SWITCHING BACK TO CAPITALS LOL
Stella's POV:
"Stella, what was going through your mind the first time you took more than your appropriate dosage?"
I sit slumped back in a cushioned brown chair across from my therapist, who is sitting behind a long, white desk.
I exhale deeply before replying. "I guess I was so desperate for it to work quicker. I was getting tired one one not working, and two seemed like it would work better. I don't know, I wasn't thinking."
"Stella, yes you were. You were thinking. Did you just want faster relief?"
I nod. "I just want to be better."
"Stella, this process takes time. You won't be completely normal over the course of a week. This could take months, and I need to know that you are in it for the long run."
Before I can answer, my phone buzzes in my pocket. "Excuse me."
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, the screen lighting up due to a text from Garcia.
Garcia: We have a case. Get here as soon as possible.
I shut off my phone and look up at my therapist. "I have to go, I have a case and it's urgent. We can resume when I get back?"
My therapist let's out a sigh, and tucks a brown baby hair behind her ear. "I suppose. Please take your correct dosage Stella, I'll see you soon."
I crack a smile. "Thank you." I grab my brown handbag from the floor beside my chair, and stand up, smoothing out my navy skirt. I exhale and turn towards the glass door, twisting the handle and stepping out into the chilly hallway on the second floor of Quantico's FBI headquarters.
I click the 'up' button on the elevator and the doors almost instantly open. In that elevator is Derek Morgan.
Ever since the night I spent at his house, things have been just a tad awkward between us. We don't hesitate to talk if it's about work, but outside of work, not a lot of talking goes on. I think we just silently agreed to not bring it up.
I step into the elevator and stare straight ahead as the doors shut.
"Stella." he mumbles, also staring directly ahead.
"Derek." I respond, my eyes not budging from a smudge on the wall.
After a couple of seconds, he finally breaks the silence. "Stella, we don't have to make this awkward. Nothing happened."
I turn to him, my eyes meeting his. "Exactly, nothing happened. I don't know why we are being awkward, do you?" I answer, the corners of my mouth twitching into a small smile.
"Nope, I guess I don't know the answer to that either. Anyway, do you know what the case is about?" He asks, not breaking eye contact.
I finally look away at the sound of my phone buzzing, which is another urgent text from Garcia to hurry up. "Nope, no idea. Just that we had to get here ASAP."
"Hmph." He mumbles, and we hear the elevator ding and the doors opening.
I watch as everyone moves quickly around the bullpen, papers and files stacked miles high on many desks. Spencer and Garcia rushing to the conference room.
I pick up speed towards the conference room, and I can already feel that this case isn't going to be pretty.
-
I take my normal seat at the table in-between Spencer and Morgan, and turn to Garcia as she begins the presentation of the case.
"Georgia. The Kyles Dennis and Lacy were murdered an hour ago in their suburban Atlanta home."
"An hour ago?" Hotch questions from across the table.
"Police were on the scene unusually fast." Garcia answers as her eyes look at everyone sitting around the table.
"Why?" Derek asks, picking up the file in front of him.
"One of the unsubs called them and told them that the other was about to murder the victims. He called from inside the house. According to the dispatcher, the first male sounded terrified, and begged them to get there because the other, who they both identified as Raphael, was about to kill the sinners that lived there." Garcia says quickly, pressing the remote as more images appear on the TV.
"Sinners?" Hotch asks.
Garcia nods. "The 911 center is sending me a copy of the tape."
"How fast was the police response time?" Spencer blurts while flipping through his file.
"4 minutes, 26 seconds. During which time, Raphael managed to do this." Garcia gestured towards the screen as bloody, gruesome images of Dennis and Lacy appeared on the screen.
"In 4 1/2 minutes?" Prentiss asked, almost amazed at how that was done so quickly.
"Mr. Kyle is a dot com millionaire. His company is one of the largest employers in the community. There's going to be media coverage. Also, when they arrived, the police found this displayed prominently on the bed."
