| Mission specialist James Lance Bass sat in the NASA commissary, rubbing his aching temples. It had been a long day, training for his upcoming space mission scheduled to take off right before the Christmas holiday. Everyone was anxious about it, being the last one of the millenium and all. "Hey, Lance, I hear you're voted sexiest spaceman!" His friend, and fellow specialist, John Kellogg, took a seat beside him. "What the hell were they thinking?" he teased. Lance blushed a bit, uneasy with the whole People article, which he had just found out about. His boss had laughed at him, handing him a schedule for the photo shoot, which would take place in NASA's training rooms, "to look authentic" the editor said. Word had spread quickly through the place, and Lance was being ribbed at every corner. "I really don't want to do it," Lance admitted, taking a sip of his coffee. "Ughh, you know, they can shoot us into space, you would think they could at least make us some decent coffee." His friend chuckled. "Sounds like someone needs some night time lovin! Damn, you're high strung today. What gives. You were pissy all through training." "The last thing I need is a girlfriend," he muttered, recalling the last one who had given him an ultimatum, either they move in together or she was out of his life. The choice had been easy for him, and she took off the next day, screaming expletives at him, and stealing his John Glenn souviner from his last space flight. He never heard from her again. "I guess all the extra practice runs are making me crazy. I know they're nervous about the millenium but they're really riding us." John nodded. "I heard. I bid on this flight ya know. I really wanted to do it." "Why's that? I figured you'd want to stay home and party with that beautiful girlfriend of yours." Lance stood up, grabbing his flight book, and sunglasses. John shrugged. "Yeah, but with the ex calling me for more child suppport, I could use the bonus, you know?" Lance let out a laugh and shook his head. "Women! Look, I got underwater training, so I gotta hit. We still on for tonight?" They had made plans to go to the local hangout and shoot some pool. He waited for John to nod before taking off. Walking down the long hallway to the prep room, Lance resisted the urge to rub his temples again. His headaches had gotten increasingly worse since his last mission, and he didn't want anyone to find out, for fear they would pull him. He took a right turn at the end of the hall, and entered the enormous white room. His other flight partners were there already, suiting up. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the world's sexiest astronaut," Kim Lee, the shuttle commander snickered, as mission specialist Dave Rogers let out a loud cat call. Lance rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, oh, someone's a bit touchy about it I see," she continued, her eyes dancing with merriment at embarassing him. Lance sat on the table and removed his shirt. "That's it baby! Show me them muscles!" Dave yelled across the room. Lance could feel his ears burn with embarassment and wished no one knew about this. He was the youngest astronaut in NASA history, and was teased for that as it was. Now with this People article, he was being pounded, and hated every minute of it. "So, are we really going to get the hell out of the tank on time today?" he asked, desperate to change the subject. He slid his sneakers off as his suit was fitted on him by the dressers. "Cause I have plans tonight, and I need some relaxation." Kim sighed. "I would like to get out on time. My daughter is having a recital and I really want to make this one. "Then let's not fuck around in there. Let's get it done right the first time, and that's that!" Dave hopped off the table and waited for his helmet to be put on. He waddled out the door, to the tank area. Lance nodded his head in agreement. This mission had been taking it's toll on everyone at NASA. They had spent millions upgrading each computer system on each shuttle to be Y2K compliant, and were nervous about sending the crew up so close to New Years. Lance had felt the uncertainty creep up the back of his neck more than once. He was glad to be on his second mission, and just had to put his destiny in the hands of the engineers. Of course, they were the same engineers employed during the shuttle disaster all those years ago, but he tried not to think about that. Over and over again, the astronauts were assured that the systems were 100% safer now than they ever were. Luckily, Lance had chosen to train in systems analyzation as well as flight, so he had a back up that not everyone had. He'd seen the systems up close and personal, and honestly, it was the only reason he had accepted this mission. "Hey Bass, you ready?" Kim's voice rang out from the tank room. Lance was assisted from the table, had his helmet placed on his head, and went out to be connected to his oxygen supply. There were still a million things to do, and the mission was just 2 weeks away. His temples throbbed once more and he briefly thought about the upcoming PR work that needed to be done. He waited patiently as he was connected to the large metal arm that would lower him into the water, and willed his mind to focus. Hours later, the crew was still