Title: The Bellini Incident
Part One
Warm Rain Series
Author: Gumnut
Apr 2019
Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS
Rating: Teen
Summary: Kayo was going to kill him.
Word count: 3381
Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, Virgil!whump with a side order of Scott!whump, Pre-Em.
Timeline: Early in their relationship, somewhere between 'Green Dragon' and 'The Proposal'.
Author's note: For soniabigcheese who threw the prompt at me, and i-am-chidorixblossom who suggested some Virgil whump. Scott got a bit whumped, too, I'm branching out as a writer, blame scribbles97.
The prompt: The character who doesn't realize they've been hurt trying to see if everyone else is okay only to slowly realize that everyone is looking at them with mounting horror. Then they touch their side to find it's wet and oh no…
I'm not sure I pulled it off, and this is only part one, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :D
Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.
-o-o-o-
Bellini Construction...the wind had the sign banging against bare steel girders, an onerous clang above the howl of the weather and the whimpers of the man Scott was edging into a harness. First aid in extreme circumstances was International Rescue's speciality, but that didn't make it any easier for the person involved.
"Sir, we are nearly there. Please give me your arm."
The construction worker was one of three who had been caught unawares by an unexpected storm that had swooped in on the site half an hour ago. The high-rise building was subjected to gale-force winds it hadn't been secured for, and a lightning strike had been the final straw. Part of the structure collapsed in on itself, trapping the three men who had been making their way down. The elevator had fallen several meters. Safeties had kicked in, but the structure had destabilised and the supports holding the car bent under the strain.
International Rescue had been called and Scott had responded.
The two other men had been uninjured and were now safely aboard, but this man had broken his leg. An emergency splint and a haul up to Thunderbird One was the plan.
As with all broken bones, movement hurt like hell. Scott winced in sympathy as he secured the final buckle of the harness and began the lift up to his 'bird. "I'm sorry, sir. I will do this as fast and as gently as I can."
The man's whimper as he became airborne was his only answer.
Scott had his jetpack on, but the gale was a challenge, so he hung onto the line, slowly pulling the man higher. Far above them, Thunderbird One was firing her stabilising thrusters aggressively to maintain her hover.
"Nearly there, sir."
But the man was beyond reassurance, his expression terrified.
They had almost cleared the skeletal mass of the unfinished building when the world lit up in blinding white with an ear-bleeding bang. The man in his arms screamed and Scott's senses whited out. The wind threw them against the building's superstructure and through spots in his vision, Scott attempted to stabilise their ascent.
John was yelling in his ear when something rammed him from his left and everything blacked out.
-o-o-o-
Virgil gripped his 'bird's yoke just that little bit tighter as the man behind him demanded delivery to Port de Saint Tropez on the Mediterranean despite having been rescued in the middle of the Pacific.
"Sir, we will be landing in Sydney shortly. You may make alternate arrangements there." At least Gordon was being polite. Virgil wasn't really in the mood having had to listen to the rich billionaire abuse his brother for the last hour as the aquanaut had fished him off the bottom of the ocean, his luxury yacht having had an argument with a reef system. Several of his staff had died in the accident, yet he showed no remorse. Virgil was surprised his brother hadn't decked him yet.
But then again perhaps that was more worrisome. Gordon had other ways to express his ire.
"Thunderbird Two we have an IR situation." John. Calm, but urgent.
In the split second between this statement and the following, Virgil's stomach twisted, his brain automatically listing off the brothers currently unaccounted for. IR situation meant IR operative down or endangered. Alan? Scott?
Kay?
"Thunderbird One is in need of emergency assistance. Contact lost."
Tokyo. Scott was in Tokyo. Without thought, Virgil was changing his flight plan, inputting new coordinates into the nav system. The sunlight in the cockpit coasted across the decking as the great 'bird banked into a turn towards the north. A pause for course correction and Virgil's arm shoved the throttle to full speed.
Dick Billionaire - Virgil hadn't bothered to remember his last name, and 'Richard' was just too easy to exploit - squawked in his seat as they were all shoved backwards at the sudden acceleration.
"What the hell? Where are you taking me?"
"We have another emergency to attend to, sir. We apologise for the delay in your disembark, but it is unavoidable." Virgil didn't blink and didn't look at the man.
"This is unacceptable!"
"Too bad. Gordon, could you please take Mr Billionaire down below. And sir, if you disrespect my brother one more time, I will have you ejected from my ship."
"Your brother?"
