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"Derek," Kevin runs in, "You have to see this."
He turns on the screen and we see Penelope appears on the screen. She's pacing back and forth—talking to herself. The room becomes silent and JJ and Erin say at the same time Oh my God. You can hear a door unlocking and metal sliding. She turns to the camera and you can see the bruises on her cheek and a cut on her lip. Her face is dirty so it is hard to determine what's a bruise and what's dirt. Her neck is covered with bruises or dirt. Fear flashes on her face as the dark figure walks towards her. She blinks it away and tries to regulate her breathing. The masked figure gives her a red nighty and says, "Put this on!"
She shakes her head, and replies "No."
She looks stubbornly into the camera. He punches her and immediately backslaps her. She gasped for air as she stepped back.
"He's watching you know—Derek is right on the other side of that camera." She sees the camera above his shoulder and says, "Derek. Don't. Watch." The man backslaps her again and she falls into the wall, which is comprised of smelly cold bricks.
"Remember when we saw Stephen Sondheim's play Three at Mosoulu and, "the masked man slaps her again, "this isn't Skype –Put it on or we will do it for you."
"No," she says calmly, he punches her in her gut, which causes her to bend forward.
He grabs her hair and pulls her close to him, "Give me a reason to taste you," he said as he grabs her neck and lifts her, she starts gasping for air—then he kisses her.
Another masked figure says, "We have to wait – He has to go first."
When he releases her, she falls back and is coughing, he says, "I want to taste you – but I want you to beg for it – and trust me you will. Now, put it on or we will do it for you. I can't promise they will remain civilized."
"They will find me. Derek will find me."
"He's too busy looking for your son," he said snidely.
"Omigod, what have you done to Chris," she starts punching and kicking him.
"She's a fighter boys, she's got spirit. Going to love breaking her in," he takes out a syringe and gives her a drug—she gets dizzy and braces herself on the wall as her eyes widen.
Tune in later SSA Morgan—you don't want to miss it.
"Chris and Izzy are fine downstairs in daycare. Why lie about that," Hotch wonders.
"Four unsubs?" Rossi asked
"Cult?" Emily countered
"She's in a windowless room underground probably a basement or cellar. What was your last date?" JJ asked
The team was asking question and all he could think of was the last thing he said to her. The totality of what was happening hit him. The unsub was attacking him through her, the guilt anger and desperation hit him at once and all he wanted to do was fight through the weeds and save her. This moment is the reason he feared all that he had- family kids – this moment was his worst nightmare come alive.
Morgan some one said but he wasn't sure.
"Morgan" Hotch called.
He turned around and he had tears streaming down his face. She said she loved me and I was so angry and frustrated that I couldn't say it back, he thought. Could that be the last words they ever spoke? A smile was the last thing he ever gave her. How can there be a god, he thought, first my dad and now her.
"Derek, we will get her back. But, I know she told you something – only something you and her know and she said it in that video. You aren't going to watch it again but Reid, recite it back to us," Hotch said with authority.
"What was your last date she said it was Stephen Sondheim's play Three at Mosoulu" Reid asked
"We haven't seen a play in years" he said with robotic regret "our last date was as at Katie's Café if you consider lunch a date."
"Mosoulu is a slave ship that is a restaurant in Philadelphia. It was one of the first slave ships in America. Why would she bring that up? Reid wondered.
"Wait, Steve Sondheim never made a play call three it was called Company the clue is there somewhere," Kevin offered
"What was your last date in Philadelphia, that is the unsubs comfort zone too." JJ asked.
Before he could answer his phone rang, he answered it on speaker. He clicked the green button.
"SSA Derek Morgan, from the gritty streets of Chicago to the FBI- you are a hood fairy tale. I'm not from the hood but that is what I've been told."
"Who is this?" Derek asked.
"You will find out who we are soon enough. For someone so smart did you really think a Philosophy professor could pull this off? I mean to steal your wife in broad daylight with FBI protection," he laughed, "a professor."
"I mean, I am just a normal man- not a genius, not an FBI behavioral analyst - but I know people like you - once a woman strays, you always wonder right? You always think is she? Did she? Will she? You judge our way of life but in the end if you understood it, we wouldn't be here. She would be home serving you, as she should. Women are made to serve and she will learn that," he said with a finality that scared the team.
