Project iDragon

Prologue

SILENCE screamed for the man in black.

His footsteps proved even quieter than the dusk as he moved to the bedside of the young boy. His breathing was labored and a light sheen of sweat matted his hair to his skin. Dreams of monsters plagued the boy's mind, causing his body to turn violently in his sleep.

And at that, the man smiled.

It felt unnatural on his features, the way his lips took an upward turn, as if things would get better in the future. And as the child tossed and turned, he could also believe it. His luck was going to change. He reached a single finger forward and pressed it to the boy's forehead. A dim light faded into the boy's skull and for a moment, it seemed like the dreams were quieted. His breathing grew steady and his head stopped twisting in unease.

All was quiet.

The man took a step back and strode out of the room with long calculated paces. The door closed quietly behind him and he was halfway down the stairs when the screams began. They were loud. They were long. And they shook the building to its foundation.

The man continued down the steps without a second thought. "Lait." The named rolled off his tongue and he continued to smile as he stepped into a computer room. The door barred shut behind him and the child's screams faded into the background, almost indistinguishable over the hum of computer monitors.

Almost.

"Another dragon has been located, sir," the bot sitting in front of the main keyboard system stated monotonously.

"Good," the man stated and patted the bot on its reinforced plastic outerwear. "Has Tern left to retrieve it?"

"Yes, sir." The bot chirped with an unnatural enthusiasm as its mechanical digits glided over the touch board. "He will retrieve all the dragons who have escaped to this dimension. If anyone can do it, it is him!"

"Of course." The man smiled again with the expression of dried ice. "I have my complete confidence in him." His gaze wandered up to the main monitor where he could see the tracker highlight the path of his main protege. Tern flew like a shadow over New Lacklen City, and even in the fading sunlight, he was invisible. He could feel the power of the young man pouring through the streets, cold, calculated, searching.

The dragons couldn't hide from him.

No one could.

Somewhere in the room above him, Lait screamed on.