Garcia clicks her remote again, and the image that appears on the screen is a page from the Bible. The verse highlighted is Revelations 6:8.
"They're killing sinners. These guys are on a mission." I mumble while reading the verse through again.
"And mission-based killers will not stop killing." Spencer adds.
"Alright, local PD wants us there soon. Wheels up in 30." Hotch says while getting up from the table.
I let out a sigh as I shut my file, shoving it in my handbag. This is going to be a long case.
-
I take a seat on the jet across from Emily and Morgan, and by my side is Rossi.
I watch Emily turn towards Morgan and mumbles, "This is a bad one, isn't it?"
Took the words right out of my mouth. I think, recalling my thoughts back in the conference room.
"Unsubs with a cause are never good."
Garcia cuts off Derek by cutting through the computer we have set up on the table, with new information.
"Pets, I just got the 911 call from the Georgia state police."
Garcia then patches the 911 call over, and we listen, taking in every word.
Dispatcher: 911, what's your emergency?
Caller: I'm at 1527 Chestnut Drive.
Dispatcher: I know where you're calling from, sir. What's your emergency?
Caller: He thinks they're too greedy. They have too much.
Dispatcher: Too much what?
Caller: Stuff, you know, possessions. Things they don't need. Hurry!
Dispatcher: You're calling because these people have too much stuff, sir?
Caller: No, I'm calling because Raphael — That's enough. He's calling because Raphael is going to kill the sinners that live here.
Dispatcher: I'm sorry, did you say somebody is killing someone?
"Well, unsub one definitely sounds frightened. Maybe he's doing this against his will." Emily shares, pausing the recording.
"I doubt it.. he whispered. He could've called out to save them instead of calling 911." I respond, clasping my hands together in my lap, unsure what to think about the 911 call.
I turn to Derek as he begins to speak. "Not if he had a gun to his head."
I furrow my eyebrows. "If he had a gun to his head, why would he call 911?" I retaliate while trying to make sense of this call.
"The second unsub said Raphael was going to kill someone. Is there a third?" JJ asks to the team.
"Referring to oneself in the third person is not uncommon for an unsub. Ted Bundt gave thoroughly detailed accounts of his murders, but he never actually admitted to doing it. He would just say 'The Killer.'" Spencer rambles.
"Ok, so I'm going to go ahead and run the name 'Raphael' through the Georgia criminal databases as well as our own." Garcia shares while getting ready to sign off.
"Thanks Garcia." Hotch responds, and in one click, Garcia's face disappears from the laptop screen.
"We have a killing team on a mission in rural Georgia. We know what that means." I say shorty after Garcia ends the call.
"They're not going to stop until the mission is complete." Morgan adds while looking at crime scene photos.
"We need to hit the ground running. JJ, we need an inside picture of the victims. Victimology can be critically important in a mission-based spree." Hotch exclaims, his body turning toward JJ.
"Already on it." She answers, getting up from her seat to head over to the pile of information on the case.
"Prentiss, go where the bodies are. Examine the wounds. They managed to kill 2 victims in 4 1/2 minutes. We need to know how. I'm going to set up at the Atlanta field office and go over case files from the state. It would be highly unusual for a first kill to be this efficient." Hotch finishes, and then looks to Rossi.
"Reid, you, Morgan, and Stella come with me to the crime scene. We land in less than an hour, everyone try to get some rest." Rossi states, shutting the file in front of him and leaning back in his chair.
We all follow Rossi's lead by shutting our files. I look around to see JJ looking through crime scene photos, Hotch analyzing the Bible verse, Morgan listening to music and resting his eyes, Emily looking out the window, and Spencer getting comfortable on the couch behind us.
I let out a quiet sigh and lean my head against the side of the jet, shutting my eyes until the plane touches down, when the case really begins.
-
"You alright?"
I look up from the crime scene to meet Spencer's chocolate, concerned eyes.
I furrow my eyebrows. "What?"
"You seem unhappy."
"I am unhappy. I'm tired of people using religion to justify the terrible things they do." I murmur, glancing back at the dead, bloodied bodies of Dennis and Lacy.
