Chapter 27: The Hunting Choice — Part 1
The conference room filled with the particular tension that came with cases involving law enforcement victims.
Gideon arrived first, then Hotch, then Morgan and Reid together. Elle slipped in last, catching my eye with a quick nod before taking her seat. JJ stood at the front, remote in hand, waiting for everyone to settle.
"Three police officers killed across Virginia in the past two weeks," she began. The screen displayed crime scene photos—bodies in uniform, posed in public spaces, executed with precision. "Officer Michael Torres, Richmond PD. Deputy Sarah Chen, Henrico County Sheriff. Sergeant David Williams, Alexandria Police. All found within hours of their deaths. All killed the same way."
"Execution-style?" Morgan asked.
"Ambush kills. Professional, precise, personal." JJ clicked to the next slide—a map with three red markers. "Torres was killed during a routine traffic stop. Chen while responding to a domestic call. Williams during a patrol shift. The unsub knew their routes, their timing, their vulnerabilities."
Reid leaned forward, studying the map.
"The kill sites form a pattern. Moving northwest. Toward..."
"Toward us," Hotch finished. "The geographic progression suggests a destination-oriented unsub. Someone who's working their way toward a specific target."
"Or a specific location," Gideon added. His voice was quiet, thoughtful. "Quantico is the center of federal law enforcement training. If someone wanted to make a statement about hunting those who hunt—"
"The FBI would be the ultimate target," I said.
Eyes turned to me.
"He's not random," I continued, the pieces clicking into place as I spoke. "He's making a point. Each victim was a decorated officer with commendations. He's not killing cops—he's killing successful cops. Hunters who were good at their jobs."
[PROFILE ANALYSIS: ACTIVE]
[UNSUB CHARACTERISTICS: FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT — TERMINATED OR RESIGNED — PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST SYSTEM]
[MISSION ORIENTATION: HIGH]
[FOCUS: -3]
"Former law enforcement," Gideon said, reaching the same conclusion through experience rather than system assistance. "Someone who knows police procedures from the inside. Knows how to predict patrol patterns, response times, surveillance blind spots."
"Likely terminated," Hotch agreed. "The targeting of successful officers suggests resentment. Someone who failed where his victims succeeded."
Morgan pulled up additional data on his tablet.
"Garcia ran backgrounds on all three victims. They testified in cases. Torres helped put away a corrupt narcotics detective in 2001. Chen testified against a deputy accused of excessive force in 2003. Williams was a key witness in an internal affairs investigation that ended a sergeant's career last year."
"They destroyed other cops' careers," Elle said. "The unsub sees them as traitors."
"Brotherhood violations," Reid added. "In police culture, testifying against fellow officers is considered one of the greatest betrayals. The thin blue line. If our unsub is former law enforcement with a termination connected to internal affairs or IA testimony—"
"Then he's killing the people he blames for his own failure," Hotch finished. "Garcia, I need a list of every officer terminated or forced to resign in Virginia in the past five years whose case involved testimony from fellow officers."
Garcia's voice crackled through the speaker.
"Already pulling it, boss man. We're looking at... thirty-seven names. Give me an hour to cross-reference with our victims' testimony records."
"Make it thirty minutes. He's accelerating."
The briefing continued—tactical analysis, geographic profiling, victim timelines. But my mind kept circling back to the system notification from yesterday.
Conscious hunting choice. Not just reacting to threats. Choosing to pursue them.
This case was different. An unsub targeting law enforcement, moving toward Quantico, hunting the hunters. The team's instinct was to fortify, protect, wait for him to make a mistake.
But that was reactive. Defensive.
What if we went after him instead?
"Geographic profile suggests his next target is in the Fredericksburg area," Reid said, pointing at the map. "The progression follows I-95 north. If he's maintaining his timeline, we have maybe forty-eight hours before he strikes again."
"We need to identify potential targets," Hotch said. "Officers in Fredericksburg who testified against other cops."
"And then what?" Morgan's voice carried frustration. "We can't put protective details on everyone who ever testified in an IA case. We don't have the manpower."
"We wait," Gideon said calmly. "We analyze his pattern, narrow down the likely targets, and position ourselves to respond when he moves."
"We wait for him to kill again," Morgan countered. "That's what you're saying."
