Chapter 2-The Search
We were all stunned and thrilled at the same time. Scared and happy, shocked and bursting with joy, whatever or however you wanted to describe the feeling, but there was also a strong tension in the room.
"Wait a moment, you said the plane crash was a hoax to cover up 11 disappearances, the girls have disappeared?" Harold asked.
"Unfortunately they have, but we do have some ideas of where they might have gone and might be," Detective Finch explained.
"Let us help, we'll do anything!" Tyler said quickly.
"I know and we do need your help, but you've got to understand that everything you see will not be pretty and no one is even guaranteeing that while its only been about a week since the girls have disappeared that any will even be alive," Detective Finch explained and we all exchanged determined looks.
"Whatever it takes, we're going to find our girlfriends," Geoff said.
"Okay, then let us go, we've got a lot to talk about and a lot more to execute," Detective Finch said straightening up and leading us out into the pouring rain. As we all shuffled away people stared and followed our very step and the girls' families scrutinized us for leaving their memorial service early, if only they knew that we were on a mission to save their daughters who for all they knew were dead. Detective Finch led us out of the park and along the sidewalk and to a group of black trucks. We all split up into groups and rode in the trucks and left the memorial service and soon arrived at a tall building. Once inside we were led the the elevator which we took to the basement and then were led to the stairs. We took them down a few flights and then a door opened to reveal a huge tech room. Computer screens were everywhere, other agents dressed like Detective Finch sat behind desks working silently. Detective Finch led us over to a desk where a man was buried behind tall folders.
"Johnathan," Detective Finch said softly. The man looked up and then moved a few things aside to get a better look at all of us.
"They'll have to do I guess," The man named Johnathan explained.
"Don't be so harsh, they just found out their supposedly dead girlfriends are alive, yet missing," A women said as she swept past picking up one of the folders off the cluttered desk. She walked over to a desk that was beside Johnathan's desk and opened the folder skimming through the pages inside briefly before closing it and handing it back over to Johnathan who replaced it on top of the others.
"I guess my visions of these teenagers were a big exaggerated," Johnathan said.
"Kids, this is Johnathan my right hand man and the guy that handles everything that I don't about this case," Mr. Finch introduced.
"Which in technical terms is all the boring and dirty work," Johnathan snapped.
"This wonderful lady is Justine," Mr. Finch said nodding to the women who was still sitting on the desk beside Johnathan's who when introduced smiled and waved politely. "She is our researcher and she researches everyone and everything connected to this case."
"I know everything about all of your girlfriends and some stuff about you all too, so don't go lying to me," Justine said flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"She's also a notorious gossip," Johnathan said angrily as he sat back down and grabbed a different folder.
"Its true, so I know every gossip and piece of information true and possibly false about this case, you need anything to get around come to me, it'll get there," Justine said hopping down from the desk and walking around to the chair and sitting down and turning her attention to the computer screen.
"The rest of these agents do little bits of research which then goes to Justine which either goes through Johnathan or straight to myself," Detective Finch explained.
"Look, you brought us into this whole thing so you'd better keep us here," Duncan threatened. Mr. Finch just laughed.
"Do you really think I would tell you everything and then keep you out of the loop? Think again, we need your help just as much as you need ours," Detective Finch explained.
"Just want to make sure," Geoff said quickly.
"Trust me even if he wanted you out of the loop Justine would just keep pulling you back in," Johnathan said sending a look over to Justine who returned it with a glare.
"Guys, can we get back to what we're supposed to be doing?" Mr. Finch asked. "No objections? Good."
"Okay then, you mentioned earlier you had some ideas of where the girls might be, want to clue us in?" Justin asked.
"Well, the plane that actually crashed was a fake one that was heading straight for the junkyard anyway. We sent it up, like I mentioned, as a cover up. The real plane carrying your girlfriends we have discovered was hijacked," Mr. Finch explained. "Well, unfortunately the hijackers were far from intelligent, because the plane they took off in had minimal levels of fuel meaning they would've had to land somewhere," Mr. Finch explained.
