Rocking Hard, Volume 2

by Samantha M. Derr

  Thirty minutes, and then forty-five.

  D took a deep, bracing breath. Then he called it.

  "Turn on the tracking device," he said softly. Dayton moaned behind him.

  Z reached out to grab a small box hidden behind the computer. The box was covered in dust and had lain untouched for weeks now. Z slowly opened the top to reveal a small button inside. He glanced once more up at D for final confirmation before pushing the button.

  Dayton collapsed to the floor, a muffled sob the only sound echoing through the safe room.

  They had done all they could for Cole. It was up to Cole to figure out the rest.

  *~*~*

  A beeping noise woke Queenie from a sound sleep. She was damned exhausted after the concert; she was going to kill whoever was calling her so early in the morning.

  After a long moment of staring at her phone, wondering how it could be beeping at her when it was off, she realized one of her earrings was actually doing the beeping. Her blood went cold.

  "Damn," she hissed as she hit the switch to shut the alert signal off. The earring went quiet, and Queenie hurried to change into some clothes before leaving her hotel room and heading to the one Sol was sharing with Cole. Kingsley had beaten her there, one of his tattoos still vibrating with the alert signal. Sol let them in, his face pale.

  "Plan B," Kingsley said as they all sat down on the two beds.

  Queenie couldn't help shifting unhappily in place, and she saw that Sol was doing the same thing. She glanced around at her band mates, seeing their anxiety, and bit her own lip in worry. She was trained for this sort of thing, although if the plan had gone properly she shouldn't have needed to use any of the skills she learned in basic training. Neither Kingsley nor Sol had her background—they both were given some general education on how to act or what to say in certain situations, but they weren't real operatives. They were musicians and were totally unprepared for this sort of situation.

  Queenie nodded to herself and took charge. It was the only thing she could do considering the circumstances. "I'll do it," she finally said. "You two need to tell Misty the cover story and keep the crowd occupied. We'll get him back," she affirmed, even though she wasn't positive that it was entirely true.

  After a few more moments to let the fear and worry run their course, all three of them got to their feet. Queenie hurried back to her room to get ready. She had a security guard uniform ready to go. The jacket had been smuggled with Cole's bags, the lapels and pins with Kingsley's already overly-decorated clothing, and the pants and shirt were part of Queenie's regular wardrobe. Without the jacket and special lapel it just looked like she was dressing in a military style for the day.

  She assembled the fake badge from pieces of her suitcase buckles, hooked it on to her belt, and was ready. Twenty minutes later, when the advance security team for the band was loaded into the trucks, Queenie slipped in with them. It was just six o'clock now, and the band was planning on arriving to tour the Science Museum when the facility opened at seven. It was a half hour drive to the museum, which still left plenty of time for the security team to do sweeps.

  Queenie entered the museum in the middle of the group and headed for the employee area with two other men. The other team members did a good job of distracting everyone in the employee section, including the guard standing in front of one door left ajar thanks to a broken fingerprint scanner. It was too bad the security team wasn't actually in on the rescue attempt, because they had the guard away from his post within a few minutes. Queenie took full advantage.

  She switched the pins and lapels on her jacket to mirror the ones used by the museum, hiding the security team ones in her pocket as she walked down the short hallway to the staircase at the end. She climbed down, trying to look like she belonged as she passed men and women going in both directions. Since the other employees looked busy—many of them were consulting their data pads as they climbed the stairs—it wasn't too hard for her.

  After stepping off of the stairs into a very large warehouse, Queenie moved to the side for a moment to figure out where to go next. Her watch had a compass function and when she checked it, the arrow was pointing across the warehouse. Queenie looked in that direction, trying to see what was there through the shifting morass of employees, machinery, and computers. She could just barely see a door in the direction she needed to go.

  She couldn't act as though she needed time to prepare to step into the crowded room, since that would alert those watching for suspicious behavior, so she resolutely stepped forward and told her heart to stop beating so frantically in fear. She wasn't trained for this! Not like Cole had been. She barely had any idea of what the mission entailed; she only knew that she was Plan B and Cole's only hope to escape the planet with his life.

  Queenie tried to walk as directly across the room as she could, figuring that route would be quicker and would hide her better amid the many people working around the computers. There were two guards doing their rounds heading in her direction, though, so Queenie quickly walked the other way around the central bank of computers. She didn't think she had been seen, and since no alarm went off it seemed like her disguise was working. Still, she had to fight to keep her shoulders down and relaxed because she felt like any minute a bullet would be fired at her back.

  How had blushing, shy Cole managed to do this twice? Queenie already knew she never wanted to do anything like this again. It was too damned scary. There was a good reason she had quit after basic training was over!

  It took a while of dodging scientists and oblivious employees walking around with their data pads, but eventually she was able to get to the other door. The door was open so she walked through and into an office complex without notice. The new part of the building was like a maze, with cubicles and offices placed at seemingly random intervals, but the arrow kept pointing resolutely forward, across the maze to the far end of this room.

