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Aaron blinked as the lights in the room turned on without warning. The walls were white, the ceiling was white, and the floor was made up of white tiles. After being in the dark for around two hours, if he had to give an estimate of how long he'd been conscious, it was blinding.
The room was more than he had expected. The profile had suggested that the unsub kept his victims in a basement, maybe a shed or an abandoned warehouse. Somewhere that was ready made and a convenient location. There was a good reason, plenty of good reasons, why Aaron would never own a house with a basement or a shed in the backyard. He was even a little iffy on garages but appreciated them too much in the winter to go without. The white room, where he could barely make out the seam of a door without a handle on the inside, suggested more intelligence than he'd anticipated. More meticulous planning, more knowledge of psychology and tactics. More everything.
Of course, the profile they'd given - the profile Aaron had helped create - would never have suggested that the unsub would actually target an FBI agent. Clearly it was time to reevaluate and come up with a new plan.
Aaron shifted in the chair and tested his bindings. He was able to lean far enough forward and to the side to see that his ankles were actually in manacles that were attached to the chair legs, and the chair itself was bolted into the floor. His hands were fastened behind his back, handcuffs from what it felt like, and if they were his own handcuffs he was going to have some very serious words with the unsub in the interrogation room when they were all back at the police station. That was assuming they all made it that far alive and in one piece. So far none of the victims had made it out alive, but then none of the other victims had been FBI agents who had their team looking for them either.
He wondered how long it would be before his team realized he was missing. Fairly quickly; as soon as he started missing phone calls, he would guess. They had taken his guns, his credentials, his cellphone, and everything from his pockets while he'd been unconscious. The idea that the unsubs had his guns and badge made him itch inside. It was just wrong on so many levels and he half hoped that they were sent back to the police station as notification of his abduction. Better that than being used against someone. They had left him completely dressed, right down to where he'd knotted his tie around his neck that morning.
Aaron could only guess at what all of this meant; the bodies of the victims had been stripped naked with ample evidence of torture and assault, but not of metal restraints being used to bind the victims limbs. The marks around the victims mouths suggested that they'd been gagged, yet apart from the handcuffs and the manacles he was unbound and could speak freely. So far, all of what he was seeing directly conflicted with the profile but most especially in target choice. All of the victims had been in their twenties, in professional careers but always in a subordinate role. Rossi had hypothesized about the unsub's need to take away the illusion of power and mastery that young businessmen and women might hold. In the end it was almost always about power and control.
The end result was that he didn't fit the victimology and so far the unsub, even though he hadn't actually seen the unsub yet, didn't fit the profile. Either they'd messed up massively or there was another unsub loose in the area biding his time until the right target came along. Aaron wondered how long it would take his team to figure it out because as far as he knew, having been kidnapped by the side of the hotel right after he finished a phone call, he hadn't left any evidence behind that would help them find him. It was possible that the unsub still had his cellphone, and if the unsub fit the original profile Aaron would even say that it was probable. But nothing about this fit and with the organized kidnapping of an FBI agent, Aaron was willing to wager that his cellphone had been disabled and abandoned somewhere, or maybe even sent back to his team if the unsub had wanted to make a particular point.
Aaron shook his head minutely, clearing his mind so that he could focus on what absolutely mattered: staying alive, finding a way to escape, and taking down the unsub. He knew his team. They would do everything they could to find him as quickly as they could. There was no point in worrying about what they were doing or what evidence he could have left behind.
The door pulled open and Aaron leaned as far to the side as he could, trying to get an idea of where he was. Compared to the white of the room and the bright light coming from the recessed lighting all he could see in the thin sliver of the open door was darkness. The unsub came into the room a moment later, letting the door fall shut behind him. He was a reasonably well built man; taller than average, broad shoulders, and Aaron would say from the way he moved that his torso and limbs were strong and compact muscle. He was in a dark suit, well-tailored but not exorbitantly expensive, and the soles of his shoes clicked quietly against the tile as he walked to stand in front of Aaron.
They sized each other up, Aaron deciding that showing weakness was not the direction to take at this particular moment. If he was operating under their original profile he would have let his body slump a little, reassure the man that he was in control and try to coax him into letting him go. But the unsub, at least into his early forties with hints of gray starting to color the hair around his temples, already knew he held all the control. He was confident, standing close enough that if Aaron could get out of the handcuffs he could easily grab onto him, and the small satisfied smile suggested that everything was going just the way he'd planned. This wasn't an unsub who abducted seemingly at random in places that could easily be seen and dumped bodies in alleys behind businesses. Aaron ran through the profile again in his mind and tried to figure out where they'd been played, or if it even was the same unsub they'd originally profiled.
"So," the unsub said, the smile broadening for a brief moment before he reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out Aaron's credentials. "Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner," he read from the identification contained within. "That's quite a mouthful."
Aaron managed to keep his expression blank, hiding how much it bothered him to see the unsub looking over his badge. He had a pretty good idea what would be kept as a trophy if the unsub actually killed him. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me your name?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
The unsub smiled, closing the cover on his badge. "No, I don't think I will. However, I can tell you someone else's name."
Aaron raised an eyebrow, not exactly sure what the unsub meant. They had already identified all of the victims they'd found, if it was the same unsub, but if he wasn't maybe the unsub would tell him who his victims were. "Alright," Aaron agreed when it became clear that the unsub was waiting for an answer.
The unsub tucked Aaron's credentials back into his pocket before pulling out another badge, the cover identical to Aaron's.
