Thanks again to all that reviewed. Glad you like it! Thanks also to Sam1 for her help. Again, I don't own Thunderbirds...
Virgil knelt next to Scott, checking his eldest brother's vitals. Penny sat with them, her brown eyes wide with concern. "Pulse thready and weak, respirations shallow. Scott, stay with me." He ordered as Scott's eyes began to roll back in his head. Virgil gave his brother a shake, and Scott nodded.
"OK, I'm…OK…" Scott whispered.
"Yeah, sure you are." Virgil looked over at his father.
Jeff was kneeling next to John, one hand on his shoulder, the other pressing a cloth to John's nose. Gordon sat next to them, and he and Tin-Tin were talking quietly.
"Dad, we need to get them out of here." Virgil called out to his father.
Jeff nodded and turned back to John. "Easy son." He said as he helped John to his feet.
John took a shuddering breath, and closed his eyes against the nausea that threatened to overwhelm him. "Just…just give me a minute…or maybe two."
Jeff smiled despite his worry and turned to Gordon. "Gordon?"
Gordon smiled. "I'm OK Dad. Just a headache, and my shoulder's a bit sore."
Virgil's head snapped up. "You didn't tell me you hurt your shoulder." He said as he hurried to Gordon's side. "Look's like it might be dislocated."
Gordon nodded. "It was. I put it back."
Virgil closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't think I want to hear this."
"Remember that old cop movie we watched as kids? The one with that Australian guy? I remembered how he used to pop his shoulder in and out and figured I'd give it a try." Gordon said.
"Oh God…"
"So, when I came to after the cave-in, I banged it against the wall until it went back in." Gordon grinned at his brother's discomfiture. "If it makes you feel better, I'll take any painkillers you're offering Gus."
Virgil shook his head, and muttering under his breath, he helped Scott to his feet. "Easy Scotty, hold on to me." Scott didn't answer, but nodded and leaned against his younger brother. "John?"
John opened his eyes. "I'll be fine." He took a few faltering steps forward, and started to sway as the mine spun around him.
Jeff was quickly at his side. "John. Here, take my arm."
John shook his head. "No, I'm OK. See to Scott."
"John, stop being so—" Jeff was interrupted by Penny.
"What do we do about those two?" She asked, nodding towards Hood and Mullion.
"Cave-in?" Gordon asked hopefully.
"Gets my vote." John muttered quietly.
Virgil marched over and checked the two villains. He pulled a dart out of his belt, and plunged it into Mullion's arm. "That takes care of that." He looked back up at his family. "They're the darts we use to take down animals. These two should be waking up in about ten hours or so. Unless they're given the antidote, which I'm going to conveniently forget to give to the authorities." He smiled ferally.
Jeff shook his head and smiled. He glanced back at John, then turned to Gordon, helping his son to his feet. "Let's move out. Virgil, do you have Scott?"
Virgil had walked back to his oldest brother, and nodding, wrapped one arm around his waist, supporting him as they walked. John started off first down the tunnel, his steps slow but sure. He paused occasionally to rub the bridge of his nose, but didn't speak.
Jeff watched him with concern and exchanged a glance with Penny. She smiled encouragingly, taking the rear with Tin-Tin and Gordon.
"We should be almost in range to talk to Alan. He should know what's happened." Penny said.
Tin-Tin nodded. "I'll let him know." She pressed a button on her communicator. "Alan? Do you read me?"
"Tin-Tin! What's going on? I've been trying to get in touch with you for twenty minutes! Where's my father? And my brothers? Is everyone alright?" Alan's voice sounded frantic.
"Easy Alan, we're fine." Jeff said into his own communicator. "Have you widened the entrance?"
"FAB Dad, it's all set. How far are you?"
"We should be there in another fifteen minutes or so. Are you picking up our signal?"
"Negative. You're still too deep. I'm barely reading your communications." Alan replied.
"We'll be there soon. Have a stretcher standing by." Jeff said with a glance in Scott's direction.
