Supernatural: Time Is On My Side
A/N: Hello and welcomed to the second-to-last story of this arch. So I got a complaint that there wasn't a lot of BAU in the one-shot, but that story was mainly about Bella. Any who, it's time to deal with a highly disturbed doctor who refuses to die.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Supernatural or Criminal Minds; I just own the characters that I happen to create.
CHAPTER ONE: STOLEN ORGANS?
"Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
Proverbs 9:17
Erie, Pennsylvania
Cristal Spa and Racquet Club – Members Only…
It was nighttime and two men, Thomas and Jules, were walking under the veranda of the health club and toward the parking lot.
"You up for a drink?" Thomas asked his friend, swinging his exercise bag a little.
Jules shook his head at the offer. "Nah, I can't, I gotta be up at the crack of dawn. Duty calls."
Thomas raised his eyebrows. "A boob job?"
"I wish!" Jules laughed. "Nah, some crabby old broad wants the works. I'll need a forklift to get it all back up."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "All that work to hack what, 15 minutes off their faces?"
"Staying young is a brutal business," Jules agreed.
They then did a fist bump, and went their separate ways. Jules walked to his car, and unlocked it with the key remote. Moving to the back, he popped the boot, and placed his bag inside, unzipped it and looked inside. Just then, there was a faint rustling sound from a nearby tree as a gloved hand parted the tree branches, and Jules looked around.
Seeing nothing, he went back to looking in his bag, unaware that someone was walking up behind him, the figure grabbed Jules, threw him into the boot of the car, and slammed it shut.
`"Hey, hey!"` Jules shouted, panicking.
Ignoring the shouts, the figure bent down, picked up Jules's discarded keys, walked around the car, and he got in.
`"Help! Help!"` Jules continued shouting, banging on the underside of the boot and was trying to get out. `"Help! Help! Let me outta here! Help!"`
Several nights later, Jules was now staggering down a hospital corridor with bare legs, and there was blood dripping onto the ground. He was holding his stomach, groaning and moaning, and his face was showing great pain.
Hearing the groans, a nurse saw him. "Sir?"
"Please," Jules gasped, his eyes wide with pain and fear.
"It's ok, sir," said the nurse, moving toward him and reaching for his hands. "Let me see what happened. Don't you worry, there's nothing I haven't seen."
Jules shook his head frantically, backing away a little. "No, no, no!"
The nurse moved closer and grabbed his hands that were still holding onto his stomach. "Let me see-"
"Noooooo!" Jules screamed as his hands were removed. There was a squelching sound and a thud was heard. Jules continued moaning in pain as he collapsed, and the nurse, looking down in horror, began to scream, too.
Quantico, VA
FBI Headquarters, BAU section…
Derek Morgan was enjoying his morning coffee as he entered the bullpen and headed for his desk, waving to Emily Prentiss, who was already at her desk, and Spencer Reid, who was getting ready to do some physic magic, and he was about to sit down in his chair when JJ entered, her arms filled with all-too-familiar folders, which covered the light blue blouse she was wearing, along with a black skirt, and black high-heels.
'Uh oh,' he thought, seeing the serious expression on her face. 'This isn't a good sign.'
"Do we have a case, JJ?" Emily asked, having noticed the same thing.
"Yeah, and it's a bad one," JJ confirmed, heading for the conference room that they used when examining new cases they've been invited to help with.
"How bad?" Reid asked, immediately putting away everything he'd pulled out moments before.
"Pennsylvania."
The three federal agents sighed and stood to follow JJ, who was now alerting both Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi, and they were soon joined by Penelope Garcia, who was carrying her laptop under one arm, indicating just how serious this case was going to be.
"Erie, Pennsylvania," said JJ, using a remote to post the pictures of two men, one of them being Jules, "in the last two weeks, two men, Jules Pitt, a plastic surgeon, and Calvin Erickson, a visiting businessman, were both admitted into Hamot Medical Center, each with an organ missing. Calvin was found in the bathtub of a hotel room, surrounded by ice, and was missing a kidney. Dr. Pitt wasn't as lucky, according to the police reports, he came staggering into the hospital and shortly died several minutes later. The coroner discovered that his liver had been surgically removed with the same method that had been used on Calvin, whose own surgical site had been sewed up with silk thread and filled with maggots in order to prevent infection."
"Maggots? Eww," said Penelope, making a face.