Aaron knew whose it was before the unsub even opened it. Which wasn't exactly fair, because it could have been Prentiss or JJ's, or even Morgan's if he discarded most of the victimology. Then again, he didn't fit the victimology either.
"Spencer Reid," the unsub read aloud before holding out the badge so that Aaron could see it clearly.
He looked at the credentials, knowing that the unsub wasn't even going to give him a chance to say that he was bluffing about actually having Reid. He wondered if the team would notice their disappearance more quickly with both of them gone, or if they'd assume he and Reid were together somewhere and just out of cellphone range. He doubted they'd assume that; they were all justifiably paranoid and as soon as Reid went missing Morgan would mobilize everyone.
"Where is Dr. Reid?" Aaron asked, using Reid's title and surname on purpose while keeping his body language and expression as neutral and disinterested as possible. He didn't think the unsub would buy his casual disinterest, but it was better than giving him ammunition straight away.
"A few rooms away. Not close enough to hear you, or for you to hear him. But he's here," the unsub said as he slipped Reid's credentials into the same pocket he'd placed Aaron's.
Aaron nodded as he considered this information. His basic plan remained the same: stay alive and get out, but now his primary goal was to stall. He didn't match the unsub's victimology, but Reid did and it suddenly seemed more likely that this was the original unsub after all, they'd just missed an entire victim pool. He couldn't help but wonder what the unsub did with his secondary victims once he killed the primary. There hadn't been any disappearances associated with the victims, no one working at the same companies or family members, and no one they'd interviewed had been gone during the abduction time frame. Maybe they hadn't gone far back enough to find a common connection between the victims.
"What do you want?" Aaron asked, his voice crisp and professional.
"I already have what I want, but you already know that," the unsub replied smoothly. He kept his focus intent on Aaron, reading any reactions as Aaron observed him in return. "Why don't you tell me what else you know?"
Aaron blinked, suddenly remembering how Reid had stalled Chester Hardwick for thirteen minutes, giving a profile that had distracted the inmate from attempting to kill them. He could stall for at least that long, hopefully much longer. The unsub had to know the team was looking for them, that he couldn't spend days with them like he had his previous victims, and a shortened time table almost always meant escalated violence. "You were a business man," Aaron began, preparing to adapt the profile he'd given at the station only earlier that morning.
The unsub laughed, looking horrifically normal as he smiled. "No, you misunderstand. Tell me what I'm going to do to Spencer. You've seen my work, examined the bodies, and read the coroner's reports. You know what happens next, so why don't you tell me."
Feeling his pulse kick up a notch, Aaron swallowed as he understood the game. He could do this because the longer he kept the unsub in here with him the less time he'd have to spend with Reid before the team came for them. He could do this because it was better than the alternative.
Of the many times Aaron had envied Reid's ability to recall information he'd read this was the first time he wished fervently for it. The more detail he could provide, the longer their discussion would last. Of course, right now Reid was probably cursing that ability; he was probably bound and gagged and alone and remembering every detail that had been in the coroner's reports as he waited for the unsub to arrive.
This was just like giving a briefing on victimology to the local law enforcement, he just had to take a steady breath and keep focused on his goals. "You kept them isolated, nude, secured in a way that doesn't leaving marks, but gagged in a way that does."
The unsub shook his head. "Not like that. Tell me what I'm going to do to Spencer," he repeated calmly.
Aaron took another breath and shifted his shoulders. He had to ignore the steady burn in his muscles and the way the metal cuffs were biting into his skin. None of that mattered except for as reminders of what he needed to do. "You have Dr. Reid confined somewhere in this building-"
"Spencer, not Dr. Reid," the unsub instructed. "Start again."
It figured that the unsub would be smart enough to use their usual tactics of trying to humanize a hostage - to remind the unsub that it was a person they held instead of an object - to not let Aaron distance himself in any way from the situation. While he was trying to get the unsub to see Reid as a professional and someone with power, the unsub was reminding him of Spencer; the man who had been his coworker for five years, who he'd watched go from a walking and talking encyclopedia to a competent federal agent and a valued member of the team. A friend, one of the few he had. He swallowed and shifted again so that he was looking the unsub directly in the eye. He wasn't going to show weakness because that would spell death for both him and Reid. "You have Spencer confined somewhere in this building," Aaron said, his voice stern and steady.
The unsub nodded, either with approval or as an indication to continue.
"He's bound, naked, and gagged," he continued, trying not to think how much it would bother Reid to be gagged. Talking was Reid's main defense; words were his armor. Aaron would guess that the gag would be bothering Reid more than the forced nudity.
"What happens next?" the unsub asked, apparently willing to lead him step by step if it was necessary.
Aaron scrambled to recall what the coroner had explained and how her report had read, trying to create an order of events that would make sense in regards to the violence and damage escalating over time. "You will beat him over his torso, arms, and legs with a strap of some kind. This will happen over the course of several sessions, he will never know when you'll return or how long he has between beatings," he said unflinchingly. He knew that it had taken at least three beatings with hours in between each one to account for the stages of bruising on the victims, but he didn't know that the unsub hadn't told them exactly when to expect him back. He also didn't know how well the unsub would take to his embellishments on what he could possibly know from physical evidence. It was worth it to take up the time though, even if he only got to do it once.
The unsub nodded, his smile returning as he watched Aaron. "Well, we may have to move up the schedule with Spencer, accelerate our plans. We're shorter on time than I would like. Go on.” The unsub tapped his wrist to indicate the time but didn't actually turn the face of the watch so Aaron could see.