submerged, working out a new kink in the system. "I still can't see it," Lance declared, fishing around the small metal capsule for a connection. "Dammit!" Dave hollered through the mic, "Where is it?" He was with Lance searching. They had been underwater for longer than expected and tensions were running high. Kim tried to keep the crew under control. "Let's break," she commanded, motioning for the operators to lift them up. Once out of the tank, Lance threw his helmet to the ground, cursing loudly. "Hey, hey, it's alright. We'll get it." Kim tried to ease everyone's tension. "Go eat some dinner, and we'll do it again." Their boss, and flight director approached. "Sorry, but we don't have time left tonight. Lance has some PR to do, and you, I understand, have a date with your daughter." Kim nodded cautiously, not wanting her crew to be unprepared in space. "Are you sure? We'd like to run it again." He checked the schedule and shook his head. "We just can't spare the time tonight. Anyway, you've all been working hard. It's time for a little break." Lance sighed, happy to be going home. "Not for you Lance. I need you to meet with Public Relations about some things we want you to do." "Figures," he muttered, storming off to the clean room to be disassembled. He slammed his gear down on the long metal table and pressed his eyes shut. He wanted to go home, he just wanted to relax. His family was coming down to Florida from Mississippi for the launch, and he was hoping to have time to prepare for their arrival. Now he was stuck, late at work, doing PR, which normally, he didn't mind, but they had come up with a new image for NASA, and he was their poster boy. When he was dressed in his regular clothes, he headed toward the upstairs offices, stopping quickly at the vending machine, picking up a coffee cake and bottle of water. He went to the staircase, and ran up them, taking two at a time. He arrived in the Public Relations Director's office and sat in the oversized leather seat to wait for her. He noticed some papers on her desk, and his curiosity got the better of him. Looking around to make sure she wasn't watching, he peered over at them. He saw an 8X10 photo of 5 guys, along with some MTV merchandise, and a rough copy of a PR stint. "Hey, it's People's sexiest spaceman!" Lance cringed at the comment. He turned his head to see Tori Grant enter the room, a huge smile on her face. "Please, will you stop with that? You're the one who got me in that mess in the first place." He popped open his bottle of water and took a long sip. He eyed her carefully as she strolled around to her chair and sat down. Since joining the Public Relations Department, Tori had not left him alone. She was always coming up with new and insane ideas, and it always included Lance. All he wanted to do was be an astronaut, be taken seriously. Since he was the youngest, he felt he had a lot to prove, and with Tori on his back, he couldn't be. "So, what ridiculous thing do I have to do now." Tori frowned playfully. "Aww, Lance, you're going to hurt my feelings. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Lance rolled his eyes, and took a bite of his coffee cake, hoping to settle the grumbling in his stomach. "Well?" he asked, nodding toward the papers on her desk. Tori grinned mischeviously. "How would you like to be a Space Cowboy?" Lance nearly choked on his cake. "What?" he asked. A grin spread across Tori's face. She loved to mess with him. He was so damn cute, and polite, and willing to do whatever he needed to. He was her ball of clay, and she was molding him into the astronaut of the future. "You heard me." She leaned back in her chair and twirled a pen between her fingers. "We decided, since you are so young, and because registration is down, that we need some fresh new PR, and you are the key." She stopped for a moment to study his face. His green eyes were wide with confusion, and a bit of distaste. "What the hell is a space cowboy?" Lance stared at her, and tried to hide his true feelings on the whole subject. "And what does MTV have to do with it?" He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot, impatiently. Tori watched him with amusement. "Okay, here's the deal. We're putting you on MTV." Lance leaned forward. "I don't think that's a good idea," he stammered. "I'm not that good with being on television and...." "Nonsense," Tori interuppted, standing from her seat, and pacing excitedly. "Now there's a pop group, they're huge right now. N Sync. They have a song Space Cowboy and you're going to be the Space Cowboy. We're going to have them come to the compound here and let MTV tape you showing them around. Then, they'll be here for launch, and you'll do a stint for their tour performance." She paused long enough to grab the profile and photo of them from her desk and toss it into his lap. "You're around their age, so we'll play up the fact that young men and women are needed to come and train for the space program. In turn, N Sync will promote the program." She perched herself on the edge of her desk and stared down at Lance. "So?" she asked. Lance stared at the five guys on the paper and blinked. "I think this sucks." He looked up at her. "Pop group? Oh please tell me they're not the ones responsible for Bye Bye Bye. It's not them is it?" Tori nodded, still grinning. "Yup, the same." "Damn!" he hissed, standing up and throwing the papers back on her desk. "Every time that song is on the radio, I end up singing it for weeks." He stormed over to the door. "When do I have to do this?" he asked, feeling defeated. "Monday," Tori replied, thinking that it had been easier than she expected. "I'll fax an itinerary to your office." She watched as Lance exited her office. "Bye now!" she called after him. Lance stomed down the hall and outside to his car. The sky was clouding over with thick black clouds, and he felt a storm brewing. "Shit!" he hissed, as soon as he was safely inside the Vette. He turned the key, and punched the gas, peeling out of the parking area. