thementalist2 = Your question might be answered in this chapter :)
Chapter 12: My Blood
News channels were flashing breaking news. Three police cars ended up in an explosion as the BAU head was going for further investigation. Rossi watched the TV from his police station. His head shaking as three officers were announced dead at the site. Hotch was taken out alive. He was rushed to the hospital now for complete examination. Emily stood behind him gasping at the TV.
"GOSH!" She exclaimed.
"It's confirmed someone else is framing Hotch" Rossi spoke as he quickly gathered his stuff to leave.
"But why?" Emily questioned.
"That's what I'm about to find out" Rossi slammed the door as he rushed towards his car to see Hotch.
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The professor saw the men dragging the injured boss back inside the lab. He knew the timing was yet again perfect. His team will now think that he was innocent and someone else was behind this. So, they will let him go. But, unfortunately that would be the clone in freedom again and not the real Hotch. Professor felt proud seeing how everything was nicely falling in place. He was just too smart for this world.
He returned back to the lab where Dr. Reid was sitting, signing all the papers. He walked in and again prepared the needle.
"Dr. Reid are you scared of needles?" He asked, mocking the bravery of the agent. Reid's mind was twisting and turning, planning and failing, trying to make a way out, to reserve his blood and his own DNA to himself.
"Absolutely not. I was a drug addict long ago. Needles are jokes for me" he answered trying to be as confident as he could in front of the professor.
"Oh, really?" Professor surprisingly asked.
"And, they still let you work in FBI" He asked.
"Yes, I am just that smart" Reid replied. The professor smiled remembering how afraid he became when he first met with this doctor. Now, within a day he was feeling as if Dr. Reid was forever here, in his life. He liked him. Only if he was his little brother!
"Please place your arm out for me" Professor requested. Reid's heart started to beat faster.
"What guarantees me that you're not going to use this for cloning?" Reid asked.
"I won't need a clone if I got you here" Professor replied and himself grabbed Reid's wrist. He pulled his arm open and tapped his vessels a little. Reid was afraid, sweating with anticipation. He had no other way but to plan a murder for this professor. The sooner he dies, the sooner the things will be restored. He was too dangerous to be left living. His research could end humanity in chaos. He must be killed.
The needle poked his tender skin. The professor seemed professional doing his job, like a MD doctor. He must have a medicine degree too. Reid didn't know what path to take. Either take time to profile the entire life of Professor or just simply kill him. The needle started to fill with his blood. He didn't want to panic, thousands of cells were being taken away from him, each filled with his identity, his DNA.
The professor took his time, drawing as much blood as he could with the huge needle he had. He could at least make 10 clones of Dr. Reid from this sample.
"So you were a child prodigy. I suppose it runs in your DNA" Professor said. Reid was frightened to even talk during the process.
"Here we go" Professor finally drew the needle out from the skin.
"Your contract is established"
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Rossi raced to the Emergency department. Another Officer was declared dead due to intensive internal bleeding. He walked over to where Hotch was kept. But, before he could enter an officer grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.
"Something is terribly wrong here" Officer Patrick said.
"Hotchner's bullet wound is gone!" He said and Rossi stumbled back a little.
"WHAT?" he let out.
"There's no scar even" Officer added.
"How can that be? HOW? HOW?" Rossi almost yelled in frustration.
"Do you really think there are look alikes in this world!" He asked the officer madly.
"How else can we explain this?" Officer asked.
"It can't be that simple!" Rossi's logical mind twisted painfully, look alikes were like fairy tales, like dragons and unicorns. But, everything would made sense with a little twist of reality. Hotch would never shoot Morgan, never disappear Reid, never lie to Rossi. Maybe supernatural things existed. Maybe we all have look alikes.
"Okay, there are two Hotch here. But which one has the wound" Rossi asked himself out loud.
"I think the wounded one is the look-a-like. He wanted to escape the prison so an explosion was set up to swap him back to safety" Officer postulated.
"Explosion was part of the escape plan" Rossi mumbled "but why return the real Hotch now"
"So the innocent one can be punished" JJ added as she entered the conversion she was listening to few moments ago. Rossi's head shook bad. He swiftly turned and slammed the door of the room. Hotch was lying on the bed, wide awake.
