CHAPTER ONE
The two hooded figures crouched in the undergrowth beside the road. They had waited for hours and now night had fallen, but they knew that it would be over soon.
The first figure strained his ears. Was that a vehicle he could hear coming along the deserted road?
CHAPTER TWO Justin fidgeted nervously as Chris drove their van through the dark empty streets. The worst part had been sneaking out of the hotel’s fire exit with the unconscious Brian. Justin had been terrified that someone would see them.
The sound grew louder and up ahead he could see a set of bright headlights shining in the darkness. He smiled and slowly pulled out a gun from his cloak. As the vehicle drew closer, he could see that it was a black bus, almost invisible in the night.
“It’s them,” the second figure hissed, malevolently.
The first nodded and fired the gun. A thin white beam of light pierced the back tyre of the bus. The entire wheel exploded in a blinding ball of light and the bus skidded and came to a halt.
Next, the gunman aimed at the driver.
“Don’t kill anyone!” his companion warned.
He sighed and adjusted the settings on the weapon. Then he fired. This time there was no explosion, only the tinkling of glass.
“That should have stunned the driver. He can’t help them anymore.”
The two of them waited in their hiding places. Eventually, the door of the bus slid open. A young, dark haired man stepped out nervously. He saw the wheel.
“Hey, guys! The back wheel’s come off or something!” he called.
Four other men emerged from the bus and crowded around the wrecked tyre.
“What could have done that?” one of them said.
The two figures stood up at the side of the road. The five men spun around in shock.
“H- Hello?” a blond haired man asked, nervously.
“Greetings,” the first figure replied. “We saw you crash. Are you alright?”
“Uh, yeah, but our driver’s hurt. Who are you?”
“We have come to ask for your help in a… certain matter.”
“What kind of help?”
“Your whole world needs your help. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Backstreet Boys?”
The blond haired man snorted. “Who hasn’t?”
“We need your help in getting rid of them.”
******************
Brian sighed and looked at the piece of blank paper in front of him. It had all seemed so clear a few minutes ago… The lyrics had spun around his head and fit the tune perfectly…
Unfortunately, as soon as he had attempted to capture the song on paper it had disappeared out of his head completely.
He glanced at the clock on the desk and pushed the paper aside. It was getting late and he had a big day ahead of him tomorrow. A press conference, an interview and a concert to end the day with… Life sure was busy nowadays.
Carefully, he slipped his amulet off and placed it on the desk. It glinted strangely in the light but no one could have imagined the power that was inside. Each of the Backstreet Boys had been given an amulet a few months ago and ever since then they had been plagued by Zator, an evil emperor determined to steal the amulets and destroy everything.
Brian was just about to get undressed when there was a knock at the door. Probably Nick, he thought.
“Hey N- ” he began as he opened the door. “Justin?!” he exclaimed in surprise. Justin Timberlake from N* Sync, his rival band, was the last person he expected to see outside of his hotel room!
“Yeah, uh, can we come in?” Justin asked.
“We?” Brian said, before spotting the rest of the band behind him. He hesitated for a second. What could they want?
“It’s important, Brian,” Justin said.
Brian shrugged and stepped aside allowing his five rivals into his hotel room He shut the door behind them and then turned curiously to the band. For some reason they all seemed nervous.
“What’s up then, guys?” he asked, trying to act casual.
“Where are the other Backstreet Boys?” Lance said.
“Kevin’s next door and the others are further down the corridor. Do you want me to get them?”
“No… no don’t do that. This is perfect,” Justin said.
“Huh?” Brian replied, now truly puzzled. Then he saw the syringe in Justin’s hand. He ran for the door but Joey and Chris yanked him back. Brian gave Chris a vicious kick and then reached for his amulet, which would give him his Top Speed powers. He knew he was only supposed to use it against Zator and his creeps but this was an emergency…
As his fingers clasped about the chain Justin snatched the amulet from the desk and then pushed the Backstreet Boy over. Brian groaned as he felt his head smash into the mirror. He prayed that someone had heard it.
