Ain't No Stopping Us Now by Lyricalfiction
Summary: This is an old school fic that is supposed to be fun and a bit outrageous! Think back, way back, to when Nsync had that injuction on the No Strings Attached CD because they were leaving RCA or whatever. Well, what happens when Nsync doesn't wait for the record execs and decides to sell their CD themselves? Oh, and what about when they find out they are in the middle of a big conspiracy?! Well, it won't stop the boys of Nsync. They just keep on keeping on!
Rating: PG-13
Categories: Long Stories
Characters: None
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 08/09/06
Updated: 08/09/06
Index
Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Situation at Hand
Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Making of the Plan
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Justin's Story
Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Mind Over Girlfriend
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Break In
Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Situation at Hand
"So what's the sitch?" Justin asked, slipping into his seat, 10 minutes late, looking nervously to the side to see if Blayne had noticed. They were meeting at a big conference room in Blayne’s fancy lawyer office with high ceilings and ugly paintings on the wall.
"Nothing yet. Harvard boy hasn't bothered to show up." Joey said, shifting his weight side to side so his swivel chair swung. Chris was turning in circles, Lance pushing himself back and forth using the slick hardwood floor and well oiled wheels of the chair. Even JC was doing something. It was hard to stay still in those kinds of chairs.
"Where did we find him, anyway?" Chris asked, going round and round, makinghimself dizzy.
"He came," JC wearily put his hands up to the sides of his head and flappedtwo fingers in quotation marks.
"'Highly recommended'."
"Don't they all." Joey remarked.
"They sure do." Lance echoed.
Justin put his head on the table. "This is so trying. Why don't they just tell us what they are going to do with us!"
"Blayne promised today was the day." Lance said. "No more questions... just answers."
"Lawyers always lie." Justin mumbled just as Blayne Delaney walked in the room. "Except you!" He covered loudly.
Blayne set his briefcase on the table. "Yeah... I appreciate that."
"What's the deal, Blayne?" Justin asked, moving on. "Wha da dilly? You know, da 411."
"Yeah, yeah, you can stop now. The deal is, you guys are in major trouble." Blayne looked at them seriously, still standing at the head of the table. "I'm serious."
"Why?" JC asked. All movement stopped. All eyes were on the handsome lawyer that stood in front of them.
"Simply? They don't want you to leave. Legally... well it's a mess."
"Tell us." Chris insisted. Lance leaned back and bit his nails. Even Joey looked a little worried.
"I am, give me a second." Blayne shuffled around some papers. "Okay... so Transcon and RCA aren't happy about your leaving... blah, blah, blah, um..."
He looked around some more. "Here we go. RCA has put an injunction on yourCD--"
"Excuse me, a what?" Lance said, leaning forward.
"An injunction." Blayne repeated, like anyone in the world should know what that is.
"Uh, well..." Lance stammered, not very clear on what an injunction was but since no one was exactly jumping up to ask, he felt self-conscious asking himself. "can they do that?"
"Of course." Blayne's tone of voice said, 'duh'.
"How do we un-injunct ourselves?" JC asked.
"Agree to their terms." Blayne said, handing him a piece of paper. JC scanned it quickly.
"Oh no.." he said slowly. "No way. They want us to come crawling back on our hands and knees!" He exclaimed, handing it to Chris's awaiting hands.
"Well, that's how you do it." Blayne's voice held no passion, no sympathy, no nothing. It was just a low soothing serious monotone. "If you don't agree, the injunction cause the CD to be released sometime in the year 2000."
"2000!" Joey exploded. "Sometime?! That means they could choose to release it December 31, 2000! That’s almost a year from now!"
"It most certainly does." Blayne agreed.
"Buuuuullshit!" Chris cried, putting the paper on the table. "It's a bunch of crap."
"On their side of the law." Blayne told them, like that explained anything.
"For pulling the contract, Transcontinental studios are planning to sue you guys for about 12 million dollars-"
"Hold up, wait a minute, back da train up, what?!" Justin asked.
"I know you heard me."
"How can they sue us? Selfish bastards! What are we going to do? And what about our CD? What about the fans? Are we gonna expect the fans to let us sit on our ASSES for a year until RCA just DECIDES one day to MAYBE put our CD on the shelves on Media Play and still like us? No way! Even I wouldn’t do that. That CD has been finished for like years. I wanna sell it and I wanna sell it now!" Justin said, rising from his chair and pointing a finger at Blayne like it was all his fault. JC pulled him down.
"What can we do?" Lance asked calmly. Evenly.
"Well, as of now. Nothing. Prepare our case for the court trial... or you could go back." Blayne looked at them, his serious look still in tact. "Maybe you should really consider going back."
"If they think this scares us..." Chris said, looking at all his comrades, deep in thought in the chairs beside him. "They got another thing coming."
* * *
"That's priceless!" Cam said, grinning, tongue between her teeth. "Suing you?"
"Yep." JC said. He didn't look amused. Not a single bit. He had come over to Cameron’s apartment to tell her the news from the meeting with Blayne. He was looking for a little bit of support.
"Well what are you going to do?" Obviously Cam didn't know him like she thought she did or she wouldn't be smiling right now.
"Not sure." JC admitted.
"Counter-sue?"
"What for?" JC straddled a chair across from her. "Too much time, too much money, too much stress for everybody.
Cam continued to smile. JC glared at her. "Sorry...SORRY. I'm not laughing at you honey, no, I'm laughing at the situation. It all seems so ridiculous, come on now, stop giving me that look."
"What look?" JC said, looking innocent.
"That look that drives me crazy!"
"What? This look?" JC said, giving her a sexy look and rolling his tongue.