"You're saying these killers are on a mission?" The detective speaks up from across the room while writing things in a small notepad.
"These unsubs believe they're either on a mission from God or that the Bible was somehow guiding them." Spencer explains, moving over to the detective.
I finally tear my eyes away from the blood splatters, and my eyes are drawn to a broken vase of flowers which lead to another room.
"How many times was Mr. Kyle stabbed?" Rossi asks while coming into the bedroom.
"Stabbed, uh, isn't exactly the word. They're all long, deep gashes." The detective shares.
I, as well as Rossi, furrow my eyebrows. Deep gashes? That's not as common as just stab wounds. They probably has knowledge of the major arteries.
"This is an unincorporated area. We're stretched pretty thin, man-power wise. That's why we couldn't get here any faster after the guy called." The detective exclaims. I see a look on his face and it screams guilt. But why be guilty?
"4 1/2 minutes, that's a pretty good response time." I assure, making eye contact with the detective, forming a half-smile.
"Yeah, that's on par with New York City's response time. 4.3 minutes." Spencer adds, and then is cut off by Derek entering the room.
"And they've got a hell of a lot more cops per capita."
I let out a sigh, and turn back to the detective. "The unsub was good. You didn't really have a chance."
I watch Derek as he takes himself through the unsub's steps. "Ok, I know my partner called 911. The police are on the way, so I don't have a lot of time. Now, assuming unsub 1 didn't actively participate, I got to believe I entered the bedroom from here."
I follow Derek with my eyes as he moves toward the door to the bedroom, facing the entire room. "I see Mr. Kyle on the other side of the bed. So I approach him." He takes a few steps, getting to the other side of the bed. "And I cut him first."
"Well, how do you know that?" The detective asks.
"A blitz attacker neutralizes the greatest threat first. In this case, it would be the man."
"Plus, in the 911 call, you could hear a woman's scream. You can't scream with your throat cut." Spencer adds, directing his attention at the detective.
"So, Mrs. Kyle sees her husband murdered. She runs back into the bathroom." Derek walks into the bathroom. "The unsub forced himself into the bathroom, and then killed her in here."
"We checked that smudge for prints." The detective points out, noting the bloody handprint on the edge of the white bathroom door. "Nothing. Looks like he wore some gloves. Not with any pattern. Latex maybe-"
"That doesn't make any sense at all." I cut him off.
"It doesn't?"
"Unsubs suffering from a psychopathy, a delusion, like a message from God, or what we could classify as being disorganized." Spencer rambles. "They don't generally clean up after themselves."
"Maybe unsub 1, the frightened one, made sure they didn't." Rossi finishes, before Derek's cell phone rings, most likely a call from Garcia.
While Derek is on the phone with her, I look over at Spencer, who is caught in a daze.
"Spencer?"
He gulps and looks up. "What do you need, Stella?"
"Uhh, nothing. You just look like something's bothering you."
"This case just doesn't make much sense to me. The 911 call, the quick, sophisticated, messy kills." He mumbles, gesturing with his hands around the crime scene.
"Well, they were probably just-"
"Garcia, what your telling me is that there's a video of this murder posted on the internet?" Morgan exclaims, eyebrows rising.
My eyes widen and jaw drops at the fact that this was streamed and shared on an internet platform. I glance at Spencer and he just lets out a heavy sigh.
Of course, I thought.
I watch as Derek slowly walks over to a powered off laptop that has a perfect angle of the crime scene.
"This just got a whole lot messier." I mutter, and walk out of the room. The smell of blood was giving me a headache.
-
"He says the world is a cesspool. Of greed. Lust. Disease."
"That sounds like unsub number one." Emily points out. Then, the video of a hooded male resumes.
"He says redemption must be sought. We must all repent."
"And he referred to being Raphael?" Hotch questions from behind Emily, Derek and I.
"Or God." Derek spoke.
"It's not God. It's someone sitting right there next to him telling this guy what to say." I murmur, not letting my eyes tear away from the paused video.
