The Ransom (Part 17)
By Jenny Taylor
The Hood had started to become angry at Virgil's new found determination, so much so that his hand on his prisoner's forehead turned from flat and calm into a claw and his nails dug into Virgil's skin, causing the victim to wince and hiss in pain.
"If you think that your brothers are going to find and free you…THEN THINK AGAIN TRACY!" The villain said angrily and menacingly as he stood up to tighten his claw and pressing his hand down hard on Virgil's head. "YOU will NEVER see your PRECIOUS brothers EVER AGAIN!"
"I wouldn't bet on that IF I were you!" Virgil verbally retaliated with determination despite the pain he's receiving. "I WILL be reunited with MY family. And YOU, WILL, end up in PRISON for this!"
"IF…your brothers can find YOU!" The evil mastermind angrily as he slams his clenched free hand on Virgil's chest, hard, causing the prisoner to grimace and gasp in pain. "YOU'RE forgetting that NO-ONE can FIND your PRECIOUS FATHER! NOT even YOU NOR YOUR BROTHERS can find HIM!"
"YOU LEAVE MY DAD OUT OF THIS!" Virgil shouted angrily, his face is turning red. "WE KNOW that IT IS YOU who took OUR DAD FROM US!"
"YOU ARE A FOOL TRACY!" The arch-villain lost it, took his hand off his victim's forehead and punched Virgil squarely in the cheek, causing the receiver to gasp in pain. "IF YOU THINK that I was RESPONSIBLE for your FATHER'S DEMISE. THEN. YOU. ARE. WRONG! I HAD NOTHING TO WITH YOUR STUPID FATHER'S DEATH! SO, DON'T YOU EVEN DARE ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT DO! "
He spat close to Virgil's face as he spoke, punched him in the face and stormed towards the door of the medical room. He stopped and turned to look angrily, red faced and snarled at the bound Tracy brother. "ONCE, your operations AND upgrades are complete… YOU'LL pay DEARLY for your INSOLENCE TRACY! AND just to ADD to ONE. VITAL. FACT… YOU will NOT SEE YOUR PRECIOUS BROTHERS. NEVER AGAIN!"
And with that, he stormed out of the room, with the heavy metal door slammed shut, leaving a blind, bound and now bruised Virgil alone. Virgil let out his breath, which he didn't know that he was holding, in a long slow sigh.
The sudden hostile, and surprisingly and un-expecting, violence from his mortal nemesis had made him sort of…scared. He had no idea that the villain would explode like he did. He's sort of glad that he's wearing a blind-fold otherwise he would have seen the ugly side of the Hood.
Virgil lies there, pondering about the villain's words about his dad's disappearance. Is the Hood responsible for his dad's disappearance? He sighs, shaking his head. Is the Hood really going to go through with his plan? The more likely answer is yes, but…the Hood's threat about me accusing him of my dad's demise? Is he going to follow that up too?
Virgil doesn't know the answer to that one and it's starting to worry him. Even though he has faith in his brothers that they will find and rescue him, but…when the Hood mentioned about his dad's disappearance, it had lowered his confidence, faith and hope. This is due to the fact that still couldn't find their father.
Virgil is saddened by that one fact that he begins to doubt himself. What if they can't find me? What is the Hood going to do to me, after that outburst I made? Will I see my brothers again? Tears welled up in his forced-closed eyes as he silently cries for the comfort from his beloved family.
He lies there, all alone in the medical room of his captor's ship, flying to an unknown destination for his fake demise to take place. He lies there waiting, waiting for that dreaded and fateful time that his family will last see him, alive.
After the '3' mark was spoken, Gordon, with help from his kidnapped brother's 'Jaws of Life' lifted the debris off the young Joe's broken legs, which made the patient yelp, wince and gasp in pain. By that point, Scott and Jaycee pulled Joe out of the rubble and onto the stretcher that Alan placed quickly beneath the patient.
Suddenly, Joe becomes pale and passes out the doctor realised what was happening to her patient. "His blood pressure has dropped! We need to get him out of the water now!" And with that, Alan pressed a button which raised the collapsible legs of the stretcher to the appropriate height.
"Scott, put the bandages on Joe's legs to stop the bleeding! Alan, get the vacuum splints out of my bag and be ready to straighten and stabilize Joe's legs. Gordon, hold the defibrillator would you, while I cut Joe's clothes and then attach the pads onto his chest. Any problems call me."
The doctor ordered the boys and they did what they were told. Scott managed to stop the bleeding on both of Joe's legs by applying the necessary pressures and then using clean bandages from the doctor's bag, after that he waited with Alan for the next set of instructions into straightening the patient's legs.
Gordon held the defibrillator for Jaycee as she cuts Joe's clothes then dries his chest with a clean, dry cloth and then applied the pads to the correct positions, before connecting them to the defibrillator.
Everyone held their breaths as the AED (Automated Exterior Defibrillator) scans the young patient's heart rhythm. It wasn't good. It was weak and the AED automated voice told them that a shock is needed. "Stay clear from the patient everyone." Jaycee ordered, which Scott and Alan backed off as the machine is charging.
"Clear!" Dr. Anderson barked as she pressed the shock button, which a millisecond later made the patient's body jump. After that, Jaycee went to check Joe's breathing, she breathed a sigh of relieve as Joe was breathing by himself again, but still unconscious and his heart rate is weak but stable. He's a bit cold to the touch, probably due to the fact that he's been in the water about an hour and a half.
"Gordon, keep an eye on the AED readings, if anything changes call me, I'll be helping Scott and Alan on straightening Joe's legs." She commanded the aquanaut.
"F.A.B." The aquanaut replied as the doctor joined the Field Commander and the astronaut at the other end of the stretcher, while he watches the heart monitor.
"O.K. Let's straighten Joe's legs. Scott you'll pull the leg straight, Alan once the leg is straightened, I want you to place the vacuum splint underneath the leg, while me and Scott carefully lift the leg up."
"F.A.B." The eldest and youngest brothers replied. Scott carefully manipulates Joe's right leg back into its correct position, but as he did so, the pain from the movement wakes the young patient up, howling in agony. The doctor moves back up the stretcher to the now crying patient.
"Easy Joe, it's okay. I know it hurts but it's got to be done. It will be easier for the doctors in the hospital to fix your legs when they are straight." The calm doctor explained in a caring voice as she rubs Joe's arm to comfort him so that he can relax.
"The doc's right kid," Chipped in the joker of the brothers. "It'll be easier to walk on straight legs rather than on wobbly legs." This was responded by the groans and rolling eyes from his brothers plus a face palm by Alan, a 'tisk' and a cock up with the head, followed by shaking the head by Dr. Anderson and a smile from a crying Joe.
"Clown Fish," Gordon looked up to the only person who called him by that old, and almost forgotten, nickname. "Despite your wise cracks and jokes, which are currently at the bottom of the pile as usual," Gordon was taken aback by that comment and was slightly disgusted from hearing some snickers from his brothers, but continued listening to his older brother's girlfriend.
"You are in a much better position into calming Joe down while Scott Alan and I continue to straighten his legs and getting the splints on them. So I suggest that you place the AED on the stretcher next to Joe and comfort and reassure him during the procedure. Think that you're up to the challenge Fish Brain?"
Another pair snickers from his brothers, trying to stifle their laughs at Gordon's old insulting nickname, was almost enough for the fish of the family to explode, but he took a deep breath to control and calm his temper before responding to the doctor. "Yes mom." And then places the AED on the stretcher and started to speak and calm the young boy.