so much so that dragon-hunting was considered a thriving career choice for young men and women of the time.”

  A montage of dragon’s hides with their thick, brightly colored scales, skeletons, and dragon’s teeth showed next. There were paintings of men and women in armor who stood beside their corpses, beaming proudly at the cheering crowds behind them. “It’s theorized that the species went extinct some time after the United States of America was founded. Even though dragons appeared on most of the major continents of the world, dragon-hunting became so prominent that often hunters would travel the land searching for them until there were none left alive.”

  Hayley frowned and glanced up at the adults on either side of her. “Were dragons bad?”

  “Not at all,” Kamala said gently. “Nature isn’t really good or bad.”

  “Then why did people make them go away?”

  “Well, people get scared. Sometimes they want to feel safe, and to do so, they try to stop the thing that made them afraid.”

  “Oh.” The child was silent for a moment. “That’s sad.”

  “Yes,” Kamala sighed, staring at the hollow bones of the dragon on display below the flat-screen. “It is.”

  She glanced back at the counter to see the girl who had called for help motioning for them to return to the desk. “Come along now.”

  A moment later, a stocky blonde woman in a button up shirt and slacks rushed over. “Oh my gosh, Hayley! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Hi, Mom!” The girl exclaimed, waving. She then pointed to the adults on either side of her. “This is Jack! And ‘Mala!”

  The woman straightened after making sure the child was unhurt and offered her hand to the pair. “Thank you so much for finding her. I truly appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem,” Kamala said. “She’s a lovely child. Very bright. Bright children are often a handful.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Barbara sighed. She patted Hayley’s head. “Say goodbye, Hayley.”

  “Bye, Jack! Bye, ‘Mala!”

  She took her mother’s hand and walked off to rejoin their tour group. Jack exhaled and rubbed his face. “Well, that wasn’t nerve-wracking. How do people have kids? Can’t imagine if my munchkin was lost in a museum with this many weirdos around.”

  The girl behind him at the counter glared. Jack smiled toothily. “Present company excluded, of course.”

  The girl merely rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her computer. He waited for the inevitable barb of sarcasm from his partner, but it never came. He glanced at her and she was watching the direction that Hayley had gone in. “What?”

  Kamala jumped, blinking as if he’d drawn her out of deep thought. “Huh? Nothing.”

  Jack pursed his lips. “You missed a prime opportunity to call me a weirdo. Something’s amiss, I’d say.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said briskly, walking back towards Romer Hall. He trailed after her, raising his voice over the rabble of the crowd.

  “C’mon, if you don’t tell me I’m going to whine like a gigantic baby for the next hour. Don’t make me use the puppy face.”

  “Ugh, are you truly this infantile, Jack?”

  “Yes. In fact, on the count of three, I’m going to scream that I want a cookie at the top of my lungs. One…two…thr—”

  Kamala whirled, clapping a hand over his mouth. She could feel the shit-eating grin that s
prouted beneath her fingers. “Fine. Promise you won’t laugh.”

  He held up three fingers, his voice muffled. “Scout’s honor.”

  She dropped her hand and shuffled her feet a bit, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “I thought… you looked cute with a little one holding your hand. That speech about her watching National Geographic…” She risked a glance at him, “It was adorable.”

  He stared at her, speechless.

  She punched him in the ribs. “Ugh, don’t look at me like that! That’s why I didn’t want to say anything. Come on, you useless pagal.”

  Kamala stomped towards the Baba Yaga exhibit, muttering more insults in Hindi, while Jack stood there blushing and smiling like the pagal she’d accused him of being.

  CHAPTER THREE

  HARD DAY

  Unsurprisingly, the pair of scientists returned to their usual lab to find Dr. Yagami at their table yet again. He had an assistant with him this time, fetching whatever equipment he needed and printing out papers on occasion. He was a notorious loner, often only accepting help from his principle investigator every month or so. However, he was noticeably more irritable this time around, and the bags under his eyes told stories of sleepless nights, not unlike their own.

  After setting up, Jack took a deep breath and crossed the room. Yagami was scribbling furiously in his notebook, not bothering to look up as he approached. “Yes?”

  “I was an ass yesterday,” Jack said, the words sour on his tongue. “I’m sorry.”

  “An apology is unnecessary, Rhett. Save your breath.”

  “Even so. Figured I owed you that much.” He paused, lowering his voice and softening his tone somewhat. “And… I’m sorry to hear about your father’s health. It’s got to be rough, with all that you’ve got going on.”

  Yagami peered at him over his reading glasses. “You are offering me sympathy? You?”

  Jack’s jaw twitched. “Well, I am human.”

  “Who would have guessed it? I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll be fine. I’ve known about his illness for months. It’s just the media vultures catching up with him.”

  “Yeah, I noticed those clowns outside when we walked in. They’re still looking for you so they can get a statement. Hell, they even tried to get something out of me and Kamala.”

  “Freedom of the press,” Yagami snorted. “Got to love this country.”

