Chapter Text
HOTCH POV
He was beautiful, I hadn’t been expecting that. They’re usually so broken by the time we see them that any grace has long since been dragged from them. Their handlers are rough with them but that’s not it, I wasn’t even sure it was the medications, it was the vile and cruel filth that god forced through their minds every waking moment. It was the way images of sick criminals were thrust at them, hundreds of facts and all of them horrific. There was nothing left of beauty once the horror of what their minds could access drew across their eyes. No matter the face they wore, they were ugly, broken creatures. Or so I believed, until I saw him, the thin fragile form practically dragged into my office.
“Heard you needed a Sera, we’ve got a new one, just sent over from training” pronounced the handler, smiling at me, “I hear he’s quite the talent this one” he practically snarled. The youth was barely standing, supported between the two handlers to keep him from falling to the ground. He was obviously aware however as his eyes scanned the room, but avoiding my eyes as he had been taught to do, well trained I noted but they all were. Too dangerous to let out if they were likely to break conditioning.
I nodded and ushered the men in, as usual the kid was placed on the floor, kneeling in the accepted position.
“You sure you don’t want to do this in the interrogation room?”
“Yes, I’m sure” I answered annoyed, if I had to do this then I would at least give the young man a bit of dignity.
“Ok then” He muttered, obviously disapproving. They brought out the locks for the harness the Sera always wore and without ceremony fastened the various arm, leg and body restraints together, effectively immobilizing him. I nodded to them to step back before bringing out the folder of crime scene photos and profile outline.
I hated this part of the job, watching the terror pass across their faces before the inevitable crash of the new consciousness into their minds. But this young man had no such terror, he looked almost resigned as I flipped open the file and started sorting out the contents.
“Read me the profile first” He sated quietly, and I froze, shocked. They never spoke except when the unsub took over. I looked at him in astonishment but too soon the handler was there, blubbering his apologies.
“Sorry about that sir. Probably low on Amsatheirine” he blustered before crouching down, beside him and unclipping the medication kit he carried with him.
“No, let him speak. Why do you want to hear that first?” I questioned, the genuine curiosity getting the better of my judgment. The handler stilled, he had a needle ready and the young man was staring it at fearfully, is if he feared looking away. I saw his discomfort and turning to the handler said.
“Put it away, and please give us some room”
“Sir, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Policy says we need to keep the dosage stable”
“When was his last shot?”
“12:30” The second handler answered, pulling out the chart.
“That’s only an hour ago. Are you telling me that you regularly give him shots hourly?”
“No, no of course not”
“Glad to hear it. Now if you could give us some space, I’d like to hear what he has to say”
“This is highly irregular” he protested, but did back off finally.
When I saw the young man had stilled I knelt down and repeated the question.
“Why do you want to hear the profile first?” I asked as gently as possible but he doesn’t seem to hear me. I try again gently coaxing him to pay attention, I look at the name on his collar.
“Reid, can you hear me? You’re not going to get the shot. You can speak to me, I’m not mad, I’d just like to know why you’d like to hear the profile first”
It took a few long moments for the youth to speak, he was obviously fighting an internal battle and I was more than willing to let him take his time.
“I...it helps to have a base for the images, some foundation on which to categorize the victims” He answered nervously.
“I see” I tried to catch his eyes but he continued to stare at the file in my hands. In the end I simply nodded and opened the file to the profile and began to read.