Raven stood on the shore line that bordered her village. She listened to the crashing waves as they hit the
sand. Raven looked out at the water and noticed that something was wrong. The moon reflected off the
ocean, but the water was not its usual greenish blue. It was dark crimson. Raven looked down as the tide
hit the beach and rolled over her feet. Blood flowed back into the sea, leaving scarlet traces over Raven's
boots and ankles.
Raven backed away from the shore in disgust. As she did, she bumped into something small.
She whirled around to see what it was. Her sister stood in front of her, her eyes gazed up at Raven, dark
and dull.
"Ninyo!" Raven gasped with joy. Raven reached out to hug her sister, but as she did, Ninyo's
small form receded.
"Ninyo?" Raven looked at her sister questioningly. Ninyo stood and stared at Raven. Her eyes
tore through Raven's soul, sending chills through out her body.
Suddenly, with out warning, Ninyo's eyes seemed to disappear. Raven looked on, horrified as
blood trickled down from the empty sockets. Ninyo's flesh turned color in the moon light. It began to dry,
then rot. Peals of skin fell from Ninyo as her body slowly denigrated. Soon, a small skeleton faced
Raven, the blood from its sockets was replaced by a deadly red glow.
The skeleton bared its teeth at Raven and admitted a loud high pitched shriek. Raven screamed
in horror as the skeleton hurled itself at her. It latched onto Raven, digging its boney fingers into her
shoulders and plunging its teeth into her neck. Raven struggled with it, but it over powered her and
knocked her back wards into the ocean.
Raven struggled in vain as the skeleton held her down in the sea of blood. Raven could see the
skull grinning at her through the waves of crimson.
"Ninyo! NO!!!" Raven managed weakly as she felt herself grow weak. She was struck with
lightheadedness and her eyes began to close as the skeleton drowned her in the blood filled ocean.
"Ninyo...." Raven's eyes closed slowly as her last bit of oxygen escaped from her mouth and left her body..
"No! Ninyo!" Raven flew bolt up right and opened her eyes. She breathed heavily and looked
wildly about the room. She ran a hand over her face. Sweat covered her face and forehead. Raven
looked down and her body and laid a hand to her neck. Nothing. The sound of a crashing chair drew her
attention as Gryzlikoff hit the door way.
"Why for you scream? What is matter?" Raven stared at him for a moment before she was able
to speak. She shook her head.
"Nothing, sorry. Just a...just a bad dream..." Gryzlikoff regained his composer and straightened
up.
"I hear scream from next room. I thought someone try to kill you." Raven looked up at him.
The look in her eyes seemed very strange to Gryzlikoff. He furrowed his brow. "What?" He asked.
Raven lowered her eyes .
"Nothing, nothing. Sorry." Gryzlikoff looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.
"You have two hours until shift." He informed her before going back to his work.
"Right..." Raven said quietly. She stumbled out of the bed and through the sliding door. She
looked at her self in the mirror above the sink. The mirror itself was huge for such a small bath room.
Raven felt her arm reach out and pull gently on one of the framed sides of the mirror. A latch sounded
and the mirror swung forward on hinges. Raven looked out into the cold black night. She blinked in
surprise.
"Well, whatdya know?" She said to herself.
Gryzlikoff set the recorders on the computer run themselves. He stood up and stretched. The
smaller room was empty. It was past time for Raven's shift to start.
"Inari?" He called softly. There was no reply. He walked into the smaller room. The sliding
door to the bath room was open. Gryzlikoff looked in and was taken aback slightly. The mirror was still
open. A cool breeze came in through the hole in the wall. A secret opening in the building wall lead out
to a ladder that lead to the roof. The mirror was a door way, cleverly disguised. With as tall and largely
built as he was, Gryzlikoff was amazed that there was more than enough room for him to crawl through.
He went up the ladder and pulled himself onto the roof. He scanned the area and found Raven sitting with
her jacket wrapped around her shoulders. She stared out at the city lost in her own world. Her hair blew
in the wind. Gryzlikoff watched her for a moment, perplexed.
"Inari?" Raven drew herself out of her thoughts and looked up at him.
"Sorry," She said softly. "I needed to be outside for a while." Gryzlikoff was about to remind her
that it was her shift, but stopped himself short. Something was wrong. Raven had always
looked...well...different. There had been something to her. But now, she looked empty, blank. Gryzlikoff
shook his head. He sat down next to her.
"Is anything wrong?" He asked. He usually didn't take time out from missions to talk with his
partners, but for some reason, he was now. Raven looked on at the city for a moment before answering.
She closed her eyes and swallowed.
"No, it's just that I haven't had a nightmare....that bad for...for a long time now."
"Oh." Gryzlikoff ventured on. "You are alright now, yes?"
