Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Sea at night was a treacherous lady, cloaked in darkness and ready to devour a ship at a moment's notice. Despite her terrors, Seb reveled in her grace and beauty, standing above her waves as they crashed against the ship's bow. He'd been a sailor since the moment he could board a boat, salty ocean coursing through his veins. That had been decades ago and still she held his soul. Never was there a time he would choose any other vessel to carry him across the sea.

Tonight, however, his lady seemed unusually still, save for the occasional rise and fall that barely sent a spray over the side. The captain would see it as luck, granted by their mistress herself, but the lad was young. Young enough to miss the way the ocean appeared to fall away into a starless void; not even a reflection over her surface. 

Seb saw it - should have questioned it - but his love was a mysterious woman. Who was he to assume he knew everything about her?

When they hit, there had been no need for alarm, the water slowing them to a crawl as it swirled around the hull. Seb had felt it, though, keen to the ship's changes. Still, he didn't see cause for alarm. The boat wasn't rocking, the wind and waves weren't threatening to send him overboard. 

The silence - that alone set his nerves on edge, the hairs prickling on his neck. His hand reached for the comm, pressing the button.

The Sea erupted.

In an instant, the ship rocked to the side, sending him grasping for the rails as he screamed into the receiver. The crew that had been sleeping would now be awake, scrambling for their own holds and wanting answers. 

Seb didn't have any. Even as he watched the black wave rise from the ocean, impossibly high and blocking out the moon, he didn't know what he could say. Didn't know how to explain what was about to happen. All that fell from his dry throat was a strangled "help" just before the ocean crashed down, sucking him, the crew, the ship, all of them down into its murky depths.

As the darkness encompassed him, Seb fought for the surface, desperate for air, but each stroke offered no sign of light. Even the waterproof lighting of the ship was gone. Old eyes grew wide with understanding - the Sea was taking what she wanted. There would be no returning to his world. Nothing could save him.

And as a hiss, filled with anger vibrated through his head, Seb stopped fighting. He lived for the Sea - seemed only right he died by her.

OoOoOoO

The klaxon sounded just as he stepped into the pool, Gordon's displeasure evident as he kicked at the perfectly tempered liquid. The irritation didn't last long once John appeared over the lounge, his expression grim with news of the new situation. The aquanaut listened to the cry for help from a crewman, followed by the request for assistance by the ship's home port. It had gone under, but all systems appeared to be functioning. A few lifesigns were present within, but the port authorities had no way of getting to them in time.

"I'm here," a yawn accompanied the greeting as Virgil stepped into the lounge, boxers and t-shirt still wrinkled from sleep. 

"We'll fill you in on the way," Gordon knocked his co-pilot's shoulder as he moved past, heading for his launch tube. "Looks like I'll need the big green taxi for this one." He chuckled at the growl from the barely awake bear, pleased to see the man shuffle to his own launch platform. Nothing woke Virgil up faster than a good, blood boiling anger - except maybe coffee, but that would take far too long. Gordon was happy to offer a substitute.

The launch into Thunderbird 4 made up for his missed swim, though short as it was, and he climbed inside, already prepping emergency respirators for anyone he needed to transport from the ship. His movements were fluid, adjusting with the transition of his 'bird into Module 4 and then Thunderbird 2. Everything was set by the time the clamps locked in and Gordon quickly made his way to the platform that would take him to the cockpit. 

Only, the platform was still up.

"Virg, you're forgetting something," a teasing smile as a grumble came back in reply.

Followed by, "Passengers ride in the back. Fare is due when we get home." Oh, yes, the bear was definitely grumpy. 

"Aw, c'mon, Virgil, it was a joke," Gordon tried and failed as the large cargo ship began to make her way towards the cave entrance. Point taken, he hurried back into the submarine and buckled up. Launching from the middle of Thunderbird 2 meant more G's in the turn and Gordon wasn't in the mood to be pancaked before breakfast.

As expected, payback wasn't worth the tease in the lounge and the blonde protested loudly through the comms once Virgil had straightened out, "That was so much worse than what I did."

"Eye of the beholder, Fish-face," Virgil gave a dark laugh as he adjusted course. "Get comfortable. I'll be dropping you off in fifteen minutes."

With a sigh, he leaned back in his seat, "FAB." No point trying to convince his brother to let him up top if their ETA was so short. He smiled as he accessed his snack compartment and pulled out a few treats Virgil had banned from the cockpit. Being a nuisance came with its perks.

Virgil eventually announced their arrival, but not in a way Gordon expected, his brother sounding confused through the comm, "Uh, coming up on the ship's location, but...Thunderbird 5, are you certain they went under?"

"According to their last communication, yes," John answered, his own level of confusion apparent from the questioning of his report. 

"What is it?" The aquanaut felt his own frustration increasing with the lack of a window out into the danger zone. 

"It's on the surface," before anyone could argue that it was entirely possible for a ship to float if air pockets remained intact - though any occupants might find themselves on the ceiling - Virgil clarified, "She's right side up."

Now, that was something. He'd seen the effort it had taken to roll a ship. There was no way one could do so on its own. Activating the rear hatch, Gordon stepped out of Thunderbird 4, "Open the module and lemme see."

Holding onto the wall as the container lowered, he waited with a newfound curiosity that didn't quite match the severity of the situation, but until he had eyes on the ship, it couldn't be helped. The hatch lowered and Gordon peered over the edge as salty ocean air whipped through his hair. Just below them, the vessel bobbed on the waves, morning sun reflecting off her hull. There was no one in clear view, however.

"Any lifesigns?" Virgil asked what Gordon was thinking.

"Yes, sending you their locations," a hologram of the ship appeared over Gordon's arm, followed by a scattering of icons.

Jaw set, he quickly put on his helmet, "Virgil, I'm rappelling down. I'll bring them to the upper decks for retrieval."

"FAB, I'll have the chair lift ready," the mechanical arms were already in motion to collect the equipment.

Attaching a line to himself, Gordon leapt from the module and slid smoothly down to the main deck. Water puddled over the wood, his only evidence that any amount of moisture had made it over her sides. It was quiet. Eerily so. 

Finding the closest door that would lead to one of the survivors, he opened it - and stopped. Gordon wanted to report, but his brain didn't appear to be communicating between his eyes and his mouth. 

"What's going on, Thunderbird 4?" Virgil's voice shocked him back into the moment.

"The ship's full of water."

"What do you mean?" His older brother's voice held an edge of concern.

"I'm looking at a stairwell with no stairs. They're covered with water," and she was still afloat? 

"That's not supposed to happen, right?" Virgil was relying on the aquanaut's expertise, recognizing his own limitations. It was a trait his big brother willingly admitted to and Gordon was grateful for it. It reduced the amount of arguments at times.

"Thunderbird 5, can you get a reading on their pump room and see if it's functional? It should've kicked on when it flooded," though, it would do little to no good if the ship was fully submerged. 

"The systems appear intact, but they're not operating like they were designed to. I can't activate them remotely either," John sent a new schematic to the holoprojection over Gordon's arm. "If you follow that path, it should take you to the manual access point."

"Thanks, Johnnie," the splash of the water around his feet as he hit the first step drowned out the groan of disapproval. Two brothers successfully messed with, Gordon knew he should stop while he was ahead, but a good jab never hurt. Plus, it helped take the edge off of how dark the water was as he slid into it, his helmet lamps doing little to cut through the murk. "Virgil, I think something leaked into the water. Visibility is next to none."

"Think it's flammable?" Man, he hoped not.

"Too hard to tell," Gordon found a wall and let his hand slide over it while using the holomap for guidance. "Maybe grab a sample, just in case?"

"Up to you, Gordon," Virgil didn't seem too keen on the idea, "I'm for getting everyone out as quickly as possible. You can grab a sample when we're done."

"Right," he smiled, finding comfort in his brother's sense of priority. "Heading for the pump room now."

It wasn't a large ship by any sense of the word, but it wasn't small either. Even with a clearly mapped out path, the murky water was making for a slow progression, Gordon's hand slipping into a void as the wall ended and a new hallway presented itself. He hoped starting the pumps would clear the obstacle and extraction would be made infinitely easier. 

When he finally made it to the doorway of his destination, it became clear why the pumps hadn't done their job, "Guys, the room's not been flooded." Through the circular window, Gordon could easily make out the consoles and the large pumps, not a drop of moisture on the floor. 

"Can you get the door open?" He could imagine Virgil, arms crossed in his seat as he waited.

"That should flood the room and activate the pumps,"John added, probably watching the ship's systems as Gordon moved through the lower deck. 

"Let's find out," the blonde found the handle holding the hatch closed, assessing the amount of pressure that was hitting it and would likely send him crashing into the room with the influx of liquid. It'd be fun. 

Pulling at the manual lock, the door flew away and Gordon found himself sucked into the room and flung across the floor. It only took a few seconds for the displaced water to fill the space, machinery whirring to life as sensors finally acknowledged the problem.

"Pumps are active," the astronaut informed him as he stood in the middle of the churning waters. "Good work, Thunderbird 4."

"I've got visual," Virgil confirmed. "Water's being removed. Sending down the chair lift now. Let's get those people outta there."

With pleasure, Gordon made his way back out to the hall, the water level already down to his hip. The first door he came to opened with some effort, but he was grateful to find a crew member, very much alive, on the other side. With the man in tow, John began calling out through the ship's intercom for the rest to calmly head for the main deck for evacuation. At the instruction, more doors could be heard opening, shaken figures stepping out into ankle deep water. 

"I'm gonna do a room sweep and make sure we didn't miss anyone," the idea that those he found would likely be dead was pushed aside for the hope that he might get lucky. His brother's Thunderbird could be wrong, which hadn't really happened yet, but he wasn't going to take the chance. 

To his surprise, Gordon had almost completed his search without finding a single body. A new thought regarding how many might've been swept overboard didn't settle well. When he made it to the final door, the captain's quarters, he hoped it would be empty.

It wasn't. 

Inside, a man lay slumped against the corner, chin resting against his chest. The moisture on the floor was a telltale sign of what had happened, but as Gordon looked at the slack face, he noticed a dark smudge running from the man's cheek to his ear. It was odd, but nothing he needed to look into. The body was here and his loved ones would have someone to bury. That was all that needed to matter for the dead man. 

"Any more lifesigns, John?" Turning away from the room, Gordon began heading towards the exit.

"All clear," the astronaut offered and the holomap disappeared, no longer needed. "Virgil's got a few more waiting to get in the lift."

"FAB, I'll keep'em calm," bounding up the previously submerged stairs, he was greeted by the sun and the green of his brother's 'bird, along with the frantic faces of six stragglers waiting for the rest to load into the module. Gordon found the closest, a warm smile easy to conjure with the quickly approaching end of a rescue, "Everyone alright?"

The man he'd sidled up to jumped, eyes wide with nerves on edge. He calmed a second later after realizing Gordon was one of his rescuers, "No injuries. Just ready to hit dry land."

"Completely understand," smile growing with relief that the rest of the group seemed willing to stay calm, his eyes turned upwards. He could see Virgil ushering people towards the safer sections of the module. The lift would return within the minute and they'd be heading home after a quick drop off. His brother would be expecting an entire pot of coffee upon arrival if not before. The small unit in Two could make up for the tease, moods lifted for the remainder of the day. 

Turning to regard the ocean around them, it was peaceful, void of any indication as to why this ship had gone under, muchless surfaced again. If it hadn't been for the flooding, Gordon would have questioned one of the survivors. They had enough trauma to deal with at the moment. No need dredging up the experience.

"Incoming," Virgil called and he looked up to see the chair lift beginning its descent. 

"Alright, everyone step ba-" the ship rocked violently, sending the group to the deck with cries of terror. Gordon rolled into a crouch, comm connecting to his brothers, "What the hell was that?"

"I don't see anything," Virgil called back, "John?"

"Scanning now," a beat of silence as Gordon watched the lift slowly lowering. He wished it would drop faster. "The ocean's clear. Scans aren't showing anything."

"Virg, any way you could speed up the extraction?" He tried to sound calm as he helped one of the men up.

"Dropping Two remotely, watch yourselves," there were only a few seconds to clear before the sound of the VTOL grew deeper, the 'bird inching down until the seats hit the deck. 

"Everyone in!" It was an unnecessary order, but it still managed to send the men scurrying over the deck, each desperate to get secure. Gordon urged the man beside him to run, but as their boots hit a puddle, the ship rocked again, sending them both flying as the others clung to the lift. 

They hit, Gordon twisting to catch his charge as they collided with the railing. Without hesitating, he dragged the man to his feet and pushed him towards the chairs once more. He couldn't worry about what was causing the disturbances. They needed to get off the ship.

Movement in the doorway leading to the lower decks caught Gordon's attention and his eyes widened. The captain, leaning heavily on the frame, was alive. Regret and fear waged for control as the ship shivered and he made the decision, pushing his charge towards the chairs, "Get in! Virgil, I've got one more survivor by the stairs! I'm going for him!"

"Hurry up," Virgil didn't need to tell him twice.

Boots pounding over the wood, the aquanaut made it to the captain in seconds, catching the man's arm and throwing it over his shoulder, "I've got ya, c'mon." 

There was no response as they stumbled across the deck, Gordon pleased to see everyone in their seats. 

"What the… Gordon!" Virgil's exclamation hit him just as the shadow enveloped the ship. He didn't want to turn. He wanted to get to the seats. He wanted this rescue to be over, but the looks on the victims' faces told him it wouldn't be that simple. A few uncoordinated steps with the captain in tow and the wave hit. 

He only knew it was a wave by the way it slapped the ship and spread, the water slamming into his legs and sweeping him off his feet. Gordon held tight to his charge, reaching for a cable attaching the deck to an upper structure. His body jerked as he caught it and the full weight of the captain before they could go over, jaw tight with effort. A second passed, but the water didn't recede and with growing concern, Gordon looked down to find the deck covered in the black sludge he'd noticed upon arrival. 

"Virgil! Where's this stuff coming from?" His call came out high pitched with untempered distress, but it was all he could do to keep from losing his grip. The thick liquid pulled at him, the captain dead weight in his hold. 

Virgil didn't respond.

With a frantic kick, Gordon wrenched his head around to find Thunderbird 2 still in the air. She was swaying, the cries of the crew in the chairlift ringing out over the rush of the sea as they were whipped - away from a wave. The dark water rose unnaturally over the edge of the ship, spiraling up towards the green hull. A waterspout immediately came to mind, but they weren't in the middle of a storm. The sun was still shining, yet the ocean was climbing into the air. 

One shuddering breath and Gordon watched it come down, almost clawing at his brother's 'bird. Two shot to the side, barely dodging and with her belly turned away from the attack, the blonde could see Virgil frantically trying to maneuver with the remote control.

"Gordon!" It was strained through adrenaline clenched teeth, but Gordon knew the intent. Get the hell off this ship before whatever was happening took them both out.

"Get the lift up! I'll grapple!" Which meant turning loose his only hold, but it seemed a better option than waiting for the wave to return. Not even sure his charge was conscious, Gordon called out, "Hang onto me!" and let go. 

They rushed towards the edge of the ship with the flow of the liquid, Gordon pulling out his grapple gun. Loading it was difficult as he clung to the man who offered little assistance in the task. As the charge clicked into place, the blonde swung around once more, searching for Thunderbird 2. She was rising, the crew out of the way of the churning darkness that continued to swell around the ship. He raised the gun -

Arms wrapped around him, knocking their only chance of reaching Two out of his hands. With a hiss, Gordon jerked in the hold, "What are you doing?! Let go!" 

