16.

Sorry this has been so delayed - I had planned to finish it last week but sick toddler and a busier week than I planned changed my plans. Then a lack of sleep made writing impossible. Maybe now you'll have a little reading for the holiday travel. Also, have nearly an entire new story penned out as well that I hope to get started! Woot! Woot! Caffeine is kicking in!

Hodgins woke up and realized he was tied to a chair backed by Arastoo who was still unconscious opposite him. Hodgins nose filled with a familiar scent, cigarettes - not just any cigarette but ones he had detected before, Kensitas cigarettes. He was not as familiar with them as they were a British cigarette, not the same scent as most American made cigarettes. As he continued to come to, he tried to recall where he knew them from - the unknown man had them in the case that didn't match the brand. He looked up to see Agent Wittner smoking one. He recalled that Agent Wittner was British though he worked for the CIA. Wittner saw him looking at him.

"Don't worry mate, your friends are coming for you." Wittner said.

"You're setting a trap?" Hodgins asked still groggy.

Commander Mahaffey stepped forward. "We're not doing this." He said in a low tone.

"They know too much, how many times did we warn them?" Wittner asked. "They should have dropped it."

"We have what we need." Mahaffey repeated.

"We don't know that it works." Wittner warned.

"We will know soon." Mahaffey said looking out a window.

"How are you doing, can you see any better?" Cam asked as Sweets wiped the rest of the drying crimson from the corner of his eye.

"I'm pretty sure if I had gone to the hospital any of these times I would have maxed out my deductible." Sweets said in an attempt at humor though Cam looked worried. He flashed her a smile that warmed her nervous feelings. "But I think I got far better healthcare from you anyway."

Cam wanted to add an 'aw, shucks' but their attention was redirected to the green glow they saw ahead.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cam asked.

"I'm guessing they're trying the last part of the equation." Sweets said as they pulled the car close enough for comfort and stopped.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Cam asked of their plan.

Sweets looked at the green glow that was expanding in the sky before them.

"Let's just hope they are not on the ship - in case this experiment goes like the others." Sweets said getting out of the car then looked at Cam. "Maybe you should wait here."

"You kidding me?" Cam said. "I'm not leaving my partner to do this alone." Sweets smiled back at her. "Besides." She added checking her firearm she brought with her. "You'll need someone with medical experience to go with you - based on your previous endeavors anyway."

"Thanks." Sweets said putting away his gun, assured it was ready to go. He reminded himself of the mantra he had lived by since the case began - protect the team - at any cost.

The room where the pair were held lit in the green light as Arastoo's head began to raise. Wittner and Mahaffey stood at the window to observe.

"Is that what I think it is?" Arastoo asked.

"Yeah, how are you doing?" Hodgins asked hastily.

"Second headache in a week." Arastoo said and began to pull at the ties. "Any chance of getting out of these?"

"Not so far." Hodgins said. "I think they are zip ties."

"The take-able unbreakable huh?" Arastoo said recalling the commercial. "Does anyone know we are here?"

"Yeah and those two are waiting for Cam & Sweets to show up." Hodgins warned Arastoo.

"And how are we going to stop that?" Arastoo asked worried for Cam.

"You figure out a way to stop two of the eight most stubborn people we know and I'll help." Hodgins half joked but was serious. He admired the fact their friends would come for them despite the impending danger.

A puff of smoke came from the corner of the room in the darkness.

"Hey film noir, smoking will kill you." Hodgins announced.

"I'm not worried about dying." Genevieve said stepping forward and dropping the cigarette, her dress shoe putting it out. "It's living that's the hard part."

"Do you expect us to sympathize with the person who kidnapped us?" Arastoo asked recalling Genevieve holding the gun on them at the lab.

"I held the gun, but I didn't want to play the part." Genevieve told them. "Mahaffey and Wittner are the ones who knocked you out cold."

"I don't understand who's supposed to be the good guys and who is the bad." Hodgins said to himself.

"Do you really think there is a difference when it comes to the government?" Genevieve asked him, making him feel stupid. She felt bad and held out her pack of cigarettes. "Want one?"

