THIRD PERSON POV
The BAU was in the middle of trying to figure out what they were going to do to trick Nicolas and, possibly, Caroline, if she was truly involved. They were in the middle of talking when Agent Wright appeared at the door.
"Agent Hotchner, can we have the room?" the stern woman asked. Hotch nodded and his team cleared the room, Rossi shutting the door tightly.
"Ma'am?"
"The CIA has made its decision in how we will be proceeding with this… incident," the woman said, sitting at the table. Hotch sat with her.
"And what would this decision be?"
"We are going to give them what they ask for," Agent Wright said, "as long as they give us locations to two terrorist cells that we have been tracking for the past couple years."
"Respectfully," Hotch said, "I would advise against that… Giving into these demands will likely give you the locations of these terrorist cells, but they will not hesitate to kill Danielle."
Agent Wright said nothing, swallowed, and began to fiddle her fingers ever so-slightly.
"Unless you never intended on getting her back alive," Hotch said, realization flooding his eyes. "You were trying to figure out what you really wanted from them."
"Agent Hotchner-" Agent Wright began, but Hotch cut her off.
"I thought that she was a valuable witness to you?"
"She is, and the hope is that she will be freed," Agent Wright said, "however, the CIA wants to ensure that we will be getting something viable from the loss of multiple criminals. I wish I had better news for you, Agent Hotchner, but heads of the FBI, CIA, and US Marshals have already signed off on it. We just need to have your head negotiator for this case call the number to set it up."
"This is wrong," Hotch said, his eyes flickering out the window to where his team was waiting.
"It's what we have to do," she said. "I wish there was another way, but I think we both knew the chances of Danielle getting out of this alive were never high to begin with."
Hotch knew in his mind that there was no way to change the woman's mind on the matter.
"Just, let me get Dr. Reid out of the room," he said. Agent Wright merely nodded as Hotch left the room.
"Reid. Garcia," Hotch barked.
"Sir?" Garcia asked.
"We are going to call again, so I need you back on tracking the call," Hotch said, giving Garcia a look. She swallowed, knowing that the point of this wasn't to find Nicolas, but to get Reid away from whatever was about to go down.
"On it sir," Garcia said, grabbing Reid and dragging him with her. Once they were out of earshot, Hotch called the team together.
"We are contacting them again. Agent Wright," he said, nodding his head towards the woman, "will brief you on what we want to get through to them." Morgan nodded as Agent Wright approached, explaining what was going on, omitting the suspicion that Danielle wouldn't survive.
"Try to see if you can get the boss on the line," Agent Wright finally said, a move that shocked Hotch. "If we can get audio on them, we can confirm whether this Caroline person is involved."
"Okay, I got it," Morgan said, dialing the number, putting the call on speaker.
It rung for a few moments, before it picked up.
"Hello?" Nicolas asked.
"This is Agent Morgan with the FBI."
"Do you have safe passage for us?" Nicolas asked.
"Yes, but in order to give you that, we need a few more things from you," Morgan said.
"Like what?"
"We are going to need the locations of two terrorist cells that the CIA has been tracking for the past few years, a group called Irradat Allah and another one called Almawt Lilkifaar."
There was a pause before Nicolas responded.
"We can do that."
"We?" Morgan asked, seeing a way to get someone else on the line. "Is that your boss with you there?"
"Boss?" Nicolas asked, laughing, "I am in charge, I assure you."
"See, I don't think so," Morgan said. "I think that you are the figure head, but that someone else is calling the shots."
"You can think whatever you want," Nicolas said, "but that doesn't change the truth."
"Fine. We are also going to need the body of Caroline Mays," Morgan said, ignoring Agent Wright's clear signal to not mention the woman.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Nicolas said.
"Why? Is it because there's not a body to give to us?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Is Caroline Mays working with you?" Morgan asked. There was a pregnant pause before a new voice came on the phone.
"Hello," a sweet voice said.
"Who am I speaking to?"
"This is Caroline," the woman said, "or, at least, that's how you know me."
"What is your name?"
"You can call me Madeline," she said.
"Are you calling the shots?"
"Am I in charge of this whole operation?" she drawled. "Yes, of course, I did have a rather grand way of showing that off, but I suppose a dramatic phone call is just as good."
"Well, Madeline," Derek said, "we need locations."
"I'll get them to you when you get the transportation to me."
"We do need one last thing," Morgan said. "We need proof of life."
"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment," Madeline said.
"Why is that?"
"I'm afraid that our lovely Dani is, how should I say this, a little beat down from the whole ordeal," Madeline said, the whole team picking up on her tone.
"Well, then, I'm afraid that I can't get transportation to you," Morgan said.
"Fine, just give me a moment," she said. There was the familiar sound of a door opening. Then a sharp smack.
"Say hello," Madeline said, her voice dark and deep/
"What?" came a slurred voice. Danielle.
"Danielle, this is Agent Morgan. How are you?"
"I… I can't-" Danielle murmured out, unable to open her eyes, both from exhaustion and her left eye being swollen. "I wish could say I am well."
"We are working on getting you out, okay?"
"Don't give them what they want… they're going to-" Danielle spit out before another sharp sound emitted from the phone's speaker.
"Proof of life. I'll send locations of the two groups and directions on how to get the transportation to me. You have until 7pm tomorrow," Madeline hissed into the line, the call ending abruptly.
The room was silent until a voice from behind me.
"She's going to die, isn't she?" Spencer said, his face stoic, but his eyes welling with tears.
No one spoke.
No one wanted to lie to him.