Cam laughed and pushed him backwards off the chair. "No."
JC wrinkled his nose, indignantly. "Cam-mer-ron!" He exclaimed, turning 'Cameron' into a three syllable name.
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Cam shook her head, bouncy ponytail waving side to side. "I still can't believe what you just told me."
"What should we do?" JC asked.
"Don't ask me." Cam put a hand on her chest. "I don't understand the half of it." JC stared at Cam, his girlfriend. His new girlfriend, they had only been serious for about a month. She was a lot of fun, not very serious, which was cool. He needed someone to balance him out when he felt all serious like now. She had short light brown hair, green eyes, a contagious smile. That's what he liked most about her, that smile. It always made him smile, even know, when he felt like shit over the whole situation.
"I'm sure you'll think of something." Cam was saying. "You always do. I mean, it's your CD, what say do they have over it."
"That's it!" JC exclaimed, jumping up from the couch in Cam's small apartment.
"What's it?" Cam asked, smiling, amused.
"What you said! That's it. I don't know why we're worrying. It is our CD. We worked on it. It's called Nsync, is it not?"
"I heard it was called 'No Strings Attached'" Cam confessed.
"You know what I mean!" JC was pacing now, on the edge of a great idea.
"What DO you mean?" Cam asked. She edged to the edge of the couch and looked at JC, waiting for the great explanation.
"It's OUR CD." JC said, slamming his fist into his palm for emphasize. "And they wanna take it away from us."
"Corporate bastards." Cam added for emphasis.
"Well, I say we take matters into our own hands." JC stopped pacing and turned and knelt in front of her. "I say we sell the CD ourselves."
Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Making of the Plan
Cam looked at him seriously for one second before bursting into laughter. JC looked cross.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"You're serious!"
"Why would I not be?"
"But...but... you can't!"
"Why not?"
"JC." Cam looked at him seriously for once. "You're not a mass CD producer."
"But I can be." JC insisted. "I've got a thought."
Cam shook her head. "Baby... you need a cup of water."
"I've got a thought." JC repeated. "We can do this, I know we can."
"There are so many things wrong with this, I can't begin." Cam said, heading towards the kitchen.
"I wanna hear what's so morally wrong with my idea." JC said, following her.
"Well... it's not practical. Assuming you turn into big assembly line, just where are you getting the CD? Sure, you sang on it, but do you physically have it?"
"Oh yeah." JC settled in a chair and looked defeated. "It's back at Transcon."
"Yeah, and remember the day you were stripped of all your ID and key cards?" Cam asked, pouring and glass of water and handing it to him. JC took a sip and put it down.
"Yeah, I remember that. Especially the male security guard who took the liberty of frisking my inner thighs."
Cam laughed. "So there's no possible way your idea could work. You'll just have to wait and get sued with the rest of them."
JC couldn't help feeling disappointed, even though he realized his great idea was ridiculous.
"Cheer up!" Cam insisted, squeezing his shoulders. "Everything will work out fine. You'll do something. Or something will happen. If you just wait--"
"Know what, Cam." JC interrupted. "You just helped me again."
"What did I do this time?"
"Everything bad is happening ‘cause I let someone make decisions for me. I just sat back and waited for my turn. Well I'm not waiting anymore. I'm making my own future. If I wanna sell my own CD, I'll sell it. It's my turn now." JC strode purposefully towards the door, leaving Cam in the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Cam asked timidly. She couldn't help feeling like she made him mad.
"To see the guys." He answered.
"Are you mad at me?" Cam asked in a small voice.
JC turned around and gave her a big grin. "Nah... you helped me see the light."
* * *
"So we enter through here." Lance said, pointing to the starting place on the map.
"Who's going?" Justin asked impatiently.
"Me." Chris said.
"Me." Joey chimed.
"Me." Lance said sternly.
"Meeee." Justin whined.
"We can't all go, only two." JC pointed out.
"Let me go." Lance said. "I know how to work all my stuff."
"True, Lance is in." JC said. "As for the rest of you... qualifications?"
"I'm skinny." Justin said.
"So am I!" Chris shouted.
"Leaves me out." Joey mumbled miserably.
"That's not a good qualification." JC looked at his four best friends who were seated in his living room. It was the next day, around noon. The plans had been going on since 9. They were really going to do this. They were going to break the law just for the freedom to sell their own CD. They were about to put themselves in more trouble than they ever imagined.
Surprisingly, it felt good. It was like standing up for what you believe in. What was happening to them was not fair and had been like that for a while. It was time they fought back. Together, as brothers. For them, for their fans, for those who came before them and those who would come after.
It wasn't like this was something really big, but it was important. The freedom of speech and choice and right to distribute your own material is a right everyone should have. No one should control anyone the way they were being controlled before they left the system. The way the system was controlling them now.
"Then what is?" Justin asked, impatiently.
"I need Lance and Chris with me." JC said, matter-of-factly. "So Justin and Joey go."
"Yes!" Justin and Joey whooped.
"Does that mean we're the most important?" Joey asked.
"No, of course not." JC said.
Justin and Joey looked a little less excited.
"I don't get the plan." Chris piped up.
"We aren't finished making the plan." Lance said. "Okay, so Joey and Justin go in through there." He stubbornly pointed at the same spot.
"I know that." Chris rolled his eyes.
"Then... they... walk to the vault."
"Dude!" Justin cried suddenly, as if he just had a thought. "Did we ever know the combo to that thing?"
"Yeah, isn't voice activated." Chris agreed.
"Oh yeah." Lance said slowly.
"What are we going to do about that?" Joey asked.
