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Previously On Mistaken Identity (Booth attempting escape). . .

~ ' Dammit!' ~ he thought, ~ 'This is definitely not the most thought out plan I've ever had!' ~ he thought discouragingly. His mind still foggier than normal and his focus so intent upon watching the office and trying to figure out his next move, that he hadn't even heard the slowly approaching automatic rifle toting muscle man that had spotted him a few moments earlier and was getting closer by the minute.

As soon as the hairs on the back of Booth's neck started to bristle, alerting him to the impending danger, it was too late! He started to spin around to look behind him only to be greeted with the bottom end of the huge man's weapon as it came crashing towards his face with a crack!

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Mistaken Identity

Chapter 31

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Just as Booth was turning to quickly glance behind him for the umpteenth time as he made his way through the warehouse on his way to a hopeful escape – his tired brain barely had time to register the object coming dangerously fast towards his face. CRRAACK!

The rifle butt had struck him thankfully in the right side of his face possibly cracking his cheekbone but certainly beat the alternatives he thought – knowing from past experience that it could have easily broken his nose, damaged an eye or worse yet, struck him in the temple or the forehead which would have caused more significant damage without a doubt. He thanked heaven for small favors since hitting his cheekbone was not going to cause him to lose consciousness while being hit anywhere else probably would have.

As he immediately dropped to one knee from the force of the blast combined with the sharp severity of the pain, he shook his head slightly to shake away the black spots that were appearing sporadically in front of his eyes. He could feel a warm liquid dripping down his defined cheek from the newest wound but there was no time to dwell on that as he instantly moved into a protective and defensive position with his hands up in front of his face and rising up from bent knee while simultaneously swinging the knee that had been on the ground forward as he rose. Continuing along with it's heightened momentum Booth's knee hit it's intended target dead on - nailing his attacker's most private and sensitive area – his groin.

The security thug had nothing else on his mind after that as he dropped the rifle without thought and both of his hands rushed to grab hold of his injured . . . jewels – his eyes screwed tightly shut in agony. Booth knew he had to move fast, just as the security guard started to yell for help and alert the others to Booth's escape – the FBI agent caught him with a firm right hook directly across his jaw stopping the words before they had even begun uttering the next syllable!

Booth then yanked off one of the man's half laced military issue boots and pulled off his sock – then stretching it out to elongate the material he tied it around the man's head and mouth tying it tightly behind his back and further reducing the motion of his jaw, thankful for the elasticity of the man's sock of choice. No way would he be able to get so much as a grunt out now with that in place – and a grunt would never be heard from this distance to the main office.

Booth then grabbed the nearby rifle, using it as a makeshift cane – he was able to get himself up to a semi-standing position while grabbing onto his sore chest and rib area with his free hand. He then set off to complete his original mission to escape, thankful for the rifle that helped him move faster since he no longer had to stay near walls and crates to keep from using his busted up limb.

The only way he could find to exit the warehouse without going much closer to the office that housed his captors, was a large garage door that had not been lowered all the way to the ground, leaving him with about three feet of space that he would barely be able to slip under. Grunting softly he resigned himself to the fact that the task before him was definitely going to be a painful one as he lowered himself to one knee with his broken leg jutting out straight as he tried hard not to jar the sensitive limb. Eventually he was able to lay down the rest of the way hoping to somehow roll under the limited opening - all the while knowing he would have to make it work because right now, he had no other options.

After peeking his head out first to just scan the area for additional security, he then slowly slid the rifle out before him and after taking in the deepest breath he could manage, he finally forced himself to roll the rest of the way out, clenching his teeth in agony throughout the entire movement. Laying there for a minute to catch his breath and rest he just stared up at the blue sky above him and smiled. Finally he was out and it seemed like years since he had seen the light of day.

Never had he seen a more welcome sight as he did when he laid there on his back for a minute - just soaking in the sunshine and the welcome warmth it provided - and breathing in the perfect breeze that only managed to make the moment more magnificent. He was still alive.

Being raised with a by his Grandfather with a solid Catholic faith - Booth took the time to whisper a quiet prayer and thanking God for helping him get this far and for the fact that he was still alive – adding one quick prayer for Brennan's well being before he knew he had to get moving again. Reaching next to him he grabbed the awaiting rifle to use as support to pull himself up, his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings to determine the next stage of his far too spontaneous plan.

The only vehicles he could see in the area were those parked outside of the main warehouse office. Too risky he decided, he could not find any way to get to them without someone spotting him from the office window or the other massive garage door near the office that was standing wide open.

His only option was to head in the opposite direction and fast! He knew how these operations worked, it would not be long before either Nik or the other security brute – both missed checking back in with their bosses and all hell would break loose! After moving along at what he felt was a snail's pace, using the rifle to replace his useless less was wearing him out quickly and also hampering his ability to the expand the distance between himself and his captors. Occasionally letting himself lean up against the side of the neighboring warehouse as he moved along beside it, giving him enough of a reprieve to help keep him moving.

