"This is cosy." Emily exhaled as she lit a candle and handed it to Derek, who grabbed it and held it.
"Do we have any idea what's going on yet?" Derek asked, sitting on his desk.
"Garcia's trying to get some answers. Power's out in the whole building. Backup generator, too." Hotch announced as he walked into the bullpen, having just come from Penelope's office.
Everyone was confused. Sparks blew. Lights flickered and now the entire FBI Academy building was enduring a power outage, all because of some asshole called "Mr. Scratch".
"This guy's got some mojo. He knocked us out right when we got our best lead." Rossi scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"We could cross-reference the name Mr. Scratch against old statements. We'd have to go to the paper files." Emily suggested.
"We don't have time. This unsub's probably already found every kid that made an accusation from back then. If we don't get back online soon or get a lucky break in this case, we're gonna be looking at more drugged victims and dead bodies." Derek explained.
"Ahem. Getting online is gonna be a lot harder than you think." Penelope exhaled, holding a candle in her hand as the team followed her into the conference room.
"Whoever engineered this, he did a complete and total network and infrastructure shutdown." Penelope revealed as she set her phone and candle onto the table.
"But I thought we had firewalls to protect from this kind of breach?" Hotch questioned, Penelope shaking her head.
"We totally do. And that's what scares me. Okay? Look, look. I managed to capture some of his hacking code on one of the hard drives before he could fry it. I printed this out at the copy shop. This is what I can tell you. It's the only thing, but it's good news. He wasn't hacking us. He was looking for something in the Witness Protection files, 'cause that's what he raided first." Penelope explained as she put a large pile of papers down onto the table, Emily picking up only a small section of the pile.
"Do we know who in Witness Protection?" Derek questioned, Penelope exhaling.
"Well, that's the $64,000 question, isn't it? In that I will pay you $64,000 if you can answer it. His encryption algorithms are beyond the beyond the beyond." Penelope explained, everyone still confused, but more concerned than before.
"We're not gonna find him through his computer expertise. Certainly not now. We need to figure out why he'd take the risk to hack us." Rossi crossed his arms, unsure.
"It's like JJ said. He's looking for every kid who made an accusation. One of them is in Witness Protection." Derek exhaled.
"And he saved them for last because if he killed that target first, we'd be on him immediately." JJ shook her head.
"Huh." Emily spoke up, her eyebrows raised in intrigue.
"What? You see something?" Derek asked, confused.
"Well, I'm definitely no Reid...encryption's a highly specialised skill set, but it's fundamentally a mathematical process, which means it's a human process, but sometimes your technique can reveal where you learned it. I think I know where he learned how to do this." Emily gasped.
"Where?" Hotch asked.
"Harvard. Which oddly enough isn't known for its advanced math program, but it is known for one particular class. When you're good at math, you're good enough to get into Harvard, you take a math class called Math 15. When you're better than that, you take Math 25, but when you're the best, the absolute best, you take Math 55- honours advanced calculus and linear algebra. Graduates are immediately employed by the U.S. government because they're too dangerous to work anywhere else. More specifically, they're employed at the NSA." Emily revealed.
———
"It sucks for you right now, huh?" Tony exhaled as he got out of his car, meeting Hotch in the middle of a parking lot.
"Can you help us?" Hotch asked, getting right to the point.
"I can tell you that nobody who ever worked at Fort Meade is responsible for the hack." Tony shook his head.
"Well, of course not. He'd be too psychologically unstable for you to hire him. But he was good with computers, so you watched him." Hotch gave a profile of the unsub, watching as Tony shook his head and clenched his fists.
"Stop. Stop talking." He demanded.
"You monitored him as he broke into adoption records..." Hotch continued, seeing how uncomfortable Tony looked.
"I can't be having this conversation." He exhaled.
"...and decided who he wanted to hurt." Hotch tilted his head.
"I took an oath." Tony growled.
"And you kept tabs on him as he stalked these men and women just like you did through their computers." Hotch kept going.
"Just like you did. I took an oath." Tony raised his eyebrows, now starting to get sick of the conversation.
"And then he learned what he needed to learn to turn them into killers." Hotch stopped giving the profile, watching as Tony exhaled with relief.
"My oath is to protect the laws of this country and not to spy on U.S. citizens. I cannot help you." Tony insisted.
"Don't tell me that. You already know who it is." Hotch shook his head, exhaling.
Hotch watched Tony look around, making sure that there was no one around to see what he was about to do.
