Waking up from the memory replay, I’m a little on the horrified to discover that I’m drenched with sweat and my heart is pounding rapidly in my chest. It’s been years since I even thought about those guys, or had to relive the horror of waking up in a burning house with no idea where any of them were. In fact, I’m a little ashamed to admit that for a while I forgot about them, just because it was easier to bury the pain and pretend that it never existed.

Like it was just an episode of a drama on some channel that I shouldn’t have watched when I was younger.

So, to have it replay so vividly in my head again, something is not right and that’s worrying. However, it’s the middle of the night, I’m currently in LA and there’s no way that I’m even going to attempt to try and start looking for something that I know is not there.

When Xander first pulled me out of that place he tried to help me find the others but it was like they had just disappeared from the face of the earth. Gibbons was vague about answering any questions about them, saying that it was probably best if I left well enough alone but I was not going to take his bulls***. They were my friends, my brothers in arms...there’s no way that they would just leave me there like that.

Of course, now I figure that there had to be a reason why they did because I haven’t even caught a whiff of them on the net and I monitor constantly for the slightest indication that they’re still around. After all I need to get my music somehow and playlists update on an hourly basis so there’s no point in being stuck in the past.

Man, I’m tired, I should go back to sleep but I honestly don’t think I could stand having to put up with the burning flames again so instead I haul myself out of the cheap bed and head to the bathroom to grab some clothes. Mr. Crash-a-holic is passed out in his chair, snoring up a storm so I’m not worried about him questioning what I’m up to though why I’ve been lumbered with sharing the cheap motel room again with him I just don’t want to know the answer to.

At least it’s cooler in the bathroom and there’s no freaking huge spiders that leap out to attack you – unlike the place two nights ago, where I swear to god there were three of the bloody things and I did not get an ounce of sleep. Adele found it hilarious of course and teased me rotten until one of them jumped at her and she squealed like a girl and then chaos reigned. Until Mr. Crash decided to just waltz in, pick them up and throw them out of the back window like they weren’t huge spiders that could jump at you. Ugh, even thinking about those things give me the creeps.

Shaking my head to dispel the images of freaking huge spiders, as mixing them with flames is never a good way to go I’ve found, I splash cold water onto my face and catch sight of myself in the mirror. Sharp features with small dark eyes and black hair which has been cropped down and could probably do with another trim down but I’ll sort that out soon. A couple of piercings in my ears and a couple of tattoos on my arms that I generally keep hidden because they’re personal to me. An easy look to pull off, not too high maintenance and yet stylish enough to attract the right attention.

Sometimes I wonder what I would look life I had remained as the other guy, stayed in the music world as an Idol and opted to go back to the world of long hours for little reward. I’d probably be a wreck knowing my luck and plus the others wouldn’t be there so it wouldn’t be the same.

Letting out a sigh, I grab a pair of trousers and pull them on before heading back to the room and snatching my laptop out of my bag. There’s a small balcony out back which I can use to escape the loudest snoring ever and plus it’s far too hot to sit inside the small stuffy room. Yet another place with broken air conditioning, I swear this is the last time I let Adele choose the place we’re hauling up in.

At least I don’t need to worry about my network being tracked on my laptop, someone would have to be an exceptional hacker to get through the layers of security that a certain old friend put on this years ago, it doesn’t take long to boot up which is great because the view is pretty much standard and boring and I’m just about to turn back to it when there’s a bleep from my mobile. It’s nothing unusual, I’m just surprised because I thought I had the damn thing on silent but I check it all the same.

A message from no number with a picture attachment.

I think I’ll leave that one alone thanks, ain’t getting taken in by that sort of thing whoever you believe you are.

There’s another blip though not five seconds later, followed by another and another and another until I have to put my phone onto silent because it’s making a racket like no other as more and more pictures are sent through from a no number. Just what the hell?

It’s tempting to turn my phone off at this point cause clearly something is messing with me but before I can, there’s another blip from my phone and the message notifications are gone. Instead there’s an update message which says ‘Photos saved to gallery’ and now I’m really going to turn off this blasted phone because we’re already on the run as is and I don’t need anything to be compromised.

Don’t ask how we went from one of the best secret agencies in the world to being practically enemy number one, it’d take about two and a half hours to explain it all.

Before I can even begin to do that though, there’s an alert from my laptop and a really old messenger program opens on my screen. It reminds me of the ones that we used to use years ago, where literally all you could do was change your name and send text. No pictures, no fancy gifs, just words and symbols to express whatever it was you wanted to say to the other person. I wasn’t even aware that I still had that program on my laptop to be honest as it’s certainly never loaded up for a long while so someone is most definitely messing with me and I need to get it off and gone before we’re completely compromised.

However, I’m floored when the notification window pops up with a new message received that says, “Benben, check those photos”

For a full minute, I sit there, gob smacked because I have not been called by that nickname since they were last in my life as I didn’t even tell Xander about it. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions but it’s just a bit too hard.

“Please, Benben,” the message continues after a few seconds, “I need you to know that you can trust me.”

Now this is getting just a little freaky because last time I trusted someone I ended up in a whole load of trouble and the only person I trust now is Xander. But damn it, my curiosity is just too much and I figure that I can always get Becky to trace the source back if there’s any trouble. So, I open the damn photos, expecting to be virus hacked and all sorts of strange men to appear and just chaos to open up but instead they’re just pictures of...

“Hi Benben,” a new e-mail now pops up on my screen startling me out of my thoughts about looking at those pictures and I lean a little closer to the screen in order to read the message.

“Sorry about what happened before.

I had no choice

Though I can’t tell you why.

At least not yet.

You’re doing good for yourself, I’m happy to see that and I love watching the live streams of your gigs as The Hood though you could have picked a better name that didn’t sound so lame but I suppose that’s just your style, right?

Anyway, I need you to know something.

But I can’t tell you about it over here cause they’ll know I’ve warned you and I don’t want that to happen.

Xander will receive a tip off about an informant who can get you info on the guys who screwed the XXX program. Go with him and order some coffee but don’t drink it. Don’t eat either but make as if you’re going to.

Make sure to say hi to a cute friend of mine when you’re there.

I’m sure you’ll get along just swell.

Bye for now Benben”

There was no sign off on the e-mail and I knew that replying would be impossible so I just quietly closed the programs and turned the device off. Slowly I gulped and picked up my phone, scrolling through the photos once again as if not quite ready to believe that they were actually there. I knew all of these photos despite having not seeing them for years because they had been on my really old phone which I thought had perished in the fire.

Along with my friends and former allies.

“Nicks?” Xander’s voice made me jump out of my skin and I tilt my head to look back at him.

“Hi,” I say, a little sheepishly cause way to go Benben

Xander blinks, “You okay?”

“Yeah, just couldn’t sleep, too hot,” I say, flicking my head back to the normal position so that I’m not craning around to see him.

“Okay...” Xander is good at reading me and knows that I don’t want to talk, “Don’t stay up too late thinking about whatever it is.”

“Won’t do,” I reply, waving at him and glancing back down at the phone not paying attention to him anymore. What are the chances of me having the dream of the last time I saw all the guys in the photo below me and then suddenly finding one of them contacting me to meet up with some friend of theirs? Astronomic and I don’t know how to feel right now.

I’ll play along for now, I’ve got no choice in the matter but there’s something stirring in my stomach which makes me feel uneasy.

I hope whoever I’m meeting with tomorrow is cute, I could really do with a nice little distraction from the world.

authors babbling: finally get around to the first chapter of this and stuck with the first person cause I'm really not the best at it but it sort of works for this fic. Hope it was worth the wait and catch you guys soon