The night rolls on

Scott hears Misty come up beside him, so for once, he isn't startled. He gives her a grateful nod. "Thanks. I'll try to eat something... if I don't, I'll just hear it from Rick later." A bit of dry humor seeps into his tone, a rarity for him as of late.

"Have fun and... tell everyone I'm listening, okay?"

Watching Misty leave, Scott's eyes stay on her for several moments. With her back to him, her hair waved gently in the breeze, the setting sun to her back, casting a long shadow in front of her.

Click.


Jason grins as Katie walks away, and takes a bite of his sandwich.

Mm... I'll have to keep my eye out for those monsters. I don't want them hogging the spotlight.

"Jase, you got that music I gave you?"

Jason's thoughts are halted and he stands up to rummage through one of JetStream's boxes for Mike. "Yeah...um... give me a sec."


Rocky looks up quickly as the door opens and a warm smile spreads on his face. "Hey, she made it!" He straightens from his work and nods. "Yep. Glad you came in this way. If you hadn't, we woulda had to rescue you from the overenthusiastic charity volunteers up front."

Axel offers a wry grin and waves Jess over. "You got here just in time. I need a storm cloud over here to help me with the sound check."

Once she's joined him, Axel points out the others in the room, giving her a brief rundown of who was who and what was happening.

One might miss the look that crosses Taylor's face as she sees Axel inviting Jess to be with him at the table. It was hard to determine whether Axel himself didn't see it, or if he consciously ignored it. Either way, Taylor wasn't the only one who found the situation out of the ordinary. Axel had always made it a point that the sound table was his space, not to be invaded. Seeing him allow anyone back there, let alone a woman, was more than rare. Nothing is said though, and the set up and sound check goes as normal for both JetStream and Cryptic.

It's not long before the crowd is allowed into the room and seats are being filled up. JetStream prepares backstage, changing clothes and running over their routine one more time as Jen remains beside the sound table to help run the sound with Axel.

The concert is a blast. Jason envelopes himself in his role on stage, pushing everything else aside, if only for an hour. The audience loves the band as always, and the guys get everyone involved, clapping and laughing at their routine of silly antics in between songs. Kyle banters with Phil and Jason well, keeping up on the keyboard and a few backup vocals. Jason stays in the spotlight though, loving every minute, and doing better on guitar than any other concert. Every once in a while he communicates with Katie, no one knowing why he was smiling.

By the time there's a short break before Cryptic, JetStream is half exhausted and half hyped up. Clearing their own equipment offstage is easy and doesn't take long at all, leaving Cryptic's own setup ready to go.

Axel stretches back in his seat and yawns, ready for the next round. He gives Jess a sidelong glance with a small grin. "Having fun yet?"


Backstage, JetStream finishes up their own work for the night.

“Sticking around?” Kyle questions.

“Thought we would.” Phil nods. “Might as well. I wanna see Cryptic play too.”

Kyle helps pack up some of the guitars, glancing over his shoulder as his nerves rise. “Well we’ve heard them a million times. How about we go to Mom and Pop’s or something?”

Phil looks at him with confusion. “What? Why? You don’t want to stay?”

Kyle shrugs. “Figured we would go out afterward anyway, we could meet them there or something.”

“Well it’ll be at least forty-five minutes until they’re done, then they gotta pack everything up too.”

Jason coils up a cord and cocks his head. “What up, Kyle?”

Kyle won’t look him in the eye. “Just tired I guess.” He shrugs. “I know Jen’s tired too, so I just figured we’d stick together.”

Jen joins in from where she sat nearby. “I am pooped, though I did want to hear Cryptic. But if the rest of you want to go, that’s fine. I know the other guys won’t care if we go or stay.”

Jason shrugs. “I guess I don’t care one way or the other. I’ve heard ‘em practice… not like we never hear them. Might be nice for them if we stay in the crowd or help ‘em pack up later, but…whatever.”

Strange. Kyle usually isn’t a party pooper.

Mike shrugs too. “Well if nobody really cares, we might as well go get pizza or something. No sense in sticking around if we’re that enthusiastic about it.”

Kyle closes up the last box and heads to take it to the trucks. Within minutes, everything is loaded up. Without the sound system to load, the band had made quick their wrap-up work as planned.

“Looks like we’re ready to roll.” Kyle sets his hands on his hips and glances around the room.

“Looks like it,” Phil agrees. “Alright… let’s move out. Pizza?”

“Pizza.” Jason nods.

As the group heads to the door, Kyle suddenly stops. “Oh, guys… I forgot something. Go on ahead, alright? I’ll catch up.”

Jen lifts her eyebrows in surprise. “Need help?”

“No… no, I’m good.”

Jason’s eyes narrow slightly at the odd tone in Kyle’s voice.

I feel like something is going on… I don’t know… I'm not used to feeling this way about Kyle. Maybe he’s just in some kind of funk or something.

The others shrug it off and head out, Kyle watching as they go. As soon as the door is shut, he spins around and sprints to the backstage rooms.

