NightmareWalker: (SPOILER) We might learn about the reason this chapter...
asdfg, MysticFalls94, gleekathoner, charliepollock1357, BeChloeFan01, quinn, Guest (Mar 20): Aubrey is the real hero. LOL.
avidreader: You'll find out more about her.
drp: We'll save the 'get together' for desert. :)
PitchPerfectLover: First, Beca needed to be punched emotionally and physically. Second, I know Ben will never win your heart no matter what, but he'll be staying. And third, I honestly don't know what to feel about the Beverick ship (God, did I just give them a name?). Anyway, I hope you enjoy my future jokes. LOL.
Guest (Mar 17): I think it would take more than jealousy to make her change her mind.
Moxain: What?
Guest101: Well, there's got to be a better way to protect them other than hurting them. I mean, for instance, she shouldn't have kissed Chloe and asked her to stay if she would just end up shutting her out. To me, that was kind of a selfish thing to do which is ironic when she's actually trying to be selfless. I don't know if that makes sense to you.
madness2013: Let's just say they had interesting dinners.
Kartofell, leijan: Ronie's a gem. :)
RobOverstreet: I love Ingrid Michaelson! But it's such a shame that I've never heard of Kodaline 'til a special friend recommended the song. Well, I must say those Barden parts were my favorite. I wanted Beca and Ben to have a close interaction. And I really don't want Chloe to be a boring damsel in distress. PS: You guys are kind enough to read the story and leave reviews. The least I could do is to not be a quiet cricket.
brittanysnodes: 'Best chapter by far' - I like the sound of it. :) I truly enjoy Chloe trying to be strong here.
DJBMitch: That's exactly my thoughts, dear. But I have yet to discover what the future holds for Ben.
oilzz and stuff: I really tried to inject Fat Amy's humor into the previous chapters, but I guess the bits weren't enough. Well, this chapter allowed her to be more noticeable.
Yan: Yes, proud Filipino! :) I can tell you right now that Ben is not a Syndic.
Guest (Mar 16): Beca knows that she wants to be with Chloe, alright? It's just that she can't.
Guest (Mar 15): You're just as amazing! Thanks for the lovely review. :)
badwriters: Aw, Thud. I really like that big guy too! :)
One of my weaknesses as a writer is managing more than a couple of characters at once. It feels like taking a fucking trigonometry exam for me. So if this turns into a crap halfway through, could you please bear with me?
CHAPTER NINE: Teams
High heels, black boots, a Birkin bag and a black leather jacket were carelessly left dumped on the floor. Aubrey could still feel the pang of pain throbbing across her knuckles and the cold compress upon her bruises was not at all making her feel at ease. Oh her porcelain skin, her beautiful fingers; they were ruined – they also looked filthy disgusting – and it was all because of Beca Mitchell, that evil minion who meant nothing but trouble to everyone. Worse, the Posen heiress looked around the vicinity and found no other place to rest except from the bed. A dismayed scowl formed on her face; how the hell could someone live in a garbage like this in the first place? The very quiet cricket who was seated on the furniture must have guessed the thoughts floating inside that golden head because then she sent this look which sort of meant 'You're welcome to sit next to me if you want.'
Aubrey earnestly considered the offer, running her judgmental eyes over the bed for strict inspection. The sheets appeared to be clean. As a matter of fact, they were relatively too tidy exceeding her set of expectations from a criminal who never obtained formal education and grew up mostly underground. More so, her legs were already too tired to last another minute of standing. She had almost arrived at a final decision when her brain reminded her of a very significant factor. She coyly tilted her head to the side with questioning expression that was tinted with a pinch of awkwardness combined with minor embarrassment.
'You and my best friend had some kinky make-up sex right there, didn't you?'
Comprehending the message conveyed for her, Beca prompted to look away. The thought that this blonde bitch was knowledgeable about her sex life was a terror. Taking the cue, Aubrey took a deep breath and desperately shook her head in an attempt to shake off the mental picture – the sexual positions in her imagination were getting weirder and weirder each time. God. So, she swallowed her abundance of sophistication and poise then slumped on the floor right by the wall. The brunette glimpsed at the area – that was actually where the real action started during that night – but she would bury that information in her own good conscience and just let her visitor be as [not so] comfortable as possible. She never reckoned that having her ex's best friend over could bring this much stress.
