Part 13- Danger Magnet
Dr Spencer Reid stole a glance over his shoulder. The same pair of headlights seemed to have been following him since he had pulled out of the underground parking lot in Quantico and it had him on edge. He turned back to the road, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, the pale skin over his knuckles pulled so taut the bones were ready to tear through his flesh. He was unable to make out the model of the car in the pitch darkness, though he could only hazard a guess that it was a Suburban from the shape and size of the headlights. Spencer pressed down harder on the accelerator in a hope that he could outrun the car behind. He furrowed his brow as he noticed the car gaining on him. He pulled onto a stretch of highway in Virginia and gave a sigh of relief as the car flew past him. It was a government issue black Suburban, though there were no lights and sirens on indicating an emergency, nor was Spencer aware of any emergencies when he left the BAU office.
He barely had time to react when the Suburban swerved to an abrupt stop across the middle of the road to block his path. With a sharp turn of the steering wheel to avoid a collision with the other vehicle, Spencer's Volvo lurched to the side and careened down a small bank before smashing head long into a tree. Despite his seatbelt holding him in place, Spencer's head flung forward and collided with his steering wheel, instantly dazing him. He gave a small groan as he attempted to lift his head. The vision in his left eye blurred considerably with the blood that seeped into it from a large cut to his forehead that snaked through his eyebrow. His skull throbbed with the lingering vibrations from the blow to his head. Smoke billowed out from either side of the crumpled hood of his car. He slowly moved his hand to his hip and released the seatbelt. Spencer barely got the seatbelt unbuckled when the dented door creaked open and a pair of hands dragged him out of the car. He landed heavily, face down on a patch of dried and hardened dirt. He slowly raised his hands in surrender. The hands roughly patted down Spencer's torso and legs, removing his Smith and Wesson from its holster, his credentials from his pocket, and the stainless steel watch from his wrist. Spencer turned his head slightly, his aching cheek pressed to the ground, to see a tall, muscular man in a suit retrieving a pair of flexi cuffs from the inside pocket of his black suit jacket. Spencer's unruly, brown, chin-length curls clung to the blood on his face.
"What's going on?" croaked Spencer, his eye stinging with the blood that tinged his vision red.
"Quiet, Dr Reid." The man wrenched Spencer's arms behind his back and cuffed his wrists together more tightly than protocol dictated, the plastic pinching harshly into his skin. Spencer was too dazed and weak to struggle.
"What is this? If you're arresting me, you need to inform me of the charges and read me my rights."
"I said, be quiet."
"You forced me off the road and restrained me! I have a right to know why I'm being detained!" The man slammed the toe of his boot hard into Spencer's face, splitting his bottom lip. Spencer's head whipped back and a familiar metallic taste filled his mouth. He spat a glob of blood out onto the dirt. Hands grabbed Spencer under his bound arms and yanked him up onto his knees. The world around him blurred and spun at the sudden shift in his equilibrium. He blinked several times to clear his vision.
As the man turned his back on the genius, blazer slightly moving away from his hip, Spencer noticed an FBI badge hanging from a leather belt and his hazel eyes widened. He could hear pulling and tearing noises coming from the suited man. Spencer's lips parted to speak when the agent turned back and a strip of duct tape was forced over his mouth. His protests were muffled by the tape as his entire world went dark from a black cloth hood being pulled over his head from behind. A pair of hands grabbed at each of Spencer's arms and dragged him to his feet. He was led clumsily up the bank to what he could only assume was the Suburban. He was turned and seated on what felt like the back of the vehicle. He felt a plastic zip tie being curled around his ankles and pulled tight, binding them tightly together. Spencer cursed into the gag and struggled against the arms holding him in place. There must be at least three people... One had an FBI badge... What is this?
"That's quite enough, Agent Reid." Spencer stilled at the sound of a woman's voice. She sounded familiar. Very familiar. He felt the pinch of a needle in his upper left arm, followed by the sting of the medication being forced into his muscles. The dizziness and haze became overwhelming before Spencer slumped against the side of the trunk. He was turned and laid down in the back of the Suburban with his knees to his chest.
xxx
Emily Prentiss shakily ended the call and dropped her cell phone to her desk when a knock sounded at her office door. She lifted her head, raven black hair swaying to see Penelope Garcia stood in the open door way. Penelope's bright pink outfit was completely incongruent to the mascara-stained tears tracking down her cheeks.
"Did you get the call about the RTC and abandoned car just off Route One?" asked Penelope.
"Yeah. What of it?" responded Emily.
"It's registered to Reid." Emily pinched the bridge of her nose.
"That explains why his satchel was found on the back seat with his cell phone, watch and credentials inside. The car has been totalled. There's no sign of Reid." Penelope choked back a sob.
"Em? What if he's hurt?"
