A/N: Emily has a brief conversation in Arabic. It will appear in italics.
After getting the run down from Reid on what he had discovered, Emily regretfully calls Jen and tells her she would not be home that night. She is heartened to hear Garcia had called and said she was spending the night with Jen since she'd talked to Morgan and knew what was going down.
Emily had next called Wayans. "Harlan, I need you to mobilize two strike teams."
"Two?"
"Yes. We found the other two houses."
"We need to get them under surveillance. We need to see what they do the next few days."
"We don't have time for that. They'll be preparing to strike tomorrow at the rally on the steps of the Capital. Even if they don't get the President or the Congressmen, hundreds will be hurt or killed. Do you really want to take that chance? We can waste time watching or move in and stop them. Your call, Harlan."
He sighs. "No, it's yours. We do it your way."
"Glad you see reason."
"I assume you'll be in charge of the team hitting the house with greater potential for danger. Who's taking charge of the second team?"
"Aaron Hotchner."
"Hotchner? Shit, did you call in the BAU again?"
"Nope, they just showed up. See, they don't like to leave things unfinished. Hotch and Rossi will lead the second team. Morgan and Reid will be with me on the first house. Noth will go with Hotch. Allen will be with me. This ends tonight, Harlan."
He nods. "Let me make the calls. Where do we mobilize?"
"Send them to Quantico. The two houses are in Virginia. That's why they gave us Baltimore so we'd waste time looking in Maryland."
"Sons of bitches," he mutters. "How did you figure it all out?"
"Brent left us breadcrumbs she didn't expect us to find until after everything went down. She never planned on Dr. Spencer Reid and his brain to figure it out so soon."
"Good. Have you figured out how they got into the Capital?"
"Yes. Capital officer died of a supposedly self-inflicted gunshot wound. His badge was reactivated by a hacker and they used it to plant the bombs. Caught a good view of the bastard that did if from a camera out of range of his jammer. The officer who was supposed to be monitoring the cameras is in Hawaii on vacation. Jackasses got a hold of his security badge."
"Shit. How come no one noticed the new guys?"
"They sent an email 'transferring' the two men to the night shift. Who would expect it to be terrorists in disguise? It was very well conceived and carried out."
"Damn good job, Prentiss."
"Thank you. But it wasn't just me and the task force. Without the BAU we'd still be 10 steps behind and watching hundreds of funerals instead of waving banners about our superiority over the terrorists."
"I'll make note of that. Glad you called them in even if it pissed me off a bit at first."
"I am, too. I'll call you when we get to Quantico."
"Right."
Emily hangs up and grabs her go bag. She had already changed into her infiltration gear. She walks into the conference room and sees everyone else has, too.
"Hotch, Rossi, you'll lead the strike on the house in McLean. Noth, you'll be with them. Morgan, Reid, Allen, you'll be with me in Alexandria. This ends tonight because I have a birthday party to be at tomorrow. Any questions?" No one has any. "Let's get to Quantico. Two strike teams will meet us there. We do coordinated take downs at 3 a.m. We strike at the same time so they have no chance to warn each other."
Hotch nods. "Understood. Let's go."
Emily stares out at the men and women who would be striking the two locations. She points the whiteboard behind her.
"Team 1, we'll be hitting this house. Preliminary surveillance has 6 people inside, all men. Agents watching the house right now report hurried activity as if in preparation for a major offensive. Expect them to be armed, expect there to be bombs. If you hear the word run don't be a hero just get your ass out."
She looks at Hotch. "You'll lead team 2 against this house." She walks over to the next aerial picture of the house. So far 5 people have been seen though there is a possibility that there is at least 1 more. They are also active right now. They do have firearms but it is believed there are no explosives at this location based on a walk by of a bomb sniffing dog."
"They sent a dog handler in?" Rossi asks.
"Sort of. Undercover. His dog 'got away' from him. Looked like just a neighborhood guy chasing down his dog."
"Did they pull that at both houses? If so, and these guys have talked, they'll be expecting something," Morgan points out.
"They only pulled it on the secondary location." She takes a deep breath and tapes a picture up on the board. "This man has been identified as Omar Khali, a bomb-maker. He is at the first location. He would not let the bombs out of his sight until they are ready to use. That's why we believe that the teams would be meeting at the first house in the morning to arm themselves with the bombs. Most likely they will not be armed until they are ready to move out. But don't count on that. Expect anything," she cautions them. "All of these people are willing to die for their cause. Killing any of us will be seen as a badge of honor that will gift them extra treasures in the afterlife." She pauses a moment. "Let's send them to Hell empty handed."
Everyone cheers that thought. Emily lets them get that out of their system. She then looks at her watch.
"It's 1:30. Hotch, gather your team and get to know them. We leave here at 2. You and I need to synchronize our watches. Both houses have to be taken at exactly the same time to minimize their chances of warning each other. They get out warnings and it will be a bloodbath."
