Author's Note: Here ya go! Another chappie!
Chapter 21: Well, This Sucks
Booth and Elliot flinched. The men surrounding them all had guns leveled at their torsos. "Any more ideas?" Booth hissed, he reached back to take Bone's arm.
"Nothing comes to mind," Elliot did the same, glad that his crew actually listened to him and stayed back. "If it was just the two of us I could come up with something . . ." this was muttered and only Booth heard, and the crew in his ear.
"Elliot, what is going on in there?" Nate was ignored.
From the left side of the group, Conan McGill pushed his way to the front. "Oh, Agent Booth," he tisked, "I had hoped that we could be friends here. And then you had to go and try to have me arrested. That's not nice Agent." His eyes cast to Elliot, "And you . . ." His mustache turned drastically down in a frown. "I remember you, Elliot Spencer, right. I should have recognized you to begin with." He looked him over, "You've gained some weight."
"I've been working out," Elliot shrugged, trying to slide Brennan further into the corner, so he and Booth could better shield her.
McGill "hrumph"ed, "Call it what you will. I really don't care; you will be out of my hair before long."
During the whole exchange, Brennan had been quiet, now the two men only wished she had stayed quiet. "You won't get away with this! I have a very good team working on this." She had a hand on Booth's shoulder and was leaning forward.
"Actually, he could get away with it," Elliot's voice was gruff, more so than he had intended. "I have a good team too and they haven't found us yet. No offence," he said over his shoulder.
"None taken," Brennan sat back down. She noticed that Booth was leaning harder against her and was breathing heavily.
"Hey, I take offence here!" It was Hardison in the van, down the street from the mansion. He knew they were in the basement but, if the number of men with guns in the basement was half the number of men Hardison had seen enter the building, Elliot was in trouble.
"Be quiet Hardison, you have work to do." This was Nate. "Elliot, keep him talking, we're trying to find some ways in. Or alarm codes to break so we can set them off. If we create a distraction will you be able to take them down?"
Elliot was having a hard time listening to two conversations at the same time; the only response he could give Nate was a growl. "I'll admit you did good." his interjection was timed just so that McGill stopped moving toward Booth.
"Of course I did," McGill sensed a trap here and so did not move away from Booth, but stopped intending to shot him. "What is your point?"
"Everyone will know you did it," Elliot continued, "and not just my group," he pulled out his com and tossed it to McGill. "They've been listening to everything. Now, you can kill them (it won't be too hard, there are only four) however, them?" He raised an eyebrow and pointed over his shoulder, "She's a famous writer and forensic anthro-whatever –"
"Anthropologist."
"Thank you, Bones," Booth grunted.
"You are welcome Booth."
"Whatever," Elliot continued, "and him? com-on; he's a war hero and loved FBI agent. I'm telling you, people are gonna notice if they're gone . . ."
By now McGill had figured out what the com was for, "You bastard! You're the but!" He squished the communicator under the heel of his roach-killer; with a loud squeak, ending the rest of the team's hits as to the inside activities.
("Hardison," Nate said warningly.
"I'm hurrying!" he retorted.)
Elliot shrugged, "You're the one who captured me."
McGill shifted the gun to Elliot. Only Brennan's anthropologically trained eye noticed the hitters back and jaw tense. "What are you saying?" McGill was smiling.
Outside in the van, Nate's palms were beginning to itch; he had no communication and Hardison was getting nowhere. Even the usually cool Parker was shaking.
"I have to go in," she exclaimed.
"No Parker, you aren't going anywhere!" Nate was much harsher than he intended to be.
Just as Sophie made to step in as the Ego, it happened.
The first gunshot from the basement caused all four of them to freeze. Almost immediately after, much more rapid gunfire ensued, ending any thoughts of going in after the hostages. After a few minutes, fire ceased.
Sophie was the first to hit her knees in a silent wail, shaking hand held to her mouth. Parker was frozen in her seat and Hardison cursed, hitting the keyboard.
Nate was silent.
"If I had been faster," Hardison's voice was the first to break the silence but still and yet, it was hardly more than a whisper.
The gravity of the situation hit Parker, "Elliot . . ."
Sophie sobbed.
Hardison cursed.
Nate was silent . . .
END SCENE!!
(Authors Note: CLIFF HANGER!!! "What will she do next?" "Will Elliot, Booth and Brennan survive?" "Will the team ever recover?" and "WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE FRIGGIN' BASEMENT!?" All of your questions will be answered after you review and in the next and final installment of The Seeley Booth Job!