Hey everyone - I'm here again! Just wanna reassure you guys that just 'cos I've got another story up DOES NOT mean I'm gonna neglect Wordless. This one is my top prioty - I have no idea what PTT is - it's weird, random and has been bugging the hell out of me. Thanks to all those who said something nice about it, it's not what I've been yelling at it! Anyway...

Crimson-Ranger: I accept you offer to be my bodyguard; you can protect me from all the people that are gonna kill me 'cos I left it on another cliff-hanger!

White Shogun Ranger: You're gonna hate me...

Ghostwriter: You've never seen NS? You've missed out! Thank-you for r&r-ing my story – it's nice to know that you don't have to have watched the show to understand it!

And to everyone else: thank you! You know who you guys are – I love you all! Here's chapter 12, enjoy…


Blake was awake early. In fact, he hadn't gone to bed that night. Worry for his brother had kept him awake. It was all he could do to stop himself from storming over to the Robinson's house and breaking Hunter out, but he had thought about what Tori had said and realized it made more sense. Thinking some more, he also realized that the others hadn't been wrong either. It was true. They didn't know if Phil was doing all these things to Hunter. To them, Hunter always appeared as a calm, fearless person who would fight with everything he had if he was attacked. They couldn't understand how he could not fight back if someone was hurting him.

But Blake had been there when Hunter first arrived at the Bradleys. He was 12; Blake only 10, but Blake had remembered the pale, quiet boy who had walked through the door clutching only a ragged toy that he had been given at the Home – it was his only possession. He remembered Hunter sitting up at night, trying not to go to sleep because if he did then the nightmares would be there. But of course, sleep would take him eventually and then the nightmares would surface. What he dreamed of, he never said. But they made him cry and scream and toss and turn, trying to fight a losing battle with his invisible enemies. As the years went by, the nightmares eased. It was very rare now for Blake to hear Hunter scream in his sleep. Hunter had always been there for Blake, standing up to the bullies at school for him and helping him at the Thunder Academy. And Hunter never cried. It was almost if he was afraid to. Even when their parents, their adopted parents, had been killed, Hunter's eyes remained dry. Blake had cried, and Hunter had comforted him. It had always been like that. Now, things were different. Blake was sure Hunter needed him, and he wasn't going to let him down.

He finally dozed off on the sofa and woke in what felt like only a few minutes, but had actually been a few hours. He gazed blearily at the clock, 05:40. There was no chance of him getting back to sleep so he eased himself off the sofa and dragged himself to the bathroom to have a hot shower. Feeling much better afterwards, he forced himself to eat something before leaving the apartment.

He reached the Robinsons house at six thirty and hung around across the road in a small clump of trees just out of sight of the house. Then, at ten minutes to seven, he heard the door open. Peering through a gap in the leaves he saw Phil and Maggie walk out, get into the car and drive off. They seemed a perfectly normal couple, Maggie even laughing at something Phil had said. Hunter was not with them. Tori had told him to wait for her, but Blake was filled with a sense of urgency to get Hunter out before they returned. He headed swiftly down onto the road and hurried towards the front door.

"Blake!" Tori called as she headed up the road. Seeing him heading for the house, she ran to catch up with him.

"The Robinsons…?"

"Just left," Blake answered.

Tori grinned triumphantly, "Let's do this then."

Blake nodded and together they made their way to the front door. It wasn't as if they had to be worried about the neighbors seeing – the next house was a half hour walk away.

"How do we get in?" Blake asked as they approached the door.

Tori grinned and rang the bell, "We've got a man inside, remember?"

But no one answered the door. Tori tried again but still Hunter didn't appear.

"Are you sure he's in there?" Blake said.

"Yeah, he hasn't left."

"How can you be so sure?"

Tori gave him an exasperated look, "If you must know I had Cyber Cam watch the house for me." She tried the door. It was locked. "Got any bright ideas?" she asked Blake.

"Wait a sec," he crouched down and reached under the mat on the front step. With a triumphant smile he produced a key.

"How the hell did you know that?"

Blake shrugged. "Lucky guess." He put the key in the lock and opened the door. The house seemed strangely still.

"Hunter?" Blake called softly. "Are you here?" Again there was no answer. Leaving the door open, they made their way into the silent hallway.

"Where's his room?" Tori whispered to Blake.

"Why are you whispering?" Blake whispered back.

She shook her head. Neither of them could explain it, but they did it anyway.

"I'm not sure where his room is. I think he said it's on the second floor."

With quiet footsteps they climbed the stairs and made their way down the hall, checking each room. At last they reached what must have been Hunter's room.

It was trashed. His stuff was strewn over the floor. Blake walked into it in stunned silence, his foot crunching on some broken glass. He looked down, then bent over and picked up the photo from the crushed remains of its frame. He froze.

"Blake, what is it?" Tori asked.

He knelt down. "Tori," his voice was shaking slightly. "Come here and tell me what this looks like."

With a puzzled frown she walked over, stepping around the stuff on the floor. She stared at what Blake was pointing at.

"It looks like…" she paused, not sure if she wanted to say it.

"Blood." Blake finished for her. He stood up grimly. "Come on. He has to be in here somewhere."

But though they searched all three floors thoroughly, there was no sign of Hunter. They were just about to give up and leave when they passed a door they hadn't tried. It was locked, but the key was hanging on a nail beside it. Unlocking it, they were greeted by a set of dark stairs that led down into the basement.

Holding tight to hand rail, they made their way down the steps. Tori found the light switch on the wall, but it didn't work. As their eyes grew accustomed to the semi-darkness – what little light was being let came from a small grimy window set high into the wall – they could make out a hunched figure in the corner.

"Hunter!" Blake let out a cry and ran to his brother. Hunter stared at him, his eyes like that of a wild animal.

"Blake?" he croaked. "What are you doing here? You mustn't be here…" panic filled his voice.

"Come on, we're getting you out of here." Blake tried to pull Hunter to his feet. As his eyes adjusted some more, Blake saw that Hunter was filthy and covered in bruises and swellings. There was a nasty cut above his right eye and dried blood still caked his face. Hunter tried his best to stand. It took a painfully long time, but finally he was on his feet. Blake draped Hunter's arm over his shoulder and held him around the waist to support him. Together they managed to walk the few feet over to Tori.

"Oh my god." Tori whispered in shock as she saw Hunter clearly for the first time. She grabbed Hunter as his legs threatened to collapse under him and between the two of them they managed to begin the slow process of getting him up the stairs. They were nearly three quarters of the way up when they heard an engine outside…