"The Skull That Was Bones"

A Fanfiction that I wrote a while back, but I feel like posting it here and fixing it up a little bit.

Here is the trailer for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yULuVTl4f74




You never come to know what true relationships are until they are tested. When they do come it is something to be treasured. The love that you feel towards the other can't even be measured or grasped. It is a miracle. It is something to fight for, something to live for, and somthing to die for.

The night was dark when Temperance Brennan entered her apartment with an arm full of mail. She closed the door with her spare foot, and clicked the light switch with her elbow. She headed toward the counter and plopped her armload of papers and packages onto it. She smiled, happy to free herself of the load and started to organize the letters and packages into piles. "Ad, bill, fan mail." Her eyes drifted to one peculiar package. It was brown, quite large, and very carefully packaged. She looked at her piles, and decided to open it first. She grasped the bronze letter opener and sliced through the tape with ease. She didn't remember ordering anything. It probably was just an author sending her their transcript to their book.

Carefully she opened the sides of the box. As she glanced inside the box, her mouth dropped. The contents of the box consisted of a skull. She opened her purse and removed a pair of latex gloves and pulled them on. She clutched the skull and carefully pulled it out of the box. She held it up to the fluorescent kitchen light to more carefully examine it. She tapped the skull with the nail of her index finger. "Plastic," she stated quizzically. "It looks so real." Holding the skull up to the light she rotated it slowly to study it from every angle. She discovered that the back of the skull held a meticulous engraving in bold letters.
Temperance read the engraving aloud,

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY, FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY."

Temperance speed dialed her FBI partner Agent Seeley Booth. Booth and her were crime-fighting partners. She used her intelligence in the field of Forensic Anthropology, and he used his street like skills. Together, they solved countless murders, and gave back the identity of victims that essentially had lost their faces.

"Booth speaking" He said groggily, rubbing his tired eyes. He lay in his bed, and had been sleeping until the phone rang.

"Booth," Temperance began nervously, "Someone mailed me a plastic skull."

"It's not the first time you've received a weird gift from some deranged fan." Booth chuckled. Booth squinted at his alarm clock. "Bones it's two o' clock in the morning, get some rest. Can't we deal with the insane tomorrow?"

"I don't think it is from a fan. There's an engraving on the back." Temperance read the engraving to Booth.

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY."

"I'll be over in a few minutes." He said as he sat up in his bed and wiped his eyes again.

"All-right." she said, and hung up the phone.

She looked at the skull on the counter. It was strange how uneasy it made her feel. She backed away from the skull and sank into an armchair to wait for her partner. She was too nervous to just sit, so she began marking the skull with some tissue markers made of erasers that she had in her bag.

The intercom buzzed, releasing her from her state of focus. She got up from the table and pushed the button to open the building door.

The tone in his partner's voice made Booth take the stairs two at a time. As he approached her apartment, her door was already propped open with the Webster's dictionary.

"It's open," Temperance called.

"I can see that." Booth yawned. He entered the apartment and found his partner hunched over the counter table placing pieces of eraser onto the plastic skull.

He studied the skull. "You know, Bones, this skull is not real! Why in the world are you putting erasers on it?" Booth questioned. "It just makes it more creepy."

Temperance picked up the skull to show her partner, "Look at the sutures, and the texture," she explained, pointing to the skull. "All the anatomical details are exactly perfect!"

"Bones, what are you getting at here?" Booth inquired intently.

Temperance answered, "Booth, this is an extremely precise replica of an actual skull!"

"Okay…." Booth said. His brow furrowed, as he looked more intently at the skull.

"The nasal arch and cheek bones indicate that a Caucasian female."

"Age?" Booth asked hunched over to take a closer look.

"Late twenties, early thirties."

"So this is what a Barbie's skull looks like." Booth grinned.

"I don't know what that means."

"Do you think that Angela can put the plastic head in the Angelator to figure out the mystery suspect?"

"Yes, of course." She answered, "By the way, this is not a Barbie."

"I'm running on two hours of sleep Bones. You woke me out of bed, I am allowed to make a joke." He pointed to the door. "Let's go" Booth orderd. She carefully put the skull into the box and headed toward the vehicle while she speed dialed Angela, who would probably be in bed at this hour. But, she would help her. That's what she loved about her friend, always there for her.

