Thanks for the reviews everyone! I should be able to spend more time writing over the next few days. So I am posting this and hoping for another chapter to be up pretty quick. Fingers crossed that my muse feels like hanging out with me in a hotel room!
Not too long ago...
Atticus Moon was very well-connected, so well-connected that it only took fifteen months for his sentence to be overthrown because of a technicality. He was released with a bitter apology from the prison, the prosecuting lawyer and a hand-written card from MI-6. It felt really, really - well, ridiculously good, to tell the truth. But what he needed - what he craved was one more apology: from Big Time Rush, preferably on their knees.
After all, his plans for world domination had been foiled by those...
Moon huffed out a breath. Idiots! Who wears tuxes to face a villain in the height of his most evil plans? But then again... maybe it was a sign of respect. If so...forgiven.
But well-dressed or no, those boys had ruined his meticulous plans. He'd thought about it often in that horrible prison: while eating a bowl of mush with old, hard raisins in it for breakfast, while washing dishes in the steamy, grimy kitchen after the lunch rush, and while lying on his hard bunk at night in between counting sheep. After nearly a year of thinking, Moon had figured out his biggest mistake - while cleaning out the toilets in the second floor bathroom with a toothbrush - not his own, of course.
His biggest mistake had been kidnapping that Katie girl. After that, it had become personal for Big Time Rush and that had led to their unlikely, near-impossible triumph. Although, now that he was back in his evil lair and had watched the security tapes over and over again, the truth had finally been revealed. The whole plan was succeeding, was seconds away from being irretrievably successful when, at the last possible second, the tall, pretty idiot fell from the balcony. He had been kissed and, nearly fainting with what was apparently idiotic bliss, he landed on Moon and knocked the forcefield off. How could Moon possibly have prevented that? When the forcefield switched off, the dolt's friends had come up and grabbed the BUG off its moon-moving device. How humiliating! An idiot swooning in the throes of a kiss took down his beautiful plan!
But not this time.
Moon stood, letting a sly smile play around his mouth. This time, he had a fool-proof plan to bring the world under his control with one very important first step - eradicating Big Time Rush. His time in prison had been well-spent: getting stronger, slimmer, exploring other color options than white for his wardrobe, making new, far more brutal contacts and going through very painful cat withdrawal. It had been horrific, but necessary. And all those watching him go through it all, the other inmates, had learned respect for how he had undergone his trials. They had learned to watch him approach quivering with fear.
"They were probably laughing, honestly."
The voice surprised Moon, but it was a mere moment before he recovered. Not much flailing about at all. Nerves of steel. "Are you still here, Catgirl?" Moon raised one eyebrow and looked at his new sidekick. "They were not laughing. They were quivering in their...you know what, I don't have to listen to you. You're my sidekick, Catgirl, not the other way around!"
The young, thin girl in a red leather catsuit posed, smiling at him. Her face was hidden behind a red mask that curved to her face perfectly and gave her cute cat ears. "You're hardly evil, Moon, just a narcissistic shell filled with a gloomy, gooey center. I, on the other hand, I'm one hundred percent evil." She swung her long, straight ponytail behind her and posed. "You need my street cred."
"Yes, yes. We've discussed that, which is why I hired you when you responded to my ad. Those other idiots were all poseurs. Fakes. Phoneys. But there's something about you..." he trailed off, frowning at her.
"Something eeeevil," she asked quickly resuming her pose, an idle finger tracing the coil of the whip fastened at her left hip.
"Well...not exactly. It's more that you're around the same age as those infernal boys from Big Time Rush. Maybe they'll be charmed by your feminine wiles and get...distracted. The big, dumb one at least. All we need is one kiss to take him down...and he's the most important."
"He is? But I thought the one with the eyebrows made all of the decisions?"
Moon frowned. "Pah. I find him annoying, but easy to manipulate through the love of his family."
"And the short one with the tall hair? Isn't he some kind of genius with a killer smile?"
