I know, I know…I'm sorry. Company came to town and time to work on the story seemed to fly out the window. I'll try to get back on track. Have you seen the new promo for Season 8? Fun! I admit it…I am addicted. That's okay. So far researchers have not proven the show is harmful to your health…unless you are named one Christopher Pelant, psychotic hactivist at large. =)

Please leave me a quick line or two when you finish reading and let me know what you think. Thank you! -Bubbles

Red Flags

Cam sat at her desk looking over the report Angela had turned in that morning. She read briefly through the numbers and then turned the page to read the more thorough analysis of what the compilation of numbers and symbols meant. Once finished reading carefully, Cam turned back to the beginning of the report and started over, this time using a legal pad with a pen poised in her hand. As she read, she made mark of questions to have Angela answer, along with annotated notes.

Finally, Cam put the folder holding the report down and opened her laptop. She quickly accessed the word processing file and started typing in her notes and questions into the document, organizing her thoughts and concerns as she worked.

"BING!"

The laptop showed a small popup window, signaling someone wanted to video chat with Cam. Checking the source, Cam smiled and quickly accepted the invitation.

"Hey Cam!"

"Michelle! How is your summer session going?" Cam smiled warmly at her daughter.

"Great…I've gotten lots of time for studying this week thanks to all of the rain, but I needed to finish getting ready for my finals next week."

"Michelle, you do remember you are there in Florida for school, right?"

Michelle rolled her eyes. "Of course, but you can't help a girl for wanting to have some fun while I'm here, can you?"

"No, of course not sweetheart." Cam smiled. "So are you still planning on coming home Wednesday?"

"Yes. I have two exams on Tuesday, and my flight leaves at 10 a.m. Do you have any plans for us for the Fourth?"

Cam sat back in her chair slightly. "I thought you might like to have a quiet evening at home."

Michelle reached up and twirled some of her hair by her ear with her fingers. "Wellll", she hedged, "that sounds great, but…"

"What is it Michelle?"

Michelle flashed a dimpled smile at the camera. "I was kind of hoping to be able to go out with Finn. He wanted to see the fireworks on the Mall."

"Michelle, you've been gone all summer...I've been swamped here at the lab and haven't been able to take any time off to fly down and see you there at school…I was really hoping for a quiet night at home…catch up with you…see your beautiful face…"

Michelle's smile fell, her eagerness obviously dashed by Cam's response. "I know Cam, but I really have missed seeing Finn. And this is his first July Fourth in DC. I wanted to share a fun evening with him…show him something special. You know he is always trying to take me places I've never been or would even think of doing. I mean, is it really my fault that my last exams are scheduled late? I tried to reschedule, but the professors won't unless it's a real emergency."

Cam took in a deep breath. "I think this is going to be one of those times that I need to make one decision that's best for both of us, and you just need to accept that as a parent, I know what is best for you."

Michelle sputtered, already trying to come up with an argument to what she was sure was going to be a decree from her adoptive mother.

"My decision," Cam said loudly, to be heard over her daughter, "is that you will invite Finn over for a barbeque at our house and then you two can go to the fireworks display from there. And that is my final word on the subject."

"Cam! I can't believe you are still treating me like a- Wait. What? Did you just say-? Oh Cam! You're the best! Thank you! I love you! You're awesome!"

Cam smiled. "I take it that means you will handle inviting Mr. Abernathy?"

"Oh yes! I'll call him right now! I mean…I will call him once he's finished with work. Because I wouldn't disturb him at work. I know that would not be-"

Cam held up one hand. "Call him. He should be on his lunch break right now. Can I call you later on this evening?"

"Sure! Thanks Cam! Love you!"

"I love you too Michelle. Stay safe." Cam press her hand to her lips and blew her daughter a kiss as they both logged off from the call.

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Brennan sat on the floor holding out a brightly colored ball. "Here you are, Christine. Can you come and grab the ball from Momma?" She watched her daughter, who was sitting on the floor in front of her, facing away from her.

Christine turned around at the sound of her name and her mother's voice and seeing the toy and the movement she squealed in delight and reached for the ball.

"There you go! That's right…use your phalanges! Very good!" Christine rolled forward onto her stomach and started bending her legs and making forward and backward motions with her legs, Brennan laughed. "You are not getting very much traction with your legs until you learn how to coordinate those movements with your arms and metatarsals."

Max walked into the room. "Still not crawling yet?"

"She's close, but, no, that particular milestone has not yet occurred."

"Don't worry Sweetie. She'll get there. Before long she'll be walking…then running…and then you'll be wondering why you ever wished for her to learn how to start in the first place."

"No - why would you say that? I want Christine to be very successful. She has already shown she is developing quite well, and with the combined genetic makeup from Booth and myself, why would I have any reason to think she would not?"