Unexpectedly though, the typically graceful woman began to laugh. Hysterically. It wasn't a sarcastic one, but she seemed to be really pleased. Perhaps, it was because she could make out the pair of dark blue orbs struggling to peer at her just above a hand pressing a pack of cold ice upon a broken nose. Who would have thought that a girly girl young heiress like her would be able to do such damage on the so-called indestructible warrior? Thanks to her fit of rage that needed to be released in a form of violent measure.
"Three," the uninvited guest finally decided to speak up. "I was supposed to hit you three times. But gosh, nobody told me it's going to hurt this much!"
The expert in this particular craft deliberately rolled her eyes. It was never really that easy.
"At least I broke your nose," smirked the young heiress in utmost fulfillment.
"You could have at least removed your fucking ring," the other shot back, applying more pressure on her wound to further stop the bleeding.
"All I had to do was to give you three punches and even on that job I still managed to fail."
Beca could detect the sudden disappointment that strained Aubrey's voice. She realized that breaking Chloe's heart was like hitting two birds with one stone; in the process, she had also broken Aubrey's. Best friends. They always came in a package deal.
"One punch for playing dead," the blonde elaborated, "because seriously, I cried so hard at your funeral my make-up was a mess. One punch for hurting Chloe… countless times, you pint-sized jerk! And one punch for compelling me to actually root for McDouglas!"
"You're rooting for that guy?" the young Mitchell had to ask because Aubrey's blessing, as the best friend, was the highest form of advantage and reassurance in this game.
"Because we all thought you're already dead, dumbass!"
"So you're still on Team Phoenix," supposed the brunette. Better put it out there to make things clear and essentially acquire a proof of approval to rub on Mr. Perfect's undeniably gorgeous face later on.
The Posen heiress, however, didn't wear a positive sign. She was rather apologetic and confused by her own mixed emotions. Had this conversation happened over a year ago, the answer would have been, without any doubt, an affirmative statement in favor of Team Phoenix. But everything was already different at this point. How could you root for someone who, for gazillion times, had chosen to leave? How could you fight for someone who wasn't so sure to stay herself?
"I thought we have the same job here," was all she could reply. "I thought we both agreed to protect Chloe."
"That's what I'm trying to do," the mighty Phoenix insisted in a whisper.
The other let out a chuckle because the claim sounded too inane for her to believe it. "You're not protecting her. Beca, you're destroying her."
Beca lowered her head because it was a string of painful truth.
"I can't believe I actually let you in and let you tear my best friend apart. You're supposed to be different. You're supposed to be that miracle she's been waiting to happen. Now it turns out… you're even worse than Tom Jacobs."
Really, that's the worst insult one could ever throw on someone who'd been in a romantic relationship.
"So maybe I'm no longer on Team Phoenix," Aubrey declared one of the brunette's greatest fears. "But I'm not on Team Mr. Perfect either, alright? I'm on Team Ginger… always been, will always be."
At least! That was quite a relief. Beca was already losing Chloe, she couldn't lose Aubrey too.
"I should warn you though. It doesn't really matter what I think. It's not going to change anything… because I'm not the one who has to make a choice here. It's you, Beca. After all, which side are you really on? Are you still on Team Ginger?"
The horrible monster essentially directed her eyes towards the toughest judge in this trial, confident because it was the easiest question yet, and it was the answer she was most sure about. "I choose Chloe. I'll go through hell and back just to make that choice. Because I love her. And that's exactly why I have to shut her out. I'm going to lie more than necessary. I'm going to stray a hundred more times. I'm going to hurt her more than she could possibly handle. But all because I love her. I love her, Aubrey… and that is never gonna go away."
"Did you tell her that?" Aubrey questioned, puzzled more than ever because last time she checked this same person rejected the same redhead.
A head slowly shaking was the only response.
"Why?" was the ear-piercing scream of a follow-up packed with immense frustration.
The mighty Phoenix carelessly tossed the pack of ice on the bed and made her way towards the guest seated on the floor. She then kneeled down right in front of the other, keeping a distance which would still allow an audible undertone. Surprisingly, she seemed so terrified about something, a far-off image from her well-known persona.
