Disclaimer: Please enjoy, not mine, Mr Andersons. Always fun to play in someone else's playground. Lots of drama and angst, your warned. AM Feb 2010
A Brothers Bond - Breaking Point
By Angel Mouse
Tracy Island
Penny looked at the stunned faces on Tracy Island and knew that she was better off being there with them for the moment. They needed all the support they could get.
"Jeff." There was no response and she spoke a little more forcefully. "Jeff!" Jeff looked up at her and blinked as if he suddenly remembered she was there.
"Oh sorry Penny, what were you saying?" Penny managed a tiny smile.
"I was saying that we will be on the island in a few hours, perhaps by then we can come up with a plan and a strategy to find the boys." Jeff nodded, taking a deep breath and controlling himself.
"That would be a good idea Penny. Thanks. We'll see you then." Penny nodded, at least it was something she could do.
"I look forward to it. Lady Penelope out." Her portrait changed back to normal and Jeff looked at his three sons. They were all looking pale but determined. Virgil was the first one to speak.
"Father, this isn't going to do John any good at all, is it?"
"No, I'm afraid not Virgil. Coming on the heels of what happened on Meriza's island, this won't be easy. Now, let's get down to work. We can surmise by what Inspector Rogers told Penelope that Captain Striker was being blackmailed somehow to provide information on us and our people. They obviously took advantage of Scott and John being together in New York. And now poor Captain Striker and his sister have paid the ultimate price for betraying us."
His boys gasped as Jeff's words hit them. And then they all began to understand the horrible truth, they had been betrayed, by one of their own agents no less. And now Scott and John were going to be paying the price of that betrayal. Jeff looked up at Alan, trying to focus on finding his two eldest sons.
"Alan, has the new tracking program John and Brains were working on been installed on Thunderbird Five yet?" Alan looked down at his controls.
"Yes but it's not online yet. I think John was saying something about tweaking it a little." Jeff nodded, his mind whirling as he thought fast.
"Right. Let's get Brains up here and that program up and running. It may be your brother's only hope." Alan nodded, swallowing hard and forcing himself to concentrate.
"Yes Father." Jeff hit the button to summon Brains and the rest of the family. Jeff looked at his boys and his gaze was that of a loving father but also a commander in chief.
"Boys, this isn't going to be easy on any of us. But we'll get through it, just like we got through John's abduction earlier this year." Gordon stirred from where he was sitting on the floor and stood up. He managed a tiny little grin for his father and brothers.
"I'm going to nail John's arse to his bedroom floor when he gets back Father, if that's okay with you. He's got to learn he just can't keep going off on these little trips of his." The words brought a little chuckle from his family, which was his intent. Virgil glanced up at him and a tiny smile appeared on his face.
"I'll nail Scott's as well. We can't let the two oldest have all the fun all the time." Gordon put his hand on Virgil's shoulder and grinned. Alan glanced at the two of them from Thunderbird Five.
"I'll hand you the nails and hammer guys." It was that image that set the three brothers off in a fit of giggles. Highly inappropriate but Jeff let them go. He knew that it was Gordon's way of getting them past the shock and to the stage where they could begin to react and plan. But privately he thought that he was certainly going to do the equivalent for his two oldest. Those two just couldn't be let out on their own.
A few hours later
Penelope walked into the Tracy lounge to find Tin-Tin and Grandma Tracy talking softly on the sofa and Jeff, Brains and the boys crowded around a map of the United States on Jeff's desk. The atmosphere was one of quiet desperation but also of determination.
"Hello everyone." They all looked up and Jeff gave her a grateful smile at her presence.
"Penelope. Thank you for coming." Penelope moved over to the desk and smiled warmly at them all.
"It was my pleasure Jeff. Now, tell me, has there been any news?" Jeff gestured to Brains.
"Well Lady Penelope, after what hap… hap… happened to John, Mr Tracy here have me take some precautions." Penelope tilted her head to one side, curiosity on her face. Virgil grinned at her and lifted his leg, pulling his trousers up slightly.
"Dad had Brains put trackers under our skin." Penelope saw the small scar on Virgil's ankle and looked at Gordon and then Alan, who both nodded. Alan took up the narrative.
"Dad didn't want a repeat of what happened to John, which is his watch got left behind, so he wanted some other way to track us in case this happened again." Understanding dawned and Penelope gave a soft whistle.
