Garcia was furiously searching traffic photos, but she had come up with nothing suspicious so far. She didn't even know what she was looking for at this point. But she wasn't willing to give up. She would do whatever it took to get Reid home safely. They all would.
As Garcia pulled up another photo, she received an email notification from an unknown sender. Going to her inbox, she saw the subject line. You can only watch. Her heart sunk into her stomach. "Guys. I just got an email from the ubsub." The entire team dropped what they were doing and gathered behind her as Garcia opened the email. All it contained was a link.
"Click it, Penelope." Hotch ordered. He wasn't sure he wanted to see what was on the other side of the link, but they had to know.
As soon as Garcia clicked the link, a video popped up on the screen. It was of Reid. He was still sitting in the wooden chair as in the photo. Some sort of wiring came out of two pads attached to either side of his head. The wires led to offscreen. Reid appeared to be strapped to the chair now, unlike in the photo they had received earlier. He had a cloth in his mouth, presumably acting as a gag. Reid was unmoving, except for his eyes. They were open and staring at the screen. He blinked infrequently, but otherwise he didn't move. The fear in his eyes was apparent. Garcia let out an involuntary gasp when she saw him. She quickly collected herself and started typing on her second computer. "Sir, this is live. And our webcam is connected as well… they can see and hear us."
The team immediately shifted their body language. When they saw Reid pop up on the screen, looks of worry filled the room. Now with the knowledge that Reid and the unsub were watching them, they all knew they needed to look in control.
"Reid? Are you okay? Reid it's Hotch. Nod your head if you can hear me," Hotch requested. Reid just blinked and continued to stare at the screen.
Suddenly a voice from offscreen came through the speakers. "Dr. Reid can hear you. But I'm afraid he's unable to answer you at the moment." The man laughed.
"Why can't he answer me?" Hotch asked. He was worried about what had been done to Reid and was trying to get any information he could from the unsub. Garcia, meanwhile, was attempting to trace the video stream.
"Let's just say that Dr. Reid Is a little inhibited at the moment." The man laughed again. He seemed to find the whole situation rather humourous. He was the only one who did. "You see, Reid needs to be taught a lesson. You all do. So let's get started, shall we? Oh, and miss Garcia, you can stop trying to trace my location from the video stream. You won't be able to." The man laughed again.
"Tell me what you want. I'm sure we can work something out in exchange for the safe return of my agent," Hotch said.
"What I want, you can't give me. I want this meddling little good-for-nothing 'doctor' to have never entered my life. I want your team to have never destroyed everything I had built. You can't give me that. So you'll just have to suffer the consequences. I had to watch as my life fell apart around me, and now you'll have to watch as Dr. Reid here is punished for what he did."
Hotch's stoic expression faltered. He couldn't keep up the charade of not caring at the moment. "Please, don't harm him." He opened his mouth to continue to speak, but at that moment, a buzzing sound rang out and Reid began to convulse.
The team watched, unable to do anything as their friend was being shocked. A tear ran down Garcia's face and Morgan put both hands on her shoulders. She reached up and grabbed his hands as they silently tried to give each other strength. JJ looked away, planting her face into Rossi's shoulder. He put a comforting arm around her, a look of sorrow on his face as he watched the screen. Emily had both hands to her mouth, trying to hold in a sob. Hotch forced himself not to look away from the screen. If Reid could endure this, he could watch it. He had to.
"Stop," Hotch pleaded to the unknown man. "Please, stop. That's enough. You'll kill him!" Hotch's last words came out as a yell. Reid continued to convulse, sobs involuntarily coming through the cloth in his mouth. Reid's body shook uncontrollably as the electric current ran through his body.
After what seemed like far too long, Reid became still as the electricity was turned off. His eyes were closed, but the team could see his chest rising and falling. He was still breathing. For now.
"I hope you enjoyed the show, agents. I'll be in touch again real soon." The voice on the other side of the screen said. The computer screen went black as the video stream ended.
