Chapter 12
Inside the tent at the command center, Hotch was talking quietly to Rossi.
"I know I can't go in there," he said.
"I'm going," Rossi told him. Hotch nodded meeting his friend's eyes.
"If something happens to Scarlett or Reid…" he left the rest of his statement unspoken, shaking his head in misery.
"You're not alone…" Dave told him, feeling the same torment. They both looked out over the compound as the men began to move inside for the raid.
Reid stood in the main hall, watching the men finish laying the explosives. He saw Cole come into the room, heading directly to Cyrus.
"Something is wrong," the man said.
Cyrus watched through the window, seeing that military vehicles were now pulling in front of the compound. He scowled darkly.
Spencer let out his breath, once realizing Cole hadn't been talking about the fact that the women and children were missing. By now, Scarlett should have the majority of them in the underground tunnel. He hoped she'd made it outside herself already.
"They lied…" he looked at Christopher.
"Should we do this now?" the second asked.
"No. Let them get closer…" he told his men, moving over to pick up an automatic rifle. He opened the front door, heading outside.
"Cyrus, what are you doing?" Cole shouted.
"Making sure the press is watching," he told them firing the rifle into the air several times. "They are going to want to see this. This is it," he said, looking at the detonator in his hand. "The moment of faith…"
He fired again.
Spencer winced at the sound, hoping Scarlett didn't hear it and panic for his safety.
Keep going... he thought to her over and over in his head, wishing for telepathy…
"Keep going!" Scarlett was telling the people she was herding through the halls and into tunnel towards the outside. She heard the repeat of the AR at the front of the main entrance.
Distraction… attention… her mind thought through all of the reasons someone could be firing, refusing to think of Spencer being in danger.
"Keep going," she said forcefully over the panic that sounded around her. "Protect your children, stay low and get out!"
Cole moved around the front room after hearing some small explosions off in one of the rooms.
"That came from inside the building!" he told Cyrus.
"Check the fuses," Cyrus ordered some of the men. "GO!"
Cole moved to stand beside the door, opposite Cyrus. Spencer moved behind him, out of the way.
Scarlett felt a wave of relief when she reached the tunnel entrance and saw the military uniforms. The team had made it inside and were now taking over the removal of the women and children. She leaned back against the wall, catching her breath a moment, ready to go back inside for Spencer.
"Scarlett! Scarlett!" she heard Morgan's voice behind her and stifled a cry.
"You alright?" Derek grabbed her close for a moment, hugging her to his chest.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, D- the building is wired to blow! I've got to get Reid…" she felt panic welling up in her heart. "He's still with Cyrus, first floor at the main entrance," she cried, knowing he was so close to the danger.
"I'll get him," Morgan promised. "I got this, go with the others…"
"No!" she sobbed, starting to choke on her emotions, "I won't leave him!"
Just then, Jessica came through the tunnel doors with Kathy and saw the uniformed men and FBI flak jackets. She turned on her mother.
"You lied! Cyrus didn't call us here! You lied!" she screamed.
"Cyrus lied to you! This building is going to blow up!" Kathy shouted.
"No," Jessie screamed again. "I can't- I can't leave- he's my husband," she shrieked turning back to the stairs and running back up to the first floor…
Derek grabbed Kathy, pulling her back.
"Jessie!" the woman screamed her daughter's name.
Morgan shoved her into Scarlett's arms to hold. "Get her out of here, I'll get the girl, Rossi, get them out of here!" he ordered.
Scarlett watched him run after Jessie as she dragged the screaming Kathy outside alongside Dave.
Spencer tried reasoning with the two men in the room with him.
"Jeremiah 29:11- 'I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you… Plans to bring you hope and a bright future'…" Reid told Cole.
"Is blowing yourself up part of the bright future that God wants?" he asked, seeing Cyrus now shoulder his weapon, moving to stand before Reid.
Spencer stood his ground, eyeing Cyrus up levelly, no longer playing weak.
"You think you know the word of God better than I?" he challenged Reid.
Spencer maintained eye contact, not looking away.
"No, I am just demonstrating how you can use the Bible to manipulate just about anything," Reid responded coldly. Cyrus's eyes flashed angrily.
"Matthew 10:24- Do not suppose that I have come to earth to bring peace, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword!" he growled out, throwing the butt of his rifle into Spencer's stomach, knocking him back into the wall.
"You cannot convert my brothers!" Cyrus yelled at him, raising the weapon to hit him again.
Reid tensed, prepared for the next blow that Cyrus hit him with but losing his air. He doubled over, waiting for Cyrus to lower the gun so he could fight back, but Cyrus pulled out the detonator instead, arming it.