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he navigated his way to the bar where he was meeting John. "N Sync," he muttered. "Show them around. They're probably assholes, spoiled pop stars. Have to put up with their shit. And what the hell am I supposed to do at their concert?" Lance groaned, angry that he had to do this, but more angry that he had started to talk to himself. "Space Cowboy! 100% cheese! That's what that is. Now the guys will never take me seriously." He sped through a red light and continued on. He squealed into the parking lot of "The Nest", and almost exclusively NASA hang out. Clicking his car alarm on, he flew through the door. John was there, sitting at the bar, nursing a beer. Lance joined him. "I'm a freaking Space Cowboy," he said miserably. The bartender, who also happened to be one of Lance's ex girlfriends, smiled at him. "What's that mean?" They had been able to remain good friends, and she handed him a beer as she waited for a response. Lance sucked the beer down greedily, letting out a small burp. "Ever hear of N Sync?" he asked. John nodded. "Yeah, my daughter loves them. I've been dragged to a couple of their shows. Why?" "Ever hear a song Space Cowboy?" The bartender nodded. "Well, that's me!" he stated, rolling up a piece of napkin and tossing it over the bar. "Oh my..." his ex girlfriend couldn't control her laughter. "Lance, I'm sorry. It's just, you with N Sync? Garth Brooks I could see, since you idolize him." She stared into his eyes for a moment. "My God, you're not going to try to dance or anything are you?" Lance made a face at her. He didn't find it as funny as everyone else seemed to. John chimed in, stifling a chuckle. "Hey, can you get some autographs for my kid? Yeah, especially, oh hell, what's his name? The blonde, Jared, Jumbo?" "Justin," the reply came from across the bar. "Ooh, he's a hottie. Yeah, Lance, can you get one for me too?" She put another beer in front of him and grinned. Lance nodded. "Okay, you all think it's so funny. That's great, just great!" "Come on now! We're just teasing. It won't be that bad. You're a good looking kid. And you're doing it for the good of NASA! Remember that." John looked at his friend hopefully. Lance sighed, slammed his beer, and headed for the door. "You leaving?" He nodded. "Yeah, gotta prepare for some teen idols! Catch ya later!" He hoped his sarcasm wasn't entirely lost on them. Sliding behind the wheel of his car, he rode home silently, hoping that this PR stunt wouldn't backfire and ruin his career. Monday morning arrived with a fierce thunderstorm. Lance rolled over in bed, slamming his fist against his beeping alarm clock. He opened one eye and squinted as the lightening lit up the sky. The phone rang, forcing him up. "Yeah?" "Lance, it's Tori. Where are you? N Sync is here waiting for you with MTV. You're late! Get over here now!" "All right! I'm on my way." He growled as he got up. It had been a long and difficult week with all the training and last minute adjustments. He hadn't gotten more than 4 hours sleep each night. He took a quick shower, dressed, and headed out to the facility. It took him no longer than ten minutes, but there was Tori, waiting outside, under an umbrella, with a nasty look on her face. It caused Lance to grin. "Serves her right," he muttered happily. "Morning!" he chirped, as he ran past her and out of the rain. "Where have you been?" she hissed. "I've had these guys in my office for almost an hour, trying to make excuses for you. She had to take two steps for each one of his to keep up with him. Lance shrugged. "Look, I'm not a pop star. I'm an astronaut and I've been training hard all week. That's my priority. This is fluff." "I think I take offense to that." Lance stopped when he heard an unfamiliar voice call out from behind him. Slowly, he turned around to see a curly blonde hair boy, dressed all in denim and spangles, facing him. "I'm Justin," he said, breaking the silence with a smile. "From N Sync. I was just messing with ya, man." Lance could feel Tori's glare boring into him. He knew she was pissed. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he grinned. "Hey, I'm sorry about that crack. I've just been tired lately, training and all." Justin waved his hand in the air. "Not a problem. I understand. Hey, we're totally pumped that you're doing this with us. I mean it." Lance looked at him and nodded. He looked about his age, and seemed nice enough. "Let's go into my office and chat before those cameras go on." Lance motioned to Justin, who called out to the other 4 group members. One by one, they popped out of Tori's office, following Justin down the hall. Once inside, Lance offered them a seat. "So, I guess I'm the Space Cowboy." He laughed a little and sized each N Sync member up. "Well, I give you credit. I'm Joey by the way." Lance reached out and shook his hand, trying hard not to stare at the red tips. "Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Chris," another member said, shaking Lance's hand firmly. "I gotta tell ya, you have an awesome job." Lance laughed and felt himself ease up. They weren't snobs at all, rather regular guys, just like him. Yet another N Syncer waved from the opposite side of the room. "I'm JC, and this is Jason." Lance shook hands with each of them, and sat on the edge of his desk. "It's good to meet you all. I'm looking forward to showing you all around. I understand you'll be here until the launch." JC nodded. "Yeah. It's going to be carried live on MTV, and we'll be performing during it." Lance raised an eyebrow. "You do know how noisy a launch is right?" Justin nodded seriously. "We do. Actually, only the audience at home will really hear us. We'll have the shuttle lifting off in the background. It's gonna be incredible." Tori knocked at Lance's door. "MTV is ready guys. Do you want to get started?" She handed each N Sync member clearance passes and waved them into the hallway. "Lance will take you to the areas which have been cleared for use. If you need anything, I'll be in my office." She smiled happily, glad to see Lance was warming up to the idea. Lance lead his charges through the winding hallways. He was nervous about the camera, who's red light flashed annoyingly, a sign that everything he said and did was being recorded. It was Joey who first noticed his uneasiness. "Hey, just ignore it," he suggested helpfully. "I'm trying. How exactly do you guys do it? I mean having your lives taped all the time?" Lance rubbed the back of his neck and tried to remain focused on the job. He opened the door to the warehouse where the shuttles were serviced. His shuttle was already on the launch pad, but the others were in there, each hanging in various states of assembly. Justin gasped in awe. "Oh my God!" he breathed. "That is the most amazing thing." He stared up at the huge craft. JC gave a low whistle. "I can't believe you get shot up in space in these things." Chris trailed behind with Jason in tow. "Hey guys, wait up!" he called, bursting through the doors. "Wow!" he exclaimed. Lance leaned back against the railing and easily stepped into his explanation. From time to time, each astronaut was in charge of giving tours, and the words flowed without hesitation. He watched the five guys as they stared in amazement. He even let himself forget he was being taped, until Joey walked over to the camera and started talking into it. Justin noticed the look on Lance's face, and went over. "He's just messing around. He does that. So, they talked to you about our tour?" "Well, they said you needed me to do something, but didn't tell me what it was." Lance lead the crew out of the warehouse and outside, where they could get a shot of the shuttle on the pad. JC laughed. "We'd like to tape you in action and have you introduce Space Cowboy. Then we'll play it on the big screen behind us." He watched as Lance processed the request. "I know it seems kinda corny to you, but it would look crazy having that on the screen as we performed." "I don't know much about concert shows, so I'll take your word for it," he admitted, staring out over the huge shuttle craft that would lift him into space in just a few days. "So, I guess we're done here. Do you all want to grab a bite to eat with me? Maybe we could talk some more." Chris nodded. "That's it! I want to eat at a real space place. Man, do they serve that dehydrated stuff?" Justin elbowed him hard. "Shut up!" he warned. He personally thought this idea was right on the money, and didn't want Chris and his stupid comments to screw it up. Luckily, Lance just smiled. "You've obviously never had that food, or you wouldn't be requesting it!" he chuckled. "Come on, let's go." The six of them left the MTV crew and headed over to the commissary for some lunch. They chatted about life on the road vs. life as an astronaut. Then Justin and Lance discovered they shared a vocal coach all those years ago. "Can you imagine if you two would have met back then?" JC shook his head in wonder, leaving Lance to ponder the question. What would have occured. Would he have been a singer instead of an astronaut? Dismissing the thought from his mind, after all, he'd wanted to fly into space ever since he knew what stars were. Besides, he was an awful dancer, and too shy for all that publicity. Lance got up. "Well, I do have some more training this afternoon, so I guess I'll catch you guys later. When are we taping the thing for your concert?" He looked at JC, having pegged him for the leader of this little group. JC didn't disappoint. "Are we okay to do it tomorrow?" He sipped his water and looked at Lance. "Good with me. Until then. Have fun." Lance waved a good bye and walked off. He had enjoyed meeting them. They weren't what he had expected at all. The thought of he and Justin sharing a vocal coach stood out in his