Reid watched as Dr. Malcolm stepped between him and the laptop and began typing. He stepped out of the frame as he pressed the last button, after which the webcam light turned on and Reid's team popped up. They look worried, Reid thought. Of course they did. This wasn't the first time they would be forced to watch Reid from the other side of a video stream. I really do have a knack for getting into trouble. I wonder what the odds are of all of these situations happening to a single person? If I had the time, I could probably calculate it. Snapping his thoughts back to what was happening, Reid took a moment to study each of his colleagues' faces. He missed them. He wished they were here right now. He knew he had to be strong for them. Show no fear, Reid thought to himself. Easier said than done.
Garcia was the first to speak on the other side of the video, "Sir, this is live. And our webcam is connected as well… they can see and hear us." Reid noticed the entire team attempt to collect themselves. That's good. Don't show him fear. Don't give him what he wants. Reid knew this couldn't be easy for his team.
Hotch was next to break the silence. "Reid? Are you okay? Reid it's Hotch. Nod your head if you can hear me." Reid heard a calmness in Hotch's voice that he tried to hold on to. I would if I could, Hotch. I'm sorry. Reid hoped the team would notice his inability to move. The longer this video continued, the more obvious that would hopefully become. It was a signature that the team could trace back to Dr. Malcolm. Reid wished he had some way to communicate with his team. They were right there, and if he could just open his mouth, he could probably tell them everything they needed to find them. But he was helpless to do so, even if he didn't have a gag in his mouth. Reid could do nothing but listen to the exchange happening between his boss and the man beside him.
"Dr. Reid can hear you. But I'm afraid he's unable to answer you at the moment," Dr. Malcolm said with a laugh.
"Why can't he answer me?" Hotch asked. Reid was sure he could hear typing in the background. Garcia must be trying to trace the video feed. If anyone can do it, she can.
"Let's just say that Dr. Reid Is a little inhibited at the moment." Another laugh from Dr. Malcolm. He hoped the team heard the way his captor emphasized the word 'inhibited.' Dr. Malcolm just dropped a big clue that Reid hoped the team was able to pick up. "You see, Reid needs to be taught a lesson. You all do. So let's get started, shall we. Oh, and miss Garcia, you can stop trying to trace my location from the video stream. You won't be able to." The small glimmer of hope Reid had that Garcia would be able to track him vanished. Don't give up hope. They will find you. They always do. You just need to hold on. Reid could feel the panic start to rise in him. He knew he was about to be in a world of pain.
"Tell me what you want. I'm sure we can work something out in exchange for the safe return of my agent," Hotch said. How is Hotch always able to keep his cool even in tense situations? Reid used the strength in Hotch's voice to bolster his own.
Malcolm was becoming angry at this point. "What I want, you can't give me. I want this meddling little good-for-nothing 'doctor' to have never entered my life. I want your team to have never destroyed everything I had built. You can't give me that. So you'll just have to suffer the consequences. I had to watch as my life fell apart around me, and now you'll have to watch as Dr. Reid here is punished for what he did." They aren't going to be able to talk him out of doing this. Reid knew there was no way out of what was going to happen. I just wish they didn't have to watch.
"Please, don't harm him." Reid could hear a hint of desperation in Hotch's voice. Then, Reid's entire world was dominated by pain. His body, previously unable to move, convulsed involuntarily. He wasn't able to think. Pain throughout his whole body continued for what seemed like an endless amount of time.
Reid couldn't see the faces of his friends anymore, though he was sure they were still right in front of him. His eyes were closed and all he could focus on was the pain he was in. It felt like he was being burned from the inside out. He heard Hotch's voice, but it sounded further away this time, like it was coming from a tunnel. "Stop. Please, stop. That's enough. You'll kill him!" Reid could feel the darkness coming. He passed out as the pain ceased and the electricity was turned off.