He awoke to the sound of stone scraping against stone.  So bad was the sound he pressed his hands to his ears to alleviate the pain.  A dim light flowed into the room accompanied with a fresh smell of damp earth.  The silhouette of a monstrous figure appeared in the stone doorway.  He deigned himself to cower against the far wall of his small, windowless cell.

            The creature moved forward with quick strides.  “Come with me, human.” It hissed. 

            The creature gripped his arm tightly and dragged him out.  In the light, he saw that the creature had reptilian qualities; his skin was scaly, he had two horns protruding from his forehead, and occasionally a forked tongue would whisk in and out of its mouth.  He found himself pondering the plausibility of this austere creature.

            He made a great exertion to keep in stride with the monster to avoid being dragged.  The fact that it deplored him was evident by the way it tripped him slightly and quickened its stride.

            They came to a large room that appeared vaguely familiar.  A dire sense to escape lit his senses aflame as he saw the gigantic lizard he had come face to face to, and the mangled bodies of his comrades sprawled in front of it.  He sank to his knees in despair; even when he closed his eyes the image pierced his mind.  It could not be effaced.

            “The ineptitude of the human is a disgrace to the Elder’s chamber.” The brutish guard growled behind him.

            “Arise.” The Elder said.

            He found himself rising and making his way to the unearthly creature.  The stench of the flesh of his fallen friends attacked his senses and made him reel.  Gaining control, he knelt in respect before the Elder.

            “Do you know why you are here?”

            “No…” he whispered, his eyes remaining glued to the ground.

            “Years ago, your race performed experiments.  Hideous experiments.  The first of our race went into the laboratory humans such as you, and came out deranged monsters that were cast out from society and banished.  Burrowing deep beneath the Earth’s surface was our only escape.  Thousands of us were created, and our destiny was the battlefront.  The scientists were pretentious profit-seekers.

            “Those who hated us found our home and attempted to destroy it.  They used all means to get rid of us.  The ground collapsed and we were engulfed in a cataclysm of stones, soil, and gunpowder.  Many died in their insular tombs, but many refused to give up; those who survived began to dig.  They dug the tunnels and chambers you have explored, and thousands upon thousands of miles more.” The Elder gazed intently at him as he told the story.

            “It was wrong of us to do that… both to experiment and to banish you.”

            “You are one of few that feels so.  An amiable human, a rare find.  However, when you and your men first entered our world, we feared the worst.  I am afraid this is why your friends lay dead before you.” The Elder sighed, and shifted his weight.  His slow movements hinted age and lethargy.  “The young, clumsy one: such a racket this one made.  Our furtive soldiers destroyed him before he knew what was upon him.” the creature raised one of his massive claws and shifted the youth’s body with surprising etherealness.

            “Elder… why did I survive, while my friends fell?”

            “That is a question for us to answer.” A new voice said from behind him.

            He turned around and faced three men; one was wearing a lab coat, the other two black suits.  The sight was more confusing than appeasing.

            “What is going on here?” he asked weakly.

            One of the suit-wearing men stepped forward.  “You see, Michael, you were an arbitrary subject for a new training program.  You passed with flying colors.  Congratulations.”

            He was awestruck.  This news was such a shock he could only stand there gawking for several minutes.  Finally he managed to stammer, “But… but these creatures?”

            “All real.”

            “The story?”

            “True.”

            He was quiet for a moment, and then asked cautiously, “My friends?”

            The man cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Dead.”

            Devastated, he looked back at the Elder, to his friends, and back to the three men.  He suddenly became very tired.  He could only manage to ask, “Why?”

            “You and your group were chosen to be the first to go through with the experiment.  You were the only one who proved that you can keep a calm mind when diving headfirst into an unknown place.  Your mettle and brains got you and you alone through it all.”

            Suddenly the dim room was flooded in an intense white light.  The man in the suit came up and shook his hand, saying but one thing: