The Conspiracy
Chapter 7
Discovery

"If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever." From THE CROW (1994)

The torch light cut through the inky blackness of the tunnel at the foot of the shaft in two silver cones. There didn't appear to be anything apart from the rough hewn walls of the mine, and the dust mites in the beams. carefully the two agents moved forward along the tunnel, each wondering how far they were going to search the tunnels before giving up and going on to the next mine.

Emily shone her light onto the ground in front of their feet, and Morgan's lit up the tunnel ahead of them. Morgan's flash light caught something on the ground ahead, at the same moment, Emily pulled Morgan back as another shaft became visible and seemed to open up before them in front of their feet. He lost his balance and they both fell backwards on the ground, Morgan's flashlight bounced out of his hand into the mine shaft at his feet.

Morgan didn't say anything, he just lay very still and breathing heavily for a moment before getting up again, and reaching down to raise Emily to her feet.

'There's something ahead.' Emily said, shining her flash light in front of her again.

Morgan squinted through the darkness. 'Hotch?....... Reid?'

Carefully he inched around the shaft that was between them and whatever was lying up ahead; flat against the side walls of the tunnel, Emily next to him. He glanced down to see the beam of his dropped light many feet below. Looking down made him dizzy and for a moment he stopped moving and breathed very carefully, pressing his back against the rough wall.

'Are you all right, Emily?'

'Yes.' she answered. 'Hurry up I don't like this!'

Morgan inched a few feet further where the ledge widened to a safer width and then the floor returned. Emily, who had clipped her flashlight on her belt, shone it once again across to what Morgan had seen from the other side of the chasm.

It looked like a body. Or maybe two.

She ran ahead of Morgan heedless of any more shafts, and knelt down.

'Morgan, It's Hotch and Reid.' Quickly she felt for a pulse, and her hand was shaking so much she wasn't able to find one.'

There was a lot of blood. The beam picked out the shiny blackness of the congealing blood around the two men on the ground.

She shone her light over the bodies. 'They are chained up, Morgan, and I think these are gunshot wounds. Hotch has been beaten.' She shone her light onto his bruised skin on his face and chest.

Morgan knelt down beside her. 'They are both alive. Stay here with them, I'll go out and call for an ambulance.'

'We need bolt cutters too.' Emily said, handing Morgan her flashlight. Morgan nodded, and went quickly back to the ledge. He wondered how the two agents were brought here past this, and thought that there had to be another way round. But he didn't have time to find it.

He got round the ledge, fasted this time, and ran to the ladder.

Emily gently touched Hotch and Reid, hoping to let them know she was there, even though they were both unconscious.

'It's Emily, here.' she said gently into the darkness. She glanced at the way Morgan had gone, and saw the last of the light disappear as he climbed the ladder. She turned her head back as she felt a movement beneath her fingers.

Hotch was awake.

'Hotch, It's Emily. You are going to be ok now.' She felt for his hand but when she found it, it was bloody and twisted. She rested her hand on his wrist.

'They killed Dave.' Hotch whispered, a sob in his voice.'

'He's ok, Hotch. He survived.' she said gently, blinking in the blackness, and wondering how the two men kept their sanity imprisoned down here. She squeezed Hotch's arm.

'Stay awake, now, Boss. You're going to be fine.'

Hotch didn't answer her, but he closed his eyes and tried to fight the pain.

'Spencer?' he said softly.

'He's here beside you, Hotch. He's asleep.'

'Sick..... I'm going to .......uh....'

With Emily's help he turned onto his front, and leaning on his elbows, he threw up again, the pain causing him to float in a sea of agony. Emily gently held a cool hand on his forehead, as his body heaved and he cried out in pain as his empty stomach rebelled against the movement.

When it was over, Emily cradled him in her arms, and felt his body relax as he slipped into oblivion again.

'Hotch, stay with me now.' she said, but Hotch was deeply unconscious now, and although he could hear her voice, he wasn't able to respond.

-0-0-0-

Ana reached out his hand to Morgan as he reached to top of the ladder.

'We've found them.' Morgan said. 'Thanks to you.'

'Alive?'

'So far. I need to call the Emergency Services.' He opened his cell. 'Damn it – no service!' he growled. He looked across to Ana. 'I need to drive back until I get service. Would you stay here in case Prentiss needs anything?'

'Yeah, sure. Glad to help.' Ana said with a shaky smile. He sat sideways on the driver's seat of his truck with his feet on the ground. 'Can't we bring them out?' he asked.

'They are chained up.' Morgan answered, anger at how his friends were treated evident in his voice.

'Don't get lost.' Ana said as Morgan got into his car.

