For those of you who asked, I adore the new Harry Potter book (sans Epilogue). But onto the new chapter! Remember, the timeline shifts… watch it.


Chapter 27—Rescue

Thursday, 14 June 2007, 10:48pm

Booth was speeding through the streets of DC, lights flashing as he took a sharp right turn. Checking his rearview mirror to make sure the other agents were still behind him. As he neared the more isolated outskirts of the city, he turned off the lights and sirens, trying not to draw attention to their arrival.

The line of vehicles came to a stop in front of the old abandoned textile factory, dozens of agents quickly exiting and moving into position with their weapons drawn.

"Booth!" Cullen hissed, waving the agent over. "Get over here!"

Thursday, 14 June 2007, 10:28pm

Brennan lifted her head, looking around when a phone began ringing. Ignoring the pain in her neck, she strained to hear the conversation that was taking place in the other room. She didn't have to try too hard, though, because the man was nearly screaming into the phone.

"Shit, are you sure?" the man asked, panic filling his voice. "Fck!" he swore loudly, running into the main room where Brennan was. "Sean!" he called, "We gotta go! The Feds are on their way. Somehow they figured out where we are."

Booth! she thought, relief filling her mind. I knew he would find me.

"Damn!" Sean said, grabbing a bag that was on the table and throwing it into the vehicle. "Are we taking her?" he asked, gesturing to Brennan, who was pretending to be unconscious.

Just leave me, please! she begged silently, I just want to go home!

"Flip the gas and leave her, we have to get out of here!" he replied, climbing into the driver seat and waiting for his partner.

Sean ran to the switch and flipped it, causing the alcove to seal off and the vent to open, before running back to the vehicle and climbing in.

Brennan could just hear the smaller man as if the gas tank had been refilled as Sean pulled his door closed, the tires squealing as they fled from the warehouse.

Thursday, 14 June 2007, 10:52pm

"Booth," Cullen started, knowing he was going to react badly. "I know you want to get in there and find Dr. Brennan, but I need you to stay out here. This case is too personal for you." Cullen silently prepared himself for Booth's anger, taking a deep breath before looking at the agent.

"Of course this is personal!" Booth exclaimed, anger pouring off him in waves, "The bastard took my partner and might have raped her! I'm going in!"

"Booth," Cullen said sternly, looking the younger man straight in the eyes. "I need you to treat this as if it were any other case. I can't have you just shooting whomever you please."

"I just want to get my partner back, Sir," Booth said, knowing he shouldn't be allowed in the building. "Please let me go in."

Sighing, Cullen looked at Booth, remembering the time he had been in Booth's place. "Alright," he agreed after a moment, "but you stay back. Your only purpose is to get Dr. Brennan and get her out of there and into an ambulance. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Booth said, "Thank you, Sir."

"Don't thank me until your Doctor is out alive and on her way to the hospital," Cullen replied, turning his attention to the other agents who were gathered nearby. "Okay everyone," he started, getting their attention. "On of our own is in there, and we don't know how many we're up against. I want you four," he pointed to the agents in question, "to go around the back and make your way in. We'll have you six," he pointed to another set of agents, "and Booth go through the front. The rest of you will secure the perimeter and make sure no one gets passed you on their way out. I want you all to be quiet, careful, and on alert." He waved the agents into position, silently praying Brennan would be unharmed and none of his agents would get injured. Nodding at Booth, he gave the signal for them to enter the building and stepped back near the vehicles.

They entered the building silently, under the cover of darkness. Booth's team snuck through the front, entering the bleaching room first. He drew a haggard breath between his clenched teeth as his flashlight beam passed over a deep basin that was covered with blood.

Please let her be alive, he prayed, desperation filling his mind. Please let her just be alive, I don't know what I'd do without her.

They cleared the bleaching room and moved into the next room, where a large machine filled most of the space. Clearing it quickly, they moved into the main room of the warehouse, where they met up with the second team.

Moving in opposite directions along the outer walls, they cleared the side rooms as they came to them, not a soul to be found in the building.

She's got to be here, Booth thought, desperately looking for any sign of her. Noticing fresh tire treads on the floor, Booth silently pointed them out to his fellow agents who all nodded and spread out even further.

As Booth continued along the wall, the light from his flashlight shone brightly back at him, reflecting off a piece of glass. Moving closer to the glass, he redirected the beam of light, squinting to try to see what lay beyond the glass.

Brennan had been struggling to stay awake; the thought of Booth saving her was the only thing keeping her from slipping into unconsciousness. She knew the tank was almost out of the chloroform gas because even after almost a half hour it hadn't fully affected her, which she was grateful for.

She watched as beams from flashlights flickered and swept through the warehouse on the other side of the glass, hoping that one of them was Booth. She squeezed her eyes shut as one of the beams of light swept over her body, momentarily blinding her. When she opened them again, she could just make out the outline of a man's body peering through the glass door.

He could barely see the outline of a human body that appeared to be tied to a pole. It's her! his mind exclaimed, relief filling him momentarily before he realized he didn't know how to get her out.

Grabbing his radio, he called for an agent to bring him something to break down the glass door. Within a moment someone was handing him a sledgehammer, which he quickly took to the lower portion of the glass. Slowly he knocked the majority of the glass out of the way, working his way from the bottom up so as not to send glass flying towards her.

"Booth?" she said softly, her throat constricting in pain as she watched the silhouette breaking down the glass door. "Booth?" she asked again, with more strength in her voice.

"I'm coming Bones," he said, elated to hear her voice, "I'm coming." He knocked out enough glass to get through to her, dropping the sledgehammer for another agent to finish with the glass. "Bones," he whispered softly so only she could hear, his fingers tenderly stroking her cheek, "I'll get you out of here."

Quickly looking over the restraints holding her in place, Booth turned back to the agents standing in the doorway with their lights shining in the small space, calling for a pair of bolt cutters. Once again they were handed over within a minute, and he set to work breaking her out of the restraints. First he cut the chains that were holding her to the pole, causing her to sag heavily against him when the fell loose.

"Almost there, Bones," he said, pulling out a pocket knife and carefully cutting the rope from her feet and hands, "Almost there."


Yeah, yeah, I know you all hate me for leaving this again, but it leads straight into the next chapter. So review and the next chapter will be up tomorrow! And I don't want to seem like I'm begging for reviews, but there are 59 of you who have this on alert (not counting those who have me on their author alert), and I'm only getting about 9 or 10 reviews per chapter. That math just doesn't add up to me, so REVIEW!