JJ pulled the car off the road and before she could turn off the engine, Penelope was out and running toward the wreckage. Her cries for Derek went unanswered and JJ feared the worst.
Derek opened his eyes and glanced at Natasha sitting still behind the wheel. She was still alive but unconscious; it was a miracle that they'd both survived. He could hear Penelope's voice screaming and coming closer and so he used the worry in her voice to move past the pain to free himself from the wreckage.
Natasha could hear him next to her fighting to get out of the mangled car. She had to get free too and finish what she had started. This was all a part of the test to prove her worth and to prove that she was just as good as any of the five elite agents.
"Derek!" Penelope screamed as she drew closer.
JJ was close behind her, hoping for the best. JJ pulled her gun as the driver side door slowly opened and a dark-haired woman crawled from beneath the car. Derek was free now and his eyes were fixed on Penelope who was almost within reach...almost.
"Pen..."
"Don't move, Derek!"
Derek's next step was to place his body between Natasha and Penelope.
"I told you, Derek! You're a dead man."
Penelope reached for her gun but was stopped in her tracks by the sound of Natasha's warning.
"Don't even think about it, Agent Garcia!"
JJ stopped too; she'd been in this position too many times for her liking, but she had Natasha in her sights ready for the right moment to pull the trigger. Derek smiled at Penelope and then turned to face Natasha.
"DROP THE GUN!" JJ yelled.
Natasha glanced at the blonde who seemingly stepped from the shadows. She wasn't going to drop her gun, they both knew that and so, turning her attention back to Derek, she steadied her hand.
JJ pulled the trigger before the woman had a chance to rethink her foolish plan. JJ, Derek and Penelope watched the bullet from JJ's gun hit the woman in the center of her forehead forcing her body to the ground. It was over and Derek turned back and grabbed Penelope and held her tightly against his chest.
"Derek?"
"I'm okay, I'm okay."
Federal Building – Office of Director Morris Delaney – CIA –
The two eyed each other briefly before Elle completely entered the room and closed the door and without him noticing, she slid the deadlock in place. She hated the grin on his face; the one he'd display when he thought he had won.
"I got the video...very convincing." He began. "You've always had a flare for the dramatic."
"You got what you wanted, are you satisfied?"
"Satisfaction. I guess that's what we all want in the end, isn't it; satisfaction."
"Agent Morgan is dead, and I'm done."
"You always did underestimate me, agent."
"That's where you're wrong, Director. Underestimating you is dangerous."
He chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.
"Natasha is no match for him; you know that, right?"
"Excuse me?" He asked sitting upright in his chair.
"My mother used to tell us a story when we were young. My brother and I would always race to see who would get the most food. We were like squirrels grabbing nuts for the winter. We'd stuff food in our mouths, so much that we couldn't even chew it." Elle chuckled at the memory.
Morris watched as she paced the office admiring his degrees and awards so brazenly displayed on the walls and bookcases of the small office.
"She'd laugh at us and would say, you two are just like pelicans; your beaks hold more than your belly can." She laughed again.
"I'm not sure what Natasha has to do with any of this; she's your pick you chose her to be on your team."
"I chose her because she is predictable. I knew she would place her own personal aspirations before anything and anyone else."
Elle seemed lost in her thoughts as she remembered the past and wondered how she got here.
"He deserves a life with his children, away from the agency and away from government service."
"He knew what he was doing when he chose to stay in this line of work. He can never leave; none of you can."
"Yeah, I know; I know."
Elle slowly turned to face the man who had managed the lives of five highly skilled, dangerous and loyal American agents. She wore the grin now as she watched the shocked wide-eyed look on his face. No one should have so much power over the lives of others. Morris Delaney had become intoxicated beyond addiction with the power he had, and he abused it without remorse.
Morris was stunned to see the gun aimed at his head. He'd gotten too confident in the control that he'd had over them. Fear had kept them quiet and under his thumb but love and their survival instincts that had made them great agents had given them the courage to fight for their lives. Elle had always been different, the wild card; convincing her to come aboard after leaving the BAU seemed like a good idea at the time. He wasn't so sure now.
"Why Elle?"
"Because I want to be free!"
