A/N for all those who reviewed and asked for a sequel to elevators. I hope it is as good as the first. :)

Reid was, for once, stumped. In all his reading and experience he had never seen anything like this.

"Well?" Hitch asked.

"I have no idea. The writing appears to be writing but it's like nothing I've ever seen. I can only tell you that it was extremely well made."

"You Don't know?" Morgan asked entering the room and pulling on gloves. "Did the famous Dr Reid just utter those words?" Morgan asked grinning.

"What words?" JJ asked also entering the room.

"Reid said he didn't know." Morgan said a teasing note in his voice.

"Impossible." Emily said.

"What is?" Rossi asked entering on her tail.

"Reid is stumped." Hotch said sighing. "Let's focus on what we do know."

"The killer was probably about five seven or five eight judging on the wounds and the angle." Reid said holding the pictures to the light.

"The killer definitely has no type. The victims so far have been different. A white young male, an Asian older female. The killings have all been in different neighborhoods and the weapon is always left. It's always identical knifes." Morgan asked.

"where anything missing from the houses?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing obvious. Cash wallets credit cards keys and phones. Who would rob somebody but leave the thousand dollar watch in place?" Prentiss answered.

"Somebody looking for something specific maybe." Morgan said his eyes carefully taking in the scene.

Hotch's phone rang startling them all.

"Hotch."

Then team continued searching while he listened.

"Reid, Morgan. There's a new crime scene. Garcia is sending you the address now. I want you to go check it out. Meet us back at the station when your done. JJ, Emily I want you two to go to the station and set up. We should all be there in a couple hours."

"Alright." The four left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"What do we know?" Hotch asked the team as they stood in front of the white board filled with Reid's somewhat messy writing. They were waiting for Morgan and Reid to return from the latest crime scene.

"He has access to a significant amount of identical knifes. He's smart as well. He leaves a single cut on the chest but it's different on each victim. The first victim it was a diagonal line from left to right. Then a diagonal from right to left." Prentiss said staring at the crime scene photos.

"He's smart. The crimes are always carried off when no one else is around which suggests a familiarity with the victims and their schedules." Rossi added.

"He's not after money. He's also trying to send a message. He's also not after causing pain. He kills the victims with a single blow to the head that kills instantly without the person feeling anything and then carves into the chests."

The team continued putting idea's back and forth in front of the white board.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Well I think we're pretty much done here." Morgan stated pulling off his gloves and standing up. Reid who had been staring at the scene nodded and pulled off his gloves as well.

"C'mon kid let's go back to the station." Morgan pulled out his keys and led the way out the door.

During the ride Reid reviewed the crime scene photos and reports form the whole case while Morgan concentrated on the traffic.

Pulling gout in front of the building Morgan turned to Reid.

"Why don't you go ahead and take everything up. I'll follow when the car is parked."

Reid nodded and pulled his bag and more photos out of the car with him. He walked up to the elevator and paused. It had been almost a year since he had been trapped but elevators still gave him an uneasy feeling. With a deep breath he entered and closed the doors.

The elevator was in between the second and third floors when it suddenly halted with a slight lurch. Reid moaned. There was no super space chip to save him this time. He shrunk into a corner. He hated elevators.

Through his closed eyes he detected a bright flash of light. Thinking a bulb had blew he opened his eyes to survey the damage.

An instant double take was the only reaction to the sight that met him.

Leaning casually against the wall was the same man he had met previously in similar circumstances. Reid hoped he hadn't died or that the fear was bringing out a strong hallucination.

"Hello Dr. Reid." The man spoke pushing himself up off the wall of the elevator with a somehow lazy motion.

"Sheppard." Reid spoke somehow keeping his voice steady.

"Don't worry your perfectly safe." John assured. "My guys stopped the elevator. I needed some answers and I needed you alone to get them."

"What?" Reid asked curious despite the situation.

"Do you have one of the knives or a picture of one?" Sheppard asked holding out his hand.

"Ya." Reid pulled out a plastic wrapped knife and handed it to the Colonel who held it close.

"Crap." He breathed after a few moments handing it back.

"What?"

"Thanks Dr. Reid." Sheppard saluted lazily and disappeared in another brilliant flash of light.