The face that met him was void of expression, eyes dark as the man's mouth gaped wordlessly. His fingers wrapped into the tubing of his rebreather and panic sent Gordon's fist into the captain's face. Better a busted nose than the loss of his air supply. It didn't phase the man, however and he only held on tighter. 

"Virg -" was cut off as they hit the railing, the dark water carrying them over the edge and into the ocean below. 

Chapter Text

He was a speck in a void of black, but to Virgil, it was like watching the world blink out of existence. After what he'd just witnessed, he wasn't entirely certain that wasn't what was happening. Steadying Thunderbird 2 as the lift began retracting, he called, "Gordon! Where are you?!"

He'd heard his little brother's distressed shouts just before he went over the edge, the situation growing worse by the second. With comms open, he could hear the labored breaths coming through until Gordon could adjust, "In-in the water, but I can't see anything!" 

"Do you still have the man with you?" Gordon's oxygen reserves would keep him safe for the time being. The victim wouldn't be so lucky. 

"I lost him when we fell," panic filled the answer, Gordon likely letting the failure dig into his heart. 

"John, can you get a location on Gordon and any other lifesigns in the water?" Virgil didn't have to wait long for his brother's icon to appear by the ship - the ship that was being dragged under the water. "What the hell is happening?"

"Virg - where's the captain?" Gordon's voice wavered.

Another glance at the holoprojection showed only his brother's lifesign, "Scans aren't showing him - get to the surface and I'll pick you up." Virgil's heart felt heavy, sympathizing with the weight his little brother held after losing someone they'd been there to rescue. 

The sound of Gordon's labored movements echoed through the comm as Virgil focused on getting the crew into the module. The men looked pale, most of them shaking as they slid to the floor by the others. He couldn't fault the reaction after everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

"Gordon, you're going deeper, turn around," John warned as he monitored. 

A grunt and he assumed their brother was doing just that, but with a flick of the icon to reveal the depths, it appeared the aquanaut was still swimming downward, "Stop swimming for a second. You're still going down."

A breath, "Okay, I've stopped."

No he hadn't. The icon continued moving further into the depths and Virgil realized Gordon was moving too fast, even for him, "Are you sure?"

"Yes?" 

"You're still sinking - fast. Is something attached to you?" His mind was running, trying to figure out a cause for the descent. 

A moment of listening to Gordon check himself and his gear, and then, "No, there's nothing." There was a tremble in his brother's voice, hidden under a forced calm. 

Alright, his turn to try something, "Gordon, just hold tight. This isn't going to be pleasant." It wasn't going to be easy either, the holographic controls for Thunderbird 2's grapple system appearing. "Sending a grapple down to you."

Gordon's breath hitched with the realization of Virgil's intent, a strained "FAB" answering the elder, who wasn't pleased with the option either. 

"Locking onto your location now," the grapple icon swept towards the one indicating his brother, the circle a bright red before indicating the target lock in bright green. "Firing in three, two, one -"

With the module hatch still open, the sound of the shot bounced around the space, but Virgil ignored it, watching the icons converge. His mind was repeating his brother's words from earlier - I can't see anything . He wouldn't be able to brace, "John, how long until impact?"

"Eleven seconds," the astronaut warned, a countdown appearing on the readouts. There was no telling if Gordon could see it and as it closed in, John counted, "Five, four, three, two -"

Virgil held his breath as he listened, biting back a curse as the grapple hit, a garbled cry from his little brother shooting through his gut. Silence followed it almost as painfully, "Gordon?" A glance at the hologram showed he was still descending. "Gordon, I need to retract the grapple. Are you secure?"

Another painful second and a groan floated through, followed by a string of gasped coughs. Virgil knew the sound and was well aware that he was the cause. He wouldn't hear anything else until the aquanaut got his breath back.

As expected, Gordon wheezed, "'m good. Pull me - up."

"FAB, hold tight," Virgil activated the winch, listening as the motor switched from letting the line out to winding it back in. Dark brown eyes watched as his brother's icon began to slow. 

"Ahhh! -the hell!" Gordon's call startled him enough to halt the process.

"What's wrong?" His eyes switched to the ocean below, wondering what it would take to tear the waters open and free his brother. 

"Som-somethings - pulling me - Ahh-Virg! I can't -" the disconnect of his brother and the grapple was too small a change for Thunderbird 2 to need adjusting, but he felt it. It leadened his gut and his mind became frantic for a new idea as Gordon began falling once more. 

"I'll - the grapple - I'll try -" before he could relay the little hope he had, Two jerked violently. It sent Virgil to the floor, clawing for a hold as he slipped through the open hatch. Arm muscles burned with the sudden use, securing him to the green ship as she continued to sway and fall towards the water.

"Thunderbird 2, pull up!" John's voice flared with fear not often heard. 

He couldn't. It was all Virgil could do to hang on, "Take control, John!" His brother didn't need a reason, the link activating and Two's VTOL intensifying. 

They were still falling.

"Virgil! It's not working!" The VTOL grew louder.

His eyes shot to the water below, watching the grapple line, tight and steady, and a terrifying understanding hit him, "Release the cable!"

It only took a second and then Thunderbird 2 was free - and in that next second, Virgil realized his mistake. His hand lost its purchase as his girl rocketed upwards and he was falling. A disorienting moment of feeling weightless as he watched Thunderbird 2 ascend and then he was moving, hands reaching for his grapple. Too slow. She was too far.

Virgil hit the water and everything went white, pain lacing up his back, limbs numbed by the impact. Sensations floated through him, his mind unable to single any one of them out until they intensified and he could suck in an agonizing breath. Someone was shouting in his ear - his helmet - sending spikes through the muddled thoughts. One of them sounded wrong.

"Virg? You okay?" Gordon's concern was intertwined with fear and the situation came rushing back to him all at once.

"I'm - I'm good," the engineer's arms waved around him, propelling his aching form towards the surface. "The water broke my fall."

"The water?" Gordon sounded confused, the emotion becoming frantic through the comm, "Get out! Virgil, you have to get out of the water!"

"Working on it, Fish. Just try to stay calm," he could easily see the sun shining through the waves. He could see… Gordon couldn't… There'd been something blocking his brother's view - something in the water. 

"Now, Virgil! Get out now!" Full fledged panic had its hold on the blonde and with Virgil's realization that there was an entity in the darkness below him, he felt a surge shoot through his chest. It dulled the pain, stole his breath and demanded he go faster. 

It tried to pull Thunderbird 2 under… it took the ship… a shudder through his heart, it has Gordon!

Virgil broke the surface, arms pinwheeling against open air and there was his 'bird. John had brought her down - too close to the ocean that had tried to drag her under - and a line fell from within, the engineer ignoring the images of giant waves crashing over the deck of a massive ship as he grabbed hold. 

"I'm on! Get us up, John!" A second of hesitation and the Thunderbird rose, pulling Virgil with her. As she came to a stop, he let himself focus on his breathing - in and out until the thrumbing of his heart began to slow. A steady draw of cool oxygen and he let it sooth his voice, "Gordon?"

"Virgil," a shaky whisper, "What is this thing?"

The cable jostled slightly as it began to lift him back into the module, the sound of the motor and VTOL vibrating harshly through the silence. Virgil didn't know. He didn't have an answer that could calm the fear. Brown eyes regarded the ocean - Gordon's ocean, full of life and beauty - and a surge of betrayal hit him as he felt his co-pilot's fear, "I don't know, Gords, but we're gonna figure it out." The inside of the module came into view along with the bright yellow of his little brother's sub. "We'll get you out of there, I promise."

"O-okay," trust - Gordon was alone, but not on his own. They all understood their brothers would stop at nothing to rescue them should the need arise. "Am I still sinking?"

Virgil's boots hit solid metal as the hatch closed under him, his arm up to view the holomap. When Gordon's icon didn't appear on the immediate image, a quick swipe broadened the feed, showing farther under the ocean surface. His throat went dry when the tiny yellow image flashed into view and he couldn't answer.

It was John who responded with a steadiness Virgil couldn't find, "Yes, at approximately twenty-five kilometers an hour."

So fast - too fast - impossibly… "Yo-you'll reach the bottom - in about ten minutes."

"Nine minutes twenty-two seconds," EOS corrected unnecessarily.

"That's - without my exosuit -" Gordon's warning was echoing in Virgil's head as well. 

Another flick of the readouts and he found the only tether he had to his little brother, "I've got your suit telemetry and other than an increased heart rate, everything looks good. You're okay, Gordon. Whatever this thing is, it's keeping the pressure away from you. That's something."

"Bright side - sure," an exhale as Gordon breathed, "It's so dark."

"That's normal at your depth, right?" Virgil attempted to inject a smile into the question. The truth was, his insides were in knots as he watched the depth level increase by the second. 

"Yeah, normal - like I'm just going EVA for a little bit," a wary chuckle that almost sounded like a sob bounced through his helmet. EVA was one of those terms that made Virgil's skin crawl and heart threaten to choke him. It meant his little brother was leaving the pressurised safety of his sub to try something heroic or dangerous. It may have helped Gordon find some level of calm, but the elder brother hovering above the ocean couldn't find the same comfort. With a bit more control, "So, what's the plan?"

"I'm coming to get you," the voice startled Virgil more than it should have, not expecting Scott to answer, but also well aware that their big brother would be on the move the moment he learned one of them was in trouble. It's what their commander did, no matter what. 

"Hey, Scott," Gordon squeaked. "Thunderbird 4's all set and ready to go. Just try not to bury her this time." 

"I'll try my best," a warm, knowing chuckle. "Virgil, I'll need to transfer to Thunderbird 4 once I get there. Keep Thunderbird 2 ready to drag us out once I have Gordon onboard. ETA three minutes."

Virgil didn't respond in the expected FAB, staring instead at the yellow submarine sitting in front of him. It would be so simple to hop in and take her down himself. Three minutes was a long time. But then, he knew if anything went wrong, his girl would be the only one able to haul Thunderbird 4 back up. 

He couldn't give affirmation, only a warning, "Just make it fast and watch out for whatever tried to pull Two under." Not the motivational comment he wanted to make, the thought of anything that strong near Gordon sending his nerves on edge. 

"What Virg said," the tension wasn't easy to hide under the playful tone and the raven-haired brother was finding it difficult to offer words of encouragement. 

What was he supposed to say that wasn't a go-to response for the people they rescued? Stay calm? Help is on the way? It all fell flat on his tongue as the silence deepened. Dark brown eyes found the too-bright sub, his little brother practically glued to the pilot's seat in his mind. Gordon was capable, incredibly resilient and positive to a fault. All he needed to do was talk. Licking his lips, he swallowed his trepidation, "Watch it there, Fish. Agreeing with your big brother is the first sign of maturity."

A scoff, "You wish. Just softening you up so I can enact my revenge for stowing me in the luggage compartment." Humor worked wonders and Virgil had to smile despite the circumstances.

"Looking forward to it, Gords," an icon above his wrist flashed, indicating the quickly approaching Thunderbird. "Scott, I'll lower Four, but I suggest a midair boarding."

"FAB, I've got visual on Thunderbird 2," the answer was enough to send Virgil into action, the controls for remotely lowering the sub appearing. He gave the ship's crew instructions to stand clear just before opening the hatch and sending the yellow 'bird down. John had the rear hatch open from his position monitoring the scene and in one smooth motion, Scott was onboard.

"Gordon, we're all set," the commander announced. "Any changes with your situation?"

"Not that I can tell, no. Am I still descending?" The question was aimed at any of them.

John answered, "You've slowed down, but yes, you're still approaching the ocean floor."

"At least it's something," Virgil could picture his co-pilot's grin.

"Alright, Virgil," a call from Scott, "Send me down."

A flick of the controls and for one panic inducing second, the pilot of the big green cargo ship imagined he was sending another brother to his demise.

Chapter Text

Scott's thoughts felt clear - concise - get Gordon and get out. It made sense every type it cycled though his head until his heart steadied and he adjusted his grip on the submarine's controls. When he hit the water, that sense of ease only grew, the sun breaking the surface with beams that shimmered with the waves. 

Get Gordon and get out. Simple.

Simple - until the lights kicked on at the front of Thunderbird 4, illuminating just what they were dealing with, the light swallowed up by a vast darkness below, "What the hell is that?"

"What do you see, Scott?" Virgil's tone strained as he observed. 

Some part of his mind tried to connect the view to some kind of man made substance, but he couldn't be certain, "It looks like a black cloud. It doesn't appear to be oil. Is this what you saw earlier?"

"Maybe. The waves didn't look normal," the engineer offered. "Definitely darker than typical water."

"Could explain why I can't see anything," Gordon shivered audibly. "Maybe some kind of algae bloom we've never seen before?"

"That can sink a ship?" The hull of said ship had come into view the deeper Scott dove, the front hanging motionless from the dark cloud. Even as he voiced his uncertainty, he realized it could be a possibility. "Something this big with that kind of ability - we can let the experts figure it out. For now, I'll be reaching Gordon's location in ninety seconds."

"I'll be here," and nothing would stop Scott from remedying that fact. 

Adjusting his hold of the controls, he accelerated past the ship and into the shadows beyond. It became difficult to tell the difference between the cloud and the darkness, save for the warping of the sub's lights as they reflected off the cloud's surface. Nothing else moved or floated by, as though the sea was void of all debris, organic or not. 

"Suit readings are still good," Virgil, his words gentler as he filled the silence. "Gordon, does the water feel any different?"

"Not really," a breath, slow and calming. "It's like being in a pool, but not knowing which way's up. No currents or pressure to push against. Just - water."

"What about -" and Virgil seemed caught on his next question. "What about when something started to pull Thunderbird 2 under?"

"A wave - couldn't really fight it and hold on," a sniffle. "Could've been a rogue current?"

"Do those exist?" Scott couldn't help asking, the scientific conversation more to keep Gordon calm than himself.

"Something usually causes them - a storm, earthquake - John?" The question didn't need elaboration.

"No seismic activity in the area or surrounding," John answered, having already considered the possibilities. "And no storms in the past eleven days."

"Okay - so, all we can assume is this cloud, whatever it is, could be causing disturbances in the ocean to the point it dragged Gordon and a crewed ship under?" Scott liked facts and there was only one thing in the current area different from anything they'd ever dealt with. 

Silence, but it felt more like disagreement. It was Virgil who filled the gap once more, "I don't know, Scott. What I saw - didn't seem like normal ocean activity."

Lips thinning with apprehension, his trust in Virgil's gut meant more than the calm wall of darkness he was traveling along. One thing held true though - it had their little brother. "Then we take constant readings - John, use what you can from Two and Four to monitor any disturbances. Once I'm inside, the moment you notice a change, let me know."

"FAB," and the sound of telemetry equipment activating helped offer some peace of mind. Scott had eyes for when he couldn't see. Eyes he trusted with his life. 

A few seconds more and he had to level out, the sandy ocean floor brightening the cockpit as light reflected off of it. A quick swipe at the holomap indicated that Gordon wasn't far from his location. Thunderbird 4 could be in and out in a fraction of the time it had taken for them to reach the ocean depths. 

"Gordon, I'm locked onto your position. Deep sea tether is still secure." Any deeper and the cable wouldn't be long enough. At least they had that,"Ready, Thunderbird 2?"

"Ready," he could feel the tension, certain he could hear the crunch of thick gloves on the cargo ship's controls. 

"Ready, Gordon?" Scott tried to mimic the aquanaut's levity in a stressful situation.

