Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds
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With the climb must come the fall.
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Row one
Derek lay still for a moment, he had a sharp pain in his leg that was for sure, the feeling like he had some scratches to his feet, but other than that the majority of his body remained intact. Kevin let out a groan. When he looked he saw a small piece of glass in Kevin's ankle, he diverted his attention from the other man and looked where they had fallen, the floor was no longer slanted, it was back up like it had never happened.
'Kevin.' He said as he assessed his own injuries.
'Yeah... Jeez.' He said as he looked at the glass. 'This bloke's got it in for us.' He replied through gritted teeth as he pulled the glass out. Without a single word Derek just passed over one of the gauzes he had for Kevin to apply some pressure.
'We need to clear a... path.' Derek said as he pulled two bits of mental and 3 pieces of glass from the front of leg. He didn't quite remember how he fell but it was evident that it was awkward. He then looked at the room. 'Well at least there's a door to go through.' He said trying to reassure himself and Kevin. He also took note of the sea of metal, glass, wire, shards of anything that could cut, inflict pain and even torture.
'How do you think we are going to achieve that then?' Kevin said doubtful.
Derek thought for a second. 'The wire you got... we can use it to make a clearing, first we need to get to the paper and we can make it to the door.' Lynch nodded and retrieved the wire from his pocket. He straightened it out and began to clear the way towards the hanging paper.
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Row Two
'Jane you okay?' Penelope said as she shifted, she hurt, she had seen the horrors that awaited but didn't expect it.
'I got some metal in my thigh.' She looked up after pulling the metal pieces from the top of her leg and at Penelope, her face went scarily white, her eyes widened. 'Erm... Penelope.... you're stomach.' Jane pointed, her hand shaking.
Penelope looked down, the tone of voice used was haunting, when she looked her eyes widened like Jane and reality finally clicked in. There in her side was a large shard of metal. She looked up at Jane. 'I didn't feel it.' She said still shocked, a little disconnected. Penelope shifted slightly, and saw the blood escaping out, soaking up into Derek's shirt that she was wearing. She looked at Jane, panicked. 'I don't know what to do.' She said as a tear escaped her voice almost a whisper.
'Maybe you should pull it out and... and then get the blanket and tie around you, to apply pressure.'
'No...no don't... just use the blanket and clear a way to the letter. Then we will decide.' Penelope answered worryingly calm, the only emotion was the tear that had fallen, she touched the area around the wound, still not quite understanding how it managed to happen, everything happened so fast, she didn't really remember her actions for a certain period of time. She watched Jane moved the offensive items out of the way, and then grab the paper from the chain. Only to swear.
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Row Three
Hotch sat up and assessed himself, he was made aware of the multiple shards of glass that currently resided in his face from impact, it checked for other wounds. Finding only minor ones he went to check Strauss, she was already making a path to the letter, this made it clear she was unscathed from the fall.
'You don't hang around do you?'
'Not when I can see the way.' She stood and looked at him. 'Not too hurt are you?'
'No just some scratches.'
'Whether you were hurt or not would you admit it?'
'Not at all.' She laughed and turned back to the task at hand. 'Let me do it.'
'No, I'm almost there, let me finish.' Moments later she stood and tried and reached it, finding that without her heels she was just too short. Hotch stood, she allowed him to finish the task. He reached up and read.
'I think we definitely have a problem now.'
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Row Four
'Any cuts?'
'I've lost count of how many bits of wire, metal, whatever I have taken from my skin.' Emily looked at Elle. 'The worst was in the back of arm. How about you?'
'Legs got the worst but I'm guessing feet first doesn't help...my feet are slightly scratched up but bearable.' Emily nodded and inspected her feet, finding the same predicament. 'I'm guessing if we clear a path the best we can... then we can get the letter and find out what we need to do to get through this room.'
'I have a feeling that its not good.' Emily said, not just starting the obvious, it was a feeling in her stomach more than anything.
'Well step by step yeah?'
'Yeah, so how we going to clear the path?'
'The wire... we can use it to shift the broken pieces out of the way.' Emily nodded.
'I'll do it. You've still got piece of metal to get out.' Elle complied and watched Emily for a bit before turning her attention back to her leg. She looked up when Emily cursed under her breath.
