Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Well, now that you're all anxiously waiting to see if I killed anyone, I present Chapter 22!

Fire My Old Friend

Numbing silence, followed by a dull ring, filled John's ears. His brain tried to process his surroundings. One moment he was beaming with pride for his baby brother, the next he found himself thrown to the floor. The force of the blast had forced the group backward, their bodies hitting the auditorium chairs. Blinking several times, the astronaut slowly looked to his brothers. What the heck just happened?

"Are you boys alright?!" he heard his father call worried, the shock steadily receding from his body. "Virgil!" he heard Scott yell.

Looking to their right, Jeff and John saw Scott kneeling next to the family medic. Blood was running down the right side of Virgil's face, a cut marring his temple. "Easy," Scott instructed as he helped Virgil sit up.

"I-I'm okay," Virgil spoke with a wince as Scott probed the wound.

"Sure you are," Scott scoffed, looking up to meet their father's eyes.

"Mr. Tracy!" they heard Brains yell.

Jeff looked to his left, and he felt his heart freeze. "Gordon!" The redhead lay on the ground in obvious pain, barely moving. The scientist knelt next to Gordon, trying to steady him. "Gordon, where are you hurt?"

The aquanaut's eyes scrunched shut as he tried to breathe through the pain. It's intensity weaving itself throughout his torso and back. "Son, open your eyes."

"Damnit, Virgil! You're hurt!" Scott lectured as he helped his brother over to their second youngest sibling.

"I'm fine. Minimal cut to my head," Virgil argued back. "At most a minor concussion - I'll live. We have bigger problems right now."

"Do you see Alan?" John's shaky voice asked. Fear and realization were settling in at their baby brother's unknown whereabouts.

Scott stood and scanned the room. Smoke was quickly spreading across the vast auditorium, creating a haze. Alan had been center stage when the explosion had gone off. Debris and fire now covered that area. The back of the stage was in disarray, torched in flames and mangled metal. The field commander felt like his head was spinning. They had to find their baby brother. Looking to his closest younger brother, Scott and John silently spoke to one another. "We'll find him, Dad."

Jeff looked up grimly from beside Gordon, meeting the determined but scared faces of his first and second born. "Be careful, and send word as soon as you find him."

"Dad and I can help get everyone out," Fermat offered.

"Good idea, son," Brains smiled. "We'll keep in contact and update on what we see," the scientist spoke as he looked down at his employer.

"Excellent, Brains. Be careful," Jeff replied.

"Gordy," Virgil coaxed his little brother. "Is it your back?"

Gordon slowly opened his amber eyes, finally meeting his brother and father's concerned gaze. "My back, and I think I broke some ribs. Hit the armrests on the way down. Hurts to breathe."

Virgil studied the redhead, watching his movements. "Tell me everything, Gordon. Can you feel all of your extremities?"

"I can feel my arms and legs," Gordon paused as he rode out a wave of pain. "Pain is making it hard to tell exactly where it's all stemming from. I think I can move-"

"No!" Virgil exclaimed, stilling any movement from his brother. "Gordy, don't move. Until we know what's wrong, I want to keep you immobile. With your history, it's too risky not to."

"Okay," Gordon sighed in understanding. "Looks like I'll be laid up again."

"We'll see," Jeff stated, placing a comforting hand upon the swimmer's forehead. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Virgil moved towards Gordon's torso, wincing as the action caused pain to pulse from his temple. "You mentioned something about your ribs?" he asked, trying to hide his discomfort.

"Left side," Gordon answered, gasping as his brother found the injured ribs.

"Possibly cracked, but I don't think they're broken," the medic informed. "They'll need an x-ray to be sure."

Taking in a guarded breath, Gordon understood. In general terms, it meant any movement of any kind for him wasn't a good idea. Looking up at his brother, he frowned at Virgil's pained expression. "You okay, Virgil?"

Virgil smirked as he removed his now bloody hand from his aching head. "I'll be fine, Gordon. The bleeding is starting to clot, and the headache is tolerable. Nothing some rest and pain meds won't fix."

"Now would've been a great time to have that medical bag you love to tote around so much," Gordon mused.

"You mean the one you always tease me for, Fishface?" Virgil chuckled.

"That's the one, Doc! You can't help Lassie without it," the ginger smiled, but it quickly disappeared as a shot of pain flared up his back leaving him gasping.

"Easy," Jeff cooed, wishing he could take Gordon's pain away.

"Deep breaths, Gordo. We'll have you out of here soon," Virgil eased.

"What the hell happened anyway?" Gordon asked, puzzled.