"More than ready - get me out, please," another shiver that sent his protective tendencies on high alert.

Shifting the controls, Thunderbird 4 moved, "Entering the cloud, now. Comms open at all times."

Her nose hit, the darkness flowing smoothly over the window until the only view was the HUD in front of him. Blind was the best word for it, Scott unable to see the sand. A line had appeared on the readouts, an indicator for the solid edge of the cloud and he watched as the thrusters crossed. He was inside.

"Any chan-" the question severed as he was thrown, Scott losing his grip on the controls, the waistbelt the only thing keeping him from colliding with the ceiling. There was no bracing as the sub was sent back the way she'd come, her lights catching the sand. She paused for a moment - enough time for Scott to open clenched eyes and see through the windows at his feet - a tendril of black cloud streaming out from the wall and encircling Thunderbird 4. 

A breath - he tried to shout - a strangled sound and the Thunderbird was hurled. She spun, disorienting any sense of up or down until finally she hit and everything snapped with flashes of electricity and pain. 

Darkness didn't follow. Scott was conscious of shouting and felt more movement that pulled at his gut and limbs. When Four hit the sand a second time, the console stopped him, cutting off the sounds of his brothers. There was only the flash of pain before everything went dark.

OoOoOoO

"Scott?!" Virgil shouted into the open comm, alarms blaring around him. Still, his brother didn't respond. The image of the cloud remained above his console, the sensors defining the protrusion that had sent the small Thunderbird tumbling into the terrain around it. Like a tentacle, it slithered around the downed vehicle making Virgil's inner voice scream the impossible. Sea monster…

The rest of his mind kicked into gear a second later, "Retracting the cable! Scott, if you can hear me, hang on! I'm getting you out of there!"

Mechanisms flipped on, the winch doing its job to pull Thunderbird 4 from the deep. The tentacle jerked and before Virgil could react, the line pulled tight, his own 'bird veering off course as she tried to fight the resistance. Gripping the controls, he fought, a harsh whine sounding through his girl as she tried to follow his instructions. This thing was strong - stronger than the VTOL. Two inched closer to the surface and he couldn't find the words, a hiss of effort drawing through grit teeth until finally a growl broke through, Virgil desperate for something to give.

A groan - sharp intake of breath and then the comm lit up with Scott's command, "Release, Virgil -"

"Scott!" And he almost lost what control he had.

"Release the cable!" It came through clearer, but Virgil still couldn't move to comply. Scott, sensing it or not,redirected his focus, "John! Now!"

He couldn't argue, the magnetic hold snapping away, sending Two into another incline that would force the occupants of the module to the floor. Easing her into a hover, Virgil found his voice, "Scott? Are you okay?"

Thunderbird 4 was in the same position she'd been left, her systems indicating she was still functional. A pause, another groan and then, "I'm fine - just got knocked around a bit. How's Gordon?"

"I'm here," the aquanaut sounded on the edge of panic, "What happened?"

"I don't think we're dealing with random currents anymore," John informed as he sent replays to their holoprojectors. "This thing intentionally threw Thunderbird 4 out. What's it doing now, Scott?"

A silence filled Two's cockpit save for Gordon's respirations and the warnings coming from the sub. Virgil wasn't sure if he should be relieved or terrified as Scott responded, "It's still got the cable, but it's not doing anything with it - just hovering."

He could see that, the tentacle extending like an octopus investigating something within its territory, "What do we do now?" 

The lack of a response hurt more than he expected, dark brown eyes watching his co-pilot's icon stuck within the mass. The grapples hadn't worked. Going in directly was no longer an option. What was left? The answer couldn't be this all-consuming silence. That, he was certain of more than anything else.

"John," Gordon finally whispered, "How close am I to the bottom?"

"Approximately three meters," the reply followed. "What are you thinking?"

Much like any time his co-pilot was deployed to the bottom of the ocean, Virgil was left to watch an icon. The comm let him know the amount of effort Gordon was putting into shifting his position, the read-outs stagnant at best, "Gonna try reaching the bottom - use the sediment to - drag myself out."

It wasn't a bad plan. The sand wouldn't offer much in the way of resistance, but it was something and Virgil was willing to support it. The only problem that seemed to affect Gordon and only Gordon, however, he wasn't moving. 

"Gordon, you're swimming, right?" John asked with an uneasy level of uncertainty. 

A curse, "Thought I was - it's not working is it?" 

Virgil practically felt his little brother's heart drop, "There's gotta be a reason. What if we contact someone - a scientist - who might know what this thing is?"

"EOS is on it, but it's going to take time getting someone out here," the gears were turning again as they tried for an alternative. Is there a way to get a sample back to Brains?"

Virgil looked at the holoprojection of the cloud creature, much of it unmoved since it had been scanned. Only a few meters down - "I could use the hose to suck some of it up. Plenty of room in the tanks. We should only need a small amount."

"Go for it," Scott this time, giving the directives before they could reconsider. 

"Make it fast, Thunderbird 2. We don't need it trying to drag you under again," with John's warning ringing in his ears, he released the hose, letting it extend as far as it would go until it passed through the outer surface of the cloud. The moment it was in, he activated the intake suction, eyes glued to the tank meter. It only needed to go up a little. Just enough. The readings began to increase and Virgil gave it a few more seconds before recalling the hose with a heart that threatened to burst through his chest.  

"Got it! Now what?" He took a deep breath to calm himself. 

"Get it home," again, Scott gave a difficult instruction. All Virgil wanted to do was be by his brothers should they need him. The feeling was made more blatant by the fact he was the only one still in a fully functional Thunderbird in the area. As though sensing his hesitation, "Go, Virgil. We'll be here."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," the coordinates were practically built into his fingers and he took a moment to give his own instructions. "Keep an eye on them, Thunderbird 5. Anything changes and I'm turning around."

"FAB," it was basically all John could do from his location, but Virgil knew that the astronaut was orchestrating information of his own. Should Brains not find the answers they needed, someone else would have to fill in the gaps.

The engineer closed the holoprojection for the flight home, his gut reeling at the loss of information. He needed to focus on piloting, however, as well as informing Brains just what would be needed for dropping the sample. Swallowing the bile that had crept into his throat, he directed his attention away from his brothers, "Thunderbird 2 to base."

The comms had been open - which meant the island was fully aware of the situation, so it didn't surprise him when he received a response almost immediately, "Go ahead Thunderbird 2." The deep sound of his father's voice was more than welcome. 

"Is Brains up to date on everything? I've got the sample, but I'll need somewhere to store it once I get to the island," worst case scenario, he could dump it in the pool.

"I'm here, Virgil," Brains offered. "I've got a ta-tank ready for you when you arrive."

"Thanks, Brains," a small reprieve to the multitude of questions - small, because it didn't exactly help Gordon or Scott, but it was a start. "ETA fifteen minutes," not nearly as fast as Thunderbird 1, even pushing her beyond what he was normally comfortable with. It was simply something Virgil couldn't control. 

"Fifteen minutes," Gordon's voice floated up, a smile in his hushed voice. "Better than pizza delivery, Virg."

"And you've experienced pizza delivery how many times?" The desire to feed into his little brother's attitude was impossible to ignore. 

"Only once - at Penny's," a chuckle.

"You ordered delivery to the Creighton-Ward estate?" Scott hissed, either from pain or disbelief.

"Dinner was a bit - petite… I got hungry," spoken like it was a normal occurrence and he hadn't thought anyone would be offended.

"They actually delivered?" Virgil could picture the vehicle driving up to the massive estate, the driver awestruck as they carried the food to the front door.

"Yep, but Parker beat me to it - took one for his game night or whatever he calls it," though there was no annoyance as Virgil might've expected. His brother and Parker had found an odd equilibrium in their relation to Lady Penelope. They challenged each other, finding new appreciation for their roles. Knowing Gordon, he'd ordered the extra pizza for the purpose of sharing with the mansion's occupants anyway.

With nothing else to keep him busy, Gordon continued to bring up stories, jabbing at a brother or two in order to get them to talk. The tactic added cracks to the solid walls of fear and uncertainty each of them had built. It sped up time, the peaks of Tracy Island appearing on the horizon before Virgil had a chance to think hard about what was in the water compartments. To his relief, Brains had positioned the tank at the end of Two's runway - no need to land.

"Lowering the hose and reversing flow," Virgil alerted the scientist, watching the tube lower into the awaiting tank. Once inside, the liquid spilled in, dark and unnatural. 

"That's good, Virgil," Brains called once the majority of the liquid was gone. "I'll begin tests imm-immediately."

"Thanks, Brains," another wave of relief now that they were a step closer to getting answers. "I'm going to drop the crew off on my way back to th-"

A curse - strained and followed by frantic breaths.

"Gordon?" Scott beat them to the question.

The respirations continued unhindered, the aquanaut's terror evident, "Something just touched me."

Chapter Text

Scott's head throbbed, vision blurring in and out as he sat in Gordon's Thunderbird. He'd zoned out momentarily as he listened to said brother going on about a story the eldest was well aware of at his own expense. He'd come back briefly for Virgil's communications with home, but drifted once more as the pain spiked behind his eyes. 

Concussion, a likely result of slamming one's head into a hard place. It made him wonder if they should start padding their consoles.

The sharp cry from Gordon had his attention back almost immediately, pain forgotten under a spike of adrenaline. His eyes were on the cloud in front of him as his little brother stated the problem. 

"Are you sure?" John asked. "I don't see any heat signatures around your location."

The information seemed to calm the aquanaut, "Probably some kelp or dead… fish." Even though he didn't say it, the possibility of dead bodies was something Scott couldn't help thinking about. If this thing was able to drag Gordon to the bottom of the ocean, why couldn't it take the crew?

"I'm on my way back. Leaving the crew on Mateo," Virgil had no reason to stay on Tracy Island and it would be foolish to try stopping his return. "Scott, can you bring Thunderbird 4 back to the surface?"

He could, but his gut told him he needed to stay put, "I'm staying here, just in case this thing spits Gordon out." Probably not his best choice of words, but his head had a dagger stabbed into the space between his eyes. "He'll need a quick pickup."

Virgil wouldn't be happy with his decision, but their options were what they were. Scott wasn't going to leave until they had Gordon onboard. 

"Thanks, Scott," genuine appreciation laced the blonde's tone, a sure sign Gordon was scared. No one called him out on it, no explanation necessary. Had the situations been reversed and Scott found himself trapped by an unknown force, he would be freaked out too. 

"Guess who's home!" The comms blared to life with the too-cheerful call, Alan obviously back from a deep space rescue with Kayo.

The shock hit them all and a chorus of varying words answered the astronaut. It wasn't their little brother's fault. They typically didn't have open communications and the call had likely been meant for Thunderbird 5. 

John recovered first, "Sorry, Thunderbird 3. There's been a situation."

"Oh," the teen sounded fairly flustered by the response. "Anything we can help with?"

Before anyone could come up with something to ease the sudden trepidation they'd thrown at Alan, Gordon chimed in. The strain was still evident, but the protective call of a big brother rang through, "Hey, Allie! We've got it all pretty covered. Head home, I'm sure Dad'll fill you in."

They should've known an open comm also meant an open feed to their readings and both operatives would be curious. Kayo's concern came through as she broke the protective barrier Gordon had tried to build, "Thunderbird 4's systems have been damaged and… Scott, what's going on?"

A sigh, there wasn't time to ease the two into the situation, "Gordon's stuck at the bottom of the ocean and we can't get to him. Get home and do what you can to assist Brains."

"FAB," Alan would listen to just about anything Scott asked him to do, his purpose planted in front of him. That didn't stop the worried questions, though, "Stuck how?"

Sea monster , his mind screamed, but that seemed ridiculous. This thing was immense. There was no way it could've stayed undiscovered all this time. With that thought, Scott began to wonder if it was manmade. Could someone create a controllable liquid substance and weaponize it? 

"Sea snot," leave it to Gordon to compact a potentially deadly situation into a humorous box. "Or something like it. It's acting weird, so we're just waiting to see what Brains can figure out."

"Really? You're stuck in a booger?" Alan voiced how unbelievable that seemed, but Scott could recall a few times when the stuff floated into one of the coves on Tracy Island. Staring out Four's window at the liquid blob in front of him, he wasn't sure Gordon was wrong. The way it had attacked him, however, didn't fit.

"That's the - the best guess I've got," the aquanaut's tone swayed, no longer steadied by the brief amount of marine biology he'd found. 

Scott listened as it appeared their little brother had picked up on the severity of that uncertainty. Alan was still young, but he could read the situation for what it was, "Alright, we'll land and see what we can do." A beat of silence, and then, "You're pretty deep."

A smirk coated the next statement, "Been here plenty of times. Nothing new… y'know, except for the blob."

It earned a chuckle from the astronaut, "Sure. I'm keeping comms open."

"Safe landing, kiddo," why they had let Gordon take charge of communicating with Alan became apparent with the level of composure he'd regained. He could focus on something other than the walls of darkness. A breath, that's all he'd needed. 

Scott took one of his own, a gloved hand running over his face and stopping at the lump that had taken residence over his forehead. He choked back a curse as the ache radiated through his skull, not wanting to add to the stress of their situation. 

"Nine minutes," Virgil, consistent with his need to communicate with the brothers that were just out of reach. "Hey, Gords? Is this anything like your research trips? I imagine it's pretty dark down there too." An obvious tactic to help the fish cope and Scott was grateful for it. Who knew how long Brains would be with the sample or what could happen between now and then. The commander didn't even want to think about the six hours of air left in Gordon's tank. Plenty of time in most situations, but the amount of uncertainty in this one made his skin crawl.They needed a distraction.

"That's the thing about subs, Virg. Lots of light on the inside," a smile, "but it would've been cool to discover this thing on my terms."

"Mmm, and I'm sure you would've named it," the banter came naturally for the two and Scott let it ease the tensions.

"Still can, just need a bit more information about it. For now, blobicous works," somehow, referring to this thing as such didn't seem to encompass the threat it posed, but Scott was willing to give Gordon whatever humorous avenue he wanted. 

He could even attempt his own if it helped, injecting a smile into his voice as best he could, "Blobicous sounds better than a big dark cloud any day. Though, it reminds me of the time you boobytrapped my toothpaste with black food coloring." The trick had been to inject just enough so as to not be spotted until big brother started brushing his teeth. The dimpled smile had been reduced to a thin line for most of the day. 

The comms were silent and for a moment, Scott thought his end might've been muted, but a quick check said otherwise. Most of them would've been waiting for a response to such a well executed prank. The aquanaut said nothing.

"Gordon?" Virgil tried, with no luck.

Scott had his brother's suit telemetry up a moment later, "Heart rate and respirations have increased. Gordon, what's wrong?"

The response was breathy and hushed, terror coating each word, "I… can't move. Scott," his name was whimpered, bringing back memories of a three year old clinging to his arm on a dark night when power had been out. 

It grabbed at his heart and stole his breath until all he could manage was a weak, "I'm here."

Tears joined the fear, making the seasoned WASP officer seem so much younger. And then, the world fell apart, "Something's crawling up my leg." 

OoOoOoO

He'd been listening to Scott, intent on ignoring the absolute darkness around him, until he'd felt the change. Gordon had tested it, determined to prove his mind wrong, but in the time it took him to take in a steadying breath, the water had tensed, pulling at his limbs and sending an ache through joints being extended too far. There was no fighting it and he tried to relax, control his breathing, wait for it to pass. When it didn't and he heard the concern in his brothers' calls, his resolve broke. He just wanted them to pull off some miracle and save him. 

