Here's the next chapter! Thank you all for being so patient and supportive! Hope you all enjoy (Reid is a badass in this chapter). Leave me a fav/follow/review and let me know what you think!
"Agent Rossi!" Agent Monroe jogged to the seasoned FBI agent who was loading his black SUV. Agent Jareau was on the phone a few feet away, contacting emergency medical teams.
"Agent Monroe?"
"I dispatched a team to accompany you and Agent Jareau to your location," he explained, "they'll be there to do whatever you need them to. Don't hesitate."
"Got it," Rossi shook his hand firmly, "thank you again, Agent Monroe."
The native Lorton agent watched as the two BAU members entered their SUV and began to pull away from the parking lot. Monroe watched from the doorstep as the dispatched team followed them down the road.
I hope you find your agents, Monroe thought as the cars disapppeared, I really hope you do.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Are you sure about this?" Morgan whispered next to Reid's ear.
Reid nodded very subtly, not wanting to compromise their ruse.
Emily stood over them, eyes flicking over to the camera, "It's all we've got, Morgan, we need to try."
"Fine," Derek exhaled, clearly upset, "let's just get this over with." He closed his eyes for a moment, said a silent prayer, and jumped to his feet, "Help!" Morgan waved his arms in front of the camera, "He's got no pulse! Please, help!" Derek gestured to an "unconscious" Reid.
Emily began to play her part. She began to perform chest compressions of Reid, wanting to amplify their effectiveness of their facade. In actuality, Reid was breathing. It was labored, sure, but he was breathing.
When Reid, told them he had to "die", he meant it, but not the way Prentiss and Morgan initially thought…
"No way," Morgan said vehemently, "absolutely not."
"No, just hear me out-" Reid began.
"Reid, you are not doing this, that's final."
"And I don't intend to. Well...actually, I do, but it's only temporary."
"Temporary?" Emily gxcawked, "Reid, you can't just temporarily be dead, it's pretty final."
"Not if you know what you're doing," Reid had a mishcevious glint in his eyes.
"And you do?" Morgan raised a brow.
"Of course he does," Emily smirked.
"First," Reid tried to whisper, "I'm going to need your guys' socks."
"Our what?" Morgan scoffed.
"You heard him," Prentiss shrugged when Morgan looked at her sideways, "What? He's got two PhD's. Don't question it and give him your socks."
With shaking fingers, Reid folded and tucked the socks until they formed a tight, little ball.
"Good job, kid," Derek raised a sarcastic brow, "now what?"
"Follow my lead," Reid made eye contact with Prentiss for a second. She nodded once, trusting him and his process wholeheartedly.
Reid suddenly pitched forward. Caught by surprise, Emily scrambled to catch him. She lay him gently on his back on the cement floor. His eyes were closed, he looked properly unconscious...or dead.
"Reid?" she whispered, "Reid!?"
Derek, still in shock of the sudden turn of events, was trying to decide if Reid's reaction was real or fake. After a moment, Reid nodded subtly, an indication that this was part of his plan.
"Prentiss," he spoke so softly she had to lean in to hear his voice, "get to my right to block the camera's view. Place this under my arm."
She felt the sock ball in her fingertips. Reid placed it in her palm.
Emily did as she was told. She crouched by Reid's right side, blocking the camera's view just as he mentioned, and slowly tucked the sock ball under his arm.
To the unsub, who was probably watching them from the camera feed, Reid had passed out from his weakened condition and Emily and Morgan were hovering over him to see if he was alright.
"Reid, this is a stupid plan!" Derek whisper-yelled, "And I don't even know what it is yet!"
"Just go with it," Emily said through clenched teeth, "we need to make this seem believable. You've got to act the part."
"Me?!" Morgan scoffed.
Reid didn't make a move, but Emily answered for him, "Yes, now go!"
"Are you sure about this?" Morgan whispered next to Reid's ear.
Reid nodded very subtly, not wanting to compromise their ruse.