"If I were to cooperate with your investigation electronically or otherwise, I could be fired. You understand? Fired. So I'm sorry. You'll have to find another way." Tony explained as he pulled out a note pad and pen, beginning to write something down. Before long, he handed a piece of paper to Hotch with a name.
"Tell Penelope I said hi." Tony asked as he got back into his car, watching Hotch walk away.
———
"Peter Lewis. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. To call him a math genius would be an understatement." Penelope explained as she worked from her computer, Rossi next to her.
"Where was he in the foster system?" Hotch asked, calling Penelope from his car.
"He was not in the foster care system. He had two very biological parents and they ran the foster home until it- Oh dear." Penelope gasped, hating the shitty WIFI hotspot.
"Looks like we found Mr. Scratch." Rossi exhaled.
"So one of the boys in the house said Peter's dad would dress up as the devil and the other kids would follow suit. This has to be where all the victims stayed before they were adopted and their names were changed." JJ was shocked.
"Did Lewis' father serve any time?" Hotch asked.
"Uh, the case was pending, and then he was killed in jail for being a paedophile. Peter's residency is still listed as Florida." Penelope explained.
"Then he broke into the FBI files to find out who went into Witness Protection. Did any of the kids from the home go into WITSEC?" Hotch questioned, still driving.
"That would be a...no. No, none of them." Penelope spoke, confused.
"Who the hell is he still hunting?" JJ asked, confused.
"Garcia, who ran the investigation in Florida?" Hotch questioned, trying to piece the clues together.
"Uh, hold on. Dr. Susannah Regan, who was responsible for many of the investigations during the day. She was a member of the "Believe the Children" movement, which encouraged cops to believe anything the kid said about the SRA, and if the kiddos didn't have anything to say, she'd tell the cops to twist their arms until they did. And then her book was published-" Penelope read the information on her screen.
"-And we came out with the Lanning Report and debunked her." Rossi exhaled, knowing where this story was headed.
"Uh-huh. Her career flopped and she received numerous death threats and she went into Witness Protection." Penelope continued explaining.
"She's such a high-profile target, Peter had to wait before he could kill her." JJ crossed her arms.
"If he's bold enough to hit Quantico, he knows it's a one-way ticket. This is a suicide mission if he locates her before we do." Rossi exhaled.
"Which would be on a very nice estate in Columbia, Maryland." Penelope informed.
"I'm closest. Send me the address." Hotch insisted.
"Sent." Penelope exhaled before the call ended.
———
(Dr. Regan's Home)
"Dr. Regan." Hotch called out for her as he knocked on the door, confused when it opened by itself. He held up his gun, keeping his finger off the trigger until it was absolutely necessary to shoot.
"It's open. Come in." He heard her chipper voice.
"Are you alright?" Hotch questioned, entering the house.
"Agent Hotchner? I got Agent Rossi's message." She informed.
"Doctor, you're in danger. You need to leave the house." Hotch explained, something seeming off about the whole situation.
"I understand. I'm in the study." She called out.
"I'm so glad you're here. You need to see this." Hotch grew concerned when he watched her hold up a knife.
"He wants you to see this." She nodded her head before stabbing herself in the neck, sending Hotch straight toward her.
"No!" He yelled, racing toward her.
Without warning, Hotch felt a fine mist spray over him, causing him to start shooting his gun. Before he could register what was happening, someone whacked him over the head, sending him to the floor.
"Aah!" He groaned, trying to remain vigilant.
"AAH!" He yelled, being struck to the floor again before the mist was being sprayed over him.
———
The team hadn't heard from Hotch in a little over 30 minutes, which wasn't normal. When Penelope pinged Hotch's phone, all she could see was a little red dot that indicated that he was still at Dr. Regan's home.
"Penelope, call Spencer and Cassidy. Tell them that we need them ASAP." Rossi instructed.
The team watched as Rossi stormed toward Strauss' office, not caring that what he was about to ask for wasn't allowed.
"Rossi. What a pleasant surprise." Strauss smiled, Rossi not showing any emotions.
"Let's cut the crap, shall we? Hotch is in trouble and I ask with all seriousness that Cassidy and Spencer's suspension be lifted." Rossi explained, Strauss scoffing.
"I'm sorry. But that is not how the suspension works. Agent Marlow and Dr. Reid's suspension will be lifted once the correct action has been decided. And, as of right now, the Brass has yet to make a decision." Strauss rejected him.
"Look, Erin, we need all the help we can get. Would rather risk another Agent's life over some stupid suspension, or would you rather lift the stupid suspension so we can get as much help as possible to save an Agent's life?" Rossi begged.
