prologue

John and Theresia Summers were semi-permanent residents of 1300 West Chesnut Street, Eastmarch. There was nothing particularly fascinating about the Summers except for their son. Now, he was always to be named "Frodo Reuel Summers" because his parents were children of the sixties and bizarre like that. However, whether by some ill turn of fate or common stupidity, the name placed upon his birth certificate was "Fordo". Somehow, it stuck.

Fordo lived a fairly normal childhood for a mid-middle class citizen. He attended public schools, played with the plethora of neighbourhood kids, even managed decent marks. However, the older he became, the clearer it was to Fordo that he was not like the other boys. In fact, he was down right abnormal. Strange things seemed to occur around him. He would occasionally disappear only to reappear a short time later in a completely different place looking slightly puzzled. He also seemed to never be wounded all-though his clothes were always tattered and torn.

However, these events did not occur until he had reached the age of fourteen--puberty. This seemed bizarre enough to John and Theresia that they sought the advice of professionals. After months of testing it was declared that there was nothing detectably wrong with their son. Yet they too noted that all physical damage pushed upon young Fordo seemed to miraculously heal in a matter of minutes. The Professionals suggested John and Theresia contact the Uracil Centre for Advanced Science, a research facility in Westbank. His parents were anxious enought that Fordo was enrolled in a programme to discover what was wrong with him.

Little did they know.