{"id":231,"date":"2014-12-30T04:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T04:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/?page_id=231"},"modified":"2021-11-13T17:45:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-13T23:45:10","slug":"part3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/episodes\/episode3\/part3\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Episode 3: \u00a0Remember Me<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Part 3<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nick rubbed his eyes in frustration; he couldn\u2019t focus with the other three yahoos in his group discussing which song they would sing for the group performance. Nick knew he should be over there discussing with them, but he had faith, however small it was, that they\u2019d pick a decent song that wouldn\u2019t require too much work, that most likely he\u2019d know the words, and it\u2019d be okay.<\/p>\n

Looking up at the other three members in his group, he frowned. There was Marcus, who Nick could tell straight off wanted to be the \u201clead\u201d in the group. He went on and on about how he idolized Ricky Martin and Tom Jones and how he knew he was \u201cdestined for greatness.\u201d He\u2019d insisted that all decisions and choices be cleared through him for approval before they were put into play.<\/p>\n

Then there was Joe, who was as tone deaf as they come. He wouldn\u2019t last, Nick was sure; what he couldn\u2019t figure out, though, was how he\u2019d made it this far. When he attempted to \u201csing,\u201d he was flat and always off tempo. Smirking, Nick looked back down at his Sidekick when Marcus once again stopped the rehearsal to give Joe the right key. Nick thought the song sounded familiar, but he couldn\u2019t place it.<\/p>\n

Lastly was Elizabeth, the only girl in the group. She seemed nice enough and had a decent voice, but she kept making passes at all the guys. Nick had caught her staring at him hungrily more than once. She seemed more focused on trying to sleep with one of them than trying to sing or win the competition.<\/p>\n

Clearing his throat, Nick went back to work on his Sidekick. He really wished Di was there; it was too hard to go through everything without her input. That and spending the night together hadn\u2019t been as refreshing as he\u2019d hoped. He could\u2019ve used another round, but at least he had her to run recon while he was stuck undercover.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick, aren\u2019t you going to join us? If this group is going to be successful, we need to have everyone on the same page, ya know; I can only do so much.\u201d Marcus sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah Nick, why don\u2019t you just\u2026 slide on over here beside me, and I can give you\u2026 a hand.\u201d Elizabeth winked.<\/p>\n

Nick looked up and gave an apologetic smile. \u201cSorry guys, I\u2019ll be there in a minute. I\u2019m\u2026 uhh\u2026 talking with my agent. She\u2019s trying to set me up with this\u2026 umm\u2026 lead in a musical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elizabeth\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cYou act?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cY-yeah, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, she licked her lips. \u201cYa know, I\u2019ve always thought actors were hot. You know, the way they read their lines with such passion, and the way they hold the scripts, their fingers gently caressing the pages so that\u2026 so that\u2026 the paper becomes crumpled from the sweat, from the heat of the moment, oh god,\u201d she moaned, fanning herself with her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a line in a commercial once,\u201d Joe announced. His mouth dropped open when Elizabeth directed her gaze at him, looking him over slowly and licking her lips again.<\/p>\n

\u201cFocus, people, focus! Elizabeth, I don\u2019t recall you clearing this discussion on acting through me first. That is not really relevant to the current situation,\u201d Marcus gently chided.<\/p>\n

\u201cHearing you talk like that gets me so turned on, Marcus,\u201d Elizabeth whispered, blowing him a kiss.<\/p>\n

Clearing his throat, Marcus clapped his hands, starting to count off again.<\/p>\n