"As Lord God spoke in Leviticus 26:18-"
"Wait, that's a new voice." Emily exclaims.
This new voice continues. "And if you will not yet for all this I will punish ye 7 times more for your sins."
"A third unsub?" I question, now extremely confused.
"It could just be recorded from a religious program or sermon." Hotch adds, standing tall.
"Punish ye 7 times..." I begin, trying to make a connection, but am cut off by Derek.
"5 more victims."
"These images were shot from the exact spot on the dresser where that computer sat. So if this video came from that computer's camera, then what? Did the unsubs bring it with them?" Emily asks you the group.
Spencer walks up behind us, and begins to add onto our conversation. He had obviously been listening to at least the second half of it.
"As far as I can tell, this computer belonged to the Kyles. Uh, Garcia can do a better analysis, but it has their banking statements, vacation photos."
"We might be asking the wrong questions. This video, this message, it's important. Clearly, they want the world to see this. They need it. But they didn't bring a camera with them." I propose, and all of the other team members look at me as if they want me to continue, aside from Spencer, who sits at a desk behind us.
Just as I am about to continue, I hear Spencer whisper from the desk behind us, standing up. "Agent Franks, does this building have wireless internet?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That camera's on right now."
My eyes grow wide at his words. This unsub is watching us. He has been watching us this entire time.
"The computer's connected itself to the internet. It's streaming a video feed somewhere." Spencer adds, turning to Hotch.
"Can we trace this stream to the destination?" He asks Spencer quizzically.
"Keep it open, Garcia might be able-" Spencer is cut off by the sound of the computer beeping. All of us rise from our seat in unison and huddle around Spencer and watch as the computer starts displaying words.
THE ARMIES OF SATAN SHALL NOT PREVAIL.
"It turned off." Spencer mumbles, sounding defeated.
"So they're controlling it remotely?" Emily asks.
"Is that even possible?" I question, fed up with these unsubs.
"Yeah, you can totally access someone's computer remotely. It's actually done a lot today." Garcia cuts in. "When a mortal tech calls for tech support, instead of giving you instructions, the tech can work on your computer from wherever she is."
"And they maintain the access even after the work is done?" Hotch asks, looking at the phone in which Garcia's call is coming through.
"They're not supposed to, but I suppose you could install a trojan horse during a service."
"Garcia, can you check the Kyles' phone records and see if they called for tech support in the last 6 months?" Hotch asks, standing up from his seat.
"Yes I can do that." She answers.
"Call us also if you find anything on the Kyles' computer. Thanks Garcia." Hotch orders, and we all listen for the line cut.
I turn to Spencer. "Coffee?" I ask, trying to form a smile.
"Yeah, that'd be nice right about now. 5 sugars and a creamer please." He responds, while fiddling with his thumbs.
I get up and walk over towards the coffee station, and pour the last of it into 2 white styrofoam cups, mixing in the sugar and creamer. A drop of coffee falls onto my hand, and I wince at the heat, shaking my hand vigorously. I hear the chuckles from Spencer behind me, and I turn around and stick out my tongue at him.
Once I hand him his coffee, I see Hotch begin to pace. Hotch only paces when he doesn't know what to do next, and that is, quite rare.
-
"So what have we got so far?" Hotch blurts while turning to look at the rest of the team.
We all stay silent for a few seconds as he continues pacing, before Emily speaks up. "Well, the killings are clinically efficient. They had the earmarks of a slaughter, as in an animal."
I pick up one of the crime scene photos. "Or a sacrifice."
"We haven't been able to find anything in federal or state databases that suggest similar crimes. As far as I can tell, it's the first in a series." Hotch shares.
"At least one member of the team may believe he's killing in the name of God, suggesting a psychopathy that should display extreme levels of disorganization." Spencer rambles, and I watch as he begins to walk over to the board. "Yet there are forensic countermeasures, and somebody in control enough to do complicated computer work. One member of the team is organized. The other is extremely disorganized. But what's strange is that the one that we would consider as being most in control, the one that made the phone call, can't seem to stop the other one from killing."
