topaz270 (thank you, guess you'll have to read on to find out), RobinAngelena, Vmf447 (hope I didn't keep you waiting too long), 554Laura (thanks), kareneb, FaithinBones, jsboneslover, ZinaR (things will get moving but it'll be a slow build), regbride12, bookwormlady (oh thought I was taking awhile to update, glad its fast enough for you :), mendenbar (very true), wentzer, GalaxieGurl (thanks for waiting for this next chapter), Phyllis, aadams00 (that they are), and other guests.
Thank you for all your reviews, they're greatly appreciated. Many of you made mention of the suspense and are wondering as to Jake and Logan's motives. It'll all be revealed in time and you'll see things aren't as simple as they seem. Some of you wondered if B&B would be rescued or would they escape on their own. It's all planned up in my head and I won't want to give away too much. The pace of the story is slower for now, kinda like how time is for our fave couple, locked away in their tiny little underground prison. It's a shorter chapter this time but the story is picking up.
Lethargic. That was how Brennan felt. Even thinking of the word made her feel tired. That she was thirsty, was an understatement. The inability to tell how much time had passed was frustrating. She could almost sense the same frustration radiating off Booth. He had tried to remain upbeat but she knew he was getting weaker from their lack of food and water. They spent their time chatting in the dim light about their children, both quietly grateful that at least they were still together. It would have been unimaginable if they had been locked up separately. They talked about what they would do with Christine and Hank when they got out. Not if but when. Booth had been careful to constantly remind her of that.
Beside her, he groaned.
"You okay Booth?"
"Yeah." His voice cracked.
They had agreed that they needed to expend as little energy as possible and when alone in the room, lying next to each other was best for their current situation.
"I'm just…"
She felt him blow out an agonised breath.
"I should've seen this coming. I mean, they must've watched us for some time. I should've noticed. I could have stopped this."
"You can't blame yourself for this Booth."
Booth sat up, clearly agitated. "I can't just lie here anymore. Who knows how long before anyone finds us? When Heather Taffet took me, I kept fighting, kept trying to find a way out. You did too when she buried you and Hodgins in that car."
Brennan now sat up too, taking Booth's hand in hers. "I knew you'd find me. I didn't know it then, but Hodgins rightly said I had faith... in you. I still do."
Booth stared at their linked hands for a moment, remembering what it was like watching the timer in the lab count down to when her oxygen run out. It was hell. Each second that ticked by felt as if his own oxygen supply was diminishing. He knew if he didn't find her in time then, he would have been haunted by that failure forever. He couldn't fail her this time either.
"When I was stuck in that ship that was going to blow up… what kept me going was thinking about how I had to get out. How I had to see you again. And when I was bleeding in that basement, thinking of going home to you and our children was what motivated me. We really need to get home to Hank and Christine."
"I concur with your last statement. We need to get home. But our kidnappers need us alive. Surely they would reveal the purpose of our kidnapping. soon."
"I was thinking, Logan said he came to check if we were still alive. What if they're waiting for us to die?"
"There are quicker and more efficient ways to kill someone Booth."
"Torture?"
"Again, there are more sinister means of torture."
"You've got a point." Booth groaned again as he stood up slowly, as if doing so took all the energy he could muster. "I gotta put a stop to this. We're not sleeping well, and we're gonna die from lack of water if this keeps up."
"What are you intending to do?"
"The next time one of 'em comes in here, I'll jump him."
"You're weakened by your body's lack of nutrition." Brennan pointed out. Her body ached and she was hungry and tired. Her thirst felt like a persistent mental torture as her mind constantly conjured up images of a cold glass of water.
"Then I'd better get it done before I get any weaker."
"Booth…"
"I just can't sit here and wait for us to die Bones. Chances are our friends know we're missing but they may not find us in time. I don't know about you but it feels like it's been a couple of days since we were taken."
"It can't be more than three, we would have died of dehydration by now."
Booth started to walk slowly along the walls of the room, his hand moving along the walls as if looking for a means of escape. "There's gotta be some way to get ourselves out of here."
"You're just expanding needless energy."
"No!" The force of his reply reverberated round the small room. Booth inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry Bones. I need to do something."
"Sometimes doing nothing is something."
The sound of the doors opening interrupted their discussion. Booth seemed to have dug deep and found a burst of energy as he moved swiftly to the foot of the stairs. Crouching he readied himself to attack whoever was coming down. He swayed slightly, holding a hand to the cold concrete wall to steady himself. The light pouring in from the open doors felt too bright to his eyes which had gotten used to the darkness of their underground prison.
"I wouldn't try anything if I were you." Jake's voice could be heard, before they saw him descend the stairs. Behind him, Logan followed, a shot gun in hand.
"Get back, before I put a hole in your stomach." Logan growled.
Booth had considered tackling whoever it was who came, but he wasn't expecting both Jake and Logan together. Grudgingly, he moved back to where Brennan was on the mattress.
"Time to do some work." Jake said.
"Work?" Brennan asked. "What sort of work?"