"Nobody can keep a secret forever," she mumbled the words as if they were too confidential for the rest of the universe to overhear them. The truth was this wasn't just about the coveted treasure. It wasn't just about helping twelve million people. "The second the enemy finds out that I'm alive, he would not think twice to hurt Chloe. I almost lost her when I tried to break all the rules and fight for us, okay? And that's the scariest shit that ever happened in my life. I'm not going to take that risk again. Now the only way to keep her safe is to keep her away from me. I don't want to hurt Chloe, but I will when that's what it takes to keep her alive. You see, the more she hates me and the more she wants me out of her world, the safer she is. Do you understand, Aubrey?"
Speechless, Aubrey could only nod her golden head as a response. That powerful blank stare glaring back at her. Just how could someone be so much of a heartless monster and a freaking knight in a shining armor both at the same time?
Beca stood up and walked towards the fridge, grabbed a bottle of beer – seemed like she'd be staying in for the night after all – and then found the decency to offer one to her guest. Nobody expected it, the brunette was only waiting for the signal for her to put it back to be honest, but Aubrey whole-heartedly accepted; looking like a redneck wasn't the worst thing to happen, she realized. The other froze in place for a moment before eventually shrugging her shoulders in compliance and returned to the floor, finding a place right next to the blonde. She easily removed each bottle cap with her thumb, a trick she had required herself to learn leaving the other in a state of incredulity, then both leaned back to the wall and stared into space.
"I'm sorry I punched you," the Posen heiress told her best friend's ex which she kind of regretted a few seconds later when the sickening bitter taste of beer had hit her tongue and made her shudder involuntarily.
"Apology doesn't bring back the dead," was the ice cold retort from her seatmate. Yeah, and it doesn't fix a broken nose. Not even a broken heart.
It was already past midnight – a line of young adults still stood outside of Pandemonium 2.0 trying to get into one of the hottest club in town, yet Beca Mitchell was still nowhere to be found. She was supposed to come over as usual. Cynthia-Rose stood by the club entrance and let out a heavy sigh. Resting her hands on her hips, she was beginning to realize that equipping the very quiet cricket with a communication device was still worthless when they couldn't install a GPS or any other way to track her for security reasons. She was still always out of reach anyway, and her urge to respond still depended on her own caprice. Additionally, maintaining the address in secrecy turned out to be a great disadvantage for the rest of the team.
"Yo," she called on the bouncer assigned at the main rope stanchions. "Have you seen the Head Phoenix?"
He politely shook his head. "She hasn't arrived."
"Okay, thanks."
CR gave a small nod of appreciation before her face eventually fell into a frown. Where on earth was the young Mitchell? Then out of the blue, Lilly jumped in front of her and started moving her lips as she spoke.
"I haven't seen the babysitter around too," was what CR had managed to comprehend.
Fucking babysitter-slash-neighbor had not reported yet either. What's the whole sense of assigning someone to look after their best weapon when there was no updates? What's the entire point of the idea of communication when neither of them bothered to communicate at all? But why was she even worrying this much in the first place? It's the mighty Phoenix! Beca could most likely survive anything. However, this irksome feeling building up in her chest was just too valid to be ignored.
"Try to contact them again," she instructed the Asian IT expert.
Lilly was about to go back into the building and perform her task when Thud hurriedly emerged from the dark alley, crossed over the rope stanchions and pulled both women for an emergency meeting.
"Where's boss?" he tried to appear and sound as calm as possible, but the beads of sweat and the fretful breathing pattern had betrayed him.
"No word about her," answered CR. This wasn't making things easier for her either.
Thud became at ease for a moment, but the image of horror never left his face. "Good. Now both of you should go back inside and stay right there until I say so."
"What's happening?"
"I think I saw some Syndics lurking-"
The big guy was never able to finish that sentence. Gun shots were fired surely from the said Syndics spotted around the area. A team of Phoenixes dispersed for this kind of occasion fired back from their strategic hiding places instigating a shootout. The line of young adults scattered in panic, some innocent club goers fell dead on the street even before they could duck for a make-believe security.
Thud immediately grabbed Cynthia-Rose and Lilly to haul them back into the building, his concrete wall of a body was supposedly intended to serve as a means of protection. Suddenly, the IT expert made a needless stop on their way as more gun shots were fired. She instantly passed out and the big guy caught her in his huge arms; upon checking, his arms were already stained with her blood oozing from the wounds obtained on her back. No, not Lilly. She was easily carried back into the club while CR rushed to summon the Medical Team. Lilly's breathing was heading towards a turtle pace. Her heartbeat was quickly following the lead. It was going to be a race against time, and it's going to be a tough call in the end. Her teammates could only hope for the best.