Alan paused, but surprisingly didn't ask any questions. "FAB Dad. INTERPOL should be here within the hour. I called the Malaysian authorities and they're coming too."
Jeff smiled with pride. "Good job son. We'll see you soon. Command out." He looked up at John, who had stopped again. "John?"
John looked up, his face pale, blood dripping once again from his nose. "I feel like I've been hit by a bunch of Broncos linemen." He said wearily.
"If it makes you feel any better, you look like it too." Jeff was rewarded with a tired grin from his son. "Here, take this." Jeff handed John a piece of cloth torn from his shirt, and placed his arm around his son's shoulder for support.
"Thanks Dad." John said quietly, leaning against his father for a moment.
Jeff held his son close, body shuddering at the thought of how close he had come to losing him. "John…"
"Dad, I need a hand here!" Virgil called out from behind them. They both turned to see Scott slumping against Virgil, clearly unconscious. Jeff quickly rushed to Virgil's side and eased Scott to the ground.
"I'll go find Alan and get the stretcher." John hurried up the tunnel, his own pain forgotten.
"John wait! You're in no condition…" Virgil called after his brother. "Dammit!" He turned his attention back to Scott, all the while muttering under his breath. Gordon caught Tin-Tin's eye and grinned, making a 'he's crazy' motion with his hand. Tin-Tin giggled.
Jeff glanced up at Virgil. "What's wrong?"
"He's lost alot of blood." Virgil told them.
Penny bit her lower lip in worry, but placed a hand on Jeff's arm. "He'll be all right Jeff." Jeff nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"We need to get him out of here. Now." Virgil got to his feet. "Keep an eye on him, I'm going after John." He bolted down the tunnel after his brother.
John rounded a corner and faltered to a stop, breathing heavily. He pressed one hand against his ribs as spots danced before his eyes. The spots faded quickly into grey, and he groped for the wall. Suddenly a hand came up from behind, and eased him to a sitting position.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Virgil snapped at his older brother.
John shook his head, big mistake, and waited for his vision to come back to focus. "Virgil, why…why aren't you with Scott?"
"I came after you." He peered closely into John's eyes, then gently probed his skull. "I'd guess you have a concussion, but there's no sign of external trauma. Hood?" John nodded as Virgil moved to his ribs. John let out a yelp when his brother hit a particularly tender spot. "Feels like you might have cracked another rib or two. I'll know more when we get to Thunderbird 2." They both looked up at a rumble in the distance. John started to get to his feet, but Virgil pushed him back down. "Park it there mister. I'll be right back." He jogged out of sight.
Turning a corner, Virgil came face to face with a large machine. He quickly backpedaled into the wall, narrowly avoiding being run over.
"Virgil!"
Virgil blinked his eyes against the lights. "Alan?"
Alan leapt down from above. "I loaded the stretcher on the Firefly. Figured it would be easier than carrying it out."
Virgil beamed at his youngest brother. "Great thinking Alan. C'mon, they're back this way." Virgil climbed aboard as Alan settled himself in the driver's seat. A few moments later, they found John walking towards them.
Virgil jumped out of the Firefly. "Dammit John! I told you to stay put."
Alan followed at his heels. "John!" He threw himself into his brother's arms.
"Easy there Sprout." John said softly, holding Alan close.
Virgil sighed. "Alan, can you get John back to TB 2? Get him to the medical bay and hook him up to the scanner. I'll go get Scott."
Alan nodded. "FAB Virgil."
John held up a hand in protest. "Virgil, I don't need—"
"John, you get yourself to my 'bird or so help me, whatever Hood did to you will be child's play compared to me." Virgil said forcefully.
"I can take care of myself Virgil." John snapped back.
Virgil marched forward until he stood toe to toe with his older brother. He had an inch or two over John, and used it, his hazel eyes boring into John's blue ones. "With your injuries, you shouldn't even be here in the first place and you know it. Dad knows you were hurt in the crash, but he has no idea how bad. Plus, I talked to Scott. I know what you've been doing to fall asleep." Virgil waited a moment for his words to sink in. John's expression grew stony and his eyes narrowed in anger. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." John responded coldly.
