CSI Phantom

Chapter 2:

The boy was unconsciously holding on to a…thermos? Ignoring the strange device, he scanned the small frame breathing quietly in a slow steady pace.

His stomach was showered with bruises. His arms had several minor cuts but a few deep gashes. His left shoulder was exposed through the scorched sleeves of the teen's white and red shirt and revealed a much more serious looking injury. Seeing enough burn victims, either they be dead or alive, he could easily tell it was a second-degree burn. The outer skin had been burnt off completely, exposing the raw wound. Carefully turning the boy to around, he lifted the back of his shirt to see even more bruises…and where those scars? They were thin and very light…but apparent and numerous. Shifting the unconscious body again, he went back to stomach where he found more of the scars. They were very hard too see if one wasn't looking for them in the first place. There were a few on his arms too.

The child looked no older than thirteen, maybe fourteen at most. Somehow, Warrick didn't give him the impression of a juvenile delinquent. Black hair and light blue eyes, and a thin small frame for a body. He didn't look like the type who would even survive out there. Despite the state of his clothing, it didn't look like he was a runaway. Wandering back to the burnt shoulder, he wondered why he didn't see anything else burnt in the alley he found him; then again, Danny was conscious enough to tell him his name in the first place. Dragging himself away from the original scene was probable.

The kid was lucky he was even there in the first place.

He'd just left for work, since shifts had changed and the team was back all in one time slot again. It had been a dark evening, despite the neon lights and several car lights whizzing by him. Warrick had stopped for some reason when he saw a flash of blue light at the alley he passed. Curiosity got the better of him as he put a halt to his car. As he neared the alley, he heard light groan. It sounded like someone was hurt…or drunk. Wanting to make sure, he ran on ahead only to find himself shock to see a kid all battered and bruised falling towards concrete. Luckily, the CSI had caught him in time.

After calling the ambulance, he made a quick call to Grissom telling him he'll be late.

"Grissom, I found a kid in an alley, looks like an assault but doesn't look like a burglary attempt, I got his wallet, nothing seems to be stolen."

"Where are you now?"

"Across the strip near the burger place, why do you ask?"

"You're about a block and a half away from us,"

Warrick looked up from his phone to see a familiar blue and red lights flashing to his right. A certain insect-enthusiast came to view along with a brunette woman and blonde man.

"Sara and Greg too, eh? I'm guessing there's a dead body over there."

"You bet, it was some homeless guy from what we could tell, the scene was a bloody one," Greg had felt green at the gruesome sight, the body was mutilated badly and barely recognizable and blood was splattered across entire walls and all over the floor. Only clothes gave them the clue that

"Is that the kid," Sara's question was confirmed with a nod from her colleague. "He's just a kid…"

"I know," Warrick was looking at Grissom, waiting for reaction.

"You got a name?" his supervisor kept looking at the teen.

"Danny Fenton, he told me when he was still awake, and his library card gave an address, Amity Park, Texas; a tourist's kid?"

"He could be a witness to our case," Grissom neared the sleeping figure. "Warrick."

"Yeah Griss,"

"Accompany him to the hospital when the ambulance gets here, the killer is still be out there, and judging on how beaten up this kid looks, the killer saw him and may come after him." Unlike Warrick, the bug-enthusiast didn't bother to lift the boy's shirt. Instead, he took out his camera and took a quick flash. "Greg, Sara, get back to scene, I'll get back to you shortly."

Sara Sidle hesitantly nodded and followed her former 'mentee' as they left to their duties.

"Griss,"

"Warrick, what did you see?" The superior had noticed his behavior.

"He's got scars all over him Griss…I lifted up his shirt, they're barely visible but still there…he's definitely not a runaway, his clothes were too clean."

"Abusive parents?"

"I don't know, his parents brought him to Las Vegas, he ran off in the streets…" the CSI was at a lost for words as somehow, his theory didn't fit together. Why would a bad parent even bother bringing their kid to their vacation? To abandon him there and enjoy the lights and glamour of Vegas at the same time? Even if that was the plan, why not just dump the kid on the way here?

"I'll get Brass to look out for missing persons." And with that, the scientist left the pair.

Warrick was left to his thoughts. Maybe the kid got separated from his parents, that's all, and maybe his parents didn't beat him. What made those scars then?

Finally the ambulance had arrived, Warrick followed along 'Danny' with the paramedics. He'll get one of the cops to drive his car back to the lab. In his hand, he had the weird thermos Danny was holding on to.

A/N: Still short I know, I'v got a plot and I am working on it. Gotham phantom too, it'll take maybe a week this time, I've got a school competition plus exams. Thanks for the reviews btw