“Man, where you been?”

Kyle rolls his eyes at Max. “Long story.”

Rocky sticks his head in the door. “Three minutes, guys. This may just be a fundraiser, but we got ancy hosts out there. Let’s roll.”

In less time than that, Kyle has changed into a pair of jeans with holes in the knees, a black tee and black lace-up boots instead of his sneakers. Giving a quick look to the mirror, he grabs a bit of gel and messes up his hair, letting it fall where it would. Slapping on his leather wrist band, he’s the last to leave the room, but it’s according to plan anyway.

“Oh, shoot.” Phil snaps his fingers and turns around, just as JetStream gets to the vehicles. “Kyle’s absentmindedness must be contagious. I need to go talk to the hosts – they wanted to go ahead and mark their calendars for next year already. Wait for me?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jason waves him off. “We’ll wait.”

The room goes dark. Those who have stayed are ones that have looked forward to a bit harder style of music, some already fans of Cryptic. A few whistles ring out as they wait for the last part of the show to start.

Axel’s fingers move along the control board, knowing just when to time things, having memorized where every switch was.

A fog machine sends a mist up around the stage and a strobe light is set off. In a moment of apparent confusion, suddenly the red and white lights over the stage switch on, the same moment Joel starts in with the bass drum. Next, Taylor comes in on the bass, joined by Max on guitar and finally Rocky’s keyboard. For several measures, the front of the stage remains bare, the audience waiting in anticipation.

Timed to perfection, all instruments stop on the same beat, leaving a deafening silence. Kyle hits the stage running, sliding to his place behind the microphone, dead center in the spotlight.

“Break out!”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, the music starts again, the rock beat driving the heavy rhythm of the song.

“Of the things you do.
Break out!
Oh yeah, I’m telling you.
Break out!
No plan is fool proof.
Don’t get caught up in this world,
Don’t get caught without a clue.
Don’t be silenced by the rules.
Break out!”

The audience erupts to sing and clap along, the music shaking the room. Kyle’s one hand remains on his microphone stand, the other encouraging the audience to keep up their energetic clapping.

“We’re trapped alone tonight.
We know it in our souls.
What we seek we cannot find,
‘Cause our hearts have turned to stone.
Forget about that weakness.
Forget about those lies.
Forget the patterns taught to us.
It’s time to stand and fight.

Break out!”

Half-blinded by the bright lights, Kyle’s eyes roam the shadowy audience until finally finding Misty. Needing a point to focus on, he chooses her to stay in his sights as the chorus is repeated, swinging into the second verse. The stunned form at the back of the room goes unseen.

“We’re in a war without a will,
To stand for what we know.
What we want we cannot feel,
‘Cause our hearts have turned to stone.
Forget about that sorrow.
Forget about those fears.
Forget the triumphs never won.
It’s time to stand and fight.

Break out!
Of the things you do.
Break out!
Oh yeah, I’m telling you.
Break out!
No plan is fool proof.
Don’t get caught up in this world,
Don’t get caught without a clue.
Don’t be silenced by the rules.
Break out!

Plans. They all unfold tonight.
Crimes. They plague our hometown streets.
War. It’s what we’re living for.
Peace. It’s what we’re dying for.

Break out!
Of the things you do.
Break out!
Oh yeah, I’m telling you.
Break out!
No plan is fool proof.
Don’t get caught up in this world.
Don’t get caught without a clue.
Don’t be silenced by the rules…

Break out!”

All notes end on the same beat, leaving the stage silence to be overcome by the audience’s loud enthusiasm. Without a rest though, Joel hits off the next song with a steady beat.

Kyle puts his hands over his head and claps to the drums, furthering interaction with the audience.

“Come on, let me see those hands up. Come on. Yeah, that’s right.” He nods, then sends his hands back to the microphone, listening for the right time to come in.

“Silence. Like a fog drifting in.
Raindrops. Like tears fall to earth.
Whispers. Like fire burning hearts.
Storm clouds. Like lighting from our eyes.

Oh it’s a sad day, sad day.
Why have you not listened?
Oh it’s so painful, painful.
What more could I have said?”

Kyle’s voice is joined by Rocky’s, blending together to put an edge to the lyrics amidst the instrumental sounds. Rocky's eyes drift over the small audience, every once in a while making eye contact with Axel, or landing on Jess, a hint of a grin cracking his mouth as he sings.

“Terror. Like a river flooding fields.
Thunder. Like grief to make one cry.
Secrets. Like words chained to stone.
Sunshine. Like an eclipse born of greed.

Oh it’s a sad day, sad day.
Why have you not listened?
Oh it’s so painful, painful.
What more could I have said?

You decided not to listen.
You opted not to hear.
I tried to tell you,
Tried to warn you.
But you listened to the world.

Oh it’s a sad day, sad day.
Why did you not head my words?
Oh it’s so painful, painful.
To see you lose this game.
Oh it’s a sad day, sad day.
Why have you not listened?

Listen to me.
There’s still time.”