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Row Five
'Are you unhurt?' JJ shot up when the fall ended, worried about the baby.
'I think so, I've only got cuts to my feet, some long cuts to my legs, that bleeding pretty bad but the rest of me seems to have survived.' Austin smiled. 'You're arm JJ?' She asked at seeing the blood.
'Yeah, I need to watch out I think it went too deep.'
'Why did you have to get worse hurt, I think it's my turn.'
'No! I want you to leave as unhurt as possible. I'll be fine, I mean we got bandages, if we tie all these cuts off tightly then it will put pressure on it and that will help.' JJ tied off the wounds best she could before Austin stepped in and helped, she smiled thankfully. Then she stood, ripping her pyjama bottoms, she wrapped her hand up and began to move to make a clearing.
'What you doing?'
'Well we need to get to that.' JJ pointed to the chain in the corner and all became clear. 'I'm taller, so I've take it upon myself to do this.
'Thank you.'
'For what exactly?' JJ said stopping to look over at Austin.
'Everything, you've done nothing but look out for me and I'm grateful.'
'Hey we have families to get back to...ones that love us amazingly.' JJ finished her path making and got the things she wanted most, she read it to herself as she walked back but stopped and read aloud, both women looking to the door.
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Row Six
Both Will and Reid had expected one another for all foreseeable problems, they were both bleeding all over, some minor, some major, some unseen other completely noticeable. They had got all possible foreign objects from the wounds the best they could and made quick of the plan to get the letters. Never of the thing they had picked up helped majorly, they didn't want to waste anything unnecessarily. So both men had ripped their tops to use to scrap away the objects on the floor. Making the job go faster as they both worked.
'Austin... how you recon she handled the fall?'
'Well, it wasn't a direct drop... I mean it was pretty much a slide... I'm going with that...'
'Good plan.' Will answered as he reached the chain and pull. Taking the paper he handed it to Reid who just read it and matched Will's facial expression.
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Row Seven
Gideon had already jumped up as soon as he reach the bottom, in the little clearing there was he was able to fully examine his body, his feet were torn to pieces, and his legs were littered with shards of just about everything but he was fine, only minor bleeds that he knew from past experiences would clot and scab over quickly. He looked at Rossi who had obviously put a hand down on descent and as a direct consequence had suffered multiple gashes.
'You okay?'
'Yeah... how we going to do this then?' Rossi answered as he looked out over the sea of scrapes.
Gideon took his top off. 'I'll shake it off after but until then, I'll use it to make a little path then grab the things and then we are done.' Rossi nodded and took larger pieces of metal and glass from his feet and legs, and strangely his side.
'This stuff get's everywhere.'
Gideon laughed. 'Got it.' He said as he snagged down the paperwork, he turned to Rossi, dropped the paper, shook his top and put it back on, then picked the papers up again and read out loud, both men cussing at the same time.
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Dear B.A.U Family,
Now I am pretty sure that you have cleared a nice path to get you here I want you to back track, look at that lovely new door, the one that will get you through to Room 5. You dare clear a path and you will never see the light of day, you have to walk over the things on the floor and wait, flicker then darkness.
Forget the pain; you know your family is worth it.
1* No clearings to be made.
2* As soon as you start, you are expected to finish.
3* The red crosses show your places, minimum = 20 seconds, maximum = my decision.
4* You show any weakness, or wrong doing, I will see it.
Enjoy the stroll.
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Row One
'Let's just do this.' Kevin said. 'I want out...'
'Yeah... let's do this... even if it means walking across all this.'
Both men looked at one another, nodded and put one foot on, they both took in a sharp intake of air, second foot, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, they continued, not giving up, their feet were bleeding massively now, they could feel it. When they got to the area it was easy to find, two crosses spray canned in red just like the letter had stipulated. They stood triumphantly, the lights flickered and they knew the darkness was on its way and they could continue out of the room.
Just like they wished, the darkness over took and the door opened to reveal yet another empty room, they took it with open arms.
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Row Two
Penelope stood up, using the wall as a guide; she hadn't yet brought herself to pull the large oversized splinter from her side. She looked at Jane. 'I have to do it.' She said apologetically, before Jane could stop her, Penelope had pulled the piece from her and had fallen to the ground.