Jeff didn't have the heart to reprimand him. "An explosion went off backstage," Jeff said, surveying the damage. The blast had reached at least fifteen rows into the auditorium, leaving behind a lot of damage. His heart sunk at the thought of his youngest son. Alan had been standing on the stage when the explosion had gone off. Looking to the heavens, he prayed his baby was alright. The boy had already been through too much.

-TB-

"Alan!" Scott yelled, frantically searching for his baby brother. His worried eyes scanned what remained of the stage and then back into the panicked and scattered crowd. The more they discovered inside the auditorium, the more he felt sick and desperate to find their kid brother.

"Scott!" he heard John yell. "I got him!"

The brunette rushed toward his two blonde brothers. Alan laid awkwardly on his previously injured left side, unmoving. "Allie, can you hear me?" stopping as he noticed a cut marred Alan's pale forehead.

"Scott, look at his shoulder," John noted, coughing as the smoke began to thicken the air more. The limb somehow remained in the sling, but both medically trained men could tell it was pushed too far forward. "We have to move him off of it. I don't see any sign of spinal injury."

Scott nodded. "We'll have to do it gently until we're sure."

Slowly and steadily, they positioned the seventeen-year-old on his back. Inspecting the wound on Alan's forehead, Scott was relieved to discover it wasn't deep and wouldn't require stitches. As he scanned the teen's body for any further injury, Scott froze as a moan escaped from his little brother.

"Allie?" John coaxed. "C'mon kid, open those eyes for us."

"J-John?" Alan coughed in confusion.

The astronaut smiled as Alan's eyes fluttered open. "Hey, Scott's here too."

"Hey buddy," Scott grinned in relief. "Just take it easy, okay."

Alan blinked as he tried to understand what was going on, pain abruptly flaring from his left shoulder. "What happened?" he asked with a wince.

"Some kind of explosion went off backstage. Where are you hurt, Al?" Scott responded.

"Just my shoulder," Alan grimaced. "I think it's dislocated again."

"Looks like it, Sprout. We'll take care of it once we get you to the others. Do you think you can move?" John asked, watching his brother's movements.

"Yea," the senior replied, studying his body for a moment.

Scott eyed his brother suspiciously as the teen closed his eyes for a moment. "You sure?"

"Yea, I'm okay. My body is going to feel like Two landed on me, but I think the worst is just my shoulder," Alan reassured. "I got lucky this time."

"You sure did. Okay, nice and slow," John said, helping the teen sit up. The astronaut frowned as he realized Alan's oxygen concentrator was missing. Looking to Scott, the brunette nodded, noticing it too.

"We'll have to get him out of here fast," Scott said as they both noticed the coughs already escaping their baby brother. "Think you can walk?"

"Yea, I think so," Alan nodded. In a matter of seconds, both John and Scott had him standing on his feet. The teen swayed unsteadily for a moment but quickly found his footing. "Woah!" the teen exclaimed as he took in the room. "Wait, where is everyone else? Are they okay?"

Scott placed a comforting hand along Alan's back, pulling the teen close. "Dad and Virgil are with Gordon. He got hurt when he fell. We're taking you there now. Brains and Fermat are helping evacuate individuals out of the auditorium."

"Have you guys seen Zach?" Alan coughed, worried. "He was right next to me!"

"Easy, Alan. We'll find him," John urged. "I'm sure he's okay." Removing his button-up shirt, John handed it to Alan. "Here, place this over your mouth. It'll help with the smoke."

"C'mon, let's go get the rest of the guys," Scott said, urging his brother slowly forward.

Moving throughout the auditorium, Alan blinked as he took in the carnage. The stage was destroyed, engulfed in fire. Its flames were almost mocking him again. Anger quickly filled his body. "This has to be Aaron's doing."

Scott gripped his little brother closer at the implication, fighting a tickle that was creeping its way up to his throat. "If it is, he'll pay for what he's done. Be sure of that, Alan."

"Alan!" the trio heard their father yell in relief.

The patriarch stood from his vigil by Gordon, rushing to his youngest. "Are you okay?"

"Busted my shoulder again," the teen sighed, removing John's jacket from his face. "Otherwise, I'm good."

Scott helped Alan position himself on the ground near Gordon and Virgil. Alan's worried eyes scanned both of his older siblings. He didn't know which was more alarming, seeing Gordon lying flat on the ground hardly moving, or the blood along Virgil's face. Both were enough to send alarm bells off in the blonde's head. "Are you guys, okay?"

Virgil smiled warmly at his little brother. "Just a small knock to the head, Sprout. I'll be fine. Gordy here didn't have it as easy. Knocked a few ribs, and his back is giving him a bit of trouble."

