A Sacrifice too Far?
Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 1.
Thanks for the reviews everyone. I was so shocked to see I had so many but that's probably because I was so mean to Scott.
Chapter 4: Learning the Truth.
Gordon had been staring around the Industrial Estate when something suddenly caught his eye. "Hey, do you think any of these security cameras are still working?" he asked, pointing specifically at the one closest to where they were and where Scott had been.
"Judging by the severity of the explosion I would think not but it's worth looking into," replied Sergeant Granger. She then moved over to talk to a fellow officer who quickly disappeared.
As she came walking back over, a young boy ran up and grabbed her hand. She looked down and smiled at him. "What are you doing here, Tommy?"
"I know what happened to the Thunderbird man," he replied, shying away slightly from Virgil, John and Gordon.
Sergeant Granger knelt down so she was at eye level with the boy and asked, "Did you see something?"
The boy nodded and John knelt down beside Sergeant Granger. "Can you tell us what you saw?" he asked, smiling at the young boy.
"A man came up behind him. He had a brick and he, uh, he hit him on the head. Then he dragged him away to a car and put him in the boot," explained Tommy.
"Can you remember anything about what the man looked like?" asked John, suddenly feeling more hopeful. At least they knew what had happened to him. The little boy shook his head and John felt his heart sink slightly.
"I bet you can tell me what car he drove though, can't you?" asked the officer.
"Yep, it was the older version of your Police car and it was dark green," replied Tommy, pausing to let her write down the details and then he continued. "The registration was AK06 VNN, oh and the rear brake lights were out."
Sergeant Granger made a call to track the car's owner and Tommy was taken away by his mother, leaving just the boys. They stood for a moment in silence, absorbing the information that Scott had definitely been abducted.
Gordon was the first to break the silence asking, "Do you think he is okay?"
"Well, we know he must at least have a headache if he was knocked out," replied Virgil, trying to downplay how bad it could actually be. If a brick hit him then it could have done serious damage.
Gordon found himself looking towards Thunderbird One and Mobile Control that sat just beneath her. It was all set up as if he would be back any minute and he knew that wasn't going to happen. "I'm going to pack Mobile Control up," he said to his brothers, before quickly walking away.
Virgil and John could see that Gordon needed a couple of minutes alone so they didn't follow him. John rubbed his temples feeling his own headache coming on.
"You okay, John?" asked Virgil.
John thought about lying and claiming that it was nothing but it wasn't worth it. Virgil usually saw through him anyway and his brother already knew he wasn't one hundred percent. "My head's killing me."
"I thought as much," replied Virgil and he pulled some painkillers out of his pocket. "These should help ease it off."
John took the painkillers and smiled gratefully at his younger brother. He should have known that Virgil would be prepared for this. He quickly swallowed them down and thanked his brother.
Suddenly, they heard a loud shout from Gordon and ran to where Mobile Control was. Gordon stood with his back to them staring at the ground just behind Mobile Control. Neither brother could see what he was looking at until they drew level with him. Gordon pointed down at a brick and at first glance, there was nothing unusual about it then Virgil spotted the crimson stain on the edge of it.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked Virgil, his face paling slightly at the sight.
John knelt down and studied it closely. He was careful not to touch it, as he knew the Police would want to analyse it. "It definitely looks like blood but why would he leave it here to be found?" queried John, standing back up again.
"Maybe he didn't think anyone would really notice it. The whole area is strewn with debris," replied Virgil.
"Or maybe he wanted us to find it. He wanted us to know that Scott was hurt," added Gordon, though he also had another theory as to why it had been left. This one he wasn't going to disclose to his brothers. What if the brick was left because it didn't matter if it was found? What if the guy knew that by the time the prints were checked if there were any it would be too late? The man who took Scott could have done it just to kill him and not for any ransom. There were people out there who wanted to see International Rescue gone and what better way than to take out its members. A voice then broke into his thoughts.
"Gords, are you okay?" asked John. He had noticed that his brother seemed to staring off into space but his expression had shown fear.
Gordon masked his fear with a smile and then noticed that Virgil had disappeared. Looking around, he saw that his older brother was talking to the Police. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, looking back at his other brother.
