Thank you so much once again for all of the amazing reviews, especially those I couldn't respond directly too.
Gordon had been struggling fiercely against the ropes holding him when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Virgil lunge forward. His mind was screaming at his brother to stop, his body reacting violently as he tried to pull his way free. Virgil couldn't do this! The Hood might have threatened to kill them all, but Gordon knew full well Scott would not let that happen. His biggest brother had already been sprinting towards the maniac when Virgil had moved. True, Gordon knew he probably wouldn't have made it; the Hood's gun was too well lined up. But the others would have. There was no need for Virgil to be such a self-sacrificing idiot.
As soon as Virgil's hand closed over the needle, Gordon could have sworn it was as if time had stopped. He could see Scott running forward, sheer horror etched into his brother's face in a way the aquanaut had never seen before. The Hood had a smug look on his face, the gun still aimed at Gordon as he muttered something to Virgil. If there was one thing Gordon would take back out of this whole experience, it would be whatever the maniac said in that one split second. He knew it was those words that caused Virgil's face to suddenly look thunderous before he plunged the needle into his arm.
Gordon heard John's scream, but it was like the sound was muted, coming from far away. Everything seemed muffled apart from his own heartbeat, pounding with a fierce intensity in his ears as the colour immediately drained from Virgil's face. His voice was restricted; he couldn't physically yell his horror at the situation in the way John could, so he was doing it internally instead. It was as if he couldn't get enough air to his lungs, as if someone had a grip on his heart and was squeezing sadistically. If there was one thing Gordon knew a lot about, it was pain. And yet nothing he had ever been through came even close to what he was feeling now.
"Gordon!" A frantic voice sounded directly in front of him, and with a great deal of effort, Gordon turned wide and stunned eyes onto John. The man still had the handcuff dangling from one hand, and the fingers on his opposite hand were bloody. Swallowing, Gordon tried to snap himself out of the almost dream-like state he'd found himself in to see a nail clenched in John's hand. It was clear the blond had managed to pick the lock without anyone seeing amongst all of the chaos.
Movement drew his attention back over to his brothers. Virgil was on the floor, although how he had ended up there, Gordon could not have said. But in that one glance, he knew the trouble had only just begun. Especially considering the way Scott practically leapt over Virgil, slamming his shoulder straight into the Hood and driving the man to the ground. Gordon didn't feel John pulling the gag away, nor see his brother disappearing around behind him and beginning to tease the ropes holding him loose. He could only watch as Scott pounded his fist into the man.
But just as quickly as he had started, Scott turned away again. His body arched towards Gordon as he turned, and the younger brother had never seen such anguish on the man's face as he did in that moment when Scott dropped to his knees beside Virgil.
A hand was suddenly gripping Gordon's arm, helping him unsteadily to his feet as he stumbled towards his brothers. John didn't even attempt to stop him, knowing that Gordon needed to be over there as much as he did, despite the fact the Hood still remained there. The pair of them hurried over, dropping to their knees beside their fallen brother. Gordon had never seen anyone so pale, sweat already beading Virgil's forehead and making his hair stick to it. John pulled his brother close, cushioning him from the ground, but Gordon's attention was drawn by Scott.
Whilst they'd been moving, the Hood had somehow made it to his feet and had disappeared into the surrounding vegetation. The second Scott was sure Gordon and John were there to stay; he had leapt to his feet and shot off after him.
"Scott, come back!" After what had felt like hours of not being able to say anything, the shout was ripped from Gordon's throat as he jumped to his feet. He was not going to let Scott run after this monster alone. He was not going to let another brother be hurt. If he had been able to fight against the Hood more effectively, none of this would be happening, Virgil wouldn't be... No! Gordon refused to think like that. His brother was a fighter, he would be fine. He simply had to be. One glance showed that John was keeping their brother as safe as possible considering the circumstances, and Gordon took off after Scott.
"Gordon, don't!" John's shout fell on deaf ears as Gordon ran, the pounding of his blood blocking out all other sound. He could see Scott just in front of him, and sheer frustration at the entire situation gave him a burst of speed.
"Scott!" Gordon almost threw himself on his brother when he caught sight of what Scott was doing. The pilot had reached a small ravine, and judging by the snarling expression on his face, the Hood had disappeared into it. But Gordon didn't need to be a mind-reader to know what his brother was planning, and, with a strength they didn't often see from him, he grabbed Scott by the arm and forcibly dragged him back from the edge. It was amazing how much the landscape could change within just a few feet, but Gordon supposed that was partly why the temple had been built on the edge of the drop anyway, as some sort of security. They had barely moved from the ruin, and were in completely different surroundings.
