On the jet

"It's kind of funny, isn't it?" Dave Rossi said, breaking Prentiss out of her fugue. That seemed to happen a lot after a case; everyone always seemed to go off into their own little world.

"What?" she asked in reply.

"We got the bad guy, he was taken in alive and unharmed, and we saved his final target." Rossi explained. "I'd call that as good a win as we can ask for. Yet despite all that, everyone on board look like we're the losing team of a big game."

"I think it's just our way of processing." Emily answered. "And just how much of a win did we have back there? I mean what kind of ruin will that town be in after this?"

"I guess you have a point, there." Rossi allowed. "On the other hand, a killer got put away, and it was their Sherriff that got the collar. I have a feeling that will be played up, and the circumstances behind the killings will be either downplayed or made out to be an unsolved mystery."

Prentiss exhaled sharply. Odds were good that Dave was right. It was very likely that for all of 'Topher Larson's efforts, his campaign would probably be made out to be nothing more than a psychotic rampage.

"So, what do figure Barnes is up to, anyway?" She asked, changing the subject. "Should we be on alert?"

"Well, let's not forget what happened last time she tried to reformat the team to her design." Rossi replied. "I imagine she's still stinging from that."

"So did he say anything on the ride?" JJ asked Simmons.

For a moment, SSA Matt Simmons stared blankly at JJ; taking a moment to register the question. Ironically enough it was exactly the thing he was thinking about.

"It was weird," he answered. "A first as far as I know; I asked him why he did things the way he did."

"You mean like he almost counted on getting caught." JJ confirmed. "He probably figured he'd get leniency in the court due to temporary insanity or something."

"But that's not what he said." Simmons countered. "If anything, his answer made a kind of twisted sense, if you can believe that."

"This I have to hear." JJ commented, apparently interested.

"He said of course he meant to get caught. He broke the law in order to exact justice. He was convinced his kills were righteous- not religiously – but he still had to answer to the court of law and was fully prepared to deal with whatever consequences the Court saw fit. 'Unlike those bastards, I am not a hypocrite or a coward.' He said."

"You're right about one thing," JJ replied. "That's a new one on me. What do we even call that; an anti-hero complex?"

"Maybe," Simmons concurred. "Then he even went on to counter his apparent logical contradiction about Philip Curtis; He was convinced that Curtis knew what really happened all along and did nothing about it. His work around that one was that he himself knew the only real justice would be for the Untouchables to meet the same end as Tina, but had to make sure he was ready to answer for his own crimes before taking any action."

"It sounds like he's got everything covered in his own mind." JJ muttered.

Washington, DC

Deputy Director Lisa Barnes put the hard copy of the file marked by its codename 'Failsafe' into the cabinet in her office. Closing the drawer which locked upon being securely shut, she then collected her coat and made ready to leave just as her office landline rang its double tone to indicate it was an inter-departmental call from the Director himself.

Barnes let out a sigh. She had no doubt about what the call was regarding. The director wanted an update on the Failsafe project. The unfortunate thing was she didn't really have any new information to give him. Yes, she often rode SSA Emily Prentiss hard for results; what Lisa sometimes wondered was if Emily, in her criticism, ever took into account the kind of pressure that she, Lisa, was under constantly; not just from the director and other authorities that the Unit had no idea even played a role in either of their affairs, but also and even especially from herself.

But now was not the time for self pity; if she was to keep her position, she could not show any of that to the Director. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone.

"This is Deputy Director Lisa Barnes." She greeted.

"Lisa," the Director greeted back, knowing full well that she would recognize him by his clear, baritone voice alone. "I trust I'm not disrupting anything too important?"

"Not all, sir." Lisa replied. "How can I help you?"

"To start with, I wanted to congratulate your team on a job well done in Lewiston." The Director began. New York was his home State, and the town of Lewiston held a lot of sentimental value to him, Barnes knew; that was part of the reason why she handpicked that particular case to keep the rest of the team busy as Agents Lynch, Garcia, and Dr. Reid poked around the Original Butcher case from Miami. "Their Subject was apprehended alive, and despite the unfortunate fact that two more lives were lost before that, all damage was essentially mitigated before it got too far out of hand. As I understand this summary I looked over, it is believed that FBI presence may have contributed to this..." He hesitated, looking up the suspect's name, "Christopher Larson to accelerating whatever plan he may have had. Is that correct?"

"As I understand it, yes, sir, that is correct." Barnes confirmed. "I'm sure SSA Prentiss or Jareau will explain in more detail when their full report is complete, but I would imagine the very fact Larson rushed his plans meant he made mistakes which ultimately led to his capture."

"I suppose it isn't too important." The Director said. "It's tragic for Lewiston, of course, all I mean is that whatever chance of this tarnishing the Bureau can be mitigated easily enough, and we can chalk it up the necessities of making an omelette."

"I agree, sir."

"I'm glad to hear it." The Director said. "Before I forget, I was also curious if there was any new progress on that other case we discussed?"

Inwardly, Barnes cringed. She knew this was coming, but still felt apprehensive about telling him of the lack of progress. "I can tell you that our technical analysts have managed to compile enough information on one of the relevant subjects and have passed it on to the Agent they are working with on that." Barnes replied, hoping it sounded better than it was. "However they are experiencing a great deal of difficulty with the fragments on the other subjects. In fact, we can't be certain even if any of them are going to be of much help."

The Director was silent a moment. Barnes could almost feel his mind working through the phone lines. "I thought that would be the case." He said finally. "It seems our final subject on this project is far more elusive than we originally thought, and that says a lot. All the more reason to believe he is a perfect candidate."

"Yes, sir," Barnes agreed.

"That said, I find it hard to believe he has the kind of savvy to cover his tracks well enough to hide his digital trail from two of our best analysts. I'm certain he is getting some help."

"You think he has an accomplice?" Barnes asked.

"I think a better word would be ally." He replied. "Perhaps our efforts would be more fruitful if we tracked down this ally. If we find our candidate's technical support, we find him. Now we must ask; where d owe begin our search for the technical support?"

It was clear in his tone that the Director already knew the answer, but wanted her to say it. "The case originates in Miami." She said. "Our candidate, after years of being thought dead, reappeared briefly in Miami. If he has allies, they are almost certainly based in Miami."

"I believe it is time we advise Spencer that we are aware of his private investigation." The Director said. It was rare for his to use an Agent's first name, Barnes noted; that was usually reserved for Agents he either genuinely liked and respected, or intended to intimidate. She wasn't sure which the case was for Dr. Reid. "Make it clear to him that we encourage him to continue, and that we want to keep the circle small on the matter; he is likely to think it is because we don't want to openly disparage Agent Lundy's reputation. Once that is clear, suggest strongly that he pursue the location of this ally in Miami."

"I will do that, sir."

"Very good; that will be all." The Director said. "Good night, Lisa."

The call was disconnected before Barnes could reply.