John wasn't sure he believed that but before he could question his brother further, Virgil had come back over with Sergeant Granger.
"We are now sending the brick off for analysis. Hopefully there will be some fingerprints or DNA evidence," explained Sergeant Granger.
"How soon would you be able to get the results back?" asked John.
"If there is anything to find then it may take a while to get the results. They can at least be used to prosecute the man when Scott is found."
"If he's found," muttered Gordon.
"Gordon, don't talk like that," said Virgil, shocked that Gordon could be thinking the worst already. The thought had crossed his own mind but they had to stay positive.
Gordon could feel his temper rising and before he could stop himself he snapped at his older brothers. "Oh come on. We all know there is a good chance he is. I'm no medic but even I know that being hit by a brick is bad. For all we know, he could already be dead."
John walked over to his younger brother and wrapped his arm around him. "Gords, you have to believe that he is alive, it's the only way we can get through this."
"Yeah and it may have only been a glancing blow, enough to knock him out but not do permanent damage," added Virgil, moving to the other side of the Gordon.
Gordon smiled weakly at his two older brothers. Of all his brothers, Virgil and John always seemed to know the right things to say.
Consciousness crept up on Scott but this time he wasn't so sure he wanted to wake up. He could already feel the pain and icy water clutching at him again. He didn't want to fight anymore; he just wanted to return to the darkness and a place where it didn't hurt.
He closed his eyes trying to forget for a moment where he was and began thinking about the Island. How he wished he could be lying on that beach right now surrounded by his family. His legs felt numb now and that feeling was spreading. Right now, there was one person he wanted most in the world and that was his Dad. How he longed to see his reassuring face before him, hear those words of comfort that only Jeff could say but he wouldn't. He was never going to hear them again and he would never get to say good-bye.
It was then he realized he could hear splashing. Forcing his eyes open, everything seemed blurry but he could make out a large, menacing black shadow approaching him.
Virgil was just about to contact base and let his Dad know what was going on when Sergeant Granger came jogging over to him. He could see instantly that she had some news.
"We know who took Scott," she said as she drew level with him.
"Who?" asked Virgil, desperate to know who was behind the agony his family were going through? John and Gordon were packing up the rest of their equipment as they both needed to be busy until they knew more. He thought about calling them over but wanted to get all the details first.
"His name is Mike Richards. A colleague of mine actually pulled him over last week for the broken light."
At last, they finally had something to go on. With a name, they could find an address, which could lead on to Scott's location and Virgil could feel his hope rising. He then felt it sink when he looked back at the young Police Sergeant before him. It wasn't hope in her eyes; it was sadness with a hint of fear. "What is it?" he asked.
She took a deep breath before responding. "This isn't a ransom attack, Virgil. This is revenge."
"Revenge for what?" he asked. What the hell had Scott done that warranted this?
"The woman who was pulled out of the building already deceased, was his wife. He apparently was raving to the paramedics that your team was to blame. If you had gone into the building before putting out the fire then she would be alive," she paused for a moment allowing that to sink. "It looks like he wants to make you or more specifically Scott pay for his wife's death."
Virgil felt the fear he had been holding back rise up once more as he took in her words. If this guy was out for revenge then Scott was in serious danger. Gordon's words suddenly seemed prophetic. Now there was a bigger chance that Scott was already dead. He never even saw John or Gordon come back as he was so wrapped up in his thoughts and fears that he had lost his big brother and best friend.
Sergeant Granger explained to John and Gordon what they now knew, then left the three young men to talk. John placed a hand on Virgil's shoulder but he didn't react so he stepped in front of him. "You still with us, bro?" he asked.
The haunted, vacant look that had plagued his face suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced with a mask of false calm. "I better go call Base and let them know what is going on," he said, turning away from them.
John wasn't sure his brother could really handle that job but he also knew that Virgil would never let anyone else do it. He was in charge now and it was his job to keep Base informed. He watched silently as Virgil walked over to Thunderbird Two.
Scott blinked his eyes and tried to focus on the large black shadow before him. It was then he felt a wet sensation on his nose and he knew what the shape before him was. It was a dog and with a dog came an owner. He felt a little hope rise as the dog began to bark, he was going to be rescued. He could hear a voice calling and he assumed it was the owner. He suddenly felt all that hope sink as the dog began to move away to follow the voice. How could he be this close to being rescued only to have it snatched away again?
