Chapter 2

Loss

Hurley said, "Look, I don't know about you, but things have really sucked for me lately, and I could really use a victory. So let's get one, dude! Let's look Death in the face and say, 'Whatever, man!'"

Reid was on his knees on the grass, one hand reaching out towards where he had last seen Aaron. His eyes were wide mouth open with shock. Morgan knelt beside him, his arm still around Reid's waist. Neither spoke as leaves and debris rained down on them.

As the turmoil settled, Reid was the first to speak.

"Aaron?" He ran forward. He stood shouting for Aaron into the air. He felt Morgan's hand on his shoulder. Reid turned to him.

"What just happened?" his voice was low and shaking. "Where is he?"

Morgan looked around. "The land here is flat, there's no shelter. If he was here, we'd see him." He clenched his fists. "What the hell's going on?"

Reid went to the top of the dune and looked towards the beach. "Where'd he go? He's not anywhere! There's no where to search! A cyclone would have dropped him somewhere! Where is he?"

"I don't know, Kid. But he's not here." He turned Reid to face him. "We'd best get back. See if the others found anything."

"I can't leave!" Reid said, looking scared. "I can't..."

Morgan took Spencer's hands. "Come back with me. We'll get Garcia to look at Homeland Security. Something's going on here."

"But..."

Reid allowed Morgan to lead him back along the path, looking back the whole time.

Aaron, where are you? What happened to you? Aaron...

Morgan put his arm across Reid's shoulder, drawing him on.

"Where ever he is, Kid, we'll find him." Morgan said softly. "I promise."

It was horrible driving back to the PD without Hotch. Neither spoke, both lost in their own thoughts. When they entered the office that JJ had prepared, Rossi looked up.

"Aaron gone to follow up a lead?"

Morgan and Reid sat down at the large table that JJ had set up in the centre of the room. Reid put a hand over his mouth, trying to keep in control. He glanced at Morgan.

Can you take this? I don't know if I could be coherent at the moment.

Morgan tried to explain what had happened, although he was finding it difficult not to get annoyed at the incredulous looks of his colleagues.

"He just vanished?" Prentiss said with a frown.

"No, not exactly. He was ...erm...pulled away."

Reid decided to speak, although his voice was shaky. "I was hanging on to him, but he was pulled out of my grasp, into a kind of vortex. We didn't see him again."

"I'm going to get Garcia to hack Homeland Security." Morgan said. "This has got to be something they're doing."

"An experiment you mean?" Rossi leaned forward on his seat. "Military defence?"

"Could be." answered Morgan "If so, they should have some answers." He reached over to the laptop, and contacted Garcia.

"Baby Girl, I need you to do something very illegal for me!"

Morgan saw a smile spread over her face, but she refrained from saying what she was thinking, with Rossi listening in. So she said, "Anything for you, my Prince!"

"I need you to hack Homeland Security, and find out if there are any experimental operations going on off the coast of Massachusetts." Morgan watched her face to see a reaction, but as usual, she took it in her stride.

"Might take a while, but I'll get right on it. Call you back." They watched as she hit 'disconnect', and the screen went blank.

Morgan looked across at Reid. His eyes were glazed over. He didn't look well.

"Reid and I will go back and visit the farmer, Mr Stewart." said Morgan. "He may have seen something."

He got up and tilted his head towards the door.

Come on, Reid...

He left the room Reid followed.

Reid's mind was in a turmoil. He wanted to be doing something, anything to keep his mind moving. But it wouldn't move. It was stuck in a loop. Over and over, Aaron's hand slipping from his...his frightened eyes... his last words...

No! Not last words! Oh no please, not his last words...

He sat in the car next to Morgan, staring down at his hands. Before starting up, Morgan turned to talk to Reid.

"Are you alright working this, Reid?" He looked up into Morgan's worried face. "You could take leave, you don't seem right." He put a comforting hand on Reid's arm. "I understand this is difficult for you, but we need you on the case. Fully on the case I mean. If we are going to find Hotch, we need you functioning at full capacity. If you can't do that, Kiddo, you need to step down."

"I'm ok, Morgan." Reid said. "Yeah, I wasn't quite with it back there, but I'm ok now." He looked at Morgan, his eyes determined. "I won't let you down. Or Aaron."

Morgan smiled at Reid's fortitude. He was sure that he would stay strong now. He gave Reid's arm a little squeeze, and started the engine.

Mr Stewart was an ancient man who looked about two hundred years old. His family had been grazing sheep on the land for five generations. As a child, he used to spend days sleeping out on the dunes, watching the sheep and playing.

He was unnerved by what had been happening though.

"It's always been safe and quiet on the dunes." He said. "But now, I would be afraid to go out there. My sheep are all in now. Until this is sorted, they are staying in."

"What have you seen, Mr Stewart?" asked Reid.

"Usually, nothing." He stopped.

"But..." Morgan prompted

The old man looked wary. "Ok.Sometimes, I see strange things out to sea. Almost as if the water is being sucked. Then I've seen it on land a couple of times."

"Can you describe it to us, Sir?" Morgan asked.

"It's kind of like a whirlpool, but on its side." Stewart frowned. "I've seen twisters, but only one's pointing upwards, dragging things into the air. Never a sideways one." He looked at the two men sitting in his little kitchen. "You think I'm just a crazy old man, don't you?"

"Definitely not, Mr Stewart." said Reid. "You see, we've seen it too."

Stewart's face relaxed for the first time since they'd arrived. "I thought you people would think I'd lost it." He said. "Like I'd said I'd seen a flying saucer or something. That's why I didn't tell anyone."

"When did you first see this, Mr Stewart?" Morgan asked.

"About a month ago, round about the time when I first started to lose my sheep." He frowned. "Are they connected?"

"We can't be certain at this stage," said Reid, "But it's beginning to look that way."

Morgan handed the old farmer one of his cards."If you remember anything else, Sir, please give us a call."

The two agents made ready to leave, and Mr Stewart stood, to show them out. He shook their hands at the door.

"You've made an old man very happy today. I was a bit worried that I was seeing things." He smiled an old man's smile, and waited at the door until Reid and Morgan got into the car and drove off.

As they rounded the coast, Morgan's mobile rang. He handed it to Reid to answer. He put it on speaker.

"Hey boys, I've found something really interesting." Garcia said. Both men could hear the barely suppressed excitement in her voice. "Are you on your way back? 'Cos it's not something I could talk about on the phone!"

"We'll be back in about fifteen. Great stuff, Princess!"

Reid closed the phone. "That sounds promising." he said, hoping it would take them a step closer to finding Aaron.

Not for a moment did he think that they wouldn't find him, or that he had died. He had to go on believing, or he wouldn't be able to function.

We're going to find you, Aaron. Where ever you are, we will not give up until you are back with us!