The Formula

Chapter 5

The sewers were just as he would have expected. Dark, musty and dank. The climb was longer than he had predicted, but by the time they reached the bottom, he felt confident that no one was going to follow them down.

The only light that greeted them was red, cast from a single bulb on a wall nearby.

Celia pulled out her cell phone and pressed a few buttons. The tiny flashlight on the back flared to life, further illuminating the cavern. Felix had only seen sewers from movies, and though the main difference was the lack of light, everything else was pretty much as he was expecting. There were elevated walkways on either side of the rounded tunnel, with what looked like a river running between the two. The stench was absolutely foul, and he and Celia gagged for several moments as they looked around.

"What now?" she gasped.

Felix put a sleeve over his face, trying to drown out the stink. "We'll go deep in-see if we can find a safe and dry place to stay for a while. Then, I need to take a look at my collar."

She eyed him. "Your what?"

"I have a collar around my...dragon neck. One of the soldiers mentioned a tracking device being active when I 'shifted.' I'm guessing there's a tracking device attached to it somewhere. I need you to disable it somehow."

"And then what?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea."

They set off first to inspect the red light on the nearby wall. It was a switch. Curious, Felix flipped it and was rewarded with several dozens of spotlights illuminating along the ceiling. They traced a path deeper into the sewers, up a short stepladder and into a tighter circular tunnel.

Preferring to see where they were going, they chose to follow the lights.

"So," Celia ventured as they trudged along. She gasped at a rat nearby, which Felix tried to kick. "Wh-what's it like, anyway?"

"Changing into a dragon?" He lifted up his hands. They were so small and dull compared to his...other set. He could almost imagine the slate-grey of his scales and the shining black of those sharp claws. "Amazing. Simply amazing."

Until then, she had been walking behind him. She strode up next to him to hear him better. The details of her face rose and fell with the passing lights. Her clothes were already covered in some grime, and her shoes were now certainly ruined, covered in thick muck. Her awe made Felix grin, and his somber mood brightened.

"It's an experience that's hard to describe," he told her. "The change comes easily. I just...think about it and it comes over me. My body feels the same-but it's so much different. I'm stronger and faster." He chuckled. "Having a tail and wings is the strangest part."

"Have you flown yet?"

He shook his head. "No. I haven't tried. I...I don't think I can. I mean, they're plenty big enough, my wings, but... It's not something I dare to try."

"Oh, but you have to, Felix!" she cried. "Can you imagine? Flying! Being one with the birds."

"I only want to be one with humanity," he replied.

She crossed her arms, giving him a clever frown. "You're a lucky guy, you know."

"Humph. I suppose I would be"-he kicked a stray stone, and it skittered over the concrete-"If half the city wasn't after me. I've only had one chance to actually experience this. Otherwise, all I've done so far is run away. From people who want to hurt me or use me. Instinct takes over and whoosh, there I go, without truly knowing what I'm even doing." He caught his breath. "That's all I've ever done."