Author's note: I realise it's been a while since I last posted anything (almost 10 months!)
Lots of things have happened - mainly this 2020 pandemic which I've had to work throughout. I was also really unwell and ended up in (another) hospital because I was rushed to AE with a suspected lung clot x_x
Doing a bit better now - and discovered a new commute to and from work (due to a lot of transport being shut down at the height of lockdown) that gives me more time to do a bit of writing so... I figured this would be a good place to start out!
I'll try my best to update my other fics as well too!
As always, kudos and reviews are always welcome ^_^
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Thunderbirds Are Go - they belong to the late Gerry and Silvia Anderson
Drip... Drip... Drip...
"Alan! Alan, wake up!"
Alan Tracy let out an involuntary groan; his youthful face scrunching up as a sharp pain lanced through his skull.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
"Wh...What...?"
"Take it easy, Al. You look like you've taken one heck of a knock to your head."
Baby blues opened cautiously and Alan let out a small hiss, wincing as he became more aware of the constant throbbing on the right side of his head. Gentle hands helped to support him as he struggled to sit up, alarm shooting down his spine at his inability to see his surroundings.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
"Hey! Take it easy! How are you feeling?"
"Like an elephant sat on my head..." groaned the blond. "That you, Gordon? Everything's so... dark."Those same hands on his shoulders have him a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah it's me, bro. Just give yourself a moment for your eyes to adjust."
Drip... Drip... Drip...
The constant sound of something wet dropping from a great height was really starting to irk the youngest Tracy.
"What the heck is that noise? Where are we?"
"You can't tell by the smell?" there was a faint hint of disgust in the aquanaut's voice. "I think we must have fallen into a restroom. Not a very well-kept one at that."
They had... fallen?
"How...?"
It had been more of a rhetorical question. Alan was still trying to control the pounding in his head.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Gordon replied regardless. "Not so sure myself. Something hit the building and next thing I knew, we had fallen through the floor. Possibly even two floors. Or three-"
"Ugh. I think I get the picture, thanks..." Alan grumbled, gingerly bringing a gloved hand up to touch the side of his helmet, grimacing as he felt a sizable dent along the right side. That would explain the headache. The fall must have shorted out both his and Gordon's helmet lights as well, hence the awful darkness.
Thank goodness for Scott and Virgil often drumming into them the importance of-
Wait.
"Where are the others?" Alan frowned, mild panic creeping along his spine. "Weren't Scott and Virgil with us?"
Despite how he was feeling, Alan's eyes were slowly but surely adjusting to the darkness. The faint glow of an emergency exit light was aiding his vision, if only slightly. Gordon was gradually starting to un-blend from the dank blackness that had initially surrounded them - enough so that that youngest could see that his brother's lips were pressed into a troubled frown.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
"They were checking out the other side of the building when whatever hit us... Hit us," explained the aquanaut. "I tried to raise them on comms but I can't get through. To anyone."
The aforementioned feeling of panic was starting to grow.
"Thunderbird Five. Do you read me?" Alan was pretty sure he knew that there would be no response from his space-bound brother; the IR logo on his utility sash failing to illuminate as he attempted to activate it. "Thunderbird One? Scott? Virgil? Does anyone copy?"'
Silence.
Not even static.
Just...
Dead silence.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
The blond ground his teeth in frustration as the incessant sound of droplets falling seemed almost too loud one the silence.
They needed to get out of there.
"Al, can you walk?"
Gordon seemed to have had the same idea; beating him to his own question.
Alan grunted a response as he shifted, sitting up a little straighter. Gordon's supportive hands never left him, steadying the young astronaut as he struggled to get to his feet. Blue and red gloves reached out instinctively for purchase as, for a moment, Alan's dim surroundings seemed to spin and tilt in a near-nauseating fashion.
"Woah! Take it easy! I've got you."
"I'm fine..." Alan insisted, squeezing his eyes shut as the pressure in his head spiked momentarily. He took a deep, slightly shaky breath through his nose, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling as gently as he could through his mouth.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
He repeated the action again.
By the third cycle of breathing exercises - which Kayo had taught them back when they stayed to train with her many years ago - he found the pressure and panic start to ebb as he regained more of his balance.
"You okay?"
It was so odd hearing Gordon speak in such a serious manner. The second-youngest was usually full of witty remarks and bad puns.
It only accented how serious their situation was.
"I'm good," Alan considered a small mood of his head but thought twice and instead decided a thumbs up would be the best approach. "We need to get out of here."
Wherever 'here' was.
Alan felt Gordon's left hand reposition itself around his back and under his armpit, draping his right arm over his shoulder and giving him extra support. The astronaut did not miss the slight hiss from his older sibling as they began to move towards the dim light that marked the way towards the emergency exit.
"Gordon?"
"Must've twisted my ankle when we fell," Gordon replied, biting his lower lip. "I'll be okay."
Drip... Drip... Drip...
"Are you sure?"
"If it's all the same to you, Al, I would really rather not hang around in this cesspit of a bathroom listening to water torture," Gordon snorted. "Especially since we don't know how secure those upper levels are anymore. I know a whole chunk of building came down after us, so it's only a matter of time before - "
Crack!
Alan's head shot up towards the source of the sound and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through his head.
"Move!"
He had no time to protest or react before Gordon was already forcefully pulling at him, roughly guiding him towards that faint light. Alan had very little choice but to stumble along blindly.
Creeeeak
"Not good...!" Gordon released his grip on Alan as he fumbled and wrestled with the handle of the door.
