A/N Thank you to all those who are reading, following and reviewing this. It is good to know that somebody is enjoying it =) We are now nearing the end. This is the penultimate chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Reid came around with startling clarity. He had never before, when unconscious, suddenly woke up so abruptly that it left him feeling dizzy and nauseous. If he had been unconscious at all a small part of his genius mind whispered; he couldn't remember being knocked out and there was no pain in his head. He'd just arrived in the laboratory with Gideon via the lift to see Garcia about to hit Frank with the pepper spray and then that was it. Reid shut his eyes again to try and quell the nausea and as he did so became aware that parts of his body were cold that shouldn't be and his face itched. He had been propped up on a chair in a sitting position but his hands and feet didn't seen to be restrained in any way. He opened his eyes more slowly and looked first around the space in front of him. He appeared to be on a stage with what would have been the audience to his left and a swimming pool to his right. Opposite him he spotted Garcia and Gideon also sat on chairs and a quick glance to his side registered Morgan. They all appeared to be in the same stage of waking up that he was, which meant that they all realised what they were wearing at the same moment. Reid blinked across at Garcia and he gasped in shock before scrolling his eyes over each of the BAU and then down to himself. They were all wearing the same identical outfit. Long gloves up to their elbows of mismatched colours, a feather bower wrapped around their necks, but more horrifyingly tight black corsets laced up at the front covered in sequins, black leather underwear and sheer black tights held up with garters.
"This is all shades of creepy," he heard Garcia mutter.
"Reid," Morgan croaked from beside him. There was a panicked look in his eyes, much more so than in any of the others. Reid could see him struggling with the obvious conclusion to be drawn from this, that while they were unconscious they had been stripped and re-dressed. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and he was fighting his bonds desperately.
"Morgan, you need to breathe. Breathe." Reid whispered soothingly, noticing as he did so that unlike himself, Morgan had been tied to the chair. "You can't think about it now." Morgan cast Reid a furious look, but the calm logic in the young agent's eyes settled him slightly, enough to keep control.
"Reid," he said finally, and the agent nodded, "you have white make-up on your face. You look like a clown."
Spencer raised his eyebrows.
"Back atcha."
They were interrupted by the appearance of their host. He swept onto the stage resplendent in the same outfit they all wore except his corset was red.
"Now my lovelies," he announced, "it is time." He gestured to the wings of the stage and Columbia and Rocky clipped their way out on high heels, wearing the same outfits again. Their eyes were dazed as they shimmied up to their Master and draped their arms over him, pausing in that position as Frank cast his eyes over his bound audience.
"Unfortunately not all of you made the cut," he had a false sadness to his tone. "Doctor Reid," his voice and gaze turned sultry, "the man after my own heart. If you would be so kind as to join me." He opened his hand in Reid's direction and the doctor felt the overwhelming compulsion to do as he was told. He was on his feet before Morgan could hiss, "Reid, what are you doing, man?" It was the stilettos on his feet however that brought him to his senses. He hadn't realised they were there until he tried to stand and then they became an almost insurmountable barrier to any movements he cared to make. Doctor Furter grimaced at his lack of grace but turned his attention to Garcia.
"You," he sneered, his dislike of the technician written all over his face. "You shall also take part," his distaste at having to ask her was clear. "Personal preferences must be disregarded in the name of symmetry."
Two girls and two guys, Reid noted as Garcia got to her feet, more easily than he had. Morgan and Gideon were clearly going to be made to watch...whatever this was.
"It's show time," Frank breathed in delight. "Time to give yourself over to absolute pleasure." Reid felt something cold and hard like fear in his stomach. He could see the same expression that he was sure was on his face on Garcia's.
"Don't dream it," Frank whispered invitingly to them, "be it!" He held out inviting arms to them and they began to approach slowly, unwillingly...
The doors at the end of the hall opened with a crash making everyone jump and Doctor Furter freeze.
"It's all over Frank N. Furter!"
Riff Raff stood in the doorway, trussed up in clothes that looked like they had come from an old Sci fi movie. Wide shoulder pads, spiked at the end, sat on top of what looked like a gold scaled breast plate that came down as almost a dress. Underneath Reid could see garters. Magenta stood behind her brother wearing a similar outfit. Gone was the hunched back and grovelling servitude. This was a man who was confident and in charge; most of that impression however may have come from, what Reid could only assume was, a gun in his silver gloved hand. Reid stared at the weapon uncomprehendingly. It was shaped like a three pronged fork and he only guessed it was a weapon because of the way Riff Raff had it pointing at his former boss, and the utter fear in Frank's eyes.
"Your mission is a failure. Your lifestyle is too extreme."
"That's an understatement," Garcia whispered but Magenta shot her a look and her mouth snapped shut.
"I'm the new commander," Riff Raff continued, "and you are now my prisoner. We are returning to Transylvania tonight."
Frank stood with a strange look on his face, a mixture of betrayal and sadness.
"What the hell is going on here?" Morgan muttered.
Riff Raff turned searing eyes in their direction.
"Silence!"
"I think it's a coup," Reid returned, deliberately making sure he didn't look at his colleague.
"A coup of what?" Morgan snapped in frustration. "What is it that everyone thinks is going on here?"
"I said silence!" Riff Raff swung the gun at them both and they went quiet. "Go prepare the transport," Riff Raff told Magenta and she was just turning to leave when Frank called out.
"Wait I can explain!" His voice was desperate and pleading.
Magenta halted and exchanged a look with her brother that to Reid clearly said 'let's humour him, it might be amusing' but in no way suggested hope or mercy. Frank obviously didn't see the significant pause in the same way and whispered something to both Rocky and Columbia. Columbia climbed up onto a platform and focused a spotlight on Furter, while Rocky changed the backdrop to the stage.