"Get off!" Scott snapped, spinning around sharply and fixing Gordon with such a glare the younger man thought his insides would freeze there and then.
"Get back to Virgil!" he ordered.
"Don't..." It was clear Scott was going to tell Gordon not to tell him what to do, but the redhead got in there first.
"I can't lose you!" Gordon suddenly screamed, dropping to his knees as the reality of the situation crashed over him with such intensity he momentarily forgot how to breathe. This was really happening. His big brother had just been poisoned, and considering how much effort the Hood had gone to in order to bring them down, the redhead knew for sure he hadn't been bluffing. They were really losing...
"No!" The scream this time was almost ripped in half by a harsh sob. Gordon drove his fist into the ground, leaving it scrunched there whilst ignoring the pain lancing up his arm. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't...
He didn't notice Scott shoot him a sympathetic glance, moving to comfort his younger brother before mirroring his actions and lashing out, plunging his fist into a nearby tree. Gordon didn't even notice Scott sprint back to where John was still holding Virgil, nor his second oldest brother walk slowly over, taking up Scott's previous position and gazingdown at him. The dramatic change in surroundings meant it felt like they were further away from the scene of devastation than they actually were.
"Gordon? Gordy, look at me."
Suddenly, a strong and warming grip was on his shoulders. John crouched down in front of Gordon, holding on tightly to the younger man as if he was trying to ground him. Whether it was just coincidence, or whether he truly did know what was best, it was precisely what his little brother needed. As Gordon looked up into John's eyes something in him broke and he all but fell on his brother, his breathing hitching erratically.
Scott hadn't stayed because he could offer no words of comfort; make no promises that everything was going to be alright.
Scott couldn't stay because he knew what was really going on.
"No, no, no, no, no..." he mumbled into John's uniform, feeling the man's hands resume their grip, attempting to ground him. But John didn't say anything. Gordon didn't need him to; he could feel the way his brother's heart was pounding with the same agonising intensity as his own, knowing the blond also felt like he was being ripped straight down the middle.
Gordon had no idea if they stayed that way for a minute or an hour before John's vibrating watch snapped them into action. Keeping one arm firmly gripped around his brother, John's free hand flicked the switch.
"Dad," he said heavily, and in that one word, Gordon felt as if a great weight was pressing him into the ground, John being the only thing that stopped him from collapsing completely. He didn't even notice he was shivering until John drew him in closer.
"John? Alan's picking up erratic readings from Virgil's watch. What's wrong with your brother?"
Gordon had never heard a silence as loud as he did in that moment when John took in a breath.
"He's been poisoned."
The silence that fell the other end was something Gordon didn't think he would ever forget. He could literally hear his father breathing through John's watch, the man's breathing stumbling irregularly as he clearly tried to process what he had just been told. He could even hear Alan's sharp intake of breath, despite the fact that had come from the portrait across the lounge and then back through John's watch.
"Wh...what happened?" Jeff's voice was forcibly controlled, yet both of his sons could hear the violent tremors. They were fully aware that it would only be moments before he cracked completely. John gave Gordon's shoulders another squeeze and stood up, moving away from his brother. Gordon just sat there on the floor, his mind going blank. He couldn't think straight. Thoughts themselves were far beyond him at the moment. Virgil was dying. There was nothing else that mattered.
John was talking quietly, his back to Gordon as if to shield his little brother from what was being said. Gordon didn't see the point. It wasn't as if it could shield him from what was happening. The harsh reality was staring him in the face, causing his breath to catch and his eyes to sting furiously. He scrubbed at them harshly, instead turning the pain into anger. Anger towards the Hood. He hoped that it would help, that it would somehow make things right again if he didn't dwell on what was going on behind him.
It didn't work. Nothing could stop the hollow feeling from overtaking every other emotion. He felt numb. Sitting on the floor, Gordon found his hand was automatically playing with the grass surrounding him, picking at the blades before tossing them away from him in anger. What right did the grass have to sit there growing whilst Gordon's big brother was dying?
As his hands played, Gordon found that his mind suddenly started working again, a small thought filtering through and sticking in his mind. Even as he aggressively pulled up another clump of grass, he froze. The thought would not leave him, and swallowing hard, he glanced up at John. He could see that his brother was becoming more and more agitated, but Gordon couldn't blame him. Who would want to be the bearer of news like that?
Springing to his feet, Gordon closed the gap between them in a matter of strides. John may have wanted to protect Gordon from what was being said, but he clearly hadn't been prepared to move any further away from his younger brother than he had to. Gordon didn't even register the surprised expression on John's face as he grabbed at his brother's arm, yanking John's watch towards him.
