"Don't get comfortable. There'll be time to debrief on the plane." Hotch says as the others walk into the round table room.
"Where are we headed?" Spencer asks.
"New York." Hotch answers.
"Five shootings in two weeks. It's about time we got the call." Rossi comments.
"I wan to take Garcia with us. Hopefully they'll give us access to their surveillance systems." Hotch says.
"What do we know?" Emily asks.
"All the killing are mid-day. Single gunshot to the head with a .22." Hotch explains.
"Any witnesses?" JJ asks.
"No." Hotch answers.
".22 caliber pistol's only 152 decibels. New York streets and subways are routinely well over 100. It could be people aren't even registering the gunshot until the unsub's already leaving the scene." Spencer says.
"They sound like mob hits." Derek says.
"Except none of them have ties to organized crime." Hotch says.
"Do they have any connection to each other?" Bedelia asks.
"None they've found." Hotch says.
"How about communication with the police?" Derek asks. "Has the unsub tried to make contact?"
"Surveillance cameras have captured video of three of the murders. This is the latest." Hotch says, showing the video.
"That's the best image they have?" JJ asks.
"They're all the same. He wears a hood and keeps his head down." Hotch says.
"This guy's bold. Crowded areas, broad daylight." Emily says.
"So they're completely random?" Rossi asks.
"It seems that way." Hotch says.
"Son of Sam all over again." Spencer says.
+++
"How come I only to get travel with you guys, like, once every two years?" Penelope asks as she gets on the plane.
"Trust me, it can get old." Derek says.
"Oh, right, like the way that spa treatments in 5 star hotels can get old." Penelope remarks.
"Remember the time we got on board and they hadn't chilled the Cristal?" Emily asks.
"I almost quit the BAU that day." Derek says.
"Okay, you know what? You guys can joke all you want." Penelope says. "Cause I am never leaving this plane."
"The victims?" Rossi asks.
"Each killed in a completely different neighborhood." Hotch says. "Hell's Kitchen, Murray Hill, lower east side, Chinatown, east Harlem."
"It doesn't make any sense. There's no common victimology, no sexual component, no robbery, no geographical connection." Spencer says. "Do the police have any leads?"
"He's killing roughly ever 2 days. The press is having a field day, and it sounds like the mood on the street's getting pretty edgy." Hotch says.
"It's a joint FBI-NYPD taskforce?" Rossi asks.
"Kate Joyner heads up the New York field office. She's running point on the case and called me directly." Hotch says. "JJ, would you tell them we're ready to go?"
"Right." JJ says.
"Kate's tarting to butt heads with the lead detectives and wanted a fresh set of eyes." Hotch says.
"Joyner, I know her. She's a Brit, right?" Derek asks.
"Well, dual citizenship. Her father's British, her mother's American." Hotch says. "She was a big deal at Scotland Yard before coming to the bureau."
"I heard she can be a little bit of a pain in the ass." Derek says.
"I didn't think so." Hotch says.
"You know her?" Emily asks.
"We liaised when she was still at Scotland Yard." Hotch says.
"And she's good?" Rossi asks.
"I think we're lucky to have her." Hotch says.
+++
They get to the office and Kate Joyner walks towards them.
"Is it just me or does she look exactly like Haley?" JJ quietly asks.
"Freaky." Bedelia whispers.
"Kate." Hotch greets.
"Aaron. How have you been?" She asks.
"Well, thank you. This is my team. Kate Joyner, this is David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, Bedelia Davis, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, and Spencer Reid."
"Thanks for being here. Anything that you need, just tell me. Please don't stand on protocol." Kate says.
"What can you tell us about the city's surveillance system?" Penelope asks.
"Um, it's run by the NYPD. It's still in the infant stages. It's been rather controversial. American privacy laws. Um, but they've had some success." Kate says.
"And I'll have complete access?" Penelope asks.
"They're already expecting you." Kate says making Penelope smile. "Shelley?" She asks the woman next to her who leads Penelope off.
"I'd like to get a map of the borough. I want to do a comprehensive geographical profile of the area in order to ascertain the unsub's mental map before it's clouded by our own linkage blindness." Spencer says.
"I see you brought your own computer." A detective comments.
"Detectives Brustin and Cooper." Kate introduces. "I'll let you do the introductions."
"You caught the first shooting?" Rossi asks.
"They've all been in different precincts. It wasn't until the third murder that anyone even made the connection." Cooper says.
"I guess this is where we play nice and ask you what you need." Brustin says.
"I'll let you all figure out what that is. I just ask that you run everything back through me." Kate says. "It's been my experience that having one butt on the line is enough."
"Yes, ma'am." Brustin says.
