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Prentiss felt herself slowly come to. Her eyes were met with immediate darkness. She felt cold rock behind her. Her palm patted the wall she was resting on, it was made of pure concrete. She regained her bearings, slowly remembering the events from hours prior.
This was becoming a routine now. Gassed by the unsub, wake up, confusion, remember, trial, gassed again. She was really getting quite tired of it.
Her eyes were so used to focusing in the dark, that she was able to absorb her surroundings with ease. She was trapped in a cell, alone. It looked similar, if not identical, to the one she and the rest of the team were stuck in earlier. Of course, there was the customary camera in the corner watching her, the unsub's eyes.
So, she was the next trial. Prentiss assumed the unsub would continue the same routine with her as he did with Reid. He'd throw them cases to profile with a time constraint and threaten the rest of the BAU team with her safety. Emily growled with frustration, she hated that. She was not weak, she didn't want to be used as some damsel in distress. The profile revealed that that was the unsub's form of pleasure, he liked to see them vulnerable under his control. If the unsub showed face, she would be the first to make sure he understood that she was not going to obey his command easily.
Her trial looked simple enough, she wasn't stuck in some glass cage and drowning like Reid.
Reid…
Her heart broke for him. She only prayed the condition of the young doctor was better than what it was before she was isolated. Despite the challenges he faced with the unsub's cruel trial, Reid still had his head in the game. He was still helping them profile, trying to find a way to escape. He even refused Hotch's jacket to keep warm.
There was nothing Emily could do but wait. She knew something ominous was coming, she knew this wasn't the only condition of her trial. The unsub would contact the BAU team soon enough and that would begin some cruel punishment.
Don't think about that, she told herself firmly, what can you do now that'll help.
A question that had been prodding her brain was the unsub's logic in dividing the BAU team. First, he took only four of them. Garcia, JJ, and Rossi were (hopefully) still back at the BAU. He didn't touch them, he didn't kidnap them.
Now that Reid, Hotch, Morgan, and she were kidnapped, the unsub separated them even further. Why? Why was he only taking one of them out and keeping the other three together? What was the logic? What was he trying to say?
She was going to figure it out. She was going to endure the trial, whatever it may be, and she was going to report her findings back to the rest of the team.
Sure, the unsub might think she was helpless and alone by herself in some cell, but that didn't stop her. Let him think that, let his confidence build to the point of carelessness. That's when they'd strike, that's when they'd be at their strongest, and that's when they'd escape.
"Bring it on," she looked directly at the camera in the corner of the room.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Reid heard muffled sounds reach his ears. His mind was slowly returning to consciousness as he tried to regain his bearings. He registered familiar voices - Hotch & Morgan. No Prentiss.
No, no, no. He remembered.
The second trial.
The kidnapping.
The unsub.
The tranquilizing gas.
The glass chamber.
Reid groaned, a sign of life.
"Hotch!" Morgan's voice pierced his ears, "I think he's waking up!"
The young doctor felt bodies move above him and strong hands grip his shoulders. He tried to sit upright, but his limbs were weak and….freezing. Reid felt like he just spent a night in an icebox. His teeth chattered, his body not able to produce enough heat. The wet clothes he wore earlier were still hanging off his form.
"Reid?" his boss' deep voice reached him, "Can you hear me?"
Reid forced his eyes to open. Morgan and Hotch helped him sit up, which he was silently thankful for. His eyelids felt heavy, pulling down and threatening to close. Reid fought to keep them open, hoping he didn't slip into unconsciousness again.
"Say something, Reid," Morgan pressed, "please, anything."
It was like trying to type instructions into an old computer that wouldn't cooperate. Reid's mind was telling his body to open his mouth and speak actual words.
Come on, Reid, come on.
"I-I-I," he stammered, teeth chattering from the cold, "I-I'm okay-y."
"Damn, the jacket is soaked too," Hotch pursed his lips, feeling the damp fabric on Reid's shoulders. They had nothing else to warm him up or dry him. The cell was below the surface, damp, and offered no warmth.
"What can we do?" Morgan looked at his boss with worry.
Reid opened his mouth to speak out in protest.
"No-" Morgan leveled him with a hard stare, "Reid, you are not okay. You are freezing cold, man, alright?"
