Salt water lurched from his stomach as strong hands rolled him onto his side, Gordon fighting for each breath that burned and tore at his lungs. He half expected the rough treatment to continue, but when the sound of the hatch closing caught his ear, he realized he was to be kept alone. There was no chance of shifting and making a break for whatever counted as freedom on this ship.
A deep, putout sigh played through the comm system, "It appears we're at a stalemate. I've underestimated your stupidity and insatiable need to sacrifice yourselves for the greater good."
More liquid hit the floor as he coughed, unable to answer his captor.
"A new proposition,then? We both can have what we want," the Hood grew quiet, waiting for Gordon's response. All he received was a dark, amber glare as the blonde pushed himself up on trembling arms. The villain continued, unperturbed behind the reinforced glass, "You want to keep your family safe and all I want is access to your powers… So, in the interest of time, let's make a deal. You work for me - grant me access to this hidden realm you use - and consider your brothers, your grandmother, Brains, even Penelope, safe from my organization." He paused to let the words sink in, "Imagine International Rescue never having to look over their shoulder again, no longer fearing my next move, all because of your bold sacrifice."
Respirations increased as the grip on his lungs loosened and Gordon couldn't make the words he wanted to say - the expected 'go to hell' or something much stronger - as his mind adjusted to the offer. Instead, what came out was the truth, "Won't work. They'll hunt you down."
"Not if it's you that tells them not to," a venomous grin spread over the Hood's face as he caught the realization dawning. That was also true. Gordon could muster up enough emotion to send through the bond to ensure Virgil and John believed him. It wouldn't even be a lie if he agreed to stay, to work for the Hood in return for their safety.
The glare dropped with his racing mind, wanting some kind of interruption to this unfair discussion of terms. His brothers were close - closer than he ever wanted them to be - making the decision more dire. They couldn't be so foolhardy that they would come charging in without a plan? Virgil was too calm for that to be the case. Maybe if he indulged the Hood just long enough, "I'd have my own terms - if I agree."
"I'm sure you do," he laughed as though addressing a child.
Gordon pushed himself to his feet, swaying sharply into the wall with a grunt. A breath that burned and he continued, "You can't hurt anyone."
"Make me rich and I won't have to," the Hood countered.
"Noone goes near my family," their eyes met as he lay down another, potentially risky term.
"Protection? Spend valuable resources to keep your brothers out of harm's way?" Apparently, the message was received, if not amicably.
Gordon grinned, "Shouldn't be a problem if you're rich."
Another laugh, the both of them finding common ground in the imbalanced exchange, "Right you are and perhaps I'll one day own Tracy Industries?"
"Keep dreaming," flames ignited in his chest not born of the salt water still begging him to cough.
The smirk remained on the Hood's face as he watched the blonde, eyes alight with victory, "So… do we have a deal?"
Gordon knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but even with that knowledge, he was finding it difficult to produce the word. It would mean the end of him - his life in international rescue, his life with his family - but it could be worth it if everyone stayed safe, "I have your word - you leave my family alone, no one gets hurt?"
"You have my word," the sickening grin, alarms screaming in Gordon's head not to trust the man before him.
And then alarms burst through the room, the Hood's smile falling into confusion. Gordon frantically sought for Virgil's location and was startled by how close he'd gotten. Too close. What was the plan?
"It appears your brothers don't know when to quit," the Hood chuckled through the comm. "I'm impressed they made it this far without alerting my crew. I take it they have Brains or John to thank for that. Unfortunately for them, the more primitive forms of detection tend to go missed in this day and age. They'll be glowing on our sonar by this point." He didn't bother closing the room's comm, "Neutralize our guests. I'd hate to lose the lot and be forced to only use the one we have."
His heart was hammering in his chest, sending sharp breaths from his already deprived lungs. His brothers - were all of them here? If the Hood captured them - he would never forgive himself.
Eyes darted around the room, desperate for anything he could do to warn them, to turn them around, but all Gordon found was the dark glass that separated him from the waters beyond - and the hatch controls.
He didn't think - couldn't - grabbing the emergency release and letting the blaring siren drown out the warning in his head that he was too deep. The marks shifted, flowing into the shape of a fish meant only for deep waters - not this deep though, but it would have to do. Water flowed in through the intakes at an alarming speed, but Gordon ignored the bite of the icy water as his form dissolved into his marks and left behind a sickly grey creature, its eyes dark and blind to the brightness around it. The ghost shark circled the room, once, twice - the door opened and Gordon swam.
OoOoOoO
"Virgil!" The shout came from John, but the engineer was well aware of the emergency. He'd lost his breath and nearly doubled over with the phantom weight that pressed against him.
He couldn't move, but words tumbled through grit teeth, "Alan - turn us around!" For his little brother, the last fifteen minutes had been spent listening to every one of Virgil's commands and it was without hesitation that he followed this one.
Behind them, he could hear John giving Scott his own set of directives, one of which - and most important - was the opening of Thunderbird 4's rear hatch.
Almost there.
Everything was so heavy.
A breath sucked in through a tense jaw and his mind diverted to the medical equipment he would need and just didn't have.
Gordon, Virgil couldn't stop the grunt as his connection followed the growing ache that was consuming his brother. What have you done?
The answer came from a startled shout as Scott slammed the controls on the outer hatch and the door closed. The inner set opened prematurely with a rush of salt water and the solid smack of a fish hitting the reinforced steel. There was a terrifying moment where the brothers stared helplessly at the creature that was Gordon, waiting for the form to change.
When it didn't it was Scott's voice that broke the choking silence, "Gordon, change - you've gotta shift, bud."
