Oh boy, I have a feeling that this chapter is going to be another extremely long one, and I think this will be the most dramatic and heart-wrenching chapter yet. I know, it seems impossible after the one I just wrote, right? Well, you thought wrong!
I do bring good news, though- this will contain MAJOR fluff for a certain pairing! Try guessing which one it is before you start reading and see if your guess was right after reading the chapter. Then, tell me in your review what your guess was, your reaction to the outcome, and other thoughts. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
*Beeeep* Oops, that is my shut-up-and-start-writing signal! Happy (or sad or suspenseful) reading!
Following the black goo attack on the girls, the guys exited the building amidst the extremely loud alarm noise and a shower of tiny blue arrows that resembled tranquilizer darts. They ran for their lives into a forest surrounding the back of the building (since the tower, they had found out earlier, bordered the Redwood Forest National Park). (A/N- I have no idea if the Redwood Forest is anywhere near San Francisco, but in this story, it is. I went to San Francisco for Thanksgiving last year, but I'm absolutely horrible with locations).
Like with Arthur and PNX Technology, Andre got a spooky feeling when they finally stopped to catch their breath and observed their surroundings. The atmosphere was moist and humid but possessed a chilly breeze that gave Andre goose bumps. The leaves of the branches and trees rustled every couple of seconds and Andre would snap his head around in paranoia whenever he heard a creaking noise coming from behind him (even though it was just Robbie and Beck following his blind trek further into the forest). Birds sounded in the distance, their wretched cries signaling that they had found their next meal. Andre just hoped they hated the taste of human flesh.
"I…I can't go any further," Robbie panted, collapsing against the trunk of a tall redwood tree.
"Me neither," Andre agreed. He sat next to Robbie and put his head in his hands. He could not get the grotesque images of what had happened ten minutes ago from his head. Jade stuck to the wall, limp like an old rag doll; Cat dangling from the ceiling like bait waiting to be captured by a hungry fish; and the pain etched in Tori's face as her back collided into the desk.
However, the last image remained in his head the longest and he had no idea why. Probably because Tori was his best friend and seeing her in pain made him feel like his heart was being torn out of him and pummeled against the wall? He bit his tongue in order to restrain the emotions building inside of him.
Restrain the wonk, Andre. You're a big boy now, not some five year-old who whines whenever something goes wrong, he thought to himself. He pulled himself together and looked up to Beck, who was standing there still as a rock. "So what should we do, boss?" he teased Beck, knowing that he was the only one who knew what to do in a situation like this.
Beck stayed silent for a moment before deciding what to do. "Robbie and I grabbed materials from the janitor's closet just in case something happened to us. Let's use the tools in our tool belts to build some kind of shelter and gather our resources."
Andre and Robbie nodded in assent. "Robbie, how about you empty our bags, determine what could be useful to us, and gather any food from the forest that we may need for the night while Andre and I start building the shelter?" He motioned to the tool belt around Robbie's waist.
Robbie sighed. "Okay." He unstrapped the heavy-duty tool belt and reluctantly handed it to Beck. He wished that he was big and strong like Beck and Andre so he wouldn't always be given stupid little jobs to do like "gather the resources." He pursed his lips in frustration and got to work.
In about an hour or two, the boys were done. It was late at night and they laid under their makeshift shelter in silence, each worrying about the three girls' fate. Beck was trying to sleep and forget their whole ordeal for the time being, but Andre's heavy breathing and Robbie's annoying Nintendo were getting in the way.
Beck groaned and sat up. "Robbie, did you HAVE to bring your Nintendo along with you today?"
Robbie looked up, startled by Beck's complaint. "Hey, Pokémon can be a great stress reliever sometimes!"
He looked down at his lap. "I just need to get my mind off of things, okay? And maybe playing video games is the only way to do that right now. Get off my back."
Even from across their wooden tent, Beck could see through the darkness that Robbie was wiping his eyes furiously. It was obvious that everything that has happened was more than he could handle right now. Beck got up and walked over to Robbie and clapped him on the back. "Everything will be okay, Rob."
