A/N: Turns out that we aren't going to be visiting with the guys for very long before we go back to the girls. Hope that's alright with everyone but I really can't leave you hanging for too long.
The rescue is on...though not so much rescue as escape. Well, I think you all catch my drift. And I'm really glad that you are totally behind me as I shoot for the finish line. Thanks to greengirl82 for a review of both chapter 21 and 22; the men won't be the only ones getting back at the bad guys. Thanks to miaa29 and I promise the rest of this story should be out in pretty quick succession (despite having another crazy weekend in front of me). Thanks to Hazmatt and I promise that everything will always work out in the end...it sometimes just takes a little longer at times than at others and sometimes the road is rockier than everyone would like. Thanks to HGRHfan35 for chapters 21 and 22 and of course I promise not to stop writing Hotch/Prentiss stories; also no, the girls aren't in a desert, they are still in the US. But I do appreciate all of you, and others, who do still read my work, even when I'm beating up on our favourite heroes with almost every story. Good days are coming this way soon though, so stay tuned.
Thanks again to the gorgeous Wtiger5 for your inspiration of Lydia Scott...I hope I'm doing her justice for you my lovely. Love you muchly and hope you're feeling better. This chapter is dedicated to you simply because you're that special.
Rated M for violence, torture themes, drug use, coarse language and sex scenes. (yes, this is going to have a little bit of everything)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds at all, although they do own me and I do own Carrie and Toby, Chloe and India, Kelly and Brad and Ben.
Arabian Nights – Chapter 23
"Has any of them moved from that window since I was here last?"
Sampson sighed heavily. "Only long enough to check on the children. Mirkal was gone the longest because Toby was awake and needed comforting, but as soon as he was asleep he was back here and waiting for news. Do you have anything to report?"
"The only thing I have to report is that I don't actually have anything to report. Your team is working incredibly hard, but because JJ, Teresa and the boys were unable to remember anything beyond noises at the door when the guys were breaking in, we have as little to go on as we did the other day. They're still going through all the girls' reports of what they'd been through, so who knows? Maybe we'll have something to report in the next hour.
"How are the children actually doing?"
"Physically they'll be fine, but mentally they're all shook up. Henry in particular. One of the nurses in the paediatric ward sent a rocking chair up so that Will could sit with JJ and rock his son and though he's calmer, he keeps waking up in a fright. Children are fairly resilient, but it's still a sad thing to witness."
Dave hummed his agreement. "It's all really rather sad. I'll probably call if we come up with anything; it'll just be quicker that way than my coming back here to verbally pass the message on."
Sampson hummed his own agreement and went back to reading his book as Dave walked out of the room.
New Section
Emily shivered in the cold night air as a light snow began to fall around them. They were in the little alcove Lydia had mentioned watching to ensure they didn't run into any nasty surprises when they moved away from this little bit of shelter. It had been Emily's idea to wait and watch for a bit before they headed off and she was beginning to think it might pay off as she watched the snow just inches from the ground.
She nudged Lydia gently. "Do you see the snow near the ground?" When the other woman nodded, she continued. "Do you also see how it's melted in a thin straight line near the entrance to the path?"
For a long moment, Lydia frowned as she studied the ground. Then her eyes went huge. "What is it?"
"Probably a sensor of some kind. They probably monitor it at all times; it's most likely why none of the women have ever escaped successfully. And I can see the line traces around the edge of this place so that even if you do notice it and think to enter the path from the side, you will still get caught. But I doubt most people would notice it; in Summer it'll just be part of the heat haze in the air and I wouldn't have noticed it now if I hadn't insisted we stop first."
"Do you think we could just climb over it?"
"That's what I'm checking for now. Tuck back in tight near me; I can hear several someone's coming this way."
"Do you think they're looking for us?" she asked fearfully.
"Considering how loud Malik is, I doubt we've been found out," she whispered in return. "I'm sure when we're discovered, even my husband will hear the roar of fury. It's probably just a patrol. Hush."
They went perfectly still, perfectly silent, as the two men appeared. They weren't talking, nor were they making that much noise, but they were definitely on the lookout for anything suspicious. They looked everywhere, including along the ground for footprints, and Emily was glad that she'd thought to erase the markings of their passing as they'd slipped into this spot.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two men passed out of sight and another few minutes later, Emily ceased to hear them. But she certainly hadn't been idle while they waited and she was certain that all they needed to do was step over that sensor line across the path; the hard part was doing it without dislodging too much snow over it and tripping it off anyway.
"It's safe to move now. We'll have to be careful, but we can step over that line without tripping any alarms. We'll move slowly away from the line for a couple of metres and then we need to bolt for it just in case I've missed anything. Start moving and don't stop. We'll warm up quickly enough. How fit are you?"
She shrugged slightly as they carefully eased out into the open. "Normally very, but it's been a little while and I've had to be careful to keep my workouts silent and completely hidden. So we'll have to see."
"You're more pregnant than me so you go first and set the pace. Don't worry about going too fast for me. Despite having taken a beating, I'm still in peak physical condition and my doctor doesn't think I'm more than three or four weeks along so that won't slow me down."