The pressure on his ankle pushed him that much further and he felt the hot tears track down his face as the sensation moved, gradually making it to his knee, his hip, pulling at his baldric. The sound of his brothers could be heard over the beating of his heart, but there was nothing they could do as he stared out into the darkness, waiting.

Waiting for something to kill him.

Wondering why it had taken this long.

Wishing he could do something other than cry all alone at the bottom of the ocean.

And then, slowly, the light from his helmet began to grow over a dark surface. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing, the entirety of the blob having fully encompassed him before. Now, it was pulling away to create a kind of space where there was only water. It confused him more than anything - until the pressure increased and a shape emerged from the wall. 

And for a brief second, the fear relented, giving way to a confused sadness. 

A man, so close to his father's age, peered back at him with a lifeless gaze, skin pale around a gaping mouth. 

"Gordon!" All brothers merged into one voice.

He blinked, swallowed, eyes never leaving the face, "I-it's a… there's a man - down here."

A collective sigh of relief that Gordon wished hadn't been necessary, John coming through a moment later, "A body?"

Yes, obviously, but, "I think - he's one of the crew." A blink, his brain processing what he was seeing and Gordon's heart froze, "Guys… I think he's… talking."

No one said anything, the comment possibly too difficult to believe. The thought that he might be hallucinating crossed his mind, but the steady grip on his arm anchored him to the truth. There was a dead man clinging to him at the bottom of the ocean and his mouth was moving. Soundlessly, the lips formed syllables he couldn't recognize.  

A chime in his ear and something activated on his helmet, John clarifying, "I've patched into your helmet cam. We see him." Good, he wasn't losing it, but still… "EOS, can you tell what he's saying?"

"Give me a moment," the AI instructed, sounding more concerned than Gordon had ever heard her when the situation didn't involve John in trouble. 

The moment stretched in silence as Gordon stared at the man. The idea that this might be the last face he saw wasn't missed and it gave him pause to take in more than just the soundless words. The man was likely twice his age, if not more, crows feet and lines set deep. A scare nestled just under his right eyebrow - a head injury from long ago - gave the man character. Had he been a sailor all his life or just short on luck to pick this ship for work? 

The comm crackled slightly, drawing Gordon away from his distraction, only, it wasn't John or EOS, "Thunderbird 3 is docked - what the hell is going on?! Why is there a dead guy talking to Gordon?!"

"Alan," their father's voice was firm, "Come up and I'll explain what we know. Brains needs our help. That's our best shot at saving your brother."

It had the desired effect, though Gordon knew the worry would still be eating away at his little brother. The fact that they didn't have many answers to give would only make things worse. 

"John," EOS broke the tension. "It's mostly gibberish. Possibly a language with more complicated phonetics that don't translate well to lip reading."

Another mystery unsolved and still he couldn't move. The man kept talking and no one could understand him. There were other forms of communication, though, and before he could think about what he was actually doing, Gordon shook his head. Surprisingly, it moved, the light from his helmet sweeping over the small bubble of water this creature had created.

To his surprise, the man stopped talking. The lifeless eyes stared at him, observing. He pulled himself closer, gaze wandering with odd curiosity. Gordon saw it the moment the man turned his head, a dark smudge running from his jaw to his ear. The captain had carried the same mark, but this definitely wasn't the captain. 

A hand left his bicep as the man reached around him, Gordon's shout coming a second too late as a hiss of compressed air began to spew from his tank, "No no no! Guys! He disconnected my rebreather!"

There wasn't time anymore. No time to wait for Brains to come up with something brilliant. No time for Scott to try again. He was going to suffocate.

Calls sounded in his ears, brothers trying to find a new option, Brains unable to give them one.

And just as quickly as the bubbles rose, they stopped. Gordon blinked, the space back to what it had been as the man shifted away, his expression darkening. Without another word, he sank into the darkness, the pressure leaving the aquanaut's limbs until he was able to move once more.

Gordon's arms reflexively reached back to check his tank and found the tubing secure. His arms trembled as they came back to wrap around his torso, teeth chattering with spent nerves.

"Gordon," the gentle baritone cut through the panic that rarely hit International Rescue, Virgil reaching out as best he could. "We're here." 

"Why'd it do th-that?" A breathy whisper that almost sounded like a sob until he realized there were tears splashing against the glass of his helmet. "I just wanna - Vir-Virg, I'm scared."

"I know," his brother's voice was thick with shared emotion. "I know, it's okay to be scared."

The permission opened up the flow, his chest heaving as more tears fell. With nothing but the darkness to look at, Gordon clenched his eyes shut. Maybe this was all a dream - a nightmare? Bad tacos. That could explain it. Vivid dreams of movie monsters and not being able to move. It all fit the idea.

A breath. He needed to calm down. Another - and his head spun with the little oxygen that filled his lungs. 

Amber eyes flew open, searching for his suit readouts, but unable to find them as the darkness had thickened around him again. He went for the next option, "Can't breathe…"

"What?!" Scott, so close. "Suit readings look normal."

Gordon shook his head to clear the haze, his hands rechecking his gear. Nothing. Everything was intact, but -

He almost didn't catch it, too intent on the equipment within his reach. Tiny streams of black liquid slowly oozed from the regulator - inside his helmet. At first, Gordon thought it was simply oxygen deprivation sending spots over his eyes, but as it pooled over the glass, absorbing the stray tears, he knew. As the oxygen flow returned, he knew.

"It's in here," so quiet, his terrified mind wondered if anyone had heard. 

"What do you mean?" Virgil whispered back.

Something snapped in his resolve as he choked out the impossible, "It got inside my helmet. It climbed through -" It moved. "Shit! It's moving!" Not just moving, it was reaching, a tentacle of dark liquid swaying just below the tip of his nose. Gordon shook his head in an attempt to stop it, but as he did, the darkness around him grew rigid. He was frozen, watching helplessly as the blob found purchase against his chin. 

"Gordon?!" Virgil, "What's happening?"

He didn't know. Nothing good. Couldn't be anything good. A whimper and the only obvious answer was he was going to die. Whatever this creature was, it was going to kill him.

"Lo-love you guys."

A flustered call from Thunderbirds and an island so far away broke through to his heart, his co-pilot taking charge as they tried to find encouragement, "Gordon, you'll be okay! We'll get you out! Please, hold on… please."

He wanted to. Just believe those words of hope and wait, but as the cold sensation of the creature slid over his skin, across his cheek and towards his ear, all he wanted to do was scream. 

There were brothers listening, though, little brothers who weren't supposed to hear that kind of thing. Instead, he shivered, chest tight as he fought to hold back the terror, "I can't… 'm sorry."

Despite all of his effort, despite the need to save his family from the trauma, when the creature slid inside his ear and sent a searing pain through his head, he released all his terror into one guttural cry.

Chapter Text

Thunderbird 2 was on autopilot in the time it took Virgil to push back his chair and stand. He couldn't sit. Couldn't stay still as the scream faded and… died. Pain, fear, everything his little brother had already fought against in his life echoed in Virgil's head. There was nowhere he could go that would get him to Gordon, but his legs wouldn't stop. 

How had this happened?

He hit the doorway leading to the module and stopped, catching himself on the frame. He knew there was nothing he could do and it hurt. It stole his breath and blurred his vision as he leaned into Thunderbird 2 for support. Knees buckling, Virgil slid to the floor, his forehead resting against metal. He could feel the vibrations of his girl trying her best to get him to his brother. She wouldn't stop unless he said so and part of him wanted to take her under. Sheer determination would get him to Gordon… even if it was too late.

"He's alive," John broke the despair with strained calm. The astronaut was dealing with the difficult task of monitoring while searching for an answer if Brains couldn't find one. Virgil sucked in a breath as his brother continued, "Suit readings are stable, heart rate is slowing to normal. It's likely he's just unconscious."

Despair turned to anger in his chest and with a growl he hadn't intended towards any of his family, Virgil pushed to his feet, "What was that?!"

"We still don't know," Brains, the only one who could know at this moment, answered with a heavy sigh. 

It wasn't enough, "How the hell did it get inside his helmet?"

"The regulator tubing, the cr-crewman removed it, correct? That would be the only w-way. Any compromise to his suit to gain entry would have been deadly," Brains was a scientist, but that didn't mean every theory he had was a comforting one. Gordon was alive, that's all that mattered until they could figure out how to get to him.

"Have you figured anything out about this stuff?" Scott's voice was ragged, Virgil wondering if he shouldn't drag their commander up against his will.

"Initial scans show it is bi-biological in nature, much like an algae, but the structures are far more intricate," they were each given a hologram showing an angular structure, followed by another, the two connecting and flowing as one. "The brain is too small to act on its own, however. The few tests I've run show nothing like what you are experiencing. I suspect we're looking at a hive. Something is co-controlling them at your location."

"That's something, right?" Alan chimed in with a frantic worry. "We take out the queen and get Gordon out of there."

It sounded so easy, but sometimes life didn't want to do 'easy', "Without further data, I can't say if the hive would retreat or become hostile. The queen could be the only thing keeping Gordon alive."

Alive. 

Virgil slowly made it back to his seat, pushing aside the image of the creatures, finding instead Gordon's heart beat, his respirations, his life force. Yet, he was so quiet. No more than a few hours ago, his little brother and lack of caffeine had been the cause of a morning headache. He had retaliated, locked Gordon in the module for his own good. It was possibly the last thing he ever did to his brother. The last time he might ever see him and he'd locked him away. 

The realization was a blow to his gut, folding him in the seat as gloved hands pressed into his face. The anxiety rolled through his stomach until moisture pooled behind his lids and slipped through to the blue fabric. He swore under his breath, feeling it radiate against his cheeks and more tears fell.

The despair didn't last long, however, a soft sound floating up from the comms. Dark brown eyes blinked away droplets as they located the source, Gordon's icon flickering with the audio. 

"Gordon?" Voice gruff with emotion, Virgil tried to provide a focus for his co-pilot. "We're here. We'll figure this out."

He watched the vitals spike for a moment as Gordon came to before finding a steady rhythm. The blonde didn't respond, not in the way Virgil was anticipating. Instead, he could hear his brother breathing, each breath intentional. 

"Gordon?" John tried this time, "Can you hear us?"

The respirations stopped and he could picture the eye roll that would accompany that kind of question. They had the most advanced communication technology in the world, yes, it had its flaws, but it was obvious Gordon could hear them. 

Except, a low growl replaced any kind of snarky remark that could have come. 

"Gords, what's wrong?" The question was out before he realized there could be a new problem. 

Gordon's voice spoke through the comms, but they weren't his words and it sent a chill through his chest. They weren't words Virgil even recognized. What he could discern was an immense anger lacing the guttural syllables. 

His mind went into overdrive, searching for any time he'd heard Gordon use another language. There were flits of memory, his brother offering basic instructions they all knew. These weren't those words, not even close. 

It was EOS who translated.

"Now you will hear… you will know, careless humans. You have doomed us."

OoOoOoO

As the AI spoke, the words connected with what John had gleaned once his little brother began to speak. It was a jumble of different languages weaving into one, too difficult for him to process as quickly as they came. For that, he was grateful EOS had taken the initiative. There were other things for him to focus on.

Like what had happened to his brother, "Gordon, what's going on?" 

Pain sewed its way into the anger, "We are attacked. We die at your hands."

"We?" And it was far too clear, they weren't talking to Gordon anymore. "Who is this?"

Gordon's words grew strained with focus, "We are the many and the one. You humans have broken us."

"What have you done to Gordon?" Scott countered, having regained some control. As illogical as the idea sounded, something was using their brother. A spark of hope pulled at John's resolve. If they could talk to it, they could reason with it. 

"This one feels our pain… knows what must be done. This one speaks for us."

Pain. They were talking to a victim, something John was well versed in and his hope flared, "Whatever has happened to you, we can help. That's what we do. Just tell us what's wrong."

Gordon snarled, "You cannot! You burn us!" EOS didn't translate. 

"Gordon?" Virgil cut through the shock of hearing their brother's voice without the miasma of foreign languages. 

"We are not this one you call Gordon," it hissed. "The mind is ours and we use it to speak."

John's thoughts reeled, his desire to save his brother mingling with curiosity and anger. This creature was using Gordon, could be killing him, and he couldn't get a straight answer. Nostrils flaring, he took in a breath and tried again, "What is burning you?"

"We do not know! It cannot be found, yet it spreads through us," Gordon's tone softened with heartbreak, "So many are gone. Soon there will be nothing."

Riddles that weren't meant to be. If this creature had access to his brother's mind, Gordon wouldn't know what to call the problem either. They were dealing with symptoms of an irate being. 

"Gordon - the creature - is ri-right," Brains matched the solemn emotion. "The sample Virgil brought back, most have died. I suspect we should lose the re-rest within the hour."

"Can you figure out what's causing it?" Dad, his voice urgent with the development. 

"I've already begun testing, but without knowing what I'm looking for…" the weight on the scientist's shoulders was evident. 

"Do what you can," Jeff encouraged. 

Another breath to calm the fear and John focused back on their victim, "We can help, just - please, give us our brother back."

A silence fell over the open comms as they waited for a response. They couldn't truly know this creature's intent, if it had any ounce of compassion. It was angry, but it also had Gordon's thoughts. It would see their offer to help could be trusted. 

Then, the anger possibly tempered by their exchange, it spoke, "No. This one is ours. This one speaks for us."

John's heart fell.

OoOoOoO

Sensations, far away yet so close it felt like they were tearing him apart, and he blinked in the hazy darkness around him. Gordon shivered as he lay on the cold, wet ground, droplets of water colliding with his skin and dissolving in an instant. He was so cold, yet his skin burned with each pinprick that hit him. His next realization was that he was naked, exposed and unable to do anything other than curl into himself. It didn't help. Nothing did.

Breath hitched in his lungs with the tremors and he gulped down the next lungful. What was wrong with him? He had no memory of how he'd wound up in this place or why he felt so sick. It was worse than any flu or cold, worse than the pain after medication had worn off. He burned and froze with no idea if help would come. 

A whimper, soft and wet, escaped Gordon's throat, "He-elp… help me." 

Someone responded, "There is no help for us."

Amber eyes grew wide, searching the darkness for the person who could possibly put an end to his suffering. He found no one.

"Who's th-there?" Gordon waited a beat, listening to his own ragged gasps. "Please… help m-me."

"No help," the voice was indistinguishable, male or female, but he could hear regret. 

It hadn't occurred to him that there might be others in as much trouble as himself, "Where - where are we?"

"The place of knowledge," they offered cryptically.

Groaning, the blonde tried to push himself up off the floor, but his muscles seized, sending him back down in a wave of agony that threatened to burn through him. 

"You feel our pain," an answer to a question he hadn't had the strength to ask. 

His voice broke with the sobs as the pain dulled to a low roar, "I don't unde-under-stand…"

Something solid and wet landed against his arm, seemingly for comfort, but as it snaked around his bicep, pulling at him, he desperately wanted it off. It gave him no choice other than to scramble to his feet, groaning through the fire that seared over his skin. 

A blink and the darkness transformed, Gordon standing on a rain-battered beach in clothes that clung to him. Out over the sea, storm clouds sent lightning streaking through the sky, offering the first glimpse of illumination he'd had since waking. Shivering, he turned to face the form holding him up and felt the blood rush to his feet. 