"But what if it's not okay? !" Robbie shouted, standing up suddenly. "What if they're already dead? Or tortured or being starved to death? You don't know what that guy is doing to them, Beck! He's a malevolent, psychotic maniac!"
Andre heard the commotion and got up to join Beck in hearing Robbie's outburst. Unfazed by the newcomer, Robbie kept his attention focused on Beck.
"What about you, Mr. Cool Guy? I know that your calmness is just a big, phony act! You still have feelings for Jade; I could see it in your eyes when you saw her in the room on the monitor! You were worried about her and I bet you still are! Can't you at least show the littlest bit of concern for her? This is life and death we're dealing with here!"
Beck was shocked. "Robbie, you don't understand. I have to stay strong for the group-"
"And what about you, Andre?" Robbie said, making Andre flinch with his harsh tone. "I know you have trouble keeping your feelings inside of you! Tell us what you're thinking right now!"
They both looked at Andre expectantly. Andre wanted to say so many things, but instead he kept his dignity and shook his head hopelessly. "I can't."
"God damnit, what is wrong with you guys! Be men and go save the girls! I can't bear to lose Cat, not like this!" Andre's eyes widened in understanding when Robbie mentioned Cat. "That's right, I'm in love with Cat. L-O-V-E. Do you guys even know what that means? !"
"All right, that's it Shapiro!" Andre exploded. "We're the ones trying to be strong for YOU! You're the one throwing a tantrum like a child! Beck is lucky that he was able to put up with you all that time while the girls and I were slaved on those stupid computers and Jade and I were left to die!"
Robbie and Beck stared at him with astonishment. Andre still hadn't told them the horror that he and Jade had been through before the whole mess happened.
"I advise you that you shut your damn mouth before I let my 'feelings' out, okay? ! I'm not in the mood for your crap right now!" And with that, Andre pushed Robbie to the ground.
He immediately felt bad after doing it because Robbie curled up into a ball and started crying. "I'm sorry guys," he whimpered. "This is just too much for me."
Andre sat down next to him. "It's too much for all of us. I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Robbie looked up and wiped his eyes. "It's okay, I deserve it. If you guys can stay strong for the girls, then so should I."
Beck held out his hand and helped the both of them up. "Glad to have you back, man," he said to Robbie. "You too, Andre. Now let's get some sleep so we can catch up with each other and figure out what to do next. Okay?"
Andre and Robbie nodded and went back to their sleeping spots. "And that means no more playing your Nintendo, Robbie!" Beck called to him.
"Aw, jiminy!" he exclaimed and laid back on the cold forest floor. Too bad he couldn't have any mayonnaise right now. It would help him calm down and think straight.
Depressed and exhausted from the day's events, the guys descended into a restless sleep. Little did they know what they were going to end up facing the next day…
Jade opened her eyes with a smile on her face. She had had a great dream about her and Beck getting back together. Beck had surprised her at her house and forced her to come with him to his RV. She was reluctant at first, but relaxed once he put "Friday the 13th," her second favorite movie, on his flat screen TV. Then, he had written a sappy love note and apologized for everything at the same time. It made her want to gag and cry in happiness at the same time. But poor Jade had woken up at the best part of the dream- the make-up kiss.
What did this dream mean? Was she still in love with Beck, even after he had treated her so horribly while helping Sinjin out with his game show? No, she couldn't be; she refused to be! But she couldn't help but feel like they were both connected somehow and that it would take a huge force to break them apart. Not even Vega could tear it apart, and that's saying something in Jade's mind since she didn't like Tori all too much.
She yawned and stretched her arms only to find her hands tied behind her back yet again. Man, what's with Arthur and his obsession with tying people up? she thought. It's so unoriginal and overdone!
Usually, when a person is tied up, that person can still move a little bit; so Jade, remembering that fact, attempted to wiggle her way out. There was only one problem- this time, she couldn't move at all.
What the… She turned her head to the left and to the right. All she could see was wood. She kicked her feet behind her and heard a hollow knocking noise in return. Immediately, she felt dizzy; she didn't know if it was because she had a concussion from her run-in with the wall earlier or if it was because she figured out that she was taped to the bottom of a topless wooden box- that was eerily in the shape of a coffin.