"And you're sure you don't want to take a minute to find your friends?"
"And risk being spotted and killed? No; they would want me to escape and bring help. Hopefully...quick, back in the alcove; someone's coming."
They rushed back into the alcove and ducked down. Emily almost groaned as she looked out and realised that they had left a line of footprints in the snow leading directly to where they were hiding that even the snow falling wasn't going to cover fast enough. She exchanged a panicked look with Lydia and as they waited to be caught, their hands found the others' and clung.
Emily's breath whooshed out in a soft rush of relief as the small group of girls appeared, moving quietly but quickly towards the path entrance.
"They're my friends." She got up and moved forward quickly, just managing to stop the unknown woman before she would have given them all away. She immediately tried to shove her off, but Emily refused to be moved and hissed softly, "Stop it; I'm trying to keep you from bringing everyone down on us. There's a sensor across the path that you very nearly stepped on."
The other woman backed up carefully and Emily shot her a dark look as she turned to her friends. Thankfully, Penelope looked untouched to her eyes, but Jordan and Carrie were swaying against each other and had obviously been very severely beaten; their being upright was a testament to their strength. She wrapped her arms around Carrie and hugged the younger woman lightly as Lydia approached cautiously.
"We should go in case that patrol comes back this way again," she said softly.
Emily nodded agreement and looked at the other woman where she was crouched down and looking all over the entrance to the path.
"You won't see the sensor itself. But if you look closely, you can see the snow where's its melted into the ground from the heat of the beam. Walking through it you probably wouldn't notice anything but I've no doubt in my mind that someone else would register the interference and come to investigate."
Penelope hugged Emily tightly even as she continued to hold Carrie up and Jordan joined in their hug as they all reconnected.
"I'm so glad we found you. Carrie said you'd want us to escape while we could but I just wasn't happy at the thought of leaving you behind. But now you're here and your friend is right, we should go before they get hold of us again and cause us untold unhappiness."
Emily introduced Lydia and in turn, Penelope introduced Marnie. Marnie nodded carefully at Emily.
"I'm sorry for my reaction. I think it might have to do with the beating I took. I know I was never this jumpy before."
"Don't worry about it," Emily said gently. "We actually see it in abuse victims all the time."
Marnie nodded, looking relieved but still a little vulnerable. Emily wanted to give her a hug as well, but she refrained as she noted how Marnie had hunched in on herself.
Lydia spoke up softly, "You all need to lose your clothing. It's bugged."
Emily spoke up quickly, "Penelope should be able to keep hers because she was wearing that when she was taken. I'll go over it while the rest of you strip."
"Em, we'll freeze," Carrie whispered, her teeth already chattering.
Emily shook her head. "We can't risk them being able to spot us leaving as soon as we do. I'll give you my jacket because I can see you need it more and we know it is bug free."
"What about that silk?" Marnie asked thoughtfully.
"Too fragile for bugs. It won't be much protection, but it'll be better for us than running around in just our underwear and if we keep close we can make it work."
"Wait here; I won't be long," Marnie said and before they could stop her, she'd run back the way they'd come. Emily looked at Jordan, who shrugged as she started slipping out of her clothing. By the time Marnie returned, Lydia and Emily had handed their jackets over to Jordan and Carrie and they were all somehow huddled into Lydia's little hiding place.
She'd grabbed their negligees, so that they at least had something over their skin. She'd also thought to grab her spares to use as wraps. They quickly donned this clothing and then Emily got everyone's attention.
"The key is going to be stepping wide without slipping in the snow or on any hidden ice there may be. Watch how I do it, then copy me. I'll steady everyone from the other side."
She set her foot down about half a foot away from that line, lifted the one that would be going over and, setting her hand on Lydia's shoulder, carefully shook off the snow before placing it about half a foot on the other side of that line. She then repeated the gesture just as carefully with the other foot before easing a bit further back.
"Slow and steady. The last person needs to erase our footprints on the other side and I'll get the ones around this line once we're all over."
One by one they came across, until only Lydia was on the other side. Having seen how Emily had erased all traces of their footprints so naturally earlier on, she copied those movements until there was no sign of them being there a foot from the sensor. Then Emily helped her across.
"Where are your friends?"
"I told them to start moving, since they'll be a bit slower with their injuries and Penelope's advanced pregnancy; she isn't as fit as you are."
Lydia nodded agreement and steadied Emily as she leaned over and carefully erased the last marks of their presence around the line. They then worked together to hide the footprints on the track until they rounded a slight bend and then they took off running as quietly as they could.
They caught up to the others pretty quickly but despite their anxiety to get as far away from that place as rapidly as possible, they didn't rush the others; not when they considered their pain and the cold surrounding them. But neither did they allow anyone to slow down or stop for a break; the penalties if they were caught would be beyond surviving.
When Jordan passed out between one step and the next, Emily lifted her friend up over her shoulders and carried her, ignoring the renewed pains in her lower abdomen. They were either the results of forced sex that was far too vigorous for her body to handle safely or she was losing the baby she'd only just found out about. Either way, nothing mattered much beyond ensuring they made it out safely in one piece.
