A big Thank-you to everyone who helped me with this chapter. Grumpy, Convert, Bluegrass, Tikatue, Agent 5...There would have been alot more mayhem without you!

As usual, I don't own 'em, so please don't sue!

Virgil felt the cable tighten and instantly stopped the winch. He could hear John and Gordon talking about one of the cables being caught. He reversed the winch, hoping that the slack would loosen the snagged cable. He pushed it forward and again it stalled. Muttering under his breath, he let more slack out. "Thunderbird Two to Ops Four and Five. What's the situation down there?" There was no answer. "Terrific...here we go again. Brains?"

"Here."

"I've lost contact with the ship again."

"W-W-Working on it...Try now."

"Gordon? John? Are you—"

"Pull us up! Pull us up!!" Gordon shouted back.

"I'm trying!" Virgil tried again, and the cables grew taut. He swore softly and once again stopped the mechanism. "What's going on down there?"

"Just get us up there!"

Virgil quickly set the winch in motion and this time the cable moved freely. A few moments later, Gordon and Captain Crane were being pulled onto the deck. John was nowhere to be seen. "Where's John?" Virgil demanded.

Gordon pulled off his helmet and looked up at his brother, his brown eyes wide. "He's still on the ship! The cables caught and he went to try and free us."

Virgil frowned. "I freed the cables! What are you talking about?"

"John's still down there!!"

"What?" Virgil looked confused.

Gordon grabbed Virgil by the shoulders, ignoring the crowd that had gathered around them. "He jumped, don't you get it?!" He shouted.

Realization dawned. "Brains! Track him!" Virgil ordered.

"N-N-Negative, Virgil. He never received the m-microchip." Brains replied. "And the c-c-communications are down again. You can t-talk to each other, but once you le-le-exit the ship, you'll lose contact."

"Son of a..." Virgil ran his hand over his head. "OK, let me think a minute."

"He doesn't have a minute!" Gordon protested.

"The winds are getting worse. I can't hold her much longer. What's going on down there?" Scott demanded, interrupting them.

Virgil shut his eyes, his fists clenched at his sides. I can't do this.

"Virgil! Snap out of it!"

"Somebody better answer me..."

"V-Virgil? I still haven't l-l-located Jo—"

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!!!" Virgil thundered. Silence echoed throughout the cargo bay. The rescued passengers from the ship along with Gordon, all stared at him in stunned disbelief. Even Brains and Scott were quiet.

Virgil took a deep breath. "Scott, hold her as best as you can. I need to go pick up one more victim."

"What victim?"

Virgil didn't answer, but pushed through the crowd, heading towards the lockers. "Brains, work on getting the communications back online. When you reach John, tell him I'm on my way."

"FAB."

Gordon followed at his heels. "Virg! Wait!" He grabbed his brother by the shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

"After John." Virgil replied, pulling on a life vest.

Gordon shook his head. "No, I'm already wet, I'll go down."

Virgil fixed Gordon with a bland stare. "Haven't you done enough damage?" He said quietly.

Gordon went pale, then red with anger. "Now wait just a second, I—"

"WHAT VICTIM?!?" Scott's shout across the communicator startled them both.

Virgil answered before Gordon could respond. "I'm headed down after John. The cable snagged and he...got stuck down there."

"Why isn't Gordon going?"

"Gordon's been out in the wet long enough. We don't need hypothermia on top of everything else." Virgil's amber eyes bored into Gordon's brown ones, almost daring his younger brother to say something. Gordon merely snarled and marched back to the hatch.

"Scott, hold her stead for just a few more minutes. I'll be back with John in a flash."

"You do that. And when you find John, tell him I'm going to kick his ass for this."

Virgil smiled. "FAB. Brains, any luck?"

"N-No, nothing. The storm is interfering t-to much."

"Keep trying." Virgil took a deep breath, and reaching once more into the locker, took out a tranquilizer gun. He stared at the gun for a moment, then making sure it was loaded and the safety was on, stuffed it into his uniform.

He quickly made his way over to the hatch and peered down at the swirling maelstrom below.

"You sure you don't want me to go?" Gordon asked.

Virgil shook his head. "I'll be fine. Wish me luck."

"You're going to need more than that.

Virgil nodded, then took a deep breath and stepped out into the hurricane to find his brother.

John landed with a thud. The ship's deck was slick with rain, and tilted at a crazy angle as it slipped further into the sea. He slid across the deck until he reached the railing. A detached part of his mind noticed that the waves were lapping at his feet, but he pushed the thought away and set about freeing the stuck cable. He pulled as hard as he could but it held tight.

"Virgil! Give me some slack!...Virgil!! Brains!!...Dammit..." John scowled as he realized communications had failed again. He gave the cable another hard tug and was thrown back as it suddenly freed itself and shot upwards. He grabbed at it as it went by, but he only managed to burn the skin off his palms as the cable disappeared above him.