"Possibly. But he is extremely fearful and unlikely to continue in any venture when he runs up against someone who prefers violence to communicate. And don't even ask about the small, insane one with weird dreams though he is pretty good with a sonic boom gun in his hands. Make a note of that!" Moon said loudly.
Catgirl looked around in confusion. "Wait...do I make the notes...or didn't you say that was the butler's job?"
"The butler!" Moon snapped his fingers. "I knew I forgot something. I must hire a butler and yes, he will make the notes. And the food. Now, getting back to Big Time Rush, I believe you can see that I have a sadistic, criminally-delightful plan coming together. And you are a valuable part of my team."
"Of course I am. But I can do more than kiss a boy, you know." With a determined yell, and stunningly fast movements, she pulled out the whip and sent it lashing out at Moon - once, twice, three times. He could do nothing but gasp.
While she coiled the whip and fastened to her left hip again, Moon watched his purple pants fall to the floor, cut into four pieces.
"By the way, those are a terrible color. You should definitely go back to white."
"I don't do white anymore," he said in a strained voice. "Thank you for not cutting up my boxers. I appreciate the self-control."
"As if I wanted to see you undressed," she said cattily. "It will be a much greater test when the boys of Big Time Rush are in the room."
Moon raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."
"So, when will the first plan be ready?" she asked with a feline grin.
"In days," he said with a lighthearted, evil laugh. "After I hire a butler, of course. I've been thinking an entire legion of...mice? No, roaches! No, that's not quite right. Something we can acquire scads of and release in the sewers below the Nashville concert theater. I have found someone who says he can control whatever creatures we want with some sort of infrared muddle-thingummy that I don't understand. He says he can get them to go through tunnels and emerge right in front of the concert stage. I have been having the most delicious dreams about the boys screaming and batting at their hair and getting scratched and bit and overrun by...whatever. But that's not even all I've got planned. Not at all."
Catgirl smirked. "Sounds very evil. I can't wait. Let me know if you need a little extra pain inflicted on someone."
Moon jumped as something hit the wall beside him with a CRACK. A chunk of cement fell off with a small thud! He looked over to see Catgirl winding up her whip.
"You are very quick you know."
"Meow," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Aren't you glad I'm on your side?"
Moon didn't want to admit it, but yes...yes, he was.
Present Day...
"I can't believe it," Gustavo moaned. "It's in all the papers. It's all over Scuttlebutter. They're calling it 'Big Time Infestation.' How do we recover from this?"
Kendall shook his head and handed one of the problematic entertainment mags to James to read beside him. James passed it on to Carlos without reading a word and turned his attention back on Gustavo's pacing form. The three of them were sitting dejectedly on the couch.
"It wasn't Big Time Rush's fault," Kelly said. "We sue the venue."
Gustavo turned back to them to wail, "We caaaaaan't because there was a clause in the contract I didn't see."
"Yep, there it is," Logan said, one finger holding its place on the contract that was spread over the glass table. He was perched on a small stool. "It says so right here. Why did you ever agree to this, Gustavo?"
Gustavo wailed. "I don't know!"
"That's not true. You know; you just didn't read it, did you?" Kelly said.
"She's right; I never do. And now Griffin's going to fire me."
Kendall would have argued but within seconds, Griffin was coming down the hall with his two ubiquitous, unsmiling henchpersons behind him. He stood there with his usual bright smile even as he fired Gustavo. Then he turned to the boys. "I'm not quite sure what this means for Big Time Rush. I may reshuffle some resources, try someone new to be your producer, or...I may just get rid of the division completely. I'll let you know tomorrow. Ciao!"
He turned to walk away. They sat in stunned silence and before anyone could formulate a response, Griffin had already turned around and in seconds, his whole crew was once again standing in front of the boys.
"Never mind," Griffin said. "That sounds like a lot of work. Doesn't that sound like a lot of work, new guy-who stands-behind-me?" The new blond guy nodded. "I think, instead, I should give Gustavo a chance to recoup the $500,000 lost from the canceled concert and the ensuing bad press. If you can make the money up, then you can stay. You have three days. Re-Ciao!"
