Thank you so much for the comments. I love that no one trusts they can get out that easily! Anyone would think you know me too well...
Something wasn't right.
Scott wasn't sure what. But he knew better than to ignore his instincts – again. He had men to protect now. Kevin was still over Gordon's shoulder, unconscious. Scott knew his brother had knocked Kevin out and despite inwardly wincing at the state of his friend, he knew it had been the only way. Kevin wasn't strong enough to run and without knowing what the Hood had done to him, there was no way of knowing if he would give them away. But an injured comrade was the least of his worries. He had to protect his little brother, no matter what.
Gordon had made good use of his time on the island. He seemed to know where he was going as he led them from the compound, using the buildings as cover as they skirted around the edge. Scott guessed that they were heading for the trees he could see scattered over the hill to one side. But the fact no alarm was raised made Scott uncomfortable.
Everything else he had tried, the Hood had either set up or been waiting for him. Was he certain his chains and the electrified doors would have been enough to hold his prisoners? Scott knew it was a possibility – if the man didn't know Gordon was on the island, then he wouldn't be keeping constant watch. Still, it didn't feel right and Scott found he was even more on edge than the situation called for. He was rigid with tension. Gordon could sense it – he kept shooting his brother concerned looks over his shoulder.
Eventually, Gordon signalled a halt. They had their backs against one of the last buildings and Gordon put Kevin down.
"What is it?" he asked. His tone demanded answers. "Why are you so jumpy? We're out, aren't we?"
"Why is this so easy?" Scott looked around as he spoke.
"You want to complain about that? I say we make the most of it and run while we can."
Gordon clearly was not feeling the same as him. Scott didn't blame him – his brother hadn't actually interacted with the Hood.
"Can't you feel it? Something doesn't feel right. There is no way that he would let us go this easily…" His stomach wrapped itself up in knots and Scott suddenly realised what it was he was feeling. It was nerves. He could count on one hand the number of times that had happened in his life. But there was something about the situation that was getting to him. Glancing back towards Gordon, he saw there was a sympathetic expression on his brother's face.
"Does it matter if it is a trap or not? We can't very well just sit here and wait. I got down without being seen. If we can get back up there, we can rest and I guarantee you'll feel better."
"I feel fine," Scott protested, glancing around again. When Gordon didn't answer immediately, he turned back.
"Then why are you shaking?"
Scott made to protest, then realised Gordon had a point. He was shaking. As soon as he realised, he groaned. His legs gave way and he sank to the ground. The wound on his leg was throbbing and burning. Shaking hands stretched towards the bandage he had roughly tied around his leg. He was sure he could feel the heat radiating from it. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, slept or drunk. He had been electrocuted, knocked out and had his head messed with. Adrenaline had been masking it all up until now, the need to escape taking precedence over anything else. But now they had a potential way out and he wasn't in this alone, Scott was feeling it all.
He didn't notice he had zoned out until he blinked and Gordon was kneeling in front of him. He hadn't seen Gordon move.
"Easy, big brother," Gordon murmured. He put down his pack and offered Scott some water. But the relief of gulping some down was short-lived as he realised Gordon was reaching for his leg.
"Don't…" Scott gasped, trying to push Gordon away. Gordon easily dodged his grasping hands and unwrapped the wound. Both men winced at the inflamed skin.
"We need to get that cleaned."
"You don't say," Scott muttered through gritted teeth. Handing Gordon the water back, he snatched at the bandage and tied it back around his leg. "Let's just get to your camp, I'm fine."
Scott used the side of the building to aid him to his feet, hoping it would be enough to convince Gordon he was okay. There was nothing they could do here so it didn't really matter whether he was telling the truth or not. He just needed Gordon to believe it.
"What about your feeling?" Gordon asked, putting the water away and shouldering his bag again.
"I'd say you were right about us not really having a choice." Scott wanted to hit his brother for the ease with which Gordon sprang to his feet. But all negative thoughts vanished when Gordon's hand rested lightly under his elbow, helping to keep him standing.
"Ready to run away then?" Gordon asked. The corners of his mouth twitched when Scott gave him an incredulous look. That was Gordon's great plan for getting out of here? Scott didn't have anything better in mind though and he nodded. Gordon ran his eyes over his brother for a moment, clearly assessing how long Scott would actually be able to run for.
