shifterboy, BeChloeFan01: You'll find out what really happened. Sort of.
PitchPerfectLover: It's really difficult for me to envision Maverick after what happened. I have no idea what it feels like to lose your legs, but I don't want a tragic ending for him.
geglez: I can just imagine you sitting by a corner, reading, for an entire week. LOL. I truly appreciate the love and support. Thank you very much!
Illithyia, asdfg: Thank you! :)
Guest (May 10): That frustrating?
Kwtwix: Yeah, but the thing is I've never even met her. I don't even know what she looks like. Kind of creepy, I know.
Guest (May 9), Rennie Laroche: Believe me, I'm just as frustrated as you are about the fact that it's been taking me too long to update.
JCM-SV: Thud was actually in favor of BeChloe. Remember the time he scared off the reporter who was bugging Chloe? It was Cynthia-Rose who wanted to keep them away while they battle out for the treasure. I changed the typo already, by the way. Thanks for pointing that out. Don't worry, I'm not angry. :)
frenchyloop: I quite enjoy reading long reviews to be honest especially those with insights about the chapter and questions. It's easier to write a response. Oh, and I can't kill Ronie. I just can't.
Guest (May 7), madness2013,: You're welcome.
NightmareWalker: (1) I did something different with Bumper for this chapter, not sure how receptive you'd be. I think you'd hate him less compared to Ben. Just saying. (2) Rem is such a sweetheart in a tough and a badass kind of way, yeah? (3) I guess that whole thing with Jesse is kind of hard to explain.
MysticFalls94:Relieved, devastated, and confused is a compliment, right?
By3: You got it right. Somehow.
avidreader: It's a foreshadowing, yes. I'm surprised that you even remember that tiny detail. :)
Guest(May 6): I'll try to clear them up.
aimeekiwi93: Somebody hates Jesse, that's news to me. I won't take it against you though. :)
Kartoffel: Why are you reading at five in the morning? Get some sleep!
Guest (May 6): He'll be fine.
I'm really sorry for the late updates lately. I'm working on this project, and it's taking up most of my time. But I will finish this story, I promise. Now the thing about Jesse and Thud... Thud's not a traitor or a spy or anything. I really don't know how you came up with the idea. Somehow he found out that Jesse was the "traitor" and being the head of security, he was "arresting" him. But then, Jesse has no memory of the night before. He knew that the file was stolen upon checking, but definitely, it wasn't him. I hope this clears up some things.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Rescue
"I-I don't know. Guys, I fucking swear. I really don't know anything!"
At the center of the Green Room was a cage made up of laser beams where Jesse as a suspect for treachery cautiously stood in a safe distance from the unfortunate possibility of chopping himself off. He stuck with his testimonial – that he had nothing to do with the stolen file; he was never in contact with any of the Syndics; he would never betray The Secret Society, not even try; and he didn't even have a clear memory of whatever happened the night before to begin with! He was almost shouting in desperation, overly perspiring after a couple hours of interrogation.
"Goddamn it! I really don't know!"
He was pretty much convincing, really. It was very easy to believe his statement just as it was. After all, he was just one coward IT expert who didn't even have the capacity or gallantry to defend his own self from Fat Amy's harmless remarks. Jesse Swanson would be the last guy on earth who would ever want to put himself into trouble. But then they consulted the retrieved security video footage which showed him stealing a highly classified file and handing it over to the enemies and manipulating the security systems to aid his cause - one powerful video that could easily change the perspectives of the others.
"Are you saying that the guy in this video is not you?" Beca questioned the accused as impartial as possible.
"I-I…" he stuttered. How could he say yes when it was clearly his face that was displayed on the screen? "That's… my face, alright? But no, it's not me!"
"How did that happen?" Skyler was more curious than suspecting.
"I don't know!" he yelled out in frustration. He wouldn't be penalized for something he never did. No, he wasn't going to die today. "Look, if I truly manipulated the security systems in order to cover my tracks, do you really think I'm that stupid to leave one last copy of that video so that people like, I don't know, Thudkenstein could find it and have the ultimate reason to sentence me to death?"
Stan sighed. "He's got a point. Somebody possibly set him up."
"He's got a point?" Thud couldn't believe such opinion. "Would you have said the same thing if he went straight to kill your sister? I have no idea who sneaked into my room and put the video tape on my bed for me to see. Set up? Maybe. But he still did what he did. He gave away the freaking treasure map! My job here is to keep the headquarters safe, to keep the Head Phoenix safe, so… I'm so sorry, Jesse."
"I-I understand," he nodded. "But come on, man. You don't really believe I did it, do you?"
The big guy avoided eye contact before his soft heart could find a reason to believe an alleged traitor. Tough love indeed.