"Don't worry, got it covered." JC reassured. "The CD is not in the vault, you dummies."
"Oh." Everyone said with relief.
"Wait a minute..." Justin said, drawing out his suspicions. "Are you saying they don't think our CD is THAT important! Not important enough to be in the vault?!"
"Oh shut up." JC said. "It makes our lives a lot, a lot easier."
"Okay go over the plan again." Chris said. "I'm still confused."
"I'm not even finished with the first time." Lance told him. The door was pushed open. JC looked up, face already turning red in a guilty blush.
"Gots it for ya, Lance." A young pretty black woman looked up from her black briefcase.
"Hey guys. Looks like JC's house is a party."
"Hey Triscia." JC greeted, the others echoing his greetings.
"Did I just break up a secret meeting?" Triscia grinned as their faces gave them away. "Thought so. Don't worry. Lance told me."
Lance was met with four looks. "What?" He said innocently. "I had to tell Triscia. She's my friend." Triscia Deigo hailed from Clinton, Mississippi, same as Lance, though her life had a more made-for-TV-movie feel to it. She was raised in a old-fashioned town. She learned, being black, that segregation was an option usually taken. It was a mostly white town, so the black people pretty much kept to themselves. There were more black kids in the school then who actually lived there, sent out of the way because (of course) white schools were the best. They sat at their own lunch table and played with each other and that's the way it was and always was going to be.
Triscia abided the rules best she could, but she wasn't a follower. She met Lance after giving him a bloody nose in kickball and it went on from there. Their friendship was only natural, they lived close to each other and not that many kids around. They were blanketed by the innocence of childhood that made them immune to the color of each other's skin.
Eventually they grew up and Triscia began to realize that her and Lance's relationship was a little weird. They grew apart for a little while, until Triscia wondered why she was letting other people decide who she could be with. She ignored the funny looks and hung out with Lance again, and his white friends, went to white parties and even dated a few white guys and was basically having a good time.
Her senior year she was finally called upon it by her parents. "Triscia," they asked you. "What are you? Black or white." Triscia pointed to herself and stated simply, "I'm TRISCIA." After that she wasn't very welcome in her own home anymore. They just didn’t understand her. It was a mutual disowning. Triscia went to college and put herself through in three years, working 7 days a week, 8 hours on weekdays, 32 hours on weekends, two different jobs. Surprisingly she graduated top of her class.
After majoring in Photography and Education she toured Europe for a year on a special program, but ended up back in the states. She rekindled her friendship with Lance, which stayed pretty strong through time and somehow they ended up sharing an apartment, though they weren't tied together romantically, just friends.
Triscia managed five webpages for small businesses and payed off her student loans until she found a teaching position somewhere.
"Your crime is safe with me." Triscia promised, throwing the briefcase on the bed.
"It's not a crime." JC corrected. "We're borrowing something."
"Which you are breaking in to get." Triscia giggled. "No, it's not a crime."
"Call it whatever you want." JC said. "Trish, just don't say a word."
"Secret dies with me." Triscia crossed her heart. "But if you think you guys are seriously going to get away with this, you are sadly mistaken. The question is: how long can you run?"
JC chuckled nervously. "Hopefully, it won't come down to that."
"Well... okay, dream... but you guys need me anyways."
Joey scoffed. "Why do we NEED you?"
"Weeell, just because you guys are the most innocent kids in the world. You guys have never done anything bad in your lives."
"How do you know?" Joey argued.
"Trish, you haven't exactly been to jail and back either." Lance pointed out.
"That is BESIDES the point. I'm the best manipulator out there. You need someone to lie for you and that somebody is me."
"I don't think lying is something to be proud of." JC smiled
"You don't understand. I am soooo good at making people believe me. Once I convinced Lance that the moon was 2 parts blue cheese." They looked at Lance for conformation.
"Okay." Lance confirmed. "She's not kidding. I was convinced for about two weeks."
"How old were you?" Justin asked.
"15." They all had a good laugh.
"Okay, what did you say to make him believe it?" Chris asked.
"I don't remember." Triscia shrugged, looking at her nails. They looked at Lance.
"Whatever it was." Lance said, "it was very convincing."
"So... are you gonna mess with our minds too?" Joey asked.
"I only do it if I really like you." Triscia promised, giving Lance a sideways smile. "So I'll do it for you guys. What's the plan?"
"That's what we've been trying to go over." Lance said.
"Wait, I got a question. Purely for personal interest ya know."
"What?" Lance looked up at his friend.
"Why are you guys all of a sudden so bent against Transcontinental and RCA? I mean you've been with them for years. What's the bad?"
The five men exchanged looks.
"Well, you see..." JC started.
"No." Justin interrupted quietly. "I'll tell the story."
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Justin's Story
"Wait, Justin, are you sure?" JC jumped in.
"Yeah, it's my story anyway. I'm okay with it. It won't make me go crazy by telling what happened." Justin said.
"Okay..." JC mumbled.
"This sounds interesting." Triscia leaned up against JC's dresser. "Do tell."
"Okay... it's a really long story that goes back to this summer, a really long time ago, during our summer tour."
"Yeah, summer, decades ago, I don't even remember what I was wearing." Triscia deadpanned.
"Well it is a long time ago. It’s practically winter now!” Justin huffed. “But anyways, let me get on with it." Justin looked up thoughtfully. "Where to begin. Okay, we used to have a tour manager named Carl-"
"What's a tour manager?" Triscia jumped in.