Rolling his eyes, Nick typed fiercely on his Sidekick. Diamond seemed to be making great progress on her own. She\u2019d sent him some photos of the other groups of contestants. Their best lead now was that everyone in FANS was a blond guy like Justin or DC, which made this group of wannabes pretty useless, except for Nick himself. He briefly wondered if he could\u2019ve infiltrated FANS if they hadn\u2019t run into Justin.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, Joe! Look, you hold the last note, and you have to sing with emotion from the diaphragm! The judges have to see that you\u2019re serious, that we\u2019re serious as a group! This isn\u2019t just a song or a performance, people; we\u2019re making magic here, we\u2019re telling a story! This is a serious song!\u201d Marcus announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiaphragm? What\u2019s that have to do with singing? No one is having sex here, although it could be arranged.\u201d Elizabeth grinned, looking over at Nick. \u201cDid you hear that, Nick? I said it could be arranged, and then we\u2019d really be using a diaphragm. I can get one, ya know, if you really want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick brought his knees closer to his chest, avoiding eye contact. \u201cSorry, Elizabeth. As tempting as that is, I\u2019m going to have to decline.\u201d For once, it wasn\u2019t actually tempting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the offer stands. You know, baby, that goes for you both, too.\u201d She smiled, looking first at Marcus and then Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater, Elizabeth. Nick, come on! You have to learn the dance,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow!\u201d Marcus pointed to the spot beside Elizabeth.<\/p>\n

Groaning, Nick slipped his phone into his pocket and made his way over.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, now, here we go. Just watch me closely. We\u2019ll do a couple of run-throughs, and then we\u2019ll sing as we do the routine. Here we go — five\u2026 six\u2026 five, six, seven, eight!\u201d Marcus announced.<\/p>\n

They spent the next fifteen minutes learning the routine for a song Nick still didn\u2019t know. Nick spent most of the time trying to avoid Elizabeth\u2019s wandering hands and smothering looks.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Nick, I want you to drop to your knees on the break, arms open wide as if you\u2019re pleading to your lady love,\u201d Marcus practically squealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, why does he get to do the break?\u201d Joe frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, originally, I was going to do it, but I figured I can\u2019t sing the lead and do the break without it looking funny, so I decided to let Nick do it.\u201d Marcus shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about me? I\u2019ve been here practicing, and he\u2019s been over there talking with his agent. I want a solo,\u201d Joe whined.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, what did we say about decisions? You didn\u2019t ask me first, and because of that, you don\u2019t get a solo. Remember, we\u2019re a team; there\u2019s no \u2018I\u2019 in \u2018team.\u2019 Okay, I think we\u2019re ready to do a full run-through. Here we go — one\u2026two\u2026 one, two, three, four!\u201d Marcus counted off.<\/p>\n

The other three started singing, and Nick froze. It couldn\u2019t be…<\/p>\n

It just couldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n

It was.<\/p>\n

Damn it. He should have been more involved; he would have made them pick another song. Nick shook his head. He knew Marcus had been the one to choose the song; it had his stink all over it. Before Nick could redirect the group, they were called to perform next, and his heart dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, everyone, this is it! Let\u2019s go!\u201d Marcus called, hurrying out to the stage.<\/p>\n

Nick hesitantly made his way out to the stage and got into position, groaning when the music started playing. Resolutely, he forced himself to start dancing as Marcus started singing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst time was a great time, second time was a blast, third time I fell in love, now I hope it lasts. I can see it in your walk, tell it when you talk, see it in everything you do\u2026 even in your thoughts\u2026\u201d<\/em> Marcus sang passionately.<\/p>\n

Groaning, Nick joined in with the chorus.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got the right stuff, baby, love the way you turn me on. You got the right stuff, baby, you\u2019re the reason why I sing this song\u2026\u201d he sang softly. Luckily, these were still closed auditions; he\u2019d die if this got out. Sighing, he dropped to his knees with his arms spread apart as he sang his solo. \u201cAll that I needed was you\u2026 oh girl, you\u2019re so right. And all that I wanted was you\u2026 you made all\u2026 my dreams come true!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, oh, oh-oh-oh\u2026 Oh, oh, oh-oh\u2026 Oh, oh, oh- oh-oh, the right stuff!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking over, he saw Marcus give him a discreet thumbs-up. Though Nick rolled his eyes, he continued to sing and dance, upset to find that he actually started to enjoy it –at least until Elizabeth broke formation to grind against him suggestively. When he managed to shuffle away from her, he breathed a sigh of relief. This was too ridiculous for him to pass another round and stay undercover. At least he\u2019d get to go back to Diamond.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, oh, oh-oh-oh\u2026 Oh, oh, oh-oh\u2026 Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, the right stuff.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you very much.\u201d The British judge raised his palm to stop the song. \u201cNick Carter and Joe Hearty can stay. The rest of you, thank you for trying out.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