As Gordon moved aside, Scott saw the movement a second too late. He didn't have time to shout a warning to his brother before Kevin's fist slammed into the back of Gordon's head.
Gordon swayed on the spot for a moment, looking at Scott with an expression of the utmost confusion before he dropped. Scott instantly moved to his brother's side, making sure he was between Gordon and Kevin. His fellow pilot didn't spare Gordon a second glance now that he was out of the way and instead moved towards Scott. Scott stayed low, shielding Gordon. Kevin looked at him with no recognition before slamming his foot down on the cut on Scott's leg.
It was only locking his jaw that stopped Scott from screaming. His hands clutched around his leg and he was breathing heavily through his nose as he stared up at his former friend.
"Why?" he gasped breathlessly, his mind racing over how they were going to get out of this.
"Because I told him to," a voice replied silkily from behind him. Scott twisted his upper body as much as he could in order to see the Hood appearing from behind one of the buildings, a smug look on his face. "Did you really think you would be able to get away from me that easily?"
The confusion must have shown on Scott's face as he glanced towards Kevin again. The Hood laughed.
"Your friend did manage to knock him out, I'll give him that much. That's why it has taken until now. But Kevin here has a job to do for me, Scott. I'm not about to let you walk out of here. Tie him up."
Directing the last part at Kevin, the Hood pulled a gun out from behind his back. He didn't look comfortable holding it, but Scott didn't care. He knew how much damage the man could inflict with just his mind if he needed to. The weapon added a note of finality to their confrontation. No more games; the Hood wasn't going to let them walk away from this.
While Scott had been distracted, Kevin had come up behind him. Scott twisted, attempting to throw him off but Kevin kicked him in the midriff, doubling Scott over and allowing him to pull the pilot's hands behind him. Despite shaking himself furiously to try and free himself, Scott couldn't do anything as he felt cuffs once again locking around his wrists. Kevin sat him back against the building and wrapped a length of rope around his ankles as well, leaving Scott well and truly stuck.
"You won't get away with this," Scott muttered. He didn't look at Kevin. He couldn't watch him standing threateningly over his little brother. This man had been a friend, someone Scott would have trusted with his life. Instead, he kept his attention on the Hood, knowing Kevin was only doing as he was told. The Hood had broken something in him and Scott saw now how far that damage went.
"I already have."
"You think? He's a member of WASP, an advance party from the major fleet preparing to move in. You now have the Air Force and WASP closing in on you. What makes you think that you will be staying here for much longer?"
"An advance party? Scott, Scott, Scott, you really should learn not to lie to me. No one knows he is here. He's no advance party; he's your little brother."
Scott felt his heart drop. Too late did he remember the cameras he had watched Kevin through. Why hadn't he thought about his prison being monitored in the same way? Everything they had said, the Hood had heard. Their interaction would have made it obvious they were more than friends. With no other transport – either boats or planes – being sighted near the island, the Hood must know Gordon was on his own. His gaze flickered back to Gordon's crumpled form, fear crossing his face.
"Don't worry." There was nothing reassuring in the Hood's voice. "You won't see me hurt him, I promise you that."
Scott was not convinced. There was something in the way the creep had worded it. There was a catch somewhere. Sure enough, the Hood handed the gun to Kevin.
"But you can die with the knowledge that it is all your fault," he continued. "Now I've got a WASP agent, I have no further use for you. One pilot is enough, two is dangerous. The pain you felt before? That's just a taster of what I'm going to do to your brother. I'll turn him soon enough, but first he must be punished for ruining my plan. And it will all be your fault."
The Hood stepped back. He watched Scott for a moment before looking at Kevin.
"Shoot him."
His voice was cold and Scott's breath caught as Kevin levelled the gun at him. He wasn't afraid of dying; he was afraid of leaving Gordon. He couldn't let his brother suffer at the Hood's hands. He swallowed hard, ignored the Hood and locked all of his attention on Kevin.
"Kev…please…" His voice was soft and quiet but Scott was not begging for his life. He didn't blink, didn't look away from Kevin. He was pleading for his friend to come back before it was too late.
"Your wife needs you, buddy. Your child needs its Dad. Please, don't leave the baby with only one parent because that sucks, truly it does. Put the gun down and I can take you home to them…"
"Shoot him." The Hood's voice was icy, but Scott didn't flinch.
