It's not Booth
FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth comes up missing after responding to an anonymous tip on a murder investigation he is working on.
It was an unusually hot day in the nation's capital. FBI special agent Seeley Booth was working on a murder investigation involving some known foreign drug lords. They vowed revenge after the head of the drug lords was found guilty. His partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan and her team of experts were able to determine the cause of death and how long the victim had been dead.
"We'll get even with you!" The drug lord yelled as he was lead away in handcuffs. Bones (as she's sometimes called) could see the look on Booth's face. "Don't worry Booth. He's just full of hot air." Bones told him in a reassuring voice. Booth sighed as he nodded his head. "Yeah, I suppose you're right Bones. I shouldn't let this worry me." Booth said as he turned to leave and head back to the FBI Headquarters.
On his way back, his cell phone rang, he didn't recognize the number. "Agent Booth." Booth said as he answered. "I have some information on the murder investigation you're working on." The voice said. "What can you tell me?" Booth asked. "Not over the phone. You never know who might be listening in." The voice told him.
"Okay, where would you like me to meet you at?" Booth asked. The caller told him the directions. Booth wrote it down, then glanced at his watch. "I can be there in 20 minutes or so." Booth told the caller. "Be sure you come alone." The voice said as they disconnected the call.
On his way to meet the mysterious caller, Booth called Bones to relay the info to her. "It's hard telling how much info this person has. I'll call you back after the meeting." Booth told her. "Okay, but there's two words I need to tell you." Bones said. Booth chuckled. "And just what might those two words be?" Booth asked in a curious voice. "Be careful." Bones replied.
"Aren't I always?" Booth said as he disconnected the call. When he arrived at the meeting place, he got out of his vehicle and looked around. He glanced at his watch. It had been nearly 25 minutes since he got the phone call. Just then, he felt a stinging sensation in his back. The person that had made the call was hiding in some nearby bushes and had used a tranquilizer gun. It didn't take long for the dart to do its work.
Booth fell to the ground. The man and his partner came out from behind the bushes and cautiously approached him. "He'll be out for the next four hours. Plenty of time to put my plan into action." The man said as he reached down and dragged Booth over to a nearby van.
Several hours later, Bones seen Dr. Goodman coming towards her. The look on his face wasn't good. Hodgins noticed it. "What's wrong Dr. Goodman?" Hodgins asked. "We just got a report of a body that was found. I need you and Addy to go out there and check it out." Dr. Goodman told them.
It didn't take Bones and Zach long to get to the location. Zach heard Bones let out a small cry. "What's wrong?" Zach asked. "That's Booth's car." Bones said as she pulled up behind a state troopers car and got out. "What do we have?" Bones asked. "A motorist spotted the body and called us. I checked his ID and it was FBI agent Seeley Booth." The state trooper told her.
Zach without a word, got the camera out of the trunk of the car and proceeded over to the body to take the necessary photos. Bones got her bag and followed Zach. The body was laying face down. "I don't think this is Booth." Bones replied. Zach looked up from what he was doing. "What makes you think it isn't?" Zach asked in a curious voice.
"For one thing, when did Booth start wearing white socks? He usually has dark colored ones on. Also, he has a tattoo on both of his wrists. This person doesn't have any." Bones replied. "Hmmm...you seem to be right. Also, the height is just a little taller than Booth." Zach commented.
"There's also one other thing that is suggesting this isn't Agent Booth." Zach also commented. "What's that Zach?" Bones asked. "Agent Booth is right-handed and this person is holding the gun in his left hand. So, it would indicate that he was left-handed. Also, there appears to be no powder burns on his left hand. Indicating that whoever killed this person held the gun, shot the person, and then placed it in the victim's hand." Zach replied.
Meanwhile, while Bones and her team were trying to find out the identity of the man they thought was Booth, many miles away, Booth was coming around after being hit by a tranq dart. His hands were above him and bound with rope. His feet were barely touching the floor and he was blindfolded.
"Well, I see we're awake Agent Booth. By now, your colleagues are thinking you killed yourself." The voice said. "Who are you?!? What do you want with me?!?" Booth asked in an angry voice as he struggled against the ropes. "You were warned to get off the murder case, but you paid it no heed." The voice said they reached into his pocket and took out Booth's cell phone and called Bones.
The man's accomplice came up behind Booth and ripped his shirt off, leaving him bare from the waist up. He then stepped back and picked up a whip. He had it at the ready and was waiting for the signal.
