Polar Opposites ~ Aaron Hotchner

Chapter 28

Third POV

The elevator dings, the doors opening to reveal the four BAU agents. "Case must be local. JJ said not to bring a go-bag," Spencer informs, stepping out of the elevator, Morgan, Prentiss and Abigail following suit. Two military persons walk passed them, a bunch more floating around the office.

"What's the Army doing here?" Morgan questions as they walk through the doors of the bullpen.

"What the hell is going on?" Emily inquires, confusion etching her features as well.

"This is gonna be a long ass shift isn't it," It's not even a question at this point, Abigail is well aware that this case is large. The four walk into the briefing room, JJ and another woman waiting inside.

"Guys, this is Dr. Linda Kimura, Chief of Special Pathogens at the CDC," Rossi and Hotch walk in through another door.

"Hello, I am sorry to meet under these circumstances," Kimura says, her tone dejected.

"What circumstances?" Spencer inquires, confused by what Kimura is talking about.

"We need to get started," Hotch pipes in, giving space for JJ to present the case.

"Last night, 25 people checked into emergency rooms in and around Annapolis," She begins as the group looks at pictures of the victims. "They were all at the same park after 2:00pm yesterday. Within 10 hours, the first victim died . It's now just past 7:00am the next day. We have 12 dead,"

"Lung failure and black lesions. Anthrax?" Derek questions, not quite sure what could cause this.

"Anthrax doesn't kill this fast," Spencer states simply, debunking Derek's theory.

"This strain does," Kimura finally enters the conversation once more.

"What are we doing about potential mass targets?" Emily inquires.

"Airports, malls, trains?" Abigail adds to her statement, listing possible targets.

"There's a media blackout," Hotch informs.

"We're not telling the public?" Abigail's eyebrows furrow in confusion, not sure if it's the best idea to keep this information from the public.

"We'd have a mass exodus," Derek points out, sort of putting it into perspective.

"The psychology of group panic would cause more deaths than this last attack," Ross adds.

"Yeah, and if it does get out, whoever did this might go underground or destroy their samples," Spencer acknowledges this point as well.

"Or if they wanted attention and didn't get it, they might attack again," Emily expressed, backing up Abigail's point. "Doesn't the public have the right to know that?"

"If there is another attack, there's no way we'll be able to keep it quiet," Hotch responds, understanding the girls' point of view. "Our best chance at protecting the public is by building a profile as quickly as we can ,"

"What do we know about this strain?" Spencer questions.

"The spores are weaponized," Kimura begins to explain. "Reduced to a respell ideal that attacks deep in the lungs. Odourless and invisible,"

"A sophisticated strain. Only a scientist would know how to do that," Rossi comments.

"These lesions are doubling in size in a matter of hours," Abigail indicates as she looks over the photos.

"It's not the lesions I'm worried about, it's the lungs," Kimura's voice is solemn as she speaks. "We don't know how to combat the toxins once they're inside. And the reality is, we may lose them all,"