Disclaimer: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is owned by Hanna-Barbara. No money is being made from this story. It is simply by a fan for other fans. Also, Criminal Minds is a product of CBS, no money is being made from the use of their characters.

Chapter 13

Two black SUVs raced down the interstate, headed towards Philadelphia. Estella occupied the back seat of one of the vehicles, driven by SSA Hotchner with Race riding shotgun. Jonny had convinced Race to let him come, offering to help, and Race had reluctantly allowed Jonny to tag along. Corbin even said it would be a good idea to have someone younger there, but he didn't expound as to why. The other vehicle had Agents Morgan, Prentiss, and Dr. Reid.

"What more can you tell us about this girl, err, woman?" Race asked Estella.

They had read the file that Corbin had handed over. The woman was Natasha Delic, but her name had been changed to Natalie Smith. She had been fourteen years old when she had stepped on the landmine that almost claimed her life and was now twenty-six and a Doctor herself as well. She was extremely intelligent, and with the assistance of Corbin and Wellington, had been kept safe all these years while she attended high school, college, and eventually medical school.

Her own medical condition and the roles of her benefactors had given her the passion to pursue medicine in the hopes of being able to save lives like her life had been saved twelve years prior. She did not let her handicap dissuade her and she graduated at the top of her class at all levels. She currently was employed at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia.

"I did not have any contact with her once Phil got her back to the states. I know he set her up with some of his own relatives in order to keep a close watch over her. He felt, in fact we all felt, obligated to help her. Phil told me once that she had picked up on English rather quickly and she had a desire to practice medicine. She had seemed to forget most of her previous life, but whether that was by choice or because of the trauma none of us was ever really sure."

"Why didn't he tell you where she was?" Race asked; all this secrecy was new to him. Estella had never mentioned anything remotely like this cover-up before, not one hint.

"We all decided it would be best that the less people knew the better. Wellington kept in contact because of her prosthetic, which I guess must have caused some complications for her. Other than that, I don't know. I assume Phil didn't want me to know just in case…something like this actually happened. He used to tell me about her, without giving up her name or location, but it's been a number of years. I guess life just got in the way and she kind of fell off my radar." Estella sounded remorseful as she spoke the last sentence.

"So she has this stone?" Jonny asked.

Estella nodded, "Yes. I just didn't know where she was all these years, so I had no idea where the stone was as well."

"How did she get it?" He inquired.

"We gave it to her." Estella replied.

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Kosovo, January, 1999

Delic's daughter, Natasha, had been kept under constant guard during her recovery. She could speak a little English, but not much. Corbin had spoken to her in her native tongue and had learned that she had tried to run away when one of Delic's men had attempted to assault her. The assault caused a fight between Delic and the man, his name was Drazen, and she was so scared that she ran off, not knowing about the minefield. The explosion had brought her father running and he had bravely scooped her up and drove her to the American camp, not caring about anything that would happen to him by either the Americans or his comrades. Corbin assured her that she was safe now, that she wouldn't have to face those men ever again.

Estella, Phil, and Wellington made all the arrangements. Estella and Wellington would accompany the girl to Landstuhl, Germany to received follow-on care. Once Delic was handed over to the proper authorities and his men were in custody, Phil would follow, leaving Clark in charge to take care of the clean-up.

"You ready to go?" Phil asked Estella as she was finishing packing her bags. He sipped a cup of coffee as he leaned against one of the tent's support poles.

"Yeah, I think so."

"The rest of your things will be send back home." He told her. "You sure you're up to do this?"

Estella wrung her hands and nodded, "It's scary, but she needs us. She has no one else and I keep imagining what if it was Jessie, or your daughter."

Phil nodded, "Marissa." He didn't talk much about his family.

"We have to help her. There's nothing for her here anymore."

Phil handed her a book, it was a translation book for Slavic to English, "This should help you communicate with her till I get there. It should only be a few days as long as the snow stays away."

Estella smiled and tucked the book into her purse. "Thanks." She paused for a moment then said, "Phil,"

"Yes?"

"We've been through a lot these past couple of months."

"That's an understatement."

She laughed and said, "Yeah I know, but I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For being there and sticking with me. I'm not used to this kind of stuff, you know."

She could tell she made him uncomfortable and he rubbed the back of his head and said, "Of course, that's what being a team is about."

"It's more than that though. I just don't know how I'm going to talk to Roger about this when I finally get back home."

"You don't have to."

Estella looked at him, "We don't keep secrets."

The side of Corbin's lips turned up in a sly smile and said, "We all keep secrets."

Estella wasn't sure what he meant, but she continued, "I just feel I need to tell him something."

"You'll know what to say once you get home, just remember what you cannot say is all."

Estella nodded; he was talking about the classified nature of their mission and now this impromptu rescue. "Of course." Changing the subject she asked, "So you'll get the rest of those bastards, right?"

"If the information Delic provided is accurate, yes. There's an SF team getting ready to conduct surveillance tonight and then, based on their assessment, we'll move in on their location. Hopefully, we'll have them in custody within the next twenty-four hours."

"I hope so." Estella agreed, "Then we can all go home for good."

Phil grabbed one of her duffel bags and led her out of the tent, "Just take care of her. Once I get to Germany we can figure out the next move."

They continued the rest of the trip to the helipad in silence. Once they arrived, Phil went to check in with Wellington. Estella watched the flight crew as they worked around the large helicopter. It had front and rear rotor blades and looked like a large flying fortress or a cow, depending on how you looked at it. Estella knew it was a CH-47, Chinook, and despite its looks it was fast. There was another helicopter, a UH-60 Blackhawk that would fly alongside them providing air support. She watched as two men loaded some medical equipment through the back of the Chinook as the pilot and co-pilot went through their pre-flight checks.

A few minutes later Corbin returned and said, "Everything is ready. Once the bird is ready, they'll bring her out and then you and Wellington will board. They'll fly you to the airport and from there you'll head on out to Germany. Wellington has all the details."

"Got it."

"Good luck." Corbin said and gave her a thumbs up sign.

"You too," Estella said. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him in a strong hug. "Just be safe, all of you. Don't go getting yourself killed."

"I'll try not to. I kind of like living."

Estella snorted a laugh and let go of her team leader.

"Estella, just remember," Phil said, serious once again. "Keep the stone on you at all times. Keep it hidden and safe."

She nodded and instinctively clutched her purse a bit tighter. "I will."

"We don't know for sure what it contains, if anything, so we can't let it fall into the wrong hands. Even in another country it might not be safe."

"Alright, I'll see you in Germany." She said.

"Yep," He replied. A flight medic waved at the duo and Corbin left to talk to him. Estella watched the man go and hoped that everything would work itself out from here.

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"Kosta, I think I have found something."

In three long strides, Kosta was standing next to the man at the computer terminal. He looked over the younger man's shoulder and asked, "What have you found? It better be good."

The man pointed at the screen and said, "This looks like her. Her name has been changed and that is why it took so long to find her, even with her injury. She's moved around many times as well, but I think this is her current address."

"Do you have a photo?"

The man jammed a few keys and a driver's license appeared on the screen. Kosta leaned in and studied the photo intently "Yes, that is her." He declared. "Good work." He fished a cell phone out of his pocket.

"Drazen, come down to the control room. We've found her. I'm rerouting our men now."

Kosta made the call to his men that he had sent to D.C. to head to Philadelphia instead. He gave them her name and address and reiterated the instructions of what to do if they came in contact with any of the Federal agents. He also reminded them not to harm the woman. Things were finally falling in to place, but something nagged at Kosta, but he could not place it. Something did not feel right and he had learned a long time ago to always trust his instincts.

As he hung up the door opened and Drazen appeared. Kosta studied his boss, seeing that the man was tired and weak, probably from the stab wounds he had taken from the Bannon girl. Kosta frowned, weakness was unacceptable in this line of work; his apprehensions about Drazen's devolving state of mind quickly being confirmed as truth.

"I've already rerouted our men." Kosta reported as Drazen came up next to him.

"Let me see." Drazen said and pushed the man at the terminal aside. His eyes focused on the woman in the picture. Her long dark hair and matching brown eyes were the same, even though she was much older than last he saw her, she was no longer a child. "Yes, that is her."

"Our men will bring her back and the stone. Our backers will finally get what they've been paying for."

Drazen stroked his chin as he turned to face Kosta. "It appears we no longer have a use for young Ms. Bannon now."

Kosta's jaw was set firmly. "Perhaps we should wait, just to be sure."

Drazen sneered, "We've waited long enough."

"We may still need her."

Drazen's dismissed Kosta's concerns and said, "Let's go see how she is doing. Have Almin get the camera. I think it is time we send another little video to her father and his friends at the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit."

Kosta wanted to object, but instead simply nodded in compliance.

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Hotch turned the black SUV down a quiet suburban street. Estella gazed through the window, taking in the peacefulness of the quaint community. It was shortly after lunchtime and the street was mostly deserted, as people were still at work or out running errands. The sun was bright and the sky was an amazing blue, with only a scarce cloud here or there. The scene filled Estella with sadness from the realization that most people lived such normal lives, without the threats of kidnapping, murder, or terrorist acts. It was a lifestyle that she had once desired as a young girl, but as she grew up she knew that she could never feel passionate about a life of suburban living and an endless 9-5 routine. She thought that joining Intelligence One as a contracted archeologist would give her a chance to explore the world and it did, but after her time in Kosovo she knew that the lifestyle of that occupation was not for her. She wanted to be with her husband and young daughter.

She left I-1 shortly after returning from Kosovo, but then her husband, Roger, was put on assignment to guard Jonny Quest and she realized that she would never be able to escape that life. She had become more withdrawn from her husband and while she still loved him, she never felt comfortable enough around him to let her true feelings and emotions out. She didn't think he would understand. Race Bannon was used to death and danger, he thrived off of it, so she did not think he would understand how it made her feel. Their marriage quickly fell apart and while Jessie stayed with her, she eventually decided that Jessie could have a better life with her father and Doctor Benton Quest. Perhaps it was selfish, but she no longer felt tied down to a single place after the divorce, and she was finally able to breathe freely again.

Now, as she watched the houses roll by, she wondered if she had made a mistake. If she should have just sucked up the pain and guilt and stayed with Roger and Jessie. Maybe if she had tried harder to convince Race not to take the assignment with the Quests they wouldn't have been apart so often. Perhaps if she had, Jessie wouldn't have been exposed to all the dangers that were associated with being a member of the Quest team. But now, as much as she tried to deny the truth, she couldn't escape the fact that Jessie was in danger now, not because of Race or the Quests, but because of her. The truth was tearing Estella apart. So many lives were being ruined because of her and the guilt was slowly eating her away.

A few random cars were parked along the street, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was just another day in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

"This should be it up ahead." Hotch said.

"There," Race pointed towards a small two-story house that was a few lots down from the next four way intersection.

Hotch pulled up to the curb and the trail SUV, driven by Agent Morgan turned into the driveway a few moments later. As they all climbed out, Hotch said, "Keep your eyes open. We need to get her and get out of here."

They all nodded, and Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid stayed near the vehicles. Hotch and the rest of the group approached the door. Estella moved to the front of the group and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately the door opened slowly inward and the face of a scared, young woman appeared.

"Estella?" She asked.

"Natasha," Estella replied and smiled. She hadn't seen her since she was a teenager.

The door opened and she waved them in while shaking her head. "It is Natalie now. Mr. Corbin called and said you were coming. I did not know he was sending so many people." Natalie was about 5'9" and slender. She had long brown hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail. Her eyes were a gorgeous almond brown color and her lips were full. She wore a loose fitting, light colored blouse and jeans. As she moved it was almost impossible to tell that she had a prosthetic leg unless you knew; Estella could tell she had adapted well. "It is so good to see you doing so well."

"Thank you, but what is this all about?" Natalie asked. "Mr. Corbin didn't say much."

Estella could still make out a faint accent in the woman's voice. "He probably didn't want to scare you," Estella said. "The men from your, from our, pasts are back."

Natalie gasped and placed her hands over her mouth. "What? No. They were in prison."

"They broke out and are after the stone." Hotch stated.

Natalie looked scared and rightfully so. It was those men that caused her to lose her leg and go into hiding. "What? Why?" She cradled her stomach and Estella blinked, recognizing the protective gesture.

"They think it has something of value." Estella said and then added, "Does it?"

"We have to move quickly." Race instructed. "We can talk about this on the road. Miss, do you have everything you need? And the stone?"

Natalie nodded and moved to grab two bags that she had hastily packed. "Yes."

Jonny hefted the black gym bag that Natalie had motioned towards and turned back towards the door.

Stepping back outside he was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the sun, but he heard the sounds as clear as day; an engine revving, a vehicle speeding down the street and slamming on its brakes, causing the tires to lock up and squeal, men shouting both in English and another language.

