I couldn't help it—I was laughing like a little girl at the comments on the last chapter. I knew it was a risk doing that to John…although I suppose I've kept you in suspense for long enough. And thank you for the very nice reviews!

Also a special thanks to Fletty, who gave me a brilliant suggestion that I hope to be using soon!

Shock. Pure shock.

Virgil stared down at his brother and willed John's chest to move. Memories leapt unbidden to the forefront of Virgil's mind. Memories of the quiet blonde always sitting and listening to his younger brother rant about how the teachers were so unfair, or talk about how Scott was suddenly not around much, or how nervous he was before his big piano recital. The years had long since passed, but Virgil saw and felt them as acutely as if they were happening right then.

John hadn't shown any annoyance every time Virgil crashed into his room, blowing up about how Scott was gone with his friends when he had said he would stay home. John listened, and offered advice as well as comfort. John had never been as good at knowing exactly what to say as Scott had, but there was something about the astronaut that was just as calming. John would talk in his soft voice about something seemingly unrelated, like how the stars and the planets were so far apart from each other that half the time, the fact that other celestial bodies existed was a distant thought, but for the rest of the time, the planets and stars knew about those other bodies, and knew how important they all were to the universe. Virgil had given his older brother a look that told John exactly what the artist thought of that logic, but now he understood.

All traces of dizziness vanished as Virgil placed two fingers on John's carotid artery in search of a pulse. The seconds ticked by…

Everyone was safe. Scott knew that much. The trapped victims had been transported to a hospital by this time and would be receiving treatment. Staring down at his unmoving brother, Scott felt the slightest flash of anger at the people for being stupid enough to need rescuing. He quickly suppressed the feeling, as he knew it wasn't their fault at all.

He knew the risks. They all knew the risks. But it didn't make this any easier. To have to search for a brother, or to sit and wait to see if the one you were close to would wake up with his mind still functioning, or wake at all, was as close to hell as you could get to on earth.

And it was John this time. Scott hated when it was John. On the rare occasions that their spaceman came out on a rescue with them, it usually didn't come this close to death. But why did it have to be John? Scott bit the side of his tongue fiercely. He was the protector. He was supposed to be there for his younger siblings.

John was so…John. So quiet and introspective, you forgot how much he suffered through when he was up in Thunderbird 5. He wouldn't say. Not usually. Scott had heard him only a select few times make known what was going through the astronaut's mind when a rescue was going on. "Sometimes I want to scream into my watch and make sure you're all okay. When long minutes go by and there hasn't been a word from any of you down on earth, it takes a lot to react professionally. Like when Virgil was shot down by the Sentinel, Scott. I heard you calling to him over the radio. It's like that. Knowing that your brother is in trouble, and you're powerless to do anything but call to him and wait for an answer. When one of your voices comes over my radio, it's such an immense relief. I don't know how to put it into words. In that moment, you just know that everything's going to be okay and we'll all live to fight another day."

Scott realized there was blood in his mouth. He let up the pressure on his tongue, and watched as Virgil felt for a pulse in John's neck. Tightening his grip on John's hand (he didn't know when he had grabbed onto his brother), Scott held his breath, waiting, hoping…

Dare I ask for reviews?