In the past several minutes the sound call had entirely consumed her. The ancient dragons of her kind had described the call before, but never had Tiamat experienced the pull of the siren. She couldn’t resist it, and her strength seemed to have intensified from a surge of adrenaline. As a sentient dragon, her typically sound mind had become irrational and savage. Only one purpose filled her mind.

Find Master.

She had been sulking, chained up in an old warehouse somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago where her captors were plotting what to do with her. But when the sound reached her mind, a powerful rage exploded inside of her and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She tore through the chains as if they were mere vines, and she smashed through the steel plated doors as if they were made out of kindling. She left her captors far behind as they shot small projectiles into the sky.

Streaks of blue lightning shattered across the sky, but she paid no attention to it. She followed the call to the pinnacle of a massive tower where she immediately recognized a man standing in her way. It was the leader of her captors whom they had all referred to as “Senator”. He too had one of the projectile weapons, and began firing at her incessantly. The tiny objects pierced her thick hide, causing her to roar in pain. But there was no stopping her. She was on a mission, and the Siren Call was unrelenting.

With a loud crash, the tower trembled and the pavement shattered as she made a landing. She glared at the man, and then reared her head back and screeched a response to her Master. In her mind, it felt as though she was saying “I’m coming!”

Another muffled siren call came in response. Without hesitation she lurched forward and swatted the Senator aside, smashing him through the sliding glass door. The man lay crumpled in a heap, wheezing for air.

The siren call echoed through Tiamat’s mind as she tore through the outer walls of the penthouse. She didn’t even pause to look back at the man who’s life she had just taken.

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She tore at another wall, knowing the sound had come from somewhere on the other side of it. She ripped open the sheetrock and smashed aside the studs. She felt the sting of the electrical cables as her talons sliced through them. A blue light streamed through the hole, and she forced her large body through the small opening, collapsing part of the ceiling behind her.

A portal similar to the one she had passed through the other day with Lily swirled before her. Two pillars of light streamed through the portal, issuing from odd contraptions protruding from the ceiling. Without a moment’s hesitation, she swatted at the strange devices with her tail, destroying both. One of the pillars of light sputtered and died, whereas the second one shot across to the far wall.

Tiamat charged at the shimmering vortex, knowing it would take her home and back to her Master.

Propelled forward from both her own momentum and the speed of the portal, she made a crash landing on the opposite side – smashing another set of strange dish-shaped devices in her path. A large pillar of blue light now erupted from the floor and connected with the ceiling. The loud humming sound made her quiver in anger.

Looking around the dimly-lit room, she quickly realized that she was trapped. Long rows of strange boxes with blinking lights filled the room. Her anxiety already heightened from the siren call, she erupted into a savage frenzy.

With a guttural roar, she threw her massive body at the rows of blinking boxes. Her powerful tail smashed through them, sending sparks flying in all directions and creating several small fires. The dim light from above flickered and went out. The pillar of blue light diffused as well, leaving strange holes in the floor and ceiling. The portal collapsed with the sound of a faraway echo as the mirror came crashing to the floor.

As her tantrum subsided, she heard the siren call a third time. Her massive body went rigid and she cast her eyes above her. This time it was much louder.

Master.

With brute strength, she slammed her head into the ceiling. Rubble came crashing down all around her, and then she propelled herself upward again. Another crash, and light peeked through a crack above. Several painful rams later, and she exploded through the hole.

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