For weathergirl8 and the prompts: Blood Loss + Train with Alan and Virgil

Trains. His brother loved trains, especially steam trains. Alan could take or leave them, but it was rare to get some time off with Virgil. Usually any time off was with Gordon, and on the very rare occasion John. He couldn't remember the last time he had done something non-iR related with either Virgil or Scott. So when Virgil asked if he wanted to come with him Alan jumped at the chance before he even knew what he was getting into.

A weekend on a steam train, trundling through the Scottish highlands was not high on Alan's list of 'things I need to do before I die', nor was it actually on any list. Alan liked speed, and if there was one thing steam trains were not, they were not fast. Or smooth. Give him a Maglev or Monorail any day. What he wouldn't give to be on the next test drive of the Hyper-car! He did admit, though, that the scenery was fantastic, and he could completely see why Virgil would be so enamoured of both the area and the train, but Alan was bored.

Thank goodness he'd brought his tablet. He had another day and a half of this trundling…he liked the word, trundling. It was very apt…and Virgil, after spending the morning with him exploring the train, had disappeared to the, um, engine room? Yeah, he was sure it was the engine room. Alan didn't mind, it was a passion of his brother's, and Alan knew that Virgil would take him along tomorrow.

He was seated in the dining car. It was decked out like a vintage train – which he supposed it was – and the seats were quite comfy for the hours he was intending on spending there. He had the new updated Cavern Quest pack to plough through, and plenty of levels left on his latest zombie game.

He kept to himself as the other passengers came and went, ordering drinks at the bar. He ignored the staff as they set the tables for the evening meal – he hadn't worked out if it was dinner or tea or whatever weird name the British called it – just moving when he was required.

Eventually he stretched. Sitting still for the whole afternoon in one position was not wise, and he looked around. The tables were starting to fill up, some passengers already had their meals, and he decided that maybe he should stretch his legs out too. Besides, he needed to answer that call of nature…

Of course, as he began to make his way through the carriage the train lurched. Caught unprepared, Alan fell sidewards onto one of the empty tables and he knocked his hip hard. Yeah, this was one reason he wasn't so enamoured of the steam train, it was very unstable and he was constantly trying to unsuccessfully walk in a straight line.

He'd almost reached the end of the carriage when the train swayed again, and this time Alan fell onto a man eating his dinner. He was horrified, and apologised profusely, and the man was just as apologetic. Damn, that hurt his side really badly, and he pressed his hand hard against the pain.

Reaching his destination, Alan marvelled at the tiny bathroom. How on earth was he supposed to manage in here? Oh well, best make the most of it, and as the train rocked again his decision was made for him. Alan sat down. It was a good job he had, for he was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of exhaustion and his vision blurred. Huh, that was weird. Playing for hours didn't usually do that. The reason for his visit to the room forgotten, Alan leaned back and closed his eyes.

Virgil had had a great time. He had spent all afternoon with the driver and fireman in the cab, and they had even let him shovel some of the coal! He was on a high as he made his way to the dining carriage where he had left Alan. Tomorrow the driver had agreed on Virgil bringing his kid brother up too; and had promised to let him drive the train for a while.

Entering the carriage, he looked around for Alan but couldn't see him. What he could see was a commotion at the other end of the carriage. Two members of staff appeared to be trying to calm a man down, and he frowned as he would need to pass them to get back to his own quarters. He hoped nothing was going to kick off.

As he neared the table he picked up that the man wasn't angry, he was upset, and for a wild moment he worried where Alan was. Then he shook himself. They were on a train in the middle of nowhere, what could possibly be wrong? As he made to move past two things caught his attention.

One of the attendants looked up at him, and the seriousness on his face made Virgil swallow.

The man was holding a knife. There was blood on the knife.

Virgil didn't need to hear anything else. He needed to find Alan. Barrelling past the table and out into the corridor car that was next, he shouted Alan's name. No answer. It was as he passed the bathroom he noticed it. A partial bloody handprint. He knocked on the door.

'Al?'

There was no response, and the door was locked. Not that that was any obstacle to any Tracy, least of all Virgil, but equally he didn't want to scare the kid silly, especially if he really was alright and just using the room. He knocked again.

'Al? Alan, you alright in there?'

This time he got the faintest of groans in reply, and it was all he needed. Putting his shoulder to the door, it didn't take much to destroy the hinges, and he was in. Alan was sitting on the toilet seat, slumped to one side, and his white t-shirt was turning red. He was half-heartedly clutching his side.

Being on this train trip had been awesome. He'd always wanted to journey through the Scottish Highlands. But now, at this precise minute, he could happily have given it all a miss. For where they were currently, there was no help to be had for miles, and he knew that there really was only one option.

'Thunderbird Five, we have a situation.'