"That's a very good idea. Especially since we can confirm that both boys watches where left behind." Penelope reached into her pocket and held out the two watches she had retrieved from the boy's hotel. Jeff took them from her almost reverently and swallowed against the lump in his throat.
"Thank you Penelope." Penny just nodded. Jeff looked over at Alan. "How's the tracking going Alan?" Alan frowned as he looked down at the numerous screens he had in front of him.
"I'm having trouble narrowing it down Dad, even after Brains' has tweaked it. The best I can do is somewhere in the middle of the United States. It's somewhere in the wheat belt Dad. That's the best I can do for the moment. There's some sort of interference that's keeping me from narrowing down even further. If John was here…" Alan stopped himself from saying the rest and Jeff took pity on his youngest son. Once again he was stuck up in Thunderbird Five while one of his older brothers was in trouble. Jeff smiled gently at Alan.
"If John were here he'd have that fixed no trouble at all, is that what you were going to say Alan?" Alan nodded. "It's understandable; John is the expert on communications and things like that. But if John were here, we wouldn't be in this mess." That got a tiny smile from Alan and they got back down to work.
An hour later they had narrowed it down a little bit more, this time to, ironically, Kansas. When Alan had told them that, Jeff had shared a fond smile with his mother. It was only recently that they had finally persuaded Josie Tracy to join them on the island, as she was a very stubborn woman who stayed as long as she possibly could on the farm in Kansas. Jeff then looked at his boys, knowing that the hardest parts came next.
"Okay, this is what we're going to do. Virgil, I want you to take Thunderbird Three with Brains on board up to Thunderbird Five. Brains, I hope you don't mind but I want you to stay up there a few days to refine the signal even further. Alan, you'll come home with Virgil as I'm going to need all you boys with me this time. Penny, you'll be joining us as well." Jeff's gaze took them all in.
"Then, once Virgil and Alan are home, we'll be taking Thunderbird One and Two with us to Kansas to get John and Scott back. We'll also have some Special Forces guys with us again; I'm not taking any chances this time. I want these people brought to justice!" Penelope frowned slightly.
"Jeff, are you sure that's such a good idea. I mean, these people, who ever they are. They obviously knew that Captain Striker was one of our agents, perhaps they also got him to give details of the things we did to get John back the last time. So, getting some Special Forces soldiers again might not be a good idea, they could be expecting them." Jeff frowned, he hadn't thought of that.
"But we will need help. Just you and Parker, the boys and I aren't going to be enough to rescue them if they are being held in a place surrounding by dozens of guards." Penelope nodded.
"True Jeff, but I'm sure by the time Virgil and Alan return to Earth, between you and I we can think of something." Jeff nodded and looked at Virgil.
"Alright Virgil and Brains, off you go and get Alan." Virgil nodded and the two men left. Jeff looked over at Penny. "Now, we have a lot of planning to do."
Unknown Location
Scott was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't hurt and if there was, he couldn't find it. But Scott had something that his younger brother didn't have, survival training from the USAF and having to depend on that training a few times; he knew that it wasn't going to be easy for John to cope with at all.
Mentally he was able to, physically, well, that was another story all together. But for the moment he wasn't worried about himself, being in the situation's they had been in since International Rescue began operations had given his body a strength and hardness that he hadn't got from the Air Force. He just hoped John was okay.
Blinking a few times he managed to focus his eyes on the door as he heard it opening. It opened and suddenly John's limp form was flung inside, landing in a heap on the floor. Adrenaline coursed through Scott and it gave him the energy he needed to crawl forward and cradle his brother's form in his arms. He ignored the guards as they shut the door behind them and he turned his brother over so that he could see his face.
He gasped and was suddenly glad John wasn't awake at the moment. He was covered in bruises, cuts and now there was a new addition, burns.
"Oh Johnny, what have they done to you." Scott felt tears gathering in his eyes and he furiously blinked them back. He wasn't going to show weakness to these guys, not in a million years. He moved over to the wall, gently pulling John with him and cradling his limp form in his arms, he sat them there. Scott took deep breaths, calming himself down as she stroked John's limp blonde hair away from his forehead. "Don't worry Johnny, I'm here."
Some hours later, Scott couldn't tell, the doors opened again and this time it was his arms that went protectively around his brother. The guards just looked at them and the man in the Red Mask came in.
"Come with me. You're going back to your rooms to rest and recover. Bring him." Scott just stared at him in disbelief. The man just looked at him, his eyes meeting Scott's. "I'm going out on a limb for you two here; I've managed to convince him that if you don't recover and get your injuries treated then you'll both die before he gets what he wants. So are you coming or not?"