"You son of a bitch - when I get my hands on you I'm going to—" Derek said.
"Tsk, Tsk, you are thinking too far into the future. You need to ask yourself, how?"
"How what?" Derek quipped back.
"How are we going to break her, train her, - she is feisty you know. But they all are in the beginning and then when the pain becomes unbearable- and there will be pain, my friend, they submit. They all ways do - well most of them do. When they don't you, find them under park benches."
Derek punches the desk, feeling helpless.
"Easy now, Hot Stuff." The man said.
"What do you want?"
He laughed, "We already have it. You took something from us and now we are going to take something from you?"
"What?" Derek asked rhetorically.
"Sa joie de vivre—(her joy of life)"
"If you touch her, I'll—"
"Once again, empty threats - I do not intend to touch her- but I can't control them. See, we're a family and when you fuck with one you fuck with all of us. You took someone from us and now we took someone from you.
"However, we are gentlemen, we will return her, when we are done."
Click.
As soon as the phone clicked, Derek punched the wall and tears streamed down his face.
"This is related to our current case?" Emily said, "He said she would be found under a park bench—just like our victim this morning."
"He could have watched us this morning too," Rossi said.
"It appeared like a stalker case – because they wanted to separate you – divide and concur," Hotch said.
"We're the fuckin BAU and they fool us," Derek said angrily, "Who are they and what did I take from them? This is about us – this is about me?"
"The call gave us a lot information Derek- they told us how to find her," Rossi said confidently.
"We have to find her before they" Derek's voice trailed off.
"We will" Emily said.
"They've had her for 4 hours so far. All of the other victims were tortured and drugged for the first 30 hours then raped and dumped in the last four. We have 19 hours left and we are no closer," he said seeing the writing on the wall.
"This isn't your fault," Erin said, "- let's get our girl back."
Reid said, "The language of the call is about dominance and submission. We took a family member. What cases have we had that dealt with the break-up of a family Kevin?"
Kevin rattles off several cases.
"Wait the swinger case in Florida," JJ said
"Pull that up," Emily said
Rossi said, "He knew about Derek's Chicago days - he called you a local hero. Maybe it is someone from Chicago or someone who is friends with you from Chicago- Buford? Or a pal of his?"
"No, he operated alone," Derek, said.
"She mentioned a Stephen Sondheim play called three but it was changed to Company," Kevin said.
JJ said, "a woman should know her place- where have we heard that before?"
Emily followed up with, "She should be serving you and she wouldn't stray."
Hotch said knowingly, "Malcolm Ford"
Rossi said, "the company."
"Ohmigod," Emily and JJ say at the same time.
"She told us she said your last date was a slave ship after you saw a play called company, Reid said, "She is on a boat she could have said that she saw a play called three but she was giving us clues. They abducted her and have her in a room so the comfort zone must be a 45-mile radius. This should include all ports. Look at the way the light is swinging here after she attacked him. They are on the water'" Reid said.
"Derek, you and I will go to Chicago and visit Ford" Hotch said, "Rossi and Emily contact Elle in sex crimes and see what she can tell us about the Company in DC. We are looking for members who would have been in DC, Chicago, Philadelphia, and surrounding areas. Reid and Kevin listen to the call and see what we missed - he engaged us too long not to have slipped up. Also, Reid map out the comfort zone. JJ look at all of the old cases involving the Company we need to uncover a pattern. We'll see Cindy as well and find out how they got her compliance." Hotch said with confidence, "We know one thing- we have a 36-hour clock- with Penelope, it may be longer since this is what they've been building to."
Rossi said, "We have to assume that she is drugged and with the end game of rape and torture occurring within the last 4 hours."
"Remember we can use satellite imaging and all of the toys the CIA have—we have to get her before 24 hours," Strauss said, "I've been a victim of sexual violence and –" the room was silent, "we have to bring her home before then."
On the plane, Derek called his mom, Fran. He asked if she could be ready in about and hour to come to DC. He let her know, Penelope's been kidnapped and he needs her help.
thanks for reviews! MAXXBaby guessed the unsub!
I hope you're enjoying the ride!