It was crazy. Here he was sitting in the midst of some serious messed up shit. His family and friends, hell the entire world, were threatened. And all he could focus on was how much he needed to pee.
It wasn't like he'd drunk that much, either. Maybe it was hostage lunacy settling in. Maybe it was, after all, way too much for him to comprehend. Whatever it was, there was no way he was peeing on the floor. He had his standards.
It seemed forever before they returned. And god it stung. It wasn't good to hold it in so long. He had read that somewhere.
They were surprisingly compliant. He was never left alone for a second but his captors politely looked away, holding his leash while he relieved himself. It was almost funny. These guys were no pros. That much was becoming very clear.
How they knew his identity had been cause for more than a little self-rebuke. His low pass over the complex had taken him within range of a camera. His craft might be hidden from radar but even the simplest of zooms could capture her. And the equipment these guys had was state of the art. Government issue. Damned scary.
How many there were of these guys was not so obvious. Smiley - the name he had given the lead guy - always seemed to have a different crony in tow. So that made at least five that he had met so far. And then there was the civilian population. The folks that they had spotted milling about the place late last night. Busy little beavers, whatever it was they were up to.
Smiley and the guard led him back to his cell and he followed obediently. He sat on the chair and waited for the right moment. There had been a window like this when they had untied him. But he really had needed a pee.
"Now." Smiley smiled his trademark smile. "We talk some more."
"Sure." Scott nodded.
The guard gasped as Scott wrenched back his cuffed hands at the last moment and the chain flicked free, the ring at the end catching the crouching man in the face and sending him toppling backwards.
Smiley was caught off guard as his man crumpled backwards into his legs and he also stumbled. Scott stood quickly and whipped the chain through the air. He felt the satisfying crunch of contact ripple through the chain and Smiley went down like a lead weight, clutching at his head.
Scott knelt down quickly and grabbed a handful of the guard's hair, jerking back the man's head and grabbing the small device at his temple. It wasn't easy to remove the thing and the man squirmed beneath him, crying out as the device – and a fair amount of skin – eventually came loose.
Smiley was a quick son of a bitch. He was on Scott before he even had a chance to realise it and suddenly there was an all too familiar and most unwelcome pain tearing through his back.
Scott sank forward onto his hands and knees, crippled and unable to think of anything but the pain. It was Smiley's guard that came to the rescue, his actions under the influence of all that the blocking device had held at bay.
Scott was stunned and somewhat amused as the guy lashed out clumsily at Smiley and suddenly the contact was lost. It was all the opening he needed. Scott spun round and grabbed Smiley's wrist, keeping that damned torture device well out of reach of him while he plucked the small black appendage from Smiley's temple.
"Okay, Trangh." Scott called out triumphantly and stepped back from Smiley and the guard. "Do your stuff."
He had barely finished his sentence when his two companions suddenly clutched at their heads and screamed. And that was as much as Scott could stomach. He avoided looking at the blood that dripped from the men's nose and ears and hurried from the room, locking them away with their torment.
Down the corridor to your left. Fourth door on the right.
Scott stood up straight and winced at the residual pain between his shoulder blades. He broke into a jog and headed down the dim corridor.
Trangh was in a more secure room, it seemed. No simple bolt for him but a thicker door and a coded entry pad. Scott smiled; they obviously knew this guy as well as he did.
2683DKScott nodded and entered the code. The door clicked open and he shook his head in dismay. "Tell me again how it ever came about that I'd be helping you?"
"Call it karma." Trangh offered merrily, waiting just inside the room as the door opened. "Ah. Allow me." He nodded towards Scott's cuffed wrists and glared angrily at them.
Scott would have laughed at the comedic value of that glare had it not been so effective. The metal cuffs twisted apart and fell to the floor. He nodded in awe and stepped out of the way.
"Transport." Trangh suggested calmly.
"My brother first." Scott frowned.
Trangh seemed about to protest and then relented with a sigh. "If you insist. But I fear he will only slow us down."
"What?" Scott demanded and followed Trangh along the corridor, "What have they - " He got his answer as Trangh unbolted one of the doors and swung it wide, revealing the crumpled mess within.
John lifted his head weakly and gazed up at the opening door. He frowned slightly, as though he could not quite fathom what he was seeing.
"Oh god!" Scott groaned and hurried into the room. "John?"
"Scott?" John husked in wonder.
Scott knelt before his brother and frowned in concern at his bruised and cut face. "We need to get the hell out of here. Can you stand?"
John smiled thinly, "I'll bloody well tr - " He hadn't got far before pain stopped him and he collapsed back onto the floor.
"Come on, buddy." Scott slipped his brother's arm around his neck and tried to ignore John's protests as he helped him to his feet. His frown deepened as John hung against him weakly but he saw his brother bite his already broken lip defiantly and they walked from the room.
John froze in fear as they almost collided with a familiar presence in the corridor.
"Greetings." Trangh smiled warmly, "How good to see you again."
"What the fuck is he doing here?" John grated.
"It's a long story." Scott sighed, "Not sure I understand it myself. But he's helping us get out of here so I'm kinda prepared to not give a shit."
"But - " John began in protest and was silenced by the loud wailing of an emergency alarm.
"Gentlemen!" Trangh called merrily above the din, "I do believe that is signalling our rapid exit."
Scott nodded and helped his brother limp as quickly as he could down the corridor.
"Scott?" John husked in confusion.
"I'll explain it later, okay?" Scott shouted in reply, "First, let's get the fuck out of dodge!"
