CHAPTER THREE
Brian moaned as he realised that he was awake. The throbbing pain in his head wasn’t just part of his dream… it was agonisingly real. On top of that, his whole body ached and his parched throat was painfully sore. What the hell had Justin injected him with?
CHAPTER FOUR Nick sat alone on his bed trying to fight the tears that threatened to over spill at any minute.
Gently, AJ sat down and put a comforting arm around his friend.
He blinked blearily as he opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings in dismay. He was locked in a dreary cell with metal walls and chains had been fastened to his arms and legs to prevent him from moving too far.
Carefully, Brian dragged his weary body to its feet and limped a few uncertain steps. The chains allowed him to move about a metre from the wall but that was it. Opposite him was a door with a glowing panel set beside it but Brian’s chains did not allow him to reach that far to investigate.
“Hello?” he called, wincing at the pain it caused his poor throat. Where are you Justin, you bastard?
Miserably he sat back down upon the cold metal floor and furiously rattled his chains but they were securely locked. N*Sync obviously did not want him to escape.
He slumped against the wall. What did they want with him?
Slowly, the door slid open. Brian blinked painfully in the harsh light that poured through. A tall, fearsome figure loomed in the doorway. The blood red armour glistened and the door closed leaving Brian alone with his capture.
“What do you want, Zator?” Brian asked, hoarsely.
Zator laughed menacingly. His booming voice echoed throughout the cell. “The amulets, of course,” he said. In one hand he swung Brian’s own amulet tauntingly.
“You may have mine but you’ll never get the others,” Brian replied, forcing his voice to sound stronger than the pathetic croak that it was.
“Oh, but I’m sure that your friends wouldn’t want to see you get hurt,” Zator sneered.
“They won’t give you the amulets. You’d use them to destroy everything, they know that.”
“Those amulets will be mine, make no mistake about that! And you are the one who is going to help me get them.”
“Me? No way in hell!” Brian would have laughed if his situation wasn’t so precarious.
“We shall see. By the way, what do you think of my new friends?”
Zator pushed the panel and the door opened once more. Justin shuffled forward into the cell.
Brian glared accusingly at his rival. “How could you?” he said. “I know that we’re rivals but this is going too far!”
“I have to stop you, Brian,” Justin said.
“Huh? From doing what?”
“You know what! Zator has told me all about your evil plans to use the amulets to conquer Earth! I can’t let you do that! I have to save my world!”
Brian’s mouth fell open. “Justin that’s not true! Me and the rest of the Backstreet Boys are protecting the amulets! It’s Zator who wants to use them for evil! He’s lying to you!”
“Yeah, right,” Justin snorted.
“Come Justin, we have things to do,” Zator said. “We have to make preparations for sending him and his Daorian friends back to their own dimension.” Zator re-opened the door and strode out of the cell. Justin followed him.
“Daorian? What’s that? I’m human, Justin, just like you! We’re on the same side! Justin, don’t listen to him! He’s lying and he’ll kill you! Justin! Justin!!”
“Don’t worry, they’ll find him,” he said.
The police had been called as soon as Nick discovered that Brian was missing. His scream had awoken half the hotel. Unfortunately, there were no clues. No one had seen or heard anything. Nick remembered the footsteps he had heard before getting up and realised that it had probably been the kidnappers. Now he felt so hopeless... why hadn't he gone to see who it was? And then there was the note…
“No, they won’t,” Nick replied wretchedly. “Zator took him.”
“We don’t know-”
“Yes we do! Kevin and I found this note. We took it just before the police arrived. They can’t help us,” Nick said, handing AJ a crumpled piece of paper.
Dear Backstreet Boys,
As you have probably discovered, your friend is gone. He is with me on my spaceship. For the moment he is unhurt but for how long this remains true depends upon your co-operation.
I will contact you again shortly.
Have a pleasant day, boys.
Zator
Nick watched as AJ read the note and finally his tears got the better of him.
“Why’d he take Brian?” Nick sobbed. “What does he want?”