As the second song ends, Phil continues to stand, his eyes wide, his mouth almost hanging open. Staring at the stage, he can’t believe what he sees. He can’t believe what his ears are hearing. No way. Kyle??!

“Phil, what’s taking you?” Mike nudges his arm. “Are you…” His voice trails off as he follows Phil’s gaze. Expecting to see Rocky leading the songs, his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “What…”

Max’s fingers strum the strings of his guitar, beginning a slower song, the eerie tones drifting through the room, almost hypnotizing the audience. The room settles down to listen.

This time, Kyle’s voice isn’t joined by Rocky, but by someone else. Only those paying attention would realize that Axel has donned a cordless mic while continuing to run the sound. His eyes bounce from Kyle to the switches, while his tenor voice blends in harmony behind Kyle’s.

“It seems just like yesterday,
We went our separate ways.
The tears we shed.
The words we said,
They didn’t change a thing.
But my heart still beats within my chest.
A rhythm driving me.
It beats to love that still remains,
True to only you.

How could we have left that way?
How did we give up?
How did we let freedom lose?
When did the curtain fall?"

Kyle's eyes automatically find other targets within the audience. Perhaps it was deliberate. Perhaps it was unconscious. But Misty wasn't focused on for this one.

"It seems a million years away,
The price we both did pay.
We said goodbye.
We told our lies,
That we no longer cared.
But my heart still beats within my chest,
A pulse that’s driving me.
It lives for love that still remains,
True to only you."


Jason ambles back towards the building, throwing a glance over his shoulder at Katie.

I don't know what's taking so long, but let's go see. At this rate, we might as well stay for the whole thing and forget about pizza for now.

It doesn't take long for the rest of JetStream to be at the back of the room, eyes wide, all listening.

Jason stares at the front of the stage, his ears picking up on the strong tones of Kyle's voice he'd never heard before. Surprise courses through him, along with a bit of irritation for not knowing.

What on earth... how come he didn't tell anybody? Why have we never seen him sing like this before?!


"Why did we just leave that way?
Why did we give up?
Why did we let freedom lose?
How did our pride just win?

I want to travel back in time.
To change that lonely day.
I want to travel back in time.
To change the words I said.

‘Cause I can’t just leave that way.
I can’t give up on us.
I can’t let freedom lose this way.
I can’t just say goodbye.

No I can’t just say goodbye.
My heart lives for love that still remains.
Baby, I love you.”

As the audience erupts again, a small grin curls Axel’s mouth as he takes off his mic and readjusts the sound once more. A smile is on Kyle’s face too, though no time is there for enjoying the moment. Cryptic’s routine was faster paced than JetStream’s, leaving fewer pauses between songs, and more time for hyping up the audience.

“Rising high above the rest,
My soul combats with my flesh.
I want to be, I want to win.
Want to lose myself within.

Towers all around me,
Mountains to be climbed.
All the while I’m living lies,
Running from the truth.

I need to fall deeper.
Deeper into your arms.
I need to fly further.
Further into your grace.
I need more devotion.
Completely devoted to you.
I need to fall.
Deeper into you.

Running faster than the rest,
My soul combats with my flesh.
I want to see, I want to rise.
Want to win myself the prize.

Cheering all around me.
Races to be won.
All the while I’m a dying man,
Restless beyond the hope.

I need to fall deeper.
Deeper into your arms.
I need to fly further.
Further into your grace.
I need more devotion.
Completely devoted to you.
I need to fall.
Deeper into you.

Deeper.
Why can’t I ever find my way?
Further.
Why can’t I ever seem to be?

I need to fall deeper.
Deeper into your arms.
I need to fly further.
Further into your grace.
I need more devotion.
Completely devoted to you.
I need to fall.
Deeper into you.
Yeah…
Deeper into you.”

Kyle grabs a swing from a water bottle, nodding to the others to keep it rolling. They normally would have had some sort of pause, but tonight it was getting late, and the fundraiser couldn't last all night. Starting into the next song, Kyle's voice is strong.

Jason leans back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. He glances to Mike, Phil and Jen to see the expressions on their faces. They were surprised… confused… a little hurt… but also pleased so see Kyle like this. Jason tries to dissect is own feelings. He was surprised too… and confused… and yeah, a little hurt… Was he also pleased to see Kyle like this? He wanted to be. But all of a sudden, a new emotion had risen. He wasn’t even sure what to label it as. It was something he didn’t like… something that didn’t make him feel good… something that almost made him wonder about his own significance within the band from here on out.

Keeping his eyes forward, he doesn’t look to Katie. He knew she’d be feeling what he was, but at the moment, he really didn’t want a communication over it.

The night rolls on with more songs, Taylor taking over the chorus of one, though most lead is continued to be sung by Kyle. The audience keeps up with Cryptic’s energy, while the band hid their weariness well.

During one song though, few would realize that Axel now only had one hand on the sound board. Hiding in the darkness of his location, his other hand lay in his lap, surging with pain as it trembled uncontrollably. Gritting his teeth, he keeps going, unable to stop and tend to it.