Dr. Samuel Lewis strode purposefully down the empty corridor of the medical research facility late one night after his coworkers had all gone home. He punched codes into a locked door, granting him access to the restricted sample storage.
Inside, he quickly located the shelf holding various animal DNA specimens. His fingers danced across the vials before carefully extracting one labeled "Bovine #403."
Back in his private office, Lewis locked the door and curtained the windows. With gloved hands, he carefully emptied the bovine DNA and replaced it with a few stray hairs he had collected from the collar of Luke Aldridge's jacket earlier that week.
Lewis eagerly inserted the sample into a gene sequencing machine. As it began processing, his pulse quickened. After years of relentlessly tracking whisperings and myths about creatures with extraordinary powers living undetected among humans, he was on the cusp of definitive proof.
If the DNA analysis confirmed his theory that Luke was one of these rumored shapeshifters, the potential advances for science were astounding. Humanity could harness these genetic marvels to cure disease, extend lifespans, even reshape the future itself. Luke's blood could unlock miracles - if Lewis could capture him.
The machine finished its scan, displaying results Lewis had only dreamed of. The DNA sample was chimera - an impossible fusion of human and reptilian genes. His suspicions were verified; beneath the handsome exterior, Luke was a literal dragon in human guise!
Lewis could barely contain his euphoria at this extraordinary breakthrough. At last he possessed incontrovertible evidence that magic and myth were real. And with the right experiments to exploit Luke's bloodline, Lewis could gain influence and renown beyond imagination.
But first, Luke himself needed to be acquired as a research specimen, no easy feat given his abilities to elude capture. However, Lewis' ambition left no room for ethics. If harm came to Luke in the process, that was an acceptable sacrifice for revelations that could elevate humankind forever.
After carefully returning the borrowed DNA sample, Lewis drove home already plotting his next steps. He would need to set the perfect trap to contain a monster of such devastating power long enough to transport him to a remote private lab.
Rummaging in his basement, Lewis found an ornate box once purchased at an estate auction containing manacles engraved with ancient sigils. He didn't comprehend their meaning, but intuitively sensed they held a key to restraining a creature like Luke once caught. They would serve as the perfect supernatural bait.
Over the next weeks, Lewis observed Luke's home and habits, searching for structural weaknesses or lapses in routine. Patience would reward him soon enough - a being even partially human was bound to make mistakes Lewis could exploit.
In scrutinizing his elusive prey, Lewis felt intoxicated by proximity to such phenomenal secrets thought mythical by most simple minds. But he alone possessed the vision and ruthlessness to rip away these wonders from their clandestine veil for the benefit of all.
The world would curse his transgressions until they beheld the future miracles built on the foundation of his sins. Heroes must often harden their hearts and bloody their hands so that humanity could ascend toward utopian heights. And Lewis stood ready to bear that terrible burden.
Soon his nets would be set. Luke would try resisting, but ultimately succumb to forces beyond his control. Then the true reckoning could commence, from which both man and dragon would emerge transformed. Lewis merely needed to bide his time a little longer before destiny manifested...
As Lewis scrutinized the patterns of the Aldridge household over weeks, he gradually identified vulnerabilities to exploit. Though vigilant, Luke maintained a predictable routine that left him unguarded during brief but regular windows. Soon an opening would emerge for Lewis to spring his trap on the unsuspecting monster.
Patience was vital - failure here would be catastrophic, likely resulting in Luke disappearing forever into the shadows. All Lewis' ambitions rested on flawlessly executing this lone opportunity to seize his elusive prize. Only then could the true marvels begin.
The date Lewis meticulously prepared for was one Sara had booked a weekend spa getaway, leaving Luke home with daughter Emily. With the two alone, Lewis hoped to isolate Luke when he eventually let his guard down. The trap needed only a lure...
The old engraved manacles would serve that purpose ideally. Lewis would plant them alluringly in Luke's path, anticipating the dragon's instinctive curiosity about relics resonating with his own occult essence. Once Luke made contact, the manacles' forgotten enchantments would immobilize him for transport.
Or so Lewis fervently hoped. In truth, the boxed chains' origins and powers remained shrouded. But he wagered on their antiquity containing some key to binding a beast. Once Luke was neutralized, Lewis could improvise the rest. Far too much was at stake to hesitate now.
The night the trap sprung, Lewis waited parked down the block until spotting Luke and Emily through the windows eating dinner. He felt a twinge of regret at the child being present for the abduction, but swiftly repressed it. Saving untold lives justified unfortunate sacrifices.
Donning gloves and a mask, Lewis slipped into the quiet backyard carrying an open box with the manacles inside. He placed it conspicuously along the rear porch and retreated to observe from the shadows. This was the gambit that could change everything forever.
Nearly an hour passed while Lewis anxiously watched the backdoor. Finally, it cracked open and Luke stepped out scanning for signs of whatever left the box. In that instant before the dragon noticed his presence, Lewis felt the hand of destiny guiding events inexorably forward.