Emily stood over them, eyes flicking over to the camera, "It's all we've got, Morgan, we need to try."
"Fine," Derek exhaled, clearly upset, "let's just get this over with." He closed his eyes for a moment, said a silent prayer, and jumped to his feet, "Help!" Morgan waved his arms in front of the camera, "He's got no pulse! Please, help!" Derek gestured to an "unconscious" Reid.
There was no response from the unsub, he wasn't buying into it enough.
Prentiss steeled herself and stood up as well, "Please, help us! Our friend is dying! Without your help, he has no chance! Only you can save him!"
She was trying to make him feel bigger, more powerful, more in control.
Morgan's turn, "He's all we have left! You were too smart for us, too clever! You already took Hotch, so please spare us Reid!"
Prentiss went back over by Reid, wanting to emphasize the condition of his listless form as much as possible for the unsub to react. She rolled up his sleeve and placed two fingers on his wrist, taking his pulse for the extra show.
The results she got actually shocked her. Reid had no pulse.
"Reid?" Emily felt a cold feeling wash through her. She shook his shoulder.
He didn't respond.
"Stop playing, Reid," she felt panic rise in her chest, "Reid!"
She felt his wrist again. Still no pulse.
"Derek!" she called, frantic.
Morgan sensed the worry in her tone and turned around gravely.
"He-he has no pulse," she stammered, "no, I mean he actually h-has no pulse…"
Derek rushed to her side. If the unsub wanted a convincing show then this was it.
"Hey, Reid, wake up, man! Come on!" Derek shouted.
Emily felt tears stream down her cheek as Morgan tried to feel for a pulse that wasn't there.
Hisssssssss.
A white gas started to fill the room. Emily covered her nose with the cloth of her shirt, but she didn't feel sleepy. It wasn't tranquilizing gas, it was fog. Last time the unsub used fog was to drop Reid back off into their cell, when she, Hotch, and Morgan just finished their trial.
The fog could only mean one thing.
"Morgan," she touched his arm. He stopped for a moment, not even noticing the sudden fog, "the unsub is going to come inside the cell."
Derek's eyes widened as the fog started to fill the small room more and more. The air became thick with it, until she lost sight of Reid and Morgan who were right next to her.
"Prentiss…?"
"Here," she answered Morgan in a small voice.
No response from Reid.
"Step away from Dr. Reid," the unsub's voice sounded over the intercom.
Emily felt chills run through her body, but neither of them moved.
"Step away from Dr. Reid or I will leave him to die."
Derek ground his teeth but he was forced to step away. Emily slowly shuffled away from Reid as well.
"Backs against the wall."
Emily and Derek did as they were told, begrudgingly.
If Morgan knew Reid was okay, if they proceeded with the original plan, Derek would have tackled the unsub to the ground. Yet, Prentiss just told him Reid's pulse stopped, for real. He couldn't make a move if the unsub meant Reid's only chance for survival.
Just their luck.
The unsub, feeling more confident than ever, strode into the cell. He knealt down by Reid and pulled a knife from his pocket. Emily and Derek held their breaths as the unsub placed the edge of the blade against Reid's throat.
"If either one of you make a move, I will kill Dr. Reid."
Morgan and Prentiss didn't dare move a muscle. Still looking at them and with the knife pressed against Reid's throat, the unsub reached with his free hand and gripped Reid's wrist. He placed two fingers against the skin and pressed, feeling for a pulse. After seconds of intense silence, the unsub pulled away.
Indeed, Dr. Reid had no pulse.
Morgan could barely see through the fog. The yellow eyes of the gas mask were the only entity in the white mist. The unsub smiled to himself as he gripped Dr. Reid by the ankles and slowly began to drag him out of the cell. The other agents remained with their backs against the wall, weighing the choice of charging the unsub and attacking, or saving their friend. The unsub retreated out of the cell with Dr. Reid and bolted the door once again.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Hotch slowly awoke to find himself handcuffed in a chair. He pulled at the cuffs, testing their integrity. They were locked on tightly, the metal dug into his skin painfully.