"Dad, get Kyrano."
"Gordon, what are you...?"
"Now! Please!" The sheer desperation in Gordon's voice cut through John's attempt at taking control of the situation, and it was clear their father picked up on it as well, for he didn't argue. Gordon was glancing about him impatiently as he heard the soft murmur of voices on the other end of the line. John was forced to prise his brother's hand away, Gordon wincing apologetically at the finger marks on the astronaut's arm.
"Gordon?"
"Kyrano. Listen, you know this area." Gordon ignored John's warning intake of breath. Especially since finding out it was the Hood who was trying – John wouldn't admit to succeeding, not yet – to kill them, they had made the point of not drawing comparisons between him and his half-brother. But Gordon wasn't even thinking along those lines. "You told me once that every plant has a use, that none are there for just the sake of it."
"That is correct." For once, Kyrano's calming voice was doing nothing to soothe Gordon.
"Then there must be one here that can do something! Kyrano, please, there must be something we can do." The pause seemed to stretch on for a lifetime, John once again being forced to remove his frantic brother's hand from his arm before he had bruises. Eventually though, Kyrano spoke.
"There is... something that might help. It was always believed to combat ill health, its properties are renowned."
"How do we find it?" It was John who spoke this time, his voice quiet and filled with an uncertain hope. Gordon knew how he was feeling. They had to believe this would work, because the alternative was not something that could bear being contemplated.
"It's small, dark green and will grow in clumps. The leaves will feel velvet to the touch and light green spots litter the stem. It likes the shade, but apart from that, I can give you no more information."
"Thanks, Kyrano!" Gordon finally relinquished his grip on John completely and turned back to the clearing. The sight there made his heart skip a beat. Virgil was definitely worse; Scott was all but having to hold him down as shakes racked his body.
"He's burning up," Scott muttered, not even turning when he heard Gordon arrive. Gordon swallowed hard.
"Kyrano thinks there is something that might be able to help." His voice was as equally soft as his brother's. John hadn't even followed him back, and already Gordon could hear him beginning to search. Scott's hands stilled and Gordon heard him suck in a sharp breath. If he knew his brother as well as he thought he did, Scott would have closed his eyes momentarily, shielding the world from seeing the raging emotions shoot through his eyes. One hand flicked at his watch.
"John, hurry up and find it! He's burning up." The Field Commander's orders were once again given, and Gordon turned on his heel, sprinting back into the forest himself. He could understand his brother's tone. He too was refusing to think that this could potentially be it, but judging by the fact Scott was still with Virgil, he was being forced to accept the sheer reality of the situation more than his younger brothers were. It was why he wouldn't leave Virgil. Not only because out of all of them, Scott had the most chance of getting the artist to hang on, but because he wouldn't let the others see their brother like that. It was Scott's way of trying to stay in control.
Gordon felt like he had been searching for an eternity. Every time he thought he saw something that matched Kyrano's description it was as if his body gave a strange lurch, his heart pounding uncomfortably until he realised that it was something else entirely. He was getting desperate, hands scrabbling through the undergrowth, crimson streaks soon lining them from where he was taking no care in the slightest. It had to be there, it simply had to be.
He would have searched forever if he had to, anything to feel like he wasn't giving up on Virgil. He didn't have to, however, for two things happened simultaneously. He was lucky he had ended up directly in between the positioning of his brothers, for he heard them both clearly even without his watch.
"I've found it!"
"John... Gordon... Get back here, he's not breathing."
The world spun alarmingly and Gordon found he was forced to put a shaking hand on a nearby tree to keep himself upright at Scott's words.
No, no, no, no, no, no...
Thundering footfalls signalled John's movement, and after a moment, Gordon took a deep breath and pushed himself up again. Things still seemed to be spinning slightly, but he forced his legs to move. It was as if he was in a dream, everything around him was blurred as he stumbled back into the clearing. John had indeed found the plant, it was resting on the ground next to him as he gently pushed Scott away, taking over the attempts to revive their brother. Scott fell back, cradling his arm slightly. It showed how much this was affecting him the fact that he let John do it.
Gordon wasn't even aware there were tears running down his cheeks, blurring his vision as everything seemed to blend into one. He could see nothing else but John, fighting to save Virgil.
But then something else did force his vision to focus. Scott had moved. John hadn't even noticed his older brother pick up his previously discarded gun and begin to walk away, but Gordon did. He immediately stepped into Scott's path.
"Where are you going?"
"Move."
Gordon felt like he had been punched in the gut. There was nothing familiar or loving about Scott's voice, a cold emptiness, void of all emotions taking its place. His eyes were the same. There was no sign of the Scott Gordon knew there, only burning hatred and an intense anger that he had never seen the like of before. Looking into his brother's eyes, Gordon knew what Scott was about to do.
