Chapter Eighteen: As Yet Untitled
"Garcia, I need you to trace Persephone's car," Hotch ordered. He looked around the room and took note of the panicking faces. He needed to know which members of his team he needed to console and if needs be, bench until their newest agent was returned safely. Reid seemed to be the most effective. That fear in his face was clear. He knew that the young genius was closer with Persephone than any of the others.
Penelope knew better than to argue with Hotch. She had predicted the order and was already typing away to locate the car.
Morgan wrinkled his nose. "What, you think that the car will lead us to Persephone?"
Every FBI vehicle is fitted with a GPS so that they are easy to track. It was a fail-safe in case it is stolen or the agent it is assigned to disappears. With the BAU Hotch insisted that each member of his team fitted their personal vehicle with the same GPS tracking system for similar emergencies. He was now more thankful for that than now. However, Morgan thought that tracing the car was a waste of time. The Un-sub would likely drop the car at the first opportunity.
"I think it's the best shot we have and right now we don't have any alternative." Hotch snapped. He hated having his authority challenged during the best of times and now was definitely not the best of times.
"I have traced Persephone's car. It's a house. I've sent the address to your cells." Garcia announced dispelling the tension in the room immediately. The team snapped into attention, the room buzzing with excitement.
"Rossi you and I will go to the location of Persephone's car. Everyone else, hang back here. If Persephone isn't there we need to be ready to try ad track her down. Reid. I want you to take a breath. Morgan, take him to get a coffee." Hotch ordered.
"I don't need a babysitter!" Reid grumbled forgetting that he was addressing his superior. Persephone was missing for god's sake! Garcia may have found her, and he wasn't just going to hang around here! Even if she wasn't there, he could probably spot something about at the house – something that Hotch and Rossi might miss.
"This isn't up to discussion Reid," Hotch affirmed sternly. While he understood Reid's reluctance to follow that order, it didn't mean that he was going to let him disobey it.
"But Hotch-"
"But nothing Reid. Stay here. That is an order. Do you understand Doctor Reid?" Hotch ordered again firmly.
Reid gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw. It looked like he was about to argue with his boss but finally, he nodded and looked down submissively.
"Yes sir." He agreed begrudgingly.
Hotch was glad. This was important and there wasn't any time to stand around arguing about it. Every second they wasted was a second more than Persephone spent with her father and the more danger that she was in. He clapped Reid on the shoulder – a gesture to show he was not angry with the young genius for arguing. He understood.
Rossi and Hotch left the team and soon they were speeding down the road leading to the address Garcia had sent them. Their sirens were blaring, the red and blue lights forming stripes of colour along the road and identifying them to any patrol car that they were emergency vehicles.
"I hope Persephone is alright," Rossi stated. Of course, no agent worth his salt would want one of their own to come to harm but with the BAU it was different. This was like a personal affront to their family and Rossi knew that each member of the team thought the same. Anyway, he had a practically soft spot for the ginger-haired Brit who cooked divinely.
"Me too," Hotch agreed "If anything happens to her I will never forgive myself."
There had been a reason why Hotch had selected Rossi to go with him. He didn't doubt the ability of his other agents, but Rossi had been something of a mentor to him. He subconsciously knew that he would be able to help him. It was a psychological choice as much as it was physical.
"If anything does happen to her, and I don't think anything will, then it won't be your fault. That lies with the un-sub." Rossi reassured.
"I brought her onto his team. I'm the reason why her father found her."
"We don't know that it is her father who took her. And she chose to apply, and she chose to join the team. You may have decided to offer her a place, but she is the one to choose to accept. But you can think about your misplaced guilt after the case. Right now, Persephone needs you so stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about how to help her."
It was harsh not unnecessarily so. Hotch needed to focus on saving Persephone and not about how the situation may or may not be his fault. There would be a time for questions and laying blame later. First, they had to get their priorities straight.
"Thanks," Hotch smiled gratefully "That's what I needed. Persephone is what matters now- nothing else."
Nobody mentioned that since her disappearance and now apparent abduction, everyone was referring to Persephone by her first name rather than 'Ambrose' which was typical for the team. Sometimes these things didn't need mentioning and that was one of those times. Of course, if you were to ask them they would be able to inform you as to why- they were worried. 'Ambrose' was a little less personal than 'Persephone' and seemed harsh given the current circumstances.
It wasn't long before the SUV arrived that the address is given to them by Garcia. 1435 Grover Drive was looked like a usual house. The main building itself was small and spanned just one floor. There were a couple of outbuildings around the back, but they were derelict. Persephone wouldn't in there. Then they spotted her car. It was under a tree and the shade had hidden until Hotch and Rossi walked around the side.
