Chapter 2
Emily sat opposite Reid as they both looked over watching the two men that held the automatic guns. "Why the hell weren't we warn, no red flags were brought up" Emily whispered to Reid "I don't know" Emily sighed softly as she took in everyone around her.
"Did you know?" Cyrus shouted as he walked into where they were sitting, Emily looked at Reid both of them had an equally confused look on their faces "No" they answered "Where's Nancy?" Emily asked "They shot her, it wasn't us" Cyrus defended himself as he looked at the two of them.
"I demand to know why the FBI was sending in undercover agents into the Libertarian Ranch," he bellowed. Just as Hotch walked up. "The only thing you're in a position to demand is a lawyer." "Who the hell are you?" "I'm Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief. I'm the guy that is going to tell the Attorney General of the United States to charge you with obstructing a federal investigation or negligent homicide."
"You can't talk to me like that." Hotch stepped forward and got face to face with him. "I just did. Now get off my crime scene."
Rossi stopped Hotch before he did something he regretted "Hotch lets get inside and work this out" he said calmly, as Morgan and JJ headed to the command post. Hotch explained that they would be leading this had been put in charge of things and was able to choose the negotiator "Wouldn't have it any other way. We have managed to put up listening devices and we have everything set up waiting for you"
"I taught most of those guys." Rossi said. "You want a recommendation?" Hotch shook his head. "I'm choosing you." Rossi frowned. "But I'm too personally involved. And so is the agent in charge." Rossi pointed out.
"Yes but we are going to have to profile Prentiss and Reid, we know they will profiling them inside and also the fact that they know we will be called in, it is the best chance we have of getting them out, we need to know their moves and anyone else wont" Hotch said calmly. "You think JJ is going to be able to keep her head clear?" Hotch sighed "I hope so, if she cant I will pull her off the case, but they have never let their relationship get in the way of the job" Hotch said as they made their way inside "I hope your right"
The team spent the next hour trying to come up with as much information as possible "You know we could really use Prentiss and Reid's" Morgan whispered to himself. "How does she manage to always get her self in the middle of these things" Morgan said as Rossi chuckled "Do you need me to answer that?" Morgan shook her head.
"We need to get ears in there" Hotch said as Rossi set himself up infromt of the phones "Like he is going to allow us to walk in there" Rossi raised his eyebrow slightly. "Morgan see if Garcia can get us more information on this Cyrus guy"
Morgan made his way outside "Garcia speaking" her voice lacking any amusement "Babygirl any chance you can pull any more information on this guy and the ranch" he said softly "You know I will try, just get them out of there safe Morgan, Prentiss has been through too much" Morgan sighed "I know but she will be fine and so will Reid" he tried to force the smile "Look after JJ" Morgan laughed "You mean before or after she kills someone" he joked slightly "I would be grateful if it was before"
Once Rossi gets set up, he sighs before picking up the phone hoping Cyrus at least talk to him so they can end this quickly. "This is Agent Rossi with the FBI, Who am I speaking too?" he keeps his voice firm and as calm as he can "This is Cyrus we didn't start this."
Rossi rolls his eyes slightly as Hotch stood behind him "I know you didn't you was protecting yourself, can you tell me is everyone safe?" he said trying to build some trust between them. The line stayed quite for a moment "Can you atleast tell me if the child services people are safe" he asked "One of them has been shot and it wasn't us it was them" he said, Rossi closed his eyes prying that his two friends were safe,
"Let's stop this before things get worse," Rossi says. "Please, Benjamin, send out your wounded. I promise they will be well taken care of." Cyrus asks for supplies, saying the group can 'tend to our own.' Rossi agrees, saying he will deliver the medical relief himself.
A few hours later, Rossi drives up to the front doors of the ranch. Listening devices have been hidden in the supplies and agents line the grounds with large microphones. Rossi is let inside and introduces himself to Cyrus. He shares a furtive glance with Prentiss and Spencer, careful not to reveal their true identities.
"I had hoped you'd let me take the children," Rossi tells Cyrus. "They're our protection," Cyrus counters. "I remember Waco. We all do. They stay for now."
Once Rossi is gone, Cyrus begins pouring cups of wine - even for the smallest children. Emily and Reid, watch Jessie's body language in reaction to Cyrus. "She literally worships him," Spencer said. "There's no way she made that 911 call." Jessie's mother, meanwhile, immediately steps between the two.
