Chapter 6: a set up, or not?
The next morning Fat Amy got woken up by the voice of Beca yelling out to something. Curious as to why Beca was yelling she turned around and slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light in their dormroom. When she was fully awake she saw that Beca was standing by their door, which was half opened. Amy couldn't hear who was on the otherside, because Beca wasn't letting that person talk much. But from Amy's perspective it didn't sound good.
''Can you just leave'' Beca shouted, her voice showing that she was done with whatever they were talking about.
''I just want to know why you're so distant lately'' the voice on the otherside of the door said. Amy now hearing that it was Jesse, Beca was talking to. ''Did I do something wrong, am I not a good boyfriend anymore. Or is it true, do you have feelings for someone else'' his voice rising with each word.
''What the hell, no'' Beca called out to him. ''I just need my space, that's all''.
''That's all you've been saying the past few months'' Jesse said. ''I'm done with it''.
''Well don't bother anymore, then'' Beca said. Seeing something light up in Jesse's eyes, Beca realized that she wasn't the only one waiting for this. ''You were waiting for this, weren't you''.
''What'' Jesse was taken aback by what the brunette said.
''You've been waiting for the moment that I would say, we're done'' Beca eyed the guy, seeing him avert his eyes. ''I'm right, am I'' she let out a humorless laugh, folding her arms. ''And you're accusing me of wanting to get out of this relationship''.
Jesse kept silent, knowing that Beca was right.
''Well you're getting what you've been waiting for, because it's over'' Beca said, before slamming the door in his face. She pressed her back against the door and let her head fall back against it.
''What was that about'' Amy asked, sleep still evident in her voice as she sat up.
''Oh gosh, sorry'' Beca's head shot up towards her roommate. ''Didn't mean to wake you up'' she said as she walked to her bed, rubbing her face with her hands.
''Don't worry, we need to get up soon anyway'' Fat Amy shrugged, as she saw the time on their clock.
''Are you okay'' Amy asked, as she saw the girl sit down on her bed with tears in her eyes. Amy got out of her own bed and sat down next to Beca. Her hand coming down on the girls back. ''It's gonna be alright'' Amy comforted her, bringing her in for a hug, letting the girl cry on her shoulder. Amy hadn't expected for Beca to react like this to the break-up with Jesse. From what she's seen the past few months things weren't working anyway and it seemed like Beca didn't even care. So a reaction like this actually surprised Fat Amy.
''I don't even know why I'm crying'' Beca rolled her eyes, as she pulled back out of the hug. Wiping away the tears from her face. ''I thought I would feel relieved, but knowing that he had been waiting on this hurts''.
''He's a jerk'' Fat Amy huffed. ''If he didn't want to be with you anymore, he should've broken up with you and not wait until you did it. It's a dick move''.
''Well it's over now, done'' Beca sighed. ''Two and a half years of relationship thrown away''.
''It sucks, but I'm glad too'' Beca added. ''We just weren't meant to be, I guess''.
''Hey, you'll meet someone and that person will be aca-awesome'' Amy bumped her shoulder with Beca's, getting a smile from the girl.
''Since when do you use the aca language'' Beca said.
''Ever since I hang around you nerds'' Fat Amy teased.
''Using my langauge now too, I see'' Beca mocked.
''Can't help it, I just hang around you guys too much'' Amy shrugged.
''Well they say once a Bella, always a Bella'' Beca stated.
''Yeah, because we paid the registration fee'' Amy rolled her eyes, but a tease was clear in her voice.
''You're so bad'' Beca porred the girl in her side, making the blonde yelp.
''You know I can't stand that'' Amy porred the girl back. But Beca wasn't done and started to tickle the girl, which turned into a tickle fight when Amy escaped Beca's fingers.
After a while the girls heard the alarm on their phones go off and got shaken out of their tickle fight. Both girls, out of breath from the giggles, picked up their phones and turned the alarm off. Knowing that they need to get dressed for work now. Amy looked at Beca who was just staring at her phone and sighed.
''You sure you're gonna be alright'' She asked concerned. ''Think you can handle seeing him all day, after what just happened''.