"We'll go and check out the car to see if we can find out what happened. Gather everyone in the conference room in five minutes." Penelope nodded, brushing the tears from her cheeks and trotting away. Emily gave a frustrated sigh. Why did Reid have to go through this again?
The team seated themselves silently at the round table, staring expectantly at Emily. Dr Tara Lewis and Luke Alvez had trailed out their jabs at one another as they realised the intensity of the atmosphere surrounding them. Tara furrowed her dark brow.
"What's going on?" asked Tara.
"We had a report of an RTC and abandoned vehicle just off Route One. For reasons not yet established, the car has left the road and hit a tree," responded Emily.
"Wait.. Why is this an FBI case?" asked Matt Simmons.
"Because it's Reid's car. There's no sign of him but his bag was left in the back seat with his phone and credentials inside." Jennifer Jareau pressed her palm to her mouth to stifle a sob. "We're all going out to the crash site to try and get some information. At this point in time, we don't know if Spencer is hurt. Treat this like any other crime scene. Garcia? I need you to try and access any traffic cameras in the area to see if we can find out what happened." All heads nodded in response.
xxx
Tara pulled on her nitrile gloves and reached in through the open driver's side door. A glisten of crimson on the steering wheel caught her eye. She swiped at the liquid with the tip of a finger and drew her hand back towards her to find that it was blood. She motioned to a crime scene technician to take a sample. Luke was inspecting the hood of the car, his face pulled tight in thought. Matt and David were crouched down, closely observing the tyre tracks leading to the crashed vehicle. Emily and JJ were further over the road, inspecting another set of tracks. Blue and red lights flashed in both directions from the police vehicles that had cordoned off the road.
"There's some blood on the steering wheel. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that it's Reid's," sighed Tara.
"Reid must have hit the tree at some speed. Now, there's some blood next to the driver's side door and it looks like there's been a bit of a scuffle. I'd be guessing the blood on the dirt is Reid's too," answered Luke.
"Reid's a careful driver. What would make him go off road like this?" Luke shrugged. The pair clambered up the bank to David and Matt. "Anything?"
"These tracks match Reid's Volvo. It looks like he swerved to avoid something," responded Matt.
"What was Reid doing out at this time?" wondered David, his brows knotted in concern.
"Probably worked until late. You know how Reid is," said Tara. Emily and JJ joined the group. JJ had her arms wrapped around her waist and tears glistening in her eyes.
"The other tracks match to our Suburbans. It looks like they swerved to a stop right before the other tracks," announced Emily, a lock of hair drifting into her eyes from the gentle breeze.
"These tracks match Reid's car," answered Matt with a thumb of his thumb behind him.
"So he swerved to avoid a Suburban?" asked JJ.
"But who was driving one? And what do they want with Reid?" questioned David.
"Let's head back to the office and see if Garcia managed to pull any traffic cam footage."
xxx
Spencer's head swayed groggily on his throbbing neck as he slowly came to. He breathed heavily through his nose, the edge of the duct tape over his mouth irritating his septum. The air he was breathing felt warm and stifling. He remained in darkness despite opening his eyes. The hood over his head tickled his neck where it had fallen under the collar of his dark grey button down shirt. He felt much colder than he could recall. The blood on his face had dried and cracked to his skin. His shoulders ached from their position with his arms wrenched above his head. His fingers had not yet gone numb so he could only assume that his cuffs had been removed at some point and then reapplied. His feet felt as though they were dangling as he was unable to reach his toes to the ground. He let out a muffled grunt as he attempted to twist his wrists against the flexi cuffs but they were too tight. Spencer stilled at the sound of echoing footsteps. His chest vividly rose and fell in fear. There was definitely more than one person approaching him by the multiple sets of footsteps echoing around what sounded like a large, empty room. He knew it had to have high ceilings by the fact that his six foot frame was able to hang from the rafters without his toes touching the ground.
"Comfortable, Agent Reid?" The female voice was familiar but Spencer was unable to piece together where he recognised it. He desperately tried to locate the voice but the hood kept him completely disorientated. He struggled against the cuffs. The hood was tugged off Spencer's head, ruffling his bloodstained curls. The light piercing his corneas forced Spencer's eyes shut. He turned his face away from the light and blinked several times. He knew he had a concussion. Steadying his breathing, Spencer creaked open his eyes and turned his head back, frowning at the face smiling sadistically at him. At the sight of Assistant Director Linda Barnes, Spencer let out a string of muffled curses and fought harder against the cuffs, his eyes blazing with fury. His wrists had been bound to a solid metal pipe above his head in what appeared to be an aircraft hangar. His feet barely touched the floor. His sweater and blazer had been removed. Linda gave an uninterested chuckle as she removed her Glock from her holster and pressed it into Spencer's stomach. Spencer stilled and locked eyes with the assistant director.