"Virg…" only it wasn't. Though his head was telling him his brother was right there, keeping him from crashing to the ground, the grey hue in his skin and black eyes told otherwise. "What are you?"

"We are all that is the darkness," Virgil's voice blended with the original and Gordon felt the urge to give in. If this thing knew about his family enough to become one of them, what chance did he have against it. What was it trying to do if not torment him with the fact he was alone save for the creature who still had a grip on his arm.

The dark, lifeless eyes were the only things anchoring him to the truth, "What do you wa-want from me?"

"We have what we need," the rain slowed, the storm fading as Virgil's voice boomed with the thunder. "There are still questions, though."

Gordon felt himself sinking with the ache in his body, no longer wanting to hear the anger in his brother's tone. All he wanted was to curl back into the sand and wait for the sun to come up. It would end this nightmare, he was sure of it. 

The arm jerked him back up and in an instant the rain was gone, Gordon's back colliding with the hard surface of the cramped space he now found himself. A second hand caught his jaw, forcing him to look into the shadowed face of his co-pilot. 

"You will answer," it demanded in a low growl. 

A tear escaped as his lips quivered, the fear petrifying his limbs as he tried to respond, "D-don't know - ques-question." 

The rage only intensified as he was shoved again into the wall, "Humans, we have not encountered them in many… cycles. You have changed. Grown violent towards us. Why?"

It was apparent that not giving an answer would do him little good, so Gordon went with what he knew, "Humans… are selfish." 

He watched the dark eyes narrow, Virgil's expression growing impatient, "This we know. Humans have always found us while taking from our home. This time is different." So many questions bounced through Gordon's head, but his voice failed as the fire intensified. Virgil hissed breathlessly, "Never have we been attacked in this way! What do you know?"

Nothing. Gordon didn't have enough information to give the not-Virgil an answer and he shivered under its grip as he fought for anything that could help him. What was this thing talking about? "I don't kn-know… what attack?"

"You feel it now," the hand left his jaw, the other letting the aquanaut slide to the cold metal floor. Virgil stepped away, allowing Gordon to see his new surroundings more clearly and he realized he'd been here before. A great deal of time, actually, had been spent here studying vegetation growth under the ocean. His lab and for the first time it left him feeling scared and alone. 

The aquanaut drew in a few gasped breaths as the agony dulled, "The bu-burning?"

Virgil's hand slid over the Plexiglas that held the ocean at bay, "Just a fraction of what we feel. Much of us have gone, lost to the deep forever."

"'m sorry," it sounded right, apologizing for all of the human race, but it felt so empty. It was born of fear and pain and the desire to go home. Gordon barely understood what was going on to connect the apology. Was this a fever dream? A very real nightmare after a rescue that had gone… Memory returned in a flood and his hand trailed up to his cheek, running over his ear, "What… what did yo-you do to me?"

Virgil turned, peering down at the smaller form over his shoulder, "We do not speak as you. A host is required."

Host… Every alien horror movie Alan had made him watch suddenly bombarded him with images of victims. Creatures burst from chests or took control until the human was no longer necessary. It never ended well. Even with an overactive imagination and a growing sense of inevitable death, though, all Gordon could utter was a weak, "Oh… okay."

A step, two, and the creature turned its attention back to the small undersea facility, "Your memories of this place… they confuse us." Fists clenched and overhead lights came to life, sending a hiss from gritted teeth. They were out a second later. 

"Sorry," had he done that? 

Virgil's nostrils flared, but there were no breaths to calm a being that didn't need to breathe. Amber eyes watched unblinking as the room shifted to one of the domed sections, the soft glow of vegetation night cycles allowing him to see enough. The aquanaut didn't question it or how they'd got there, too intent on what was going to happen next. 

"This place is human, but… we have flourished here. Why?" Virgil's hand touched one of the plants and for a brief moment it was the day Gordon had introduced the engineer to his work, the engineer grinning ear to ear with excitement for his accomplishments. The shadowed figure of his brother returned, gaze focused on the blonde, "Fame? Wealth? We have seen such thoughts in many of our hosts. What do you want of our home?"

He shook his head, teeth chattering under the scrutiny, "I just wa-want to help…"

"Help? Humans? The same that poison our home with their waste?" A sneer and a leaf was ripped from a stem, a shock of pain traveling through Gordon's chest as though connected with the plant. "What good is this place to them?"

"Food - for people who don't have any," the argument had been rehearsed for the benefit of those who thought his endeavor foolish. "It feeds the fi-fish, regrows coral."

"It is not enough," Virgil stepped around the row of vegetation, crouching as he made it to Gordon's side. The urge to push away from the thing using his brother's face grew with the cold touch of it's fingers taking hold of his jaw once more. A thick moisture hit his face as the creature spoke, "This place holds your pride. You say you wish to help, but your mind tells us. Acceptance. You wish to show your family - your brothers - how you have tamed our home."

Gordon wanted to deny the words, but there was too much truth in them. All he could do was stare at the shadowed stalk of a tomato plant, wishing for the words to help this creature understand. Eventually, he nodded, slow and deliberate, "That's part of it… yes. Not a-all. If this place works - we can create ne-new homes for ocean life… more food for those wh-who have none. Ocean and land working to-together."

The space between them grew silent, amber eyes shifting to find his brother's face still watching him. It was thinking, or that's what he hoped as the fingers pressed into his jaw. It had to see that his intentions were good. He wanted to help. 

Without a word, Virgil's gaze grew hard, the world around them shifting. The lab was gone and in its place - water. Gordon was under water and he couldn't breathe.

Chapter Text

It all felt like a nightmare unwinding around him and there was nothing Alan could do but sit on the island and watch. His brothers were out there, with Gordon, waiting for their moment to act. The teen didn't have the luxury of a task to focus on. As it was, he was barely keeping it together, perched on the edge of his father's desk while Dad and Brains combed through the biological readouts. The problem was, they knew machines. Creatures of the deep were Gordon's expertise.

John had contacted a marine biologist, one they had a fair amount of trust in with their relation to WASP. Not enough to fully divulge all the details, but they'd sent the scans of the creatures and were now waiting, hoping something good would come out of it. 

Waiting sucked.

It hurt, every nerve itching for the moment they could save their brother. 

Not long ago, they'd experienced a similar anxiety, waiting to go find Dad. The only difference was they hadn't known if their father was alive or not. The likelihood of finding him had been marginal, but Tracy luck seemed to be on their side. Today, though, Gordon was sitting on a precipice of life and death with something alien in control. Was it hurting him? Would he come back to them as the same, fun loving, compassionate troublemaker they couldn't live without? 

Blue eyes found the vitals, Alan moving them into his hands as though protecting them from being lost. Heart continued to beat, steady and strong. Lungs still took in oxygen. A glance at the level in his brother's tank didn't help ease any of the apprehension. They only had another hour and a half before it ran out, a product of the tubing being removed. After that, getting their brother back would be more recovery than rescue. 

A curse and he pushed off the desk, his feet taking him anywhere and nowhere. He couldn't leave, but staying reminded him too much of what they could all lose. Maybe if he moved, maybe if he went somewhere else he could find an answer. 

Rushed steps and Alan collided with white cotton, arms encircling him as he fell into the barrier. It took all of him not to scream into his father's shirt, clenched lids holding back a flood of emotion that none of them needed to hear. 

"We'll get to him," whispered reassurances brushed against his hair while strong hands held firm. "There's still plenty of time."

But there wasn't. How could they expect to study an unknown entity in so little time? Scientists spent years researching before they could come to any kind of conclusion. They didn't have a baseline for these things. What would be the difference between what they should look like and what they were looking at on the holoprojector?

Suddenly unable to breath in the close contact, Alan jerked away, hands scrubbing at his face and leaving glistening smears just under his eyes. He took a few steps and turned, pacing back to look at his father and stopped. Dad's expression wavered, strength shifting to uncertainty and for a moment Alan realized the words might have been needed for the both of them. 

The anger wilted, words of despair crumbling on his tongue before they could do more harm. His fists clenched instead, a tear sliding down his cheek and Alan couldn't stand to see the loss any longer. His focus shifted to the cause, sky blue narrowing at the translucent images of the organisms. He'd never hated anything more, save one. 

And maybe it was that hatred that centered him enough to see it. Standing above the lounge, far enough away to see the symbols, abbreviations…the connections. A spark burst through his chest and Alan leapt into the recessed seating area, hands dragging separate sections of data to the forefront.

"Alan?" Brains asked from beside him, startled by the abrupt movements.

"I saw something," he dared to breathe as the structure converged until the computer was able to give it a name. 

Lithium cobalt oxide

"A battery? Why are the components of a lithium ion battery in the sample?" It was old tech, but still in use for those who'd decided to stick with it. They'd advanced past it long ago with longer lasting energy sources. 

"I don't kn-know, but we may be looking at the cause of the problem," Brains presented a readout showing the dying creatures as they metabolized the chemicals. "They're trying to f-filter it out, but the breakdown is creating an acidic bi-biproduct."

"What can we do about it?" Jeff stood behind them, hope reignited in his voice.

"I can create a binding agent that should clear the area of the chemicals, bu-but we need to know the source," the scientist was already calling up commands for his lab. If they had the solution, he would create it before Gordon's air ran out.

"John," Dad moved back to the desk, Alan following close behind. When the red-head appeared there was no hesitation, "get another scan of the area if you can. We're looking for anything that could be releasing lithium cobalt oxide into the water."

"FAB," John would find it, Alan was certain.

"Ask -" Dad stopped, swallowing hard before he continued, "Ask the creature if you need to."

A pause, the weight of that option heavier than they expected, John taking a steadying breath, "We will, Dad."

The astronaut disappeared, though the comm stayed open and Alan took the first breath in a while that didn't feel like it would suffocate him. They had a grip on hope and he wasn't about to let go.

"Good work, kiddo," an arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling Alan into his father's side. The grey eyes that looked down at him were full of praise. Part of him wanted to fall headlong into it and believe everything would be alright. The other part knew he couldn't, not until Gordon was home. 

A single nod and a wavering smile were offered before turning back to the work Brains was engrossed in, "Hope it's enough."

OoOoOoO

There was no up or down, only a vast darkness that pressed against his senses and threatened to pour down his throat the second he opened his mouth to take a breath. Virgil was gone, the creature leaving him to drown at the bottom of the ocean. He hadn't been prepared, his chest burning, heart pounding. He kicked with the will to live, to make it to the surface no matter how hopeless the endeavor, but there was no up or down, so he stayed. Energy burning out with the fire in his lungs and the continued searing of his skin, he stopped.

Gordon took a breath.

Salt water pushed over his tongue and down, filling his lungs with the thick, icy liquid. His mind screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't. He took another breath. And then another until his nerves calmed, chest relaxing as oxygen found its way back into his system once more. 

Not real… Gordon confirmed what he already knew, his head too focused on talking to something that wasn't his brother. Nothing in this world was real except for the pain. The burning within him was still present and only grew worse when he moved. 

"Hello?" He called out into the dark water, unsure who he was trying to reach. A soft, red glow began to illuminate the waters, revealing the rocky ocean floor, the structures haphazardly strewn like tumbled buildings. Mingling within the rocks, Gordon could see metal that had been torn on impact. Recognition was instantaneous, shards of memory spiking and stealing the breath he'd just regained. 

A figure moved from behind one of the fractured vents, armor glistening in the red as he approached. "So much destruction," Fuse's voice echoed in his head. "Humans have no respect for our home."

Gordon's arms tried to carry him away from the man who'd had a hand in that destruction and months of recovery. A fist caught his baldric before he could gain any ground, Fuse's face dark with ire. He had no excuse to cover for people who only cared about themselves, "I know - I know." The world around them began to shift, changing away from the path created by the Chaos Cruiser. A look of confusion crossed the creature's face as the new scene showed a crushed yellow sub and all Gordon could utter was a pained "I know…"

"You have control," a statement that only added to Fuse's concern. "How is that possible?"

He ignored the question, instead focusing on the battered remains of his 'bird. Pictures were all Gordon had ever been given, but here, it all seemed so real. How had he survived? 

Amber eyes clenched shut, no longer wanting to see how close he'd come, and just as quickly as it had surrounded him, the water was gone. In its place, a warm breeze that tried to sooth his aches.

"Where are we?" Still using Fuse, Gordon opened his eyes to find the demolitions expert standing on a moonlit beach. 

Sitting heavily onto the sand, the blonde looked around, catching the peaks towering behind them, "The island… my ho-home."

"We have no need of this place," it growled and Gordon felt something shifting in his mind, the world blurring for a moment before coming back into focus. A curse in a language he couldn't understand, "How is this possible? Noone has ever controlled us before!"

Gordon took a long, steadying breath as he tried to process the words. In control or not, his body continued to burn. He was still trapped. 

"Because you live," it came to its own conclusion, glaring down at him. "We need your voice, but we cannot use it if you are among the dead."

"What do you want?" He repeated, hoping for a better answer. 

"To live, untroubled by humans," an ache of longing pulled at Fuse's voice, so unlike anything he'd heard from the villain. It was an impossible request, but Gordon didn't try to refute it. He couldn't change what it wanted when it had a point. 

Looking out over the ocean that surrounded his home, knowing what lay in the deep, he let the world shift, his mind wandering to the only good things to come from humankind.

Water surrounded him once more and he breathed it in, his eyes fixed on the structure barely under the ocean's surface. Colors were vibrant under the moon's glow as fish flitted in and out of the massive structure.

"We have seen this place before," the voice shifted to one that almost made his heart burst, her features dulled by the shadows as he turned to see Penelope floating beside him. "It is home to some of us."

"Humans," Gordon found his voice, though rough, "build new ho-homes for the s-sea. For you."

Penelope fell silent, dark eyes sweeping over the Supreme Barrier Reef as her hair floated around her shoulders. 

Switching his view between the reef and the creature holding him in his own mind, Gordon swallowed, his thoughts racing to find a way out, "I - I don't know what happened to y-you, but we - my brothers will help. They'll help."

The silence stretched, a wave rolling over top of them, oblivious to their peril. 

Even here Gordon knew what the creature wouldn't tell him, "They're - already trying… aren't they."

"What good can they do? We are many, dying at the hands of humans. They are not enough," Penelope's voice was sharp, cutting through his optimistic hope enough to wonder if it was all for nothing. 

These were his brothers, though. They were stubborn and smart. They had Brains and a world of experts at their fingertips. Nothing would get in the way of saving him and his captor if they could. "It only takes - a few to ma-make a difference. My family… they can do more than you think. You just - have to…have to..."

The reef was fading, Gordon's words growing thick with effort to conjure something coherent. He turned and Penny was gone, replaced by a mirror image of himself, dark eyes regarding him with skepticism and bitterness, "We will see. Time is growing short for us. Soon, we will die." And his voice, his words seemed to be all encompassing. When the creature died, so did he.

That's where their conversation ended, the two Gordons floating in a void of endless pain and despair. His eyes welled with emotion, a tear spilling over and he watched a similar one fall down the creature's cheek. Gradually, his senses dulled except for the fire under his skin, but it was a stark reminder that he was still alive. They still had time.

A shuddered breath and the void grew more suffocating until all awareness left and Gordon was gone.

Chapter Text

"Found it," John's declaration lacked the excitement that should have accompanied locating the source of the toxic chemicals. Scott's head might've been spinning, but he could still understand what a pending problem sounded like.

"Where?" He asked, glaring at the cloud that seemed to blur in and out of focus.

A resigned sigh, "Inside the creature. We can't get to it if this thing decides to fight back."

