Author: TemporaryUniverse
WC: 3349 (14897 Total)
Warnings: minor character death by stabbing
Chapter 7: The Endless Sleep
Day 3 ~ 7:50 am
REID
Reid didn't move after the man left. He simply laid on the cold, concrete floor, his brain trying to shut everything out. He wasn't thinking anymore. His mind, usually full of activity, had given up on him. So he lay still. The TV had been turned back on, but he didn't get up. There wasn't a point anymore. He let the cold envelop him, but barely felt it.
Then, as if it were from far away, he heard a thump. It didn't matter to him until he heard it again. He sat up slowly. Wincing as his body and wounds protested. With immense effort, impeded by his handcuffed wrists, he dragged himself over to the wall and collapsed against it. He heard the thump again, louder this time. It seemed to bring him back to reality, and he gradually became aware of his surroundings again.
He felt something on his face and reached up to wipe it off. His fingers brushed the wetness on his cheeks. He paused. They were tears. I'm crying? The thought came into his mind, surprising him slightly. He rubbed vigorously at his face, drying the tears. I have to be strong. I am not weak. I am not weak. He tried desperately to hold back more tears, but the harder he tried, the more difficult it was to push the memories out of his mind. Helplessness and terror washed over him, a feeling he was getting used to. He couldn't stop the torrent of tears that began streaming down his face. He sobbed. The recent events were catching up to him and he felt himself breaking. I am weak.
The tears had dried, and his sobs had been reduced to hiccups before he heard the thump again. Reid slowly stood up, leaning on the wall for support. He bit his lip to keep from crying out when he put weight on his injured leg. Standing up, he heard another sound, not a thump, but a clink of metal. He looked down and saw the chain around his ankle. His eyes followed the metal links to where they were connected to the sturdy-looking ring on the wall. He blinked a few times. His mind was still in shock and it was hard to understand even simple things.
The thump came again, and he tore his eyes away from the chain, tilting his head to gaze at the wall opposite him. It was only then that he saw the thick metal rings at regular intervals around the entire chamber. Did I miss those before? He continued to examine the room. His mind registered the table, and he frowned when he realized that the chair he had been in previously was no longer there. The thump came again, and he was able to pinpoint it. It was coming from somewhere above him, around the area by the stairs and door. He pushed away from the wall, stumbling slightly.
He dragged himself as far away from the wall as the shackles on his ankle would allow, which wasn't very far. He waited and listened with all his strength, but he didn't hear anything else.
Slightly disappointed, he made his way back to the wall. When he sat back down, a wave of fatigue washed over him. The young genius gave in and welcomed the relief of sleep.
He was pulled abruptly from his peace when the door to his cell banged open. He raised his head blearily and with fear. The man was back. There was someone else with him, though. Who is she? He thought, bewildered. The man was tying her tightly to the table. Reid could tell she was screaming and yelling, though a gag stifled her cries. She was fighting the man, but he was too strong and she couldn't seem to break free.
Reid was scared. He had a horrible feeling that this woman, whoever she was, was going to die. "What are you doing?" He managed to ask, his voice raspy from screaming. There was no answer. After the woman had been chained to the table with wire, the man left, the door closing and locking behind him. Reid stood up. He wished he could help her, but he couldn't reach her. He pulled at his chain, causing it to rattle, and the woman turned to face him. It was obvious that she was startled. She hadn't expected anyone else there. She looked at him, her face full of fear until she took in the chain on his ankle and his handcuffed arms.
She blinked, and her struggling stopped for a moment. They stared at each other in silence. Then the door opened again, and the man appeared. Reid flinched away from him as he slowly and deliberately made his way towards the young agent. He pulled his focus from the bound woman and kept his head down, wanting to pull away from the man, but being unable to.
The man reached him. "Don't try anything, Dr. Reid. You know the consequences." He glanced toward the TV that was still on in the corner as a reminder. Reid followed his gaze and bit his lip before turning his eyes back to the floor. He stood rigid as the man unhooked his shackles from the wall. The man put a hand on the doctor's tense back and pushed him forward towards the woman. Reid gritted his teeth, letting out a hiss as pain traveled up his leg.
They approached the table, and Reid was attached to another hook on the wall. From here, he could clearly see the fear in her blue eyes. The man held up a knife, causing Reid and the women to both instinctively stiffen.
The woman was breathing hard and struggling again. Then something unexpected happened. The man handed the knife to Reid. The young genius stared at him, his brain struggling to comprehend the actions of the sadist before him. All his confusion was dispersed in the next moment, though, by the man's words.
"Kill her." Reid felt frozen. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. Finally, a small disbelieving noise escaped his throat. The man just laughed.
"Did you not hear me? Stab her!" The man near shouted, the look of cruel glee never leaving his face.
"Of course, if you need me to I can help you do it." He grabbed Reid's hands and forced him to grip the knife. Reid began to shake. He was finding it hard to breathe and couldn't take his eyes off the glinting silver blade he held in his fingers.
"Come on, Dr. Reid. If you don't do this, I'll have little Henry take her place." The man's predatory grin grew larger when any color that still existed in Reid's pale skin vanished. The agent looked into the face of his tormentor, not bothering to hide the fear in his hazel eyes. He twisted the knife in his trembling hands so that it was gripped correctly.
