Whumpay Day 13: Grief/Feels Guilty For Being Happy
The Hood grinned into the camera. This was the second most enjoyable part of the whole plan so far. The horror on the faces of the men and women staring back. Even if she was his niece, Tanusha had thrown her lot in with his sworn enemy, and she'd used up her chances of redemption.
Still, there was much to do before the clever one traced where they currently were, so he turned to his two companions. 'Cut him down and let's get out of here,' he said, gesturing to Scott's limp form. Havoc stepped forward and cut the binds from the ceiling, and Scott fell into a heap on the floor. There was no ability in his legs to bear his weight, and he couldn't help the small cry at the release of pressure to his arms and chest.
The relief was short-lived as Fuse bent over him to pick him up, and Scott had just enough time to see the Hood and Havoc leave before he was hoisted up and the world went black.
Fuse found himself in a very bizarre and difficult situation. On the one hand, he hated International Rescue almost as much as the boss and his sister. On the other hand, they – and more specifically Scott – had saved his life at a time when he would have been justified in letting Fuse die from his stupidity. Sure, he'd saved their lives in return and left the uranium behind, but the words he'd heard Scott utter had haunted him ever since.
'Bad guy or not, he needs help…' And Scott had helped him escape. He didn't even hesitate, unlike Fuse.
He watched as the boss killed Janus, and while he had no feelings for the man, there was the faintest stirring of guilt that the man had not realised what was coming. Fuse surprised himself when he felt happy that it was not him or his sister in that position, but he was immediately assaulted with a wave of guilt. A man had just died. Janus may have been unhinged, but he was a liability to the boss, and Fuse couldn't help but see himself lying there.
He had no doubt that at some stage the Hood would view them – or more specifically him – as a liability too. And there was an unwelcome and intrusive thought. Like Janus, who would there be to grieve for him?
As the boss and his sister moved into the room, Fuse made plans. And as he picked the man up, he carefully, but unobtrusively, moved the loose ropes to one side and followed the others out of the room.
Getting home was the hardest thing. Hard because things had changed. Two injured brothers, one missing. He'd made sure that Gordon and Alan had slept the journey home. Although only minorly injured, with Gordon's cracked ribs the worst, they needed rest.
If they were going to find Scott they needed to be at full strength.
John was furiously trying to get through the shielding Janus had used, he and EOS were working flat out. There had to be a way, a weakness, a fault. He just had to find it! He had to!
Hours.
It seemed to be hours later when John reported that he thought he might, just might, have a location. Not too far from the original place their brothers had been held there was a building that was currently being shielded. EOS had found it. But before they could even contact the GDF with the details, a call came through. It was heavily encrypted, and John had no doubt who it was and he patched it through to the island.
Virgil was glad that Alan was still out of it. He didn't need to see this. But he did, he owed it to his brother who had so selflessly given himself up in exchange for a brother – again. He looked around the room. Faces were grim. Gordon had his arm around their Grandma, Kayo was furiously pacing the floor. Penny and Parker were online and looked just as angry.
The words were meaningless. The man was rambling. But their eyes were fixed on their hanging brother. Scott was in his undershirt and there were burn marks. The cause was no mystery as Janus held a cattle prod which he used to jab Scott with to emphasis the words he was saying.
And then. And then he switched the prod on and held it to Scott's stomach and held it and held it until their brother was screaming and crying. And then he stopped as Scott went limp. In the silence that followed there was a sob. Virgil spun around to see Alan standing there, shock and fear and tears on his face, and he practically vaulted the couch to get to his baby brother and held him tight.
'If you think that I have been brutal to your brother, your commander, then you won't like who comes next.' Virgil frowned over the top of Alan's head. Who on earth could Janus be talking about? His eyes met Kayo's, and hers reflected back the fear he was feeling. He turned back to the screen.
There was a collective gasp in the room as the Hood appeared on the screen. 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. A second gasp from the family. The Hood turned to the camera and smirked. He looked over his shoulder as his two companions entering the screen.
He gestured to Havoc and said, 'Cut him down and let's get out of here,' he said, gesturing to Scott's limp form. Havoc stepped forward and cut the binds from the ceiling, and Scott fell into a heap on the floor. There was no ability in his legs to bear his weight, and he couldn't help the small cry at the release of pressure to his arms and chest. Fuse bent over him to pick him up, and Scott had just enough time to see the Hood and Havoc leave before he was hoisted up by Fuse, and the screen went black.
