Chapter Six      /      Bang,  Bang, Bang!

Season One      /      Episode Six

     Throughout the work week, the BAU's office was often crowded with different agents doing each of their jobs and scrambling around to ask question and gather resources that they very much needed. Today felt like it was overwhelming, and not in a positive well. A consistent thread of people walked in and out of the bullpen every second, with the constant chattering buzz that stuck in the back of Monica's skull and gave her a pounding headache as she attempted to finish one of the cases reports she'd picked up as extra work earlier than she needed to. While she had been here for a while already, Monica wanted to guarantee that she was representing her best self, so naturally that meant picking up extra work with Spencer Reid sometimes. Anderson sat across from her at his own desk after his lunch break to the local café, a coffee with two sachets of sweetener on top of the disposable cup as he handed it to her. Monica did not look up from the report she was scribbling words on, her hand grasping the cup and placing it aside her before murmuring a thank you though it was lost in the conversations of others. Elle's voice suddenly appeared in the office, but Monica paid no attention to it until it led to Gideon at her desk.

     She looked up at him, head tilted to the side as he stopped behind her chair and placed his hands on top of it. He was in a powerful position, and she felt helpless though she knew there was no need to. Anderson raised a cocky eyebrow from across the desk, taking a bite into his sesame-seed bagel as the older agent lent down behind her so that they were at the same level. Monica felt a sense of fear fill her chest until he whispered softly so Anderson would not be able to hear it, "Reid failed his gun qualification. Keep an eye on Morgan for him."

     Not even a second later he was straightening himself up and walking away, jogging up the stairs to head towards Hotch's office with the work persona he always carried. A soft smile spread across Monica's face at the mere thought of how much Gideon actually cared for the team, especially for their youngest member as if he was the mother of the group. Monica assumed that would make Hotch the father, and with his colder persona it made sense. But while she was admiring the care from the eldest men on the team, she also felt pity for the younger male. She remembered his admittance of his nerves to Monica one late night as they stayed up doing reports, long after the rest of the office had gone home to the comfort of their beds. Monica had reassured him that he was going to pass and was the one to suggest training – she had only wished it could do so much more for his results.

     But the moment that Gideon disappeared, Reid appeared in the bullpen from the direction of the elevator with a deep frown on his face that mimicked Hotch's usual expression. Monica spotted Morgan turning around in his office chair with ease, a mischievous grin on his face as he watched the man walk to his desk with his head hung low to avoid eye contact with anyone before he planted himself down on his office chair. Morgan made his way over to Reid as the doctor pulled her own chair away from her desk, and rested it aside Elle who had folded her arms and gave Monica a look before returning it to Morgan as he said:

     "Hey, we're all here for you. I'm serious. If you ever need anything –" Reid averted his eyes from Morgan, despite the sincere tone in his voice and the drop in posture to level with him. He was, however, right to have such distrust as the grin returned on Morgan's face as he hung a whistle around Reid's neck and blew into the piece, cackling, "Just blow on that!"

     Reid was blushing as all eyes in the office turned to face them, and Monica noticed he looked on the verge of tears as he ripped the whistle from around his neck and threw it into the trashcan underneath his desk and away from his eyesight. Monica grabbed a spare piece of loose paper from Elle's desk, scrunching it tightly into a ball around an eraser she had found before she hurled it over the desks at Morgan's head as he sat down at his desk. The man jolted away from the paper, waving his hands around as if it was a ghost attacking him before he glared at Monica. She simply responded with the middle finger.

Elle lent over the slab dividing her's and Reid's desks and tapped him shoulder softly, causing the man to look up with furrowed eyebrows though it quickly softened when he saw the women's smile, and Monica holding out the coffee that Anderson had bought for her. It did take a moment for Reid to understand that they were not trying to treat him cruelly as the man before them had and when he realized it, he murmured a thank you and took the takeaway café coffee cup from her.

     "Franklin Park, Des Plaines." JJ appeared from out of the blue, hurrying over to the team with a pile of the folders in her arms. She flicked her head back to remove the strands of blonde hair falling in her eyes as she began handing out files, a sense of determination of her face. Hotch and Gideon stood behind her, clearly already informed about the case based off their expressions, "Yesterday afternoon three victims were shot at a distance. It's the third such shooting in two weeks."

     Elle looked up to Hotch, eyebrows knitted together and voiced exactly what Monica was thinking, "A sniper?"

     "We don't use that word." Morgan was quick to inform them, his work persona returning from his cruel humour towards Reid he had not done even a minute ago. He had not looked up from the file, even as Elle hummed a thought to return to her very own.