"Behave, agent. You wouldn't want my gun to misfire and blow your insides out, would you?" Spencer slowly shook his head. Linda smiled. "Good. Now, I don't like it when agents talk back to me. And I really don't like it when they defy me. Your team won't find you." The muzzle of the gun moved up and jammed underneath the sharp edge of Spencer's jaw. Spencer breathed slowly and carefully, his hazel eyes never leaving the cruel smirk on Linda's face. She moved in closer to the bound agent until her icy exhale could be felt against Spencer's cheek. Spencer narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'm beginning to think you enjoy playing the damsel in distress," smirked Linda. "I mean, there was Hankel, the Separatarian Ranch, your arrest in Mexico... Let's not forget your capture at the hands of the Believers, and being tied up and held hostage by Casey Pinkner. It's like you go looking for it." Her eyes widened slightly. "Or does the oh so innocent Agent Reid have a BDSM fetish that he managed to keep secret from everyone all of this time?" Linda wiggled her eyebrows. Spencer let out more muffled curses. She reached up and partially peeled the tape away from his mouth.
"What do you want from me?" growled Spencer in a low, menacing voice.
"Well, you were the one who back answered me and walked out like a stroppy teenager."
"First of all, it's Doctor Reid. Secondly, all I did was say what everyone else was thinking. You just chose to fixate on me because I had the balls to walk away from you. You destroy teams and rebuild them in your image. You're just pissed that the BAU bested you." Linda forced the tape back down over his lips.
"You might be right, Agent Reid. But I wonder how your precious BAU will fare when they have to watch your slow, painful torture and death." Linda pressed the barrel of her Glock into Spencer's left thigh and squeezed the trigger. Spencer's ears rang with the deafening sound of the firearm being discharged. The bang echoed around the bare hangar. It took Spencer a moment to register what had happened before the red, hot agony swept from his hip to his toes. A muffled scream was emitted from Spencer's throat, his head thrown back and the veins bulging in his neck. Linda chuckled and grasped his jaw, his stubble irritating her hand, and tugged his head forward. Spencer glared at the short-haired woman, his breaths rapidly leaving his nose. Blood dripped steadily on the concrete floor beneath Spencer's feet, creating a growing crimson pool that glistened in the dim hangar lighting. The sound of steady dripping was similar to that of a leaking faucet.
"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Agent Reid. It's a scratch." Spencer's eyes flashed dangerously and he jerked forward as far as he could within the confines of his restraints. Linda smirked and pulled his face close to hers. Spencer's breaths came out as snorts of fury, his eyebrows pulled tightly together. With her hand still firmly gripping Spencer's chin and her fingers digging into his cheeks, Linda turned to the several black clad men behind her who awaited her instructions. They all wore black woollen ski masks over their faces.
"Gentlemen. Rough him up a little. Got to give the BAU some entertainment. Make sure it's dramatic." Linda snatched her hand from Spencer's face and stalked away, her heels tapping loudly against the concrete.
Spencer cautiously eyed the men approaching him. He desperately wanted to kick out but his bound ankles prevented him from doing so. He pulled against the cuffs but they held him firmly to the pipe. He was not prepared for the wooden baseball bat that crashed into his ribs. He immediately felt the air being knocked out of his lungs as there were multiple cracks from his ribs breaking. Spencer squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. The bat connected hard with his stomach. He wanted to curl up in the foetal position but his restraints prevented him. The bat smashed into his lower back, sending an intense pain shooting down his legs. Another man approached from behind and buckled a shock collar around Spencer's thin neck so tightly that it would cut into his throat if he moved. The genius fought against his bonds once again. Every nerve and synapse prickled as an electric shock rippled throughout his entire body. Spencer's fingers clenched and the veins in his neck bulged as an agonised scream sounded from his gagged mouth. He cracked open his eyes, stars dancing before his vision. He briefly spotted a blinking red LED light before the darkness crept over his vision and his chin dropped to his chest.
xxx
The team gathered around the table in the conference room. The air was thick with tension as they silently awaited the highly anticipated ping of reports from the laptop that Penelope furiously typed on, her eyes darting back and forth behind her cat-eye shaped spectacles. JJ had her fingers curled up and pressed to her lips, her blue eyes fixed on a fingerprint on the table. Emily anxiously chewed on a hangnail. David had his fingers steepled and pressed to his mouth in thought. Matt stared up at the ceiling, his arms folded across his chest. Luke drummed his fingers softly against his coffee mug. Tara seated herself back at the table with a fresh mug of coffee. A ping broke the air.
"The blood results are back from the steering wheel and the ground. It's Reid's," said Penelope, her voice quavering slightly.