Lips thinning in concentration, he checked the proverbial card in his other hand, "Any news on the counter agent?"

"Virgil is currently on approach to land for pick up," which was encouraging except, "Brains still needs more time to test it, though."

"What about the sample Virgil dropped off earlier?" Trial phase was still better than the solution being stuck in development. 

"They're all dead," John reported with the same regret and frustration that now tried to suffocate the pilot. 

"I thought we had more time," denial flooded his chest.

"Brains believes light sped up the process," the explanation did nothing to help. 

With one of their options in limbo and the other buried somewhere in the nightmare outside Thunderbird 4, Scott grew quiet. He needed ideas, solutions to focus on, but this crisis was far from anything they'd ever dealt with. What could he do other than sit still and wait?

There was one thing and the words were leaving his mouth before he realized what he was doing, "Gordon? Can you hear me?" The comms had remained open, his trapped brother's icon at the center. 

For a long moment, there were only soft breaths, but a quiet whisper followed, "We are listening." The creature, not Gordon.

Scott swallowed back the bile that rose, making his voice unsteady, "We've discovered - we know what's hurting you."

"Yet we are still in pain," it hissed with his brother's voice. "Why do you tell us this?"

Inspiration hit with the severity of the situation, Scott's heart rate increasing with hope, "It's inside you. We can't get to it unless you let us."

"You wish to rescue your brother," the tone was accusatory and not at all untrue.

"Yes," slipped out before he could stop it.

A growl, "You cannot if we are to die."

Shaking his head was a mistake, but he needed to be clear, drawing in a breath to steady himself, "We can get rid of the thing that's poisoning you. I just - need to be able to get to it. Please, let me help. You can -" another bout of acid hit his throat. Moisture stung his eyes as he forged on, "You can keep my brother - until we get the chemicals away from you."

Silence, all ears listening and waiting for the creature's answer. If this didn't work… if they couldn't convince this thing to trust them, they were left to hope Brains' counter agent worked. As much as they all believed in the scientist, Scott would prefer to have as many options as possible. 

A noise that was so unlike Gordon, rumbling deep in the blonde's throat, "Go."

He knew a command when he heard one, pushing the battered submarine forward. If the creature had meant anything different, he was certain it would have corrected his action. As it was, the closer Scott drew to the wall of darkness, it began to recede, pulling away from the ocean floor as Thunderbird 4 propelled on. 

"Scott?" Virgil, voice tight with trepidation. Two's pilot was having trouble finding one thing to focus on. Two brothers at the bottom of the sea and he was designated to the role of delivery driver. Now, he was watching his eldest brother charge headfirst into the creature. 

"So far, so good, Virgil," it was a whisper mixed with optimism and a fresh sense of dread. The ever present ache behind his eyes reminded him of how badly this could all go, but as the cloud encompassed him, Scott knew there was no turning back. "Approaching the - the hazard. ETA one minute." He didn't fail to notice Gordon's icon passing just above Thunderbird 4, so close.

The lights of the sub acted as a visual guide, giving him a partial view of the ocean floor as the creature moved away. To his surprise, an ancient looking fish appeared, ignoring him as the darkness took it back in. More appeared, similar and just as undisturbed by their surroundings. 

"Gordon, these fish… why are they here?" It wasn't a question anyone needed to ask, but the silence seemed worse.

"We are home to many," his little brother's voice matched one they'd heard before. Gordon loved the ocean and any chance he could get to tell them about it, he would. "They depend on us to keep them safe, to provide. We are necessary for their survival."

Scott's lips thinned, "So we understand each other on some level. People depend on us, on Gordon, to keep them safe." More sea life moved around Thunderbird 4, "If you can talk to him, he'll tell you our job is to save lives… yours included. Gordon's the first of us to stand up for the - the ocean and anything living in it."

The comms were quiet and he bit back the urge to convince the creature further. Negotiations weren't his strong point when anger was involved, but after living with the aquanaut for so long, he understood what drove an ocean dweller's heart. 

"We know this," it admitted, alluding to the fact that it did hold some knowledge from his brother. 

"Good," a breath that eased the throbbing in his head. "We'll fix this, I promise. Just - please keep our brother safe."

There was no response, leaving Scott to hope for the best. It wasn't arguing or cursing humanity. Maybe they were doing more than saving its life.

Focus moving back to his destination, Scott's brow furrowed when he reached it, "Thunderbird 5, I'm not seeing anything."

"Scanning from Four," a moment passed as John rechecked their readings. A curse not usually heard from the astronaut and he elaborated, "You're at the correct location. It's buried."

Scott stifled his own exploitive, "Can Thunderbird 4 reach it if I try digging?"

"Yes, but once it's free, it will likely expose the area to a higher concentration of the chemical," which wouldn't be ideal for anyone.

"How close is Brains to figuring out the counter agent?" Scott didn't want to wait, but if he could hold out a little longer and it meant doing less harm, then he would.

"Testing will have to be on s-site," the scientist answered apologetically. "I'm loading it into Thunderbird 2 now. Each canister should cover approximately one cu-cubic kilometer."

A low hiss, "What does this mean?" It was difficult to tell if Gordon was angry or in pain.

"It means we have to wait," he tried to sound calm, but everything in him wanted to drag the offensive object out of the sand. Virgil would be back, though. Once Two was loaded, his brother would push his 'bird to her limit if it meant reaching Gordon faster.

"This is not desired. It continues to kill us. It must be removed," the cloud around Thunderbird 4 stirred with agitation and for a terrifying moment, Scott wondered if the creature would take on the task itself.  

"It will be," he reassured, checking the status of Thunderbird 2's icon. "Removing it now would cause you more harm. Virgil will be back soon."

"Virgil…" and in that one response, all they could hear was Gordon, scared and alone. 

Not for long … Scott promised as his eyes tracked the yellow icon. 

OoOoOoO

Impatience wasn't in his usual round of emotions, thanks in part to helping raise little brothers. Virgil strived for that steady pace that didn't rush headlong into trouble. Someone needed to if this family was going to keep functioning. Today, however, impatience seemed to be elbowing him in the gut at every turn. 

The flight back to the island had been just as long as the flight back to Scott and Gordon once he'd delivered the sample. He'd done it in under the previous time, but then Virgil was forced to wait for the counter agent to be finished and loaded. 

And all he could do was sit. Sit and wait. Sit and wait and watch as his brothers' suit readings told him they needed attention. Scott was hiding injuries, that part he was sure of, but short of attaching a grapple to the sub and hauling her to the surface, their big brother wasn't budging.

Gordon's suit hadn't fluctuated an inch. No increase in biometrics, no change in his respirations. For all intents and purposes, Gordon was asleep. So much of him wished it was that simple. 

Virgil listened as Scott communicated with the creature that used their little brother's voice. His need to be heading back grew unbearable once Thunderbird 4 entered the entity. He hadn't meant to call out, but Scott was there, reassuring them all he was okay. 

It wasn't until he heard Gordon, his Gordon, he broke, "Brains, just get everything into the module. I'll finish loading the cartridges for launch on my way to the creature's location."

"FAB," he'd startled the scientist, but there was no argument. Whatever got the solution out faster, Brains was on board, literally, "I'm coming wi-with you."

"Alright, how long until we can launch?" Virgil was already going through preflight checks, nerves itching to feel his 'bird's engine roar to life. 

"The last container is in, closing the module do-door now," it was all the permission he needed.

The roar was louder than he remembered, but that could've been a product of so much quiet anticipation. Virgil welcomed it, hoping the others heard the choir of hope his girl was bringing. He heard the module secure into place, her payload weighing heavily on his own shoulders and he waited. He didn't want to, heaven knew he didn't, but launching with Brains in the module, not knowing if the containers were secure - he couldn't chance it. 

Footsteps resounded behind him just before the hatch opened. He didn't turn, intent on flying through launch protocols. Brains could take his seat while Two was moving. 

"I'm coming too," the young voice surprised Virgil enough to pull him away from his task. 

Only for a moment, though, "Of course you are."

Alan's smile was a fraction of what it could be, but he welcomed it. They needed as much help as they could get now.

"All set," Brains cleared behind him and he didn't hesitate, pushing the Thunderbird forward. The sun greeted them as Two angled up on her launch pad, engines as desperate as the crew was to get in the air.

"You're clear for launch," Dad gave the final call his heart needed.

He couldn't bring himself to say it, not with how heavy everything felt, but something needed to be said. As the green cargo ship shot upwards and around the caldera, the only thing that felt appropriate was reserved, "We're coming, Gordon."

OoOoOoO

A noise floated through the void, catching on a breath as Gordon's senses came back to him. He wished in the next breath to fall again. Back into that nothingness where he had no control, no thought. A shiver ran up his spine, bringing fresh waves of agony with it and he cried out, hoping the creature might do something to ease the pain. 

More sound - words - came through the darkness, far off and muffled, but there. He blinked away tears he hadn't known were there, trying to find a source. 

And then, clear as day, "Do you trust them?" The voices blended, no longer someone he recognized. 

Gordon didn't need clarification, "Ye-yes."

"With your life?" The tone changed, doubtful of his sincerity.

"Everyday," he firmly believed that.

A figure formed in front of him, expression dark and accusatory. Gordon tried to push away, but an iron grip encircled his arm, jerking him upright to face his new adversary. To face the truth that this creature already knew. The Hood's voice was calculated, cold, "What about my life?"

He didn't want to answer. Whatever came out would sound like a blatant lie. All Gordon felt was hatred and anger. This was the man that had hurt his family - had hurt him. Yes, Dad was alive, but at what cost? All because this villain wanted wealth and power! 

The truth was worse than a lie. Of course they would save the Hood's life, but they would detest every second of it. Every minute could mean time wasted saving him when someone else could be in trouble. It burned him up inside to even think about… and the creature understood this. 

"What of us - after they are through saving our lives," the Hood whispered. "Will we be imprisoned? Hunted for what we have done to survive?"

Gordon turned away, unable to look into the face any longer, "You're not him. You're no-nothing like him-m." 

"He took your father as we have taken you," it stated as though it were an undeniable fact that could be interchanged and still be the same.

"The Hood is greedy… he takes," Gordon swallowed back a sob against the war for control over his throat and the fire raging through him. "You've - been attacked. You had no ch-choice."

Silence fell over them and he felt the hand loosen, allowing him to float once more. He blinked, hesitantly turning back to see that the Hood was gone and the shadow of himself was back.

"We… believe you," a resigned wariness hung on his words.

Gordon felt it in his own chest, that fear of vulnerability. The creature was relinquishing control to a group of humans and it had to be terrifying. Slowly, he reached out a hand, offering it to the being he was trapped with. He watched his reflection stare at it before laying its hand in his. It was a human gesture, but Gordon hoped it offered as much relief to the creature as it did him.

"We'll get through this," he gave it a watery smile, one practiced so often on rescues over the years it surpassed the pain running through him. "They'll save u-us and you can go… wherever you want."

The creature looked up, his eyes searching his own, daring Gordon to flinch and show some level of deceit. There was none, only the exhausted expression of a human who had nothing to hide and it could see that. A gentle squeeze of the creature's hand and his slipped back to his chest, muscles spent on the simple action, but it had done the job.

The atmosphere shifted slightly, less suffocating and Gordon's brow furrowed towards the creature as it turned its attention away. He couldn't see what it saw, but as it spoke, he felt his spirits lift. 

"They're here."

Chapter Text

The canister was exactly the way Alan expected it to be, dense and difficult to lift as he passed one to Virgil. Things of importance needed to have heft to them, otherwise they might seem fragile, easily lost if he were to drop one. Drop one and we might not have enough to save Gordon, the worry caused him to hesitate as he reached for the next one. 

A breath and Alan clenched and unclenched his hands to work the stress from his trembling fingers. This was the easy part, so why was he losing it now?

"Alan?" The baritone jarred him from his thoughts.

Wide eyes turned to see Virgil standing by the launch compartments, expression one of understanding and concern. The blonde nodded sharply, unable to voice that he was okay. Steadier hands grabbed the next container and he shifted it over, his brother taking its weight from him to load into Thunderbird 2. Alan was back to the next one before any further emotional distress could get in the way. 

"All set for the fir-first test," Brains announced from his console in the module. The two iR operatives froze, eyes regarding the scientist. They'd made it back to the danger zone faster than they'd expected.

John's image appeared above the console, "I've put Thunderbird 2 as close to the water as I can. Grapples are charged if we need them."

"Thanks, Thunderbird 5," Virgil addressed, aware of the plan to extract the device releasing the chemicals once they knew the counter agent worked. 

"Scott, I'll be aiming for your location," Brains had the holomap open, angling the trajectory towards Thunderbird 4.

"I'm ready," the determination was encouraging.

Alan held his breath as he watched the scientist activate the launch, a dull thump the only indication something had left the cargo ship. They watched as a new icon appeared, travelling through the cloud. He let the breath out when it looked like nothing was going to stop its progress, nerves itching to see some kind of change once it reached its destination. 

A reading told Alan it would be a few minutes before anything would happen and he chanced a glance at Gordon's readings. Nothing different from moments ago. He wondered if his brother was conscious of the plan or that they were even trying to save him. He hoped, whatever state Gordon was in, he was okay and knew his family was there. 

"Ready for activation," Brains' declaration dragged the astronaut's attention back to the canister icon, so close to Thunderbird 4. 

"Gordon? You ready?" Calling the creature by his brother's name still sounded weird, but what else was Scott supposed to say?

A solemn, "We are ready."

Please work, Alan watched the scientist key in the instructions and a second later, the counter agent began to disperse throughout the cloud surrounding the sub. He couldn't tell if it was working, Four's sensors unable to detect the physiological structures, but after a nerve racking moment, they found out the answer.

"More, send more," the desperation was surprising to hear from a creature who had been hesitant to accept their help. "It is working."

"You heard him, Brains," the first burst of hope filled their commander's voice and it spread, a whoop of cheer sounding from Alan and Virgil as they stood watch. More of the canisters were launched in succession, spreading the counter agent as they hit the ocean floor. Now, however. They hit the next hurdle.

"Time to dig this thing up," Scott warned. "There's gonna be a lot more chemicals in the water once I start. Can you manage?"

"Do what you must," Gordon's voice shivered. 

Movement beside him and Alan turned to see Virgil running for the stairs. The grapple controls would be needed once their brother and the device were free. He was tempted to follow, but decided to stay, ready to help once Thunderbird 4 had Gordon on board and was ready to head for the surface. Almost done, and then they could go home.

OoOoOoO

His hands shook as Scott took the controls, both from inaction and a burst of adrenaline that came with taking the next step to save his brother. The first blast of propulsed water hit the sand, sending it up in a swirl of blinding sediment, his only indication that he was heading in the right direction, the glowing outline on the HUD. He tried to ignore the hiss of pain that followed from Gordon or the creature. As much as it pained him, this had to be done quickly before things got worse.

A flash of metal filled the window as the sub's lights reflected off something solid. Scott released the controls for the jets and quickly maneuvered one of the arms to grab the offensive object. To his growing frustration, it didn't budge, "I've found it - but it's big."

"Too big for Thunderbird 4 to lift?" Virgil called and Scott wondered if they might need Two to dig it out. 

"I'll keep going and let you know," he grit back, taking the jet controls again while still hanging onto the object. More silt clouded the ocean as he worked, slowly uncovering a vehicle about half Four's size. When it finally jerked free and the yellow 'bird flew backwards, he let out a sharp call, "Got it! Getting it to a clear area for pick up!"