     "The public perception is that the FBI doesn't have an exemplary record with snipers." JJ added when there was no further explanation. Monica caught the light scoff in the back of her throat, almost as if the young woman was mocking society's thoughts.

     Hotch nodded his head as he crossed his arms, "Besides a sniper is a professional marksman. These guys aren't snipers."

     "What do we call them then?" Elle asked as she relaxed in her office chair, bringing a knee up to rest on the desk and stand as a wall for her to rest the file on.

     "L.D.S.K."

     When the two new women tilted their heads to the side at their boss's answer, Reid was the one to elaborate on Hotch's plain statement because of their visible confusion, "Long Distances Serial Killers."

     Monica cracked her neck as she flipped to a new page on the report for the photographs of the crime scene, furrowing her eyebrows as she asked lamely, "What's the number of people we've caught from the L.D.S.K profile?"

     Gideon, who had been silent throughout the conversation, averted his gaze as he bluntly said, "None."

     "What?!" Monica's head whipped around to look at the older agent, her chair moving her body as she glared at him. He did not take it personally, because he could see the obvious signs of confusion hiding in her eyes, "How are we supposed to solve this case if we can't prove that the profile actually works?!"

     Morgan shrugged his shoulders as he murmured, "Maybe it's our lucky day."

     Monica Choung highly doubted it.

     The team decided to remove their conversation from the centre of the bullpen to the round table (as dubbed by Penelope Garcia) knowing that those who based themselves on doing office work would not appreciate all the gory details until they know that the UnSub was caught. The team sat in the conference room, Hotch with his back to the board as he used to the remote to start the visual report on the victims as he explained:

"Two weeks. Three shooting incidents. Six victims. All shot in the abdomen. First and only fatality is Henry Sachs, married, father of three, shot in a shopping centre parking lot. Nine days later, Doug Miller and Kevin Parks were playing basketball at a community centre. Franklin Park. Four days later, Jerry Middleton, Kate Murray, and Tim Reilly. The Des Plaines Police have found no link between any of the victims."

     Morgan had been studying the file for a while now, and upon the boss finishing his summary, looked up and asked, "Ballistics?"

     "He's using frangible rounds which fragment on impact, making ballistic comparisons impossible." Hotch sighed as he rolled his shoulders back, and Monica noticed just how much tired he looked... As if he was significantly older than he actually was. She knew his wife was in hospital, preparing for childbirth and Monica realised he must feel guilty for being so far away when his family needed him.

     JJ piped up, as if noticing the lack of motivation from the team, "The good news is that all the park victims are going to make it. The bad news is that none of them saw anything. However, one of the patients does have an intact bullet lodged in his spine."

     Gideon spoke before Monica could, but the doctor's eyes had lit up as she looked towards the blonde with interest as Gideon questioned, "Well, what's the prognosis?"

     "Based off the splitting fragments from the bullets, the surgical team will more than likely not be confident in their ability to safely remove the slug without causing full-body paralysis to the victim." Monica explained before JJ could, shuffling comfortably in her seat as if showering herself with pride. Reid gave her a soft smile at her moment to show her knowledge, his fingers fiddling with the lid of the coffee cup she had given her. JJ had nodded her head, while Gideon hummed in thought.

     "Well, without a useful witness or a solid piece of forensic evidence..." Morgan trailed off when he noticed Hotch lowering his head, knowing that the man wanted to finish it off as he added:

     "The profile is all we'll have."

     Des Plaines was a nice city in Illinois that Monica had always found herself wanting to visit – one that she voiced to Elle as they walked the halls of the hospital. Elle had laughed when the doctor said her main interest was their McDonalds, but when Monica explained how it was the first restaurant built by Ray Kroc she suddenly shut up and said that that was their celebration plan when the case was over. Cheryl Marston introduced herself as the hospital representative to the select team of profilers with a wide grin and firm handshakes to each of them at the ground level of the hospital, before walking them through to the Chief of Surgery conference room on Level 7 as she gave a brief rundown of what was happening in response. The team listened thoughtfully, with Gideon asking questions here and there to gather a better understanding of their situation in the hospital.

     As Marston pushed the door over, Monica noticed her persona fade into a growl at the loud voices bickering on the other side of the door. She cheerfully called a warning for them, and instantly the men silenced their conversation. Elle was quick and natural in looking over her shoulders to Monica, raising her eyebrows to acknowledge her judgment which made the doctor briefly nod her head in agreement. She, however, decided to focus on the men. Standing closest to them and perfectly in the sunlight from the window was an older man, someone closer to Gideon's age. He wore a perfectly ironed suit, and forced a smile on his face though it never truly reached his eyes as if uncomfortable by their presence. The other man, however, hid in the darkness of the shadows with his scrubs on – the white lab coat protecting his uniform. He had curly hair, one cut into an almost shag like way. He appeared dishevelled, but Monica would argue it was because he must be exhausted. She was sure she looked like that at the end of her shifts as well.