The room fell silent.
This was the moment. The choice the system had been waiting for.
"What if we don't wait?"
Everyone turned to look at me.
I stood, moved to the map.
"His pattern is predictable. He's moving on a clear geographic line, selecting targets based on specific criteria. We know his methodology, his motivation, his likely timeline." I traced the I-95 corridor with my finger. "Instead of positioning to respond, we position to intercept. We identify his most likely target in Fredericksburg, set up a protective detail that doubles as bait, and hunt him before he can hunt again."
Hotch's expression was unreadable.
"You're suggesting we use an officer as bait."
"I'm suggesting we stop being reactive. This unsub thinks he's the predator. He thinks cops are prey because they don't expect to be hunted. If we change that dynamic—if we come after him while he thinks he's stalking his next victim—"
"We catch him off-guard," Morgan said, catching on. "Turn the hunter into the hunted."
Gideon was watching me with those penetrating eyes.
"It's a risk. If we misidentify the target, or if he adapts faster than we expect—"
"Then we lose nothing we wouldn't lose anyway," I said. "His current trajectory puts him at Quantico within a week. If we wait, we're playing defense on our own ground. If we act now, we choose the battlefield."
The silence stretched.
Hotch looked at Gideon. Some wordless communication passed between them—years of partnership compressed into a single glance.
"Garcia," Hotch said finally. "Prioritize Fredericksburg in your search. I want names within the hour."
"On it."
"Morgan, Elle, Mercer—you're the intercept team. Reid, work with Garcia on profile refinement. JJ, coordinate with local law enforcement. Gideon, with me—we need to brief the Director."
[CONSCIOUS HUNTING CHOICE: REGISTERED]
[PHASE 2 REQUIREMENT 4: IN PROGRESS]
[COMPLETION PENDING: SUCCESSFUL PROACTIVE ENGAGEMENT]
The notification flashed and faded. I didn't acknowledge it. There would be time later to process what it meant.
Right now, there was a killer to catch.
The team dispersed into controlled chaos—phone calls, equipment checks, tactical planning. I moved to my desk, started loading my gear bag. Standard equipment plus extras. Something told me this wasn't going to be a clean operation.
Elle appeared beside me.
"Extra magazine," she noted, watching me pack.
"Better to have and not need."
"That's what I always say." She reached into her own bag, pulled out a compact backup piece. "Ankle holster. Just in case."
"Just in case."
We looked at each other. No words needed. Two hunters preparing for the hunt.
Morgan joined us, gear already loaded.
"Garcia found the target. Deputy James Harmon, Fredericksburg Sheriff's Office. Testified against his partner three years ago—corruption charges. Partner killed himself before the trial. If our unsub is looking for 'traitors,' Harmon's got a bullseye on his back."
"Then we put ourselves between him and the bullseye," I said.
"Damn right we do."
Hotch appeared with final instructions—rendezvous points, communication protocols, rules of engagement. The usual framework that turned chaos into coordinated action.
Forty minutes later, we were on the road.
Three vehicles, eight agents, one mission. I rode with Morgan and Elle in the lead SUV, watching the Virginia countryside scroll past the windows. The radio was silent. Everyone knew what we were driving toward.
"You pushed for this," Morgan said quietly. "The proactive approach. That was ballsy."
"It was tactical."
"It was also personal." He glanced at me in the rearview. "I saw your face when Gideon suggested waiting. You couldn't stand it."
He's right. I couldn't.
"Waiting means more dead cops," I said. "Acting means we have a chance to stop him before that happens."
"Acting also means we might walk into a trap."
"Then we spring it on our terms instead of his."
Elle had been quiet, watching the road. Now she spoke.
"He's not wrong. Reactive defense is how cops die. We've been trained to respond to threats, not anticipate them. That's why this unsub is winning—he knows our playbook."
"And now we're rewriting it," I said.
Morgan nodded slowly.
"Alright. Let's go hunting."
The SUV accelerated, eating miles of highway between us and Fredericksburg.
Behind my eyes, the system hummed with quiet anticipation.
[PHASE 2 TRANSITION: IMMINENT]
[HUNTING MODE: ACTIVATING]
The predator was finally being let off the leash.
And somewhere ahead, another predator was about to learn what it meant to be prey.
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