"Emily! Emily, wake up! I have it!" Garcia says excitedly.
Emily pops immediately awake and swings her legs over the side of the couch to sit up. "Run it down for me, Pen."
"Okay, so I checked Farrelli's financials and tracked the money back to a bank in Pakistan."
Emily's eyes widen. "Pakistan! Holy shit!"
"Yeah, it gets better. The time the money started it's path to Farrelli, Timothy Noth was in Pakistan to help interrogate a man in prison over there."
Emily's eyes narrow. "So Noth set up Farrelli?"
"Totally what I thought. So I started digging on Noth. He was in Pakistan for 2 weeks and then supposedly flew back to the States. Only thing is, there's record of a ticket he bought to Bahrain, during which time Allen was there as part of a protective detail for a Senator."
"So he was setting up Allen?"
"Not necessarily. You see, Allen has two days that he shows absolutely no expenses for. Not a cup of coffee, no lunch, nothing. No one can go two days without having something on their expense report. It just doesn't happen!"
"So, Allen was doing something he shouldn't have been and maybe he was the one setting up Noth," Emily concludes.
"Not even CLOSE!"
Emily runs a hand over her face. "Why does this feel like the scene from 'The Princess Bride' when the Sicilian is trying to outsmart Wesley? Where's the point here, Garcia?"
"Getting there, Mrs. Impatient Pants. So, while Allen was mysteriously not spending money, our Mr. Wayans was also in the Middle East, though he was in Afghanistan. He, too, has a couple of days unaccounted for that coincide with the days Allen was missing."
And suddenly it hits Emily. "Holy Fuck…are you telling me they are all fucking terrorists?"
"Would be a freakin' nightmare if that's what came out in the aftermath of an attack on Congress. I mean think of the headlines if the team out there protecting the public against terrorists was actually a team of terrorists!"
Emily leaps up. "Shit! That's what we were supposed to find and think."
"Yep. One member of you team, excluding you, is glaringly missing from the breadcrumbs I found sprinkled through cyberspace."
"Brent."
"Yes. Her record is pristine. But she made a mistake only a truly AMAZING hacker could find: she left a trail. She is the one that scrubbed her father's information and while you were in Arkansas she planted these trails that would make her team seem like major shits."
Emily shakes her head. "And she could have gotten away with it." Emily starts to pace. "No one would have dug the way you did, Pen. You'll get a freaking commendation and anything else I can get for you when this is done."
"And you'll buy me something pretty?"
Emily grins. "Count on it." Her grin fades. "But we're still missing something. Who warned her about the phones? And who told her to bolt at Quantico. What did we miss, Pen?"
They are both silent, pondering this a moment. Emily turns to the analyst.
"Any chance you can get the security video from the conference room. I need to see what she saw or heard or did before she ran."
Garcia nods and hurries back to her computer. Emily glances at her watch and sees it is just after 2 a.m. Garcia has put in a hell of a day. Yes, Emily will make sure she is recognized when the operation ends.
"Running to the restroom. Be back in a few," Emily says. Garcia just nods as she hacks into Quantico security and finds the right sequence.
As Emily walks into the hall she sees the head of the security heading her way. She doesn't like the look in his eyes.
"Four bombs. They got four fucking bombs into my building."
"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters. "Replaced?"
"Replicas nearly done. They'll be in place by 3 a.m. And before you ask, yes we're doing another sweep."
"Good. Between you and me, we're missing another player. We had a spy and someone warned her to run. So far we don't know who it is."
"But you will soon, right?"
"Yes," Emily says confidently. "They'll be shut down before my teams get here in the morning." She glances at her watch. "Or rather later this morning."
He nods. "Let me know what you need from me."
"If they are part of the group that arrives here just a place to secure them where they can't get word out to anyone before we take the suicide bombers down."
He nods. "You'll have it."
"Thank you."
He goes off to see to a few things. Emily goes to the restroom. As she splashes some water on her face she takes a good look in the mirror. She has dark circles under her eyes which are dull and lifeless. JJ had pointed out that a successful op means doors will open for her to lead her own team. Is she ready for that?
"Forget it for now, Prentiss. Go catch the bad guys." She smiles at herself. "Go make your son proud of Batman."
