Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Warning: Rated for the mention of drugs, language, and torture.
Chapter nine: No way out
"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."
-C. S. Lewis
"What do you mean they never made it?" Hotch hisses into the phone.
"They never showed up," the PD replies.
"Are you positive?"
"Yes sir…" came the dreaded answer.
"Alright," Hotch snaps the phone shut exasperated.
"Something wrong?" Prentiss asks as she walks in the room.
"Reid and Morgan haven't shown up," Hotch sighs.
"Well we already caught this bastard so there's nothing to worry about," Rossi says coming from an interrogation room.
"Did he confess?" both ask interested.
"All the abductions and the previous murders," Rossi nodded.
"Umm…guys?" JJ calls.
"What's wrong?"
"They found Morgan's SUV…crashed against a post…there's no sign of either Morgan or Reid," she responds.
"No trace of them?" Hotch questions.
"None," JJ confirms.
"…Could the Unsub be behind this?" Prentiss asks.
"No…he wouldn't be that stupid," Rossi adds.
"There's more…" JJ begins.
"What is it?" Hotch demands.
"Jerry Bates…he escaped while the local PD was taking him to a mental institute…what if…what if he took them?" the blond liaison continued with fear lacing every word.
"…Get Garcia,"Hotch muttered.
Prentiss grabbed the laptop and got the bubbly technical analyst on the line.
"Hello my lovely doves how can the ruler of all help you this wonderful evening?" Garcia chirped from the screen.
"Garcia…Morgan and Reid are missing," JJ said quickly.
"What? I thought you caught the bad guy?"
"Jerry Bates escaped and we have a feeling that he tracked us down." Hotch supplied.
"Oh no!"
"We need you to check any back accounts or any paper trails for Jerry Bates now," Rossi spoke.
"I'm on it…you are going to find them right? I'm mean Reid is sick and…and what if-"
"We'll do anything we can," Hotch replied.
He shut the laptop and looked at the rest of the team.
"New profile on this psycho and I hate to say it but we'll have to treat Reid and Morgan as victims…"
"Hello," Bates said with his flashy trade grin.
"What do you want?"
"I was just thinking…Dr. Reid looks peaceful doesn't he," he turns his attentions to a sleeping Reid.
"Don't…he needs to rest," Morgan growled below a whisper.
"You can always take his place," Bates offered kindly and excitedly.
Morgan looked at Reid thoughtfully.
"Anything to make the pain as less as possible on him," Morgan replied.
"Good. Now stand," he urged ecstatic.
Morgan obeyed and stood up. He watched as Bates undid the chains around his ankles. They were bruised and had scratches. Bates put the cuffs back on and lead Morgan to another room. Morgan looked one last time at the peaceful agent. Reid stirred and mumbled incoherent words in his sleep. Morgan took a deep breath and closed his eyes as soon as he saw the daylight break in. It was already morning with the sun out covered by the tree branches.
He was taken to a similar room than the one that had once tortured Reid. He studied the room carefully. he finally decided that they were most likely in the middle of a forest in an abandoned cabin. There was probably no service, no connection to the outside world, and most importantly no way out.
He was chained to a wall facing it. He felt the strikes on his back burning and painful. He didn't let his strong façade falter for one moment. If Reid had taken this and much more pain then he certainly could. For him…for his best friend