“HELP!” Brian yelled, trying to stand. “KEVIN! NI-” Lance cut him off by clapping a hand over his mouth and JC and Joey held Brian’s arms behind his back.
Fearfully, Brian stared up at his captures. A thin trickle of blood oozed down his head from where he had hit the mirror. He struggled to get free but it was useless with three men holding him down. Why were they doing this to him? Warily, Justin approached him.
“I know what you and the other guys are, Brian. I know what you are going to do and I have to stop you,” Justin said, fiddling with the alien amulet. He plunged the needle into Brian’s arm.
Brian gave a muffled scream and desperately tried to pull away from his rivals. His attempts became feebler though as the drug began to take effect. All his strength left him and Brian had to fight to keep his eyes open. It wasn’t long before he surrendered to unconsciousness.
Slowly he pulled a small, bulky black box from his pocket and turned the dial as he had been shown. Then he pressed a few of the glowing buttons upon its surface.
“Well?” a voice said, as a miniature screen lit up with a shadowed figure upon it.
“We got him,” Justin replied, quietly.
“Excellent! Your planet is one step closer to being saved! Did you leave the note?”
Justin nodded but said nothing. He kept remembering the fear and confusion upon Brian’s face when they had grabbed him…
“Now, proceed to the docks,” the voice said. “My men will meet you there… The others didn’t see you did they?”
“No.”
The figure smiled. “Good,” he said. “I’ll see you when you arrive.”
The tiny screen went dead and Justin returned the device to his pocket. As he did, his fingers felt something smooth and round. Carefully, he pulled Brian’s amulet from his coat. The strange alien alloy shimmered with a light of its own.
He stole a glance at Brian’s limp form, securely tied up in the back of the van. Joey and JC were waiting beside him with another needle in case he woke up. His gaze was drawn to the blood on Brian’s head. He hadn’t meant to hurt him… He wondered if his band mates felt as guilty as he did.
“Are you okay?” Lance asked from beside him.
“Uh, yeah sure,” Justin replied, uncertainly.
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. Just think about what the Backstreet Boys would do if we weren’t here to stop them.”
Justin nodded glumly. He knew they were doing the right thing. Brian and the rest of the Backstreet Boys didn't deserve his sympathy.
There was a moan from the back. Justin and Lance turned and saw Brian stirring, fitfully. He trembled and gave another half -hearted cry before falling still again.
“Shall I give him another shot?” JC asked nervously while fiddling with the needle.
“I don’t think he’ll need it. We’re almost there anyway,” Lance replied, turning away.
Justin could not take his eyes off of Brian. His skin was ghostly white in stark contrast to the blood and Justin felt slightly sick inside. He knew that the others were still in shock about their discovery about their rivals but Brian looked so innocent and harmless… so human…
Who’d have thought he was a monster?
***************
Back at the hotel, Nick was wide-awake. He couldn’t sleep. Everytime he dozed off his slumber was filled with nightmares about Zator coming for him.
He sat up and sighed. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to get any more sleep. He wondered if any of the other guys were awake. It was early but Nick had heard footsteps awhile ago, so presumably someone was awake. Maybe he could go for a look around the hotel and find someone to talk to. They had only arrived at the hotel last night and Nick hadn’t had the opportunity to explore the place yet.
He stumbled out of the huge hotel bed and pulled on a grubby shirt and some trousers. Yawning, he located his amulet from beneath a pile of computer magazines and slipped it over his neck.
Quietly, he left his own room and walked along the silent corridor towards the elevator. When he reached Brian’s room he froze. An uneasy feeling settled upon him as he noticed the door ajar.
“Brian?” he said, nervously.
No reply.
Nick peered around the door. Brian was no where to be seen.
He’s probably gone for a walk or something, Nick reassured himself.
Then he saw the broken mirror… and the blood.
“KEVIN!!”