Scott didn't know what to think but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Hopefully this wasn't another trick. He managed to get to his feet, holding onto the wall a moment to steady his spinning head. He then reached down and somehow, god knows how, he managed to pick his brother's still unconscious form up in his arms.
For once he was glad of John's lithe form. He staggered towards the door but the man in the Red Mask did nothing to help him. The guards led him back to the room they had been brought to when they first awoke and left them to it. Scott put John down on one of the bed and had to sit down himself, before he collapsed.
Moments later the door opened and a woman came in pushing a trolley. Scott tried to get to his feet to stand between her and John but he couldn't, he was too dizzy. She came to his side and gently put her hand on his shoulders, pushing him back down on the bed.
"Relax. I'm here to treat your injuries, nothing more." Scott just looked at her and saw nothing but professional concern in her eyes. He sighed and nodded, pointing to John.
"He hasn't woken in hours; he has a slight fever I think." She nodded and went to John's side. She began to gently remove his shirt and trousers and hissed slightly when she saw the damage inflicted on his younger brother. But she didn't say anything as she began to work.
She cleaned his burns and Scott saw that with a hint of irony, she used a burns treatment that Brains had developed for Tracy Industries a long time ago. It was quick, painless for the burns victim and soothing on the skin.
She the cleaned all the cuts and giving John a local anaesthetic, only after confirming with Scott first that's what it was when he objected, she sewed some of the deeper cuts up. Scott watched all this in silence, as after the first attempts at getting her to answer questions were met with silence and he realised that she wouldn't be allowed to answer anything anyway.
Finally, she was finished with John and turned to him. Scott looked at John's now gentle resting form and sighed softly. His brother was still unconscious but looked better now he had been cleaned up and his injuries were treated. He looked up and managed a tiny smile, somewhere, for her.
"Thank you, for taking care of him. I mean it." The nurse looked surprised and then gave him a small, genuine seeming smile.
"It's okay. I've given him something for the pain and also a broad spectrum antibiotic to fight any infections he may have gotten and also bring that fever down. I'll give you the same. Now, let's get you looked at shall we? I don't want you passing out on me now do I?" Scott nodded and smiled inwardly.
Nurses and health care workers were the same the world over. They gently bullied you to make sure you were okay. He gave a soft sigh and glanced at John for a moment and then he got down to the business of ignoring her working on him, which wasn't easy.
But the painkillers she had given him certainly helped. She worked quickly and methodically on his injuries and Scott tried not to watch her, instead watching John sleep. Finally she was finished and helped him slip into a clean t-shirt, just like she had for John. She was packing her things away and she saw Scott's gaze fall on his brother's every few seconds. She spoke softly as she finished cleaning up.
"He's sleeping naturally now, he'll wake in the morning and he should be okay. Do you think you could eat anything right now?" Scott frowned a second and then shook his head, suddenly feeling very tired.
"Not right now, but thank you for asking." She nodded.
"That's okay. I'll be back in the morning to check on you and I'll bring a hearty breakfast for you both then. Good night." With that she knocked on the door and left, leaving the two of them alone. Scott took one last look at John and with his gaze on his brother his eyes finally closed slowly and moments later he was asleep.
John realised he was warm and wasn't feeling much pain as consciousness came back to him slowly. He opened his eyes slowly and took in his surroundings. He wasn't in the cell anymore, but back in the room that they had first been brought to when this nightmare started.
He glanced around and saw Scott lying in the bed next to him, and it looked like his injuries had been treated. John raised his arm up and saw the bandages on the cuts he had. He then gently ran his hands over his torso and found that all his injuries that he had sustained were treated.
He frowned, wondering what had happened while he'd been unconscious. The last thing he remembered was the guy in the Blue Mask laughing manically as a guard approached him with a hot poker. Then there was searing pain and nothing. He glanced over at his big brother to find that Scott's eyes were slowly opening and he smiled in relief. At least Scott was okay and awake now. Scott saw he was awake and smiled, pushing himself up.
"John, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" John pushed himself up on his elbows and scooted up in the bed so he was leaning against the bed head. He thought a moment and then answered softly.
"Not the greatest Scott. Physically I'm in a bit of pain and feel so tired that I could sleep a week." Scott looked at John, knowing he wasn't saying something and he just waited calmly, John usually took his time to find the right words to express how he was feeling. Finally John sighed and looked up, meeting Scott's blue eyes with his own.
