Ok i'm right in the middle of my exams should have been studying today opps oh well thought i'd write a short chapter to tide you guys over and to lessen my withdrawl symptoms but it has ended up being my longest chapter so far. hope you guys enjoy. since i'm probably going to fail my exams now i will need lots fo reviews to comfort me so pls read AND review.
Chapter eleven : Team, Taunts and Torture
No one spoke as they all arrived back at Quantico at the same time. No one spoke as they exited their cars, as they made their way from the basement carpark to the lift. No one spoke form the lift to when they exited it on their floor. No one spoke as they made their way across the bullpen to the debriefing room. They didn't need to speak even if they could find their voices. They knew what everyone else was thinking because they were thinking it themselves. JJ and Morgan. JJ and Morgan!!
Hotch was the only one who didn't take a seat around the table. He had to lead this team. The team that was falling apart. He had no idea how he was going to lead them. He had failed them so many times recently. This was just another one to add to his list. He placed his palms in the table and lent it.
"I think we can all assume JJ was the target . The unsub had no way of knowing Morgan was going to JJ's. Morgan just got unlucky. JJ was the target. JJ is the key to this case."
Everyone nodded.
"So why would anyone would to take JJ?" Hotch asked. It was meant to start the discussion. But no one could think of any reason to hurt JJ.
"She is the face of the BAU. If I wanted to get revenge on the BAU. I would target her. Take her out and the BAU, Em , well we lose our identity." Reid said. He had meant the team lose identity to the press but it hit home on so many levels. She was the identity of the team. The heart. The humanity.
Hotch nodded. "So we need to think of recent cases. Unsubs we pissed off but didn't catch. Or maybe an unsub we caught and has just got out."
They all paused, lost in thought. Thinking of all the worst cases. The most mutilated victims. The most violated victims. All the raped, mangled, assaulted, demeaned, brutalised victims flashed though their heads. Then they gave that victim JJ's face. It made them all want to weep. It sickened them all to their pits of their stomach.
Hotch pulled himself together the quickest. "Ok here is the plan. Reid..."
"Oh hang on" Prentiss interrupted. "Last Friday when we went to the bar. Some jerk spiked JJ's drink. We all just assumed it was some loser who chose JJ because she was beautiful. Do you think it was something more?"
Hotch absorbed that new piece of information. He was the only one who didn't know previously.
"OK Prentiss take the bar. That guy is the closest thing we have to a suspect at the moment. You are our only link to him. I want to know everything about him. Reid, I want you to check out JJ's office. Respect her privacy but at the same time let's see if there are any clues there. Garcia check to see ahve unsubs been released that we put away. Pay particular attention to angry violent crimes. Or one where JJ played a key role in capturing them." They all nodded. "I'm going down to the lab. Make the blood tests a priority. Let's find out whose blood it was on the pavement."
Everyone got up to go about their tasks except Garcia. Hotch laid a gently firm hand on her shoulder "It is going to be ok. Their strong. They'll hold out till we find them." He looked around at everyone "We will find them." He added forcefully at the end for Garcia for the team and to convince himself. With that the team made their way to their various locations, the bar, her office, the labs.
"Em sir" Garcia spoke up. "About two weeks ago JJ came to me and asked a favour. She made me promise not to tell anyone but I don't know. I hitnk it would be ok now." She looked around for approval. Hotch nodded "I think she would understand. Go ahead we need to know everything."
"About two weeks ago she asked me to track down anumber that had rung her phone a few times. She called them prank calls. But I could tell they got to her. Made her nervous. So I did as I was asked. I never got to tell her my results from the search. She said a few calls but I counted at least twenty a day. The phone used was never further then ten miles from her phone. He was always nearby. He always called from the same town as her even when you guys were on case. Meaning he followed across country literally. She was being stalked in a real way" she finished up.
Everyone took in that new piece of information. Why didn't JJ tell someone. Not that they could judge overly. They would have done the same thing in her shoes. Hotch opened the door. Everyone left.
No one spoke. It was if the once they left the debriefing room their words were too awful to be spoken outside those walls, their thoughts too horrific to be muttered casually. They could only be expressed in a formal meeting behind closed doors. To speak outside those walls would bring the case too close to home for the team.
Two weeks later
Sam hummed. He hadn't hummed since he had killed his mother. The freedom he had felt that day was exhilarating. The future was his for the taking He hummed now because he felt his whole life just open to him again. He had JJ in his possession. The dog in the black room under his control. He wasn't so tough. So great. He was pathetic. To think he was even allowed to go near JJ to touch her sicken him. But still he would be punished now. He would see to that.
When he had planned this house this had been his idea. His brilliance still stuns himself sometimes. He had had to wait a little longer for it to be done but it was worth the wait. It was worth doing right. He smiled to himself as he paused outside his room. The very thought of wait waited for him still got him excited. As he opened the door and vision in his bed greeted his eyes. He had to use some serious self control not rush over to her. No he had something bigger planned for now. He would use later tonight. He made his way to the TV and turned it on.
JJ when she had heard him at the door felt the panic rise up in her. Not now. Not again so soon. It can't be night already. I can't do this. I can't. Just think of Morgan. Do it for him. He had agreed not to hurt Morgan if she started to enjoy their nights together more. She braced herself for him to enter. When he did she attempted to smile but she couldn't do it. He paused and looked at her. She wouldn't let herself look away. But then what he did next surprised her. He went over tot he TV instead of coming over to her. She felt momentarily relieved. But then curiosity replaced relief. And a new fear. The fear of the unknown.
