Before you read this I want to give credit to my inspiration for this story. A while back I read an amazing story called "From the Ashes, Hope." It is a story on this site and it is beautiful. Currently it is unfinished but it is still worth reading. I have contacted the author and informed her that I am writing this story. Now I am only using her story as inspiration for the sequestering/enslavement idea in this story. The author of the other story had an epic idea about Spencer being able to embody the spirit of cons and stuff like that - ideas that I am not using. I just wanted to give credit where it was due!

This is an AU by the way. The team is all in it (my version at least: Reid, Emily, Morgan, JJ, Rossi, Garcia, and Hotch). Hopefully the first part of the story gives you enough information of the AU world I am trying to paint.

Enjoy.

In the year 2005 a massive attempt to overthrow the American government took place. A group of collective geniuses had gotten together and devised a plot that would bring the government to its knees and force a massive overhaul of what they thought was a broken system. The main players involved in the coup were intelligent on a level high above the men and women running the country so the plan they came up with was devious and sneaky.

The geniuses knew that they couldn't infiltrate the system on their own so they recruited like-minded individuals via word of mouth and deep net websites. They were quite successful at finding multiple highly intelligent people that agreed with them and deployed them at stations throughout the country.

Unfortunately for the virtuosos involved, the FBI and Homeland Security got wind of their scheme and shut them down immediately by arresting each of the masterminds involved.

Due to this close call, both houses of Congress worked together and developed a law that was passed without contest and signed into being by the leader of the free world. The law, which would prevent such an occurrence from ever happening again, clearly stated that anyone with an IQ between 130 and 140 was to be put on a watch list that allowed the government access to all their files and data, while anyone with an IQ 141 or above was placed into a government run facility that would keep them under lock and key for life.

Now, the nation's most intelligent individuals – ones that scored in the 130-140 range – were coveted for their brainpower and recruited to the most prestigious jobs. Unfortunately, there just weren't enough of them to go around. For when the government passed this law they did not anticipate the need the country would have for the geniuses they were sequestering. It soon became clear that the demand for highly intelligent was high for occupations such as surgeons, computer programmers, engineers, physicists, researchers, and law enforcement.

In order to advance those professions and keep the country progressing as necessary when compared to the rest of the world Congress went back to the drawing board. They decided that isolating the geniuses was the wrong answer. Instead, they came up with a new program called "The Genius Reformation." Anyone considered a genius was to still be detained for the safety of the country but after they were put through a training camp they could be leased out to different organizations to be used as their owners saw fit. Each genius would come with detailed instructions for handling and a reinforcer that would be assigned to them for the first few months. The facility that was gaining custody of a genius would have to have onsite secure lodging for their new "worker" and allow the reinforcer to come in and guide them in how to properly supervise and condition their genius.

This new program was well received by the American public and celebrated by anyone that was not closely related to anyone of genius status. In fact, it was so successful that other countries across the world started looking to America for advice as to how to start their own "Genius Reformation."

Year 2012

Aaron Hotchner barely had a chance to set down his briefcase on the floor when his office phone started chirping. The usually stoic man rolled his eyes when he saw the extension number that popped up on the screen. He let the phone ring two more times before he reached out and snatched it off of its cradle.

"Hotchner."

"I'm flattered that you deigned to answer the phone in less than five rings," came Section Chief Erin Strauss's voice down the line.

"How can I help you?" he asked, ignoring her snarky comment.

She huffed her displeasure but decided to push forth with the conversation. "I need to see you in my office immediately."

"Is something wrong, ma'am?"

"No. There are just some budget issues we need to discuss," she answered, her tone cool and closed-off.

Shaking his head in annoyance, he responded, "I'll be right there."

Aaron hung up the phone and grabbed a legal pad and pen. He then straightened his suit jacket and exited his cozy office, heading straight towards the dragon's den.

Strauss's door was completely open so the unit chief let himself in without announcement. The stern woman looked up from her computer upon his arrival and gestured for him to take a seat in a leather wingback chair. He crossed his legs and gave her a steady stare. "Alright, what is it we need to discuss?"

Erin pushed back from the desk and picked up a sheet of paper. She glanced down and reread it before speaking. "I'm not sure if you're aware but the FBI was granted a sum of money from the government to put toward strengthening our sections and your BAU unit was identified as one that could benefit from the funding."

"I was unaware, ma'am. And I honestly fail to see why they think my team needs it. We have a high number of closed cases and each one of those was done in a relatively fast amount of time," he reacted, slightly offended at the insinuation that his team was inadequate.

"No one is saying that your team is not performing up to expectations. In fact, your team was pegged to receive the money for the opposite reason," she explained cryptically.

"Ma'am?"

She sighed as if exasperated that she needed to explain something so simple to the supervisor of her best unit. "The director wants to see how much better your numbers will be once we add a genius to your team. He thinks – we think – that once we implement the genius your team will be virtually unstoppable."

"That's quite impossible, ma'am. There is no such thing as a perfect team. There will always be those cases that we try out damnedest to solve but cannot," he countered.

