S01E05 – A Boy in a Bush
Author Notes: This is my eighteenth story over all. (Look at me go.) I hope you've enjoyed all the other stories. (I know I have).
This is set after S01E04 – The Man in the Bear and after The Meetings in the Eateries.
Thank you for reading my head canon. By the way, I love reading reviews, they make me want to keep writing (*Very Subtle Hint*).
Roll call for the Reader/Reviewer gallery: Ash Strachey, crazylove1980, Excalisnake, Fern Rose, grimmich, KSIJ, Reader's Daughter, star1the2friend and UrbanBorn.
You all make me happy whenever I read your reviews. Keep'em coming.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of the characters (You would know if it was mine by the amount of slash).
Introduction
In which Zack becomes a field agent.
Jeffersonian Institute's Auditorium
Washington D.C.
On the stage, Dr. Temperance Brennan was giving a lecture to a large group of anthropology students. Out of public view, Zack Addy and Daniel Goodman talked. Behind the female anthropologist, a slide showed a variety of what look to be skull fragments.
"As far back as 1938, the director of the F.B.I., J. Edgar Hoover, wrote to the then curator of the Jeffersonian Institution, Professor Daniel Payne, to aid in the evaluation of specimens who were thought to be irrefutably human. This was the result."
She changed the slide, and a drawing of an ape appeared on the screen. The audience started to laugh.
"Despite this early disagreement, the F.B.I. and the Jeffersonian have forged a mutually beneficial, if somewhat tense, relationship which survives to this day. Thank you."
The students applauded and Zack, along with Goodman, stepped to the podium.
"Thank you, Dr. Brennan."
"Are there any questions?"
A girl in the audience raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"How much money have you made from your book?"
"I don't really know. I have an accountant and an agent-"
The head of the Jeffersonian cut her off:
"That's not really the kind of question we're looking for from an anthropology student."
A guy raised his hand:
"Did you get your agent before or after you wrote the book?"
Brennan moved toward the podium to answer, but Zack spoke first.
"People, Dr. Brennan is an accomplished forensic anthropologist who writes books on the side."
In the audience, Special Agent Seeley Booth stood up:
"I have a question regarding the role of the F.B.I. in your book: Who did you base the brilliant and insightful Special Agent Andy Lister on?"
Director Sam Cullen, who had been sitting by Booth's side, also stood up:
"And who did you base the smart and also very insightful Director Jeremy Croly on?"
"Oh, for God's sake." – Doctor Goodman shook his head and smiled at his lover. Zack did the same.
"Because, you know, I'm pretty sure it was us."
Doctor Daniel Goodman's Office
Jeffersonian Institute
Zack quietly entered the office. Behind the big mahogany desk stood the head of the Jeffersonian and Director Cullen.
"You two wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Mister Addy, please sit down."
"You see, when agent Booth agreed to work alongside Doctor Brennan we were…"
"Concerned, to say the least."
Zack decided to be blunt:
"You two thought it wouldn't work."
"Yes. But what we didn't count on was someone being a bridge between Brennan's strictly scientific self and Booth's psychology practice."
"Why am I really here?"
"We gave it a lot of thought. You can't be a consultant to the FBI until you get your doctorate, but this partnership can't work without your help."
"So, for all the effects, you're a consultant, but you can't include your name in any official reports."
"Let me get this right, I'm an official unofficial agent?"
Jeffersonian Institute's Parking Lot
Washington D.C.
Outside the building, Zack, Brennan and Booth are walking side-by-side.
"Local police got an anonymous call saying that there were human remains in a field behind a mall in the suburbs."
"I did an anthropological profile of the suburb as a grad student. The whole notion of a created community, a modern utopia with its own mores and rules... It's fascinating."
"Fascinating to who?"
"To 'whom', Seeley."
"Whom." - They stop at a shiny, silver sports car and the FBI agent laughed. – "You've got to be kidding."
"What? My publishers gave it to me."
"Gave it to you?"
"Book sales are pretty good. It's supposed to be a nice car."
Booth was shocked:
"Gave it to you?"
"Yeah."
"Why did you park crooked, Dr Brennan?"
"Well, the guy said to always park it like that."
Booth spoke up:
"He's wrong. It makes you look like an idiot."
"How about I drive for once?"
"No, I cannot show up at a crime scene in that."
"Why not?"
"Because it would detract from the gravity of my F.B.I. presence. Especially if you parked crooked."
Zack decided to change the subject:
"Why is the F.B.I. involved in the search for human remains behind a suburban mall, Seeley?"
Booth pulled a paper out of his jacket and handed it to his lover.
"Because this boy is missing."
"Oh… A child."
"Yeah."
The field behind Clayton Hills Mall
Washington D.C.
The field agents are speaking with a police officer.
"Anonymous call came in a couple hours ago. No sign of him yet."
"How do you know it wasn't a prank?"
The officer started to play a recording of the call:
"You have to come right away! There's, like, a dead kid here, all rotted away! It's in the field behind Clayton Hills Mall. You better come!"
"Well, that rings true." – Booth commented.
The anthropologist was puzzled:
"Why anonymous?"
"Kids come here to party, misbehave."
"Adolescents and preadolescents tend to seek out their own space to establish their own society, to counter parental influence."
"Nice. Samuel?"
"Nathan."
The LEO turned to Bones:
"You mind if I make an observation?"
"No, of course not."
"In your book, the cops come off as very one-dimensional. Why is that?"
"You mean two-dimensional. One-dimensionality exists only in theory as a mathematical value." – Zack offered.
"Okay. Really looking forward to your next book."
The officer left.
"Did you bring the thermal imager, Zack?"
"Yeah, I'll get it."
Moments later, he came back wearing the thermal imager, which looks like a large orange and yellow helmet.
"How's it going there, Darth? See anything on Saturn?"
Zack chuckled at his lover's joke.
"I should be able to see any heat residue released from decomposing bodies." – He walked around a bit. – "I'm picking something up."
Zack took off the imager.
"Oh my God."
"What? Why'd you stop?"
"You can turn on your flashlight. Aim it over there. I'm going to call Vincent and Wendell, Doctor Brennan, I have a feeling we are going to need all hands on deck."