The BAU leader looked at his surroundings, he was trapped in a cell identical to the one he was trapped in earlier with Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid.
Only this time there was no Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid.
He was alone, except for the chair and the cuffs. The unsub took him as payment for Prentiss' life, a decision he never regret. Emily was okay, he saw the unsub drag her into the cell before he fell unconscious from the tranquilizing gas.
Hotch knew the unsub would contact him soon enough. It was just a matter of time-
The door across from him burst open. Hotch narrowed his eyes, this was different from the usual encounters. Based on the experiences of both Reid and Prentiss, the unsub didn't contact them when he began their trials, and he never entered the cell except to collect them when the trial finished.
This was not part of the unsub's normal routine. Hotch pulled against the handcuffs, but remained restrained. The unsub entered the room, still clad in his gas mask. He was dragging someone inside.
Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong.
Hotch pulled harder against his restraints, panic rising in his chest.
The unsub entered the light, and he was dragging with him one Dr. Spencer Reid.
"Reid…?" Hotch said carefully.
There was no answer from his young teammate. The unsub unceremoniously dragged Reid inside the rest of the way and dropped him in the center of the cell. He looked at Hotch with his yellow eyes devilishily.
"What do you want?"
No answer, just the yellow-eyed glare.
Hotch's eyes traveled down to the young doctor, "Reid?"
No answer again.
"If you're going to kill me, why don't you just do it already?" Hotch growled.
Nothing.
"Answer me!"
The unsub looked as if he was grinning behind the mask. Hotch composed himself. This was exactly what he wanted, but it was hard not to snap. They had been trapped in this cell, they faced brutal trials from a mysterious unsub, and they had been hurt and cheated. He was starting lose his composure and his patience.
"SSA Hotchner," the unsub began, standing still as a statue as her stared down Hotch, "what a predicament you find yourself in."
"No thanks to you," he said with a flash of his dark eyes. He glanced down at Reid, "what's happened to him?"
"According to your other teammates, he has no pulse."
"What?!" Hotch tugged against his restraints even harder. He felt the metal draw blood, "Let me go! I can help him!"
The unsub didn't move.
"Fine!" Hotch said, enraged, "if not me, then you! Before it's too late!"
The unsub didn't move.
Hotch bit his tongue, "Please!"
The unsub did one thing, and it wasn't helping the unconscious Reid. He turned around and walked out the cell door.
"Where are you going?!" Hotch called, "He needs help!"
"I had something very different planned for you, Agent Hotchner," the unsub said with maniacal glee, "but this will suffice nicely. I'll be back shortly to collect the body. Until then, enjoy."
He shut the door with a heavy bang.
It was doubtful the unsub would return. Hotch's weakness was plain and clear: he cared too much for his team. Forcing Hotch to watch one of his teammates die was the ultimate torture.
"Reid?" Hotch looked down at the fallen doctor, "Reid!?"
Reid's eyes fluttered open.
"Is he gone?"
"W-what…?" Hotch felt like his world was crumbling around him, "Reid, are you alright? The unsub...he said you had no pulse. I didn't know if..."
Reid struggled to sit upright and winced, but he was smirking, "Some good acting can get you a long way. Now, let's get out of here."
Hotch's mouth was open in awe as the young doctor pulled a wad of balled up socks from under his arm.
"What's that for?"
"There are distal veins and arteries that run up and down the arm. By placing a small, round object and squeezing down, I can stop temporarily stem the blood flow and pulse from the arm. A little bit of timed breathing and my already gaunt appearance really sold it."
Hotch shook his head in amazement.
He shakily got to his feet, shaking off his dizziness. The young doctor went behind Hotch and examined the handcuffs.
"Standard handcuffs," Reid sighed, "but no key. I'll start looking around for-"
"No time," Hotch bit his lip and exhaled sharply as he dislocated his thumb from it's normal position. The thumb joint ripped from his pulling force and a low series of cracks echoed through the cell.
Reid blinked, shocked, and turned pale.