"Fidelity to The Society," Cynthia-Rose simplified her basis for judgment. Back to basics, wasn't it?
"Whoa whoa," the other IT expert in the room spoke out. She let out a few chuckles as if the entire process was beginning to be ridiculous. "You have got to be fucking kidding me, mate. Swanson is not just another Phoenix here. He's a friend, our friend."
"There has to be some explanation behind this video," Aubrey seconded. She herself was unsure about it, but there's just no way could Jesse be a traitor. "Like, uh… Orphan Black kind of thing?"
Clones? Just no.
"Jesse?" Skyler called for his attention. "Do you have anything more to say about your case?"
His mind went blank for a short while then clicked his tongue. What else could he say to save his ass? "All I could remember is that I was walking down the hallway then… I-I think somebody hit me on the head and I passed out on the floor. When I-I woke up the next morning, I was already back in my room. I… You know, I-I wish I could tell you. I really wish I have the story, the explanation behind this mystery. But I don't. So I guess… Fidelity to The Society."
"Let's vote. All those who think Jesse Swanson is guilty, please raise your hands."
Cynthia-Rose and Thud exchanged looks and slowly raised their hands to cast in their votes. It was honestly a difficult decision to make on their part, but it's what they believed to be right. After a few seconds, another hand lazily shot up in the air much to everybody's bewilderment. It was Rem. Oh she was voting as well? Her seatmate, Chloe, also furrowed her eyebrows questioningly. Was this rascal even listening the whole time?
"What?" the crazy blonde shrugged her shoulders, looking all too innocent. "I hate popular opinions. They're boring so… power to the minority, yeah?"
Her number one hater, of course, rolled her eyes in annoyance. Was she the only one in the whole wide world who could see the true annoying self of this rebellious human Barbie doll?
"Alright, that's three." Skyler wrote the result down on her notebook. "Now all those who think Jesse Swanson is not guilty, please raise your hands."
Fat Amy was the first to go, without hesitation, followed by best friends Chloe and Aubrey. Stan soon raised his hand too in support of his long-time friend, and finally, Skyler including a pen in between her thumb and index finger. All in all, there were five votes. The suspect, however, still couldn't celebrate because despite of the favorable result, the rules of the organization stated that the final decision on the matter could only be awarded to the Head Phoenix. Would she listen to the voice of the majority or risk losing their trust by preferring the interest of the minority? Beca took a deep breath as everybody turned to her, waiting for the final verdict.
"I grew up with Jesse. I know he's a fucking coward. But I know, too, just how loyal he could be. I do believe that there is someone else behind this. In the next few days, expect things that are far worse than this will happen. It is for this reason that I need to remind all of you that we do have a common enemy. It's not Jesse. It's Bumper, the Syndicate. To defeat them, I need each one of us to work together, alright? We are The Society. That is fidelity to The Society. So, I pronounce, with no doubt, that Jesse Swanson is not guilty."
Jesse could barely hear the sound of his own sigh of relief when the rest of the room cheered loudly for him. Fat Amy was too happy about the decision that she almost gave her partner a high five. Fortunately, she realized just in time that the laser beams were still on, otherwise, she could have lost her hand in the process. Skyler quickly deactivated the cage, and so a teary eyed Thud eagerly scooped the relatively smaller guy with his beach ball-sized arms for a big embrace. Thank god he didn't have to kill a friend.
"Don't let your eyes deceive you, right?" the IT expert croaked as he struggled to breathe under Thud's grip. "That gave me hope, man. I learned it from you."
With that, the embrace only became tighter that Jesse was almost choking. Poor him, Fat Amy joined in followed by Skyler and Aubrey.
"Our young lady is growing up, isn't she?" Cynthia-Rose stood next to Stan in the corner. "I never thought in a million years that I'd hear those thoughts coming out of her mouth."
The tall young man laughed a little. "She's still a five-foot tall kid to me. But yeah, okay. I'm proud of her."
"Now what?" Rem's voice coming from the back of the room subsequently cut the party short. "A copy of the treasure map is already in the hands of Bumper Allen. What do we do then? You know, damage control or whatever."
Beca huffed. For someone who brought this sort of mess into the group, it's unbelievable and irritating that this hullabaloo still had the nerve to ask about it. It was eventually motioned to be the next agenda for the special meeting, and everybody went back to their seats.
"What are our options?" the Head Phoenix asked particularly the man who rebuilt the system.
"Well, it'll take them at least a year to crack the code. I made sure it's an absolutely complex OTP."
"One true pairing?" the Posen heiress questioned, confused. She remembered the acronym from Fat Amy's nonsense fan girl moments. So what exactly did it have to do with whatever serious stuff that's been going around?