"A person that manages a tour." Justin gave her a funny look. "Duh. So anyways, we had a tour manager named Carl. He was the meanest mofo I ever met in my LIFE. Someone was always doing something wrong or being yelled at and sweared at and threatened and stuff. Threats like walking to the nest venue and being put in solitary confinement. Looking back at it now, it was pretty funny. Back then, it really wasn't. It was me Carl picked on the most. Though he never actually made anyone walk to the next venue, he came close with me once. Every night after a show he would talk to me privately and scream and berate me. Whatever I did was never good enough. So, we tried complaining about him, but it would be a while before they fired him, so we were stuck.
"One night, something really bad happened, I don't really remember now, but I know it was enough to get me really hot and embarrassed and angry. Mostly angry. Angry at Carl. Very, very angry at him. I never thought it possible to hate someone, really, y'know. Like when you say ‘I hate you’ or something, that intense feeling only lasts for a few minutes. But thishate... this hate stayed with me all the time. It made me angry all the time. It affected everything I did. That's what real hate is. It's not fun to feel. So that night, I sat alone on my bunk and I was thinking. I was thinking about how much he grates my nerves. Then I thought really clearly and I meant it with my whole heart--or at least I'm convinced I meant it-- I thought 'I wish he would die'. It sort of made me feel better.
"Later that night, I had to get Carl to come on because it was time for sound check. Everyone had left, I walked to the front of the bus alone. I'll never forget the echo of my lonely footprints or how pale Carl looked when I got to him.
“'Sound check.' I told him. He didn't answer. He began to make weird choking sounds. Then I knew something was really wrong. He began to gasp and choke and gurgle. He grabbed at his chest and started jerking, gasping and choking. It was an awful, awful sound. I knew something was horribly wrong. 'Help me!' I screamed. 'Help!' but no one was there. It was just me and Carl. He slid off the chair and was on the floor, gasping, making noises of pain. Clutching his chest... all I could do was watch. I was frozen. I knew I should run but I just watched. Tears ran his face, his lips were blue, his eyes looking at me, looking at me, all the time looking at me. I couldn't move, I couldn't move. I just stood there while he... he was dying.
"'Justin...' he rasped. I wanted to ask him. I wanted to ask him what he saw. Did he see a light? Did he see hell? Were they real? Was there a God. If so, why was God making Carl die right in front of me and why the hell couldn't I move? 'Justin...' he repeated. He couldn't breathe. I was shaking. I couldn't say a word. 'Justin...' he said again, eerily calm. Then, he stopped. Stopped gasping, jerking, gurgling, the only thing I could hear was the sound of my own healthy beating heart, signaling how alive I truly was. I approached him slowly, put my fingers on his neck for a pulse. His skin was not cold and hard like you'd think, but warm and soft, like he was alive. There was no pulse. People don't die with their eyes closed, all nice like on TV. He was still looking at me with cold dead blue eyes. It made me shudder. Those eyes will haunt me for the rest of my life."
"So a guy died in front of Justin that everyone hated and that's why you must leave?" Triscia asked.
"Not finished." Justin told her. "He apparently died of a heart attack, After Carl's death I heard various people talking about 'the drugs, the drugs, it must of been the drugs.' That was surprising, I never pegged Carl for a user. Meanwhile, I wasn't getting over it very well. We didn't go to the funeral because we had to work. We got a new tour manager. The overall feel with our group was that it was sad because he died, but it wasn't that sad cause nobody liked him. Terrible, I know! I couldn't get his death off my mind. Whatever I did, whatever someone told me, I could not get rid of the irrational nagging thought that I, Justin Timberlake, had inadvertently caused Carl's death when I made that wish one night.
"Our new tour manager was much more humane and nice. She was a girl, which made it all the more rewarding. Too bad she had a boyfriend, who would hang around in a creepy way without talking most of the time.
"'Hey,' he said to me, one day. 'Let's talk, Justin.'
“'About... what?' I said. We were outside and the sun was shining.
“'This is the only place where they don't have the cameras.' he said.
“'What?' I asked, having no idea what he was talking about
“'My name is Conner, and I've got some information for you, Justin, but I've gotta be quick. Leave Transcontinental now. You don't wanna be around when it all blows up.'
“'What blows up?' I asked.
“'Transcon has their hands in everything.' Conner told me. 'Get out now' 'I don't understand.' I said. 'There's not enough time to explain. I'll just tell you this, Transcontinental is not what you think. They are working on some experimental drugs and the government is about to shut them down and they'll want all of their experiments eradicated.'
“'What?' I yelped. 'What kind of drugs? What experiment? On who?' I finally asked. 'Mind control.'
Conner finally said. 'Everyone's their experiment.'
“'Even me?' I asked.
Conner shrugged. 'More than likely. Look you won't understand, you can't. Just trust me. Get out.' I gave him a funny look... funny doesn't even begin to describe it. 'You want proof?' I nodded slowly. He gave me a set of keys. 'There's your proof.' I closed my hand slowly, still contemplating what he said. Then, he was gone. Our tour manager too."
"Okay," Triscia jumped in again. "So your girl tour manager’s boyfriend gave you, Justin, random information and a set of keys that he didn't even tell you where to use them?"
"Yeah. We got another tour manager and finished the tour, sometime inearly October. After that we had some downtime, I think."
"Justin!" Triscia exclaimed. "Stop talking like early October was amillion years ago. It's November 6th, the first last saturday in November of the millennium. October was a month ago."