Gordon reached for Alan's right arm, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I'll be okay, Allie. I'm sure it's nothing."

Virgil eyed his baby brother, searching for any injury they might have missed. The medic's eyes caught the cut on Alan's forehead, but he frowned when they settled on Alan's left shoulder. "You sure you're okay besides your shoulder, Al?"

Alan tried to hide his discomfort as another throb radiated from his shoulder. "Yea, just the shoulder," he coughed.

Virgil slowly pushed himself up. He swayed slightly as his head throbbed angrily. Ignoring both the glare and offered arm from his eldest brother, the brunette knelt next to his baby brother. "I'm going to check your shoulder over, but I'll be honest Alan, I'm going to have to reset it before the swelling gets too bad."

"I know," Alan groaned, the pain only increased as his brother gently prodded the injured limb. "Just do it."

Scott knelt and squeezed Alan's right shoulder in comfort. He knew this wasn't going to be easy on any of them. Resetting a shoulder was never fun, but having to do it to your baby brother? Not exactly on his top ten list. "I'll support him from behind," Scott said, nodding to Virgil. Scott grew concerned as the middle Tracy winced and wiped blood near his eye. "You alright to do this, Virgil?"

"For the last time, I'm fine," Virgil growled, positioning himself along Alan's left side.

Gordon couldn't resist a chuckle, even in his pained state. "Not so fun being on the other side of the medical inquiry, is it Doc?"

"Shut it, Nemo," Virgil remarked, trying to ignore the snickers from his family. Turning his attention back to their youngest brother, his honey eyes gazed into Alan's pained azure orbs. "Okay, Allie," he started, placing a secure hold on the front and back of the injured limb. "I'll be as steady and as quick as I can."

"Okay," the young blonde responded tightly, mentally preparing himself for the pain. He unconsciously gripped John's shirt that remained in his right hand.

Virgil looked at his father for a second, who only smiled reassuringly. "All Right," the field medic spoke, moving his eyes to Scott. "On the count of three."

Alan closed his eyes, anticipating the action. Hearing his brother count, he felt the pop of the joint before the menacing pain hit full force. The youngest tried but failed to stifle his cry of pain. A scream escaped his throat, followed by several harsh hacking coughs.

"Easy, Alan. Easy," Virgil and Scott both eased as they prevented Alan from moving further. Virgil secured Alan's sling for better support. The chestnut-haired Tracy allowed a small smile to graze his lips as his hand grazed Alan's medal. "That sure is some shiny new jewelry you have there, Sprout."

"Yea," the teen only wheezed, his breathing sounding ragged.

Virgil met Scott's worried gaze. "Alan, try and take a few slow deep breaths," Virgil instructed, moving John's shirt back up to his mouth. Looking to the rest of his family, Virgil failed to stifle a cough of his own. "We need to get out of here. The smoke will quickly hinder Alan's healing lungs faster than the rest of us."

"It already is," Jeff said. His eyes scanned the exits of the auditorium and frowned. "I would've expected first responders on the scene by now."

"The fire is spreading fast," John said, observing the flames. "The sprinkler system must've failed. We're running out of time, and we can't move Gordon without a backboard."

"Don't worry about me," Gordon spoke, coughing. "Get Alan out of here."

Alan shook his head. "No Gordon, don-"

"We're getting you both out of here," Jeff stated firmly. Pushing a button on his watch, Jeff waited for Brains to answer.

"Mr. Tracy," Brains' voice came across the device.

"Brains, what can you tell me about the situation?"

"T-the evacuation isn't g-going smoothly. Secondary exits a-are j-j-b-blocked on both sides," Brains informed. "Fermat and I are w-working on what the cause is."

Jeff nodded as he looked toward the exits of the auditorium. Those exits were working as he noticed Fire Chief Raymund and several others instructing the crowd out. Jeff remembered there being a hall outside of the venue, with another set of doors. "F.A.B., Brains. Any sign of first responders?"

"Negative, Mr. Tracy. S-something is amiss here," the scientist deduced.

Jeff scowled, meeting the gazes of his three eldest children. "Indeed, there is Brains. Keep working on getting everyone out. We'll do what we can from in here."

"F.A.B.," Brains responded and closed the signal.

"Something sinister is definitely at work here," John coughed.

"Until we can figure it out, we have to move," Scott said as Alan coughed, leaning against him. They needed a way to transport Gordon. Scott's blue eyes scanned the room for anything that could work as a makeshift backboard - Anything! Frustration filled him as all he saw was fire and destruction. Then suddenly he saw it – a piece of debris in the corner of the stage. "Virgil, take Alan. I'll be right back."

