the great war, spencer reid [ 2 ]

023. derek

"What did you find?" Hotch asks as JJ, Bedelia, and Spencer get back.

"No sign of him. But they left this in his car at the parking lot." Spencer gives Hotch a bag that has Derek's phone in it. "Could Savannah tell us anything?"

"She said she thought she heard 3 attackers and that Morgan sounded drugged before they cut off the call." Hotch says.

"Then it's a coordinated, planned attack, most likely professional." JJ says.

"We did just take down a network of online hitmen, but if this is blowback, why Morgan?" Spencer asks.

"We have to assume that we're all targeted. I've put protective details on each of our families, but I want Savannah to stay here." Hotch says.

"How is she?" JJ asks.

"She's being brave." Hotch says, looking into Rossi's office where Savannah is pacing.

+++

"This is the block Derek was taken from." Penelope says. "That blue dot is him. And then at 9:23, we lose him. So I checked the other cell signals in the area. They're all legit, aside from one that I was only able to find thanks to some technology no one outside this room needs to know about."

"What is that?" Spencer asks.

"An encrypted signal most likely bouncing off a satellite." Hotch says.

"I know we're thinking this could be tied to our darknet investigation, but satellite encryption is much higher in technology than most online crime." Spencer says.

"That's true, but the hitmen are still our best lead. We need to exhaust that before we move on to other theories." Hotch says. "JJ, you and Garcia will take an armed agent to Savannah's house and get her to pack a bag."

"Yes, sir. Absolutely. But why me?" Penelope asks.

"Because while she gathers her things, we're going to see if they were under surveillance." JJ says.

"Whoever's behind this has been planning this for weeks, if not months. We have no time to catch up. Let's move." Hotch says.

+++

"My contact at the agency told me the guys who took Derek are freelance contractors and not on our side." JJ says.

"So they're ex-spooks?" Rossi asks.

"Mostly foreign, a few domestic." JJ says. "These guys figured out how to piggyback on existing infrastructure to hide their tracks. My contact thinks it might be this group." She says as Penelope pulls up a photo.

"It's hard to sync out who might be hitching a ride on their computer traffic." Penelope says. "Fortunately, one of the CIA versions of me is trying to crack their encryption signatures."

"What do we know about them so far?" Spencer asks.

"A six man team. They do dirty work for the highest bidder." JJ says.

"What kind of dirty work?" Rossi asks.

"From what we can tell, disappearances. If you need someone politically inconvenient to disappear, these guys make that happen." JJ says.

"Garcia, can you zoom in on the tattoo on his forearm?" Hotch asks.

"Yeah." She says while doing so. The tattoo is a knife with wings and it has a banner with 'who dares wins'.

"Morgan's in more trouble than we thought." Rossi says.

+++

"I-- I may have a line on him." Penelope says, rushing in with her laptop. "I just got a notification from Fort Eustis. That encrypted sat phone, it became active again and we managed to pin down one side to here. It is a 20 mile radius in Virginia. The other side was to a contractor who didn't even bother not to use his own cell phone."

"Arrogant. He thinks we can't find him." Rossi says.

"And he would be wrong. He being John Bradley, not S.A.S. as we had suspected. Bradley and Mr. Who Dares Wins tried to become S.A.S., but they couldn't cut it, not to mention people who are S.A.S. don't get tattoos S.A.S. because S.A.S. is covert. That is the point. But apparently people who are dishonorably discharged from the British Royal Marines do get that tattoo."

"Your last ping has him in Derek's direction." Spencer says. "He's probably on his way to him now."

"We've got helos on the roofs standing by for immediate transport." Hotch says.

"Any way we can narrow down the search?" JJ asks.

"Yes. Their encryption algorithms are dust." Penelope states. "If and when that sat phone connects, I've got him." Barely a few seconds pass. "Sir, it just went live." They look at the dot on the screen.

The team rush to the elevator, Penelope following. Spencer practically races to the elevator, hitting the button. The doors open and he holds them open, letting the others walk in first. He gives a reassuring look to Penelope before he gets into the elevator.

+++

They get to where Derek's being held and stay quiet as they get inside. Bedelia and Spencer step into a doorway, seeing Derek on the floor with a guy standing in front of him. Derek looks over, noticing them.

"It's time to die." The guy says.

"Not yet." Derek shakes his head.

The guy looks over and the couple shoot him multiple times, the man dropping to the floor. The others storm in through the front door.

"Get medical in here." Hotch orders as they all rush over to Derek.

The medics rush in and the team step away as they handle Derek.

Hotch, Spencer, and Rossi help the medics carry Derek to a gurney.

"Dad." Derek rasps out.

"What is it, Morgan? What is it?" Spencer asks.

"I'm scared, pop." Derek says. They wheel him into the ambulance.

"Okay. O-okay. Hey." Bedelia grabs onto Spencer's arm gently. "He's alive. He-- he'll be fine. It's all gonna be... gonna be perfectly fine." She says, not sure who she's trying to assure more.

+++

Bedelia and Spencer are  back home, Spencer lying in bed with Theodora lying on his chest, asleep.

Bedelia walks out of the bathroom, getting in the bed.

"He's gonna be okay." Bedelia promises, noticing the anxious tapping of Spencer's fingers on Theodora's back. Derek's stabilized at the hospital, though hasn't woken up.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." He mumbles, letting out a deep sigh.

Bedelia moves closer to him, cuddling into his side. She kisses him on the neck, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and gently squeezes his waist.