Derailed- 1:9
Harita's POV
"Shit!" I yelled as I fell off my skateboard near my desk, landing on my ass. I, sometimes, would skate from the elevator to the BAU office, if the doors were wide open for me to pass through without opening them myself. Today was the case. I skated how I normally would, until Derek decided to stick his foot out in the middle of the path way. I swivered in time, but I still managed to fall, making Derek laugh. I took my skateboard and wacked his shin with it. He then howled in pain and I laughed. I got up, walked to my desk and sat down on my chair, and put my stuff away. I looked around and saw that everyone was there, besides Elle, which was weird because she was never late.
"Hey Morgs, where is Elle?"
"Texas, she went to do a custodial interview with William Devries." Derek said rubbing his shin. "Do you mind getting me some ice."
"Haha, nope, you deserved that." I said. Morgan sighed but smiled.
"Hey guys." JJ called from the top of the conference room. She signaled us to get inside.
...
*CUE INTRO*
(For one of the 'pictures' in the intro, imagine Harita fidgeting with a pen, looking at a map with her left eyebrow raised.)
...
"Okay, this is from one of the security cameras inside the train. 5 hostages in a car stopped on the tracks. We have one security guard dead from the initial gun fire." JJ said as we sat down and watched the security footage from the train that was live.
"Is this going on right now?" Spencer asked.
"Yeah, in west Texas."
"Why are they asking for us?" Derek questioned.
"There is a particular psychological aspect of the hostage taker, which we're especially equipped to handle." Aaron answered.
"Can you back the picture up a few frames?" Spencer asked JJ, who did as told. "Tardive dyskinesia."
"Hey Reid, not all of us have an eidetic memory and an IQ of 187, speak english please." I said.
"Several facial tics. The kind that develops after years of taking anti-psychotic medication."
"So this guy is psychotic." Derek said.
"Psychotic with hostages."
"And two guns." Aaron and JJ added.
"Hostage situation on the train?" Gideon asked after finally joining us.
"Yeah, in Texas." JJ said.
"The train in Texas. My god!" Gideon gasped.
"What?" I asked.
"Elle!" I looked at the security footage and saw Elle, a few feet away from the unsub. I sighed.
I will shred Texas to pieces if I have to.
…
You know what sucks about having six people and one car. Nothing, we just had to get a bigger car, one with seven seats, which was nice because we wouldn't have to be so cramped up. I was munching on some green apples, occasionally giving some to Reid, who was sitting next to me in the back.
"Local authorities have the train surrounded. Bureau, hostage rescue teams and snipers are in position. But they are hesitant to take actions until the negotiation is exhausted. The feeds from the train's two video cameras are being routed to monitors on a mobile command center that the local bureau office brought in." JJ said.
"We need to know who on that train is going to be a help and who's gonna be a problem." Hotch addressed.
"All right, let me get Garcia to work some magic on those video feeds." Morgan said, pulling out his phone.
"Do we have any contact inside the train yet?" Gideon asked JJ, since she is the communications liaison.
"No. It took two hours to convince them to wait for the phone. But he won't speak to anyone except what he calls the higher authorities."
"God?" I suggested.
"No mention of religion thus far."
"Has crisis negotiation's lead claimed to be the higher authority?" Hotch asked.
"The unsub won't speak to him any longer. He gave a deadline of three hours to produce this authority."
"Three hours, When was that?" Spencer asked.
"Um-"
"Two hours and 27 minutes ago." I said, finishing for JJ. Everyone just glanced at me. "Sorry" I muttered. Curse my math powers. I thought. Spencer put a reassuring hand on my knee.
"Well, he wants to speak to the higher authority." Hotch said.
"Then we better give it to him." Gideon announced. "Put the lights on, sirens, honk the horns, make people get out of our way. Get as close to the barricade as possible. When we stop, we sit. We wait 30 seconds. Then we step out." And que the dramatic entrance.
