That night, Nick and Kevin left around ten thirty to get to the docks by twelve. Kevin made a point to remind Nick how pointless the entire trip was, and Nick reiterated repeatedly that he didn't think Kevin's presence was a good idea. But either way, pointlss or not, good idea or not, it was both Kevin and Nick who set out on the adventure.
Nick followed behind, carrying the note (and the directions that were penned onto the back of it), as Kevin led the way to the subway, walking briskly through the crowded city streets, and away from the relative safety of the hotel. Nick trotted along quietly, imagining various scenerios that could possibly come to pass within the next few hours. He looked nervously at the calligraphy on the note, wishing against all wishes that Kevin wasn't accompanying him. If he wasn't, Nick might possibly have been able to find a way out of the entire situation by just humoring them all until Friday when the Boys would be flying back out to LA. After that, he'd be Nick Carter, and have no connection to this Jack Taylor guy - whoever he might be - and therefore it'd no longer be HIS problem.
He wished more than anything he could've taken the easy way out, and reported the entire situation to the cops, but he knew more than well enough from all his movies that anyone that reported the mob to the police might as well sign his own death certificate. He sighed and stared at Kevin's back, the bane of his current existance.
Nick had tried to say good-bye to the guys but none of them had taken him very seriously, which had really bothered him. He'd been trying to tell them how much he cared about them and how they'd been the best friends a guy could ask for (well Brian had anyways), but they'd turned the entire thing into a joke and accused him of being dramatic, and told him they'd see him later when he and Kevin returned to the hotel. What they didn't understand was that he wouldn't be returning, and if Kevin followed through with going to the docks, then Kevin very well might not return either.
They'd see soon, he decided.
Kevin led the way down the subway's stairs and into the hollowed cement lobby way below the city. He rubbed his hands together to warm them from the chill that nipped the air down there, despite it being mid-June. "Which train are we taking?" Kevin questioned him as he looked around. Three different trains were boarding - the 14, the 6, and the 5.
Suddenly a plan began to form in Nick's mind.. and he felt his palms sweat with the mere idea of it. He looked at Kevin, and wondered if it could possibly work. Kevin, he had realized, didn't know the way. If Nick were to ditch Kevin it would take him a very long time to catch back up, assuming he could at all. But Nick wasn't sure about the idea. He didn't like the idea of tricking Kevin like that, and he didn't REALLY want to go alone to the docks. He didn't want to die alone. But he knew that was the safest option, for Kevin's sake (for ALL the Boys sakes, really). Nick looked at Kevin, weighing his fears against his love for his best friends... and the choice was made easily.
"We gotta take the 6 train," Nick told him.
Kevin nodded toward the train, a questioning look coming onto his face, "The 6???"
Nick nodded. "Yes. Just like JLo."
Kevin shrugged, "All righty then. You're the one with the map. I trust you." Nick felt a pit in his stomach churn a bit at Kevin's declaration of trust, but he knew that after they'd found him in the river Kevin would understand what this lie took a lot of courage to tell.
The two Boys got in the large line for the 6 train, while on the other side of the lobby the 14 train was loading as well. Nick knew his timing would have to be perfect. As the people filed onto the 6 and the 14, Nick followed Kevin closely, right up to the threshold of the 6 train before backing away. The person behind him stepped onto the train as Nick side-stepped away from the mouth of the door. He watched as Kevin sat, then realized Nick hadn't followed him, and turned to the window.
"Nick?" Kevin yelled through the window, "What happened? Did you mess up? Wait there, I'm coming out..."
"I'M SORRY KEVIN," Nick cried. He looked back at the 14. "BUT THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT TRAIN." With that, he turned and dashed toward the 14 as the final passangers were loading.
Kevin suddenly understood what was going on. "NICK!" he jumped up from the seat and began battling and struggling against the flow to get out of the train car. "NICK!!!"
"Enjoy the Bronx, Kevin," Nick whispered as he sat and looked out the 14's window, across the way, where Kevin was just shoving his way out of the 6's door. Kevin rushed across the platform to the side of the 14 just as it began to move. He banged the palm of his hand against the door, but the train was already in motion. He ran along side it, his eyes trained on Nick's eyes until the train reached the tunnel, and he couldn't follow it anymore. He watched it's tail lights long after it'd disappeared.
Kevin rushed to the ticketing booth. "Where is the 14 headed?" he asked.
The woman looked up. "Brooklyn. Makes a few stops in between, but ultimately it's goin' over there."
"Brooklyn." Kevin nodded, processing the information. "Any riverside stops on the way?"
It wasn't too long before the 14 pulled into the last stop before the Brooklyn Bridge, which was where the note's directions had instructed him to go. The problem was, Nick realized as he stepped off the train and onto the platform, that's as far as the directions went. He stood on the platform, looking around stupidly, waiting for something to happen.