Hodgins noticed the Army Club pack. "My father's favorite brand." She said, obviously grieving his loss. Still, Hodgins knew that within her father's pack were Kensitas.

"Why didn't you stop them then? From killing him?" Hodgins asked.

"I didn't know they had until he was gone. The statue he was placed under, Generaux Louis Genevieve IV, it was a message to me to be quiet." She explained.

"But I thought that Lumiere killed him?" Arastoo asked.

"I don't know much of anything anymore, I thought I did." Genevieve said looking at Wittner and Mahaffey at the window.

"Let us out of here." Hodgins whispered, trying to appeal to the humanity he knew she had. "I thought they wouldn't kill us, that's…"

"That was until the experiment worked. If they get a call that that ship that just disappeared reappears where they want it to, I'm afraid none of us are long for this world." Genevieve said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Your father who was he?" Hodgins asked desperate to know.

"He was a physicist. Brilliant." Genevieve said thinking of him. "It's my fault - that he got involved. I didn't know him until a few years ago. He came, as a patient in Davenport, when it was a regular institution. I was a nurse there. I didn't know then but the only reason he came there was feigning a breakdown. He wanted to get to know me. Silly old man." She said wiping a tear away. "I'm sure though that he knew I wouldn't talk to him if he showed up one day. He slowly won my heart and then one day he told me who he was."

"You gave him the book?" Arastoo asked. "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam?"

"At the time to give him hope for a recovery." Genevieve said with a smile. "Of course he was fine, he wasn't really ill, but still, it gave him purpose, to put his knowledge to work. He went to MIT upon my suggestion that he work. He then got recruited by Mahaffey, who of course you knew was then as Bamsatt."

"Why did he change his name? And how?" Hodgins asked.

"He was asked to leave from his experiments. He wanted to use live people, I think you can see he still does." Genevieve said in a dark voice. "They removed him but he was already working with my father. Mahaffey figured out my father had a daughter, me, used me against my father as he continued to work for him. My father didn't know at the time about the sailors being sent to the newly reopened Davenport. I only found out about it recently. Once my father was killed Mahaffey kept me close, thinking I had the clues. I had nothing. I wanted my father's death avenged, I knew you all would find it, but I didn't know then that you would all become so involved, I swear I didn't know how dangerous it would become." Genevieve's pleas seemed genuine.

"You all seemed so smart and so untouchable. I thought you…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"How did he get to be commander with a new name?" Hodgins asked curious.

"You can thank Agent Wittner here for that." Mahaffey said turning around and speaking to them. "He saw the value in my work, what I was trying to do for my country. He had CIA clearance, you can make a person about whatever you want to. Until it got too much attention and then Commander Mahaffey had to die again."

Hodgins recalled the dummy set up Cam & Sweets had told them about when they visited Wittner's office at Genevieve's clue.

"So you think you are a patriot?" Arastoo asked angry. "What about those sailors?"

"They will be fixed." Mahaffey said, unsure but stoic in his thoughts. They soon realized he truly believed what he was doing was a patriotic effort, despite the costs. "Too many people in this country are afraid of spilling a little bit of blood in order to save thousands. Too many test trials with paper clips, then cockroaches and if you've very luck you get to work with a mouse after five or ten years. We don't have that kind of time in this era - any era! The key to staying alive is staying ahead of your enemy!"

"What do you think?" Cam asked Sweets as they peered down. Sweets looked over at Lt. Cole who they had knocked out cold and stole his keys to get in silently. Oh well, he deserves it for lying to us right? Cam thought to herself of the sleepy man. "Do you think he's insane or a patriot?"

"Problem is the line gets pretty blurry, depends on how you tell the tale." Sweets said. "Ever read much on Benjamin Franklin?"

"Well either way, how are we going to get them out?" Cam whispered.

"Mahaffey still doesn't want to kill them, it's Wittner who is pushing for it." Sweets observed and questioned the man's motives. "Technically it's us against them but there's more of us. But even if we take them out we've still got dozens of cover up people on our hands. We have to find a way to end this."

"Try to please everyone you please no one." Cam reminded him.

Sweets was tired, sore and now trying to not to be overwhelmed at the conundrum at hand. One last time he recalled his mantra, keep the team safe, even if that doesn't include you.

"Cam, do you trust me?" Sweets asked.

"Or course."

"Okay, go down there, back behind those crates but stay hidden, be ready to cut them free and run." Sweets said handing her a pair of wire cutters he quietly fished out of a nearby tool box.

Cam had a bad feeling about this. "Sweets, what's your plan?"

"Trust me." He whispered walking away and going on the other side.

"What's taking so long?!" Wittner shouted looking at his phone.

"It hasn't worked." Mahaffey said with a sigh.

"You can't lose an entire damn ship!" Wittner shouted.

"Sure you can." Sweets said stepping out from behind a pile of cartons. Mahaffey and Wittner immediately drew their guns. Sweets remained calm and only smiled. "Hey, no need for that. You've already shot me once."

Wittner narrowed his eyes at Sweets, gun still drawn while Mahaffey put his away. He tapped Wittner who finally followed and put his own fire arm away.

"You snuck in again." Mahaffey said. "Maybe you should be working with us."

"Here I thought you would never ask." Sweets said smiling and stepping closer. "See you would really benefit if you had a member of the FBI on your side."

"What's your game doctor?" Wittner asked skeptically.

"Well I want the impossible." Sweets said walking around still while talking. "I want everyone to win. See I think what Commander Mahaffey, or whatever his name really is, I think he has a good idea, I think he really wants to do this for his country. But you Agent Wittner, why do you want this?"

"The same reason." Wittner said but Sweets and his lie detector brain knew otherwise.

"Right. See I don't believe that." Sweets said. Mahaffey looked at Wittner with doubt.

"See here's the thing Commander Mahaffey, how did Lumiere know about the unknown man? You had him under lock and & key, and as far as I can tell no one, I mean no one knew him or what he was working on - except for you two." Cam watched as Sweets talked as she watched him pit the one against the other.

"But that doesn't make sense, Agent Wittner has been working with me, the whole time." Mahaffey said.

"How much would you pay me, to work with you that is?" Sweets asked, digging for answers he suspected he had.

"It's not about the money." Mahaffey said surprised. "This is about the good of our country!"

"That's what I thought." Sweets said. "Not about the money."

"Ask him about the cigarettes!" Hodgins shouted from his restrained recliner.

"Good point Dr. Hodgins." Sweets said. "See, funny thing Agent Wittner, you're the only one who smokes Kensitas, they come from Great Britain, where you come from too. Funny for a man who only smokes Army Club to have a few of yours in his pack." Sweets walked closer to Wittner, trying to hide the fact his heart was about to beat out of his chest.

"Because you killed him didn't you? Lumiere was there, yeah, he did the cleanup but you killed the unknown man - put the poison in his cigarette."

"No, no it can't be!" Mahaffey said surprised.

"Tell me Agent Wittner, how much would another government pay you for something like this? Because for you it is about the money isn't it?" Sweets asked inches from the man's face who held a face, unyielding of answers.

"That's all a lie." Wittner said the men still staring each other down, Mahaffey trying to sort thru the new facts, looking at them both.

"Oh yeah?" Sweets asked with a smile. "Then if you're not double crossing Commander Mahaffey then tell me why hasn't your phone rang when that ship has been sitting out there for the last five minutes?"

Neither man was able to contain their curiosity if Sweets was bluffing or not and raced to the window. Sweets signaled to Cam who rushed forward and clipped the tie holding back Arastoo & Hodgins. Sweets motioned for them to run but Cam resisted. Sweets looked to Genevieve who turned to Cam.

"Go, I will help him. I promise. Two can run faster than five."

Cam looked back at the groggy and sore newly freed captives and reluctantly turned to get them out of the building. She vowed to get them to safety and then return for her partner, she had to protect her team, the way Sweets had promised to protect them.

"What ship?" Mahaffey asked having stared at the sea for several seconds. Wittner grunted and turned quickly grabbing Sweets by the collar and throwing him against the cargo behind Sweets.

"You prick!" Wittner shouted.

"Yeah but you knew it was true, didn't you?" Sweets said looking at Wittner.

Mahaffey drew his gun and pointed it at Wittner. "Let him go." Mahaffey commanded.

