After the concert was over, the guys were rushed out and driven back to the hotel. The agents were on alert, and they were jumpy. Nick and Brian returned to their suite, letting the agents sweep it first. When they found nothing, they allowed the two to enter. Tamara came in with them, "We're going to place someone in the room with you." "Is that really necessary?" Brian asked, "We're on the top floor, how else are they gonna get up here but through you guys?" The look she gave him didn't comfort him any, "We don't want to underestimate them." He nodded, glancing at Nick. He had gone to his bedroom and was getting things ready to take a shower. Brian knew he was scared to death, but he was trying to put on a good front for everyone. "So where's the agent gonna sleep?" Brian asked, turning his attention back to Tamara. "He won't," she said. "That sucks," Brian said, "I'd hate to have your job." Tamara laughed, "That's what we signed up for. Anything it takes to keep the ones we're protecting safe. Now you guys have your bracelets on right?" "Yeah, we don't take them off," he answered. "What about your panic buttons?" she asked. "We have them," Brian said. She nodded, "Make sure they are close.... just in case." Brian nodded, heading to his room to shower as well.
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Nick sat on his bed looking at the picture of his family as he did every night. He missed them. He hadn't seen them since the tour started, and only talked to them a few times. Aaron was on his own tour, and the girls were doing various things. It was hard to catch them on the phone. He really wished he could get in touch with someone. He was scared and even though he knew he couldn't tell them why, just talking to them would make him feel better. He was sure of that. He'd tried everyone, getting their voice mail. He left them each a message, telling them that he loved them and missed them. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, so he made sure they each knew he loved them. It was the only thing he could do.
He felt a chill move up his spine and shivered. He wasn't sure if he was really cold, or it was just the fear making itself known. Either way, he grabbed a heavy sweat shirt and put it on over the t-shirt he was wearing. He got up, needing to do something to get his mind off the situation. He walked into the living area. Brian was showered now, and sitting on the couch flipping through the channels. "Hey, you wanna do room service and watch a movie?" he asked. Nick smiled, "Yeah, sounds good." Brian picked up the phone and dialed room service, placing their order. "Hey Shane, you want something?" he called. The agent came in from the balcony, "Coffee would be good. It's kinda chilly out there." Brian ordered it. "Why don't you stay in here?" Nick asked. Shane smiled at him, "Gotta see them coming, if they come at all." "Oh," Nick said, wondering exactly what he was going to see from a balcony on the top floor of a hotel. He knew the agents weren't telling him everything, he could see it in the way they looked at each other when they were asked a question. He tried not to let it bother him, telling himself that they were there to keep him safe, not play twenty questions. But sometimes it concerned him. This was one of those times.
Room service came and went. Nick and Brian settled in on the couch, watching movies. They had picked out their all time favorites. All comedies of course. They both needed a laugh, and for the two hours the movies ran, they could escape ... and laugh. Nick jerked awake. He wasn't sure when he had dozed off, but from the looks of the snow on the tv it had been a while. He glanced over to see Brian asleep on his end of the couch. He started to reach over and wake him up, but something stopped him. He had that sinking feeling in his stomach again, and this time it was ten times worse. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but to no avail. Fear swept over him. He didn't dare look behind him, he could feel something there, and it scared him. He reached over and grabbed Brian's arm, squeezing it. Brian stirred and looked at him. He could tell something wasn't right by the fear in Nick's eyes. "Panic button?" Nick mouthed. Brian looked for his, knowing he'd laid it down when he came in. He spotted it on the bar, across the room. Shit. "Bar," he mouthed. Nick glanced down at his hands and Brian followed his gaze. He pointed to Brian, then to the bar. Brian nodded, meeting Nick's eyes again. The two friends stared at each other for a moment. Nick could feel them behind him, and hoped he and Brian could hold them until help arrived. "Go!" Nick yelled.
Brian jumped up and ran for the bar, as Nick threw himself over the back of the couch and charged the men standing behind them. He punched the first one he came to, knocking him back. Then he turned and rushed another. The man grabbed him and they both went down. Nick could feel several pairs of hands on him as he fought. He swung wildly, connecting a few times and sending his assailants stumbling backwards. Brian made it to the bar and grabbed the panic button. Just as he squeezed it, he was tackled from behind. He turned as he fell to the floor, taking the two men down with him. He started to scream, but one of the men quickly put something over his mouth. Whatever it was, it stuck there, and no sound escaped it. Brian glared at his attackers as they grabbed him by the arms and forced him to stand. Another man came forward and cuffed his wrists in front of him. Brian continued to struggle, but at the same time, he scanned the room for Nick. He found him in the floor, still fighting. But he had the same mysterious thing over his mouth and was having his hands forced into the restraints. He could hear muffled sounds coming from Nick, and knew he must have been screaming for even that much sound to escape.