The man's face lit up. Reid turned his focus away from him and chewed at his lip. I have to protect Henry. He was not going to let anything happen to his godson.
The brown-haired genius stood awkwardly in the doorway of the hospital room, gazing at the beautiful woman before him.
"Spence, hi." Her face was one of pure joy.
"Welcome back," Hotch said.
Reid smiled at them and let out a nervous breath, "Wow." He couldn't stop staring at the newborn in his best friend's arms. "Congratulations," he told the proud father. He reached out and shook Will's hand.
"Thank you." The husband and father's Cajun drawl tinted the words.
"How is it that I just went through 15 hours of labor, and, you look worse than I do?" JJ teased him, injecting her humor into the happy room.
"Don't be ridiculous," Reid grinned honestly, "You look beautiful."
JJ glanced at her husband, who took the hint and told them, "Well, I could sure use, uh, some coffee, anyone else? My treat."
The rest of the BAU team gathered agreed. Giving sincere smiles to JJ and Reid before exiting the room, leaving the two friends alone.
"You okay?" JJ asked him as he made his way closer to the bed.
"Yeah, yeah, you?" Reid was nervous, and felt awkward, but was filled with an intense joy for JJ and her baby boy.
"Yeah, you sure 'cause, there—there's something I need to ask you, but, it can wait." JJ seemed just as nervous as he did, though he had no idea why.
"What is it?" He asked her.
JJ smiled and looked down at her baby, "Will and I were talking and, um, we want you to be Henry's godfather." She glanced back up at him.
Reid was happily surprised. He struggled to find the words to express himself. "I don't even know. I don't know, um," he said breathlessly. He reacted awkwardly when JJ held out her newborn to him.
"Shh, it's okay, here you go." JJ placed the baby in his arms. Reid, unsure, made small noises of protest before accepting the small boy.
"Hi," he stared down at his godson, "Hello, Henry."
"If anything should happen to us, it's up to you and Garcia to make sure this boy gets into Yale," JJ confided.
"Oh, Yale. Do you want to go to Yale, Henry?" He asked the sleeping child. "Yale was your godfather's safety school. Don't worry," he whispered conspiratorially to the baby, "I can get you into CalTech with one phone call." Reid was still having trouble believing that JJ would want him to be her son's godfather. At the same time, he felt honored, he would do anything for JJ. If that meant being her child's godfather he would gladly accept.
Reid felt himself tearing up at the memory, one of the best in his life. He had made a promise that day to protect and guide the young boy and he would give his life to do it. What he couldn't figure out was if he would give someone else's. The image of his beloved godson had forced its way to the front of his mind. He took a deep breath and hesitantly held the sharp blade over the woman. He couldn't look at her face, but he knew what it looked like. He had been there, chained, terrified, knowing her life could end in a single second and not understanding why. He could feel the man's presence beside him. You have the knife. If you stab him, you can get free and Henry will be safe. He paused, realizing that if it didn't work, he would just condemn Henry and the woman before him to death.
However, he lost his chance. "Don't even think about it," the man growled, moving to the other side of the table. He grabbed Reid's pale hands and thrust them and the knife down. The woman screamed through the black cloth in her mouth, and though it was muffled, it seemed to pierce its way into every cell of his body. His breathing shallowed and quickened. The young genius squeezed his eyes shut and tried to keep himself from hyperventilating when he yanked the knife out.
There was no going back.
UNSUB
The man was angry. When he had arrived home, Sarah had been thumping the floor, trying to escape. She had almost gotten free, too. He couldn't allow that. If she escaped, his plan would be ruined, and he would have to start again. It was even unlikely that he wouldn't be able to start again and take his revenge against Dr. Reid.
The man decided that she would have to die earlier than he had wanted. He couldn't take any risks. He grabbed Sarah by her chestnut hair, his thick fingers digging into her scalp, causing her to yelp into her gag in pain. He dragged her over to the metal door and punched a password into the high-tech keypad. He yanked the door open and pulled Sarah roughly down the stairs.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dr. Reid begin to sit up from his position on the floor. The man lifted Sarah onto the table and used wire to tie her wrists and ankles down. It cut into her wrists and made them bleed. The woman winced, but her protests were stifled by the gag. The man glanced over to Dr. Reid, seeing his eyes widen with confusion and fear.
The man hid his smile and left the room to go get his knife.
When he returned, Dr. Reid was standing at the end of his tether, staring at the woman. The man began to walk towards the genius, and he felt extreme satisfaction when the young man flinched. He pulled out a key and unlocked the chain from the ring and then pushed Dr. Reid to the other end of the room. He felt his anticipation growing. He attached Dr. Reid's shackles to the wall, looking both of his captives over and feeling delighted at the undisguised fear pooling in both sets of eyes. He held up the knife, "Kill her." He made his voice hard and low as he handed the metal tool to Dr. Reid. The young man began to tremble. The confusion and horror written on his face was rewarding. Dr. Reid made a small noise, and the man laughed. This is too good!