"Where were you?" Rossi directly asked. The nurses quickly left as the Officer and JJ entered along side.
"Dave, I don't know" The clone answered as sadly as he could "I don't know what's happening. Just, help me please, Dave".
JJ's eyes were wet hearing such heart wrenching pleas from her Boss.
"How do I know you're the real Hotch?" Rossi asked instead.
"I am Aaron Hotchner" his voice cracked "How can I prove it to you?"
"Where's Spence?" JJ asked.
"I don't know. I was locked away somewhere for days until this afternoon. I don't know where and how long. I- I was waiting for you guys. Where were you?" Hotch spoke. Rossi let his guard down as he started to walk closer to his hurt colleague.
"How's Jack? Is someone taking care of him?" He kept asking questions.
"First someone kidnaps you, then Dr. Reid...The other look-a-like shot Morgan. Whose next on this team?" Officer asked.
"It's a personal vendetta against our team" JJ added.
"Morgan is shot!" The clone gasped in surprise.
"Someone is trying to ruin your name, someone who has got your looks" Rossi explained the panicking friend.
"But you're safe now. We'll make sure no such swaps are made again" Officer added.
"I'm sure that look-a-like is a part of some sort of team. They could have taken Spence too" JJ said.
"Whatever it is, they're a dangerous team. They easily killed three police officer today. Three families will suffer cause of them" Officer sighed in anger.
"We need to start on this case immediately" Hotch ordered.
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The Professor opened the door to his inner world of clones. The 22 digit long code was entered first, followed by another 9 letter validation password. Reid felt like he was in a sci-fi movie. The first door led into a small hallway where a steel wall slide slowly to allow entrance into a huge dome shaped lab. The walls were filled with glass cases, with different colored liquids running up and down, computer screens, stop watches, un-made fetuses, half-done human clones, all displayed. Reid's eyes could never imagine such a sight in this life. It was like watching a see-thru womb. It amazed him, but disgusted him at the same time. The professor walked aside, turning on more lights, revealing all sorts of unknown instruments working automatically. This place felt like out of the world, another planet, another dimension.
"Welcome to my lab, Dr. Reid" the professor turned back. Reid couldn't help but notice how young the professor looked. He must have needed so much time to have accomplish all this. He could never have done this all alone.
"How old are you?" Reid asked randomly.
"That's not important. What I've created in my time will last forever." Professor turned to walk again.
"How can I work with you If you don't tell me your name or age?" Reid asked "It's important for my work ethics".
"People used to call me Savonski" He let out "But I rather not have a name given to me by others"
"So, that's why you never named the clone either" Reid added.
"He's Hotch's clone so he's Hotch" Professor replied. Reid felt sad, for some reason, looking around at the power of a human mind, the extent of such experimentation. Savonski, seemed to have done the impossible. He made humans, live in his lab. Reid was in an awe of admiration but it was sad how intelligence was so tangible to psychosis. The professor could have done better things, change humanity with good intentions but here he was wasting his talent. And, this was sad. How will Reid be able to kill such a man now?
"Why? Why did you do this?" Reid asked in despair. Professor folded his arms and smirked.
"Shouldn't the question be 'how'?" He said.
"Why did you clone Hotch?" Reid asked sadly.
"I'm not giving up the reason behind victimology here for your profile against me. I know how you operate but you have no idea about me" Professor replied.
"I want to help you Savonski" Reid said, trying to establish an emotional relation here. The professor laughed in return. It was odd to be called by his name. He couldn't remember when was the last time anyone called him Savonski.
"Of course, that's why I hired you" He replied.
"You're destroying yourself. I can help you out of this trouble. Once the world knows, they'll have you and your creation killed. And, they'll make sure all your research and work is never mentioned again. You'll be a forgotten man" Reid uttered the truth.
"Tell me Dr. Reid. Why would anyone want to revert my research? What's done cannot be undone. The clones have entered this world and you can't kill them all. They're human lives after all" Professor said instead.
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