A dozen emptied beer bottles littered the space in between the two pairs of feet sprawled on the floor. Only three was consumed by the blonde heiress, yet she was the one incontestably far-off from any sense of sobriety. Maybe it was the booze manipulating her perspectives; the small, grubby and dull apartment unit no longer made her postulate that she was a claustrophobic. All of a sudden, it seemed like touring around any other Scottish castle she had ever been to.
"I-I should have brought a baseball bat," she slurred in her drunken state. "Smack you with it instead of punching you with my precious knuckles. It still fucking hurts, you know."
She pouted her lips as she examined her hand. Several seconds later, she was laughing at them for some undisclosed reason. Beca opened another bottle of beer with her thumb and consumed a big gulp. She was going to need it if she would have to endure another hour with her wasted guest. Had she known this would happen, she would have never attempted to be a little hospitable and rudely offered nothing – just throw her out after making your point, she made a mental note to herself.
"It's not Leo's year, is it?" Aubrey was rambling once more for consecutive instance. "But then it's never his year to begin with. Can they not just create a special award for him? Like, the Leonido DiCarpo Award for being Lego DiCapricho. He would totally win it! Hands down."
What the hell was she talking about this time? And why the fuck was Beca even listening to Aubrey's nonsense?
"Wait, why is your face like that?" the Posen heiress turned to her seatmate, fascinated. "It's always… freaking… vacant. You're like Putin… only you're not. You never smile! You just… stare at people. It's very rude, Beca. Very very rude! My dad who thinks he's a fucking god would send you to prison."
Impostor Vladimir Putin took a deep breath in the hopes of impossibly stretching out her shrinking tolerance. One more sentence. Just one more sentence from the blonde bitch who couldn't handle a sip of beer and she swore to knock her out to finally put her to bed.
"Beca. Chloe." The drunken one seemed to be contemplating for a moment until she snapped, "Bechloe!"
Okay, that sounded ridiculous but ridiculously not at the same time.
"I'm on Team Bechloe. Yeah, 'cause it's the best team in the fucking planet!"
Whenever the mighty Phoenix said she would do something brutal, then she would certainly do it. And that's more than a single sentence spitting out of the blonde's mouth. But fine, she'd let it all slide. She'd also tolerate the fact that Aubrey was already scooching over and burying her face on the brunette's shoulder; calming down signaling that sleep might be around the corner. But only because she was on Team Bechloe.
"I still expect you to win her back, hmm?"
"Hmm," was the first time Beca made a response to her drunken guest. It was adorned with no emotion, just a mere strand of air yet complete with a promise of genuine love and adoration.
But frankly, the horrible monster could only get out of character for a very limited period of time, so thank god when a loud knock was heard through the door. She had a well-founded reason to recklessly push her wasted guest off of her. She left her gauchely lolled on the floor to greet her new visitor; her neighbor was anxiously standing behind the invisible barrier.
"I know you hate it when I-"
The taller brunette stopped halfway through, distracted by the injured nose as well as the presence of the blonde stranger gawking at her.
"You didn't drug her, did you?" she needed to ask the killer machine.
Unfortunately, Beca simply put that poker face on display.
"Are you operating a sex den here? Tell me the truth."
Aubrey, half asleep, burst into a fit of laughter. "Don't be so silly, Stacie."
"She called me Stacie," the neighbor told the mighty Phoenix as if the other was not present to witness it.
"What do you need?" Beca asked instead to change the subject.
And the latest uninvited guest was quickly reminded of her original purpose of even daring to knock on the devil's door. She looked straight into those dark blue eyes in trepidation. It was definitely a bad news, a very bad news. "The Syndicate has found Pandemonium 2.0… Lilly's dead."
The Head Phoenix exhaled sharply in sorrow and guilt. No. That should have been her, not Lilly. What she had been dreading about was starting to happen; the enemies were closing in. The new Pandemonium was no longer safe. One friend was down, and there was only so much that the mighty Phoenix could do to save the rest of them.
