Virgil stumbled down the ladder into the pod bay, trying to wave away the smoke filling the unit. He could hear the survivors coughing and gagging on the acrid haze, unable to escape it. He found the door controls, setting it to close while simultaneously starting up the ventilation system to clear the air. He didn't need to see outside to know how much damage had been caused to the area. They were lucky to have survived with the ships in tact. At least 2 was. He'd gotten a good look at Thunderbird 1 before heading down. The nose had dipped down as the earth under it opened up, trying to swallow the ship.

As the door latched shut, the visibility had improved tenfold. He could see those still awake, moving to assist those who had fallen to the floor. The portable oxygen units were making themselves useful. He immediately found Scott, pushing himself up, off of their little brother. Alan's eyes were blinking past the shock of having been thrown to the floor as an explosion tried to rip the ship apart.

"You two alright?" He took Alan's hand, pulling him to his feet. As he looked to his eldest brother, he frowned, taking in the distraught expression. "What's wrong?"

Without skipping a beat, Scott hit his comm. "John, have you been able to locate Gordon yet?"

Virgil's heart plummeted as he listened, finally realizing his second youngest brother wasn't in the module. Hadn't Scott gone in to get him? He couldn't still be in the building. There was nothing left!

"I've got his location, but it's nowhere near the facility." John was staring at something they couldn't see. "Scott-" He stopped, shaking his head. "I'll contact Lady Penelope and Kayo. They'll be able to get to him while you three get the survivors to the hospital."

"John?" The lack of information was sending Scott's alarms on high alert. Virgil had to admit, his were going off as well. He gave Alan a glance, noting how pale the blond looked.

There was no answer from the astronaut as Virgil assumed he must be talking to the other members of IR. A chime sounded as he reconnected.

"They're on route now." The red-head's hologram gave them a sympathetic look. "I've got him. You three still have a rescue to complete."

With that, the medic was pulling himself back together, focusing on the task at hand. Grabbing hold of Alan's upper arm, he maneuvered him to a supply cabinet, pulling out blankets and first aid kits.

"Start handing these out and treating what you can." He passed his silent brother the load. "I'm going to get us airborne. The faster we get these people to the hospital, the sooner we can go find Gordon." The last bit had been a hushed plea, encouraging Alan to do as he was trained. Scott hadn't moved, still talking to John. Virgil fought the desire to question his older brother, knowing his duty was to the survivors.

Leaving the module for the cockpit, he spared a glance at the empty co-pilot's chair, feeling the too familiar ache. His little brother was going to be the death of him. Taking his seat, he powered up the massive 'bird, keying in the coordinates John had sent earlier for the nearest hospital.

Wherever you are, Gordon... you better be okay...

oOoOoOo

"Are you certain, John?" Penelope was looking down at the lake they hovered above. It had taken Fab1 and Shadow twenty minutes to make it to the coordinates sent from 5. Kayo was already running scans through the choppy surface. If his location was pinging under the water, their time was going to be limited.

The plea in the astronaut's eye gave her the answer she didn't want and she steeled herself against the wave of emotions threatening to break past her walls. She gave Parker the instruction to head down, into the dark waters to locate the source of her heart ache.

"Lady Penelope." Kayo's voice floated through the comm. "The area is secure. I'm not reading any li- anyone in the vicinity of the beacon." The fact that neither of them were able to locate a heat signature indicating something large and alive was not missed.

As Fab1 fell beneath the water's surface, she felt her chest tighten with the shimmering blues and greens that danced over the tan interior. The beauty of it was in stark contrast to her mission. She wasn't sure what she had expected to find, but as they reached the lake bottom, the empty expanse with the occasional fish flitting about made her stress lift slightly. Visibility was perfect for what she needed to do.

"Coming h'up on the location now, m'lady." She could hear the melancholy in her companion's voice. Although, the two seemed to butt heads when together, there was a strange connection that had Parker worrying over the aquanaut. Any other time, she might have questioned it.

The car slowed, kicking up sediment in clouds that swirled out around them. Sherbet, most likely sensing his owner's distress, had been reserved the entire trip, glancing up at her briefly. Now, he perked as Penelope's hold tightened slightly around him. She was watching Parker work the buttons for the grappling arm. She wanted to close her eyes and never have to see what he had found, but the brothers and Kayo were waiting on her report. She needed to see.

"It's not 'im, m'lady! Just 'is belt. Cricky, I'll be givin' 'im a piece of my mind when we find 'im. Nearly 'ad a 'eartattack." The relief and confusion in Parker's voice mixed into the swirl of thoughts going through her head. If he wasn't down here, where was he? Was he somewhere else in the lake, just without any way of locating him? Was he somewhere else completely? Was he dead? What now?

The last thought caught her breath as she lifted the compact communicator. "John? Kayo?"

"Go ahead." Kayo prompted as Penelope looked at the two figures projecting from the compact.

"We've found Gordon's belt, but he's not with it. Is there any other way to locate him?" She inwardly winced at the shocked look on the red-head's face.

"No…" The whisper was loud in her ears. "Brains has been developing a way to integrate the GPS into our suits, but... "

"No use focusing on the what if's, John." Penelope kept her voice soft as she spoke. "What we need is a way to track the ones who took him."