"Get out now."
He could feel Gordon staring at him, but his little brother did his bidding and apparently it had been enough to shut Dick up for the short term at least. The two left and Virgil turned to the hologram of John hovering above his console. "Details?"
John was frowning at him, but the situation took precedence as it should. "Scott was attending a situation at a construction site. Bellini Constructions high rise apartments in Tokyo. Storm hit and the structure partly collapsed, trapping three workers. Scott managed to free two and was handling the third when the building was struck by lightning. I have not had contact since."
Virgil's gut clenched. Shit. "Thunderbird One's status?"
"I've slaved her to Thunderbird Five for safety. Gale force winds are an issue and she has two rescuees aboard."
"Scott's status?"
"Vitals steady, but he appears to be trapped amongst a tangle of girders approximately one hundred and fifty metres above the ground. One of the rescuees is with him. The rescuee has a broken leg."
Thunderbird Two shot over Indonesia, the blue sea interspersed by tropical green and white weather systems as they breached the equator.
"Weather conditions are still poor. Caution is recommended." Virgil could hear the tension in John's voice, despite its calm. One brother out of contact and sending another into the same situation definitely sat on John's reasons to be tense list.
"FAB, Thunderbird Five."
Guam passed beneath them as they skirted the Philippine Sea. Gordon returned to the cockpit and took up his seat quietly. John briefed him equally as calmly and his younger brother swore. John threw up a hologram of the construction site showing Scott's location, wind direction and speed, and Thunderbird One.
Virgil grit his teeth.
Ten minutes later Thunderbird Two hit Japanese air space and John was answering their queries in flawless Japanese. Virgil cut speed as they approached the storm whipping across Tokyo and grounding the majority of their air traffic. His 'bird shook a little and then stabilised, her mass used to her advantage. He kicked in VTOL as they approached the site, killing off unneeded speed and coming to a hover a safe distance above the damaged building.
"Any response from Scott?"
"Nothing." John's voice was worried. "Vitals still strong."
Unconscious or broken comms. One or the other. "I'm going down with the suit. Gordon, keep her in the air and stable. I have no wish to play George of the Jungle with any of those pylons."
Gordon frowned. "George who?"
Virgil rolled his eyes. "Just keep her steady."
"FAB."
He could have taken the rescue rig, but the less dangling bits below his 'bird, the better, so he stashed two spare harnesses, donned his exosuit and shot a zipline at a steep angle from the belly of his 'bird. Carabiner engaged, he jumped.
It was hard and it was fast. But it had to be. The wind tore at him and it had started raining in sheets. His uniform was waterproof, but he had to work partly on instruments to see where the hell he was going and the metal girders were slick when he hit them, his boots sliding despite their specialised grip.
Scott and the rescuee were amongst a tangle of broken girders at the centre of the structure. John shot him integrity readouts and stress factors as he moved. The suit made it awkward and the ground was so far below in the falling rain, he couldn't see it.
This could possibly be a good thing. One hundred and fifty metres was no small drop.
A cable hung from Thunderbird One and disappeared into a pile of wreckage to his right. It was a haunting sight.
C'mon, Scott, be okay.
It was more a demand than a plea.
The pile of girders was a nasty game of pickup sticks. Virgil was able to move them, but had little option for footing or angle and he was desperate to not cause any further collapse. John reassured him that there was no one below the structure, but it still seemed reckless to just let the spans of metal fall from this height, but then he had no real choice in the matter.
Five girders in and he found his brother first.
He was shoved up against a half-built wall by a single girder, pinning him there by the thruster pack on his back.
It was the only thing preventing the man from falling into the vast emptiness below.
Shit.
"Scott, can you hear me?" No response. "Scott!"
Nothing.
Damn.
Getting there to reach him was going to be a challenge. Calculations and a check with John...Virgil fired a grapple gun across the gap from where he was standing to the stable support on the other side. Securing it, he disengaged his support line to TB2 and clipped himself to the new line.
Gordon grumbled in his ear.
"I'll be fine, Gordon. Besides, I have little choice."
More muttering, which he ignored.
Releasing his arms from the suit, he let it take his weight and pulled himself across the gap.
The rain decided to increase and completely wash out his vision.
Goddamnit.
Reaching his brother, he linked in with the man's harness to prevent him from falling and, with that, a small sigh of relief slipped between his teeth.
But still there was no response from Scott. "C'mon, Scott, give me a sign here."
Nothing. He still hung limp.