Virgil's brow furrowed in confusion. "Scott, wha-"

"I'll be right back," the field commander spoke, his voice stern leaving no room for argument. Rushing to the corner of the stage, Scott coughed as he took in a large amount of smoke - the fog larger the closer to the blaze he got. Reaching for the object, he was surprised when he felt someone else grab it as well. Turning, he smiled to see John.

"Looks like to be a piece from the bandshell," the blonde coughed, smirking at his older brother. "It'll work perfectly as a backboard."

"My thoughts exactly," Scott replied. "C'mon!"

The duo hurried over to their family. Jeff smiled at his two oldest. "Good thinking, boys."

"Okay, Gordy. Your chariot has arrived," John smiled.

Gordon raised a curious eyebrow, but could only cough in response – the pain from his ribs only increasing his discomfort. Yea, he was ready to leave.

Watching his brother's prepare to move Gordon, Alan began to move as well. The teen pushed himself off of Virgil with his right arm, but his older brother stilled his movements. "Alan, what are you doing?" the medic quickly asked.

"I wa-," Alan paused, coughing. "I want to help."

Virgil shook his head, ignoring the angry throb it created. "No, kiddo. You won't be much help with that shoulder. We got this, okay. Just keep holding that shirt to your mouth, and we'll be out of here in a few." Virgil smiled when Alan nodded in response. Turning, he stood but stopped as he swayed and felt his father's concerned arms steady him. "I'm okay, Dad," he quickly stated. "Let's get Gordon out of here."

Together the family prepared to transfer Gordon onto the piece of board. Something that wouldn't be easy considering the amount of space that resided between each row. Half of Gordon's body positioned within the row, his head laying along the aisle.

"Okay," Virgil sighed, wiping some of the blood that was running near his eye. "This will take all of us." First thing – moving Gordon so they could place him along with the board. Since this wasn't an actual backboard, the group wasn't able to position it with ease. Nodding to their father, Jeff placed himself near Gordon's head - prepared to move his son. "Ready, Gordon?"

Gordon exhaled, preparing himself for what was no doubt going to be an uncomfortable experience. "Let's do this."

Jeff gripped his second youngest under his arms carefully, smiling down at him. "Here we go," he said. Within a few seconds, he pulled his son from the aisle.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Gordon wheezed, attempting to lie as he took in a deep breath from the pain.

"Just breathe, Gordy. Almost there," Jeff commanded, placing a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder.

Next, Virgil crossed Gordon's arms across his chest, carefully watching his younger brother. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," Gordon replied feebly.

"Alright," Virgil started, making contact with his father and two other brothers as they flanked each side of Gordon. "Dad, I'll have you support his head and neck. Scott, you and I will lift him carefully, and Johnny, you'll have to slide the board under him quickly," the medic barked.

Turning back to their little brother, John smiled reassuringly at Gordon. The swimmer met his older brother's cerulean orbs. "This part isn't going to be as fun, Gordo."

"On the count of three?" Scott inquired.

"On three," Virgil nodded. "We'll be quick, Gordon."

Jeff watched each of his sons as they prepared to gently and carefully maneuver the board beneath their family member. "One," the patriarch started. "Two."

"THREE!"

Together the group worked as one. Years of experience working in their favor. Gordon tried to hold in his gasp of pain as the movement – no matter how gentle and concise – aggravated his ribs and throbbing back. "All done, Gordon. All done," he heard John call out, gripping his right leg gently.

"Alan!" Virgil called rushing to his baby brother's side, who in attempts to stand had fallen and knelt forward coughing harshly. "C'mon, let's get you out of here," he spoke, wrapping a protective arm around Alan's back.

"Coming to you, Brains," Jeff spoke into his watch. The group moved toward the auditorium exit.

"Just got the secondary exits open on the right side," Brains grinned with relief. Immediately the Fire Chief and several others began escorting the crowd through the doors. "Fermat, how are you doing?" the scientist called into his watch, standing back from the exiting crowd.

"A-almost got this s-side, Dad," Fermat answered, as he was working on the other exit with several students.

Suddenly another explosion erupted from outside the auditorium. Fear gripping Brains. "FERMAT!"

TBC…

Don't hate me! I warned you that we were going on a ride!

I'm hoping to pump out more chapters pretty fast here as long as my muse stays with me. I had some discouraging news at my last doctor's appointment, and surgery was brought up. Most likely won't be until the first of the year, so hopefully, I can get through the holidays without a hospital stay. As always, I appreciate all the encouragement! Fighting for your health can be a lonely ride.

Lastly, Happy early Thanksgiving to all my peeps that celebrate!