"Any luck on the traffic cameras?" asked Emily. Penelope nodded, her blonde curls bouncing against her chest. She tapped on a few keys and the wall monitor powered up with an image of a poorly lit road. A pair of headlights stretched across the road followed by the shape of Spencer's Volvo. A black Suburban flew past and swerved to a sudden halt in front of Spencer, blocking the road. The Volvo lurched to the left and disappeared out of view. After a few minutes, a man with his hands bound behind his back and a black hood over his head was escorted up to the Suburban and seated against the open trunk. A man that they knew to be Spencer by the mismatched socks. His ankles were bound together and he struggled against a pair of men. There were at least three suited men and a female with short blonde hair. JJ's eyes widened at the woman.
"That's AD Barnes!" Penelope zoomed in on the face as much as she could.
"Oh my God. It is!" exclaimed Penelope.
"We need to figure out what she wants with Reid and where she would take him," said Emily firmly. Another ping sounded.
"Uh... We got a video," gasped Penelope, glistening eyes fixed on the laptop screen. She tapped on the keyboard and the video was visible on the monitor.
Spencer was hanging from a steel pipe in an airport hangar, wrists bound tightly together above the pipe. His ankles remained bound and his toes barely touched the concrete floor. He had been stripped of his sweater and blazer that he had been wearing the day before. The hood remained over his head. Linda Barnes approached with several men flanking her. She tore the hood away from Spencer's head. A long strip of silver duct tape was stretched over Spencer's mouth. He fought hard at the sight of the assistant director. Linda pressed her firearm into Spencer's stomach, forcing him to still.
"Behave, agent. You wouldn't want my gun to misfire and blow your insides out, would you?" Spencer slowly shook his head. "Good. Now, I don't like it when agents talk back to me. And I really don't like it when they defy me. Your team won't find you." The muzzle of the gun moved up and jammed underneath the sharp edge of Spencer's jaw.
"I'm beginning to think you enjoy playing the damsel in distress. I mean, there was Hankel, the Separatarian Ranch, your arrest in Mexico... Let's not forget your capture at the hands of the Believers, and being tied up and held hostage by Casey Pinkner. It's like you go looking for it. Or does the oh so innocent Agent Reid have a BDSM fetish that he managed to keep secret from everyone all of this time?" Spencer let out more muffled curses. She reached up and partially peeled the tape away from his mouth.
"What do you want from me?" growled Spencer.
"Well, you were the one who back answered me and walked out like a stroppy teenager."
"First of all, it's Doctor Reid. Secondly, all I did was say what everyone else was thinking. You just chose to fixate on me because I had the balls to walk away from you. You destroy teams and rebuild them in your image. You're just pissed that the BAU bested you." Linda forced the tape back down over his lips.
"You might be right, Agent Reid. But I wonder how your precious BAU will fare when they have to watch your slow, painful torture and death." Linda pressed the barrel of her Glock into Spencer's left thigh and squeezed the trigger. Spencer let out a muffled scream.
"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Agent Reid. It's a scratch." Spencer jerked forward as far as he could within the confines of his restraints.
"Gentlemen. Rough him up a little. Got to give the BAU some entertainment. Make sure it's dramatic." Linda snatched her hand from Spencer's face and stalked away, her heels tapping loudly against the concrete.
The team winced at each smack and thud from the bat against Spencer's body. He somehow managed to keep his screams at bay. They watched in horror as a shock collar was fastened around his neck. A strangled scream left the genius' throat and his pained eyes met the camera before he slipped into unconsciousness. Penelope pressed her hand to her gaping maw, mascara streaking down her cheeks in thick black lines. JJ was desperately trying to stifle her tears.
"We need to find him..." stammered JJ.
"We should look more closely at the location he's in. It looks like an aircraft hangar. It's unlikely that they've taken Spence to an actively used hangar, so we should focus on disused ones. We should also profile Barnes. She's been nursing a grudge against Reid for some time and had to have had this all planned out. We need to be careful who we discuss this case with. Barnes is still FBI and her lackeys are likely to be agents too," instructed Emily, a forced stoic expression on her face.
xxx
Spencer cautiously creaked open his eyes to find his cheek pressed to the concrete ground. His shoulders throbbed from where he had been suspended by his wrists. His hands had been bound behind his back once again with a new zip tie. Each heart beat sent shockwaves throughout his aching body. He could feel the rough material of the shock collar around his neck and the plastic tie binding his ankles together. The tape remained firmly pasted over his mouth. His eye felt swollen from where his head connected with the steering wheel. Spencer groaned and attempted to shift his position. He glanced down to see a bandage tied around his thigh. The floor felt cool against his fiery skin. Each breath felt like tidal waves of lava in his lungs. As he came close to pushing himself awkwardly into a seated position, he fell clumsily onto his left arm. A groan escaped his taped lips as he tried to will away the pain. He lifted his head as much as he could without the collar biting into his throat and cutting off his air supply and scanned his surroundings.