''Yeah'' Beca nod, smiling softly. ''I can easily avoid him, he and Donald have been helping Stacie and Cynthia, so he'll be nowhere near me''.
''Alright, if you say so'' Amy said when she was sure her best friend was gonna be alright. ''Lets get dressed then and head to the bureau''.
An hour later everyone except for Bumper were gathered in the conferenceroom, this time Jessica being with them. When she got in this morning and she still hadn't heard anything from Ashley, she went to her boss and asked if she knew anything. Aubrey couldn't keep the news any longer from the girl, so told her that Ashley had been abducted by their recent killer. Jessica immediately got stressed out and said that she was gonna help them. Their own case could wait, this was more important.
''Anyone heard anything from Bumper'' Aubrey asked the group of young adults. Everyone looked at each other, but didn't say anything. They didn't know where the boss of the Trebles was.
''Didn't he call in sick, or something'' Fat Amy was the first to speak, worry in her voice. It wasn't like Bumper to be late for work.
''No'' Aubrey shook her head, she would've known if he called in sick.
''Maybe he's just running late'' Donald said. ''He lives on the otherside of town, could be traffic making him late''.
''Possible'' Aubrey nod. ''Alright, then we'll start without him''.
She gave everyone a task and told Jessica that she could help Benji and Chloe. They were gonna make an outline for a press conference, so if it was needed they were prepared. Aubrey told Beca and Amy that they should take a look into what the numbers and figures on the bodies could mean. While the rest got back to what they were doing yesterday. Everyone knowing what they needed to do filed out of the conferenceroom and parted ways.
Amy who wanted to talk to Aubrey, asked the woman to stay behind for a minute as she told Beca she would meet up with her in their office.
''Are we all right'' was the first thing Amy asked, when they were alone in the room.
''Yeah, why wouldn't we be'' Aubrey replied, avoiding eye contact.
''Because you're avoiding me with your eyes'' Amy stated the obvious.
Aubrey sighed ''We're alright, okay'' she looked straight into Fat Amy's eyes now. ''I just need to deal with my feelings'' she shrugged.
''You know, last night doesn't change anything for us, right'' Amy said, reassuring the blonde that they were still friends.
''Why wouldn't it'' Aubrey said, looking away not wanting to see Amy's face when she said this. ''Shouldn't you be like, not want to talk to me anymore, now that you know that I have feelings for you''.
''No'' Amy immediately said, not wanting Aubrey to have that idea at all. ''Remember at one point I had a crush on you too, but some things just aren't meant to be''.
She saw Aubrey hung her head, and knew the girl was hurt, and she didn't like that one bit. After all Aubrey really became one of her good friends over the years. But Amy just can't force feelings that aren't there, especially when she already found the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
''But that doesn't mean we aren't meant to be friends'' Amy told her. ''And I can't lose you as a friend, you're too important to me to lose, just like all the other girls''.
''Really'' Aubrey looked up, not believing her ears.
''Yes, of course'' Fat Amy nod. ''And you're my boss, so I got no other choice then to be nice and friendly to you'' she teased.
''Oh, so that's how it's going to be'' Aubrey laughed, glad that things between them hadn't changed.
''Yep'' Amy nod, as she picked up her stuff.
''You're a tease you know that'' Aubrey rolled her eyes, as they walked out of the conferenceroom.
''But everyone loves me for it'' Amy winked.
''That they do'' Aubrey shook her head with a smile.
''And maybe, you never know, in another life we are meant to be'' Amy smiled softly.
''Maybe'' Aubrey shrugged, feeling at ease that her friend thought like that, and wasn't freaked out about it. She just now had to deal with her feelings, in time.
''Well I'm going to my office, see what Beca is doing'' Amy said. ''We'll report it back to you when we have something''.
''Okay'' Aubrey nod, before the two parted ways.
Amy made her way into her office, where Beca was already seated behind her computer.
''Had a talk with the boss lady I see'' Beca looked up from her screen.
''Yeah, just had to make sure that things were alright'' Amy said, as she put her stuff down on her desk.
''Weren't they, then'' Beca raised an eyebrow.