"What if they got onto another plane or jumped, eh?" Ezekiel asked.
"We've considered those possibilities too," Justine answered him. "We've pretty much scratched out them jumping, because they were over populated areas at the time, so someone would've seen something, but after asking and going through possible reports there is no evidence of that."
"There is a strong possibility they switched planes, they could've flown high enough to do so without anyone being able to see, so that we're also researching, but if they did so what happened to the plane they had been on originally? It would've have to land somewhere," Johnathan added.
"Which is the same thing with them staying on the same plane, it would've had to land somewhere," Detective Finch finished. "The question is where and how? Someone would've heard or seen something, but there is nothing."
"So technically you still have no idea where they are whatsoever?" Noah asked.
"Technically speaking, yes, but we are narrowing down the possibilities if that makes you feel any better," Detective Finch explained.
"No, it doesn't," Trent answered.
THREE DAYS LATER...
It was excruciating now. Three days later and we were still absolutely nowhere. We kept bugging Detective Finch about it and he always replied that we were further along then the day before, which even after one day got really annoying. Detective Finch kept us in the loop like he promised, but we were never allowed to touch the evidence or look at anything. We just got to sit or wander around the tech lab watching the agents work away. The building they were working out of was actually a hotel and we were all supplied with rooms to ourselves which meant a lot of solitary thinking time.
One morning all eleven of us were walking down to the tech lab when Noah's phone rang. He picked it up and stared at it in shock.
"What? Don't know how to answer your own phone?" Duncan teased.
"No, its a text message, from Bridgette," Noah said handing the phone to Geoff who opened the text message and read it aloud.
"Guys! We're not dead! You have to help us! Please reply! -Bridgette," Geoff read.
"Reply already!" Duncan said impatiently.
"What should I ask her or tell her?" Geoff asked.
"Ask her where she is," Tyler said. Geoff quickly sent the message and then the phone rang again.
"Our plane crashed in the middle of a forest, we have no idea where we are," Geoff read.
"Are they okay? How are they getting us messages?" Trent asked. Geoff texted them that message and then a reply came shortly after.
"Beth and Lindsay were in pretty bad shape when Katie and I left. Katie and I found an old road and found that her phone got signal, so we stopped to send you guys a message," Geoff explained.
"What about the pilots that hijacked the plane?" Cody asked. Before Geoff could reply the phone rang and it was Katie calling.
"Answer it!" Noah said.
"Hello?" Geoff asked. He handed the phone to Noah who put it on speaker phone.
"Geoff?" It was Bridgette.
"Bridgette! Oh you don't know how good it is to hear your voice," Geoff said.
"Bridgette, its Trent, are you two okay?" Trent said.
"Katie and I are fine, but like I said we have no clue where we are," Bridgette replied.
"We might be able to help you figure that one out, we have to go talk to Detective Finch," Cody said.
"Who?" Bridgette asked.
"An FBI agent whose investigating your supposed disappearance," Owen replied. We talked to Bridgette all the way down to the tech lab. When we got there we told Detective Finch about how Bridgette was on the phone.
"Bridgette this is Detective Finch are you still there?" Detective Finch asked.
"Yes I'm still here," Bridgette replied.
"Okay well I'm going to give Noah's phone to another detective whose going to track your location okay?" Detective Finch said taking Noah's phone and handing it to Justine who plugged it into her computer. It didn't even take her five minutes before she got a huge map of a forest and had a small pinpointed bullet on the screen.
"Bridgette they found you guys!" Geoff yelled into the phone.
"Thank god," Bridgette said.
"Your location reads you're about three or four hours from where we are now," Justine explained.
"We're leaving right now Bridgette, I'm going to need you and Katie to stay put okay?" Detective Finch asked.
"We can do that," Bridgette replied.
"If you have any problems just call," Detective Finch said.
"Okay, I love you Geoff," Bridgette called before hanging up. Noah took back his phone and then we all hurried and went back to the black trucks and drove off.