Luke studied the glinting manacles from a distance at first. But after circling warily, some compulsion finally drove him to reach out and grasp one etched cuff. As Luke seized it, a blinding glow erupted from the chain links. When Lewis' vision cleared, Luke lay collapsed and rigid - the trap was sprung!
Racing forward, Lewis jammed the remaining manacle onto Luke's free wrist, binding his arms. Luke thrashed against the restraints and attempted to shapeshift, but the chains flared brighter, draining his strength. Lewis had just enough time to hoist Luke's paralyzed form into the back of a modified van.
Peeling away, Lewis scarcely believed he had succeeded in capturing a primordial magical being of myth. But the proof lay bound before his eyes, rendered helpless by the archaic chains' power. He whispered reverent thanks to the occult forces that had guided him to this destiny.
At a remote cabin converted into a private laboratory, Lewis wasted no time extracting vials of blood from the sedated Luke before storing him in an immense glass enclosure made of advanced composites intended to contain the most dangerous substances. For the foreseeable future, this would be both prison and precaution while Lewis unlocked Luke's secrets.
Monitoring his captive's vitals, Lewis prepared to administer an experimental genetic therapy using the harvested blood combined with stem cells from human embryos. If successful, this serum could grant superhuman attributes or even metaphysical abilities to ordinary people, ushering in an awakening.
Lewis addressed the hulking caged form sincerely. "Take solace your gifts will elevate humankind." He turned to begin meticulously synthesizing his alchemic formulation, a new epoch now tantalizingly within reach. The ends would justify any means, once miracles flowed from this unholy communion. Destiny awaited.
Locked away in the sterile basement laboratory, Luke strained futilely against the mystical manacles binding his limbs and nullifying his preternatural powers. Through the transparent enclosure walls, he could see his abductor now busily preparing chemical apparatus. Luke had to escape quickly, but these cursed shackles rendered him virtually helpless for now.
Even shapeshifting to use brute force against the cage's uncannily strong composite structure risked compromising his own identity further. For Emily's sake, he couldn't reveal himself as a monster to this unhinged captor. There had be another way...
Hours passed while Luke racked his mind seeking weaknesses in this impenetrable dungeon. But no mortal flaw presented itself. The lab was engineered expressly to contain beings like himself indefinitely.
Finally, approaching footsteps signaled the madman's return. Luke feigned unconsciousness, hoping to learn his captor's agenda and perhaps discern a means of exploiting it. He focused intently on the muffled conversation occurring just outside his enclosure.
"Preparations are nearly complete. Once the transfusions commence, you'll receive abilities beyond imagining..." Lewis' voice held fervent zeal. "Imagine curing disease or regenerating wounded flesh simply by willing it. Our advances will be godlike!"
Luke's blood turned to ice. This was no mere obsessive - Lewis sought to replicate his gifts through experimenting on innocent subjects. And with Luke's blood in hand, the horrors this unhinged scientist might breed were limitless.
Luke had sorely misjudged the adversary. Simply fleeing now could unleash nightmares upon the world. Somehow Lewis' corrupted endeavors must be stopped permanently, even if it required revealing Luke's own monstrosity.
As Lewis concluded his preparations, Luke formulated a desperate gambit - exaggerating his powers once freed could potentially terrify Lewis into destroying the blood samples willingly. The only question was if Lewis could still be cowed by a demonstration of the forces he now recklessly tampered with. It was Luke's only remaining move.
Soon Lewis returned, wheeling a tray of experimental serums gleaming ominously with promise and peril. This was the moment that could determine humanity's future. Steeling himself, Luke met the zealot's feverish gaze unflinchingly.
"By now you must see your efforts are futile," Luke rumbled in an resonant draconic baritone. Lewis nearly dropped the syringe in startled awe at the display. Just a bit more fear...
Luke pressed on, allowing his eyes to glow menacingly. "I offer you this lone chance to cast off your madness and turn back from doom." He imbued his voice with traces of psychic compulsion, praying it would be enough.
Lewis paled, stumbling away from the cage. "My god, what are you?" he whispered. Luke boiled the air with illusory steam, baring his teeth.
"Your salvation, if you make the wise choice here," Luke answered grimly.
Lewis trembled, the vials of blood slipping from his fingers and shattering uselessly on the floor. "Forgive my arrogance," he whimpered. "Just leave me in peace, demon!"
Luke nearly collapsed in relief as Lewis fled upstairs. His gambit had worked - the deranged doctor had willingly surrendered his prize and should no longer have means to resume his nightmarish schemes. They had gazed into the abyss together, but stepped back at the brink.
Luke waited until Lewis departed in panicked haste before easily snapping his bonds. He vowed the manacles would be destroyed to prevent further misuse. The human psyche was simply too fragile to wield such power responsibly.
Gathering himself, Luke slipped away unseen into the solace of the night. The worst was behind him now. And with the dangers of his blood eliminated, Luke's secret nature could remain hidden a while longer. Dark foes were ever lurking, but for today, his family was safe. That lone victory was enough cause for hope.