Spencer was in an aircraft hangar that had long been abandoned. Piles of partially covered aircraft parts lined the walls. There was a solitary door at the top of a set of rusty stairs where a sliver of light could be seen. A pair of men wielding guns stood on either side of the door. A loud screeching akin to that of nails on a chalkboard echoed throughout the hanger. Spencer groaned again and curled in on himself to shield himself from the noise piercing his skull. He glanced up to see a metal chair had been dragged into the room. The men dragging the chair approached Spencer and forced him up onto his feet. He fought with all of his waning strength against the men as he was roughly hauled into the chair. He was pinned into the chair by his shoulders as another two men approached him. Spencer attempted to kick out with his bound feet when a pulse of electricity surged through him from his collar. His eyes squeezed shut as a muffled shriek tore from his throat.
"Behave, Dr Reid." Spencer stilled as the shock stopped, his chest vividly rising and falling. The tape was harshly torn away from Spencer's mouth before quickly being replaced with a rough cloth rag that was held taut over his nose and mouth. His eyes widened in horror when he realised what was about to happen. He writhed once again against the men pinning him down. The icy water hitting his face felt like numerous icicles piercing his skin. His screams were muffled by the cloth as the water soaked through and filling his nose and throat. Water splashed into his eyes and down his hair as he attempted to wrench his face away from the onslaught. Stars danced before his eyes. Just as he felt the darkness encroaching on his vision, the cloth was ripped away and the hands released his shoulders. Spencer curled up as he let out a series of pained, ragged coughs, blood stained water surging over his lips and onto the floor. Fingers grasped a handful of Spencer's curls and wrenched his head back. Spencer panted, desperately trying to regain his breath. He creaked open his eyes and stared at the man holding his hair. A voice sounded over an intercom.
"Gag him and bag him, then chain him by the collar to the stairs like the animal that he is. Get ready to move to the secondary location. Once the BAU have the second tape they'll figure out where we are," came the female voice. He was held back against the chair once more. The man who had been holding the cloth over Spencer's face pulled a roll of duct tape from his back pocket and started to peel a strip away. Spencer glared at him as though daring him. Going against every one of his germophobic tendencies, he spat straight into the man's face with a smirk.
"Fucker..." The man wasted no time in forcing the tape down over Spencer's lips and winding it tightly around his head, adding several layers for good measure. "I'd like to see you spit at me now, you little shit." Spencer jerked against the hands holding him to the chair to lunge at the man. Another man tugged a dark hood over Spencer's head.
Spencer's groans were muffled behind the tape as he was dragged across the floor, his bound feet unable to support him. He was less than gently forced down to his knees. A hand gripped the back of his shock collar, fumbling for the metal 'D' ring. A heavy duty chain was padlocked to the ring on the collar, then coiled around the bottom steel post on the handrail for the stairs and padlocked in place, leaving Spencer unable to move without the collar choking him. Spencer breathed heavily through his nose, taking in his own recycled air once again.
They have a secondary location... Of course... Barnes won't be defeated a second time... I have to give them a clue somehow once we're there... Wherever that is...
Spencer attempted to adjust his position slightly, only for the collar to cut off his air supply. He let out a harsh, ragged gasp and coughed into the tape. He could hear the men moving items around and the sound of vehicles reversing. He had no doubts that they would sedate him before moving on to the next location. They wouldn't risk him hearing the location. His knees throbbed from the floor. His former knee injury flared from the position it was forced into. Spencer grunted with the new wave of pain in his lower limbs. He jerked to relieve the pressure, only to find the collar cutting firmly into his trachea. He let out strangled gasps as his mind began to go fuzzy.
xxx
The team had spent hours pouring over files as they tried to get to the bottom of Linda Barnes' revenge on their resident genius. The only time they were ever aware of an interaction between the pair was when Linda had planned to go into the field with the team and Spencer had stood toe to toe with her and refused to participate if she was going to be there, given that her sole purpose was to try and destroy the BAU, as she had done with many other teams. Tara scrunched her face as she flipped back some papers clipped into the manila folder in front of her.
"It looks as though AD Barnes and Reid had more interactions than we thought. Not directly, at least. She tried to interfere with Reid's reinstatement. When that didn't work, she started to make false reports about him. We all know about their interaction on the St Louis home invasion case. However, it looks like they had a much more heated discussion after her attempt to disband the BAU blew up in her face. She tried to suspend him for being mentally unstable but the director blocked it. She's been monitoring his cases and has flagged up the Hankel case in Georgia, the Separatarian sect in Colorado, the Merva case here in Virginia, the Casey Pinkner case, not to mention his arrest in Mexico," said Tara.
"What do they all have in common?" asked Matt, gently scratching his chin in thought.
"False imprisonment," answered Luke with wide eyes. "Reid was held captive in each of those."
"Reid was bound in those situations. If I recall, he was handcuffed by the Believers, handcuffed in Mexico and bound with duct tape in the Pinkner case," answered David.