"Get down!" Jonny yelled and dove back into the house, wrapping his arms around the Albanian woman and pulling her down.

Seconds later the peaceful, quiet neighborhood was assaulted by the blasts of automatic gunfire. Bullets ripped through the house as the group threw themselves to the floor.

Race grabbed Estella and covered her with his body. He looked at Hotch who was also down and yelled, "We need to get out of here!"

Hotch radioed to his team outside, but they were pinned down and trying to engage the gunmen who had come prepared with serious firepower.

Race drew his pistol and motioned for Estella to stay low, "Jonny, get Estella and Natalie out the back." He said and Jonny nodded. Race kept his head down to the floor as another barrage of gunfire ripped through the house, shattering the large bay window in the room off their left. Race slid an extra handgun towards Jonny and said, "Get them out and then hide, wait for us. And don't do anything stupid, kid!"

Jonny nodded, "Got it, Race!" Then he looked at Estella and Natalie and said, "Stay low and keep close. Keep a hand on me at all times."

"You're Doctor Quest's son?" Natalie asked.

Jonny smiled as he began to low crawl down the hallway that led to the back of the house. "How did you know?"

"Danger follows you from what I've read."

"Yeah," Jonny said as he continued to crawl. He figured talking, even in the face of gunfire, was enough to keep their minds off the severity of the situation. "But this time they aren't after me!"

Race crawled towards the front room where the bay window was shattered. He tried to avoid the glass, but it was difficult and he felt a few shards cut into his flesh. He crouched next to the window and was shortly joined by Hotchner. "Guess Corbin was right; these guys are armed with AKs." Race reported as he stole a quick glance outside to see three men wearing masks and armed with AK-47s. They were also wearing military grade body armor and were firing at the other SUV.

"Morgan, what's going on out there?" Hotch said into his radio. Currently the three terrorists seemed more interested in taking out the agents outside before assaulting the house, but neither Hotch nor Race knew how many men there were in total.

"We're pinned down. Emily is hit, but not life threatening."

"How many are there?" Hotch asked.

"Three that we can tell," a report of automatic gunfire cut the man off. Then he came back and said, "Reid is with Emily. I'm gonna try and flank them. I have my M4, but that's it."

"Be careful." Hotch said and filled Race in on what was going on outside.

"Perhaps we can make a move to get behind them. If there's only three we should be able to swing around."

Hotch appeared to think about the plan then said, "Alright. I'll move first, back through the front door, and try to distract them. You go around back."

"They'll mow your down if you go out the front." Race protested. "You'd be killed instantly. That vest isn't going to stop 7.62 rounds."

Hotch's face was grim, but he seemed to rethink the situation. "I have an idea. Move towards the back."

Jonny and the two women made it to the back of the house. They were in a small kitchen and a door led out into the back yard. "That way," Natalie pointed. The sound the gunfire was still loud, but not as loud as it had been at the front.

Jonny held a finger up to his mouth, motioning the women to remain quiet. He was about to pop his head up and do a quick scan of the back yard when Race appeared from the front of the house. He was sporting a few cuts, but was otherwise unharmed.

"What's going on?" Jonny asked his bodyguard. "Where's SSA Hotchner?"

"He's going to cause a distraction. I need you to stay put."

"We can't stay in here. If they make it inside we're done for." Estella protested. She was propped up in the sitting position against some kitchen cabinets and holding Natalie's hand. The woman they had come to rescue was scared and hurting. She held her stomach and winced as she pulled her prosthetic leg into a better position.

"They'll kill us all, especially me once they see." Natalie's voice shook from fear.

"See what?" Race asked.

Natalie lowered her head and Estella said, "She's pregnant, Race. We have to get her out of here. This stress is too much."

"So are these bullets!" Jonny added. They could hear yelling coming from out front, but it was in a foreign language and more gunfire.

"Where are the damn police?" Race grumbled, wondering why there was a full blown gun battle going on outside and no one seemed to care. A second later his radio crackled and he head Hotch say, "I'm in position."

"Alright, we're moving now." He looked at Jonny, "Let's move, buddy. Out the door, go right and take up a position by the side of the house, by the driveway. See if you can make it to the other FBI agents. You ladies follow on his heels. Then I'll go left and try to flank these bastards."

"Got it."

