T.C. Riordan may not have been as far gone as Jack initially thought. Before Jack and Russell left his home, Riordan expressed his intent to enter rehab after finding a suitable nanny for Hubble. Modern medicine could help alleviate or even eliminate the physical aftereffects of addiction, but as for the psychological aspects, Jack could only wish him good luck.
The Star Trek tribute exhibition was scheduled from 8 PM to 2 AM, so there was plenty of time. Russell invited Jack to take a tour of the CSI lab.
Though not quite as futuristic as portrayed on TV, Jack, who had some basic knowledge, was still impressed by the state-of-the-art equipment at the LVPD's lab. The tools for toxicology, trace evidence, and ballistics testing easily cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars each, leaving Jack quietly awed.
The researchers were equally curious about Jack, the "expert" from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). They peppered him with questions about his field of expertise.
In their own domains, experts might compete or feel envious of each other's achievements, but when it came to different specialties, the mystique added a level of mutual admiration. It was human nature to be intrigued by what lay beyond one's own expertise.
The next day, Jack left Las Vegas with a full trunk, his Firebird loaded with Star Trek memorabilia. In addition to official starship models, he'd also obtained several 3D model files of classic ships.
He was already looking into the upcoming big robot conventions. "Robot" was an English loanword, and "big robot" naturally referred to events centered around giant mecha from anime, films, and comics.
Jack wasn't one of those narrow-minded fans. In his view, Mobile Suit Gundam counted as big robots, as did the Pacific Rim Jaegers. Even Tekkaman and Transformers were fair game.
As he accumulated some disposable income, old hobbies from his past life began to resurface. Of course, he kept these interests just as private as his growing collection of firearms in his basement—he didn't want to be labeled as a "weirdo."
---
The following weeks were peaceful. Both Jack and Reid received promotions, officially becoming Special Agents, which was essentially a form of permanent status.
Unexpectedly, the team was also awarded a collective commendation for their role in the anthrax attack case. The situation had escalated to the point of involving the President, and the way they resolved it with no collateral damage was commendable.
Rossi treated the team to dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, inviting colleagues from the FBI's Los Angeles office and some friends from the LAPD. However, Jack's teammates, now spoiled by his cooking, found the restaurant underwhelming and started urging for another visit to the Wolfe brothers' farm.
Rossi seemed tempted, still holding a grudge over the last "air force" incident involving geese. Jack, ever the enabler, encouraged him to try night fishing by prepping the area beforehand.
As a small reward for himself, Jack added a new "grocery car" to his garage. While his Firebird was cool, its tiny trunk wasn't practical. So, Jack splurged over $60,000 on a fully-loaded Ford F-150 Raptor.
He was all set to stock up on grilling supplies and two large BBQ grills for the farm trip when a call from Garcia changed his plans.
An Airbus A320 had crashed, and the BAU team was urgently summoned to determine whether the disaster was the result of human intervention.
"So, a plane just crashed, and now we're going to fly to the crash site?" Jack said as he stepped into the Gulfstream jet, earning him a round of eye rolls.
"Shut up, Jack, and buckle up. We're taking off soon," Emily replied, gripping her seat nervously.
Once the Gulfstream reached cruising altitude and the turbulence eased, Garcia opened her laptop and began briefing the team on the case.
"This was TransLink Airlines Flight 420, an old Airbus A320, which just crashed in the northwestern part of Durango, Colorado."
"Any survivors?" Emily asked.
"There were 152 people on board, including crew, and it's presumed that all of them perished," Garcia's grim response cast a pall over the group.
"We don't have all the details yet. The flight was en route from Pittsburgh to Phoenix."
Reid frowned. "The crash happened mid-flight? That's unusual. Typically, 80% of plane crashes occur either within the first three minutes after takeoff or during the last eight minutes before landing."
"Yeah, both crashes I've witnessed in my life were outside those windows," Jack added, prompting Garcia to facepalm.
"Oh God, I was almost forgetting about that nightmare on the Pacific island. Why did you have to remind me?"
Jack looked at her in disbelief. That had been their bonding trip, after all. Sure, it had its ups and downs, but was she really trying to forget it?
Garcia, reading his expression, blushed and kicked him under the table, embarrassed.
"Uh, I meant, you got a big settlement out of that ordeal. That 'nightmare' is hard to forget, right?"
Jack tried to backpedal, but Garcia's glare suggested he wasn't doing a great job.
"Ahem!" Hotchner's loud clearing of his throat brought everyone back to the matter at hand.
"Right, so, just after the crash, a witness called the local authorities, claiming to have seen a 'streak of light' in the sky before the plane went down," Garcia explained. This was the reason why the BAU had been called in—higher-ups needed the team to rule out the possibility of foul play, specifically a missile strike.
"That's impossible," Reid said, immediately skeptical.
"Commercial planes typically cruise at altitudes of over 20,000 feet. The range of a standard man-portable air-defense missile (MANPAD) is only about 10,000 feet."
Rossi stepped in before Reid could continue his lecture.
"The top priority is to rule out a terrorist attack. The crash just happened, and we can't dismiss the possibility of sabotage or something else onboard."
Hotch then laid out the team's assignments.
"Once we land, Rossi and I will head to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. The rest of you will go to the crash site. Remember to wear your respirators—the area is still burning, and there's unextinguished fuel."
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