Saving Motley Crue

Chapter Eight- Losing Vince

"I'm ready. Mick! Nikki's back, it's time to go!" With that, I nodded my head to Tommy, and Nikki picked him up with ease so that he was carrying him like a child. Mick came into the room with a small backpack in his hand, and as we hurried out the door it occurred to me with a note of dread that if we were ever relegated to being on foot, Mick would be in a lot of trouble because of his back.

Keeping my head down as people passed us in the stairwell, I realized that this could be our new reality for a very long time- always hiding, never sure who was out to get us. The car pulled around back was a perfectly average 70s car one could imagine a businessman owning, just with an extended back so more people could fit.

Sliding into the front seat with a jittery excitement bouncing my knees, I said to Nikki briskly, "Alright, first thing's first: we need to find Vince. Anyone know where he could be?" Smiling a little sheepishly, Nikki shrugged, "I don't really pay much attention to where he goes."

"Great . . . maybe we can try the Seventh Veil- wait, it's too early . . ." I racked my brain for any mentions of places from videos I had seen, and Mick said quietly from the backseat, "I know where he is. He's at Em's house. You know, your ex." Nikki shot Mick a glowering look that would have wilted anyone but Mick, before turning back around and stomping on the gas pedal so that we shot forward into the street, barely missing the oncoming traffic. Gripping the door handle with white knuckles, I shook my head- at least we'd have a good getaway driver if need be.

What would have normally taken 15 minutes in a normal car took ten, and it wasn't until we came to a screeching halt in front of the beach cottage-sized house that I knew something was wrong. A black limousine was parked in front, and I turned to Nikki palely to make sure I was looking at the right house. By his expression I could tell that my suspicions were right. With a sinking feeling I turned back to Mick and told him to stay in the car with Tommy, and that we'd be right back.

Nikki and I strode wordlessly side by side up the porch and to the door. Too nervous to see what was inside, I nudged Nikki and he knocked jarringly on the door. No one came immediately, so without skipping a beat he rammed his shoulder into the door. He was a big enough fella, and the house was rundown enough, that the door gave in right away, and Nikki marched in without a moment's hesitation, shouting, "Vince!"

A little stunned, but mostly admiring, I more warily followed him inside. Blinking to adjust to the sudden darkness compared to the bright noon sun, I gasped instinctively at the sight of two men all in white holding Vince in between them, obviously to bring him back to their limousine. Panic shot through me when I realized we were too late, and they knew. They knew we were escaping, and they were going to take Vince back to be reprogrammed.

Vince had a frighteningly blank expression on his face as he stood there without complaint, and I could see as Nikki approached them with a mixture of shock and anger on his face that he was about to do something stupid. Breaking from my trance, I hurried up to Nikki and put my hand on his arm, a warning expression on my face. " I don't know what you're thinking, but these guys are government. Be very careful." I muttered under my breath so that only Nikki could hear. He didn't meet my pleading gaze, and just kept his steady glare on the men in white.

"Sir, we need you to step aside." One of them said mechanically, and I almost didn't catch his free hand wander to his hip.

"Where are you taking him?"

"That's confidential, sir. We need you to step aside or you will be placed under arrest."

I swallowed nervously, my hand still on Nikki's arm in caution. I could practically see the anger radiating off of Nikki, and without any warning except for my own gut screaming at me, he lunged forward and jerked Vince out of their grasp. With everything happening so quickly I had no time to move or shout out, I only glimpsed one of the men whipping out his pistol and striking Nikki across the face. Then, just like that, the scene was over with Nikki on the ground and the men striding past me with Vince.

Vince's glazed eyes seemed to accuse me; the unconscious way with which he walked blamed me for not trying harder and spoke to the reality of the situation we were in now. I vowed to myself that I'd rescue him soon, I just needed to get who I could out now and come back for him later.

When the men in white were out of the house, and the squeal of the tires told me they were driving away, my heart finally began to slow from its frantic pace. I turned my attention to Nikki, who was on all fours on his way to standing, blinking slowly as blood trickled steadily from a gash above his left eye. "Are you okay to get up?" I knelt down to get a better look at the cut.

"Those sons of bitches." Was all Nikki muttered when he touched his eye gingerly and brought it back with fingertips stained scarlet. I couldn't help smiling at that comment. Nikki was alright after all, then. "You're lucky they didn't shoot you. That was a really stupid thing to do." I put my hand under his arm and slowly helped him to his feet- he really was heavy.

He shut his eyes tightly for a second, bracing a hand against the wall as he said through gritted teeth, "Just dizzy for a second. I'll be fine. Let's just get outta here. It gives me the creeps."

I wasn't sure if I should have been more worried about him, or if he was going to have a concussion or something else serious, but we really didn't have any choice to slow down. We were on the run for freedom. On the run for our lives.

He walked the rest of the way to the car seemingly alright, pressing a tissue above his eye to stop the bleeding. When we slid into our seats defeated, I slammed my door a little harder than necessary, and the jarring sound made Nikki wince and Tommy shoot up awake in the backseat. "What the hell?! Who knocked me out, guys? I'm gonna kick your ass!" Tommy rubbed the back of his head with a grimace as he looked from Nikki, to me, to Mick in silent accusation.

"Just shut up, Kid. We're leaving LA and didn't want you to screw things up." Mick said sternly but quietly as he leaned against his side of the car with arms crossed and eyes closed beneath dark-tinted sunglasses.

"What do you mean, 'we're leaving LA'? What about the show?! What about practice, and our label!" Tommy's dark eyes narrowed in confusion and rising panic.

"Listen, Tommy. We're leaving leaving." Nikki turned around in his seat and gave Tommy a meaningful look, "We're escaping. You've got to trust me on this one. She's got a way out, and she can get us out of here without them getting us."

His arguments clearly faltering because it was Nikki, and in Tommy's mind Nikki was almost always right, Tommy sat back and just nodded slowly, hand still rubbing the back of his head.

With a frustrated huff of air, Nikki pulled out of the space next to the house and began driving back the way we came. "Where are we going? We should be getting as far away from the city as we can." I urged him, a little concerned at the dark determination narrowing his eyes.

"We're going to the bank. We've all got some money there in a joint account. Then we leave."

I turned back to my window, chin on my fist in thought. I could see why Nikki was the brain of this band. The only question in my mind was where the real Nikki ended and the programmed, trained asset began.