The Substitute 1
Emily Prentiss was feeling pretty good this Friday morning. She had woken up well rested, and she had a calm, easy day at work to look forward to. Her boss had finally started to believe she got her job on her own merit, without her mother’s help, which meant that she no longer got all the shitty jobs to do.
And to make her day even better, her mother finally seemed to have gotten the hint to stop setting Emily up with sons of her friends, in the hope something might come of it. (“He’s such a nice young man, Emily. And he’s a doctor.”) Most Friday nights, her mother arranged blind dates for Emily to go on, but tonight, all she had to look forward to was a nice evening out with her friends.
Yes, things were looking pretty great for Emily Prentiss this morning. She was preparing herself for a calm day at work, but it seemed the powers that be had other plans with her.
“Agent Prentiss, can I see you in my office please?” Aaron Hotchner, her boss, asked the second Emily stepped out of the elevator.
“Of course, sir.”
She dropped her bag on her desk on the way to the unit chief’s office, and followed her boss inside.
“Close the door, please,” Hotchner said, who was already sitting behind his desk, looking over a case file.
Oh God, that doesn’t sound good, Emily thought.
“Agent Prentiss, you’ve been assigned to an undercover operation.”
“Sir?”
Hotchner turned the file over to Emily, who quickly read through it. Her eyes immediately fell on the picture on the first page. It showed a young man, barely twenty years old. His eyes were still open, but he was clearly dead.
“His name is Samuel Demming, nineteen years old. He’s the third OD we found this week, seventh overall. Five of those seven victims were students at Riverdale University. We believe that heroine traffickers are using Riverdale as their playground. The FBI and DEA have set up a joint operation, and we’ve been monitoring the school for almost two months now, but so far we haven’t found any more leads. We don’t even know whether it’s the teachers or the students we have to look out for.”
Agent Hotchner looked up from his file to look Emily directly in the eye.
“That’s where you come in. We want you to go undercover as a teacher there, and see what you can find out.”
“But sir, don’t you think someone else might be more qualified for this?” Emily asked.
She was grateful and honored that he thought of her, of course. An operation like this was a great opportunity. But she was only a rookie, and this was obviously an important investigation.
“The only available position was that of Spanish teacher. You’re the only one in this division who speaks Spanish.”
What? No I’m not.
“Sir, with all due respect, that’s not true. Jenkins and Maynard both speak Spanish fluently,” Emily objected.
“Jenkins is on maternity leave, and Maynard is nearing pension age, he would never be able to connect with the students.”
“But sir, I’ve only been here for two months, I don’t think I’m -“ Emily tried, but Hotchner wouldn’t have it.
“Look, Emily,” he started, and his voice softened. “I wouldn’t have suggested you if I didn’t think you could handle it. You’re a good agent; you’re smart, intuitive, and you can hold your own in a fight. You’re ready for this.”
Emily sighed, but inside she was overjoyed. This was the chance she had been waiting for. At barely 24 years old, she had managed to get herself a spot on the Organized Crime Department of the FBI, but so far, her hard work had been unnoticed. Or so she had thought. Apparently, her boss had been paying closer attention than she was aware of.
“I know you don’t have any undercover experience, so that’s why you won’t be alone,” Hotchner continued. “Agent Morgan is already at the school. He started there as a security guard, but he hasn’t been able to find anything. But let’s face it, if you’re dealing drugs, you’re not gonna confide in Morgan.”
Emily smiled. It’s true, if there’s anyone who just screams ‘cop’, it’s Morgan.
“Okay, when do I start?” she asked, finally convinced.
“Next week. Wendy Turner, the regular teacher, is going on maternity leave at the end of this week, so you’ll be taking over on Monday. You’ll receive your schedule and students and teachers’ lists tomorrow,” Hotchner said.
He looked back to his file, and Emily took it as a sign that the conversation was over, so she stood up from her chair.
“Oh, and Prentiss,” Hotchner called her back. “The school has no idea who you are, let’s try to keep it that way. Your background story should be on your desk by now, take the time to study it carefully.”
“I will. Thank you, Agent Hotchner,” Emily responded, both thanking him for the info and for the opportunity.
