Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or Inception.

Chapter Two:

"Seems like a pretty unhappy group of fellows, huh?" Eames pulled up a chair, sitting backwards on it as he rested his chin on his arms. The BAU had left about an hour ago, and Cobb's team had stayed at the warehouse, preparing for another day of training. The whole building had been outfitted specifically for their needs; even Yusuf had his own high-tech area for developing his sedatives.

Arthur peered over the rim of the briefcase that held the dream-share, his dark eyes narrowed. "I'm sure they're not used to all of this."

Ariadne spoke up from her spot at the other end of the table, where she'd been sketching in a notebook. "I thought they were pretty interested."

"Yeah," snorted Eames, "all of them except Agent Hotchner, who needs to get the stick out of his arse."

"We'll, we'd better learn to get along with all of them." Cobb had been staring out the window, as though ignoring the conversation. But he turned on his heel to face them, a grim smile on his face. "Because it's either that, or we go to jail."

Arthur stopped what he was doing, focusing solely on the dialogue now. "But what I don't understand," he said, "is how we're going to teach them to do an extraction." He jerked his head towards Cobb. "You and I, we've been doing this for years, and still we can't prevent a mistake from sometimes happening. How're we supposed to teach them in the short amount of time we've been allotted?"

Cobb shrugged. "We'll manage somehow."

Arthur scoffed. "Famous last words."

Hotch had closed himself off in his office immediately upon the team's return to Quantico. He'd stayed there for an hour, doing who-knows-what, until Rossi decided he's interrupt whatever little paperwork-filled rut he'd gotten himself into while he'd been alone.

The older man didn't bother to knock, instead barging in and making himself comfortable on the couch pushed against the wall that sat opposite the unit chief's desk. Hotch didn't look up from the paperwork he was scribbling furiously on, just muttered a solemn greeting.

"Nice way to greet an old friend, Aaron," said Rossi, cocking a brow. He twisted the ring on his finger absentmindedly as he spoke.

"Sorry, Dave." Hotch still did not raise his eyes. "I'm not in the best of moods at the moment."

"Look at me," he demanded, and slowly, Hotch dropped the pen and lifted his chin, his dark eyes meeting Rossi's. "What's wrong with you?"

Hotch frowned. "What's wrong with me?" he parroted. "How about: What's wrong with Strauss? We should be focusing on our cases. Not this dream sharing garbage."

"Garbage? Reid sure seems to think otherwise; he hasn't stopped talking about it since we got back. And, he also seems to think that it'll be pretty useful."

"Dave, we're working with criminals."

"Not the worst kind, by far. I think that, in some cases, they've managed to make the world a better place." He paused. "And, what better way to repent than to help us out, the real-life superheroes, huh?"

Hotch brought in a breath through his nose, and released it seconds later through pursed lips. "I don't like the idea of it all." Rossi said nothing, merely nodded his head, an indication for Hotch to continue. "It all seems like something out of a science-fiction movie," he said, repeating his earlier thoughts.

"Well, I guess it does sort of sound like some elaborate joke that Strauss planned out," said Rossi, managing to keep his tone serious.

"Dave, come on. You were with the BAU when it first started. Could you ever imagine literally diving into a criminal's mind?"

"No." Rossi grinned. "But, Aaron, this is the future. We're going through a technological revolution. Why not grab it by the horns and make the most of everything we can?"

Before Hotch could spit out another retort, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said, glad for the respite from what was turning into a rather heated conversation.

The media liaison waved a manila folder. "New case."

"JJ, I don't think we'll be able to handle another case with the training-"

She cut him off. "This is important. And, it's right in Virginia. You won't have to travel. The rest of the team's already gathered in the conference room." Rossi hopped up upon hearing this, and began to make his way for the door as JJ asked, "How was your first day of training, anyway?"

The older agent chuckled and said, as he brushed past JJ, "Ask Hotch; he has a lot to say about it." JJ decided not to follow Rossi's advice, seeing the look of anger that flashed across the unit chief's face at the statement. Instead, she simply said,

"Well, I hope it went well." She hadn't been trained to be a profiler, but working with some of the best in the country had honed her perception skills. And, JJ had been working long enough with Hotch to know when not to keep going with something.

She'd probe Emily or Reid for answers later. Now, though, she had to present the case.

They all sat around the conference room; the bureau's own Knights of the Round Table. Hotch still looked thoroughly pissed off, though no further comments were made about their earlier training session. Instead, they all needed to focus on the task at hand: their newest case.

"This is Victoria Cooper, the fourth victim of our latest UNSUB." JJ worked the remote, and a picture of girl's body, bruised and bloodied almost beyond recognition, appeared on the television screen. "Each of the victims have been abducted from various sections of the general DC area. They were found dead a week after reported missing. Ligature marks were found on their wrists and ankles, and there are sure signs of physical abuse and torture."

"What about sexual assault?" interjected Hotch. He seemed to have calmed down quite a bit.

"No indication of that, thank God." She pressed another button on the remote, and a second picture appeared, this one a wider view of the crime scene and the body. "Each of the victims were found dumped in an alleyway. Their clothes were still on them, though barely intact from the beatings they sustained."

"And all of the victims have been women?" said Reid, though the question was hypothetical. He could easily obtain that information by a quick flip through the case file. JJ nodded, and the young genius continued, "This UNSUB is misogynistic. He's dumping these women like they're trash."

"And," added Emily, "he's sadistic. He's holding these women for a week, doing who-knows-what to them. Toying with them, I would think. Trying to see how long they last."

"And when he's through with them," said Hotch gravely, "he kills them, and disposes of their bodies."

"JJ, what was the cause of death?" Morgan said, squinting as he stared at the pictures. These images wouldn't be leaving his mind for quite a while.

"Strangulation."

Rossi murmured something under his breath, and when asked to elucidate, said, "He wants to feel the life leave their bodies. He's all about power and control."

"And he'll have somewhere to keep them, somewhere private," said Reid, his hand fluttering as he gesticulated along with his words. "Perhaps even in his own home, or somewhere of the sort."

"We should meet up with the local PD, see what they have so far," said Rossi.

"Ah, not much," JJ said gloomily. "I already had a long talk with the lead detective."

Hotch stood. "Well, we know two things: This UNSUB is extremely organized. That's why he hasn't been caught yet, even after four victims."

"And what's the second?"

"He's not going to be easy to catch."

Author's Note: I cannot apologize enough for how long it took me to update. Life got in the way, and I've been extremely busy. And I'm sorry for the lack of Cobb's team in this chapter as well. But, it'll get more exciting in the upcoming chapters, as we explore the relationships that develop between the two teams. And suggestions, comments, etc., are always welcome! Thanks to everyone that's been reading, reviewing, etc. I really do appreciate it. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often, though don't hold your breath. But I do promise that this story will not be forgotten.