Thank you so much once again for all of the reviews etc. I really hope you like this next part.
Even though all three brothers knew they had to get back to the house, had to find out what was going on with the Hood, it was hard for them to leave the beach. John had somehow moved Gordon to the shelter of the trees, making sure his little brother couldn't see Lagamer's body. For his part, the youngest brother present had just stayed limp in his brother's grip, letting John move him without really helping. They knew that he was still conscious, but he was in shock over what had just happened. Scott just hoped that once the reality sank in that Lagamer couldn't hurt Gordon again, his brother would begin to come to terms with it all.
Virgil had wandered off to the side slightly in order to check in with Alan and make sure that everyone with their youngest brother was okay. Scott was ashamed to admit he had barely given the others a second thought. But considering his mind had constantly been occupied with helping one of his brothers avoid death in some way, he figured that just this once he would be able to get away with it.
While the others were occupied, Scott had found himself crouched next to Lagamer, holding his breath as he felt for the man's pulse. Then he had double checked and triple checked. He did everything he could to make sure but it was over. Lagamer was dead.
Scott had no intention of staying near the body, however. As soon as he had confirmed it – and nodded at Virgil when he realised his brother was watching closely – he moved back towards the others. He took a moment to just relax and let his body relax as he leant against a tree and watched John holding Gordon. He knew John was clearly having no luck in getting Gordon to say anything. But Gordon seemed a lot calmer compared to the wild look in his eye from before and Scott knew it was progress enough for them.
He didn't notice Virgil had returned until he felt a hand grasping his wrist and two fingers being placed over his pulse. Scott automatically made to jerk away, only to have Virgil hold him still.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Okay, I know what you are doing, but what I don't know is why?"
Scott only fell still when Virgil glared at him. Cleaning up Gordon had left him with blood over himself, and Scott had to admit his brother looked somewhat intimidating like this.
"I watched you get zapped by whatever it was the Hood did to you. It knocked you out, so I'm simply making sure that you aren't about to collapse on us. You should barely be able to move, let alone fight the way you just did. I would tell you to stay with Gordon and let John and I handle the Hood, but I know the reaction to that."
"You've already tried leaving me behind once."
Virgil at least had the decency to look ashamed at the accusing note in Scott's voice and he finally let go of his brother's hand. Scott wasn't going to tell him he had only been able to make it this far without collapsing thanks to Brains' shot of adrenaline.
"Well, your pulse is steady, guess that you seem to be doing okay. How much pain are you in?"
"What makes you think I'm in any?" Scott tried not to feel put out when Virgil simply rolled his eyes.
"Like I said, I watched you get zapped. And you were only just able to stand up in the first place after hurting your stomach muscle. You'd have to be a machine if you weren't in any pain."
"Then call me a machine!" Scott snapped, jerking away from Virgil and straightening up. He didn't see the point of admitting he was hurting, it wasn't going to make any difference. He had to be there when they went after the Hood, this wasn't something he could let them handle on their own.
"You're the one he wants dead, Scotty." Virgil remained leaning against the tree as Scott stood up and the older brother found himself glancing down at the younger. There was genuine concern in Virgil's eyes and Scott sighed.
"I know. But at least if I'm down there with you, he can't try and go through you guys or use you against me, just to get me down there."
"Scott…"
"Don't, Virg. Gordon is going to be in the infirmary, as are Dad and Brains. We'll tell Alan to bring the others back. He should be with Gordon, someone has to keep him distracted. Grandma is going to be needed for Gordon as well, Kyrano might be able to aid us and Tin-Tin can help Brains. But don't you dare try and suggest I wait up there with them as well."
Virgil opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to protest. He glanced over at John and the way he was clearly struggling to hold Gordon upright, closed his mouth again and nodded.
"Fine. But at least let me check some of your vitals when we get into the infirmary."
"What difference would it make? I'm still going."
"I heard you scream."
That one simple line made Scott back down and he nodded. No wonder Virgil was desperate to try and make sure that his brother was alright. Scott never showed pain if he could help it, something that was a great exasperation for his little brother when he tried to check for damage after a bad rescue. To hear Scott not only voice that pain, but in such an explosive manner as well would have clearly got to Virgil. But just like everything else that had happened, he wouldn't have had time to deal with that before fighting for his life again. Or rather, fighting for Gordon's.