As Jay came into her laboratory, her sanctuary of metal and steel, she sighed. Her eyes never left the cameras. Her initial reaction had been natural; Justin had been a close friend of hers like Nick was. At times, Nick had seemed closer, and other times, Justin had. Now, there was only Nick, of course.<\/p>\n

The accident had shaken her up badly… and she had refused to think about it since. Seeing him like he was on the video, hatred and rage seeping from within the one remaining eye… Had she contributed to what he was now? Was this her fault for not —<\/p>\n

No, she wasn\u2019t going to think about it. She had gotten past the entire thing, and everything was normal at HimTak again. No.<\/p>\n

When Jay sat beside her, Pearl twirled a loose blonde curl around her finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cK knows. He\u2019ll come by to check the cameras, I think, now that the mission\u2019s gotten complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cComplicated is not the word — a vast understatement, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the word then, Pearl?\u201d he asked calmly. She never was one for talking out emotions. Since he had met her, he had tried to pry them out of her. Sometimes, Agent Jay was successful, but those times were rare. In situations like this, which were painful for many, including him, one needed to talk them out. But not ever her. Not willingly, at least.<\/p>\n

A shrug was her simple reply to the pointed question. \u201cIf you\u2019re watching the feeds, I need to check something in my office,\u201d she said flatly, wishing she could turn off the emotions. Yet she couldn\u2019t, so she escaped to her office in the back of her lab.<\/p>\n

It was rare that others found her here, as she enjoyed her work and was constantly tinkering with some new gadget or device. She shut the door behind her and the turquoise walls with bright yellow accents welcomed her. This was her, a bright and cheery office. Truly it was, with a quite cluttered, simple white desk and the color scheme remaining the bright blue and yellow throughout the room. Something surprising to some, with her often sarcastic and dry wit-humored view upon the world. Deep down, she was pretty optimistic and sensitive. She was as human as any other. Many seemed to forget that behind the brains, there was a person. It got frustrating at times, but it\u2019s something she\u2019d gotten used to over the years.<\/p>\n

Pearl sighed and pulled a photograph from the bulletin board above the desk. It was almost four years old. One of the agents had taken it, she remembered, but she couldn\u2019t place who. In the picture, she tried to grab her handmade camera back from Justin; Nick laughed and cheered him on instead of helping. They had been reprimanded for slacking off instead of training, but that had been how she met Nick and Justin for the first time.<\/p>\n

She loved when she got assigned to go on missions, especially with those two. With her expertise in certain technologies and her ability to handle herself on the field, it happened more commonly than she had originally thought it would. But she hadn\u2019t been on one since the mission that had, in essence, destroyed Justin. How could she?<\/p>\n

There was a reason she had put so much time into Nick\u2019s car. Projects kept her mind away from her life, distanced her from it. It was her personal therapy, and she had needed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPearl, you gotta help me… please… god… Kitana, I got no one else to go to!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That single phrase, his pained voice, still haunted her, as it had since the day she had refused to do what someone else eventually would\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It had been a simple day; she had just started her sketches for the car she would eventually modify. She had spotted it, and her mind had what she considered her greatest project idea yet. Now she was just sketching the layouts since this was going to be a massive project. Of course she was concerned about Justin, but the swelling had seemed to go down since the eye burst. Ashamedly, his brand new eye patch unnerved her a bit. After that mission, her mind had gone into overdrive, and Pearl just couldn\u2019t take it. Nick had been keeping to himself, and without her two closest friends around, she just felt like isolating herself for the moment.<\/em><\/p>\n

She was sure Jay would be down soon, however. Their mentor had been keeping a careful eye on her and Nick as of late. K had been, too, now that she thought of it. For now, the tunes of classic Beatles songs soothed her as she sketched in her office, rather than in her laboratory.<\/em><\/p>\n