Reid was not happy. Actually, that is an understatement. He was unhappy when someone forgot to fill the coffee maker. Right now, he was livid. Firstly, Percy goes to him, trusting him to protect her and he fails. Her bastard of a father kidnapped her right under their very nose. Now, Hotch ordered him to stay behind and be babysat while they went off and rescued Persephone. It wasn't fair! If Persephone was at that house he wanted to be there!
"Reid!"
Spencer jumped. He turned to where Morgan was standing near him, trying desperately to get his attention. He must have said his name a few times. Reid smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry what?" He asked, a little embarrassed that he hadn't noticed Morgan calling him sooner.
"I wanted to ask if you were alright but that's a stupid question. Instead, I'll skip straight to the reassurance. It. Wasn't. Your. Fault." Morgan declared.
"Bloody profilers," Reid grumbled.
"You're beginning to sound like Persephone." Morgan chuckled. He could practically hear her accent as Reid said that.
"Well, she rubs off on you," Reid responded smiling softly and he thought of Persephone's mannerisms.
Morgan wondered briefly if he knew how obvious it was that he cared for Persephone. It was clear to the rest of them that the feeling between the two was more than just friendship. The two were in denial about that though and he knew that any attempt to ask them about it would make them clam up. It was the time for that now anyway.
"Yeah, she does have that effect on people. Look, Reid, she'll be fine, and I know what you are thinking. You are blaming yourself. I'm not going to tell you not to because it isn't going to help but know that we are going to get her back. When he does, she'll tell you the same thing I've already told you: you are not at fault."
"Then why do I feel so guilty?"
"Guilt is an interesting emotion," Morgan commented "You care about Persephone. You're worried about her and sometimes that worry can manifest as guilt."
Reid sighed. He took a long sip of the well-sugared coffee that Morgan offered him and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This day was going down as the worst in his life. In some ways, it was worse than when he was kidnapped by Hankel. At least then he knew that it was just him being hurt and not a member of his family.
"I just hope that Hotch and Rossi found her and that she's alright," Reid murmured, his voice making it seem like he had aged ten years (which wouldn't make much of a difference as he was young anyway).
"Me too kid," Morgan agreed "Me too."
Reid sat down and Morgan joined him. If anything happened to Persephone… well it didn't bear thinking about. The sad thing was Persephone didn't know how much she was valued by the team. They were all deeply worried about her and hoped that whatever was happening, she would be OK in the end.
The door to the break room opened and JJ walked in. The calming aura to her presence helped Reid. She was scared for Persephone too, but she was a mother. She hid the panic for her friend well, just like she would hide it for Henry if her son was here.
"Spence," She greeted kindly "Everything's going to be alright."
"You don't know that – not for certain," Reid pointed out sadly.
"No. You're right I don't. But I do know Persephone. I know that she's smart and she's going to find a way to escape or tell us how to find her. I know that we've already traced her vehicle and there's every chance she's there." JJ answered.
Reid sighed again. They just had to wait until Hotch, and Rossi arrived at the house. It shouldn't take long. If they had the sirens on and drove like madmen ignoring every traffic code in the book, it shouldn't take them longer than fifteen minutes to arrive at their destination. Then why, was it taking so long?! Reid looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it had only been five minutes since they left. Huh. It seemed like it had been hours.
"It's true what they say about time flying," Morgan commented as though he had been reading his mind.
Reid laughed.
"What?" Morgan asked wondering if the situation was getting to him and was finally too much.
"Oh, just something Percy said about time flying. She joked that we secretly time travelled during that time which is why sometimes five minutes can seem like an hour."
"Time travel huh?" Morgan smiled.
"It's a Doctor Who thing."
Reid talked their heads off about the science behind Doctor Who. He told them about the different theories involving Quantum Mechanics. It helped passed the time while they waited to hear from Hotch and Rossi. Prentiss came in to join them shortly after they begin and the four of them chattered quietly.
In her office, Garcia was looking at a picture on her desk. It was taken the day of the doctor-who convention was consisted of the three of them. They all had big smiles. That had been a great day filled with fun and laughter. That feeling wasn't present now. She spoke quietly to the picture.
"Please, be alright," She pleaded "You have no idea how much we care about you. Please be alright."
Persephone was her friend. Garcia was one of those people that adopted people into her heart easily. She had been in this position too many times. As had all of them. Each member of the team awaited the phone call from Hotch and Rossi with nervous excitement. Each of them hoped that it would be good news, that this would come to end shortly, and they could all go home knowing their team member was alright.
Then, after what seemed a lifetime, her phone rang. It was Hotch. Soon she sped out and was running towards the conference room. She waved at the team in the break room. Once they were all in the same room, she answered on speaker.