"Okay, okay, so the not so long time ago of October we had some downtime. I still had those keys. I knew where I was going to use them. In the Transcon studios there is a wing where no one goes but all the big wigs, the executives of Transcon. I'd never been in there myself, but somehow I knew the keys belong to that corner. I let myself into the big offices and saw a whole bunch of nothing. Just lavish offices and candy, which I helped myself too. At the back of the forbidden offices was a whole wall devoted to file cabinets. They were all locked. I fiddled with the keys till I found the one that unlocked the file cabinets. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands of papers. Files, filed from A to Z. I tried reading someof them but they were all in code. I remember Sub: 3412, Admin: T-91, P.R.: 10, that's what they all were like. I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. One paper blew my mind though. Across the top was stamped DECEASED in red ink. At the bottom of all the code was scribbled in handwriting, Carl Valen, inadequate findings, decrease dosage on all new E.D.s. That was all it said, that didn't make much sense, but it was then I thought I might believe Conner. That Transcon was doing... something.
"They are doing something, Trish. I'm not sure it's as extreme as Conner told me, but they are doing something. Something that's not right. So I told the guys and we decided we couldn't be affiliated with them anymore. We didn't want to be associated with that. And that's why. That’s why we left RCA and Transcon."
"So what are they doing?" Triscia asked. "What else did you find?"
"Well besides the papers, pictures of cruel experiments to animals was all I found." Justin said. "Nasty pictures."
"Like human/animal porn?"
"Not that nasty."
"Happy now Triscia?" Lance cut in. "Heard our crazy story. Don't tell anyone."
"Secrets, secrets..." Triscia teased. "I promise!"
"I think Carl's death had something to do with the experiments." Joey said all of a sudden. "Personally."
"I think that the Conner dude was exaggerating." JC said. "But the animal thing is not right."
"I think I want to find out the truth." Justin added.
"So what's the plan again--" Chris was interrupted by the turning of the doorknob and the opening of the door.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Mind Over Girlfriend
"Um, JC?" Cam said, stepping in the room. "Oh hi." She said, eyeing everyone else.
"Hey, who are you?" Triscia asked, bluntly.
"Cameron Gates." Cam said. "JC ... you're not ready." Looking at Cam, dressed in a wine colored gown and strappy heels and her hair all done, JC remembered why the date November 6th sounded so familiar.
He hardly had the courage to say 'I forgot'
"Oh no." Cam said slowly. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"Triscia Diego." Triscia offered her hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"You too." Cam said, shaking her hand quickly. "Please say you didn't forget!"
"Give me two seconds, Cam." JC pleaded, before he realized he had left his good suit at the dry cleaners and the dry cleaners were closed.
"I can't believe you." Cam said, her voice full of anguished passion, like she and JC were the only two people in the room. The other members of Nsync were used to her theatrics and entering varying stages of boredom. "This is the most important night of my life, so far, and you forgot. And you KNOW what you were thinking of! Your stupid idea." She put a hand to eyes for a second and sighed loudly.
"I'm so sorry." JC started.
"Save it. I can't begin to deal with you right now."
"What's happening tonight?" Triscia asked. She had never known when to stay out of others people's business.
Cam turned to her. "I'm getting an award tonight."
"Really?" Triscia squealed. "For what?"
"The Greater Orlando Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation's Volunteer of the Year award. I'm the keynote speaker. I even wrote a speech and everything."
"That's so cool. Volunteering is great. I'd love to go see."
"You know what?" Cam brightened slightly. "You can. You can have JC’s ticket."
"Look, Cam." JC said. "I can get ready, 10 minutes..."
"No." Cam said harshly. "I don't want you there." She turned her back to him. "Come on Triscia. Apparently, somethings are just more important than keeping dates. Somethings just take priority over me."
"Okay, Cameron." Triscia waved bye. "See ya guys." The girls left. JC had been feeling bad but now he felt a little angry.
"Ooo, JC’s in the doghouse." Joey teased.
JC looked at the ceiling as if asking for guidance or strength or something. Then he directed his attention back to the guys. "My house...tomorrow night?” He suggested.
"Yeah, baby!" Justin cried. "Tomorrow night is all about us!"
“Can we please go over the plan again?” Chris deadpanned.
* * *
"This is very classy." Triscia commented as she escorted Cam into the dressy black tie affair being held at the prestigious Hyatt Hotel in downtown Orlando. She felt a little under dressed, having no time to change, in whatever jeans she had been wearing and a tank top.
"Yes, very very classy." Cam wiped at her eyes. "I can't believe him sometimes."
"Yeah..." Triscia said, eyeing the desserts on a tray. "Free eats?"
"Uh-huh." Cam said, still sounding distressed. "I mean, I told him about this a month ago!"
"Oh really?" Triscia was itching to sit down. The waiters were passing out salads.
"Yeah, and now he thinks his stupid group takes priority over my big award. I mean, I'm his girlfriend but he sure is preoccupied. Everytime we finally are together alone--a rare occasion, I might add--all he can talk is Nsync this, Nsync that. Listen to the joke Joey told me. I have a funny story about Justin--"
"Aww, that's so cute." Triscia interrupted harshly, nodding towards the tables. "We sit there?"
"It's NOT cute. I HATE it. I hate Nsync and all the time he puts into it and all that. There's no time for me. It's like he could never love me cause his stupid group sucks it all up." Cam crossed her arms. "Gotta do something."
"Hmm, yes, you're probably right. I don't think JC could love you while he's in Nsync. Let's eat." Triscia bounced on her toes while Cam stared at her in disbelief.
"Why not?"
"Food, food, food." Triscia chanted, tired of tact and formalities.
"Why not?!" Cam repeated, voice rising. "I... I might love him."
"He could never choose, Cameron." Triscia said, turning towards her. "And if you make him, I think you know you would lose. Oh look, your name!"
Triscia bounded towards the table. Cam stood back, frowning, thinking to herself.
