A/N: Thanks for your awesome reviews. Everyone who reviews this chapter gets a thank-you in the next chapter (name mentioned). Thanks to all those who, for whatever reason, are reading and cannot review. Your support means so much!
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Virgil Tracy glanced at the figure, shocked. Before he could even move to touch it, the figure completely disappeared. It hadn't been real – it had been a holographic image and had suddenly disappeared. "This is freaky," Virgil whispered, quickly snatching up three of the pictures on the dresser before Alan could even blink. He turned at the sound, shoving the pictures in his pocket. Virgil quickly pressed his finger to his lips before Alan said anything. "I think this is the wrong—"
"Room," the man finished for him. He grabbed Alan's bicep quickly, forcefully knocking Alan into the wall. "Exactly. Move it," he added, moving his knife so that it was next to Alan's throat.
It was all Virgil could do not to drop-kick the man holding Alan. He knew doing so was pointless. For one thing, they were on an island with miles of nowhere in between there and the next land, which made Virgil feel totally and completely hopeless. There was also the thing where the knife was too close to Alan's head.
Virgil helplessly did as the man said, allowing himself to be moved to the next move. The Hood had practically had a shrine of women, including their mother. Why? Their mother had been dead years before International Rescue started. How would the Hood even know their mother?
"Let me see those pictures," Alan said as soon as the man moved away. Virgil raised his eyebrow, but otherwise didn't respond as his youngest brother took the picture. "Man," he whispered, "maybe it is true."
"Maybe what is true?" Virgil asked, lightly grabbing Alan by the arm.
Alan glanced up, as if seeing his brother for the first time. "This picture. Is this Gordon and Mom?" he asked, a lump forming in his throat when he said the word 'Mom' that Virgil didn't miss. Surprised by his brothers' observation – after all, he barely had seen any pictures of their mother – Virgil nodded.
"Maybe what is true?" Virgil hissed, wishing desperately for some background knowledge as to the secret that Alan was hiding.
A tear slipped down Alan's face. "The Hood. When he h-had us together, h-he said that G-GG-Gordon w-w-…" Alan slid the picture into his pocket. "W-w-was his son." The tears didn't stop then.
Stunned, Virgil could only look at Alan like he was an alien or some figure he had never said before. What the hell? He was going to beat the Hood into smithereens the next time he saw him. Maybe he'd get lucky and get off a kill shot. "What?" he asked, despite knowing what his brother had said. "What proof did he have of this?"
"D-dna and ot-ther stuff."
Virgil sank down to the bed. How to best handle this? He knew the Hood could easily fake documentation, but it looked like Alan believed what the Hood said. He remembered Gordon being brought home, or so he thought; maybe he was getting him confused with Alan. "What was his story?"
"I d-d…" Alan stuttered, clearly not wanting to tell. It was then when someone else came in, and grabbed Virgil firmly by his bicep.
"Your torturer awaits," the man responded, grabbing Alan by the arm. "Let's go."
"Alan!" Virgil said, knowing what the man said all to well. He wasn't going to let the man torture his brother if he could help it. "No. Leave him alone!"
Virgil was sent sprawling to the floor, his chin catching the dirt floor. The Hood hadn't bothered with even wood or cement floors on the island, and had provided only the basic shelter precautions. "Take Alan," the first man told his second buddy. "I have some business to finish with this one," he responded, pointing to Virgil.
"Virgil!" Alan said, trying desperately to save reach brother. Alan was shoved on the floor and dragged out of the room.
"Alan!" Virgil shouted again, but was drowned out by a vicious kick to his rib. He was shoved roughly on the floor, and kicked again.
The door slammed closed, and Virgil was roughly shoved once more. "Don't you dare move, Virgil. Don't you dare move, dammit. Just try and test me."
He hovered over Virgil for a minute, and then stormed away.
Virgli waited until the man was out of sight before shakily lifting himself up. He pushed himself up onto the bed, and then shakily covered himself with the blue blanket. He silently prayed that his brothers – wherever they were – would stay safe, especially Scott, who had been sold into slavery again by the Hood.
The Hood had to be stopped.
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"Scott?" John asked, looking into his brothers' eyes. He only blinked once, not paying any attention to Jeff. Jeff gave his son a hug, and once more, Scott showed no recognition.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Jeff breathed, taking his eldest by his hands. Scott glanced down, as if noticing his hands for the first time, like they were new. This worried Jeff more than he wanted to admit.
"J… J…" Scott started to say, but then yanked his hands from Jeff and lay back on the white bed when he couldn't get the right answer. John swallowed, glancing at his father. Damn, that wasn't good. That wasn't good at all.
