Chapter Text
“Nothing I can see from here,” You grunted as you stood from your squatted position over the basement hatch. Your and Elle’s team going through the front found nothing obvious about the house at first. Thankfully, once Gideon, Morgan, and Reid’s team came through the back entrance, the Doctor’s perceptiveness came in quite handily. He pointed out the hollow feeling underneath the carpet in front of the house’s fireplace, and upon pulling the carpet up, there was a well-used latched door cut into the thick, wooden-planked floor.
Unfortunately, you couldn’t garner any details from the surroundings beneath you, the blackness of the room absorbing the majority of your flashlight’s beam. “I’m going down,” You barked, and none of your team looked like they were about to stop you. In fact, Morgan was ready to come down right behind you for backup.
You strapped your gun back in and ensured your earpiece was situated and functioning properly before scaling the ladder down and letting yourself jump off the last rung. You draw your gun once again, turning on the flashlight in your other hand and crossing your wrists to properly aim and shine the light. You were certain there was something here and that another level of the basement existed, from the same way Reid found the door. The floor felt too thin under your boots.
You heard Derek land behind you, almost entirely silent as well beyond the click of his gun and flashlight coming up as well. You two began looking around, a quick scan to make sure there was no one in the room. Once it was cleared, Morgan noticed a doorframe peeking out from behind a bookshelf in the back corner. You both remained as quiet as possible while you returned to the ladder. Once Gideon, Elle, Reid, and the rest of the SWAT team were informed, the other three special agents and two SWAT agents joined you and Derek in the first basement.
When the string for the light of the room was pulled, audible gasps were released by several. It was almost completely Nazi paraphernalia, mostly large historical items, and in the middle of the furthest wall was clearly a prominent Nazi from Germany in the Holocaust. Finally, the door was revealed once the bookshelf was moved, and bold and bloody red paint became visible: Der Folterkeller .
All eyes turned to Reid, who looked much more uneasy once he saw the words. “Direct translation? Torture chamber,” He murmured, swallowing around his nerves. You went to pat his shoulder, but Gideon beat you to it. You smiled at the Doctor instead, letting your determination shine through.
“He’s here, he has to be. Aaron is alive,” You said, no question to be heard in any of your words. It was a command to Aaron. And an unwavering hope and belief in the man.
You couldn’t lose your friend. Him. The one you-. He’s your family.
The last thought going through your head as your team carefully took the stairs down to the Torture Chamber , the only thing you could focus on beyond your surroundings and instincts:
Aaron, please, please just be okay. I can’t lose you, not again.