Whumpay Day 9: Gentle/Brutal

Trigger Warnings: Torture

Gordon sat on one of the beds in the infirmary, watching Virgil treat Alan's injuries. He loved to watch the medic at work, never ceasing to marvel at how such strong hands could also be so gentle.

Penny and Parker had brought Alan and Kayo back to Two and then promptly disappeared to track where Janus had taken their brother. There was a niggling feeling in the base of his spine, his Squid sense was tingling, and the thought was not pleasant.

He and Alan had been bait.

Sure, both of them had suffered a couple of beatings. His ribs were protesting and his mouth felt like one side was bigger than the other, and, yeah, now it was cleaned and bandaged the cut on his forehead was stinging. But they had been missing a little over 18 hours and Gordon felt like he had been let off lightly.

Alan was staring at him, or rather, staring through him, focusing on something else while their brother worked his medic magic. Alan's blue eyes swam with unshed tears, and Gordon knew that it wasn't the pain of the large cut across the right side of his face that Virgil was gently cleaning. He glanced away to the sleeping figure of Kayo on the remaining bed.

Yes. This had all been about Scott, to get Scott. He'd baited the hook with the pair of them. And their family had walked straight into it. Gordon shivered. He hadn't been told what had happened in that room for Scott to have gone, but he didn't need to be. Any of them would offer themselves for one of their brothers, and seeing the state Alan was already in, Scott wouldn't have hesitated.

Who know how brutal that man could be? The thought made Gordon shiver again, and Virgil glanced up, frown evident. Gordon smiled back. He didn't need a blanket. He needed a plan of action. He needed Penny and Parker to come back with Scott, or at least a way to find Scott. He needed Kayo to wake up.

He needed Scott.

Gordon scoffed to himself. What maudlin thoughts, he chided. There was not going to be a simple way out of this, and as he watched Virgil tenderly wrapping bandages around Alan's wrists, he climbed off the bed and made his way over, sitting close enough to Alan that he was practically sitting on his leg.

It got the response he was hoping for, though. Alan smiled just a little. Virgil finished off and looked the pair over critically. Gordon reached out and laid a hand on his arm. 'We're ok, Virg. We're ok.' Both brothers snorted at that comment. They were a long way from ok, especially Alan, but the sentiment was appreciated, and Virgil gently ruffled Gordon's hair.

'Do you have an antidote for Kayo?' he asked, and Virgil nodded. 'Yep, just about to administer it.' He busied himself in one of the cabinets for a second, pulling out a prepared syringe. Both Gordon and Alan cringed. Coming round after that antidote was rough, and both felt sorry for their sister. 'She's gonna be so angry,' muttered Alan, and Gordon nodded in agreement. He was pleased it was Virgil giving the injection.

Less than five minutes later and Kayo was sitting up on the bed, gently holding her stomach as if that could prevent the nausea becoming a reality. Virgil passed her a bottle of water, suggesting that she sip it slowly, and she flashed him a grateful smile as John appeared. He looked a little frazzled, and Gordon doubted he'd had any breaks while searching for them.

'Penny and Parker are on their way back,' he calmly announced. Everyone noticed there was no mention of Scott. Sure enough, their two friends entered the infirmary shortly afterwards. They both looked furious, and Gordon smiled to himself. The pair of them were deadly in normal circumstances, goodness knows what they would be like now. He shuddered again, but this time with anticipation.

'I now convene this war council.' Ok, that sounded better in his head, and Gordon thought that maybe he had a touch of concussion. Six pairs of eyes regarded him coolly before Alan snorted. Suddenly the atmosphere lightened. And yet at the same time it kicked them off into discussion.

How to find Scott. How to rescue Scott. How to stop Janus.

They started from the beginning. How did they get to Gordon and Alan? It was highly unusual for the aquanaut to be caught out, and as they chatted the pair racked their brains as to what had happened. Honestly, neither had any idea how or even when they had been taken, and that was just a little unnerving. They both remembered that they had surfed and then dined out, but not returning to the hotel or anything else.

The beatings Gordon hoped would be glossed over, evidence enough of them on both brothers, but they really needed to know what had happened to have some idea of what Scott might be going through. Sharing glances with Alan, Gordon relived the last day.