A black Honda Accord parked on the concealed lot at the back of Pandemonium 2.0 as early as seven in the morning. The engine was soon switched off then its five passengers alighted the vehicle. They were immediately approached by this same guy with biceps the size of beach balls and two other men equipped with firearm; Stan received most of the dirty looks might be because he posted as the biggest threat and his only ticket out of trouble was his personal relation to the Head Phoenix. Meanwhile, Jesse could hardly control his shaky arms as he tried to hide behind Fat Amy. Aubrey, on the other hand, squeezed her best friend's hand tightly to release her frightened spirit.
At Thud's signal, his men proceeded to inspect their guests, searching for any life-threatening weapon for confiscation, startling most of them. The Secret Society had been extra cautious in terms of security since Lilly's death. More importantly, the Head Phoenix was present at the vicinity; they had the duty to protect her.
"If you want to get some, you'll have to work harder than groping," the Australian chick casually advised the man inspecting her.
He compelled himself to avoid her eyes in order to ignore the growing temptation. What? She's still curvy.
"Hey!" Jesse tried to retrieve his pocket PC device when the other confiscated it. "Give it back to me!"
Stan directed his sharpened eyes towards the one who seemed to command the group. "It's just a harmless device."
Giving in, Thud gave his half-hearted consent and the pair of men cleared the rest of the group from the inspection. He then turned around towards the backdoor and led the quietly antsy trip to the bar where Cynthia-Rose and the Head Phoenix had been waiting. Notably, Beca had a bandage on her nose, yet she appeared like her old self, the one who had never met Chloe Beale to brighten up her pitch-black life; she seemed more monstrous than ever which was quite alarming even to her allies.
"We're sorry to hear about Lilly," her brother sincerely offered the group's condolences.
"We only need Swanson," CR was straightforward. The invitation didn't extend to the others. They only needed one IT expert to fill in the vacant position.
Oh boy, the man they seek swallowed hard at the pronouncement.
"If you want him, you'll have to take all of us," Stan demanded. He had this withering grin specifically made for his sister. "That's your only option, kiddo."
CR turned to her boss who didn't change her expression at all. What in the world was going on in that brain? Roughly three minutes later, Beca glanced over at Chloe. Everyone else followed her gaze and recognized the prevailing dilemma: the redheaded monster shouldn't be here.
"Aubrey."
The notorious brunette locked eyes with the Posen heiress much to the other's shock. Aubrey tried to counter that powerful blank stare penetrating into her defenseless soul and strangling her in phantom yet ended up losing the silly staring contest. Heaving out an irritated sigh, she hurriedly approached the Head Phoenix for a very private conversation. Chloe herself raised an eyebrow. What the hell's the deal between these two?
"Okay, before you go-"
"We've talked about this," Beca quietly hissed at the other while the rest struggled to pry on the secretive discussion.
"I know…" Aubrey's voice trailed off, failing to come up with a valid excuse.
"So what the fuck is she doing here?"
"You see, I can't lie to my best friend. What would I tell her when she begins to ask about my whereabouts? 'Sorry, Beale, I'm just too busy lately helping your ex search for your father's treasure'?"
"This is not a game, Aubrey! We're going to a real war!"
"I know, I know. I'm really sorry, okay? But if I'm in, then she definitely has to be in too."
The mighty Phoenix closed her eyes for a brief mental deliberation. Goddamn it. This was the very thing she's been trying to avoid – to get Chloe involved and increase the possibility of risking her life again. What's the use of pushing her away if the love of her life would simply come crawling back to her dangerous and chaotic world?
"We'll stay out of trouble," promised the blonde along with an invisible cross drawn on her chest. "Besides, I trust you'd protect her when worse comes to worst… right?"
"Aubrey, you don't understand! I don't want her here!"
Beca wasn't able to contain her emotions any longer. The very quiet cricket raised her voice in the hope to assert her concern. Was it really that difficult to understand her good intentions? She just wanted Chloe to be safe!
"If you have a problem with me, don't be such a coward and say it to my face!"
Chloe, almost in automatic, spoke out in defense of her best friend. The softness and tolerance weaved onto that angelic voice were overwhelmed by ire. Yes, she was certainly angry. Beca had no right to yell at Aubrey, especially when the real problem there was in fact Chloe herself. Stupid cricket, why wouldn't she just freaking say everything out loud? That would have been more convenient for everyone.
