Have not won the lottery nor do I own Bones.
The team reached the Jeffersonian lab and moved in near silence as though there were a ballet company, all moving in perfect synchronization or a well-choreographed routine. They knew their job well, even if the task before them was daunting.
They all donned masks and protective gear first then moved the covered coffin to the platform exam table.
This time they removed the lid together only allowing a small amount of dust to settle on the table around them. Hodgins promptly gathered it and began to examine the dust.
The group continued to look at the rest of the remains while Hodgins began to run tests.
"This is not right." Brennan said looking in the coffin at the remains.
"What is it Dr. Brennan?" Cam said approaching the box as well.
"Well for one thing this box contains too many remains. There is more than one person in this container. I want to also point out that the age of the two skeletons are from over a hundred years apart. Lastly, did Dr. Hodgins say these remains were found in South America?"
Cam nodded yes as Hodgins was busy running tests, fighting the urge to be taken over by thoughts of guilt.
"I would say the box is of South American heritage, dating back 400 years but this bodies inside are decided European."
"Angela, can you find the papers that accompanied this box?" Cam asked and Angela smiled at the thought she now had something to contribute, something to keep busy with.
"Why was this box sent to the Jeffersonian, who sent it here?" Brennan asked perhaps more voicing her inner thoughts.
"Let's see if Angela can find an answer to that." Cam said confirming her suspicion.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions but it would appear this box was more a constructed mystery than a random archival dig find." Arastoo said looking between the box and the remains they were removing from it onto the table.
"Something does seem to suggest foul play here." Cam agreed.
At the hospital Booth was following the doctor. Booth was calmed by the doctor who was very personable and nice from years of experience. However Booth felt like he was walking thru a fog, he didn't hardly hear what the doctor was saying, the whole situation, the last hour had felt so surreal.
The doctor paused outside of a door and Booth knew they had reached their destination.
"Just try and keep him calm." The doctor said patting Booth's shoulder. Booth realized then he must have looked inundated with the events. Booth cleared his throat ready to put on a show of confidence for Sweets, to make Sweets think there was nothing wrong.
As Booth entered the room not all the plaster in the world could keep his smile on his face. The sight of Sweets stunned Booth as his blood ran cold and his stomach turned. Booth tried to clear his throat again as he stepped toward the bed where Sweets was propped into a sitting position to assist in breathing. Sweets was as white as the sheets he was lying against.
Booth slowly moved to the side of the bed where Sweets dark brown eyes rolled in an attempt to watch Booth's movements. Sweets eyes were rimmed in red and purple as were hallowed and looked as though they burned in pain. Booth found himself breathing lightly as Sweets own breathing filled the quiet air. It was as though his every breath was a gasp for air despite the assistance of air going in his nose.
Booth sat in the chair by the bed his eyes eager to leave the sad and painful lock Sweets eyes had on him. Booth's attention was caught by Sweets hands, lying above the sheet by his own side but they twitched uncontrollably.
Another doctor stopped in to take vitals and Booth expected this would happen frequently in the near future. Sweets shut his eyes and though his hands continued to twitch Booth suspected Sweets had passed out.
"Doctor, is there any improvements?" Booth was hopeful despite the lack of a reason to be so.
The doctor shook his head. "His body is shutting down."
"Why so quickly?"
"Whatever the pathogen is in his system it is aggressive." The doctor explained trying to hold back the desire to want to leave the room and this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible. Booth was drawn to Sweets face suddenly clenched in pain.
"Is he in pain? " Booth asked surprised having assumed he was being given pain killers.
The doctor looked at Booth and determined he did not want a sugar coated answer. "Yes, extremely so. Chest pressure, extreme migraines, stomach pain. If we give him something it could interact with what is in his system and kill him. The doctor attempted to give him penicillin and it nearly caused him to crash. I hope your friends can work quickly."
Booth was so surprised by the answer he hadn't noticed the doctor quietly exit. He was brought back to the present when a forceful cough rocked Sweets unwillingly forward. Having no strength left he nearly tipped off the bed but Booth sprung forward and caught him, adjusting him back to a sitting position.
As Sweets face rolled back in Booth's direction his dark chocolate eyes were now amidst pools of red. He was radiating heat and seething exhaustion. Booth doesn't like the look in Sweets eyes that is pleading for Booth to kill him.
Back at the lab three of the interns, Dr. Clark Edison, Dr. Wendell Bray and Dr. Colin Fisher, were able to be contacted and come immediately, without question when they heard the situation. Now, the team has deduced that one body is a month deceased while the other is four hundred years deceased with a missing skull. The four century old cause of death is laid aside to wait until another time. The more recent death is determined to be the cause of the broken neck, a head nearly or ultimately as it seems, taken off.
While Brennan is not comfortable with "guessing" she does find credence in the theory that the newer body was placed in the old remains on purpose. According to research on Angela's part and backed by Dr. Brennan's suspicions the tomb should not have been where it was. It had been removed from a sacred burial ground to this isolated area.
"What area was this found in?" Arastoo asked as Angela brought up the map and they examined it.
"Dr. Hodgins, would this soil and particulates be congruent with this area."
Jack failed to answer them as he plucked away feverishly at the keys. Brennan looked over his shoulder at his findings so far and confirmed that those on the outer edge of the coffin were but the particulates that covered Sweets were from inside the coffin and different. The team exhaled as the connection could not be made.
"What is this area?" Brennan asked Angela.
"Well from the records I have found so far this area was a planned development. It was very controversial for the area and many groups tried to get it blocked."
"Why is that, specifically?" Cam asked for clarification.
"Well apparently some of the local tribes did not want their ancient lands paved with a super store."
"Oh, I see." Cam said understanding now. "So it could be that someone could have planted this coffin here as a warning to stop digging."
"Perhaps the man inside, the newer man was the man who wanted to develop it. I haven't been able to ID him for sure yet." Angela added.
"Either way, this does not help Dr. Sweets." Arastoo pointed out.
"No, but it does tell us that this was most likely intentional." Brennan suggested.
"Yes, if someone placed this here and put this chemical combination inside, they may have been waiting for someone to pry the coffin open at the scene and fall ill, leading to the idea the land was cursed and stave off anyone from wanting to develop on it." Cam supposed.
"But instead someone did what no one does, left it alone and sent it to officials to do the work." Angela offered.
"And unfortunately Dr. Sweets was…" Arastoo began but Cam finished for him. "An accident."
They were stirred from their mystery that while not concrete had a feeling of being solved, but it wasn't the mystery they wanted the answer to the most. Brennan answered her phone that took them from their moment. She would normally have stepped to the side to take the call but seeing it was Booth she knew it was information she would need to share.
"No, we don't have anything Booth. We've run hundreds of tests. Our one suspect that made this chemical warfare concoction that affected Sweets is most likely hiding out in South America, I don't see how we can extract him in the time frame we need."
Brennan listened further to Booth but shook her head. "We are working Booth but I don't have any leads right now. I reached out to Dr. Ivan Jacobs on our way here, he promised his CDC team to work thru the night on this with us with the information we sent him but I'm afraid," Brennan paused as she was coming to a conclusion she knew was rational, but not desirable. "I'm afraid it will not be in the time frame we desire." She paused again. "Yes I understand. Goodbye."
They all paused and waited to hear what Booth had told her. She took a deep breath before beginning. "If we don't find a cure Sweets will be gone in the next few hours."