''They were, just wanted reassurance, that's all'' The blonde shrugged, saying nothing more. Leaving Beca a bit confused, as she took her desk chair and laptop and rolled it towards Beca's desk, sitting down next to her.
''So what've got'' Amy asked when she looked at the computer screen. Beca had a few windows open and the paper with the numbers and figures next to her keyboard.
''So far we've got nothing'' Beca replied. ''I've tried some google searches, but got no hits. And it doesn't help if I type in triangle and circle, or something like that, behind it''.
''What about one of our databases, those numbers gotta mean something'' Amy said. ''And maybe those figures are just to put us on the wrong foot, just like they did with Max Locking''.
''You're right, lets focus on the numbers then'' Beca nod.
Beca opened up every database they had and typed in the numbers, before she sat back and waited till one of them gave her something. Fat Amy took her laptop and did the same, they hoped that one of them would give them something, soon.
Two hours had past and they weren't getting any further, anything they did and any way they searched the numbers seemed to mean nothing.
''Guys, you still haven't heard anything from Bumper either'' Benji asked from the door opening from their office. Making the two girls look up from their screens.
''He still isn't here'' Fat Amy furrowed her brows, her worry growing now.
''No'' He shook his head. ''And he doesn't pick up his phone either''.
''I'll try his other phone'' Amy said, picking up her phone from the desk.
''He has two phones'' Beca said.
''Yeah, one personal and one for work'' Fat Amy replied. ''He doesn't want them to get mixed up'' she said as she dialed the number, but she got immediately voicemail, so that phone was no use for reaching Bumper. With a sigh Amy hung up.
''His personal phone is off'' Amy told the two, just as a ping on Amy's laptop went off.
''What's that'' Beca asked looking beside her to her partner's laptop, as Benji came up behind them, wanting to know what they found. He couldn't help Chloe and Jessica any further anyway.
''I got a hit on one of my searches'' Fat Amy said as she opened up the site that gave her the ping. ''O my God, I think I know where Bumper is'' she said, her eyes growing wide and her mouth falling open.
''Is that...'' Benji trailed off, not believing his eyes.
''How did you find this'' Beca asked, when she looked on at the thing that was showed on the site.
''I just wrote the numbers with dots between them in our database, and apparently it's part of a code to get to this site'' Amy answered, her eyes not moving from the screen. Her heart beating faster the longer she looked at it.
''Guys look at the logo of this site'' Benji pointed to the right side of the screen.
''Now we also know what those figures mean'' Beca said. ''It's the logo of the site''.
''Wait, isn't that Ashley sitting beside Bumper'' Fat Amy said, when she noticed that there was a seat with a figure on it beside Bumper.
Beca looked closer and nod ''Yes, that's Ashley''.
''We gotta show Posen this'' Benji told the girls. ''This feed got to have something that could tell us where they are''.
''Yeah, you're right'' Beca said. ''Can you tell everyone to meet us in the conferenceroom in five'' she asked the guy.
''Yeah, sure'' Benji nod and walked out of the office, leaving the two girls alone.
''Didn't expect our case to blow up like this'' Beca sighed as she picked up her notebook, phone and a pen to take with her to the conferenceroom. She turned to her partner and saw the blonde still looking on at the screen, her eyes filled with worry and tears.
''Hey'' Beca said softly as she sat down next to Amy, taking one of her hands in hers. ''We'll find them, even if we have to move heaven and earth, we will get them back, alive''.
''How do you know that'' Amy turned her gaze from the screen to Beca. ''Have you seen the state Ashley is in. She looks like she got quite some beatings in the past two days. Two freaking days. And she wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me. Bumper too''.
Beca noticing that Amy was starting to freak out, and blame herself for everything that has happened in the past month, took a hold of Fat Amy's face making the girl look straight at her.
''Listen to me'' Beca spoke sternly. ''This isn't your fault, you never asked for this. So you can't blame yourself for the situation Ashley and Bumper are in. And like I said, we'll get them back, alive'' now letting go of the girls face.
''But why does it feel like that, like it's my fault'' Her gaze landing on her lap.