"Shit." John stumbled into the helm house and shivered. His suit was built for warmth, but the constant battering from the wind and rain had penetrated it, and he was feeling the cold. "Op Five to Thunderbird Two? Can you guys hear me?...Brains? Guys?" John sighed as he heard nothing but static across his speakers.

He pulled off his helmet and peered out the windows, trying to see Thunderbird Two. A bolt of lightning flashed close and he backpedaled away from the window. The deck tilted crazily as another wave hit and he dropped to his knees.

"You are quite alone, John."

John pressed his hands against his head. "Oh, God no, please..."

Gordon grabbed Virgil's arm, just before he jumped. "Wait! Brains, say that again!"

"I m-managed to partially f-f-repair the communications system." The scientist replied.

"Partially?" Virgil asked.

"You can r-r-receive, but not transmit to each other, or to B-B-Base."

"So John can't hear us, but we can hear him?" Gordon frowned. "He won't know we're coming after him."

Virgil shrugged his hand arm free. "He will if you'd let me get to him!"

"Oh, God no, please..."

Both brother's heads snapped up at the sound of John's voice. "Brains? What was that? What's going on down there?" Virgil demanded.

"I d-d-don't know!" Brains was quiet a few moments. "I still can't t-t-transmit!"

"No! You won't do this to me again!" They could all hear the desperation in John's voice.

"I've got to get down there!" Virgil took a deep breath and dropped down the hatch. The wind buffeted at him from all sides, causing him to sway crazily until his feet hit the boat's deck. He slipped and slid on the wet wood, scanning the area for his brother. "John! John, where are you?!?" He continued moving across the deck, finally reaching the helm. He pulled the door open and hurried inside. He noted with concern, the tilt of the deck. We don't have much time. "John!!! Answer me!"

A low moan was his only reply, and he spun towards the direction of the sound. Spying a figure on the floor in the far corner, he ran as fast as he could on the wildly tilting deck. "John!"

John looked up as Virgil knelt next to him. "No! Don't come any closer!" He held up his hands as if to ward Virgil off.

Seeing the wild look in John's eyes, Virgil halted. "John, the boat is sinking. We need to get out of here." He said calmly, trying to soothe whatever was bothering his brother.

John shook his head. "I can't go with you."

"John, you have to."

"Don't you see? I don't want to hurt you! Just leave me here!"

There was such anguish in John's voice that it sent a pang through Virgil's heart. "John, you're not going to hurt me." He held out his hand. "Come on, we'll talk once we get back to Two."

John hesitated a moment, then brought one hand to his head and moaned. "No..."

The boat rocked again, causing Virgil to stumble forward. John caught him and the two brothers clung to each other for a moment. Then John tried to push himself away, but Virgil held him tight. "No way, bro. I'm getting you out of here." Virgil's tone was like steel.

John tried to see through the visor of his brother's helmet, but could only see the reflection of his own blue eyes, wide with fear. "I can't Virg...It's better this way." Before Virgil knew what was happening, John threw his hands up and chopped Virgil about the shoulders, dropping his brother to the floor. "I'm sorry." Without a backwards glance, he raced back out into the storm.

"Oh, no..."

Fermat looked up. Tin-Tin was frozen in place, her eyes unfocused. "T-Tin-Tin?" He touched her arm. "Tin-Tin, what's w-wrong?"

She shook her head and her eyes cleared. "There's trouble. With John."

Fermat grew pale. "Not the H-H-the H—"

"Yes, my uncle." She closed her eyes again. "His hold is weak, but if John gives into him..."

"Wh-What will happen?"

Tin-Tin opened her eyes and looked over at Fermat. "John will die."

John squinted through the rain, his thoughts only on getting away from his brother. I don't want to hurt you, Virgil. And I can't trust myself right now. He flinched away from the lightning and fell as the deck rolled underneath him.

"See, John. I told you."

"Get out of my head!" John shouted as he staggered to his feet. He slipped again on the wet deck, and grabbed at the railing.

"Never, John. You're mine now."

John could hear Hood's evil laughter in his mind. He fumbled to unzip his jumpsuit and found the stone Tin-Tin had given him. He clutched it in his hands and closed his eyes.

"Don't think that will protect you, John."

John ignored the voice and tried to keep his thoughts to himself.

"John, you beat him once. You can do it again."

He was unsurprised when Tin-Tin's voice popped into his head. "No, I can't..." He whispered.

"Yes, you can. Trust in yourself."

John closed his eyes, trying to ignore the storm thundering around him. I'm stronger than you are. You can't hurt me. I won't let you.

"John!!" He whirled.

Virgil stood in the doorway of the helm house. His footing was uneven due to the constant rolling of the deck. One hand gripped the doorframe to keep himself steady. But it was the other hand that made John nervous.

"Virgil?" John called out.

Virgil held the gun as steady as he could, despite the wind and rain. "Don't, John. Don't make me do this."

"Virgil, you don—"

John's words were cut off as the boat gave a mighty lurch. Virgil stumbled to his knees and when he looked up, his brother was gone.