Drama and stress - it's what we like!

And by 'we' I mean me. xD

"AFTER HIM!"

Troy darted along the narrow corridor with gunfire pelting his way, bullets ricocheting off the marble floor, walls, and pillars making up the structure of the palace surrounding him. The Captain skidded down another passageway to find a group of civilians standing at the bottom in his way, gasping at his sudden intrusion. Yelling at them to move, Troy ran past the frightened sea people just as another barrage of gunfire came sweeping through the corridor. He ran into the next aisle and groaned as he heard a chorus of footsteps still following him.

"Oh gimme a break…" Troy panted as he momentarily stopped against the wall to get his breath back. The sea soldiers had been chasing him for about fifteen minutes now, having started when they spotted him mistakenly heading towards their leader's bedroom chamber.

Making down the next passageway, Troy caught a quick glimpse through the large rectangular window secured into the wall. He spotted a line of underwater boats and submarines fixed to a what looked to be a pontoon. As he came to the end of the window he could've sworn he saw his beloved submarine trapped in the depths next to the other boats, her lights still on and illuminating the dim city.

"Stop, Tempest! There's nowhere to go now!" echoed behind him.

Seeing that he'd run down an impasse, Troy cursed and stopped himself before running into the thick wall making up the dead end. At the bottom of the wall contained a crate of metal canisters. Panicked, he felt up the wall to see if there were any hidden passageways embedded within it, but the Captain found none.

He was trapped.

The echo of numerous shoe heels resounded down the narrow tunnel he found himself in and Troy frowned as Anath made his entrance through the door gap, flanked by a group of the soldiers.

"Well well well, Tempest! Looks like there's no escape for you now!" the creature smirked. "It's almost time for the ceremony and my prince would HATE for you to miss it."

Troy's eyes flickered to the window overlooking the underwater harbour and then down towards the canisters sitting at his feet. Feeling the scraps of a plan formulating in his mind, Troy knew he had to act quickly. He grabbed one of the canisters and lobbed it at the window at full force, causing a slither of a crack to materialize. A strong surge of seawater exploded in through the crack, making it bigger and soaking the panicking aquaphibians who were slipping and sliding in the torrent.

"Get off me you fool!" Anath cried as one of the heavier guards fell on him, arms flailing as he tried to free himself.

With a chuckle, Troy leapt through the gushing seawater and over his foes. He made his way back through the maze of passageways, rushing up the corridors until he found a suitable hiding place behind some sort of cupboard-like structure. The Captain let out a few gasps of air before silencing himself. He waited to see if the soldiers were following him. They weren't.

Good.

"Gee, I wonder if the others are having this much trouble…" he muttered to himself, running his hands through his waterlogged hair. He paused momentarily as a thought came to him, then looked to the marble floor, spotting the trail of seawater he'd left. "Ah. Not good."

Figuring the villains would spot his new trail, Troy shook off most of the water and rolled up the corners of his jacket, squeezing the remainder of the seawater out. He saw a door to his right and crossed the aisle until he reached it, pushing it open to hide inside.

It was late on Tracy Island, and most of the household had turned in for the night. The only person still awake was Jeff, who was slouching at his desk as he awaited a call from his sons.

He'd last been in contact with them about thirty minutes ago. He'd spoken to Scott, who'd updated his father on the situation - the hurricane was building towards its peak, but he'd successfully evacuated the area which had since been consumed by the eye. He'd also let him know Virgil was still scouting the area where he'd dropped Gordon off, and was refusing to leave the rescue zone.

Jeff briefly considered ordering Virgil to land, but knew his middle son would refuse point blank, not wanting to leave Gordon alone.

A bleeping noise at John's portrait broke off his train of thought, making him jump. At accepting the call, John's face appeared on the screen. Jeff noted he was looking rather tired. "Good evening, son. Any news?"

"'fraid not, dad. I've been trying to get a fix on Gordon but the signal is continually taking me to Stingray's last recorded position."

"Have you heard from Scott or Virgil?" Jeff sighed, massaging his temples.

"Virgil contacted me about twenty minutes ago. Threatened to land and go after Gordon in one of the Pod's other mini-subs." At the worried look that appeared on his father's face, John quickly added, "I talked him out of it, though. He's staying overhead for now."

"Good." Jeff grumbled, trying not to let his own fatigue shine through.

"Oh, and Alan rescued that spacecraft with no casualties. He and Brains are starting their journey back to the island. They're due in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks John. I'll make preparations for Three's return."

"And dad?"

"Yes?"

"After Three's come back, I want you to go to bed. You look exhausted." John gave him a small smile.

Jeff shook his head, "I'm not sleeping until I know Gordon's alright."

"Dad, go to bed. I'm pulling an all-nighter anyway so there's no point in you exhausting yourself over this. If I hear anything I'll call you."

Jeff's tired eyes melted at John's cheerful smile. He felt himself thinking about how much his son had grown up. Just where had that time gone? "Are you sure you're alright, son? You look as tired as I feel."

"I may look tired but I feel great - considering the circumstances. Besides, I've pulled more all-nighters than you can count, and you know I always woke up for school the next day despite my late-night habits." he grinned.

"You've got me there, son." Jeff smiled warmly, "Alright, you win. After Three has landed I'll be heading to bed. Wake me if you hear anything, and I mean ANYTHING, John. Do you understand?"

"I understand, father."

"And if you're staying up all night, make sure Alan gets some sleep, will you? I know he'll stay up for a bit as the adrenaline washes off but after he's calms down I want you to order him to bed."

"How do you know he'll contact me?"

"He, like the rest of your brothers, know you're a night owl, and love talking to you." Jeff got up from his desk. "And it's Alan. He's very predictable."

"You're right there." John chuckled. "Shall I order Brains to bed on your behalf too?"

"Oh Brains is a little out of my league. The guy never listens to me, regardless of what I tell him."

"That's Brains for ya!"

Jeff smiled. They both knew the genius would probably stay up all night as he often did.

"Goodnight, Johnny." Jeff yawned, signing off.

"Night, dad. I'll call you soon, hopefully…"