OK here's chapter two. This one starts off with Prentiss, Reid, and Strauss while threading in Rossi and Garcia's current predicament, and with a bit of Morgan, Seaver, and Hotch in the end as they begin to figure out a way to save the rest of the team. Basically I know this is very AU considering that this would likely never happen in real life, but what's the wonderful world of fanfiction if I can't use it for purposes of my own? I guess I'm just selfish that way ;D Oh and by the way, I'm writing this while I'm sick in bed so if this gets updated randomly it's cause I'm editing it for sentence structure and the off chance that I missed a word or something. (which I already spotted a mistake for in chapter one, so ya.) Thanks to those of you who put this on your story alert! And thanks for the reviews p95000 and vampiremuggle!
Disclaimer: I don't own it! I just borrow it.
"You think Garcia and Rossi are ok?" Reid asked as he paced from the couch to the window for the umpteenth time. Emily looked up at their youngest team member with a knowing, but sad frown.
"I don't know Reid. I hope so." Since the alarm had gone off, Strauss had seen fit to barricade them in her office, which was standard protocol, but that fact did not sit well with the two agents in her midst. For a while all three of them had been pacing around the room. But as of fifteen minutes ago, Strauss and Prentiss had taken up opposite seats in the office's lounge. Along with the aforementioned area, it also had a large oval table for conferences. The six chairs surrounding it were of modern style but despite the attempts at making the place seem elegant and topnotch, Emily couldn't help but notice the obvious authority radiating from the furnature. It was so fitting for the person occupying the space that it made the office seem cold.
"They're still in the building?" Strauss's almost concerned eyes bounced back and forth between the two profilers.
"Ya, Garcia's been working on the security footage from the street lights like we did in New York, and Rossi was working on making a connection between the crime scenes." Emily, who'd been picking her nails, clasped her hands together and leaned her elbows on her knees as she addressed her superior, finding it a lot easier to talk to the woman when the building was in crisis mode.
"Where are the others?" Now she was just making small talk, occupying herself, and hopefully the younger agents in front of her. For no apparent reason, she found that it was a lot less stressful gaining information; which was making progress in her book. Strauss paraded an Ice Queen Façade but there were times when everyone was able to see through the armor.
"They went back to the crime scenes….shouldn't be back for an hour or so." Reid remarked, staring thoughtfully at a shadowbox of an ancient arrow hanging on Strauss's wall.
"What is it Reid?" Emily asked, shifting so that she was facing him.
"I don't know…do you remember that guy you were talking to before we arrived?" He turned towards Strauss who shrugged.
"Agent Perez." She said nodding. "He was informing me that measures were being taken to ensure the security of the building. He was with the DOD. Why?"
"I noticed something on his suit." Reid made his way over to Strauss's printer and yanked some paper from it, finding a seat next to Emily as he grabbed a pen from his bag. "Emily, remember the first crime scene, the arrow?" He asked rapidly, drawing a straight, horizontal line and then another line diagonally through it with an arrow on top.
"The Greek one you were talking about earlier." Prentiss quietly affirmed, trying to recall everything about the man that had seemingly showed up with a slew of other Agents from the Department Of Defense.
"Ya! I told everyone earlier how arrows refer to various meanings, though in this case I thought it was masculinity. Facing up," he pointed to Strauss's decoration. "By nature, they're phallic symbols. They can symbolize power, fire, and man's authority. Facing down they symbolize femininity and literally the womb of a woman. They're used in chemistry, math… They can also resemble the number three. In the Christian culture, it's believed that they rely on the triangle to symbolize the trin-"
"Focus Reid." Emily butted in, pointing at the brief sketch he'd made.
"What's this have to do with Agent Perez?" Strauss asked, also trying to get back on track.
"What's the symbol for the DOD?"
