Mind Games
Prologue


The dream never matched reality. Here, in the quiet horror of 
his own nightmares and fears, he got there earlier, just in time 
to watch the last of the flames consume his friend, hear the 
hoarse cry of pain as the flames seared away at his flesh. Each 
detail was starkly realistic and ran past him in slow motion, 
allowing him to observe every detail, every moment as his 
friend and partner died, allowing him to relive his failure to 
reach his friend in time. And every night he woke just as the 
flames grew to block his view, and as the last scream of pain 
rang out through the night.

And every night Cody Allen woke, his own scream choking 
him, shaking with grief and rage, helpless to do anything but 
remember.

This night was no exception, and for the seventeenth straight 
night Cody found himself up on the deck of the Riptide curled 
in against himself, trying to block out the rest of the world. If 
he stopped to think about it, he would have been surprised by 
his own actions. Emotionalism had never been part of Cody's 
nature, not even where his dearest friend was concerned. Had 
he ever allowed himself to consider the dark possibility of 
losing Nick, he wouldn't have expected it to shake him so 
deeply to his core.

Thinking wasn't something Cody enjoyed at the moment. 
Thought brought memory, tearing at his soul. Thought led to 
dark thoughts of an empty future, devoid of the friendship he 
had counted on so much for so long. No, no more thinking.

Cody gulped in a deep breath, the cool night air helping to 
steady him. Slowly his heart stopped its frantic beating, and his 
body stopped trembling. His head hurt and he was exhausted, 
but he couldn't bear to go back inside to the room he had once 
shared with Nick. The mementos of his friend's life were yet 
another daily reminder of what he had lost. It was hard enough 
to face during the day, but in the darkness of night and in the 
aftermath of his nightmares, it was nearly impossible. He 
couldn't go back down there tonight.

He stretched out on his back on the deck, staring at the stars 
and the night sky. Gradually exhaustion caught up with him, 
and he drifted away into sleep, praying the nightmares wouldn't 
return that night.

****

It was early when Murray dragged himself out of bed. He 
dressed quickly and headed for the refrigerator. He hadn't had 
the chance to eat the night before and he was famished. He 
quickly checked in on Cody, not surprised to find the room 
empty. He sighed softly and grabbed a  blanket off Cody's bed, 
then headed outside.

Cody was where Murray expected to find him, sprawled up on 
the deck. He wasn't asleep so much as unconscious, nothing 
short of an explosion would wake him now. Murray draped the 
blanket across his friend, shaking his head. It was already 
getting late in the season, the air becoming colder and colder 
every night. If Cody kept this up much longer he'd probably 
catch pneumonia.

Not that he'd care, Murray thought sadly. Over the last two 
weeks he'd watched as Cody slid further and further away from 
the world, away from him, as if time only made the loss of 
Nick worse, instead of better. Time wasn't healing this wound, 
and Murray had all but given up hope of finding anything that 
would.

'How did this happen, Nick? How did it all go so wrong?'



End Prologue


Riptide and all related characters are the property of Stephen J. 
Cannell Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.