"Reid wasn't bound at the Separatarian ranch. Only I was. He was handcuffed to the chair in the Hankel case," responded Emily, her eyebrows knitted in thought.
"She did mention those cases in the first video," said Tara. "She did ask if he had a BDSM fetish." JJ's cheeks burned crimson at thought of Spencer having a bondage kink.
"Okay, so she's been nursing a grudge against Spence and this is her revenge. But what about where they are right now? Are we any closer to figuring out which aircraft hangar they've taken him to?" Before anyone could answer, a loud pinging sound filled the tense air. Penelope's hands started quivering over her keyboard.
"We have another video, guys," came Penelope's trembling voice. She tapped a key to press play and the video popped up on the wall monitor.
Spencer was laid on a concrete floor. The strip of tape remained over his lips and his limbs were bound with zip ties. He attempted to sit himself upright but fell onto his left arm. Two men dragging a chair approached Spencer and forced him up onto his feet. He fought with all of his strength against the men as he was roughly hauled into the chair. He was pinned into the chair by his shoulders as another two men approached him. He attempted to kick out with his bound feet when his eyes squeezed shut as a muffled shriek tore from his throat.
"Behave, Dr Reid." Spencer stilled, his chest vividly rising and falling. The tape was torn away from Spencer's mouth before quickly being replaced with a rough cloth rag that was held taut over his nose and mouth. He writhed against the men pinning him down. His screams were muffled by the cloth as the water soaked through, drowning him. Water splashed into his eyes and down his hair as he attempted to wrench his face away from the onslaught. Spencer curled up as he let out a series of pained, ragged coughs. Blood stained water surged over his lips and onto the floor. Fingers grasped a handful of Spencer's curls and wrenched his head back.
JJ pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a hot sob as she watched her best friend get water-boarded.
"Anything on the hangar?" asked Matt.
"Judging by the partially covered crates of plane parts, I'd agree that this is an abandoned hangar," responded Luke. "How many abandoned aircraft hangars are in the Virginia area?"
"There's three," answered Penelope, mascara tracking over her cheeks. "Co-ordinates sent you your phones."
"Let's split into pairs and take one each. JJ, you and Dave take one. Matt and Luke will take the second, and Tara and I will take the third. Wheels up." The team scrambled out of the conference room to go to their allocated tasks.
xxx
Spencer's entire body ached from his position as he came to. He vaguely recalled a needle being jabbed into his upper arm, but then all went black. He could feel the surface below him bobbing and moving. He realised that he was in a vehicle and that they were on their way to the next location. He remained in darkness and could still feel the fabric of the hood over his face. The collar was still buckled tightly around his neck. His wrists and ankles were still bound with zip ties. He had been positioned on his knees in the vehicle. Spencer gave a grunt through the layers of duct tape over his mouth as he tried to change his position. His collar cut into his throat again, leading him to believe that he had been chained in place with it once again.
"He's awake," came an unknown male voice.
"We're five minutes out from bravo location. Let him squirm."
Those five minutes felt more like five hours before the vehicle came to a screeching halt. Spencer's breath caught in his throat as he heard the sound of a door sliding open. The chain connecting his shock collar to the vehicle was detached from the hook in the roof and pulled taut, hauling Spencer's bound form out of the van. He groaned as his body connected with the gravelled ground, stones jabbing him in the back. Hands curled around his upper arms and dragged him, his feet trailing against the ground behind him. He struggled against the hands but they never lost their grip. He was dragged up a short flight of stairs, his legs thudding painfully against each step and then across a smooth floor. He was set down on the ground with his back against a pillar. He could feel coarse rope coiling around his torso, binding him to the pillar and trapping his hands behind him. Hands fumbled at the back of his collar and detached the chain. Dread pooled in his stomach. The hood was tugged off over his head. Spencer blinked several times to clear his vision. As his eyes took in his surroundings, his heart shattered. He could still smell the metallic stench of blood as though the love of his life had only been killed the day before. He desperately tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Linda's heels echoed around the empty warehouse floor as she approached the bound agent. She crouched down in front of Spencer and firmly gripped his jaw, tilting his face up towards her.
"Is this place familiar to you, Agent Reid? You watched her die here, didn't you? How tragic. Especially considering you were willingly going to give your life for hers. Perhaps it's fitting that this is the place where you'll meet your end too." Tears pricked at Spencer's eyes as he struggled against her grip and his bonds. "I'm sure the BAU will make it in time to watch you die just like you had to watch Maeve die." A rogue tear streaked Spencer's cheek and slipped over the duct tape around his mouth. Linda patted his cheek patronisingly and straightened up.
xxx
The team filed out of the elevator into the BAU bullpen, their steps dragging with dejection. Other than a small puddle of blood on the floor of one of the aircraft hangars suggesting that that was were Spencer had been held, neither the genius or his abductors could be found. They were missing something crucial, they just could not put their finger on it. They slumped into their chairs in the conference room. David pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and sighed.
