"All right guys, I want everyone to be careful in there. Stay together. Alejandro and his men are armed and dangerous."
"You sure they're not sleeping? It's like four in the morning, sir."
"Trust me, they're anticipating an attack at any moment. They're prepared for us. Now we need to be prepared for them. No causalities. No one tries to be a hero, all right? And I want to emphasize to stay together! We'll be more powerful as one unit then a bunch of agents alone. Do you all understand me?"
A general chorus of "yes, sir!" cried out into the air. Agent Seeley Booth pushed his desk chair away from the general conference table he and a group of ten other agents had been meeting at. He picked his way through the crowd to SAC Wilhelm. He couldn't help but to notice the young agent looked nervous. "You ready for this?"
"No," he sighed, raking a hand through his short blond hair. "I just want us all to get in and out in one piece. I feel like I haven't prepared everyone enough."
"You've done fine," Booth argued encouragingly. "We're ready."
He spoke with confidence. Though it was early in the morning he was alert and ready to go. This wasn't a typical case for him. Ordinarily Booth worked crimes for his own unit with his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. However, just as he'd finished up his last case he'd been contacted by Agent Wilhelm, requesting to bring him into his own task force he'd been appointed.
The two didn't formally know one another. Wilhelm only knew of Booth by reputation. But this being one of the agent's first major cases, he'd asked for Booth whom had plenty of experience. Booth had been flattered. He'd accepted the request and gone to work with the team of agents Wilhelm had assembled.
The FBI had intelligence that Pedro Alejandro, a man who was responsible for a massive amount of drug trade in Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas, had put a type of poison in the heroin he traded as a way to get back at his enemies. The tainted heroin was only being sold to certain people. But it'd already done its damage. So far over one hundred people had died. Addicts were frightened of the situation. Alejandro had worked it in a way that no one knew where the drugs were coming from. They still weren't afraid enough to be deterred. It was time for the government to step in.
Because of the severity Booth knew Wilhelm was nervous. To Booth it seemed like a piece of cake. He'd been on countless missions such as this one. Get in, get the target, by force or deadly means if necessary, and get out. Nothing to it. Though he could understand Wilhelm's concern.
The agents all piled into different government issued vehicles. They drove to the scene, moving as quietly as possible. Once there they hopped out and began preparations. Bullet proof vests were lifted from trunks and strapped around bodies. Unfortunately, their count fell short. Everyone had one except Wilhelm.
Booth was the first to unstrap his and hand it over.
"No," Wilhelm shook his head. "You need this."
"You need it more," Booth insisted.
"Then don't go in. Stay outside and call for backup if needed."
"Look, I've done this a million times. I'll be fine."
There wouldn't be any stopping him and they both knew it. Wilhelm gave in.
The agents assembled, then stormed the office building. Just as Wilhelm had predicted Alejandro's men had been anticipating their arrival. They were barely inside before gun fire was exchanged. Booth, who had been at the back of the pack, ducked low. Disregarding orders he took himself down a hallway away from the assault. As he walked he kept his gun thrust in front of him with his arms locked. He was ready for anything.
The hallways were like a dizzying maze. Each turn took him further and further away from the gun fight until he was past the point of no return. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. By the sounds of it all the action was happening back up front. But confrontations were funny like that. One never knew what he might find. And it Booth's case, when the halls ended and there was no where to go, he found himself face to face with Alejandro himself.
The man was sitting cross legged on the floor. His back leaned up against a counter with a set of cabinets. In front of him was a mirror, with white powder and a razor blade. He looked up at Booth with a look in his eyes that raised the hair on Booth's neck.
"FBI," Booth spoke in his no non sense voice. "Freeze."
"Or what?" He grinned back at him.
Booth almost couldn't believe this man before him was the one they'd been after. His teeth were brown, with several missing. His body was bone thin. The scrawny arms attached at his sides didn't seem capable of inflicting any sort of damage against anyone. No wonder he got his revenge through bad coke.
"Get up," he ordered, disregarding his question. "Slowly."
Alejandro looked back behind Booth. "No. I don't think so." Again, he smiled.
Something bad was about to happen. Booth could feel it in the air. The tide of power was changing. "I'll shoot you," he warned him.
"No. No, you won't." Alejandro laughed.
Suddenly a loud, fierce explosion went off behind Booth. It blew out the walls. The force of it propelled him forward into the counter. The smoke smothered his mouth and nose. He could feel the hot flames from the fire lapping at his skin. Upon impact his head collided with one of the knobs on the cabinets. Down to the floor he slumped, completely dazed. His gun slipped from his hand.
Alejandro had prepared for the blast. Soon as the bomb had gone off he'd taken himself into a small alcove that led to a door to the outside. Right then and there he could have escaped. But before going he decided to take care of one of the agents who had come to destroy his business. To try and take his life. He'd send a message back to the entire bureau.
Booth had ended up laying crumpled on his side. Trying to keep his eyes open was difficult. His mind badly wanted to pull him down into the sweet darkness. Booth knew he shouldn't let go. But he couldn't remember why. It was hard to recall much of anything, or to truly sense the danger he was in.
Alejandro pushed Booth onto his back. From his belt he removed his own hand gun. Fearlessly he pressed the barrel down against the skin on Booth's chest. Specifically, straight down on Booth's heart. "No one, he growled in a quiet, intense voice. "Messes with Alejandro and lives to tell. No one." He pulled the trigger.
Booth squirmed just as the gun went off. And so while he was most definitely struck, the bullet just barely missed his heart by centimeters. His body still involuntarily jerked from the bullet piercing completely through his skin, lodging itself somewhere in his body.
Alejandro next pressed the weapon against his forehead. Two bullets were better than one, he reasoned. Booth was still breathing. And even though Alejandro was confident he wouldn't be before long, it was better to be safe than sorry.
In the distance he could hear agents coming, no doubt tipped off by the explosion and gun fire they'd heard. Time was running out. Alejandro pushed the gun harder against Booth's forehead. He squeezed the trigger, only to have nothing happen. The barrel had jammed.
The sound of the agents looking for their fallen colleague grew closer. Alejandro didn't have time to attempt to fix it. He rose, spitting at Booth before turning for the exit. He disappeared outside into the dark early morning.
Wilhelm led the group of agents through the fire that was still raging. One glimpse of Booth and all else was forgotten. Down to his knees he fell besides his fallen friend. "We need paramedics. NOW!" He demanded.
Booth was just barely breathing. Deep down he was being pulled into the after effects of shock. He stared up at the few agents gathered around him with slit eyes. He could taste bitter metallic blood in his mouth. All over he trembled uncontrollably.
"Booth, help's on the way. Don't quit on me, all right?" Wilhelm was scared to death.
There wasn't any sort of response he was able to give. As his eyes closed he thought of his son, Parker. He thought of the mother of his son, with whom it was never meant to be. And just as he drifted off he thought of Brennan. His Bones.