Virgil wrapped his arms around his brother, bringing his helmeted head to lie on his shoulder, as he reached around to disengage the flight pack. A snap of fastenings and he let the pack drop, taking Scott's weight in his arms. "Scott?"
Nothing.
"Gordon, I need an ascent line down here."
"FAB."
Thunderbird Two shifted position, his 'bird moving to a hover far above Virgil. A line fed slowly down, wavering in the wind. "You're going to have to catch it, Virg. I can't get her any closer without a risk of influencing the structure."
"I know." The gale was definitely having its way and the rain brought his vision down to almost nothing. It took several attempts to grab the weighted line. Scott continued to hang limp in his grasp. God, he wished his brother would wake up. There was zero ability to do a medical assessment in these conditions. He had to get Scott up to TB2 and then return for the other man.
The wind gusted and spun him around. Damnit.
It took two attempts to fasten the line to his harness, but finally he was able to signal Gordon to pull them up. "I'm going to need you to secure Scott in the medbay. Ask John to slave TB2 to Thunderbird Five for the shortest time possible. I don't trust these winds at all."
As if to prove his point, a gust blew up and whipped them around, sending the brothers into a spin. A second gust grabbed them and threw them both side-on into a damaged girder. Virgil curled around his brother protecting him from hitting the jagged chunk of metal. Pain shot up his left side and he swore. Great, more bruises. He still hadn't cleared up the last batch from the earthquake in New Zealand. Kay was going to glare at him again.
He pushed off from the structure and they continued their ascent. Being swallowed whole by his 'bird was the most beautiful feeling. As the hatch closed beneath him, Gordon rushed up and helped him lower Scott and himself to the deck.
He handed his older brother gently over to his younger brother and the hover stretcher following behind him. "Check him out. Keep me updated." Virgil grit his teeth, man, his side hurt. Damn wind. "Gotta go back down and grab the rescuee."
With that, he opened the bay doors again, and securing himself, began another descent back down to the construction site.
-o-o-o-
The sudden engagement of powerful rocket thrusters woke Scott Tracy.
The sound was so sudden, so abrupt, he startled awake and sat up before he realised where he was. The world spun in circles to thank him. He clutched his head and found himself at war with his stomach.
Ugh.
Bile rose in his throat, its bitter taste foul. Shit.
"Don't you be throwing up in here, the place stinks enough already."
Huh?
Even with his eyes closed he had enough information to identify TB2's infirmary. But who the hell was that?
He won the battle with his stomach, swallowing forcibly, but his head continued to pound and the world was anything but steady. Despite this, he squinted and opened his eyes.
Oh god.
A basin was shoved into his hands and he lost the war.
His head hated him even more, but at least his stomach shut up.
"Great. Now it really stinks. This is bloody outrageous. I could be feet up, breathing French air, but no, I get dragged halfway across the bloody planet stuck in this tin can with whiner and vomit boy." Another voice said something unintelligible. "I swear I'm going to sue International Rescue to its knees."
That had Scott paying attention despite his throbbing head. He opened his mouth to voice a retort, but was interrupted by a familiar voice on comms.
"Scott, how do you feel?" John.
Another attempt to open his eyes proved a little more successful and he found his brother's hologram floating next to him.
"I-"
"Hey, you, glowboy. When the hell do I get let off this boat?"
John turned slowly and calmly in the direction of a rotund, formerly well-dressed man of European appearance. "Mr Polominka, you will be set down in Sydney as previously discussed as soon as our more urgent patients receive medical attention."
"And how long will that be?"
Scott watched as his most patient brother frowned. "As long as it needs to be."
"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
John shrugged. "You could shut up. It would make this whole process much more peaceful."
Being told to shut up apparently shocked the man into doing exactly that, the look of outrage on his face choked down whatever he had been going to say.
John ignored him and turned back to Scott. "How are you feeling?"
Scott grunted. "Been better." A bitter swallow. Urgh. "Status?"
"We are approaching Nagoya. We have made arrangements to access hospital facilities there. The storm over Tokyo was making landing difficult so Virgil opted for the nearest major city."
"Thunderbird One?"
"Gordon has her. On her way home."
Hospital? He knew his brother. Virgil wouldn't let him go home without seeing a doctor. Ugh. Almost as bad as fighting his stomach. He eyed the two other men in the room. "Rescuee status?"
"The two aboard TB1 have been delivered to Nagoya. The third has two broken legs and is sharing the infirmary with you. I have reassured him he is safe, however he is still distressed...and Mr Polominka is not helping the situation."