...
"Don't look at the train. Ignore it." Gideon said as we got out of the car, or well, stumbled out for Spencer and I. The con of being in the back was that you had to climb over seats, and we both have long legs, so we kinda fell. But soon we got out. "The higher authority isn't concerned about losing a few civilians."
"I'll talk to the HRT commander." Hotch said.
"I'm Frank Moretti, Dallas field office." He shook his hand with Gideon. "Near as we can tell, your agent is still all right."
"Has the subject asked for anything, made any demands?" Gideon asked.
"Not beyond wanting to talk to a higher authority." Mr. Moretti said. "How do we negotiate with a psychotic who won't talk to us?"
"That depends on the level of his particular delusion."
"Some psychotics believe they're being sent messages by the government god, even aliens. John Nash, he believed he was being recruited by aliens to save the world." Spencer said.
"I saw the movie."
"Actually, the movie is rather inaccurate in its portrayal of-"
"Ok, doc, doc, doc a movie review is not gonna help us right now." Derek said, cutting Reid off. "You're right."
"His delusions are important because that's what we have to play to." Gideon said.
"So the question of the day…"
"What does he believe is happening here?" I answered for Morgan.
"Good luck. I tried to convince him I was the highest authority but he wouldn't believe me." Mr. Moretti said.
"Well, he's paranoid. He believes in secrets. If I'm the higher authority, I don't go to him. He comes to me. We have to help him ask the first question."
"Hey, check this out." Reid notified, drawing our attention to the screen, which is showing the security footage. The unsub grabbed a woman's hair and dragged her on top of another woman. Elle got up and started yelling at the unsub, probably saying to take her instead. A guy stood up, but the unsub hit him with the back of his gun, then pointing it at another person. He then dragged the woman he had his hand on to the phone at the back of the train, pointing a gun at her. She then picked up the phone, and the phone at the trailer rang. Gideon went and answered it.
"Yes?"
"He wants to know who you are. He wants to know who just arrived." The woman answered.
"Tell him it's someone who can help resolve the situation."
"What part of the government do you work for?"
"I never said I was with the government."
"What part of-!" The woman screamed as the unsub pointed the gun at her stomach. She's pregnant. "Are you FBI?"
"He can ask me himself."
"Tell me who you are, or this agent dies!" The unsub demanded after he took the phone.
"You know who I am."
"If you're the higher authority then you can have it removed?" The unsub asked. Derek and I looked at each other confused. Have what removed?
"That'll take some time."
"I want it removed now." The unsub ordered.
"You know it can't be done that quickly. Good-bye."
"No! Wait!" The unsub screamed. Ok. All right. One hour. You have one hour to remove it or I swear to god, I'll kill every agent on this train."
"It?" Mr. Moretti asked. "He wants it removed? Do you know what it is?"
"No. We just bought an hour, though, to figure it out." Gideon said.
…
After 21 minutes of thinking, we got nothing. Aaron came in to help.
"We have 39 minutes and 24 seconds left." I said, taking a bite out of my Clif Bar.
"Reid, is there a delusion more common than others to a paranoid mind in a psychotic episode?" Hotch asked.
"Delusions are as varied as the people that have them. They're colored by personal experience."
"His arm." Gideon said.
"What?" Mr. Moretti asked.
"Look at his arm." I looked at it, and there were cuts scattered everywhere, as if he tried to dig something out.
"What is that?" Spencer asked.
"They look like scars." Morgan presumed.
"The places he tried to dig it out with a razor or a pen." Gideon said.
"Dig what out?" I asked.
"Maybe a microchip?"
"Oh, man. It's almost as common a delusion as claiming to be the new Messiah. Ralph Tortorici held an entire classroom hostage because he believed microchips had been implanted in his body." Spencer recalled.
"Wait a minute. This guy thinks he has some kind of device stuck in his arm?" Morgan questioned.
