"Stopstopstop-" Fuse's grip on his shoulder had been gradually tightening during their slow limp through the forest. Now, Gordon's body was giving out underneath the pressure of the large man he was supporting. They found the closest tree for Fuse to lean against while the aquanaut untangled himself. His back ached with a fire that burned as he slowly stretched out the seized muscles. "This isn't working"

Fuse gave a pained grunt as he adjusted his hold of the tree. "It's not like we've got a choice."

Gordon's gaze moved towards the sky, taking in the encroaching storm clouds that had quickly enveloped the sun. A foreboding gray hung over the trees, warning of the impending winter storm. Fuse was right. They needed to get to the town before the weather turned against them.

"Okay." He stretched again, breathing through the slowly ebbing pain. "Give me a sec."

Fuse didn't argue. He stood, silently watching the clouds. Gordon wasn't sure if it was the pain or just the ordeal as a whole that had dulled his captor's initial disdain. Either way, he had allowed Gordon a few more freedoms along the way, including the choice to take breaks. The weather had seemed to put a stop to that. They were now short on time for reasons other than contacting his brothers.

He stepped back over to the injured man, taking the arm back over his shoulders. They continued on in the direction Fuse had indicated. Try as they might, it was still slow going over the rocky and root littered terrain. Gordon was intent to keep them from tripping, knowing they might not have the strength to get back up.

The first drops of rain made it through the tree top, splashing against the visor of his helmet. In the valley, it wasn't cold enough to snow, but the higher altitudes were providing the perfect environment for freezing rain. As more droplets connected with the high-grade Plexiglas, they began to freeze into a thin layer.

The rain stayed a light annoyance as they trudged along, but as they came to a clearing, the clouds released into a steady mix of rain and snow. Every few feet, they would wipe their helmets of the slush developing. The ground had become wet and icy in the clearing, the mud and rock slick and treacherous.

Gordon carefully stepped down a small ledge that cut through the landscape. He grunted as Fuse leaned on him to hop down the step. As the armored boot connected with the slushy mud, it slid out from under the large mass. The aquanaut found himself falling as he tried to keep the other man upright, his left knee slamming into the hard ground. He was bent over Fuse's side, the arm still across his back.

"Sorry..." Gordon grunted, trying to shift the weight pulling at his sore muscles. "You able to get back up?"

"Yeah- just a sec..." Fuse closed his eyes, letting his helmet rest in the mud he was laying in.

Gordon pivoted over to the small ledge to sit, rubbing the pain out of his knee. The ache was minimal as he let his helmet sink into his hands. His stomach growled to add another nail into his already horrible day. He'd never wanted to be home so bad. Even Grandma's cookies would be a welcome sight. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but he was currently living in the moment and the moment sucked.

"Fuse?" Gordon didn't look up.

"Hmm?" Neither did the prone figure.

"I really don't want to die out here with you." Humor and fatigue mixed into the despair that was accompanying the winter storm.

A dry laugh, "Me either."

They stayed on the ground for a few more minutes, letting the rain pelt their still forms. Fuse was the first to move, letting his arm tap the side of Gordon's foot.

"Help me up."

He did his best on shaking legs, getting Fuse into a sitting position and then up over his shoulders again. For another minute, they didn't move, just trying to find their center and will to take the next step towards warmth and shelter.

Ten minutes later and Gordon was looking back over his shoulder trying to judge how far they had come. Not far enough, he realized as he caught sight of the step that had caused them so much trouble about nine meters away. He could tell Fuse was losing stamina quickly as he asked again to stop to catch his breath through the pain in his leg.

"So...What's the-" Fuse breathed, "first thing... you're goin' to eat... when you get back?"

Gordon focused on walking and carrying, "Probably a... a bagel."

This seemed to confuse the larger man, "Really?... Not a... a steak or... somethin'?"

"No one's... all that good... at cooking." He took another step up, supporting the mass of human. "So it'll be... a bagel."

"That's just... criminal if you... ask me." Deep breath in and Fuse jumped up a step to join Gordon. "I'll be havin' a..." He trailed off as he brought up his forearm.

"Leaving me in... suspense, huh?" Gordon noticed the flashing indicator on the map nearing their position. "What's that?"

Fuse was looking not too pleased. "Get us to the trees."

They'd been keeping as close to the tree-line as possible in case the weather worsened and they needed to get to any type of shelter. Gordon led them, hobbling, past a pair of pines and around some shrubs. Fuse motioned him to stop.

"Here's good." He leaned against the pines.

Gordon went to extract himself from his captor, but the arm stayed strong around his shoulders. He looked up, confused and froze as he noted the hard set of Fuse's jaw.

"Sorry, Squid-boy," The grip on him tightened slightly, "can't let you go in case it's the GDF."

"What are you talking about?" He continued to stare at the big man.

"We've got company."

Moments later, the whine of VTOL engines cut through the steady rain as a ship burst into the clearing. Gordon's heart jumped at the sight of the GDF cruiser coming to land where they had just been walking.

The grip on his shoulder was a vice, bringing him back to the reality of his situation. Fuse was now outnumbered and with a broken leg he had no chance. All he had was Gordon as a bargaining chip. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when the soldiers came out.

Only, it wasn't a GDF officer who opened the door.

"Havoc?" The big man nearly brought the two of them down again as he started limping with Gordon in tow out from behind the trees.

Gordon's heart was hammering as the woman caught sight of them, jumping down to run over and help.

"Right mess you've gotten yourself in." The relief in her voice was lined with anger.