"I...I don't know." Raven opened her eyes and looked up at the night sky. She blinked her eyes,
trying to hold back the tears that were forming. "I mean, I have no idea why I should still be having
them. I thought...I thought I was OK."
"What you have nightmare about?" Gryzlikoff asked cautiously.
"My family." Raven sighed. "Mostly my sister, I guess I haven't gotten over..." She stopped.
She looked back down at the ground. "I guess I still miss them." Gryzlikoff nodded in understanding.
"I miss my family sometimes too." Raven looked over at him.
"Where are they?" She asked, softly.
"Back in Russia." He sighed. "I miss them, not Russia though. But my family..." Raven
nodded.
"When did you come to America?" She asked. Gryzlikoff thought back.
"When I was 18." He recalled. "Actually I had just turned 18 not a few days before I leave. I
remember, mother was so sad, father was angry. And, Nicholas...well, I never saw him that day."
"Nicholas?" Raven questioned.
"My brother. We were close. But he didn't have same ideas as me. He agreed with father. Stay
in Russia. Serve your state. But that I could not do..." He sighed. "I didn't care for my state, so I left
home, came to America, I found SHUSH. Finally, I had organization I was proud to serve. But when I
write home to tell them how wonderful it is, they do not write back. I fought so much with family, now, I
guess they want no more to do with me..." It was a second too late before Gryzlikoff realized he had just
spilled a good portion of his personal life to someone he hardly knew. For some reason, it didn't bother
him, though. He looked over to Raven. He could see the understanding in her face.
"I fought a lot with my family, too." She said. "But, that doesn't mean they don't love you. At
least they're still around. You should go back to Russia some day, just to visit. Let them know you still
care about them." Raven looked back out at the city. "Wish I could do that..."
"You miss home?"
"Sometimes. But I don't think I could go back. At least not for a while. It would just hurt too
much. You should talk to yours though. You never know when you won't be able to anymore. And that'll
drive you crazy the rest of your life."
"Maybe I should." Gryzlikoff smiled. "Are you happy here?" He asked. The question struck
Raven.
"Yeah. I made great friends here. DW's a good guy to work with. You know, when he's not
being a raging jerk and all..." She snickered. Gryzlikoff laughed.
"And when is that?" Raven looked over at him, trying to repress the grin on her face.
"He's not that bad!" She insisted. "You just don't like him cuz you just have to do everything "by
the book!" Raven did her best to impersonate Gryzlikoff's thick Russian accent on the last three words.
The subject usually made him sore, but this time Gryzlikoff just smiled.
"Better to have plan then get lost on way!" He insisted. Raven shook her head.
"When was the last time a plan ever saved you from a cross-dressing bike gang of middle aged
black market runners?"
"I don't think I've ever had that problem." Gryzlikoff laughed. Raven smiled.
"Never? Man! What cases do you get stuck with?"
"The boring ones, obviously." Grizlikoff stood up. He offered his hand to Raven.
"It's freezing out here." Raven smiled and wrapped her hand around his and let him pull her to
her feet.
"Yeah, yeah, you just want me to get to work."
"Well, now that you are mentioning it..." He smiled. When they were back inside, Grizlikoff
once again extended his hand.
"May be I miss judged you. Comrads?" Raven looked at him for a moment. She smiled softly
and shook his hand.
"Sure, Gryzlikoff."
"Nyet." Gryzlikoff shook his head. "Please, call me Vladimir." He felt a surge rush back to his
head. Had he really just said that? No one, but NO one called him by his first name.
"Sure." Raven's smiled deepened. "Call me Raven." Gryzlikoff nodded.
His hand still wrapped around hers Gryzlikoff felt something hit him. He looked into her eyes
for what felt like forever. Why hadn't he noticed how blue they were before? They shone in the rooms
dim light and seemed to brighten it. He felt her warm hand in his and traced the soft curves of her face
with his eyes. Her hair fell around her shoulders, blown from the wind. It rested on the leather jacket she
wore that covered her blue flannel shirt. The whole out fit highlighted her fur and made her look warm
and soft. Gryzlikoff felt a sudden flash of light headedness. For the life of him, he couldn't take his eyes
off of Raven. He suddenly realized that he had been standing there for longer than he should. He
dropped her hand and shook his head slightly. Raven looked at him, concerned.
"Vladimir, you OK?" She asked. Just the sound of her voice as she said his name sent fire
through Gryzlikoff's body. He blinked his eyes through the mist that had fogged them.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just...tired." Raven smiled and slapped him lightly on the back.