"First of all, we have to get back to the infirmary." Scott helped Virgil to his feet, glancing at John as he did so. The astronaut either saw or sensed the gaze and nodded. Taking one of Gordon's hands in his own, he draped it over his shoulder as he struggled to his feet. His other arm was looped firmly around his brother's waist, but it was still only just enough to keep him upright.
"You going to be able to get him back like that?"
"I'm fine!" John almost snapped, muttering something in Gordon's ear and beginning to walk them forward. Gordon did seem to be putting one foot in front of the other, but his head was down and his eyes unfocused. If John were to let go, there was no doubt in either Scott or Virgil's mind their brother would hit the floor before they had time to react.
Scott made to take a step after them, but Virgil put a hand on his arm.
"Give them a few moments to get ahead of us. I think Gordon needs space."
"What's happening to him?"
"What should have happened to us all a long time ago. He's gone into shock."
"So he'll be okay then?"
"I don't know. Scott, he just killed a man. He might have done it in the past, but this wasn't under military orders. I know he did it to save you, but it might take him some time to adjust to what happened."
"After what Lagamer had done…"
"I'm not saying I'm not glad the bastard is dead. But do you think you'd be okay with killing someone like that, after everything else he has been through? Gordon's been through hell, and we promised him he would be safe here. We broke that promise big time. Yes, we can deal with shock, we'll just have to keep him warm and rested, all the usual things. But whether he'll be okay or not? I can't answer that one."
Scott sighed, reaching out and giving Virgil's shoulder a squeeze. He knew how hard it would have been for the younger man to admit that – Virgil always liked to know how he was going to handle his brothers when it came to their health.
"Come on, let's get back."
Virgil didn't protest this time, but instead let Scott lead the way. John had been able to cover a remarkable distance and they caught up with them in time to be able to help Gordon up the stairs and into the house. Scott tried to keep his eyes pointed ahead as they moved towards the infirmary, knowing that if he glanced to the sides and into the rooms, the destruction would be there as a mocking reminder of what they had lost. Virgil broke away from the group at the final corridor, slamming the side door shut and firmly bolting it before falling back into step with the rest of them.
"So that's how you guys got so far ahead of me," Scott muttered, watching his brother.
"Well, you did also have to…" Virgil broke off, blushing as he refused to look Scott in the eye.
"Did also have to untie and then uncuff myself? Hey, Johnny, thanks for the paperclip."
The back of John's ears turned red as Virgil grinned.
"Did you know our brother has a talent for picking locks?"
The conversation continued in a similar manner the whole way there. It wasn't that they wanted to be talking about such trivial matters in a light-hearted way, it was just that light conversation was better than the silence. Even so, Scott was more than relieved when they reached the infirmary and John was sliding Gordon onto a bed. Virgil moved off to one side to check on their father and quietly engaged Brains in conversation. Scott and John somehow managed to get Gordon lying down, tugging his shoes off before covering him in a thermal blanket. Scott made sure the setting was right as John also crossed the room to talk to Virgil about what needed to be done.
Scott perched on the edge of the bed, hating the way that Gordon's eyes were just staring at the wall without blinking. He sighed, combing his fingers through Gordon's hair.
"You are going to be okay, kiddo, you hear me? You're gonna be just fine, because I'm promising you that. And you know that I never break my promises."
"Scott? Come here a sec?"
Scott nodded, making to move. But before he could do so, a hand suddenly clung onto his.
"Don't leave me." It was a trembling whisper, but had Scott firmly back on the bed before he knew what he was doing. He motioned to Gordon with his head and Virgil nodded his understanding. Scott knew it was a good thing that Gordon was beginning to react to his surroundings.
"It's okay, I'm here. I'm right here." Waiting until the grip had eased slightly, Scott beckoned John over.
"Call Alan, we need him here with Gords."
John nodded, turning away as his watch already began to rise to his mouth. He had seized a laptop from their father's office on the way past and checked what was happening with the rest of the island. From his reports, the soldiers seemed to have realised they had lost and were fleeing for the boats. Normally, Scott would have been the first out there giving chase, but he knew their priority was the Hood right now.
Virgil had also crossed the room, and Scott smiled as he felt his brother's hand resting on his shoulder comfortingly. Or, at least, he thought it was comforting before he felt the sharp sting of a needle and jolted away.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded angrily, making sure he didn't let go of Gordon's hand even as he glared at Virgil. His younger brother just grinned back innocently.