The three of them turned and walked away, leaving everyone once again silent with shock. Gustavo put his head down and cried like a five-year-old who's lost his lollipop. Kelly patted him on the back uncomfortably.
"$500,000?" Kendall asked in outrage.
"That's a conservative estimate," Logan commented. "He must not want Gustavo to leave."
"It's terrible...but you're right," Gustavo admitted, sniffing as he thought. "I could maybe...sell a few things?"
"You should start with that terrible abstract art you bought from the guy at the car wash two months ago- don't even argue. So...James? How is your back feeling?" Kelly asked and everyone turned to look at the pale boy struggling to get comfortable on the couch.
"It hurts," he said simply.
"I put anesthetic cream on it an hour ago; it can't be that bad," Logan insisted as he handed the contract back to Kelly. "My ear hasn't hurt at all today."
Carlos glared at him. "That's because James' rat took a bigger chunk out of his back than yours did out of your ear."
James slumped against Carlos, mumbling, "Why do I have to be so delicious?"
Carlos cracked up but managed to stay in place so James wouldn't have to move. "Wait- is he warm? Does he feel warm to you? I think he does. Kendall?"
Kendall grimaced as he felt James' forehead. "Logan, you said a fever would be bad, right?"
"'m fine. Don't fuss," James said with a frown, pushing Kendall away. "Can we go home now?" He sat up straight and then slowly slumped over with a groan, this time on Kendall's shoulder.
"Can you come here please, Logan?" Kendall asked in a low voice, feeling the heat from James' face through his t-shirt.
"Oh no," Logan muttered, moving to feel James' forehead despite his friend's feeble attempts to stop him. "His temperature's definitely up. We should take him to the hospital, guys."
"The hospital? Do you know how expensive that's going to be?" Gustavo yelled. Kelly bonked him on the back of his head. "I mean...yeah, okay. Take ma dog to the vet."
"Noo. Don't wanna' go." James mumbled, giving Kendall a pitiful look. "Stop, 'los," he said, trying to fwap away his hand. "Ugh. Too many friends."
"Logan, this morning you said he was fine," Carlos protested, on his feet now. "And now he has to go to the hospital?"
Kendall peered at James' face. "Maybe we should let him rest a few minutes. I think he's about to barf." James moaned in agreement and buried his face behind Kendall's back.
"James, what symptoms do you have now?" Logan asked.
Kendall turned to listen as James mumbled. "He says everything hurts, plus his tummy's bad." Carlos started pacing.
"So fever, body aches and nausea," Logan translated. "Definitely sounds like it could be RBF. He needs to see a doctor now," Logan insisted. "We can bring a bucket. Do you have one here, Kelly?"
"I'll find one," she said, moving quickly into the hallway.
"What's RBF?" Carlos asked. James sat up, looking half-interested.
"Rat-bite fever," Logan said. "It can cause infections in the liver, lungs, kidneys...all kinds of places. If left untreated, it can kill you."
Everyone stared at James, who barely seemed to register the dire warning.
"Well, that escalated quickly. Let's go, buddy." Kendall stood and James to his feet. "We need to go to the hospital now." When James wavered in place and turned even paler, Kendall added, "After we get a bucket. Here," Kendall pulled Carlos to stand in front of James. "Stand still, Carlos."
James made a pleased sound and rested his chin on the shorter boy's head, draping his long arms over Carlos' shoulders. He mumbled something no one understood.
Kendall paused. "Wait... what about all those people at our concert that got bit?"
"They got treated on site, remember? But these two didn't want to go see the EMTs." Kelly reminded them.
Logan bristled. "Hey, you only get infected if you get bit by a rat who happened to carry the right bacteria. Not every rat is a carrier."
"Wow, James, hear that: you're just lucky," Carlos said, forcing a bright smile.
"My Carlos," James mumbled, patting Carlos' head. Kelly walked quickly back in the room, bucket in hand.
But Logan wasn't done yet. "The really weird part is that RBF can show up even after a wound is healed. Sometimes it lies dormant and then...wham!"
"Wham?" Carlos whimpered.