"Go to bed. I promise I won't wonder off again." Vladimir smiled and nodded. It was a while
before he got to sleep that night. He listened to the sound of typing in the next room. All he could think
about was the person who was making the noise.
sand. Raven looked out at the water and noticed that something was wrong. The moon reflected off the
ocean, but the water was not its usual greenish blue. It was dark crimson. Raven looked down as the tide
hit the beach and rolled over her feet. Blood flowed back into the sea, leaving scarlet traces over Raven's
boots and ankles.
Raven backed away from the shore in disgust. As she did, she bumped into something small.
She whirled around to see what it was. Her sister stood in front of her, her eyes gazed up at Raven, dark
and dull.
"Ninyo!" Raven gasped with joy. Raven reached out to hug her sister, but as she did, Ninyo's
small form receded.
"Ninyo?" Raven looked at her sister questioningly. Ninyo stood and stared at Raven. Her eyes
tore through Raven's soul, sending chills through out her body.
Suddenly, with out warning, Ninyo's eyes seemed to disappear. Raven looked on, horrified as
blood trickled down from the empty sockets. Ninyo's flesh turned color in the moon light. It began to dry,
then rot. Peals of skin fell from Ninyo as her body slowly denigrated. Soon, a small skeleton faced
Raven, the blood from its sockets was replaced by a deadly red glow.
The skeleton bared its teeth at Raven and admitted a loud high pitched shriek. Raven screamed
in horror as the skeleton hurled itself at her. It latched onto Raven, digging its boney fingers into her
shoulders and plunging its teeth into her neck. Raven struggled with it, but it over powered her and
knocked her back wards into the ocean.
Raven struggled in vain as the skeleton held her down in the sea of blood. Raven could see the
skull grinning at her through the waves of crimson.
"Ninyo! NO!!!" Raven managed weakly as she felt herself grow weak. She was struck with
lightheadedness and her eyes began to close as the skeleton drowned her in the blood filled ocean.
"Ninyo...." Raven's eyes closed slowly as her last bit of oxygen escaped from her mouth and left her body..
"No! Ninyo!" Raven flew bolt up right and opened her eyes. She breathed heavily and looked
wildly about the room. She ran a hand over her face. Sweat covered her face and forehead. Raven
looked down and her body and laid a hand to her neck. Nothing. The sound of a crashing chair drew her
attention as Gryzlikoff hit the door way.
"Why for you scream? What is matter?" Raven stared at him for a moment before she was able
to speak. She shook her head.
"Nothing, sorry. Just a...just a bad dream..." Gryzlikoff regained his composer and straightened
up.
"I hear scream from next room. I thought someone try to kill you." Raven looked up at him.
The look in her eyes seemed very strange to Gryzlikoff. He furrowed his brow. "What?" He asked.
Raven lowered her eyes .
"Nothing, nothing. Sorry." Gryzlikoff looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.
"You have two hours until shift." He informed her before going back to his work.
"Right..." Raven said quietly. She stumbled out of the bed and through the sliding door. She
looked at her self in the mirror above the sink. The mirror itself was huge for such a small bath room.
Raven felt her arm reach out and pull gently on one of the framed sides of the mirror. A latch sounded
and the mirror swung forward on hinges. Raven looked out into the cold black night. She blinked in
surprise.
"Well, whatdya know?" She said to herself.
Gryzlikoff set the recorders on the computer run themselves. He stood up and stretched. The
smaller room was empty. It was past time for Raven's shift to start.
"Inari?" He called softly. There was no reply. He walked into the smaller room. The sliding
door to the bath room was open. Gryzlikoff looked in and was taken aback slightly. The mirror was still
open. A cool breeze came in through the hole in the wall. A secret opening in the building wall lead out
to a ladder that lead to the roof. The mirror was a door way, cleverly disguised. With as tall and largely
built as he was, Gryzlikoff was amazed that there was more than enough room for him to crawl through.
He went up the ladder and pulled himself onto the roof. He scanned the area and found Raven sitting with
her jacket wrapped around her shoulders. She stared out at the city lost in her own world. Her hair blew
in the wind. Gryzlikoff watched her for a moment, perplexed.
"Inari?" Raven drew herself out of her thoughts and looked up at him.
"Sorry," She said softly. "I needed to be outside for a while." Gryzlikoff was about to remind her
that it was her shift, but stopped himself short. Something was wrong. Raven had always
looked...well...different. There had been something to her. But now, she looked empty, blank. Gryzlikoff
shook his head. He sat down next to her.
"Is anything wrong?" He asked. He usually didn't take time out from missions to talk with his
partners, but for some reason, he was now. Raven looked on at the city for a moment before answering.
She closed her eyes and swallowed.
"No, it's just that I haven't had a nightmare....that bad for...for a long time now."
"Oh." Gryzlikoff ventured on. "You are alright now, yes?"
