All of the men in suits leave the room, thus leaving the members of 98 Degrees, Backstreet, Nsync and my groups standing around in the center of the room. The outer perimeter of the room was lined with very large, burly men.

JC walks up to me, "You stay with Jeff and Kevin. They'll keep you safe until this is over."

He turns and begins to leave the room, "Jayce? Wait." I rush to his side and grab his arm. "I can't just sit around while you're out risking your life." He opens his mouth to say something, "Don't...I know this isn't just like going on stage and performing one of your concerts. Don't try to snow me. I know this shit is dangerous. Just don't ask me to sit around while you're doing whatever it is you are going off to do."

JC takes a deep breath, "What do you suggest? You can't come with me. I can't guarantee your safety if you're in the field."

"Well...I don't know, but I can't just sit around with them (I point to Jeff and Kevin). I don't know them and it would just make the wait even longer."

Lance walks up to us, "I could use some help in the van. He could come and help me out there."

I look to JC with hope in my eyes. He looks at Lance and sighs again, "You keep him safe, James. I don't think I could handle the pain again."

Lance pulls JC off to the side and whispers something into his ear. JC smiles, nods and then leaves the room. Lance comes back over and grabs AJ's arm on the way, "You two are with me. Anything happens Mark, you still to AJ like glue. He may look a bit crazy but he'll keep you safe. You got it?"

"Thanks Lance. I really don't think I could sit around in a hotel and do nothing. I'd go nuts."

"It's nothing man. That's how I felt the first time too. Now I'm an operative and it's great to be able to break out of that damn mold I'm always pigeon-holed into."

***Two hours later In the Communications Van***

"So...You know alot about this kind of stuff?" I ask Lance.

"Just what they've taught me during training. The rest I've picked up as we go along. It'd be nice if we could find someone who's been trained on some of this stuff. The Section isn't exactly big on training. They just kinda assume you'll figure it out, and you don't wanna know what happens to the those that can't."

"Well... Maybe I can be of some help. What kind of equipment ya'll working with here?" I sit down next to him and check out the 'stuff'. "This is a piece of cake man. I had to use this shit in college."

Lance looks at me, "Really? You've gone to college?"

"Well yeah. Not all of us can do a Disney special one week and become teenage sensations the next. Some of us actually had to scrape up the money to keep doing this shit. I went to college, just in case." I smile.

"Please don't even go there. You know as well as I do that we didn't hit it overnight any more than you did. We just happen to have gotten lucky and hit it sooner than you cuz of Lou. That's about the only thing that man actually did that was good for us."

"So he really did treat you guys badly?"

"Hell yeah. He ripped us off man. Do you have any idea how many albums we sold under his management, only to see pennies while we were with him. Jive has been great to us. In more ways than one."

"Are they..."

"I can't tell you man. Just don't ask. You'll find out soon enough how it works with them."

"So...What about your grandmother? How do they know where she is? How does JC know where to go?"

"Intelligence my dear. Did you see those little palm pilot things that everyone was holding while we were in that meeting?" I nod my head. "Well...They weren't palm pilots. They were intel devices that Section uses to pass along information."

"But...How'd they all get them? JC didn't have that thing yesterday."

"Yeah, he did. He's very good at hiding it. He is the best. Nobody in Section is a match for him."

"He's that good?"

"Like I said. There's no one in Section better."

"How long's he been doing this?"

"I don't know. I think either since his time in LA or maybe even before that. It's been a long time. He knows a lot. If they ask you to join, you need to ask for him as your team leader. He'll take care of you."

"I hope so. Hey..." I start, looking down at the screen in front of me. "Are we the green or the red dots man?"

"We're the green ones, why?"

"Cuz that little green one over there," I point to the screen, "Is about to get ambushed. I just saw three red ones disappear into that hot zone."

"Damn, that's Jayce. He's point." Lance picks up the small earpeice with a microphone attached, "Alpha Leader? Do you copy?"

"Yeah, base. What is it?"

"You got company up ahead. 4 meters ahead. One at 3 o'clock, One at 9 o'clock and we've lost the other one."

"Thanks. I've got 'em."

"Shit. Lance he's got more than three coming after him. Look..." I point to where a group of 5 red dots are approaching the same area. He's gonna get killed." I start freaking out. "Isn't there someone else who can back him up? Shit. This isn't good."

"Relax man. He's been in worse situations than this, plus look..." Lance points at the screen where several green dots are approaching from all sides. "He's got the best team with him."

