Final stretch! Thanks to MadameWinter and TigreMalabarista for being my betas! I make so many mistakes!

OooooOOOOooooO

John cursed under his breath as Brains shot forward, yelling his own expletives towards their captor. He couldn't blame the engineer for losing focus on their plan. Moffat's cry was still blaring in his mind and he didn't dare look to see what was happening. The only way to save his family was to activate Mini-Max and hope they could get in contact with their brothers or the GDF.

Brains was shoved back into place by a rather large goon, his weapon sparking in warning. This was not what they needed right now. They needed all eyes on the screens so he could move unnoticed. Any pained noise he made could be directed towards his busted arm.

Deliberately, he leaned back against his friend, trying to help him regain some control over the rage. It seemed to work as his breathing slowed slightly, tear-filled eyes meeting aqua-blue. John gave him a sympathetic frown, already trying to reposition. They had to focus.

A minute passed, the Hood fully enveloped in the scenes playing out before him. The henchmen were back in their place, glancing sporadically at the screens. And at this point, John decided it was now or never. His hand moved into the pocket, fingers glancing over the smooth casing of the AI robot. He just needed to find the activation switch and Mini-Max would do the rest. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold this position, the pain causing his breath to hitch.

The next few moments were a blur as two things happened at once. John let out a gasp of success as the robot buzzed to life under his fingers, the sound hidden by the sudden thud that hit the roof of their transport. The small 'bot sprang from the pocket as the vehicle gave a slight tilt to the right. His heart soared at the prospect of rescue and he quickly gave Mini-Max directions to free their arms. The cuffs fell away an instant later, ignored by their captors, who seemed too intent on discover who was up top.

"Find a h-hatch." Brains whispered sharply, adrenaline coursing through them now. "Let who ever it is i-in." The tiny helper flew off, disappearing farther into the vehicle. The anticipation was thick as they sat, waiting with hands still held behind their backs, not ready to reveal their advantage.

The first sounds of the struggle finally reached them over the pained cries John was trying his hardest to suppress as the vehicle swerved erratically. So close! Come on! He jumped as a dark clad henchman hit the wall, sliding down unconscious.

Kayo… face serious as she stepped into view, glared at her uncle. He must have cried out, because her gaze was suddenly on him, the seriousness morphing into shocked surprise and then anger turned back towards the villain. The Hood looked just as enraged, his plans changing with the presence of International Rescue's security officer.

Before a word could be spoken, the squealing of tires accompanied the sudden lurch towards the forward wall. John brought his good arm forward, catching himself against one of the cabinets lining the room.

"It's over, Uncle!" She addressed the villain after flashing the astronaut a concerned glance. "The GDF have your transport surrounded." He could hear the sudden rise in desperation and he knew she was seeing a lot more than she had expected. Her eyes fell on the tubes holding his brothers and the professor. "What - what have you done?" The pain and disbelief was evident now.

"Oh, Tanusha." His grin was vile to match his tone. "You have far more to worry about than what I've done." Lightning fast, his hand was on the device controls. The first staggering cry sounded from Alan, his screen showing the ground beneath him as he fell. Gordon followed suit, teeth gritting against the pain. Professor Moffat simply whimpered, her screen dark from the battle.

"Stop!" The sorrow in John's own voice surprised him, but after what they had already been through, he couldn't stand to see them hurting any more.

"It appears our time together has come to an end." The Hood addressed the room, stepping back into a small chamber as a panel lifted. "Enjoy my parting gift!"

The transport was quickly filled with an acrid smoke as the escape ship launched. John coughed, crawling desperately towards the console, knowing that every second was more pain, more torment. The doors at the back of the truck shot open and he could see Kayo's silhouette against the light spilling in. He turned back to the machine and was relieved to see Brains already working to shut the system down. The frustration was evident, furious with his pace as the trio's pained cries grew louder. John barely registered the voice in his ear, or the hands holding him tight, his eyes glued to the screens as his sister clung to his shaking form.

Please… no more…

OoOoOoO

One second, Gordon was fighting off the trio of monsters, poorly, hoping to allow Alan time to escape back to the fire, Moffat's body already disappearing as she respawned. The next, an intense pain was clawing its way through his skull and down his spine, forcing him to his hands and knees. There was no longer any worry about the creatures towering above him. The desire for them to go ahead and kill him was overwhelming against the agony assaulting him now.

Daggers in his back. That's what it felt like… what it had felt like so long ago. He knew this pain, and the flood of memories was more than he could handle. He needed his brothers. Alan! He wanted to scream for him to come back, but nothing except a garbled cry escaped his throat.

His vision blurred, amber eyes trying to see anything around him that could help, but the world had changed. He was alone, laying in a haze of grey and red that throbbed with each pulsing stab.

And then it was gone. All of it, replaced with a numbing weightlessness. Gordon allowed himself to float there, delighting in the loss of feeling, content with the break in his torture. The pain returned, however, as pins of light stabbed into his sensitive retinas. A shadow formed, haloed by the glow of white behind it. "... An angel?" His voice was a tired whisper.

A deep, sad voice cut through his confusion. "Not the kind you're thinking of." Virgil's face slowly came into focus, his gloved hands working to remove the sensors from Gordon's head. The visor lay hanging against his side and he tried to twist away from it. Strong hands caught him, easing him forward on legs made of jelly, and quickly scooped him up, his head lolling into the larger man's shoulder.

It was dusk, he noticed, the sun almost set behind the mountain range they had been traveling through. He let his gaze drift around the scene and caught sight of Alan being held protectively by Scott, their eldest brother already stepping onto Thunderbird 2's lift with Kayo and John.