Morgan drove back the way they had come, stopping every hundred yards or so to check his cell service. He had gone over a mile before he was in a covered area. With a sigh of relief, and a fear that he could be too late, he dialled 911. He told them that they would need lights and bolt cutters, and he told them to hurry, for god's sake.

He called Dave and told him that they had found Hotch and Reid.

'Are they ok?' Dave asked, almost afraid of the answer. Morgan didn't sound very positive, and he had broken bad news often enough to recognise the tone.

'It's not good, Dave. I'll get back to you as soon as I know better.'

Then he made another call.

'Baby Girl, we have found them.'

'Where? Are they ok?'

'They are down one of the mine shafts you found for us. Number two on your map. But they are not good. I think they've been shot, and Hotch has been beaten up pretty badly. I've called the paramedics, and I'm just waiting now.'

'Let me know, Morgan, won't you.'

'I'll keep you informed, although it might be a while. There's no cell service at the mine.'

They flirted a little, and then they closed the connection.

Then he waited. The ambulance was to meet him where he was, following his cell signal, then he was to tell them where his friends were, trapped below ground in desperate need of their help.

It felt like hours that he was waiting, but it could only have in reality been a few minutes, before he heard the sound of the helicopter. He stood on the roof of his car and waved his arms in desperation. The air ambulance descended, and Morgan climbed on board. Once they were in the air, Morgan could clearly see Ana's truck. He pointed it out, and the helicopter began its final descent to the disused gold mine.

'This way, this way!' he shouted over the sound of the rotor blades, and led the paramedics to the shaft head. As well as their medical cases, they were carrying a light and bolt cutters. Morgan took the light.

'It's a difficult descent.' he said. Ana offered to take the bolt cutters, and the four of them climbed down carefully.

They set up the light at the foot of the ladder, and Morgan saw a pile of floor boards that they could use to rest across the second shaft. Quickly the four men lifted the boards and laid them across the chasm. Morgan noticed his flashlight still cutting a beam many feet below.

Then the four carefully traversed the bridge and ran across to the fallen men.

Emily blinked in the sudden light. 'I think it's too late.' she said through a veil of tears.

Morgan rested his hands on her shoulders, and gently led her away so that the paramedics could get in and do their job. Ana took the bolt cutters and cut through the chains that were holding the two men at the ankles.

The paramedics rolled the two men onto their backs and began their work.

-0-0-0-

Dave tried to get out of the bed. Chita had gone to the village for supplies, and he took the opportunity to try walking. He knew Chita was afraid for her son, and Dave wanted to get this over for her as quickly as possible. He owed his life and probably the lives of Reid and Hotch, to the quick thinking of this young man. He wanted to get out of their lives as soon as he could.

He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, holding his bandaged wound to try to stop any movement. Then carefully, he transferred his weight onto his feet. Still holding onto the bed, a wave of nausea flooded over him and he stopped moving and fought the feeling. He put it down to having been lying in bed for so long, he felt light headed and faint.

As the feeling wore off he took a step towards the door. He swayed as he left the security of the bed and he reached out to take hold of the door frame. Another step and he was there.

He clung onto the door frame, thinking that he was maybe doing this too soon. His chest hurt and he was hyperventilating. It was almost like a panic attack. He desperately needed to be well, but he wasn't ready yet.

He looked across at the bed so far away now, and he slowly sank to the floor in a faint.

-0-0-0-

Reid was not breathing, and his heart was fibrillating. They pulled apart his shirt and applied the paddles while another intubated him and forced air into his lungs. They worked in silence and Emily stood with Morgan, her hand over her mouth. Morgan just stared at the scene in front of him. Ana sat on the ground by the cut chains and watched. He didn't know the men, but the love these people had for one another was almost palpable in the cold air, and he prayed silently for their survival.

A second team worked on Hotch. Morgan could hear them mumbling to one another as they intubated him ready for the ventilator, and checked on his heart beat. Morgan's eyes were drawn back to Reid as he heard the word 'Clear' and Reid's starved bleeding body jerked up from the ground. The beautiful sound of a sinus rhythm came from the monitor, and Morgan realised that he had been holding his breath.

They loaded Hotch onto a stretcher, and lifted him off the cold floor of the mine. They were half way across the bridge that they had built when it happened. They froze at the rumbling sound, and they covered their heads as the tunnel collapsed. Morgan leapt forwards to try to cover Reid with his own body. Emily crouched down in the chaos, trying to protect herself. She pulled Ana close to her and covered him. The two medics and Hotch disappeared down the shaft as the gap widened and the timbers fell into the hole, and as the dust began to settle, there was no movement in the mine.