It wasn't until Reid sat down on the plane next to Morgan that reality truly set in. Realisation of the dire situation he was in made him feel both calm and on the verge of a panic attack at the same time. After all, there was nothing he could do, so why worry about it?
But at the same time, adrenaline was being consistently being pumped into his bloodstream, and Reid couldn't decide what to do. Was he a winner or a fighter? Fight or Flight? Well, he could answer that question fairly quickly- he was a fighter. Always was, after all, he was here and Jordan had left. A runner, and a coward. At this moment in time, however, he wondered whether if Jordan's actions were wise instead. It was at that moment he knew that he had been foolish to think that this problem would just go away, or that he could trust the CIA to find Hunter or to trust the CIA period. It was all too big.
"Spencer?" JJ said loudly for the fourth time.
Reid looked up to find the entire team and two CIA agents staring at him with concerned faces. It's not the first time he had done this. He wasn't sure it would be his last either. Reid cringed into his hands out of both embarrassment and frustration.
"I'm really sorry."
The silence was still prominent in the jet as Reid felt the air thicken in slick tension whilst they all stared at him. He hung his head down in shame, but pretended to re-read the file they all (but the CIA agents) knew he'd already memorised. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see JJ make eye contact with Hotch and nodded as if to confirm something they had already discussed.
He could already see what they were planning.
Hotch casually continued on with the debriefing.
"Due to the certain danger that comes in hand in hand with working on this case, JJ I need you to keep the FBI's involvement away from the media. We're also staying at a high-security hotel. The police station will also be on high alert with the current rumours of Hunter's men lurking around in DC."
"There will be extra security around the hotel and more cops on duty due to this information." Agent Foster concluded.
The team settled into the hotel with their go-bags later that evening as they prepared for the next day and many days to come. Hotch was with Rossi, Derek with Prentiss, and JJ was paired with Reid. It was unusual for the opposite sex to be paired with each other, but JJ had already discussed it with Hotch. Something is wrong with Reid. They have known this for quite a while now, although at first, they concluded it towards Jordan's disappearance. Now they know, they know he's hiding something.
If only they knew.
It was 7 o clock, and the team decided to head down to the bar in the hotel. Just as a treat in preparation for the hard work that was yet to come. After all, they were supposed to build an accurate profile based on a few encounters with this UNSUB.
The team separated into their own little groups when they arrived, and naturally, Rossi and Hotch didn't really interact much. Rossi was all too mindful of their new case, and Hotch was well...Hotch. The three female members of the team, however, took the night as an advantage – a girls night out.
"I really miss Jordan." Garcia blurted before taking a sip of her Cosmopolitan.
The group fell silent for a while. None of them knew really what to say.
"I hate him." JJ spat with a bitter taste in her tongue
"JJ! You don't mean tha-" Prentiss argued with shock plastered all over her face.
"I do. He abandoned us, all of us. Who knows if he's even alive anymore? I am done caring because it's clear that he never did anyway. If he wanted our help, he could have told us, now it's come to my mind that he never wanted it. So why should I even worry anymore?"
It was a while until Garcia and Prentiss decided that maybe they should follow their friend out of the venue. They concluded that it was getting late anyway, and went back to their hotel rooms to prepare for tomorrow.
It was raining. JJ didn't care. She rarely cared about anything anymore as she walked solemnly to nowhere in particular. As she began to cross the street, she started to reminisce the first time she and Jordan met 4 years ago. He was just 26 and already earned the title of being a BAU profiler for the FBI. At first, she thought he'd just be another Reid, and he was in a way. Perhaps that's why they were such good friends. She never could quite figure Jordan out, however, despite all the time they spent together, despite all the time she spent loving him and all the things they'd done intimately. It would never work – not with a guy like Jordan. There would always be something holding them back. JJ finally sighed heavily into the cold winter air and decided to make her way back to the hotel.
"Where are the girls?" Hotch asked as he went over to Reid and Morgan.
Reid answered, "They went up to their rooms I think."
"Well we best get going ourselves, we have a big case tomorrow."
Reid didn't feel like wanting to go just yet, so he quickly made up an excuse for him to be alone with his thoughts.
"Actually I was thinking of quickly heading over to the library to get some books. I'll only be there for half an hour max."
"Alright Reid, but make sure to head back down your room straight afterwards, Ok?"
Reid nodded slightly, then got up and left without ever wishing the agents goodbye. It was a half truth he thought, he was actually going to the library. But it hadn't anything to do with the case, just a breath of fresh air out of this hole he was deep and buried in. It was 8 now, and he doubted whether anything was even open at this hour.
It was the last calm thought Reid had, as panic set in when he heard footsteps from behind him. They were booming, deafening, thunderous, both the feet and the beating of his heart that was now in his throat. He going to run, or turn or perhaps do both, but instead did neither when a sharp needle was impelled into his neck.
When Reid woke up, he felt groggy. His mind fell instantly alert however when he recalled the past events that had got him here. Here was a small cemented room, with a variety of vandalism plastered all over the ashen walls. His face too started to go a deathly pale, as he sat in a chair with his hands behind his back, tied with rope, but none of that prepared him for the shock when he looked up and saw his captives.
"I know this isn't the best way to come and contact you, but we really had no choice. You were too close to your team." Bradley reasoned.
Hanna walked over to him and removed his restraints, in which Reid was happy for. He hadn't been this happy for a long time.
"It's so great to see you guys."
There was a long, but comfortable silence.
"It's good to see you too. For how ever little it may be. We just wanted to talk to you about Hun-"
"I'm working his case." Reid interrupted, looking at the ground.
"You're what?" Bradley replied rhetorically.
"My team were working with the CIA. They want an accurate profile on Hunter so it can help them find him sooner. I honestly don't know what to do."
Bradley put his arms onto the back of his head and paced across the room in frustration.
"You've postponed this for so long, Spencer. It's time you come help us before it's too late. He's already got into Jordan. It's time we fight back-"
"I know."
...
"There is just one thing that has been bugging me all this time. How is Jordan?"
"Look, we are sorry for cutting you off all this time, but we didn't have a choice. To be honest, we don't know where he is." Hanna confessed.
"What do you mean you don't know where he is? Also, where the hell is George, he saw him last."
"Actually, I did. I was just finishing up at the clinic when he showed up out of nowhere, pretty shaken up and bloody. He asked me to fix him up and quite frankly, I didn't think he was going to make it. Fortunately, there was no lasting damage to the organs."
"Well, what happened then?" Reid persisted, trying and failing to hide the concern in his voice.
"As soon as he could walk, he just vanished. Not even George knows where he is, and he's left us too. It seems to be just the three of us right now."
"Alright, well that's means we look out for each other. You know what that means, no phone calls, no secret meetings, no digital footprint. We leave nothing behind. I think it's best if I stick around for a while, just so we have a reliable update on the case, we'll know how to approach from there."
"If you're leaving your team, what shall we call you now? Shall I make arrangements for a new identity?"
Reid thought for a moment about his team. The ones who he deceives and manipulates on a daily basis. They were the best profiles in the country, and probably in the world for that matter. He was too, and that's why he took the job. If I can fool the best I can fool the rest, right? He thought to himself. He figured that was the funniest thing out of the whole situation.
That they didn't have a fucking clue.
They obviously picked up on the fact that he wasn't the same – he knew that. He could see it in the look in their eye, however, he was beyond surprised that he could pull the entire scheme off.
"Andrew Taylor. Just how it used to be."