Jesse shot her a look. "One. Time. Password."
"Oh."
"Going back… if we wait for until they are able to hack the file and gain access to Benji's blueprint, maybe we would have found the treasure by then. Problem solved. But, say, a miracle happens in their favor and they unbelievably access it in time, it'll automatically send their location to my pocket PC. One year of searching will finally come to an end. Win, win."
"We still have the advantage," Stan told his sister.
"Your call," CR offered. "Is it the treasure or we choose Bumper?"
The Head Phoenix paused to deliberate on the matter. Would she stick with 'find the treasure and Bumper will show up' initial plan? She had a new lead anyway which could, however, lead them to tons of additional puzzles. The team just couldn't be ready to deal with the return of Phil Mitchell into the picture just yet. And then there was Plan B. They could just make an attack against the Syndicate; revenge at its sweetest. The thing about it though was the possibility of losing more than what they could have bargained for.
"Bumper," she muttered all of a sudden. "I want him dead. Now. I want him, the entire Syndicate, everybody who has his back… I want them all dead. Set up a trap, find their hideout, and we'll strike them down. Spare no one. That's an order."
It was a declaration of war. The team was already on their feet, enthusiastic about the pronouncement, and hungry for the anticipated battle. About time for it; no more hiding or stalling. Chloe suddenly found herself isolated from the joyous crowd. Spare no one… Spare no one… What about Clarence Beale who clearly had the intention to help the enemy? Her father, according to Gail, had been missing. Bumper must have had him. Was there any chance that her girlfriend would make an exemption and spare his life had she known he was the same reason Barden no longer existed?
Without realizing, the young heiress sneaked out; Rem, the only one knowledgeable about the dilemma, hurriedly limped away to follow her. One notorious brunette, unintentionally ignored, was left wondering, worried and baffled and struggling to fight off the emerging sense of jealousy.
"You're not listening to me, Ronie!"
Phil was shouting at the top of his lungs, utterly exasperated. Why on earth could his former wife not listen to him? She kept on unloading her stuff which he had been packing into the huge medium-sized traveling bag.
"I'm not leaving," she firmly stated. She picked up the bag and ultimately emptied the contents on the bed.
He gripped her arm; he knew he was hurting her already, but he had to make sure that she would understand the hell of situation they were in. "You have to leave. I need you to leave. That's the only choice we have here, okay? You know that!"
"I am not going to leave my children!"
"They are my children, too!" he shot back because she was making it sound like he didn't care at all. "I'm trying to do everything I can to protect them. I can take them with me to Pandemonium. They'll be safe there."
"Are you listening to yourself, Phil? You'll take them to Pandemonium? What, you'll turn them into… bloody Phoenixes? That's exactly why I can't leave!"
"And that's exactly why you have to! The Council won't let you live."
"Then so be it," Ronie spitted the words courageously, glaring at the man she used to adore more than anyone in the world.
He sighed heavily and made a long pause. He gently slid his hand down to hers. "I love you. I don't ever want to see you dead, Ronie."
"I know," she muttered knowingly, squeezing his hand a little as a loving gesture. "But I'm not running away without you and the kids."
"Look, Beca wants to join The Secret Society. It's going to work that way."
"Stan has more ambitions than to be a criminal," she argued. "And I'm not going to let them wonder all their life why their mother simply abandoned them. I just can't, Phil. That… That would kill me."
Phil stared back at her his face was more relaxed yet his chest was just as tensed as before. He let his eyes wander on the bed, around the room until they landed on the very thing he had been searching for – the mix tape. He walked over to the bedside table, picked it up, and neatly stacked it into the bag. He smiled a little, reminiscing the time he gave it to her, then turned to the love of his life. "Please. I'm begging you, Ronie. I need you to leave. As soon as possible."
"Miss Grant? Miss Grant."
Startled, Ronie was brought back from almost a decade ago by a kid's speaking voice. She found herself seated on a wheelchair by Maverick's bedside. Phil was no longer present. Instead, there was her daughter, almost a decade older than the memory, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Uh… Miss Grant, Becky is here."
"Beca," the newly-arrived visitor mumbled. When would this kid ever pronounce her name properly?
"Come take a seat," her mother maneuvered the wheelchair to make room. "Kid's been waiting for you."
"You were pretty stupid," Beca told the amputee as she remained standing. She didn't mind the glare she received from her mother because he was very stupid. "You could have died back there, don't you think?"
Maverick lowered his head and murmured, "I'm sorry."
"But you're one fucking brave little warrior."
Ronie glared at her daughter once more for using the F word in front of the innocent child. He was giggling in delight however.