"Is there anything else to connect the victims?" Hotch asked, passing around the photos, which Penelope promptly avoided looking at.
JJ nodded. "Yes, apparently, both men went missing for several days prior, and the medical examiner treating Mr. Erickson stated that no physicians that he knows of uses silk thread or even maggots since it went out of practice after the early 19th century."
"So, someone is stealing organs from physically fit men and has medical knowledge dating back from the early 19th century?" Emily asked. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Actually, it might," Penelope spoke up, setting up her laptop and connecting it to the screen wirelessly. "When JJ informed me about this icky case, I ran a search nationwide to see if this has happen anywhere else and I've found over a hundred cases dating back as far as the 1880s involving both men and women having this done to them." And on the screen appeared a lot of pictures, most of them old black/white versions.
"Whoa," Morgan muttered, sitting up in his chair. "Either this is some sick tradition or-"
"Or it's something supernatural," Rossi finished the thought. "When and where did the first cases occurred, Garcia?"
Penelope did some quick typing and some old manuscripts appeared on the screen. "The earliest were in Benton, New Hampshire, which is the home of the Doc Benton legend that happens to be connected to the cases."
"Doc Benton?" Hotch repeated, eyebrows raised.
"I've read up on that legend," Reid piped up. "I first saw the name in John Winchester's journal, and according to the entry, he encountered Doc Benton, who apparently found a way to live forever, and he was also suspected in some strange disappearances in London before he returned to his hometown."
"And what happen when John went head-to-head with the mysterious doctor?" Rossi asked.
"Well, he fought Benton, burned the remains of his latest victim with the hope that it would weaken him, stabbed him in the heart, and then cut him into pieces with a chainsaw," Reid quoted from memory.
"Well, clearly it didn't take," remarked Emily, grimacing. "It looks like he literally pulled himself together and is on the hunt again."
"And we know who to call to help us," said Hotch, standing up. "JJ, you alert the Winchesters and let them know what's going on. Garcia, pack your bags, we'll need you on this one and also continue looking for Bella Talbot since we're running out of time with Liz's deal. We leave in twenty minutes." And he headed for the door, almost running into Kevin Lynch. "Kevin? What're you doing here?"
Kevin, who was clutching the bag he kept his laptop in, swallowed and glanced at Penelope, who flushed, having forgotten that she'd invited him to help. "Uh, Penelope t-told me about the case you're working on and about her looking for information on a woman named Bella T- sir, she told me everything about the Winchesters, the supernatural world, and I want to help."
Hotch sighed and faced Penelope, whose face had gone brick red with embarrassment. "Garcia-"
"I know that I shouldn't have told him, but I couldn't help it," Penelope cut in, standing up while the others sighed. "And with Kevin's help I can work twice as fast with both the search for Bella and figuring out where the unsub is hiding."
Hotch glanced at Rossi, who shrugged, and he sighed again. "All right, Mr. Lynch can come with us this time, but we're going to have a serious talk about this later, Garcia." He then turned to Kevin, who was looking relieved. "Pack what you need, we leave for the airstrip in twenty minutes."
"Yes, sir," Kevin responded, grinning and hurried off to get ready.
In an abandoned cabin located outside of New Orleans, the Winchesters were busy interrogating a demon named Merrick, who they managed to capture after interrogating another demon in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, about the whereabouts of Lilith, who was holding Liz's contract.
Dean dumped a bucket of holy water on Merrick, who was strapped to a chair and trapped within a Devil's Trap.
"Stop!" the demon screamed, his body was soaking wet and there was steam rising up everywhere, plus his dark skin was turning red.
"You ready to talk?" Liz asked, facing Merrick.
"I don't know," Merrick cried. "I don't know anything!"
Liz didn't believe that for a second. "Oh, you hear that, Sam? Dean?" she said angrily. "He doesn't know anything."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, I heard."
"I'm telling you the truth," the demon whimpered.
"Oh, you are?" Dean asked mockingly. "My god, then I owe you an apology. Allow me to make it up to you." He then poured holy water into Merrick's mouth and he shrieked in pain.
"I'm gonna ask you one last time…" Liz growled, stepping forward. "Where is Lilith hiding?!"
"At your mother's," Merrick sneered. "Yeah, she, uh, showed it to me right before I bent her over."