"There's got to be a case we're missing here. There has to be one where Reid was held captive but not necessarily bound. He may not have even been the focus of the unsub's attention," groaned Matt. JJ frowned in thought.
"Maeve," whispered JJ.
"What? Who's Maeve?" asked Luke. David's hand dropped to the table with a thud as he narrowed his eyes at JJ, pieces starting to click into place. The others looked on in confusion.
"Dr Maeve Donovan. She was a geneticist that Spence reached out for his migraines. They talked for months over the phone but he never got to meet her because she had a stalker. They were in love. She was kidnapped by her stalker who called Reid and quoted the word 'Zugzwang'. Her stalker was Diane Turner, a doctoral student. Reid offered himself in place of Maeve. Diane made him blindfold himself and she held him at gun point. She took the blindfold off and made him tell Maeve that he didn't love her. When she realised that Spence was lying, she put the gun to Maeve's head..." JJ trailed off, unable to bring herself to say what happened.
"Diane put the gun to her own head and called Reid a liar before firing. The bullet went straight through her head and into Maeve's killing them both instantly. The kid had to watch the love of his life die right in front of him. It nearly destroyed him," answered David. Emily's eyes darkened.
"She's taking him to the place where it happened. She wants us to watch Reid die like he had to with Maeve. Garcia pull up the co-ordinates from the file. I'll speak to SWAT. Wheels up," instructed Emily, her phone swiftly in her hand and pressed to her ear.
xxx
Spencer hated being trussed up staring at the very spot that Maeve's light oozed out of her head into a large crimson pool. He could feel his heart shattering over and over again. It was as though he was watching her die over and over again. He could clearly recall the stab of pain in his chest as the shot was fired, his scream lost in the sound. He did not want the rest of the team to watch him die the same way. A small sound distracted Spencer from his thoughts. He craned his neck slightly to peer around the pillar. He had not seen a soul for some time. Linda was facing away from him, clearly too interested in whatever she was looking at on her cell phone. He could have sworn he had heard a muffled grunt followed by footsteps. Spencer glanced back at Linda to ascertain if she had noticed anything. She turned on her heel and glared at her prisoner. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small black remote. She pressed a neatly polished thumb nail into the remote. Spencer let out a muffled scream at the electricity surging through him.
As his screams died out, Linda noticed the sound of approaching footsteps. She trotted over to Spencer and untied the ropes binding him to the pillar. She dragged him to his feet and held him close to her body, her breasts pressed into his back. She slid the Glock 17 out of her holster and pressed it firmly to Spencer's neck, her arm wrapped around his waist. Spencer's brow furrowed as his team filtered into the room, Kevlar vests strapped to their chests and weapons drawn. His hazel fear-filled eyes moved from each of his colleagues and family members. He did, however, notice one missing. He breathed heavily through his nose, the cold steel of the gun pressed into his flesh sending shivers throughout his body.
"Barnes! Drop the weapon and let Dr Reid go!" shouted Luke.
"It doesn't have to end this way. Dr Reid is not the reason for your downfall. That was all on you," said Emily. Linda pressed the gun harder into Spencer's neck, eliciting a muffled hiss of pain from the genius.
"That's where you're wrong, Agent Prentiss. You have no idea what this man is really like."
"We know you falsified statements against him. After all, his whereabouts were vouched for and his cell phone was clear of any wrongdoing on the occasions you claimed he sent you threats. We know you tried to suspend him for being mentally unstable when he shouted at you and put you in your place. You tried to have him forcibly removed from the premises but the director blocked it," said Tara.
"No, he's a psychopath and no better than those unsubs you chase! He clearly enjoys being put into these kinds of situations! Why else would it always be him?"
"People underestimate Dr Reid. They see him as weak as he's the youngest, but in fact, he's probably the strongest of us all. He's been through more than anyone should have to go through in a single lifetime. And yet he comes to work every day, hunting down some of the most sadistic people in America and saves lives. He does that with fidelity, bravery, and integrity, the very motto of the FBI," came David's voice. Tears pricked in Spencer's eyes.
"Face it, Barnes. You don't like anyone who talks back to you," snapped JJ, her blue eyes fixed hatefully on the other blonde woman.
"I will not be disgraced! This man should have been thrown to the gutter the minute he was arrested in Mexico!" Linda's voice was audibly quivering, her trembling finger stroking the trigger.
"Dr Reid was innocent. He was exonerated," said Matt.
"He broke protocol!"
"What agent hasn't broke protocol? Linda? This doesn't have to end this way," said Emily in a low voice as she lowered her gun. Linda's finger visibly began to press on the trigger. Spencer swallowed hard and closed his eyes as he waited for the shot.