"No," he responded firmly, reaching out to take Scott's arm. "It's not going to change anything."
"He killed my brother."
"He hurt our brother. Virg's not gone yet, Scott. Come on, don't do this." There was no way Gordon was about to let Scott walk away, for he knew what would happen if he did. True enough, they would be one enemy less, for there was no way Scott would have stopped until he had found the Hood. Whilst there was a part of Gordon that simply wanted to step aside, hell, even go with his brother and finish the bastard once and for all, he knew they couldn't do it like this. It wasn't even from some moral sense of knowing what was right or wrong.
It was nothing more than a selfish reason. If Scott did this, it would destroy him. Not now, probably not even in a day or so. But eventually, the anger would ebb away, and Gordon knew that the pilot would be more torn up than even he could comprehend at knowing he had taken someone's life in cold blood, regardless of how much they may have deserved it. Despite his turmoil of emotions, Gordon wasn't naive. He knew there was a very strong chance they would be returning to the island one less than when they had set out. There was no way he was about to let the Hood destroy another member of his family.
"Move."
"No." His own voice was soft and quiet. It was the complete opposite of Scott's. Whilst his may have been cold, Gordon's was cracking with the emotion he was struggling to keep on top of. Before he could say anything else, he found himself staring down the barrel of his brother's gun.
"Move."
"No way," Gordon responded, folding his arms and allowing his stance to show that he wasn't going anywhere. "You'll have to shoot me first."
He desperately tried not to react as Scott's finger tightened on the trigger. His brother surely wasn't that far gone in his fury and pain, was he? One more look at Scott's eyes had Gordon swallowing, suddenly thinking that he might have just made a big mistake. Virgil was to Scott what Alan was to Gordon. And the young man didn't even want to consider how he would have reacted if the Hood had pulled the trigger that day in Canada.
"Gordon. Move." Scott's words were barely audible, instead being lost in a low growl. As Gordon merely raised his eyebrows challengingly – a clear sign that he was certainly not going to move – Scott swung. Gordon had just enough time to see the blow coming and duck away to one side. Scott almost overbalanced as the gun – instead of colliding with his brother's head – swung effortlessly through the air.
"What are you going to do, Scott? Kill me as well as him?"
"He deserves it."
"'Course he does. But you aren't God, Scott, you can't choose that. Don't become him."
"He killed Virgil!" Scott's roar made Gordon flinch, but he slowly moved to stand back in front of his brother. There had been emotion in Scott's hoarse yell. He knew that his brother was beginning to slowly come back to him. It was just a matter of whether he could bring his Scott back in time. Scott pushed him roughly to one side and made to move off again, but found himself bowled over instead as Gordon threw himself at the older man's back.
The pair of them fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, Gordon somehow managing to wrench the gun away from Scott and throwing it far away into the undergrowth. He would find it later, but right now, he was not going to give his brother an even bigger advantage. Part of his mind suddenly realised that he was glad their positions were this way around, for there would be no way John would have stood a chance at stopping Scott. Gordon was the only one who would be able to, and right now he wasn't moving until Scott had calmed down.
Unfortunately, his brother had other ideas. Bucking, he managed to dislodge Gordon and rolled the pair of them until he was straddling his brother.
"You're not a killer, Scott." Gordon's quiet plea was not for himself, even if his head was jerked to one side as the usually calm Field Commander punched him. "This isn't you."
"How do you know what is me?" Scott snarled, but Gordon inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He was sounding more and more like his brother with every passing word, and Gordon knew that it wouldn't be long before Scott came to his senses. Jerking his legs, he wrapped them around his brother's waist, and in one movement, flipped the pair of them. Leaning down, he attempted to pin Scott's hands to the ground.
"I know my brother would never try and end someone's life deliberately, no matter what he had done. Come on, Scott, this isn't exactly helping."
Gordon may have been the only brother who had the chance of matching Scott physically, but his brother was so driven by his need for revenge the younger man didn't stand a chance as Scott threw him off. He hit the ground, breathing heavily as his lungs protested, but managed to glance up in time to see Scott spring to his feet. Gordon knew he wouldn't be able to react quickly enough, so instead just stuck out a hand, latching it around his brother's ankle.
Normally, Scott would have been able to kick off a hold like that with no trouble. But he clearly wasn't thinking straight, and definitely hadn't expected Gordon to react at all. Meaning that instead of simply jumping over his still gasping brother, Scott was sent crashing back down to the ground to join him in a winded heap.
