For tsari and the angstember prompt: Don't Make A Sound with Alan and Scott.
'Shhh!'
It was whispered, but there was a desperation behind the noise. The only sound in response was a whimper, but that was too loud, and he clamped a hand over his brother's mouth. Alan said a silent prayer. A prayer to his brother John. For help. To be found by the right people.
How did they always get themselves into messes like this?
He lent forward, pulling Scott in closer carefully, eliciting another whimper. Alan checked the impromptu bandaging. The hole in his brother's hip was still sluggishly bleeding still, the bullet still there.
It had been hours.
Alan had received invite to a gamers' preview where a new system was going to be beta tested by a select few. He'd jumped at the chance. John ran background checks and everything was totally above board.
Scott hadn't wanted to come. It was completely not his 'scene' at all, but with Alan only being 16 they had all agreed someone had to go with him. Alan asked for his big brother since he so rarely got out to do anything that was not anything connected to iR or TI.
Now he regretted asking him.
They hadn't been there long before the place was gatecrashed. There were 16 members of staff and eight gamers with eight companions. The gatecrashers numbered 20. But the 32 attendants were no match for 20 guns. Especially since the eight gamers were all between 14-16 years old and most of the companions were Moms.
When the guns were fired into the ceiling people scattered, despite being told to stand still. So they fired into the fleeing crowd.
Scott had been unlucky. Because they were Tracy's and that was how their life was. They had spent the last couple of hours holed up in a tiny room, with Alan doing his best to treat the wound. Scott had steadily become more and more delirious as he slowly bled out.
John was the key to saving them, but he wasn't expecting them to check in and had been concentrating on a complex rescue. Alan had tried to contact Five and the island. Nothing. That meant a shielding device. He had chuckled darkly to himself. It was a beta test of a not-yet released electronic device, there was certainly secrecy in place. Alan wasn't sure if John would be worried if there was shielding and he couldn't get through.
There was the sound of footsteps outside again, and Alan put his hand over Scott's mouth again. 'Don't make a sound, Scotty. Please,' he whispered into his brother's ear. Something about the plea, the urgency, must have got through because Scott quietened and stilled.
The door handle rattled and Alan held his breath. They couldn't be seen from the door if it only opened slightly, but if they opened the door fully there was no hiding. This was the fourth time, but they had never opened the door. Until now.
The door opened a crack. The part of the room that could be seen was full of cleaning gear. Alan held his breath as the door inched open a little more before it hit the metal mop bucket Alan had placed there on the off-chance. Water sloshed and the door stopped.
There was a murmured conference between whoever was outside the door, then the door closed and the footsteps receded. Alan let out his breath and removed his hand. He looked down on his brother to see clouded blue eyes looking back, in confusion.
'Al?' His voice was raspy with pain and Alan pulled him closer. 'You ok?' Any other time Alan would have laughed hysterically. But it was typical Scott. He clung on tighter.
The sudden roar of an engine had Alan's head shooting up, and for the first time since this nightmare started he grinned.