     "Forgive us," the older man said, placing a hand on his chest and bowing slightly to express his shame, "We were just reviewing the cases at hand."

     "This is Dr. Neil Erstadt, Chief of Surgery, and our trauma specialist, Dr. Barry Landman." Marston introduced, each man giving a respective nod in the team's direction. "These are the FBI profiles, Agents Gideon, Jareau, Greenaway and Dr. Choung."

     Erstadt's eyes lit up at the mention of Monica, turning his gaze to focus on her when Marston gestured in her direction. The doctor forced a smile onto her face, as the older man said, "It's always nice to meet a doctor amongst a group of professionals. Do you mind if I ask for what?"

     "Doctor of medicine." Monica explained quickly as she accepted the handshake from Erstadt, feeling Gideon's glare at the back of her head for having a conversation that surely would not matter for their case, "I was a general surgeon before I joined the FBI."

     She turned to Landman; realising just how unprofessional it was of her to only acknowledge one of the men. Landman, however, raised his hands up as if to avoid her touch though he had a gentle smile on his face as he gazed at her, "You'll have to forgive me, I don't shake. My hands, you'd understand doctor?"

     "Of course," Monica responded, nodding her head politely as she took a few steps back, "A doctor's hands are their magic after all."

      A look appeared on Landman's face, one of respect before he diverted the question overall and addressed the team, "So, as psychological profilers what exactly are you looking for?"

     Elle stiffened from aside JJ, eyes narrowing in the direction of Landman and if Monica was not standing directly between the two men working for this hospital, she'd of done the same study pattern. It was unusual for someone to ask questions almost positively about their job, usually people would disagree with their works and the logistics behind it — those people typically being emergency services. Landman, however, almost seemed like he wanted to understand how far they were into the investigation something that was typical of an UnSub.

     "How the victims were shot. That could reveal the shooter's signature behaviour." Gideon explained as he rolled his shoulders, eyes flickering from the scans on the light board to Landman. Monica only now realised the scans, studying them as she moved closer to the light board and away from the doctor in the shadows.

     "The different wound channels," she started, ignoring how everyone turned to look at her as she pointed at the dark patch towards the spine, a light frown on her face, "They're from the entrance wounds, aren't they? The trauma is intense... Did you perform the surgeries, Dr. Erstadt?"

     The man took a brief moment to understand what the doctor just said to interrupt the conversation before nodding his head, "On patient Miller. I consulted with Dr. Landman on the others. The intact slug lodged between the L4-L5 vertebrae. Any attempt to remove it would likely leave the patient paralyzed."

     "In your opinion." Landman drawled; his voice laced with anger. Monica, who was now stood aside Gideon as the man had moved forwards, looked at him with raised eyebrows.

     "In my opinion." Erstadt confirmed.

     Gideon looked towards Landman with his head tilted to the side, his smirk appearing as he asked, "Disagree?"

     Landman sighed for a brief moment, eyes fluttering close before he opened them and broadened his shoulders, glaring at the older man, "With the right surgeon, there is no risk."

     "There's always risk!" Erstadt snapped from aside Gideon, one hand clenching into a fist. Monica sent a look over towards Elle, who had unfolded her arms and rested it comfortably above the holster.

     Marston must have sensed the ability for all of this to spiral into an utter mess, and quickly stepped forward, casting a glare to them all, "What significance does the bullet have in building the profile?"

     "Well, even if we can't get a ballistics match, we can get a rifle type and the specific type of rifle the suspect uses." Gideon offered, running a hand over his hair as he carefully eyed the two doctors still glaring at each other, "That could be very significant to the profile."

     Monica averted her gaze towards Landman, who instantly returned it with a raised eyebrow as if expecting her to challenge his authority, "Do you think you can perform the surgery safely doctor?"

     "I know I can." He reinforced, annunciating his words as he turned to glare at Erstadt again. This was one horrible interaction, and she would wish everything to leave.

     Thankfully they relocated the FBI team to the conference room for the surgeons and left them alone there to read over the case files. It was then that Landman informed the team he was going to start the surgery for the intact bullet, and Monica could feel the aroma waving off Erstadt and Marston as they left. The atmosphere was heavy no matter who was around, the unknown of the future. JJ looked over to the doctor from the BAU team, whose eyebrows were knitted together as she traced the words from the file with her index finger and mouthed them to herself in order to properly absorb the information. JJ bit the inside of her cheek as she asked, "Do you think Landman will be able to do it?"