When they arrived to the Jeffersonian, Temperance behind Booth while she carefully grasped the package to secure the safety of the evidence. "Come on Bones hurry up!" Booth insisted. She glared at him still staying her pace. "The faster we figure this is a prank, the faster I can go to bed." Booth said.

As she had assumed she was in the Angelator room with the weekly squint, the depressed Colin Fisher by her side. (Angela probably called Colin, who was working in Limbo at the time. But, most people knew he spent most of his time talking to the young Gothic janitor.) They were getting the computer ready to scan the skull. When Angela saw Temperance she came over. "How are you holding up sweetie?" Angela asked soothingly. Her hair was in a loose ponytail; her makeup put on haphazardly, small bags under her eyes, and was wearing gray sweats.

"Fine, but it would make me feel better if we found this is a fake threat, and not a real person. Plus, Booth wants to go back to bed." Temperance pulled the skull out of the box. Angela looked stunned, "When did you this?" Angela asked pointing to the protruding erasers from the skull. "I did the tissue markers when I was waiting for Booth to come to pick me up." Temperance said. Temperance carefully handed the Skull to Angela to scan. Angela carefully pinpointed the points and put them in, and in thirty minutes time she was done. Angela smiled, "Are you ready to see our mystery subject."


"Can we hurry it up, I need to go back to Limbo." Colin complained.

"I think this is more important than to chat with your friend the 'Gothic Dude'." Angela grinned, as Conlin looked down embarrassed. Angela pressed the button to reveal the skull on the hand-held screen before projecting it onto the large 3D monitor.

"OH MY." Angela's voice quivered.

"Angela, What's the matter?" Temperance pleaded

When Angela pressed the button to reveal the unknown suspect the whole room went silent. There was fear in the room, lots of it. Booth could only stutter three words "B... Bones it's... you!" Temperance couldn't move, while she stared face to with herself. This was definitely not a prank. This was a threat.

TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . . .

CHAPTER TWO:
THE MIRROR IMAGE

The fear in the room was so real that it seemed possible to see its horrible dark appearance. Temperance's eyes were still glued to the screen. She kept on blinking, hoping the image would somehow go away, but it didn't. The image of her face was still there as if she was looking at herself in a mirror.

Booth broke the silence, "This is not possible! Angela, you must have it wrong!"

"Angela is very good." Temperance whispered, but still with sincerity. "Angela is very good." She repeated again as she inched closer to her holographic image.

"How in the... How did this person make...your skull?" Booth asked. He looked at the image with a furrowed brow, bitting the inside of his lip.

"Reverse engineering." Angela said.

"What?" Booth questioned with great insistence.

"It is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, an object or a system through analysis of its structure, function and operation." Temperance announced.

"English." Booth pleaded.

"You start from the final product, work yourself backwards, and figure out how the object was made." Angela revised.

"Okay, I get that, but how did they make Bones'... skull?" Booth asked again as his face added color.

Temperance explained, "If you have several three dimensional scans of the head, in theory, you should get a three dimensional image of the skull. But the skull is too complex with many different details and this process was proven not to be possible."

"Well it's real now!" Booth interjected.

Temperance re started, "There is only one person I know of who could make this monumental breakthrough."

"Great, who is it?" Booth asked his nerves still on edge.
Temperance turned toward Angela and said, "She is!"

Booth turned to Angela. His brows went up, and he stared at her. Angela feeling almost humiliated by even being considered a lunatic spoke up.

"What?" Angela questioned, "What do you mean it's me?"

"I didn't say it was you. I meant you're the only one with the acumen to do this."

"What do you mean Bones?" Booth asked.

"Angela has made the Angelator which is an amazing devise which can make 3D rendered skulls. Also don't you remember she was able to make several skull prototypes for the woman who only had the skin left because an illogical woman took bones to make some money?"

"Yea...but, honey this is not my work." Angela replied.

"I know I said that!" Temperance said.

"Then who did this?" Booth asked.

"Some genius with an Incredible IQ!" Angela announced throwing her hands up not knowing what to do.