"Probably, and if we don't take it out, he's gonna kill somebody." Gideon concluded, just as Morgan's phone rang. A few minutes later, he came back.
"Tell me about the hostages." Gideon asked.
"Ok. Let's see. First we've got Harry Anderson. He's a paper goods salesman. Lived in a small home just outside of Dallas for 18 years with his wife. He's got no children, no investments, no company retirement portfolio." Morgan started.
"He doesn't take chances. So, what about the kid?" Gideon asked.
"Kid's name, Josh Patel. He's 20 years old. He just got expelled from Gillett university for driving his car into the library building drunk."
"He's drinking now, and we don't need a drunk in there." I said.
"Ok. The girl- we don't have a lot to go on. Nothing more than her driver's license. Her name's Elaine Curtis. She lives in a small town in west Texas. She's got no credit cards, no passport. Doesn't look like she travels much at all. Next is Dr. Linda Deaton. She's a psychiatrist at Stokes mental health center in El Paso. That's where Ted Bryar's-
"The unsub?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's where he's been living for the last 9 years. She's unmarried, lives in El Paso. She's written several books and papers mainly published in medical circles. She's a popular lecturer. She's scheduled to speak at several symposiums this year and tonight in Dallas. That's it. That's all I got. Garcia's in the process of looking deeper but I don't really see how this lineup is gonna be much of a help to us."
"Well, let's just hope none of them makes the situation worse." Gideon said.
"All right, how do we remove a microchip that's not there?" Aaron asked.
"His speech is lucid. There's no sign of neologisms, word salad, or loosening of associations. As long as he can systemize he'll be able to keep his thinking relatively organized." "Organized enough to see through any game we try to throw at him?" Morgan asked.
"And if he's convinced it's in his arm and not in a place like his lower back or his neck-"
"An incision means he's gonna be watching." Gideon finished for Hotch.
"Maybe we can just convince him that he's been looking in the wrong place." Morgan suggested.
"Or we could fake it. Conceal a chip in the palm, a little sleight of hand." Reid proposed.
"Really, a magic trick?" I asked, deadpanned.
"Yeah, I'm talking about a magic trick."
"No." Hotch demanded.
"I used to do it during college exams. I can make it appear, I can make it disappear." Reid encouraged, making a coin disappear.
"We can't risk giving him another agent as a hostage." Hotch said.
"We have to do something."
"All right, Reid. Let's go. Teach it to me." Morgan said.
"What? No."
"Look, if you can do it, I can do it. Show it to me."
"That's not how magic works." I said.
"Yeah. I've been practicing this my whole life. We have less than 30 minutes."
"27 minutes and 53 seconds." I corrected.
"Reid, I am not about to let you get on that train with an armed psychotic." Morgan insisted.
"We don't have any other choice, do we?"
"No. We don't have any other choice." Morgan sighed.
...
"Reid, please do not take this vest off." I said as Morgan strapped it onto him.
"In hostage situations S. W. A. T. sometimes won't even tell the negotiator when they're deciding to go in. Do you know why that is?" Morgan asked.
"Because the slightest change in tone of voice or choice of words can give the whole thing away." Reid answered.
"That's right. Don't make eye contact with Elle. You're a technician. You've never seen her before."
"Got it."
"Now remember, play into the guy's fantasy. Believe it yourself." I said.
"Actually, did you know that dentists and surgeons have been recruited to secretly implant these during otherwise normal medical procedures? This has been happening on and off since the late 1930s. You told me to believe."
"Okay Genius, let's go." I teased.
"All right. One government-issued microchip." Hotch said, showing it to us. It was a pretty small chip, smaller than my nail.
...
"You gotta relax, man." Morgan said as Reid dropped the chip for the hundredth time. He was practicing his trick and we were outside.
"The chip's a lot smaller than I'm used to doing it with, all right?"
"I'm pulling the plug on this." Gideon said.
"No, no, hold on. One more." Reid did it again, but this time, perfect.