As much as Jade loved horror movies, she had never imagined that she would ever actually be part of one- one made especially for her. She started to scream but stopped because talking just made her even more nauseous.
She peered around the right edge of her box and saw two similar boxes stuck to the side of the glass wall like her box was. She wondered who was inside of them- it could be anyone from their group at this point.
"Anyone awake?" she asked, her voice echoing off the glass walls and colliding violently with her ears. Then, her urgency mode kicked in. "WAKE UP!"
"Aaaah!" two voices hollered at the same time. "Jade! What was that for?" one voice complained.
"My eardrums are vibrating!" one high-pitched voice cried, then giggled from the tingly sensation that resulted from it.
"Um… Tori? Cat?" Jade said and gulped as she glanced somewhere she wish she hadn't. "Look down and tell me what you see."
The two girls averted their eyes downward and gasped. The ground was so far below them that they couldn't see it.
"What the heck is going on? !" Tori cried as Cat started to sob. "Is this some kind of hellish nightmare we're in?"
"Oh, you wish it was," Arthur's cold voice chuckled in their ears. Before they could react, a monitor floated in front of them to show Arthur's aging, sneering face. "Your little boyfriends made quite a mess yesterday, am I right? Of course I am."
"Yeah, that's because they were trying to get us out of this shithole you put us in!" Jade yelled at the monitor and glared at him with revengeful fire burning in her eyes. "What the heck is your stupid takeover plan anyway? To make everyone see how much of a fucking psychopath you are? !"
"That is none of your business right now, Jadelyn."
"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Arthur sighed and ran his gnarly fingers through his hair. "Let's just say that your little disturbance created a glitch in the system that shut all of my equipment down. Now our operation has to be delayed for a couple of hours while it is being rebooted. And to ensure that something like that won't happen again… I'm afraid you girls will have to be punished."
Tori's breath caught in her throat as she resisted the temptation to look down again. "What's it going to be?"
"Well I thought about it for a while, actually. Stabbing or shooting you would leave too much evidence and too many fingerprints. I considered hanging also, but I figured that would be too barbaric even for me to do to young girls such as yourselves."
Cat let out a strangled cry and tears started to pool in Tori's. Jade just rolled her eyes as usual- but it was still official: at this point, they were all scared to death of this man that could do anything he wanted to them.
"So I did a little research and found the perfect torturous death-drowning."
"WHAT? !" Cat screamed and started to go into hysterics. "I don't want to drown! It reminds me of when my brother almost drowned in the pool when he was little!"
"Oh, Cat… Did I say that the drowning would take place in water? I don't think I did."
"Then… what are you going to use?" Tori asked, confused as to what he was referring to.
"Look down again,"
This time, they saw tubes in the sides of the walls that were dripping the substance they feared the most- the unnamed, mysterious black goo. It started out as a slow drip but gradually flowed out faster and faster, as if a dam was leaking and about ready to burst.
This time, Tori started sobbing as well and Jade continued to stare at the rising level of goo in horror. "You can't do this to us!" she screamed.
Arthur gave her a nasty look and then a cruel smile. "Oh… but I can. And there's nothing you can do about it. Toodaloo!" The monitor turned black and zoomed out of their view.
Tori and Cat continued to cry as the goo started to accumulate. Eventually, Jade was reduced to tears as well. She couldn't stand to hear the other girls' despair. After everything they've been through as friends, it couldn't end this way… right?
"Hey Jade?" Tori sniffled beside her.
Jade turned her head towards the sound of her voice. "I'm so sorry that Beck and I almost kissed."
Jade's eyes widened in shock and she kept on listening. "And I'm so sorry that you saw us almost kissing. I thought I liked him… until now."
Jade gritted her teeth. "Vega, you better watch what you're saying-"
"Just hear me out! I knew Beck still liked you! I respect the relationship you and he once had! Beck's cute but… he's not my type. And I just realized that I like someone else now, so there's no need to hate me anymore."
Jade could barely make out Tori's tear-stained face in the little lighting present in the glass tube. "I want you to be happy, Jade. And I know Beck makes you happy."