He had woken up on his own, hands bound tightly with rope in front of him and tied to a ring in the centre of the floor. He could just about stand if he stooped. Then it was just a simple beating, with one assailant doing the beating. Gordon frowned, he wasn't entirely sure why there had been two, the other one didn't do anything. Maybe he was there just in case Gordon somehow made a break for it. He recounted how he kept getting up rather than staying on the ground. It had seemed important at the time. Alan confirmed that his was just the same.

Gordon tentatively mentioned that he thought they had got off lightly, considering the length of time they had been held. There was silence for a heartbeat that seemed to stretch longer than it should, but soon they were all discussing Gordon's suspicion. Eventually John halted this line of discussion, and they returned to events.

John discussed how they had found them, and again Gordon had that tingling feeling again. Sure, it had taken 18 hours, but really, that still seemed too easy. John frowned again. The trail had been hidden, certainly, but once EOS had found just that one anomaly the rest had been quite easy to piece together. Had they been played? Gordon sighed.

Alan took over explaining how they had been separated, Virgil described Penny saving Gordon, and then all eyes turned to Alan and Kayo. Alan looked down, finding it difficult to meet anyone's eyes. Gordon slung an arm around his baby brother and gave him the warmest smile he could muster. He was relieved when Alan smiled back and straightened up.

Hearing how Janus had held a gun first against Alan and then against Kayo, the threat that if Scott didn't shoot her then he would, Gordon began to understand that maybe, just maybe they had underestimated their enemy. He had known exactly how to get Scott. And really, it should not have come as a surprise to any of them. After all, Janus had been a pawn of the Hood. There were gentle words of comfort for the youngest, but in his heart Gordon knew that only Scott could make it better completely, Alan already had that haunted look in his eyes that they all knew so well. My fault.

Penny now began to explain how Janus had got away. There was a series of service tunnels underneath the building, and there was evidence of some kind of vehicle. There was definitely room for a small car of some description. They sat there for a couple of minutes, glumly aware that this was not going to be an easy rescue.

It was Penny who moved first, clearing her throat and saying that they would be on their way now, people to talk to, criminal contacts to make (h'allegedly). The family watched them go, and the spark of energy returned. 'All hands on deck,' murmured Gordon to himself. And John was off, firing directions at EOS, fingers flying in their many tasks. Virgil made for home while Grandma talked to the GDF, who were unhappy at being kept out of the loop.

Once home, both Gordon and Alan find themselves submitted to the gentle touch of their grandmother.

Scott had been marched down through service tunnel after service tunnel, Janus keeping just far enough behind him that he couldn't really do anything that could help him before he would be shot. Eventually they came to a car, and for the first time Scott could see a possibility of escape. If he could…before the thought was even formed Janus had sped up behind him and clubbed him hard. Scott was unconscious before he touched the ground.

Janus had him cuffed and into the boot of his car and was off before Penny and Parker were even halfway through the tunnel.

By the time Scott regained consciousness he was in a small room. He groaned, trying to wake up, but the reality was hitting home. He was hanging from the ceiling, his feet only managing to touch the floor with the very tips of his toes. And judging from the pain in his arms and chest, he'd been here a while.

His head hurt while Scott tried hard to process what the hell was going on. And then he remembered and Scott cursed under his breath. He was in his undershirt and shorts, and it was decidedly cold in the room. Looking around it appeared that all there was him, hanging. No window that he could see, so he tried to swing himself around to see the rest of the room. A wave of dizziness overtook him, and he fought down the rising nausea, breathing deeply until the sensation passed.

Once the sensation had become manageable Scott set about trying to lift himself out of the hook. Trying to hoist his whole body up on arms that were already trembling was proving impossible, but it didn't stop him from trying again and again, until he was panting and sweating at the effort. It was no good. There was only one thing he could do now.

Scott waited.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he heard footsteps, but Scott realised he must have dozed off at some point. While not a natural position to find oneself in, it wasn't totally unfamiliar, and voices from the past he thought long dead and buried rose up to help him.

'Take every opportunity to sleep when it is safe to do so. It is sleep that will help you heal and help you cope.'

Yeah. And, while he really didn't want to remember the last time such training had needed to be deployed, he was thankful he could still recall the advice. He had managed to turn himself, slowly using his toes, and so the door was in sight when it opened.

There was still just Janus. The five thugs that had been left behind must have been all the backup the man had hired. But with Scott in this position Janus really didn't need anyone else. The metal pole he carried and the grin on his face said he knew that too.