"Me? You're the one who kidnapped me!"
John ignored him. "Mr Polominka was rescued off his luxury yacht on a remote island in the South Pacific. We were returning him to Sydney when you encountered difficulties."
"Returning? I don't want to go to bloody Sydney. I said France, you asshole!"
While Scott's blood turned as cold as his expression, John didn't even bat an eyelid." Mr Polominka, International Rescue is not a taxi service. You may disembark in Nagoya. Otherwise you will be delivered to the Australian authorities."
"I don't want to go to Japan anymore than I want to go to Australia. You will take me to France."
If Scott's head hadn't been throbbing so hard, he would have given the man a piece of his mind. As it was, all he could do was groan.
"Mr Polominka, if you don't sit down and shut up, you will be spending the rest of the voyage confined."
"How dare you! I'm Richard Polominka, I own half the French seaboard. I could buy this ship and everyone on it."
"Mr Polominka, I don't care."
John's tone was so matter of fact, so dry, Scott knew his brother was moments away from calmly doing something permanent.
He opened his mouth to say something when Thunderbird Two's VTOL kicked in and her forward momentum slowed. Scott grabbed the edge of his bed. The Japanese man groaned.
And Richard Polominka fell over, colliding with a cabinet.
"For Christ's sake, you bastards don't stop do you!"
Scott had had enough. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He held his head as the world swung in circles.
"Scott-"
Polominka floundered, grabbing at the cabinet, attempting to pull himself up, only to open the cabinet door and upend a pile of medical supplies on his head. He swore, grabbing shelves and only making more of a mess. Something heavy bounced off his head and his swearing increased in volume.
Scott pushed himself off the bed, knowing he was going to regret it. "Mr Polominka, please calm down." The pilot found himself falling back against the bed. Vertical obviously wasn't his body's preferred orientation at the moment. The bile rose again.
Shit.
"Mr Polominka, please."
The infirmary door flew open and Virgil strode in. "Scott? John said-"
Polominka took one look at Scott's younger brother and pounced. "You! You're the damned pilot of this hunk of junk." He stuck a scalpel in Virgil's face. "Take me home!"
Silence fell over the room, TB2's VTOL a background roar. Virgil looked at the scalpel, then at Polominka. Calm as his orbiting brother, he said, "You haven't met my girlfriend, have you, Dick?"
The man's face actually turned red, and he charged the pilot. A brief tussle and Virgil flipped him onto the floor, pinned him, and was scrabbling through those scattered medical supplies, grabbing some tape and restraining the man. "Now, as my much more patient brother mentioned earlier, you can spend the rest of the trip to Australia confined. We don't have a brig, but I'm sure I can find a closet." And with that, Virgil dragged the man to his feet and through the door. The sound of footsteps, a creaking door and a satisfying slam.
Virgil reappeared, wiping his hands on his thighs. "So, Scott, how are you feeling?"
Scott stared at his brother. "Kayo?"
A shrug. "She felt I needed a little more hand to hand."
"Not bad."
"Necessary. You should have heard what he said to Gordon." And Virgil's anger became apparent. Much like Scott, you messed with Virgil's brothers at your own peril. A deep breath and Virgil appeared to shake himself.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. You haven't answered my question yet. John has Nagoya Air Control on hold, I need to get my 'bird on the ground. You good?"
Scott frowned, his vision fuzzy at the edges. "'Kay."
"Say that without listing to one side and I might believe you. Lie down. I'll get you some medical attention asap." Scott found himself nudged back onto the bed, his head meeting the pillow before he could frame a retort. He reached out and grabbed Virgil, his fingers scraping against his brother's uniform. "Virgil, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
John's image flickered on. "Virgil!"
"Yes, Thunderbird Five?"
"Vitals say you're injured."
"What?"
Scott pushed himself up again, ignoring the vertigo. "Virgil..."
His brother was staring at him.
The rescuee in the other bed pointed at Virgil and babbled in Japanese. Scott looked down, his eyes widening at a slowly widening pool of blood at Virgil's feet.
Virgil's gaze followed his and stared. "Aw, hell."
Scott scrambled off the bed and staggered over to his brother. Brown eyes looked up and grabbed his, a flash of fear followed by resignation. Virgil's shoulders slumped. "Kay's gonna kill me."
Those brown irises rolled upwards and Virgil was falling forward.
-o-o-o-
End Part One