"I'm calling Kyrano," Jeff said as he moved outside the door. Kyrano had studied medicine for years, and his knowledge exceeded well above Virgil's. Virgil sought him for council on many occasions. "He might know something about this that we don't."
John nodded. "I'll stay here."
Scott moved up once Jeff was gone, peering into John's eyes. "You," he said, pointing at John.
Guessing blindly at what his brother wanted, John responded, "I'm your brother, John."
Scott nodded and frowned, thinking through his word list to the right one. It took him two minutes to respond. "Many?" he asked.
It pierced John's heart. Scott, who would give his life to protect his brothers, may well have just given his life as he knew it to protect his brothers. "Four," John said, pointing to himself. A tear ran down his face. "Others are missing," he added, softly, worried about how his other brothers were.
How he desperately prayed for a lead… and for a never-ending coffee pot for their father.
With decaf.
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Gordon had to struggle to breathe. He did not like the sound of what he had just heard. As if knowing that Gordon could well try and dart for the door, the Hood pressed the palm of his hands against Gordon's back. "Mullion, go get that for me, please," he instructed.
Mullion nodded and removed himself from the room.
"I'm not your son!" Gordon shouted, outraged. Even if the Hood was his father biologically, he'd attacked his mother and had never raised him. "I'm Jeff Tracy's son!"
"Unless you want your torture to be ten times worse, boy, you'll shut up and stop saying that," the Hood sneered. He grabbed Gordon by his right arm - his sore one - and shoved him down on the floor. Gordon let out a moan of pain. The Hood placed his knee on the small of Gordon's back, and held Gordon by his injured arm until Mullion returned. Tears pressed against Gordon's eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"Time to welcome your first born into the family," Mullion responded. He sneered as he looked at the Hood. "Do you want to do this, or shall I?" he said, gesturing towards the marker.
"You," the Hood responded. "If I let him go, he'll be all over the floor, and I want to get this done sometime tonight. He's a slippery one."
Mullion nodded and grabbed hold of Gordon's leg, forcing his foot down on it. He touched the brand to Gordon's leg, and Gordon screamed. Gordon didn't know how much time had passed before it was over, but he was sure that he came really close to passing out. Suddenly, the pressure released, and Mullion nodded toward the Hood and left the room.
"Welcome to the family," the Hood sneered as he kicked Gordon in the stomach. "I want to love you, Gordon," he said as he comfortingly put his hand on Gordon's shoulder. Gordon, still trying to catch his breath from the attack, didn't even have the energy to move himself away. Tears rolled down his face and he couldn't blink them all away. "But you insist on having this relationship with Jeff Tracy, who really doesn't care you exist. I'm your father now, Gordon. Get used to it."
With that, he slammed the door and left the room.
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Mullion smiled as he and the Hood walked down the hall. "Everything is flowing perfectly," he responded. "I wonder, what made you choose Gordon to be your son and not Scott?"
The Hood rolled his eyes. "I attacked his wife just before Gordon was born, dimwit; not before Scott was born. Don't you think the time gap would have been a little obvious?"
"The twelve months should be obvious enough," Mullion snorted. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know you have your plans."
"Gordon is the Tracy who is the most not like the other Tracy boys. It is easy to play on his insecurities and make him believe that he is really not related to the Tracy family." The Hood smirked. "Besides, he could even be related to me, which makes it all the better. Now, Alan… I don't know how you think you're going to make him your child. You think Gordon is uncooperative? You should see Alan on a good day."
"I have my ways," Mullion responded, looking put out. "What, don't you trust me?"
The Hood snorted. "Well, it seemed your plan with Scott worked. He's not able to communicate. We'll plant Eagle in that speech lab to hurt him when he tries to regain his speech and we should be golden. As for Virgil, I want him to be brainwashed for a few days and then released. I think he's our best shot at getting the hands on their technology."
"I thought you'd forgotten about that in the conquest for your son," Mullion replied, looking relieved. "Money and fame awaits us, my friend."
"I think you mean in-famousness," the Hood responded. "I'm going to bed. I want a full report on your plan for Alan tomorrow. We can't only have half a plan on this thing; we need the whole one, or Alan will never listen to it. Not that he will anyway," he added, muttering the last part under his breath.
"Yeah, yeah," Mullion nodded as he left the room.
The Hood smiled. Soon, the Tracy family would be diminished entirely and shredded apart, and the Hood would own everything Jeff Tracy owned that he wanted to own.
It sounded great to the Hood. With this in mind, the Hood opened his room to his door, plunked himself in bed, and went to sleep.
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So, which of the Hood's plans do you think will work?