John nodded, blinking away without another word. Kayo followed suit after exchanging a wavering look. Their chances of finding him were dwindling rapidly. She could only hope John and EOS would find a solution.

oOoOoOo

His harsh gasps bounced off the walls as he sagged, the chains clattering against the cement. Havoc had given him a reprieve after he'd nearly blacked out. Gordon would have been fine with that if it meant he could get away from the torture device she had strapped to his head.

He could see her smiling as she tapped the device against her leg. The sickening idea that she was enjoying this made his stomach turn. He'd been close to losing its contents towards the end of the most recent session. Now, he was certain something was going to come up if he kept looking at her.

Turning away, he found a spot on the wall that had caught his attention earlier, anchoring him against the pain. Slowly, he began to realize the aches were ebbing away, replaced with a light tingling sensation that sent him floating. The alarm that sounded in his mind was the only thing to keep him grounded as he realized what she was doing. The high continued for a short moment, making his head spin.

The guttural cry that ripped through him echoed out as the settings were reversed, enveloping every inch of him in pain. Thousands of invisible razors were dragging across his skin, sharp and burning. Inside, a dull knife had buried itself into his spine. And he recognized this as the third setting of ten.

"Told ya I could make ya scream." Havoc taunted. "Time to try four again, shall we?"

Gordon couldn't brace against the onslaught as it intensified, his limbs straining against his restraints, muscles pulling at the abuse. When his lungs finally kicked in, gasping out a pained cry, he fought to find his spot on the wall.

"Ready for five?" The lilt in her voice mocked the severity of her question.

Tears betrayed him, trailing from the corners of his eyes to mix into the dirt and cement. "-lease."

"Wha' was that?" Her hand was cupping her ear.

"S-... sto- op…" He choked the plea out past gritted teeth.

Havoc stood from the chair, slowly stepping over to his side. He watched her form waver as his vision blurred. When it cleared, she was bending over him, her face hard.

"Beg."

"W- wh-" His mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

"I want to hear you beg." The iciness caught his breath as he tries to process her words through the pain.

The cliche of his situation flashed through his mind, but in this moment he was certain he'd tell her whatever she wanted. The only problem, his voice had abandoned him. She was glaring down at him as he gasped out a silent plea for her to make it stop.

"Aw, seems you think you can handle more?" He shook his head desperately at her words. "Alright then, five it is."

Panic engulfed him just as her finger hit the screen and sent his nerves screaming, the dagger moving into his legs. A searing pain shot through his head, just behind his eyes and he felt the warm liquid slide from his nostril and down his cheek.

Gordon wasn't sure how long he'd been on level five, the room around him blurring. He was aware of the sound of heavy footsteps and the door opening. Then a shout. And the pain was increasing. Level six, seven, and he was gone at eight, the darkness taking him away from the unrelenting pain.

oOoOoOo

Fuse stood in the doorway, eyes locked on the scene before him. He had watched the sadistic glint in his sister's eyes dissolve into shock as she turned. She was clinging tightly to the controls of a device he instantly recognized and knew was steadily increasing in strength. He took a quick step forward, jerking the tablet from her hands.

"Eight? Damn, sis…" His fingers were already working to turn it off.

"You were dead…" Havoc's voice was a whisper, her eyes wide when he finally turned back to her. "I saw the explosion."

"It'll take more than that to take me down." He was enveloping her in a tight hug as she jumped up from the seat. She'd always been quick to think the worst, needing the most comfort when she was proven wrong. Having experienced the explosion at the facility first hand, he couldn't blame her for thinking he had been lost. Glancing at the still form on the floor, however, he realized something had changed. Never had he seen that look on Havoc's face. The Hood had been the one for torture, mainly to get what he wanted. Apparently, it had rubbed off.

"Are you…" There were tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine." He motioned to Gordon. "One of 'is brothers found me." He let the silence surround them for only a moment. "Let's get out of 'ere. I can't be sure they didn't track me."

His words had the desired effect as she went to packing up the tools… for torture. Fuse shook the thought from his head.

"What about 'im?" She growled, eyeing the aquanaut.

"Don't worry about 'im. Just get to the cruiser." He surprised himself, hearing the slight disgust in his voice. She didn't show signs of noticing, moving past him through the doorway. He quickly got to work, crouching down next to Gordon. He noted the blood trailing from his nose. A puddle had formed under his left arm as well, stemming from a still oozing wound.. Fuse tapped his cheek, eliciting a soft whimper and a flutter of lashes.

"'ey, Squid-boy, sorry about this." He didn't receive a response as he took out a small transponder, tucking it into Gordon's hand, the flashing light indicating it was transmitting. He quickly removed the nodes attached to the aquanaut's temples and neck, shoving them into a compartment of his suit. Without a second glance, he was off after his sister, closing the door as he went. They'd find him, he was certain, but it also meant they had lost one of their secret locations. It was a minor annoyance he and Havoc could work through. That didn't lessen the twinge of pain he felt as he shut the front door to the abandoned home they had grown up in.

He found Havoc sitting in the pilot's seat, staring at the controls. "You ready?"

She shook her head, not looking at him. "I messed up."

He sighed, taking his seat. "Nothin' we need to be worryin' about right now. Can you get us back to base?"

After a moment, she nodded, turning her attention to the controls. Everything would be fine. He would just keep telling himself that until it was true.