"We understand that, Agent Hotchner. Regardless, we have been gifted this money and it was earmarked for this specific reason. I will be forwarding you a catalogue of geniuses to choose from. Needless to say, please pick one that you feel will compliment your team and strengthen any weak spots that you may have," she instructed, her tone brooking no argument.

"How long do I have to make my choice?" he inquired.

"I'll get you the catalogue by the end of the day and we would like your decision by Friday."

"Fine. But I would like to go on record for saying that this is a mistake. Honestly, the addition of a genius to my team may throw off the dynamic. We run like a well-oiled machine and if you throw in an extra part it could cause a malfunction. The members of this team will remain professional but they will be reluctant to accept a genius. It is always difficult for a new agent to integrate into such a close-knit group and that's when the person in question is not some pawn that's been brainwashed by the government. Answer me honestly Erin, is really just a ploy by the FBI to find a way to eliminate the need for such a large team. What happens if adding a genius does help our numbers? Will you guys then look into cutting back the team in order to save money on high salaries? You did say I was coming in here to discuss a budget issue. Is this the director's sneaky way of trying to trim some fat?"

Strauss's face pinched at her subordinate's scrutinizing tone. "I can assure you, agent, that we are not looking to disrupt your team dynamics. Just think of this as a science experiment. All we are doing is changing a variable to see if it has an effect on your performance. The results of this experiment will help inform the director's decisions when it comes to future purchases. If it makes you feel any better your team is not the only one undergoing this change. There are four other units throughout the FBI that are also gaining geniuses."

"Well, will that be all?" Hotch asked, not mollified by her explanation at all.

"Yes. You are dismissed," she stated before turning her attention away from the unit chief and ignoring his departure.

"Good day, ma'am," he gritted out respectfully as he exited her office internally fuming at the outcome of this impromptu meeting.

Aaron didn't have much time to brood on the decision he had to make; rather the team had a case that required their immediate attention in Dallas.

It took the team four days to catch the unsub and it wasn't until they were on the jet back to Quantico that Hotch had time to dwell on his big decision. He had just opened up his email and saw a message from Strauss that contained a PDF version of the genius catalogue. Knowing that he needed to give his boss a selection by noon tomorrow, he clicked on the attachment and started rifling through profiles.

"That's interesting," Rossi quipped as he walked by Aaron on his way back from getting a fresh cup of coffee.

"Hmm?" the unit chief asked innocently.

"I always thought you were against the whole "Genius Reformation" thing," the older man said dryly.

"I am."

"Then why are you looking through their profiles?"

Aaron furrowed his brow at the senior agent's prying question. "Trust me. I'm not doing this by choice."

"I'm all ears," Dave announced, sitting down in an empty seat.

Hotch closed the lid of his laptop and looked across at his friend. "On Monday Strauss informed me that our team was chosen as one of five throughout the FBI to be given the opportunity to add a genius to their ranks. It is not an option as the director hand selected the teams that he wanted to receive the funding. According to Erin, they want to see how much better our numbers will be when they add in this new variable."

"I see…," Dave said, trailing off in thought.

"I need to give her my choice by tomorrow."

"Well thank God you're a profiler."

"Why's that?" Aaron asked.

"Because I don't know how else you'd decide who would best fit our ragtag group from among all those brains. I don't envy your job for a second," the older man said.

Hotch grunted. "Honestly, I'm just going to look for the candidate that has the most experience in subjects that are related to our job."

"And how will you figure that out?"

The stern man opened his computer back up and turned it toward the other agent. "They've got each eligible candidate listed in alphabetical order with their educational experiences and achievements under their stats."

"I love how you keep calling them candidates instead of slaves," Rossi remarked sardonically.

Hotch coughed at his fellow profiler's straight-forward observation. "Yes, well…the director did not ask my opinion about the "genius" issue when he chose to add one to our unit. As far as I'm concerned the individual I select will be treated as part of the team."

Dave raised his eyebrows. "Relax, Hotch. You know we are on the same page when it comes to this whole "genius" thing. Hell, I barely made the watch list myself. To think, if I'd have been a few points higher I might have been among the profiles you're looking at now."

Aaron let out a wry laugh. "If they would have passed that referendum to lower the "genius" IQ last November everyone on this plane would be in this PDF."

"Ain't that the truth?" Rossi chuckled, standing up from his seat. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. Just make sure you don't select some pompous ass. One of us on this team is enough, don't cha think?"

Hotch flashed his friend a grin. "I'll do my best to steer clear of any profile that reads too pretentious."

"Thanks. Oh, when are you going to tell the rest of the team?" he asked, looking back at the members that were currently engaged in a game of poker.

"I was going to wait until I'm given an official start date for our new member. I don't feel like hearing their complaints until then," Hotch said after letting out a stressed breath of air.

"Smart decision," the senior agent said before he made his way back to his seat at the poker table.

The next day Hotch was into the office bright and early. He had made his decision late last night but had decided to hold off on his email until this morning.

To Whom It May Concern:

After a thorough search through all the viable candidates for the job, I have decided that Genius 187 would be the best fit for this team.

Aaron Hotchner

Unit Chief

BAU