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Scott's head whipped up at the voice, a sharp gasp escaping him. Despite not being able to see his brother, he would know Virgil's voice anywhere. A large man was blocking his view and even as he watched, the man's arm lowered back to his side. A snarl escaped the back of Scott's throat; this man was responsible for Virgil's pain.
But even as he tried to rise, his body betrayed him. His balance was off as he tried to kneel, alerting the men to what he was doing. A foot pressed against his back, exerting just enough pressure that he collapsed back down again. The foot remained where it was and he knew he wouldn't be allowed to rise even if he physically could.
"Leave him alone!" he yelled, his voice hoarse. The man didn't even look around. Scott fought the weight on his back as the man's arm lifted, clearly preparing to strike again. It didn't matter how much he struggled – he couldn't get up.
But the blow never landed as another voice cut smoothly into the conversation.
"Enough. We need him conscious."
A sharp pain constricted Scott's chest. He also knew that voice. It was the sound that had haunted his nightmares for years, the voice that hadtaunted him night after night, that had driven him to the edge before his family had pulled him back again.
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think straight…
He was in his nightmare again, and there was no waking up.
Then Scott took a deep breath. Virgil needed him. His mind cleared, sharp, cold anger lacing through the fear and allowing strength to flood his body. He didn't have his imagination playing tricks on him this time. This was reality. He was a practical man: he saw a problem, he found a solution, he dealt with it.
He just had to do the same this time.
The large man dipped his head and stepped away. The pilot sucked in a sharp breath when he saw his brother. Virgil was sitting against the wall, his hands tied above his head and his face an array of bruises. He was sitting stiffly, his eyes clouded with the pain he refused to let his expression reveal. Scott knew his brother; Virgil was hurting all over.
Virgil saw him looking, though, and attempted to grin.
"Virg-," Scott's voice was soft. He had no idea what he was supposed to say.
He was never given the chance. The man stepped towards Virgil again, backhanding him sharply before melting back to the shadows. Virgil pulled a face, his tongue gently probing a bleeding lip. Scott, however, looked around as someone stepped forward.
"Was that enough of a lesson for you, Scotty? Or do you need more of a demonstration of what will happen if you don't stay quiet?"
Blag moved from the shadows, stopping next to his brother, his hand entwining with Virgil's hair, forcing him to look up. Scott tensed. He expected to feel nothing but terror facing the man again. It was his fears that had driven them to the mainland in the first place, after all.
But he was too angry. This man had tried to kill him, had threatened and hurt his brothers and then spent years haunting them. Scott didn't have time to be afraid, not when fury was pounding through him. His gaze flickered to the men next to him, his hands tensing in their restraints. All he needed was a weapon…
Virgil gave a soft gasp and Scott looked back to see Blag's grip had tightened. The man was watching him intently and Scott knew his anger was playing out across his face. He forced himself to calm down and let his body relax. The rules were obvious; anything he did would be taken out on Virgil.
He needed a plan to ensure his brother's safety before he tried anything rash.
Virgil's gaze flickered to one side and Scott knew his brother was trying to make him look around. Not entirely sure if he wanted to know, Scott looked and sighed. He had known this was coming, ever since his father received the call from Nicole. But any hope that his friend would have made a miraculous escape was lost as Scott looked over.
Slumped against the wall, clearly unconscious, was Matt.
He tensed again, then looked back at Virgil. Blag was still watching him, a small smile playing across his face as he waited to see what Scott's reaction would be. Scott relaxed and keep his expression neutral. Blag chuckled.
"What did I tell you, Virgil? He can be reasonable."
Scott locked eyes with his brother as Blag let go. He refused to look at the madman as Blag crossed the space between them and he refused to let a sound escape him when a foot drove sharply into his stomach.
When he didn't react, Blag kicked him again, flipping him over before placing his foot across Scott's throat. Instinct was yelling at him to fight back, to do something! But his hands were tied and Virgil was in danger. Blag didn't know who he was dealing with this time and Scott wanted to keep the element of surprise for when he was certain he could win. He glared up at his captor, hatred burning in his eyes.
"I'll leave you boys to catch up," Blag sneered, pressing down before striding for the doors. Scott paid him no attention – he was too busy trying to breathe.
All but two of the guards left with him. The remaining ones were the man who had struck Virgil and the man who had threatened him if Scott didn't behave.
The odds were more in Scott's favour.
He was up before they saw him moving, planning to take them out before they could sound the alarm. But as soon as he got to his feet and lurched towards the big man, he knew he had made a mistake. His body was still protesting from the explosion and the man heard him coming. He turned, his fist sinking straight into Scott's stomach and forcing him back onto his knees, once again gasping for breath.