"Last time it was more mentally draining than anything, but this, this is something that's not only hard physically, but even more so mentally. I don't like seeing you get hurt." Scott nodded, knowing what his brother meant.
"And I don't like seeing you hurt either John, especially after what has already happened to you. But neither of us has any choice in this matter. We can't tell them what we know; too many people may suffer if we do." John nodded.
"I know Scotty, I do know that. It's just so hard not to tell them what they want, anything to stop the pain and stop them hurting you." Scott nodded.
"I know John; I've had the same thoughts. But then I've thought of everyone else and I know I can't tell." John nodded glumly and opened his mouth to speak but just then the door opened and the nurse walked back in, pushing a trolley that this time had delicious smells coming from it. She smiled gently at them both, glad to see them both awake and sitting up.
"Good morning gentlemen, I hope you've both slept well." Scott smiled in welcome at her.
"Yes thank you. John, this is the nurse that treated both our injuries last night." John smiled warmly at her and held out his hand.
"Thank you, on behalf of both my brother and myself." She blushed slightly and took his hand, squeezing it gently before sitting on the bed and beginning to check his injuries.
"As I said to your brother last night, it's not a problem. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Very tired and sore but otherwise okay." She nodded, taking his pulse and temperature.
"Well, your fever has gone, which is good. Now I'll be back later to change those dressings, first though you need a good feed." She got up and went over to the trolley, taking one of the trays from it and sitting it on his lap. "Now eat." John grinned at her, a remarkable boyish grin that very few people knew he possessed and Scott was hard pressed to keep from sniggering.
John was playing the little boy innocent act for all it was worth. During high school it had gotten the quiet Tracy brother quite a few dates when he wanted. There was just something endearing about his brother that made people want to trust him straight away and take him home to meet their parents.
"Yes ma'am. Anything else ma'am?" She looked startled and then laughed softly.
"Oh you, behave." He winked at her and then tucked in to the food. She laughed and turned to Scott, her eyes laughing.
"Are you all like that back home?" Scott decided to tease her a little bit, anything to bring a little normalcy back to this nightmare.
"No ma'am, he's just being on his best behaviour. Back home we're actually really nice and sweet." She laughed as she came to his side, taking his pulse and temperature and checking his dressings.
"Now I know you're both lying to me. What am I going to do with you both?" John looked up from where he was inhaling his breakfast and grinned naughtily at her and it heartened Scott to see his brother playing like he was.
"Spank us like the naughty boys we are?" She looked at him startled and then burst into laughter again and shook her head, getting Scott's tray and handing it to him for him to eat.
"You wish my boy, you wish. Now both of you eat everything, and I mean everything. I'll be back in an hour or so to change your dressings." With that she was gone and John grinned at Scott around a mouthful of eggs and bacon.
"She's nice, I like her." Scott snorted as he looked down at the plate full of eggs, bacon, fried tomatoes, hash browns, toast, orange juice and a small bowl of fruit salad.
"You would. I can't take you anywhere can I John?" Scott looked up to find his brother's innocent gaze staring back at him.
"Who me?" They looked at each other and for the moment they forgot the situation they were in, and just laughed at each other, two brothers sharing a moment of silliness and forgetting about their situation for just a moment.
TBTBTBTBBTBTB
Red Mask turned to Blue Mask from where they were watching from a secure room on a security monitor.
"There bond is strong, it won't be easy to break them, either of them." Blue Mask nodded.
"You are right, but I'm not sure we should be giving them this special treatment, despite what you say my friend." Red Mask just shrugged.
"You sometimes get more information with a soft touch than a hammer my friend."
"We'll see. Is the equipment all set up and ready?"
"Yes, we can record the ransom video when ever you're ready."
"Good. Now, not only will we get the secrets of International Rescue, we will also get all of Jeff Tracy's money and power. Not bad for two years of planning don't you think my friend? My revenge against the way he has treated us both will be complete with the destruction of his dream, his sons and his empire."
Red Mask refused to answer, just watching the video monitor for a long moment. And deep inside him, some part of him that was still harboured human compassion, wondering if truly they were doing the right thing.
Those two men that they had brutally beaten and tortured, and who still refused to give them any information, hadn't done anything wrong to him. And yet, here he was, going along with his friend's insane scheme. Was he doing the right thing he wondered?
Tbc… things start to get even nastier for our brothers next chapter…
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