Raiyev Part 2
#2 of Raiyev
"Name?" the large female bear in uniform said almost apathetically from behind the front security desk. The main building was bustling with excitement as furs were hurrying to and fro, phones were ringing off the hook, and the line to check in was longer than even the normal check-in line usually was at nine in the morning on any standard day. Yet, Ms. Bilicek, the bear who headed the front security desk, still acted as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary.
"Raiyev Dmitri Kosekovic," Raiyev answered, and placed his paw on a print scanner sitting on the large laminated countertop in front of him.
"Brad Steven Johnson," Brad said as Raiyev's scan was approved, and placed his own paw to be scanned.
"Alright, here are your security passes," she said without energy as she handed over a couple of large badges on plastic necklaces, each bearing a name, picture, and level of security clearance to its furson. Due to a high level of secrecy in the work done at the facility, it was standard procedure for all personnel to check in and out each day, leaving their security passes in the main building.
"None of this hullabaloo bothers you?" Raiyev asked the bear.
"Just another day at the rat races," she replied unenthusiastically.
"Hey, I heard that!" cried a small and bony rat from behind Brad, who approached Bilicek, trying to size her up. The bear couldn't be bothered, and neither could the two raccoons as they made their way to the northern wing of the building, now adorning their passes. They were turning the corner down a corridor when a ferret, not exactly watching where she was going, ran right into Raiyev, knocking herself and the large portfolio she was carrying to the ground.
"Oh, my, are you okay?" Raiyev said with honest concern as he bent down to help her up.
"Oh, yes, sorry...my boss said she needed this file on the double and--oh, dammit!" the distressed ferret cried out as she saw the papers from inside the portfolio strewn all over the floor. Raiyev began to pick them up while the ferret was still standing there, a horrified look on her face. "Oh, I'm gonna get killed! And this is my second day on the job!"
"Look, honey," Brad began, "I have to run. I'll see you later, okay?"
"I beg your pardon?" the ferret said, apparently thinking "honey" was referring to her.
"Okay, see you later," Raiyev said as he stood and kissed Brad on the cheek. As Brad hurried off, Raiyev bent back down and continued picking up papers. "You know, this would go twice as fast if you helped out a bit," Raiyev said, succeeding rather well in his attempt not to sound condescending of the foolish ferret.
"Oh, right!" the ferret replied, as if the idea of picking up her own mess had only just dawned on her. "Terribly sorry," she said as she got down on her knees and started picking up papers. "I'm Toni, by the way. Toni Hawthorne."
"Raiyev Kosekovic," the raccoon replied.
"Who was that other raccoon? The one that just left?"
"That was my fiancée, Brad. He's wonderful." Raiyev smiled as he stood up, a stack of papers neatly ready to go back into the portfolio.
"Thanks," Toni said as she slowly took the papers and frowned at them. "They're all out of order now, though. I'm gonna be fired for sure. I'm so clumsy sometimes."
"Hey, look--I'm known well around here for being a bit of a klutz myself. Just blame it all on me. It'll be okay." Raiyev stood, still smiling at the ferret.
"You mean that?" Toni said in amazement. "You'd do that for me?"
"Hey, everyone has accidents, especially on days when there's so much activity. Don't worry about it. Who's your boss, anyway?"
"Uh, Dr. Paxton, in Astronomy."
"Ah, yes, I think I've met her before. Don't worry. Everyone here knows me, and they all know that I'm a bit clumsy sometimes, so just say I wasn't looking where I was going and I accidentally ran into you."
"You think she'll believe that?"
"If she doesn't, you tell her to ask me, and I'll admit that it was my fault, okay?"
"Oh, wow! Um, okay. Uh, thanks! Mr...uh...Costyvich."
"Kosekovic. But please, call me Raiyev."
"Oh, okay. Is that Russian?"
"Yep."
"But you don't have an accent."
"Oh, well, I was born here in America. My parents emigrated here from Russia. Anyway, I have to run, and I'm assuming you do, too. You'll be fine, just mention my name. Oh, and walk just a bit slower." Raiyev gave Toni a wink and started off.
"It was nice meeting you!" she called to him, and he stopped and turned.
"Nice meeting you, too," he grinned back at her. She smiled and took her cue to leave. That was something else Raiyev was well known for--his charm, especially his charming grin. He could always speak volumes with that grin. It is perhaps why he had yet to be fired, despite his semi-consistent clumsiness.
He started back down the corridor and found his way, as he did everyday, to the glass double doors at the northern end of the main building. The warm, moist summer air greeted him again as he exited the rather sterile and heavily air conditioned building. He breathed deeply, enjoying the intoxicating scent of wildflowers and heather from a nearby field. The tiniest bit of him almost felt sad that such natural beauty was being squandered on industrialist progression. But he was a fur of science, and that small hint of sadness was overpowered hundred fold by his love for his study.
As he strolled somewhat casually along the small sidewalk to the Chemistry building, he kicked himself for not having asked Toni if she knew anything about what all of this excitement was about. He figured, though, that a two-day old assistant here probably wouldn't know diddlysquat, anyway. Raiyev saw a figure standing just inside by the door as he approached the Chemistry building. He put his security pass up to a scanner by the door, where a little red light switched to a little green light.
"Morning, Dr. Frost," Raiyev greeted the half-dog, half-bear as he stepped inside.
"Morning, Raiyev," the hybrid answered with a smile. Raiyev always got along well with his boss, Dr. Ebony Frost. She was keen on sticking by Raiyev, since they were both subject to social criticism--her being a product of interspecies breeding, and him being homosexual. Raiyev had to admit, though, that for someone who took a lot more heat than he ever did, she did exceedingly well to get where she is now.
"I'm glad you're here. No one quite knows exactly what is going on, so it's good to have experts from every field here just in case, you know?" Raiyev thought she seemed a bit on edge. Well, a BIT was an understatement, he corrected himself. She obviously needed a smoke, but that was quite reasonably forbidden on the lab grounds.
"No, I don't know, to be honest. Can I get you some coffee or something, Dr. Frost?" he asked her concernedly.
"Oh, no, I'll be fine," she lied.
"Is anyone else here yet?"
"Not yet. You and I are the only ones from our department that are awake so far, it seems."
"So what exactly IS this thing that is causing so much hype?"
"You mean no one has told you yet?" she replied in surprise.
"I just got here with Brad. Patterson--"
"DOCTOR Patterson," she interjected.
"Yes, Dr. Patterson didn't tell Brad anything when he phoned him 40 minutes ago--just that it was urgent we both get here."
"Oh, okay," she responded, looking lost in thought.
"So, what is it?" Raiyev asked, trying to get his boss' mind back to the topic.
Frost looked at Raiyev with an indiscernible expression that only told Raiyev that this wasn't exactly something positive. "You know, I think we SHOULD make that pot of coffee," she said finally, still looking at him. "And if it were permitted, I would suggest perhaps some vodka, too." She escorted him down the small hallway to a room at the far end. In it was a sink with limited counter space, two bar stools, a couple cupboards, a small refrigerator, and two coffee makers.
"No caffeine, I think, Doctor," Raiyev said. The last thing they needed was for her to be even shakier.
"I agree, Raiyev." After she got the coffee maker going, she offered the raccoon a barstool. "You'll probably want to sit to hear this." Raiyev obliged and looked quizzically at his boss.
"So what is this all about?" he asked.