'Well, Commander, nice to see you're awake now.' The man was positively leering. He stayed out of the way of Scott's legs though, just in case, and Scott smirked. 'Do you see this?' Janus said, holding out the pole for inspection. It was a matt black, with two metal prongs on the end. Oh yes, Scott knew what this was.

Cattle prods, while illegal the world over, were a very effective method of getting the beasts to go where you wanted them to. They had never used them on the few cattle Grandpa had owned, but Scott knew plenty of farms in the area that did.

They were also a very useful instrument to hurt people with. He'd had a run-in with this tool before. Scott could only pray that Janus had not managed to unseal his military record during his brief stint at the GDF, because it was beginning to look that way, and Scott didn't want, wasn't sure he could survive another…

…He was screaming. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Janus move, and had been caught unprepared for the pain lancing through his side. Hanging like he was meant that he couldn't curl up, as his muscles were desperately trying to do, his ribcage trying to move out of the way.

It didn't last long, but by the time the prod was removed Scott was gasping, both for breath and in pain. That had hurt, even through his shirt, and his chest was heaving. Janus walked around him completely, and it was enough to put Scott on edge, to prepare for the next one.

As if Janus could read his mind he reached out with the prod again. Only, instead of the electric, the man suddenly swung into the area he'd just zapped. Hard enough to probably crack a rib or two. But as Scott was prepared this time, all Janus got in reward was a grunt.

'Don't reward the act with noise. The more noise you make the more you will encourage them. However, there is a fine line. Grunt, don't scream. If you make no noise it will likely enrage them and they will lose any control they have. Balance is needed. That being said, if the torture involves electric shock the best method to cope without breaking is to scream.'

Scott knew that having cracked or broken ribs would make breathing that much more difficult in his position, which was probably why Janus had done that, and he also knew that whatever else was coming, this would be his life for the very short while it took for John and EOS to find him. Scott knew he would be shielded. But he also knew, and hoped Janus had not considered, that once his younger brothers had been freed, the building would yield the technology Janus had used to hide them, allowing John to find the frequency.

He could play the waiting game. He'd done it before.

SERE training 101: Think happy thoughts. Use your reasoning skills while you still have them and remain separate from the torture for as long as you can.

Scott could think of eight, no – nine, happy thoughts. He'd used eight of them before, and they had sustained him for months. And as the prod was placed on the back of his knee, he closed his eyes and thought of his family as he screamed.

Brutal methods were all he knew, and after quite some time had passed in such an enjoyable manner, Janus was beginning to wonder if he had missed something. He knew the pain from the shocks – he'd felt them himself, once, a very long time ago – and while it was very satisfying hearing his prisoner screaming, the one thing he wanted he was not being given.

He wanted Scott to beg him to stop.

Janus was fast coming to realise this was not going to happen.

And he was running out of time.

Scott found himself suddenly doused in water, and he opened his eyes with some effort. He couldn't remember passing out, but Janus was standing before him, bucket in hand and a furious expression on his face. Scott's mind wandered a bit, wondering why the man hadn't tried any other method. Also, the man hadn't asked any questions, which had surprised him a little. Didn't he want their 'birds? Or had that focus changed?

It was then that Scott noticed the camera. Well, Janus had remembered that they could track technology, so had gone old-school with the vidcam. The man stepped up and punched him in the stomach, leaving Scott once again gasping.

'It's time we talked to your family, Scott.' Ah. He really didn't want his brothers seeing him like this, but it was clear that John was having some difficulty getting through the cloaking frequency and this could be the breakthrough his genius brother would need.

Then followed a rambling rant at International Rescue, the GDF but mostly at Scott for being the cause of Janus' downfall, and Scott couldn't help but roll his eyes at some points. He'd been on full display the whole time, and Janus had punctuated certain points by jabbing him in the side without the electricity flowing.

And then Janus hit Scott with the prod, in his stomach. But rather than take it away after a short while like previously, he kept on. Scott hated that he was screaming in front of his brothers, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't realise he was crying too, as his body tried its hardest to get out of the way. Eventually Janus stopped, once Scott had gone limp. He wasn't unconscious, though, and he hung there, desperately trying to breathe.

'If you think that I have been brutal to your brother, your commander, then you won't like who comes next.' The words caused his blood to run cold. There could only be one person who came next.

Sure enough, the only man Scott would ever view as a permanent threat to his family stepped into the room. Janus gestured to Scott but turned to the Hood.

'I have delivered as promised.'

'And I release you, as I promised'

And he took out a gun and shot a very surprised Janus, right between the eyes.