Railroaded! [FanFic]
Title: Railroaded!
Author: Tooks
Pairing: Hotch, Prentiss, Reid, Morgan, Jordan Todd
Rating: FRT
Summary: Private Investigator Hotchner charges forward with his newly created team to save Jordan Tood just hoping he's not too late
Notes: First thanks to those who nominated me for the cmfanficawards...please keep me in mind when voting comes too, haha! Now...this is the fifteenth piece in The Todd Case of my Noir AU "Living For the Night" (thanks let_it_linger21 for the name). Again, first person (this time from Hotch's POV), dark, gritty, real noir title (right down to the "!"), some cursing, and violence.
We keep ourselves just under the speed limit so as to not attract attention. If Rossi's information was good, if cops are already touchy about people being in the area, the last thing we need is to attract attention. We’re nearing the end now, it’s all or nothing, and I’ll be damned if someone’s impatience gets Jordan Todd killed.
I’m running on the presumption that Ms Todd’s still alive, I always do. In the past that’s brought me a lot of letdowns, even heartaches, but if my old friend and boss Jason Gideon taught me anything it’s that you have to keep the hope alive. Believe there’s always a chance to save someone and you’ll fight all the harder to do just that. Hope is a hard flame to hold, it can burn to your soul, but it’s better to have that flicker than no light at all.
“What are you gonna have the dame and the kid, do?” Morgan’s voice breaks the over the growl of the engine. “Are they even equipped to handle it if things go south?”
“I spoke with Emily about that possibility in my office.”
“What’d you say?”
I sigh. Morgan’s trust takes a long time to earn and not enough time has passed for the new members to gain it. He wants to be sure I’ve made the right choice in allowing Emily and Dr Reid to be as much a part of this as they’ve become. I know Morgan means well, but this isn’t the time for debate. It’s the time to trust and hope and be as prepared as you can be for whatever happens next.
“I prepared her for the possibility that Jordan might already be dead, that whoever took her could be there, or that the location we’re heading to is the wrong one.”
“How’d she handle that?”
I glance over at my former partner while we wait at a red light. “She’ll be fine, Morgan, and so will Dr Reid.”
“The kid’s already been stabbed, he can’t fire a gun, and I’m pretty sure he’s half-blind without those glasses of his.”
The light turns green and, in my frustration, I bolt the car ahead before relaxing my foot from the gas. “It’ll be fine, Morgan, trust me.” If he can’t trust any of them he should at least be able to trust me.
***
I slow down a few yards from the location and go to grab the walkie-talkie watch off the dash. “Prentiss. Reid.”
“Uh…yeah?” Reid answers.
“I want you to focus on Jordan, on finding and saving her.”
“What…uh…what are you and Morgan doing then?”
Morgan gives an eye roll as if Reid’s question is proving some point of his. I ignore it.
“If there’s anyone at the location when we get there we’ll deal with them. You and Prentiss deal with Jordan.” I pause a moment, unsure if I should ask this aloud, if it breaks that hope rule, but decide it’s better to know, to be prepared. “Do either you or Prentiss know CPR or…any form of first aid.”
“I do,” Reid states before the radio goes silent a moment and he returns, “Prentiss says she knows CPR.”
“Okay, good.” I start to look for a spot to tuck the cars that’s both close and inconspicuous.
I find one, park, and wait for Emily to pull her car up next to mine. Before getting out I turn to Morgan.
“You’re already on suspension, you don’t have to come.”
Morgan’s grin comes slowly, but surely, to his face. “You think I’d let you have this shindig without me?”
“I just want to be sure.” He can’t afford to be fired over this; I can’t afford to have him fired over this.
“I’m sure, Hotch. I’m behind you a hundred and ten percent,” his hand goes to the car door, “now let’s go save us a damsel.” The laugh slips out as he does.
I pull my banishment-from-the-force watch off my wrist and replace it with the walkie-talkie. It’s clunky and awkward but it’ll be easier to access in a pinch. I look up to see Prentiss doing the same with the walkie-talkie watch I gave her and Reid.
“So, where do we start?” Even after warning her that things might end badly, she might not get her roommate back, Emily doesn’t seem in the least bit nervous about charging forward. Is she that sure of the way things will turn out? Or maybe she's unconcerned? Or just very good at hiding her feelings?
Before I have time to respond to the question, or even wonder to myself why Emily's so sure, Reid cuts in. “There are two main, uh, structures in this area that would suit a hostage long-term. One is a storage container approximately 5.6 yards from here and the other is a, uh, maintenance and repair station for the trains themselves which is 6.15 yards.” He smiles, pleased to have the information ready on hand for us.