"First I need Agent Booth to sit down." Jake commanded.
Logan aimed the gun at Brennan, an effective method of making Booth obey. Booth sat back down on the mattress.
Jake crouched down and lowered a small box he was holding onto the ground. He opened the lid, then pushed the box towards Brennan.
"Open it." Jake commanded. Logan stood motionless, his gun still aimed at her.
With both hands, Brennan picked up the object that had been wrapped in a cloth. Years of experience in mass graves and her daily work at the Jeffersonian, immediately told her what she was holding in her hands. She simply needed to confirm it. Unwrapping it revealed a human skull.
"It's a skull. Human."
"What can you tell us about this skull?" Jake asked.
"Is this what you kidnapped us for? So that Bones could take a look at some dead person?" Booth scoffed rather incredulously. "You could've just looked her up at the Jeffersonian."
"I've told you all I can. Human skull." Brennan stated plainly.
Booth had seen his wife obtain so much information from parts of the human skeleton, much smaller than a skull. He knew she was holding back on purpose. He knew she didn't really have a poker face but this time she was surprisingly able to keep her expression neutral.
"That's it? I thought you were the best?"
Jake's words seemed to anger Brennan. She knew her expertise was needed and that meant she could use it as a bargaining tool. "I am the best but you've kept us here against our wishes for I don't know how long. We're both weak from a lack of food and water. Even someone as smart as me would need at the very least fluids and some glucose for my brain to function at its optimum. Dehydration causes the human brain to become sluggish in its processing capability."
Jake glanced over to Logan, as if wondering what to make of her tirade.
"She's saying if you want her to tell you more, you'll need to give her some water, food." Booth, catching on to what Brennan was getting at, spoke.
There was a pause before Jake stood up. Taking the gun from Logan, he commanded, "Get some water."
Logan nodded then disappeared up the stairs. He returned with a jug in hand. He placed the jug infront of Brennan. She could see that it had been filled to the brim.
"Drink." Jake said.
"Easy Bones." Booth warned, not wanting her to take in too much too quickly after such a long fast.
"I know." Brennan replied softly as she lifted the jug with shaky hands to her lips, surprised at how weak she had become. She took a sip, the water sliding down her throat felt like the best water she had ever tasted. The cool liquid soothed her parched throat. She took another small sip before slowly placing the jug back on the ground, aware that this could be their only source of water in a long time to come.
"Tell us what you know and we'll leave the water. Then your husband can have a drink too."
Eager to let Booth have some water too, Brennan lifted the skull and started her examination. "Caucasian, poor dentition. Without the rest of the skeleton I'm not confident in determining the gender. If I had to postulate, I would say female. What I can tell you is that the skull belonged to someone pubescent. Thirteen or fourteen perhaps."
She glanced up at Jake who stared back at her. Her words seemed to have affected both him and Logan, but Brennan couldn't tell as to what emotion she had evoked in them.
"Anything else? Like how she died?"
"So the skull did belong to a female. How did you know?"
"Let's just assume it's a she." Jake said.
For the longest time since they started working together, watching her work on human remains had always mesmerised Booth. As if she was doing a beautiful dance, allowing her fingers to communicate with the bones. It was akin to watching a graceful ballet dancer on stage. He had never told her that, she would laugh it off. But it never ceased to amaze him and fill him with pride. This time, Booth felt no different. He watched as Brennan studied the skull carefully again, her fingers ghosting its surface.
"Normally, I have my equipment at the Jeffersonian to help me magnify what the human eye may not be able to detect. Touch gives my tactile senses some information as well of course but in a court of law, it wouldn't be conclusive. Based on what I can now see, there is no obvious cause of death. There is a remodelled hairline fracture to the occipital region. Since it's remodelled it is very unlikely to have occurred near or at time of death. I could tell you more if I could have access to the rest of the skeleton, assuming you have it."
Once again, her words seemed to deeply affect their captors and Jake snatched the skull from Brennan's hands, wrapping it carefully in the cloth then placing it back into the box. Replacing the lid, he picked up the box as he stood.
"Is this is why you kidnapped us? So I could help you identify human remains?" Brennan asked. "If you could give me access to the rest of the skeleton – "
"We'll bring you another bone tomorrow." Jake said.
"If you want me to accurately determine cause of death and identify the remains, you must allow me to study the area where they were found. If you bring me parts like this, you may compromise important clues and affect my findings."
"It's just your way of trying to escape." Jake growled.
"She means it." Booth spoke up. "If you know enough about Dr Brennan you'd know she doesn't lie and she means it when she tells you she needs to see where the remains were found. She doesn't like her remains compromised, trust me, I know. It's your best chance of finding whatever answers you need."
"We'll think about it." Jake nodded towards Logan as he made his way back up the stairs. "Enjoy your water, you've earned it."
It might be more than a week before I can get the next chapter up. I'm kinda a perfectionist, so I'd rather take a little more time putting up something I'm happy with. In the meantime, reviews as always are so greatly appreciated.