  “Tell me about it.” Jack frowned. “Wait, did we just find something in common?”

  “Yes,” Yagami said dryly. “Hell must be freezing over.”

  “I did just feel a breeze.”

  Yagami nodded towards Kamala, whose fingers were practically flying across the keyboard of her laptop. “Find something new?”

  “Yeah, an avenue we hadn’t been taking advantage of yet. With any luck, it’ll produce the results we need. The fellowship update’s due in a week. This was the break we needed.”

  Yagami studied him and then glanced back at his notes. “How fortunate. Well, if that’s all, I’d like to resume my work.”

  “Yep. Back to business.” Jack returned to Kamala’s side.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Less painful than anticipated.”

  She flicked an amused glance over at him. “Maybe there is a nice guy under that Neanderthal.”

  He grunted. “Don’t bet on it. I’m off to go pound boulders together so I can feel normal again.”

  “Try not to hurt yourself.”

  “Ugh-ugh!”

  Kamala was entirely used to spending the whole day in their lab, but they were close to burning the midnight oil as of late. She’d texted Faye that the two of them were unlikely to be home in time for dinner and would instead order out. She returned from the bathroom and walked down the hallway, turning the corner only to pause as she heard a loud, furious male voice. She peeked around to see Dr. Yagami on his cell phone, his back facing her, one hand clenched into a fist as he spat Japanese back and forth with whoever was on the line. She heard his sister’s name, Keiko, more than once, and she could tell the conversation was going poorly. She’d never seen him angry, not with how he seemed to approach everything with that same cold, distant disdain. Something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.

  “Kisama! Kore wa owari ja nai zo!” He hung up the phone and swore a couple more times before marching towards the other end of the hall, heading for the nearest exit. Kamala paused and then returned to the lab. Jack immediately noticed her change in posture, his brow flattening with worry.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Can I borrow your keys for a minute?”

  Yagami returned from a long smoke break to find a pizza box and two beers at his desk. He frowned and popped the box open, finding a plain cheese pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzas and Subs, its heavenly scent making his mouth water in seconds.

  The scientist cast a suspicious look over Kamala and Jack, who were devouring their own pizza—half mushroom and olive, half pepperoni and sausage—and sipping beers as well, casually pretending they didn’t see him.

  “What’s this?”

  Jack squinted at his desk. “Appears to be some form of sustenance. I think it’s called food.”

  Yagami stared. “I’m aware of that. I meant why is it here?”

  Kamala shrugged. “Mysteries of the universe, I guess.”

  Jack nodded sagely, sipping his beer. “Some things man is just not meant to know.”

  Dr. Yagami scowled and flipped the box closed. Then he reopened it, took a slice, and popped open a bottle before returning to his work.

  Hours passed. Even Yagami packed it in around eight o’clock. Not long after nine, Jack got restless and paced behind Kamala as she finished up the last of the cells they’d painstakingly spent the day growing to be placed in the incubator. Once they were fully grown, the rNA would be sent off to verify the correct sequence, and then they’d begin the process of creating another dragon egg.

  “Alright,” Jack said, running a hand through his dark hair, and effectively making a few tufts stick straight up from his forehead like a peacock’s feathers. “If I’ve got this right, then if we successfully spliced the genes between the dragon and the Komodo dragon, then we should be able to use in-vitro fertilization to implant it in one of the parthenogenesis positive female Komodo dragons. If it takes, then we’ll have a successful birth.”

  “Correct,” Kamala said, swiveling in her stool to face him. “From there, we should be able to move on to different species of dragons, and then apply the method to other types of reptiles. Eventually, with plenty of experimentation, we should be able to move on to other types of animals.”

  “And that’s a big, fat, scary ‘should.’ How long until the egg will be ready?”

  “A week, perhaps two.”

  Jack checked his watch. “Great. So, put me in a coma and I’ll see you in two weeks.”

  “You’re not getting off that easily. You’re staying right here and waiting impatiently like the rest of us. Besides, we’ve got all this data to log and back up in the meantime, on the off chance that this works.”

  “Off chance?” he scoffed. “This theory came about through the genius of Dr. Kamala Anjali. You’re damn right it’s going to work.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Dr. Jackson.”

  “Yep, that’s why I buy you pizza and beer instead. The way to a woman’s heart is through her cholesterol levels.”

  “You’re such a romantic, Jack.” She reached up, flattening the hairs on his head, as they had begun to look like antennas. He resisted the urge to close his eyes at the brief intimacy of the gesture.

  She patted his cheek briefly. “It’s late. We should get going.”

  “Yes, I must get you back before curfew, or your roommate will try to take my head off again.”

  Kamala gave a start. “She what?”

&n
bsp; Jack scooped up their papers and notebooks. “She tried to punch me. Her excuse is that she wants me to teach her self-defense. She claims it’s for her own good.”

  “Oh. Well… she could do worse.”

  Jack flashed her a stubborn glare. “No way.”

  “Come on, you’d be a good teacher and she needs some sort of outlet, other than trying to drink herself stupid every other week.”