FoxDie
Chapter 1
Conference Room FBI Headquarters, Quantico, Virginia
The team sat around the table listening to the voice coming out of the speaker phone
"Hotch, I'm not asking for a favor. The US Army requests the assistance of the BAU in this investigation." It was the voice of Adrienne Eliso.
"They want us to help, but can't tell us anything about the case? Adrienne, it doesn't make any sense."
"Hotch, you and I both know how word travels around the bureau. I will tell the team everything when you get here. Tell Garcia she's clear, too. We're gonna need her here.
"And where exactly is here?" asked Spencer Reid.
"Confidential."
"Geez, Ade, what are you some sort of GI Joe?" Reid joked.
"GI Joe ain't got nothing on me. Now get out here, you guys."
"You heard the lady, Wheels up in 20," said Hotch.
On the jet:
"Okay, why are we going out here? What does the Army need with us?" Morgan asked
"Our assistance was requested by the Commander of Adrienne's former unit. The investigation has been listed as confidential by the US Army. The bureau has been told that we are assisting in a murder investigation. Which that much I know is actually true. The rest as Adrienne said is, confidential and she is bound by the Army not to tell us until we arrive." said Hotch.
"What do we know about the unit?" asked Prentiss.
"Garcia, did you find anything on Adrienne's unit?" Hotch asked.
"I got names from her unit, one is MIA, presumed dead. That's all I got. No Unit code name, no location. It's like the unit doesn't exist. I can't get anything else. It's a Digital Fortress that I can't hack. I'm on their list, too."
"Didn't Adrienne get you clearance, though?" asked Prentiss.
"Nobody's going into anything until we get a green light" said Hotch.
Los Alamitos Army Airfield/ Joint Forces Training Base, Orange County, California
"Where are we? I mean I know where we are, but I mean where are we?" asked Garcia
"Los Alamitos Army Airfield. The transcontinental air-speed record was set from here here back in 1957" said Reid.
The team emerged from the jet to see three large SUVs, two HumVees and Agent Eliso in dress greens along with two other uniformed Army officers and a slew of MP's.
Adrienne walked up to the team. "Welcome to Los Alamitos." She looked at Hotch. "Hotch, I know it's not protocol, but I'm going to have to do most of the talking. You're now under command of the United States Army, and I'm a ranking officer, none of you are. As long as we are here and under the Army's command the team is to address me as Major Eliso."
"So, I'm not even in charge of my own team."
"That's not what I said, Hotch."
"Well that's what you make it sound like, Major Eliso."
"Can we talk about this later? Right now, the team needs to be introduced to the men behind me so we can get off this damn airstrip."
She turned around and began walking towards the uniformed officers, the rest of the team followed. When they reached the officers, they stopped and Adrienne saluted.
"General," she said, "may I introduce to you the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Leader Aaron Hotchner, Supervisory Special Agents David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid, and Jennifer Jareau, who is the Media Liaison, and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia." She turned and looked at the team, "This is General Andrew Eliso, Commander of Fort Irwin, and my father."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," said the General. "This is Brigadier General Arden, General Arden, myself, and the men behind us will escort you back to Fort Irwin. There you will rendezvous with Colonel Holden, you will receive all information pertaining to this investigation then. We will depart when you are ready." He looked over at his daughter, "Major Eliso."
"Yes, sir."
"When your team is ready for departure please notify either myself or General Arden."
"Yes, sir." She saluted him, and he back, giving her the okay to let the team pack their belongings in the SUVs. With in a matter of minutes the team was ready to depart. Everyone was notified, and the small fleet of vehicles drove away from the airfield and into the desert.
Fort Irwin Military Reservation/ National Training Center, San Bernardino, California
When the team finally arrived on base, they were ushered into a large office. There they were met by Colonel Holden and six others.
"Colonel Holden."
"Major Eliso, I presume this is your team."
"Yes, sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. You are here to assist us in this investigation. A few days ago a member of this unit disappeared. That same night I also received this." He handed them a piece of paper with the silhouettes of different animals and symbols: a fox, an ocelot, a raven, a pigeon, a snake, a praying mantis, an octopus, a wolf, and a lightning bolt. Two big red X's were on the page over the snake, and the octopus.
"There have been no security breaches in this facility. The only way in and out is through the front gate."
"Do these silhouettes mean anything, to you Colonel?" asked Spencer Reid.
"No."
"They do to me, and to the rest of this unit," said Adrienne. She took her jacket, pulled up the back of her shirt, and there in the middle of her lower back sat the same image as the first one on the page. The others all exposed whatever area of their bodies where their tattoo was, each having a matching one to a silhouette, minus a snake and an octopus. Adrienne turned around "Welcome to Foxhound."