There was nothing at first. The horror Virgil was feeling he could see on every face in the room. It was Kayo who broke the silence. 'I'm going to kill him!' Gordon scoffed. 'Get in line, sis. Get in line.' John had disappeared, trying to refine the location. No matter. Less than five minutes after the transmission ended Virgil, Gordon, Alan and Kayo were all aboard Two and on their way, John co-ordinating. No one mentioned leaving the two youngest at home.
It took too long.
Too long to get there, to the building, to Scott, to where their brother had been. Gordon and Kayo went first, all military mindset, but they all knew that they were too late. It was no more than a fact-finding mission now, but Gordon was definitely going to make sure they were alone, that no-one else was going to get taken. He and Kayo checked every room.
Nothing. The room that their brother was in was practically empty. Just a camera on a tripod, a hook in the ceiling and a pile of rope on the floor. And the body of the man that had started this all.
Alan thought he would feel hatred for him, for Janus, but he didn't. He felt sorry for the man. No-one knew who he really was and that meant that no-one was going to be told he was dead. No-one was going to grieve for him. And irrationally Alan felt sad. Then he felt anger, and it was all he could do not to kick the body. Instead, he turned away to see Virgil looking at him, appraisingly, but then Virgil turned away.
In a rare rage Virgil kicked the camera over. It fell among the rope. It dislodged something hidden. Alan noticed the flash of colour. Purple. There could only be one source. 'What…what is that, hidden in the rope?' It was like all the air was sucked out of the room as Kayo bent to pick it up, whatever it was. They were all holding their breath as she held it up to the light.
A data chip. A purple data chip.
They rushed back to Two where Kayo placed the chip into a reader and John looked over the data it was proving them. They watched John, fingers flying, in absolute silence. Waiting. Hoping.
John frowned and looked up at them. 'It's gonna take a while to decipher this, guys. There's some heavy encryption and safety protocols.' They groaned in unison, but it really was no surprise. What they now needed to decide was whether they went home and waited or stayed where they were.
Grandma made that decision for them. 'Bring them home, Virgil. Gordon and Alan still need rest.' No-one commented as Virgil set Two for home for the second time without his eldest brother.
Awareness crept up slowly on Scott. It wasn't warm and it wasn't beautiful. It brought pain and coldness and fear. And that was before he opened his eyes. He wanted to make the most of this solitude, Scott was certain it wouldn't last. He became aware that his hands were now bound – no, cuffed, behind him. He was lying on a floor and it was cold on his bare skin, his bare legs. He seemed to still have his undershirt on, so that was a relief.
As his awareness increased, so did the sense that he actually wasn't alone. He could hear breathing, a light breathing, not of someone trying to hide that they were there at all, just someone waiting. Waiting for him to wake up. Should he open his eyes and find out who it was? He scoffed to himself. Of course he should.
Scott opened one eye a crack, prepared for a burst of bright light that didn't come. It was dark, wherever he was, so Scott opened both eyes. In his line of sight sat Havoc. She was sitting on the floor in front of the door, staring at him. He decided he should be in a more comfortable position if she was going to do anything, but moving was far harder than he anticipated, and he refused to give her the satisfaction of hearing him in pain. Easier said then done, but Havoc didn't move, didn't smile, didn't gloat, and Scott found that just a little unnerving.
Eventually he managed to get himself propped up against the wall. It was an effort that left him breathing erratically and trembling all over. Still Havoc watched without speaking, and Scott certainly wasn't going to initiate anything. He held her eye, refusing to back down.
After an indeterminate time Havoc sighed. 'I don't understand what it is you have over my brother, Tracy,' she said, voice low enough that he had to concentrate to hear her. 'Here we are, the bad guys, living the high life, and suddenly he meets you and it's like you cast a spell on him.' Scott frowned. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
'That dumb ox is gonna get hisself killed over you, and I ain't about ready to let that happen. So shut up and listen, ok?' Scott nodded, not that he had said anything. Havoc held up a really small chip in her hand for him to see. 'He thinks I don't know, but Fuse has left a gift for your brothers.' She saw Scott stiffen and she grinned. 'Nah, not like that. A way to track us, or rather, you.' She got to her feet and came right up to him, kneeling down and staring into his face again.