When she walks back into the office, Garcia smiles at her. "Got it, Emster."
"Perfect."
Emily hurries over and sits on the edge of the counter behind the desk as Garcia hits play. They watch as the agents in the conference room work on their various tasks. Emily watches herself answer her phone and have her whispered conversation with Hotch. Her eyes move to Brent. The agent stiffens slightly.
"Like she was beeped or something," Emily mumbles.
As Emily, Morgan and Farrelli leave the room, Brent stands. She gives the others a smile and walks out. Garcia switches the camera view to the hallway and they watch as Brent never even looks back at the other agents in the hall. She calmly makes her way to the lobby and out the doors.
"An earbud. She had to have an earbud in," Emily says. "She wasn't beeped she…" she stands. "Bitch! Garcia, is it possible she had instead of an earbud for communication she had an earbud that amplified conversations she wanted to hear?"
Garcia nods. "Totally possible. And, from what we've just seen, I'd say highly probable."
"She was her own damn informant. Probably had it in at the Secret Service HQ and heard Harlan and I talking about the phones. Damn it! And she left a trail to frame the entire damn team. Eating her gun was too fucking easy. Damn traitorous coward."
Garcia nods. "I agree. Where is the earbud?"
"It wasn't in the car or on her body. Most likely she tossed it somewhere outside the building. See if you can find a shot of her tossing it. If so we can get someone to retrieve it as evidence."
"On it," Garcia replies and starts to find the images Emily needs. "Em, I can handle this. Get some more sleep. Both teams need you at your best."
"I will. Once you have that done, you get some sleep, too. Okay? I'll need you as sharp as possible tomorrow."
"I will." Emily starts to walk away. "Em?"
She turns back. "Yeah?"
Garcia smiles at her. "I'm glad things are…are better between us."
Emily sighs. "Penelope, I am so, so sorry for ever laying blame on you for anything. I know you work insane hours, diving into databases and records we sometimes don't even know exist to save victims and protect us." She takes a deep breath. "You found Blair as soon as you could. I know that. I've always known that. But when I was scared and…angry, I just ignored the truth. If I was going to hurt I was going to hurt everyone around me. I am just so sorry."
"And what about the others?"
"I'll make it right with all of them. Hotch and I need to have a long talk. Derek and I do, too. And we will, Pen. All of you mean so much to me. I'm not ready to let you go without a fight."
Garcia stands and pulls Emily into a hug. "You won't lose us, Em. Just make sure you don't lose yourself, either."
"I won't, Pen. Not as long as I have Jen and the kids to remind me who I am meant to be."
"Then I know you'll be just fine," she says confidently.
Emily smiles, ruffles her friend's hair and goes back to the couch to try to get some sleep.
Emily's watch alarm goes off at 5:30. She stands and stretches. The couch wasn't the worst thing she'd ever slept on but it sure wasn't her bed. She goes to her computer and starts to review her plans one last time.
Is she still happy with the partnerships and assigned stake out locations? Yes.
Will JJ and Garcia be enough watching the security cams? No. Hmm…need to add at least 2 more sets of eyes up there.
Has she missed any place the terrorists could conceal a bomb or themselves? No.
Any chance her overseas contacts found pics of people to look for? She clicks into her email and sighs.
"No. Damn it. How do we find someone or someones when we don't know who we're looking for? They could be Middle Eastern, American, who knows. Every damn person we see is a potential unsub. Not fucking good," she mutters.
She stands and runs her hands through her hair. Time to wash up a bit and get some coffee. Her BAU team will be early. She smiles, knowing they are predictable and reliable. Someday she hopes they feel the same way about her again.
She walks down to the bathroom. She glances into another office and sees Garcia asleep on the couch. Emily pauses and smiles. Of all the team members, she thought Garcia would be the hardest to make amends with, especially when things with Morgan are still unsettled. But their ray of sunshine and hope had come through for Emily. Emily was determined not to make Garcia regret reaching out.
"So many things to deal with," Emily whispers. "But I'll deal with them all one at a time. And I will survive and persevere. That's what I do."
With determination in her step, Emily goes to clean up and get started on her day.