-Venus POV-
Temp and I switched as she was in the front again and I am now in the back preparing some materials to help Hodgins leg. Temp then says, "We were on our way to my karate class, so we have lots of bottled water." Hodgins looks around and asks, "What happened? Were are we?" Temp continued, "Last thing I remember is being at the lab." "I'm really confused. What happened to my legs? Where are we?" I looked at him, "Were underground. Buried. Temp has a burn behind her neck, as well as I, but I also got one on the side of my ribs." "Zack was trying to figure out what kind of stun gun."
Temp then says, "It has to be the Grave Digger. I think he ran you down with his car, and then pumped you full of drugs to ruin your short-term memory, same as Ryan Kent." "How long have we been down here?" I looked at my watch, "About two hours, I think." "Okay, so this vehicle has say, 60... 60 cubic feet of air. That's 30% oxygen, three people. My brain is not working." Temp then says, "The Grave Digger is very consistent. If we started with 12 hours of air, we'll be unconscious in ten. After that, if- if no one pays the ransom..." "Were dead?" I then say, "Yes, but you both need to stay calm, we will get through this."
-No Ones POV-
Back at the lab the rest of the team had gathered together as Cam says, "How are we gonna get our hands on $12 million?" Zack then says, "Hodgin and Venus are rich." "They are?" "Rich squared to the power of ten times four' is how Hodgins describes it. Venus doesn't really talk about how rich she is." Angela then asks, "You're gonna pay the ransom, right?" "Yes. FBI standard ops, they won't work. Grave Digger operates outside statistics." Cam says, "They'll fire you." "Ah, that's cool. One less reason to wear a suit." "How did the Grave Digger catch Brennan, Venus and Hodgins together?" "Bones and Venus were on their way to karate." Angela adds, "And Hodgins said that he found something huge." Zack adds, "He tried to catch Dr. Brennan and Venus."
They all went downstairs to the garage parking lot as Cam sees blood on the ground. "Here!" Angela then says, "Oh, my God. Oh, that's blood, isn't it?" Booth then says, "It'll turn out to be Hodgins'." Zack then says, "Dr. Brennan doesn't like it when we jump to conclusions." Cam then says, "I'm sure she'll appreciate we're on a deadline." "Look, they took down Venus first, then Brennan next. Then Hodgins interrupted the kidnapping, just like Ryan and Matthew. The Grave Digger must have run him over." Angela then asks, "God, what are we gonna do?" Booth looks at her, "Well, it's a crime scene, all right? They'll look for tire tracks, they'll check the security cameras." He then points to Zack, "I need you to be Dr. Brennan." "I don't know what that means." Cam then says, "It means keep working the case." "All right, I need to know why Hodgins was chasing after Bones and Blueberry." Cam nods, "I'll look at his notes." Angela then asks, "Well, what about me?" "Call Bones and Blueberry's brother Russ and tell him what's going on. I'm gonna go talk to the chairman of the Cantilever Group." They all leave to do their parts.
-Venus POV-
I had layed everything down where I was sitting as I explain to them, "We have water, towels, a mini kit, ibuprofen two cellphones with no batteries, a digital camera with a backup battery, my gun, and, uh... a handful of pens. Never mind this one is a laser pointer." Temp then takes out her book, "And Temps copy of her novel." Hodgins then says, "Hey we can read it to each other if we get bored." Temp found a small bag as she takes it out and reads it, "Deep Rhapsody." Hodgin looks over, "Careful. That's three grand a quarter ounce."
I see that he is in pain as Temp says, "Yeah, I'd make that face, too, if I spent $3,000 on perfume." I look over at Hodgins and at his leg, "No, Temp. I think he has something in his leg. Give him some ibuprofen." Temp gives the medicine to Hodgins as I examine his leg, "I'm worried you have compartment syndrome." "Is that terminal? I mean, within the next few hours?" "No, but it will become very painful, even more than my rib pain right now." "It doesn't seem that you're in pain?" "Yeah, but that's because I am used to pain already... But you will Slip-into-shock-and die-painful." "Well... there's nothing we can do about that." I look at him, "There is actually a way. But you won't be liking it."
-No One POV-
There are 8 hours and 22 minutes left as Cam looks down at Zack and asks, "What are you doing?" "The Grave Digger modified a commercial stun gun to knock out his victims. I figured out the voltage and amperage, but not how he modified it to boost the current. Venus would be able to figure that out." He then uses the modified stun gun on a piece of meat and stops and opens the slice and sees that nothing went through. "Which will not help us find Dr. Brennan, Venus, and Hodgins. I did figure out how Ryan Kent died." "
Let's hear it." "He killed himself- he punctured his own carotid artery, which explains the amount of blood we found in the vat. He used a pen. There's a nick on the inferior angle of the mandible. I don't know why he did it. I don't really do 'why.' I just do 'how." "He did it to give his brother more air, so his twin would survive. That's why we found them holding each other." "How does that help?" "When we tell Mr. Kent that one of his sons gave his own life in an effort to save his brother, it'll mean something, Zack. Just keep searching, okay?" He nods and proceeds on working.
-Venus POV-
I am preparing Hodgins leg as he rips out a piece of paper from Temps book and writes on it. He finishes as he says, "Okay, I'm ready." Temp looks at him seeing that he put the note away and asks, "Was that a note to Angela?" "Yes, just in case. If whatever Venus is gonna do to me sends me into shock, I might die. Upside: me not breathing doubles both of your survival time." I then say, "That wont happen Hodgins. First I am not interested in surviving that way. Second, if the time does come where we need to conserve air, I will be the one giving you both a chance of survival. And third, I will make sure you wont die, not on my watch. I already lost to many for another important person to leave me."