Hotch nods. "Let's do it." He turns to the others. "My team, conference room across the hall."
As his team files out, he steps up to Emily so they can make sure their watches are exactly the same. He pauses her hand as she finishes adjusting her watch.
"You're a damn fine agent, Emily Prentiss. It's an honour to work for you."
She smiles. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"
He raises an eyebrow. "Depends. Do you really believe that?"
Emily nods. "I do. About Winslow…I could have insisted Morgan stay behind. I could have stayed with Anna. There were…mistakes all over that damn case. It's done."
He nods. "Okay. But…I had Straus put a reprimand in my file. I made a bad call that endangered an agent. It shouldn't be forgotten. I know I'll never forget it."
For some it may seem like pointless words. But Emily knows the weight Hotch puts on personal responsibility. He wouldn't have asked for a reprimand just to appease Emily. He knows he was wrong. And that is enough for Emily.
"Thank you, sir. It's an honour to work for you, too. I…I hope my desk is still available when this task force ends."
He nods. "It will be. But for now, I work for you. Time to go get my team ready so I don't disappoint my boss."
Emily grins. "Right. I hear she can be a real bitch when things don't go her way."
He rolls his eyes. "You don't know the half of it."
Emily chuckles as Hotch goes out to get his team ready.
At 2:59 Emily leads her team from their concealed locations towards the front door of the house in a middle-class neighborhood in Alexandria. In her mind she can see Hotch doing the same thing in McLean. She drops to her knees beside the front steps as two men in SWAT gear quietly ascend the steps, battering ram at the ready. Two more men stand behind them to be first into the house. In the backyard, Morgan is a mirror image of his partner as men prepare to break down that door.
Emily brings her wrist mike up. "Prepare to enter," she whispers. "Countdown 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. GO!"
In Virginia, in different cities, 4 doors are bashed in at the exact same time in 2 different locations. Men start to scream in Arabic as they realize what is happening.
"FREEZE! FBI! FREEZE! HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" Morgan shouts as two men run out of the kitchen towards the front of the house.
"FBI! STOP!" Emily yells at other men.
Orders to halt are given by the American agents. Three men stop running but two others still scramble to get away.
"Where's the sixth man?" Emily mutters. "Where the hell is he?"
She hears shots and knows the two men that had continued to run are dead. There would be not shooting to wound tonight.
"CLEAR!" an officer calls out.
Gradually everyone calls out clear, letting Emily know the terrorists are all dealt with. She shakes her head.
"Where the fuck is the last man?" she demands to know.
Her earbud comes on. "Boss, you need to see this," Leroy says.
She makes her way to the basement to see what Leroy and two officers have found.
"Son of a bitch…they're gone."
Tags from backpacks, bits of wire, and other detritus from the bombs are littered around an otherwise empty table. She storms back upstairs and grabs the first terrorist she sees. She yanks him to his feet, not caring about the wrist or ankle restraints on him.
"Where are the bombs?" she demands in 3 different Arabic dialects. He doesn't answer. She punches him in the face. "WHERE ARE THEY?"
He smiles at her, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. "You are too late, woman. The blood of the infidels will run in the streets like a river. The whole world will see your country collapse."
"The fuck they will," she says…and punches him again. "Where are they?" she asks, a murderous calm in her voice. He spits in her face. She pulls her gun and sticks it between his eyes. "Where. Are. They?" He still says nothing. She slowly lowers the gun and points it between his legs. "You'll die eventually but what good will getting all those virgins be without your dick?"
"You wouldn't dare," he says, nerves finally showing in his eyes.
Her only response is the cocking of the gun. He swallows trying to see if there is any hesitation in the woman in front of him. His eyes flick to the other officers in the room. None are making a move to intervene. He looks back to Emily. She shoves the gun in harder.
"Last chance."
He lets out a whimper…and tells her two men have already gone to start deploying the bombs. They are dressed as Capital Police officers so no one would think twice about them.
"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters. She had not expected them to use the two identities again. She storms out of the house and calls Hotch. "Your house was empty, wasn't it?"
Hotch nods as he looks around the living room. "Yes, it is."
"Khali and one other man left here with the bombs to start to deploy them. They are using the police uniforms and badges again. Those at your house are most likely the ones who will retrieve and detonate the bombs. These bastards here are younger. They weren't to die this time. They just had to get it going then disappear to set up another cell somewhere else. They're fucking ahead of us again."
"How is that possible?" Hotch asks.
"I have a theory. Morgan and I are on our way to you. Harlan can meet Leroy here and shut this place down."
"See you soon."
Emily hangs up and looks at Morgan, Reid and Leroy, who had followed her out. "You two heard?" They nod. "Good. Leroy, every bit of evidence logged and taken in. These bastards will pay for all of it. Most likely the rest will die."