"Pain relief. I don't care what you aren't telling me, I'm going to make you feel better."
"I swear, Virg, if it is anything else…"
"It's not, I promise. I know how much you need to be down there with us. As much as I might hate it, you are right. Who knows what the Hood will do to us just to get at you, and if you get yourself killed, I'd rather not be held responsible."
Virgil's words might have been flippant, but Scott believed him when he said that it was nothing more than pain relief in the needle. If he was honest, he could already begin to feel some of the aches begin to disappear even as they spoke.
"Alan's on his way up." John, too, came to join them, sitting on the other side of Gordon.
"So we wait for Alan to get here, then we find out precisely where he is."
"Brains has been monitoring things from in here. He's around Three's silos as the moment. I doubt he would go much further than that considering he seems to be sabotaging the equipment."
Scott shook his head at John's words, anger coursing through him. He kept the anger in check though, knowing he couldn't afford to let it get the better of him. He knew that would be what the Hood wanted.
"So then we go and get him?"
"No!" Gordon's whimper came out stronger this time and his hold on Scott's hand tightened. "No, don't. Please, don't go down there, please don't…."
"Gordy," Scott slid of the bed until he kneeling on the floor, one hand resting on his brother's head and the other gripping his hand. "We have to, you know we do."
"You don't have to." Gordon's voice was soft, but the plea was still just as strong. "He can just stay down there. Please, he'll kill you…. He already has so many times…"
"And we've bounced back every time. I swear to you, we'll come straight back up, be back up here before you even know that we are gone. I promise."
Gordon continued to shake his head, but Scott found he was glancing at the others. That was a promise he intended them all to keep. They were all going to come straight back up after they had dealt with the Hood, because they were all going to be fine.
"Scott, please…"
"Alan's bringing Grandma over, she's going to help look after you and Dad. Then we'll come back and continue where she left off. You know we have to go down."
Gordon stared at them for a long moment, tears brimming in his eyes as his head swivelled from one brother to the next. Eventually, however, his grip on Scott's hand lessened before he let go completely, turning to stare at the ceiling instead. They all knew what it meant though, knew that he was letting them go. He wasn't going to try and stop them from going after the Hood. The sound of footsteps coming down the corridor – steady but hurried – indicated that the others were on their way and the older three stood up.
"We need Al to stay with Gordon. Don't let him know we're going after the Hood."As the door swished open, Scott did something he hadn't done in years.
Bending over, he kissed Gordon's forehead.
"We'll be right back, little brother, I promise," he whispered, knowing by the way that more tears built up in Gordon's eyes that he had heard him. But as Alan moved over to them, Scott backed off. Glancing at Virgil and John, he sighed.
"It's time."
TBTB
"Make sure you don't turn your back on him, keep your finger on the trigger at all times, don't hesitate and do not let him touch you."
Scott kept his voice low as he addressed his two younger brothers. They had somehow got out of the infirmary without too many questions being asked, pausing long enough for Virgil to grab a shirt and for them to rearm themselves before heading towards the silos. Brains had isolated the Hood, keeping him trapped in Thunderbird Three's docking bay in order to give the boys a chance of getting close to him. They were right outside the main doors now, just a thick sheet of metal separating them from their enemy. John's finger was on his watch – as soon as he gave Brains the signal, the locking mechanism would release long enough for them to get in before sealing again. Once the signal had been given, there would be no second chance, no way for them to back out. In a way, Scott knew that was good, it meant their fears couldn't get the better of them.
"And no playing the hero," Virgil butted in, his voice just as soft, but equally as sincere as his brother's.
"Virg is right, Scott. He won't have any qualms about hurting Virg and I, but you he wants dead. Even if he has us, even if he says that he will let us go, don't give in to him. The chances are that he'll just kill us once he's killed you."
"Okay, okay." Scott held his hands up in surrender at their tone, knowing there was no way he would be able to go against them.
"We mean it, Scott."
"Don't I know it?"
Virgil shoved him in the shoulder as Scott rolled his eyes and the three brothers shared a brief, if somewhat terse, grin.
"For Gordon?"
"For Gordon."
John's finger jammed onto the button and all three of them winced when the door let out a loud grating sound as Brains activated the lock. That removed any element of surprise.
"Remember, as soon as we are in, split up. John, go left, Virg, right."
"F.A.B."