     Monica looked up, eyes widening slightly as she murmured, "He has the ego for it. I just hope it will pay out."

     "Okay, but If I am the UnSub, why do I shoot my victims between 2:55 and 3:15?" Elle asked, gesturing with her hands towards the folder to return them to a more current case relevant topic. At least one of them was able to bury their nerves into their work.

     Gideon looked up to the woman, lowering the files from his eyesight while looking over the top of his glasses so that Elle could appear in focus, "That's when I'd do it. There are fewer cops on the street."

     "How come?" Monica asked, narrowing her eyebrows.

     "Well, the police overlap shifts, so there's always someone minding the store." Gideon explained, using his hands to paint a picture as if he knew Monica would understand it easier, "Second shift starts at 3:00, first shift walks at 3:30."

     JJ knitted her eyebrows together, "Wouldn't there be twice as many cops on the street at that time?"

     Gideon shrugged his shoulder, a soft smile on his face, "In theory. First half-hour of your shift you're in roll call, you're not on the street. And the last half-hour, you're at the station, you're finishing reports, you're booking prisoners. So, the 25 minutes around the first and second shift... Well, that's a bad guy's golden window."

     "How many people outside law enforcement would know that?" Elle asked, rubbing her temple with two fingers. When Gideon pursed his lips together, Elle rolled her eyes and put on a light tone to her voice as she pointed at him, "But the UnSub does, and you've already thought of this."

     Gideon's voice was grave as he spoke, "I had considered it."

     But, as soon as Gideon fell silent the door behind Elle and Monica swung open. Landman, dressed now only in his navy-blue scrubs, walked into the room with a frown on his face as he held up a small plastic bag. It had been an hour or so since he started the surgery, enough time to succeed but enough time to fail as well. When he dropped it onto the table in front of them all, it thudded, and Monica furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed the bullet within it. Perfectly intact, like he said he would. The surgeon stated, a snarl in his voice, "I hope you find it useful."

     Monica looked up as Gideon fiddled with the bag, "What is the pati- Mr. Middleton's status?"

     "The patient will make a full recovery." Landman spoke, a sudden smile spreading on his face as he directed his focus to Monica. It wasn't as wide as most would have, but the twitch of his lips was enough to make her uncomfortable. Her body tensed as he added politely, "As I told you he would."

     Then, as he left the room, Landman gave a soft wink in her direction. The two other woman in the room reacted with curled lips and disapproving shakes of their head while Monica simply gave him a faint smile until he left. The moment the door slammed shut, Monica faked gagging, causing Elle to snort in her laughter. Gideon looked at the two as he asked, "You okay, Choung?"

     "Yep." She responded, looking towards the older man. He slowly nodded his head, pushing his lips together and pulling them back into a thin line. Slowly, a frown spread across her face as she recounted the conversation, "I do need to get used to referring to our victims as people... Not patients. I'm sorry for that."

     "Don't apologise." Gideon informed Monica, sending her a look. She gave a smile in return as she nodded her head in confirmation.

     "Radiology is set up to take photos and e-mail them out for consults." JJ explained, diverting the conversation back towards the case.

     "Call Hotch. We're getting the bullet to Garcia." Gideon informed Elle as he packed up his files. The women around him mimicked his actions, "Fill him in on the shift-change theory."

     Monica was the one who received the call from Hotch as she waited in line at the hospital's café for the four coffees she ordered for the group. He informed her of the new shooting outside a café, and almost instantly Monica frowned as she cancelled her order from the barista before heading up to her team who waited patiently. Elle looked confused and almost upset that the woman had no caffeine as she returned, but after a quick explanation in the car ride over to the crime scene, all thoughts about the hot drinks were out of their minds.

     "Three more victims with non-fatal wounds and it's only been 48 hours since the last shooting," Elle voiced out to the group as they walked around the scene – careful to not add prints into the blood that was splattered between the outdoor café tables.

     Gideon, with his eyes narrowed at the swarms of cars crowding the scene, said, "Media attention and the FBI presence will only escalate his desire to shoot again."

     "Meaning?" The lead detective on this case, who had introduced herself as Shea Clavin upon the team's arrival, asked bluntly. Gideon redirected his gaze to the detective, a soft smile on his face as he said:

     "This is going to get much worse."

     "Then we need to give the police a profile immediately." JJ told the group, hands wringing together as she avoided looking downwards at the aftermath of the shooting. Monica sometimes forgot that JJ wasn't a field agent like the rest of them – she always held herself with such power it was easy to assume she was one, "You ready?"

     "State troopers." Monica spoke quickly, changing the matter of the conversation. The rest of the team turned around to look at where she was staring, "This is the second time our UnSub's crossed jurisdictions."

