BONES AU - PART THREE "The Cannibal in Question"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Joe rolled his eyes. "My feelings. Okay, now you're attacking my feelings?"

Kevin peeked his head in the door and interrupted. "Hey,uh... There's something in the Gormogon vault I think you should see."

Joe walked past Malo, then turned to Scott. "I still say you slug him."

Malo grinned like a Cheshire cat. "You know, I think it's interesting, psychologically how Agent Hobbs' constant efforts to persuade you to enjoy fruit pie could be interpreted as a kind of seduction."

Scott's eyes widened as Joe rolled his eyes and motioned for Scott to follow. "Whatever you two are talking about? Just stop it. Zip it. Let's go."

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They all went to the stairs leading down to the Gormogon Vault. Scott stopped Malo on the stairs when Joe and Kevin were out of earshot.

"You think I don't recognize an experiment when I see one? You experimented on us."

"Beg your pardon?"

Scott's speech sped up. "Not telling me Joe was alive? You wanted to quantify our reactions for your own research? You took advantage of us. Joe and I agreed to let you observe us. We did not agree to be used as lab rats, so you better cut it out."

"Dr. Hoying, why are you talking so fast?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "Because if Joe heard, he'd beat you up."

"Don't you think that'd be an overly aggressive act?"

"No. Not at all." Scott said sourly as he went down the stairs. Malo rolled his eyes and followed.

The three of them followed Kevin to where the skeleton would have been, however...

"Security had the entrance to this wing locked and the vault, itself, was secured." Kevin explained.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh... where's the skeleton?!"

Max took this question. "We don't know. I came down to see if the screws matched the silver in the skeleton and the skeleton was gone."

"But there are security cameras and sensors covering every inch of this place." Malo pointed out.

Kevin shook his head. "When Kirstie's explosion set off all the alarms, every security camera in the building failed."

"The door to the loading dockth was unlockthed." Max added.

Kevin went over to a screen to pull up the security footage. "Ten minutes before the explosion. Everything is working perfectly. Fast forward, here. Max passes Kirstie the container of tricyclic acetone proxide."

Max lowered his head. "I thoughth it was the monomer..."

"The explosion occurred at 12:03 and 22 seconds. At 12:03 and 22 seconds." The screens on the computers are nothing but snow, now.

Joe frowned. "Back up systems?"

"All dead, too."

Scott spoke up. "Guards?"

Kevin shook his head. "There was a chemical accident. That takes precedence over any other security issue. All personnel went to secure the lab or went to secure any point that went to the museum proper so there'd be no loss of life."