Virgil was the first one through the door, immediately sprinting off to one side as John followed him in and went in the opposite direction. Scott stepped in at a slower pace, pausing to lock the door behind him before walking directly towards Thunderbird Three.
"Hood? I know you're in here." Scott made sure his voice carried; his brothers needed to know where he was as much as the Hood. He paused when he was right in the centre of the open space, glancing about him as he did so. His finger was poised on the trigger, ready to shoot the creep the second he saw him, but Scott felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew the Hood was in here, knew there were hostile eyes upon him. But he couldn't see the man. He didn't even know where to start looking.
"Did you give them the safety talk, Scotty? Did you tell them not to take any unnecessary risks?"
Scott whirled around in the direction the voice was coming from, but was thrown off his feet by an invisible force at the same time. Crashing into the wall, Scott winced as he got to his feet again, suddenly glad for Virgil's pain relief. Kyrano had been able to offer them no advice other than not trying to resist the force of the Hood's powers. It was why Scott hadn't even attempted to stay on his feet.
"Come and face me properly, you coward!" Checking he still had his gun, Scott walked back to his original position, looking around once more.
"Now why would I want to do that?" This time, Scott was thrown over to the left, but even as he skidded across the floor, he heard Virgil yell out. No sooner had Scott looked up than his brother came tumbling down off the railings, hitting the ground hard barely ten paces away from his big brother. Scott scrambled across the floor on his hands and knees, reaching out for the artist.
"Virg?"
"M'okay…" Virgil rolled over, making Scott breathe a sigh of relief. His nose was bleeding, but apart from that, he did seem to be okay.
"There goes that plan then," Scott muttered, hauling his little brother to his feet and pushing Virgil's gun back into his hand. Sticking together, the two stayed on the edge this time, circling around to where the Hood seemed to be attacking them from.
"What do you want?"
"If you don't know, Scott, then you really are as stupid as they say you are."
"You know that you'll never get away with it." Virgil joined in, his voice echoing as he and Scott carefully searched the area.
A flurry of gunfire made them both raise their weapons in that direction, but the only thing they could see was John's gun come flying down to land at their feet. Scott swallowed hard. He knew guns didn't necessarily work against the Hood, but he hated the idea that John was up there, defenceless. Judging by the running footsteps echoing around, the astronaut wasn't sticking around to find out what the Hood was planning to do. He seemed to be heading towards the stairs, clearly intending to come down and join his brothers. Scott caught Virgil's eye and motioned for him to stop. There was no point moving any further forward until John had reached them.
"I think I already have."
"You have no way of leaving the island, Lagamer is dead and his men are gone. You've already lost, your puppet is dead, Gordon killed him."
"I had hoped he would. Saves me the job later. Not to mention what it would do to Gordon."
"W-what do you mean?"
Scott squeezed Virgil's arm reassuringly as his voice trembled, but found he was feeling the same.
"What do you think killing someone does to a person? Even in self-defence, it still destroys part of a soul."
"Don't rise to it," Virgil hissed, returning Scott's grip in order to stop him from moving forward.
"I bet Gordon enjoyed it. All that torture and torment, I bet he loved being able to take the life of the person who was responsible. I wonder if that will change him, even break him?"
"You know nothing will stop Gordon." As John skidded to a stop next to them, Scott took a step forward. He was moving away from the walls, moving out into the open. "You certainly couldn't."
"Maybe this is what I planned. You know it was I who came up with the idea of the tracker? If Gordon had escaped and gone for a little walk in the forest, nothing would have happened. But if he was brought home, if a scanner was used… I'd know you had come for him, that he would be home and my chance to destroy you all would have once again emerged."
"Scott, stop, he's goading you."
Scott didn't stop, though, he wanted to end this. Virgil and John shared a look before stepping out after him. The three of them moved steadily out into the centre of the silos, looking around for the Hood.
"I knew I had to wait until Gordon was once again back on the island before unleashing Lagamer. I could have killed Gordon months ago. But where would be the fun in that if I couldn't see the look on your faces as I did so? I set the whole thing up so Gordon would lead Lagamer and his men here and then I could watch as they ripped apart your home and your secrets. Of course, then it would be my turn to rip you apart."
The voice suddenly stopped echoing and the three brothers whirled around, only to find the Hood was standing directly behind them. The man's eyes flashed and Scott was thrown back, slamming his head on the railings around Thunderbird Three and dropping to the floor with a groan. John hurried to his side, but Virgil stepped in front of them, gun raised.
