Back at the holding chambers, Spencer Reid opened the file that had been given to him, his dad staring intently over his shoulder.
"What do they want you to make?" he asked.
"It looks like a Light Saber from the Star Wars films."
"That's good right? I mean, people have been making those since the movies came out right?"
"Those were toys dad. Somehow I don't think a toy will satisfy this guy's demands. He wants it to be real. To do exactly what they do in the movies. This is not good at all."
"So what are you gonna do? I mean, how are you gonna do this?"
"I don't know dad. So I need you to be a little quiet while I think. Can you do that? If I want your help or opinion I'll ask."
"Sure thing Spencer, sure thing."
William Reid stopped talking and watched as his son went deep into his own thoughts. Even though he knew that his son was a genius, the expressions on his face and the pace he was writing at still surprised him. He continued to look over at Spencer's work and wasn't surprised when he didn't understand any of it. After a while, he couldn't handle the science anymore.
"What are you thinking son?" he asked timidly
Pausing to look up from his work, Spencer faced his dad and sighed. "Well, for starters, these things will need energy, lots of it, to be able to do exactly what is shown in the movies. And as everyone knows, energy cannot be created or destroyed. So I need to figure out where it will get its energy from. The best options are batteries, electricity or the sun, but they all have their down sides."
"What would those down sides be?" William asked curiously
"Well, with batteries, the amount of energy would decrease as they died and would need to be changed often. Almost the same thing with electricity. It could either be like a vacuum, where it needs to be plugged in to work, which I doubt Cranium wants, or it will need to be recharged every day. As for solar energy, it would only work if the sun was out and at the right angle, which would be no good when it came to battles."
There was a long pause while Spencer's words sunk into William's mind. But just as they had, Spencer shouted, "Aha! I think I may have something here, dad."
William jerked his head up excitedly and turned towards his son. "Well?" he asked. "What is it?"
"Well, hopefully Cranium, or whoever is gonna use this, won't be using every day. It will use the sun's heat for energy. But if I can make an on/off switch and some sort of storage box in it, the light saber won't be using the energy 24/7. The person using it can leave it in the sun on days he's not using it, build up the energy, then have a lot to power it up when he does use it."
"That's brilliant Spencer. Just brilliant."
"Thanks dad. Now if I can just come up with the right formula…."
Spencer's words seemed to fade as William drifted off to sleep.
William jerked himself to full awareness. "Did you finish it?" he asked worriedly.
"I think so. It looks good to me. Let's just hope Cranium feels the same."
As soon as Spencer was done speaking, the door swung open to reveal Cranium.
"You'd best be right Spencer. I'd hate to end your stay early. And you don't have to worry about your father. As long as everything goes according to plan, even if you're out of the picture, he'll be safe." Cranium grinned as he snatched the paper from Reid's hands.
"Sit back. Relax. Get your rest. You'll need it. You won't be disturbed for the rest of the day. How about you two catch up then go to sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow." After saying that, Cranium slammed the door and locked it.
William and Spencer stared at each other for a short time until one of them finally broke the silence.
"So, how are things going with the BAU? Are you still enjoying working there" William started
"It's great. A lot has happened since we saw each other last."
"Really? Like what?" William said half curiously, half excitedly.
"Well, one of my teammates, JJ, had a baby the same day I learned why you left. She and her husband, Will, made me the godfather."
"That's fantastic Spencer! What's the kid's name?"
"Henry. He's a real cute kid. His dad is a cop so when both parents are on duty, they have a nanny, but for the most part, Will stays home with him."
"Oh." After a long pause William started up again.
"So, anything interesting happen since last time?"
"What do you mean by interesting? I work for the FBI to find serial killers, every case has its interesting moments."
"True. What about to you specifically?"
"Well…. I contracted Anthrax while working on a case. It got into my bloodstream. Doctors said I almost died."
"What?! Wh- when did that ha-happen?" William stuttered
"A little less than a year after our last encounter. It was a case in Maryland. Some scientist wanted to have his work noticed by the government so he made this powder with anthrax in it. When we went to investigate his home, I accidently cut my finger on a rose bush. I didn't notice it at all, and went into his lab room. When I saw what was in there, I locked the rest of my team out. We didn't notice the cut until they were washing me down."
"How long were you in the hospital?"
"Not long. Maybe a day. Day and a half. I got better pretty fast.
"But you were fine after that? Right?"
"For a while. A few cases later I was shot in the leg protecting a doctor from a grieving father. Took a while for that wound to heal. I was on crutches for a little bit."
"Please tell me that that was the worst that's happened to you"
Spencer was quiet for a long time, and wouldn't look his father in the eye.
"Spencer? What is it? What happened to you?" William was starting to be a little scared by the look in his son's eyes.
"Not here. Not now. Maybe some day. When I'm ready. Let's get some sleep. It's getting late."
William was at a loss for words. He wanted to help his son. Hold him in his arms and tell him everything would be okay like he did when he was younger. But that would just be awkward. He didn't know how to help his son.
He wasn't quite ready for sleep yet, so William decided to change the topic.
"So how's your mother doing? I've only visited her a few times since we last saw each other."
"I think she's doing okay. I haven't seen her in a while, though. I've written to her everyday about my cases and personal life, but I can never get the courage to go see her. Does that make me a coward?"
"Oh Spencer." William whispered. He walked closer to his son and put his hand on his back, rubbing it.
"Of course you're not a coward. Everything you do for work, no coward would ever do that. And you're always so busy, you must never have time to visit her. Don't beat yourself up over this, kid. OK? I'm so proud of you and I know that she is too."
"Thanks dad. I, I'm really sorry that I got you into this mess. This is all my fault."
"What? What are you talking about? None of this is your fault. It all falls on that Cranium guy. And from what he said earlier, I'd be here even if you weren't. They must need me for something more than leverage. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I think it's time that we get our sleep."
"You're right dad. I'm tired too. See you tomorrow. Maybe then we'll find out why you are here."
Spencer curled up on the floor and fell asleep and William soon followed.
"Wakey Wakey boys and girls." Said a loud voice from the wall. Both Reids jolted up and looked around for the source of the sound. Spencer spotted an intercom on the wall.
"I hope you've all enjoyed your first stay at this lovely hotel. Today I will be meeting with each of you individually to review your project. If I deem it fit, you will be fed, showered and given a change of clothes. If it is not deemed fit, well, let's just hope none of you find out. While I am working with the others, everyone else will be filing all my documents from past projects and future aspirations. Good luck to you all." The intercom shut off for a few seconds when it turned on in only the Reids' room.
"Oh and William, I will need to have a little chat with you today. Just be ready. Tootles."
William turned to his son, his face visibly paling.
"What could he possibly want with me? I'm no genius. I thought I was just here to get you to come."
Spencer was silent for a moment, then slowly began
"Well…. You are an attorney. Maybe he'll… require your assistance in writing contracts and stuff like that. Something that applies to your specific skill set."
William didn't say much, he only slowly nodded in agreement.