There was an audible crack of gunfire from behind Linda and Spencer. Spencer felt Linda's arm slip away from his waist. He turned his head slightly to see the former assistant director slump to the ground, a patch of blood blossoming across the front of her brilliant white blouse. Tara was stood behind them, smoke trailing out of the end of her gun. Spencer's eyes widened and his breathing quickened. The room tilted as he felt gravity pulling him down. He landed heavily on his arm, feeling the bone splintering beneath his flesh. He let out a muffled scream of agony. The team holstered their weapons and ran to Spencer's crumpled form. Matt carefully sat Spencer up. JJ knelt down in front of the doctor and gently cradled his face.
"It's okay, Spence. You're going to be okay." Matt slipped the penknife out of his pocket and flicked the blade out. He effortlessly sawed through the zip tie holding Spencer's ankles together. He frowned as he went to free Spencer's wrists.
"I think his arm's broken. Reid?" Spencer turned to look Matt in the eye. "This is going to be painful. I'm going to need Dave and Luke to hold you still while I do this. We'll take your gag off afterwards as you may end up saying some things you might regret." Spencer nodded and braced himself. Luke grasped Spencer's torso with both arms, pinning the young man's arms to his sides. David held down his legs. Matt set his jaw and began to cut through the tie binding Spencer's wrists together. Spencer's scream was muffled by the tape over his mouth as he fought against Luke and David, the sheer agony rippling through the entirety of his arm. Sweat beaded his brown. The zip tie finally broke free and Spencer's arms were brought around in front of him. His hands were mottled in shades of purple and white and his shoulders protested at the movement. Spencer slumped into Luke's chest, his eyes squeezed shut and raspy breaths leaving his nose. Matt handed the knife to JJ and vigorously rubbed Spencer's hands to regain the circulation. JJ carefully cut through the thick layers of duct tape, using the tips of her fingers to gently pry it away from his skin. She peeled it slowly away from his mouth and untangled it from his curls. Darkness encroached on Spencer's vision, the sound of Emily radioing for the medics echoing as his consciousness slipped away.
xxx
Spencer felt the darkness melting away. He slowly peeled his eyes open to a white room. There was a steady beeping somewhere to his left. He glanced up to see an EKG monitor. A small groan left his lips. An oxygen cannula was seated under his nose. His left arm from his fingers to past his elbow was encased in an off-white cast and propped up on pillows. His body was throbbing. A hand gently gripped his right hand, pressing the IV tubing into his skin. He turned his head slightly to see JJ seated beside him. A smile tugged at the corners of Spencer's mouth. Angry red burns littered his neck. The cut above his eyebrow had been stitched and covered with a bandage. Bruising curved around his eye and a large neat cut stretched through the side of his bottom lip.
"Hey," came Spencer's quiet, raspy voice. JJ's eyes sparkled, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Spence! How're you feeling?"
"Rough. I'm not on any narcotics, am I?"
"No, Spence. We asked them not to." Spencer nodded softly and traced the tip of his tongue over his dry lips.
"Thank you. Can I have some water?" Spencer's tongue felt thick in his mouth with dehydration. JJ grabbed the tumbler of water from the bedside cabinet and dropped a straw into it. She slowly brought the straw to Spencer's lips. Spencer relished the feeling of the icy cold water against his hoarse throat. JJ withdrew the tumbler.
"You can have some more soon. I don't want to make you sick." Spencer nodded again and his eyes drooped slightly.
"What happened?"
"You have three broken ribs from the beating with the bat. None of them punctured your lungs though. You needed surgery on your arm. They had to put some plates and pins in to put the bones back together. You had a gunshot wound to your thigh. Thankfully the bullet missed any major structures. You also have some electrical burns around your neck and deep bruising around your wrists and ankles from restraints. Oh, and you have a mild concussion from the crash." Spencer averted his gaze to the dark black and purple bruising around his right wrist and the hospital wristband that came to rest on his thumb joint. He fiddled mindlessly with the corner of the pale green blanket that had been drawn to his waist. He opened and closed his mouth several times and pursed his lips as though he wanted to speak but could not find the words.
"What's wrong, Spence?"
"I'm tired of being in these situations, Jayje. I just don't understand it. Being kidnapped by a mentally unstable unsub is one thing, but to be taken and tortured by one of our own? That shit's humiliating." JJ felt as though she had been slapped across the face at the sound of Spencer cursing. A tear rolled down Spencer's face and dropped onto the blanket with a soft plop.
"Spence? No one thinks any different of you. After all, you're our danger magnet." Spencer let out a wet laugh, then groaned at the pain in his ribs.
"Owww... Jennifer! That was mean! But you're not wrong." JJ watched as Spencer's eyes fluttered shut as exhaustion pulled him under.
"Sleep tight." JJ smiled softly and sat back in her chair as she watched the genius sleeping peacefully.