The Truth Behind The Lies {1}

Won't Get Fooled Again {5}

I sit on the back of an ambulance with my shirt unbuttoned and a medic wrapping my side when Hotch comes up to me, "You okay?" He questions and I nod, smiling at him.

"They said it wasn't bad, should be gone in a couple of days since it's just bruising and a good size scrape. The car barely nipped me." I explain and Elle comes up to us.

"You okay?" He asks her.

She rubs her arms lies, "Yeah, I'm all right, but Amanda..."

Hotch nods, putting his arm around me and says, "Yeah. Guy's a real peach. Morrison's got a county-wide search out for the car, uniforms are gonna try to find out where his haunts are, and ATF should be here any minute."

Elle just nods and looks at me, "You sure you're okay, darlin'?" I question, my Texan coming out.

"Mrs. Walker said her husband spent most of his time in the garage." Elle states, ignoring my question.

"Let's check it out." Hotch says and I go to move off the car but he puts up his hand, "Where do you think you're going?" He questions and I look at him confused.

"To check out the garage, like you said." I tell him and he shakes his head.

"Just take it easy for a little." He demands and walks away before I can protest, I huff and cross my arms but regret it when I feel a sharp pain.

-

"So far, nothing from the search." Morrison says.

Gideon asks, "Well, what do we know about Walker?"

"He's a quiet career criminal. Spent four years in prison for a series of forged checks when he was in his early twenties. He's now forty-six. Past eighteen years, he owned a store which sold coins, maps, and historical documents. We raided the place as soon as you gave us Walker's name. Most of his inventory was fake, forgeries valued in the millions." Morrison tells us.

"But the walls had started to close in on him. We talked to some of his clients, and he was in debt up to his ears and promising stuff he didn't have time to forge." Hotch states.

I add, "What he didn't plan on is Barbara Keller finding out that the coins he sold her were fake. She probably threatened to tell and if people found out every forgary he sold would be found and he would have gone to prison."

"So he had to shut her up?" Gideon questions, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, sir." I respond.

"He planted all those bombs just to kill one little, old lady?" Gideon asks.

Hotch adds, "Yeah, and to throw us off, he made it look like it was much bigger than it was." We all turn when we hear a officer shouting at someone to stop, a foreign looking man walks in with a metal dog collar around his neck.

"Please... help me." He begs, he opens his jacket to reveal a bomb and everyone draws their gun.

"Everyone back--now. We need a bomb squad in here." Morrison calls.

The man whimpers, "Please... it's not me."

He starts to walk closer but Morrison warns, "Don't come any closer. Put your hands up, and walk slowly back out."

The man puts his hands up and says, "I can't. He'll kill me."

"Who will?" Gideon questions.

"I don't know. He held a gun to me... put this on me. He said... you'll know who he is." The man explains.

Gideon asks, "Well, what does he want?"

"A helicopter. A passport. He's watching. Once he gets what he wants, he's got instructions to defuse the bomb." The man says shakily.

"Walker's close by." Gideon states.

Morrison orders, "Let's get snipers around the perimeter." I hear someone else repeat it, I guess into a com.

"Okay, we understand. We're not gonna leave you." Gideon soothes.

The man pleads, "Please... take it off."

"Well, we need to figure out how the bomb's put together first." Gideon explains.

I open my mouth to tell him which wire to cut but am cut off by a Morrison ordering, "Tracy, you're in." I open my mouth again but shut it when the edge of my vision goes black, as I fall I think, blue wire.

-

I wake up and hear Gideon questions, "Which do we cut, Bale? Red or blue?"

My blood runs cold when I hear his voice say, "Red."

I get off the couch and wobble over to them, leaning against a desk as Gideon questions, "You know if you're lying, this thing goes boom, you get nothing, right?"

"Yes." Bale states.

Gideon replies, "If we cut the red, it's over."

I open my mouth and hear my dry, cracked voice say, "Blue."

Everyone turns to me, "What?" Hotch asks.

I look at Bale and ask, "Gideon, do you trust me?"

"Yes." He says confused.

I respond, "Cut the blue."

"Cut the blue." Gideon says into the com and everyone turns to him except me.

I stare right into Bale's dead eyes, "Are you sure?" The guard inside asks.

Gideon assures, "Do it." He cuts the blue and nothing happens.

"All right, shouldn't take long to cut this thing off now." The guard states and I watch Hotch grab Bale and shove him out of the room.

"How did you know?" Elle questions.

I say, "I'll tell everyone back at Quantico." I walk outside and watch Bale be pushed into a car.