Despite their awaiting doom, Jade smiled a little to herself. "You know Tori, you're not so bad after all."
She didn't have to turn her head to know that Tori was smiling too. "Thanks."
"Aw, I love you guys!" Cat cooed after observing their resolution.
Jade and Tori chuckled at Cat's comment. "We love you too, Cat," Tori said.
They forgot about their dire situation for one moment as they basked in the glory of their friendship. They wouldn't go down torn apart; no matter the circumstances, they would stick together until the end, which could be coming very soon- and they all knew it.
As soon as the sun shone through the breaks in the forest's canopy, the guys woke up and got to work. Andre told Beck and Robbie about Arthur and his almighty appearance and they told Andre about the room Cat and Tori had disappeared in and the control room.
"So this guy wants to take over the world or something?" Beck asked Andre.
"Yeah, but I don't know what the heck he's up to. He didn't tell us anything about the plan, nothing at all." Andre pulled out a stash of cookies he had smuggled in his pants pocket and gave one third to Beck and one third to Robbie.
"And what is that goo that tried to attack me and captured the girls too?" Robbie wondered.
"Beats me," Andre mumbled with his mouth full of cookies. "It could be anything- this dude is almost supernatural. He can control anything he wants whenever he wants it. It's uncanny."
"We need some way to get into the building without being noticed," Beck commented.
"It's not possible- there must be about a billion alarms and security cameras in each room!"
"Wait, guys! I found something!" Robbie exclaimed, motioning them to come closer. "I'm using the computer hacking app on my Pearphone again and it says that there is one room in building that has no security whatsoever! Apparently it's some sort of empty storage compartment."
He laughed bitterly. "Wow, for some guy who seems so incredibly smart, he can sure be stupid sometimes."
"So where is it?" Andre questioned.
"It's on the other side of the building."
"We should pack up our stuff and get moving then. We have no time to waste!" Beck started to gather up his things.
"Wait!" Robbie said. "Shouldn't we figure out what we're going to do when we get there?"
"We'll do that when we get there. Now come on!"
They started their long walk back to the gleaming tower of death, as Andre now thought of it. Of course he didn't want to go back…but because of the girls, they had to. They couldn't let their friends suffer any more than they already have.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, they reached the building. "According to my Pearphone, the room is right… here." Robbie pointed to a door only a few feet away from the EMERGENCY EXIT.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Andre said anxiously. He walked over and tugged the door handle. It was locked.
"Looking for this?" Beck twirled a lock picker in front of his face.
He grinned. "Thanks, bro." He started fiddling with the lock and got it open after only a minute.
"It's open!" he alerted the boys, and they rushed into the room… only to find themselves in blackness.
"You guys call me stupid?" Arthur's voice rang through the ears. They yelled out in surprise and put their hands to their ears. "Did you really think that I wouldn't be keeping an eye on you guys? This whole thing was a trap."
Robbie looked at his Pearphone in shock. "What the… How could you have possibly known? !" he shouted. "This is the best computer hacking program around!"
The chuckling continued and the same white monitor zoomed into the room and lit up the boys' faces. "Apparently you didn't get much bang for your buck," Arthur sneered at them. "No one can beat the master. Do you even know where you are?"
The boys became silent; they knew he was right. "Look around and you'll find out."
The monitor's light became brighter, allowing them to see more of their surroundings. Beck walked over to one wall that was made of glass and all he could see was black. "You're getting very close, Beckett," Arthur said. "Now look up."
Robbie and Andre followed Beck's gaze and saw the three girls crying desperately for help. For the first time since they came to PNX, Beck lost his cool for a moment. "What are you doing to them? !" he yelled.
"Well, considering that I tied them down and they can't move and there's a liquid substance migrating its way towards them… you'll figure it out eventually." Arthur leaned back in his office chair in content, watching the whole scene play out in the control room.
"Why are you doing this to us, man? What did we ever do to you?" Andre shouted.
Arthur's expression hardened and his face grew red. "You're kidding me, right?" he growled. "You better be pulling my chain on this one or else you all are a bunch of idiot jackasses!"