     "Yeah, we're ready." Gideon murmured softly, "They're not gonna like it."

     The other members of the team met them in the police station, swapping information to one another before they gathered the police officers. While Hotch delivered the profile to the men, the rest of the team hid in the shadows to watch the expressions of those who paid enough attention. When one of the officers made a snarky remark about the UnSub, Elle tilted her head enough to give Monica a look, who returned it just as quickly. Nothing of it was threatening, yet Monica made sure to scribble his appearance down for later. But ultimately, the Sheriff forced his men back into a professional manner and agreed to the FBI's request of recreating the third shootings in Franklin Park.

     An hour later, Monica stood aside Hotch, holding onto the radio phone while Hotch used his binoculars to scan the team and their positions. The plan was simple enough; members of the BAU would hold a camera that the two in the van would be able to watch through, while each took position of those who were shot. With the annoying officer from the station pretending to be the UnSub, it gave them an idea of where the L.D.S.K would have been hidden. Gideon's voice echoed through the radio in her hand as she peered through her sunglasses at her team, wiggling her toes to prevent her body from collapsing due to a heatstroke. Upon Reid's confirmation he was unable to see the trunk being opening in the fake UnSub car they had set up, Monica brought the radio to her lips and said, "Everybody, move to position two."

Hotch watched with steady hands through his binoculars as everyone moved around Franklin Park with their cameras to their new placements, but Monica could hear the ringing of his phone in his pocket. A frown etched on his face as he pulled it out, looking towards the doctor before he threw his phone towards her and gestured his head to it — returning to watch his team.  Monica managed to catch it with one hand, nodding her head feverishly as she accepted the call, "Hotchner's phone."

     "Choung, we have a lead." Gideon spoke sternly, and Monica's eyes widened. She fished out her own phone as she handed his own back to Hotch, who lowered his binoculars and brought the phone to his ear to continue the conversation.

     "Rainmaker, how wet do you want it?" Penelope Garcia questioned after accepting the call on the first ring, her voice light and cheerful as always. Monica felt a smile spread across her face as she spoke:

     "Hey Garcia, it's Choung and Hotch. We have a cell phone number, and we're going to need the name that is connected to the account." Monica informed her, and Garcia let out a happy hum from the other side of her call. She was in her prime, and it made her all giddy.

     "If you call the cell I can throw in the real time location, tell Hotch it's no extra charge." Monica rolled her eyes as Hotch raised an eyebrow from underneath his sunglasses, and she nodded her head as she listed off the phone number, "Let's rock this bitch. Okay, so, that cell is part of a batch purchased by the Des Plaine Police Department."

    "Odd, but you know we need a name." Monica murmured to her, ignoring the glare from Hotch as he returned to his binoculars to scan the safety of his team. Clearly her boss did not appreciate the casual tone of their conversation.

     Garcia groaned like a child having a tantrum though Monica knew there was nothing malicious about it, "Choung! You know it takes a second, I have to pull it from their system."

     "Uh, can we receive the location instead or something?" Monica questioned and Garcia gave a soft yes. She could hear the whirring of the technology working the background as Detective Clavin jogged up to join Hotch and herself, before Garcia informed:

     "Franklin Park, Des Plaines. And the name, for such a lovely woman who waited so patiently, is McCarty... Scott."

     Monica furrowed her eyebrows as her heartrate picked up, looking over towards her boss who has since lowered the binoculars once again as she stated, "Our UnSub is here. It's Scott McCarty. Hey, thanks so much, Garcia."

     As she hung up the call, she watched Detective Clavin run a hand through her hair as she said, "McCarty is the UnSub."

     Hotch furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, "Yeah, but where is he?"

     "No." Clavin informed him sternly, placing her hands together in front of her face, "McCarty is playing the UnSub."

     Half an hour later, Monica stood by herself, directly across from the car that hid Scott McCarty in the trunk of it with the rifle playing UnSub. Her hand rested on top of her holster, fingers toying with the clasp to keep her handgun in place though she knew that was not her job. SWAT had asked for her to stand to the side as a medic when they learnt of her position, and though Hotch (who currently was inside the van with Clavin and Gideon for his own safety) had hesitated to agree to it, he soon gave up after she sent him a glare. Now dressed in her Medic Jacket overtop of her bullet-proof vest, Monica had to wait patiently for anything to happen. SWAT gassed McCarty out of the car to prevent any intense reaction from the suspect, and when he clambered out of it painfully through thick smoke, the team instantly grabbed a hold of his arms and locked them to his side so he was unable to make any movement before they cuffed him. It all happened so quickly, but she knew that's what SWAT trained for. Monica rolled her shoulders back as they walked him past her, eyes furrowed until there was a whistling sound and McCarty collapsed between the men holding him.