They took hold of his arms, dragging him across the cellar. Then, to Scott's horror, they looped a piece of rope around his neck and tied it securely to the railing that acted as a safety guard on the stairs.
Scott knew he couldn't get free, nor could he reach either Virgil or Matt without strangling himself in the process. Laughing, the two men left, one shoving Scott as he passed him, causing the pilot to fight to regain his balance in order not to choke.
As the door slammed shut, Scott became aware of just how dark and cold their prison was.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Virgil's voice trembled a little and Scott couldn't work out if it was from the cold, pain or fear. For all he knew, it was a combination of all three, though he knew Virgil would never admit it.
"Rescuing you," Scott muttered, trying to find a way of leaning back to reduce the pressure from the rope. He could tell by Virgil's soft huff that his brother was fully aware Scott hadn't planned for this to happen. It was true he had been attempting a rescue. He just hadn't factored in being taken prisoner himself.
"I saw what happened at the hangar," Virgil said. "John? Gordon? Are they..?"
"I don't know," Scott admitted. He refused to acknowledge the possibility that his brothers might be dead. Surely it would take more than a madman with some explosives to stop them? He needed to keep calm and focused if he was going to get Virgil out, which meant John and Gordon had to be alive. He wouldn't accept any other outcome.
"Where are we?" It was a feeble attempt to change the topic and he knew Virgil would see straight through him.
"Don't you know?" Virgil said quietly. Scott could just make out him shifting against the opposite wall and it hurt he couldn't get to his brother and check him over. He didn't say anything and Virgil continued. "We're back at the start, Scott."
Scott stared. He had guessed Virgil had been taken to Kansas and the fact he had been taken in a plane as well only confirmed those suspicions.
What he hadn't realised, however, was precisely where they were. He thought back to the house he had seen when they dragged him from the van, the forest bordering the edges, and shivered. Virgil was right: he knew exactly where they were. Clearing his throat, Scott tried not to think about it.
"What did they do to Matt?"
"A sedative of some sort," Virgil said. "Blag was boasting about defeating you. I'm not sure he cared whether he took you hostage or whether you died in that explosion, to be honest, as long as he could declare himself the winner. Matt and I weren't just going to sit here. I didn't understand why he was keeping me conscious at first, but now I do."
Scott knew as well. Blag wanted Virgil awake for when he arrived. It would have been painful enough seeing his little brother unconscious, but to be able to talk to him and not help was worse. Scott could hear the pain Virgil was in, his face twisted in a grimace now they were alone. He sighed, leaning his head against the railings. Blag knew precisely how to hurt him.
He didn't realise Virgil was watching him shrewdly in the dim light.
"Where hurts?" Virgil suddenly said, making Scott jump.
"What?"
"I saw the explosion, Scott. Where hurts?"
For once, Scott could be truthful.
"I'm fine." He sighed, shutting his eyes. "I was further away. I saw the camera. I didn't realise what it was but I went to investigate. I wasn't as close when the blast went. John, Gordon…" His voice trailed off and he opened his eyes again, watching Virgil closely.
The frustration on his brother's face was something Scott recognised all too clearly – it was the same way he was feeling. They were back together, yet both were trapped and had no way of knowing if their brothers were alive or not.
"Don't suppose you have your watch on?" Virgil asked, his voice lowering. It was clear he didn't want to risk saying it out loud, but at the same time he needed an answer. Scott sighed.
"I landed on it," he muttered, providing an answer as to why no one had come in to save the day yet. They had no way of contacting anyone.
"What does he want with us?"
"I don't know." But deep down, Scott did. He knew Blag would kill him, even if he took his time doing it. He had tried when he had been a teenager, after all, and keeping a grown man hostage was a lot harder than a terrified child. He hoped it was straight-forward revenge, though, as it gave him a chance to bargain for his brother and Matt.
"We're…we're going to be okay though, right?"
Scott suddenly realised just how scared his little brother was. Virgil had been missing for days now, stuck here with a maniac and knowing he was being used as bait. Unable to escape and barely able to defend himself (it didn't matter how strong Virgil was, Blag simply wouldn't have given him the chance), all his brother had been able to do was wait and be forced to watch an explosion that could have killed three out of his four siblings.
It must have been hell.
"Yeah. We're going to be fine, you'll see." Scott didn't think he had ever lied to Virgil in such a blatant way before. But it was his role as big brother to reassure the younger ones, regardless of the fact they were now adults, and he could tell by the look on Virgil's face that it was working. Virgil wasn't naïve enough to believe him, but just hearing him say the words was enough.