The elevator pinged once and headed back down to the first floor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Reid. Was the elevator stuck?" Morgan asked when the doors opened. "I've been waiting for a while." He noticed the dazed and fading panic in the kids eyes.

"Sorry kid. Elevators aren't your thing. Let's take the stairs." Reid nodded gratefully and exited the elevator. Morgan chatted the whole way up and Reid was looking almost normal by the time they reached the third floor.

Hotch however noticed the difference.

"Reid. Are you alright?"

"Elevator malfunctioned again." Morgan answered while Reid nodded.

"I'm fine." Reid answered.

Hotch nodded once and pointed to the pictures of the chests. "Did the third victim have a line carved into the chest?" he asked.

"Yes a horizontal line." Reid squinted at the pictures his brow furrowed.

"What is it Reid?" Hotch asked. Reid motioned for him to wait a second. Then nodded.

"It's an A."

"What?" Morgan asked.

"If you put the pictures overlapping it forms the letter A." Reid said. "He's spelling something."

"Wh…" Hotch began when there was a polite knock at the door.

"I'm sorry sir." One of the female deputies said. "But there are some people here to see you."

"Who?"

"I don't know sir. They said it had to do with the case." The deputy said.

"Where are they now?"

"Downstairs checking in. We thought we'd give you a heads up." Hotch thanked her and she backed out. She had just left however when the group entered.

The man in the lead was dressed in smart dress blues his hair slightly askew. His green eyes twinkling. At his right shoulder stood an imposing man in dreadlocks dressed in a pair of jeans with a stark white shirt. One his other side stood a much shorter man in khaki's and a long sleeved shirt. A bronze woman stood next to him in a pair of black pants and a strange top.

"SSA Hotchner?" the man spoke. Reid was staring at the team.

"Yes. And you are?" Hotch asked stepping forward with Morgan and Rossi flanking him.

"Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. I believe we met last year." John said reaching forward his hand.

"Colonel." Hotch finally recognized the man who had taken Reid to the hospital.

"This is my team. Civilian specialists Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex. And Dr. Rodney McKay." He pointed to each in turn before taking a sealed envelope from his jacket pocket. "My orders." he said handing them to Hotch.

The team of the BAU watched as Hotch read the letter his eyebrows raising. For the team that knew him so well they recognized the amazement for what he was reading. Though the eyebrows were the only thing that changed in his otherwise impassive expression.

"Well." He said looking over the team before him.

"I know it says we are to lead but to be completely honest I would have no idea how to lead an investigation. I'll leave that to your team of experts. We'll assist and observe." Sheppard said his voice calm. "If that's ok with you." he added. Hotch however knew it wasn't a question. He sensed something about Sheppard in the calm way he stood. He might play it cool and calm but Hotch sensed something capable and commanding in the man he hadn't seen before. Hotch knew the Colonel was not a man to mess with. He sensed a slight edge of danger tucked away behind the warm open exterior.

"We'd be honored to have you with us." Hotch said thinking back over the letter he had read and the signature at the bottom.

"If you could just catch us up." Sheppard suggested.

"We're not sure of the connection yet but we are sure it's the same man." Hotch started while discreetly handing the letter to Rossi to read. "it's always the same knife. He always leaves it behind and we think he's sending us a message. A line has been carved into each chest. Reid thinks it is the letter A." Sheppard looked up sharply at this.

"Does that mean something?" Hotch asked.

"it might." Sheppard said. "A lot of what I know is classified. The connection is a mutual employer."

"Who?"

"They have all been hand picked to serve as members of an expedition team?"

"What kind?"

"The highly secretive and classified kind." The shorter man spoke his voice slightly condescending.

"Before we go any further I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to sign these." Sheppard waved a hand and the woman moved forward with the thick folders.

"What are they?" Hotch demanded.

"Do to the nature of the case you and your team might become have access to a certain amount of classified information. These are simple non disclosure forms that state anything and everything you might learn on this case will be held in the outmost privacy." Sheppard said casually leaning against the wall.

Hotch nodded. He understood secrets. He carefully read through the form. All it contained was the agreement to keep matters of national security secret.

He signed it and handed it back to the smiling lady.

"Alright then let's begin." Sheppard said with a grin.