Warning: minor spoilers for the next episode.

Chapter 7

The Eyes of the Sniper

Jacob Ripkin Broadsky watched as Booth pulled out his phone, pathetically turning to someone for help, probably his partner, after his pretty blond now ex-girlfriend left in a cab. He listened through his earpiece, the microphone strategically placed to aim right into Booth's apartment, and confirmed that he indeed was calling his partner. The weakness in this man always surprised him and he was shocked that he was the only one who noticed it. Ever since they had gone through Ranger training, he saw the ways that the kill affected Booth. Instead of giving him the intense thrill that he felt when watching his shot penetrate his target's body from an exceedingly far distance, he saw how it deadened something in Booth. Jacob never felt how something that made him feel so alive inside could make someone else feel dead and only did it because of some sense of obligation to their country.

The rush was a thrill, a high that he couldn't let go of, even though he was no longer working for the U.S. government. And he was regaining the thrill by getting even with the man who turned his craft from something that the government valued to something that since he now was a civilian, was illegal.

When Jacob saw Sergeant Major Booth's name on the duty roster at his current duty post in the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, he thought there was no way this could be the same man that got out of the Army the second his tour was up. He knew that after Corporal Parker was killed that Booth was ready to leave. Jacob was glad to see him go. With Booth out of the way, his only real competition for the most kills was gone as well. And in the decade or so since Booth's absence, he had really made it count; carrying out every assignment they gave him with deadly efficiency. He scowled when he thought about their first encounter years ago.

He saw the man walk across the camp and knew instantly it was he. Jacob heard rumors that he re-enlisted for a year but didn't believe it until now. Seeley Booth had not changed much since the last time he saw him and although he had aged, he had not lost his good looks. Jacob ran a hand over his baldhead and wished briefly that he could have been as lucky. But he knew it was a result of a job he loved so it eased the pain. He was never really a vain person anyway. Deciding to bite the bullet, he called out to his old rival.

"Hey, Booth."

He laughed as he could visibly see Booth tense as he recognized his voice. It seemed the man thought he was dead and gone in a foreign, godforsaken jungle somewhere. Not so lucky, Jacob thought, walking over to Booth with a sneer on his face.

"Broadsky? What the hell are you doing here?" Booth asked him, neither man bothering to shake hands, not wanting to even give the pretense that they were old war buddies meeting up again.

"What? You worried about your record? Because I smashed that ages ago," Jacob said, his sneer still firmly in place, mistaking Booth's shock at seeing him for a challenge. Jacob watched as Booth turned as white as a sheet at his statement.

"What, for more kills? Broadsky, that was never, ever something that I wanted to have weighing on my conscious. Are you telling me that you have never left, that you have been in the Army, being a sniper, this whole time?" Booth asked. Jacob was taken aback at the incredulous tone in Booth's voice. What else would he be doing?

"Yep," he said proudly. "And it looks like you are here to do the exact same thing. So I guess we'll see who the victor is this time." Jacob smiled at him once more before walking back to his barracks, an extra thrill running through his veins at the thought that there would be another level of adrenaline added to the kill.

Over the next several months, Booth did not disappoint, still the fierce competitor that Jacob hoped he would be. It seemed time had not dulled his sniper instincts, his instinct for the hunt and for the precise moment of the kill still intact. About three months into their assignment, Booth began spending most of his time with the blond reporter and it really upset Jacob. He did not want his rival's reflexes dulled by the presence of a woman. But if anything, the sex seemed to intensify his need for the hunt and Jacob gladly upped his game to keep up with the number of kills Booth had been wracking up.

This was the most fun he had in years. Until he got called in to see the camp commander and had been promptly sent home with a dishonorable discharge.

Jacob was stunned. He had no idea what triggered such a change in his favor with the U.S. Army. In one day, everything he held dear in the world was taken away from him; the only thing left in his life the record he had set with his skills as a sniper.

When he got back to the United States, he immediately requested his file, trying to figure out why they had dismissed him so suddenly. It took the Pentagon about a month to honor his request and when he finally got a look at the dishonorable discharge, he was furious. The person who initiated the investigation into his file, into some of the more questionable acts while serving his country was none other than Sergeant Major Seeley Booth.

Jacob felt the rage bubble up inside him once again as he peered through the scope of his rifle into the apartment of the man who had taken everything away from him. His finger was on the trigger and he compressed it halfway, knowing he had Booth in his crosshairs and could drop him where he stood, or more accurately, sat. But he took a deep breath, calming the burning for a moment and slowly releasing the trigger. It would be too easy to kill Booth, especially when he had only gotten started.

He popped another caffeine pill and settled back into his position on the roof of the building overlooking Booth's apartment. This was a piece of cake compared to other assignments that he had. May in Washington D.C. was truly a beautiful time.

A silver Mercedes came driving up the street, the sleekness of the car catching his eye. But when he saw the tall brunette get out of the car, the woman who he now knew was Dr. Temperance Brennan, he sneered and readjusted the microphone and the corresponding ear piece, knowing he was in for quite the conversation. These two never disappointed.