Scott was moving, pushing Four as fast as she could go through the dark cloud, not waiting for it to move out of his way. It was an error that couldn't be remedied, even given time to rethink the action. Gordon's gut wrenching scream echoed through the comms as the chemical overcame the counter agent. It was only going to be less than a minute, but in that time, he was tormenting - killing - parts of this creature. His brother felt it and it sent waves of ice through his chest. 

"I'm sorry - I'm sorry," was all he could whisper past the gravel in his throat. Hot tears trickled down his cheeks as he listened to his brother cry out for the pain to stop.

Thunderbird 4 broke into the open ocean, the cloud gone to reveal the cause of all their turmoil. A sub, too small to be manned, hung dead in the grapple's claw. Rust had claimed much of its hull, resulting in the ruptured battery cells. Whatever its purpose, Scott wanted it gone, "Virgil, ready for retrieval!"

"Grapples deployed," the engineer's tone was deep, Virgil pushing professionalism through ruptured emotions left flayed open by a comm link. 

"Sending more counter ag-agent along your route," Brains would fix it. Gordon would be alright in a moment. Just a little longer.

And for the first time on this mission, Scott muted his link, burying his face in his hands as an unfettered cry reverberated through his palms. Gasped sobs accompanied it with the stabbing ache that plagued his skull and threatened to send him under. He couldn't do that, though. He still had a job to do, regardless of how the console blurred and the lights sent rainbows haloing around them. His brother needed him. 

The magnetic grapple sounded loudly outside the sub, breaking Scott from his anguish. He released Four's hold on the ship and gratefully watched it disappear. Virgil had it now.  

Wiping his face, he unmuted his channel, "Gordon? It's gone. Are you okay?"

The response was breathy, unfocused and it was too difficult to discern if there were words they could understand or more gibberish. EOS didn't offer a translation, leaving Scott to assume this was the creature's version of a groan. 

"The counter agent should be dispersing momentarily," and as Brains broke the tension with their own version of first aid, Scott saw the canisters on his display. Each one delivered the compound that would neutralize the chemicals, allowing the creature some comfort in this disaster. 

The chattering of teeth through Gordon's comm was a new development and the commander was already pulling forward the aquanaut's suit telemetry, "His temperature's dropping."

"I see it," Virgil confirmed. "It's slow, but not life threatening. Brains, what do you think's causing it?"

"It could be a re-reaction to the chemicals neutralizing," the scientist stated as though it were an understandable outcome. "If the reactions were thermogenic in nature, we could be lo-lowering the entire entity's temperature."

"And Gordon's, got it," Scott directed his pleas to the creature holding his brother, "Alright, It's working! Please, give us back our brother and we'll leave."

Again, there were no words in answer, but the shadowy cloud began to stir, swirling in some kind of frenzy. Blue eyes watched it, waiting for any sign that the creature was going to follow through with his request. 

"Scott! The cloud's dispersing!" John sounded concerned and alarms followed, the windows of Four's helm suddenly flooding with the dark creature as it spread around him. Still no sign of Gordon.  

"Where's Gordon?!" Scott pulled back on the controls, sending the sub upwards and out of the swarm. 

"He hasn't moved, but he should be visible in ten seconds," the astronaut sounded breathless as he relayed the details. "This thing's moving exceedingly fast."

Ten seconds - less now - and Scott had the controls of Thunderbird 4 sending him forward only to be hit by a wave of the creature. Intentional or not, the current sent the sub spiraling sideways and disorienting the pilot whose head protested with the abuse. 

"Three, two, one - Scott! He's out!" And a series of alarms sounded through the open comms.

"The pressure," Virgil, clear and centering as Scott steadied Four. "His suit can't hold for very long!"

"I'm on it!" He grit through the sparks dancing over his vision, focusing on the yellow icon that doubled before merging once more. Please let me get to him.

Thunderbird Four sped forward, lifting over another wave sent by the creature and Scott rode it with a flick of the controls. The sirens of Gordon's suit were calling him, begging him to go faster if he wanted to bring his brother home alive. The blonde himself was silent, sending a pang through the eldest's chest.

And then he saw him, a spec of blue and yellow appearing in the beams that stretched out from his girl. Scott didn't dwell on the fact that Gordon wasn't moving, instead, swinging Four around so that her rear hatch could open. He didn't listen to the rise in the alarms that said suit integrity was failing, blue eyes watching the icon of his brother connecting with the back of the Thunderbird. He ignored the need to stay in the pilot's seat as the sea roiled around them, listening to the outer doors close, the aquanaut safely captured in the airlock. 

"I've got him, Virgil!" Scott shouted as he forced the inner doors to open, spilling sea water onto the floor and his brother into his waiting arms as they both fell to the floor. "Someone get us topside!" He didn't care who or how. All his focus was on the limp figure laying against him. 

The sound of the impellers increased, taking over for alarms that were now silent. Gordon was in Four, away from the dangers of being crushed. In one swift move, the blonde's helmet was off, bouncing over the metal flooring. Scott's fingers carded through the sweat-dampened bangs, eliciting nothing from his brother and they quickly moved to his neck. The pulse was unmistakable and he let out the breath he'd held out of a mix of hope and fear. 

"C'mon, Gords," Scott abandoned checking over the unconscious figure to cradle him instead, Gordon's forehead pressing into his cheek. "Wake up for me."

The blonde didn't move, saltwater dripping from his suit and beading off the pilot's to merge with the puddle on the floor. His breath brushed Scott's throat, another sign that hope wasn't lost, but still the nagging worry persisted. He wanted his brother awake, talking to them with his own words and not those of a creature from the deep. He didn't want the last thing he heard from Gordon to be the pained cry at his own hands.

Sunlight flooded through the rear hatch sooner than he expected, the thump of a retrieval line connecting with Thunderbird 4's hull. Scott swallowed past the thickness that had crawled into his throat, "Hear that, Fish? Almost home. We've got you, just - hang in there - okay?"

Reaching out, the brunette took his brother's hand, squeezing it gently and hoping for a response. Memories of this same brother, laying in Two's module, shot out from places in his mind meant to keep them locked away. That time, Scott had been forced into confidence - calm professionalism to keep the rest of the group from falling apart - but every part of him had wanted to fold around his broken brother. It was his job, his responsibility to keep them all safe and here he was, holding Gordon… again. 

Scott was vaguely aware of when the sub's stabilizers locked into place, the sway of the ocean much less than it had been moments ago. When the rear hatch opened, a figure stepping through to kneel in front of them, all he could do was look up into worried brown eyes, tears falling from his own and whisper, "Please help him."  

Chapter Text

The pain was gone, replaced by a numbing chill that felt infinitely better than the fire. Opening his eyes, Gordon found himself floating in darkness. The shadow of himself hung not far off, a look of peace taking over for the agony from moments ago. Gordon smiled, "They did it."

"Yes," the shadow closed his eyes, hands flowing through the unseen currents. "We are returning to our home."

"Good," after everything it had been through, it deserved to be free. He floated a moment, relishing in the loss of pain, but it was still so fresh and Gordon couldn't help wondering if the torture would return. Was this just a temporary reprieve? Lips thinning, he pushed the fears aside, "I'm sorry - you had to go through that."

The creature's eyes opened to regard him cautiously, "Let us hope this is the last time."

He felt the threat lingering under the words. This being had new knowledge of the human race and wouldn't hesitate to use it if threatened again. Slowly, Gordon shook his head, "We'll do what we can to prevent it."

He watched his head tilt slightly, "You care deeply for our home."

"I do," the cold began to reduce as he spoke, the atmosphere warming with his statement. A thought began nagging at him and he hoped for a positive answer, "My brothers… did they find me?"

The creature nodded, "They have taken us in your submersible."

Us? It was obvious that the creature was including him, "I thought - you were going home?"

Shadow-Gordon's expression grew remorseful, "Many are leaving, but we cannot."

"Why not?" And why couldn't he wake up?

"We are trapped," it confessed. "We cannot leave without the ocean."

"What?" A new kind of cold shot through the aquanaut, heart beating loudly in his ears as he tried to process the new situation. "What do you mean? Can't you just try?"

Silence, the hope that it would actually do as he asked slowly fading as the creature shook its head, "It is impossible as we are now. We need the water."

Ocean, they needed the ocean in order to separate? His helmet? Was it still on? "What if - can you get us in the water?"

His own eyes, shadowed within the inhuman form, regarded him with hesitation, "We do not know."

"Please- just try," Gordon pleaded as they floated in the void. "So we can both go home."

OoOoOoO

He was only one person, but his skills exceeded the average. He could help design engine parts and complex firefighting equipment. He could determine appropriate treatment for extensive injuries and implement most while in full gear in the middle of raging storms. He could play a host of classical pieces and capture the sky on canvas. 

Today, however, he was only one man with two brothers who needed his attention. As Virgil crouched in front of them, his mind was routing the best strategy to engage. Gordon had been the obvious priority, but now that he had eyes on Scott, the situation changed. They knew their commander had taken a hit, but the extent had yet to be seen. A large patch of purpling blue and red covered the side of his face and ran into his hairline. The swelling needed to come down quickly and the thought of using the medscanner on him first crossed Virgil's mind. 

Scott's grip on Gordon was the main problem. Big brother wasn't about to separate unless he knew for certain his charge was safe. 

Virgil played to that, "Let's get him out of here. Nice and easy." 

Scott nodded, wobbling on the spot and for a moment it looked like the brunette was about to go down. Virgil held tight to both brothers until they were stable, Scott brushing him off as they stood. Stubborn. That was their commander as he took one of Gordon's arms and wrapped it over his shoulders. 

The engineer took as much of the weight as he could, pulling his co-pilot into his side as they left the cramped rear of the sub. Alan was there the moment they were out, Virgil trying to convey instructions without a word. Bright blue eyes blinked away from him as though the message had been missed, finding Gordon with an intense level of concern. He shouldn't have expected anything less after the ordeal they'd been through, but with his big brothers on both sides, Alan quickly shifted to Scott. Recognition of a severe head injury flashed across Alan's face and he fell in step with the pilot. They would need to move quickly if they were going to keep everyone safe. 

"Alright, Scott," Virgil started, gently pulling Gordon away. "I've got him. You and Alan follow us to the medbay."

The brunette stumbled slightly, Alan already steadying him with an arm under his, but he didn't let go. Virgil bit his cheek, fighting the urge to simply pull Gordon away for both of their benefits. 

A groan and all eyes were on the aquanaut.

"Gordon?" The name came out choked with surprised concern and Virgil gave up his focus on Scott. Leaning forward to get a view of his brother's face, he was rewarded with the twitches of eyelids trying to open, "You with us, Fish?"

Gordon's eyes opened, dark and inhuman and there was no time to react as the small figure burst with a new energy. They all stumbled away when the aquanaut jerked from their hold, Scott stumbling to the ground and taking Alan with him. Virgil caught himself after a step, hands reaching to catch his co-pilot. Gloves grazed over neoprene, Gordon bolting in an awkward run around the group. 

In that second, Virgil's heart burst with the thought of losing their brother so soon after rescuing him. He was running in the next beat, ignoring the cries surrounding him as he came around Thunderbird 4 and saw the light of day reflecting off the ocean's surface. Gordon became a shadow, arms pumping as he ran for the end of the ramp. 

Not fast enough! His head screamed for him to close the distance. To grab hold of the blonde and drag him back, fighting and screaming if he had to. 

A flash of blue and yellow and Gordon reached the sunlight before Virgil made it to the edge of the module. 

Not even a splash, Gordon dove into the next swell.

A panicked curse and Virgil followed.

OoOoOoO

He had no control, but Gordon could feel the beat of his heart increasing as the creature floated quietly in the void. It hadn't explained its plan or what would happen if it didn't work. A simple "We will try" before a heaviness fell over them. 

Thought was difficult as Gordon tried to make sense of what was happening to him. There was a peace to it, though. Worry wasn't consuming him as much as it should have and he found it easier to float. He could wait a little longer. 

When his shadow self returned, its stance had changed, muscles tensing with haste, "It is done!"

Gordon went to speak but suddenly realized he couldn't breath, mouth clamped shut, eyes wide as fear took hold. 

"We will leave, but it will not be - pleasant," and there was a hint of regret. "If we meet again, we hope it is on better terms."

The shadow melted into the darkness, a dull grey spreading in its wake, along with an excruciating pain that radiated from the side of his head. Gordon wanted to scream, but his lips were sealed. A blink and he realized why.

The grey had become an ocean of blues, sunbeams streaming through a restless surface. The stabbing in his head continued, unaided by the cool water. Gordon tried to swim, managing a haphazard jerk before his lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen.  

A shadow above him, huge and square, told him how close he was to the surface, but it was still an impossible distance. Everything felt sluggish as his arms pushed against the water uselessly. He wanted to curse - everything he'd been through and he was about to drown. 

Movement and a new shadow intensified, blurring in the water, but unmistakably human. Spots began to obscure the image even more, but something grabbed his baldric. He didn't have to see to know that someone was trying to save him. He also didn't need to see to know how much his rescuer was going to struggle getting them both to the surface.

Adrenaline cleared his head enough to help him kick with the pull of his belt. It wasn't much, but Gordon could feel the tension loosen as they sped up. The spots returned, however, clouding his vision as his lungs screamed for air. Each kick began to slow, losing the strength he needed to help, and then, they both stopped, he and the brother carrying him. A brother, because they wouldn't have left him. Not for a second. 

Only a little longer. If he could hold on a little longer, their efforts would be worth more than just bringing his body home. Try as he might, bubbles trickled up from his lips, lungs rebelling against his wishes. The first droplets of water spread over his tongue, followed quickly by a rush. 

More bubbles and this time the ocean spilled down his throat, burning its way into his lungs.

Panic, unavoidable, but brief, took hold. There was no telling if his brother sensed it, the tug of the yellow baldric his only indication they were still there.

Darkness slithered across his vision and Gordon slumped, letting the ocean hold him. He'd lost.

A rush of momentum just before everything went dark. A surge of water and sunshine hit his face. His lungs emptied with a guttural upheaval of salt water as Gordon was held above the waves, one strong arm gripped tight around his chest. Gasps of fresh air tore at his throat, but he ignored it as each breath brought with it an edge of clarity. He was alive. His brother had him, firmly in an inescapable hold. 

Solid metal slid under Gordon's back as he was lifted onto the hard surface of the module door and his vision blurred. It wasn't from the stabbing ache in his head or the burning sensation in his lungs. No, he could blame it on the warmth trickling down his cheeks as relief mixed with falling adrenaline levels. 

The shadow that had saved him still held tight, dragging them both away from the churning sea, the grunts unmistakable against the whir of grabble cables retracting.

"V-irg…" so quiet he thought his brother might've missed it. 

But then, the pressure around his chest released and his brother was suddenly bending over him, one large hand cupping the side of his face while the other held his arm. His words were breathless from exertion and likely shock, "Gords? Gordon, I'm here!"

Shaky hands reached up, grabbing hold of the ones keeping him still. The tears fell free, taking over for the voice he'd lost, but Virgil could read past the silent sobs and coughs. He knew his co-pilot and in one swift movement, the engineer had Gordon bundled in an embrace. It was warm despite the water dripping off their frames and kept him from collapsing under the weight of the day's trauma. 

After a moment of sitting in the sun, bobbing up and down on each wave, Virgil shifted, hooking an arm under Gordon's knees. They were up with a grunt of effort, the blonde's arms wrapped around his brother's neck as he coughed and wheezed and cried, living in each step they took. 

