Virgil watched, horrified, as the video played out. It was hard enough seeing his eldest brother bound and injured – he had not missed the wince, nor the bloody lips – but to hear the words 'Shoot the hostage,' he actually thought he was going to pass out. Good job he was sitting down…and then the gun fired.

Kayo's anger at Scott's kidnap was incandescent by the time she saw him tied up, half naked and blindfolded. With her fists clenched tightly by her sides, the expletives she could have uttered, and was uttering under her breath would have shocked many. She began to pace back and forth around the cockpit…and then the gun fired, and her heart dropped.

Penelope was sitting next to Virgil when the video had started to play. John had called her the same time he had called Virgil and Kayo, and, along with Parker, the four sat in the cockpit watching. She had automatically put her hand on Virgil's arm as comfort and support, Penny knew how much he was beating himself up over Scott's disappearance, and this video was just going to bring that home more. She couldn't help putting her other hand over her mouth to hide her distress at seeing Scott like that, and when the gun went off she jumped dramatically.

While the video was playing EOS was examining the stream. All digital devices left traces, she just needed to find it. She noticed John's sudden elevated heart rate, his sharp intake of breath, his cry of 'oh, god, NO!' but she partitioned that part of herself off, sending Tracy Island a quick alert to John's condition, and concentrated on the task. She needed to find Scott Tracy, and from the sounds of it, she was running out of time.

Grandma had sat down rather heavily when the video started up, showing Scott in his undergarments, blindfolded and cuffed to a chair. She didn't fail to miss the wince either, and by this time Alan and Gordon were sitting beside her, both hugging her tightly. She couldn't help but gasp out loud when the girl said they were going to shoot her eldest, but when the gun went off…it was like she was drowning in cotton wool – she could hear her grandsons calling her name, but they seemed a long way off…

Gordon and Alan sat and hugged their Grandmother tightly. No matter that they were adults (sort of – ok no they weren't) and they worked for International Rescue, they were still younger brothers whose oldest brother was in danger, and there wasn't a thing more that they could do. When the gun went off they both jumped, but their concern was immediately transferred to their grandma. She had cried out and now it seemed she and passed out. Alan patted her hand while Gordon patted her cheek. Their Grandma was made of Kansas Steel though, she came around almost immediately, and the three fell into another tight hug.

Brains and MAX were in the silo, looking up at Thunderbird One. MAX had the video playing on the screen, and when he heard the demand for a Thunderbird or they wouldn't let Scott go, he'd immediately began to look and see if he could adapt one of them so that they could give away a ship without giving away the technology. He hadn't heard the command to shoot, so he jumped a mile when the shot rang out, echoing around the unusually quiet silo. He rushed back upstairs.

Colonel Casey was getting frustrated. The boys had informed her of Scott's disappearance almost immediately, but as commanding officer of the GDF, she had other responsibilities besides her godsons. But two-and-a-half hours after Scott had gone missing she had arrived and taken over the investigation, much to the relief of both the Tracy family and the local police.

So when Gordon and Alan had forwarded the information regarding Fred Appleton, she eagerly sent her men to bring him in. But he had disappeared. As had Scott's friend Robert Denver. Casey would normally have dismissed Robert because of Scott's friendship – the Tracy's were a bright bunch when it came to fake friends – but the idea that two key players were missing was too much of a coincidence.

The demand video only turned her frustration into anger, into focus. The threat was terrifying the godmother side of her, though, and she stood stony faced as Rigby joined her in watching the gun go off…

She drew in a deep breath and commenced barking out orders. 'Rigby find me this Robert Denver and Fred Appleton. Do it yesterday. You there, Flanders, go get International Rescue and bring them here with coffee.' Waiting until she was alone she called out, knowing he would be listening: 'John, anything?' His hologram appeared and he shook his head. 'Not yet, but we haven't finished looking. Gordon is going to bring us over; our ETA is around half an hour.' Casey nodded and signed off. If anyone would find Scott, she'd lay money on it being John.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Scott tensed.

The gun fired.

In the milliseconds between the click of the safety and the bullet hitting him, Scott prayed. He prayed to his mom to keep watching over his brothers as he could no longer. He prayed to his dad for forgiveness. He prayed to a god he had no belief in for one last chance to see his family. In his mind's eye he could see his four brothers, Kayo, Grandma, Brains, Penny and Parker the last time they had got together, and he held tightly to that vision. He wished he could reassure Virgil that it was not his fault.

There was the sound of an impact, and a warm, sticky substance sprayed over the right side of Scott's face. He flinched back from it but was shocked to find he was alright.

He was alright.

He let go the breath he had been holding while his brain caught up with the fact he had not been shot.

He had not been shot.

He had not been shot.

But someone had.

Someone whose blood was splattered over Scott's face.

Oh god, they had shot Hannah! Scott's mind raced. Was it an accident? Did they simply miss him, and would they try again? He struggled to process what had happened. Then Todd's hand clamped down on his shoulder and Scott was once again grounded in the here and now.

Which reminded Scott that his family would still be watching. They would have thought that bullet was meant for him, he certainly had. Scott took a deep breath and sat himself up straighter, as much as he could.

'I'm sorry about that,' Todd continued. 'I couldn't let Hannah stick around, she's too much of a liability.' Again Todd bent down and stage-whispered into Scott's ear. 'You should be grateful to me, Tracy. The things she had planned for you! Whew!' Squeezing his shoulder again, Mason continued talking into the camera. 'You can see that I mean what I say. 20 million and a Thunderbird. You have 4 hours.'

The sounds of equipment being put away did not hide the noises of distress and moaning coming from Hannah. She wasn't dead. Yet. Unsure of whether Mason was still behind him or not, Scott called out to him, 'Todd – you can't leave her like that, she'll die if she doesn't get treatment.'

'So what,' came Todd's voice from across the room. 'This is all her fault anyway. If she hadn't had made a play for you we would never had come to this. Good riddance.' Scott was appalled. No one deserved to bleed out, to be left for dead like this. Having been shot himself, Scott knew the pain Hannah would be in. There wasn't much he could do. Glancing over to where he assumed Hannah might be he spoke to the air, 'you need to apply pressure to the wound, as hard as you can manage, OK?'

Suddenly his head was yanked back, and Mason was screaming in his ear again. 'I told you to leave her. Why don't you just shut up!' he ranted, pushing Scott away from himself, causing the chair to overbalance. With no way to support himself Scott crashed down hard, his chin hitting the floor first, followed by his nose. He felt the crunch and the blood.

The third person cleared their throat. Mason sighed heavily and stomped back over to Scott, picking the chair up and setting it down. He smirked at the damage to Tracy's face, and proceeded to make it worse by forcing the gag back into Scott's mouth. He then pulled the chair back on two legs and dragged it a short distance before righting it, giving Scott's shoulder another squeeze as he went past.

Scott was going to have a wicked bruise there, along with one on his chin and nose. His nose had crunched on landing, but he didn't think he'd actually broken it. Scott thought about who the silent partner is. His initial thought had obviously been the Hood, but this silence and the shooting was uncharacteristic of him, and he had started to revise his opinion. However, the man – and Scott's fairly sure it's a male by the cough from earlier – has stayed well away from him.

Hearing the door slam brough silence to the room. It's not an absolute one, though. He can still hear Hannah's rasping, ragged breathing, and it's getting weaker all the time.

He can't believe Mason's left her for dead, that he's being tortured by being forced to listen to her dying breaths, can't believe he's not going to be able to save her, can't help thinking this is all his fault.

He should never have come.