What if he couldn't? This close to his brother and Virgil could feel the exhaustion. Everything hurt to the point there was hesitation. Maybe if they put him back in the airlock -
The hesitation was gone, replaced by the distorted cry as fish became man and all the damage of intense pressure changes morphed with him. It was in that instant that Virgil found the ability to move again, pushing away from Alan to take his place by Scott and Gordon. John was crouched on the other side, hands hovering over the trembling shoulder.
"Try not to move," Virgil started, catching the pain filled amber and hoping to transfer his own calming professionalism. What answered him was intense, unbridled fear.
"They know - you're here!" The growl ripped from the blonde's throat. "Run!"
Their commander was up before the desperate instruction could be uttered, the eldest already telling Alan to get them away from the hostile vessel. Thunderbird 4 lurched forward under the astronaut's control and Virgil had to resist the urge to release Gordon as his steadying touch brought with it a new cry in anguish.
"Sorry, Fish," he tried to sooth, but his brother's eyes were already rolling back, the tremors coming to an abrupt halt. "Gords? Damnit- John, hand me the med sca-"
The submarine shook violently as an explosion sent a percussive blast through the water. Virgil was thrown headlong into the opposite wall, rolling into himself to prevent his head from slamming into a storage compartment. His shoulder took the brunt of the impact, but another form collided with his chest and forced the air out of his lungs. Spots danced over his vision for the length of time it took him to regain control and draw in a choked gasp only to find Gordon still unconscious and John trying to extract himself from the two of them.
"Sorry!" Alan called from the cockpit and the sub tore to the right as he dodged something in the darkness. Another blast shook Thunderbird 4, but with much less of the feriosity from before. "Hold tight! They're launching percussion torpedoes."
"On your right," Scott instructed and they drove left.
Virgil couldn't focus on the threat, however, jumping to his feet to lower one of the medical beds as quickly as he could before dropping back to Gordon. The sub shuddered for a moment and he held onto the ship and his brother. When it stopped, he took the aquanaut's torso, John at the legs and they both lifted him to the bed. The straps were almost automatic, Virgil shoving them into their holds to ensure Gordon wouldn't suffer any further injury.
John was in front of his holograms when Virgil turned, ready to get him into a secure seat. Another second and the sounds of objects launching hissed through the cabin, followed shortly by another blast behind them that lit the sea in an impossibly bright light. Whoever was behind them would have a hard time picking up anything after that.
"Setting course for the module, ETA ten minutes," Alan's voice was tense with concentration, but Virgil trusted his kid brother to get them there.
The imminent threat taken care of for the moment, he turned his focus back to the unconscious form on the medical bed. Gordon had begun trembling again, but his eyes remained closed and the strained expression made it clear he was in trouble. The medscanner that made it into Virgil's hand, whether by one of his brothers or from one of the cabinets lining the bed, it didn't matter, confirmed the internal swelling of organs. The warnings that flashed over Gordon's form were terrifying in their severity and he knew his brother needed a hospital. Problem was, they didn't have that luxury at the moment.
"What do you need?" John quietly sidled up to the bed, a hand coming up to push away the wet strands of hair covering Gordon's forehead.
There were a lot of things that could've been said to that particular question, one very obvious and others dark with intent. He settled on the only option he had, "Grab me some blankets while I get O2 set up, then contact Grandma. Let her know -" His lips thinned, fighting a wave of nausea, "Let her know how bad. She'll be ready when we get home."
John didn't offer anything more than a hand on his shoulder, the rare physical contact providing more comfort than words, before he went off to complete his tasks. Virgil retrieved the oxygen supplies from the compartment next to the bed where Gordon kept them. The mask seemed so out of place on his brother's face, wrong, meant for someone else. When John returned, the blankets managed to make his little brother look small and fragile.
"We're coming up on the module," Scott warned from the doorway separating the cockpit from the rear of the sub, blue eyes quickly falling on Gordon with the desire to know more, yet succumbing to the weight of responsibility. They could all worry about the aquanaut once they were onboard Thunderbird 2 and headed home. The moment passed and Scott locked eyes with Virgil, "Get secure. Alan's taking her in as soon as we hit the surface and we'll stabilize with the magnetic couplers."
"FAB," he heard himself say, numbly pulling down a bench seat by the head of the bed. Virgil watched the disheveled mop of blonde sway with his 'bird's movements, removing his glove to let his bare fingers rest in the damp curls. Closing his eyes, the elder brother let their connection open to the pain and turmoil roiling the unconscious form, hoping his own presence would offer a moment of peace. Gordon had described the feel of his brother's smothering once - warm and blanketing with how it covered him. He recalled a time the blonde had chewed him out for it, claiming he felt suffocated by the presence. Since then, he'd been more deliberate about when and how he tried to comfort the two men connected to him.
The rumble of the impellers began to lower as Thunderbird 4 slowed on her approach. It was difficult to judge her speed, but as she cleared the water and slid up the module ramp, Virgil realized Alan hadn't planned on being gentle. They came to a jarring stop inside the unit, Four rocking off the tracks with a denting crash before the mechanical arms righted her. After that, everyone was moving. Scott was shouting instructions for him to get Gordon ready for transport, not that Virgil hadn't planned on doing that anyway. John went to work calling Thunderbird 2 in for retrieval and within seconds, the sound of the grapples attaching helped to steady the beating of Virgil's heart.
A breath.
The hard part was over. They had Gordon back. Everything would be alright.
Except the ocean exploded, water raining in through the closing module door. Time slowed with it as Virgil's eyes found the massive ship rising from the sea, streams of water falling from it.
No! His mind wanted to scream, wanted this thing to be a stress-induced illusion.
But then, a growled cry sounded from the other side of the module, followed by a flash of grey as wings lifted. There was no time to intercept. No time to be the support and voice of reason.
Scott shot through the opening just before the module door clamped shut.