A/N: Here's the next chapter! (giggle) I hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much for your continued reviews!
Disclaimer: I own a husband, plus three adorable kittens, but nothing about these characters!
Angela returned to the lab numb. She couldn't believe Cam was pregnant. On auto-pilot she settled behind the conference table, randomly opening and closing files. She didn't even ask Hodgins or Zack about the research they'd done while she'd been gone.
Frowning Hodgins came over, resting a hand lightly on top of her shoulder. "Are you alright? What'd Cam tell you?"
With a jolt Angela snapped back into her surroundings. "Sorry I'm just a little out of it….Umm… Cam didn't tell me anything that could really help us," she mumbled.
"Are you sure," Zack asked. He tapped the pen in his hand against his palm. "Because people don't usually look bewildered and confused without a reason, and you look bewildered and confused."
Hodgins stifled a groan, trying to appear more tactful. "You just seem a little off, we just want to make sure you're okay."
Angela decided telling them part of the truth would be easier than lying. "Look, Cam told me something, but it has nothing to do with the case, it was something personal. It's not up to me to make it public knowledge, so… Let's just see what you guys found while I was out, okay?" She gave a small smile, hoping her explanation was enough to satisfy them.
It was. Zack immediately began explaining the conversation he'd had with the coroner. "He said that the dental comparison he did was not a match to Mr. Pouerston, but it was a match to Ed Hale, the guy who disappeared the same day as Pouerston's accident."
"So he faked his own death," Angela said. "Creepy." She turned towards Hodgins. "How about you? Find out anything interesting?"
Hodgins smile nearly split his face in two. "After I tell you this, you'll love me so much we'll escape to the Bahamas together!"
Angela rolled her eyes. "Let's see how good it is before I promise anything."
"Alright, this friend of mine in the Defense Department ran the fingerprint from the Durrsin murder through the armed forces database and recovered a match. Are you ready for this? To a Jarrod Pouerston who was in the Navy. He apparently took an early retirement after he and his wife adopted a baby girl. He was also a Seal, special-ops trained, so it's entirely possible that he was able to successfully survive after his faked death."
Angela's eyes lit up. "Great! So we at least have a name, now all we need is a place, or a general area, to search for where he might've taken Brennan and Booth."
Zack cleared his throat. "After you left I triangulated the location between the Jeffersonian, the diner where Booth's car was vandalized, and the hospital from where he was abducted."
Zack flipped over the dry-erase board to reveal a large, highlighted map. "I then plotted the distance between all the locations, including the time needed to travel between them with little to no traffic. Since we believe he's acting alone, the area where he's keeping Dr. Brennan must be near enough to get to and from easily, but not obviously inhabited. It leads to only one of two places." Zack pointed at two areas circled in electric blue ink.
Hodgins reached for the phone, quickly punching in some numbers. "Those two areas are both almost completely abandoned factories and warehouses. No foot traffic, no vehicles, they'd be perfect to hide someone near the city, but without anyone noticing."
Angela glanced at Hodgins. "Right, but who are you calling?"
"I know a guy who works in Precinct 21 which patrols both those areas. They usually don't have much activity, but maybe somebody reported something in the past couple of hours," he replied.
Angela and Zack fell silent as Hodgins gathered information from the person on the other end of the line.
"Hey, it's me, Hodgins. Have you had any news of anything suspicious going on in sectors 9 and 16 of your patrol area in the past 10 to 12 hours?"
Hodgins listened intently, suddenly becoming animated. "Really? Make sure paramedics are dispatched as well, two of our team were kidnapped, and we think they could be in that building! We'll meet you there!" Hodgins hung-up, grabbing his coat.
"Come on guys! He says they just got a report of a building fire in sector 16 about ten minutes ago. He's dispatching additional paramedics, as well as officers," Hodgins explained.
Angle reached for her purse, while Zack fumbled to get off his white lab coat. All three raced to the parking garage, dove into Angela's car, and burned rubber getting on to the street. They were so juiced up on adrenaline, that none noticed the small, folded paper tucked underneath Angela's windshield wiper.
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Booth felt perspiration bead on his forehead as he edged his way down the corridor towards the stairs. He was careful to keep his back flat against the wall, testing each step before fully placing his weight against the buildings weakened floorboards. Every sound made his pulse jump, every shadow made him peer into the darkness.
His priorities were set. First, he needed to get medical attention for Brennan, and then he was going after Pouerston. Booth had contacts, connections, skills he hadn't relied on for years since he'd left the army, but he'd resurrect them all to take on the man who'd turned destroying his life into a hobby.
Finally reaching the stairs, he edged his way down, careful to make as little noise as possible. Pouerston probably thought he was still with Brennan, tending her gunshot wound. Booth didn't want to give away his element of surprise if he stumbled across the man downstairs.
As he neared the last few steps, Booth admitted that it bothered him that Pouerston had disappeared so suddenly. A man so hell bent on revenge usually wanted to watch his prey fight off the terror coursing through their veins, but Pouerston had vanished.
Shrugging off the thought, Booth stealthily glanced around the corner before taking the final pace off the bottom. He breathed a little easier realizing that he was alone. More confident, he headed towards a far window to stare at the street. There were no passing cars or pedestrians, just a lone, flickering floodlight. Silently cursing, he wished that there had been at least someone he could've flagged down for help, but Pouerston had them well and truly isolated.
Booth started to look for a door, when a particular odor teased his nostrils. He paused, taking a moment to breathe deeply. The scent grew stronger by the second, registering panic in Booth as he realized it was gasoline.
Heedless of the rickety floors, he bolted back towards the flight of stairs in time to see a stunning orange, gold and blue blaze encompass the hallway above. A twisted voice yelled down, "You thought you'd outsmart me, but I outrank you in the planning department Agent Booth! You're hero complex is going to send her to her death, while you barely escape with your life! You should've stayed in the room, but you left, just like I left my Madeline in the car!"
Booth opened his mouth to reply, reason, beg Pouerston not to kill Brennan, but smoke choked him off. He raced back to the window, shattering the glass, breathing deeply the crisp clean air.
The old, dry wood inside the building succumbed to the greedy flames rapidly, leaving Booth with few options. The staircase was the only way back up to Brennan, the smoke was too thick to find a way down from the floor he was on, plus the clock was ticking until the entire structure was engulfed in flames.
With a grimace at the height, Booth glanced down to a metal balcony with an attached fire escape three floors below. Busting out the rest of the glass with his booted foot, Booth shimmied through the opening until his legs dangled over the edge, and he was sitting on the outside of the window sill.
As smoke billowed out from behind him, Booth gave a final glimpse back inside where he knew Brennan lay. Offering up a silent prayer that he'd have enough time and cunning to save her….. Booth jumped.