     She froze when she noticed the bullet wound directly in the centre of Scott McCarty's head, and only found herself lowering to the ground on natural instinct and the SWAT member who rushed to her and pulled her to the ground. He was shouting at her to curl up but she couldn't hear him as she looked over in the direction where the bullet had come from. Monica's heart pounded in her ears as the man covered her body to protect her from any harms way, shouting orders to each other in a chaotic tone that she was unable to understand what was happening. She was unable to see anything from the direction of where the shot was fired, rows of tall buildings instantly covering the UnSub's position.

     After a couple of minutes of her knees and elbows being pressed into the loose pavement to the point it hurt, the SWAT team finally allowed the BAU to move from their hidden positions. There was no more future shots, or anything to signal that something would happen after a couple of minutes so the team had come to the conclusion that the environment was now safe. Hotch, Clavin and Gideon were the first to leave their positions from the van to the dead body in the carpark. Her boss held a hand out to help her, pulling her to her feet before asking softly if she was alright so that no one could hear. Monica refused to meet his eyes as she nodded her head, remaining silent while she wiped the pieces of loose tarmac off her outfit. She could feel Hotch's gaze lingering on her, but he did not pressure her into speaking as they waited for the rest of the team to leave their own safety. Once everyone confirmed they were okay despite the situation that just happened, Hotch forced them all into pairs before they returned to the station to fix themselves up. Just what Monica needed.

     After a brief conversation, and a lot of coffee back at the station, the team split up into separate cars. Hotch had gone through a game plan about what each group would do, but the doctor had found herself sitting on the table with droned out while her gaze focused on the swirling of her sweet black coffee. When they had finished the group meeting, Hotch had come over and placed a hand gently onto her shoulder to bring her back to reality. She looked up at him, a furrow between her eyebrows before she smiled apologetically and rushed to her group without saying a word. Monica now found herself sitting in the back seats of a car with Reid, while Clavin drove and Gideon sat in the passenger seat. Gideon, from his position, turned around to face the pair in the back as he said, "I believe it's a case of 'hero homicide.'"

     "What's that?"

     Reid looked over to the detective who'd asked the question, running his fingers through his hair as he tucked it behind an ear, "The best known case was hospital nurse, Richard Angelo. He would inject toxin into his victims, then wait for them to crash so that he could run to the rescue and save them. He killed twenty five people, and that's just that we know of."

     "If he attacked them to save them, why did he kill 25 people?" Clavin asked, eyes flickering to the rear-view mirror to make eye contact with Reid, though the younger man avoided it. He did not like eye contact, especially with strangers.

     "He sucked at his job." Monica responded blandly, "Plus, it's a hospital thing where they don't keep track of patients who nearly died. It would be an extremely long list, and more paperwork for already an understaffed job."

     Clavin nodded her head slowly, sparing a look to Gideon as she asked, "So, what's the profile of one of these guys?"

     "Arrogant. Conceited." Gideon spoke, eyes focused on something in the distance. Monica tilted her head to look over to the senior, eyes furrowed as she realised who the profile reminded her of, "Feels superior to everyone around them."

     The detective let out a forced laugh, "You've just described every surgeon I've ever met."

     "No, he's just described Landman." Monica voiced aloud, and Reid turned to look at her with his eyebrows knitted together and lips pulled into a firm line. Gideon turned around to look her in the eye, eyes dazed as if he was thinking back to the surgeon before he slowly nodded his head and called Hotch to meet them at the hospital.

     It was Gideon and herself who went to find Landman after talking to Marston. On their walk around the hospital, Gideon dropped the information that made her trip over her own feet in front of him. She eyed him judgmentally as she headed towards the door that led to the room where Landman was located. Before she was able to push it open, Gideon halted her in her movement to reconfirm what he said before, "Choung. I am serious, I want you to lead this interrogation. He respects you, and we need to use that to our advantage. If you remember everything I told you, he won't be able to hurt you. Understood?"

     She nodded her head, refusing to speak because she knew her voice would fail her as she opened the door. This was no time to doubt herself, even if it was all she felt in the back of her mind. Landman turned around as the two entered the room, a soft smile on his face at Monica before it disappeared into a scowl at Gideon in a matter of seconds, "Where's Marston?"

     "She's not coming." Gideon responded matter-of-factly, his tone harsh. So much for her doing the talking. Landman rolled his eyes as he turned away from the pair, returning to look at the scans in front of him as he called over his shoulder:

     "Look, I'm very busy right now." He snapped, "Perhaps you can make an appointment."

