Thanks so much to everyone who has been keeping up with this story! And many apologies for the ouchies x.x I'm not very nice to our boys. And love all the help I get from MadameWinter and TigreMalabarista! They are the best!

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The Hood watched the fight with an ever growing frustration. He hadn't anticipated the level of adaptation this group could achieve in such a short period of time. He had hoped the winged beast would have torn the Tracy boy in two by now. Instead, he was watching it thrash on the ground, trapped by the net. This wouldn't be tolerated. The glow of the controls illuminated his fingertips as he entered in the commands. This may not have been what he planned, but it would certainly change the direction of the fight. He grinned as the white haired figure reappeared on the stage just behind the aquanaut.

"No!" The red head shouted, all eyes on the professor's screen. "What did you do?!" The villain took a moment to relish in the anxiety filled cry.

"I simply changed the game." He almost laughed at the shocked expression on the blonde's face just before he turned, caught by the outstretched arm. His struggles were useless against the crushing grip. Then something fantastic happened, something the Hood could have never anticipated regardless his thorough planning.

They watched the gargoyle tear into the young man's back, blood blossoming across the orange fabric. He heard the snap, Gordon's legs falling limp, before his body was dropped to the stone platform.

He turned to regard his captives' reactions and was pleasantly surprised. The astronaut's face was pale, turned down to rest on his knees. He could see the tears falling onto the fabric to be instantly wicked away. The engineer just stared, mouth open in horror, a tear trailing down his cheek.

As far as the Hood was concerned, he'd already won against the family that caused so much aggravation for him. Anything that happened from here on out would just be icing on the cake.

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Alan blinked in the dull morning light, a cloud of haze making the landscape an eerie grey. The memories from earlier surfaced painfully, but the ache was short lived, replaced by the curiosity of finding out where he was now. He looked down at the tattered clothes hanging off his frame, much like burlap in its discomfort.

Understanding hit a second later, and his mind screamed with a distorted mix of joy and terror. This was his game. His favorite game.

He knew everything there was to know about it, which gave them a good chance of making it through alive. The only issue… this was one of the most difficult games out there when it came to stat building, AI, and the unforgiving level separations. If they weren't careful, they would end up fighting something that could destroy their group in one hit.

Speaking of…

Alan turned, eager to start the planning process for the next game and stopped, eyes falling on the two figures huddled on the ground. Moffat sent him a pleading look, arms wrapped around his brother as he sobbed into her shoulder

He was by their side in an instant. "What happened?" His voice rose with concern, placing a hand on Gordon's back. Alan could feel the tremors running through his frame.

The professor tried to shift under the weight, but was still unwilling to let go of her charge. "His fight went… badly."

The memories of his own battle came back, thankful that the pain had ended quickly. He'd missed the others' completely. "What do you mean?"

She closed her eyes, letting out a steadying breath. "The Hood cheated. He sent the character you fought along with the one Gordon was fighting. It-" She hugged the aquanaut a little tighter. "I believe it broke his back…"

Nothing she could have said would come close to making him feel the pain he was experiencing right now for his brother. The memories of those four months still haunted his dreams on occasion. He couldn't imagine the terror Gordon had felt, reliving the trauma.

The desire to collect his brother into a hug was growing with intensity, but the view around him was urging the other need to stay alive. He needed to get his brother back to reality before they ran out of time.

Alan met the professor's gaze before he began pulling Gordon up, the two of them helped support his slumped frame. "Gordon? Bro, you need to listen to me, okay?" Amber eyes blinked slowly between shuddering breaths. "We're going to die if we stay here too long. Talk to me, what do you need?"

A soft whisper broke free. "I...can't move…"

That didn't make sense. If Alan went with the other games as a guide, as soon as they died, they woke up free of injury. This was a new game. Any physical impairments should be gone, which meant whatever was happening was entirely psychosomatic. If that was the case, they needed to help Gordon understand before any monsters showed up.

Hesitantly, the younger blonde place a hand on the older's bare ankle, gently squeezing, hoping the sensation would encourage his brother to move. "Gordon, I need you to remember. This is just a game. It hurts, but nothing is real." Amber eyes remained downcast, tears silently slipping to the dirt they sat on. "We have to keep playing. John's out there counting on us. You need to get up."

Gordon finally met his gaze, the mentioning of their brother seeming to stir something stronger than the Hood's torture. "...Don't know if I can…" The despair was crushing in his voice, but Alan pushed it away, determined to help.

"We'll help you, okay?" Gordon gave him a hesitant nod. They needed to take a moment anyway to prepare. Maybe a little time would help his brother. "But first we need to get ready. This game's not easy, at all."

"You can say that again." Moffat's weary response made him turn to regard the scientist. "It's been a while since I played, but from what I remember, the AI system is brutal."