"Go!" Hotch said over the radio. Race knew the Leader of the BAU team had made his way upstairs to the second floor where he was going to fire on the gang of masked men from an elevated position. The hope was to keep their attention skyward, allowing both Morgan and Race to flank the men and take them by surprise.

Jonny burst from the door and moved to the right, with Estella and Natalie right behind him. Race moved to the left, weapon raised and made his way around the side of the house. At the corner he hopped the metal chain link fence that separated the back yard from the front and quickly moved along the side of the house, towards the front. The sounds of gunfire grew louder and he crouched down, making himself a smaller target to be identified. As he crept up he saw that two of the gunmen had taken up position behind the back of the SUV parked at the curb, the one Race and the others had been inside only minutes before. Race watched the two men, they were well trained. One fired as the other crouched behind, then they changed positions as one went to reload. Race wondered where the third man had gone.

Jonny crouched down at the rear corner of the house and peeked around towards the front of the driveway. He saw two of the FBI agents, Doctor Reid and the woman, Agent Prentiss. Prentiss was leaning against the vehicle and Reid was holding a makeshift bandage on her arm. It looked as if she had been hit. Jonny motioned to Estella and Natalie to stay close and was about to step out from the side of the house when the back door, the one they had just exited, slammed open and one of the armed men burst forth. He turned and looked at them and raised his rifle.

"Down!" Jonny yelled and shoved Estella out of the way as he moved towards the gunman, raising the pistol that Race had given him. For Jonny it felt like the world had suddenly stopped and the only two people in existence was him and the masked man that was raising his AK towards Jonny's head.

Jonny fired. The handgun kicked in his hand and he saw the man's right leg twist from the impact of Jonny's round hitting him just above the knee, causing him to fall to one knee. Even wounded, the man attempted to raise his rifle and Jonny fired again. This time he kept the pistol steadier, ready for the recoil and as he fired, he watched the man's head jerk backwards, a stream of blood billowing forth. The man collapsed, dead before his torso hit the ground.

Jonny exhaled, he had been holding his breath. "Nice shooting, kid." He heard Natalie say.

Jonny was snapped back to reality by her words. "Yeah," His chest heaved up and down as adrenaline pumped through his body.

Race waited to make his move. He watched the two men continue to fire at the house, no doubt where Hotchner was located. He hadn't heard any more radio communication, but he heard the gunfire that the other agent was returning at the men, so he knew he was still alive. Race watched as the one gunman fired until his magazine was emptied. As the gunman turned to change positions he heard another series of shots and saw the rear gunman, who was in the process of standing up fall to the ground, flat on his stomach. His compatriot was startled and out of ammo, and Race jumped up sprinting across the lawn, his pistol raised.

"Hey!" He shouted at the shocked criminal and the man spun back around to face Race. He let go of his AK, and reached for a sidearm, but Race was already within close range and had his weapon ready. He fired two rounds, both striking the man in the face. The gunman fell back dead, never even having drawn his sidearm.

Suddenly the street was quiet. Race's ears were still ringing and he kept his weapon trained on the fallen men. He saw Morgan emerge from the back of the vehicle and knew the FBI agent had taken out the rear gunman. Race kept his weapon on the dead men and Morgan grabbed stripped the bodies of their weapons and checked for pulses, just in case the multiple shots to their heads hadn't killed them.

"Clear." Morgan said and stood, slinging his M4 across his back. "Nice work."

"You too," Race admired the calm demeanor of the other man. "I have to check on the others."

Race ran back towards the house and saw Jonny, Estella and Natalie emerge from around the corner. "Jonny!" He yelled and sprinted towards them. Jonny wrapped his arms around the white haired man and said, "I got the other one out back. He tried to take us by surprise."

"Good work." Race admired the kid. Even in their extended adventures they didn't often face trained military men armed with AK-47s. Race turned towards Estella and wrapped her in a huge hug, not wanting to let go.

"You okay, Stell?" He breathed into the side of her neck.

"Yeah, I am now."

Jonny took Natalie's hand and said, "You alright?"

The young woman was shaken up, but nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. These scumbags are no different than the ones I lived with back in Kosovo."

Race turned and saw Hotchner walk out of the house. He was unharmed and made his way over to his wounded agent. Moments later Race heard police sirens in the distance and getting closer. "Now they show up." He grumbled. "Grab your stuff, we still need to get you back to D.C. where's its safe."