"Ms. Garcia has already contacted Agent Marlow and Dr. Reid, hasn't she?" Strauss exhaled.
"Yes. She has." Rossi admitted.
"Fine. But this action will not be taken lightly with the Brass. All their scrutiny will be placed on your shoulders. Not mine." She defended herself.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rossi smirked before exiting her office.
Meanwhile, at Cassidy and Spencer's apartment, things were calm. Things were peaceful. For two months, they got to sleep in and have a good nights rest. That was, until Cassidy's phone starting ringing very loudly.
"Jesus!" Cassidy jolted up, almost falling out of bed.
"Holy shit, Cassie. You alright?" Spencer looked at his fiancée, worried about her.
"Y- Yes. I'm fine. Just nearly rolled off the damn bed." She laughed, her eyes glancing at why her phone was ringing loudly.
"Penelope! Oh my gosh! Wait, why are you calling me at 2:37 AM?" Cassidy happily answered her phone, putting it on speaker.
"Look, I know you and boy wonder are suspended, and I'm sure Rossi is using his classic charm to get the suspension lifted, but right now you two need to get your asses here, because Hotch is in trouble and we need all the BAU family power we can get!" Penelope insisted.
"No worries, Garcia. We're on our way." Spencer smiled before the call ended, leaving both of them to get changed.
———
(Dr. Regan's Home)
Hotch watched with a hazy view as Peter Lewis - AKA Mr. Scratch - removed his mask. Hotch couldn't feel any part of his body moving, except for his head. Peter towered over him, acting like a teacher would to their student.
"You can't move. Because I say you can't move. Do you see how this works? You do what I say." Peter whispered, watching as Hotch tried to remain calm.
"Peter..." Hotch breathed, trying to focus his gaze on Peter.
"I didn't say you could talk." Peter continued, watching as Hotch glanced over at Dr. Regan's dead body.
"Don't cry for her. She was stupid. And wrong. She used to burn sage during the sessions. She said that made it safe to talk about Mr. Scratch. What do you see when you look at me? Do you see Mr. Scratch? You can talk now. I want to know what- I want to know what you're feeling." Peter smirked at Hotch, who glanced over at his phone, hearing it vibrate on the floor.
"That's my team. They know I'm here. They're gonna come looking for me, and if you harm me-" Before Hotch could continue threatening Peter, he leaned forward, getting closer to Hotch.
"What are you talking about? Your phone isn't ringing." Peter chuckled.
"It was ringing." Hotch breathed before the vibration stopped.
"No, it wasn't. Very interesting." Peter smirked again.
"You gave yourself away just now." Hotch whispered, intriguing Peter.
"I did?" He asked, tilting his head.
"You slipped up." Hotch smiled slightly.
"How do you figure?" Peter asked, wanting to know where this conversation was heading. He got up close and personal with Hotch.
"You have no idea, do you?" Hotch rolled his eyes, chuckling.
"You said that she- she would...burn sage. But how would you know that? Unless she questioned you, too. I know, Peter. I know how those interviews worked, how coercive they were...with children who were innocent and helpless." Hotch breathed, trying once again - but failing - to focus on Peter's face.
"Shut up." Peter hissed.
"She questioned you about your father. And she wouldn't stop...until she got the answers she wanted. So you gave them to her." Hotch exhaled.
"Oh, that was good. That was so impressive. The way you got into my head. It makes me want to know how I get into yours." Peter smiled as he held a gun to Hotch's head.
Hearing the sound of cars parking and lights shining through the windows, Peter turned back to Hotch.
"You were right. They did coming calling for you." Peter smirked.
"They'll kill you." Hotch threatened Peter, glaring at him.
"Are you sure about that?" Peter smiled.
Cassidy, Spencer, JJ, Emily, Rossi and Derek exited their SUV's, carefully making their way up to the house, each of their guns drawn and ready. Entering the dead-silent house, everyone went their separate ways, Spencer heading toward the back door. He slowly walked down the hallway, not hearing a closet door open before a loud gunshot went off, the bullet hitting the back of his head.
"Spencer!" Cassidy walked around the corner, seeing Spencer on the floor, blood pouring from the back of his head.
"Shots fired! Spencer is down!" Cassidy screamed in horror, feeling her heart drop at the sight of her dead fiancé.
"Oh, my God. Oh, no." She tried not to vomit, seeing the blood stain - from Spencer's head - on the white wooden door in front of her. She watched as JJ and Emily ran to her, both of them in tears.