"Boss? You're on speaker." Garcia informed him.
Before Hotch could begin to say anything, he was shut down by each member of the team. They were all speaking at once asking a hundred questions. Hotch quickly shut them all up with a shout.
"She's not here. I found a typewriter with a note in it. Garcia, I'm sending you a picture. Match it against the rest. Reid, I want you to try and decipher it."
Hello. You must be my daughter's team; I'd say it's nice to meet you, but we haven't actually met yet. Hopefully, that will change soon.
My location is hidden somewhere in this house. If that 'boy genius' is so clever, you'll find it in this cypher. I hope that he is smart enough because you have until 9:30 (local time). If you haven't found her by then, you'll never see us again...
Azq fiqzfk-fia Emuxengdk Mhqzgq Hudsuzum.
"It's the Caesar cypher," Reid recognised immediately. "But I need to know the number he used. It will save time which is what we need right now."
Hotch looked around the room. The number was going to be something important to her father. There were loads of pictures of Persephone as a child dotted around the house, but the thing was, it stopped at a certain age. Some of the pictures also featured a younger boy and girl that looked like Persephone. Her brother and sister. Hotch thought. It must have been before they died, before- suddenly it came from to him.
"Reid, what age was Persephone taken into care?" Hotch asked.
"12. That's it! It fits I have an address. One twenty-two Sailsbury Avenue, Virginia." Reid called excitedly.
The brief hope that filled him was dashed when it occurred to him that the address was far away. Time was running out to save Persephone. And that wasn't the only thing that worried them. Morgan voiced the concerns a second later.
"Hang on a second. Don't you think that that was a little too easy?" Morgan questioned "Why would he want us to find him? It may be a trap."
Reid scowled. The thought had crossed his mind, of course, it did. The only thing even if it was a trap it was the best and only tip that they had. They had to take that chance. They had no other choice.
"We haven't got time to think about that! We have to go there and try!" Reid begged.
"This may be what he wants," Morgan answered, "And if we rush in too quickly, it may end badly."
"Morgan's right. It's risky. But at the minute we have no other option. You guys are closer to the address. If any had any doubts they don't have to go. This is an unofficial assignment."
"Of course, I'll go Hotch. I just mean we need to be careful."
There was a murmur of agreement by the rest of the team. Each one knew that this could well be a trap, but they didn't have the time to discuss it. They had until half-past nine. It had just gone nine. That left them with a little over half an hour. Even though the team was closer than Hotch and Rossi, it was little at least twenty minutes away and that was if they drove like mad. Time was not on their side.
"Go!" Hotch ordered "Be careful. We'll try and find a quicker route where we are. Keep in contact everyone."
While the team were getting into action, Persephone was trying to escape the bonds that tied her to the chair she was sat in. The idea had come into her head when her chair had been knocked to the ground. The ground wasn't smooth. There were several bumps in the concrete foundation. If she was clever about it, she could use it to lever the buckle upwards and undo it.
Persephone winced as she smashed her shoulder into her ground. God that hurt. She had to work quickly. She's seen a red light in the corner of the room when it was dark. Her father had placed a camera in the corner of the room. Even if he wasn't looking at them right now, it wouldn't be long until he did. She tried once but it didn't work. Then again with the same result. Finally, it worked. It was just enough to raise the lever. As fast as lighting she used the sharp edge of the chair to pull it out of the hole. It worked!
With one hand free, she began to feel a little hope. The second buckle was easier now she had a hand free. It was still difficult. The lack of heat and movement made her hands stiff. Soon though, both hands were free and quickly after that, she was undoing the buckles that tied her legs to the chair. She was free!
It wasn't over yet though. Her father would notice soon. Thankfully, judging by the fact he had disputed her yet, he was busy doing something. With any luck whatever it was would take him some time. She didn't know what time it was but if she was right, then the team would be working on finding her. She had to escape through. First thing first, she needed to find something to defend herself with. Then when her father came in she could knock him out.
At the corner of her eye, she noticed some piping. Hoping that it wasn't important she pulled at it. She put all of her weight behind it, pushing against the wall with her feet. Thankfully what had hoped was proven true. This was an old house and the piping wouldn't take her weight. It snapped off. Finally. It was time to get out of here. Unfortunately, it also caused a load of water to fill the basement. It wouldn't be long until it flooded.
"You know vandalism's a crime right?"
Persephone turned. It was her father and he had a gun.