"I thought I've already told you that I want you to stay out of my life."
The mighty Phoenix shifted her eyes to meet the pair of bright blues that used to be her very own paradise. Unpredictable, those dark blue orbs were not vacant as it would normally be; they were rather fuming in rage which only made the redheaded monster grow even more furious. The venom engraved on the statement was creeping into her nerves. No, she couldn't let this callous beast hurt her anymore. Not even her painful words.
"Don't flatter yourself, Phoenix." She sounded like a Syndic, an enemy, with that hint of mockery. "I'm not here for you."
"Burn!" Fat Amy blurted out and received numerous glares for it.
The brunette didn't move her eyes away from Chloe's, however. But then she should have, she wished she did, because to see the seriousness in them, how the redhead truly meant those words like she didn't care about the mighty Phoenix at all, it stung like hell.
"Do you even know how to hold a gun?" the Head Phoenix, in her normal monotonous voice, challenged the ambitious aspirant. "Because if a Syndic tries to kill you, I won't be there to save you."
"Kiddo!" Stan exclaimed in apprehension. He didn't want his sister to say something that she would regret in the end. Aubrey too was looking at her in attention.
But Chloe already had a firm response. "I'm not as weak as you think I am."
"You're out," the other decided anyway.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"And who do you think you are?"
"I'm the Head Phoenix."
"What gives you the right to control my life?"
"You're in my territory. I can get you killed simply for disavowing my decisions."
"Well, you've killed me a thousand times already!"
The very quiet cricket kept her mouth shut as Chloe's cry bounced around the confinements of the room because, unfortunately, she had no counter-argument primed for it.
"You expect me to stay out of your life? Then stay out of mine! My world doesn't revolve around you, okay? I'm only here to stand by my best friend and because it's my family's treasure that you're trying to steal. I just want to make sure it goes to the lesser evil. So why don't you just let me help so we can get over with all this shit and then we can finally stay out of each other's lives forever and ever?"
Silence. That's all that came after along with choking hearts and breaths forgotten to be released into the atmosphere. Wow. The mighty Phoenix had lost a fight. Her breaking the line of gaze marked her concede.
"I'll train her," Thud meekly raised his buff arm to volunteer for the job. He couldn't bear to watch any more episodes of this heated argument, and secretly, he was on the side of the girl with a ladybug tattoo to be honest. "And the skeletal blonde, too."
"Excuse me?" the blonde bitch shot him an insulted look, her intimidating aura transcending everywhere.
The big guy shrugged his broad shoulders glancing at the two blondes. "I need to distinguish you from one another. By observation, you are skeletal blonde and she is healthy blonde."
"I like this dude," grinned the other. "He's trying to make fat appearance sound more appealing. Aw."
Stan turned to Jesse with disdainful expression quietly asking, "Why the fuck is Fat Amy gushing over him?"
The IT expert answered with stammered nonsense.
Realizing Thud was not familiar with the rest of the group yet, Cynthia-Rose piloted the introduction phase. Stan shook his hand, but the relationship remained to be strictly professional. They couldn't be fast friends just yet.
"So this is our team," CR concluded moments later, glancing over at the Head for affirmation.
The notorious brunette displayed yet another blank stare then left. At CR's instruction, the rest of them followed the Head Phoenix until they all made a halt right in front of the No Unauthorized Person Allowed door.
"The Syndics must be monitoring this place already so we have to stay somewhere else," she announced. "Let's go to the headquarters, shall we?"
"B-But it's just a plain wall," Jesse recalled when Thud rushed to open the door for his boss.
"Don't let your eyes deceive you," advised his new teammate.
Beca pulled out a key card from her pocket, then inserted and removed it into the unobtrusive gap on the side. Instantly, much to the visitors' awe, the plain wall parted away at the center revealing a modern-designed elevator beyond it. The Head Phoenix stepped in and as protocol, Thud swiftly stood next to her. With a push of a button, both disappeared from sight as the door closed again into a plain wall.
"That's so fucking awesome."
"It's Lilly's masterpiece," was CR's only response before opening the elevator with her own key card. So this was the thing which she could do that the two other IT experts had never thought of. She stepped into the elevator and the rest quickly trailed behind. "I should warn you, Swanson. This goes both horizontal and vertical ways."
"What?"
