Enough is Enough

Every muscle in his body was on fire. He grit his teeth trying to ignore it and get the trembling in his arms and legs under control.

'John?' He grunted. He didn't need to say anymore, his brother would already know the question he was trying to ask. Speaking that question out loud would only waste his energy and frighten his rescuees.

'Just a little longer, Virgil,' John encouraged. 'They're nearly with you.'

He spared a glance down. Failure was not an option here. Not with two terrified kids staring back up at him, wide-eyed. Tilly and Abel were adorable in a way that made Virgil long for children of his own. Smart, brave, and just downright cute – and he was not going to let them die like this.

That, really, was the only thing keeping him going. He might have dropped the roof on his head already had it not been for them. Because the exo-suit he was wearing bore enough of the strain that it usually meant that he could lift way more than the average person, but it was not infallible. The four-storey building that had collapsed on top of them was proving to be a little too much. Not that Virgil could complain. It had, at the very least, stopped them from being killed instantly. Now Virgil just had to hold it long enough for his brothers to dig them out.

He was tiring fast.

'Mr Virgil,' Tilly squeaked, 'I'm scared.'

'I know. I know, sweetheart,' Virgil replied, though it came out as more of a gasp. But he couldn't just ignore her. 'We'll – we'll be okay. My brothers – they'll be here soon – get us out. I promise.'

Had it been grown-ups down here with him, he might have yelled at this point. Partly out of frustration, but partly to get himself fired up. Just something to give him that extra push to keep going. But he couldn't do that right now. Not with Tilly expressing her fear and Abel having only just stopped crying. He'd terrify them. Instead, he exhaled sharply through his teeth, adding a very quiet grumble in the back of his throat.

Finally, a burst of light. All three of them cried out, momentarily blinded. It took everything Virgil had in him not to drop the weight on top of him. Then the light was obscured, and Scott shimmied his way through the gap. He had one of their adjustable support beams with him, and Virgil could already see Alan pushing another one through to them.

'NO!' Virgil shouted. 'Get them out!'

Alan and Scott looked at each other. Just for a moment. The second beam fell to the ground with a clatter, now all the way through. Before Virgil knew what was happening, Alan had vaulted himself through the gap and was scooping Tilly up in his arms. Scott pressed on with the beams.

Gordon appeared in the gap, all smiles and outstretched arms. Of course, Virgil could see the strain on his face, the concern, but only because he knew him so well. To the kids it would make no odds – a smile was a smile at the end of the day. Alan lifted Tilly above his head, waiting until Gordon confirmed his grip on her before he let go and immediately swooped back for Abel. The boy laughed as Alan bounced him on his hip, waiting for Gordon to return. They made short work of getting him clear of the structure as well.

But even with them gone, Virgil couldn't relax. Because now he had two brothers relying on him to hold the building up.

'And done!' Scott declared.

Virgil flinched. He'd not really registered the sound of the beams being bolted to the floor. Scott had done it in record time, it seemed. He nodded to his brother, grateful for that speed. The next part wouldn't be easy.

'I think our best bet is to leave the suit behind,' Alan said. 'It's too bulky.'

Scott nodded. 'Agreed. Virgil, we're going to need to do this fast. I've done what I can with the beams, but I don't know if they'll hold.'

That was fair because in theory the beams could only hold a little bit more than the exo-suit. Add in the shifting of the rubble as the support shifted from the suit to the beams, and there was a real potential for this to go horribly wrong.

'Go,' Virgil said. 'I'll be – right behind you.'

'No,' Scott and Alan replied in unison, and it made Virgil shudder because they said it in exactly the same tone. Monotonous, like they'd known that was what Virgil was going to say and they thought the whole idea was a bit boring.

'Okay, here's the plan,' Scott said, looking at Alan. Virgil had the distinct impression that he was no longer part of the conversation. 'I've got him from behind. As soon as he's unclipped, I'm going to push him towards you. Do you think you can help him get up there?'

Virgil eyed the gap they'd made. There was a reason Alan had had to lift the kids over his head to get them out. It wasn't just a small step up, and Virgil wasn't sure he could hop out the way Alan had hopped in.

But Alan just got down on one knee and cupped his hands in front of him. 'I can give him a boost, no problem.'

'Gordon?' Scott called. 'You ready?'

Their brother's face returned, much more serious this time. 'F.A.B., let's do this.'

'Okay, Virgil. On three.'

Virgil closed his eyes, gritting his teeth again. He didn't listen for the count. He didn't need to. The moment the clips were released, he stumbled forward, Scott propelling him in the right direction. He was barely able to lift his foot high enough, but somehow Alan was able to get his hands in the right place. With a grunt, his kid brother hoisted him upwards, and Virgil opened his eyes in surprise. He honestly had no idea that Alan was that strong. Then Gordon was there, right in his face. He grabbed him under the arms and heaved. Next thing Virgil knew, they were both in a heap on the floor, the midday sun beating down on their faces. Gordon laughed.

And then Scott was there hovering over them. 'Everyone okay?'

Shakily, Virgil began the slow and painful clamber back to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alan hauling Gordon upright, the two of them giggling as Gordon deliberately made it more difficult. He stood, and for a moment everything was okay.

Until the pain hit. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground with a shout. Everything whited out for a few moments. When he came back to, Scott was kneeling beside him, looking down at him with a half-amused, half-concerned expression.

'Alan and Gordon have gone to get a stretcher,' he explained. 'You know better, Virgil Grissom.'

Ouch. The middle name. Virgil cringed. 'Yeah, that was pretty stupid.'

Scott laughed. 'You'll be okay, Virge. Get some sleep.'

A sideways glance revealed the med scanner in his brother's hand. He chuckled, letting his eyes slip shut. He wasn't injured – he could've told Scott that himself. But holding up a building was no easy feat, and he was exhausted. His brain was exhausted, and his muscles were exhausted, and his bones were exhausted. A nap wasn't going to do it, but it was certainly a start.

One thing was for sure though. He was going to ache tomorrow.