"That is SO not cool." She muttered to herself, following Triscia to her seat. Triscia read the place for JC and sat in it. The table was empty, besides Cam and herself. The other placemats read 'Transcontinental Investors'. Apparently, they were late.
"Wow," Triscia remarked, mouth full of a really good salad. "Transcon really does have their hands in everything."
"Transcon?" Cam repeated. "Oh yeah, they're our biggest donator." Their table was smack dab in front of the huge stage. They had a great view.
"What does breast cancer have to do with mind control?" Triscia wondered.
"Excuse me?" Cam picked at her salad, she was upset about what Triscia had said. She wasn't sure if she liked her very much.
"Oh, JC didn't tell you? They left Transcon because they were making mind control drugs... I think."
"I don't care!" Cam cried. "Don't tell me about Nsync and their 'problems.'"
"Sounding a little selfish there?" Triscia raised an eyebrow.
"I don't care!" Cam said. "This is my night and it's all about me."
"Oh... sorry. Are you nervous?"
"I'm very nervous and I wish JC was here to help me out."
"He wanted to come, you're the one that's mad at him."
"I just don't understand why he has to be such a... workaholic!"
"Hey, we all are workaholics. Even you. I'm sure you worked your ass off to get this award."
"Yeah," Cam mumbled. "But there's gotta be some way to get his attention turned to me."
Triscia turned back to her salad and was disappointed to see it gone.
"Mind control?" Cam finally yelped.
"That's what I said." Triscia signaled the waiter and asked for a salad refill. He looked at her funny. Five executives from Transcon came in and sat at their table. Cam made sure to be very friendly and flirty with them.
Mind control drugs, she thought, smiling to herself, just EXACTLY what I need.
* * *
Sunday was a day of crime. It was a little ironic because Sunday is traditionally a holy day, but what can you do? Sunday was the day Transcon was closed all day and everyone knew the guards left at five and still got paid the nightshift. Lance fiddled with the contents of his briefcase which contained 6 headphone walkie talkies and a small wire scrambler. Lance's obsession with Radio Shack had helped the guys a lot while planning this "high tech" operation.
Justin, JC and Chris were at home, waiting for nine o'clock. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was high in the sun, beating down on the earth with May intensity in the middle of November. JC set down a bucket of dirt roughly and walked around the side to grab the hose.
Justin walked onto the front porch letting the screen slam behind him. It was warm enough for shorts, so that's what Justin wore. His basketball was held firmly under the crook of his arm.
"Making magic." JC answer, feeding the water to the bucket of dirt.
"You do realize that makes mud, do you not?" Justin asked.
"Yes,... I do." JC pulled the hose back and stuck his hand in his homemade mud. "Perfect."
"Ewww... what's it for?" Justin asked. JC took the bucket over to his black jeep just as Chris rollerbladed up the walk.
"It's for undercover operation. We can't walk to Transcon, we have to drive. So we'll take my car."
"Mud? What for?" Justin insisted.
"This." JC said, taking a handful and smearing it all over his license plate.
"Ooo, JC, that's illegal!" Justin said, gleefully, as Chris wandered over.
"Looks like fun." He said. JC finished cover the numbers, then wiped some mud away to make it look more natural.
"Okay... if they know an Orlando license plate with a number..." he paused to read the number he had left uncovered. “2, then we're screwed."
"JC, gotta finish the job." Chris said, taking a handful of mud and throwing it at his car.
"Um, excuse me." JC said.
"You want it to look like you went off roading, do you not?" Chris said a-matter-of-factly. "You gotta make the whole thing muddy."
"Oh good idea." JC said. He cringed as Chris threw mud at the car violently. "Let's be gentle."
"Yeah okay." Chris puts his hands on the car and smiled with pure pleasure. So messy. So fun! JC began to join him and they worked on making the chair a giant mess. Justin watched from the safety of 20 yards away. He would have liked to help, but dirt just wasn't his thing.
JC smeared the front, Chris worked on the sides. They bumped into each other in the middle.
"Hey." JC cried.
"Something on your shirt." Chris said, touching him with his dirty hands.
"Hey!" JC repeated, grabbing Chris, smearing brown all over his T-shirt.
"Oh it's on now!" Chris whooped, grabbing a handful of mud and flinging it at JC.
"Oh no you didn't!" JC threw some at Chris, ducking a second attack. The third one hit JC in the face.
JC wiped his eyes calmly. Chris snickered.
"Oh..." JC said slowly. "You'd better run." Chris started backing up when JC picked up the bucket. He chased Chris around the Jeep a few times.
"No fair, No fair!" Chris begged. "I'm sorry."
"Too late for that, Kirkpatrick." JC said, cornering him near Justin who was focused on his basketball, world blocked out of mind.
"The car, man, I was trying to dirty the car." Chris explained.
"No you weren't, you started this, you're gonna end it." JC heaved the bucket of mud at Chris. It flew at him in slow motion and Chris nimbly jumped out of the way and shoved Justin in the mud's path. Justin was absolutely covered and for a minute nobody said anything.
Then Justin screamed.
JC and Chris burst into hysterical laughter and Justin wailed, "What the HELL?!! I'm all DIRTY! My hair! Oh my God, you got in my hair! I'm gonna kill you, both of you. Oh God, my hair!" He didn't even pause to give them 'I'm gonna kill you' looks before sprinting inside, clothes dripping.
Chris and JC looked at each other and started laughing again.
"What a pretty boy." Chris snorted.
"That was sort of mean." JC wiped his eyes, before thinking about Justin's horrified expression. He burst into laughter again.
"So..." JC gasped, trying to catch his breath. "How do you think it looks?"