The end of that inquiry turned into a shriek amplified with Fat Amy's and Aubrey's when the elevator rose then bolted sharply to the right producing that little tremor in the transport vessel. Stan was nearly crumpling, feeling the weight of the two terrified blondes against his chest while Jesse was inevitably growing sick. Again, there's a reason why he was never assigned on the field. CR and Chloe exchanged looks then chuckled. Weaklings.
Thankfully, the trip didn't take as long as they feared. The elevator door opened; there's Thud waiting for their arrival with a sickness bag intended for Jesse - he was deliberately cautioned. The IT expert dashed passed the group to claim the bag; he couldn't take it any longer. It was very easy, really. All he had to do was to aim for the opening and puke all he wanted. But boy was he that clumsy, his disgusting vomit missed the target and trashed the floor. Eugh. Somebody would have to clean up that mess.
Remembering the purpose of coming over, CR led them to the main passageways. Although, she certainly didn't have to. Most of them were already familiar with the place anyway. After all, it was once their home. It's Old Pandemonium – a more perfect hideout than ever when everybody had seen the frontage burn down into rubble. The bomb explosion did a lot of damage, so it was an amazing surprise to see the headquarters as good as it used to be, if not better. It wasn't easy rebuilding it, more so constructing a transport system that would link it to Pandemonium 2.0, but the new Head Phoenix had made it all possible. And she stood right in the middle of the new Green Room – Phil's table was gone; instead, an entire wall was fashioned with white board and a semi-circle table was facing it to cater discussions. However, the most notable difference was the presence of an old face.
"Stacie?"
The ensemble chorused in surprise, startling the tall brunette as well. She didn't speak yet wondered about the violent reaction. Aubrey let out a sigh of relief; her drunken state wasn't worsening as she had suspected, for she really saw Stacie that night! Chloe, on the other hand, looked away, coincidentally meeting the dark blue eyes carefully watching her reaction. No. They're not supposed to be staring at each other like this anymore, so both hurriedly turned away and pretended it never happen.
"God, does anybody actually die in this story?" Fat Amy wondered out loud while looking around the room for Phil and Benji.
"My name's Skyler," introduced the old face much to everybody's bemusement. Even Chloe shot a glance at her. But she appeared exactly like Stacie Conrad! Except from the fact that she was dressed appropriately – more garments, less skin. "Welcome to The Secret Society. Please take your seats."
They did as they were told, but their perplexed eyes were still glued on that face.
"Beca's babysitter," Cynthia-Rose found the opportunity to annoy the notorious brunette.
"But Beca's nothing like a baby," argued Fat Amy earning that fatal gaze from the mighty Phoenix. The Australian blonde instantly recoiled and grinned wildly at her former roommate. "Partner! Did I tell you how much I've missed you, mate?"
The other rolled her eyes in annoyance. Fat Amy was about to leave her seat to give her old partner in crime a hug when the very quiet cricket pulled out her knife as a friendly threat. Fine, no hugs. Got it. The blonde happily blew out a kiss to make it up though. Eugh. Suddenly, it felt like high school.
"Our goal is to find the treasure," Teacher Skyler pulled down the projector screen to start the meeting, showing visual aids to help the newbies catch up with the latest progress on the mission. "We've found Back to Basics, a cabin full of traps. We believe the treasure is buried somewhere there or at least could lead us to it. However, there's a few more traps left to uncover."
"Let's do it," said Stan confidently.
"It's not that easy," she shook her head. "They're all too dangerous. The Head Phoenix almost died on every operation."
Chloe resisted the urge to glance at her ex for the sake of pride. So that explained it; all the limping, scratches, abrasions, ripped clothes, probably the broken nose too – the horrible monster had been stupidly putting her life on the line. She wouldn't admit it, but the redhead was worried because she truly still cared.
"We'll do it together," the older Mitchell turned towards his sister. "We're a team."
Beca huffed - who knew what it meant - and so Skyler went on, "We will set a schedule for the next operation then. For the meantime, we need everybody to be extra careful. The IT group is responsible for monitoring and other related tasks. We're lucky enough that the Head Phoenix was not around when the Syndics discovered Pandemonium. So for security protocols... Beca, you'll be staying here in the quarters."
The Head Phoenix threw a look as a form of protest which was bravely ignored. They had to keep it a secret that the mighty Phoenix was alive. It would keep them one step ahead of Bumper.
