The following is the very beginning of my upcoming novel, titled “Dreamscape.” It follows a technician named Steveson….

                 Steveson rubbed his temples as he bent over his laptop. The pulsing glow of the screen made his eyes throb in the dim light of the lab room. Schematics flashed up at him, detailing the newest breakthrough from his program.

                “The satellite manipulation will make things much easier this time around. No more distance restrictions.”

                Steveson spun around on his chair to see the Practitioner smiling down at him. The short man did his best to loom in a crisp white suit and completely black sunglasses. Why does he wear them inside? And with the light this low, too….

                He cleared his throat. Steveson jumped a little in his chair. “Yes, sir. I recall you had some problems moving equipment close enough to the subjects on the last trial.”

                The Practitioner nodded behind his black lenses. “I did. Are you certain that this advancement will solve the problems?”

                Steveson swallowed. The emotionless tone in the Practitioner’s voice made sweat bead on his forehead. “Well, without proper field testing, I can’t guarantee anything. If I had a test group and three months, I could give you a definitive answer. Maybe even only two months.”

                The Practitioner opened his mouth, but didn’t speak for a moment.

                “How many subjects do you need?”

                “Five? Maybe six.”

                “I will have them delivered here within the week. Do everything you can to make sure the prototypes of the new device will be ready by then.”

                Steveson nodded vigorously and turned back to his screen. He watched the reflection of the short man walk out of the room, and light momentarily flashed as he opened the door.

                It slammed shut, and Steveson was alone with his thoughts, his sweat, and the design for his new toy.