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We walked off the plane. I shifted my bag, on my shoulder, as we started towards the main doors. Once we reached the right spot, I leaned against the wall and waited for the payphone to ring. After a half hour, of standing and waiting, I slumped to the floor. Another fifteen minutes had passed before we started hearing shrill screams, filling the air around us. I looked up to find everyone in the airport, scurrying in a mass panic, and I jumped to my feet.

“What the hell is going on?” AJ questioned as we tried to stay away from the masses. I looked up to see all the flights change over to read ‘cancelled’.

“All the flights are cancelled, now,” I scrunched my eyebrows, trying to figure out why everyone was screaming as they ran.

“Oh my God, in heaven,” Sam’s voice came out at, nothing more, than a whisper. He pointed up to the TV monitors, hanging from the ceiling, a few yards away. We fought our way, through the manic crowd, towards the TVs.

“Come on!” AJ hollered, as he pushed through, ahead of me. We looked up to the three screens, each on different channels but showing, almost, the same thing. The words were inaudible but could be seen scrolling at the bottom of the screen. My jaw dropped, as I read the words. I faintly heard a shrill ring, from the payphone, and it snapped me from my shock. I battled my way, back, through the masses…jumping over abandoned luggage and struggling against the people that blocked my path.

“Excuse me…sorry…pardon me…sorry…’scuse me…” my voice was urgent as I made my way past people. It didn’t seem like anyone was really going anywhere, everyone was just bumping into each other and fighting the same crowd. It seemed like I fought past the same people, as I did before.

“Wait up, Nick!” Sam and AJ shouted from a few feet behind me. They caught up to me, just as I snatched the phone from its holder.

“He..hello?” I gasped for my breath as I anxiously answered the phone.

“Well, Mr. Carter. I am glad to see that you landed before all the flights were cancelled,” the man’s voice was cocky and was heavy with sarcasm.

“Yeah, well maybe, you can tell us what the fuck’s going on,” I spat, not thinking about any possible repercussions. AJ and Sam leaned their heads close to mine, as I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly, so they could hear.

“About what? The President’s declaration of National Emergency? Why would you think I know something?”

“Maybe, just the tone of your voice.”

“Well, you would be right. There have been bomb threats made around the country, in every airport…every bus station…every post office…every school…every police station…and yes, even the White House, Pentagon, CIA headquarters and FBI.”

“Dear God…” I gasped, barely audible.

“Most of those threats are empty, Carter, but not all of them…oh no, not all of them. The stakes have been raised,” he laughed into my ear and continued, “oh, I almost forgot…there’s a warehouse, somewhere in this city, full of your adoring fans. I will tell you that that is one of the places that really does have a bomb.”

“What the fuck, man! Leave our fans out of this…they never did anything to your sorry ass!” AJ screamed, into the phone. His face was turning a beet color of red as his fists clenched and his anger rose.

“Temper, temper, Mr. McLean. I clearly remember me, and my boys, getting pretty beat up, not too long ago. And, if memory serves me right, the damage was done by your fans.”

“So, instead of being a man, you’re gonna hide behind a bunch of girls? That’s real damn mature. I bet Jordan is just, fucking, falling head over heals for you, right about now, jack ass! What the fuck do you think, killing a bunch of girls, is gonna get you? HUH?” AJ spat, the anger dripping in his voice. I could hear the other man chuckling, out of pure amusement.

“Psssst, AJ. We’re trying NOT to get killed here. I wanted to let you know that…you know, just in case you didn’t get the memo,” I glared at him, hoping that his antics wouldn’t cause someone to get killed.

“It seems to me like I am accomplishing exactly what I wanted to. Now you listen to me. First of all, Mr. Harris will no longer be tagging along with you; he is to go back home or to his office or whatever. It’s just you and Mr. McLean, from now on.”

“Well, that’s just peachy. We don’t even know this city,” I sighed heavily.

“Good luck, you’ll need it. Be at the shots in one hour or something gets blown up.”

“What? Hey…no…UH, he hung up on me. He said ‘be at the shots in one hour or something gets blown up.’ What the hell is that supposed to mean, ‘be at the shots’?” I looked from AJ to Sam and back to AJ.

“The Shots is a bar, down close to Jordan’s apartment. It’s a block or so from her building. Real bad joint. A lot fights, drug deals…that kind of thing. The cops are always being called out there.” Sam explained. “Either of you have your cell?”

“Yeah,” both AJ and I nodded. We all exchanged numbers, punching them into our phones.

“Call me if you have any questions. I can tell you where things are or give you directions. I won’t call you, in case you are in a situation, I don’t want to blow your cover. But you should check in, when you can. I’m going to see if I can pull some guys off this other crap, and get their help. Keep in touch and be careful.”

“Right, okay,” I nodded. Do you have any idea how I felt at that moment? I had the adrenaline rising in the pit of my stomach, I was scared out of my sane mind, I was worried endlessly, I was anxious beyond imaginable belief, and I was pissed the fuck off…all at the same time! What a combination.

“Go. Hurry. We’ve wasted 10 minutes of your time already,” he pushed us away. AJ and I started making our way to the door, the crowds had thinned quite a bit but there were still people bustling around and looking for loved ones. “OH!” he shouted after us, just as my hand landed on the door. “Don’t take a cab! I know it’ll suck, but it will be a lot faster to run there!”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” AJ scoffed, pulling out a smoke as we started sprinting through the parking lot.

“Isn’t it dangerous to try and smoke, while you’re running?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Our pace was quick, but steady, as we set out for this bar. What was going to happen when we got there? Not a damn clue!