magnetic ◊ criminal minds

li.

li. the thirteenth step
( season six, episode thirteen )

STRAUSS seemed to buy that Magneto was off the radar, at least for the moment. Though she was not happy about it. "You should know this isn't the last of this," she warned the team. Lyra had clenched her teeth at those words. She just could not understand why people could not just leave Erik Lehnsherr alone. After everything he had been through, he deserved that much. Alas, mutants were never that lucky. He and his family were never that lucky.

Following all that, Prentiss had arranged for Seaver to have her training there. Which meant she assisted with some cases the BAU worked. Lyra was not sure how to feel about that. In fact, she was sure Seaver was not aware that she was a mutant. Lyra was not planning on telling her, either. She did not trust her. Not yet, and likely not for a while. One might think she would find a kinship with Seaver - both their father's were killers, so it would make sense, right? Well, no. Lyra did not form friendships based on that. And her father was not a killer. He was a man trying to do the right thing.

"How's it going, stranger?" Garcia asked, walking through the bullpen with Prentiss and Lyra.

"I'm a little tired. I went salsa dancing last night," Prentiss answered.

"Oh, my god, like I need another reason to find you amazing."

"And you didn't invite me?" Lyra signed, jokingly.

"I thought it was date night for you," Prentiss countered.

Lyra shrugged. "It was. I still would've liked an invite."

"Anyway," Garcia said, looking to Prentiss, "this call from a Sean McCallister came to my phone accidentally. He sounded very hot and very important."

"Did he leave a message?" Prentiss asked.

"No. But it's from Paris. A Scottish guy calling from Paris. Know this, Emily, even if he's ugly, Scottish guys are hot. It's the accent."

"Don't listen to her. Guys aren't hot, that's a myth," Lyra signed.

"I'll keep that in mind," Prentiss murmured, her energy depleted significantly than when the conversation started.

"So what's the skinny? Is he an ex? International booty call?" Garcia pressed, not seeming to pick up on the same thing Lyra was.

"No. He's a friend."

"Where's Seaver?" Rossi asked when he did not see her walk in.

"She had to take a test at the academy," Prentiss answered. Lyra could not help but feel it was like having a college student work with them. In this line of work, she was not a fan.

Hotch started to pass around files. "I know we've all seen the news. Mass murder in Miles City, Montana. Six people shot and killed at a gas station."

"Robbery?" Prentiss asked.

"No apparent motive," Rossi answered, looking through the file.

"Any security footage?" Reid inquired.

"No," Hotch replied. "No cameras, not witnesses, ballistics say we're looking at two shooters."

"Well, something at the station must have triggered them," Morgan said. "It doesn't look like they had much of a plan."

"And it may happen again. Spree killers often repeat themselves," Rossi said.

♢

When the team got to Montana, they found a gas station had been blown up. The detective greeted them on the scene. "Sorry to reroute you to Billings," she said, "but last night, this went down."