'Penelope!' She literally screamed as Penelope's eyes remained closed. She ran over the clear floor to her, and slapped her hand, no response. On the third attempt, Penelope's eyes opened. 'Oh thank God.' She breathed out; the shock of pulling it out had obviously overwhelmed her body to the extent it had just made her faint. 'Don't scare me like this okay?'
'I'll try not to.' Penelope said as she stood up again, Jane shook the blanket and then tied it tightly to Penelope's waist, her side bleeding heavily now. 'Thanks... but now let's just do this.' Penelope said slightly weak but yet with a new strength in her voice that motivated the most dreaded of souls.
Together, they held hands and walked staggered across the sharp floor coverings until they reached the area's marked out. They stood and let go over their hands, the lights danced above them and then they waited, every second the metal cut a bit more, until the lights turned off and the door swung open to reveal a new brightness of lights.
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Row Three
'On three?'
'On three.'
'One... two... three.' Both Strauss and Hotch literally marched over the shards and shrapnel until they made it, they just took their place and waited. Both being leaders they liked things done quickly and swiftly and that was exactly what was happening right here and now it paid off. Their feet bleeding out, but they didn't care, for getting out was bigger than this. The lights glimmered around them and then after an eternity of a burning sensation in their feet the lights cut out and the door opened, both of them rushing in.
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Row Four
Both women didn't need telling twice, they rounded their things up, and started the journey, their togetherness, their independency and sheer daring side played well, they were not about to be beaten, neither were majorly hurt so there was no factors to hold them back, they knew what they had to do, and they knew it was best to just do it.
'We made it.' Emily said with gritted teeth, she felt everything under her feet, currently she had a piece of pointed glassed slicing the heel of her left foot, determined not to be deterred to head back to the clearing that they had fallen she kept conversation going. 'How are we going to walk after this?'
Elle laughed. 'That will be something we definitely have to see.'
'11 agents, 1 tech, 2 normal women, all with identical cuts, all unable to walk.'
'Is Kevin an agent?'
'No his the tech.' The lights flickered at that point.
'But Penelope?'
'Is a tech, granted but she is an SSA as well.'
'How come?'
'She did some very noticeable things that were acknowledged by the higher beings.' Emily looked at Elle with a smile that said it all, and then the light disappeared temporarily.
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Row Five
'Right how do you want to tackle this?' JJ asked Austin, making it her own secret responsibility to get her out safely.
'Can we just get into it?' Austin said looking at her. 'I mean whether we want or not, we are going to get the same response from ourselves and from the bastard, so I would rather just do this now rather than sit back and panic myself furthermore.'
'Okay, together though.' Austin nodded, JJ put her injured hand on her shoulder, so it was slight elevated, her other hand taking Austin's. 'Together, now.'
They both made haste and headed for the markers, they reached it and Austin gasped. 'That didn't feel too good.'
'We'll sort it in there.'
'Yeah, how you holding up?'
'I'm holding up.' Was all JJ could think of saying. She gasped and then released her breath as the lights dimmed then brightened, now the wait for darkness. How could darkness seem so alluring at a time like this? And then like an answered prayer the lights shut off and the door to what could've been paradise opened and both women continued their journey.
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Row Six
'One bit of advice.' Reid said getting ready.
'What would that be?'
'Act like Hotch, or Rossi. Or Morgan.'
Will chuckled heartily at that sentiment 'Act emotionless on the outside but inside wanting to scream?'
'Exactly.'
Both men laughed and decided it was time, Reid gasped as he took his first step, Will swore, but both continued, they stood where they were meant to and the wait began. The lights did their thing once again, the pains intensify and the yearn to dart for the door grew, the pains dispersed as the lights dispersed. Then the door opened and clear ground was foreseeable.
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Row Seven
'No hanging about?'
'No.'
'Let's go.' Both men, pretty much with the same attitude as Hotch and Strauss rushed over to their destinations and waited, not one showing the pain that they were experiencing. Sticking to the stoic camaraderie that they felt was necessary to keep in their line of duty. Not long was their wait at all, the lights cut out and loudly the door released hastily, making the new room evident.
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