"What's that you have there, Becky?" asked Maverick, lifting his body a little in the hopes of catching a glimpse of whatever was inside the box that his visitor had brought with her.
She carefully placed the box on the little space next to the patient for him to see. "Apparently, these are what people call games nowadays."
"Games?"
"Something to keep you busy."
"Wow!" he gasped in awe as he pulled the handheld game consoles, all brand new, out of the box. "These are pretty cool! Thanks, Becs!"
Becs? God, it was getting worse.
"You really have a thing for boxes as a gift, don't you?" teased the woman recovering from her own gunshot wound.
Beca shot her a look and finally sat on the chair next to her. She turned to the boy and said, "When the doctor clears you out, the nerds promise to prep your room. They'll install a… Station… G-Game Station 4? And some special kind of box or whatever."
"I'm glad you're here," smiled the kid. He looked genuinely happy as if the cold-blooded beast's moral support was all he needed after all. It was a relief. He was handling his lost perfectly well than people had expected.
Ronie nudged her daughter – she had a feeling that Beca would again settle with a blank stare – and so the quiet cricket forced herself to nod slightly like a small bow. Comfort was never her kind of thing.
"Chloe visited earlier." The little guy couldn't help but blush at the thought of the sweet and beautiful redhead. "She joined me for dinner. Yeah, she fed me and thinks I'm still cute."
The other scoffed. How come Chloe was being all too sweet towards this idiot when she had been avoiding her own girlfriend?
"I was hoping you two would come visit together."
Ronie glanced at her daughter. She, too, was interested to hear about the reason or perhaps, an alibi. Come to think of it, Beca and Chloe were supposed to be an inseparable pair of lovebirds.
"Excuse me." All three followed the source of the voice to see a nurse standing by the foot of the bed. She was put off a little when she recognized one of them was the Head Phoenix. "Uh, b-boss, vising hours are over."
"The patient needs to rest," agreed the brunette, leaving her seat – saved by the bell. "See you tomorrow, kiddo."
She put the box away and tucked him in then stood behind her mother so that she could begin wheeling her out of the infirmary. It was quiet, convenient at first until they reached the hallways and Ronie could no longer stand the eerie silence. There was something Beca wasn't telling her, and vice versa.
"Anything you want to tell me?" questioned the older brunette.
"Nothing."
There's that stupid word again.
"Do you want to know about the last time I saw your father? I mean the Phil I've always known him to be and not the monster he portrayed."
"Not if you're not ready to talk about it yet."
They were getting closer to the room, so there was little time left to talk. "I threatened to expose The Society. Of course, the Council was not happy. Your father wanted me to leave, go somewhere far away. But I refused. He put you on the job to shoot me, hoping you wouldn't do an irreparable damage. Your young and amateur self accomplished the task. Somebody was already waiting for me in the water, a boy sent by Phil. I was taken to a safe house, lived a normal life away from danger… but I never saw your father again. It was only until he was already dead. Everyday, I wonder, what if I left when he told me to? Maybe things would have gone different. Better."
Beca stopped. They were at the door, and she had nothing to say to her mother. The next few minutes went by in a slow, peaceful motion which ended in a subtle exchange of good nights. The truth was Ronie's words had made the mighty Phoenix ponder, and for some stupid reason, the last person she wanted to be friends with met her at the exit.
"Chloe," was all Rem needed to say. She gave the other one small nod and limped away.
Chloe gazed blankly at the dartboard hanging on the wall just a few meters away from where she stood in the Training Center. None of the darts she had thrown hit the target. From out of the blue, a knife came flying and hit the bull's-eye with a loud thud. The young heiress jolted in surprise then turned around abruptly.
"Rem!" she exclaimed, reprimanding, only it wasn't the crazy blonde who was there to keep her company. It was no other than her girlfriend.
"Sorry I'm not Rem."
It was the same monotonous muttering, almost lifeless and unconcerned. Chloe knew exactly what it meant. She breathed out a sigh and stared back at the brunette. She wasn't responding at all other than her infamous blank face. It's awkward, that silent treatment.
"You can't be seriously jealous of her."
Beca simply approached the dartboard to retrieve her knife. That was a worse reaction.
"She's the only one willing enough to train me," the other tried not to sound too defensive. "I can't stay here and do nothing."
"It's too dangerous out there."
"That's why I train."
"And then avoid me?"
"W-What?" Chloe tried to act as naturally innocent as possible.
Beca turned around to face the redhead. She was going to do the unusual - say her feelings out loud - only this one single chance. "You're shutting me out, and you're letting her in. What do you think I should feel about that?"
"So is that why you hate her so much? Because you're actually jealous of her?"