John! He looked so pale, his arm held against his chest as the younger woman supported him. A flurry of panic had him twist his head up, letting it fall awkwardly off the steady shoulder. He needed to find -

There she was… Brains was cradling Moffat in his arms, keeping his pace slow as she clung to him, shoulders trembling from the tears he knew she was shedding.

Virgil gently readjusted him, now that he was content in the knowledge everyone had made it out. His head found a comfortable spot in the crook of his brother's neck and he let his eyes drift shut. Only when the cries of warning sounded did he let them drag open once more. Virgil was stopped, standing just off the platform, listening to the sudden change. One word had him scrambling on, next to Brains, and sending them into the ship.

Bomb.

He didn't get to see the explosion, but he felt it rock Thunderbird 3 on its stilts, Virgil crashing to the floor as he held tight to his brother's smaller frame. The engineer had been forced to set the scientist down, not wanting to cause her any more harm than she'd already experienced. Gordon looked up into his brother's face and saw the sudden conflict, the urge to see if anyone was injured or needed help ingrained in them.

Gordon made the decision for him, giving Virgil's arm a gentle squeeze. "Go check." The raven haired brother looked ready to brush off the command, but the aquanaut wouldn't have it. He was safe now. There was no reason his brother shouldn't still be able to help others. "I'll be okay."

Virgil, still obviously torn, turned to Brains who was sitting on the floor with Moffat's arms around his neck, refusing to let go. Their eyes met and Brains gave a nod. "I'll w-watch him."

A hazy smile crossed Gordon's face, his brother gently placing him on the floor of '2s cockpit. Large hands held the sides of his face, forcing him to stare into water brown eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He tried to tell him it would be fine, but his throat had rebelled, forcing him to give a shaky nod. Virgil leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his forehead and Gordon didn't miss the tear that had escaped.

And then he was gone, the sounds outside the open hatch bouncing around the cockpit. The tightness in his chest began to grow, to his surprise, the loss of human contact doing more than he'd expected. The tremor ran down his arms, hands clenching to try and stay still. He concentrated on his breathing, attempting to slow the quiet gasps. It wasn't until a warm hand slipped into his that the tension eased. He looked up and found Brains, an expression of concern on his face. Again, he wanted to be brave, say everything was alright and he could handle this, but he couldn't. Tears were already breaking free, tracking down his cheeks. The hand in his squeezed gently and the trembling slowed a bit more.

Gordon wasn't sure how long they had sat there like that, but as Virgil came into view, he realized it couldn't have been too long. His brother looked the same as when he'd left. The look of guilt was new though and he realized the tears were still falling, uncontrollable and steady. The blonde let himself be lifted once more into the strong arms of his brother and they made their way back to the infirmary.

He spotted Alan almost immediately, looking slightly more awake as he tried to get a better view of John. The red head was currently sitting on the exam table, arm still tucked away. An anger flared for a moment, remembering the way the Hood had used their brother against them. Fear followed a second later. Where was the Hood? Were they still in danger?

Amber eyes found Kayo's watching him as Virgil set him on one of the infirmary beds. "I need to check on John." The medic's voice was soft and Gordon could only nod. As the dark blue uniform vanished, the familiar teal one appeared. Her fingers interlaced into his and the burning need to be stronger than the trembling quakes grew. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, eyes closing as he tried to steady himself.

"Gordon, it's alright." Her voice was so gentle, and he realized how rarely he had needed her comfort. Their typical relationship was of teasing, playful banter, and the occasional training session. To hear her trying to soothe his frazzled nerves was almost too much.

"Kayo…" He had to swallow the lump that threatened to choke his words. "The Hood -"

"Got away." She held up a hand as his eyes shot wide in alarm. "The GDF are here. He wouldn't come back even if he wanted to. And that machine is gone." His brow knit with confusion, but the explosion suddenly made sense even before she continued. "I've been listening to the comms and it looks like he rigged it to blow if anything went wrong." Her free hand fell to cover the ones held together. "You're all safe now."

He wanted to believe her, even returning a tired smile for her effort, but too often the Hood had done so much to their family. Nearly destroyed it more times than he cared to think about. He didn't think there would ever be a time he wasn't worried about their safety while the villain was still alive. That thought only brought darker ones with it and he shook his head, instead turning to focus on his little brother.

"Alan?" The astronaut's head popped up from where it lay on Scott's shoulder. "You okay?"

It was a dumb question since he knew it would be quite some time before they were 'okay', but he still felt the need to ask, if just to know his brother was here and alive.

Alan gave a hesitant nod, one side of his mouth cocked up in a soft grin. "You?"

Before he could answer, Virgil was back, John secured to another bed, arm laying in a sling. "Scott, Kayo, go ahead and get everyone strapped in. You too Brains." He gave the engineer a steady look that meant he would hear no arguments. "I'll find the closest hospital and send the coordinates to Thunderbird 1 and Shadow." Their eldest brother nodded, but didn't seem happy about being separated from the group. There was nothing to do about it, however, knowing they couldn't exactly leave a Thunderbird behind.

Everyone did as instructed, Brains taking a seat by the foot of Moffat's bed. Kayo and Scott left soon after, going to their respective 'Birds while Virgil gave one last look to his charges. They must have looked a mess judging by the way his face fell, quickly looking away to head up to '2s cockpit.

As the deep hum of engines sent a vibration through his bed, Gordon let his eyes drift closed, thankful for the familiar sensation as he finally let himself relax.