"After you have beaten him into submission," Aaron started, forcing himself not to create a mental image of what he was saying. The idea of Reid being beaten into submission was somewhat ridiculous in any case; he hadn't bowed to Tobias Hankel despite the extreme mental and physical duress. This unsub didn't stand a chance of breaking him.
Aaron held onto that knowledge; Reid was strong and they would both get through this. "After that you'll use a blade of some kind to carve into the skin on his face and hands. Nothing deep enough to cause bleeding that could kill him, not yet. But there will be nerve and muscle damage in his hands and if he were to survive the scarring would be severe and irreversible."
"A dagger, actually," the unsub clarified. "Not as precise as a surgical implement and takes a little more work to get through the skin, but I find the unpredictability to be part of the excitement."
"Daggers are more typically used for stabbing than for cutting or carving," Aaron pointed out neutrally, wondering how far off-topic he could direct the conversation without triggering a violent response. The idea of the unsub cutting into Reid's delicate hands was particularly disturbing to Aaron. So many of his memories of Reid focused on the pathways his hands took through the air as he explained any number of things ranging from statistics on types of crime to trivia about foreign science fiction movies, his expression animated and his eyes bright all the while in the background.
"A tool can be used for many things other than its intended purpose. It's a sign of an intelligent and creative mind.” The unsub nodded as if he were imparting sage advice to Aaron. "Do continue, I'm rather enjoying your narrative."
Aaron fought back a grimace and barely managed to keep his expression neutral. From the particularly amused expression the unsub was giving him, he was doing a poorer job at hiding his reactions than he would like. He didn't want the unsub to be getting enjoyment out of this when Aaron could only think of Reid a few rooms away waiting for the first blows to fall. It was part of the unsub's game; Aaron knew that and hated that he was falling for it, but there were some manipulations that were difficult to resist even when he saw them coming.
"You will use something containing a pattern, like a brand, to burn his skin-"
"You're not saying his name. Start again," the unsub directed, staring at Aaron with all traces of humor lost.
Resisting the urge to sigh, Aaron raised his chin and stared straight back. "You will use something hot, maybe a brand, to burn Spencer's skin. You will start with the insides of his joints and move onto his chest, upper thighs, and groin."
The unsub nodded thoughtfully, as if acknowledging Aaron's unwavering gaze despite what he was describing. "Close, but not quite. A brand would be fairly uncivilized, don't you think?"
Uncivilized wasn't even near the top of the list of the words Aaron wanted to use to describe this particular unsub, but he nodded stiffly when the unsub waited for a response before continuing.
"It's a heating element, a copper heating coil to be precise. Maintains high temperatures and comes in a variety of sizes." The unsub turned away for a brief moment as he spoke, his eyes flickering shut as he was tempted into his own memory. "The one I favor in particular was originally a part from an electric kettle. Perhaps not something an enterprising business man should know, but there's a certain beauty in being a renaissance man. You'll find that a little knowledge can go a long way."
Aaron found himself nearly trembling with the self-control it took to keep himself from lunging against the restraints while the unsub's back was turned. The little trip down the unsub's personal memory lane was what Aaron had wanted; the unsub distracted and spending precious seconds in thought rather than a few rooms away and putting his plans into action. That didn't mean listening to it and imagining the agony his victims must have spent their last hours in was any easier. He wondered if the unsub was right, if he really wouldn't be able to hear Reid scream from only a few rooms away.
"What happens next, Agent Hotchner?" the unsub asked as he turned back. His expression was tighter now; forcing Aaron to provide the descriptions was allowing him to live the event vicariously and the sheer thrill was mirrored in his body language.
He blinked a few times, trying to remember if there were any other injuries on the victims that he could account for. When he was sure there was nothing else, Aaron braced himself and regained eye contact with the unsub. "And then you will rape Spencer," he said, actually impressed that his voice didn't waver in the slightest.
"That's right, I will. And you, Agent Hotchner, will be there watching.” The unsub had lost his almost manic smile and was now serious, even though he retained his confidence and intensity.
Aaron found that he almost looked forward to that moment because it meant he would have to be moved to where Reid was being held, and while the unsub was well muscled Aaron was certain he had the skills and motivation to take him out as soon as he was free from the chair, even if his hands were still cuffed behind his back. Unless the unsub was planning on setting up a video camera - Aaron had more than enough experience watching Reid being tortured via live feed to last this lifetime and well into the next - but Aaron didn't think he would. The unsub seemed to thrive off of Aaron's presence and carefully controlled reactions; he wouldn't be able to resist having Aaron right there with him.
"Of course, you'll only be there for the parts you've just described to me. You were very precise about what happens during the more physically demanding portions of my work, but perhaps you're forgetting that there are many things in this world that don't leave a mark.” The unsub smiled again though it wasn't the same as the ones before. This one seemed more forced, like he was trying to remember how to smile. "There are many things that I can do to Spencer, and when I take you into that room to watch the rest you'll have no idea what I've already done. Nothing left behind and you will never know."
His heart was hammering in his chest again as he considered what the unsub was saying. Aaron's mind was only too helpful in supplying a list of things that the unsub could do to hurt Reid without leaving any trace of evidence behind, things that would damage Reid's psyche far worse than any physical pain that was inflicted. He should have seen this coming, known that there was a game within a game, but he'd been so focused on not providing the anguished reaction that the unsub wanted that he'd pushed that part of the profile aside. The unsub had been playing them from the start; he had most likely set up the evidence so that they would arrive at the profile the unsub believed would leave them most vulnerable to his attack. It made sense that the convoluted games would only continue once he had captured them.