He looks at me touched and confused, before he could ask I say, "What I'm going to do is make a long incision in the fascia to release the pressure inside." "And how- how long is a long incision? Wait. You know what? Don't tell me." "Don't worry, I will make it quick." He nods as I gave him a belt. "Hang on to something, and try not to fight passing out." Hodgins gets ready as I ask, "Ready?" He nods as I look at Temp, "You should turn around sis, you wouldn't want to see this." She nods and turns around waiting for me to go. I start ripping his pants as we see something on it as he lets go of the belt from his mouth, "Hey. What is that?"
Temp turns around and look as I hand it to her as she says, "Evidence of what happened to you. Let's- worry about it later." Temp puts it in her book so Hodgins or I could take a look at it later. Hodgins gets ready again as I was about to start he mumbles. I stop as he speaks again, "I'm nuts about Angela. Over the moon. Stupid in love with her. That's why I bought her that- that crazy, expensive perfume. A man gives you a bottle of perfume like that, it says- it says, 'I love you.' There. I said it out loud."
Hodgins puts the belt back on and gets ready finally ready. He nods as I nod and look down and get the knife out and start cutting open the side of his leg. He starts screaming in pain as I continue.
- No One POV-
There are 5 hours and 9 minutes left. Cam is looking over Hodgins notes as Angela comes over to her. "Did you find Russ?" "He's on a fishing trip with friends in the White Mountains. No phone, no cell service. You?" "Hodgin seems to write everything in some kind of code. I might have to get Zack over here to break it." She shows Angela as she says, "It says that the traces of aluminum found on the clothing were almost certainly from the kidnapper's vehicle. Like a box in the back of a trunk or a van." "You can read that?" "Yeah. Hodgins sends me a lot of notes. Why bother with all of this? We don't need evidence. We need millions of dollars." Angela leaves in distress and tears as Cam sighs.
Booth and Cam are upstairs as he says, "I can't get the ransom together- not in time. The Cantilever group has got this policy- no proof of like from the kidnapper, no ransom. Not even for the boss?" "It's his rule. It's no exceptions. And I talked with Jimmy, Blueberry's assistant and he says that all the money is hidden and would never be found as only two people know where her money is." "And who is that two?" "Her and the other we don't know who that is." "Can't you trace where it is?" "No. Venus... is real smart. Finding or trying to trace that money is like finding an alive breathing dinosaur in this century. So, yeah, we need more time, except the Grave Digger doesn't give us that or proof of life." "Booth, I don't think it's a coincidence that he took Brennan and Venus when he did." "Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing for Bones. But Venus is someone very valuable not just for money, but for many other things that this Country wants..." Cam wanted to ask as Booth left.
-Venus POV-
I am checking up on Hodgins once in a while as Temp accidently honks the horn making him wake up. Temp and I sigh as she says, "Thank God she didn't kill you." "Hey, I did say I wouldn't let him die on us." "How long was I unconscious?" I look at him and help him up, "For a while. How's your leg doing?" "Better. Lots better." He looks at Temp, "What are you doing?" "Hot-wiring the phone to the horn, so we can send a message." "From underground?"
I smile and nod, "Yup, we get radio reception." "Direct current 12-volt will burn out the circuits in a 4.2 volt cell phone in a microsecond. Better jury-rig a resistor." I chuckle, "Already thought about that. It might work long enough to send a single-burst transmission. A very short text message." Temp nods and adds, "Booth can trace it to a cell phone relay tower." Hodgins then asks, "What message shall we send? 'Good-bye?' 'Nice to know you?" I chuckle, "No, you know what we are surrounded by?" "Pain. Despair. And subsoil accumulation of agglutinated aridosols."
Temp then answers, "Dirt." I look at Temp, "You do know that we don't like the term 'dirt.' right?" "All right. Then tell me something I don't know." I chuckle, "You are finally following what I am getting at Temp." She hands Hodgins the pile of pebbles as Hodgins and I both examn it. Hodgin speaks first, "Ash. Hints of nitrogen and sulfur." He then spits in it. Temp then asks, "Where are we?" I answer, "We are in coal country. Bituminous coal country. Which basically means that we are in Virginia." Temp then says, "We need more than that." "Okay, hand over the laser to us and some benzophenone." "Benzophenone. It's soaps, in plastic packaging, sunscreen. We don't have any sunscreen." I then suggest, "Angela's perfume works." Hodgin then says, "Three gand that cost."
I shrug as Temp says, "Hodgins, we will split the cost when we get out of here." "There's something you both don't know about me... I'm rich." I chuckle, "Us too." "No, no. Brennan is well-off. You're up in the 12 people. My family owns the Cantilever Group, and there's not many of us left alive. One, to be exact. Me." Temp then says, "Okay, we won't split the cost with you." I then say, "I already knew that Hodgins." "How?" "Well, I also have my secrets... I am your boss." "Huh?" "Yup, I am the current director of the Jeffersonian Institution. Your boss." "Huh? So the mysterious boss we never seen was always with us. What a twist." We all chuckle as Temp opens the perfume bottle and pours it on his hand with the ash and soil. Hodgin mixes it together as I gab the laser and point at it. Hodgin then says, "I need the camera." He looks at it for a few second and looks up finally figuring out where we are. "I know where we are."
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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "BONES". IT IS OWNED BY JOSEPHSON ENTERTAINMENT, BY HART HANSON. I ONLY CLAIM MY CHARACTER VENUS BRENNAN. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANY OF THE IMAGES. THANK YOU.