A/N: We all know Foyet stole Morgan's identification after attacking him and the people in Boston. But for purposes of this story, Foyet is still in prison for those incidents.
Chapter 12-A New Day of Pain and For an Investigation
Hotch was rudely awakened by a vicious backhand across the face causing the slash on his cheek to sting, and the trickle of blood to run down his cheek and drip onto the pillow. Not that he had been able to sleep that well anyway because of the throbbing of the cuts to his face, but the backhand didn't do anything to help ease the throbbing. Looking up, he saw a smirking Armitage standing beside the bed with his arms folded. But in one hand he was holding a cell phone and a roll of duct tape, and in the other a hand-held taser. Hotch swallowed hard seeing the taser having used one himself once.
"Time to wake up, Aaron," the man said with a chuckle. "It's a brand new day full of unbearable pain for you. But first, I need to make a phone call to your team."
"Why?" Hotch wanted to know the answer even though he already had an idea.
"You'll see," the man said with a grin. Putting the items he had on the night table, he picked up the duct tape, ripped off a strip and immediately placed it over the agent's mouth gagging him. "This will be for a very short time. I'm just not ready for them to hear you yet." Then, he proceeded to undo the belt of Hotch's trousers, unzip them, and spread the two sides open exposing the area beneath his boxers. He saw the look in the agent's eyes and knew what he was probably thinking and shook his head.
"Don't worry, Aaron. I have no interest in raping you. Of course, I might change my mind later. And although I'm not into guys, it still could be fun. Just think of the shame and humiliation. Depends what mood I'm in." Then, picking up the taser and the cell, he sat down on the bed turning his body in a way so he faced Hotch. He pressed several buttons, pressed the cell to his ear and waited.
Rossi, Reid, JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss had all reported to work an hour earlier than necessary as they wanted to get an early jump on their individual assignments. Gathering around the conference table, Rossi informed them he had decided to assign Reid to help Garcia with checking on and breaking down the number of doctors who prescribed Phenobarbital in the last six months. Suddenly Rossi's cell phone rang. Removing it from his pocket the agent looked at the caller ID screen and noticed nothing causing a slight shiver to run down his spine. He glanced at Morgan. "Have Garcia run a trace. Hurry." He glanced at the others. "Whatever is said, we can't make him aware we may know who he is." He saw the others nod their agreement.
Morgan grabbed his own cell and moved away from the table. He spoke hastily to Garcia, then nodded to Rossi to go ahead as he sat back down.
Answering the call, Rossi put the cell on speaker and sat it on the table. "This is Agent Rossi. Who is this?"
"Tsk, tsk. I told you I would be calling didn't I, Agent Rossi? I remember telling you that after you had the proof I had Agent Hotchner." the caller chuckled. "I know you're having this call traced but it'll do you no good. It's a disposable cell."
"Where's Agent Hotchner?" Rossi asked deliberately, struggling to control his temper.
"He's right here beside me, but he's bit tied up right now if you know what I mean."
Morgan jumped up, shaking with rage. "Look, you bastard…."
"Ah yes, Agent Morgan. I forget how hot-tempered you can be. Would you and Agent Rossi like to speak with Agent Hotchner?"
Rossi and the others exchanged wary looks. "We need to know if he's all right. Let us speak with him."
The agents heard muffled voices after a minute followed by their caller telling someone: "Speak with them and don't try anything or you'll be sorry." Then, a familiar voice came on the phone.
"Dave?"
"Hotch. Are you all right? Are you hurt at all?" asked Rossi.
"Not too bad right now," was the reply. "Dave, I…listen to me. Armitage is crazy. He's…" Hotch's voice was instantly interrupted with the sound of flesh on flesh.
"Hotch!" Morgan shouted. He knew their UnSub had probably struck the agent.
"Sorry, but Aaron isn't able to speak to you right now. However, I want you to hear a sample of what else is going to happen to him."