"Base this is Alpha Leader. We're in. Is it clear?"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

The van is completely silent as they bust into the room. Five green dots enter the room and converge on the one red dot in the middle of the room.

"Base. This is Alpha Leader."

"Go ahead Alpha Leader."

"Objective has been acquired."

Lance lets out the breath he'd been holding.

"Right. Alpha Leader. Pull back and meet up back at Zone 6."

"Roger. Out."

"Lance?" I start. "There is another group of red dots about to amush them again."

"Shit!!!!!!! Alpha Leader. Bandits approaching from the rear. Seven."

"Roger. Thanks Base."

***Several minutes later***

"Base. This is Bravo Leader."

"Go ahead Bravo Leader."

"Alpha Leader has been hit. We're extracting. We still have objective but we need to get Alpha to Section imediately."

"Roger. We're on our way in." Lance reaches under the small desk that the computers were sitting on and pulls out two 9 MM's. He hands me one, "You know how to use one of these?"

"No, but I'll learn quickly."

He reaches over, slaps the magazine in and flips the safety off, "Now all you gotta do is point and shoot. You got twelve shots in that mag. Here's a backup. You're my cover. If I get hit. Get Alpha in here and get the fuck out of here. Don't wait for me, he's more important."

The van stops and Lance flies out the back door. I see several men dressed in black approaching but recognize some of them from the meeting. I see two of the men are carrying people, one is a woman and the other looks to be JC. Then I see the group of men coming up behind them and aim the pistol at one of them, "Well...Here goes nothing." I sqeeze the trigger and one of the men hit the ground. "Holy shit. I actually hit one of them."

"Yeah well don't get too excited man. Help them get JC and Mrs Bass in the van so we can go." AJ grouses.

"Right. Lets go." I reach out and grab the man's hand that's carrying Mrs Bass and yank him up into the van. Then I reach for the guy who's carrying JC when he gets shot in the back. "Shit." I jump out of the van and grab JC, throw his limp body into the van and then turn to Lance who goes down with a shot to the leg. "Cover me AJ, I'm gonna get him."

"No you're not. Get you're...God damn rookies. Gonna get himself killed." AJ growls.

I rush out grab Lance and pull him to his feet. I help him to the van and we both climb in as it begins to drive away.

Mrs. Bass smiles at me and then pulls Lance into her arms, "Thanks for saving my son. I know you weren't supposed to go after him but it's good that you did."

"No problem ma'am," I smile. I look over at JC. AJ is kneeling beside him, "How is he?"

"He'll be alright. He's had worse." AJ pulls off JC's black sweater and the bullet-proof vest that's under it to reveal a bright red spot on his shoulder and another spot in his side. "Yeah, he'll be fine." He pulls a small pouch out from under his sweater and pops open a salt pack. "Ok boss. You've taken a long enough break man."

"Huh?" JC's eyes slowly open. "Where? Oh shit. AJ. What?" He looks around until his eyes land on me. He tries to sit up but can't so I lean down next to him. "What happened to you?" He asks.

"What do you mean? Nothing happened to me."

"You're bleeding. Why?"

"What? Where?" I look down at my stomach and then over to both shoulders, "Oh, you mean this? This isn't mine. It's yours and Lance's."

"What???? How did he..." He looks around and sees Lance sitting by while his mom wraps up his leg. "Shit. You ok James?"

"Yeah I'm good but he's not. He did get winged. He just hasn't realized it yet. He's still on an adrenaline rush. Mark. Look at your shoulder. You never touched either one of us with your shoulder man. That's your blood."

"I'm fine AJ. Take a look at his shoulder and see how bad it is."

"Will do boss." AJ pulls me to the floor and leans over my shoulder. "Gotta take this shit off so I can see it man."

I take my sweater off and the vest underneath, "Shit that smarts."

"You ever been shot before?" AJ smirks.

"Yeah. I get shot all the time." I smirk back.

We pull into this tunnel-like thing and then into a room filled with bright white light.

"Ah, home sweat home." AJ smiles. "Looks like you get to meet Operations."

"Oh really, lucky me." I deadpan. "You gonna be ok?" I look at JC.

"Yeah, they'll have me up and running around in no time."

"What about him?"

"By this time tomorrow, you won't even know he's been shot."

"How can that be? What they got some kind of regeneration technology that the rest of the world doesn't?" I tease.

JC just smiles and raises an eyebrow, "You'd be suprised what these people can do, Mark."