Chapter 32
Hotch hung up the phone. "Whatever happened centered on the end of the experiment." He told JJ, Rossi and Katie. "Apparently the outcome wasn't what the Unsub was looking for and he reacted negatively."
"What was the experiment about?" Katie asked.
"We don't know; they're still too upset to communicate about it clearly. Morgan said that Reid was using the term 'experiment' as a metaphor in order to communicate at all. The only reason why Reid survived was because the Unsub wanted them to try again."
"Well there has to be some evidence somewhere." Katie replied. "I'll tell my team to keep their eyes open."
"I wonder if the NSA would be willing to give us a hand again." Rossi said. "I bet they have someone who could decode that notebook."
"That would be a help." Hotch replied.
Once all Spencer had to do was let the cast set Laura and Blake joined them. "Come here." Spencer said quietly, pleadingly. In response Laura stepped over so he could tuck her into his side, and Blake and Morgan stepped back to quietly observe. She was tiny, they realized, smaller than expected. "They found John's notebook." Spencer told her, quietly, "His experiment journal."
As they watched Laura's eyes filled up with tears. She considered for a long moment, and then nodded. "Good metaphor. I'm not surprised that son of a bitch used it."
"Yeah."
"So what happens now? We go back to DC?"
"Yeah."
Her eyes started to well up. "I don't think I can." She admitted as she wrapped her arms around herself and pulled away.
"Yes you can." He pulled her in and spoke too quietly to hear. Once again he got her to calm down and relax against him and finally acquiesce.
"You need to sleep." She said, after she'd wiped her eyes. "You haven't slept right since…" She couldn't finish.
"And you have?" He ran his fingers through the warm silk of her hair. "I'll sleep when you're safe."
There was a tap on the door and then a woman with an ID badge, a social worker, came around with Lizzy. "There you are." She said. Her eyes went wide when she saw Spencer's cast. "Wow, you really got hurt. Did Uncle John do that?"
Spencer looked at the bright purple cast himself and sighed. "It's complicated. Did you get to talk to your grandparents yet?"
"Uh-huh. They're coming out tomorrow, and I'm going back to Austen with them, in a real airplane. I'm supposed to stay here tonight. What are you going to do?"
"I think we're going home tonight, so I guess this is good-bye. But if you ever need us, call Garcia."
Lizzy said the last with him, with a grin. "I will. I won't forget that number now. Can I hug you guys?"
"Sure." Spencer pulled her in one armed and held her tight. "Try to be gentle to your grandparents; it'll take them a while to understand."
"I will." Lizzy said. "Thanks for teaching me how to cook."
"Oh, you're welcome sweetie." Laura reeled her in and hugged her as hard as she could. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too, but I'm glad I'm going home."
Spencer looked at Laura, who smiled back. "We are too."
They said their final goodbyes and the social worker escorted Lizzy back out. "Is it me or is this really weird?" Laura asked.
"This whole year has been really weird." Spencer replied. "Definitely down the rabbit hole."
Laura managed a small smile. "You remember."
Spencer nodded. "I always remember." He replied. "I told you that."
"Down the rabbit hole?" Morgan asked
"That's what I told him when he first woke up." Laura said.
Spencer opened his eyes slowly. His head hurt a giant throbbing kind of a hurt. He found himself looking up at a blurry concrete ceiling. Thankfully the bright lights were not directly above him. He was lying on the floor, there was a bed over there; it wasn't too bad so he closed his eyes again….
A moment later they snapped back open. Those were bars opposite the bed.
He quickly scrabbled to a sitting position. Yes, he was sitting in what looked like a comfortable bedroom but one of the walls was actually iron bars. Directly across he could see the door to this very strange cell.
"Ahem." Someone, a female someone, cleared their throat.
He turned in the direction of the sound. There was a doorway that appeared to lead into a living room. Sitting cross-legged in that doorway was a woman. She looked rather elfin, had fairly short red hair, and remarkably intelligent eyes.
"Good morning Alice." She said. "Welcome to the rabbit hole. It's not nearly as entertaining as the cat implied. Your glasses are on the bed."
"You'd been there a while." Blake nodded.
"Yeah, a very long and boring month," Laura replied.
"Did you see the Unsub at all during that time?'
"Nope. I didn't see anyone; I just sent notes to Lizzy."
"That must have been pretty hard, being in solitary like that."
"Yeah, it was. I was very glad to have someone to talk to. Not that it helped in any other way, not then."
"What's going on?" Spencer asked her. "Where are we?"
"Those are very good questions. I don't have much in the way of answers and the ones I have are less than satisfying. To answer the first, I have no clue what's going on. To answer the second I believe we're pretty far underground in a cell that's more comfortable than my dorm room. As to where that cell is located globally I…have no idea."
"Dorm room," Spencer got up and started examining the bars. "You're a student?"
"Grad student at Cornell. Actually…what is today?"
"Not sure. March 21st when I left."
"Well I was supposed to be presenting my dissertation on March 24th. Something tells me I'm going to miss that deadline."
"I'll write the committee a letter for you." The hinges were covered; the door was locked with a keypad. He didn't have a chance.
"You're familiar?" She looked him over. "From the suit I'm thinking not student."
"Professor. At Georgetown. Part-time."
"Only part-time?"
"Full time FBI agent." No, these bars were solidly set into the concrete. This was not a makeshift job. "Is there any other way out of here?"
"Seriously?" She grinned at him. "I'm feeling safer already. Only the dumbwaiter. The walls are solid and the plumbing and light tubes are way too small."
"Dumbwaiter?" He looked around for it.
"Over in the kitchen. That's how he sends meals and stuff down. It's too weak for my weight, there's no way you would fit."
"Great." He went to take a look anyway. "By the way, I'm Spencer."
"Laura."
"But he was more help later?" Blake asked.
"Yeah." Laura said, resting against him. "He was."