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Chapter Four:
They had moved Reid to another room on a different floor as an extra security precaution with cameras. Prentiss watched Reid from a monitor on a laptop in a conference given to the team. She couldn't tell if he was sleeping or pretending to after the light sedative they had given him.
"How is he?" she asked Simmons.
He shook his head. "I thought I looked out of it when I first saw him in Mexico, but this was different. The color drained completely from his face. It was like he had seen a ghost."
"It was one of the worst days of his life," Prentiss said. "He was dead for at least a couple minutes."
"I can't imagine watching myself go through that either," Simmons said.
"Where are we on finding the source of that footage?"
"Someone hacked the FBI data banks three hours before the footage was released," Garcia said. "Cybercrimes is helping me try to identify the source, but so far, no such luck."
"What about the station breach?" Prentiss asked.
"Homeland Security and the FCC are on that," Fabry said. "It appears that every channel where programming was going to be cut into by the president was breached in a coordinated attack."
"Reid was onto something," Rossi said. "He knew Tomsk and Colone were part of something bigger. There is something much larger at play here, I just don't know what."
"What you don't know is clearly a significant problem," an imperious voice said.
Everyone turned in attention to the Queen.
"Your Royal Highness," Fabry said. "I thought you'd be halfway home by now."
"Plans have changed," she said simply.
She proceeded to stare every agent down.
"Tell me agents, what does the phrase, 'the survivors live in the shadow of the king' mean to you?"
Fabry shook his head. "Nothing showed up in searches for the meaning of the phrase."
"Have you asked Dr. Reid?" she asked.
"We're letting him rest," Prentiss said.
"It is a reference to one of the first poems written about my country during the early third century. It is a memorial to the first King, Bernard Severin. He died at the age seventeen after only four months of rule. The phrase is a threat. The survivors do not have long to live."
Prentiss was anxious to continue the investigation.
"With all due respect your Royal Highness, may I ask how we can help you?"
"The question you should be asking is, how I could be helping you?" she said.
"What do you mean?" Prentiss asked.
"My country is small with limited resources. If you have done your homework recently, you'll know we are often compared to Switzerland as it's poorer Eastern Cousin. My country's primary resource now is information technology. I have been using all of my resources to uncover the terrible story behind the footage leaked during the President's address. I was horrified to discover that was not an isolated incident. You have been failing protect one of your brightest assets for over ten years."
The Queen raised her hand slightly. "I know from the intel I have gathered that he has brought a great deal of misfortune on himself partially in some cases. Yet there is a theme: The hospital where Penelope Garcia had to shoot the man to stop him from killing Dr. Reid was not guarded with additional backup even when corruption was suspected. Cat Adams was one of the deadliest assassins in America at one time, yet no one thought to rotate the guards based on her manipulation skills? Why weren't all of the properties where there was the slightest hint of anthrax sealed off immediately? Why did none of you think to have him stay for proper withdrawal treatment after being held by Hankel?"
She looked at all of them closely. "I know none of you are directly at fault for these bad things happening to Dr. Reid, yet the pattern remains. Your country has failed Dr. Reid and I want to help. I am offering him a safe haven until the person or group behind these attacks are caught."
Fabry looked at the Queen. "With all due respect, your royal highness, what can Bodera offer that the USA cannot?"
"A government-run telecommunication system," she said. "If terrorist were to access my network, I would know in less than two seconds, because I make it a priority to allow equal access to the internet and television without judgement. If I were your president Agent Fabry, violent terror threats happen on occasion unfortunately, but massive data interruptions by terror groups, that only occurs in the cinema, this is real life and very alarming."
Prentiss then looked to the queen. "Reid would have a target on his back when he entered your country. It would be easier for a terrorist to find him in an isolated setting."
"Over the next three months I will be inviting at least six agents to consult with my country on safety measures, Dr. Reid will be among them and he won't be the only injured agent. I have chosen carefully, so there will be decoys."
"And if he refuses?" J.J. asked.
"That is his right," she said. "I will insist on sending my own bodyguards to be with him at no expense to him."
Everyone continued to stare at the Queen. No one knew quite what to say.
"I know you are scared for your friend. I am too, and this is why I want to help him. I plan on leaving in an hour. When he has recovered enough to fly in a few days, he is welcome to join me. I have reassigned an agent from the Boderian consulate to join his security team until he joins me."
She nodded briefly. "Good Day," she said and left.
Fabry stared after her. "How did she know about the anthrax attack?"
Rossi sighed. "If she knows about that, I am afraid of what she might be holding back."
Prentiss was watching the monitor. The queen had entered his room and gently caressed his cheek. Reid opened his eyes and grabbed her hand.
"Are you real?" he asked.
"Always, Dr. Reid," she said.
"Call me Spencer," he said.
"Then call me Caroline," she said.
"I couldn't," he said.
"You can," she said and continued to caress his cheek.
"You are in grave danger, Spencer," she said softly.
"I know," he said. "I don't have long to live in the shadow of the king."
"Neither do I," she said. "But I have a plan: Join me."
"In Bodera? I can't."
"Why not?"
"It is dangerous."
She sat on the side of the bed continued to rub his cheek.
"Tell me Spencer, do you trust me?"
"Yes," he said.
"Do you trust me to look out for your interests and your safety?"
"Yes."
"Then come with me," she said. "Come when you are discharged from the hospital and not a second later."
"Is there another reason you want me to come?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "But I won't say while your whole team is probably watching from a monitor."
"I understand," he said. "I'll think about it."
"Inform Agent Fabry of your decision and his people will be in contact with mine. They may not appear to be Boderian but they have all sworn loyalty to my country and betrayal is still punishable by beheading in my country," she said with smile.
"But in all but twelve known instances throughout history, the sentence has been commuted to life in prison."
"There are only eleven," she said with a laugh.
"King Victor's horse," he said.
Her smile grew enormous.
"I look forward to seeing you," she said.
"We'll see Your Royal Highness."
"Sleep well Spencer," she said getting up.
"Safe travels, Caroline."
She left and the whole team held their breath. After waiting two minutes, everyone rushed forward.
Reid looked at them briefly before helping himself to some water.
"I'm thinking about it," he said. "That is all I will say tonight."
But Prentiss could hear a smile in his voice that was hard to deny.