"How much time do we have?" Booth queried.

"Not much." Temperance declared.

"What do you mean not much?" Angela asked.

"If I am supposed to die in a day and it was delivered to..."

"Bones get on with it!" Booth interrupted.

"About 10 hours, but Booth we don't know who this person is let alone what their motive is."

"But we have to take this as serious threat Bones. We still don't know who this nut job and
what he is planning to do!"

"I don't know where to start." Angela announced. Her face had morphed into an expression that most people ever got to see. She was pale as she grasped tighlty onto the remote of the Angelator. For once she did not know how to help. She had always been able to understand the inner workings of things, but now she was drawing a complete blank. And now it was in the most important time of her life. She needed to figure this out. She had to save her friend no matter what it took.

"I'll Call Sweets, and see if he give us a profile of this weirdo; maybe use some of his Jedi mind tricks to find what this person is up to. Angela, I need you to call Cam, and Hodgins we will need all the help we can get." Booth said.

Cam arrived first, making a big running entrance into the room. With an exhausted breath and hair half done she asked. "Okay, I got the message, but I don't understand. What do you mean you found Dr. Brennan's skull?"

Hodgins came in and almost knocking Cam over while he asked: "Explanation, please!"
When both of them saw Angela's finger pointing to Temperance's face displayed in the air.

"Wow!" both Hodgins and Cams voices intertwined.

"You got that right." Angela said.

"This is not funny. Angela, stop playing jokes! I didn't wake up for jokes" Cam called out.

"This is not a joke, Cam." Booth said.

"Explanation please. I am dying for an explanation!" Hodgins begged scratching his five o' clock shadow.

"I came home, opened a package and found this with a engraving on the back." Temperance answered as she picked up the skull to show the engraved letters.

"COME AND SEE WHERE THIS VICTIM WILL LAY FOR SHE WILL DIE IN JUST ONE DAY." Cam read.

"I noticed the extreme realism of the skull, asked Angela to put it into the Angelator, and I...my face came out." Brennan said exasperated.
"I don't know how it is possible to make such a precise and detailed skull without her being there. This is beyond what is technologically possible." Angela proclaimed

"Well, I guess some tormented Einstein figured it out and is taking it out for a test drive." Hodgins figured.

"The question is if it is a prank, or are they actually searching for blood?" Cam said.

When Sweets rushed into the room the first thing he noticed was the 3D projection of Temperance's face. "Wow, Dr. Brennan that is awesome! Were you made Employer of the Month? What do I have to do to get my mug shot on that thing?"

"Sweets, I need you to figure who is the person who did this?"
"Who?" Sweets asked.

Booth gave Sweets the skinny.

"Sure, what's the big deal?" Sweets proclaimed nonchalantly "I can tell you right away who this person is!"

"What?" Colin Fisher asked. Every one turned around to look at him not realizing that he had been there the whole time.

"Oh I am correct I am invisible oh, the agony!"

"Shut Up Fisher!" Hodgins replied.

"Wait...You know the person's name?" Booth asked while he gave the universal Shut up sign with his hand to Hodgins and Fisher.

"No! Gee I'm good, but not that good! I mean I know this kind of personality." Sweets said.

"Oh...okay then what is it." Booth said sort of sheepishly.

"This person is very prideful, if he just wanted to kill Dr. Brennan he would have just done it. But he wants to outwit her he thinks that he is smarter and wiser. This person wants to get under her skin wants to take control. This person probably had a poor upbringing and has always been under someone else's thumb. He figures by doing this he can show the world that he is smarter and be at the top of the tandem pole." Sweets said.

"This is a weird way of doing it!" Angela announced.

"Well yea, this guy is immoral with a possessive aggressive attitude. He can't see through reality he thinks everything is a game and he has to win."

"Wait you mean this person is likely to play games all the time?" Booth asked with great thought.

"Yea any kind of game, he is very creative, but the games are probably vulgar because well, he is delusional!" Sweets answered.

"Booth, what are you thinking about?" Temperance asked.

"The one person that I know of that likes to play games from Bone's books..." Booth answered.

"Oliver Laurier!" Temperance announced.


TO BE CONTINUED...