"Are you okay?" the elder brother continued, trying to examine Virgil visually across a dimly lit room. Virgil shrugged the best he could with his hands tied above him.
"I'll live," he muttered, causing Scott to wince. It was a painful reminder that the last time he had seen his brother, Virgil was in the middle of a gun fight, surrounded and outnumbered. He felt a twinge of guilt.
"Virg, I… I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner. I'm sorry I wasn't any help." If he had realised quicker that something was wrong, if he had got down to street level before the fight had got so intense, he might have been able to do something to help! But instead, he had been forced onto the sidelines and kept there, helpless, as Virgil had been taken away.
"Don't, Scott. You know better than me who we are up against. As he doesn't seem to care whether you live or die anymore, you know as well I as do that there was nothing you could have done. One thing I don't understand though… Why take me if he was happy for that blast to kill you? What was the point?"
Scott shifted as he thought about what his brother was saying. It was a good point. It was clear Blag wanted to get revenge on Virgil for saving Scott's life and avoiding being taken hostage himself all those years ago. But why go to all this trouble?
Scott had a horrible feeling he knew the answer.
"He waited long enough to make sure I knew you were missing," he said quietly. "He gave me long enough to know that I couldn't help you, that you werein his hands and there was nothing I could do. He knew he would win whether I lived or died, by having you."
Virgil's face fell. Scott knew his brother would have been aware how much this had been killing him. But hearing him say it out loud was a different matter entirely.
"But he made a mistake," Scott continued, finally allowing the anger he was feeling to be heard.
"Oh?"
"We're getting out of here," Scott said.
Too long had he been losing against this man.
Not any longer.
TBTBTB
John sighed as he turned off the engine, running a hand over his eyes in exhaustion. A smile touched his lips as he looked at his brother. Gordon was curled up on the seat, fast asleep. He didn't seem to notice they had stopped and John was glad. Gordon had been dead on his feet when they had landed so John had insisted on driving. He handled the car rental while Gordon shifted their stuff into the vehicle. John still didn't know why Gordon insisted they took some of the bags despite the plane being secure.
They didn't have much further to go: Scott's signal had stopped. John had followed his brother's tracker while Gordon flew. Scott's plane had come down in an airfield on the outskirts of Kansas and John had directed Gordon to the same place. There had been several small aircraft there, though; their jet stood out in comparison. They knew they were wasting time identifying Blag's craft; Scott had moved. The cops could handle that later. Blag had no reason to suspect Scott was being tracked but they needed to reach their brother before the signal was lost.
John glanced at Gordon before checking the co-ordinates on his cell, his heart hammering fast. He was certain he recognised the area. It was an uninhabited area that John was convinced had remained empty since those devastating events years ago. It made sense: Blag's mind-games still haunted John. But he didn't think the man would have had the guts to go back to the exact same location.
John closed his eyes, resting his head against the steering wheel. Gordon had fallen asleep quickly – it was a trait he had had since they were children. But John hadn't rested, even in the plane. He was exhausted.
But thinking about his missing brothers only left him frustrated, so instead he thought back to the call he had put through to his father.
He was braced for his father's anger, knowing the man would be furious with them for going. John had no idea that someone had sent his father the means by which to watch the hangar explode until the shocked voice on the other end of the line had let out a strangled noise at the knowledge all three of them were still alive.
Once he had calmed his dad down, John had then filled him in on the latest: that Scott was missing as well. John had explained about the bug and even talked his father through how to pull up the signal on the laptop. His father had agreed that they could take the plane.
Well…
John smirked. His father had told them to meet him there and that they would go together. John had told Gordon, and the pair of them had shared one long look before Gordon had put his foot wasn't just that they wanted to get to their brothers. Blag had targeted their father: it was why Scott had been taken in the first place. They had no intention of letting their dad anywhere near the maniac.
His father had cut the call short after that, wanting to get the information to the police as fast as possible. John wondered if he would have stayed on the line longer if he had known his sons were planning to leave him behind.
Something didn't feel right to John. The cops should have already been investigating Kansas – they should be in a position where they could strike as soon as they had a confirmed location – something that John could provide. But the last John had heard, a strike-team was being assembled, miles away, with safety and precautions delaying them. John understood safety – he had directed his brothers through danger zones more times than he cared to admit. But this was too cautious. The men were nowhere near, despite knowing where the plane had landed. John couldn't help feeling he would be waiting for back-up that was never coming.