"An eagle….clutching arrows." Strauss answered sternly, not really liking where this was going. "You can't honestly be suggesting that the Department of Defense was behind what happened here this week and today?" Her incredulous voice seemed to send Reid into action as he started drawing again, this time something much simpler than before; just a modest triangle facing up.
"All of the men accompanying Agent Perez were wearing pins like this one." Reid said, tapping the paper with his pen eccentrically. But before any of them could try to make sense of what that meant, a knock sounded at Strauss's door. All of them assumed separate position; Prentiss by the door, her gun ready, Reid taking cover by the wall separating the conference area and the lounge with his weapon drawn, while Strauss rushed to her desk, her hand disappearing underneath it. She let her finger hover over the lock, watching Prentiss by the door, and pressed it when she nodded.
"What if they're not in there?" Garcia whispered as they crept down the hallway, passing doors, checking to see if they were locked or open, and clearing rooms meticulously. It was taking a hell of a lot longer than Rossi had planned and it was becoming increasingly apparent that staying awake was even harder than before. More than once since they'd left the stairwell, Garcia had had to keep him focused on placing one foot in front of the other; which wasn't an easy feat with the laptop and shoes she was carrying. At some point she'd decided that her Jessica Simpson heels weren't as important as she'd thought they were; discarding them in an office she would be sure to return to once this ordeal was over with.
"Then we'll figure something out." He mumbled. The pain in his side was killing him. Every office they passed was just another opportunity to sit down, to rest….to close his eyes. If they could just stop for a second…
"Rossi?" Garcia's small voice penetrated the haze of his thoughts. When did I sit down? He glanced up at her; face drawn, breathing hard. She was tugging at his arm, trying to get him to move, and she was saying something; her face peering down into his frantically. Dave wanted to tell her everything was fine, that he was just taking a break, but the words wouldn't form. His vision blurred all of a sudden, causing him to shut his eyes as another wave of dizziness overcame him. "Rossi wake up!" She sounded so far away but it startled him enough for his eyes to open again. She was definitely crying now, no longer able to hold back the tears. He blinked at her slowly, and then she was gone.
He leaned his head back against the wall, trying to bid the darkness creeping in at the edge of his vision away. Rossi barely registered the hands grasping him under his arms as he was hoisted to his feet. The sudden movement made him gasp; his wound protesting painfully. It wasn't until he was being gently eased into a chair in Erin's office that he realized it was Reid and Prentiss hovering above him.
"Rossi can you hear me?" Emily gently shook the man's shoulder as he started to fade. When that didn't elicit much of a response, she shook harder; alarmed by his obviously serious condition. That seemed to tug him from the brink of unconsciousness.
"Prentiss?" He slurred, surprise and relief registering on his exhausted face.
"Right here." She said, her eyes searching his own. "You need to stay awake for just few more minutes." His eyes had started to roll back in his head when Reid snapped his fingers in the older profiler's face.
"Hey! Stay awake." Satisfied by a nod from their superior, the two were alerted by Garcia behind them.
"He's bleeding from his side." She said, pointing. Emily, who'd looked up at her friend, turned back and lifted the right side of Rossi's jacket back to reveal a ragged bullet hole in the navy fabric of his dress shirt. Her stomach clenched involuntarily.
"Reid, go help Garcia setup her stuff, use Strauss's desk. We need to get ahold of Hotch and the others." Prentiss instructed as she inspected the wound. "Ma'am," She turned to the Director who'd been standing nearby. "You don't have an emergency kit in here do you?" She knew it was a long shot, but if not, there should be one located just down the hallway next to the fire extinguisher.
"Unfortunately, no." She said stepping closer, openly eyeing David with worry, a look Emily had yet to witness from the woman. It was obvious Strauss and Rossi had a history, but what that history was, Emily didn't know. One thing was for certain though, the look on Strauss's face struck a nerve deep in her gut. What gave her the right to start caring again? There couldn't be more between them…could there? She found herself full of a feeling she rarely felt over a man; jealousy. Had she really allowed herself to come under the delusion that he would tell her if he was in a relationship? After the case concerning Matthew and her past, they'd been more open with each other, more comfortable. She felt safe around Dave, and that wasn't a usual feeling she got around men. Of course she felt safe around Hotch, Reid, and Morgan too but…there was just something else about the man that had her confessing things she wouldn't normally talk about.