Hotch slid his hand out of the handcuffs, gripping his injured thumb as he stood up.
"Ready?" he looked to Reid.
The young doctor jolted back to reality, looking at Hotch up and down in surprise.
"O-okay," Reid nodded, gulping.
"Where are Morgan and Prentiss?" Hotch asked as he started to scan the perimeter of the cell.
"Back in the other cell. They're fine for now."
"We have to move quick," Hotch looked up at the camera, "I don't know when or if he's watching, but he said he'd be coming back."
"The unsub has to be controlling these cells through a mainframe in a control room. He monitors the cameras, speaks through intercom, controls the water valves, and can manipulate the oxygen levels in the room to become gaseous. This is an advanced set up."
"So we can suspect that he has a job in a tech related field, or he has thorough knowledge of it."
Reid nodded, "If we can find the control room, I can get my hands on the mainframe and get us out of here."
Hotch agreed, "Then that's the plan. We need to-"
Reid and Hotch perked up as the bolt on the cell door began to slide.
They looked at one another, knowing the unsub was going to enter the cell at any moment. Hotch scrambled back into the chair, placing his hands behind his back, pretending they were cuffed. Reid sprawled on the floor again and closed his eyes, in the same position the unsub left him seconds before.
As the door opened, Hotch whispered to Reid, "Be ready."
The unsub appeared in the doorway again. He eyed Hotch and the "unconscious" Reid for a moment before fully entering the cell.
"Did you say your goodbyes to young Dr. Reid, Agent Hotchner?"
Hotch didn't respond, he just stared down the unsub with hatred.
The unsub chuckled and moved towards Hotch, feeling confident, "Dr. Reid was an intelligent mind, there won't be another like him."
"I agree," he said through gritted teeth, wringing his hands in anticipation. He had to wait for the right moment.
"And now for the rest of your incompetent teammates," the unsub inched closer, "I will pick them off one by one, Agent Hotchner, and I will make you watch as the last breath leaves their bodies, just like Dr. Reid here. After all, I'm only returning the favor."
That did it. Enraged, Hotch lunged forward and tackled the unsub to the ground. Reid jumped awake, dodging the two crashing men by quickly rolling to the left. Hotch and the unsub hit the cement floor hard. Thankfully, the unsub cushioned the fall for Hotch. He heard a gasp of air from the man in the gas mask. Hotch sat on top of him, pinning him down with his strong form.
The unsub, however, was quick. He pulled a small knife from his belt and rammed the blade into Hotch's right shoulder. The BAU leader shouted in pain, staggering away. The unsub saw this as his chance. He knew he couldn't take on Agent Hotchner, he was much bigger and stronger than he was.
The unsub barely scrambled to his feet, trying to sprint out of the cell. Reid dove towards his legs and caught them. The unsub pitched forward, falling to the floor once again. The unsub kicked the weak Reid away and reached in his black coat. He pulled out a chloroform cloth, the only weapon he had. His syringes, his preferred sedating weapon, were back in the control room. His knife was still stuck in Hotchner's shoulder, the agent was trying to pull it out. The unsub pinned Reid down from behind and pressed the cloth againt his nose and mouth. Reid struggled and could probably kick him off if he was at full strength, but his body and muscles were tired and aching.
Reid slowly felt himself start to relax unwillingly.
Stay awake, Reid! Stay awake!
Suddenly, something ripped the weight of the unsub off his back. Agent Hotchner regained himself, his shoulder dripping blood, and he pulled the unsub off Reid. The unsub turned around and threw the cloth and Hotchner's face. The BAU agent stumbled back, and this was the unsub's second and final opportunity. He raced out of the room. He ran so fast, he forgot to close the cell door.
"Reid!" Hotch shouted.
The young doctor panted, but he was okay. He gripped the wall as he pulled himself to his feet, "I'm okay."
"Good," Hotch flexed his injured shoulder, "let's go. We need to get to Morgan and Prentiss before the unsub does."
Chapter 11 coming soon!