"Guys? What's going on?" Alan interjected.
"Nothing." Both snapped at the same time. Alan held up his hands and took a step back at their tone. Virgil turned to John. "I mean it John." Instead of answering, John marched up the tunnel, towards the exit. "Alan, I'm holding you responsible for him." Virgil told his youngest brother.
Alan nodded, eyes wide. "FAB Virgil."
"Now get going. You or Fermat punch in a course to the nearest hospital with a major trauma unit. I'm guessing it'll be Brisbane or Sydney. Notify them that the Thunderbirds are on our way with injured and have the area secured." Virgil ordered as he climbed aboard the Firefly and started it up.
Alan nodded and started off down the tunnel.
"Sprout!"
Alan turned.
Virgil sent him a grin. "Good luck."
Alan waved back and hurried after John.
A short time later, John was seated on the ramp of the Mole, an ice-pack pressed to the back of his neck. His nosebleed had stopped, finally, and now that the adrenaline had worn off, he realized just how battered and bruised he actually was. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the Mole's side.
Fingertips lightly brushed across his forehead, and he opened his eyes to see Penny leaning over him. He smiled wearily. "Hey there."
"Hey yourself." She sat down next to him. "Are you all right?"
John sat up. "Yeah, I'll live." He looked towards the medical bay where he could hear his brother issuing orders and his father scrambling to obey them. "Where's Gordon and the kids?"
"Gordon is getting Thunderbird 2 ready for take off as soon as Virgil gives the word, and I believe Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin are staying clear. Last I checked, they were busy securing the Firefly back in her pod." Penny answered.
"Good. The sooner we leave this place, the better." John leaned back and closed his eyes again.
She took a long look at John's beat-up features. "You should be in the medical bay yourself darling." She told him, once again running her hand across his head. John didn't answer, but smiled thinly, her fingers feeling soothing on his brow.
Gordon appeared next to them. "Hey there John-Boy. How you doing?"
John just groaned. "If one more person asks me that…"
Gordon shrugged good-naturedly. "Not that I care mind you. Just making polite conversation."
Instead of answering, John threw the ice pack at his brother, hitting Gordon in the chest. "Hey! Watch it, I'm an injured man." Gordon protested.
"You're an injured something all right." John cracked one eye open and glanced at his brother. "You OK?"
Gordon plopped himself down on the other side of John. He had washed the blood out of his hair, and had his right arm in a sling. "Yeah. Took a few painkillers for the headache, and the shoulder's gone numb."
"Matches the rest of you." John muttered.
Gordon grinned. "Love you too Johnny." He said, placing a smacking kiss on his brother's cheek.
Penny laughed and even John chuckled. Gordon looked over towards the sick-bay. "Have you noticed Virgil's said more swear words today, than he has in his entire life?"
"I didn't think he knew that many." John replied, nodding.
"Huh, must be from hanging out with Alan." Gordon grinned. "Wonder if we could get him to say the 'F' word?"
John shook his head. "Virgil? Doubt it."
"Bet you twenty."
"You're on."
Just then, Jeff appeared in the doorway. Spying them, he marched over. "Gordon, are we ready for take-off?"
Gordon nodded. "Yes Sir. Alan had already programmed us a course to the Westmead Trauma center in Sydney. Tokyo's closer, but he figured we'd want to go to an English speaking hospital. Especially since our resident Japanese speaker is temporarily out of commission." He answered nodding towards John.
"Good thinking." Jeff crouched down next to his son. "John? How are you?"
Both Gordon and Penny laughed out loud. John merely glared at them and extended an arm for his father to pull him up. "I'm fine Dad, how's Scott?" John asked wincing in pain.
Jeff frowned at his son's expression. "He's as best as he can be at this point. Virgil is getting him stabilized. He wants a look at you before we take off."
