For Katblu42 and the prompt 42: 'How long do you think they can hold their breath underwater before they need to breathe?' with Virgil and Gordon.
And this is going to be whumpy so be warned. Trigger warning for water torture.
Marks & Wings verse. This is my first attempt at Marks & Wings so if it's not right anywhere then that's all my fault!
Gordon was cold. He couldn't quite remember why he was cold. He lived on a tropical island that only got cold at night, but it didn't feel like night. Huh. What had he been up to? A shiver worked its way through him as he tried to sit up.
Tried was the operative word. Something was constricting his movement in his legs and his famous Squid sense started tingling like he had pins and needles running up and down his spine. What the hell? Time to open his eyes and see what was going on.
The room was dark. And small. His uniform was missing. As soon as the thought filtered through his head the memories came back. Holed ship, dangerous cargo. Virgil and Gordon. Only three crew members had raised suspicions. Virgil had remained on Two to send down the rescue platform. Aim: rescue the people then stablise the ship. He hadn't got far along the deck when he felt a sting in his neck and in seconds he was down.
What happened to Virgil?
There was no way that his brother would have stayed put on Two. So where was he? Gordon hoped that he had got away and that he and Scott and John were planning on how they were going to get him out. He went to move and was reminded that his feet were restricted. Sure enough, there was a chain wound around his legs from ankle to just under his knees. Gordon rolled his shoulders. He could get out of this. What stopped him for the moment was that he didn't know where his brother was. Would he be putting him in more danger if he did?
There was only one way to find out.
He didn't usually change out of the water, but he could. And a cephalopod was the ideal creature to get out of chains since they could survive short periods out of water. Gordon rolled his shoulders again and his mark shimmered.
Chains of that size were no problem for a tiny octopus. It took him no time at all to get out of them, make his way to the door and underneath. Skirting the edges, he made his way downwards. The air was getting chilly and he could sense the sea. He squeezed under the doorway that felt of the sea the strongest. It was an undercover dock. Something large was sitting there, a tarpaulin covering it. Gordon's curiosity piqued, he changed back to human. Arms with hands would be useful here. Pulling off the cover, he gasped out loud and fell to his knees, hands reaching.
For under the tarpaulin was a cage. And in the cage was the unconscious form of his big brother. Virgil had a bruise covering his right eye and cheek. He was cuffed by one hand to the cage. Already Gordon was calculating how he was going to get him, get them both out. Virgil still had his uniform on, and Gordon reached out for the sash to trigger the comms. As he did he was grasped from behind and he cursed himself. He hadn't checked the perimeter in his haste to check his brother.
Gordon was dragged backwards, and his hands were chained to a hoop set into the floor. He struggled, trying to kick out and do some damage, but the sight of Virgil in the cage stopped him short. There were three men and they backed off. A fourth man came into view. He was dressed in a suit and for a horrified moment Gordon thought it was the Hood. A sigh of relief when he realised it wasn't was equal to the horrible realisation that he did not know this man.
But he bet he could work out what he wanted.
As the man crouched down in front of him but out of reach Gordon watched over his shoulder as the others set about hooking the cage up to a chain block. Gordon's face fell. He knew exactly where this was going from here, and he could only pray that his brothers would soon find them. He could feel a sudden upsurge in concern from John. Virgil being unconscious didn't stop Gordon feeling him, but his presence was small and distant.
When the men had finished hooking the cage up the man in front of him swivelled to the side so that Gordon had a full view of the cage. Nothing was said but two of the men pulled on the chains, lifting the cage up, while the third swung it out over the water. All four paused and turned to Gordon, watching his reaction as the two let go of the chains and the cage dropped.
Virgil was jolted awake by the sudden plunge into cold water. Making to stand up, the immovability of his wrist plunged him back down into the water. He didn't have time to consider what was going on before the water was over his head. He'd barely had time to take a breath. Opening his eyes underwater wasn't a problem, and he took in the cage around him and the cuff around his wrist.
