The Ransom (Part 2)
By Jenny Taylor
Virgil stirs and groans from his sleep, eyes blurred as he tries to make out what happened. He tries to touch his face, but he felt something cold and metal on his wrists and the sound of clinking above his head, which is restricting the movement of his raised arms. He blinks to clear his vision to see that his wrists are in shackles.
"What the hell?" He said in shock, as he turns his head to inspect himself, before inspecting his cell.
Virgil is shackled to a metal-based adjustable bed, with his ankles shackled, via steel chain links, to the base of the bed base, horizontally. His wrists are shackled to the top of the bed base, which is elevated at an angle of 45 degrees. Also there is a steel chain, which is bigger, thicker and heavier than those chained to his shackles, which runs across his waist and is padlocked to the sides of the bed.
The cell was a small, bare and an empty, dark-coloured metal room with a dark-coloured metal door opposite to where Virgil is positioned, with a lowly neon light attached to the ceiling above him.
Virgil calmly leans back onto the bed, looking at the ceiling, away from the light source. He hear a low, continuous rumbling sound and he can feel a slight pressure in his ears, the type of pressure which is familiar to him. Also, what is familiar to him, are vibrations which he can feel through his lower and upper torso as well as his legs via his bed. He is imprisoned on some sort of a moving aircraft. He calmly takes a deep breath as he recalls what happened and the realization of his predicament.
"Oh great!" He exclaims with a hint of disappointment. "Where are they taking me? And who are they? What do they want with me? And why?" He questions quietly, shaking his head, trying to figure out who would want him alive and why.
He pauses for a while and takes another look at his cell, when something caught his eye. He just noticed a camera, bolted just to the left side of the door, looking straight at him.
"Hello, is anybody out there watching me?" He called to the camera. A few seconds later a full, human-size hologram of his captor, with his face concealed from view, projected from the camera, appeared. The sight of the hologram turns Virgil's face of calm and determination to shock and fear.
"It is so nice to see you awake, Virgil Grissom Tracy." Greeted the captor, whose voice is filled with glee. The sound of his captor's voice made Virgil shiver in fear.
"The Hood!"
"I am pleased that you remember me, Virgil Grissom Tracy." Replied the Hood, sounding pleased, then he continued with a question. "I assume that you know the reasons why you are currently here in my domain?"
"You're going to blackmail my family, so you can get your hands on the Thunderbirds in exchange for my freedom." Answers Virgil in a low and angry tone, but also in a calm voice. He shudders again when the Hood laughs a small, short and evil laugh.
"I wouldn't be surprised that you would come up with an obvious statement of my plan." Smirked the Hood. "However, there is more than just getting my hands on your precious machines."
"What do you mean?" Frowned Virgil in anger.
"I mean that getting my hands on your Thunderbirds isn't enough for me." Confusion sets on Virgil's face as he begins to worry on what else the Hood is after. "I am after your entire and precious organisation!" Virgil is taken aback, wide-eyed and mouth open in shock.
"Yes Virgil Grissom Tracy," Gloated the Hood before continuing. "I want everything that you and your family own and hold most preciously in your hearts. YOUR Thunderbirds! YOUR equipment! YOUR precious International Rescue! AND your precious island that you call base and home!"
Virgil shouted in anger at the Hood's proposal, "WHAT?! Are you serious? There's NO WAY you're going to get hands on MY family AND International Rescue."
"Can't I?" Asked the Hood in amusement before continuing in a calm tone, "Now that you're awake I can make a direct call to your family who must be worried sick about your… Oh, now how shall I put it? Your disappearance."
Virgil shook, frowned and angered by the statement, as the Hood continued. "Oh I almost forgot to thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Angered Virgil, unsure on what the Hood was thanking him for, and he's not liking it.
"To thank you for the tools you provided, in order for me to contact your family directly." The Hood replied his voice filled with pleasure. Virgil, at first, wasn't sure what the Hood meant until it hit him.
His personal communicator!
The realization of his personal communicator now in the hands of his mortal and arch enemy sent shivers down his spine at the same time as fear and shock spreads across his face. He knows that the Hood is going to use it to blackmail his family and there's nothing he can do to stop him.
The Hood laughed menacingly as soon as he saw the fear of realisation from his prisoner, then he spoke with pleasure.
"I can see that you're getting the message, Virgil Grissom Tracy," His then voice then changed into the voice that sends shivers of dread down the helpless Tracy's spine. "I must go now and make my call to your wonderful family and make my offers to them."
"NO!" Shouted Virgil, his voice filled with anger, fear and despair, he struggles to get at the hologram, but as he shot forward, a sharp pain in his shoulders, his elbows, lower arms and wrists, which are restricted by the wrist shackles, sent him back in agony.
It was no use. The Hood's laughing hologram disappears leaving Virgil all alone in the cold, dark, metallic cell.
Virgil stopped struggling and sank back into his uncomfortable, restraining bed. He looked up to the ceiling shaking his head, taking deep breaths to numb the pain in his shoulders and arms.
"Mom… Dad… Grandpa… Jaycee… Help us! ...Save us! …Please!" He whispers and begs in sadness, pain and despair as tears of sadness starts to swell and falls from his eyes, fearing on what's going to happen next, not only to him but also to his family.
Knowing that there's nothing that he can do to stop the inevitable, he closes his eyes, with tears falling down behind his cheek and then behind his jaw, awaiting for his turn, his fate, which now lies in the hands of his own family. He knows that that decision will tear his family apart, but he fears what they might decide pick one option over the other.
At first he know what he wants to do, to sacrifice himself so International Rescue can save more lives and the powerful organisation would not fall into the hands of their arch enemy.
But as soon as he thought it, he decides against it. He doesn't want to sacrifice himself, because he knew that his brothers will suffer badly without him, particularly Scott, because himself and Scott are very close to each other and he doesn't want them suffer also he loves them. Plus they are still suffering from the loss of their father from the year before and losing Virgil will push them over the edge.
He would like to be back with his family safe and sound, but would mean sacrificing everything, EVERYTHING that their father worked so hard for them and the rest of the world, just so that he can be reunited with them. He woke up from those feelings and thoughts, and sat there in sadness, waiting, waiting in fear for his fate.