“You and Emily take the storage container,” I instruct, “Morgan and I will head towards the repair station. Don’t split up and if you find anything contact us.”
Emily’s lips nearly smile with surety, “Sure thing boss.”
“Yeah…boss.” Reid adds in a voice somewhere between nervous and excited that reminds me of my earliest days on the force.
Morgan and I decide to take a more roundabout route, looking for any signs that others might be around, possibly laying in wait. We get to there only to find nothing. Nothing but rats scurrying over broken-down, empty, train cars in massive room that, once upon of time, may have passed for a train maintenance and repair station.
“You know, if she was ever in here, she’s not anymore,” Morgan points out before giving a curse and kick to an overly friendly rodent.
I nod solemnly in response before turning to go. There’s no reason to stick around the location, no one’s about to return to it. “Prentiss, found anything?” I ask into the watch as both Morgan and I make our way in the direction of the storage unit.
Nothing.
“Prentiss, are you there?”
Silence.
“Emily?”
My feet start to pick up the pace even before my mind can allow itself to start to panic. Morgan follows close behind and soon enough we’re charging, personal safety be damned. Just a few feet away and we hear the shots.
***
The man bolts out into my line of sight and I recognize him immediately. Vogel. Timothy Vogel. Part-time corrections officer, full time sleaze. He doesn't notice Morgan and I approaching as he continues to fire into the container that fires back; I take advantage of that, fire a shot of my own. He's spun a touch when the bullet makes contact with his shoulder, which catches his attention and the attention of whoever was firing inside.
“You come any closer and I’ll have my fall guy.” He warns, his gun on me now.
I don’t want to fire again, I can’t risk killing him if Jordan hasn’t been found yet, but I keep my gun trained. “Meaning?”
I know what he means, he means for Jordan Todd going missing, possibly getting killed, but I need to stall him as Morgan slips around the container. My making any kind of arrest means fuck-all these days, but Morgan still has the pull to make things stick. And we need this to stick.
Vogel smirks. He’s arrogant, but smart enough not to blurt out specifics.
“She alive?”
“What do you think?”
“I think she is.” I allow one corner of my lips to curl up.
“The fuck’s so funny, Hotchner?”
“Your arrogance.” Vogel snorts so I continue. “You honestly think you’re in charge?”
“You think you are?” He volleys the question right back.
“I know I’m not just Foyet’s patsy, can you say that?”
“I’m no one’s patsy.” His aggressive tone tells me I hit a button.
I see Morgan’s already around the container, creeping up behind Vogel, and let out a smile. “No, you’re just little bitch.”
It’s not very original, but it’s enough. Rage flares in Vogel’s eyes and he goes to fire. Morgan hits first, shooting out one of the man’s legs, which causes Vogel to shoot wide and miss me altogether. I let Morgan make his off-duty arrest as I move swiftly to find Emily and Reid.
They never answered my calls on the watch and now that Morgan has Vogel my concern begins to form itself into a monster.
“Emily? Reid?” I call out before even stepping foot into the unit. “Are you alright? Answer me!”
“We're fine!” Both yell back with heavy breaths. The seriousness of this, of the danger, must’ve finally hit them both. Sometimes that happens, the terror only starts to come after the action is over.
“We, uh…w-we…” Between his now erratic breathing and usual stammering speech pattern Reid can’t even complete a sentence.
Thankfully I find out what he’s trying to say as I approach him and Emily hovering over a barely conscious woman laying on the ground. The watch, the walkie-talkie they didn’t answer, is laying beside them. It must've slipped off Emily's wrist in her rush to be by her friend.
The woman herself, this Jordan Todd, would be beautiful if she weren’t also beaten and battered by her latest living conditions and captor. At first glance I see no signs for true concern, but common sense tells me she’ll need to be checked and experience tells me she’ll need at least a day in the hospital to recover from malnutrition and possible hypothermia.
“Jordan, baby, open your eyes,” Emily says for the second time as I kneel with them, remove my jacket and the watch. “She just did it a moment ago,” Emily insists to me before making the request to her roommate once more.
“Reid, go get Morgan, tell him we have Todd, she’s alive, and we’re bringing her out.”
I stuff both watches into Reid’s hand as he nods some and gets up a little awkwardly, tripping a touch over himself, but quickly recovers and heads out.
“Jordan, please…please open your eyes.” Emily begs, the softer side she’d hidden so well finally seeping out of her. She looks over at me, “She’ll be all right, won’t she?”
I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to tell the truth either. “She’ll need to be checked out, but I don’t see anything life-threatening at the moment.” I do my best to keep Jordan comfortable as I slip my jacket around her.