He nods. "You can count on it, Boss."
"Let's go, Morgan."
Hotch and Rossi are leaning up against the command van. They watch as crime techs start to collect evidence from the house.
"What did Emily say?" Rossi asks.
"She knew the house was empty. We need to know how surveillance missed these guys leaving."
"I can tell you that. They're dead. Bullets to the temples then shoved in the trunk of their car," Rossi tells him.
"Fuck. How the hell did they know?"
A few minutes later Emily's sedan screams into the area and skids to a stop. She is out of it almost before the engine stops running. She storms across the lawn and grabs Timothy Noth by the collar. She slams him against a car sitting in the driveway.
"You told him. You fucking told Cervantes everything, didn't you?"
His eyes widen. "How…how…"
"Saw your chat with him last week in the lobby. You didn't tell him anything then and I decided you could be trusted. What did he do, huh? Dangle a promotion in front of your face? Promise you the assignment of your choice? What the FUCK did he promise you?"
Noth swallows, guilt in his eyes. "Promotion and assignment of my choice. A chance to lead my own team."
"You could have gotten people KILLED you ignorant son of a BITCH! Instead, you've given these fuckers a chance to move the bombs into position. Why did Cervantes want to know?"
"He…he wanted a chance to turn Khali. He thought if we let him get away and then caught him later we'd have him in our pocket."
"Stupid fucking shithead. BOTH of you! I fucking trusted you, Noth. And now…now I'll make sure you pay right along with Cervantes for this one. You won't be able to get a job as a crossing guard by the time I'm done with you. And that won't be until AFTER you get out of prison for treason!"
"TRE- -TREASON?"
"Aiding and abetting a terrorist is TREASON, you stupid fuck." She spins him around and cuffs him. She shoves him at one of the officers who is standing there…looking really pissed off. "Take him in. Patriot Act protocol. He calls no one and I swear if anyone tips off Cervantes before his ass is in custody more heads will roll."
The officer nods. "Understood, ma'am."
Emily pulls out her phone and places a call to the Quantico tactical commander. "Commander White, Emily Prentiss. Need you to get a couple guys and take a traitor into custody. A CIA fuck by the name of Reginald Cervantes." She listens a second. "Full Patriot Act, that's right. He speaks to no one until I speak to him. Might let the fucker stew in a cell for a few days before I bother." She listens. "Right. And keep him separated from another detainee, Timothy Noth." She nods. "Exactly. I also need 8 of your most trusted men to meet me at the Capital ASAP. We'll be looking for bombs." She listens again. "Thank you, sir. Sorry for the wake-up call."
She hangs up and approaches her team. Rossi smiles at her.
"You know, kid, I think you might scare me more than all three of my ex-wives combined."
Emily can't help but chuckle. She then takes a deep breath. "Look, this is going to be a long night. I can't ask you to go with me to D.C."
"Don't even fucking start down that road, Prentiss," Morgan states.
"We've got your back, Em," Reid adds.
She nods. "Thank you. White said his men can be there in a half hour. From now on this is an FBI case, not a fucking task force. Hotch, as unit chief if you want to take the lead I understand."
"Hell no. This is your op, Prentiss. Take it home."
She nods. "Thank you, sir. Let's go."
It is 5:33 a.m. when Morgan keys his mike. "Prentiss, I have movement near a trashcan. From here it looks like Khali and he is definitely placing something in the can."
"Dressed as a cop?"
"Affirmative."
"Bastard."
Morgan smiles. "Affirmative again."
"Everyone hold your positions. I'm on my way. Do NOT interfere with my confrontation with him. Stay back until I call clear."
Though none of them like the unspoken understanding that he should only be allowed to kill one person instead of all of them, they all respond copy. Emily moves quickly and quietly towards her target. He steps away from the can having placed the final bomb. Unknown to him, his partner had already been taken into custody and all of the bomb locations are now identified.
"OMAR KHALI!" Emily calls out, her gun pointed at the man.
He spins around, shock on his face. "I…I'm not…I'm Officer Martin- -"
"You are Omar Khali. The man you are impersonating is dead instead of enjoying his Hawaiian vacation. His body was found earlier this evening in his car at Dulles along with his fiancé's body. We took out the house in Alexandria. We've taken out the man helping you plant the bombs, and we'll take out the people that come looking for them in the morning. It's over. Surrender or die here. I really don't care which at this point," she tells him viciously.
"I think I prefer to die here. Allah will welcome me with open arms for all I have done in his name."
"No, he won't. Allah is a God of peace, not terror."
"Peace is only achieved through war, Agent." He rips open his shirt to show the vest bomb underneath. "Time for my final act of devotion.
He races towards Emily. A bullet to his head drops him…as his body explodes, sending Emily flying like a ragdoll.