She struggled to watch but holding up her neck like was too hard and she had to keep resting her neck.
He fiddled with the TV for a while. At first it was just fuzziness. Then an image popped on to the screen. JJ strained her neck. It was a room. It had no furniture. No windows that she could see. And it was completely white. She was confused.
He then moved over to her and smiled. He started to untie her feet restraints.
"I know you have been making more of an effort with me. I acknowledge that because I am good like that. But you haven't quite lived up to our agreement. I still see you flinch when i touch you. You don't kiss me back. So I thought I would help you out. I'm going to show you what will happen if your resistance continues."
He stroked her from her feet all the way up her exposed legs along her sides over her breasts and left his hand there briefly before he reached for her hand restraints. She was terrified she had no idea what was coming. What could he possibly do to her now. But he didn't undo her hand restraints fully. He just adjusted them till she was in a sitting up position. He laughed quietly to himself as he thought of her reaction when she see what is about to happen. He almost wish he could see it live. But he would watch it later. He gave a quick subtle glance towards the corner where there was a hidden camera recording 24/7. He gave her a quick forceful kiss and then made his way to the door.
"I'm doing this all for you. Remember that. I'm doing this all for you." With that comment left hanging in the air he left.
JJ shuddered. She was on edge. No idea what to expect next but she understood it wouldn't be good. What she didn't fully understand was how bad it would be.
Morgan had been locked in the black room for twelve days now with no break. He had no food, no drink, no stimulus. He just had his thoughts to keep him occupied and he did everything to avoid them. They involved JJ and what that creep could be doing to her. The image of her tied to the bed. The image of him caressing her. He had come close to losing it a few times. But all he had to do was think of JJ and it gave him strength to keep fighting, to keep sane. He wanted to be ready for when she needed him. He thought he was losing it when he first heard the door rattle. But then it was thrown open. The light was overwhelming and he shut his eyes tight. He covered his ears with his hands. The noise of the door opening was overwhelming for his ears. When Sam started speaking it felt like he was shouting. But slowly Morgan's senses relaxed and started to filter out the excess noise. Morgan looked up and winced slightly from the light but managed to hold his stare.
"You sick scum. It sickens me what you do. How you touched her as if you are in anyway good enough to even look at her. You filthy black dog. But no worries I'm here now and I will make sure appropriate punishment is delivered." He smiled slightly manically and Morgan winced inwardly. He didn't like where this is going.
"Stand up" he ordered Morgan.
It took Morgan a few attempts to stand and stay upright. After the first few days he had stopped pacing soon he had stopped stopping standing and moving altogether. He was paying for it now. The lack of food and drink probably didn't help either. The blood rushed to his head. His feet felt heavy and weak. He stumbled a few times. His head swooned. But managed to stay up. Sam just laughed at Morgan. When Morgan finally reached the door Sam grabbed his arm. Morgan started to walk towards JJ's room like last time but Sam steered him down the hall in the opposite direction.
JJ had given up looking at the screen. Nothing was happening. She was happy though to have changed positions. She was able to move her legs now. She took full advantage of this and kicked all the bed sheets off the bed. A stupid rebellion. An impulsive rebellion. She feared she would pay or rather Morgan would pay for it later but for now she smiled. Then the TV caught her attention. Morgan had just been pushed into the room. Her heart went out to Morgan. He looked awful. Gaunt and he kept stumbling. She assumed he had no food or drink. She must see to that. Bargain for it anyway she can. He wouldn't last much longer without some water.
But soon all her thoughts and plans seemed pitiful and insignificant. She finally was able to grasp the depth of the situation. The extremes this guy could go to.
Morgan, whose hands were still in cuffs, was hung on a hook in the middle of the white room. So his hand were above his head and his toes were just touching the ground. JJ could hear every sound. every grunt every word.
"You fucking nigger. You are despicable. You are worthy of nothing but pain. And I am here to be the pain master. I'm going to punish you for every thought, every touch every thing you have ever had to do with JJ. When I finally wipe her out of you maybe then you will realise I had to do this. For her."
JJ winced at the last two words. She didn't 't want it done especially not for her.
Morgan muttered something Sam didn't catch.
"What did you say?"
"Morgan looked up directly into Sam eyes. "JJ will always be with me. She will never be apart of you the way she is apart of me. Or I of her."
Sam enraged by this outburst punched Morgan in the stomach. The breath was audibly knocked out of Morgan. He swung on the hook gasping. Sam just stood back and waited for the hook to stop moving. Then he punched Morgan again and again and again. He kept pummelling Morgan till he ran out of steam. Morgan was barely conscious at the end of it. He had started to cough of blood.
JJ felt every punch. Her first tear fell at the first punch. When Sam lost control so did she. Her tears fell freely. But when she saw Morgan cough the blood. She dried up instantly. It seemed as she had nothing left. If he died she would die to. She didn't know how she would go on if he wasn't there. She literally thank god when Sam let up.
But then Sam having caught his breath back said "You sick scumbag. I haven't even begun. This is only the start."
He left then and shut the door behind him.
He went in to the room beside the white room. If this room was a colour it would be steel. Not for the paint colour but for what you saw first when you walk into the room. In the middle there was a table covered with scalpels, knifes, screws and bottles. He smiled. He walked slowly trying to decided what tools of torture to use first. Then he decided to show off his range to Morgan. He knew the power of suggestion was the strongest torture when done right.