"Please, man? This is my little brother. You don't want to do this."
"Do it, soldier." Kevin flinched. Scott wondered if that was what the Hood had been calling him since preparing him for the mission he had in mind. It gave Scott hope though. He hadn't been missing for too long. Maybe the Hood's control wasn't as deep as Scott had first thought? If he was using something impersonal rather than Kevin's name, it meant there was a chance. There was a chance he could be saved!
"Kevin, think of your wife," Scott whispered before falling silent. If that didn't work, he knew there was nothing else he could do. He was tied, he had no movement and he had to think of Gordon. If he acted up too much, he wasn't sure whether the Hood might shoot his brother as a way of making him pay. He couldn't take the chance and gazed at the shell of a man who had once been a friend.
"This is your last chance, soldier. You know what I'll do if you fail me."
Kevin's eyes seemed to fill with tears but Scott didn't look away.
"I'm sorry, Scott," he muttered quietly. Scott looked to Gordon instead. He heard the safety being flicked off and knew Kevin was aiming at him. He braced, but his mind was racing. That was the first time he had heard Kevin say anything that wasn't babbling or screaming. He had known who Scott was. Up until now, he hadn't seemed aware.
Scott risked glancing up as the gun went off.
And then he carried on looking. No pain blossomed from anywhere and Scott knew he was still breathing. He became aware that Kevin was scrabbling at his feet, pulling the ropes loose.
"Wha-?" Glancing around, it only took a second for Scott to realise the Hood was nowhere to be seen.
"I only grazed him. He's disappeared. He'll be around somewhere, I'm sure of it. But we don't have any time; he'll shoot us both the next time he sees us."
"What about you?" Scott asked bluntly. Kevin fished out the key to the handcuffs and released Scott properly, helping him stand. As soon as he had movement back, however, Scott made his way to Gordon, crouching by his brother and feeling the back of his head. There was a lump there.
"I don't know. When you spoke of Cathy, it's like it cut through the fog in my mind. I've got to get back to her, Scott…"
"I know." Scott let out a sigh, staring at Gordon. His brother seemed to be alright apart from the obvious, but with his leg and Kevin looking like he was ready to drop at any moment, he knew they weren't going to be able to carry him. "Help me get him to the trees?"
Keeping an eye out, Scott grabbed Gordon under the arms and started hauling him to what he hoped was safety. He only stopped when trees partly obscured his vision of the compound. If he couldn't see it clearly, then maybe the Hood couldn't see them?
As he lowered Gordon to the floor, Scott felt his head swim. He awkwardly pulled Gordon's bag from under him and drank some more water. There was only a small amount left but he knew there had to be a water source on the island somewhere. He could see food in there as well, but first things first. He had to wake Gordon. He glanced at the water bottle, grinned and upended it over his brother. Gordon instantly spluttered, his eyes flickering open as he glared up at Scott.
"What was that for?"
"Morning, sunshine." Scott lowered himself back to the ground, wincing as he stretched his leg out in front of him. Gordon gingerly pushed himself upright, one hand going to the back of his head. Scott knew exactly when Gordon realised Kevin was there - his brother instantly tensed.
"It's okay, Gords. He's with us." Scott hoped his voice sounded more reassuring to his brother than it did to him. Considering Gordon seemed to relax, Scott assumed it had done.
"Where's the creep?" Gordon muttered, leaning back on a tree and wincing.
"Good question," Scott responded just as quietly and Gordon winced again. It wasn't anything to do with the pain. It was the knowledge the man responsible was still free and they had no idea where he was. Scott attempted to aim for positive thinking, though. While they didn't know where the Hood was, it meant the man was not with them and that was good enough for him.
"How did you get here?"
"Small boat down on a beach. To the east I think." Gordon waved a hand in the general direction he had come from and Scott nodded.
"The weapon is still to the west."
"You're not…"
"Thinking of destroying it still?" Scott finished Gordon's sentence for him before nodding. "Damn right I am. Who knows how many more people he'll pull down if we don't destroy it first."
To Scott's surprise, Gordon grinned. It was only by backtracking through his words that Scott realised he had said `we`.
"So how do we destroy it?"
Gordon's words stumped Scott. He hadn't thought that far through. Kevin, however, handed them the Hood's gun.
"This might help?"