Suddenly the agents cringed hearing a scream of extreme agony from their friend which brought tears to JJ's eyes as she covered her mouth with one hand. Prentiss wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed attempting to comfort her friend while biting her own lower lip in order to control her emotions. Morgan, both arms spaced apart and hands flat down on the table, bowed his head momentarily before looking up again, his emotions displayed on this face. Reid swallowed hard, playing with a pencil, his eyes bright.
"You bastard!" Morgan shouted. "What did you just do to him?"
There was amused laughter on the other end. "I had to show you some of what I intend to do to Aaron before I kill him, plus, he needed to be punished for revealing my name. You know, a taser is a marvelous weapon. I'm so glad they were created. I never knew how much intense pain they could cause to a certain sensitive part of one's anatomy. In fact, I imagine 50,000 volts to his groin area probably hurt more than the slice marks I made to his face with my knife. Don't you agree, Agent Morgan?"
Morgan slammed a hand down atop the table and turned around, rubbing the back of his neck. He then turned back to the table.
Reid shifted his position trying to erase the image from his mind of what his friend had suffered so far, while Prentiss hugged JJ just a bit tighter while covering her lips with two fingers of her other hand.
"We're going to find you, Armitage," Rossi hissed trying to block out his best friend's scream of pain which was still echoing in his ears. "You won't get away with this. Hang on, Hotch. We're gonna find you."
Again there was a maniacal laugh. "Now, now, Agent Rossi. I wouldn't go making promises you can't keep." Suddenly there was another scream of utter agony heard.
JJ jumped up instantly and hurried away covering her mouth and tears flowing. She couldn't take hearing the screaming by her Unit Chief in obvious agony. Emily quickly got to her feet and hurried after her.
Rossi licked his lips. "Look, is there some kind of deal we can make? Something you'd want in exchange for letting Agent Hotchner go?" He had no intention of making a deal with this man, if anything, he wanted to break his neck with his bare hands, but he was trying to hopefully stall long enough to allow them time to find Hotch by opening a line of communication.
There was silence for a few minutes before the man spoke again. "I have exactly what I want right here beside me. And mark my words, the fun and games have just begun for Aaron." There was a click on the other end indicating the call had been disconnected.
"Damn him!" Rossi hissed angrily snatching his cell and putting it back in his jacket pocket.
Morgan's cell rang seconds later. He answered after seeing who it was. "Please tell me you were able to trace the call."
"Afraid not, Derek. He's obviously using a disposable cell except for the one time he used Hotch's phone. What happened? Did he call about Hotch?"
"Yeah," Morgan replied, frustration heard in his voice. "He let us hear him torturing Hotch over the phone."
"Oh my God," Garcia said, her voice filled with emotion. "But he's still alive, isn't he? I mean, he didn't kill him, did he?"
Morgan could hear the fear in her voice. "Not yet. Have you got that information on the doctors we asked for?"
"Yes. In the last six months there are twenty doctors in Alexandria and the surrounding areas who have written prescriptions for Phenobarbital."
"That's too many. There's got to be a way to narrow that list."
"I'll do my best," Garcia promised. She paused. "Derek, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What is it?" he asked softly.
"Is Hotch running out of time?"
Morgan closed his eyes for a long moment. Garcia had asked the one question Morgan never wanted to think about. "I don't know, baby girl. I honestly don't know." He let out a deep breath. "Call me back when you've narrowed down that list."
"Will do. Garcia out." Disconnecting the call, Morgan put the phone back in his pocket and returned to the table; JJ, having calmed down and gotten a grip on her emotions, had returned to the table as well.
"What did Garcia have to say?" asked Rossi.
"She couldn't trace the call. Disposable cell. And after checking in Alexandria and the surrounding areas, she found twenty doctors who've written prescriptions for Phenobarbital in the last six months."