Chris surveyed the car. "It looks... like someone put a whole bunch of mud on it."
"Perfect."
* * *
Nine o'clock, the breaking and entering hour. Chris, JC, Justin, Lance and Joey waited into the parking lot and Triscia drove up, lights off. She got out of the car.
"Here for emergencies." She said, walking up to them.
Lance handed out the walkie talkies. "We'll tell you what to do." He said to Justin and Joey.
They nodded, slipping them on. Justin opened his hands. "Got the keys to Johnny's office."
"Great." JC nodded. "You'll have five minutes."
"Why?" Triscia piped up.
"Oh yeah, you weren't here for the rest of the plan." JC said. "We're going to be short-circuiting the power in the studio via fuse box. It takes five minutes for the emergency lights to come on. Then the security systems will be back up. That's why we've gotta be out."
"Wow, impressive." Triscia said. "Very Mission: Impossible."
"Let's hope it's possible." Joey mumbled.
"No you guys are going through the back door cause that's the only door that's electronically locked." Lance said. "I guess... we're ready."
"Wait." JC said. "We have to say a prayer or something." They bowed their heads. "Um, dear God, please forgive us for what we are about to do. Without Transcon, we might not be where we are today, but it is their fault because they are being so mean."
"Great prayer." Chris said.
"God bless everyone and help us not get into too much trouble." JC looked up. "Amen." Everyone mumbled 'Amen' after him.
"Ahh, the good old days." Joey said, looking sideways at the building in front of them, in the center of the strip mall.
"Yeah..." Justin agreed. "And look, across the street, the Rite-Aid of dreams. Complete with free bottled water--"
"And free Pringles!" Joey cried. "We have got to get Jennifer to hook us up again."
"Okay, that was then, this is now. We've got to get out CD. We don't work for them anymore." JC said. "We work for ourselves."
Lance checked his indigo watch. "Let's go."
Chris involuntarily sucked in a deep breath.
The time was upon them.
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Break In
Author's Notes: Reviews are greatly appreciated! It gives you karma and cookies as well. I'm sure you'd get a cookie from somewhere!
Triscia and Chris hid behind JC's muddy car and looked over the top. Chris ducked whenever a car would come by. Triscia checked her watch and looked behind her shoulder at the Transcon building.
"This is taking forever." Triscia whined. "Being the lookouts is really boring."
"Yeah," Chris ducked slightly and then bounced right back up. "I'm more important than this."
"I say we go join the action." Triscia said. "Why haven't they hit the lights yet?"
"I have no idea." Chris said. "It's showtime, dude."
"It's been showtime." Triscia checked her watch. "Hope they're okay."
"We should check on them." Chris suggested.
"We really should." Triscia agreed. Neither of them moved.
* * *
Lance moved against the wall, JC groping behind him in the pitch pitch black of a night with no stars and dim streetlights. Lance felt for the fuse box and found it almost immediately.
"We're a little off schedule." JC told him.
"Hold on." Lance said, fitting the little black box in the fuse box.
"What is that exactly?" JC asked.
"Step away." Lance said. JC did just that. Lance started to countdown.
"30...29..."
* * *
"Swipe the card... swipe the card...." Joey mocked. Justin was on the ground, back against the wall, tears streaming from laughter.
"I mean, was that guy dropped on the head as a baby?"
"Dude, stooooop!" Justin pleaded through his laughter.
"How do these things work?" Joey asked, pulling Justin up. He pointed to his walkie talkie.
Justin wiped at his eyes. "Um, I don't know." They both stared at the back door which you got buzzed into or you swiped your card to get in. All the employees came through that door.
"Well," Justin finally said, fiddling with his headphone walkie talkie. "We've been waiting here forever."
"Why don't we ask Lance what's going on?" Joey suggested. Justin shrugged in agreement. They started to walk over to the guys when they both heard over their walkie talkies, "30...29....28....27...."
"Oh shit!" Justin cried. They both scrambled to the door.
"What is this?" Joey asked.
"The power is going to off in 20 seconds! We have five minutes to get our CD."
"You'd better know where it is." Joey said, pulling out his flashlight.
* * *
Triscia slipped off the hood of JC's jeep when something crackled over her walkie talkie.
"Hey, hey, they're starting." She said to Chris, who was in the car, listening to some tunes.
"Cool." Chris said. "All clear from here."
"I hope you guys know what you're doing!"
* * *
"5... 4... 3..." Lance counted steadily with the blinking blood red numbers on the black box he had placed on the fuse box. He sounded clear, he sounded calm, he sounded like Lance. But in reality his heart was pounding against his chest, his mind was spinning, he felt dizzy and out of control.
It wasn't up to him. It was up to Justin and Joey. It was up to fate. It was insanity. What were they thinking? What were they doing? They didn't even know what they were doing! Lance snuck a look at JC. He leaned against the wall, eyes closed, ready for hurried whispered instruction to the two thieves who were stealing from their "family" of four years.
"2...1..." The fuse box blew, accompanied by a muffled booming sound.
Smoke fizzled from the inside.
"Lights out." Lance said.
* * *
Justin opened the door. The place was very dark, it made Justin's eyes hurt to just look into it. Joey followed, flashlight in hand and working.
It cut the darkness just enough so the wouldn't run into too many walls. The familiar studio had taken a scary turn. Everything that had been safe and nice was now dangerous and menacing. Every turn a chance for downfall. Every step a chance for failure. It all rested on them. If they got caught it all went down. Justin swallowed hard to wet his dry mouth. Joey cringed with every creak. Justin suddenly exhaled loudly. He had been holding his breath and he didn't even know it.