"I...I don't know." Raven opened her eyes and looked up at the night sky. She blinked her eyes,
trying to hold back the tears that were forming. "I mean, I have no idea why I should still be having
them. I thought...I thought I was OK."
"What you have nightmare about?" Gryzlikoff asked cautiously.
"My family." Raven sighed. "Mostly my sister, I guess I haven't gotten over..." She stopped.
She looked back down at the ground. "I guess I still miss them." Gryzlikoff nodded in understanding.
"I miss my family sometimes too." Raven looked over at him.
"Where are they?" She asked, softly.
"Back in Russia." He sighed. "I miss them, not Russia though. But my family..." Raven
nodded.
"When did you come to America?" She asked. Gryzlikoff thought back.
"When I was 18." He recalled. "Actually I had just turned 18 not a few days before I leave. I
remember, mother was so sad, father was angry. And, Nicholas...well, I never saw him that day."
"Nicholas?" Raven questioned.
"My brother. We were close. But he didn't have same ideas as me. He agreed with father. Stay
in Russia. Serve your state. But that I could not do..." He sighed. "I didn't care for my state, so I left
home, came to America, I found SHUSH. Finally, I had organization I was proud to serve. But when I
write home to tell them how wonderful it is, they do not write back. I fought so much with family, now, I
guess they want no more to do with me..." It was a second too late before Gryzlikoff realized he had just
spilled a good portion of his personal life to someone he hardly knew. For some reason, it didn't bother
him, though. He looked over to Raven. He could see the understanding in her face.
"I fought a lot with my family, too." She said. "But, that doesn't mean they don't love you. At
least they're still around. You should go back to Russia some day, just to visit. Let them know you still
care about them." Raven looked back out at the city. "Wish I could do that..."
"You miss home?"
"Sometimes. But I don't think I could go back. At least not for a while. It would just hurt too
much. You should talk to yours though. You never know when you won't be able to anymore. And that'll
drive you crazy the rest of your life."
"Maybe I should." Gryzlikoff smiled. "Are you happy here?" He asked. The question struck
Raven.
"Yeah. I made great friends here. DW's a good guy to work with. You know, when he's not
being a raging jerk and all..." She snickered. Gryzlikoff laughed.
"And when is that?" Raven looked over at him, trying to repress the grin on her face.
"He's not that bad!" She insisted. "You just don't like him cuz you just have to do everything "by
the book!" Raven did her best to impersonate Gryzlikoff's thick Russian accent on the last three words.
The subject usually made him sore, but this time Gryzlikoff just smiled.
"Better to have plan then get lost on way!" He insisted. Raven shook her head.
"When was the last time a plan ever saved you from a cross-dressing bike gang of middle aged
black market runners?"
"I don't think I've ever had that problem." Gryzlikoff laughed. Raven smiled.
"Never? Man! What cases do you get stuck with?"
"The boring ones, obviously." Grizlikoff stood up. He offered his hand to Raven.
"It's freezing out here." Raven smiled and wrapped her hand around his and let him pull her to
her feet.
"Yeah, yeah, you just want me to get to work."
"Well, now that you are mentioning it..." He smiled. When they were back inside, Grizlikoff
once again extended his hand.
"May be I miss judged you. Comrads?" Raven looked at him for a moment. She smiled softly
and shook his hand.
"Sure, Gryzlikoff."
"Nyet." Gryzlikoff shook his head. "Please, call me Vladimir." He felt a surge rush back to his
head. Had he really just said that? No one, but NO one called him by his first name.
"Sure." Raven's smiled deepened. "Call me Raven." Gryzlikoff nodded.
His hand still wrapped around hers Gryzlikoff felt something hit him. He looked into her eyes
for what felt like forever. Why hadn't he noticed how blue they were before? They shone in the rooms
dim light and seemed to brighten it. He felt her warm hand in his and traced the soft curves of her face
with his eyes. Her hair fell around her shoulders, blown from the wind. It rested on the leather jacket she
wore that covered her blue flannel shirt. The whole out fit highlighted her fur and made her look warm
and soft. Gryzlikoff felt a sudden flash of light headedness. For the life of him, he couldn't take his eyes
off of Raven. He suddenly realized that he had been standing there for longer than he should. He
dropped her hand and shook his head slightly. Raven looked at him, concerned.
"Vladimir, you OK?" She asked. Just the sound of her voice as she said his name sent fire
through Gryzlikoff's body. He blinked his eyes through the mist that had fogged them.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just...tired." Raven smiled and slapped him lightly on the back.
"Go to bed. I promise I won't wonder off again." Vladimir smiled and nodded. It was a while
before he got to sleep that night. He listened to the sound of typing in the next room. All he could think
about was the person who was making the noise.
