Woke up to the news that the Gerry Anderson Store/Big Finish Productions are releasing a Thunderbirds audiobook, so guess who pre-ordered it xD
It's also the first ever #GerryAndersonDay on Wednesday so what better way to start the week than with a dose of Tracy boys in peril?
A dazed Virgil woke up.
With a muted gaze, he sat up and looked at his surroundings. Heavy smoke was filling the cabin and the teenager saw that it was coming from inside the cockpit, where the console was littered with a few small fires.
Pulling himself to his feet, Virgil tried to think through the heavy sludge clouding his mind. Where was he, and why was wherever he was, on fire?
"Hey, Ritter, you alright?" came a hoarse voice from somewhere behind him.
Virgil turned and saw Kenyon buried under a pile of seats that had apparently toppled over.
It was at this moment he suddenly remembered what happened.
Letting out a small gasp, Virgil backed away from the criminal, the horrific nature of the day's events flashing through his eyes. With this in mind, he made his way over to Chuck, who was wedged under a table nearby. He checked the man's vitals to see if he was still breathing and let out a shaky breath at the man's steady pulse.
He was alive.
"R-Ritter? Where... are you?" Kenyon groaned, trying to pull himself out of the entangled wreckage.
Seeing that he had little time, Virgil stood up and tried opening the helijet doors. Unfortunately they'd become mangled and tied up in the bridge stanchions and would not open, causing the teenager to let out a childish whine.
He needed to get out of there!
The wreckage shifted, causing the helijet to creak under the weight of the bridge debris. Virgil ceased moving, not wanting to throw anything out of balance. He swiftly looked around to find an alternate exit.
Spotting another escape route, Virgil slowly made his way over to the door next to the pilot seat and found it to be slightly ajar. Not wanting to waste anymore time brewing things over, Virgil yanked the door hard until it gave, sliding open. The quick-thinking teenager then lightly treaded back towards Chuck and gave him a big tug towards the exit, knowing the man would be safer out of the jet and away from the bad guys.
Just as he was about to help Chuck outside, a hand came down on his shoulder, causing him to trip backwards over the blonde's unconcious body, back into the middle of the jet. Virgil struggled in Kenyon's grip as the man yanked his hair. Desperately, Virgil kicked out at his captor and targeted his groin.
"YE-OOOW!" Kenyon cried as Virgil made a successful aim, briefly loosening his grip on the teenager. Virgil gave the kneeling man a kick in the head for good measure before leaping to the doorway.
Virgil stood in the doorway of the helijet and felt a huge gust of wind knock into him, almost knocking him off balance. He took in a shaky breath and was about to crouch down to help move Chuck when a bullet whizzed past his ear.
"There's no escape for you, Tracy!" Barrett hissed, firing at the teenager again.
Virgil leapt out of the jet and rushed down the stanchion steps, trying to find cover. He tripped over at one point and tumbled down the rest of the metal stairs head first, throwing his arms out to protect himself as he landed awkwardly at the bottom of the stairwell.
With a groan, the twelve-year-old dragged himself behind the bridge support. Virgil's hand met his forearm, giving the fresh source of pain a light massage. He winced at the sensation, knowing something didn't feel right and he'd probably strained it.
A bullet ricocheted off the top corner of the bridge support and Virgil ducked again, knowing he needed to move. The teenager crawled along the small narrow corridor which led towards another set of steps and again, he dove down them head first - this time crashing into an obstruction which he came to lie on top of. Once the spinning had stopped, Virgil sat up to see he was sitting on his brother's chest.
"Scott!" Virgil cried out, squeezing his brother into a hug. Scott winced under the pressure and patted his brother's hair.
"Easy, Virg..."
"You came for me! You really really came!" Virgil beamed, again going in for another hug.
"Of course I did!" Scott chuckled breathlessly. "You may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but I love you." he smiled. "And I'll always be there for you."
Virgil's eyes watered. "Scott..."
"How touching." Barrett snickered as he approached the boys from behind. Scott instinctively pulled Virgil close but was too weak to stop the corrupt businessman from taking his younger brother away. Barrett grabbed a fistful of the artist's hair and yanked him back, holding a pistol to his temple.
With a deep scowl, Scott tepidly got up and glared at the man who was holding his brother.
"Now this is more like it." the man smirked.
"Let him go." Scott demanded with fire in his eyes.