After forging ahead for less than ten minutes, he was already starting to falter. Deciding to take a two second break he leaned up against the side of a neighboring smaller warehouse for support, he stole a quick glance back toward the warehouse that had become his temporary prison, relief flooded his senses as he realized that no one had come running out meaning so far they had not yet noticed he was gone. Reaching up and swiping away some of the blood that was still slowly trickling from the shallow cut on his cheek, he noticed a moderate layer of sweat that seemed to cover the rest of his face.

Normally he didn't sweat like that unless he had gone for a run or had been chasing a suspect for numerous blocks. Booth prided himself for the high level of fitness he maintained so he knew that the excessive sweating was not as much from physical exertion as it was from the fever which he knew could only mean one thing – that the infection burning inside many of his wounds, especially his leg – was getting worse.

Looking around to determine where to head next, he quickly became disheartened when his vision started to blur intermittently and the world in front on him started to tilt and swirl around him. Closing his eyes he prayed for the vertigo to pass but that only managed to increase the nausea that he was also experiencing.

He wanted nothing more than just lie down for a few minutes and sleep. So overwhelming was the feeling that it took everything in him to not give in, he couldn't recall ever wanting something as badly as he wanted to sleep right now but he knew he had to keep moving, he had to find a way to get to Bones and keep her safe.

He wasn't sure yet just how he was going to accomplish that, but he would have plenty of time to think about it as he worked his way to find the closest pay phone, knowing that could be a while since pay phones were becoming obsolete in the age of cell phones. He shook off the negative thought and forced himself to get moving again, his knew he also had to be on the lookout to find something other than the rifle to use as a crutch since once he got closer to where people might be, he would have to find a way to conceal the cumbersome weapon.

While his attention was focused on the rifle, another thought popped into his head that spurred some hope within him – and that was the fact that he knew Hodgins would be able to use the gun to gather crucial samples from the soil that was quickly collecting in and around the hollow tip of the rifle while it doubled as Booth's cane, slowly helping him move along the alleyway without too much trouble. In order to keep his mind distracted from both his worry over Brennan and from the pain of his injuries, Booth started to think about other evidence that might be housed on the weapon he clung to so tightly.

Even though some of the trace evidence may have been compromised by Booth's own manhandling of the rifle, he knew that they would still discover plenty. From the fingerprints of the security goon he took down, to perhaps even one of his cohorts since whoever had loaded the gun would surely not have worn gloves while doing so – easily leaving behind prints on the jacket of the bullets themselves.

Then there was the additional evidence that he knew would be found within his own tattered clothing and battered physique and just thinking about getting closer to nailing the bastards made him feel more hopeful and relieved by the second. He relished in the fact that the evidence would also help them to not only locate the warehouse again, but also pin the criminals responsible for this ongoing nightmare to the warehouse and to the crimes committed within - he and Brennan's kidnapping and subsequent abuse was just for starters.

Booth felt a small surge of adrenaline at the thought of watching their evidence come together and finally seal the Gravedigger's fate as Booth was more determined than ever to make it and open and shut case to put them all away for good!

Jeffersonian Lab . . .

As Brennan and Angela moved through to lab to get to where the others were stationed, Brennan's eyes roamed the hallways and offices – thinking back to what Sam had said about how he had paid top dollar to hire people within the institute to spy and report to him. Now Brennan found herself suspicious of every person she laid eyes on, even if she recognized them as having worked at the Jeffersonian for ages. If she had learned anything while working with Booth to investigate criminals and evaluate human behavior, she had learned that greed could cause even the most solid citizen to be bought and agree to do things they never thought they would ever stoop low enough to do.

"Bren? Hello-oo?"

Angela's voice finally broke through her wildly running thoughts. "Oh – sorry Ang . . . um what did you say?"

"I asked you if Booth was okay – I assume you were with him for a while can you at least tell me that?"

"Yes Ang, I was with him and . . . no . . . he's . . . not okay. Now that's all I want to say about the matter because it just makes me too angry."

Soon they had arrived at the large platform area where Cam, Hodgins and intern Wendell were working on separate tasks. Sweets didn't appear to be in the lab at the moment but with she and Booth having gone missing Brennan knew he would be back in short order. She inhaled a deep cleansing breath to quell the anxiety surging through her. She knew the calmer she was, the lower the risk would be of her saying too much and somehow blowing the entire mission.

She had prepared herself for the onslaught of surprised looks, hugs and questions when the others finally caught sight of her, all of them assuming that Booth was coming in behind her and that he was simply parking his SUV after dropping Brennan off which was his usual style being the gentleman that he was. Once she broke the news that he was still captive the aura of the entire room was taken over by a more somber atmosphere. Cam was first to speak and break the unnatural silence.