There’s a grumble of a moan from the woman.
“Ms Todd?”
“Call her Jordan,” Emily reminds me to show my humanity.
“Jordan, can you hear me?” Another groan comes in reply. “Jordan, my name is Aaron Hotchner, I’m here to help.” I slip my arms under the woman, “I’m going to lift you up now, okay?” I shift on my feet and lift.
Jordan’s light as air and boney as a skeleton as I carry her. Emily following close behind.
“You should take her to the hospital, Emily. You have your own car, it’ll raise less questions if you take her.”
“What about you? And Morgan?”
Morgan is already waiting for us outside.
“Where’s Vogel?”
I don’t imagine him getting far, but I don’t like taking chances either.
“Reid’s watching him, I told the kid if Vogel moves to just run him over with the car. Jordan alright?”
“Considering. I’m having Emily take her to the hospital down the street,” I explain as I carry the woman towards Emily’s car.
Emily rushes ahead to clear out the back and keep the door open. She’s shaky, vulnerable, and I wish I could just hold her tight and promise everything would be okay. But I can’t. It’s not the truth and it’s not the time.
Once Jordan is tucked inside, covered the best she can be by my jacket, I turn to Emily as she goes to the driver’s side door. “Drive directly there, do not let any thing or any one stop you, and when asked say you and Morgan were searching on your own. Don’t mention me.”
“Okay.”
“Have someone call up the police and tell them where Morgan is and that he has the kidnapper in custody at this location.”
“Okay,” Emily opens the door, goes to get in, but then pauses, “What about Foyet? He was part of this too, he should be pay too.”
I don’t want to show her my defeat on that. I glance down a moment before taking a deep breath and answering. “We have Vogel, with any luck he’ll turn on Foyet. Now go.” Because I don’t have a better answer than that for you right now.
"I could see their woe and sadness, and I pledged to ease their pain; their suffering would not be in vain." ~ The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain
Next Section:
Nightingale's Welcome Us
Previous Sections:
Nightgale's Welcome Me
On Dangerous Ground
Safe Passage
The Big Scare
The Third Man
The Stallion: Part 1
The Stallion: Part 2
Trouble is My Business
Detour
Night Moves
I Love Trouble
Drive a Crooked Road
The Turning Point
5 Against the House
Author: Tooks
Pairing: Hotch, Prentiss, Reid, Morgan, Jordan Todd
Rating: FRT
Summary: Private Investigator Hotchner charges forward with his newly created team to save Jordan Tood just hoping he's not too late
Notes: First thanks to those who nominated me for the cmfanficawards...please keep me in mind when voting comes too, haha! Now...this is the fifteenth piece in The Todd Case of my Noir AU "Living For the Night" (thanks let_it_linger21 for the name). Again, first person (this time from Hotch's POV), dark, gritty, real noir title (right down to the "!"), some cursing, and violence.
We keep ourselves just under the speed limit so as to not attract attention. If Rossi's information was good, if cops are already touchy about people being in the area, the last thing we need is to attract attention. We’re nearing the end now, it’s all or nothing, and I’ll be damned if someone’s impatience gets Jordan Todd killed.
I’m running on the presumption that Ms Todd’s still alive, I always do. In the past that’s brought me a lot of letdowns, even heartaches, but if my old friend and boss Jason Gideon taught me anything it’s that you have to keep the hope alive. Believe there’s always a chance to save someone and you’ll fight all the harder to do just that. Hope is a hard flame to hold, it can burn to your soul, but it’s better to have that flicker than no light at all.
“What are you gonna have the dame and the kid, do?” Morgan’s voice breaks the over the growl of the engine. “Are they even equipped to handle it if things go south?”
“I spoke with Emily about that possibility in my office.”
“What’d you say?”
I sigh. Morgan’s trust takes a long time to earn and not enough time has passed for the new members to gain it. He wants to be sure I’ve made the right choice in allowing Emily and Dr Reid to be as much a part of this as they’ve become. I know Morgan means well, but this isn’t the time for debate. It’s the time to trust and hope and be as prepared as you can be for whatever happens next.
“I prepared her for the possibility that Jordan might already be dead, that whoever took her could be there, or that the location we’re heading to is the wrong one.”
“How’d she handle that?”
I glance over at my former partner while we wait at a red light. “She’ll be fine, Morgan, and so will Dr Reid.”
“The kid’s already been stabbed, he can’t fire a gun, and I’m pretty sure he’s half-blind without those glasses of his.”