The young doctor kept his mouth closed. Morgan was right, but he wasn't going to admit it. He was part of the team, he needed to help them figure out this unsub to escape. As much as he wanted to help, he didn't think he could offer assistance. His mind was moving very sluggishly, unable to work as efficiently. He needed to recollect his bearings still, to not focus on the chill seeping into his bones….
Reid sneezed.
"Bless you," Morgan sighed.
"Th-thanks," he offered a small smile.
"He's coming down with something," Hotch shook his head, "we need to reason with the unsub to get Reid some help."
"N-no," he argued weakly, "we n-need to f-focus on helping Em-Emily. I'll be-be just f-fine."
Derek completely ignored him, "What do we say? The unsub won't help us."
"No, but we have to find a way to make him," the BAU boss nodded, formulating a plan, "I think there's a way the profile will be able to assist us."
"How?" Morgan asked.
"The-the unsub h-hasn't contacted y-yet, has h-he?" Reid shivered, but looked eager to help with the profile.
Hotch shook his head, "Not yet, but he likes this vulnerability, he's feeding off of it. Reid, the worse you get, the more the unsub will be unwilling to help. This is going to be a difficult route for you, but you have to appear as healthy as possible if we want to continue with the upper hand."
"Hotch, there's no way he can do that!" Derek protested, "He needs to rest, he looks terrible!"
The young doctor shook his head with determination, looking at Morgan fiercely, "N-no," he cleared his throat, trying to stop from shivering, then gazed at his boss, "No, Hotch, I'll do it. I'll be fine."
"Reid, please-" Derek began.
Reid wouldn't have it. He gripped the wall with shaking hands and pulled himself haphazardly to his feet. His joints felt like they were covered with rust and were just experiencing movement for the first time in years. His clothes hugged his damp body, and Hotch's jacket hung off his shoulders. The young doctor felt uncomfortable, tired, and in pain, but he was persistent. He swayed for a moment, his knees buckled. Hotch was there, propping him back up.
Derek eyed him warily, "Hotch…"
"I'm fine," Reid looked at Morgan firmly. He wasn't going to satisfy the unsub by looking weak and vulnerable. The team needed him, and he needed them. They would work together, support each other, and escape.
The BAU leader looked at Reid carefully. He was observing his every move, making sure the young doctor wasn't bluffing and was ready to endure a difficult road. Reid did look tired and gaunt, cuts still covered his exposed skin, and he seemed to be drowning under his wet clothes, but his eyes burned with fierce determination. Hotch could sense that he was adamant to help them save Prentiss and escape. Regardless of what he chose, Reid was going to help with the case, come hell or high water.
"Reid," he looked him deeply in the eyes, "are you positive you can handle this?"
With no hesitation, Reid responded, "Absolutely."
He stood up taller and straighter, feeling slightly revived.
"Okay," Hotch nodded slowly, "let's continue."
"Hotch…." Derek sighed worriedly, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Morgan, I am sure Reid appreciates the concern, but this is his decision," the BAU leader leveled him with a stare, "this is a situation nobody wants to find themselves in, but we have to deal with it as logically as possible. The unsub is only going to feel more confident if he sees Reid suffering like that. This way, we can gain the advantage again by diminishing the unsub's resolve and try to escape quicker to get Reid to a hospital. I know you don't like it, neither do Reid and I, but Emily is counting on us. We have to be there for her," Hotch looked at the young doctor next, "and for Reid."
Derek nodded slowly, knowing Hotch was correct. Reid wasn't going to just lie on the floor, listless and looking like a corpse. He wanted to join the case, he wanted to profile the unsub, and he wanted to save Prentiss as much as all of them.
Emily needed them, she might be in the same situation as Reid was. The unsub would contact them soon to initiate the second trial officially, and he hoped to God Prentiss was safe for now. If she emerged like Reid, they would all be in trouble…
Morgan couldn't think like that now. He had to focus on what he could control.
"Okay," he took a deep breath, "Reid," he looked at Spencer in all seriousness, "if you need to take a breather or anything at all, you let us know. We cannot risk your and Prentiss' safety by letting you get even worse. This is going to be hard, but we're here for you every step of the way."
"Alright," the pale Reid nodded in understanding, "thank you."
"Good," Hotch spoke sternly in a low voice to avoid the audio getting back to the unsub, "Prentiss is our priority. Let's start preparing for the second trial. As usual, look for clues to add to the profile. I've got an idea that might help."