''Because that's what the killer wants'' Beca said softly. ''She wants to make you hurt, make you feel guilty, like all she does to them is all your fault. But you gotta step over that, you can't let the killer get to you like that, because then she wins''.
''And guess what'' Beca added.
''What'' Amy looked up, the little speech her friend gave her making her feel better.
''We're not gonna let her win'' She replied. ''She already took enough from you, so now we gotta fight back''.
''Okay'' Amy nod, ready to take on this case again and close it. ''It's time we put that woman in prison''.
''That's the Amy I know'' Beca smiled. ''Come on, everyone is probably in the conferenceroom by now''.
The two girls took everything they needed and made their way to the conferenceroom where surely enough, everyone was already seated.
''So what is this about'' Aubrey asked when Amy put the laptop down to hook up to the tv screen. While Beca sat down with the remote in her hand.
''This'' Beca pointed behind Aubrey to the screen, everyone turning to it, just as the feed got visible on the screen.
Gasps and 'O my God's' were heard through the room, as everyone's eyes landed on the screen.
''How did you find this'' Jessica asked, as she looked on at her best friend and partner in crime on the screen, a lump forming in her throat.
''Those numbers we found on the bodies, were part of a code to get to this site'' Amy explained.
''And remember the figures we found on our third victim'' Beca said, getting nods all around. ''Those together are the logo of the site''.
''So the killer has been sending out live feed of the abductions'' Stacie raised an eyebrow.
''From what we see, yeah'' Amy nod. ''But we don't know how long this feed has been going on. It could be from the first abduction, but it could also be that she set it up later''.
On one side Amy wanted to look badly at the screen, because then she knew how Bumper and Ashley were doing. But on the other side she just couldn't, she couldn't look at him and Ashley being tortured and beaten up.
''Stacie and I can figure that one out'' Cynthia said. ''We can look into the code and find out the ip address of the computer it's been send from''.
''If they haven't blocked it with a firewall'' Donald pointed out.
''We're the best hackers around here, we'll get through them'' Cynthia winked.
''Okay, Cynthia and Stacie do whatever you can to find out from where this is send from'' Aubrey ordered them. ''The rest get back to what you were doing''.
Everyone did what the big boss said and got back to their jobs. Amy and Beca stayed in the conferenceroom, together with Chloe, Benji and Jessica. The latter three were done with the press conference, and had no other job for the moment. And Amy and Beca having found the code and site, couldn't do anything further until Stacie and Cynthia found out where it was send from.
''This is so freaky'' Chloe shook her head, not believing how out of hand the case has gotten. ''I think this might be our biggest case so far''.
''You think'' Amy said. ''We never needed anyone else to help on our case, except for you and Aubrey. But right now we even have help from the other team''.
''I was just saying'' Chloe said a bit offended, sitting back in her chair. Everyone was now seated so that they all sat across from the screen that showed the live feed. They needed to keep an eye on it, because there was a big chance that things could happen.
''Sorry Chlo'' Amy apologized, for the harsh way she was talking to her. ''I'm just on edge, with everything that has happened in the past few days'' she sighed.
''Don't worry, we know'' The redhead smiled to the blonde, reassuring her that there was no harm.
''Shall I get us something to eat'' Benji asked. ''We don't have anything to do anyway, right now, so we can better have our lunchbreak now''.
''Sounds good'' Jessica nod.
''You picking up something from campus, or are you ordering take out'' Beca asked, if the guy was picking up something from campus then she didn't want any, food was just really bad there. She and Amy always tried to eat outside of campus or to just order in, and with the money they earned they can easily do that.
''What do you think'' Benji said. ''Take out, of course, we got the money, got to use it''.
''Good'' Beca smiled.
''Everyone agrees on Chinese'' He asked the girls, getting nods from everyone.
''I'll be right back, then'' he said before walking out of the conferenceroom, leaving the girls alone with the only thing to look at the feed on the screen.
A/n: I know it has taken me quite some time to update this fic, and I can't promise you that I will be much better in the future, but I will try! But for now I hope you enjoyed this chapter and there are still some things to come before the ending.