  Queenie did have to stop and take a deep, calming breath before she could walk into the office. There were too many people, and they all seemed to have very specific places where they were supposed to be. She stuck out like a hangnail.

  It turned out that all the men and women in business attire sitting at their desks were all too happy to ignore Queenie as she wended her way through the cubicles towards the only door she could see that was in the path of the direction pointed by the compass. At least, that was what Queenie hoped as she hurried through the maze towards the one door at the very back of the room.

  *~*~*

  Sol, Kinglsey, and two members of their security team sat in the rented limo as it pulled up outside the museum. The slight-statured man and the tall woman were both dressed like Cole and Queenie, except they had their hoods pulled up over their faces. Misty had hired a look-alike on the security team for each member of the band for such an occasion as this one. Apparently band members went off on their own to do stupid things all the time, and Misty had learned to be prepared to hide that fact from the adoring public. Sol was just happy a quick solution was available, because otherwise Cole and Queenie might have been in a lot of trouble.

  The advance alert had gone out over the blogosphere, telling everyone who wanted to know that The Four Kings would be visiting the museum for a little local sightseeing PR early that morning. The crowds of fans were out in force. The advance security team had needed to conscript some of the museum's own guards to keep the fans back, Sol was happy to see. That would make it much easier for Queenie.

  The car door slid open and all four of them climbed out, only to be hustled through the crowd and into the museum at top speed. Sol tried to take a moment to wave and say hi, so when he was pulled into the museum by a security guard who was clearly unhappy with his lacking speed it didn't look so odd that Queenie and Cole didn't stop to say hello to their fans as well, looking to avoid the same rough treatment.

  Misty was already inside waiting for them, as were a few dozen workers; too many workers for a mere museum. It seemed to Sol t
hat the workers in the underground, secret part of the complex had also decided to come see the famous band. That could only be good for Queenie and Cole, so Sol made sure to wave and say hi. Kingsley was doing the same, trying to distract the crowds from the hunched forms of the two look-alikes.

  They got to walk around for about ten minutes while the employees waved and cheered. Sol pretended to admire the old spaceships that had first propelled humans out of their own solar system as well as some photographs from the original colonies. As they neared the bathrooms, the woman playing Queenie gestured towards them, tugging on the man playing Cole's arm. They both headed off, passing the Employees Only sign located directly across from their destination.

  Sol tried not to look worried as his eyes followed their hooded forms until they vanished behind closed doors. The guide directed them further into the museum to where a Mars Lander rested on a chunk of fake rock, and Sol was forced to look away.

  *~*~*

  Queenie opened the door at the end of the maze of cubicles, trying to look like she belonged as she stepped into what appeared to be some sort of laboratory. Six men wearing lab coats who must have been scientists were crowded around two computers, all lost in whatever data they were poring over. She had to clear her throat twice before one noticed her.

  "I've been sent to retrieve a lost advance security guard," she grumbled when that one scientist finally looked in her direction. He made a vague gesture towards the open break room door before his attention was again captured by test results.

  Queenie fought a grimace and wondered if there was anything in her life that could distract her so much from the real world. She sincerely hoped not.

  There was no sign of Cole inside the break room. There wasn't really anywhere to hide, either, since the furniture was minimal. She only found one closed door, behind which she heard a constant scraping sound. The door was locked, but she only had to twist a tiny knob to fix that. She yanked the door open to find Cole crouched on the ground with a lock pick in his hand and tear tracks running down his cheeks.

  "Come on," she hissed as the tortured expression on Cole's face turned from despair to hope. He stumbled to his feet quickly and hurried after Queenie as she strode back into the lab. They were running out of time.

  None of the scientists looked up as they passed and the cubicle maze was strangely empty as they found their way to the exit. Queenie assumed they were all upstairs in order to watch the band, which was where she and Cole needed to be in less than five minutes.

  The warehouse was still bustling, but they were ignored again as they headed towards the stairs as quickly as possible without arousing suspicion. Even the security guards seemed distracted, although Queenie thought there were fewer now than when she had come through before. Each guard appeared to be covering a larger portion of the warehouse so it was easy for Queenie and Cole to slip through their surveillance. Cole stumbled twice on the way up the stairs, his limbs shaking with relief now that the end was in sight. But they weren't in the clear just yet.

  Queenie poked her head out of the door at the end of the short hallway, expecting to see the guard watching the broken fingerprint scanner, but the hallway was empty. She and Cole walked through the Employee Only doorway out into the actual museum and the guard barely gave them a second glance. He was staring over at Sol and Kingsley, who were both being loud and exuberant across the room. Queenie shoved Cole into the men's room, heading over to the women's room a second later.

  Inside she found a set of neatly folded clothes and a small backpack style purse. Off came the uniform, stuffed into her purse, and she slid into the trendy jeans and hooded jacket left for her in record time. Then she was out in the hallway, banging loudly on the men's room door.

  "Come on, Cole," she yelled. "We've got an interview to get to!"

  "Sorry," Cole replied just as loudly, sounding flustered. "I'm hurrying," he added. A few seconds later, Cole appeared. He had changed his clothes and his hair was freshly washed, the horrible blond color gone down the drain. His coke-bottle glasses were tucked away and his face was devoid of tear tracks.

