Okay, I think I've made theuntitled wait long enough. Sorry, my dad went overboard on his parenting skills and deemed computers satans spawn. So I could barely play a computer game i enjoyed, much less update. Oh, and parts of the next chapter might sound a little rushed, but it really picks up in this chapter.
Lyssa situated herself in the throne, making sure she was comfortable before staring up into the top of the tent, nodding at the Ringleader puppet hanging by strings attached to the top of the tent. With a flash of smoke, he reappeared in the center ring, ready to preform another show.
Reid spun around once, steadying himself after suddenely being returned to human form. Then he turned towards Lyssa and the Witch and bowed.
Hotch watched through the slats, studying Reid's movements around the ring. Where he went, how long he stayed in a spot. Then he analyzed the ring itself. There was one corner on the other side of the tent that had been shrowded in shadow the whole time. It was large enough for two people to stand there and no one would notice them. It was also close to a side opening in the tent. It was the perfect escape route.
But it was the only corner in the darkness. The rest of the ground below was lit up like a stage.
Hotch turned to the others, waiting for them to stare at him with undivided attention.
"The one corner on the other side is dark enough we can drag Reid and JJ over and wrestle them out of the tent should they put up a fight. It's right next to a side door so we can book it out of there once we grab them."
"What about that small object the Black Witch had?" Orbus asked, "It's gotta be the last sane part of Lyssa's soul."
Hotch was silent.
"We are going to get it right?" Orbus asked dangerously.
"Orbus, we can come back. Right now we need to get the other two out of here."
"That's not fair!" Orbus snarled, "Lyssa's been tortured enough! We have to try."
"That fragment is right next to the Witch. You wouldn't get close!" Hotch reasoned desperatly. A fight, a break in the trust they needed, could finish them all before they'd even attempted a rescue.
Orbus stared at him angrily, but said nothing more.
"Okay, here's how we'll do it. When JJ comes on, Prentiss will run out with Rossi and create a distraction. Orbus and Garcia will run across to the corner and wait there to help us when we grab Reid and JJ. Morgan will grab Reid and I'll grab JJ. When we tell you to, that is when we've actually grabbed them, Rossi and Prentiss will run over and out the door."
Everyone nodded, Orbus rather reluctantly.
Not long after, the group watched a puff of blue smoke and JJ appeared, begining to dance like she had earlier.
Hotch prodded Prentiss gently in the back, "Now." He whispered.
Prentiss swallowed and ran out into the center ring.
"Hey ugly!" She cried, waving her arms and shouting at the top of her lungs, "Hey! You know what? We're not even gonna try to arrest you again! You obviously belong here with Crispy sitting next to you!"
ZAAM! An electric blue bolt of energy flew at Prentiss. Rossi had just barely tackled her, saving her, when it exploded behind them in the dirt.
Reid gave a shout of confused surprise behind her. Morgan had just slammed his arm into Reid around the middle, clothesling him and knocking him off his feet so Hotch could drag him off. JJ went limp as a rag doll when Hotch did the same, alot more gently, to her. Behind them Orbus and Garcia ran across the ring. But the Witch only noticed Rossi and Prentiss as they got up and started taunting the Witch.
"Nice shot!" Prentiss spat, "If you were aiming for the ground! What was that? Reid shoots better than that!"
"Yeah, and if your so powerful, why not make yourself look atleast a hundred years younger? Then you'd atleast be considered elderly instead of a fossil! Maybe you'd get more preformers!"
More blue bolts of energy were fired, and were dodged by Prentiss and Rossi merely sidestepping them.
Garcia stood by Orbus, both waiting as Morgan and Hotch struggled to cross the large ring with a fighting Reid and a deadweight JJ. Both were hard to carry, Reid fighting his captor in crazed confusion and JJ just making herself heavy.
"They could probably work on their distraction methods huh?" Garcia said warmly to Orbus.
Orbus stayed silent. He seemed to be in deep concentration.
Finally, Hotch and Morgan dragged themselves over to him and Garcia.
"Here." Morgan said breathlessly to Orbus, "Help me carry him. Morgan had finally had to knock Reid out, not only for the safety of Morgan's face, but for Reid's safety as well. Or atleast, that's what Morgan claimed.
"Sure." Orbus said acidly, then threw a punch in Morgan's face.
Morgan, caught off guard, flew back from the force of the impact, cracking his head painfully on the ground. The unconcious Reid fell to the ground, his body limp like a ragdoll.