Shit… Reid calculated how he could remove the device from him and checked for a deadman's switch. He felt a small relief when he didn't see one…
"Nobody had to follow," Cyrus told Reid with a malicious grin. "God could have stopped me…"
Spencer saw a military officer move into the room and ducked back against the wall. The rifle shots took out Cole on the other side of the room.
Morgan followed right behind, his own weapon drawn and aimed at Cyrus, hitting the man in the chest three times, killing him on the spot.
Cyrus's face contorted and he fell where he stood, the detonator landing alongside his dead body, now useless.
"He just did…" Spencer said as he looked down at Cyrus.
"You okay kid?" Morgan looked Reid over as he saw him holding his ribs.
"I'm fine- Where is Scarlett?! We've got to get out of here!" he told his brother.
"We got her; she's outside with Rossi…"
Spencer felt relief wash over him, and then saw Jessie as she moved into the room.
In a heartbeat, he saw the look on her face as she saw Cyrus lying dead on the floor. The young girl moved over towards the body...
"Sweetheart, come on, we've got to get out of here," Morgan told her, not realizing the gravity of the situation or that the girl had full blown Stockholm Syndrome.
But Reid did. He saw Jessie move to pick up the detonator…
"RUN!" he screamed at Derek, grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him through the room, away from where he remembered each of the charges were set. They ran towards a side entrance out of the chapel and could feel the chain reaction of the blasts following them.
Derek hit the doors, dragging Spencer out with him, just clearing them as another charge went off behind them.
They hit the pavement outside together. Morgan pulled Reid back up as they continued to move to the front steps.
Scarlett felt the explosion rock her to her core as the ground shook under its intensity. She looked back towards the main doors, running to the steps.
"REID! MORGAN!" she screamed, fear for their lives ripping her apart. When she hit the bottom stairs, she looked up at the doors…
"Reid… Morgan…" a sob choked her throat as she saw the smoke curl over the entrance…
Then she saw movement through the thick black.
"We're okay!" she heard Morgan's voice call over the chaos.
"Oh, God… oh God…" she cried out desperately, joy filling her heart as she saw the two of them leaning on each other as they headed down the stairs.
"You are alive, you're okay," she cried, dragging herself up the stairs in shock to meet them.
Spencer shoved his hair out of his face, coughing heavily, as was Derek.
Scarlett grabbed Reid, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close.
"Thank God," she sobbed against his throat. "Thank you, God…" she reached over to Morgan, pulling him into her hug also.
Derek wrapped his arms around the both of them, squeezing them together quickly before moving back and letting them stand alone. He pulled out his phone to call Garcia.
"They are safe," was all he said and he heard Penelope begin to cry in relief. "They're safe… we are all safe," he reassured her.
"What about Jessie?" Rossi asked, looking over at Kathy standing at the edge of the scene. Morgan shook his head negatively. Rossi sighed and headed down the stairs to speak with the mother.
Scarlett continued to hold Spencer, kissing his neck and his face, running her hands through his hair, reassuring herself he was okay.
"Scarlett," he whispered softly against her ear. "We have company, darling…" he told her gently.
She stopped kissing him, but pressed herself closer against his chest, shaking violently as she continued to sob... Reid held her tightly, kissing her hair, trying to calm her as she began to hyperventilate.
Screw protocol…
He swept her up in his arms, keeping her tucked against his chest as he carried her past the team heading over towards the medics. He took her lips under his, breathing softly against her mouth to even her breathing.
Setting her down on the gurney, he stayed right beside her as the medics checked her over. Scarlett clung onto his arm tightly.
"She's in shock," he told the medics as they checked her blood pressure. He saw Hotch come towards them as he continued speaking to them.
"She has two broken ribs, a broken cheekbone, open cuts on her arms and chest, several contusions over her back, and I think she may have a concussion…" he ran down the list in his head that he'd taken earlier. He caught Hotch's eyes as he said the next part.
"And she's possibly pregnant…"
He saw the look that crossed the supervisor's face as he stepped up to the medics.
"I want her taken to the hospital now," Hotch told them. "I want a full evaluation, and her husband, Dr. Reid doesn't leave her side," he stated, his authoritative tone taking no argument.
Spencer nodded. "Thank you…" he said.
"We will be right behind you," Aaron told him, clasping his hand to Spencer's shoulder.
"She will be alright," he said holding his friend's gaze. Reid nodded, swallowing the tightness in his throat.
"Let's move," one of the medics ordered, lifting the gurney into the ambulance. Spencer stayed at her side, holding her hand as they headed to the hospital.