"This isn't about her, is it? Last time I checked, you're in a relationship with me."
Okay, she had a point. Somehow, Chloe was starting to get an idea as to why her girlfriend was suddenly forcing her into the hot seat. Yes, something was bothering her, something she wasn't ready to confess.
"I'm the worst person to talk to," said the typically speechless woman. "But I do love you, Chloe."
The redhead avoided the pair of dark blue orbs and collected the dart missiles from the dartboard. Her hands struggled not to tremble, tremble in fear that those heartwarming words could change if her girlfriend would ever discover the truth. She went back to her original spot and began throwing the darts into the target. Unfortunately, none of them hit the bull's-eye except from that stupid knife that came invading her board afterwards for the second time.
"Chloe."
"I know I can never love anybody else the way I love you now," Chloe replied in all honesty. She let herself chuckle because it sounded too cheesy that it was almost too ridiculous. "I want you to win this war, Beca. I don't want to be some liability to you. I don't want to get in the way."
"You're not," the mighty Phoenix shook her head. She moved closer eventually and planted a kiss on her girlfriend's lips for further reassurance. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Guilty more than ever, Chloe couldn't seem to bring herself to put on a smile. The moment of truth was fast approaching whether she liked it or not. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was about to be done and prevent the tears just in case they decided to pour out from her eyes. "What if I told you that I'm the traitor?"
The Head Phoenix frowned in confusion.
"What if I told you that I'm the one who put your mother's life into danger? That I'm the reason why Maverick can never walk again, why we all have to pretend that Barden never existed, why you've accused Rem for conspiring with the Syndics. Would you still say the same when I'm the one who created all this mess?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that the false information came from me. My dad's working for Bumper now. Although I didn't know it was a trap, I was so scared to tell you. I was scared that you'd hate me for life, so Rem took the blame for me."
Beca wasn't making any reaction. Her expression was unreadable as usual which was more nerve-wrecking to have to endure.
"If you'll have to kill my father," said Chloe. "I would understand. I swear. Just... If ever you'd be the one to do it... I don't want to know. Just don't tell me, alright? I... I-I don't want to look at you afterwards and pretend that it doesn't hurt me at all... because someday somehow, babe, at times, I would have to despise you for it. He's still my dad after all, Beca."
Left stunned by the strange appeal, the very quiet cricket was still paralyzed in the moment. Looking into those bright blue eyes, she had grasped the consequence of the war she had declared. Just when she thought she was going to win everything, one man's fate could possibly change things. Again, she had found herself stuck between two identities - the indestructible cold-blooded beast and this person who had fallen truly, madly, deeply in love with Chloe Beale.
Waiting for nothing more, the horrible monster grabbed her girlfriend by the hand and pulled her in for a tight embrace. Obviously, she didn't have plans about letting her go any time soon.
"I love you," sounded like music in the redhead's ears. "That's all you ever need to know."
Startled at first - it wasn't the kind of reaction that she had expected - Chloe eventually embraced her girlfriend back. She stood there, buried her face in Beca's hair as they held each other like it was the last night of their lives, oblivious of the security camera focused on them.
"A hundred bucks," Fat Amy placed her bet. "They'll share at least one kiss."
True enough, the pair of lovebirds pecked each other's lips causing Aubrey to grimace in disgust. Why were they even peeping into this very private and intimate moment?
"That goes without saying!" argued the other IT expert, waving away the chubby hand urging him to pay up.
"I have a feeling we shouldn't be doing this," Thud murmured anxiously.
Given the ample time, the kiss quickly escalated into a one heated makeout session instigating a loud chorus of roars in the Communication Center. The entire team was not even supposed to be there in assembly for the evening.
"They'll do it in there," the Australian blonde confidently gambled her money.
Jesse deliberately shook his head, "They'll make it to Beca's room."
"Guys, is there a way Beca would find out we're watching?" Skyler fidgeted with her fingers, feeling a little awful. "This… is a-a death wish."
Stan, meanwhile, chuckled as he watched his own sister make out with her girlfriend on the big screen. "Boy, this is awkward. Turn on the volume."
"Oh my god," was all the Posen heiress could mumble repeatedly under her breath.
"I've seen better porn than this!" Rem complained about the view, almost screaming at the screen as if the pair could hear her and submit to her demands. "Fast forward already!"
Cynthia-Rose heaved out a sigh, walked over to the control panel and purposely shut off all the installed security cameras in the Training Center, earning herself loud groans from everybody in protest. "Yo. Show's over, people. Get back to work or go to sleep."
Such a party poop.
