Midnight Sky
Chapter 10
As I walked down the hall with men holding large guns on either side I thought through the plan. I wasn't to sure if it was going to work. I couldn't get the fact that I was walking to my execution out of my head. They had told me that any and everyone was invited to it. I hoped that JJ and Emily would be.
I hoped that neither of them tried anything. As much as I didn't want to die, I didn't want them to die, either. And if they tried to free me than they would most certainly would. I had had Simon go over that detail after he explained his plan. I had needed to know exactly what would happen, and why he thought what he did. In the end it made a lot of sense. It was what I had come up with on my own.
We came to the stairs and I suddenly realized that my end had almost come, that is unless Simon really did save me. Climbing the stairs wasn't easy. The wound in my leg was still healing, in fact I could just barely walk. Add to that was the pain in my stomach and shoulder.
I wondered why they couldn't have just let me die when I had come in? At one point they had to have noticed I was a traitor before they saved my life. It would have been a lot easier for me if they had. The last two years of my life had been all torture and pain, why did my last few hours have to be of it too? We're they really that sadistic themselves?
I knew how pessimistic I was being, but I just didn't believe Simon was going to risk his life to save mine. He was truly devoted to me, I knew that, but he had known me only a few days. Did it have something to do with the reason everyone knew me? My profiling skills hadn't been used in years, but once and profiler always a profiler. The only thing was I could figure him out. Maybe I wasn't as good as I thought I was. Or maybe he was better than I would have thought.
Finally we relaxed a door and I realized it was the door to the roof. I limped out into the open air and took a big breath. The air felt clean and crisp, I knew I would miss it. As I was forced forward a line in a poem slid into my head. "Of a demon in my view." I had known that my end was coming in that room. I had thought it would have been in that room. It didn't much matter, though, that instead it would be by those I used to call family.
I looked out at the scene before me. The sky was pitch black. I was quite sure that there weren't many clouds, but a new moon. A recurring thought pushed its way up- I was pretty sure I knew why there weren't any stars. I had figured it out just before saving Emily. I had no need of the information now. Some how I couldn't take it to my grave, even if I was wrongfully killed. Didn't they had a right to know?
Looking in front of me I saw a crowd of people. The first person I saw was JJ, than Emily and Kevin next to her. They all looked like they wanted to cry. Suddenly I wished they hadn't come. Why did they have to see me die? Then I saw Simon a few rows back. Close to fifty people watched me as I limped forward to my "spot".
The guards around me moved beside me. One lone guy trained his gun on me. I felt the adrenaline racing as I rushed to force the words out of my mouth.
"Don't I get my last words?" I asked.
A woman stepped out of the crowd, and I was surprised I hadn't seen her before. It was Erin Strauss. I didn't need anyone to tell me for me to know what had happened. All the high power people in the FBI had been wiped out and she was 'assigned' the role as new "director". Whether or not she inherited the position or was voted in was in apparent to me.
When she looked at me I say nothing. No connection to me at all. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought she didn't know who I was. The pain I would have thought she would have felt for killing me, one of the smartest people- and she knew it- wasn't there.
I made sure to make eye contact with her.
"Yes. You have until the last tone of the clock." She said keeping eye contact with me. I knew she had understood my unspoken words. My thoughts that they had turned medieval and now she was trying to prove me wrong.
"Thank you." I said looking to the clock. It was a minute till midnight. I had to be quick. I looked right at Emily, and JJ as I spoke, after all it was to them. "I just hope that God will forgive any sins I have committed, though i do not think I have done anything wrong. I hope more that God will forgive you for killing an innocent man." I let my eyes drift to Strauss for a second. "I look to see the moon. The one thing I remember clearly for the day I disappeared. It was full. The feeling of a full moon looking down at you is like nothing you can image. The sight of the thousand twinkling stars watching over you- protecting you. As a child I used I look to the stars for guidance. Now, though, there are none. The disaster that has killed them off will rain in Hell for what it has done. I only wish that I could see them tonight and the moon. The great full moon. Filled with all its joy and freedom that time could never touch." The clock started its tones. "I only wish I could bid them farewell." Six tones "This feeling has been my favorite dream."
The night grew silent and out of the corner of my eye I could see the gun man getting ready to shot. Time itself slowed down as I a waited my death. I knew they would understand my words. Maybe not all of them, but they would figure it out. I had given them all I could to help them fix the world.