The light turns green and, in my frustration, I bolt the car ahead before relaxing my foot from the gas. “It’ll be fine, Morgan, trust me.” If he can’t trust any of them he should at least be able to trust me.
***
I slow down a few yards from the location and go to grab the walkie-talkie watch off the dash. “Prentiss. Reid.”
“Uh…yeah?” Reid answers.
“I want you to focus on Jordan, on finding and saving her.”
“What…uh…what are you and Morgan doing then?”
Morgan gives an eye roll as if Reid’s question is proving some point of his. I ignore it.
“If there’s anyone at the location when we get there we’ll deal with them. You and Prentiss deal with Jordan.” I pause a moment, unsure if I should ask this aloud, if it breaks that hope rule, but decide it’s better to know, to be prepared. “Do either you or Prentiss know CPR or…any form of first aid.”
“I do,” Reid states before the radio goes silent a moment and he returns, “Prentiss says she knows CPR.”
“Okay, good.” I start to look for a spot to tuck the cars that’s both close and inconspicuous.
I find one, park, and wait for Emily to pull her car up next to mine. Before getting out I turn to Morgan.
“You’re already on suspension, you don’t have to come.”
Morgan’s grin comes slowly, but surely, to his face. “You think I’d let you have this shindig without me?”
“I just want to be sure.” He can’t afford to be fired over this; I can’t afford to have him fired over this.
“I’m sure, Hotch. I’m behind you a hundred and ten percent,” his hand goes to the car door, “now let’s go save us a damsel.” The laugh slips out as he does.
I pull my banishment-from-the-force watch off my wrist and replace it with the walkie-talkie. It’s clunky and awkward but it’ll be easier to access in a pinch. I look up to see Prentiss doing the same with the walkie-talkie watch I gave her and Reid.
“So, where do we start?” Even after warning her that things might end badly, she might not get her roommate back, Emily doesn’t seem in the least bit nervous about charging forward. Is she that sure of the way things will turn out? Or maybe she's unconcerned? Or just very good at hiding her feelings?
Before I have time to respond to the question, or even wonder to myself why Emily's so sure, Reid cuts in. “There are two main, uh, structures in this area that would suit a hostage long-term. One is a storage container approximately 5.6 yards from here and the other is a, uh, maintenance and repair station for the trains themselves which is 6.15 yards.” He smiles, pleased to have the information ready on hand for us.
“You and Emily take the storage container,” I instruct, “Morgan and I will head towards the repair station. Don’t split up and if you find anything contact us.”
Emily’s lips nearly smile with surety, “Sure thing boss.”
“Yeah…boss.” Reid adds in a voice somewhere between nervous and excited that reminds me of my earliest days on the force.
Morgan and I decide to take a more roundabout route, looking for any signs that others might be around, possibly laying in wait. We get to there only to find nothing. Nothing but rats scurrying over broken-down, empty, train cars in massive room that, once upon of time, may have passed for a train maintenance and repair station.
“You know, if she was ever in here, she’s not anymore,” Morgan points out before giving a curse and kick to an overly friendly rodent.
I nod solemnly in response before turning to go. There’s no reason to stick around the location, no one’s about to return to it. “Prentiss, found anything?” I ask into the watch as both Morgan and I make our way in the direction of the storage unit.
Nothing.
“Prentiss, are you there?”
Silence.
“Emily?”
My feet start to pick up the pace even before my mind can allow itself to start to panic. Morgan follows close behind and soon enough we’re charging, personal safety be damned. Just a few feet away and we hear the shots.
***
The man bolts out into my line of sight and I recognize him immediately. Vogel. Timothy Vogel. Part-time corrections officer, full time sleaze. He doesn't notice Morgan and I approaching as he continues to fire into the container that fires back; I take advantage of that, fire a shot of my own. He's spun a touch when the bullet makes contact with his shoulder, which catches his attention and the attention of whoever was firing inside.
“You come any closer and I’ll have my fall guy.” He warns, his gun on me now.
I don’t want to fire again, I can’t risk killing him if Jordan hasn’t been found yet, but I keep my gun trained. “Meaning?”
I know what he means, he means for Jordan Todd going missing, possibly getting killed, but I need to stall him as Morgan slips around the container. My making any kind of arrest means fuck-all these days, but Morgan still has the pull to make things stick. And we need this to stick.
Vogel smirks. He’s arrogant, but smart enough not to blurt out specifics.
“She alive?”
“What do you think?”
“I think she is.” I allow one corner of my lips to curl up.
“The fuck’s so funny, Hotchner?”
“Your arrogance.” Vogel snorts so I continue. “You honestly think you’re in charge?”
“You think you are?” He volleys the question right back.