All three of them jumped at Arthur's change in behavior. "You ruined my plan and now you're paying the price!"
"What plan?" Beck yelled.
"NONE OF YOUR DAMN BEESWAX!" Arthur growled. "You will watch your girlfriends suffer and you'll see what it feels like to have someone you care for ripped out of your life and tear it to shreds!"
He soon resumed his frighteningly calm demeanor. "And that is the price you pay with messing with your new dictator."
Before they could figure out what the heck he was talking about, the monitor shut off and disappeared.
Robbie groaned and sank to the floor in despair. He put his head in his hands and the tears started pouring out again. "What are we going to do now?"
"Beck, is there anything in your tool belt that could help?" Andre asked, secretly freaking out inside as well.
"Let's see, I have a screwdriver, a pair of pliers… Ah hah! A glass cutter!" He pulled out the laser triumphantly. "We can cut a hole in the tube and swim up to the girls!"
"Clever…" Arthur's voice mused. "But good luck with that. This black goo has a density of 1,000 kg/m. It's impossible to swim through and it's also really sticky. Once you immerse yourself in it, you're done for."
Beck waited until Arthur was done to speak again. "We'll just have to try."
Robbie and Andre looked at him in horror. "For the girls," Beck pleaded.
They sighed and nodded. "For the girls," Robbie agreed.
Beck turned the laser on and guided the red laser towards the glass. He proceeded to cut a small hole that was still big enough for a human to squeeze through and watched as the glass clattered onto the floor. He expected the goo to come rushing at them, but it didn't. Instead, it was so sticky that it kept its form like Jello.
"Okay, so we know which girls we're getting, right? Robbie, you're getting Cat, Andre will free Tori, and I'll get Jade. Got it?"
They nodded. "Robbie, since Cat is on the other side, I'll run to the other side of the tube and cut a hole for you. Andre, you start heading up to Tori."
Andre looked into the tube nervously and gulped. "Got it. And guys…" He looked at them with somber eyes. "If we don't make it out alive… You guys are like brothers to me." He stopped, unable to say any more without breaking down.
Beck patted his shoulder with sympathy and Robbie mimicked his action. "We feel the same way, 'Dre," Beck said.
They stepped back and Andre gave them one last salute before diving into the sticky blackness.
"I guess that just leaves the two of us," Robbie said sadly and watched Beck run and carve a hole into the other side. As Beck came back, Robbie met him in the middle.
"Hey man… thanks for having my back," Robbie said. "I know you guys get annoyed with me a lot, but… I really appreciate everything you've done for me."
Beck nodded in agreement, realizing that Robbie was also implying about his father as well. "No problem, Rob, because I know you'd do the same for me." He put a hand on Robbie's shoulder. "You're a good friend."
Robbie smiled. "Thanks, Beck."
Beck grinned back and ran towards the hole. "See you on the other side!" Beck yelled and then followed Andre's path through the hole.
Robbie sighed and walked to the hole made especially for him. "Well, here goes nothing." And like the other two he was gone as well.
After a while, Jade, Tori and Cat had run out of tears to cry and were now watching nervously as the black goo started lapping on the bottom of their boxes. Upon seeing the boys entering the adjacent room, they had screamed for help. Then, they couldn't see the boys anymore, leaving them in the dark about what had happened to them.
"What do you think happened to them?" Cat whispered, hoping that Arthur couldn't hear them. That man really creeped her out.
"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see." Tori cringed and whimpered as she felt the goo rise towards her waist.
Meanwhile, Jade was in her own little world. "It can't end like this," she breathed, starting to hyperventilate. "It just can't!"
Suddenly, a black figure popped up beside one edge of her box. "Looking for me?" he said, breathing hard.
Jade gasped. "Beck!" She started to struggle again with her bindings. "Help!"