"Usually the frenzied personality takes direction from the cooler head." JJ adds while tucking a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"All right, so let's look at that. Unsub 1 called the police right before the killing, but he didn't leave time for them to get there." Derek states, moving his eyes from one member of the team to another. "Is the phone call just a guy working on a defense in case of capture? I mean, maybe he didn't want to stop the other, but he did whatever he had to do to cover himself."
"So.. what do we have so far?" Rossi asks, speaking up for the first time in awhile. "Not enough."
-
I take a bite into my rice Krispie treat (the only food I've had in 12 hours) as I rest my cheek on my hand. We have been at this all day, trying to figure out how these unsubs operate. Every time we think of something, it doesn't fit, and we are back at square one.
I am snapped out of my daze by JJ walking in and up to Hotch. "So, Franks is right, none of the open life cases fit."
"Tell me there's a but after that." I mumble, staring at the wall in front of me, slowly spinning in my chair.
"Well, I looked at it a different way. I looked for unsolved home invasions. 3 months ago, there was a prowler called in directly outside of the Kyles' house."
"A prowler?" Spencer asks, furrowing his eyebrows.
"The witness was walking his dog in a nearby park. Going back to his car, he saw a man in dark clothing go over the back wall and start sneaking up to the house. By the time the state police got there, prowler was gone."
"Only one man?" Hotch questions.
"Apparently."
"Was the witness able to describe him?" I ask, looking away from the wall and towards JJ.
"If he did, it's not in this case file."
"Is there a name and address for the witness?" Hotch spoke, taking the file from JJ's hands calmly.
"Tobias Hankel. He lives about an hour from here."
"It's a long shot, but he might be able to give us a description. Stella and Reid, why don't you guys go out there, and see if you can find Mr. Hankel and see if he remembers something?" Hotch asks, his eyes glancing between the two of us.
"On it." I mutter, rising from my chair in unison with Spencer. He opens the door and as I walk through, I stumble on my feet. Yeah, I'm a little dehydrated.
Spencer grabs me, one hand on my bicep and the other around my waist. "Stella, you okay?"
I steady myself by reaching out for the counter next to me. My skin tingles underneath Spencer's touch. "Yeah, I just need some water and my medication. Do you mind giving me a sec before we go?"
"Yeah, that's fine, I'll be waiting in the SUV."
I nod with a small smile as he starts walking towards the door, and I head over to my bag, pulling out my meds and taking 1 pill, washing it down with multiple gulps of water.
I set the water bottle down on the counter before heading towards the door to the precinct, taking a deep breath as I push open the door.
-
The only thing filling the awkward silence between Spencer and I was the sound of the local pop music station playing. I don't know why it's awkward, maybe we are just nervous, but what is there to be nervous about? It is just a witness.
"Stella?"
I look at Spencer after my name leaves his mouth. "Yeah?"
"How are you doing? Like, lately with everything that's happened."
"Well, I'm managing. I'm getting better, I only took one pill today, and I have been lately, thanks to you. You've always looked out for me, and I greatly appreciate that."
I rest my hand on top of his, which rest on the gearshift, and I give it a right squeeze, followed by a reassuring smile. "Really Spencer, I'm doing okay. You don't need to worry about me so much, okay?"
He looks at me as we pull up to a red light, his chocolate colored eyes staring into my ocean blue ones. "I'll always worry about you, because I worry about the people who are most important to me."
I feel my cheeks heat up at his words, and let out a small chuckle. The light switches to green, and he snaps out of his daze, beginning to accelerate the car.
-
Spencer and I walk up to front porch, and I knock on Tobias' wooden door.
A few seconds later, the door creaks open, and Tobias appears behind it, his face barely visible.
"Hi, Mr. Hankel?" I ask, plastering a smile on my face.
"Umm.. yeah?" He responds, opening the door wider.