Hotch wished he could double over from the pain after Armitage had disconnected the call. The man smirked as he watched the agent grit his teeth trying to control the throbbing in his groin. Putting the cell and taser on the table, he zipped up the agent's pants but pulled the belt out of its loops. Getting to his feet, he began swinging the belt around like a lasso, the buckle end in the air. Suddenly, he struck Hotch's body with the buckle end repeatedly, the prong on the buckle cutting into his body in certain places, drawing blood. Unable to protect himself, all Hotch could do was close his eyes to protect them from injury. He gritted with each contact the buckle made on his face and throat. Chuckling after awhile, Armitage tossed the belt on the end of the bed, grabbed the duct tape again and, after tearing off a strip, covered the agent's mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he removed the knife again. Reaching down, he removed Hotch's tie and after tossing it aside, ripped open Hotch's shirt exposing his bare chest. He studied the agent's muscular body as if admiring what he saw.
"Not bad, Aaron. You must work out. It shows too," he said. He saw Hotch turn his face towards him and glare at him; his eyes were cold. He chuckled. "I just might have to rethink breaking you in if you know what I mean." Then, with careful precision, Armitage placed the tip of his knife at selected places on Hotch's chest and proceeded to bring the blade downward leaving a thin line of red behind.
Hotch's body arched upward with each cut as the pain was unbearable; his cries of pain muffled by the duct tape. When he had finished slicing, he then placed the tip of his knife in the hollow area beneath Hotch's throat and drew a straight line down to the agent's naval. It wasn't a deep cut, but left a thin line of red in its wake. Letting out a deep breath and with a smile on his face, Armitage wiped the blade of his knife on Hotch's shirt and put it back in his pocket. Then, he gathered up his items and started towards the door. Opening it, he paused and looked back at the agent.
"I'll let you rest for awhile, Aaron. But I'll be back again this evening to pick up where I left off." That said, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"You okay, JJ?" asked Morgan. He understood how the blond woman felt; hell, they all did. Hearing their Unit Chief scream was more than any of them could stomach and made all of them more determined than ever to find the bastard who was holding him.
Rossi, who had been leaning forward with his head bowed, arms straight with hands, face down, on top of the table, looked at the others. They could see the pain in his eyes.
"Morgan, head out to Bradford and Hordford in Alexandria, and talk with Brandon Cooper. Find out if he knows this Jason Armitage. Put the screws to 'im."
"On my way," Morgan said getting up and grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair before heading towards the door.
"I'll check with the mail-room and see if I can find whoever delivered the mail that day," Prentiss replied as she got up.
Rossi turned to Reid. "Reid, go see Garcia and help her try and narrow down that list of doctors."
Nodding was the only response the young agent gave as he got up from his chair. That left JJ and Rossi. The older agent's face softened considerably as he studied the blond woman's face. "We'll find him, JJ," he said gently. "I promise you we'll find Hotch."
"I know," JJ replied with a sigh. "I just wonder what's going to happen to him and what condition will he be in when we do?" Her blue eyes looked up into Rossi's brown ones. "I'll go speak with Todd in the deli and see what I can find out about Jerry and if he knows exactly why he quit." She started to get up but Rossi stopped her with a hand on her arm.
"After you speak with him, schedule a press conference for later today, but don't release anything until I give you the word."
"Understood. What about you? What are you going to be doing?"
Now it was Rossi's turn to let out a deep breath. "I've got the toughest job of all of you."
"And what's that?" asked JJ with just a hint of a sarcasm.
"I have to speak with Strauss about what's happened to Hotch." He and JJ walked together towards the Plexiglas doors of the BAU.
JJ smirked. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if she had Hotch kidnapped considering how she feels about him."
That brought an amused grin to the older agent's face. "Don't go putting ideas in my head." He held open the door for her.
JJ walked across the tile floor of the lobby and into the deli; she noticed only two or three customers seated enjoying soft drinks and food. The owner, Todd Dills, was behind the counter reading the daily newspaper and looked up when the bell over the door tinkled. He smiled when he saw who it was. He closed the newspaper and moved it aside.
"JJ, glad to see you. What can I do for you this morning? Coffee?" There was a twinkle in his green eyes that matched the smile he still had. He was very fond of the blond woman and thought of her as the daughter he never had. Now in his early fifties, he and his late wife had never had children, and JJ was the closest thing to a daughter he had. He considered her to be so sweet, loving, giving, and considerate of others, that if he had a daughter, he'd want her to be like JJ. And Jareau didn't mind at all. In fact, she was flattered that he considered her his daughter in a manner of speaking. She also knew the elderly man's wife had died in childbirth and he had never remarried and was probably lonely. But for his age, he was still as sharp as a tack.