The men forced Nick to stand next to Brian. They both watched as another man and Ana came into the room from the balcony. Ana no longer had a disguise on. Her long dark brown hair was pulled into a lose pony tail. Ringlets framed her perfect face, and her dark blue eyes seemed to pierce right through them both. They both stared at her, unable to look away as the man with her handed her some sort of device. Nick knew what it was before she even turned it on. He looked at Brian with utter horror in his eyes, as the light illuminated the room around them. Brian watched as Nick's mark began to glow with an intensity he'd never seen and his eyes faded from blue to lavender in an instant. Nick looked down, turning his head away from the light. Ana reached up and pulled his head back around, making him look at her. She smiled, "We finally found you." Nick pulled his head back, shaking it. Tears streamed down his cheeks, as he tried to pull away from the men that held him. Brian could hear his muffled cries as they started to drag him towards the balcony.
"Nick! Brian! Open the door!" Tom yelled from the hall. Brian lunged forward, grabbing Nick and hanging on for dear life. Nick turned and grabbed Brian's arms as the men tried to pry them apart. The pounding on the door grew louder, as the men worked to get the two friends away from each other. Finally they broke them apart. Brian screamed, lunging for Nick again. Nick watched in horror as one of the men took out the same gun from his dreams and aimed it at Brian. In an instant the space between the man and Brian was filled with golden rays, and Brian crumpled to the ground. Nick heard the banging at the door, and knew they were trying to break the door down. He had to buy them time. Nick turned so abruptly that he caught the men holding him by surprise. He raised his hands and caught one of the men across the cheek with the edge of the restrains, slicing his face open. Then he turned and kicked another in the stomach, as he tried to run for the door. He didn't make it. He felt the rays hit him and every muscle cringed under their power, then the darkness overtook him.
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"Ready, one, two, three," Tom said, as he Kevin and several of the agents and bodyguards slammed into the door. It broke open, and they ran into the room. Howie immediately spotted Brian on the floor and ran to him. The agents ran to the balcony, watching as the transport hovered away from the building and started to disappear into the night. "Fuck!" Tamara spat, pulling her radio, "Get the cars here now!" Tom checked on Shane, as he was unconscious on the balcony. "Go, I'll stay with them," he told Tamara, and she headed back through the suite with the agents on her tail. Kevin watched them run by, "D, J, go, I'll stay with Brian." The two men nodded, running to catch up with the agents.
Tom drug Shane into the room and shut the doors. Kevin glared at him, "This is what you call protection?" Tom didn't say anything. Instead he walked over to the frig and pulled out a bottled water. Walking over to Brian, he poured some of the water over the film across his mouth. It desolved, and Tom wiped his face with a towel. "Is he gonna be alright?" Kevin asked. Tom nodded, "He's just stunned. He'll come around in a few minutes." Kevin tried to pull the restraints from his hands. "Hang on, I think I have something that will get those off," Tom said, standing up and leaving the room. A moment later he returned with a key. It worked, and Kevin pulled the restraints from his cousins hands, letting them fall to the floor. Tom went back over to sit next to Shane, waiting for him to come to. Kevin looked over, "Can they stop them?" "I hope so," Tom replied.
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Howie and A.J. sat in the van with Tamara and several other agents. They were racing through the city, following the signal of Nick's bracelet. "Where are they?" A.J. asked. "Above us," she answered, scanning the sky. Howie looked out, "There!" They all looked, seeing the transport just ahead of them. "God this is gonna be close," Tamara said. The driver, rounded a curve and slammed on the gas. "They have to be heading for the park," one of the agents said, "It's the only place big enough." Howie glanced at A.J. "Big enough for what?" he asked. "To land one of their ships," Tamara answered.
The van turned, heading into the park. Howie looked ahead of them, his eyes widening, "Oh my ...." "Fucking God!" A.J. finished for him. There in the middle of the park was a space ship that made the Star Destroyers from Star Wars look tame. "How the hell did they get that under the radar?" Tamara spat, pulling her gun. Howie grabbed her arm, "You'll hit Nick!" "Trust me, a gun shot is a lot better than what they're gonna do to him,"she said, rolling her window down and aiming at the transport. Several of the agents followed suit, and soon there was a gun fight going on all around them. Howie and A.J. ducked behind the seats as the van came to a sudden stop and the agents spilled out. They fired at the transport as it made its way into the hull of the ship. Howie watched as the ship started to lift off, "NO!" "Fuck," A.J. said under his breath as the ship rose into the air and sped away from them.
Chapter 9