All hell had broken loose. The previously silent complex was suddenly alive. Personnel were running about the central courtyard in crazed panic. Scott paused for a moment in the refreshing downpour and looked up at the storm-filled pre-dawn sky.
"Hurry!" Trangh ordered impatiently, pointing towards the forest. "There isn't long!"
"You could always help!" Scott hissed in retort and pulled John forward, urging a quicker stride. Finally they made it through to the edge of the forest and collapsed amid the second line of trees.
"We cannot stop here!" Trangh urged breathlessly, "We have to get out of the range of the blast zone."
Scott sat back on his heels, catching his breath and suddenly frowning in confusion. "You know about the strike?"
"From you." Trangh tapped his forehead and shrugged what almost seemed an apology. He nodded into the forest and gestured for them to get back up. "Come along. The vehicle is not far."
John lifted his head and gazed in wonder at the man standing before them.
"Yeah. I know." Scott mumbled and clambered to his feet, reaching down to help his brother do the same. "But desperate times and all that crap."
John nodded and then gasped suddenly, turning back towards the complex. "Oh no! Mishka!"
"Who?" Scott frowned, steadying his brother as the wind picked up around them.
"Mishka. The female guard."
"The blonde?"
John nodded and clutched at his bruised side. "She helped me."
Scott closed his eyes and could recall the water and the gentle hands. He had not seen much of her after that first meeting and, from the look on his brother's face, could now guess where she had been.
"Gentlemen?" Trangh urged, "Why do you delay?"
"Okay, dude." Scott spun back to face him and sighed in annoyance. "One: we are not gentlemen. Two: I only agreed to help you get out of the place. Three: I'm grateful for your help but next time I see you I will kill you."
Trangh smiled in delight and suddenly it seemed as if he remembered who he was. His stance became more assured, his eyes more certain and that smile so much deadlier. "I suppose we understand each other better than we'd care to admit."
"Whatever, dude."
"Farewell then."
"Just go already!" Scott groaned in annoyance. He then watched in dismay as The Hood nodded slowly and stepped backwards, disappearing dramatically into the forest.
"God, that guy bugs me!" Scott fumed. He turned to John and saw the confusion on his brother's face. "Not now."
John nodded and turned back towards the complex.
"You sure about this?" Scott urged.
John nodded. "She helped us." He replied over the storm. "And it's kinda part of our job description."
"Okay." Scott sighed, "But – for the record – I think this is a bad idea."
"Makes a change for it not to be yours then." John grinned.
"Now is not the time to finally develop a sense of humour, bud."
John shrugged and winced at the pain in his side. He leaned gratefully on his brother and they marched back out of the forest and into the rain.
The staff had all but evacuated the place. Most of the transports and trucks had left laden with people; soldiers and scientists alike as far as Scott could tell. It hadn't left the two of them with much chance of fleeing the area fast and he frowned in concern.
"Mishka!" John shouted down the corridor, clutching at his injured side. "Mishka!"
"Maybe she left with the others." Scott offered.
"Yeah." John sighed. "I guess."
They headed back out into the courtyard and saw a small group of personnel huddled together outside the building.
"John!"
John spun towards the voice and smiled in relief. "Mishka!"
Mishka hurried across to him, her face full of fear. "(They left without us! There was no more room.)"
"(I know. We need to get somewhere safe. Is there anywhere underground? A shelter or something?)"
"(Why?)"
"(Just -)" John sighed to control the anger that panic and frustration had suddenly created. "(Trust me. We need to get somewhere safe. And fast.)"
Mishka shook her head sadly and then suddenly gasped in delight. "(The old missile silos! Quick! They are not far!)"
"Scott! Come on!" John turned back to his brother and grabbed his arm. "Let's go!"
"Wait …" Scott replied quietly, his gaze fixed on the dark clouds rushing across the troubled sky above the trees.
"What?" John urged and then suddenly he heard the sound. It was unmistakeable. Although similar to the distant rumble of thunder, to the trained ear it was more like music.
Scott smiled in delight and nodded gratefully. "They're here."
John watched the clouds and saw them brighten. The immense green hulk parted the wisps of grey with ease, the guiding lights in her underbelly glowing brightly.
"Yay!" Scott punched the air suddenly and whooped in triumph. "Go, Virg!"
John laughed gently and watched the colossal craft glide effortlessly down towards them. He turned to the group of personnel and began to explain that they were safe.
"Um … John …" Scott murmured above the storm and the hissing thrusters of the hovering bulk above them.
"Yeah, Scott?" John turned back and saw the confusion on his brother's face. He followed his gaze and saw the small ramp that had lowered from beneath the nose of Thunderbird 2. "That's new."
Scott peered through the rain and watched with growing horror as the missile was lowered into position. "That's not Thunderbird 2!" He shouted suddenly.
"What?" John demanded in fright.
"GO!" Scott shoved his brother hard and grabbed him to keep him upright and yet still moving away from the craft. "RUN!"
His orders needed no further interpretation. The panic on his face was universal. The small huddle of personnel turned and fled across the courtyard.
Mishka hung back and grabbed John's free arm, swinging it around her neck and helping Scott to almost carry John beyond the complex towards the silos.
They had almost reached the immense metal doors that hung out from the angled bunker roof when the explosion erupted. The force of the blast slammed into them and knocked them forwards, the three of them tumbling together onto the ground as fire and shrapnel speared through the air.
tbc …