It is officially the 1st here, so you know what time of year it is! I originally wrote the first chapter of this for last year's Whumptober, titled Hurt & Comfort, which I promised I would continue. Well, almost a year later it is finally done. So if you recognise chapter 1, then you know why XD
This is also my attempt at trying to complete Whumptober in just one long fic, as opposed to many smaller fics like I usually do. I somehow managed to pull it off, and now you get to reap the benefits of it. I hope you are all prepared for the whumpy goodness that's to come...
Gordon made his way over to the warehouse on the edge of the docks, where John had informed him that he'd found several lifesigns. Gordon wondered why the group hadn't evacuated yet, but put it down to them just being scared. The warehouse was still intact when Gordon reached it, so he doubted they were all injured. At least, Gordon was hoping no one was hurt. It always made his job easier when everyone could walk on their own feet.
However, even with the warehouse still in one piece, they were too close to the water. With an earthquake came the impending risk of a tsunami. They were trying to evacuate the area to get everyone clear from the danger zone just in case a tsunami did happen, and even if not, these buildings were likely not very stable anymore.
Gordon found a door and pushed it open, before he stepped into the large building. He ended up in a spacious room with a high ceiling. Despite the vast size of the room, it was filled up, mostly with crates. Gordon wasn't the only one in there, and he quickly noticed the group he had been looking for.
There were more of them than he had been expecting, and they were dotted throughout the entire room. Gordon opened his mouth to call out to them to make them aware of his presence.
"I'm from International Rescue. You need to-"
The rest of his words died in his throat as he took in more notice of his surroundings. In the centre of the warehouse, there were a few vehicles. A group was loading some crates into the trunks. Gordon couldn't see what was in the boxes, but as he spoke, everyone in the room whipped their heads towards him.
Each one of them was holding a gun.
Gordon stilled. He didn't know what exactly was going on here, but he was sure it was illegal. And he was certain it was something he wasn't meant to see.
He took a couple of steps back, before he spun around and sprinted for the door. He raised his hand towards his comm, but before he could call and alert his brothers, something slammed into his back.
He was thrown to the floor, and the person who had attacked him kept him pinned to the ground. There was a knee on either side of him, keeping his right arm pinned to his hip. His left arm was free, until a fist latched onto his wrist and pinned that to the ground as well. He could feel the press of a gun dig into the back of his skull, warning him to try and get away.
Despite the presence of the weapon, Gordon still tried to struggle. The person on top of him was heavy and strong, and wouldn't budge an inch.
"Want me to take care of him?" The gruff voice of the man above him spoke to someone Gordon couldn't see. He tried to crane his neck to see if he could view what was happening above him, but with the gun still pressing down on him, that was proven difficult.
There was a long pause, where Gordon could hear his blood pumping in his ears. He was very likely about to die, and he couldn't even warn his brothers.
"No."
Gordon didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified of that reply. If these people weren't going to kill him, then it was likely because they had something much, much worse planned.
That fear was confirmed barely a second later.
"I think he will be much more useful to us alive."
The voice that spoke was cool and commanding, like they were the one in charge of this operation. There were footsteps around Gordon, and then something was abruptly placed over his nose and mouth.
The smell of chemicals hit his nostrils immediately and realisation dawned on Gordon. He held his breath to stop himself from breathing in whatever it was, and struggled even more.
He felt a sharp jab to the side, and he involuntarily sucked in a breath. He realised his mistake instantly, but by then it was too late. The chemicals were already making his head spin and there was nothing he could do to stop himself from taking in deep breaths of whatever it was.
It didn't take long for darkness to pull at the edge of his vision, but he tried his hardest to stay awake. His eyes closed of their own accord, and the last thing he thought of was his family before he was asleep.
Gordon woke to the feeling of being dragged.
He could feel his feet scrape across the floor as his unresponsive body fell limp in whoever was holding him. There were hands harshly holding onto his arms, so strong that Gordon was sure he was going to bruise.
His brain was still fuzzy, but the memory of being drugged was there. He wanted to get up and fight, but his body was still waking up and he couldn't move.
He managed to get his eyes open, but all he saw was a dimly lit hallway before he was abruptly thrown into a room.
The ground was hard and Gordon only just got his arms to move enough to brace his fall. A door slammed shut behind him, and soon the effects of the chemicals were gone as adrenaline took over.
Gordon scrambled to his feet and threw himself against the door that was now locked tightly shut. There wasn't even a handle on this side.
"Hey!" Gordon yelled through the thick metal. He banged on the door several times, but there was no sound of those people coming back.
"There's no point in trying."
Gordon darted around to see a man sitting in the corner of the room. Gordon hadn't noticed him before, too panicked about getting locked in here to take in who else could be in the room.
He was leaning against the wall, one arm resting on the bent knee he'd pulled to his chest. He didn't seem to be as bothered about the situation as Gordon was, but his words were enough to send dread into the pit of Gordon's stomach.
"There's no way out."