"I'll leave you to think about that. Spencer and I will just be a few rooms away.” The unsub gestured with his hand as he walked toward the door. "I'm sure he'll be thinking of you."
"Wait," Aaron called, trying to come up with a way that would keep the unsub there with him. "Let me take Spencer's place!"
The unsub laughed as he pushed open the door and walked through. "That wasn't a very good offer, Agent Hotcher. Try again next time."
Aaron fought against the restraints as the door fell closed, leaving him alone in the white room. He didn't even feel the sting as the handcuffs cut into the skin around his wrists or the way the manacles bruised his ankles. It was several minutes later when he slumped back against the chair, breathing hard and sweat dripping down from his forehead, his failure stinging worse than when drops of sweat fell down into his eyes.
*****
His sense of time had felt skewed ever since he'd woken in the dark, his mouth thick and dry from whatever he'd been drugged with, and the brilliant white of the room he was being held in only left him more unbalanced. Aaron thought that he'd kept the unsub with him for maybe thirty minutes, certainly not any longer, and while he could keep an approximate count as the seconds slipped by, he didn't have a good way of knowing how much time had passed since the unsub had left the room. It felt at least twice that long, but Aaron was well aware of the effects of adrenaline and fear on the perception of time.
The unsub had told him he would come back for Aaron, that he would bring him to watch before he started on the methods of torture that Aaron had unwaveringly detailed, but as the minutes trickled by he couldn't help but wonder if the unsub had lost control of his urges and hadn't been able to wait to bring Aaron to observe. If it had been nearly an hour - assuming that he was even close to keeping an accurate count of the minutes - and Aaron couldn't imagine what could be taking the unsub so long otherwise.
Actually, the problem was that he could imagine what the unsub might be doing; Aaron's imagination had always been very good at supplying detailed imagery. He could imagine the unsub's hands running over Spencer's body, enraptured rather than horrified by Spencer's muffled whimpers. He could imagine the edge of a dull blade being pressed into Spencer's skin, providing the sensation and bright pain of being cut without ever breaking the skin. His mind supplied scenario after scenario of what the unsub could be doing at that very moment and of Spencer holding onto that edge of panic as he told himself over and over that the team would be coming for him and he just had to stay calm and stay alive until they arrived. Aaron knew this was what Spencer would be telling himself because it was the same thing he kept reminding himself every time he pulled against his restraints.
His shoulders had been numb for a while now and he knew that was going to be painful when he was released and circulation was allowed to flood back into his arms. He was able to push aside the uncomfortable numbness along with the other complaints his body was making about being confined for so long simply by thinking about Spencer - because it was Spencer now, and not Reid.
In his mind, somewhere over the course of the unsub's insistence that Aaron call him Spencer instead of Dr. Reid, Aaron had compartmentalized Spencer into two separate entities. Dr. Reid was the FBI agent with the slowly blossoming self confidence, who grinned in triumph every time they played cards on the jet on their way back from a case, slyly joked with Morgan and Prentiss, and would occasionally look to Aaron for reassurance after a particularly rough case. He was the man who stood in front of law enforcement officers across the nation and brilliantly gave details of complicated profiles and rattled off relevant (and sometimes not so relevant) statistics as if he had the Library of Congress stored in his brain. Spencer was the man who had made his way into the FBI and the BAU despite his age and lack of social finesse, the man who had taken care of his own mentally ill mother and had the strength to seek treatment for her as soon as he was legally able to, the man who had graduated from high school at the age of twelve, and most recently the man who had survived Tobias Hankel. Spencer was a survivor; he could out-will and out-stubborn this unsub while using the profile to make the unsub believe that he was broken and powerless. Spencer would catch onto the unsub's games faster than Aaron had, because their lives depended on it.
Aaron shifted in the chair, allowing his head to bow briefly with acknowledgement of his guilt. He hadn't caught on quickly enough to keep the unsub in the room with him longer, and worse, he'd allowed the unsub to get in his mind. In most situations where one of his team was in danger, even when the unsub had made direct threats as to what he was going to do to them, Aaron was able to keep focused. He was the Unit Chief; it was his job to keep putting together rescue plans and not think about what might be happening to one of his people at that very moment. However, telling the unsub what to do to Spencer, using his own words and voice to give those instructions, had somehow breached that barrier in his mind.
If Spencer were there with him he'd undoubtably be offering explanations as to how saying the words, as opposed to just listening to them or thinking them, initiated a different way for the brain to store and connect them. He could probably provide specific details and locations in the brain, examples from various psychological studies, and probably a comparative analysis of those various studies. As much as Aaron would have welcomed the distraction he was a very tiny bit glad to be spared the lecture. All he knew was that saying the words somehow made it real; saying the words provided all the material his mind needed to create detailed mental images of what was happening to Spencer, even the parts the unsub had left for him to guess.
He had stayed as quiet as he possibly could, listening for Spencer's screams over the sound of his own thundering heartbeat. Despite his efforts he hadn't heard anything; either the distance between the rooms was enough to block the sounds or whatever Spencer had been gagged with was extremely effective. Or Spencer hadn't yet been pushed past the limits of what he could endure in silence.
"Reid!" Aaron yelled as loud as he could. He doubted Spencer knew that Aaron had been taken as well, the unsub would have waited to reveal that until the point when it would have been most emotionally devastating to Spencer. "Reid!"
Aaron took a moment and caught his breath, wondering if the unsub actually had Spencer at all. If he was a particularly talented thief he might have been able to lift Spencer's badge without anyone realizing it - Aaron doubted this scenario because Spencer was always very aware of who was in his personal space. He should have asked for proof of life, to see something that showed without a doubt that the unsub had Spencer and that he was alive and conscious.