John groaned, straightening up again as his thoughts returned to the present. He shrugged off his jacket, draping it over his sleeping brother before getting out of the car. Making sure the door didn't slam and disturb Gordon, John stretched and breathed in deeply. The afternoon sun warmed him through. Automatically, John titled his head so the light fell on his face. He always made the most of it while he could – Five's lighting didn't have the same impact.
After stretching, John pulled out his cell. He had promised his father that he would check in when they were closer. Scott had stopped, meaning they were closing in. They were only a couple of miles away – John had only stopped because he wanted to ease his troubled thoughts before leading Gordon into danger.
The phone connected on the second ring. John wondered whether his father had got any more sleep than they had, but knew better than to ask.
"Where are you?"
"Close," John said tiredly, leaning against the car and staring off down the deserted road. This had been one of the longest days of his life. Thankfully, his father had already voiced his anger over being left behind and now sounded as drained as John felt. John wasn't in the mood to deal with his father's temper right now. "Gordon's asleep. What's happening with the police?"
"Now Scott has stopped moving, they are assembling, getting ready to strike. They've told me not to contact them again until it is over, though."
John understood: the police would want to keep the lines clear for any urgent communication that would directly impact their strike, not listening to a frantic father. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"Listen, Dad, I've been thinking… Are you sure we can trust the police?"
"They're getting into position to get your brother back. They have more chance than you and Gordon on your own, you know this-,"
"Who gives the signal to move in?" John interrupted. The thought had been playing across his mind and now he had begun to go down that route, he had to see it through.
"Why?"
"Just tell me, please?"
His father told him, but the name meant nothing to John. He groaned, unable to shake the feeling that he was missing something.
"What's the matter?"
"Dad, how did you get the laptop? One set up with the recording of the explosion. I thought they were leaving someone downstairs."
He didn't mention that he and his brothers had been able to slip past the guard just by going out the back.
"There was. Two, in fact. One front, one back."
John grimaced – the cops clearly realised how the Tracys had slipped out.
"Then how did you get it?"
"John?"
There was a cautious note in his father's voice now. John opened his door, leant in and grabbed his laptop. Resting it on the hood, he tucked the phone under his ear and started typing. He knew what he was looking for, but it was no surprise he couldn't pull up anything. He was in the middle of nowhere, and his personal laptop didn't get much use these days; he had never installed Brains' updates on it.
"Dad, call Brains. Get him to use Five's systems to find out all that he can about the man leading the strike."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not sure he's going to give the signal." John's voice was little more than a murmur but his father heard him and demanded an explanation. He closed the laptop and sat on the hood again.
"They used the police to stop us finding Scott before. It was the cops who tried to take Virg, who…" John trailed off, absently rubbing his shoulder.
But Blag had got away with impersonating the police before and John knew, even in prison, Blag still had contacts.
"You think he is doing it again?"
He breathed a sigh of relief when his father spoke. He needed someone else to say it as well, even just to stop him feeling paranoid. He didn't trust anyone that wasn't family right now.
"Why not? Either that or your guard is seriously crap. Dad, whoever this was must have walked straight past him. Or… or he delivered it himself. What if the police are involved in this? Someone knew Matt's location."
"John, slow down."
John took a deep breath.
"Just talk to Brains, Dad. We're going after them, and if I'm right about any of this, then the police won't be moving in. They're waiting for an order that won't be coming."
His exhaustion crashed back over him in a wave of lethargy as he spoke. John had been grateful for back-up. Now he knew there was a chance they were doing this alone, and it would be up to him to keep his kid brother safe.
"Fine, I'll talk to Brains. Johnny, make sure you get some rest before you get any closer. You need to be thinking straight."
"Will do, Dad. I'll talk to you later."
John hung up quickly. He couldn't say goodbye, not in their usual casual manner. He didn't know what they were going to face, but he knew it would be dangerous. Blag held all the cards and John was aware they could be walking into a trap. He couldn't say goodbye knowing it could be the last time he spoke to his father. John shook his head, banishing the thought. It wouldn't help.
Picking up his laptop, he jumped off the hood and climbed back into the car. He grinned at Gordon, though. Even with a seatbelt on, his little brother had shifted enough to dislodge John's jacket. He reached over, tugging it back up again before leaning back in his own seat.
John checked the door was locked and awkwardly twisted so he could put his feet up. He shut his eyes, despite knowing sleep wouldn't claim him. But he wanted to give Brains the chance to investigate so they knew what they were up against. It was one thing going into this just the two of them. It was another relying on back up that wouldn't be coming. He would let Gordon sleep until Brains made contact, he decided, trying to get comfortable.
Then they would go and get their brothers.