The flourescent lights hummed overhead, but otherwise the station area was relatively quiet. He'd been one of the only ones to get off the train here, and the others had immediately rushed up the stairs and out from under the city. The only people left on the platform where a few homeless guys -- one was playing the guitar, and the other was reading a book on scuba diving. Nick sighed and waited.
It'd been about twenty minutes and Nick was looking at the schedule for the trains, resolving to get on the next one, no matter where it was going (he was trying to figure out where he'd end up actually) when The Goose suddenly appeared next to him. "Let's go," The Goose said smoothly. Nick obediantly dropped the schedule and followed as the little hispanic man led him through the station and up the stairs into the city streets.
Neither noticed when the homeless man reading the book got up and followed them. He was as silent as a cat in the night.
Nick came to the conclusion that he'd never have been able to remember the way they were going, even if it had really been him Thursday that'd come to the docks. The Goose led Nick down an array of side streets with walls coated with graffiti and through alley ways that made Nick shudder just to walk through. They crossed through the fish district, and Nick realized they were getting closer to the Hudson as the scent of fish and ocean wrenched his stomach into a knot.
He peered to either side as they stepped onto a long dock that stretched away into the river. To his left he could see the lights blinking on the Brooklyn Bridge and when he squinted away to his right he could see the tip of the Manhattan island, and away in the distance the faint glow of Liberty's crown in the darkness. Behind him loomed the Empire State Building.
The Goose nudged Nick in the back. "Move it. The Boss frowns upon tardiness."
Nick continued the long walk down the pier, the end looming closer and closer. The wide dock was littered with large wooden crates, a few old fishing boats were moored there, and it was one of those boats that The Goose finally motioned for Nick to board.
It was an old decrepit fisherman's boat, with a small outboard motor that was covered in barnacles and rust. The entire area reeked of fish guts, and on the floor of the boat there were stains that served as evidence of the owner having caught quite a few fish in the boat's servitude. The Goose directed Nick to the small captain's quarters, and Nick stepped inside obediantly.
Inside, the boat was entirely different. The captain's quarters reminded Nick more of a small yacht he once had for a summer than a tiny fisherman's boat. It was actually kind of inviting and would've been very comfortable if he wasn't so nerved up. The room was lit by tiny white Christmas tree lights, giving it a friendly glow. The furniture was white leather, and there was an array of drinks - from soda to alcoholic beverages - on the coffee table before the sofa. It looked like a little party inside, especially since there were like ten people sitting around the room.
The Goose pulled Nick down onto a small two-seater couch to one side, and Nick surveyed the other people in the room. Fat Freddy was there, and some other people he'd never seen before, but only one person commanded the attention in the room. He was a huge, burley looking guy, even bigger than Lou Pearlman (a feat that Nick hadn't realized was physically possible), with a huge nose. The guy was wearing a black pinstriped suit with a crisp wine-red dress shirt and a silky black tie. His Italian shoes were so shiny that Nick swore he could see his face in them, even from across the room. This, he realized, must be The Boss.
"Glad you could make it," the very large Boss said as Goose nodded. The Boss adverted his attention to the rest of the room. "Well boys, glad to tell ya that the Gopher's been caught at last." A cheer arose in the room from all the guys. Fat Freddy nearly knocked a smaller guy over by giving him a high five. "So tonight boys we celebrate. Bring the Gopher in," the Boss commanded, snapping his fingers.
Almost instantly, a couple guys stepped forward and threw down a guy at the Boss's feet. The guy blindfolded and had a bandana tied around his mouth to keep him from speaking. His hands were tied behind his back. Nick's eyes widened and he felt his heart begin to race. The Gopher, he realized, was this guy... not a real gopher at all!
The Boss smiled down at the bound man with a gold-toothed grin. "You're no Gopher after all," he jeered, his Italian accent suddenly very acute. Nick felt as though he were in a movie for real. "You're a weasle." The Boss laughed, and the Gopher trembled at his feet. "You know what we do to weasles don't you?"
"SLEEP WITH THE FISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the men around him chorused. Nick's eyes widened as he realized what he was about to witness. His stomach turned and he felt ready to throw up.
"Let's see if weasles swim.... or sink," the Boss laughed, and the rest of the room followed his example. The Boss struggled to his feet, and one of the smaller guys to his side quickly supplied him a cane. "Grab the weasle boys...and let's go try out our little experiment, shall we?" With that, The Goose and Fat Freddy rushed forward to help grab hold of the man they called the Gopher, and followed along behind the Boss as he waddled from the captain's cabin and onto the deck of the boat.
Nick sat dumbfounded in the quarters, his jaw dropped, knees weak, and heart pounding in his chest... even after he heard the man's shouts, and eventually a loud splash.
Saving the Day for Blondes (AKA How Nick Carter Became Involved in a Terrorist Mob, Quite By Accident Really!, And Thereby Managed To Save The World For The First Time Ever, Much To Kevin's Surprise.) by Pengi