The BAU thundered down the road, Reid, and Morgan in one car and JJ and Prentiss in another. For once Morgan's driving skills were not criticised. If they had any chance of making one time, things like careful diving went out of the window. If you saw the two black SUVs sirens blaring and swerving to avoid cars you would wonder what was going on. The drivers were clearly panicked. You might even begin to worry yourself – the sirens declaring them as emergency vehicles. This is Quantico after all. The FBI was nearby.
"You'll need to take the lead," Reid told Morgan as he grabbed the handles "Because if I see him, I will kill him."
"I was expecting that," Morgan grunted "Don't worry. I'll go first. If he's there you won't even see him. You can stay outside with JJ and I'll go in with Prentiss."
"Thank you," Reid whispered "I would storm the Bastille for Percy, but I don't want to put her at risk. And if I kill him, she might never forgive me."
Morgan nodded but he didn't say anything. He had a suspicion that Persephone wouldn't care if her father died but he understood where Reid was coming from. Anyway, if Reid was this emotionally compromised that he could risk losing his job or going to jail if he shot Persephone's father. While Reid would gladly risk that, Morgan wasn't going to let him. Persephone would be pissed with him she found out.
The house they arrived at was different to the last one. It was large and modern. It did share certain similarities with the other house. Both seemed like ordinary family houses – the kind you might see on a website. The kind of a house a couple with children might buy. With a sickening realisation, Reid knew that Persephone's father was trying to live out a family fantasy and when that got shattered…
"Forget what I said. I'm coming in," Reid shouted as he jumped out of the car.
"Fine but get behind us!" Morgan agreed.
The four agents stormed into the house. JJ and Reid went upstairs while Morgan and Prentiss checked the ground floor. They worked quickly and efficiently as they cleared the house.
"CLEAR!"
"CLEAR!"
"CLEAR!"
"CLEAR!"
They yelled out as they passed room by room. But it seemed like the house was empty. Had they been tricked? No.
It was Morgan that noticed it. He noticed a door hidden by a bookcase. Suddenly it made sense. He had noticed a window near the bottom of the house. This place had a basement and that meant they had another room to clear. That was where Persephone was.
That was when there was a shout. Morgan and Prentiss jumped into action. It didn't take much force to shove the bookcase aside and pry open the door behind it. They went down the stairs and as they did, they could hear Reid and JJ join them.
Yes!
Persephone was there. The basement was filling with water though and Morgan and Prentiss had to be careful not to slip. Mr Ambrose noticed that the movement and grabbed hold of his daughter. He pressed the gun against her head.
"Don't come any closer!" He ordered, "Or I'll shoot!"
"Put the gun down. If your finger so much as twitches, I will shoot." Morgan shouted back trying to be heard over the rushing water.
"You're outnumbered and outgunned." Prentiss pointed out.
That was when JJ and Reid arrived. The sight of more agents made him panic. His finger closed on the trigger and a shot rang out.
Sebastian Ambrose fell to the floor. The water, now up to their knees swam past him and he laid there lifelessly. Morgan waded through the water and dragged Sebastian's body across the room. Reid enveloped Persephone in a hug. The other agents let them have their moment. It wasn't a long one. They were eager to get out of the basement and they were getting terribly wet. It didn't matter. It was over now, and Persephone was saved.
"You're OK. You're safe now." Reid comforted.
"I know," Persephone agreed. "Now let's get out here."
"You said it." Reid chuckled. He placed an arm around Persephone and lead them to the stairs. He helped her climb them and she clung to him as if her life depended on it.
"What time is it?" Persephone asked as they walked through the house.
Reid stopped to glance at his watch. "9:30. We were just in time."
"What was that?"
"I'll tell you later."
They heard the sound of sirens approaching in the distance. Reid smiled. Never had he been happier to experience the Doppler effect. The cavalry arrived. Soon Persephone would be getting some much-needed medical care. Reid thought about how much time had played into this case. It had been a race against time from the start. It was sort of ironic in a way. It was almost funny. Now that Persephone was safe, Reid's sense of humour could apricate that. It was ironic that time had played so much in helping Persephone – a Whovian through and through. Time played a big part in the magic of Doctor Who and it had been time that allowed them to save her.
Reid helped Persephone into the ambulance. Of course, like every other BAU member, she refused to go to the hospital. She kept insisting that everything was alright and that she didn't need medical aid. It was something they all seemed to have in common – stubbornness when it came to needing the hospital.
"I'm fine!" Persephone insisted.
"If you're fine then the doctors will quickly discharge you – won't they?" Reid responded.
"But-" Persephone tried again but was cut off again.
"Percy, please. For me."
Persephone noted that Reid pleading with her. His eyes were tired and old like it had been years since she'd last seen him. Not just hours. She sighed. Well, she might as well agree. What harm could it do?
"Alright Spen. For you."