"I just meant that she will start to be so much more active and that will mean you will be having to work that much more to keep up with her, Honey. Of course I know you want the best for her."

"Children's activity level increase accordingly with their developmental capabilities well into the toddler years. I am in excellent physical condition, as is Booth. We will be able to adapt quite well to Christine's needs, I am sure."

Max nodded. He decided now was not the time to mention that she might have to manage handling an active toddler without the assistance of her partner.

"So, I got a message from Russ."

Brennan looked up quickly. "Russ? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah….he's fine. He and Amy are safe and the girls are staying with her parents up in the mountains."

Brennan shook her head. "So why was he contacting you? Has he heard something?"

Max sighed. "He wanted to let me know about Sammy."

Brennan frowned. "I don't understand. What would - wait…Sam? As in the man who made our identification cards 'Sam'? What happened?"

"He was killed."

"How?"

Max sighed. "The authorities claim it was an electrical shortage sparked..possibly the building was struck by lightning during one of the heavy storms that went through the area. Fire started in the walls…no batteries in the smoke detectors."

Brennan turned her head towards the window and stared, deep in thought. Christine sat on the floor playing with her blocks. "Where did they think the shortage occurred?"

Max twisted his mouth in a grimace. "His computer. It was not turned off before the storm."

Brennan shook her head. "No. It was him…Pelant."

Max nodded his head. "That would be by guess, yeah. It just seems too convenient otherwise."

Brennan stood up and started pacing. "How much did he know?"

Max stood and walked over to Brennan. "Sweetie, he didn't know where we are."

"How much?"

Max sighed again. "I told him we were heading to Russ' place in North Carolina, remember? Even if Pelant was able to get information from him, it would start him in the wrong direction."

"But if Pelant was responsible, he might have been able to find the information on our IDs form Sammy's computer."

Max nodded. "That was what Russ was concerned about too."

Max took her arms, pulling her to face him. "Honey, we okay. We're just being extra cautious."

"I don't understand. How? What are you planning?"

"I have a plan. We're going to meet up with Russ and Amy…the girls too. There's a secure place for us all to stay. Well away from here. Russ will have new IDs for us when we arrive."

Brennan turned around. She bent over and picked up Christine. "I hate this."

"Sweetheart, we have to stay ahead of this guy. Even if we tricked him into searching for us by Russ, who's to say he can't use the information from the IDs to track us here?"

"I know…I know. I just…I don't know how much longer I can handle this. The lies…the running… I need to be home. I have a career…a partner…friends."

"Sweetheart, we talked about this. This is what we have to do to keep you out of the system and keep Christine safe."

Brennan held the baby close. She nodded. "Yes. Yes of course. I shouldn't allow myself to become so emotional."

She turned to face her father. "Just tell me when we need to leave."

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Booth walked off the elevator and headed towards the bullpen. Flynn sat at his desk, typing a report.

"Flynn."

"Booth. What do you need?"

"Nice to see you too there, Buddy. We have a case."

Flynn frowned. "What case? We already have the Sawyer case."

Booth inhaled slowly, trying to control his temper. Flynn still did not believe that Bones was innocent. It wouldn't do anyone any good to keep arguing with him now. Booth had faith that eventually the other Agent would be forced to eat his words.

"Look, we have a case. Get your stuff. I'll meet you back here at the garage in one hour with your go bag."

"Where are we going?"

"Suspicious homicide in Richmond."

Flynn leaned back in his chair. "And why would we be called in to the case? Locals should have jurisdiction."

Booth shook his head. "Hey, I was told to report to investigate. I do my job. You're being told to assist. Get off your butt and meet me back here in one hour." Booth turned and strode off to his office.

Flynn turned back to his computer and saved his work. He turned off the desktop and pulled his gun out of the locked drawer. Before he left, he picked up the bag he kept his laptop in and stashed a small stack of files in the bag on his way out towards the elevators.

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Booth watched Flynn leave from his office. He picked up his cell phone and quickly placed a call. "Yeah. It's me. He's on board. Yes, he has it. Okay. I'll be in touch when I can. If anything new comes up, send word." Booth ended the call and quickly gathered the items from his office he needed. Before he stood from his desk he looked at one of the new photos facing him.

It was a shot one of the squints had taken when he and Bones had brought Christine home the night she was born. Bones was holding the baby. She was still wearing his FBI jacket and a huge smile was on her face. She was looking at the baby and he had his arms around her, looking down at both of them. It was one of his favorite pictures of his new family.

Booth nodded at the picture and walked out the office.

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Zach sat in Angela's office. He had three different programs running on the large screen to the Angelatron and in his hand he typed in more data into his computer pad. He looked up at the streaming data on the screen and frowned. "No no…that's not it." He looked at the information in a file on the desk and then started typing new information.