"There are three of us though, so we might have a better chance. It'll depend on our class types." Alan noticed Gordon seemed to be following along. Letting go of his brother's leg - not missing the look on his brother's face at the lack of contact - Alan pulled his arm up to view the control screen. The character selection appeared, much to his relief, showing him just what they would need. "Any preference?" He asked the professor first.

She nodded. "We'll need a healer."

He smiled slightly, glad for the woman's level head in a stressful situation. "Priest it is then. I'll go with rogue. I'll have long range and sneaking abilities that should come in handy." He turned to his brother, reaching for his arm and lifting it up. "You get to be a paladin."

"What do they do?" Gordon's voice was still soft, but Alan could hear strength slowly coming back to him.

"Hit things really hard." He grinned at the raised brow. "Also, you'll get armor and the ability to block attacks, which means less damage to you." The grin fell slightly. "It also means you get to be the distraction while we attack from a distance." He really didn't like that part, but between the armor and Moffat's spells, Gordon should be fine. They would just take things as slowly as possible.

After receiving a nod from his brother, Alan activated the paladin class on Gordon's screen, stepping back as a suit of armor materialized around his form. The metallic plates crossed over his chest, shining with bright white lined in gold. A familiar blue tabard lay underneath. Arms and legs followed suit with more intricate pieces that would protect the wearer. The matching helmet was adorned with gold wings stretching back over his ears. A large broadsword and shield appeared on his back. When it was finished, the aquanaut flexed his hand, the sound of smooth metal sliding together.

Moffat was back by his side an instant later, preventing the aquanaut from falling over. She gave him a reassuring smile, which he surprisingly returned.

Alan took the distraction to activate his own skills, tapping the rogue class. Much like Gordon, a deep red tunic appeared over the beige linens, black leather pants accompanying it. His boots matched the crimson of his top. Belts lined with daggers and smoke bombs eased the tension he'd been feeling, now more equipped to deal with anything that came at them. With a flick of his wrists, he brought the hood of his tunic to cover his blond hair. He stifled the urge to exclaim how cool this was… or would be if the system wasn't set to cause pain.

Alan knelt back down, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder. He turned to Moffat, accepting the weight as the scientist stood to activate her class. Her robes were a light grey-blue, metal interweaved over her hips. Dark blues mingled between the silver strips and ran down the long sleeves. Wings formed, wrapping over her shoulders. A sourceless light surrounded her as the transformation finished.

He grinned inwardly, marveling at the high level armor they all wore. He had to give it to his friend, she was fast with a hack. The armor would protect then for quite a while.

"Alright, bro." His attention was back on Gordon. "You ready to try this?"

Even under the armor, Gordon looked unsure, but it was that same expression he wore at the beginning of all their physical therapy sessions so long ago. They were just going to have to do this. Holding out his hand, the elder Tracy took it, accepting one from the professor as well. Together, they pulled him to his feet, the intake of breath more in relief than pain.

They were silent for a moment. "Talk to me, Gordo."

"I'll be… okay." He test one leg, moving it forward. "When we get out of here."

"I second that." The astronaut squeezed the hand in his. "I've got a fist reserved for the Hood's face." A soft chuckle met his ears. "Lets keep walking. There should be -"

His words were cut off as something latched onto torso, jerking him away from his companions. The blur of his surroundings stopped with the monster, its solid grey arm holding tightly across his chest, another hand gripped his hair, forcing his head to the side. A second creature touched down a few feet away, facing his startled brother and the professor. Alan didn't need to see its face to know exactly what it was, even as the sharp fangs dug into his neck.

His pained cry echoed around the small area, already feeling the blood leaving his body. He wanted to yell out an instruction, anything that would free him from the feasting creature, but the weakness was almost immediate, his body sagging in its grip. He could hear his brother's rage filled cry, watching as he pushed forward on legs that had recently failed him. The sword lifted, glowing with a holy energy before raining down on the closest monsters head, severing it from the body.

Alan couldn't see Moffat, but a glowing blast hit him, surrounding the vampire and himself in its radiance. The shriek filled his ear as the mouth withdrew from his neck. Gordon was catching him as he fell, backpedaling away from the smoking monster. The astronaut was gently set on the ground, Gordon standing protectively before him.

A hiss fell from the vampire, its eyes blazing with fury. Gordon launched towards it, sword striking out only to miss as the target jumped back. Alan knew the danger. Timing was everything in this game, but there was little he could do to assist. He watched the sword raise again and the monster lunged, dragging its clawed hand across the chest plate with strength enough to push his brother back a step.