Natalie agreed. "I'll help." Jonny said and the two went off to gather up her belongings, most importantly the stone.

Alone with Estella, Race looked his ex-wife in the eyes and then, without thinking, kissed her deeply on the lips. He was surprised that she didn't pull away. Finally he released her and looking in her eyes he said, "Is this what you dealt with back in Kosovo?"

"You have no idea, Roger," Estella said softly and then leaned up and kissed the love of her life again.

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Huddled on the floor of her cell, Jessie tugged at her handcuffs. She had been attempting to loosen her restraints for hours now and her wrist ached with pain. She had tried so long to squeeze her restrained hand through the cuffs that they had begun to dig into her wrists, causing them to bleed. She thought that could actually help, the blood acting as a sort of lubricant, however, they had tightened the cuffs so much that it would be impossible for her hand to slip out. That did not stop her from trying. She had lost track of how long she had been locked up and no one had come to check on her since she had been recaptured and put back in her cell. But she was a Bannon and a Bannon never gave up, no matter what.

She heard footsteps approaching and she froze; intent on listening. As the footsteps grew louder she could tell that more than one person was coming. A moment later she heard the lock on her cell being opened and the door was flung open. Squinting against the sudden influx of light, Jessie saw her tormentors enter.

"Hello, Jessica." The leader, the one she had stabbed say. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think? How are you feeling?"

He chuckled and replied, "Better than my two guards."

"I should have went for your throat, or your balls." Jessie spat back.

Drazen's smile was wiped away at her remark and he snatch her chin in his hand, "I have grown tired of your attitude, little lady." He turned to Kosta. "Get her into the chair."

Kosta flipped a switch on the outside of the cell and the room was suddenly filled with a harsh brightness from overhead lighting. Jessie didn't even know that there had been lights in the room. 'Not that it mattered' she thought. Kosta unlocked the cuff that was connected to her bunk as the third man brought in a chair. Kosta seized Jessie by the throat, applying just enough pressure to warn her against trying anything stupid and quickly sat her down in the chair, attaching the cuff to the chair.

"Good," Drazen grinned, the word oozing from his lips like venom. "Turn the camera on."

Jessie tensed. The last time they video tapped her they had cut her face and hair. She was afraid to think of what would happen now.

"I want to send a little message to your father," Drazen said to Jessie.

"Like I said before, I can't wait till he kills you." Jessie replied and even with her dry throat she managed to spit in Drazen's face.

"You bitch!" Drazen yelled and slapped her across the face.

Jessie heard the big man chuckle.

Drazen turned towards the camera and said, "To Mr. Race Bannon and associates. I am tired of playing games with you. Bring me the stone and I'll let your daughter go. If not, your daughter, that bitch wife of yours Estella, and anyone else that crosses me will feel my wraith."

"So poetic." Jessie taunted.

"Shut your mouth." Drazen screamed.

Kosta watched as his boss began to unravel, so easily taunted by a teenage girl. He knew that Drazen was receiving pressure from their backers, who sooner or later, would cut them all loose if they didn't deliver the stone.

"Release her." Drazen huffed, his face flushed red with anger.

"What?" Kosta asked.

"You heard me!" Drazen snapped, "Uncuff her and keep filming. I want Race Bannon to see this."

Kosta held Drazen's stare, but finally turned away and undid Jessie's handcuffs. Immediately she jumped from her seat and lashed out at Kosta, but he grabbed her arm and twisted if behind her back, causing her to cry out from the sudden rush of pain. He pushed her into Drazen, who took her by the shoulders and said, "If you struggle it will just hurt more."

"Get off me!' Jessie screamed, but Drazen held her firmly and turned her towards the camera.

"I hope you enjoy this, Mr. Bannon. This is the price you will pay for raising such a snotty little girl."

He tossed Jessie onto the bed and pinned her down.

"What are you doing?" Kosta grabbed his superiors shoulder and tried to pull him back.

"Let go of me. Remember who is in charge here."

"You're losing it."

"We'll have Delic's daughter. We don't need this girl anymore. Since when have you been bothered by this?"

"That's not the point!" Kosta argued. He grabbed Almin, the camera man, and pushed him backwards, "Move over there."