"What?" Reid furrowed his brows.
"You'll see," he cleared his throat, "until then, stay sharp….this is going to get a little dangerous."
Back at the BAU...
"Our field office in Lorton found tire tracks similar to the vehicle we're looking for," JJ barely could contain her excitement, "they looked like they were heading Southwest, near Lake Ridge."
"That's great news," Rossi stood up, feeling some encouragement flow through him once again, "JJ, contact that office, tell them we're on our way. We leave in ten."
"Can they send some picture samples?" Garcia asked, "so I can compare the model of the car to the tracks?"
"Right away," JJ nodded, disappearing down the hall towards her office.
Rossi moved, going to get his go-bag ready for their travels. He didn't want to let his relief show too much, to let the other agents know that he doubted finding the rest of the team. He lost hope there for a moment, and if it weren't for Penelope Garcia's advice and JJ's miraculous phone call, Rossi didn't think he would've been able to shoulder the burden of losing his friends. They were a close-knit team that relied on each other for nearly everything. If you hurt one, you hurt them all.
There were some things he still couldn't wrap his mind around. Why did the unsub just kidnap Reid, Prentiss, Morgan, and Hotch? What were his motives? Was there a connection between them? So many more questions racked his brain, but he knew they'd be revealed over time.
He headed to the parking lot, loading the black SUV for the drive to Lorton, just outside of D.C. Garcia elected to stay behind, to work the computer and help them with any technological problems at any moment. JJ clicked her seatbelt in place as she sat in the passenger seat. Rossi took the wheel and rolled out of the lot. The very parking lot his friends were kidnapped.
He sighed before he pulled away completely. Rossi walked in here this morning, through this parking lot with not a care in the world. Now, there were investigative and CSI teams examining the cement structure for any clues. The teams had found nothing yet, and Rossi knew it was not likely. The kidnapper was an organized unsub, he wouldn't leave careless evidence behind.
JJ looked eager to exit the parking lot. She cleared her throat and pulled up the navigation, "We should be there within the hour."
Rossi nodded, trying to focus on the road. He couldn't lose concentration, no matter how personal the case was to him. The only way to ensure his friends' safety was treat the kidnapping objectively, like any other case they received.
Yet, his mind couldn't help but drift off to grim possibilities. What was the unsub doing to them? Had they had anything to eat since they were kidnapped? Were they being tortured? Were they hurt?
The most sinister question popped into his mind.
Were any of them dead…?
"Stop it," Rossi whispered to himself.
"What is it?" JJ looked over to him.
"Nothing," he shook his head, trying to brush it off, "it's nothing."
"You know it's okay if you're worried about them," JJ said in a soft voice, "we all are."
"I've got to stay focused, I've got to keep a clear mind. For their sake," he wanted to sound strong, but he couldn't even convince himself.
"Rossi, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met. Nobody is going to doubt you or your focus on this case," JJ looked at him with her bright, blue eyes, "we are going to find them, we have to believe that. Just know that it's okay to show some sadness. You can't keep it inside you. We're a team, we support one another."
David looked at her with an admirable expression. JJ was an equally strong woman. She had dealt with so many grieving families with such poise and elegance. She was one of the most critical members of the team. Without her, they'd have fallen apart long ago.
Rossi opened his mouth to say something, but his phone started to ring.
The caller ID read: PENELOPE GARCIA
He put it on speaker phone, "Talk to me, Garcia."
She sounded flustered. The genius tech spoke fast, her tone worried, "Agent Rossi, I-I was looking through the footage one more time and-and I found something, sir."
"What is it, Garcia?" JJ looked curious. She seemed a little pale, Garcia's tone probably worried her.
"Well, I-I was just verifying the timecodes with the security footage we collected…" Garcia looked at her computer with dismay.
"Okay?" Rossi pressed.
"And-and...sir, Prentiss wasn't supposed to be the first kidnapping victim."
"What?" JJ and Rossi both said with outrage.
"I found something in the tape, we must've missed it before," Garcia felt her breathing quicken.
"I-I don't understand," Rossi shook his head, "the unsub kidnapped Prentiss first, what do you mean she wasn't supposed to be the first victim?"
"Who was it supposed to be?" JJ pressed.
"You, JJ..." Garcia said in a small voice, "...the unsub wasn't supposed to kidnap Prentiss, it was going to be you."