"Take his chip out. Then get off the train. You understand? Tell him you need to get back to the higher authority. Say you have guidelines to follow, whatever. Do not stay in there with him. That's an order." Gideon said.
"Yes, sir. Could you guys do me a favor?" Reid asked.
"Anything." Morgan replied.
"Could at least one of you look like you're gonna see me again?"
"Should I cancel the funeral?" I asked, putting my phone down. Morgan gave me a sly smile and nodded. At least I made one person smile so far. "I'm kidding, you'll be fine. You're the kid with an IQ of 187. See you when you get back." Reid smiled and left to get onto the train. That's number two. We went back into the trailer and watched the scene unfold. It was going smoothly until Reid took off his vest.
"Damn it, Reid, I said don't take the vest off." Morgan complained as I muttered a 'fuck'. Reid went to the unsub, made a cut into his arm using a precision knife, and 'took out the chip'.
"Hey, look, he's got it. He's got the chip." Morgan said.
"Something's wrong." I said, since Reid wasn't getting out. Soon the unsub had a gun pointed at Reid.
"Get off the train. Get out of there." Gideon said.
"All right, it seems calm for now." JJ said, once the gun was out of Reid's aim.
"Reid's still on the train." I said.
"Now we have 2 agents in there." Gideon went to call the phone that was on the train. No one was picking up the phone. Soon Bryer shot his doctor, Dr. Deaton, in the stomach with the gun. Everyone besides Bryer went to help her. He instead went to answer the phone.
"What happened, Ted? I did what you asked for."
"I'm tired. I've been fighting you for so long." The unsub admitted.
"You don't have to fight anymore."
"I said it all ends today. Me, these agents, it all ends today." Ted put the phone down.
"What does that mean?" JJ asked.
"It means he's decided on an end game." Aaron answered.
"He's going to kill himself and the hostages." Gideon added. He tried calling Ted again, but a few seconds passed, he shot the phone with his gun.
Just great.
"Let me know when HRT is ready." Gideon told Hotch.
"Gideon, you send those guys in there hostages are going to die." Morgan warned.
"For once, I agree with him." I added.
"Yeah. If we don't do something they're going to die anyway." Giden counter-argued. I was watching the security camera when all of a sudden Reid stood up. He started talking to the unsub, possibly negotiating with. A few minutes later, Gideon got impatient.
"This has gone on too long. I'm going in." He left the trailer. Soon later, a guy, who was identified as Harry Anderson, took his gun and shot Ted, knocking him down. I looked at Morgan, and any evidence of stress wiped off from our faces. I rushed out of the trailer and saw Reid. We connected eyes and I sprinted towards him. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug, so tight he might as well go purple.
"Glad to know you're okay" I muttered.
"Glad to be okay." He said back. We let go and I soon saw Elle, who I sprinted over to and hugged the life out of her.
"This is why I hate Texas." I said.
"This is why I will now hate it too."
"Let's get you checked out."
...
"Gideon, will you tell them that I don't need to go to the hospital?" Elle complained.
"Regulations are regulations. You're all right?" Gideon asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, dad."
"Elle. Don't ever call me dad again." Gideon walked away.
"What do you think he'd feel about mom?" Elle asked.
"Let me know when you're going to do that so I can run." Reid said.
"Should I tell you that I already did it?" I queried.
"I'm surprised he still likes you." Elle said.
"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I'm a very likeable person, thank you very much. I'm going to go and check on the victims." I said, as they nodded.
And at the end of the day, we were all alright. Well, physically.
I always wondered what happened to the interview that Elle was supposed to go to. Also I got my first review!
futureSSA: Happy late birthday! Hope you had an awesome day. Good luck to you and your FBI internship. I do wish I had the same IQ as her, I can't even spell properly. I have the spelling abilities of a three year old. Awww, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Happy early Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans!
Toodles,
HernameisBurrito