Another week, another chapter! Hope you're all still enjoying the story and thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! They make my day!

baao xo

Chapter 14:

Pushing further into the crowd, Virgil Tracy had submerged himself in the sea of people who eagerly awaited another announcement from the Hood in Times Square. He'd kept his head down at an attempt to not be recognised by anyone who was involved in the business world or who worked at Tracy Corps., which was situated close to the square, and the brothers, especially Scott and John, were occasionally recognised as the playboy sons of Jeff Tracy. Virgil wasn't too concerned at this point; the crowd was too interested in the hostage situation to pay him much attention.

Virgil had taken into account, however, was that his father wanted to know what people were saying and so Virgil had dived in and listened closely in on other people's conversations as he subtly made his way over to a coffee stall on the opposite side of the square. He'd heard a range of things whilst shoving through the masses of people, mostly along the sympathy lines: "How awful for Mr. Tracy", "That poor boy", and "Imagine if that happened to your family... just terrible". Occasionally the people were fairly unconcerned with the whole situation, brushing off comments like: "Of course it'll all be paid, he's a billionaire, this is nothing to him" and "I'm sure it'll be fine, things like this happen all the time". Numerous times Virgil had had to bite back a retort when someone spoke cruelly about the family, having the nerve to criticise Jeff. Phrases like: "He won't pay, those businessmen, they're all the same - more concerned about their money than their family. Besides, hasn't he got loads of kids?" and "The Tracy's haven't exactly sold themselves well... they shut themselves off on some private island whilst we suffer. They don't care about us, why should we care about some rich playboy dealing with daddy issues?"

Furious at the public's ignorance of what the Tracy family went through every day for the same people who judged and criticised them, Virgil continued to his destination - a secluded spot beneath a tree, enough cover to conceal his identity if need be. Deep down, Virgil knew that it wasn't the people's fault that they were so blind to who the faces were behind International Rescue, and that they were right, the Tracy's did hide themselves from the public eye, but by the time Virgil had taken shelter behind a tree to call base, he was still bitter at some people's complete lack of care towards someone else's wellbeing. Just because Scott wasn't related to them didn't mean that his welfare wasn't important. Taking a deep, calming breath, Virgil opened the line to base; ready to explain what he'd heard to his father.

"Any news, Virg?" asked Jeff, answering the call quickly.

"Not really - most people are sympathetic more than anything else, but some morons out there are being pretty harsh. We might need to improve our public image after this has all blown over."

"I knew something like this would happen," sighed Jeff "how bad is it?"

"Just the usual 'why should they care', 'we're just playboys', and 'Jeff Tracy doesn't care'. I don't think it's anything we haven't heard before." replied Virgil, with a shrug.

"It was bound to happen - just ignore them and keep waiting it out. It's the only thing you can do at this point, son."

"Yeah, I'd guessed as much. How was the attempted phone call?" inquired Virgil, referring to Jeff's previous attempt to contact the Hood privately.

"Difficult to say; Scott is alive, which is a plus, but the Hood's furious with him personally about halting the search after the landslide. He's threatening to tell everyone who we are unless I give him what he wants, but Scott ended the call before I could say anything. He thinks that IR is more important than he is." responded Jeff, exhaustion evident in his face.

"Classic Scott," Virgil answered with a small chuckle, a weak attempt to lighten the mood, "what are you going to do, then?"

"I've got no idea, Virg, no idea at all. Look, I'll call you back in ten - let me see what John thinks, he might have some good ideas, plus I haven't heard from him or Gords in awhile."

"Are they alright?" cut in Virgil, worriedly.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, don't panic. Just keep a clear head and keep it down low. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, yeah," the middle Tracy replied, "Just call me with more news?" Virgil added desperately.

"F.A.B. son."

His father ended the connection, and Virgil was left alone once more. Weighing up his options, Virgil decided that burying himself in the buzzing crowd was a better bet than hovering near the edge of the group alone, and therefore was less likely to be singled out and recognised. Pushing through the swarms of people, Virgil found himself in near enough the centre when the huge screen crackled into life once more.

The picture shown was not dissimilar to the image that they, and most likely the rest of the world, had seen previously. The Hood was standing closest to the camera again, and a man was situated behind Scott once more. Biting down hard on his lip, Virgil was hard-pushed not to emit a cry of anguish at the state of his eldest brother. Scott was slumped in the same seat he'd been sat in before, but whether he was conscious now was impossible to tell. More blood smeared his hair, face, and clothes, and his chest shuddered and shook, with ragged gasps in the background which could be heard as Scott struggled to breathe. The Hood wore a wide grin as he faced the camera, letting the image of his hostage sink into people's memories. Suddenly, forcing the public's attention back to him, the Hood spoke:

"It's lovely to see you all once more," greeted the Hood with an air of cheeriness so false it chilled Virgil to the bone "but I have less than good news to pass on! I've spoken briefly with the great Jeff Tracy, and he's not as generous as he appears - all those fancy charity balls have all been for nothing, it seems!"

There was a quiet hum of chatter amongst the crowd that Virgil had placed around himself, some voices rich with disbelief, others satisfied with their apparently correct initial view of a family they didn't even know.

"I thought, perhaps," pondered the Hood to the crowd "that revealing a tiny, little secret of Jeff Tracy's might make him pay up, but not yet."

There was a groan of disappointment through the crowd, bitter that they would miss out on some rich gossip about one of the most elusive men on the planet, but their whining was quickly cut short as the Hood continued to speak:

"I've thought of something better instead! You know, it's nice that there are so many Tracy sons around," the Hood stepped closer to Scott, fondly touching the back of his head. Virgil sighed in relief as Scott proved that he was at least slightly conscious; he sluggishly moved his head away from the Hood's hand with a soft groan. The Hood just grasped his hair again, forcing his face towards the camera, though Scott seemed unable to recognise much of what was happening around him, and failed to look directly at it.

The Hood spoke once more, facing the camera again himself: "I get one Tracy here, and I know that another Tracy is in New York. Virgil, isn't it? I hope you're watching this closely because, as a pay incentive to your father, I've devised something a little more... explosive, shall we say? A challenge to you New Yorkers," cried the Hood, releasing his hold on Scott and stepping forward again, "the Headquarters for Tracy Corps is very close to Times Square, and I estimate that you have... an hour or so before the bomb that's within it blows up. For Virgil's sake, let's say you have until 10pm before your family's business erupts over the city. Perhaps, Jeff, now you will consider the life of your sons before the importance of your little secrets. Oh, and Virgil? It's probably time to run."

The screen went black, and panic began to take over the crowd. Shrieking and running for cover, people began to flee the area only to find there was nowhere to go. Opening a line to base as he ran, Virgil waited for his father's voice in his ear to rise over the din of the crowd.

"Dad?" Virgil prompted as soon as the line opened, "We have a huge problem."

"I've just heard the latest from John and Gords, Virg, you're telling me..."

Hmm, seems I can't stop with all these cliffhangers...