"Down here." Joey's voice was barely a whisper. Anyone could be watching and they knew it. The hallway to Johnny's office was littered with pictures. Pictures of them, in earlier success, pictures of the Backstreet boys in the height of their fame. Pictures of the fledging group C-note, who had yet to make it big. A million thoughts ran through Justin's head.
Why did BSB really leave? Did they know about all the things that Justin did? Why didn't they ever say anything? Why did he feel like he didn't want to know the answer? The nagging thought he always came back to was, what if we're the experiment? He didn't even want to think about that.
"Three minutes." Lance said. Justin jumped. He had forgotten he had the walkie talkie on.
"Whoa!" Joey exclaimed. "Okay, we're here. Hurry Justin." Justin reached in his pocket with trembling hands and used the keys to unlock Johnny's door. The doorknob turned and they walked into the empty room. It wasn't so dark. A light was just outside of the office's curtainless window, cast spooky shadows all around.
"Start looking." Justin yanked open the drawers on Johnny's desk. Joey looked on the floor.
"Um," Joey finally said. "You don't know where it is?"
"Not I don't!" Justin hissed.
"1 minute and 30 seconds." Lance told them.
"We're screwed."
"Look!" Justin screeched. He threw the contents of the drawers on the ground. Joey dumped cabinets.
"I know it's in here, I know it's in here." Justin said, frantically, sweeping the papers off the top of the desk with a big flourish.
"1 minute." Lance said.
"They don't know... they don't have any idea." Joey said.
"Find it, find it, find it!"
"Guys where are you? 40 seconds."
Justin scrambled under the desk. Joey yanked open the closet.
"Get out now. 25 seconds."
"I can't find it!" Joey screamed.
"Oh my God!" Justin yelled, in pure frustration.
"Justin, Joey, can you hear me?" Lance tapped his headphones. "15 seconds!"
"We're going to go to jail." Justin wailed.
"This was so not a good idea!" Joey cried.
"Justin! Joey! Get out! Come on! 8 seconds."
"Justin, you said it was in here." Joey sounded distressed.
"This is freakin' not my fault!" Justin screamed, backing against the bookcase. The whole thing wobbled and whatever was on the top came crashing down. It all fell on Justin's head.
"Ow!" Justin screeched. He stepped away from the pile of books then grinned when he looked in it.
"Here we go." Justin said, happily, grabbing their CD from the floor. "Who'd think to look for a CD on a bookshelf?"
"Good job, Justin!" Joey whooped, slapping Justin on the back. "Let's book." Suddenly Joey could see exactly what Justin was wearing.
Transcontinental Studios was engulfed in light.
* * *
"1..." Lance whispered to himself. JC and Lance heard the humming as the emergency lights switched on. They heard the slight buzzing that came from the open back door. Only experienced ears, who had accidentally tripped it many times, would know that it was the silent alarm.
"You guys... you gotta get out of there." JC said into his walkie talkie. Everything was going wrong. This was all his fault! "The cops will be coming, you set off the alarm."
"Don't worry about us." He heard Justin say back. "We've got under control. You guys leave."
"Not without you." Lance said. Triscia and Chris came running over.
"We heard over the police radio..." Triscia panted as if she had run a mile.
"The police are coming!" Chris finished.
"Where's Joey and Justin?" Triscia asked.
"Still inside."
"That's not good." Chris was good at stating the obvious.
"Nope." JC said, casually.
He was scared out of his mind
"Good thing it's a... silent alarm." Justin's sentence was broken, like he could catch his breath.
"We have to be gone right now." Joey said. He stood on a chair and tugged at the window.
"Got it there, Joe?" Justin could hardly breathe. What was going to happen to them if Transcon caught them?
Joey pulled and grunted. "It's stuck."
"Opening it, Joey?"
"I... can't...get it!"
"Open the damn window!" Justin screamed.
"IT WON'T OPEN!" Joey screamed back.
"This is all your fault!" Justin accused.
"Me!" Joey screeched. "You! You're the one! Mr. I-know-where-the-CD-is!"
"Well, if your fat ass hadn't been so friggen slow we would have been out by now and if you weren't so out of shape the window would be open!"
Joey jumped off the chair.
"Open it, Timberlake. Open it, know-it-all!"
"I can't!" Justin sounded more anguished now, like he was going to burst into tears.
Joey grabbed his arm, argument forgotten. "Come on, I know another way out."
* * *
They heard the sirens long before they could see the police cars. The four of them watched the road in tense apprehension.
"Justin... Joey..." Triscia called into the walkie talkie. "Justin... Joey..." No one answered.
"We can't leave." The flashing lights began to show in the distance, Lance shook his head and repeated himself.
"We can't leave."
They heard the tires squealing, the steady 'vrrrooom' of a motor. Sirens... sirens... sirens.
"They'll be out soon." Lance told everyone, still calm. All they could hear were the sirens, cutting down the streets, loud speakers squealing 'halt, police!' to every car they passed.
"They'll be out." Lance said, but was yanked out of his monotony by JC’s hand pulling him forward.
"We have no choice." JC said, firmly. The four of them ran to the respective cars.
The four of them left.
* * *
Joey led Justin down a flight of stairs he had never seen before.
"If we leave back front, we run into the cops. If we leave out the back, we run into the cops. I've heard about this exit. We might stand a chance." Joey explained and they bounced down the steps. Justin nodded.
They ran down a damp corridor to a lonely dirty white door at the end of it.
Joey opened it.
He had to bite his lip to keep from screaming.
"Oh my God..." Justin whispered dryly. Joey braced him, Justin swayed as if were going to faint.
They were in the land of the dead.