     Gideon looked to the side at Monica, who curled her fingers into a fist as she studied the back of Landman with angry eyes. He nudged her gently so she looked up at him, before she gave another nod of her head and confirming her ability to do this. Gideon gave an encouraging smile before he left the room, leaving the two of them alone. Suddenly the room felt a lot smaller and colder than it had before when the agent was in there.

     "Maybe I can help you... If you're so busy." Monica said sweetly which caused Landman to spin around as if surprised she was still in here. The tone of her voice made her feel sick, but she could not falter the smile that ached her cheeks. However, unlike the tense powerful posture he had when Gideon was in the room, Monica was able to notice the slight relaxation in his muscles, "What are you busy with?"

     "Oh, you know. Medical things." He let out a smile, before his eyes flickered to the side. Monica turned around, noticing the glass window that showed the team gathering around it to watch the conversation. Hotch walked into view, spotted Monica inside the room and Gideon watching before he frowned and went over to the senior agent to speak to him. He clearly was not comfortable with the situation... Neither was she. "You're considering me a suspect?"

     "Unfortunately, so, Dr. Landman." Monica stated as she lent against the door. She had let out a sigh, looking down at her feet as if awkward about the admission. "Your background lines up directly with our profile. You're the perfect UnSub for our shooter."

     "Am I going to end up dead? Like your last suspect?"

     She shook her head, an almost flirting laugh escaping her mouth as she continued on, "It's a thing called hero homicide. Which, I am sure you're well aware of seeming as most of those who fit that profile are nurses or doctors. He believes he has the power over life or death, Dr. Landman. Do you know anyone like that?"

     "Dr. Choung," Landman snapped, silencing the woman. She raised her eyebrows at the use of her name and especially her title, "I want to explain something to you and your interfering team. When my patients are in the operating room, they need God and that's exactly what I give them. When someone's holding your beating heart in their hands, who do you want holding it? Me? Or God?"

     "I don't think you're our killer, Dr. Landman." Monica stated, raising her head to look him in the eyes. Landman's posture broke for just a second, all the anger washing away at the realisation of what she had just said to him. It was as if she just confirmed his dream, "I know you're not our killer because you still have power as a surgeon. You may have been passed as Chief of Surgery, but you're still recognised for your talent. What do you get out of shooting innocent people in Franklin Park?"

     "I'm glad someone in your team understands. I knew you would."

     She nodded her head, a light smile on her face as she removed herself from the door and walked closer to him. The light chattering of her team from outside the room buzzed in her ears as she looked up at the surgeon, tilting her head to the side as she spread another sweet smile on her face, "All I have to know if there is someone who can confirm you're not him. Were you with anyone at 3:00 today?"

     "I was in my office with Dr. Hannah Pate." He informed; voice low as he looked down at her. Landman breathed in heavily, and Monica let that smile on her face spread into a grin as he added, "I'm not the only one who views myself as a God..."

     A light chuckle escaped her throat as she lowered her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. This man was a disgusting human, but the only way for him to continue talking to her without threatening her was if she played into his trap and God, did she hate it. As she looked up, her voice went higher, "Thank you so much, Dr. Landman for your cooperation. I'm terribly sorry for everything my team has brought upon you."

     "Thank you for your understanding." He took a step closer to her, to the point their bodies were basically touching, and it took everything in her willpower to not punch him and run. Instead, the door behind her opened and Gideon's voice called:

     "Choung, we need you."

     "Goodbye, Dr. Landman." Monica called over her shoulder as she left the room, waving her fingers in a delicate way that made him smile after her though he said little to nothing as she exited. Moving the remaining team out of the way from his viewpoint, Monica sank a little so she could place her hands on her knees and steady herself. "He had the absolute worst narcissistic personality disorder I've ever seen, and I was surgeon." Monica snapped, straightening herself up and leaning against the wall. She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling how hot it was before frowning and looking around, "Where's Reid and Hotch?"

     "They've gone to find Dr. Pate." Gideon informed, before looking her up and down as he tilted his head to the side, "You did good in there, Choung. You got everything we needed to know to prove he wasn't our guy."

     Monica let out a weak laugh, one that sounded like a sigh if you paid attention. Gideon's words were a good confirmation of ever nerve washing through her body. But before they were able to speak anymore, what sounded like gunshots echoed from down the hall in the direction that apparently Hotch and Reid went to. Monica looked over to Gideon as the screams bounced through the hallway and within seconds he was rushing down the hallway. The doctor took a brief moment to snap at Landman to stay in the room away from the window for his safety, his words of good luck playing in her mind as she rushed after Gideon at record breaking speed. Upon stopping outside of the ER's doors moments after the older man, Monica realised the situation they were in. The doors to the room where the victims were, and the Unsub, were locked preventing both entry and exits. JJ, who had arrived before Monica, pulled out her phone to call the station with an update of their situation - requesting that the SWAT team arrive as soon as possible.