"Please, Todd. But I'll drink it here. I need to talk with you." She sat down at the counter and clasped her hands on top as she waited while Todd poured her a cup of coffee. He also put a plate with a strawberry pastry on it in front of her.
"The coffee is fresh and so is the pastry. I know how much you like strawberry pastry." Then, as she poured some cream into her coffee, Todd leaned forward on the counter and looked into JJ's blue eyes. He could tell she had been crying. "You've been crying. What's got you so upset? Something happen to one of your co-workers?"
JJ took a bite of her pastry. "Funny you should mention that. You told me yesterday Jerry quit a few days ago. Can you be more precise as to the day he left?"
"I can do better than that. I noticed you and your team when you all left together heading wherever you were going, he told me the same day he was quitting. It was right after all of you left. No warning, no nothing. He just finished work that day and left. Plain and simple. Funny thing though about that."
"What's funny?" JJ took a sip of her coffee.
"He was always watching you guys coming and going, especially that boss of yours, Agent Hotchner I think his name is. He seemed particularly interested in him for some reason. Always asking questions about him like what time did he come to work in the morning and when did he leave at night. Things like that. It was like he was obsessed with the guy. And I'll tell you another thing that's weird. When I hired Jerry, he had blond hair and blue eyes like you. A few days later, he shows up with black hair and brown eyes. I think he was wearing those uh, colored contacts I believe."
JJ's eyes narrowed slightly. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a picture of Hotch that each team member now carried on their person to show whoever they were questioning to look at and see if they recognized him. She handed the photo to Todd. "This is a picture of Agent Aaron Hotchner. When Jerry changed his appearance, did he look somewhat like this?"
Todd looked closely at the photo. "Yeah, he did. In fact, if I didn't know this was your boss I would have thought it was Jerry. Only difference between 'em is Jerry's eyes aren't as deep-set as your boss's." He handed the photo back to JJ. "Why would he want to make himself look like your boss?"
"That's a good question, Todd."
Todd shivered. "Sounds kinda weird if you ask me."
JJ smiled. "I agree. What's Jerry's last name?"
"Wartham. Gerald Wartham."
JJ finished her pastry as she thought for a few minutes. "Todd, do you still have Jerry's job application?"
"I think so. Why?"
"I just need to see it and check something."
Shrugging his shoulders, Todd disappeared into a small office and reappeared in a few minutes holding a sheet of paper. He handed it to JJ. She looked it over quickly. "You hired him exactly when?"
"Day after the date of that application. Look, JJ, what's going on? Is Jerry in trouble?"
"I'm not at liberty to say." She held up the form. "Mind if I take this for awhile?"
Todd smiled. "Who am I to refuse the FBI? Sure, take it." Seeing JJ was finished with her coffee as well, he cleared away the cup and saucer. JJ was about to get up and leave when a thought occurred to her. She sat back down.
"Todd, has the person who delivers mail throughout the building ever stop in here with his cart?"
"Tony? Sure. He comes in sometimes and brings his cart. Stops in for coffee to go before he starts his deliveries."
"Was he in here for coffee the day my team and I left together that morning?"
"I really have no idea. Sorry. But I remember the day you guys left together he came in for coffee in the morning and had to use the men's room, so Jerry let him leave his cart near the end of the counter here so he could keep an eye on it. Jerry was usually pretty good about things like that. I didn't mind as it was no big deal. Why?"
"I'm not sure. Thanks Todd." Reaching into her pocket, JJ produced her purse and was reaching for some money when Todd put a hand over hers stopping her.
"It's on the house, JJ. I won't accept your money."
JJ shrugged but handed him several dollars anyway. "Take it as a tip then," she said folding the application and slipping it into her pocket. Getting to her feet, she walked out of the deli and towards the elevator to head back to the sixth floor.