The bird's opening - Criminal Minds - JJ

Abyss

Virginia, 2014

JJ hated that feeling and she wasn't even talking about Hastings' hands on her. She hated it too. She hated the feeling of his skin on her, she did, but that feeling... That feeling of being so helpless, unable to defend herself... That feeling of being used as nothing more than a bargain chip so Cruz would give them his damned codes... She hated it. But, right then, she couldn't do anything about it. So she kept her face stoic, her mouth shut. She knew Hastings would get off on JJ's pain and fear and that satisfaction... That satisfaction she wouldn't give him.

"Take your time, Matt." Hastings smirked over at Cruz, who was crouched down in front of the same computer they had given her for her codes. He was beaten, bruised, defeated... And as he turned his face to her to take a look at her, she knew what he was thinking - he wanted to break. Not for him, but for her. "I've been thinking about this for years."

"Matt, don't." JJ choked in her own words, trying to ignore the feeling of Hastings' hands opening up the buttons of her jeans. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine."

Cruz tried to believe her. He truly did, but he knew better. JJ wasn't fine. She was far from fine and Hastings wasn't bluffing. If he needed to, he'd do to JJ as he pleased. And that, Cruz would never allow.

"Ok, ok, that's it. Just stop!" Cruz pleaded, as JJ sobbed, feeling the guilt starting to creep up in her throat. "I'll do it. Just stop."

JJ swallowed hard then, watching as Cruz finally looked away from her with teary eyes and reached for the computer in front of him. JJ whimpered when Cruz started to type and, as soon as he was done, the one man who had been helping Askari and Hastings with torturing her and Cruz, picked up the computer and watched as the codes started to appear in the screen.

"We're in." He announced, as Hastings smirked. "It worked."

With a pleased nod of his head, Hastings offered his partner a pen-drive.

"Start with base security protocols and covert deployments." Hastings said, before finally leaving JJ and walking over to Cruz instead.

The man groaned and yelled when Hastings tugged at the chains around his wrists to get him hanging from the ceiling again and JJ shook her head, looking away from her friend as he struggled.

"Now that we have access..."

JJ could swear Hastings reached for his gun, but, thankfully, before he could do anything properly, the lights in the room flickered. Hastings stopped then, looking around surprised before groaning as he glared at Cruz and JJ. They had found them - whoever it was that had been looking for them both, they had found them. And, as much as he wanted to kill them, Integrity was more important and he had it now.

"I'll call for helo extraction. Tell the men to meet me upstairs." Hastings told his partner, before turning around to look at Askari. "You know what to do."

JJ felt a shiver shake her whole body. Askari knew what to do and what he had to do was kill her and Cruz. She frowned, taking a moment to silently plead that her team had truly found them. Please, please... Please let it be them outside that room. She needed it to be them outside that room.

"We don't have it all." Hastings' partner said, as soon as Hastings grabbed the computer from his hand.

"We have enough." Hastings said, pulling the pen-drive from its slot before turning to Askari and nodding again and leaving the room without another word.

JJ breathed in, holding her breath as if that could have hidden her from Askari somehow. Truly, she thought she was dead already now. She was as good as, if she had to be honest, but, instead of pointing his gun at her - or at Cruz -, Askari loaded his gun and, swiftly, turned to his partner, pulling the trigger in a sudden motion.