  He blushed vividly when he realized everyone was staring in their direction and said a vague, "Sorry," as he hurried to meet up with the rest of the band.

  *~*~*

  "And now for some entertainment news," the male news anchor said with a tilt to his head that showed just how much hair product he was using to keep every strand perfectly immobile, "we turn to Tasha. Tasha, I heard you have some news about The Four Kings."

  "That's right, Jim," Tasha, a woman with eyebrows plucked too thin over round eyes, smiled brightly into the camera. "After finishing their second amazing concert last night, today they're doing some sightseeing!"

  The screen jumped to a clip of a museum, The Four Kings and their tiny manager on a small stage inside of it.

  "How have you enjoyed Kamura?" one of the reporters on scene asked in the clip.

  Cole answered. "It's been wonderful," he said with a shy grin. "The fans, of course, have been excellent. But it's also nice to see how you've preserved our history," he added with a wave at a really old spaceship in the background. Cole looked exhausted, but then so did the rest of the band. D studied Cole carefully for any indication he needed further help, but he seemed all right. Scared, stressed, and exhausted, but okay.

  Dayton let out a strangled sob as Cole's blush turned his entire face red and Sol jumped in to save Cole from further embarrassment. It was Queenie who looked directly at the camera, smiled widely, and winked her left eye.

  D finally relaxed, L collapsed into a seat, and P let out a nervous giggle. Dayton continued to cry as he stared helplessly up at the newscast.

  "The Four Kings have already left our atmosphere and are headed on to their next concert in the Plum Galaxy," named for its purple sun. "Back to you, Jim."

  "Thanks, Tasha. Now on to the forecast."

  D turned the holoscreen off with a forceful click of the remote. "Go home, get some rest," he said to the team and to Dayton in particular. "In two days we finish this," he referenced the waiting explosives, "and in three months Cole returns to Lacustrine for the last concert of the tour. This certainly wasn't a smooth operation, but I would label it a success. Good job."

  Dayton took one last look at the blank screen before wiping his face dry and finding his feet. He stumbled out of the door and Z followed. P already had her phone out to deal with another client as she headed out too. L and Y both took their time packing up their things and cleaning their trash out of the room while D finished shutting down the security system.

  It was done.

  Three Months Later

  "Misty, could I add another song to the set list this time?" Cole asked shyly. She was still mad at him, all these months later, for haring off on his own right before the press conference and publicity stunt on Kamura, but she was a good manager.

  "What sort of song?" she asked sharply, willing to hear him out, but unwilling to grant him any favors.

  "A love song," Cole answered with an awkward and nervous shuffle of his feet.

  Misty grunted. "And what do we need to set up for your love song to work?" she asked. "I assume you've already asked the rest of the band?"

  Cole nodded. "They're fine with it. I just need a keyboard piano. Nothing else."

  Misty stared at Cole for a long moment before sighing. "Fine," she said. "But this had better be a damned good song." She went off to organize finding the piano, grumbling about how last minute it was. The opening act was already on stage.

  Queenie grinned when Cole joined the rest of the band backstage a few minutes later. "She agree?" Queenie asked.

  Cole nodded.

  "You ever going to let us hear the song before you sing it?" she asked, prying for more information.

  Cole shook his head.

  The band waited in peaceful silence, listening to their opening act rev up the crowd. Then it was their turn to cart their instruments and themselves up on
to the stage.

  Cole found Dayton immediately, right in the center of the front row. His heart beat faster at the first glimpse of his husband in so many months. Kingsley had to give the opening beat twice before Cole remembered he needed to sing.

  The concert went very well. At this point the band was comfortable on stage and with each other, joking and singing as they went. The audience ate it all up and Dayton kept smiling.

  "Here's a treat for you guys," Sol crowed into his mic as he took off his guitar. "Usually we end the concert now and you guys cheer like crazy," he waited while the shrieks hit a crescendo and then died down again, "but Cole here has a surprise for someone very special to him."

  Cole was busy plugging in the electric keyboard Misty had found for him. He tried an experimental scale to see that it worked before looking up at the crowd. He was alone on stage.

  He caught Dayton's eyes and held them as he double-checked that his microphone was in the right place.

  "My love," he said directly to Dayton, "this is dedicated to you. I know you play the piano way better than me, and really it should be you playing this up here since I wrote it with you in mind. But this time I want you to listen and to know just how much I love you. This song is called My Truest Love." Cole started pressing the keys on the piano, letting the gentle lullaby melody ring out of the speakers. His eyes never left Dayton's as he opened his mouth and sang his very heart to his one true love.

  Look at me,

  My loneliness, ease.

  My love.

  Oh, true love.

  Stars streaming by.

  Galaxies apart.

  I can't see you,

  My love.

  I can't hear you,

  Oh true love.

  When will we meet again?

  Separated; time goes by.

  I want you always by my side.

  My love, oh my truest love.

  Come to me,

  Or should I come to you?

  My love.