A/N: This is my attempt to get out of my writer's block courtesy of college and Finals week. It's my first attempt writing a Criminal Minds fanfic. This will be a twist on episode 5 season 3 of Criminal Minds, Seven Seconds. None of the characters in this fic will be OCs if at all possible. It is a crossover but there's no need to be familiar with the other fandom for this. It'll become obvious which fandom it is next chapter and everything will be explained as it goes along. For now, this is a trial run.

Chapter summary: In which a young man happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong everything just as the BAU arrives to investigate a child abduction case at a mall.

Seven Seconds of Chaos

1: View From Above

This place was about as normal as they came. No superheroes, no gods walking among men, no magic, nothing. Just the power of technology and human ingenuity in all its double edged magnificence. It was simple in its complexity making it largely predictable. The fact it had Starbucks was just a plus.

Unfortunately, it was in a mall which meant lots of people and noise. But at least it was on the second floor of the mall overlooking the food court so the majority of the people were far below. The noise was lost to the void of the large room, vaulted ceilings, great acoustics, and grand windows lining the far wall overlooking the Village, a series of stores physically disconnected but still a part of the mall, and the parking lot beyond that.

He glanced over the railing from his chair on the mock patio in the Starbucks down to the little people moving about the food court floor like ants. The smell of various foods wafted up to him faintly. The whole scenario was surprisingly relaxing despite of, or perhaps because of its chaos.

He took a sip of his black coffee and turned back to his computer, dismissing the outside world for the virtual one. No matter where he went, the virtual world was his escape. A world made entirely of 0s and 1s that never lied unless given the wrong information to begin with or a human was involved. An alternative rock mashup pumped through his earphones at a steady, heavy beat that made it temping to bob his head. He refused to allow himself to do such a thing, but that didn't mean he was beneath tapping his foot to the rhythm.

His younger brother was off wandering the mall with the newly engaged couple. Knowing the bride-to-be, the trio would be busy for quite a long while. She would be sure to visit as many stores as she could. This trip was mostly for her of course. The fact he was here at all was merely a case of morbid curiosity. He honestly wanted to know how long it would take before the husband-to-be and his little brother would last before one of them texted him begging to be rescued from the shopping spree. It was three hours and counting so far.

His phone rested on the small table next to his computer ready and waiting for the inevitable text. He gave it a maximum of one more hour before he was called in. The song playing on loop through his earphones faded away to a close. In the silence between the end of the song and the start as the replay kicked in was only a few seconds but it was long enough for him to hear the announcement over the P.A. system.

"Paging Katie Jacobs. Please report to security immediately," a female voice said through the mall speakers in a calm, almost impersonal voice. "Paging Katie Jacobs. Please report to security."

He glanced up from his computer at the curious announcement. Report to security, it had said. Someone must have wandered off from their party. He didn't know the name so he dismissed the announcement just as the song began playing again.

However, the beat never got the chance to drop. He was once again distracted, this time by the sound of screaming. He looked over the railing down to the food court below once more and was mildly surprised to see a blonde woman screaming and crying hysterically in the middle of the food court. A man hurried down the escalators calling the same name. The man ran across the floor to the screaming woman, grabbing her as she folded in on herself sobbing and calling a name. He held her as she wept, desperately trying to offer what comfort he could. The whole time the woman kept calling a single name: Katie.

The atmosphere of the space changed abruptly. It was no longer a calm organized chaos that he enjoyed. Security officers suddenly appeared from the sidelines and began trying to calm everyone down and take charge of the situation. They stood by the doors leading outside, refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave the area.

"Attention, all patrons," the impersonal female said over the P.A. system once more. "This is an emergency announcement. We have gone into immediate lockdown procedure. Please follow all directions of law enforcement and security personnel."

Sirens erupted from outside the windows outside the food court entrance of the mall and the young man removed his earphones to watch as police vehicles and black SUVs sped up to the mall doors and screeched to a stop. Police officers and men and women in suits rushed inside the food court. Together, the law enforcement personnel began corralling the patrons in the food court.

The young man watched as two police officers, a man and a woman began herding people on the second floor of the mall close to the stairs, escalators, and elevators leading down to the food court into the Starbucks and the frozen yogurt place on the other side of the mezzanine. Then they stood guard so no one could leave.

This was not what the young man had expected this evening. He sighed and shook his head, feeling a mixture of sorrow for the family and annoyance. Why was it chaos seemed to follow him everywhere he went? No, he did not want an answer to that question.

He reached up to tap the silver and blue device resting on his ear when it beeped insistently. "Not my fault," he said bluntly.

"I'm surprised," the woman on the other end of the phone call said. Her voice had the slightest waver around her Arabic accent. "What's going on?"

The young narrowed his glacial blue eyes, studying the scene unfolding below carefully. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I'll contact you shortly. For now, do as they say."

"Understood," the bride-to-be replied. "Do you still have your gun with you?" she asked after a moment.

He didn't reply. That was enough of an answer for her. "Be careful," she said.

"No promises," he said, hanging up before she could reprimand him.

He waited silently in the Starbucks watching as everyone was human ants below were herded together. The man and frantic woman were guided to a bench by the carousel between the escalators and behind the elevators. Twenty minutes passed before a commotion by the mall entrance drew his attention. A group of six people, three woman and three men, came in and met the policeman in charge.

They were an eclectic group to say the least. Their leader was a tall man with brown hair and stern expression. Despite the situation, he was not flustered and seemed to handle the frantic atmosphere with ease. The woman to his left had dark hair to her shoulders and was speaking quickly, her words inaudible from this distance. The woman on the leader's right appeared younger and wore her blonde hair long, almost to her mid-back. The last woman was not thin like the first two but carried herself with a confidence that spoke volumes of her comfort in her own skin. The pink highlights in her hair and black and white polka-dot dress certainly helped her stand out. The two other men in the group were polar opposites of each other. The younger one had all the hallmarks of a geek from the greasy hair to the choice of clothes. Put a few pins in a shirt pocket and he would fit right in at Best Buy's Geek Squad. The last member of the team was a dark skinned man built like a soldier and who dressed casually despite the situation.

The young man watching from the railing cursed softly, suddenly wishing he did not have his gun with him. Even though he had never seen these people before and hopefully would not get the chance to see them up close and personal, he knew what they were. Their manner and bearing gave them away. They were unquestionably federal agents.

Based on the reactions of the couple at the center of attention in the food court, the announcements over the P.A. system, and now the lockdown and arrival of the law enforcement in quick succession, this was a possible child abduction case. That mean the group of federal agents were likely from the FBI. The young man rubbed his forehead in frustration, pushing aside his chestnut bangs in frustration. This could get dicey fast.