Ignoring the pain in his ankle, Gordon took a couple of steps back before shoulder-barging the door.
Crunch!
Wood splintered and the jammed door finally gave way after a secondary assault from the sandy-haired aquanaut.
"Let's go!" Gordon wasted no time; grabbing hold of his still-dazed younger brother and launching them both through the doorway as the ceiling finally gave way under the collective weight of broken rubble that it had been struggling to support. The sound of foundations collapsing and rapidly falling debris filling the small space that they had been occupying metres moments ago was almost deafening.
Alan felt himself being thrown to the floor, Gordon's weight coming down on top of him, shielding him from any stray detritus that escaped the confines of the restroom.
They remained frozen in that position until the sound of falling masonry died down and the dust had settled.
"You okay?"
How many times was Gordon going to ask him that? If Alan did not know any better, he would have said that Gordon had been taking smothering lessons from Scott and Virgil.
"I'll be better when you get off me, thanks," Alan wheezed. "Lady P really wasn't joking when she said you had lumpy elbows!"
"My elbows are not...! Wait... She told you that?!"
The look on Gordon's face was incredulous as he pushed himself to his feet, hobbling a little before helping Alan up. In the brighter light of their new surroundings, Alan did not miss the faint, heated tinge to Gordon's cheeks and could not help the smirk that spread across his youthful face.
"I can't believe she... Just... Al, please do not tell anybody else about that."
"When we get out of this, we can discuss just how much it's worth?" Alan sniggered as he rolled out a kink in one of the muscles in his shoulder.
Gordon's mouth dropped open for a moment before he snapped it shut with a huff. "Fine."
Alan's chortle of amusement trailed off as he took in their new surroundings. "Uhm... Gordon..?"
"Yeah?"
"What's that sound?"
"Not that awful dripping, that's what!" Gordon snorted before going quiet to listen more carefully. "Whatever it is, it's coming from round the corner."
Baby blues glanced down the worn corridor and I'm the direction that Gordon had described. He swallowed thickly, lowering his voice. "There's blood all over the floor."
And... What was that smell?
A glance at his older brother indicated that Gordon was also aware of the sight and smell.
As quietly as they could, the two siblings cautiously made their way down the corridor and towards the dark trail of blood. The pounding in his head was slowly beginning to subside and Alan could not help but roll his eyes as Gordon, even with his injured ankle, positioned himself protectively in front of his younger sibling. The blond often wondered if and when his brothers would ever stop babying him.
"Oof!" Alan was so lost in his thoughts that he collided into Gordon when the latter came to an abrupt halt.
Gordon gave Alan a sideways glance, a somewhat confused frown on his face. "What the heck is that sound?"
Tilting his head to one side, Alan listened carefully, scrunching his nose at the awful odour.
Crunch...
He felt a shiver run down his spine at the sounds coming from just around the corner.
Wet.
Meaty.
Grinding.
Ripping.
Alan swallowed thickly. "Gordon..?"
"I don't know, Al." the aquanaut's body was tense. Almost shaking.
Alan was unsure if it was due to adrenaline or fear.
"Ughhh..."
The duo froze at the sound of a soft, moist moan, interchanged glances of silent conversation - honed through years of brotherly bonding. Mostly to escape their older siblings to about being capture for any antics that occurred on the island during downtime.
Someone was in trouble.
The two youngest Tracys exchanged nods before they rounded the corner together.
Slumped before them was a woman, clad in a torn and bloody cream coloured blouse and a brown pencil skirt. Her back towards them as she hunched over the body of a police officer. She appeared to be trembling.
The stench from the deceased officer was almost overwhelming.
What happened here?
Hesitantly, Gordon took an unsteady step forward.
"Ma'am?"
No response.
The woman just continued to kneel over the fallen, bloodied corpse.
"Ma'am, we're with International Rescue. We're here to help," Gordon took another step forward. "Are you hurt?"
The woman uttered an almost inaudible, gurgling moan.
Alan stiffened and found himself huddling behind his brother. He'd played enough horror games - seen enough scary movies - that this was really starting to unnerved him.
'C'mon, Al! Get a grip!'" he mentally chided himself. 'You're probably not thinking straight because you hit your head when you fell! This woman needs our help! What would the others do?'
Swaying, the woman turned her head slowly. The matted, tangled curls of her long, auburn hair obscuring her face.
"Uggghh..."
Blood pooled from her mouth, bubbling slightly as she mustered another wet groan.
Her deep red lipstick was smeared across her face.
Or what was left of it.
"Holy...!"
Alan felt his chest tighten as Gordon stumbled backwards in shock.
As the woman rose.
A chunk of bloodied muscle and sinew dropped from her mouth.
Bile rose in Alan's throat as he tore his gaze away from the woman before them...
...To the body of the dead man on the floor.
He choked on the bitter taste in the back of his mouth. "Oh my God..."
The woman had not been trembling from fear.
Or shaking from shock.
She'd been eating him.
The woman tipped her head back, her hair falling away from her face to reveal the full extent of her injuries under the dim, flickering lights of the corridor.
Half of her face was missing.
No.
Not missing
Torn off.
Glazed, lifeless eyes fixed upon the two International Rescue operatives.
She let out a putrid hiss.
That festering odour had not come from the ruined, gnawed body on the floor.
It had been her.
Alan swallowed thickly, breaking into a cold sweat. "G-Gordon..?"
Without warning, the woman unhinged her gore-encrusted jaws and lunged at them.