At the Jeffersonian, Bones and Angela were still examining the body when Bones heard her cell phone ring. "Brennan." Bones said as she answered. "You think the person you have there is Agent Booth, but it isn't." The man said as he nodded his head. Bones heard the whistle and crack of a whip and the next instant heard Booth let out a scream of pain.
"What do you want?!? Why have you kidnaped Booth?!?" Bones asked as she again heard the sound of the whip and Booth screaming out in pain. "Booth was warned to get off the case he was on, but he didn't. We vowed revenge against him and now he's paying the price." The voice told her.
Hodgins and Zach came into the area just then and saw Bones' face expression. They looked over at Angela. "What's up Angela? Is Dr. Brennan okay?" Zach asked. Angela shook her head. "Booth is still alive, but where we have no idea." Angela told them.
Just then, Bones heard something in the background. It was the sound of an airplane going by and from what she could hear, it was flying low as if coming in for a landing or just taking off. She wrote something quickly down on a piece of paper and handed it off to Zach.
Angela leaned over Zach's shoulder. "Check all airports for planes coming or going within the past several minutes. Hurry!! There's no time to loose." This puzzled Zach a bit. "Let me talk to Booth." Bones requested. The man with Booth's cell phone walked over and held the phone up to Booth's ear. "One wrong word and the next time they see you will be at your funeral!" The man told him in a gruff voice.
"Temperance? You there?" Booth said in a loud voice. "I'm here Booth. Why are you talking so loud?" Bones asked. "What did you say Temperance? I can barely hear you!" Booth said. Bones knew that Booth very rarely if ever called her by her first name. "Just hang on Booth." Bones told him in a reassuring voice.
"What? I couldn't quite catch that. These planes are so noisy!" Booth said, trying to give her time to figure out just where he was. Just then, Zach showed up with a smile. "They've got it down to two possible locations. FBI agents are on the way to check them out." Zach told her. Bones nodded her head.
"Just hang on. Help is on the way." Bones told him. When she didn't hear anything, it worried her. "Booth? You still there? Booth?!?" Bones called over the phone. But, there was no answer, the kidnappers had disconnected the call.
It felt like hours to everyone as they waited for word on Booth. Angela came up to Bones and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll find him sweetie." Angela said in a somewhat confident voice. Bones looked up at her as Angela saw tears falling down her cheeks.
"What if they don't Angela? What if we're too late and they've already killed him?" Bones said as she broke down and wept. "We just have to think positive sweetie." Angela told her as she saw Dr. Goodman walking up to them.
Bones saw the expression on his face. "Both places were empty. But, one of the places was recently occupied before we got there. They found Agent Booth's suit coat along with this note." Dr. Goodman said as he handed it to her.
"Clever, but not clever enough Dr. Brennan." was the content of the note. "Also, it appears as if Agent Booth was dragged from the building after being beaten. They found blood on the floor." Dr. Goodman said with a sigh.
Now Bones was really worried. What could have happened to him? "I'm sure we're going to find him Dr. Brennan." Zach told her. "I hope so Zach." Bones replied as she noticed an e-mail popping up on her computer screen. She couldn't believe her eyes. "What's wrong sweetie?" Angela asked, noticing her face expression.
Both Zach and Hodgins noticed her face expression as well. "It's from Booth." Bones exclaimed as she opened the e-mail. There was a video attached to it. When she played it, Bones, along with the others were horrified at what they saw.
Booth was strung up by his hands and someone was behind him with a whip. "So, you got my message Dr. Brennan. Now, witness what will happen to your friend Agent Booth." The voice said. All watched in horror as the person cracked the whip and struck Booth in the back. He screamed out in pain. It was all Bones could do to watch it.
Finally, the video clip ended. Bones broke down and cried like never before. Angela put her arms around her and held her close. Hodgins wiped a tear from his face. "It'll be okay sweetie. I'm sure we'll find him." Angela told her. Hodgins could see the look on Dr. Goodman's face. "That area where the video was made looks very familiar. Mr. Addy, get me the FBI on the phone at once." Dr. Goodman said.
The kidnappers had no idea that help for Booth was on the way. "Please, no more." Booth begged. "Oh, we've only just begun Agent Booth. We vowed revenge and we shall have it." The man said as he walked over to a table and picked up a syringe. The other man held Booth still as the man injected him with the contents of the syringe. "AHHHHH!" Booth screamed. "Now you'll know the meaning of suffering." The man said with a laugh.
To be continued...