magnetic ◊ criminal minds

xxviii.

xxviii. cradle to grave
( season five, episode five )

THE president had done well. His announcement had held no malice towards mutants, which was about all any mutant could have hoped for. The problem was the war people like Erik Lehnsherr and William Stryker talked about, it was brewing. People with that much hatred just could not coexist. And in some ways, they were right. Lyra did not think mutants superior to humans - they were one in the same. Mutants were just a little different, that was all. But a war was coming. Humans could not learn to understand those who are different, so instead, they fear it. And that fear can turn into hate, quickly. People like Stryker were already weaponizing that hatred and fear, and had been for decades. Since the discovery of mutants in the early 1960s, really. After the incident in Cuba.

Lyra had gotten a text message from an unknown number late the night prior. The text only read 'it's done', but Lyra knew who it was from and what it meant. Stryker was dead, for good this time. She could not be happier about it.

She wore Logan's dog tags under her shirt, any exposed chain hidden by her hair. She wanted to wear them for comfort, but if they were visible questions would be asked. That was the thing with her coworkers - they were a bit nosy when it came to their friends.

Lyra walked in a bit later than she usually did. She was still tired, from everything, but mostly from seeing Stryker again. She saw Morgan walk up to Hotch's office but decided she had enough on her mind as it was.

"How are you feeling?" Reid asked her as she put her stuff down.

Lyra was not surprised that Hotch told the team she was sick. That was not exactly something she needed hidden. "Much better," she signed.

"I guess that weird universal headache didn't help," Reid said. "They don't know what caused it."

"I heard."

"I've seen reports of people saying it's a mutant, but who could cause every person on earth to have a headache like that?"

Lyra kept her face stoic. She definitely did not know that it was Charles Xavier who did that, forced by William Stryker's son, Jason. Ororo had not informed her of that at all. "Someone with resources," Lyra signed to Reid. Someone... like Stryker.

JJ passed, gesturing towards the briefing room. Lyra and Reid made their way there and waited for the others to join them. Lyra was already missing her friends and her girlfriend, but she was ready to get back to a relative normal, or to stop killers, at least.

"Kristie Taylor. Runaway, drug addict. Reported missing from Farmington, New Mexico three years ago," JJ said. "Yesterday, she turned up off a freeway outside of Rio Rancho."

"Sexual assault combined with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She was asphyxiated," Reid noted.

"Three victims in five years. All the women are connected by marks. He likes chains," JJ said.

"Definite sexual sadist. He sticks to his type," Prentiss said. "Sixteen and nineteen year old girls, all blonde."

"Only three victims in five years, he keeps them for a while," Lyra signed.

"Average of two years between abducting them and killing them," Reid added.

"Low body count, long time frame. This guy's in control of his urges," Morgan said.

"Too controlled. Sadists need new victims, new ways to torture. There are a lot of guys out there who like chains. Are we sure this is the same UnSub?" Rossi asked.