"I want a location," Liz threatened. "Or else…"
"Or what?" Merrick snapped. "You're gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please. Sister, that's like a fleabite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want. The only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket."
Dean looked ready to attack the demon, but Liz held up a hand and nodded at Sam, who began reciting an exorcism.
"How does that feel?" Dean asked as Merrick began groaning in pain and an unseen wind began to pick up. "Does that feel good?"
"Go ahead," Merrick snarled, gasping in pain. "Send me back to hell… 'Cause when you get there, I'll be waiting for you… with a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet Elizabeth Winchester."
Sam stopped chanting and glanced at Liz, who face had gone stone cold. "Should I?"
Liz nodded. "Send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else." And Sam continued the exorcism.
A few hours later, Dean came back inside after burying the body that the demon had been possessing and joined his grim-faced siblings in the main room.
"Bury the body?" Sam asked.
Dean nodded. "Yeah. Looks like these demons ride 'em hard just for kicks."
"Which doesn't help me in the slightest," Liz complained. "That's the fifth demon we've sent back to Hell and we're still no closer to finding Lilith and my contract or any closer to finding both Bella and the Colt, which looks to be my only chance of not being turned into a chew toy for some Hellhound!"
"Don't worry, Liz," Sam said reassuringly. "We'll figure something out." Just then his phone rang and he answered it. "Hello? Hey, JJ, how's- what? Hold on, let me put you on speaker." And he clicked a button as both Dean and Liz gathered around. "Okay, we're on."
`"Hey, guys,"` said JJ. `"I know that this probably isn't a good time, but we've got a case that has a serious supernatural connection to it, and we need your help."`
"What's the case?" Dean asked their father's journal in hand.
`"In the last two weeks, two men in Erie, Pennsylvania have been abducted and found later with a different organ removed surgically,"` JJ responded. `"One is dead due to having his liver taken, and the other is alive and is being treated for his missing kidney, plus the surgical site was sealed up with silk thread and was filled with maggots to prevent infection."`
"Yuck," Liz muttered while Dean flipped through the journal and found the entry, prompting him to groan. "Dean?"
"It's gotta be Doc Benton," Dean answered grimly. "You know that crazy doctor that dad fought and believed to have killed?"
Both Sam and Liz grimaced, remembering their dad talking about Doc Benton, who had somehow found a way to live forever by stealing organs and other parts from other people as replacements whenever something got worn out or ruined.
"Yeah, dad stabbed him in the heart and used a chainsaw on him," Sam recalled. "Very Army of Darkness is the way he put it."
`"Well, it looks like Doc Benton managed to pull himself back together and we're heading there to help the police,"` JJ informed them, `"and Hotch is hoping that you'll join us to help before this guy goes after anyone else."`
Both Dean and Sam glanced at Liz, who nodded. "We'll meet you there, JJ," she said. "I might not have much time left, but I can still do my job as a hunter to save the lives of others."
`"That's great,"` JJ said. `"Oh, and so you know, Garcia is still looking for Bela, and we're bringing both her and Kevin Lynch along. Apparently, she told him everything about you guys and what you do for a living."`
"Kevin Lynch?" Dean repeated. "Isn't he that geek that the I.A. people had done an audit on Garcia's computers about six months ago?"
`"Yes, and both he and Garcia are currently dating,"` JJ reminded them. `"So, unless you want her to get angry at you, Dean…"`
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything with that relationship," Dean promised, making both Sam and Liz laugh. "Shut up."
JJ chuckled. `"We'll see you all in a couple of hours then."`
Sam clicked his phone shut. "Well, if we're going to get there in time to team up, we better head out."
"Yep, let's get rollin'."
Erie, Pennsylvania
Coroner's lab…
Early the next morning, the Winchesters met up with the BAU team, who then split up with JJ, Penelope, and Kevin heading for the police station to set up, Morgan, Emily and Sam went to talk with Calvin Erickson, and Hotch, Reid, Rossi, Dean, and Liz went to talk to the coroner about the state of Jules' corpse.
"As you can see," said the coroner, showing them the body, and both Dean and Liz had to resist the impulse to grimace, "the liver was removed. Surgically. By someone who definitely knew his or her way around a scalpel."
Reid took a closer look without touching the body, examining the wound. "Yes, all of the cuts are neat and clean. Was there anything else on the body that could indicate where he was before reaching the hospital?"