Fuse didn't seem to notice, or care. "How did you escape? And what are you wearing?"

Instead of her usual purple and black, she was in the familiar greens of a GDF uniform. "Had to get a little creative, borrow some clothes... a ship." She grinned, remembering the looks on soldiers' faces as she commandeered their ride. Then she frowned. "Where's the cruiser?"

Fuse rested a hand on the edge of the ship, a pained expression on his face. "Upside down..." He pointed to the mountain peak, now miles away. "Up there."

Gordon had seen Kayo mad before. Really mad. It didn't compare to the look Havoc was giving her brother right now. He was certain, if it weren't for the situation, he would have witnessed Fuse's dismemberment.

"We'll deal with that later." She growled. "International Rescue flagged the ship. We'll need to ditch it ASAP."

Hope flared in his chest at the mention of his family. It crashed as Havoc turned to him.

"Get him on board, yourself too. Never know when a hostage'll come in handy." Her grin was dark as she pushed him towards to opening, retrieving a stun baton from a pouch in her belt. The crack of electricity was enough to get him moving.

Climbing in, he set the big man on the floor just inside the door. Havoc stepped across, handing the baton to her brother just in case their captive tried anything. Gordon sat across from him, burying his helmet into his arm draped across his knees. He was tired, in pain, and beyond afraid of what would happen next.

What actually happened would leave him perplexed for some time. The VTOL engines started, loud outside the open door. Havoc had forgotten to close it in her rush to get them off the ground. Gordon looked up to see the spray of wet slush litter the muddy ground around the ship. His head whipped around as he was tugged across the small hallway by the cable. A large hand fumbled with the release, letting the restraint detach and fall. Gordon looked up in surprise and confusion.

"Let's call it even, for savin' each other from a bear." He laughed, nodding his head towards the direction of the pilot. Without another word, he shoved the aquanaut hard enough to send him through the opening just as the ship began to lift.

Six feet wasn't that high, but when you're exhausted and aching from abuse, it feels like twelve. He hit hard, the air driving from his lungs. He lifted a hand over the faceplate of his helmet as rocks and mud kicked up against him from the VTOL. As it all died down, he lay there, coughing as his lungs finally expanded, and watched the ship disappear into the storm clouds.

oOoOoOo

"What do you mean it's gone?" Scott's voice sounded through Thunderbird 2's speakers.

Alan looked at the image of John, willing him to correct his previous statement, but he didn't. He repeated again that the tracker had disappeared somewhere at the center of the storm. It had been their one chance at finding Gordon.

Fuse had missed the twenty-four-hour mark, which didn't bode well. Then Havoc had taken the ship, thus taking their only other chance of securing their brother's return. It had taken thirty minutes for the GDF to realize the ship was gone and alert Kayo, who in turn alerted IR.

John had located it and relayed the coordinates to the team. They had never assembled as quickly as they had today.

Alan turned to Virgil, noting the heartbreak in the unblinking brown eyes. He felt his own heart fall. His brothers were his rock in tough situations, but without Gordon, the rock was cracking.

There was a silence punctuated by the tapping of hail hitting '3s hull. It was despair in a gray storm.

And a ping as an icon popped up on the holocomm map. A GPS indicator that had activated in the center of a winter storm.

Alan's hand shot out, anchoring to Virgil's bicep. The 'bird was already dropping towards the beacon's location.

"It's Gordon's!" John called in confirmation to a question that hadn't been asked.

The youngest Tracy was already out of his seat and waiting on the lift as Virgil began the landing process. Once close enough to the ground, he activated the lift's descent.

The weather had left the ground glistening with mud and slush, and in the center of it lay a muted blue and yellow. Alan jumped from the lift even before the landing gear made contact. He was vaguely aware of Thunderbird 1 touching down as well. He skidded on the ground, landing unceremoniously next to Gordon's still form. His eyes were closed, but they shot open as Alan's gloved hand fell on his chest.

The younger brother didn't get a chance to speak as arms flung around his chest and pulled him into a weak embrace. Once he collected himself, he helped pull Gordon into a sitting position as they clung to each other. He looked up to see Virgil and Scott running over, pulling away from Gordon as they both fell to the ground next to him, each giving the aquanaut a once over before allowing a much needed hug.

Kayo was last, having been the one trying to relocate the missing GDF cruiser. She helped Gordon to his feet, and allowed Virgil to take their exhausted brother to '3s infirmary.

They stayed in the clearing for some time, Virgil securing the re-located shoulder, Gordon consuming a few bottles of water and meal bars while he went over the events from the day before and today.

oOoOoOo

When they finally made it back to the island, Gordon had been wheeled off to the larger infirmary for monitoring. Grandma brought him a bagel.

"Sorry, kiddo." She ruffled his hair as he sat on the bed. "Not much else available on such short notice."

"Thanks, Grandma." There was a hint of amusement behind his amber eyes.

He found himself always with someone as company the rest of the day. John was down, double checking that what he heard was in fact true. Alan brought him games and chatted in awe at the idea of Gordon facing down a bear. Virgil, after putting his medic-persona away, played him some music. Scott would sit and watch as the others doted over their sibling. They'd ended the day with a round of cards, stopping as they noticed Gordon was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Get some rest, Gordo." Virgil instructed after ushering everyone out and taking a seat at the room's desk.

"You too." Gordon knew his brothers were tired. He didn't want them burning out on his account.

The dark haired brother nodded to the other bed in the room. "I plan on it in just a little while."

This appeased him somewhat as he sunk back into his pillow and closed his eyes.

"'Night, little bro."

"G'night, Virge"