Rossi returns to team headquarters outside the ranch. "He's too calm," Rossi says as he makes his way back inside. "It's like he was waiting for this happen and now that it has he feels vindicated." The team, meanwhile, gets a feed from the listening devices. "We will be with Him soon," Cyrus says. "We have drank the poison together."
Rossi and Hotchner listen in horror. Inside, Emily wants to act, but Reid kept her stilled. He claims that Cyrus is bluffing. Indeed, 'the prophet' just wanted to see the reaction of the people in his congregation. Anyone not crying or panicking is being put on a loyalty list. In short, it was a test of faith.
Hotch, who was about to send in the troops, exhales deeply. Crisis narrowly averted. JJ. enters "Leo Kane has just arrived."
Morgan questions the former Liberty Ranch leader. Kane explains that he kicked Cyrus out of the compound years ago for "messing" with younger girls. Cyrus returned sometime later claiming he had found God and reformed.
"How does a kid like that get rid of you?" Derek asks.
"One day he came to me and said God told him that I should leave the ranch," Kane explains. "I said 'If God felt that way, God can tell me himself.' He put a gun to my head and said, 'He just did.'"
Derek asks Cane to draw a map of the compound he commanded for 20 years. The angry inmate is only too happy to help.
Back outside, the team gets frightening news someone has leaked news of an undercover FBI officer to the press.
Inside, Cyrus listens to the report before challenging Emily and Reid. "Which one of you is it?" he asks. "Which one of you is the FBI agent?" He points a loaded gun at both. Emily, fearing for her partner's life, claims to be the lone agent.
"Which one of you is it?" Cyrus blurted out, seconds after entering the room. Reid passed him a confused look, as did I, but our minds flew into over drive as he brought out his gun.
"Which one of you is the FBI agent?" He began to repeat and I forced myself to lose the look of shock and realisation off of my face.
"Why do you think one of us is an FBI agent?" I could tell Reid was far from panicked. He was now thinking of a way out of this, and both of us knew, there was not one, not with Cyrus. As the only response to his question, Cyrus sent Reid a 'do not play dumb with me' look and clicked his gun into play to support the look.
"God will forgive me for what I must do." He took a step forward, turning the tip of the gun in the direction of Reid, straight on the path of his head. I knew at that very minute that Reid was dead if I did not intervene.
"I don't know what you are talking about." I saw Reid's nervous look, which was hidden so well that only a fellow profiler could notice it. I desperately wanted to be anyone else but me right at this moment.
"One of you does. Who is it?" He never once took his eyes, off the gun or off Reid, and it was in that moment that I realised. Reid was already as good as dead to him. He had no hesitation in killing him, but that meant he believed I was innocent.
"Me." I paused allowing Reid's protective glare to fall on me. "It's me." I repeated, and now Cyrus' eyes came on me. Before I knew it, the gun was unclicked and he had a fistful of my hair in his hand. I was now in a world of pain. Each single hair seemingly being torn from my scalp, so I cried out. I could not help it. It just happened. God knows what Reid did then; I was too busy trying not to cry out for another time, to notice.
"Get up!" He harshly tugged me so I was in a standing position, barely, as the ache in my stomach consumed me and almost crippled me over, but before I could grab my stomach to cushion the pain, I had a fist connected to my face, accompanying the previous slap. The force of the punch sent me hurdling over into the mirror on the wall, shards of glass meeting my chest, one to my lower neck and the rest to my arms and my face. Once again, he had his hands back against my hair, pushing my face further into the broken pieces.
"Proverbs 20:30 tells us, 'Blows the wounds cleanse away evil.'" I remembered that the team could hear me. They could hear every word, cry of pain and hit he passed. I knew they would consider coming in.
"I can take it." I managed to cry out after he spun me 'round and threw me against the floor.
"You can take it?" Cyrus rhetorically asked with confidence, whilst throwing another slap my way. "I can take it." I repeated one last time, hoping the team had finally heard me. "Pride comes before the fall." Cyrus mocked
"She's talking to us!" says Hotch, listening via headphones. "She's telling us not to come in."
"Why is it that she is always smack in the middle of these situations? Ugh!" shouted a very frustrated JJ. "Can't she just sit behind a desk for one day and not end up being held hostage, beaten or something else?" JJ said as she ran her hand across her worried face trying to compose herself "Remind me to kill her after" she glared at Morgan who had the same worried look as the rest of the team