"Guess we better not keep Doc waiting then." John started forward, limping slightly.
Jeff glanced back at Penny and Gordon. If the situation hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed at the identical looks of concern on their faces. He started to say something, when a shout from Virgil interrupted him.
"Scott! Dammit don't do this! Stay with me!"
Jeff broke into a run, John, Penny and Gordon following at his heels. They arrived at the door to the medical bay together. "Virgil, what's going on?"
Virgil was standing next to Scott, working furiously. Scott was hooked up to the scanner, which was emitting a dull tone. His face was deathly white, and he lay unmoving. "I'm losing him! His heart keeps stopping!"
Jeff rushed forward, taking Scott's hand in his own. "Scott! Scott wake up!"
"I'll go get us airborne." Gordon rushed from the room.
"What can we do?" Penny asked.
"I don't know!" Virgil yelled helplessly.
By now, the noise had attracted the others, and Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin stood in the doorway. Alan went pale at the sight of his older brother, and Tin-Tin placed her hand in his.
"Virgil, calm down. Think. There must be something we can do." Jeff told him.
Virgil took a shuddering breath. "He's lost too much blood, I can't—Gordon!" His head snapped up.
"What?" Jeff asked.
Virgil ignored his father, and pushing the others out of the way, yelled out the door. "GORDON! Get your ass back down here!" Without waiting for an answer, he rushed over to the supply cabinet and started pulling out tubes and syringes.
Gordon arrived, panting heavily. "What?"
Virgil pointed to him. "You, down here. Now." He ordered crisply, pushing Gordon down on a stretcher and wheeling it close to Scott. "The rest of you get out of my way."
John steered Alan and the others back, and stood watching. He shot a glance at his father who shrugged.
"Gord, you and Scott have the same blood type. I'm going to do a direct transfusion. It should stabilize him until we get to Sydney." Virgil said, pulling up the sleeve of Gordon's uniform and wiping his arm with an alcohol pad.
"You're going to what!" Gordon asked incredulously.
Virgil didn't answer, but plunged a syringe deep into his brother's arm, causing Gordon to yelp in pain. Ignoring him, Virgil turned to Scott and did the same.
"Virgil, is this a good idea? Is it safe?" Jeff asked.
Virgil nodded, not looking up from what he was doing. "This is how they did it in the old days. As to it being safe…" He looked over at Gordon. "Have you been practicing safe sex? Done any recreational drugs lately?" Gordon blushed and stammered out a negative. "Good. Then it's safe." He quickly set up a series of clear tubes running from Gordon to Scott. Moments later, they filled with bright red blood.
"I th-th-think I'm going to be sick." Fermat hurried out of the room. Alan cast one last look at his brothers and followed his friend.
Gordon, looking pale, lay back on the bed. "I agree with Fermat." He closed his eyes tightly.
Virgil looked up at his father. "This won't help for long. We need to leave now."
Jeff nodded and pushed the others out the door. "OK, I'll pilot Thunderbird 2. Penny, can you act as co-pilot?" She nodded. ""John—"
"I'll stay here and wrap things up with the authorities, then take the kids and Thunderbird 1 back home." John told him.
Jeff shook his head. "No. The ship is locked and secure, no one will be able to touch her. You'll be coming to the hospital with us."
John held up a hand in protest. "Dad listen, we don't have time to argue about this. We don't dare leave until the authorities get here, what if Hood gets away? I know Virgil said they'd be out for hours, but what if he's wrong? Do you really want to risk that?"
Jeff shook his head. "But you're hurt."
John shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, I am. But I'll live. Scott won't."
It was the last sentence that convinced Jeff. "Alright. But you call as soon as you get back to the island." Jeff told him, visibly torn. "John…"
"I know Dad. Keep us informed." John hurried out the door, calling for Alan.
Jeff turned to Penny. "I don't think this is a good idea." He told her.
Penny nodded. "I don't either, but it's the only way." She kissed him softly. "They'll be fine Jeff. Now let's get going to Sydney."