Part 3

We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.

George Bernard Shaw

Chapter 16

Abandoned Medical Imaging Center
DeKalb, IL

Of course there were bodies. They expected bodies.

"What happened?" Hotch asked as they walked up to the crime scene.

The chief nodded to the officer sitting on the trunk of his unit. He looked terribly young. "When Johnson and I first came out here on the noise complaint there were just a bunch of guys working out here. They said they were fixing it up because it was going to re-open. Had a genny going and everything. I knew something was bothering me but I didn't remember about that bulletin until we got back to base. When we came back out most of the trucks were gone and two of the guys were standing there with their guns out. They had these two little girls just standing there and one of them had his gun pressed to the back of her head. We drew on them, told them to drop their weapons but…but he fired and…and she just went down into the hole. And then we were firing and…."

"It's all right." Rossi said. "You did good."

"Is Johnson going to be all right?" The officer asked.

"Yeah." The Chief said. "Took a round in the arm, he'll be fine."

In the meantime Spencer, Emily and Morgan headed over to the gravesite. "There are only seven bodies here." Spencer called back.

"We sent the survivor to the hospital already." The Chief replied.

Survivor. There was a survivor. They all looked at each other. "You three go to the hospital." Hotch said. "Don't let her out of your sight. Chief, we're going to have to put guards around this location and the coroner's office..."

Spencer, Emily and Morgan got moving. Hopefully they weren't too late.

University of Chicago
Comer Children's Hospital
Chicago, IL

"I still don't see how this is lucky." Emily muttered.

"The University of Chicago has a dedicated MRI research unit, the most powerful machine in the world, 9.4 Teslas." Spencer told her. "We'll be able to identify any damage from the process at the cellular level."

"So you're going to put her back in one of those things?" It was Emily's turn to look disgusted.

"It's the only way to identify any damage. I'm going to suggest that they sedate her first, she won't even know what's going on." Yeah, it wasn't fair. But there was no other way.

While Emily rolled her eyes and muttered he turned the corner. Clearly no one was used to having a policeman guarding a room in the children's hospital. The uniform was a novelty. He flashed his badge and was allowed in. Then he flashed it again for the nurse and again for the woman inside. "Teri Bailey?" He asked.

"Yes." She was beaming.

"My name is Dr. Spencer Reid, I'm with the FBI. We've been working on this case, with your permission I'd like to interview your daughter."

"Sure. No problem."

"Thank you."

The girl in the bed looked small for nine. She had straight, soft brown hair, a smattering of freckles, and hazel eyes that blinked curiously at him. She looked interested when he sat down in the chair beside her and folded up his legs under him. "Hi." He said.

"Hi." She replied.

"Alison right? Do people call you Ali?"

She nodded. "Are you really a doctor?"

"I'm a kind of a doctor. I work for the FBI though."

"Do you have a badge?"

"Mmm-hmm." He pulled it out and let her look at it.

"Do you have a gun?"

"Yep." He pulled open the flap of his satchel to show her his gun resting on top, hidden so as not to cause unrest in the hospital. "You can't look any closer though. Did you ever see this one?" He showed her the quarter in his hand, and then made it disappear.

She giggled, of course.

The interview went about as expected. Snatched right out of her yard, ended up trapped in the basement with a lot of other little girls, one room, scary men, then the Other One. "What did he look like?"

"He was tall, had dark hair that stood straight up, and these big glasses and he had this really creepy smile. And he talked really funny."

"Like he had to think of the words?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah."

"What did they call him?"

"Just Doctor."

"Did he ever talk to you?"

"Just once. He said if we were good we'd get to go home when he was done with us."

Spencer controlled his face so she couldn't see his breaking heart. "What did he want you to do?"

"He made us go in the room with the tunnel."

"The tunnel?"

Spencer would forever want to eliminate the rest of that interview from his memory. "How many times did you have to go into the tunnel?" He asked when she was done.

"Just once. It wasn't that bad, except for all of the needles. But one of the other girls, Sammi, she went in three times and said it got scarier every time. You felt sicker afterward anyway."

"Would you go again for the doctors here?"

She considered this a moment. "Do I have to get a needle in my back?"

"Nope. You already have the only one we'd need." He pointed to the IV in her arm. "And you can sleep through the whole thing, no scary bits."

She considered again. "Will you be there?"

"If you want me to be there."

"Then I'll do it."

"I'm going to go wait for the data to finish processing." Spencer said as they were walking back.

Spencer, Morgan and Emily were escorting Teri and Alison Bailey back from the MRI. Ali was sleeping off her sedation on the gurney. As they were turning to go into her room Emily stopped. "What?" Morgan asked.

He followed her stare to the far end of the hallway. A woman was down there, leaning against the wall. As they watched she turned to face them. Her reactions were casual, calm, but she stood up and started moving away.

"Restroom." Emily said.

Yep, that set his instincts off as well. "Okay. I'll wait here." Morgan replied. As they watched the woman turned and headed down another hallway.

Emily hurried to follow her.

Not long after Ali was settled in her bed an aid stuck his head in the door. "Mrs Bailey?" He asked.

"Yes." Ali's mom replied.

"I'm sorry, the financial department needs you to go fill out some paperwork."

"Now?"

"I'm sorry, they said it couldn't wait."

"She's going to sleep for a while." Morgan said. "I'll watch her for you."

"Thank you." With an annoyed huff Mrs. Bailey left the room.

Morgan settled in to guard duty. But a few minutes later another aid entered with a gurney. "Howdy Howdy." The new man said with a thick, Brooklyn accent. "I'm here to take Alison...Bailey down for her MRI."

Alarm bells went off in Morgan's head. "She just came back from there."

The lights glinted off the steel frames of the man's glasses. "Damn. Another thing for the to-do list."

Then Morgan's world exploded in agony.

Emily followed her prey down this hallway and that one, down stairs and up them, until they came to a dead end in a quiet corridor. "FBI." She said. "Hands where I can see them. Turn around slowly."

The woman turned, confirming what Emily thought she had seen. "Bonsoir Lauren." The woman said with a musical French. "Or is it Emily now?"

"Hello Mirelle." She said. "Or is it Rebecca?"

"I prefer it these days." And just like that the accent was gone, replaced by another, fainter one.

Emily didn't bother to beat around the bush. "Why are you here?"

"Why did you hide Doyle's son?"

That was a question out of left field. "What?"

"Why did you hide Doyle's son?"

"To protect him from his father."

"His father was a threat to him? After he was captured?"

After he was captured. "No. To protect him from people who would use him for their own ends."

"From people?"

"From people in our government. Why?"

Rebecca smiled. "Now you know."

Just then the fire alarm went off. Rebecca didn't even twitch. She was waiting for it, Emily realized. She left Morgan alone. "Son of a bitch!"

"Yes."

"Don't move!" Emily pointed her gun up once more. "Rebecca Ellesworth, you're under arrest."

"Really?" Rebecca sighed. "If we must then."

Before Emily could react Rebecca stepped toward her, shoved her gun out of the way, and threw the first punch.