Gordon did not like that it had reached the point that he could no longer count on just two hands the amount of times he had woken up like this. When he would wake up in the middle of a rescue, confused, in pain, no clue where he was or how he had gotten into this situation, before it would all come crashing back to him.
Much like in the past, he was now remembering how he had gotten here. Although, he couldn't quite remember the specifics right now. Just that there was a rescue, his brothers had been there, and the building or whatever he had been in had collapsed.
Right, his brothers. He should call them.
He reached for his comms and opened the line.
"Virg? Scott? Hello?" He got no response. "Anyone there?"
Still nothing, and he went to try again, but then another memory struck him.
It wasn't a building he had been in; it had been some lab that was built into a mountain. The fact that it was underground meant that there was some interference to their comms, and they had been having some difficulty in communicating to each other.
That meant that Gordon couldn't contact his brothers to let them know where he was. Then again, he didn't even know where he was, so he decided to switch on the light on his helmet and have a look around.
What he was immediately met with, was a wall of debris.
It looked like he was in a dome of it. He hadn't realised how tight the space he was in actually was, but now he was beginning to feel claustrophobic at the lack of wiggle room.
It appeared that the lab had collapsed around him, but there were long metal beams that kept the debris propped up and stopped it from flattening him like a pancake.
He was surrounded by it, though, and he didn't think he could find his way out without it all collapsing in on itself.
So, he needed his brothers. Best case scenario was that they had realised what had happened and were already in the process of getting him out. Although, it was quiet out past the debris and he didn't think that was the case.
Worst case scenario, his brothers had no idea of his predicament as they hadn't been around when it had happened, and their lack of comms meant that they didn't realise he had gone quiet. It also meant that he couldn't contact them for help.
It was looking like he needed to do this the old-fashioned way.
Which was yelling until someone could hear him.
"Virgil! Scott! Alan!"
There was still no response, so he tried again.
And again, and again.
He was beginning to think that no sound could get through the debris and he was yelling into just his own ears, but then he heard a sound come from outside his dome. He couldn't tell what it was, so he was quiet as he listened out for it again.
"-don?"
"Virgil?"
He was sure that was his brother's voice calling his name, but it sounded so far away.
"Gordon?"
This time it was clearer and he could make out his brother's voice, but it still sounded horribly muffled.
"Gordon! Where are you?"
"I'm under here!" After he said it, he realised that it wasn't the most helpful direction he could have provided as to where he was. For all he knew, the pile of debris was super tall and super wide. How were his brothers supposed to know where he was under it?
Then again, he also didn't know how much more helpful of an answer he could provide, seeing as all he did know was that he was under debris.
"Are you alright?" He heard Virgil ask.
"Peachy," Gordon replied, but then he realised that he hadn't actually checked himself over since he woke up. He moved his arms and shone his torch over himself, but he didn't see or feel anything that indicated he was injured. Well, not until he'd moved down from his upper body to his legs and realised that he couldn't move one of them. "Scratch that, I think my leg's stuck."
He tried to pull his leg out from under the debris, but all it resulted in was a stab of pain and he decided to leave it be for now.
Virgil was quiet for a short moment and Gordon worried that he had either left or they could no longer hear each other.
"Virgil?"
"Hey, Gordon?" That was Scott's voice, who had apparently arrived at the scene. "We're going to get you out of there, but there's a lot of debris and we have no idea where you are beneath it. Think you're able to keep talking to us until we find you?"
"It's what I was born to do!"
And it really was. Gordon could run his mouth at even the worst of times. It could drive anyone around him up the wall, and he couldn't count how many times his brothers had told him to be quiet, if only just for a minute. But now they were probably thankful, as it made all their lives so much easier.
So, Gordon kept talking. He lost track of what he actually said, but it seemed that it helped his brothers find his location.
"And then I-" His ramblings were cut off by the loud shrieking of metal. He looked around and realised that his little dome had shrunk. "Uh, are you guys going to take much longer? It's getting a little cramped in here."
Gordon hadn't realised how hoarse his voice had gotten, but it had come out croaky and he coughed to try and clear his throat.
"Sorry, Gordon. There's just a lot to get through here," Scott's voice chimed through again. "Keep talking."
Gordon sighed, but continued.
Talking not only helped his brothers, but also kept him distracted from the growing claustrophobia he was beginning to feel in the pit of his stomach each time he looked around and saw the debris get closer and closer.
However, it did not help that he had to shout so that his brothers could hear him. His throat was beginning to feel sore and he didn't know how much longer he could keep talking before his voice got too quiet to hear.
It felt like music to his ears when eventually he could not only hear his brothers' voices, but could now also hear the sound of debris being moved not too far away.
What did not help, was that with the shifting of the debris around him, the metal poles keeping up his dome were moving too. It felt like it would only be a matter of minutes before it all came crashing around him.
"Guys?" His voice was definitely almost gone now, and he didn't know if anyone could hear him at that point. "If you're gonna move this debris, now would be a perfect time to do so."
"You can stop talking now." Virgil said, confirming that they could indeed still hear him. Gordon could also swear he heard a laugh in Virgil's voice. "We know where you are now. Just hold on a bit longer until we get through to you."
That was easier said than done. Every second that passed felt like he was getting crushed that little bit more.
Although, after what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a couple of minutes later, Gordon heard a sound from above him and he looked up to find a small speck of light come shining through a crack in the debris.
The crack got bigger as the debris was moved out of the way, and Gordon felt himself slump in relief as he dropped the tension he had realised he'd been holding.
He waited for his brothers to move the rest of the debris around him, and he smiled as he realised his family must be overly joyed at the fact that he now wouldn't be able to talk for a few days.