"HEY!" Hotch cried, as Morgan struggled to get up.
"Shut it old man." Orbus spat, aiming a kick to Hotch's gut. JJ fell to the ground, Hotch not far behind, wheezing for air.
"What are you doing?" Garcia cried terrified.
"Hush." Orbus shushed as he grabbed JJ and Reid's wrist and dragged them back into the spotlight of the center ring.
"WITCH!" Orbus screamed, tearing Malifeciis attention away from Prentiss and Rossi, who also turned to look.
Orbus stood at the edge of the Ring, hands in the air.
"Did you really think I'd leave you?" He cried. "I've brought you an exchange! You like puppets don't you? Well, Ive brought you FIVE more! The other three are hidden in the shadows over there!"
"What are you doing?" Prentiss screamed.
Orbus ignored her, "You know what I want. Give it to me and they're your's!" And without waiting for the Black Witch's answer, he sprinted at an incredible speed up the stands and stood infront of her, snatching it out of her hand.
The Witch smiled at Lyssa in the throne, who grew a hungry look in her eyes and turned to stare at Prentiss.
Prentiss felt herself go cold, but she still kept screaming at Orbus, "What are you doing? We had a plan! I thought you weren't loyal to her!"
Rossi grabbed her arm and yanked her back, "We gotta go!"
Prentiss looked back to see Hotch and Morgan both lifting the unconcious Reid, Morgan's nose a little bloody and the bridge just a little dented. Garcia was grabbing JJ under the arms and Rossi ran over to help her. Prentiss ran after them, watching fearfully as Lyssa began to descend the steps more like an animal then a human.
Orbus walked down the otherside of the steps, turning the shiny object over in his hands with a look of triumph plastered to his face.
Prentiss let the tent flap fall and she ran after the rest, but slower. Taking in the area around them.
"Prentiss come on!" Hotch screamed.
Prentiss jogged off the path, grabbing a wood plank from an abandoned booth and sprinting to catch up. Looking back, she could see Lyssa running out of the tent, her skinned burned black and her hair no more than charred sticks. A faint bubbling of laughter could be heard and it snaked around the scene, crawling up Prentiss' spine.
"Faster!" She screamed, the fear overcoming her.
"We're trying!" Garcia called out.
Suddenely something crashed near a booth next to them. Garcia and Prentiss couldn't help it as a scream was ripped from their throats.
"Where are we going?" Prentiss asked.
Hotch stopped suddenely, almost sending Morgan to the ground again since they both were carying Reid.
"I forgot that problem." It was the last thing any of them wanted to hear him say.
Lyssa's laughter was closer, she was only a few yards away and closing in fast!
"Let's hide!" Garcia pleaded, whimpering and tearing up despite herslef. Lyssa was getting closer.
"Good! Go!" Hotch cried, gaining a new grip on Reid and running off the path. There was only one place to hide that was close enough to them at this point:
The Hall of Mirrors.
Behind them, Lyssa got closer and closer, her laughter turning to demonic howls as she closed in, twenty feet, ten feet, five feet, her charred hands reaching out to grab the back of Garcia's green yarn shawl, fingers barely touching the fibers-
WHAM! Prentiss creamed the psycotic, burned creature with her wooden plank. Lyssa fell backwards, shaking her head like she was clearing it. Then she looked up at the startled Prentiss and snarled, lunging at her, clawed hands out-
WHAM! Prentiss hit her again, this time running after watching Lyssa connect with the ground. But Lyssa got up, just as quickly. Prentiss shrieked and ran faster.
"Come on!" Morgan screamed, holding the Hall's side door open and beckoning her towards him.
Prentiss ran though, and Morgan slammed the door shut.
But just as soon as he'd closed it, the door he was struggling to hold closed started rocking and shaking and it seemed the door was going to be ripped off it's hinges. Lyssa shrieked and pounded on the door and yelled curses at them.
"Gimmie that!" Morgan yelled, pointing at Prentiss' wood plank. Prentiss handed to him, and Morgan stuck it through the handle. Causing the plank to keep the door closed by holiding on to the wall on the sides of the door. Lyssa kept screaming and pulling on the door. But eventually the sounds died away.
Morgan sighed deeply, sinking to the floor.
"Thank Gosh." He breathed, leaning his head agains the wall.
Garcia looked around the dark, mirrored hallways.
"Now what?" she asked.