“I know I’m not just Foyet’s patsy, can you say that?”
“I’m no one’s patsy.” His aggressive tone tells me I hit a button.
I see Morgan’s already around the container, creeping up behind Vogel, and let out a smile. “No, you’re just little bitch.”
It’s not very original, but it’s enough. Rage flares in Vogel’s eyes and he goes to fire. Morgan hits first, shooting out one of the man’s legs, which causes Vogel to shoot wide and miss me altogether. I let Morgan make his off-duty arrest as I move swiftly to find Emily and Reid.
They never answered my calls on the watch and now that Morgan has Vogel my concern begins to form itself into a monster.
“Emily? Reid?” I call out before even stepping foot into the unit. “Are you alright? Answer me!”
“We're fine!” Both yell back with heavy breaths. The seriousness of this, of the danger, must’ve finally hit them both. Sometimes that happens, the terror only starts to come after the action is over.
“We, uh…w-we…” Between his now erratic breathing and usual stammering speech pattern Reid can’t even complete a sentence.
Thankfully I find out what he’s trying to say as I approach him and Emily hovering over a barely conscious woman laying on the ground. The watch, the walkie-talkie they didn’t answer, is laying beside them. It must've slipped off Emily's wrist in her rush to be by her friend.
The woman herself, this Jordan Todd, would be beautiful if she weren’t also beaten and battered by her latest living conditions and captor. At first glance I see no signs for true concern, but common sense tells me she’ll need to be checked and experience tells me she’ll need at least a day in the hospital to recover from malnutrition and possible hypothermia.
“Jordan, baby, open your eyes,” Emily says for the second time as I kneel with them, remove my jacket and the watch. “She just did it a moment ago,” Emily insists to me before making the request to her roommate once more.
“Reid, go get Morgan, tell him we have Todd, she’s alive, and we’re bringing her out.”
I stuff both watches into Reid’s hand as he nods some and gets up a little awkwardly, tripping a touch over himself, but quickly recovers and heads out.
“Jordan, please…please open your eyes.” Emily begs, the softer side she’d hidden so well finally seeping out of her. She looks over at me, “She’ll be all right, won’t she?”
I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to tell the truth either. “She’ll need to be checked out, but I don’t see anything life-threatening at the moment.” I do my best to keep Jordan comfortable as I slip my jacket around her.
There’s a grumble of a moan from the woman.
“Ms Todd?”
“Call her Jordan,” Emily reminds me to show my humanity.
“Jordan, can you hear me?” Another groan comes in reply. “Jordan, my name is Aaron Hotchner, I’m here to help.” I slip my arms under the woman, “I’m going to lift you up now, okay?” I shift on my feet and lift.
Jordan’s light as air and boney as a skeleton as I carry her. Emily following close behind.
“You should take her to the hospital, Emily. You have your own car, it’ll raise less questions if you take her.”
“What about you? And Morgan?”
Morgan is already waiting for us outside.
“Where’s Vogel?”
I don’t imagine him getting far, but I don’t like taking chances either.
“Reid’s watching him, I told the kid if Vogel moves to just run him over with the car. Jordan alright?”
“Considering. I’m having Emily take her to the hospital down the street,” I explain as I carry the woman towards Emily’s car.
Emily rushes ahead to clear out the back and keep the door open. She’s shaky, vulnerable, and I wish I could just hold her tight and promise everything would be okay. But I can’t. It’s not the truth and it’s not the time.
Once Jordan is tucked inside, covered the best she can be by my jacket, I turn to Emily as she goes to the driver’s side door. “Drive directly there, do not let any thing or any one stop you, and when asked say you and Morgan were searching on your own. Don’t mention me.”
“Okay.”
“Have someone call up the police and tell them where Morgan is and that he has the kidnapper in custody at this location.”
“Okay,” Emily opens the door, goes to get in, but then pauses, “What about Foyet? He was part of this too, he should be pay too.”
I don’t want to show her my defeat on that. I glance down a moment before taking a deep breath and answering. “We have Vogel, with any luck he’ll turn on Foyet. Now go.” Because I don’t have a better answer than that for you right now.
"I could see their woe and sadness, and I pledged to ease their pain; their suffering would not be in vain." ~ The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain
Next Section:
Nightingale's Welcome Us
Previous Sections:
Nightgale's Welcome Me
On Dangerous Ground
Safe Passage
The Big Scare
The Third Man
The Stallion: Part 1
The Stallion: Part 2
Trouble is My Business
Detour
Night Moves
I Love Trouble
Drive a Crooked Road
The Turning Point
5 Against the House