A second later, a green glow flared around the both of them, Alan feeling the sudden surge of energy pulsing through him. He flashed Moffat a grateful smile before jumping up to his feet. The vampire was still focused on the paladin, Gordon fighting against the weight of the sword. Let's make this quick… The younger blonde circled around the two figures, twin daggers pulled from his belt. One daggered hand activated his skill screen over his arm, tapping the charged attack. Dark energy pulsed from the blades in soft waves. Raising them up, he brought them down on the vampire's back, wrenching them down. The cry from the creature halted as the glowing broadsword joined in, cutting through the torso. With a groan, the two pieces separated, falling to the ground in a lifeless heap. As it disappeared, a glowing object took its place.

No one went to grab the loot, panting from the sudden exertion. Alan watched as his brother fell to one knee, shakily turning to look at him. "You okay?"

Alan nodded, eyes scanning in all directions. "You?"

"Yeah." Gordon let out a dry laugh. "Nothing like watching your little brother getting drained by a vamp to motivate you." He was already pushing himself back to his feet as Moffat joined them. As Alan stepped over to them, he found himself enveloped in a tight hug, white and gold armor filling his vision. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder and he gave Moffat a smile of thanks.

The small group stayed that way a little longer, Gordon finally releasing the astronaut. "Let's not do that again. I think I'm going to need a quick tutorial."

Alan nodded, taking his brother's arm to view his skills. It wasn't long before the aquanaut nodded, a simple list of the most beneficial skills formed for him. The professor had only needed a short overview to ensure she had the right skills at hand.

"Alright." Gordon sheathed his sword. "Let's see how far we can get before the Hood decides to intervene." Alan didn't miss the wince from his brother, clearly remembering something he didn't. Yes, the Hood may have control here, but there would be nothing between them and the villain when they got out of this.

OoOoOoO

Moffat let her head rest against the cool metal of Gordon's armor. Every few seconds, she could feel the mana-drain spell suck a little more of her energy. She new it wasn't permanent, but the fact she'd let her guard down after their last battle, resulting in herself being hit didn't help matters. Now, the aquanaut was carrying her on his back while Alan lead the way, keeping himself cloaked as much as possible.

The dungeon they were in was filled with vampiric monsters, werewolves, and ghouls, perfect for their holy skills. She'd been so focused on watching them double team a group of wyverns, when the sorceress snuck up on her. Moffat had barely enough time to heal their group before the draining spell had been cast. The searing pain of it had caused her to cry out at first. The elder Tracy had come to her aid immediately, drawing the rest of the sorceress' attacks. They were all thankful for the paladin's shield that blocked the brunt of the magic, otherwise, Gordon wouldn't have come out as okay as he was. A well placed back-stab and a final strike from the broadsword had rendered the area safe.

Moffat let her mind wander, Gordon shifting slightly as they continued up an incline. She couldn't help but wonder how Hiram was doing. She hated to think of him being tormented by the Hood just to force them through these games. For the briefest of moments, she wished she had never accepted his invitation, but she knew better. She would follow that man anywhere. Even after all of this.

Moffat looked up as they stopped, Gordon carefully easing her down. Before them sat a small campfire, its flames wafting gently. It all looked rather cozy.

"Save point." Alan explained, taking a seat on a rock that lined the heat source. "We should be safe here until that spell wears off."

Gordon helped her take a seat by the fire and she watched him step to the edge of the glow, peering out into their surroundings. The few times she'd met the aquanaut, he'd been so upbeat and jovial, teasing Hiram about their relationship. Now, he had taken up such a serious demeanor he seemed like such a different person. She decided it wasn't her favorite look on him.

"Any idea what's coming next?" Gordon asked, addressing his brother.

Alan stretched on his perch. "There should be a few more mobs before we reach the boss." He frowned. "Speaking of, we should figure out a plan for taking it down."

Gordon turned away from his watch and regarded the younger blonde. "You're the expert. What do you suggest?" There was the hint of a proud smile on his face.

Alan returned it before growing serious. "He's called the Lich. He's an undead sorcerer that's extremely powerful. We'll need to dodge his long range spells. Also, he's huge, which will make landing any physical attacks difficult." He turned to Gordon. "You'll have to concentrate on his legs. He's got -"

For the second time since entering this world, Moffat watched in horror as hands reached up, catching the astronaut around the chest and pulling him into the darkness behind the rocks. Gordon was already running, bounding over the edge after his brother. She cursed her weakness, trying to crawl. Another pulse from the spell sent her sprawling on her stomach.

The seconds felt like hours as she lay there, trying to will the effects away, listening for any indication of what was happening to the young men. Finally, the approaching sound of armor had her looking up towards the pathway. The shine of white and gold caught her eye, but there was no one else with him.

"Where -" Her question was cut off as he knelt down to help her up.

"I don't know." She could hear the strain of guilt in his voice as she again climbed on his back.

"We'll find him." She hoped her words gave some ounce of hope. Silently, Gordon began the march that would lead them farther into the dungeon.