"Now any questions? Suggestions? Other concerns?"
Fat Amy raised a hand, "We should have a team name."
Peculiar. Nevertheless, the newbie bit the bait and entertained the motion.
"Well, do you have anything in mind?"
"Hmm…" the Australian blonde began to ponder; Beca swore she could hear the gears inside that brain running or was it a growling stomach. "We should be called… Team… uh… Team…"
Why the hell where they even listening and waiting in anticipation?
"Pura!" exclaimed Fat Amy. "Team Pura!"
"What?"
"I was trying to think when an image of tempura flashed on my mind which is… superb! God, now I fucking want to eat tempura."
Her face fell into a frown, and so Beca braced herself because she knew it too well.
"Beca," Fat Amy put a hand on her former roommate just as what the brunette had expected, begging. "Please cook some tempura for me. Pretty please. I missed you!"
The mighty Phoenix used all her might to get away from the grip then turned to the only person who could save her this instance.
"I can cook for you," Thud came to the rescue.
Fat Amy hesitated and so her favorite chef sported the most effective way she thought could assert her stamp of approval on Thud's cooking skills: a very awkward thumbs up. Stan flared up in jealousy when his Australian bombshell excitedly followed the big guy to the kitchen. If the young Mitchell still didn't choose her at this point, it might have actually turned into a love at first bite. And he knowingly didn't.
The bell clung upon contact with the wooden door signaling the arrival of customers. That thick Australian accent rang loudly across the entire local convenience store bringing the unnecessary hullabaloo to the old man, probably on his late seventies, working at the counter. The group simultaneously sighed when they discovered that the Head Phoenix had not arrived at the meeting place yet.
"Any food you want?" asked Chloe.
Fat Amy flashed a you-know-I'm-not-picky look. "Grab everything you can, Chloe. Who knows how long we're going to stay in that cabin? I'll go get the drinks."
"Aubrey?"
"I'll fetch my salad," the Posen heiress replied, unsure if it's in fact the right decision here. Was it sanitary?
"Boys?"
"We're fine," Stan and Jesse answered in unison, both stood in place, their eyes glued on the TV screen watching an NBA replay, and Chloe got the message. Nothing could ever tear them away from their obsession. Perhaps, nothing except from this stranger with half-shaved head who suddenly appeared before them – she wore a white crop top and a pair of rainbow ombre shorts to match her dip dyed blonde hair. 'Attractive' would be an understatement. She was hot!
Bizarre. She was staring at Stan so intently that the tall young man felt somehow violated. Then without premature warning, she grabbed him by the face and pulled him in for a kiss. Jesse's jaw hung open while the take-away salad fell off from Aubrey's hand at the shocking turn of events. It felt like forever when it lasted only for a minute. If the young Mitchell was being honest, it was the best kiss he'd ever had.
"Pretty boy," the stranger murmured, her breath brushing against his lips. "Your carelessness will get everybody killed."
Even before Stan could furrow his eyebrows, the bell on the door clung and a canister rolled over. Tear gas was spewing out of the grenade quickly filling the store – the sound of coughing and cries of pain soon erupted. Instinct urged the young Mitchell to run outside, but the stranger pulled him back. She knew he'd walk right to the enemies purposely waiting. They had to stay in if they wanted to survive. The old man was down - heart attack. Aubrey and Jesse were on their knees.
"Stay with me." She had to tap Stan's cheeks to bring him back from disorientation. She kept him up to his feet; staying down was the worst thing to do here. "They need you."
He nodded his head as he drew out his gun and moved. The bell clung once more; a team of Syndics geared with gas masks came in. Stan dragged his friends away for cover while the stranger fired at the enemies before running to the beverages section to find Fat Amy in agony. She soaked the bandana around her arm with water and placed it over her mouth and nostrils; it would allow her more time to fight. She had to. For this people.
Meanwhile, Chloe could feel her lungs burning, her eyes tearing up, and her skin stung by toxic. She couldn't breathe or see, she was on the verge of collapse. She could hear footsteps and gunfire. Her hands weakly searched for the pistol she was provided when a man with a gas mask found her. He raised his hand to point his weapon at her; she should do the same, but her frail body just couldn't function properly anymore. He was about to pull the trigger, and as promised, the mighty Phoenix was not there to save the redheaded monster.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect.