Thanks to everyone still following this story! I love getting to write things that wouldn't be typical in most fics :3
Thanks again to my betas!
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"Who wants cookies?" Grandma's voice floated across the lounge, sending a cringe across both brothers' faces.
Virgil eyed the briefing report, contemplating if he should just call it finished and make a break for it.
A stern look from Scott told him that wasn't an option. They'd just come off a very difficult rescue that needed to be reviewed for everything that went wrong. Because, feeling the ache in his ribs, some aspects of the mission had gone wrong.
They were saved by the soft chime from the holocom.
Scott was answering it just as their grandmother made it down to the sitting area with a plate of burnt discs trying to pass off as cookies. "International Rescue, what's your emergency?"
Nothing sounded over the comm except a patterned series of clicks on repeat. They were all familiar with the code.
"S.O.S… Is there anything else with it?" Virgil stood, joining the brunette.
"Just this." Scott activated the link, a small dot appearing on the globe as it materialized. "Looks like coordinates, but they're moving."
Virgil looked at the numbers on the screen. "Wait, that's not far from where John's conference is. Could get him to check on it, maybe even send Gordon and Alan." The raven haired brother was honestly ready for a long soak to easy his sore muscles.
"Good idea." The elder activated the device, connecting to his brother's communicator and they listened to the tone as it tried to connect. After a few more seconds, it disconnected. "Strange. Maybe he's busy. I'll check Brains."
Still, no answer.
Virgil could see the anxiety rising in his brother as he tried Gordon, followed immediately by Alan. Nothing.
"I don't get it." Scott growled at the consol. "One of them not picking up sure, but all four?"
The engineer didn't understand either, but the nagging feeling of concern seemed to be contagious. He wanted to tell his brother not to worry, that they were probably stuck in a loud room and couldn't hear their comms. At the same time, they were Tracys. Trouble seemed to find them wherever they went. "We'd better check it out, just to be sure. Maybe one of them will call back mid flight."
The brunette nodded. "I'll contact Kayo. We have no idea what's going on right now."
"FAB." Virgil turned to head for the tall picture and gave their grandmother an apologetic smile.
She was already on her way back to the kitchen with the cookies. "You two just take care. No unnecessary risk, especially after that last rescue." She grinned. "I'll just save these cookies for when you get home."
He heard the quiet "Thanks, Grandma," from Scott as the picture tilted, sending him back into Thunderbird 2.
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Alan ran.
The panting of his own breath in his ears barely drowned out the metallic, wet crunch of his brother's body. There was nothing he could have done, but it did little to quiet the scream in his mind.
He was at the top of the incline when the tears took over, spilling once more as he ran. He was blind to the world around him, just wanting to get away from this hell. The arms that caught him were a surprise of security and warmth. He found himself collapsing into the professor, his face burying into her shoulder.
Moffat's hand ran light circles over his back, encouraging the sobs to calm as they sat in the gloom of the world. He was so tired of hurting. Tired of crying more tears than he had in his entire life. More than when Mom died.
For some twisted reason, the thought of his mother's death was like a soothing balm to his aching heart. When she died, there was no coming back, no second chances to try again. Real life wasn't a game. In here, death was painful, but not finite. No matter what the Hood threw at them, they would come back.
The sound of metal on dirt had him pulling away from the scientist, both turning to see what was interrupting them. Gordon took a tentative step closer, amber eyes meeting theirs with a relieved sadness. His arm was wrapped around his torso, legs seeming unsteady as he took another step. They were enveloping him in a tight hug before he could crash to the ground.
"Thanks." Alan felt his brother's words brush through his hair. "Let's not try that again."
The astronaut pulled back, looking his older brother square in the face, noting the haunted look in his eyes. "You respawned?"
Gordon nodded. "Back at the fire. Half my health is gone, but otherwise it's like nothing happened."
"Oh! Sorry." Moffat cried, pulling herself out of their embrace. She lifted her arm to tap an icon, sending enough healing to fill his bar. The weariness left his face, a smile spreading in thanks. "Should've done that sooner."
Now that his strength was back, the aquanaut gave them a fierce hug, forcing a smile past the earlier pain. Eventually, he let go, the group standing to their feet. "What now?"
Alan grimaced. "I really don't want to go back there." The others seemed to be thinking the same, Gordon slightly ashen at the prospect of getting caught again. Unfortunately, that's not how this twisted version of the game worked.
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Fantastic… The Hood's eyes locked on the monitor above the aquanaut, currently staring into the face of the giant monster. The sense of pride was overwhelming. This system was far more than he had expected. He would have to congratulate his colleague on the magnificent work.
"Absolutely brilliant." He let the dark grin spread across his lips as the Lich placed the young man between its teeth, the screen filling with the grotesque view. The crunch of armor and bone sent a shiver of joy through his chest.
Content with the way things were going in the VR world, he turned to the two captives watching helplessly from the floor. The red head was trembling, leaning heavily on the scientist, who refused to look up from the floor. The delight of seeing their pain was just as fulfilling as that of the three in the machine. He made a mental note to switch the participants when they finally reached his research center. Right now, he was simply enjoying the torment, but his true goals would need to be reached once he had all three brothers under his control. He would have the whole of Tracy Island, the Thunderbirds, and all of their secrets.
The voices from the monitors pulled him back, sending a crease across his brow. Gordon was back and it seemed they were less than willing to fight his behemoth again. That was unacceptable.
He tapped the comm to let his voice reach the small group. "Need I remind you what will happen if you don't continue playing?" He grinned as they jumped, their dark expressions a visual of their internal dilemma. "Move, or I will demonstrate on your brother and friend just how serious my threats are."
The growl behind him added another thrill to his success. The trio regarded each other a moment longer before the youngest began to walk at his older brother's nod. Good. No matter the outcome of this fight, the Hood knew he would ultimately be the victor. His associate had seen to that.
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"You ready for this?" Moffat nodded to the younger man, meeting his fearful blue eyes. She watched Gordon hesitate, but finally agree, pulling free his weapons.
They'd spent a few minutes going over a plan that would keep them out of the Lich's reach. She and Alan would have the easiest part with most of their attacks being range or from behind. Gordon would be the one constantly moving and landing attacks whenever possible to keep the monster's attention. She promised herself she'd keep him healed at all costs.
The little time she'd spent with these two had created a sense of protection underneath the fear. Before, she'd known how capable they were of handling tough situations, but they were so carefree about it. Cracking jokes, seeming to enjoy the thrill of the rescue. Here, she'd been able to see the more vulnerable sides that could hurt, deeply.
Moffat took a moment, scrolling through her spells, finding the one Alan had indicated would be useful for the fight. The buff would add to their defense and provide continuous healing. She activated it, watching the rest of the group glow a brilliant gold that remained as a light aura.
"We've got your back." The astronaut placed a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder. He gave a squeak as the older blond's spun, catching the younger in a tight hug. Moffat couldn't help the smile, moving to join the embrace at Gordon's raised arm towards her. It was a nice prelude to the battle about to ensue.
They broke apart and followed Gordon down the path, eyes watching the gentle sway of the giant. "Ready?" His voice was surprisingly steady as he raised his shield and sword.
"Ready." They answered in unison. The professor raised her arm, fingers hovering over the icons.
Gordon moved first, drawing back his shield and launching it towards the Lich's chest. It struck, sending a deep groan from the monster. He was running a second later, drawing the creatures attention away from the others. She waited for the Lich to turn before running out to take up her position. She would need to be close enough to heal the aquanaut, but far enough to stay out of the monsters range.
One more hit from the broadsword and Alan was throwing poisoned daggers into the towering back. A quick press to her icons and she too sent glowing projectiles at the target.
It was almost sad listening to the agonized cries bubble up in the Lich's throat, but all sense of sympathy she had for it dissolved as the hand came down, smashing into the paladin's side and sending him skidding across the floor. Instantly, he was back up as her spell sent a wave of healing energy. His sword flared with holy light and he swung it into the closest ankle, meat and bone separating in one smooth blow.
The howl was inhuman, cracking like thunder across the room. For a moment, they all froze, watching the Lich fall to one knee, dark matter dripping from sunken in eyes. The terrible noise morphed into an growl so full of hate it made her want to turn and run. A glint of red flashed, holding her to the spot as Alan jumped up, sending a powered dagger attack into its other leg. As he leapt back, the red energy pulsed through the spot, melting a deep hole into the flesh.
Moffat stumbled back as a bony hand crashed to the ground, nearly flattening her, the fingers digging into the dirt. She scrambled to her feet and found Gordon pinned under the other, his sword impaled through the palm. With a grunt, he pushed it off, withdrawing the sword as he tumbled back.
"Almost there!" Alan's cry of encouragement was enough to spur them on, Moffat sending another blast of holy energy into the side of the Lich's head. She watched as it seemed to gasp, curling in on itself, mouth open in a soundless cry. The assault on the massive figure continued in a flurry of shots and flesh rending slices. The monster had appeared to be done fighting, it's body reduced to a shivering pile of skin and bones. The final blow came from Gordon.
The professor watched the light surround her friend, feeding into the sword as he started forward. The sound was dull, but the effect left her heart fluttering with joy at their victory. The blade lay buried deep in the Lich's forehead, Gordon dangling from it for a moment before dropping and backing up to view the wound. The pit grew silent as the monster finally sank the rest of the way down, a surprisingly soft whisper brushing past the remainder of its lips. She couldn't quite understand the word, but she didn't miss the pained expression that flashed over the aquanaut's face. He moved away as one of the hands started twitching towards him, finally falling limp as the life drained, a sad wheeze, his final breath.
Alan was by her side, letting out an excited cry of triumph and she felt the giddiness bubble up at his smile. They won with everyone still alive! Of course, the Hood wouldn't like this, but for now they would revel in their own accomplishment. Together they ran to Gordon, who still looked shocked and confused, and wrapped grateful arms around him. It was enough to jar the older brother from his thoughts, his arms pulling them close.
They stayed this way for what felt like minutes, just enjoying the moment until the Hood would rip the floor out from under them. But that never happened.
There was a frantic scattering of bones back towards the cages and she frowned, watching the small rabbit bound over. Moffat had no time to ask as the little creature began shouting in a squeak of a female voice.
"Rocket, run! They're respawning!" The professor regarded the astronaut with a look of confusion, but as the large figure next to them faded away, she could already see it reforming. A hand caught hers, dragging her back towards the incline out of the pit. She could already hear the clatter of the worshipers chasing after their group and her heart dropped, realizing what would need to be done all over again.
The first tendrils of pain ignited as something heavy slammed into her back. The agony that followed sent a cry from her throat before she fell.
