Chapter 11

Day 06

The next day Hotch and Morgan went out to Ft. Detrick and met with Lt. Colonel Beauregard who headed up Mission Ops and a Major Kelly McGuire, who headed up the BioMedical research department for the unit. They got about five minutes into the briefing before Hotch had to stop them, "Another planet?"

"Yes. They call it Voirret. I know how it sounds Agent." Beauregard said. "I could get one of guys from the tech department up here to tell you how it works, but I think you'd need a degree in physics first."

"We'll get Reid on that when he gets back." Morgan said.

"Skipping over the how, we found that the wormhole we created led to a habitable planet." Beauregard continued. "After extensive remote exploration we decided to send a team over. We called this team Alpha One, headed up by Captain John Madox. On their first trip out they made contact with the native population."

"They're sentient?" Hotch asked.

"They're humanoid." McGuire said. They had a board up, now she started showing pictures of people. Honest to god human people. Some of the lines of their bodies looked a little off, but nothing that would call attention on an urban street. "I assume you don't want to get into our parallel evolutionary theories here."

"Not today." Hotch said. "They look fairly technologically advanced."

"Most of what we could call higher technology is in the hands of the government." McGuire said. "The majority of the population lives with a level of technology similar to that of Western Europe in the early Fifties. They have phones, cars, radios, movies, that sort of thing. And despite a recent military coup and a junta government most people live fairly comfortable lives. There's very little poverty, with few exceptions little violence and little discrimination."

"Sounds idyllic."

"It's not for everyone." Beauregard said. "It's a two tier society. The vast majority go about their comfortable lives. Then there are the Infected."

"Infected?" Morgan asked.

"It's a disease endemic in their population." McGuire said. "They estimate between five and ten percent of their population is currently actively infected or a carrier. It's actually very difficult to acquire, its blood born and infectious particles are shed in the saliva, but have to enter the blood stream directly to infect the next patient. We were concerned with someone ingesting brain tissue, which was why we tested Agents Prentiss and Jareau when the survivor committed suicide, but it turns out that's not a vector. From what we can tell the only ways to acquire the disease are through a bite from an infected mammal, from mother to child, or through a contaminated needle stick, either accidental or deliberate."

"Given that you've collected all our test results I'm assuming that all of our victims have come back infected." Hotch said. "None of them showed signs of a bite, and the chances of that many accidents are small. Our Unsub is deliberately infecting them."

"That's the most likely vector." McGuire nodded.

"Once a person is found to be infected they lose all standing in their society." Beauregard said. "They lose any rights they had, all relationships are destroyed, they're seen as little better than animals. They are immediately taken into quarantine for the rest of their lives. We have yet to see what that looks like."

Morgan looked over the file. "When you're done with a lab animal you euthanize it." He said. "That explains our first clusters. You think our Unsub was pulling people from here to use as test subjects?"

"It's likely." McGuire said. "Even discussing the subject is taboo in their society. Anyone wanting to study the nature of the disease would have to set up an underground laboratory."

"He gets them from here, sends them back here. No witnesses, no evidence. How is he getting them?"

"We're not sure. But we suspect these send them back." She held up a picture of one of the tubes. "We're not sure how they miniaturize them so well, what we use takes up most of an airplane hangar."

"What can you tell us about the nature of the disease?" Hotch asked.

"That's still classified." Beauregard said.

"Not good enough. From what you're saying Agent Jareau and Dr. Reid are likely already infected."

"And we will disclose information about the disease to them upon their return."

"They'll both need to return here once a month for treatment." McGuire said. "So long as they maintain a simple protocol they ought to otherwise be able to return to full duty once they recover from any other injuries acquired."

Hotch was quiet a moment. "Agent Jareau is a newlywed." He said. "She has a son at home."

But McGuire was confident. "That shouldn't be a problem at all. So long as she maintains the protocol there should be no risk."

"You've treated people with this before?"

"Without getting in to the details, yes," Beauregard said. "They've been functioning normally for over a year now."

Morgan was on to something else. "Ok, if we're right then the ones who were euthanized were killed by our primary Unsub. But then his lab gets shut down and the three still there are taken in to quarantine. So what happened to the secondary clusters happened while they were in government custody."

"That is the likely scenario." Beauregard said. "They have what they call Testers, people who go around performing instant blood tests on anyone acting suspiciously. If you don't pass you get taken away, no recourse. That and some of the rumors coming out of those detention camps have made more than a little of the population less than happy with their government."

"Rebellion?" Hotch asked.

"Encouraged by former military still loyal to the former royal family. They're working their way up to a guerilla war. We have yet to establish formal relations with the government but we have a good, working relationship with the leader of one of the rebel camps. Alpha One has been working with him to try to find your Unsubs. They'll be back soon to resupply, when they head back out Agent Morgan here will go with them."

"Hopefully we'll get there before the lab is raided."

Day 07

"All right, that's it." Morgan turned off the camera as Garcia came back into her lair. "Now you got this right? One for my Mother, one for my sisters and one for Anthony."

"Yeah, I got it." Garcia said as she wrapped her arm around him. "But I am not going to have to send them those videos because you are going to come back from wherever you're going and you're going to bring Reid and JJ back with you."

"Yes I am momma." Morgan wrapped his arms around his baby girl and held her close. "No reason why I won't. I've got all the skills they wanted and I've got a whole squad going out with me."

"I just wish you could tell me where."

"Sorry baby girl. National security. You know that."

"D'you think JJ and Reid are going to be really sick when they get back?"

"I dunno, but it sounds like whatever it is the USAMRIID people have a handle on it. They're strong, they can get through anything."

"I hope so. I hope they're just sitting in some Unsub's holding cell more bored than anything."

"So do I."

Another day, another evening spent clinging to the wall, watching the Unsub work. "I still wish I could be down there." Spencer said.

"It would be more interesting than sitting here eating and doing pushups all day." JJ agreed.

Spencer turned his head as a car pulled up. But by the sound and the scent there was only one person, female. The Unsub's colleague was likely. Sure enough a few minutes later she came in the room. "Hirra'." She said. "In'l negit ersievh?"

"Yil, nyih esi ma'ny lya'zaetk stish lnsa'tk lhdvna'dl." The male Unsub said. "Lin di lya'z ha'oi dh siloirnl."

While he went to dig out some paper the female Unsub turned to look at Spencer and wave. "Hirra' raennri za'rph." She said. "I msa'oikyn ha'oi la'di nsienl."

"Da't'n itra'oiseki yaed." The male growled.

Just as he brought his data back to the work table Spencer heard the sound of many feet running lightly outside. He turned to look out the narrow, high window as the moving shadows caught his newly sensitive vision. "What is it Spence?" JJ asked

The female Unsub noticed his movement as well. She went and opened a cupboard to check some kind of viewscreen. He could smell her sudden flair of fear. "Pa'raeri!" She hissed. Without a word the male Unsub knocked over that ever present flask of clear liquid, bringing a harsh scent to Spencer's nose. The female knocked over another one just as the male clicked a lighter and touched the flame to the sodden table. The liquid immediately ignited, burning all of their research. The two of them turned to some of the storage, smashing vials, overturning containers, destroying everything they could.

"Spence!" JJ called out, adding her own fear to the mix

"I think..." Just then the door burst open and a dozen men in armored uniforms carrying guns burst in the room. "...the lab has just been made."