23:48. Two minutes before the agreed meeting time. The plan was to let the enemy hack codenamephoenix in order to be able to trace the location of the Syndicate's hideout then control the duration of the opening of the file to buy more time. When the location would already be determined, a designated team would be executing the strike. They were ready. Plan B and even Plan C were on standby just in case. However it would go, there was only one end for this upcoming battle - The Secret Society would win it.
Not always would things go according to how they were planned. Weeks of preparation were about to go to waste when the Head Phoenix, at the last minute for some undisclosed reason, had a different purpose to serve. At 23:49, she stood in the middle of nowhere, right on the spot where she once killed a man named Peter Sanders. The rest of the crew was waiting vigilantly behind her while a convoy of SUVs came to stop on the opposite side. Exactly ten minutes before midnight, Bumper Allen alighted one of the cars, grinning wildly for an anticipated premature victory.
"Phoenix," he greeted his counterpart with arms wide open for a hug. "Long time no see."
She, of course, responded with a blank stare that was equivalent to a dirty look.
"No hug? I thought we have something special in here. We go all the way back, don't we?"
He took another step closer but was automatically blocked by Thud's Goliath stature. The Head Syndic was drowning in the incredible height of the man. Bumper beamed at him, but the Phoenix clearly was never fond of him.
"Fine," the younger one surrendered. "Pure business. So where's the treasure?"
"Where's Mr. Beale and his four bodyguards?" asked the previously disregarded tall brunette standing next to the Head Phoenix.
Bumper narrowed his eyes at Skyler. She looked oddly familiar except he was so sure this was their very first meeting. Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he smirked at her. "Okay, together."
At the signal, Stan escorted Jesse to the front line and so Clarence Beale and his captured bodyguards were released from the car.
"Beca?" Clarence squint his eyes to make out her face through the darkness of the night. "Chloe. Where's Chloe? Is my daughter alright?"
The young Mitchell positively nodded her head in assurance.
"Your guy opens the file and then you can have them," the Head Syndic reminded, briefly glancing over the very nervous IT expert who was tasked to do the job. "Just like what we agreed, Phoenix."
Beca turned to her brother and so Stan lightly pushed Jesse forward to cross over the invisible barrier line. The ever milksop swore he could pee his pants any moment. Why the hell did they have to replace an already brilliant plan with such a risky one? They were immediately met by Donald and another Syndic carrying a laptop.
"Genius, wasn't it?" Donald fixed his eyes on Jesse. "Amazing what a man with the same physical features equipped with the perfect mask and a voice changer can do. You should have met the guy before I disposed of him. You would have been astounded."
It took two seconds for the formerly accused Phoenix to put two and two together.
"You... You son of a bitch!" he yelled out, lunging towards Donald. "You're a fucking coward, dick!"
Such instance in which Jesse Swanson was reckless enough to initiate a fight against a trained killer was hard to come by; it was one in a million even his teammates were shocked to see him in that way. The Syndics were preparing their guns to shoot, and so Stan immediately restrained his friend. They would die if Jesse didn't stop. And it was Stan's job to make sure that they both return to Pandemonium alive.
"What is this, dude?" Bumper glared at Beca. "I thought this would be a clean exchange! No violence tonight, right?"
"Just do it, Jesse."
It was a command from the Head Phoenix meaning Jesse had no other choice but to obey. He pushed Stan's arms away and approached the guy with the laptop, stood there for some time until he could catch his breath. It was essential that he calm, that his racing pulse didn't mess up with the microphone hiding at the end of the sleeve of his jacket. Aubrey who was at the other end of the line needed to hear every tap of the keys when he would start to type in the passcode. She needed to be attentive, and he needed to coordinate his moves because a split second would make a huge difference; that split second would buy her time to change the contents of codenamephoenix.
He tapped the last key and instantly, she pressed on enter on her own keyboard and as the file opened up in the laptop, the Syndics were presented with a different blueprint. None of them suspected it. Donald showed the fake treasure map to his boss who turned to the Head Phoenix. His face matched the seriousness on Beca's.
"How do I know you haven't found the treasure already?"
Unexpectedly, in a rare occasion, the mighty Phoenix put on a smile and let out a chuckle. "I'm sick of you and all your shit... dude. The last thing I want is to have you pestering me for the rest of my life."
Bumper scratched the back of his head and smirked. "Fair enough."
"You have what you want. What about what I want?"
The Head Syndic turned to his Right Hand and gave a nod. Clarence and his bodyguards were released from their chains. They were dispatched to cross the invisible line. The Secret Society waited patiently as they cautiously marched towards the rescue team. Just a little bit more, and it would be over. Beca sacrificed what could have been a blood bath victory to ensure Clarence Beale could return home scratch-free. That was what she promised Chloe; the treasure would have to wait.