"Mr. Hankel, FBI, I'm Agent Keller, this is Agent Reid." I state as Spencer and I pull out our badges, flashing them at Tobias.
"FBI?" He questions, and I see a confused and frightened look cross his face.
"May we come in?" Spencer asks from behind me.
"Ummm.." Tobias mumbles, looking behind him, before continuing. "I'm sorry, I don't let anyone in the house."
"Actually, I, uh, really have to, um... you know, go?" Spencer mutters.
I furrow my eyebrows. What is he doing? "Uhh, you do?"
"Yeah, for like, 30 minutes."
"Why didn't you say something in the car?"
"Uh do you mind?" Spencer says, looking back at Tobias, who looks behind him, before looking back at us.
"I'm sorry. My father doesn't like it."
"Your father? You're like 30." Spencer states, bouncing from one leg to another behind me.
"At what age can one start disrespecting the wishes of their parents?"
I clear my throat, trying to gauge away from that topic of conversation. "Um, you witnessed something a few months ago that might be very helpful to us."
"I did?" Tobias asks.
"You saw someone go over a wall into a yard. You called the police?" I continue.
"Me?"
"You didn't?"
"Sorry." Tobias replies. He looks confused.
"Is there another Tobias Hankel here?" I ask, just as confused as he is.
"Just me and my father, Charles."
"There's a report on file that lists you calling 911. You were walking a dog-"
Tobias cuts me off. "No, that's wrong. I don't have a dog."
"Oh. All right, well, sorry to bother you, sir." I state, and I hear Spencer mutter something from behind me.
"Are yoy sure I can't just quickly use the-"
He shuts the door on our faces, leaving us both confused. "That's weird. Why bother calling the police in the first place if later you're just going to pretend you didn't?" I mumble.
I watch a lightbulb go off in Spencer's head. "To gauge the response time."
I furrow my eyebrows. "What?"
"If you were going to kill somebody but you wanted to call the police first, what would you need to know?"
"How long it takes them to get there." Before I can finish my sentence, Spencer darts off to the side of the house.
"Spencer?"
I follow after him as he comes up on a the side of the house, and he signals for me to follow him.
I arrive at his side and we watch Tobias pace in the hallway of his home, and then he enters a room full of computer monitors, and we watch as they display live video feed of multiple houses and people.
Just as we finish examining the monitors, Tobias' head snaps around to face us both, an angry look spread across his face. Before Spencer and I can say anything, he darts out of the room.
"He's the unsub!" Spencer exclaims, and we turn around to see Tobias sprinting towards a barn.
"Come on, let's go!" Spencer urgently says, and he starts running towards the barn, following Tobias.
I quickly follow behind him, and we both pull our guns from our holsters, switching them off of safety.
"Call Hotch." He tells me, stupidly may I add.
"We are in the middle of nowhere Spencer, we have no cell service."
"Great, of course we have no service."
"What do we do?" I question.
"I don't know, he is definitely in here. You cover the front, I'm gonna go around back. Hotch knows we came here. He will come looking for us. We will just wait him out."
I automatically feel unsure about splitting up. "No, no, no Spencer, are you sure we should-"
Before I can finish my sentence, he had already begun moving and is now out of speaking distance. I let out a sigh, and the door blows open right in front of me.
I raise my gun. "Spencer?" I call out, slowly inching my way into the pitch black barn. I look around, and see stables and chains, and cages. I whip out a flashlight for better visibility.
"Spencer?" I whisper, hoping that Tobias doesn't hear me. I take small steps further into the barn, before stepping in a pool. A pool of blood.
My eyes widen, and then I hear a small growl come from a few feet in front of me. I raise my flashlight and am faced with 3 large dogs. Oh shit.
I let out a scream, and fire 3 shots, hoping to hit the dogs as they tackle me. After a few moments, I feel the weight of the dogs let up off of me, and I stand up quickly.
3 dead dogs lay around me in pools of blood, and no sign of Spencer or Tobias.
-
If there's errors i'm sorry i'm too lazy to edit it lol just point them out