"This party is over, Hood, you have out-stayed your welcome."
The two older brothers could do nothing as Virgil fired. He didn't stop, but just continued until his gun let out nothing more than a click. When the smoke had cleared, he sucked in a sharp breath to see the Hood still standing there, almost as if nothing had happened. His eyes were blazing though, and there was a soft clink as all of the bullets hit the floor harmlessly in front of him.
"You've shot me once, Virgil, do you really think I'd let you do it again?"
Virgil took a small step back as Scot gave John a push, trying to get him to go to their brother. John didn't need telling twice, but as he stepped forward, the Hood's eyes snapped on him.
It was harder to say what happened first.
A heavy weight seem to settle over both Scott and Virgil, holding them still. The door to one of the side entrances opened with ease, causing all three brothers to suck in a collective gasp. That shouldn't have been able to happen, Brains was supposed to be keeping the doors locked.
"You really should stop underestimating me."
Neither Scott nor Virgil could move as John was violently flung to one side, crashing straight into the wall of the tunnel before being held there.
"You remember how this feels, don't you, Scott? As your ribs slowly begin to bend under the pressure?"
"No!" Scott didn't need to ask what the Hood was doing, he could see it in John's face the force holding him to the wall was increasing. Fighting against the man's hold with everything he had, Scott was barely aware Virgil was doing the same thing as they both battled to get to John. Judging by the way John's head was tilted backwards, Scott knew the pressure was not just on his chest, but on his throat as well, making it hard for the man to breathe.
"Stop it! Kill me if you want to kill anyone, but let him go."
"Oh but this is killing you, isn't it, Scotty? And you, Virgil… You think I won't make you suffer for shooting me? This causes you more pain than if I killed you right now."
"Please! Let him go!"
The Hood didn't answer, but instead just chuckled. It didn't look like he had any intention of letting John go until a soft noise from the far side made him look around. The distraction was enough for his hold on all three brothers to be released and Scott and Virgil were running even as John simply crumpled to the ground. Making sure that he covered them, Scott kept his eyes on the Hood even as Virgil dropped to his knees by John.
"He's not breathing!"
"Do something!" Scott dropped his gun as he too fell to his knees. Virgil tilted John's head back, pinching his brother's nose before forcing his own air into John.
"Get me a pulse!"
Scott obeyed the order without even thinking about it as Virgil continued to breathe for John. His hand grasped at John's wrist, his own heartbeat thudding loudly in his ears.
"Yes! Yes, he's got one."
"Come on, Johnny, you can breathe now, you idiot. Do so! Come on!" Virgil took another deep breath, forcing it into John. Scott didn't think he had ever felt as helpless as he did in that moment, but then John's legs suddenly twitched.
"Virgil!"
Pulling Virgil back, Scott sighed in relief as John suddenly gasped, rolling onto his side and coughing harshly. Virgil rubbed a hand up and down his brother's back, calming him as John continued to cough.
"It's okay, John, you're okay."
"Virg?" John's voice was nothing more than a croak and both his brothers' winced in sympathy.
"That's right. You're not going to your stars yet, Space-face." Rolling John over, Virgil massaged his chest gently in order to get John's lungs to relax after what they had just been through. Scott had a feeling they were being played though; the Hood was giving them recovery time just so he could break them down again.
"Can we kill him now?"
"Let's."
Scott wasn't sure he had ever heard Virgil sound so deadly as he did right then, but he agreed anyway. "Stay with John."
"You stay with John!" Virgil retorted, both men trying to aid John and climb to their feet at the same time. But as they did so, however, the door shut. Scott was up before Virgil could blink, trying to open it again. But on glancing out through the clear glass, his breath caught in his throat.
"Gordon, no!"
Gordon mouthed a 'sorry' at them as he locked the door, ignoring the way Scott was pounding against it. Looking across the silos, Scott could see that Alan had been shut in the other access tunnel in exactly the same way. He could only watch, straining at the door as Gordon disappeared from his sight, moving back into the centre of the silos and facing the Hood head on.
"Just you and me now, Hood. Let's end this as we started it. Only this time, I'll be the one to walk away." The voice was muffled, but still audible.
"Very well."
Peering out of the door, the last thing Scott saw was Gordon standing off against the Hood before the maniac's eyes flashed and the silos were plunged into darkness.
"Gordon!"
This time, there was no answer.