Gordon knew better than to beg for them to let his brother up. Any perceived weakness on his part and they would pounce on him. But if they didn't let Virgil up soon…Gordon tried hard to sigh in relief without it showing, but he knew he failed miserably. They winched up his soaking brother and the heaving for air was like music to Gordon's ears.
They didn't swing the cage back over the dockside.
The man stood up and shot his cuffs forward, needlessly correcting his cufflinks. He turned to Gordon. 'Just so that you can see we mean business, Mr Tracy. For every time you do not answer my questions the cage will stay down an extra 30 seconds.' He flicked a hand at Virgil. 'How long do you think he can hold their breath underwater before he needs to breathe? Do you understand?' Gordon nodded.
They began, both knowing Gordon wouldn't, couldn't, answer the question. He wanted the plans to One and Two. Gordon kept quiet. Nothing he could say would change anything. He could feel the calmness from Virgil bolstering him, and John was there. His brothers were coming, he – they – just had to hold on. Thank goodness that, although none of them could hold their breath as long as he could, they all had training from him and could hold it longer than the average.
But they were pushing the limits. So far Virgil, although coughing and gasping when the cage was raised, he hadn't raised his wings. If he was kept under long enough, though, they would raise as an automatic response, and Gordon hated that thought. He needed to get them out before that happened. Waterlogged wings would also drag Virgil down.
The cage dropped again. But this time there was no move to raise it. The man stood in front of Gordon, eyebrow raised and waiting. John, Gordon thought, it needs to be now! Virgil can't take much more of this! A shooting pain of anger lanced through him, and the knowledge from John that his brothers were almost there bolstered him.
The two that had been operating the chains let them go, and Gordon lunged forward snarling. And suddenly his eldest and youngest brothers were there, whirling and fighting. The fight was over before the men had even registered they were under attack. The moment he had seen the flashing of light off of Scott's wings Gordon had changed back into the octopus and was out of the chains and in the water.
Virgil had extended his wings, the reflex too strong to override. Grabbing the chains and surfacing, he was so pleased when Scott snatched them off him and hauled. Gordon changed into a seal and did his best to control the cage so that Virgil's wings would not be snagged.
It didn't take long for one of Alan's lasers to cut through the lock and Gordon rushed in to check. Virgil wasn't breathing, but his pulse was still there. Thumping his chest produced the required coughing up of water, and he held Virgil down gently while slightly twisting his upper body so he could expel the water without damaging his wings.
He was shaking. Virgil was going to fine. Scott was taking care of the four men – and he almost felt sorry for them – and Alan was bringing Two in to land. They had jumped and flew from quite a height so as to give as little notice as possible, and now they needed her. They hadn't laid a physical hand on either of them, but the horror of having to watch his brother repeatedly dunked into the water would give him nightmares for weeks. At least.
Once Virgil had calmed his coughing he was able to phase his wings back, and they had helped him into the infirmary and checked him over. Nothing of serious note stood out, but his chest was going to be sore for a while. Probably a couple of weeks downtime just to make sure.
Despite Virgil's protests that he was fine, Alan flew Two home, Scott pacing them in One. Gordon sat in the infirmary holding Virgil's hand as his brother slept, having fallen asleep almost the instant Two had taken off. Gordon gave his hand a squeezed and it was reciprocated.
'Thank you.' Gordon started. What on earth was Virgil thanking him for? Virgil chuckled. He could feel Gordon's confusion. 'Thank you for staying firm. I knew you'd get me out of there.' Gordon rolled his eyes. 'Not much help, was I.' Virgil tugged on his hand until he pulled Gordon onto the bed and into a hug. 'You believed I could do it. That was all the help I needed.'
There may have been a couple of tears shed, but Gordon would firmly deny that. John laughed in his mind, a warm comforting laugh. Virgil would be fine. They would be fine.