It had been too long, the unsub had spent long enough doing whatever it was he was doing to torture Spencer. Redoubling his efforts, Aaron threw himself against his restraints. Even if he couldn't reach Spencer or let him hear his voice, the least he could do was try to draw the unsub back to him. "Spencer!"
*****
Aaron had been alternating shouting and struggling, trying to conserve as much energy and strength as possible while keeping a careful count of the intervals as they passed. He could feel where sweat had soaked through his shirt and the thighs of his pants even though it wasn't that warm in the room, and when he held still long enough he could feel the barest of tremors running through his limbs. The entire time he kept Spencer in his mind, doing his best to bear witness to him even if he wasn't there in person.
He had just finished calling for Spencer for the fifth session, he would be calling for the unsub as well but he still didn't know his name, and was leaning forward in the chair as he gave himself a count of one hundred to recover when the door was pulled open. Before he could brace himself for another meeting with the unsub, half of his team spilled through with their weapons out and aimed.
"Hotch!" Prentiss exclaimed, rushing forward with Dave Rossi at her side.
Aaron gave himself five seconds to feel relief that his team had come through, as he'd known they would, and then forced himself back into command mode. "Have you found Spencer?" he asked, ignoring the way his voice was scratchy from shouting.
"We're still looking," Dave answered, pulling a set of keys from his pocket and immediately starting on the manacles around Aaron's ankles.
"Go, help them look," Aaron said to Prentiss, giving a slightly nod when she paused with concern. "I'm fine. Spencer isn't."
She understood what he wasn't quite saying and left the room with the pair from the SWAT team who had waited in the doorway.
Aaron jerked slightly as the manacle around his right ankle was unlocked and Dave immediately used the same key to unlock the other restraint. "Where did you find the keys?"
"They were hanging from the unsub's belt. Had a hunch we might need them," Dave said dryly as he moved around to examine the handcuffs.
"You found the unsub?" Aaron asked as he flexed the muscles in his legs so that he would be able to stand in a moment.
"We did. He's dead," Dave said calmly. "Took a few shots at us but didn't hit anyone."
Aaron blinked as his arms were suddenly released and moved his shoulders carefully. It would take a minute or two for the restored circulation to become painful. He glanced at the bloodied handcuffs as Dave moved back around to the front of the chair, nodding to himself as he acknowledged that they had been his own handcuffs. "But you didn't find Spencer?"
"He wasn't with the unsub." Dave reached out and steadied Aaron as he got to his feet. "Aaron?"
Aaron bit back a hiss as his arms started to work again and clenched and released his hands. "This way, the unsub said he was nearby." He pushed the mental images of the mutilated bodies of the victims, Spencer joining them in his mind, as far away as he could and stumbled out into the hallway. They were in an abandoned building, not quite a warehouse but close enough.
Some distant part of him was aware that he shouldn't be out searching for Spencer directly after being held captive, and that Dave should probably be trying to stop him from doing something reckless. Aaron didn't care, the only thing that mattered was finding Spencer, and judging from the way Dave was dividing his attention between keeping an eye on him and rapidly examining their surroundings, Dave knew better than to try and stop him.
He took a moment to orient himself, looking down the long hallway and seeing Prentiss and Morgan in the distance checking each room, and a SWAT team working in the other direction. Closing his eyes for a moment, Aaron concentrated on remembering which direction he'd heard the unsub's footsteps go in as he stepped from the room and the direction he'd pointed in when he'd mentioned watching Spencer. "This way, he's this way," he said, moving as quickly as his still cramped body would allow.
Dave kept pace with him, his hand resting on his gun. "You're sure you're up for this? We have ambulances and paramedics waiting downstairs. You do realize you've been missing for over six hours?"
"So has Spencer. He fit the unsub's victimology, not me," Aaron snapped, knowing that Dave was only asking because he was concerned and wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't ask. Six hours was a long time to be at the mercy of a violent and sadistic unsub, anyone on the team could testify to that, so Dave was right to be worried. Even though he knew the team had done an excellent job tracking the unsub in only six hours with an inaccurate profile and down two members, better than he would expect under most circumstances, he couldn't help feeling they hadn't been fast enough.
The hallway leading to the left was so narrow and ill-lit that Aaron nearly missed it. "This way," he called again, managing to catch Prentiss and Morgan's attention as well.
Prentiss and Morgan caught up with them as they worked their way down the narrow hall, Aaron allowing Dave to open the doors because he was still without a weapon and the fizzing pain was still working its way through his shoulders and down his arms. He had a distinct feeling that it was only the rush of adrenaline keeping him on his feet at the moment as they peered into rooms that could have easily served as torture chambers.
"Doing alright, Hotch?" Morgan asked as he and Prentiss started working their way down the other side of the hallway.
"Fine," Aaron said tersely as he and Dave opened another room. There was dried blood spattered on one wall with a dark puddle underneath. Forensics was going to have a field day with the building. Nothing in the room had been recently disturbed, no sign that Spencer had ever been in there, so they moved on down the hallway.
For a few minutes there was nothing but the sounds of their feet as they pushed open doors and checked each room. The further they moved away from where he'd been held, the more Aaron worried that he'd made a mistake. The unsub had said Spencer was only a few rooms away and had pointed in this direction. There was always the possibility that he'd been lying, that it had just been another manipulation in case Aaron escaped and tried to rescue Spencer, but nothing about the unsub had suggested a lie in that moment.