Hodgins walked into the room and looked at the scene in front of him. Zach had files and books strewn from one end of the room to another. Angela's desk was littered with paper – some stacked and some crumpled into wrinkled balls.

"Dude…what the hell happened in here?"

"Go away Hodgins. I don't have time."

"Zach, you may have been out of the lab for a while, but trust me…Angie's going to flip when she sees what you've done to her office."

"I've been working. Angela told me I could use her office and computers if I needed to. Your hypothesis is incorrect."

"No," Hodgins said carefully as he walked closer to the screen to look at the data being compiled. "No, I have to say I know my wife better than you do. And she's going to be here as soon as she gets Michael settled in the daycare. You need to start clearing this place out…like…NOW!"

Zach shook his head. "I don't have time, Hodgins. I'm working on something here."

Hodgins raised one eyebrow and nodded his head at the mess surrounding the room. "Yeah. I got that." He scratched his forehead and sighed. "Okay, so what are you working on now?"

"I think I figured out the exact program Pelant used to leave his house when he was under house arrest."

Hodgins frowned. "What? How? Show me."

"Wait." Zach finished putting in a series of numbers into the computer and looked up at the screen on the wall. "There. Do you see?"

"See what?"

Zach jumped up and walked to the screen. "Here. This shows a current feedback from the unit in the next room."

"Yeah, okay. So?"

Zach turned around and walked over to Angela's desk. He started throwing stacks of paper on the floor, throwing them over his shoulders as he searched for something. Finally he picked up an ankle bracelet with a large black box attached.

"It's right here."

Hodgins looked at the screen then walked over to pick up the bracelet. "This is live feedback?"

"Yes."

"Holy shit. You did it." Hodgins looked up at the younger man, a smile cracking his face. "How the hell did you do it?"

"I looked back through the evidence in Pelant's original security violation case. The FBI wasn't abel to decipher the code he used to hack into the security systems and control the cameras and motion sensors. Now that we have the code, I was able to backtrack to find the original virus Pelant inserted into the system to provide him with the opportunity necessary to proceed with his plans."

"So he used the same program to trick the bracelet?"

Zach shook his head. "It's a variation of the same program. Here." He pointed to the screen and the second window of data. "I am only able to maintain the break in security for small intervals of time, but I believe it would show the overall process used."

"Yeah yeah…Pelant's had more time to perfect it…work with it…Oh my god Zach…this is huge."

"Actually, the program itself is fairly small in terms of the data space utilized. That is why it was so easily overlooked."

"No…I mean…this was a huge piece of the puzzle we needed. This can help prove Pelant murdered Ezra Crane and Inger Johanssen."

"That was the original intent, yes, however – "

"However what?" interrupted Jack.

Zach looked at the excited scientist out of the corner of his eye. He picked up the tablet and typed in a new series of numbers. "I believe that by using the program fragments here," he pointed "Angela and I may be able to hypothesize how the surveillance video was altered from the night Ethan Sawyer was murdered."

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Brennan sat at the small table in the kitchen, the laptop her father had given her in front of her. Max walked into the room and stood behind her. "What are you working on Honey?"

Brennan turned to allow him to see the screen more clearly as she continued to read.

Max leaned down. "What is this?"

"The Brennanite Fan club forum page."

"The what?"

"Brennanites. Some of my more…enthusiastic fans."

"Ah, I see. And what are you reading?"

Brennan turned the laptop towards her father so he could read the page more easily. "It would appear that there is quite the debate over my innocence."

"With you fans?"

"Yes."

Max scrolled down the screen to quickly read through some of the comments. "They have started a search party for you?"

Brennan nodded. "In a way. They are tracking sighting of me and Christine through this site. When someone claims to have seen us, they post for others to track our movements."

"This is not good."

"Actually, in comparison to some of the activities some of my fans have shown a propensity towards in the past, this is quite harmless."

"No…I mean for us…this isn't good."

"What…why? Oh…You mean we have to avoid the Brennanites as well as Pelant and the FBI."

Max looked at her, nodding.

*B*B*B*B*B*B*

Pelant stared at the monitor in front of him. His eyes narrowed. Flynn logged off early today. He accessed the camera from Flynn's desk and quickly played back the feed. He saw Booth approach Flynn and quickly turned the volume up on the speakers.

"Virginia, hmm? Well, I can't say there will be much for you to look at Agent Booth. But even if there is, I'm sure Agent Flynn will be kind enough to keep me well informed of your findings."

Pelant switched back to the other monitor and continued looking at the streaming information scrolling on the screen. "Besides, I am already well ahead of you. To catch them, you'd have to catch up with me first."