Thank you for your patience with this and my completely irregular updates!

John had had no such luck yet. He had searched every place he could think off, the beach, around the pool, hell, he had even looked in Alan's room, yet his youngest brother's whereabouts was still eluding him. The only good thing with living on an isolated island is the blond astronaut knew his brother couldn't have got too far. It was just a matter of locating the boy. Knowing he probably wouldn't get an answer; John flicked a switch on his watch and tried to contact Alan that way. It came as no surprise when he was hastily disconnected, but it had given the older brother the advantage. He had ended up backing in the silos, drawn towards Thunderbird two, as if hoping the giant machine would provide him with the answers. Whilst that particular 'bird had remained silent, an echo of a beep had come resonating through the area, bouncing off the numerous machines and multiplying until the whole room was buzzing. Scolding himself for not looking there, John set across to Thunderbird Three, where he was almost certain to find a younger brother.

Stopping before the gigantic rocket, John glanced around; making sure Alan wasn't lurking underneath, ready to do a runner as soon as John's back was turned. It was clear, meaning there was only one place Alan would be. Striding over to the entrance to the 'bird, John quickly thumbed in the access code, frowning in annoyance when the red access denied message flashed across the pad. Alan seriously didn't want to be found if he had resorted to changing the codes just to stay away from the others. Feeling like a fool, John rapped his knuckles on the side of the ship, wincing slightly as they collided with the hard metal.

"Knock, knock. You in there, Al?"

"No, please leave a message after the tone." The sarcastic reply sounded muffled through the steel, but it was obvious Alan was sitting just the other side of the door; otherwise his older brother would not have been able to hear him at all. John grimaced, his brother was a matter of feet away, only had several tons of reinforced steel in the way. Luckily, the door didn't have its automatic seal on yet, that only happened when the engines were running, meaning communication was still possible.

"Come on, Alan, open up. I know you're upset and worried, but we all are. You can't take this personally, Al, you know how Virg gets when one of us is hurt. Please, let me in?"

"No," Sighing at the expected answer, John sat himself down on the floor in front of the rocket, wondering what was going on upstairs. Knowing Alan wasn't about to open up any time soon, the peace maker decided it was about time he let his youngest brother know a little secret that might, just might, help him get through this.

"I did this, you know. Shut myself away and refused to talk to anyone, only I didn't have a rocket to hide in. It was just after Mum died. Dad had shut himself away in his office and Scotty was stressed beyond words trying to sort all of us out. You were only a baby really, and a thirteen year old has no idea how to look after a toddler."

John paused and listened carefully for a moment. There was complete silence. Whilst Alan may have not been answering, it was clear he was still listening; otherwise footsteps would have been heard if he moved so much as an inch. Smiling softly at the idea he was finally getting through, John continued.

"I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat with the others, but preferring to have it afterwards. You probably don't remember this, Al, but you barely saw me for about a month. Eventually though, Scott practically broke down my door and ordered me to snap out of it, in a way only a big brother could manage. Funnily enough, it didn't work on me, but when I refused to answer him, Scott cracked. I thought he had been coping, but didn't realise he was really struggling. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I realised he needed me, all of us, to be strong so we could get through it together, and so I returned to the family. Only then did I realise how much I needed you guys."

Leaning back in silence, John lost himself in the past, forgetting the reason why he was recounting the painful memories of that day. None of the others knew; it was something that had remained between Scott and John ever since, but somehow; it seemed the right thing to do to tell Alan now. The kid needed it, needed to know he was not alone in this. That he would never be alone. With a soft clang, John moved away from his support just in time to see it disappear into the rocket and a younger brother taking its place.

Stepping out of his baby, Alan sat himself down on the floor next to his brother. Without saying a word, John hooked one of his arms around his younger brother's shoulders, allowing the smaller blond to rest his head on John's shoulder. Suddenly, a shrill beep resonated from John's arm, sending the vibrations shooting up his arm.

"Go away, Virg," Alan mumbled more to himself than John as he flicked a switch on his own watch. Glancing from his wrist to Alan, realisation hit John.

"You got that too?" He asked, not sure if he was going to like the answer. At Alan's nod, John felt his heart sink.

"That wasn't a normal communication," he began as his watch let out another beep.

"It was…"

"…the emergency signal," Alan supplied, jumping to his feet before holding out his hand to help pull his brother up. The two of them set off at a run through the silos, heading towards the infirmary. What could have possibly happened now?

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His enemy was close by, the pilot could feel it. The call of consciousness was slowly and painfully dragging him back into the realm of the living, only to be overwhelmed with the sense of danger. He could hear the movement in the same room as him, a clear indicator the enemy was close by. Scott was sure all he had to do was open his eyes and he would see the hated face staring straight back at him, the face who haunted nearly all of their nightmares. Why he was here, the oldest brother could only guess, but that wasn't necessary. The problem was he was here, in the very same room as Scott and…

With a sudden jolt, the pilot remembered who else had been in the room with him. Gordon. His second youngest baby brother was in the same room as the monster, completely helpless. With a huge effort, Scott forced his eyes open. There. He could make out the figure moving on the other side of the room… heading straight for Gordon!

Springing out of bed, Scott felt the adrenaline pump through him as the figure did indeed stumble back a few paces at the sudden movement. Something tore from his arm and the wounded limb throbbed mercilessly as the pilot slowly walked threateningly towards the figure, watching him intently. No one hurt one of the Tracys, not on Scott's watch. Not after what had happened to them at Spring break. Although the others didn't know it, Scott had swore to himself he would never let anything like it happen to one of them again, and he intended to keep that promise. Gordon needed him right now.

Narrowing his eyes, Scott frowned when he saw the intruder had recovered himself and rather than backing off, was continuing to stalk menacingly towards the brothers, ignoring the warning stance of the elder. Slowly clenching his fist, Scott winced as his arm let out another resounding throb, reminding him why they were even in this situation. His eyes turned into slits as he furiously regarded the enemy, it was all his fault. His fault why there was an agonising pain lancing through not only Scott's arm, but his entire body, his fault why Gordon was still motionless on the bed opposite the pilot. As the enemy lifted his hands in a motion as if to soothe the furious man, Scott lunged. He was not going to lose Gordon to this monster, even if it meant losing himself.

Swinging his arm back, Scott felt an amazing amount of satisfaction as the figure hit the floor without a seconds delay. There was no time to waste, however, for the punch would only momentarily delay his enemy. Scanning the room quickly, the pilot smiled in relief when he caught sight of a syringe on the side, fully loaded with what Scott knew to be a strong sedative. It was unlike Virgil to leave things lying around if he was not in the room, but this time, Scott didn't care. It would be perfect.