"Chloe?" was the first thing the redhead asked when he finally reached his daughter's girlfriend.
"Waiting for you," the brunette answered quietly.
Both parties prepared to retreat, heading towards their respective automobiles. The night was about to end the way it was meant to be. Strange as it seemed though, it wouldn't be that easy because when Beca and Clarence reached the farthest car, an old Hummer, Chloe was nowhere to be found inside.
"Where's Chloe?" the mighty Phoenix hissed at the driver.
"S-She was just here, boss. I-I had to go pee, and she was just here when I left. I swear."
Beca angrily hit him on the face. He had one job, and he still couldn't do it right. She asked Paul and the bodyguards to keep Clarence safe until they make it to Pandemonium. Jesse, Fat Amy, and Skyler were sent along aboard another car while the rest of them would have to stay behind for the meantime. With Stan, Thud and Cynthia-Rose trailing right behind, Beca stormed back to confront the Head Syndic. What happened to clean and peaceful transaction? Only Bumper had nothing to do with the irregularity because when multiple shots were fired from a distance in the wilderness, he appeared to be just as surprised as the opposite party.
"What the fuck!" he screamed at Beca. "You said no fight- Forget it!"
Before he could load his gun, Thud hurriedly jumped over him to protect the brunette. Soon, a shootout had ensued between the two groups.
"Find Chloe!" Rem shouted at Beca through the noise while they both hid behind a trunk. "It has to be her. I have a bad feeling that she's only keen to shooting dummies. Go! We'll handle this."
No second thoughts. Beca pulled out another gun and ran across the open field into the dark unknown while the crazy blonde covered for her. Chloe must be somewhere among these trees. She had to be. And she had to be alive.
"Oh no," Chloe breathed out as she watched the flashes of light from a far that went along with sounds of gunfire. "No, no, no, no. They're killing each other!"
"I told you it's not safe here," Ben replied, dragging her farther away with him. "We need to leave. Fast."
"No!" she pulled her hand from his grip. She shouldn't have let him take her in the first place. "If you didn't trick me into leaving the car… I-If you didn't shoot your bodyguard, this would have turned out fine! Now they think one party has betrayed the other!"
"It doesn't matter! We have to go, Chloe!"
"I have to go back. Beca's in danger."
"Chloe, no!" he ran after her and caught her arm. "Beca is not what you think she is. She's a bad person, alright? She's a criminal. She's a killer, for Christ's sake!"
"You don't understand."
"Listen, you don't deserve someone like her. You have to leave her now. Come on, Chloe. I got you. Come on."
"I love her!" she yelled out. Maybe this time he would get the point. "Ben, I love her."
His hold on her loosened, weakened by the testament of love that wasn't for him. That's unfair. Eventually, he found himself frowning at her and shaking his head, betrayed. "I… I love you. I love you. Chloe, I'd do anything for you. I would never leave you the way Beca did. I love you more than anyone… and you're supposed to love me back."
"Ben," was all she could utter before a short pause. Perhaps, it would be kind of sensitive, but it's the truth that he needed to understand. "I'm sorry."
He waited. For her to come around and tell him that she'd chosen him after all, he waited. But she simply stood there and spoke no more. Therefore, he held the gun tightly in his hand, began to head to the shootout.
"Ben, where are you going?" questioned the other.
"I'm going to kill Beca."
"No, you won't."
The young McDouglas was already unstoppable from his mission.
"Stop!" Chloe pulled out her own gun, her hands trembling as she pointed it towards him. "Please, Ben. D-Don't make me hurt you."
"You already did, Chloe."
"This is crazy!"
"Love makes you do crazy things, I suppose."
She pulled the trigger, a warning shot, but he didn't even flinch. Without Chloe, he had nothing to lose anymore. He kept marching like a zombie walking in a predetermined path.
"Ben!"
Still, he wasn't stopping.
"What do we have here?"
Chloe turned to the side to see Bumper. She wasn't sure who to shoot anymore. Where's Rem when you needed her? Bumper had a gun too to make things worse. The only fortunate thing here was the fact that Ben stopped at the sound of his brother's voice.
"Dude, if you want the girl then just get the girl, take her away with you. The hell I care, Benjamin. But don't fucking mess up with my operations!"
The redhead was dumdfounded. They knew each other? Ben, meanwhile, slowly faced the Syndic, crying out a helpless sigh.
"Pathetic," muttered his brother in disdain. He rolled his eyes then walked towards Chloe. In panic, she pulled the trigger and a bullet hit his shoulder. Bumper brushed off his wound – he'd survive – then seized her. "I guess you're coming with us."