Wittner let his grip go and laughed. "Oh you catch on at the damndest times." Wittner said to Mahaffey and backed away from Sweets and put his hands up. Sweets noticed the double crosser still had a slight smile on his lips. "But you forgot one more piece to our puzzle."

Lumiere stepped forward from the shadows with a gun to Genevieve's head. Genevieve put her hands in the air.

"Only one problem though." Wittner said. "We're going to have to work something out, this experiment didn't work. I don't get paid by my employer unless it works. So here is what we are going to do." Wittner turned to Sweets. "You and your team are going back to work. If you don't do work for me then I will take you out, one by one." Wittner turned to Sweets "and you, well, I suppose I don't really need you." Wittner's finger pulled on the trigger but his cell phone rang. He paused from shooting, keeping his gun pointed at Mahaffey he used his free hand to answer his cell phone.

Sweets looked at Mahaffey and Genevieve, both with guns pointed at them. Sweets was the only one without a gun on at him though he had one on him. He pondered what he should do, should he try and protect these people who were not really his people and who may or may not be bad guys? Should he run? Try and take out one or the other?

"Yes, how far off course?" Wittner asked with a smile. "Can it be fixed, make it reappear closer on course? Yes? Yes! Good, thank you. Yes, wait there I'll be back soon." Wittner hung up the phone.

"Success!" He shouted. "Too bad no one will know about it." Wittner put his phone away and looked to Lumiere. "Call in the back ups, when the ship gets back to port, kill everyone on board, kill the scientists, we only want the data, burn the port. Lastly kill that Jeffersonian team."

Lumiere took out his phone to place the order. Wittner turned to Mahaffey with a smile "O Captain My Captain, you must go down with the ship."

"No!" Sweets shouted lunging at Wittner as the three tumbled behind the cargo. It was a small part of Sweets quick plan as the cargo momentarily shielded them from Lumiere's gunfire. Mahaffey and Sweets struggled with Wittner and once Mahaffey had a hand on Wittner, Sweets reached for his own gun and held it to Wittner's head. Lumiere threw Genevieve into a cargo block knocking her out cold. He appeared to see Wittner at gunpoint.

"Go ahead, then I only have to split it one way." Lumiere said.

Mahaffey looked as Sweets had his gun on Wittner and Lumiere his gun on Sweets in a deadlock. He looked at the trio several times and took off running.

"Coward." Lumiere said of Mahaffey. "Now what?"

"How about we both shoot Wittner?" Sweets said.

"Don't buy it kid, he's not going to let you shoot me. He doesn't have the passcode." Wittner said and smiled.

"He's right, I can't. You're better at bluffing than I." Lumiere said. "But you've got one shot, pick which one of us you want to shoot. You can't get us both."

Sweets looked at the two deciding what to do when a shot rang out and Lumiere fell to the ground. Wittner looked for his gun as Sweets fired at him making him run. Sweets looked back to Lumiere who was slowly dying on the ground, a shot to the chest. He looked up to see where the shot came from - it was Genevieve who was sitting on the ground. She had grabbed Wittner's loose gun and shot Lumiere when he thought she was unconscious while she pretended. Sweets went to her while trying to keep an eye out for Wittner who was in the stacks.

"Go, you need to go." Genevieve said as blood rushed from her head.

"I'm not leaving you here." Sweets said.

"You don't have to." Cam said walking in the door. "I got her, I got the car outside, let's go."

"You have to get Mahaffey!" Genevieve said to Sweets. "Wittner will go after him, he's the only one who knows."

"Knows what?" Sweets asked.

"Who my father was." Genevieve fell unconscious.

Sweets looked to Cam as they quickly tried to develop a plan.

"Get them out of here, I'll go after Wittner." Sweets said.

"No, Sweets it's dark and he's dangerous." Cam objected. "We need to..

"Wittner's put out orders - he wants the ship brought back to port & kill all the sailors on board, the scientists too, you need to stop them." Sweets said helping Genevieve up.

"What?!" Cam asked.

"Oh and be careful, one they're done with all of them they're coming after all of us." Sweets said fearing that Wittner & Mahaffey were getting away.

