I saw a news report yesterday that shocked and disturbed me, but it also turned into a little inspiration for, you guessed it, another one-shot. Maybe I'll start working on my fics again sooner or later, but I'm really enjoying writing one-shots right now. This one has a bit of a Morgan flair to it, but I believe that the feelings behind it could apply to any of the BAU agents. Please let me know what you think. *DISCLAIMER* This is unbeta'd and I do not own Criminal Minds.
The kid is on the ground, struck by railroad ties. Some people kick him, others just stand and watch. One man films everything. Maybe he is laughing because of the money that he knows he is going to make when he sells it to the news companies. It is more likely that he just finds the suffering of others amusing. No one lifts a finger to help this kid. Not a soul...
My cell phone rings. I take one final look at the news report, watch one last kick, before I answer.
"Yeah. Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
I hang up the phone, turn off the TV, grab my go-bag and leave my apartment. I leave with a question, though. The question is like an ember, one that flickers, but never burns out completely. What's the point? I work my ass off every day. I sacrifice any sort of social life. I submerge myself in the misery of others, the death and destruction that men inflict on each other. Why? I can't stop it from happening. Hell, I can't even slow it down! The news companies prove that every day. A 16-year-old kid, an honors student, is beaten to death with railroad ties in my hometown of Chicago, and I can't do a thing about it. It is my job to do something about it, and yet I can't because there is just too much. It is all too much.
The question pops in my head again, like an ex that keeps on brining up why you broke up. What's the point? I guess there is no point. I work because it is my calling; I'm good at my job. I'm willing to sacrifice so much for something that seems pointless. Some people benefit from my efforts; others never even receive attention from them.
I enter the conference room. JJ starts the briefing by letting us know that there are six children dead in Reno and another one missing. The ember dies down, replaced with focus and determination. That's the job. That's what we all sign up for. Doubt and reassurance. Every day, sometimes every hour. We deal with it, because at the end of the day saving one person is worth it, even if we can't save all of them.