Scott thought back to the diagrams he had studied. There was a weak spot, a small opening in the casing of the weapon. A well placed bullet would do the trick and Scott took the gun with a smile.
"Are you ready to move out?" He was addressing his words to Gordon, knowing every second they stayed here meant the Hood would be closer to finding them. But Kevin answered.
"I can't come up with you. I don't know if his control has gone for good or not, but I'm a liability. I'll stay here and stop him from coming after you."
"He'll kill you…"
"Scott, if you don't stop him, he's as good as killed me anyway. Just make sure you destroy that thing so then we can go home?"
Scott nodded and held out his hand. Kevin clasped it for a moment, both men nodding at each other. Letting go, Scott limped forward as Gordon carefully stood up. The two brothers looked at each other and Scott laughed.
"Grandma is going to have our heads for this," he muttered and Gordon's answering grin was all he needed to press forward. It would be slow going, but Scott had a feeling they were closer to the weapon than he had been when he had crashed.
"Is he going to be alright staying there?" Gordon muttered when they were out of ear-shot, but Scott looked over his shoulder.
"I don't know. But it's better than having him turn on us again. He has a point – if we don't stop this machine, no one can approach the island. While we are on our own, we can't bring him to justice. He must know we are here for the weapon – he'll know where we are going."
"You know," Gordon murmured thoughtfully, nudging his brother with his shoulder. "You've definitely slipped up on the comforting speeches as we've got older."
Scott nudged him back, being careful that neither of them aggravated the other's injuries. He wasn't happy about leaving Kevin there but he meant what he said. At least this way, he knew his friend couldn't turn on his brother. He couldn't be forced to watch Gordon be hurt again. A comfortable silence fell between the two men and Scott wondered about the last time that had happened. He had barely seen Gordon over the last few years between college and the Air Force, Gordon having school, then being away himself whenever Scott went home. When he voiced this out loud, Gordon smiled and the rest of their climb saw the two brothers catching up on each other's lives. It didn't matter that they were in hostile territory with some maniac wanting them dead or broken. It was nice to be able to chat.
It also helped Scott forget about his leg. He was limping, but pretending to be disapproving while trying not to laugh as Gordon recounted some of the things he had been up to stopped the wound from throbbing as much. Considering the small amount of colour trickling into Gordon's face again as they walked, Scott knew it was helping his brother as well. He wasn't sure going for a hike to destroy a weapon was what someone should be doing after being knocked out. But he wouldn't leave Gordon behind.
He wasn't sure how far they walked. But Scott realised they had been climbing up the hill. The crest was looming above. He stopped, Gordon following suit as they both stared up the incline. The sun was shining, gleaming off something metal at the top.
They had found the weapon that had caused all this trouble.
"Race ya!" Gordon moved off again, almost running. He dropped back after just a few steps, knowing Scott wouldn't be able to match him. It had been enough to break the tension threatening to settle over the pair of them, though. Scott grinned and set off after his brother, lifting the gun from his belt and checking the weight of it.
Both were slightly breathless when they reached the top, the slope being steeper than they had been expecting in their weakened state. But despite the warmth of the sun and their exertion, Scott shivered. It was one thing seeing the weapon in diagrams, but it was another thing entirely to be able to reach out and touch it. This thing had already cost too many lives and he was not about to let it take any more.
"There isn't a big red button is there?" Gordon murmured, and Scott grinned. The casing surrounding the actual weapon looked to be impenetrable, but the pilot had spent hours poring over diagrams. He knew what he was looking for and twenty minutes after trying to explain it to his brother, he finally managed to find it. Just a small opening in the case, small enough to have been overlooked if they didn't know what they were looking for. It took both of them to rotate the machine until Scott had a clear shot. He knew that should he miss, it would probably activate the weapon and they would be blasted off the island once and for all.
Despite knowing it wouldn't make any difference, Scott still pushed Gordon behind him as he lined up to take the shot. At least he could make an attempt at protecting his brother. He knew he had done well in training when it came to weapons, but the lack of food was making itself known. As Gordon had pointed out earlier, he was shaking. He tried to lift his arm, tried to make it look like everything was fine. But Scott wasn't sure he could take the shot. Too much was at stake, his brother was at stake. Scott knew he couldn't miss, but even steadying his arm didn't seem to make a lot of difference as his hand trembled. He was only a few paces away but it could have been a mile for all the good it was doing him.
