"What is happening in there?" he muttered in Chinese, barely audible to the other.

"It is the way of things," the elder serenely replied, "We are born to life through pain. Pain for the mother. Pain for the child."

"It should not be!"

The elder held up a warning finger. "Hmm.. No, there is no should, only what is."

The younger man switched to English. "I have no time for your philosophy, old man. I'm going in there." He strode toward the door, reaching for the handle.

"No respect in the younger generation," the old man grouched to himself. This new generation took much from their country of birth, forgetting or abandoning their heritage. Sad, but inevitable.

The younger man twisted the knob and flung the door open. It bounced off the wall and swung back. He barely caught it before it smashed into his shoulder, for his attention was elsewhere. The small bedroom held two women. One, the young man's wife, lay on the bed exhausted. Her hair was matted with sweat, and sweat streaked her body, but her face was radiant. The midwife had just handed her a small bundle of soft blankets. The woman straightened and turned to the young man, disapproval plain on her face.

"You could not wait for me to call, eh? Well, come in. You have a son."

"Thank you... Hey!"

No sooner had the young man cleared the doorway, than the older man darted past him to the midwife's side. He peered down intently at the newborn boy, then quickly ran his gnarled hand over the child's eyes, nodding to himself when they suddenly changed. The child's dark blue eyes (for all children are born so) turned green as the shadow of the man's hand touched them; a yellow green with slit pupils, like a snake's.

"Father...?" weariness tinged the wife's voice, and uncertainty at her father's strange behavior.

"It is true. He has the Blood."

"No!" The young man fiercely denied this statement. "I do not want to hear anymore of your stories, old man!"

"Husband..."

The younger man was furious. He ignored his wife's faint plea, pushing the elder man from the room. "Leave our house and do not return. You will have nothing to do with my son. Do you hear me? Nothing!"

The old man left.

Five years is too young to be alone. The young boy stood in the drizzle, adding his tears to the falling water as he said a final good-bye to his parents. No, thought the old man, to lose both parents in a car wreck is hard no matter what age. But I will not leave this one by himself. The boy knelt to lay a single flower on his parent's grave, then backed slowly away. He looked around, confused as if suddenly finding himself in a strange place surrounded by people he did not know.

"Come here son," the old man spoke in Cantonese, but the boy looked at him uncomprehending. Muttering an imprecation on his son-in-law the old man repeated himself in English. The boy approached hesitantly.

"I am your grandfather, Matthew. You will live with me now." Taking the boy's hand, he led him to the waiting car.

Matthew grew in stature and in spirit over the years. His grandfather taught him many things of the East: stories, history, discipline, and his heritage. Most especially, he told the young man of the Blood: the legacy of Dragons that flowed through Matthew's veins. Centuries ago in China, a woman had taken a Dragon as husband. Her children bore the celestial creature's likeness, in part. Down through the ages, at least one descendant had manifested the signs of the Blood, and with it amazing powers beyond human ability.

Matthew's grandfather enrolled him in the martial arts at an early age. A close friend who was a master of Kung Fu taught the child, instilling discipline, courage, and a code of honor so necessary in one who would one day wield vast power. Matthew was an attentive student. His immense natural ability quickly advanced him far beyond the other students, and the master began to instruct the young man in the more esoteric arts of Kung Fu.

Matthew enjoyed his lessons, but he also found great interest in the new home computers. Grandfather bought him his first, an Apple II, when Matthew was 12. Matthew dove into the world of computers, taking extra classes in school, and eventually earning a scholarship to MIT. Undergraduate and graduate degrees quickly followed. Matthew returned to Chinatown n San Francisco, the place of his birth, and founded a software consulting business. This, as well as some judicious investing in Microsoft, left Matthew with a steady and considerable income, but he continued to live in a small apartment with his grandfather.

One evening, while walking the streets of Chinatown, Matthew noticed several large men surrounding a shop owner who was locking up for the night. The men pushed the shopkeeper against the wall of his building, then proceeded to beat the man with a bat. Matthew was outraged, and before he could think he was among the thugs, sending them crashing to the sidewalk with broken ribs and bruised faces. In a matter of seconds, all were down.

It was amazing. The men, though armed and obviously experienced toughs, were no challenge at all. Compared to Matthew's fluid movements, they might as well have been standing still. Stunned by the ease with which the fellows fell, Matthew none-the-less retained the presence of mind to call an ambulance and see it arrive. Then he hurriedly left.

Matthew's grandfather had impressed upon him the importance of keeping his abilities secret. Yet, his Teacher had always stressed the importance of doing good with what one had. Indeed, most of Matthew's money went to support homeless shelters and education programs. It seemed he could do much good fighting against the rampant gangsters by using his special abilities. Yet how could he preserve them as a secret.

The answer came when Matthew read of a local superhero who crusaded against the gangs of the Bay Area. Could not Matthew also adopt a heroic identity and launch a fight to clean up Chinatown? The answer was obvious.

A few days later, Dragon Fist made his first appearance in disrupting several extortion attempts. The succeeding months saw an increase in both his successes and sophistication. Matthew developed contacts through his encounters, men and women who would help him in his cause. The name of Dragon Fist began to spread. Eventually, Matthew began to look beyond Chinatown; perhaps other heroes could use his help, and in turn he would have allies.