"Go!" Sweets shouted again as he ran in the direction that Mahaffey had run, presumably Wittner on his heels.

Cam and Genevieve hobbled towards the car. Once they got out the door Hodgins & Arastoo saw them and got out of the car.

"Geez Cam, you said to wait in the car because you were the only one with a gun." Hodgins said. "You didn't say it was going to be dangerous."

"Well it still is." Cam said putting Genevieve in the back seat.

"How come Arastoo gets to help?" Hodgins whined.

"Because she's not a bug Dr. Hodgins." Cam said getting in the driver's seat. Hodgins climbed in the passenger seat.

"What do you mean it's still dangerous?" Hodgins asked recalling what Cam had just said.

"Those hired cops are going to be taking out a whole bunch of people and we have to stop them." Cam said engaging her in white knuckle driving.

"Okay, um, how do you think we are going to stop that?" Hodgins asked. "I don't know my own personal army do you?"

"I think I do." Cam said getting her phone.

"Oooohhhh." Booth said flopping on his couch. "It's so good to be home."

"Yes, it's late so we should pick up Christine tomorrow, though I do miss her." Brennan lamented.

"Yeah, but all I want to do right now is open a cold beer and fall asleep with it in one hand and my lovely wife in the other." Booth said. "We will pick up Christine tomorrow when we are all rested. It's more fair to her too that way."

"You're right." Brennan said sitting next to him. "Are you sure there isn't anything more exciting you'd like to do right now?" She asked putting a hand high on his leg.

"What kind of excitement did you have in mind?" Booth asked with a raised eyebrow.

Brennan opened her mouth to answer but Booth's phone rang.

"Geez, who's calling. Oh it's Cam, doesn't she's she know what she's interrupting?" Booth sighed.

"It might be important." Brennan said as Booth continued to watch it ring.

"What could be more exciting than this?" Booth asked with a smile as he answered the phone.

"Hey Cam, wild times in the lab?" He joked as he answered.

"Booth! What? No, no, the lab blew up, it's in shambles." Cam said it as though it was old and unimportant news, which compared to their current predicament - it sort of was.

"What, whoa, what, the lab blew up?" Booth repeated.

"Surely you misunderstood." Brennan said stepping closer.

"Seeley, that's not important right now." Cam said trying to regain his attention.

"How is the lab blowing up not important?" Brennan asked becoming unhinged as she listened in. There seemed to be quite a bit of commotion in the car.

"I tried calling them but they won't listen to me!" Hodgins shouted in the background.

"Booth we need your help, I need to contact someone who can help us, someone who will believe us. There's a hit out on a bunch of scientists and an ship of sailors."

"What? Why?" Booth asked.

"It's complicated Booth, it has to do with the case we are working on, government secrets." Cam explained.

"Is Hodgins there did he put you under some sort of whammy?" Booth asked.

"It's real Booth, it's the Philadelphia Experiment, only this time it worked." Cam explained. "I know this is a lot to take in and I can bring you up to speed later but we need to help these people. I'm on my way to where the ship is being docked now but I need back up. Please believe me." As Cam said it she felt like Sweets would have believed her by now, even if he knew nothing of the case. She idly wondered if it was their recent bond in the case that made her feel that way.

"Okay, but I need to know more about this later." Booth said. "Hey where is Sweets on this case, I thought he had this under control?"

Cam didn't like Booth's tone towards her partner. "Oh I can assure you Booth, he is all over it, he's chasing down the ring leader right now."

Sweets leather soled shoes pounded the pavement which led the distance between the observation yard they were at and the yards where the dock was returning to port. The area was desolate and dark, illuminated only by the full moon overhead which blanketed the area in a blue light.

Sweets hoped Mahaffey may have been going to warn them, it was far better than the idea the man had been a coward and ran. It didn't quite matter what he reason was, Mahaffey didn't make it. Sweets run slowed as he stood over the figure lying in the trail. As Sweets approached he saw the man's eyes stare lifelessly up at the sky. Sweets checked and confirmed what he suspected, the man was dead.

Before he could stand up he heard the sound of a gun being cocked behind him.

Ah, what should happen now? Should Sweets endure another mishap or just wrap it up?