mind and he wondered. The week flew by quickly. Lance had fufilled his obligation to do the intro for Space Cowboy. He had gotten leave for the day, and spent it with N Sync. He learned to relax, have fun. The pressures of his job were so overwhelming, it was nice to be able to hang with guys his own age, and act in a manner less than suitable for a NASA employee. They had spent the day on jet skiis, talking about music, and relationships. Lance learned his life wasn't so different from that of 5 international superstars. Two nights before the launch, he invited them over, to meet his family, and have a little barbeque. Lance loved to entertain. He didn't get to do it much, but when he did, it was a blowout. All five members showed up, and to his delight, all his family had been able to make it. He discovered a true friend in Justin, even with the 2 year age gap. Both from the south, they had the same type of upbringing. Lance let Justin have a mission patch left over from his first flight. Justin had thanked him profusly, giving Lance an N Sync tour jacket in return. It was getting late, and Justin sat on the edge of the pool, his feet dangling in. Lance sat in a chair beside him, staring up at the stars. "So, do you ever get scared? I mean about blasting off into space?" Lance leaned back in his chair. "I've only been once, but it's not scary. It's exciting. Justin, you wouldn't believe the rush. I couldn't imagine ever doing anything else. Now, doing what you do everynight, that would scare me!" "Why? There's nothing to what I do!" Justin slid into the cool water and ducked under. When he came up, Lance was sitting on the edge of the pool. "I don't know about that. Those girls can get pretty insane." Lance dipped his feet in and sighed. "I guess we both have demanding jobs." "Well, I'm excited to go to the launch. I've never been to one, all the time I've lived right here in Orlando." Justin floated on his back, staring into the black night, wondering what that veiw would be like. Suddenly, his thoughts were interuppted by a screaming Joey. He ran outside and past the pool, an agitated JC chasing him. "You are dead Fatone! Do you hear me?" Lance looked up, unused to such behavior in his home. Justin just laughed. "You have to know them to understand." Chris tore out of the house next, a hysterical Jason trailing. JC caught Joey by the shirt and shoved him into the pool. "How's that?" he smirked, wiping his hands on his shorts. Lance watched in awe as the four of them goofed off. Chris knocked JC into the pool next, before doing a belly flop in himself. Justin just grinned. Lance felt a strange comradery with them. Shaking his head, he jumped in the pool, and joined in the fun. Flight day arrived, and N Sync was set up at the base of the bleachers at NASA. Justin's stomach was doing nervous flips. He'd never known anyone who went into space before. He was both excited, and a bit apprehensive. The crowd was huge, the largest in NASA history. The event was heavily publicized from all sides, and the excitement of Lance being the Space Cowboy, along with his sexiest spaceman bid, pumped the already huge N Sync fans into a frenzy. Lance was seated on his back in the shuttle, his adrenaline rushing. Kim was going through pre flight checks with the co-pilot. Lance closed his eyes, imagining his new friends getting ready to sing his song. He chuckled at the thought. "Bass, you okay? You're not loosing your mind are ya?" Lance heard mission control's voice inside his helmet. "Negative, mission control," he replied. "Just thinking about the chaos outside. All the screaming girls." "That is affirmative!" a laugh came back. "It's total mayhem out there." The countdown continued and Lance felt the roar of the engines beneath him. He said his prayer silently, and closed his eyes, ready for his second ride into space. Outside, N Sync began their performance live on MTV. The shuttle was perched in the background and JC, Justin, Joey, Chris and Jason began the familiar dance steps to Space Cowboy. The rockets ignited and Justin turned briefly, not wanting to miss it. As the song ended, they all turned and watched as their new friend rose into space. A cheer went up from the crowd, and N Sync. Lance waited for the g forces to stop, and detachment to occur. He took his helmet off and floated around the space craft. He heard the chords to Space Cowboy playing over the sound system and looked up. "What the..." Kim smiled, her hair floating about her face. "Hey Mr. Cowboy, your friends are in mission control." Lance looked confused. He followed her hand and saw the guys over the tv screen. A smile crossed his face. "Hey! We're talking to space!" Chris said excitedly. Lance laughed as JC elbowed him out of the way. "Lance, man, good job! When you come back, you gotta come to Hawaii with us for the millenium!" Justin was talking, completely overwhelmed that Lance was in outer space. "That's affirmative N Sync! I'll be there!" Lance signed off, grinning happily. "Come and take a ride..." He began to sing, his deep voice floating over the airways. Mission control let out a series of groans. Justin smiled. "Yeah, he could've been in N Sync," he said quietly. |
| ..if you wanna fly, come and take a ride..take a space ride with the cowboy, baby |