Frank stood in the middle of the spotlight almost shyly, like a naughty child, his hands clasped together, tears in his eyes, and began singing.
"On the day I went away... goodbye...
Was all I had to say... now I...
I want to come again and stay... Oh my my...
Smile, and that will mean that I may."
There was something bewitching about their tormentor, something that drew them all in despite what he had done, and Reid found himself staring in awe at Frank, feeling a roll of emotions...feeling sorry for him. He didn't know what made him drag his eyes away from the performance, but he found himself suddenly looking at Riff Raff and Magenta instead. The look of amusement had not left the former Handyman's face and the former Maid was yawning widely. Frank didn't seem to have noticed. As he began to clip his way down the stage steps and the aisle through the audience Reid felt with a sudden instinctive feeling that he knew what was going to happen next.
"I'm going home, I'm going home." A silence fell as Frank finished his song and waved as to an imaginary audience, bowing, draped in a black gauze scarf he had acquired.
"How sentimental," Magenta broke the silence with a sneer, sounding bored. Frank looked at her startled and then frightened.
"...and also presumptuous of you." Riff Raff added with a smirk, advancing down the aisle to Furter, who flinched back from the weapon. "You see when I said we were returning to Transylvania I referred only to Magenta and myself." He aimed the gun straight at Frank's chest as the man backed away in fear towards the stage. "I'm sorry however if you found my words misleading but, you see, you are to remain here. In spirit anyway."
"What is that?" Reid muttered to himself, squinting at the strangely shaped gun again, curiosity overriding caution.
"I believe it's a laser."Reid jumped slightly, his eyes flying to Gideon who had spoken, calmly and matter-of-factly. Riff Raff swivelled his eyes to the ex-agent.
"Yes, Agent Gideon, a laser capable of emitting a beam of pure antimatter."
Gideon raised his eyebrows incredulously but said nothing. A weapon able to kill someone was a weapon, regardless of what the handler believed it would shoot.
"You mean," Garcia choked out shakily, "you're going to kill him?"
Riff Raff just raised his eyebrows at her, smiling greasily.
"You can't," she protested, "there needs to be a trial and stuff..." she trailed off weakly, seeking reassurance from her fellow BAU colleagues.
"Garcia," Morgan stated, almost wearily, a definite tone of command in his voice, "don't get involved." Garcia stared at him in shock but Riff Raff smiled approvingly.
"Wise words Agent Morgan." He turned his attention back to the quivering doctor Furter, "Now your time has come. Say goodbye to all this and hello to oblivion."
There was a scream from behind them and Riff Raff spun, shooting what indeed did look like a laser from his gun. The scream cut off as Columbia crumpled to the floor.
Now Morgan was yelling and trying to get to his feet, struggling against the bonds. Garcia stood with her hands clutched to her mouth to stifle the scream that was trying to force past her lips.
Frank had taken the opportunity to flee. All poise and decorum vanished in fear and a bid for self-preservation. Suddenly he was reduced to tears and shouts and whimpers as he scrambled away desperately, tripping over his heels and crawling along the floor. Riff Raff stalked after him, able to kill him multiples of times but instead playing with him, a smirk of enjoyment on his face that made Reid feel sick. It was like watching a car crash. They were unarmed and unable to step in. In desperation Frank grasped at the curtain at the back of the stage and tried jerkily to climb it. Riff Raff waited until he was half way up before shooting him squarely in the back.
Frank jerked once and then fell to the floor with a crash, the curtain fluttering after him in a shroud. There was a moment of stunned silence and then a roar of rage.
Rocky came charging up from the side of the stage. He'd lost his heels at some point and now threw himself to the ground by his (alleged) creator roaring and whimpering in turns as he touched Frank's face and tried to shake him awake.
Reid instinctively looked again at the man with the gun. Riff Raff's face was fixed in the same leering smirk as he once again aimed the gun and Rocky growled in his face. Garcia followed Reid's eyes and saw the same thing he saw.
"No!" she yelled and made to run to Rocky.
"Garcia!" Morgan shouted in warning but Reid got there first, stepping in front of her and restraining her from running out.
"Let me go," she sobbed but her struggles held no heart as she pressed her face into Reid's shoulder and he turned her away so she couldn't watch. Rocky had slung Frank over his shoulder and was climbing up a ladder that was part of the stage set up. Riff Raff fired shot after shot and Rocky turned around shaking his fist, face almost purple with rage, and then a shot hit him fatally and he fell with the already dead Frank into the pool. There was a horrendous splash and then it went eerily quiet.
Everyone was breathing heavily and desperately. Morgan had stopped fighting his bonds and was now sitting completely frozen, staring warily at the man with the gun, who'd killed three people in the space of five minutes. There was a steady gleam in his eye that was mirrored in Reid's as he too didn't take his eyes off the murderer.
Only Garcia seemed to be unaware of the tension in the room.
"You killed them!" she half sobbed, half screamed, pulling away from Reid's shoulder so she could direct the words to them. Riff Raff barely gave her a glance. He was still staring at the floating bodies.
"But I thought you liked them," Magenta said with a strange tone of curiosity in her words, more querying the why than in remorse for the dead. "They liked you."
"They didn't like me! They never liked me!" Riff Raff yelled in rage, the most uncontrolled they had seen him to the point, and the relief that the death of the Unsub might mean that the nightmare was over, rapidly vanished. Now they had a whole new murderer and he didn't seem as reasonable as he had earlier in the evening. Riff Raff's eyes turned to the remaining people in the room, all of them hostages, and he advanced with the weapon.