She jumped at the sound of slamming doors, and she looked up to find Justin standing before her with the horror of relapse. It had been a possibility since Red hadn\u2019t known of a cure. If Pearl had been into medical science rather than mechanical, she would have fought to find a cure as well. No one knew of one for Phoenix Suicide yet. Nick had just been lucky his arm had only gotten a tiny fraction of what had hit Justin.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPearl, you gotta help me… please… god… Kitana, I got no one else to go to!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJu\u2026 Drums, what\u2026 is it happening again?\u201d Her mind blanked, and, for a moment, she was actually at a loss for words.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t take dis pain! Red can\u2019t help me; doctors wouldn\u2019t know what dis is. You a genius, Kit, you know dat. Dis shit is so wickety whack! You know dat human robotics stuff like it\u2019s nothin\u2019!\u201d His hand clutched at the socket where his eye had once been; his head was pulsating with enlarged blood vessels. Already, it was beginning to swell again. \u201cI need you to use all dat shit to fix me up, trip me out, yo!\u201d The slang. His emotions were jumping, and she couldn\u2019t say there wasn\u2019t a reason for it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pearl stared at him in shock. He knew her well enough to know her views. \u201cDrums\u2026 I\u2026 you know I can\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? We was a posse! Firs\u2019 Nick, now you! God!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened was\u2026 an accident! I can\u2019t do it. Justin, I would have to wire up to the optical nerves to your brain; it would take intense surgery. Brain surgery. You would mentally be more machine! It dehumanizes! I can\u2019t do it to you. I\u2019m not going to turn you into a robot so you can have two eyes again. Even the surgery just to get the swelling down… the chips and wires… I would have to hook so much into your system in so many ways\u2026 No,\u201d she said brokenly, crossing her arms over her chest. She stared at the floor, trying to hide the pain that achingly stabbed at her as she refused his pleas. \u201cJust no. Please don\u2019t ask me this. I… I can\u2019t. No.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

“Kitana\u2026 you gonna say no?? I could die from dis whack shit Nick got on me! He knew what he was doin\u2019\u2026 you doin\u2019 dis fo\u2019 him, right?\u201d He was breathing rapidly, beads of sweat dripping down his face like a slow rain as he winced from the pain.<\/em><\/p>\n

She just observed him with obvious remorse. \u201cI\u2019m doing this for you. I\u2019m sorry, Justin, but dehumanizing you, to me, is worse than death\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Justin simply stared at her, a man betrayed. \u201cYou ain\u2019t da person I thought you was\u2026 Professor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She wiped her eyes discreetly as her hair fell into her face. Pearl knew she could have saved him. The guilt had never faded from her thoughts, despite all the projects she had started afterwards to try and escape it. Because she knew she could have saved him. She had the skills, but she knew the cost as well, and, for her, it was too high.<\/p>\n

Now it seemed Justin had found someone else to do it for him instead. He had been a new man on those cameras. So dark, so empty. Gone were the joking, playful actions and the excited Ebonics he always seemed to be spewing, despite all their protests. Just part of his charm, then. Gone was the caring nature he\u2019d had. Now he was nothing but a dark, shadowed reflection of the man he once was — a cold machine.<\/p>\n

\u201cPearl, come here. We need to start skimming the feeds for Justin, see if he\u2019s acting alone since the other agent was killed by his own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe right there, Jay,\u201d she spoke softly into her headset as she set the picture aside on her desk. Just memories. That\u2019s all the picture could be. The Justin they knew was no longer there.<\/p>\n

Pearl had a job to do. She\u2019d made her choice then. Justin had made his now. They all would be forced to deal with the consequences.<\/p>\n

And they all would just have to live with them.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Part 4<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Episode 3: \u00a0Remember Me Part 3   Nick rubbed his eyes in frustration; he couldn\u2019t focus with the other three yahoos in his group discussing which song they would sing for the group performance. Nick knew he should be over there discussing with them, but he had faith, however small\u2026<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":126,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"templates\/template-onecolumn.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-231","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P5xaHX-3J","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":872,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/231\/revisions\/872"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dreamers-sanctuary.com\/00carter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}