"Did you not hear me? Stab her!" He couldn't get over the young man's fear, it enthralled him. "Of course, if you need me to I can help you do it." He could tell that it was torturing Dr. Reid to be forced to kill Sarah.
The agent simply stared at the knife. His body was shaking even harder.
"Come on, Dr. Reid. If you don't do this, I'll have little Henry take her place." That got a reaction. The already pale doctor went as white as a ghost, and the man knew he had reached a decision when the young man adjusted his grip on the knife. There were now unshed tears burning in Dr. Reid's eyes.
It took the man a second to register Dr. Reid's shift in position and the slight change in his expression. He smiled when he realized what the other man was considering, "Don't even think about it." Though he knew that he would easily be able to overpower the young man, he moved to the opposite side of the table, putting Sarah between them. Seeing that Dr. Reid was still hesitating, he decided to take the initiative. He grabbed the trembling hands and stabbed Sarah in the stomach. Her moans of pain were like music to his ears, and when he focused back on Dr. Reid, he saw the tears streaming down the young man's face.
"She's not dead yet, Dr. Reid," he said. The implications of the sentence were full of warning, and of evil. Dr. Reid understood and raised the knife again, and continued to stab the prone body before him until her breath left her. Blood flowed from the wounds and glassy blue, pain-filled eyes stared in betrayal at the ceiling. When she was finally dead, Dr. Reid stumbled backwards with a sob and dropped the knife. It fell with a clatter to the floor, its metallic ringing sounding throughout the concrete prison.
The man grinned and decided to leave the two alone. He collected the bloodstained knife and exited. Revenge felt sweet.
Day 3 ~ 11:32 am
HOTCH
Another body had been found. The victim was identified as Sarah Hendrix, their missing woman. She was 26 years old, a waitress at a local restaurant, and she was working her way through nursing school. Hotch stared with a heavy sadness down at the body, her long, tangled brown hair splayed haphazardly across the ground beneath her head, her eyes staring up into nothing. He had panicked when they were told there was another body, thinking that it was Spencer, until someone had told him that the victim was female. Now he just felt disgust. Prentiss came up behind him and shook her head when she saw the body.
"I've talked with the police. They weren't able to give us much. CSI didn't identify anything on the body. Our guy cleans up well." She seemed defeated. There was a dullness in her dark eyes. Hotch nodded exhaustedly. He knew that if they couldn't find Spencer before it was too late, the team would fall apart. It would destroy them. He didn't voice his worry, though.
He simply stated, "Let's get back to the others."
Prentiss didn't protest and so the pair made their way to the FBI's standard-issue, black SUV that was waiting for them.
The ride back to the building where they worked was punctuated by an uncomfortable silence. Both of them wanted to break it, but the solemnness of the situation kept them quiet. When they got back to the office, the pair met the rest of the team in the conference room. The other profilers raised their heads and looked up at them, daring to hope they had found something. Hotch sighed and shook his head, and the defeat of before returned to every face. There was nothing they could do.
A few hours earlier, Hotch had suggested that they try and sleep, but rest was the farthest thing from any of their minds, and Hotch's order was half-hearted. He couldn't even convince himself. Spencer's screams from the video still haunted him.
There was so much evidence to go through, so many angles to solve, and yet even after going through every one of them, they still had nothing. Despite this, the team continued to work, rechecking, reexamining, and rethinking everything they knew.
30 minutes later, they were still coming up empty-handed. Through his fatigue, Hotch perceived the ringing of a phone. He realized it was his and pulled it out, checking the number.
"Garcia, tell me you have something." He put the phone on speaker so that the entire team could hear.
"Indeed, I do, my liege. The ME has sent me the preliminary autopsy report for Sarah Hendrix." Garcia's normally chipper tone was less bright than usual, but they could tell she was trying to keep the optimism going.
"What does it say?" Dave asked.
"Well, she was stabbed a total of 15 times—" She was cut off by JJ.
"Only 15?"
"Yes, my pretties, but they were able to determine that it was the same knife that killed our four men. There were also ligature marks around her wrists and ankles. It looks like they were made with a wire. There was also no evidence of sexual assault," Garcia replied.
"Alright, thanks Garcia. Did you find anything else?" Hotch demanded.
"Yeah, I have about 20 possibilities here, sending them to you now…"
"Thanks, Baby Girl," Morgan called from across the room.
"Of course, my darlings, you just make sure you find him. Meanwhile, I will continue spelunking through cyberspace!" She ended the call with a final, "Garcia out."
Hotch closed his phone and turned to his team, "Go home and get some sleep, then meet back here at one"
Several protests echoed through the room, but Hotch raised his hand and they fell silent.
"I know that you want to keep working, but we are no use to Reid if we aren't working at full capacity. At least get some food and a shower. When we get back, I'm going to head to the morgue with Rossi. Hopefully, the full autopsy will be finished by then. Everyone else can see if there is anything in the 20 files Garcia sent."
Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ all nodded and left. None of them were happy about Hotch's orders. As much as they didn't want to give in to their exhaustion, they knew it was necessary to refresh themselves at home, but each one of them also knew that they wouldn't be getting any sleep.