"There's one down the hall." Prentiss finally managed to say, carefully tucking her feelings away for later. The room had become unbearably quiet as they stared at her.
"I can keep an eye on the cameras…I'm in the system already." Garcia offered from behind Strauss's desk. Reid's wide eyes were uncertain as Emily met them, but he shrugged; how else were they going to keep Rossi alive? Shirts and ties? All of them had basic medical skills; it was a requirement. But none of them were proficient enough to sustain a gunshot victim for a long period of time without equipment and help.
"I can keep David awake until you return." Strauss offered, taking a step closer the agents. Prentiss hoped none of them had seen the way she'd tensed when Erin had come to take her place. What the hell is wrong with you? Rossi could use all the help he could get but some instinct inside of her wanted to be the one to give him that help. She paused as Strauss bent down beside the chair Rossi was slouched in, and for a moment the Director hesitated, almost uncertain of her place and role in the room until she let out a tentative hand to shake Dave from his daze; and with that, Reid unlocked the door and Prentiss carefully made her way into the hall.
"Bill, any word?"
"Agents." Detective Bill Codwin turned and shook hands with the three agents behind him. "There hasn't been much of anything since we called you. Communications are being jammed from an inside source, and the gunmen haven't made any demands."
"What about getting into the building?" Hotch asked as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Bomb squad's working on clearing the door. SWAT had a scare about twenty minutes before you arrived." The Detective indicated to the men in large, armored suits inspecting the doors to the headquarters. It was a wonder the local PD was even involved in this at all, despite the swarming of federal agents outside, officers seemed to be working easily alongside other agency members. Hotch fished his phone out of his pocket as it started ringing, glancing at Morgan and Seaver.
"It's Fickler." He sighed and walked away to answer the call.
"The Director?" Seaver asked, turning towards Morgan as she stared after their unit chief.
"Ya." Morgan was glaring at the building; his hands gripping the table under the small tent they'd met Bill under. Ashley watched his jaw tense as he took a deep breath.
"I'm worried too." She murmured, falling into one of the fold-up chairs beside him. When Derek turned to look at her, she was trying to distract herself by looking at her nails. He sat down in the chair next to hers and leaned his elbows on the table, still watching the building ahead of them as if he expected the answers he so desperately wanted to come rushing from its doors. Four of the most important people in his life were inside that building and he had no way of ensuring their safety. He'd do anything to go back in time, to make sure he'd been in the building when…Morgan slammed his fists onto the table; shaking it and startling Seaver who looked up instantly. It was clear she didn't know what to say to him, they hadn't really bonded since she joined the team.
"There you are!" Kevin Lynch exclaimed as he hurried towards their table, placing the computer he had in his arms beside Morgan. "I was snooping around the firewall these guys have set up inside and Pen's IP flashed up on the screen for a brief second."
"You sure?" Morgan was now standing, unable to keep the tension in his muscles contained without movement.
"Course I'm sure! I'd know my shnazzy-super star's IP address anywhere." Ashley shifted a bit uncomfortably beside Morgan.
"Kevin's dating Garcia." Hotch said evenly, having just entered the conversation upon the analyst's proclamation.
"Oh." Ashley mouthed, obviously relieved at being brought up to speed.
"What did the Director want?" Morgan asked, still looking at Kevin's screen.
"Nothing important." Hotch folded his arms again, a frown on his face.
"Is there any way you can bypass their security without their knowledge and get in contact with her?" Derek asked, hoping for a positive answer from his Baby Girl's boy.
"If anything, Pen will break out before I break in." He said, pushing his glasses further up on his nose, he began typing away.