“He’s toying with us,” AJ said. “Is Brian’s amulet gone too?”
Nick nodded. “Kevin and I searched his room but it’s not there.”
“I’ll bet that’s what Zator was after and that he’ll try and get hold of our amulets as well,” AJ said. What he didn’t mention was how he thought that Zator would most likely kill Brian if they didn’t give him what he wanted. However, judging by the expression upon Nick’s face, he’d already worked the same thing out.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Nick wiped his eyes on his sleeve before opening it to see his friends Kevin and Howie.
“The police are completely stuck, of course,” Kevin said. “But they’re going to do their best to find him.”
“But they won’t find anything. We got to rescue him ourselves!” Nick said.
“I know but it’ll be hard to sneak off with our security watching us like hawks all of the time!” Kevin replied. “And how are we going to get to Zator’s ship? It’s in outer space!”
“Nicky, we’ll think of something,” Howie said softly, seeing Nick’s face crumple again in despair. “Anyway, Zanell will probably turn up to give us a hand when she finds out what Zator has done.”
Nick nodded. Zanell was Zator’s rebellious daughter. She was the one who had stolen the amulets and given them to the Backstreet Boys for safekeeping. Nick was certain that she would be able to help him and it would also give him the chance to see her again. He missed her so much...
“The police think that they do have one lead, though,” Howie said. “There’s rumours that N*Sync were seen leaving the hotel this morning. The police are going to call them in for questioning!”
AJ smiled slightly, despite of the miserable situation they were in. “Ha! Imagine that! N*Sync kidnapping a Backstreet Boy! As if that would ever happen!”
***********************
Justin sat by himself in his cabin staring out of his window into the star filled abyss beyond. The beautiful view helped to take his mind off of present events. Soon though, he would have to return home to Earth. He just prayed that he wouldn’t bump into the rest of the Backstreet Boys…
There was a buzz from the door. Justin turned away from the comforting stars. “Come in,” he said.
It was Lance and JC. They sat down either side of him.
“Justin,” Lance said. “We’re worried about you. You’ve been really quiet since we…” he trailed off.
Justin struggled for words to say but he could not think of anything.
“I told you that you shouldn’t feel guilty. Those deserve everything they get! Those Daorians were planning to destroy our home!” JC said.
“I know but… It feels wrong somehow. What Zator is doing to Brian is just cruel. He’s already got him chained up, there was no need for the poison!” Justin said.
“It’s just to…” Lance replied, uncomfortably. “To make sure that he doesn’t escape and if the rest of the Backstreet Boys see what state he’s in then it’ll make them give Zator the amulets!”
“And what’ll happen to the boys then? You know how much Zator hates them!”
“They’ll get what they deserve! And Zator is only trying to save our world!
Is he? Justin thought, absentmindedly. “But they’re so human… and surely someone would have noticed by now if they were from another dimension! You know how much the media stalk them!”
The two other men fell silent and Justin knew that they had their doubts as well.
“If they are human, then what are they doing with the amulets?” JC asked, after a long silence.
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore,” Justin replied.
“Look, you’ll feel better when it’s over and done with,” Lance said, patting Justin’s shoulder.
Justin turned back to his stars. It has seemed so exciting at the time. Their rivals, the Backstreet Boys, were really evil beings from another dimension wanting to conquer Earth! Zator had told them how the Backstreet Boys had stolen the amulets that he used to defend the Earth and how they were going to use them for their evil deeds. It had been the power of the amulets, which had made them so big in the pop world. Those aliens got all the fame that N*Sync should be getting!
Zator had come to them for help. They were the only ones who could stop their rivals. After it was over with, Zator would make them the biggest boy band in the world… But was it worth it? Justin wasn’t sure anymore.
And what did Zator want with Brian? N*Sync had been given strict instructions to kidnap him.
“Not one of the others. It must be him,” Zator had said.
Justin sighed. It was all too suspicious and he wished that they had never got involved with Zator.