Black Friday

He stared out the window at the city beneath him, his tie a black tongue lolling against his chest. The buildings seemed to be floating, their bases erased by the fog. A flash of red, a flash of green: two distant dragons flying through the air, twisting like kites around one another. Their scales were dull with city grime, and the bald spots on their hides were visible even from here. He spat, shooting a bubbly glob to quiver on the thin nub of carpet. A flash from somewhere in the mist below, the rumble of an explosion on one of the side streets. No one would investigate.The heavy wooden door behind him opened and he turned. And older man poked his head in, eyes flickering left and right. The old man smiled and entered, crossing the carpet to stand beside his protegee. The two men watched the dragons silently. The creatures were nearer now, two ribbons fluttering around one of the nearby office towers. They were close enough that the men could see their fins, the huge eyes squinting in the rushing air. Suddenly the green one broke away from their twisting aerial dance. Its body shuddered violently and something squirted from its backside. The two men watched the pale streak disappear into the fog. The ticker tape machine spat out stock prices in the corner, gears whirring beneath its glass helmet. The old man clapped his scaly palm on the younger man's shoulder and leaned over to hiss something in his ear. The young man nodded, no expression on his face as the claws gently pricked the back of his neck.