"Calm down, Jade, I'll get you out of this," he said, kissing the side of her neck. Jade relaxed as she felt her pressure point being constricted. Beck resumed to untying the rope around her ankles and her wrists. "Three, two, one…"
Upon reaching zero, Jade felt herself falling and screamed. She was pleasantly surprised to find herself in Beck's arms. "Now listen to me," he murmured in her ear. "We're going to have to swim towards the bottom where I cut out the opening. Hold onto me the whole time and don't let go. And make sure you hold your breath, too." He looked into her eyes. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."
Too astonished to say anything, she nodded; and with that said, they dove towards the bottom.
Meanwhile, Andre had found his way to Tori's box and had started untying her as well. Tori had started to cry again and struggled to calm her down. "Ssh, it's alright muchacha, I'm almost done."
And just like Jade, Tori fell into Andre's arms. She buried her head into his shoulder and continued to sob loudly. "Thank god you found us, Andre," she whispered.
"Stay strong for me, girl; we're not quite done yet." Tori looked at him with questioning eyes as Andre quickly told her the same thing Beck had told Jade. Tori nodded as well and they too started to make their way towards the opening closest to them.
However, it wasn't until a little later that Robbie reached Cat's box. Since he was a weaker swimmer than both Beck and Andre, he had to rely on his adrenaline to power him through the muck. Robbie's appearance startled Cat, who had drifted into her own place in her mind. "Aaaaah!" she screamed.
"Cat, it's Robbie!" he exclaimed, now almost eye level with Cat. Because he had used up more time swimming than the others, the goo was now up to Cat's chest.
"Oh my god, Robbie!" she cried and put her chin on his shoulder since she was unable to hug him. "I'm so glad you're here! I don't want to die!"
"You won't, Cat," Robbie said, feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion and panic. "I promise." He started fumbling with the knot around Cat's wrists.
Cat gasped. "Hurry Robbie, the goo's getting closer!"
"I'm trying! This knot's really tight!"
As the goo slowly made its way up to her chin, Cat made a decision. She didn't want to stay in denial and keep ignoring her feelings forever. She had to tell Robbie and get them out into the open before it was too late.
"Robbie, I need to tell you something."
While still working with the knot, Robbie looked up at her and waited for her to go on.
"I… I love you."
Upon hearing Cat say that, Robbie's mouth fell open. Without a doubt in his mind, he moved his hands to her shoulders and kissed her passionately on her lips. I have to do this, he moaned to himself. This may be the only chance I have with her.
He broke away shortly and it was Cat's turn to be frozen in shock. "I love you too. You have no idea," he murmured as he leaned to kiss her again. While Cat was distracted, he untied the knot holding her wrists together. Since Cat wasn't struggling anymore, the knot had loosened, making it easier for Robbie to unravel the rope.
Cat's arms locked behind Robbie's neck and they both enjoyed their moment of pure bliss. Robbie deepened the kiss and Cat's hands tangled in Robbie's curly hair. However, Robbie reluctantly pulled away as he realized that Cat's ankles still needed to be freed.
"I have to go below and untie your ankles," Robbie said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. He looked down and saw that the goo had reached their chins. "Stay calm and try to keep your mouth and nose out of the goo as long as you can. I'll grab onto you and we'll make our way back to the other room."
Tears gathered in Cat's eyes again as she understood what he was saying. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before taking a deep breath and diving down.
Cat tilted her head upward as the goo became too high to keep her head upright any longer. Eventually, she had to take a deep breath as well and submerge herself in the darkness.
As soon as Cat went under, Robbie untied the knot and waited for her to latch onto him. However, he realized that he could not move. His weight and Cat's combined were no match for his skinny, weak arms and legs.
Before he knew it, he started getting lightheaded and forgot which way he was going. Pain ravaged his chest as he felt Cat, being more fragile and out of shape then he was, run out of air and choke on the blackness. Then, her body went limp, making her even heavier to carry.
With the last amount of oxygen Robbie had left, he dragged Cat into his arms and exhaled. He withered and kicked his legs in terror as he breathed in deoxygenated materials. Soon enough, he was also unconscious, and he and Cat sank into the blackness in each other's arms.
Holy crap that was a freaking long chapter! Sorry about that! I hope you enjoyed it though, the suspense is killing me as I write this! Please tell people to review cuz this is the best chapter yet! :D