Dave's hand on Aaron's arm startled him back to his surroundings; he'd been vacantly staring into a room containing a variety of torture implements, all of them having very obviously been used at one point or another. "We can leave, Morgan and Prentiss will find him."
"No, I have to see-" Aaron cut himself off abruptly and continued down the hall, glancing back to check that Morgan and Prentiss were still making progress.
The arrived at the next door and found it locked; it was the first locked door they'd encounter thus far. Dave compared the set of keys he was still carrying to the lock and picked the correct key, pausing once it was unlocked to ready his gun as Aaron pushed open the door.
Aaron's eyes landed on Spencer before anything else, the long skinny body lying unmarred on a table. A muffled sound came from the gag as Aaron rushed forward; he only vaguely heard Dave call to the rest of the team that they'd found Spencer.
"It's okay, Spencer. It's us," Aaron said, realizing that Spencer couldn't see them. The unsub had never mentioned that he'd blindfolded his victims, which didn't make sense to Aaron. The unsub wanted to be seen; he had wanted to see the fear in his victims’ eyes, but the discrepancy hardly mattered in that moment. He shrugged out of his jacket, ignoring the shock of pain in his shoulders and upper back, and placed it over Spencer's exposed torso and groin.
Dave already had a knife from his belt and was working on cutting free the straps that held Spencer's limbs immobile while Aaron moved to work on the blindfold and the gag, all the while searching Spencer's body for marks to indicate what the unsub had done. Just like the unsub had promised there were no cuts or bruises except for a swollen gash on his forehead. Most likely that was something Spencer had received during the abduction.
The blindfold came off easily and Spencer blinked rapidly as he looked up to Aaron.
"I'm sorry," Aaron said, barely able to speak from the words still lingering on his lips and tongue as he stared down at Spencer. His hands fumbled with the straps that secured the gag to Spencer's face but he couldn't look away long enough to do more than feel his way along. He barely noticed as Morgan joined Dave at working on bindings that kept Spencer from struggling, only a distant part of him listening as Morgan kept up a steady stream of reassurances.
At last the gag came loose and Aaron carefully pulled it from Spencer's mouth, apologetic as he saw the raw and bleeding corners where the sharp edges of the straps had dug into Spencer's skin.
Spencer shakily moved to push himself up as the last restraints binding his arms and chest were released. He licked his lips and took a few breaths. "I'm okay," he said, sounding anything but.
Before Aaron could stop himself he was helping Spencer to sit up and wrapping his arms around him; holding him just so he could feel that he was still breathing and his heart was still beating. He was careful to make sure his suit jacket stayed over Spencer's lap as he held onto him, every moment telling himself that he needed to let go and he was probably only causing Spencer further distress by being so close to him. He couldn't quite force himself to let go though, not yet. He could still see Spencer writhing helplessly as the unsub drew a dagger across his skin.
"Hotch?" Spencer asked, his voice rough. "Hotch, you're bleeding."
Aaron released him with a start, suddenly aware that he had the attention of his entire team, all of them watching with concern as he took a stumbling step back. "I'm sorry," he said, focusing back on Spencer.
He looked down, noticing for the first time where blood had soaked into the cuffs of his shirt, the skin on his wrists raw and open from where he'd struggled against the handcuffs. Aaron took a few steadying breaths, the room drifting in and out of focus for a moment as a pair of paramedics rushed in and moved to where Spencer was still awkwardly perched on the edge of the table.
Dave stepped closer to Aaron, his hand stopping short of grasping Aaron's arm. "The ambulances are just outside and the hospital is only ten minutes away."
Aaron looked back to where the paramedics had wrapped a blanket around Spencer and were checking the injury on his head and his vitals. Morgan was by Spencer's side, his posture screaming that he was just barely keeping a grasp on his own concern and protective instincts. It surprised Aaron, though it probably shouldn't have, when Morgan's protective glance encompassed him as well. He and Morgan had had their fair share of disagreements but they were a team and Aaron would have been just as concerned if their positions had been reversed. "I don't need to go to the hospital. The unsub didn't hurt me," Aaron said, his voice sounding distant to himself.
"You were drugged to the point of unconsciousness and your wrists are still bleeding," Dave said, this time placing his hand lightly just about Aaron's elbow and guiding him out of the room. "And if you refuse to go it's going to make it that much more difficult to get Reid to cooperate," he added quietly.
Nodding, Aaron let himself be led from the room, forcing himself to not look back as often as he wanted. Morgan and Prentiss were with Spencer, they would keep him safe. Actually, if he'd interpreted their body language correctly, Morgan and Prentiss were both likely to take down anyone who got between them and Spencer at this point.
When they stepped outside, after going through a long series of hallways and down a staircase, the sun was only starting to set. Aaron looked at the colors streaking across the darkening sky - it had been an hour or so past noon when they'd been taken - and he thought that it had seemed much longer than a few hours. A few hours didn't seem like enough time to hold everything that had happened.
Dave guided him to one of the waiting ambulances and Aaron let the paramedics do their jobs as they lurched off toward the local hospital. Only the constant mental litany that the unsub was dead and Spencer was with Morgan and Prentiss kept him from expressing any of the panic intermingled with relief that was stuck in his chest.
*****
Aaron had been sitting in a curtained off enclosure in the emergency room for nearly an hour when JJ showed up. The nurses and doctors had already been through, took blood to do a toxicology screen and cleaned and bandaged his wrists, and then left him there with the promise that someone would come by to discharge him soon.
"I thought you might want a clean shirt," JJ said, setting his go bag at the end of the bed and handing him a bottle of water. "Water now, coffee later."