"Can I have a word with you in private?" Kate asks Hotch.
"Sure." He says, the two going into her office.
"They, um... liaised when she was at Scotland Yard." Emily tells JJ.
"Of course." JJ says.
~ ~ ~
"Hey, so, uh, what's your partner's problem?" Spencer asks Cooper.
"Uh, well... well, by the fourth murder the FBI was brought in. Good. We can use all the help we can get." Cooper says. "But, uh, all of a sudden she's taking meetings with the mayor and calling in you all without us knowing anything about it."
"We're only here to help. Think of us as a resource." Emily says.
"Okay. Profile me." Cooper says.
"Excuse me?" Bedelia scoffs.
"What am I thinking?" Cooper asks.
"Profilers aren't psychics, honey." Bedelia sweetly smiles. "And even if we were, I really don't care." She clicks her tongue.
"You?" Cooper looks at Emily.
"It's never gonna happen." She laughs.
"No offense, but we've had five murders. Hope it gets better than that." Cooper says before walking off.
+++
"We're gonna need records over the last six months for any arrests on gun violence or gun possession in every borough except the ones where the shootings have taken place." Spencer says.
"Uh... I don't get it." Cooper says.
"He won't strike near where he lives." Spencer says.
"What makes you so sure?" Cooper asks.
"It's anti-geographical profiling." Emily says.
"Now's it's anti-geographical profiling?" He asks. "Yeah, come on. You wonder why we're so skeptical?" He laughs.
"This unsub's organized. He strikes at the same time of day. He knows where the cameras are placed. That means he's doing his own pre-surveillance." Emily says.
"A need motivated killer operates within his own comfort zone. An organized killer with some other motivation will make sure to strike outside that zone." Bedelia explains.
"Not where he lives." Cooper says.
"Exactly. Unfortunately, that means that every other neighborhood in the city has a reason to be terrified." Emily says.
+++
"What have we got?" Hotch asks.
"The latest shooting." Emily says, playing the video. "This was the previous murder." She plays the video. "Okay, do you see anything weird here?"
"He sprints off in one and walks calmly in the other." Derek says. "It's two entirely different demeanors."
"Six kills in, his behavior should be set." Rossi says.
"Look at this. Uh, Garcia, are you still there?" Spencer asks.
"Would I ever leave you?" She asks. "Okay, check it out. I did a digital perspective analysis rendering on the shootings where we have footage. Now, the first two are inconclusive, but the last two I found something tres weird."
"Your calm walking type, he is about 6'1". But your sprinter, he's like 5'9", 5'10", tops."
"We've got more than one unsub." Hotch states.
"So, we have more than one unsub. What does that tell us?" Rossi asks.
"Most teams stick together. Uh, NG and Lake, the Krays. Bittaker and Norris. They don't usually kill separately." Spencer says.
"Could be some kind of gang initiation." Derek suggests.
"Gangs will kill you if you they encroach on your territory. Not random people all over the city." Emily debunks.
"I'll coordinate with the gang taskforce, make sure we have an overview by morning." JJ says before walking off.
"Do you think we have enough for a working profile?" Kate asks.
"Broad strokes." Rossi says and she nods.
"Dave, you, Davis, and Reid talk to the agents here, Morgan and Prentiss, brief the police when each shift comes on duty tomorrow." Hotch orders.
"I think we should get out on the streets." Derek says.
"I brought you here to create a profile." Kate says.
"Which we can give in the morning, and then they can share it with the afternoon shift." Derek says.
"We've allowed every extra man we have. This is New York City. It's not like a few more people is going to blanket the city." Kate says.
"I understand it's a long shot, but these guys, they hit at mid-day. We could target ingress and egress to particular neighborhoods. Position us near express stops -- 14th, 42nd, 59th--"
"Morgan, it's not your call." Hotch says.
"I'd like to join you in the profile if that's not stepping on your toes." Kate says.
"No problem." Rossi says.
+++
Emily, Bedelia, Spencer, JJ, and Hotch get to the hotel.
"Look at this." Emily picks a newspaper up. "Late Edition doesn't miss a beat."
"JJ." Spencer says before nodding behind her. They all turn to find Will getting up from a chair.
"Will." JJ walks closer, meeting him halfway and he puts his bag down.
"Took a shot and flew to D.C., but that didn't work out. I figured a train ride to New York was only a few more hours." Will says.
"Detective." Hotch shakes his hand.
"I'm sorry for showing up like this. I know you're working. But, um... I can't stand you being on this case and me not being there. Not with what's going on." Will tells JJ.
"Is there a problem?" Hotch asks.
JJ turns to her team.
"I'm pregnant." She informs.
"Oh, my God!" Bedelia grins. "Oh, congratulations." She pulls the blonde into a hug.
