Author's note: I've got the rest of the story planned out. Expect two more chapters.
Disclaimer: I still don't own these people.
"Yeah, Booth has got a team meeting us there. Yeah, West Castle Shipping.This girl only has about half an hour," Brennan said, looking at her watch.
"Bones, watch the road!" Booth yelled. She slammed on the brakes, stopping just inches short of smashing into the car at the red light in front of them.
"Damn, I dropped the phone," she said, looking around for it.
"Bones. Eyes. Road," Booth ordered, gesturing at the now green light.
"I was talking to Ange," she argued. "Help me look for it." She started to feel around the center console while her other hand was on the wheel and her foot pushed the gas.
"I'll look for it," Booth admonished, grabbing her wrist and placing her hand on the wheel.
He couldn't find the phone in the center console between the seats, and as far as he could tell, it wasn't on the floor. Suddenly, it started to ring.
"Uh, I think I'm sitting on it," she said, taking her hand off the wheel.
"Bones!" Booth started. "I'll get it! Lift up."
She lifted her hips slightly so he could grab the phone. He felt around for it, but couldn't locate it.
"Sometime soon would be nice, Booth," she said.
"Relax, Bones, I'm not trying to feel you up," he answered irritably. His fingers finally made contact with the phone, and he hit the send button and spoke into it.
"Hello?" Tempe reached over to take the phone, but he batted her hand and pointed to the road.
"Hey, Angela, yeah we're fine," Booth said. He paused to listen, then replied, "No, she's driving while I call around to get teams at the shipping yard."
He hung up with Angela, then reached over and put the phone in Tempe's coat pocket.
Ten minutes later, they were gathered with other agents, getting ready to storm the shipping yard to look for the missing girl.
They split up to cover the most ground in the time limit. Booth and Brennan were with two other agents to check the section closest to the docks.
"Maybe I should have a gun," Brennan said.
"Don't start, Bones. Just stick with me, okay? No wandering."
"Okay," she said half-heartedly.
"I mean it!" he warned.
"Hey, you two wanna speak up? I don't think the other end of the shipping yard can hear you," one of the agents hissed.
They immediately stopped talking, and Tempe walked sulkily behind Booth.
"Alright, you two start with the crates on the left, and we'll head to the right, and we should all meet in the middle," Booth said. They split, and went in their separate directions.
A few rows in, they came to a crate bearing the message "TO OZ."
"Think this is it?" Booth asked sarcastically. Brennan, who was closest to the latch, tugged on the lock. She looked around for something to break it off with, and her gaze fell on Booth's gun.
She looked up at him pointedly, and he started to move forward, then he saw that something was wrong. It took him half a second to react. He rushed Brennan and pushed her out of the way of the falling door, and she ended up on the ground with him on top of her, safely out of the way of the heavy lid.
Booth jumped up and held his weapon poised to shoot. He scanned the immediate area for the person responsible, but found no one.
Brennan was off the ground and dusting herself off. "You alright, Bones?" Booth called over his shoulder, chancing a quick glance before returning his gaze to the area where the door lay on the ground.
"I'm fine," she said, walking back towards the crate.
"Bones!" Booth exclaimed, grabbing her arm. "Not sure if you recall, but a very heavy lid just about fell on you."
"Because it was rigged to," she said, piercing him with one of her 'I just barely escaped imminent danger and I'm merely annoyed by it' stares.
"Rigged?" he asked.
"Yeah, look at the latch. The minute I started pulling the lock, it released, and the whole door fell."
"Yeah, almost on top of you," he said for emphasis, moving forward again. "Just stay here while I check inside, huh?" he pleaded.
She rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in agreement.
He stepped into the opening, then turned back around and said, "Hey, do you have—"
Before he could finish his sentence, she was holding out her flashlight for him to use.
He gave a sheepish grin and said, "Thanks," before going back into the container again.
While he looked for the girl, Temperance studied the area around the opening of the container, trying to find any other clues. She moved to get a closer look at the "TO OZ" message written on the side, when suddenly a cloth was pressed over her mouth, and a strong arm wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms in the process. The cloth was soaked in a sweet-smelling chemical that she knew to be chloroform. She let out a muffled yell, but it wasn't enough for Booth to hear.
Booth, meanwhile, had reached the back of the crate. Lying in a huddle in the corner was the girl from the photo. Her hands and feet were bound, and she was gagged. He holstered his gun after making sure there was no one else, and rushed to the girl. He loosed the gag and cut the bindings on her wrists and feet.
"Please don't hurt me," she whimpered.
"Shh…it's okay, I'm with the FBI. You're safe now," he said soothingly. Then he called out to the opening of the container, "Bones, she's in here. Get the other agents." When she didn't reply, he tried again, "Bones! Did you catch that?"
He didn't hear an answer. His brow knit in concern, he turned back to the girl and picked her up. As he was walking out, he called out for her again, "Temperance? What's going on?"
When he walked out into daylight again, he saw the two agents they had been teamed with. He passed the girl to the nearest and asked, "Where's Dr. Brennan?"
The agent looked confused. "She's…not with you?" he asked.
Booth opened his mouth, but was at a loss for words. He performed a visual scan of the area, then said to them, "She was supposed to wait right here while I went in and checked the container."
"Agent Booth?" The man holding the girl was looking at something on the ground next to the container.
Booth leaned over and picked it up.
RING AROUND THE ROSES
A POCKET FULL OF SPEARS
THOUGHT YOU'D BE PRETTY FOXY, DIDN'T YA?
WELL! THE LAST TO GO WILL SEE
THE FIRST THREE GO BEFORE HER!
AND HER MANGY LITTLE DOG, TOO!
"There's more on the back," the agent said.
Booth flipped the paper over and saw an ad for Professor Marvel's Balloon Rides. Scrawled across the ad was another message:
HOW ABOUT A LITTLE FIRE, SCARECROW?
"Get the other agents together," Booth said urgently. He shoved the ad into the agent's hand. "We're going here."
To be continued…
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