The Clockwork Boy, 30/?
Title: The Clockwork Boy
Rating: R
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Universe: Creatures of the Night (Part 2)
Pairing: Reid/Austin, Morgan/Prentiss; JJ/Hotch
Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Summary: The BAU is divided by two cases that tests their loyalties. Some things are found. Some things are lost. Some things were never really meant to be.
Chapter Thirty
The lobby of William Reid’s building is very, very different to that of the Capgras Institution. The secretary is helpful, if a little wide-eyed, when they express their interest in talking to William Reid. ‘I’ll send a message up,’ she tells them with a smile. Security protocols prevent them from simply just going up there and talking to him without assistance, which is a pity, because it would have looked a hell of a lot more intimidating.
The place is uncomfortable, though, if in a very different way. As both an FBI agent, and a werewolf, Morgan has learned how to deal with enclosed spaces, but this one is just a little too polished, a little too unnatural for his tastes. Magic hums in the air, adding to his unease; none of them have the sensory abilities of a sorcerer. Isolating individual spells is next to impossible, and Morgan would really rather not get himself turned into a toad by an oversensitive security system.
‘What do you think?’ he murmurs to JJ under his breath. Emily’s off to the side, staring up at some ridiculously intricate sculpture that hangs from the ceiling.
‘We could get a warrant to examine Diana Reid’s mind scans,’ she says, which isn’t exactly the kind of answer that he had been expecting. ‘Samson did mention that there was information that could be useful to us.’ There’s fear in her voice, which makes him think that she is getting some really bad vibes about this place. He trusts her vibes over his own discomfort any day.
‘You really think this place is that bad?’
She shakes her head. ‘Not this place. I’m getting a really bad feeling about the whole damn situation. If it weren’t for Reid, I’d suggest we had this whole case off to another team and wash our hands of it.’
Morgan is a little startled by the declaration; JJ is more dedicated than any member of the team, perhaps save Hotch. She’s the one that’s there until late at night, sifting through cases. Every single one of those cases, she takes to heart, and it is not like her at all to consider just dropping one, even if it is dangerous. The danger, they’ve learned to live with.
There’s a loud ding and a man in a tailored suit steps out of the elevator. The sound of his shoes against the marble floor echoes in the expansive lobby. ‘Agents,’ he greets them, as steps over to rejoin the group. ‘My name is Alvin Gibson; I’m the Public Relations manager for Alchemic Research and Engineering.’
‘Does this mean you don’t want us talking to William Reid?’ Morgan frowns. Gibson gives a short laugh that held absolutely no humor at all.
‘That’s not the case, Agent Morgan. I simply ask that any interview be conducted in my presence.’
‘With all due respect, Mr. Gibson,’ Emily speaks up. ‘If Mr. Reid has information, then we need to know, regardless of how poorly it reflects against your company.’
Gibson gives a slight hesitation - one that might have been missed by anyone that’s not trained to detect it. He knows something, even if he isn’t willing to let on. ‘This is just procedure, Agent Prentiss. I wouldn’t want to interfere in an ongoing investigation. However, I would ask that you switch off any cell phones or other technology; we have some very sensitive work in development’ He leads them back towards the elevators, and Morgan finds himself dropping back into step beside his colleagues, digging a hand into his pocket to switch off his cell.
‘We didn’t introduce ourselves, but he still managed to call us by name,’ he whispered, hoping like hell that there were psychic dampeners here, too. ‘You think he’s been waiting for this?’
‘That could mean that William Reid isn’t just involved personally.’
‘Who better than an engineer to design a robot?’ Emily muses. ‘“Sensitive work” is pretty vague.’
They step inside the elevator, and the door closes.
Alvin Gibson smiles.
…
Hotch’s meeting with the Deputy Director had lasted almost two hours, as questions were asked, answered, queried upon, etcetera. He knows that having two cases that are so personally connected to the team reflect poorly on him as a leader, but right now, he doesn’t care. He’d just wanted to get back to work.
As Rossi had predicted, though, exhaustion had overtaken him, and he’d allowed himself a short nap on the sofa in his office.
He wakes, and it’s late afternoon. He makes a note to kick Rossi’s ass for not waking him earlier like he’d asked. Every second they spend doing something else is a second that Elle Greenaway is still out in the world.
They’d decided that Elle is most likely in an amnesiac state, relying on her unconscious mind to guide her; instincts, fears, procedural memory. She’ll go where she feels safe, do what feels safe. Returning to the conference room, he puts a call through to Garcia.
‘The Mighty Hotchner! How may I assist you on this day of…dayness!’
He frowns. ‘Is everything okay there, Garcia?’
‘Absotivitly. The three amigos are on the trail, and I found JJ’s stash of jelly beans.’
Hotch almost groans. Garcia and sugar do not mix well. She’s buzzing so hard, he thinks she might explode over the phone line. He’s not sure how he’d explain that in paperwork.
‘Garcia, I need you to give me every single address of anywhere that Elle Greenaway has ever lived; any place in her file that could be used as some kind of sanctuary.’ He’ll have to call her family as well; see if any of them have seen or heard anything. It’s not a call he’s looking forward to. He knows about the merits of letting the past stay buried.
As soon as this is over, he’s taking the team off rotation. After everything that’s happened, they all need a vacation. He’s not going to let any of them come in for anything short of a civil war, but considering the events of the last couple of weeks, that’s an increasingly likely possibility. The new case means that he hasn’t been as aware of the consequences as he would have liked, but all he needs to do is turn on the T.V. to see the reports of increased vampire/werewolf violence.
‘Alrighty, Lord of the Dance - I have sent the first batch of addresses to yonder telephone, and expect more as I get them. If I accidentally send you something about Mr. Geppetto, it was supposed to go to Morgan.’
Hotch raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t ask questions; he trusts in Morgan’s ability to lead, to the point where if anything happens to him, the younger man is the one who will step into place, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
He hangs up the phone, and stares down at the list of addresses. In all likelihood, he and Dave aren’t going to be the only ones looking.
Things could get interesting.