He nodded, mostly because he did want a clean shirt and water sounded better than coffee anyway. The bloody cuffs on his shirt had dried but they still weren't comfortable.
"I thought you might want these back too. One of the local law enforcement found them," JJ said, setting both Aaron's badge and his guns down next to his bag.
Aaron repressed a sigh of relief and reached for his badge without hesitation. "Thank you. Did you find Spencer's?"
"Yes, though no sign of his clothes yet. Prentiss and I have just about finished up with the local law enforcement so we should just have one quick stop at the station before we head home. We already had the hotel rooms booked for the night, so if you'd rather stay overnight and travel in the morning, that's easy to arrange," JJ continued as she adjusted the strap on the bag she was carrying for Spencer.
Aaron appreciated that JJ was trying to behave as if nothing had really happened, as if Prentiss hadn't told her about the awkward display when they'd found Spencer, and nodded and tried to look as approachable as possible. "Leaving tonight, I think. As long as Spencer is well enough to travel," he said, pretty sure that Spencer would rather be back in his own bed no matter how late they had to fly into Quantico.
JJ nodded, clearly having expected as much. "I'll check with Reid and let everyone know. He should be out of his CT-scan by now, and probably is clamoring to be back in his own clothes. Rossi's right in the hall finishing up with Garcia, I'm sure he'll be back in a few minutes."
Resisting the urge to remind her, and everyone else, that he was their Unit Chief and didn't need a babysitter, Aaron just nodded his approval and watched as she slipped through the curtains and back into the bustle of the emergency room. He took the moment he had by himself to change into a clean shirt, though he really wanted to wash and change all of his clothes but that would have to wait for later. It was going to be tricky washing for a day or two while he had to keep his wrists dry and covered and he needed the privacy of his own bathroom to pull it off. He hooked his holster back through his belt and rolled up his pant leg to strap on his ankle holster. The bruise on his ankle was in a thick band that was dark and red with the worst of the discoloration against the front of the bone. Aaron considered it for a moment before pushing his pant leg back down and tucking his backup gun into his bag.
Feeling a little more like himself with the cuffs of his clean shirt buttoned neatly over the bandages, Aaron sat on the edge of the bed and sipped from the water bottle JJ had brought him. He was thirsty and hadn't even realized it until the first mouthful of water; it was a nice reminder how grateful he was for his team.
True to JJ's word, Dave appeared a few minutes later, slipping his cellphone back into his pocket. "Well, Garcia is very enthusiastic to hear that you and Reid have been recovered in one piece. At least, mostly one piece, correct?"
Aaron read between the lines and got what Dave was really asking. "A few stitches and a few bruises. As far as they can tell there weren't any negative effects from being sedated. Spencer is still getting a CT-scan."
"I just saw Reid in the hallway, he said it came back clean. He should be ready to go after they finish patching up the wound," Dave said. He paused for a moment, sitting down in the chair next to the hospital bed and fixing Aaron with his most thoughtful gaze. "Are you going to be able to handle seeing him better next time? He was a little shaken, I think."
"I'm aware that my behavior was atypical, and I will apologize to Spencer when I see him," Aaron said, disappointed in himself. He was held to a higher standard of behavior than the rest of the team and he knew very well how uncomfortable Spencer was when other people breached his personal space.
"I don't think you need to apologize, though an explanation might be a good idea," Dave offered. "I can't help but notice that you've been referring to him as Spencer. You're usually more inclined to use last names with the team."
Aaron blinked as he realized that he had been using Spencer's first name when he spoke. He could hear the words echoing in his mind, in his own voice, describing what was going to happen to Spencer. "The unsub," Aaron said, embarrassed that he had to stop and clear his throat.
"The unsub called him Spencer when he was telling you how he was going to torture him," Dave supplied when Aaron didn't continue.
He nodded before he could think to correct Dave's assumption that it had been the unsub doing the talking. It didn't matter, wasn't important.
"You can see that he's alright? We got there in time," Dave said.
Dave's ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter was one of the things that Aaron valued most about Dave as a team member, but it had occasionally caused some awkward moments between them over the course of their friendship. Though, most of the time, Dave had been right and they both knew it. "The unsub said that he was going to hurt Spencer," Aaron paused and stopped himself. "That he was going to hurt Reid in a way that wasn't visible."
Dave visibly stiffened in the chair. "He didn't say how?"
"No. Just that I'd never know what he'd done.” Aaron turned and met Dave's gaze. "The unsub was gone for more than an hour before you found me."
There was a moment of silence as Dave considered the new information. "I'll talk with him. Maybe the unsub never actually got to where he was keeping Reid. When we found the unsub, he was erratic and seemed confused. It's possible that his disorganization is part of why it took him days to actually kill his victims."
Aaron shook his head. "We got the profile wrong. The unsub was organized. He skewed the profile so that he had the opportunity to abduct two FBI agents. Do we have a name yet?"
"No, Garcia is still working on it. She's coordinating with the local forensics teams," Dave said, his concern moving back to Aaron. "The profile was fine, Aaron. That's how we found you."
"No. We need to look for evidence of other dual abductions. It's not just about the torture for this unsub. He needed someone else there to experience it through their reactions," Aaron insisted. He got to his feet and paced in the few feet he had in the curtained off area.
Dave nodded but continued to frown. "There was no evidence of dual abductions that we could find, but we can have Garcia look through the missing persons for the surround areas again. And if he did abduct multiples there should be some evidence that the forensics unit can find when they search the building."
"We got the profile wrong. He was organized," Aaron said again, pausing mid-step to look at Dave.