"Oh, my God, JJ." Emily laughs in shock. "Congratulations." She hugs her.
"I've asked JJ to marry me." Will says.
"Will." JJ says.
"We're working out some kinks." Will says.
"We'll, uh, give you both some privacy." Hotch says, going to leave.
"Hotch." JJ follows him.
Emily, Bedelia, and Spencer talk to Will until they notice Hotch leave and they leave the couple down in the lobby.
+++
"Detective... the Son of Sam -- this case still pisses you off like it was yesterday." Rossi says.
"Yeah, it does." Brustin nods.
"There have been a lot of killers in this city. Why him?" Rossi asks.
"He was laughing at us and we couldn't catch him. The only way we grabbed him was through a parking ticket." Brustin says.
"What are you thinking?" Spencer asks Rossi.
"He hasn't contacted us again." Rossi says.
"So?" Brustin asks.
"This doesn't fit. These unsubs are organized. They use pre-surveillance. They strike in the heart of the day and yet they haven't done anything to seek out media attention. And then this."
"You said it was to tell you they knew you were here." Brustin says.
"We profiled that he was trying to open a line of communication, create panic, but if that was the case, his correspondence should escalate." Rossi says.
"After they left the death card, Muhammad and Malvo demanded an ATM card with a million dollars in a bank account just to taunt the police." Spencer says. "Berkowitz wrote rambling letters about hunting the city, describing himself as a monster."
"These unsubs are more disciplined than that." Rossi says. "The fact that they haven't contacted the press tells me... that this was private. It's only for us."
"So what does that mean?" Brustin asks.
"They're ramping up to something, and they want us to know that they're watching us." Rossi says.
"If you saw all these traits completely out of context, what would be the first profile to pop into your head?" Spencer asks.
"Who do we have out on the streets?" Rossi asks and Spencer quickly calls Penelope.
+++
Bedelia, Rossi, and Spencer are standing by the guy Emily shot after he shot Cooper. Two techs are dealing with the body. The three turn when Kate and Hotch walk up.
"We think we might have a serious problem." Rossi says.
"What is it?" Hotch asks.
"We have multiple unsubs." Rossi states. "They're disciplined. They're using counter-surveillance. They know the FBI movements. There's a hierarchy. What does that usually equal?"
"Terrorism." Hotch states.
+++
"So how does this work?" Derek asks.
"The murders simulate a bombing, from there they station someone to watch and gauge police response time." Spencer says.
"At which point they know when to bring in a second bomb." Derek says.
"The goal is always to take out the first round of civilians, followed by a second wave of emergency responders." Kate says.
"It's crazy, but it's ingenious. They get a practice run and if someone catches the shooter, they think they just have a murderer. The cell isn't compromised." Spencer says.
"It's lo-fi." Kate says. "Smartest way to plan for a terrorist event."
"Creating panic ensures that they see the most urgent response times short of a bombing." Hotch says.
"So there's been seven different shooters?" JJ asks.
"Having followers do the shootings would ensure they're willing to kill or be killed for the cause." Rossi says.
"It fits the profile. There is something larger at play. It's similar to gang initiation." Emily says.
"Especially if they're home-grown. They haven't had a chance to prove themselves." Hotch says.
"I think they're targeting points of entry. All the murders have taken place near a bridge or a tunnel." Spencer says.
"Holland Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Manhattan Bridge." Emily lists.
"If bombs went off, emergency response would shut down any ability to get in or out of the city." JJ says. "It's like people would be trapped on the island."
"Keep in mind it's still a theory, just like any profile." Hotch says.
Derek's phone rings and he answers it, putting it on speaker.
"Talk to us, Garcia."
"We got a problem. I went through and checked all 4,468 cameras. They hacked into the surveillance system. They've got footage of every crime scene. They've been watching since the beginning." Penelope says.
"How could we not have caught that?" Hotch asks.
"They were smart. It wasn't system-wide. You had to check each camera individually." Penelope says.
"And this is from every crime scene?" Emily asks.
"I'm afraid so. They hacked into one camera at every scene." Penelope says.
"Thanks, Garcia." Derek hangs up.
"So much for theory." Rossi says.
"We need to hit the ground running." Kate says.
"I'm gonna head to the hospital. I'll check on Cooper and brief Detective Brustin." Emily says, walking off.
"Good. Dave, will you go talk to the commissioner, and, Morgan, you brief homeland security." Hotch instructs.
"JJ, Delia, and I will talk to the port authority police." Spencer says.
"Kate and I will go talk to the mayor and we'll meet back here as soon as possible." Hotch states.
"One advantage that we have right now is that they don't know we know they're watching." Kate says.