"Virgil!" It was Alan, his voice desperate, that broke Gordon from the emotional fallout. When he turned away from the green belt to find his little brother, he was met with fear. It didn't seem right for how he felt and Alan was quick to explain, "Scott's unconscious."

OoOoOoO

Gordon's weight grew in his arms as his attention was suddenly being drawn in two different directions. Virgil had his little brother, knew he was safe, but there were so many variables he didn't have an answer for yet. They needed scans and bloodwork, anything that could confirm Gordon was okay, physically at least. 

The sight of Scott laying on his side, Brains checking over him while Alan was retrieving the most skilled of their team, was hard to ignore. Both brothers needed him, but he was only one man. Determination or stubbornness, whichever helped, Virgil pinned the young astronaut with a steady gaze, "Alan, grab two hover stretchers and get them over here. Thunderbird 5, get me a direct path to the closest hospital."

"FAB, starting module retrieval," John still had his girl and would make sure they were ready for the trip when the time came.

A quick glance to the scientist found the man deactivating a medscanner, "Brains?"

"Minor cr-cranial fracture, swelling, reduced heart rate and respirations," the brows under the glasses pinched in worry.

None of it sounded good, but there was little he could do to treat the problem, "Get some cold compresses on his head. We need to get the swelling down."

A nod and Brains was off, familiar with where much of their equipment was located. 

Footfalls reverberated through his boots and Virgil turned to see Alan returning with the portable beds. Gordon was first, or that had been the intent as he placed the aquanaut down and tried to pull away from the arms around him. Gordon clung that much tighter. Dark brown eyes found bright blue with an unspoken request. Alan didn't hesitate, coming around to wedge himself between his brothers. Soft words floated up from the youngest and a moment later, Gordon's arms were around the smaller set of shoulders. 

The separation felt wrong almost instantly, as though every muscle itched to return to the contact. Gordon needed him, but so did Scott. Shaking off the urge to protect his co-pilot, Virgil turned to crouch beside Scott. His brother was out, unable to assist as the engineer began to bundle him up for the lift. Scott was a runner, though, and what he had in height, his form was lean, easy enough to carry to the other stretcher and a gel pack. He didn't stir as he was placed on the non-slip padding. Didn't twitch an eyelash as the cool compress was set on the swelling purple bruise covering the side of his head. 

The straps secured, Scott was put in Brains' care, to be taken to the medbay and attached to the wall before Thunderbird 2 could go anywhere. 

It had only taken a few minutes to attend to their commander, but in that time, Alan had convinced Gordon to lay down, the two holding hands for support. Virgil quickly took up the other side and grasped the hand that still shook. It was the first good look he'd gotten of his little brother, amber eyes bright with moisture. His hair stood out in haphazard waves, but as Virgil's gaze swept over the hairline, the blatant shade of red trickling down his cheek set off new alarms. The blood stemmed from Gordon's ear, lazily flowing to mix with salt water and tears. The implications ran unhindered through Virgil's head. 

"Let's get you checked out, okay?" He rasped, offering a gentle squeeze of Gordon's hand before they were following Scott. 

The nightmare from earlier was over, but Virgil wasn't naive enough to think they weren't going to need a miracle to get through the next part. The helplessness on Gordon's face told him as much and he didn't dare let go of the hand in his. Not until the scans were done and it became clear that his little brother would need more than he could give. 

"I'll help with Scott," Alan whispered, much to Virgil's relief. Guilt had been building up with each step towards the medbay, his call to offer aid being drawn in separate directions. 

"Thanks, Al," Virgil sent a weary smile. "Let me know if you need me."

"I will," and the younger blonde was off to do what Virgil couldn't. 

The hover stretcher clicked into place and Gordon flinched, clinging to his co-pilot. Virgil's free hand came up to rest on his forehead, brushing back the damp bangs, "Right here, Fish. Just gotta get the medscan done. Can you tell me how you're feeling?"

Distraction and purpose, the best ways to help a victim calm down. He wasn't above using it on his family. Gordon's mouth opened, expression pinched as a series of wet coughs racked his form.

"Okay, easy - easy. You took in some water," Virgil's hand left the blonde hair to grab the portable scanner, running it over his brother's form. A pause as they waited, the readings flashing in front of him a moment later. Much of the damage he could have assumed from someone thrown into those depths without proper equipment. "Thunderbird 5, does our destination have a decompression chamber?"

"Checking now," John, his voice remorseful with understanding. "Affirmative. I'll let them know it'll be needed."

"Thanks, John," Virgil's attention moved to the next problem that he couldn't do anything about. Ruptured eardrum , at least it was just the one, but still, coming back from that was going to be rough. 

The medscanner slipped back into its compartment, the holoprojection minimized so he could focus on Gordon. The pain etched in the blonde's face told him more than he needed to know as he squeezed the hand to get his attention. Amber eyes flicked over, silently pleading, but there was nothing Virgil could do but offer a distraction.

"I know it hurts," he kept his voice low. "You're gonna be okay, Gords. We'll be at the hospital soon and they'll help."

A blink, teardrops slipping free and Gordon nodded. He took a breath, wheezing slightly, "Okay." 

That one word held more trust than Virgil felt he deserved, but he swallowed back any attempts to apologize for that morning, for what happened on the ship, for not being able to do anything to get him out sooner. That wasn't what Gordon needed. 

Leaning down, one hand resting on the top of Gordon's head, Virgil's forehead came to rest against the blonde's temple. He wished he could take the pain away in that moment, take it upon himself and let his little brother rest. Instead, he let out a trembling breath and whispered, "You'll be okay."

They both needed to believe that.

Chapter Text

Communication blackout. That's what she'd requested until they could complete the operation. Obtain the information ordered by her employers and leave without a trace that could tie her to the eminent downfall of a tyrant. Keep herself and her loved ones safe.

It had started a week ago and everything had run smoothly - on her end it seemed. 

The news regarding Gordon's ordeal should have reached her the day it happened, but instead, Penelope had received the call three days after. John had looked fatigued to say the least, zoning out occasionally during the call. He'd told her of Scott, who was on bed rest and hating it. The commander would be alright given time and attention and he had the rest of his brothers for that.

Gordon, however, would seem to be the luckier of the two, but only on a physical level. The eardrum would heal on its own, but that also meant no swimming for the next few months. That alone would drive the aquanaut mad. The decompression chamber had done its job thanks to Virgil volunteering to lay in it for a couple hours with him. Not typical protocol, but effective nonetheless. One day of inpatient observation and he was out, whisked back to the island. 

Two days later, Penelope finally found him. He was sitting by the pool, poking at what looked to be one of Virgil's sketch books. Beside him, Jeff lay on a lounge chair, glasses hiding the fact that he was asleep. She couldn't help smiling at the sight, hesitating only a moment to savor it before quietly stepping over and placing a hand on Gordon's shoulder. 

When he startled, the sketch book falling from his lap, she gave a soft apology and reached to collect it for him. Before her hand could grasp the coiled spine, however, strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest. Why she hadn't anticipated this reaction she would blame on wanting to be delicate. She didn't want to do more harm if she could help it, but then, this was Gordon and he never did 'delicate' when it came to himself. 

"I'm sorry," Penelope whispered over his shoulder, her arms wrapping around him as he moved to allow her a place to sit. "I should've been here sooner."

"You're here now," he made it sound so simple. All she had to be was herself and he was happy. Only this time, being herself had meant leaving him alone for longer than she should have. 

"Do you need anything?" She knew the answer even as she asked.

"Just you," Gordon clung to her a bit tighter.

They stayed this way for a minute or two, Penelope didn't bother keeping time. When he was attached, the best option was to get comfortable. The warmth of him made that all too easy and Penelope found herself relaxing into the embrace. How long had it been since they'd done this? Simply enjoyed each other's company without being on a mission? She hoped to remedy that in the near future and ensure the job didn't get in the way. 

When he let go, Penelope leaned back, placing a kiss on his forehead, smiling at the hint of pink left behind, "What have you been up to?" She asked as she reached back and retrieved the sketchpad he'd dropped.

"Oh - uh," a noticeable flush crossed his cheeks. 

Before he could stop her, she glanced at the paper and saw the plethora of doodles. They weren't anywhere near Virgil's skill, but she could make out the meaning behind most of them. Grinning, her finger landed on a dolphin with a human figure next to it, obviously meant to be interacting, "I like this one."

A soft chuckle, Gordon brushing a hand through his sun-kissed hair, "Thanks. Um - Virg just thought it'd help to draw some stuff if I… y'know… couldn't talk about… things," the smile took on a slightly anxious quality as his words cut off.

Penelope took his hand, turning to rest her back against his chest as she wrapped his arm around her waist. It was a way to disarm him, take away the worry that came with seeing her expression. The sketchpad came up to reveal the rest of the art, "Do you think you could tell me a little about them?"

She felt his heart racing against her and she wished this wasn't necessary, but according to his brothers, Gordon had yet to discuss his ordeal. He swallowed, his hand lifting to point at one of the drawings, "That - is a bird."

Penelope wasn't sure what she'd expected, but as he offered the first blatantly obvious description, she couldn't help smiling, "Ah yes, and what kind of bird exactly?"

In fairness, it was a crude outline of a bird, wings out, beak open in profile. Very cartoon in style if she had to put a descriptor to it. Gordon didn't fail to deliver an extensive background, "Corvus corax, large beasts that watch you from above."

"Darling," she teased back. "I thought you said it was a bird."

A content chuckle as he kissed the top of her head, "It's a crow."

"Ah, now I see," she placed her hand on top of his and moved his finger to a more detailed bird, except it had been scribbled over as though he'd given up on it. "First attempt?"

He didn't answer immediately, her first clue she was on the right path, and he eventually nodded, "Tried too hard. Think I'll stick to this little guy." He abandoned the image to point at the cartoon. 

"Fair enough," she let him take over once more. "What's next?"

Gordon's hand moved with hers still resting on top of it and stopped over a rectangular blob. It held layers, but was still too ambiguous to name. Until he whispered, "Grandma's lasagna."

"Oh dear," she tried to subdue a laugh, but it crept into her words. "I see it now. Burnt I take it?"

"Mmhmm," but the amusement had left his voice. She considered stopping, abandoning the sketchbook in order to shelter him from some unspoken trauma, but then he moved, his finger shifting over what looked to be a plant, leaves wiggly and exaggerated, almost like seaweed. He didn't stop, eventually hovering over another image that had been marked out in the black pencil lead.

"Who's that?" She could see the outline of a face, a few features hidden under the scribble. 

A soft, "Virgil." She meant to tell him how much his brother would have appreciated the gesture and possibly encourage him to try again, but something had changed. All of her skills in reading people were screaming that there was more. Something else he wanted to say. Silence save for the birds in the trees around them, and then, "but not… not Virgil."

"Not Virgil?" Penelope mentally urged him to open up to her. 

He didn't speak, his arm pulling her closer as his hand moved to land on a dark splotch drawn at the bottom corner of the page. It only took her a moment to realize what it represented, but it still left her confused. 

Relinquishing the pad to the ground once more, Penelope turned to regard him. An expression of hurt and confusion plagued Gordon's face and she gently caught his chin, lifting it slightly to see the bandage covering his ear. None of them knew what had caused the rupture, but the way his hand came up to graze the protective fabric told her enough. 

Releasing his jaw, she slid her arm around him protectively, "What did it do?" 

"I'm not… I'm not mad at it," amber caught sapphire, trying to convey more meaning than he could put into words. "It was trying to survive… but…"

When his silence ticked with the seconds, her expression softened, "It was scared." People do terrible things when they're scared. Why should the creature be any different?

"It got in my head," his voice grew strained. "Made Virgil… It looked like Virgil and he was so angry." He looked away, fighting a war inside himself as the emotions tried to take over. 

"But it wasn't Virgil," a statement she hoped he took to heart.

"I know," a small nod and his eyes met hers again. "I think… I think its link to my memories made it take different forms. Eventually, it was just me."

Penelope couldn't say he made sense, but as Gordon spoke, the tension in his shoulders became less obvious. Her fingers brushed through the hair at the base of his neck, encouraging him to relax even further, "After that, what happened?"

"I promised to make sure it would never have to deal with that again," to her surprise, he let out a chuckle. "Not exactly sure how I'm gonna do that ."

"Darling, you don't owe that creature anything," she felt herself bristling at the idea it still had some hold over him.

A familiar spark caught in his eyes, one she'd witnessed at the Supreme Barrier Reef and she knew she'd lost the argument, "No, but nothing deserves a slow death, especially if there's something I can do about it."

Penelope sighed, giving him a sidelong look that said she didn't agree but understood, "I'll do want I can to help. For now," her thumb brushed over his ear, "You focus on feeling better. The ocean can wait for its hero a little longer." 

Gordon's smile grew and he leaned forward, placing another kiss on her head, "Thanks, Pen."

A rustling from the house drew their attention and Penelope glanced over her shoulder to find a figure in the kitchen, hidden by a large box. When they set it down, Virgil appeared, spotting the two of them with a surprised wave. He didn't head towards them, however, focusing back on the box.

"Oooh," a bright noise from the aquanaut. When she regarded him with a questioning brow, he explained, "He went out for food. Looks like he brought back the whole restaurant."

"Ah," and she grinned, glad to see his mood lifted by the same brother who had been troubling him a moment ago. It wouldn't hurt to encourage the engineer to continue supporting his brother. Drown the trauma with love. "That does sound delightful."

He didn't move, however, his arms wrapping around her and lifting her into a hug, his face embedded in her hair, "I missed you."

This was always a consequence of being in love with Gordon Tracy; unexpected affection that left her laughing with the bubbly feeling he gave her. His words struck hard, though, snagging on her own shortfalls. She hadn't been there for him. That didn't mean she couldn't fix this, returning the embrace, "Missed you too."

Penelope's attention flicked to the man who'd been sleeping in the lounger beside them. There was a smile under the sunglasses and she realised there had been a level of deceit that she could appreciate. Jeff appeared to catch her expression, a silent 'thank you' in response. Her smile grew. She would do anything for this family and was glad she could do something today. 

Things would get better from here on out. She was certain of that.

Ooo Epilogue ooO

Four months later, Gordon had been cleared for rescues, his eardrum and the recurrent dizziness long gone. He would be lying if he said he didn't still have nightmares, but they were easier to push aside. He knew the truth. He also knew he had made leaps and bounds with the removal of all known lithium ion powered submersibles being used for deep sea research. His father and Brains had ensured the companies had an eco-friendly power source to replace them. No need to limit exploration if it was also meant to help.

The ocean was where Gordon found himself today, sun shining through the surface and an overprotective co-pilot hovering above. A dive team had become trapped in a cavern, their sub pinging International rescue for help.

"You good?" Virgil asked for the third time since launching.

Amber eyes rolled, but the smile stayed, "Yeah, I've got this. Descending to the crew now."

"FAB," and he didn't correct Virgil when the comm stayed open.

Thunderbird 4 hummed under his fingertips as he pushed her towards the darkness. A shiver traveled up his spine at the sight, ignored as the front lights kicked on. He could do this.

Even so, Gordon stayed alert to any movements outside the window. The ocean was vast and the chances of running into anything out of the ordinary were slim. Yet, his nerves were twitching, hair standing on end. 

But he was fine. 

People were depending on him.

Silently, just above the hum of the impellers, many voices as one, " We are watching ."

Yet, Gordon drove on. This was their world, their home. He would let them know without a doubt he was there to protect it.