White Flag (Jennifer Jareau x Fem!OC)

Chapter 15

The body of Dr Roberta Childs has been discovered and another woman has disappeared. I am right now with Spencer trying to figure out why our unsub was bothered by the clock.

"Why this time particularly?" Spencer wonders.

"He looks at a clock, so it has to be related to the time." I say. "Not a code, not a symbol. More like a countdown or something.

"A countdown?" Spencer seems to understand something. "You're brilliant, Vic, brilliant."

"I didn't say anything..." I look at him running around to gather everyone.

"We said the timing of the unsub's abductions may be important to him." Spencer says once everyone is here.

"Why is that?" The policeman asks.

Spencer starts to explain the timeline of each disappearance. I listen closely to him trying to understand what I made him realize. JJ has both hands on the back of my chair, and I can feel her perfume right behind me, which doesn't really help for my focus.

"Ok, so based on your timeline, our unsub's counting up to 12:00." Tara tries to understand.

"No, that's what Victoria made me realized, he's counting down." Spencer points at me and I finally understand.

"Counting down to what?" The policeman wonders.

"I think the unsub's abducting women based on the doomsday clock." Spencer says.

"And what's that?"

"The symbolic clock that warns the world how close we are to total destruction." I state. "What?" I look at the others. "My entire family was ready for it to happen."

"Midnight on the clock represents a hypothetical global catastrophe, like a nuclear war." Matt explains. "The number of minutes to midnight stand for how soon that could happen."

"Since 1947 when a group of atomic scientists created the clock, the minute hand's been reset many times." JJ completes.

"For the last 5 years, it's been consistently ticking down. It was last set a 2 and half minutes to midnight." Rossi says.

"And the closest it ever was 2 minutes in 1953 when the U.S and Russia tested the first H-Bomb." Emily adds.

"We could be looking at a doomsday cult." JJ crosses her arms on her chest making me feel empty for a second.

They all start to talk about how the unsub can be proceeding and I listen to them trying hard not to glance at JJ every second.

"The wealthy are jumping on board." Rossi speaks up. "They are hoarding crypto-currency and buying custom survival shelters."

"And the super-rich are taking it to another level. They're buying private islands, land in New Zealand, their private jets are always gassed up ready to whisk them away at a moment's notice." Matt continues.

"What is your family's plan?" Luke whispers to me with a smirk.

"That's a secret that I'll never tell." I wink at him, and we laugh earning a glare from JJ.

"So, the victims are part of the unsub's prep to repopulate a new civilization in the post-apocalyptic world." Emily as usual sums up.

"And the clock starting to tick steadily down 5 years ago was the trigger." Tara reflects.

"And with It being so close to midnight and us breathing down his neck, he may decide that it's time to cut all ties with the outside world." Matt notices.

"We need to find him before that happens." Emily concludes.

❖

We are all gathered in the conference room, Garcia and I are on our computer trying to find the unsub. The others try to give us all the information they have. Garcia finds a website saying that the preppers should get corrective eye surgery and she seems to freeze looking at her own glasses. I laugh at the girl when she quotes a Twilight Zone episode.

"Garcia." Emily warns her.

"Oh, I'm digressing." The blonde girl admits.

"Do a search of the metro D.C area for men who fall into both the survivalist and prepper camps." Emily commands.

"Ok." Garcia searches. "Preppers love their firewalls, but it's no match for moi. 110 names."

"And what about ones that live in Virginia?" Luke asks.

"70." Garcia announces.

"Next player." I smirk.

"Do any of them own a black van?" Emily wonders.

"Nope, negative, boss." I smirk. "Would be too easy."

"Well, technical people usually view risk mathematically." Matt thinks out loud. "Garcia, filter the list for accountants, engineers, math teachers, and computer techs."

"If my name ever appears in that list, I'm innocent." I warn playfully the members of the team.

"I am filtering this through my digital colander." Garcia explains. "Nicely done. 20 names."

"So, for the past 5 years, this guy's been amassing food, water, medical, supplies, air filtration materials, weapons, and ammo." Emily lists.

"Oh, that's like all of them." Garcia frowns.

"Oh wow, I've got it." I chuckle.

"What is it?" Emily asks and I send the profile to Garcia.

"She found a civil engineer, Lawrence Coleman." Garcia reads. "He bought all of those things but also chloroform is on his shopping list. Well done, Martinelli."

"Does he show any interest in the doomsday clock?" Rossi wonders.

"Obsessed is more like it." Garcia seems disgusted by the man.

We continue to dig in his life, and we find multiple addresses that we send to the team. They all leave and I'm all alone with Penelope.

"Good job." She high-fives me. "Did you pass the test?"

"You already know that." I chuckle. "You have access to the files which means you even know my result by now, which I ignore so please, keep the secret."

"As you like it, Vic." She winks at me. "So, how is it going with JJ?" She asks and I raise my eyebrow at her.

"Did she tell something particular?" I wonder.

"She might have." The blonde girl shrugs. "It seems like Henry and Michael like you a lot."

"Seems like it, yes." I smile shyly.

"She does too." Garcia puts her hand on my shoulder. "Be patient with her, she'll let you in whenever she feels ready."

"Got it." I nod.