“You’re welcome. And call me Hotch,” the agent replied, sporting a rare smile.
Part 2
And to make her day even better, her mother finally seemed to have gotten the hint to stop setting Emily up with sons of her friends, in the hope something might come of it. (“He’s such a nice young man, Emily. And he’s a doctor.”) Most Friday nights, her mother arranged blind dates for Emily to go on, but tonight, all she had to look forward to was a nice evening out with her friends.
Yes, things were looking pretty great for Emily Prentiss this morning. She was preparing herself for a calm day at work, but it seemed the powers that be had other plans with her.
“Agent Prentiss, can I see you in my office please?” Aaron Hotchner, her boss, asked the second Emily stepped out of the elevator.
“Of course, sir.”
She dropped her bag on her desk on the way to the unit chief’s office, and followed her boss inside.
“Close the door, please,” Hotchner said, who was already sitting behind his desk, looking over a case file.
Oh God, that doesn’t sound good, Emily thought.
“Agent Prentiss, you’ve been assigned to an undercover operation.”
“Sir?”
Hotchner turned the file over to Emily, who quickly read through it. Her eyes immediately fell on the picture on the first page. It showed a young man, barely twenty years old. His eyes were still open, but he was clearly dead.
“His name is Samuel Demming, nineteen years old. He’s the third OD we found this week, seventh overall. Five of those seven victims were students at Riverdale University. We believe that heroine traffickers are using Riverdale as their playground. The FBI and DEA have set up a joint operation, and we’ve been monitoring the school for almost two months now, but so far we haven’t found any more leads. We don’t even know whether it’s the teachers or the students we have to look out for.”
Agent Hotchner looked up from his file to look Emily directly in the eye.
“That’s where you come in. We want you to go undercover as a teacher there, and see what you can find out.”
“But sir, don’t you think someone else might be more qualified for this?” Emily asked.
She was grateful and honored that he thought of her, of course. An operation like this was a great opportunity. But she was only a rookie, and this was obviously an important investigation.
“The only available position was that of Spanish teacher. You’re the only one in this division who speaks Spanish.”
What? No I’m not.
“Sir, with all due respect, that’s not true. Jenkins and Maynard both speak Spanish fluently,” Emily objected.
“Jenkins is on maternity leave, and Maynard is nearing pension age, he would never be able to connect with the students.”
“But sir, I’ve only been here for two months, I don’t think I’m -“ Emily tried, but Hotchner wouldn’t have it.
“Look, Emily,” he started, and his voice softened. “I wouldn’t have suggested you if I didn’t think you could handle it. You’re a good agent; you’re smart, intuitive, and you can hold your own in a fight. You’re ready for this.”
Emily sighed, but inside she was overjoyed. This was the chance she had been waiting for. At barely 24 years old, she had managed to get herself a spot on the Organized Crime Department of the FBI, but so far, her hard work had been unnoticed. Or so she had thought. Apparently, her boss had been paying closer attention than she was aware of.
“I know you don’t have any undercover experience, so that’s why you won’t be alone,” Hotchner continued. “Agent Morgan is already at the school. He started there as a security guard, but he hasn’t been able to find anything. But let’s face it, if you’re dealing drugs, you’re not gonna confide in Morgan.”
Emily smiled. It’s true, if there’s anyone who just screams ‘cop’, it’s Morgan.
“Okay, when do I start?” she asked, finally convinced.
“Next week. Wendy Turner, the regular teacher, is going on maternity leave at the end of this week, so you’ll be taking over on Monday. You’ll receive your schedule and students and teachers’ lists tomorrow,” Hotchner said.
He looked back to his file, and Emily took it as a sign that the conversation was over, so she stood up from her chair.
“Oh, and Prentiss,” Hotchner called her back. “The school has no idea who you are, let’s try to keep it that way. Your background story should be on your desk by now, take the time to study it carefully.”
“I will. Thank you, Agent Hotchner,” Emily responded, both thanking him for the info and for the opportunity.
“You’re welcome. And call me Hotch,” the agent replied, sporting a rare smile.
Part 2