"Alright," Dave said, clearly more to placate Aaron rather than out of actual agreement.
The arrival of a doctor with discharge papers provided a reprieve for both of them. Aaron quickly signed himself out of the hospital's care, eager to collect his team and go home.
*****
Finishing with the local law enforcement, checking out from the hotel, getting the entire team onto the jet, and taking off into the night sky took a lot less time and was done with far more efficiency than Aaron could have ever predicted. When things went wrong, and when they did it was always spectacularly wrong, they tended to continue trending in that direction. But after both he and Spencer were discharged from the hospital everything went smoothly and they'd departed without a hitch.
Aaron took his usual seat at the table, the files from the case spread out in front of him. There had to be some indication of what they'd been dealing with, something they'd missed when doing the original profile that might have revealed to them the unsub's true nature and ambitions. The rest of the team was quiet but awake, which was unusual when coming home from a case late at night. JJ had a book on her lap but wasn't reading, Morgan had his headphones hanging around his neck, Prentiss was staring out the window, and Dave was sitting pensively and occasionally scratching something down on a notepad. Aaron shifted in his seat when he realized that he couldn't see Spencer, turning to check the small galley area by the bathroom and finding himself looking up directly to where Spencer was standing.
"Hi," Spencer said awkwardly before sliding into the seat across from Aaron.
Aaron's gaze went immediately to the gauze that was taped over Spencer's head wound and the raw corners around his mouth, the only obvious signs between the two of them that anything had happened at all. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly. The ambient noise of the jet would provide some cover for their conversation.
Spencer nodded jerkily, managing to stop himself just before the moment become more than just awkward. "Not bad, considering. Being abducted by unsubs seems to have become a trend with me."
Aaron stared, his mind unhelpfully supplying all the times unsubs had taken Spencer; some for only a few minutes and some for much longer.
"That was a joke," Spencer said abruptly and ducked his head.
"Right," Aaron agreed. Joking was a way of deflecting even when it was poorly executed, though he could understand the impulse to deflect over this particular issue.
Spencer swallowed and glanced around the jet before turning his attention back to Aaron. "Rossi told me what the unsub said to you. I just wanted to let you know that nothing happened. I was knocked out just outside the hotel," Spencer said, pausing briefly to touch the edge of the bandage on his head. "When I woke up, I couldn't see or speak, or move, and everything felt rather breezy. Not my favorite experience, but not so bad either."
Aaron nodded, suddenly relieved that he'd kept his clothes and had been allowed to see and speak. To spend hours by himself totally vulnerable and with no information would have been absolutely terrifying. He knew that Spencer was afraid of the dark and wondered if the blindfold had let in any light at all.
"Mostly I just recited a lot of poetry that I have memorized, starting with the earliest chronologically and working my way forward. I made it through the early metaphysicals," Spencer explained. "That was another joke."
Since Aaron couldn't begin to guess where the 'early metaphysicals' would be in terms of a literary timeline he just nodded again.
"Hotch, I never even saw the unsub. I didn't know that he'd taken you until you guys showed up to rescue me." Spencer shrugged. "Nothing happened. It was just a few very uncomfortable hours."
Aaron assessed Spencer carefully, encompassing body language, word choice, and everything he knew about Spencer. Spencer was typically a poor liar but he was crafty with word choice and explanations. Just like Aaron had chosen not to tell Dave or the rest of the team how the unsub had him describe the details of Spencer's impending torture, letting them believe that the unsub had done the threatening as was the norm, Spencer was gifted in lies of omission. Spencer had let the team operate under their own assumptions multiple times, relying on the members of the team believing in their own ability to profile him to fly under the radar.
The question was if Spencer would hide something from him, and from the rest of the team, out of self preservation. Aaron thought that was possible, but unlikely considering the circumstances. Knowing that the unsub had hurt Spencer wouldn't change any of their opinions of him or how they treated him and Spencer would know that.
Actually, the real question was if Spencer would conceal information if he thought it would protect someone else on the team. Spencer couldn't help but know how guilty and afraid Aaron had been, not after Aaron's emotional display when they'd rescued him, and would know that the rest of the team would feel guilty for not getting there on time to prevent him from being hurt. Aaron couldn't help but wonder how much Spencer still connected Gideon's departure with the time he'd spent being tortured by Hankel. If Spencer thought he could conceal any harm he'd come to at the hands of another unsub, Aaron thought it was likely he'd do it. Not to protect himself, but to protect the team.
"I'm glad," Aaron said, meeting Spencer's eyes. It was a half-lie of his own because he had no idea if Spencer was telling the truth. He would have to wait until Spencer came to him or one of the other team members and it was possible that would never happen.
Spencer nodded awkwardly again and slid from the seat. He paused as he stood by the table, his eyes scanning over the papers that Aaron had spread out. Just when he looked like he was going to say something, Spencer turned away and walked to the seat across from JJ. He took a book from his own bag and started flipping through the pages, effectively ignoring everyone else on the jet.
Aaron sat back in his seat, rolling his shoulders slightly to relieve the phantom tension that still lingered. It wasn't often in his work that he was left with no answers whatsoever. Spencer had closed himself off to whatever had happened in that room, the profile didn't match what Aaron had seen of the unsub, and he felt like he could still feel the metal of the handcuffs biting into his wrists. He could still feel himself saying those damning words and when he closed his eyes the white walls were afterimages on his eyelids. Gideon had once said that the tricky thing about hunting the worst of humanity was eliminating the unsub without taking a piece of them with you. As Aaron looked out over his team, he was starting to think that was impossible.