I heard the gun fire and flinched. I was surprised a second later to hear screams, and to- well- not be dead. I looked around to see the guns had turned to face another direction. The fifty or so people on the roof had scattered. More gun shots sounded from a fare. I looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching me, but in the chaos I had been completely forgotten.
I took advantage of this moment I forced myself to move. The pain in my leg had only been made worse by standing on it and the pain as I ran was nearly unbearable. I ran to the left were Simon had told me there was a fire escape. As fast as I could I started down the latter. It was hard, but I pushed through the pain. Floor after floor I went down. I lost count of how many levels I had gone, and couldn't recall how many floors the building even had.
When I made it to the bottom I started to run- more like limp. It was so dark that I doubted they would see me. I went many blocks before I couldn't breath and the pain had become to much. I lend against a wall trying to get my thoughts together.
I had never expected the break out to work so when it started I had moved on instinct. Now I needed to work this out. I rested for several minutes when I finally worked out a plan. I had memorized every inch of Washington and I knew where I was. It had taken some time, but I knew where I could go. As long as the city hadn't been to altered my the war I would be able to make it to a safe place, and maybe even be able to find some one who would help. In those few minutes I had decided it was time for me to go black.
I made my way down the street, keeping to the shadows- which wasn't hard on account there wasn't much light. I knew I had to get out of the area really fast. They would notice that i was gone and would start looking for me. It wouldn't be for many more minutes, while they try and figure out the gun shots, which had been time triggered guns Simon had set up a few buildings over.
Despite pain and tiredness I continued on like this until sun rise. By this time I knew I had to stop and get some rest. I didn't stop though. Another hour past then something I hadn't expected happened. I started to notice people. It reminded me much of what I had seen when walking into the prison.
By now I had reached smaller buildings then the ones by the FBI building. Most of them were apartment buildings. I wondered if these people were heading out to work. It made sense. I hadn't really thought that anyone would be working now, but then they had to. People still needed to sell, and make, and buy things.
I continued to limp down the street, not sure what to do. I knew I looked terrible because most everyone was looking at me like I was a zombie. It wasn't until a lady stepped in front of me that I stopped moving.
"Reid?" I hadn't expected to hear my name. I looked down at the lady. At first I didn't recognize her.
"Haley?" I asked a little unsure, when she nodded I was filled with excitement. "Haley!" I nearly yelled.
"Come, inside, Reid, please." She pulled me into an apartment building and into the first door on the right. "I was watching them all go to work, then I say you." She explained forcing me onto her dirty green couch. "I couldn't believe it at first. I... I never would have thought..." There was a long pause as she looked over me. "You look terrible. When was the last time you ate, and slept?" I knew there was a lingering question, but she didn't ask it. 'How had I been hurt?'
"I slept a few hours ago." I said ignoring the question about eating. I hadn't realized my the last time I had ate was over three days ago.
"Let me get you something to eat... Jack will be up in a few, anyway, better not keep him waiting." I had completely forgotten about Jack. For an instant I was stunned. I had completely forgotten about Hotch's son. Then I was relieved. I didn't know if I could stand anyone else dieing, especially Jack.
"Thanks..." I muttered, starting to feel the strain of the day.
A few minutes past before the small five year old ran into the living room from the back room, most likely the one other room in the apartment. He ran to his mother and when he say me his yes got wide.
"Who's, he, mommy?" He asked in a small voice.
"He's an old friend. Spencer. He knew you when you were a baby." She smiled at her child than at me, as if I was a beacon of our old lives. Of a time when she had Hotch loved each other and when the world wasn't so messed up.
"Hey." He said waving. I would have gotten up, but I couldn't find the strength.
After that Jack warmed up to me, and we spent the next few minutes talking about what the little kid did the other day. I talked with him and laughed at his stories. For those few minutes the weight of the world was taken off my shoulders. For the first time I felt like there was some good in the world. He was just so with out care and regard to the pain and suffering of the world.
Finally Haley brought us both in a plate of eggs and oragne juice. I looked at the meal with disbelief. They had been serving mush at the FBI!
"The eggs just came in from western Virgina. Best of the the season." Haley said taking a bit of her own breakfast and I reminded once again that the world hadn't come to a complete stop.
I ate slowly taking in all the tastes. It was like I was eating for the first time in my life. When I finished my meal I sat back in the soft couch and immediately feel asleep. Once again it was a deep dreamless sleep.
-------------------------------------
A/N: The last line of Reid's speech was taken from Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.