"Here." Gordon moved before the words had left his mouth, his hand closing around Scott's. Not anticipating the action, Scott offered no resistance as Gordon drew the gun from his hand, aimed it at the machine and fired. Scott yelped, knowing his brother had barely even looked at what he was doing. But even before the sound left his lips, there came the noise of something sparking. Both brothers looked at each other, then set off at a run down the hill. Gordon quickly outstripped him – running whereas Scott was limping. But when they reached the bottom, it was not bullets that followed them down. Instead, there was a soft whirring noise before the weapon suddenly exploded.
"You did it!" Scott let out a disbelieving laugh, suddenly appreciating how true it was when Gordon said he had been more than ready to skip a year of training. The younger man had barely aimed, yet his shot had been perfect. Scott wasn't sure whether he would have done it even if he had been steady handed.
"Only one problem…" Gordon said mildly, handing the gun back to his brother as he spoke. Scott raised an eyebrow questioningly, not seeing how destroying the weapon could have any downsides.
Gordon shrugged. "The Hood now knows exactly where we are."
"Oh. Run?"
"Run."
As fast as they could, both Tracys set off back the way they had come. Adrenaline was once again flooding through Scott and it allowed him to move without any issues. Judging by the way that Gordon kept pulling ahead, his brother was also feeling well enough to make a run for it. But when they reached the clearing where they had left Kevin, both skidded to a stop.
"Where is he?"
The clearing was empty. Scott immediately scanned the ground, vaguely aware of Gordon doing the same thing. There was no blood and no signs someone had been dragged off and that gave him hope. But as he made to voice his findings to Gordon, the younger man called his attention. Scott moved over to him, only to find a message of apology scratched into the dirt.
Kevin had panicked. He thought he had heard footsteps approaching and run rather than letting the Hood take him hostage again. Scott sighed. He understood. If the Hood had Kevin, he would be dead by now. He thought he would have run as well if their positions had been reversed. Scott had Gordon to keep him grounded. Kevin had no one.
"That backstabbing…"
"Gordon?"
"What?"
"The boat!"
Gordon swore, clearly realising what Scott meant. They had told Kevin the location of the boat. Suddenly, the run from the hill seemed like a walk in comparison to the speed both brothers took off at.
Scott had no idea where he was going, but he trusted Gordon. Scott was slowing by the time they reached the plane wreckage. His leg couldn't take much more of this and he was stumbling more than he was running. His pace was barely more than a walk and Gordon was hanging back to stay with him. Unable to stop himself, he stopped, staring open-mouth at the utter carnage. He was panting desperately, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to get his breath back. He didn't want to think about how lucky he had been to survive that.
Gordon noticed he had stopped, doubled back and stood at his shoulder.
"Pretty spectacular, huh?" he muttered, his voice lacking any sort of humour. Scott nodded, realising Gordon had stumbled across this with no idea whether his big brother was alive or not, only the wreckage indicating that Scott had landed on the island and not in the sea.
Something caught Scott's eye and he bent down with a disbelieving smile. The rock that Virgil had given him, the one that had been smuggled to him at the base, was resting unharmed amongst the wreckage. He had thought he had lost it or the Hood had taken it. Scott pocketed it and felt more determined than ever.
"Let's go." There was nothing salvageable here, there was no point staying. Bidding his plane a silent goodbye, Scott let Gordon draw him away as they continued to the beach. He couldn't believe it when they stumbled out from the jungle, marvelling at the sight he had not got the chance to view from the skies. The island would have been truly beautiful if it wasn't for the creep living on it.
But Gordon wasn't hanging about. He jumped over one rock and disappeared behind another before swearing long and loudly.
"The boat is gone!"
Scott felt his heart sink. He stared out to sea and within only a few moments, managed to locate a small boat. It was reasonably far out by now, Kevin must have left as soon as they had and sprinted the whole way. Scott was surprised he had made it but fear would have given him an adrenaline burst. Both he and Gordon ran to the water's edge, but there was no way they could swim out that far, not considering how they had both been hurt.
Kevin was gone with their only mode of transport, and they were stuck on an island with someone who wanted them dead. Scott flopped down onto the sand, too tired to stay standing as the adrenaline faded away.
Now what were they supposed to do?