'You saved my brother's life, and now I'm gonna save yours. This chip will activate when I tell it to and talk to the chip your brother has. Only, I ain't gonna activate it until we are far away from you, so don't get your hopes up for a quick rescue. Besides, the Hood wants me to tell him when your awake, so he has business with you. Don't think either of us will help you against him directly.'
She held up the chip again and looked into his face. Then her hand shot out, grasping his jaw and forcing it open. It didn't take the effort it would normally have done, he didn't have anywhere near his usual strength to fight her, and she put the chip in his mouth, holding his mouth and nose until he swallowed convulsively.
Havoc stepped back and looked at Scott, a frown evident. 'Don't tell 'im or I will kill you on the spot. This makes us even, flyboy, understood?' Scott nodded. This seemed to satisfy Havoc, although she pushed him back down onto the floor before leaving without a backwards glance..
Great. He had an exit strategy of sorts; he just didn't know how long it would take to implement. All that rested with the Hood and whatever he had planned for Scott. It was not something he was looking forward to finding out. Thankfully it seemed he wouldn't have long to wait.
The man did not keep him waiting. He walked into the room like he owned it, which he probably did. Scott shook himself. 'Get a grip, Scott, and concentrate!' The Hood stopping in the middle of the room, just about close enough that he could kick Scott if he wanted to, but out of range of Scott's legs.
He stood there, staring. Scott stared back. The Hood sniffed and kicked him in the stomach, right where Janus had hit him the longest with the cattle prod. Scott bit his lip to stop from crying out. He could see the look of triumph flash across the man's face.
The Hood turned and walked almost out of the room, before turning and looking back at Scott. 'Enjoy your stay here, Scott. You'll be here for quite some time, I'm afraid,' he said, hand on the door. 'Quite some time. I wouldn't worry about anyone finding you. Ever.' The door clanged shut to the sounds of the man laughing.
Scott knew not to trust anything the Hood said, and he didn't know how long he was going to be alone, but Scott was going to make the best use of the time. He seemed to be safe from Havoc and Fuse, and the Hood was promising he was going to leave him alone too, at least for a bit, so the best use of his time right now was to sleep, to regain strength.
He didn't know how far away Havoc would want to be before she activated the chip, but Scott was willing to bet it would be a fair distance. He settled down and slept the broken sleep of one who really needed to keep guard.
John was pulling his hair out, almost literally. Everything that he and EOS tried didn't work. It was the first time he had failed for years, and what a time for his skills to fail. Frustration mounting, he kicked out at the console, which only resulted in a hurt foot and a concerned AI. Hacking havoc's gloves hadn't been this complex. It was almost as if he was missing a piece of the puzzle.
Down on the island things weren't much better. Even though it was the middle of the day, Sally had insisted that they grab some sleep while they could, no-one could say for sure how long it would take for John to crack the code – or for another vid to come through. They had all complained, but Alan was already drooping and Gordon was barely any better. Virgil took one of the couches while Kayo took the other.
More time passed.
It seemed to Virgil that all he had done since Scott, Gordon and Alan had left for their meetings was to wait. Wait for the meeting to finish. Wait to find out what the emergency meeting was about. Wait to find out where Gordon and Alan had been taken. Wait to rescue Gordon and Alan. Wait…to find out Scott was missing. Wait to find out who, to find out why. Wait to find out where…
Suddenly there was a loud whoop. Virgil's head shot up, and he watched John. The ginger was grinning like a maniac. 'I have a signal and a location.' John disappeared momentarily and reappeared, followed by Gordon and Alan, who he'd obviously woken up.
Gordon was all business. 'What have you got to report, John?' John didn't bat an eyelid at the manner of address. 'I have a second signal coming in that seems to have activated the chip. Suit up. I'm sending co-ordinates through.'
As they settled in Two's cockpit Alan reflected. He felt sorry for Janus, the man was obviously unhinged. He couldn't quite find it in his heart to forgive him, though. And he felt vaguely guilt at feeling happy while a person had died.
Happy that they at least had an idea of where to find his brother. To find Scott.