What's taking her so long? Rossi wondered absently as he tried feebly to get up from the chair they'd placed him in. But Strauss, his strength, and the wheels on the bottom of the chair were working against him.
"David you need to stay still." Strauss's eyes were troubled, her voice a fervent demand as she placed an arm across his chest to bar him from getting up.
"Where's Prentiss…?" He whispered; his voice rough as his hand reached to clutch his side. Erin watched his face for a moment, her hand moving to cover his own.
"She'll be back soon. Garcia and Reid are managing her progress." Rossi had turned to hold her gaze, and for a long while he allowed himself to just stare at the woman he proclaimed to hate; wondering why she seemed so dismayed at his condition. Not enough had changed between the time he'd left and the time he'd gotten back to make her care as if she were a friend again. "How did you get into this mess, mm?" Trying to ignore his critical evaluation of her, Erin opted to tease him.
"Charm..." The light smirk across his pale face was enough to make her laugh, despite the seriousness of situation.
Emily quietly entered a moment later, the emergency bag slung over her shoulder, and she stopped when she saw Strauss's hand on Rossi's; applying pressure to the wound. Snap out of it, Em. Reid hit the button to re-lock the door and Prentiss rushed to Rossi's side.
"We need to lie him down." She said, starting to ease Rossi into a better sitting position. "Are we any closer to contacting Hotch and the rest of the team?" She asked as she and Strauss attempted to position Rossi on the floor.
"Just a few more minutes, and I should be able to get past this wall." Garcia sounded frustrated as she typed away, glaring at the stream of code in front of her. "Who are these guys?" It was definitely meant to be a rhetorical question, but Reid went into a long spew of data that he'd told Strauss and Emily earlier. "Reid, you know I love you and even though I may be the oracle of all things good, I can only handle a few mysteries at a time."
Around the time Emily had staunched most of the bleeding from Rossi's side and bandaged it, Garcia had established contact; which was evident in the squeals and self-proclamations coming from behind her. Emily grabbed a large piece of gauze, leaving a passed-out Rossi with Strauss, and headed towards Garcia and Reid, who were currently Skyping Kevin. Behind him Hotch, Morgan, and Seaver all peered seriously into the screen.
"Hey guys." Emily greeted, trying ignoring the fact that it was Rossi's blood she was currently trying to wipe of her hands.
"How's Dave?" Hotch asked, his brows furrowed in concern.
"Asleep." She sighed, leaning back against the bookshelf behind Strauss's desk. "Or passed-out. He needs help we can't give him, Hotch." She admitted; a note of defeat in her voice.
"We're trying to get to you guys as fast as we can, ok?" This time it was Morgan that spoke into the camera.
"Reid, what were you saying about the men in the bullpen earlier?" Hotch asked, a look of contemplation suddenly crossing his face.
"Just that they seem to be part of an organization impersonating DOD agents, but I don't know what organization would be able to break into a federal building like this one."
"Kevin, honey, I'm sending you some stills of these guys. Run them through every facial recognition system known to man." Garcia piped in, her eyes concentrated on the windows beyond the live feed she had going with the other half of the team. "I think they're on to me. We'll try to get back on later, but check those files! Bye!" Garcia hit exit, rerouting herself along different networks and addresses; just in case.
"They'll find us sooner or later." Strauss had come to stand in front of them with her arms crossed.
"What do you mean?" asked Reid.
"Because what they want is in this room."
Alrighty how's that for the first two chapters? Let me know what you guys think. Your opinions are greatly appreciated. I also have no clue if there's a button in Strauss's office that can lock and unlock her door; but for all tense and purposes, there's one in this story. And if some of you were wondering about Bill Codwin, he's the detective from the "25 to Life" episode. If anyone has more info on the character, since I don't really recall much about him but Rossi knew him by his first name so…anyway, if you have info pass it on! 8D R&R!