Jessie kicked and squirmed, but she could not break free of Drazen's grasp. He leaned down on top of her and his breath made Jessie sick. She'd rather die than let this happen, so as his face got closer to hers she twisted her head and clamped her teeth down on the man's ear. He howled in pain and Jessie heard cartilage tearing and tasted blood as he tried to jerk his head back. He recoiled from her and put his hand against his torn ear. Jessie spat the blood and bit of flesh from her mouth and scrambled out from under him. She tried to make a break for the door, but Kosta, grabbed her, wrapping one muscular arm around her chest and lifted her off the ground. Jessie kicked and screamed, but it was no use, Kosta was too strong.

She was pushed hard back into the chair and her handcuff reattached. She kicked and hollered and looked at the camera. "Help me!" She yelled.

"Quiet!" Kosta ordered and raised his hand as if to strike, but he did not. She saw him turn to Drazen and said, "That was foolish and pointless."

Drazen was up and moving towards the duo, blood running profusely down the side of his face and neck. "You'll pay for this!"

Kosta stood between Jessie and Drazen and held out his hand, stopping Drazen in his tracks. "Drazen, you're right." He said, "I was wrong. We can get rid of her. We will have Delic's daughter soon. But you don't need to rape her. Just finish her off and be done with it."

Drazen breathing was heavy as he eyed Kosta. "Fine." He finally growled.

"Let me do it." Kosta said. She was him pull a handgun from an ankle holster and then moved to stand behind her. "Watching will be more enjoyable for you anyways."

Jessie started to kick and protest and she felt Kosta's hand on her shoulder from behind. She heard him say something in his native tongue and she watched as the camera man moved to a different position, changing the angle of the tape.

Drazen stood in front of Jessie, his eyes eager with anticipation. The man was truly sick, and enjoyed murder and rape. Jessie felt sick to her stomach at having to look at such a vile excuse for a human being, but she refused to look away. She heard Kosta cock the handgun and felt the cold barrel against the back of her head. She watched as Drazen's eyes widened in anticipation and she stared back at him.

"Just do it." Drazen said; his grin showing his perfect teeth. Jessie spat at him one last time.

"My dad is going to send you all to hell!" She yelled.

Drazen's eyes widened in surprise. The gunshot echoed throughout the small cell, so deafening it was like a cannon. The last sound any of the occupants heard as the gun went off was the scream of the defiant redhead.

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Garcia typed furiously at her keyboard, trying to find even the smallest shred of information that could give her something to go on. She knew she was the best at what she did, why else would Hotch have offered her a job versus jail when she had hacked the FBI system six years ago, but it seemed like whoever was behind all this madness was just as good. Or at least they were good enough to stay off the grid.

"Probably using disposable cells." Garcia said to herself. She was alone in her office again. Doctor Quest, the I-1 Director Philip Corbin, and Doctor Quest's boy Hadji were all in the conference room. Corbin had told Quest that he needed to discuss something with Benton and they had left. She assumed Hadji was with them, but he might have wandered off to get something to eat.

Garcia, lost in thought, typed away, but her fingers suddenly froze above her keyboard; her eyes fixed on an alert message that had just popped up on her screen. It was a URL link that had been sent directly to her. She leaned back and looked around cautiously, unsure what to do. Taking a chance she clicked the link, opening the video.

As the scene played out on her screen she started to hyperventilate. "Oh my god, oh my god," She said over and over as tears streamed down her cheeks.

As the video ended she jumped out of her seat, grabbed her laptop and hurried, as fast as her designer high heels could carry her, to the conference room.

The door was open and she hurried in talking immediately as she placed the laptop down in front of the two men who were startled by her sudden appearance.

"You have to see this," She stammered.

"What is it?" Benton asked, disturbed by the woman's frantic behavior.

Garcia looked around and saw that Hadji was gone.

"Where's Hadji?" She managed to ask.

"He went to get something to eat." Benton replied.

"Oh," Garcia said, she seemed lost and confused.

"What's wrong?" Corbin asked. He had stood up and had moved next to Garcia, placing his good hand on her arm to try and calm her. "What is it?"

Garcia turned her tear streaked face towards the man and said, "They just send me this video link." She hit the replay button on the laptop.

They three watched the video in shock. As the video came to an end Garcia turned her head and buried her face into Corbin's uninjured shoulder; just then the gunshot rang out from the screen. Then two more and the video ended.

Corbin wrapped his arm around the crying woman that he barely knew and said nothing, still staring at the screen.

"No," Benton mumbled and buried his face in his hands, "Oh god, no."

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To Be Continued…