Click. Bumper made a halt; he could feel the muzzle against the back of his head. One wrong move and a bullet would surely blow off his skull.
"Get your fucking hands off of her." Beca sounded calm yet gravely threatening. It felt like death was speaking through her mouth, sending her enemy the spine-chilling death sentence. "Now."
Bumper deliberately complied. He released Chloe and turned around to face his foe. One gun was pointed at him and the other at his brother who had his gun sloppy pointed back at the Phoenix. Still, she was more advantaged than he thought especially with the redhead's aid as well; not the best time to oppose.
"We both agreed that this would be a peaceful night," he reminded. This could be his only ticket out of trouble. "Rest assured that I have nothing to do with my brother's antics."
Beca furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"He's my brother," explained the Syndic with a sardonic laugh. "Fucking loser. You can kill him if it pleasures you."
Her girlfriend, however, was shaking her head in disapproval. Ben's not in the right mind. He didn't know what he was doing. His older brother, still, was the devil in this equation.
"Why don't we get off of each other's back from now on?" offered the so-called devil, nodding his head towards the noise created by gunfire. "Let's stop the fighting. Frankly, I'm sick of you, too, Phoenix."
The ball was in Beca's hands. She had the option to kill Bumper Allen once and for all. His offer, on the other hand, was too tempting to decline. Deception, she convinced herself. How many times did she have to believe every single word this guy would have to tell her? But she was already tired of all this. Meeting the pair of bright blue eyes that was clearly frightened by the situation, the horrible monster slowly dropped her guns and held up a hand for Chloe.
"Let's go home."
"No!" Ben protested. He hurried, locked the redhead's neck with his arm. "She's mine!"
"You fucking idiot!" exclaimed his brother.
Armed with no gun, Beca swiftly drew a knife from her back pocket and threw it towards the target. Chloe's loud shriek of 'no' managed to penetrate the air as the weapon launched, and it made all the difference. The knife would have landed in Ben's right eye. With a small curve in that last minute, it went a little further and cut off his right ear instead. Reflex prompted him to release the hostage and attend to his wound not realizing that the battle was already over - Chloe walked away from the field with Beca Mitchell.
Ta-da. Beca shifted her eyes from the yellow painted wall to her cheerful-looking girlfriend, staring blankly in the most killjoy manner on the face of the earth. That was when Chloe's face fell in annoyance, jumped at the back of the stupid cricket and forced her head to look back at the walls again. This was the first time she brought Beca to the Yellow Room.
"Yeah? What do you think? How do you find it? I painted them all by myself, you know."
"Too bright," muttered the dull one. "It's hurting my eyes."
"You had to stare at my pink door for months!"
"I was on a mission. And who said I didn't hate that pink door?"
"Okay, so I'm putting you on a mission right now." Chloe waltzed towards the vanity mirror and hauled a chair over to where her girlfriend stood. She grabbed Beca's hand and compelled her to sit on the chair. "You sit here while I pack up. You can either glare at the wall or do nothing."
"I thought you love me."
The redhead giggled in amusement before planting a quick kiss on Beca's lips. Then, she snatched the Hello Kitty-designed duffle bag from the door and started packing her things starting with her clothes.
"Pack everything you need, okay?" she heard the other say. She nodded her head, but well, it wasn't like she was leaving the area and never coming back.
After an hour, she checked her list for the fifth time. Every item already had a small check inked with a pink pen next to it. She's done, but just in case she was forgetting something, she looked around the room once more until her eyes caught the dried rose in the crystal vase. Should she bring it over to Pandemonium or leave it where it had been forever? What was more puzzling, however, was the presence of foreign objects right next to the vase – an airline ticket and a set of keys.
"You've been here," Chloe realized as she turned to the woman silently sitting on her throne. "What, you're scared to tell me now that you want me to leave, so you trick me into coming here and pack up for Switzerland?"
Beca couldn't deny it because Chloe's suspicions were true. "Your dad will go with you. Paul and... Rem, too. Stan will convince Aubrey to go back to her father."
"I go, you go. You stay, I stay."
"I don't want either of us to end up like my mom wondering if there could have been a better life if one left when the other told her to. You see, Chloe, there's no such thing as the mighty Phoenix. I'm a myth… because the truth is I do have a kryptonite. And it'll always be you. My enemies used Jesse. They will use you when they get the chance. I am not going to wait for that."
"Say it," said the young heiress. The brunette refused and so she shouted, "Say it!"
"Okay," Beca deeply sighed. Fine. "You're nothing to me."
Chloe blinked a few tears. Even if she knew it was a big fat lie, it still hurt just the same because it was something she would never say to the love of her life.
That last part literally pained my heart :(
Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Perfect.