Besides, I can always grieve later unless I'm dead.
No one knew how long they'd been jogging along, though she thought it had been several hours at least, before Emily heard a sound that chilled her blood. She stopped on the path and turned back the way they'd come, listening intently as everyone stopped behind her. She tuned out the heavy breathing as they took the time to get their breath back and waited. When she heard the sound again, it was even less comforting than the first time she'd heard it.
"Do they have dogs?"
Lydia shook her head. "I don't think so; or if they do, I wasn't aware of them."
"Everyone keep moving and if you can, pick up the pace."
"Let me take her for a bit," Marnie suggested softly. "I'm fairly fit and I haven't been recently beaten up. You've also been carrying her for a while. Please, let me help."
Emily nodded as she carefully transferred Jordan over. "When it gets to be too much, say something immediately; don't try to play the hero."
"Are we in trouble?"
"Most likely. If they had dogs, those noises I heard will signify that they've discovered some, if not all, of us are missing and they are tracking us with the clothing they removed from us. If they don't have dogs, what I heard was wolves and that could be just as much of an issue if those wolves are hungry. They could smell us and our wounds and think we would be easy prey."
"And wolves often hunt in family groups, if I remember correctly," Marnie said as they caught up to the rest of the group.
"Exactly."
New Section
Najeeb burst through the door, irrespective of the fact that his brother was naked while thoroughly enjoying the woman moaning underneath him.
"What the hell did you do with her?"
Malik ignored his little brother, figuring he was almost done anyway; waiting a minute wouldn't hurt since he was the one intruding.
But Najeeb wasn't interested in waiting. He stalked to the bed and hauled his brother off the woman, almost throwing the slightly taller man clear across the room in his anger.
"I asked you a question Malik, and I want an answer now, not when you're done with her. What did you do with the bride of mine you violated tonight?"
Malik looked at Najeeb, wondering if his brother had fully snapped. But seeing past his brothers' fury, he noticed the near panic mixed with pain and replied in a much calmer voice than he had originally intended using.
"I put her in the room where you found us. And after you walked away angry, I left to find you to try to repair the damage I'd made but I couldn't find you. So I came back to find a warm body for the night and hoped that you would be calm by morning. I didn't return to her, not even to return her to the room I found her in, because I already felt guilty."
He watched Najeeb closely as his brother worked to calm his anger. "Well she isn't in the room you put her in. I went back to get her because I couldn't stand to leave her there alone after what you did to her. Only she wasn't there. I knocked on the door beside hers, remembering that your woman in that room was awake, but she didn't answer the door."
Malik frowned and stood to put his pants back on. "All the women are trained to wake at the slightest knock and answer the door quickly. That she didn't answer the door tells me she wasn't in the room and if she wasn't in the room, she is in big trouble; none of my women are allowed to spend the night in another woman's room without my express permission."
He stalked out of the room, now just as furious as Najeeb had been moments ago. He knew Lydia had seen his shame and he knew too that she had correctly interpreted the look in his eyes as they met hers; that he would be seeing her tomorrow. He would teach her to watch on as he was brought low by a man younger than him, particularly one who was family. If she was off somewhere hiding he would find her and visit her tonight. If she had thought to escape from him, he would kill her. She wasn't that good in bed anyway.
He threw open her door and flicked on the light. The room was clearly empty. He went to the room he'd put his brothers' bride in and did the same, with the same result. Beginning to feel rage swirling in the pit of his stomach, he went to the door just down from Lydia's and did the same, searching through the room while the pretty blonde huddled in the corner of the bed and watched him like a wild animal watches a threat to it's survival.
After finding that she was the only one there, he went to the next room and then the next. When he reached the last room, he returned to where Najeeb was standing and watching him closely.
"We should wake everyone and get them to search. I'm missing one of my women and if you're missing one of yours, there is a chance that her friends may also be missing."
Najeeb paled as his eyes grew huge and then he turned and ran for his home. Malik followed briskly, stopping to rouse his other brothers as he went. The four of them reached the courtyard that belonged to Najeeb just as he came out of the last of his rooms.
"They're gone! All of them are gone!"
Malik shared looks with his brothers and received nods of agreement. He gave the order.
"Search the place. Top to bottom. And rouse the dogs; if they've thought they could hide from us, we shall find them and teach them what happens when a woman rebels against our most sacred laws."
New Section
The furious sound of a bunch of baying dogs brought all of them swinging around in terror.
"Oh gods no; it sounds like they're really close."
"Sound travels when it is this still and quiet, particularly now that it has stopped snowing. The snow will confuse them only a little bit and as soon as they see the blood drops, because no doubt they've got torches, they'll know where we've gone.
"I know you're all tired, but run as if your life depends on it and trust me when I say that it does."
Emily took Jordan back from Marnie and broke into a run, praying as she went that the weakness flooding through her body didn't dump them both on the ground.
End-
A/N: Don't worry, there will be another update shortly. Hope you all have a marvellous weekend.
Please review with the conveniently placed link right under these words. I love to know what you think and it makes me type faster and update quicker.