The coroner shook his head. "Not that I could find and I went over every inch of this guy. Whoever did this was careful to not leave any trace evidence."
"Forensic countermeasures," Hotch remarked. "So, he knows how to cover his tracks. What about his clothes?"
"According to the police, they had the man's blood, some grease and oil that came from the trunk of his car, which was found two miles out of town with only the victim's prints, and only the victim's DNA," the coroner answered.
"Thank you for your time," said Rossi and they left the lab.
Once outside the lab, they compared notes.
"If this is Doc Benton, then he's being more careful about covering his tracks," Rossi commented. "But how could he recover from being cut up by a chainsaw?"
Both Dean and Liz shrugged. "We don't even know how he managed to live forever in the first place. It's a mystery that even our dad couldn't solve when he was alive."
"Well, let's hope the others can get more out of the survivor," said Hotch as they left for the police station.
"I told the cops all of this yesterday," Mr. Erickson complained. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"It's just a couple of questions, sir," Morgan said reassuringly.
Mr. Erickson shook his head sourly. "Hey, man. I just got my kidney stolen. I'm tired."
"We'll be out of here quick," Emily promised. "Don't you want to get the guy?"
"Will it get me back my kidney?" Mr. Erickson countered.
Sam decided to ignore that particular question. "So what's the last thing you remember?"
Mr. Erickson shrugged. "Feeding my meter," he answered. "He jumped me from behind…and then I wake up strapped to a table. And then the worst pain you could possibly imagine, only worse. And then I black out again. Thank god." He sighed, relieved. "And then I wake up screaming in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice."
"Do you remember anything about the surgery?" Morgan asked. "What the guy looked like, any details about the room?"
"Let me think about that," said Mr. Erickson. "Yeah…One thing is coming back to me. You know what I remember? Getting my kidney cut out of my body!"
"Thank you for your time, sir," said Emily and they quickly left.
At the local police station, they compared notes and put what they'd found on the boards provided.
"Okay, Mr. Erickson was grabbed from the downtown area, and Dr. Pitts was grabbed from the parking lot of the local gym," Reid said, marking the two areas on a map with pushpins and drew a line between the two sights and the places where they'd ended up after having their respective organs removed. "So, it looks like his hunting ground is in this area."
"That's a lot of ground to cover," Morgan remarked, sipping his coffee and eying the large square. "Although we couldn't get much out of Mr. Erickson, it's obvious that Doc Benton would need an isolated place, a cabin, maybe, to perform the operations without being walked in on."
"Well, wherever that is, I'm not lookin' until I've eaten somethin'," Dean declared, unwrapping a burger he'd bought at a local fast food place.
Liz gave her twin an exasperated look. "I'm surprised that you can eat after everything we've seen so far today."
Sam, who was flipping through the journal, spoke up when he found what he was looking for. "According to what our dad wrote Benton's picky about where he sets up his lab. He likes dense forest with access to a river or stream or some kind of freshwater."
"Why?" Dean asked while taking a big bite out of his burger.
"Because that's where he likes to dump the bile and intestines and fecal matter," Sam responded and Dean almost choked while Liz, Penelope, JJ, and Emily all made "eww" faces, and Kevin looked ill along with Hotch, Rossi, Reid, and Morgan. "Lost your appetite yet?"
Dean glared at his little brother and then spoke to his burger. "Oh baby, I can't stay mad at you." And proceeded to eat his food, much to the others' surprise and mild disgust.
"Strong stomach," Kevin muttered. "So, what should we be looking for?"
"A cabin," Reid answered, after doing more coloring on the map with various colored markers. "Preferably a remote one."
"That will narrow the search area a fair bit," Hotch commented. "Garcia-"
"We're already on it," Penelope announced as both she and Kevin began typing away at the computers they'd brought for such a purpose.
That night, a guy was out jogging in one of the parks when he was abducted from behind, a white cloth shoved into his face.
A few hours later, he woke up in Doc Benton's cabin, strapped to an operating table. Doc Benton, wearing a mask over his stitched up face, entered with a scalpel. Bending over, he carved open the man's chest, ignoring his pleads, and proceeded to remove his heart.
"No please," the jogger pleaded over the pain. "No. No, no!"
A/N: And I'm going to leave you with that gross visual burned into your brains, and believe me, after seeing this episode, I almost went vegetarian for a while. R&R everyone!