Virgil was sick to death of being held hostage at this point and quickly bit down on Barrett's hand, causing the man to cry out and drop the gun. Virgil kicked at the stout man's knees and turned to Scott, who had his arms open wide.
"Virgil, jump!" Scott cried.
Virgil yelped as he leapt away from the man and hurtled down the bridge beam towards his brother. Scott followed his trajectory and caught him, but the momentum carried both boys backwards down the steps, towards the bridge scaffolding. They then bounced over the railing.
Somehow, Scott managed to catch hold of a section of the bridge scaffolding to stop them from falling, but the two brothers were still dangling precariously over a two hundred foot drop.
Scott's arm burned as he held him and his brother in place, their combined weight making things a little difficult. He held up his free hand and secured the railing.
Virgil let out a wail and clung to his brother tightly. "Scott!"
"Pull yourself up!" Scott ordered, but Virgil shook his head.
"Not without you!"
"Pull yourself up!"
"I can't!"
"Do as I say!"
"No!"
Scott winced as the burning sensation in his arms worsened. Again he ordered his brother to move and Virgil finally caved, climbing up his brother and back over the railings.
Right into Kenyon's hands.
Virgil yelped as Kenyon grabbed the back of his shirt neck and pulled the struggling boy towards him, holding a gun on his back. "One move and you're dead!"
"Get off of me!" Virgil went to punch the man but his fist was caught and he was twisted around in the man's grip. In a fit of wild struggling, Virgil slapped the gun away, causing it to drop through the bridge grate. Kenyon broke into a rage and threw his hands around Virgil's neck, beginning to strangle him.
By this time, Scott had pulled himself over the railing to see the criminal strangling his brother. Enraged, Scott tackled Kenyon, throwing him to the ground. He began to punch the man again and again, his eyes seeing red as he lost all sense of himself.
"Scott, stop! You'll kill him!"
But Scott didn't listen. He just kept punching and punching until his fists turned crimson and Kenyon's blood dripped down his arms.
"STOP IT!" Virgil yelled, grabbing Scott's wrists.
After a few moments, Scott snapped back into reality, turning to bis brother. "V-Virg?"
Virgil let out a deep breath. "I-It's over."
Scott observed his brother's weary face. He crawled away from Kenyon's unconscious form and took residence next to his brother, resting his head on his brother's bruised hairline.
A shadow fell across them, and Virgil didn't realize until it was too late.
Scott leapt to his feet.
A shot rang out.
His brother fell.
Barrett slipped.
Scott collapsed.
Barrett fell over the side of the railing.
Virgil dove towards the railing, throwing his hands out to the stubby man who caught them. He felt himself slip as the weight of the man threatened to pull him over the side. He turned back and screamed Scott's name.
Scott was laying still.
Virgil let out an agonizing cry and continued holding onto the man who had caused him and his family so much trouble. Who had hurt him and his brothers just to get at his father.
Who had just killed his brother.
Virgil tried pinning his legs against the grate as he felt himself edging closer to the guardrail.
He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this! He was crazy to think he could save this guy! He didn't even deserve it!
He was a monster!
Virgil felt his grip slacken. He'd given up. He couldn't save this man. He wouldn't.
But then a warm sensation engulfed his back, and he saw two arms circle around his own, anchoring him.
His anchor...
"You've got him, Virg!" Scott winced. "Keep pulling!"
Letting out a determined grunt, Virgil lifted Barrett into a position where Scott could get to him, and the two boys pulled the man back to safety.
Scott fell to his knees and held the top of his arm, which was weeping blood. A trembling Virgil fell to his brother's side and cupped his head, looking at the injury closely. "S-Scott..."
"I-I'm alright." Scott forced out. "Well, I'm not, but you know what I mean..."
"W-We need to g-get you to a hospital!" Virgil panicked.
"I might... need you... to carry me..." Scott whispered before passing out.
Virgil looped his arms around Scott's neck. His mind felt numb, and Virgil was too tired to process what was actually happening- what had just happened- so just sat there dumbly, watching his brother bleed out.
He couldn't have been sitting there for more than ten minutes when he heard a humming sound approaching the bridge. Looking up, he saw a helijet whirring towards them. It was navy blue and had a police logo emblazoned on its side.
Virgil held up his hand to acknowledge the jet. The helijet's doors then opened mid-flight, and Virgil saw someone waving frantically at him.
It was his father.
Virgil let out an exhausted smile.
They were finally safe.