Just as he thought it was all over for him, he heard splashing and then the dog appeared before him once more. He wished his hands were free so that he could grab hold of the dog's collar forcing the owner to come to them. As if sensing he needed to stay the dog moved closer and continued barking.
After what seemed like an eternity to Scott, the owner's voice got louder and he could now tell that it was a woman.
"Tyson, where are you?" yelled the voice as she suddenly appeared between the trees. "Oh my god," she added as she saw what had distracted her dog.
She ran over and dropped to her knees beside him. The first thing she noticed was the crimson water surrounding him, which she quickly figured, came from the deep wound to his thigh. It was then she saw the bound limbs and the heavy shivering. "I need to get you out of here," she said, standing back up.
Using all the strength she could muster, she dragged him out of the stream and onto the wet grass. She then tried to undo the ropes but the knots were so wet and tight from Scott's struggling that she couldn't.
Scott gazed up at his rescuer but she was still blurry and even though he was out of the water, he felt even colder. The numbness had now spread up to his chest and he still wasn't sure if he would make it. He could see her stand up and pull something out of her pocket, which he hoped was a phone.
The young woman knelt back down beside the man, taking off her coat as she did so and laid it over him. She then pulled off her scarf and tied it tightly around his leg to help stem the bleeding and protect the wound.
Her attention then turned to the man's face. His eyes were open but they were glazed and unfocussed. "Can you hear me?" she asked and he nodded wearily.
"I'm not going to ask if you're okay as I know you're not but I have called for help and they will be here really soon," she said trying to reassure the man. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked, still fighting to undo the ropes around his wrists.
"S-scott," he said slowly. He could only pick up bits of what she was saying to him but he knew she asked his name. Even though he had no idea who the young woman before him was, he couldn't deny how relieved he was to see her. He was no longer alone and maybe he could last until help arrived. His thoughts moved back to his family and how much he wanted to see them.
The young woman continued talking reassuringly to Scott, hoping to keep him awake and desperately fighting to get the ropes off him. She could see that his wrists were raw and bleeding from his own attempts to remove them. It had started to rain again and she could feel her top beginning to stick to her back but she wasn't going to take her coat back.
He had begun to mumble now but it was incoherent. All she could understand was he felt guilty about someone named Alan.
She then noticed the sleeve of his top and realized it looked more like a uniform of some sort. Lifting his coat up gently, she noticed a torn sash across his chest with a familiar logo. It was known the world over as the symbol for hope, the icon for International Rescue. However, this man couldn't be one of them; it had to be a costume didn't it? Why would a Thunderbird be lying in a stream in the middle of nowhere? It was then she noticed he had gone quiet and his eyes were shut.
"Scott, you still with me?" she asked touching his face gently. It was so cold but she could tell he still breathing. A welcoming sound was approaching and soon she saw blue lights roaring up. A Police car appeared first but she could tell that an ambulance wasn't far behind.
The Police Officer jumped out and jogged over. "Is he still alive?"
"Yeah but he's in a bad way," she replied as the officer knelt down beside the man. He then jumped up and grabbed his radio. "We got him. Tell the guys from International Rescue, he has been found and will be off to Dereham Memorial Hospital."
"That's not a costume? He really is a member of International Rescue?" she asked and the officer nodded. She staggered back slightly at the realization of who she had just rescued. "Uh, what was he doing out here?"
Before the man could respond, the ambulance roared into view and the Paramedics had soon come over. They quickly checked Scott's vital signs and one went to get a stretcher.
"Looks like we got a gunshot wound and a blow to the head," said the Paramedic as she gently removed the scarf from Scott's leg.
"Is he going to be okay?" asked the young woman.
"It's too early to say but it doesn't look good. His pulse is weak and he has lost a lot of blood," she replied.
Scott was soon lifted onto the stretcher and into the rear of the ambulance. The doors were soon shut and the ambulance raced off, sirens blazing as Scott's vital signs dropped once more.
Poor Scott, he has finally been rescued but can he last until he reaches the hospital. Thanks for reading everyone. Love ya.