     Elle had found herself sitting in the middle of the plastic hospital chairs, her leg bouncing up and down as she nibbled on the skin around her thumb. Her eyes were focused on one section of the tiles without so much as blinking, and Monica sat down aside her and grabbed her hand to assure comfort. Elle looked over to her as the doctor squeezed her hand, pulling it onto her lap with a soft smile on her face. The younger woman frowned, "You do think they're going to be alright, right?"

     "I know that, without a doubt, Hotch with think of some plan that Reid will get right away. They are the two best people to be in that room together." Monica informed her, and with another smile added as an after-thought, "He is going to be fine, don't worry."

     Elle furrowed her eyebrows at the doctor's words, before the softened for just a brief moment and looked away as a red twinge rose on her cheeks. The pair sat like that for an extra five minutes, before the SWAT team arrived at the hospital. The man who she had the opportunity to meet beforehand during Franklin Park found his way to her, making a weak joke about how they don't have to worry about finding themselves on tarmac this time. When he handed over a bullet-proof vest that had SWAT imprinted on it, and then a matching helmet, Monica frowned. JJ rushed over at the sight of confusion, arms folded to prevent the audience from seeing how severely she was shaking, "They weren't able to find an EMT in time. I said you could volunteer, sorry."

     Monica dressed with the remainder of the SWAT team, allowing them to help her tighten the straps on both her helmet and the vest. The vest sat uncomfortably against her boobs, the size made for a man but she didn't say anything as she fiddled with her gun. It paralleled too perfectly to McCarty's death at the park, and all her nerves returned to her like a fist to the face. She had pulled it out, as if it was going to protect her team and herself even though they were in different rooms from one another. Gideon came over, arms folded as he eyed her up and Monica nodded her head slowly to answer the silent question that was directed towards her. Gideon pursed his lips, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it for encouragement just like Hotch did at the station. She did not know what to say or do, so she simply stretched her lips into a fake smile to show she felt somewhat confident in doing this. He was smart enough to know that it was not true at all.

     When the SWAT team was called into the ER, Monica trailed behind them with her hands clutching onto the handle of her handgun. Though they had stated she did not need to carry a weapon, she reassured them that it was easing her nerves. They were careful to make sure she understood the instructions they had been ordered to by their leaders, and Monica was grateful for their willingness to help her. As they waited outside the ER room, the rifles were all aimed directly at the single door. Weigart, the leader of the SWAT team, started counting down their entrance time.

     That was until the bullet fired from within.

     The doctor braced herself, imaging the worse until she heard Hotch's voice calling from the other side of the door. He opened the door, eyes scanning the room until they landed on Monica, and he sighed in relief as he informed them, "It's all clear."

      She waited for the SWAT team to pile into the room to help the other people before she rushed over to her boss. He held his hands up, showing the cords around his wrists which tied them together. Monica grabbed the nearest pair of surgical scissors and struggled to cut through the hard plastic. The pair were silent as she worked, Hotch watching patiently as she grabbed a spare bottle of ointment to rub into the friction burn around his wrist bones. He thanked her, and when Monica looked up to meet his eye she noticed the twitching of his lips to resemble a smile in his own way. Monica couldn't help but smile about it before she headed off to the rest of those injured.

     On the plane, Monica saved an extra bottle of ice spray for Spencer Reid and his wounds saying she did not want to make him uncomfortable due to the majority of them being on his chest. He thanked her silently, and offered her and JJ the couch because he wasn't going to sleep. Monica smiled as she grabbed a throw blanket, curling to one side of the couch after removing her contacts secretly in the bathroom again while JJ did the same on the other side. The two women had their feet tangled together from underneath the blanket, but neither cared as they slipped into a slumber that came to them knowing their team was safe.

Kai's Notes !

I. SPENCELLE IS REAL TO ME SO ITS REAL FOR MONI! dont ask me why i think they have something going on (maybe not a confirmed relationship but man it's obvious.) And yeah, monelle are so gay for each other but thats life. spencelle wont be too like, majorly talked about throughout this book and more just hinted at here and there for the funsises :)

II. but this is a super long update (well not really, it's 8k which is just above average for a full episode chapter) yet it took so long to come out i feel like it's a good thing im rewarding you guys with this stuff. i also gave motchi content, which i didn't realise was so obvious until i rechecked everything to make sure it made sense in the moment, and i went "i really like this pairing despite him being married right now, huh."

III. i just wanted to apologise however for the late updates for this book, however! i promise im working harder on it.