"No," James whispered. "No wham."
"But why is his stomach hurting?" Kendall asked after taking the bucket from Kelly.
"Nausea and vomiting are symptoms of RBF, too...but it could be that he has an ulcer developing because of the bacteria. We won't know until they run tests."
"Fantastic."
"It sounds terrible," Kelly said. "Take good care of him and Rocque Records will cover whatever he needs, okay? And Logan, you should get checked, too."
"Fine, fine- yes. Let's go," Logan said briskly, trying to get James to let go of Carlos. It wasn't working. "Here. I'll take the bucket. You get him to move."
"James?" Kendall grabbed his hand, trying to help his friend focus. "We need to get you to the hospital." James squeezed his eyes shut but finally stopped being an octopus and let go of Carlos to slump over onto Kendall.
"Don't wanna' go," he mumbled.
"I know, buddy," Kendall whispered, as he wrapped a hand around James' waist and threw his friend's arm over his shoulder. "But the doctor will help."
"'kay," James mumbled, letting Kendall lead him out and down to the car.
Carlos jumped forward to give Kelly a teary-eyed hug. "Thanks, Kelly."
Logan nodded at her, bucket in hand. "We'll call you from the hospital once we know something."
The BTR tour had to be put on hold for a few days. There were so many videos and photos of the influx of rats that the band had to put out an official apology. There was a Scuttlebutter war between fans and haters. The band laid low for a week, allowing James to get treated with a super strong antibiotic that took care of his RBF in a few days. Logan, who had been grumpy because he was ignoring his own low-grade fever, was also put on antibiotics as well.
The result was that Kendall got to give a great speech about taking care of yourself to James and about being honest about how you feel to Logan. He was in fine form; Carlos even clapped at the end. The boys agreed they wouldn't hide being sick again and everything went back to normal - well, mostly.
Fifteen people had been injured by the rats who ran through the crowds at the show in Nashville. Ten more had been injured in the crush of bodies trying to exit at the same time, though nothing more serious than a broken arm. Rocque Records had footed the bill as well as returning all of the money for the tickets. Kelly had flowers sent to all the fans who were hurt with a promise of free tickets when the show was rescheduled.
The boys were finding it difficult to fight the feeling that they'd been somehow responsible. Logan found it even harder to get past the fear that Moon might ruin more shows in the future. However, there had been no sign of the eccentric and evil billionaire anywhere post-concert and Kendall was adamant that the band not disappoint the fans simply out of fear.
"If we don't get back on tour, we give in. And that means Moon wins!" he said, staring each of the other boys in the eyes. "We are not going to let him win. We didn't last time and we aren't this time. Got it?"
"Sure. Let's go up against one of the richest men in the world who has unlimited resources and a complete lack of morals and perspective. There's four of us, right? I mean, how can we possibly lose?" Logan said with increasing vehemence.
Kendall gave him a special Logan-it'll-be-okay look. "Yes. We all know that four is better than one."
"And we have Gustavo," Carlos said, "and Kelly!"
"Plus we have awesome fans," James pointed out, "and everybody hates that guy!"
"That's the spirit," Kendall said. "So. You know I'm in." He looked expectantly at James.
"I'm in!" James said with a smile. "'Los?"
"Me, too," Carlos said, pulling out his helmet from somewhere, popping in on his head and patting it twice.
Then everyone looked at Logan.
"Nope. Stop giving me puppy-dog eyes," Logan said grumpily.
James and Carlos exchanged a glance and then, somehow, turned it up a notch. Kendall was seriously impressed. Were their eyes actually glistening?
"Agh! Fine! I'm in," Logan said with a deep sigh
"Yes!"
As his friends pounded him on the back and then immediately started talking over each other with excitement, Logan didn't even bother to voice his usual refrain. He wasn't going to get new friends...even if his life expectancy had diminished by possibly a decade or two from hanging around these guys. It would be a good life while it lasted and that would have to be good enough.
Sorry to cut it off there, but in the next section, there is NO place to stop for a long time! Hope you enjoyed it!