Gordon didn't let go. Instead, he reached out with his other hand, gripping onto Scott's wrist. With a huge amount of effort, he pulled himself to his feet, stumbled forward and hit the ground again, right next to his brother. He grabbed hold of the other arm as well, leaning his weight across Scott's chest in order to keep him pinned.
"Get off me." Scott growled, shaking himself furiously as he tried to dislodge his brother.
"No chance."
"Now."
"Or what?" It was a comeback he had used too many times when growing up, but as Scott blinked, Gordon knew how appropriate it was given the situation. Just how far was Scott prepared to go in order to go after the Hood?
"Gordon..."
Inwardly smirking, Gordon tightened his grip. Emotion was beginning to flood Scott's voice, and a small spark had once again been relit in his eye. The bloodlust was fading; Gordon's brother was beginning to return for good this time. Shifting his weight in order to keep the pilot pinned – for Gordon was taking no chances until he was sure Scott wasn't going to run – the younger brother sighed.
"Come on, Scott, stop being such an ass."
"Get off!" Scott yelled, but Gordon merely gritted his teeth, holding the older man down. "Please, Gords...I have to..."
That was what Gordon had been waiting for. Scott's mind was beginning to snap back into reality, and Gordon knew he was beginning to process not only what he was doing, but what was happening. The aquanaut had a strong feeling he wasn't the only one who had been in denial about what was going on.
"No you don't, Scott. You have to calm down and get back to Virg. He needs you, big brother."
"But he... Gords, he stopped breathing."
"And since when did that ever stop Virgil needing you to tell him he is being an idiot? You really think something like dying is going to stop Virgil?"
"Gordon..."
"It's okay, Scotty, it's okay."
"It's not though, is it?" Scott's voice had finally softened completely, and when he tugged against Gordon's hold on his left wrist, his brother released his grip. Leaning forward, Scott let his hand rest against the back of Gordon's neck as he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Gordon shook his head, tears swimming in his eyes again. "I'm sorry."
"Me too." Gordon knew that Scott wasn't just apologising for all but attacking his brother, but the redhead didn't want to talk any more. That confrontation had taken it out of him emotionally, and in all honesty, he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. John, on the other hand, seemed determined to push his brothers that little bit further.
"Guys, get back here!"
Gordon glanced at Scott, who nodded. Scrambling to his feet, he offered his brother a hand, which Scott accepted gratefully, gripping onto Gordon's forearm for just a fraction of a second longer than he needed to, before both turned and sprinted back towards the clearing.
John was still on his knees next to Virgil. The younger man was motionless, but John had backed away.
"What are you doing?" Scott yelled, moving forward again, but pulled to a stop as Gordon grabbed hold of him. He wasn't about to let his oldest brother take out any anger on John, that simply wasn't fair. John was busy with his hands, crushing something between his palms, but he hesitated long enough to glance over his shoulder at his siblings.
"Saving his life," he responded simply. Gordon walked slowly closer, dragging Scott along with him. It was as if the pilot had forgotten how to function on his own, his eyes locked on Virgil. He didn't even notice as Gordon paused, bending down to pick up the discarded syringe. Something told him that they might still need it before this was over, and Gordon was never one for ignoring gut feelings.
The pair watched as John dipped his finger in the strange paste-like substance he had created before dragging it across Virgil's lips. Gordon thought he had forgotten how to breathe as he stared at his brother. He wasn't watching John any more though, his eyes instead locked on Virgil's chest. Or more importantly, the small movements his chest was making.
"He's..."
"Breathing, yes." John paused in what he was doing, glancing up at his conscious younger brother. Unlike Scott's emotionless expression, John's was the opposite, his expression betraying every thought that was going through his mind. "I got him back."
Scott dropped to his knees next to John, squeezing the back of his brother's neck in exactly the same way he had done for Gordon. For a moment, John's breath hitched in his throat as he turned tear-filled eyes on his big brother. The second they looked at each other they seemed to almost freeze, before John suddenly collapsed onto Scott, nearly sending the older man reeling backwards.
For a moment, Gordon just stood there, shocked. Scott's hand combed itself through John's hair even as the man clung onto him, all his strength having been taken in literally pulling their brother back from death. His knuckles were white as he gripped onto Scott's uniform, his breathing hitching erratically. All three brothers were looking at the same thing though, willing Virgil to take deeper breaths than he was.
"Come on," Scott eventually muttered, standing and pulling John up. "Let's get him home, he's not safe yet."
Nodding their agreement, Gordon and John bent down at the same time as Scott. Between the three of them, they managed to hoist Virgil in the air. Scott was right; it was time to go home.
And just hope that a miracle was awaiting them there.