In the kitchen, gunshots sounded, breaking lots of kitchenware. Rossi and Derek ducked for cover. The kitchen was silent for a few moments. Rossi and Derek stood up, their guns aimed at the door where the gunshots were just coming from. After a few more moments of silence, a gunshot sounded again, this time hitting Rossi in the side of the neck. Without hesitation, Derek fired another shot, successfully hitting Peter Lewis.
"Rossi, where are you hit?" Derek asked, seeing the red liquid pour out from Rossi's neck.
"Hotch! Sound off, damn it!" Derek yelled out, hearing Hotch's voice.
"Here." Hotch yelled back.
"Go. Go." Rossi insisted. Derek stood up, slowly but surely making his way through the house to find Hotch.
"Where?!" Derek called out, walking past Peter's body.
"Here. In the study." Hotch called out again.
Finding Hotch's limp body leaning against the desk, Derek knelt down in front of him.
"Where is he?" Hotch asked.
"I shot him. He's down." Derek nodded.
"Morgan!" Hotch saw Peter appear in the doorway. Before Morgan could even register what was happening, Peter shot him, causing Derek to fall to the floor, holding his neck while struggling to breathe.
"Now I know what scares you." Peter aimed the gun at Hotch.
"No!" Hotch yelled as Peter quickly aimed the gun at Derek, shooting him.
"Son of a bitch." Hotch breathed, seeing Derek's dead body.
"Son of a bitch..." Hotch breathed again.
"It's okay. You can move now. Here. I have something for you." Peter showed Hotch a knife before moving next to him, so he could place the knife in Hotch's hand.
"I'm about to come through that front door. Kill me...before I kill you." Peter pointed to the front door, Hotch slowly getting ready to attack.
"Rossi, Reid, Cassidy, take the front." Derek instructed as the team walked toward the house.
"JJ, Emily and I will take the back. Watch your front sight. One of ours is in there." Derek reminded the group.
"My gun. I need my gun." Hotch asked as Peter picked it up and threw it just in front of Hotch.
"Look. Here I come. Kill me." Peter whispered to Hotch, watching as he went to reach for the gun. Peter slowly backed away.
Rossi, Cassidy and Spencer waited a few moments before entering the house. The gun that was aimed at the front door was quickly aimed at Peter as Hotch turned around and fired the gun, Peter narrowly escaping.
"Hotch!" Cassidy yelled, running over to her injured uncle.
"We need a medic in here!" Rossi yelled into his comms system as Spencer ran past them, going to chase after Peter.
"Rossi, take it. He made me see things. He made me see things." Hotch exhaled, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"He's gone." Spencer admitted as he walked back into the study.
"We got him." Derek communicated to Cassidy, Spencer and Rossi as he, JJ and Emily moved through the kitchen at the back of the house, hearing something move upstairs. Aiming their guns, the three agents moved quietly upstairs and down a quiet hallway. Opening the last door at the very end of the hallway, they were greeted to the sight of Peter Lewis, a smile on his face.
"I win." He whispered.
"I don't think so." Derek hissed.
"You have no idea what I did to him. I win." Peter smiled as Derek and JJ handcuffed him and dragged him out of the house.
Hotch sat on a chair in the study, his head in his hands.
"He surrendered." Spencer informed Hotch, Rossi and Cassidy.
"Ambulance is on its way." Rossi exhaled.
"He surrendered? That doesn't make sense." Hotch shook his head.
"We need to get you looked at." Cassidy bent down, holding Hotch's hands.
"I'm fine." Hotch removed his hands from hers, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, this is not a suggestion." Rossi groaned.
Making their way outside, Hotch watched in shock and confusion as Peter was being taken to a police car. Right before he was pushed inside, Peter faced Hotch with a wicked smile on his face, tapping his left index finger against his forehead. Derek shoved him into a car before Hotch sat on the back of an ambulance, being checked out by an E.M.T.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Hotch breathed, holding a bottle of water in his hands.
"You have to talk about it." Rossi insisted.
"Not tonight." Hotch exhaled, shaking his head in refusal.
"Yes, tonight, while it's still fresh." Cassidy agreed with Rossi.
"I can't. It doesn't...parts of it don't make sense to me." Hotch rolled his eyes, trying not to cry.
"They don't have to. Tell us what it smelled like. Tell us how you felt." Emily smiled.
"Start at the beginning, start at the end, we don't care. But start. Now, what do you remember?" Rossi asked. Hotch couldn't speak. Not without tears forming in his eyes.
"Aaron. Aaron." Rossi called his name.
"Hotch?" Cassidy called his name, watching as Hotch snapped back to reality.
"This is what happened." Hotch breathed, beginning to tell the whole story.