Hunted: Secret Society

The Brotherhood of the Black Lotus is a secret sect dedicated to ruling mankind. They are an old organization, tracing their history back to ancient China. When the Middle Kingdom opened to the world, and Chinese began moving to other countires, the Brotherhood went with them. Some say that the Brotherhood secretly controls the Tongs and Triads. This may well be true, as the Brotherhood prefers to act through proxies.

Despite centuries of effort, the Brotherhood's goals remain unreached largely through the efforts of one small organization. The Temple of the Resplendant Dragon has consistantly thwarted Brotherhood activities and harrassed Brotherhood agents. Needless to say, the Brotherhood makes a point of tracking down and eliminating Temple servants. This is not easy, as those who serve the Temple are highly trained in martial arts, and most posess unusual powers. The Brotherhood teaches its own deadly arts, and some of the Brothers also posess abilities beyond the norm.

The Brotherhood has been watching Dragon Fist since his debue. They suspect him to be a Temple agent, but are not certain. While the Brotherhood has not moved against Dragon Fist yet, it is only a matter of time before he disrupts one of their activities and reaps their wrath.

Personality

Dragon Fist follows the Code of the Chinese Knight, an honor system taught to him by the Kung Fu master. His code of behavior demands that he right any wrongs he sees, correct any social injustices; he must keep any oaths of loyalty he takes, and must meet all obligations he accepts; he must always honor good people; he must spend all his money on good deeds and good times. Matthew lives up to this in both identities, and would not think of violating it. He also has great respect for human life, and goes out of his way not to seriously threaten his opponents with lethal (relative to the opponent) force.

Matthew still lives with his grandfather in an apartment in Chinatown. Most of his income goes to supporting various charitable activities, although he does reserve a bit for enjoying himself as well. Matthew is protective of his grandfather who refuses to move out of the troubled area. Sometimes he is also drawn into a protective role towards his martial arts teacher's students, who get in trouble with local gangs. Matthew has little patience for gang members who prey on society, usually giving them but one chance to reform. He particularly hates drugs and the social ills they cause.

Matthew has a few quirks. He always goes by his full first name, and will not use other's nicknames if he knows the full form; he thinks it's a sign of disrespect. He is constantly losing his keys, only to find them right where they are supposed to be (usually in his pocket). Matthew likes to watch Bruce Lee movies, without the subtitles. He also enjoys listening to film soundtracks (instrumentals only) when working on the computer. Although he'll never admit it, he has a minor addiction to various Doom games. His biggest love, however, is martial arts, losing himself in the fluid forms of Kung Fu.

Matthew was raised Buddhist, but converted to Christianity while at MIT. He is far from a religious zealot, but will be happy to talk about religion if asked. Politically, Matthew is a bit apathetic, disenchanted by the special-interest catering and political posturing of both major parties. However, he has a great deal of faith in the American system of government, and nothing but respect for those he sees as being true public servants.

Matthew is good at relating to technology, but not as good relating to people. He is quite adept with math and figures of all kinds, but can't spell at all (thank goodness for spell-checkers!).

The Dragon is more elemental by nature, both mental and physical. It follows neither Code nor the prohibition against killing, although vestiges of these certainly do remain. While it maintains the same mind as Matthew, the Dragon has its own distinct personality. It is very curious, and combined with its natural overconfidence, this can get it into trouble fast.

The Dragon's quirks: It thinks humans "taste bad," but cats and dogs make a good snack. It tends to overestimate its strength, and then grumble about poorly made things. The Dragon gets a kick out of people's reactions to its appearance, and also enjoys being scratched behind its horns. It hates rock music.

A Day in the Life...

Matthew usually rises early on weekdays. Breakfast may be cold cereal, pankakes, but is usually reheated leftovers from the night before. Matthew doesn't see the point in "breakfast foods;" food is food and can be eaten at any time of the day. Matthew's Grandfather usually wakes up after Matthew is done eating - Matthew usually has something ready for the old man. Then, its off to work.

The commute to work is typically about tweny feet, since three days out of five, Matthew telecommutes. The other two days, he heads off to the company offices for meetings and personnel issues. This arangement is ideally suited for his second career as a superhero -- taking time off mid-day is easy. Lunch is usually eaten with his grandfather in the restaurant below, or with employees of his company if at the office.

Free time follows work, and the first thing is usually a workout. This involves running, calithenics, and working forms in Kung Fu. Twice a week, Matthew goes to the school to learn from his sifu. Occassionally, he will stay late and assist in the beginner classes. After cleaning up and dinner, its either good times or good deeds, as per the creed. This usually involves either going out with friends, or spending time as Dragon Fist.

Weekends typically are spent cleaning and cooking in the apartment (making weekly dinners in advance), having fun, practicing Kung Fu, and being Dragon Fist. Matthew likes to get up at the same time on weekends, but ocassionally busy weeks merit sleeping in on Saturday. Sunday morning is church - at a small, local, non-denominational, Chinese language congregation.