"Okay Dr. Brennan you better start from the beginning and I hope you are able to tell us how it is that you are here and Booth is not. But before that you need to sit down because you look like you could fall over at any moment ." Before she had even completed the last sentence Wendell had already started rolling the plush office chair he had been seated in – over to his boss while Hodgins and Angela immediately pressed Brennan's shoulders down until she was seated.

They both felt pressure against their hands as she was obviously trying to rise up again insisting that they had no time for this, no time to rest. Brennan's felt her anxiety creeping back up as she fought back the urge to blurt out that they were all in danger. She wanted to alert them to what she had been told about explosives being hidden throughout the building – to tell them all to run for their freedom and safety! She knew she would do that even though it could result in her own death.

But even though she would sacrifice herself in a heartbeat if it mean everyone else would be safe - but not when she knew her actions would cause Booth's own life to also be cut short – taking him from his adoring son far too prematurely. So instead of warning them, she simply kept her lips pressed tightly together refraining from the overwhelming urge to confess everything.

"Listen, everyone – I appreciate your concern over my well being but there is work to be done and time is not on our side. I promise to answer every question you have – but later. Right now I just want to see what you have gathered so far on the Gravedigger cases – from the oldest to the newest."

"Please." She added when she found them all just staring blankly back at her, unsure of what to say or do, all of them baffled by her sudden appearance and nonchalant manner.

Cam caught something in the pale woman's eyes that she had only seen a couple of times before – most recently had been when Booth had a matter of hours left to live – trapped on that ship that was about to explode. Fear.

"Okay people listen up – for the time being we will all do exactly as Dr. Brennan asks and we will do it quickly and efficiently with no questions or arguments. Are we all clear on that?" Cam asked.

Her reply was a chorus of yeses as they all stood up straighter and looking more alert than they had all week. Waiting for Brennan to divvy up her tasks. Cam smiled as she saw the noticeable relief that now seemed to be exuding from every pore of her friend and employee's persona.

Brennan not only felt a sense of relief over Cam's instructions to everyone – but it had also occurred to her that even if she handed over every molecule of evidence to her kidnappers, both the Jeffersonian AND the FBI all kept back-up copies of absolutely every single print, trace evidence, reports, scans, photos and so on. She couldn't believe the stupidity of the criminals that she had been harnessed with, for them to assume that they would just walk away with ALL of the evidence connecting them to the crimes and just call it a day. She was oddly grateful for their obvious lack in the brain department.

She pushed all other thoughts away and began to get what she needed so that she could quickly return to her partner's side – but knowing they would still be killed in spite of their following every demand, she still had to find some way to get a message to the others alerting them to her plight.

Alley not far from the warehouse . . .

Only ten minutes had passed with Booth not gaining nearly as much ground as he should have – and normally would have if it had not been for his current condition, which was not fairing any better as time moved on. He could feel the familiar tickle of warm blood as it lightly drizzled down his leg from just below his knee – quickly ruining the makeshift wrapping his partner had dressed it with. He smiled as he thought of how sexy she had looked when she was trying to patch him up, there was just something endearing about the normally somewhat stoic scientist suddenly going into 'Mother bear mode' and tending to him with a gentle touch.

Looking behind him he still didn't see activity from the warehouse but he knew that could change in a matter of seconds once they realized that Nik had not returned. Becoming more and more disoriented by the minute due to several factors fighting against him – one being the shock that his body was continuing to show signs of which was inevitable given his serious injuries, another factor weighing him down was infection as it continued to fester inside his leg and other wounds, and finally there was the severity of his concussion that was becoming harder and harder for him to ignore. He could tell that he was fading quickly and it seemed that no matter of self talk was going to work to keep him going. He tried telling himself to toughen up and forge ahead – after all he was a former Army Ranger and had been through much worse than this.

But his body was telling a different story and ignoring his silent demands to stay upright. Finally his body completely betrayed him as he stumbled more than once while his visions began to fade in and out.

'Havvve - to keep – going . . . 'have to . . . g-get . . . toooo . . . Bo-onnnessss . . . . . . .' he mumbled out loud as he finally lost the battle to remain upright and pitched sideways for the last time, his body finally caving in completely and causing him to the fall all the way down this time, hitting the wall of yet another old abandoned structure with a hard thud as he went down hard and fast. It happened so fast that he only vaguely aware of his unfortunate tumble, his last thought before succumbing to pain free darkness was the weak and silent prayer that he would not be found by his captors who were still just several yards back and more assuredly aware of his escape.

To Be Continued . . .

A/N II – Uh-oh – will Booth be found by his captors, or will someone else find him? Will Brennan find a way to determine where she was being held by giving Hodgins dirt samples and then come to the aid of her partner? Stay tuned to find out