'So,' Kallan's brown orbs twinkled with mischief, 'where is she, this woman I've heard so much about?'

The pair of cadets sat across the table from each other in one of Arcology's economical restaurants. One month into their four year training program to become officers in the International Rescue Organisation they'd formed a lasting friendship. Personality wise they couldn't be further apart. Kallan's quick humour tempered Dylan seriousness while her laid back demeanour created a perfect foil to his quiet yet all too intense personality. They met in their sense of morality and justice. It emanated from a similar set of principles, drawing them into an unbreakable connection the moment they met.

'I…I don't know,' Dylan stammered, looking around the restaurant for his date.

He'd taken the young woman in question out on three occasions over the last two weeks. They seemed to get along. Earlier in the day, Kim contacted him to say her brother chose this weekend for a surprise visit. She suggested Brent come out with them. Kim requested Dylan arrange a female escort from his many cadet friends. The choice hadn't been hard.

'Your date officially started fifteen minutes ago, hansom,' teased the blond sitting opposite, playing with the condensation on her glass. Unable to hide her mirth at his devastated expression, Kallan wondered at the fragility of the male ego. 'I think you've been stood up,' she managed to soften her tone while keeping her sense of humour within her sparkling orbs.

'I'll try calling her,' Dylan left the table to use his wrist com unit. Returning less than a minute later a strange expression covered his face.

'What,' concern laced Kallan's tone, 'what's happened?'

'Kim,' he swallowed hard, 'heard some rumours from a friend at the Academy.'

'Can I guess who?' for a moment, Kallan's expression lost every spec of her good natured wit.

'Do you need to ask?' Dylan fired back, fury in his eyes. 'Shay Charleston just happened to mention bumping into us this afternoon. Apparently she couldn't help mentioning the conversation we shared. Kim set the double date up to see if…if…'

'I'm sorry, Dylan,' Kallan understood the reasons behind Kim's insecurity. In the same situation, hearing the malicious gossip started by a Senior Cadet even she'd have doubts. Every rumour has a kernel of truth at its centre, the young woman realised, but I would have handled the situation with a lot more maturity. 'I knew I shouldn't have come,' Kallan lamented, feeling for her friend.

'No,' he resolved, 'I'm glad you did. If Kim's that insecure then I've been wasting my time. To be honest,' Dylan looked down into his glass of soft drink with a huge sigh, 'while I've enjoyed her company, it's not really going anywhere.' He felt strange, admitting this to another cadet, a woman and the person fast becoming his best friend. 'I never had any intention of getting into a serious relationship with anyone while I'm at the academy.'

'Why?' she asked, surprised.

'I thought you'd understand,' Dylan suddenly looked up, his warm brown eyes capturing Kallan's, 'the reason why I've been looking in the civilian pool for companionship.'

Shaking her head, Kallan wondered what might come next. It didn't take long for Dylan to confess, 'I'm pretty much your average teenaged male where women are concerned.'

'I'd never have guessed,' hiding her shock at the serious content of their conversation she waited for his response.

'Just before I started high school,' Dylan reached out, placing a hand over his friends in a silent act of support, 'I saw the Thunderbirds in linkup for the first time as they did an initial flyby. My family lived in the shadow of Mt St Helens when she blew her top without warning. We were rescued in a pod dropped by TB1. The moment I saw that machine in the sky I promised myself I'd be piloting it one day.'

'Oh,' Kallan's eyes widened in understanding. The goal he'd set came with a heavy price. 'You have some serious study if you want to become a Thunderbird Captain.'

'Yeh,' Dylan agreed, 'and I can't afford to be distracted. After the four years here, if I graduate top of my class, there'll be at least two years space experience. That might just get me into the Thunderbird training program. After another two learning all the rescue methods the various IRO departments sponsor, if there's a space, I might get on the back up team. Then I wait for one of the current pilots to retire.' Pausing to really look into her eyes, to make her understand why he'd come to this conclusion, Dylan forced the words past the lump in his throat. 'I can keep my focus when I'm with someone outside the Academy.'

'Dylan,' shocked, Kallan withdrew her hand. She'd have to be stupid not to understand his meaning. 'You were using Kim!'

'Well, she turned out to be smarter than me,' Dylan lamented, obviously kicking himself.

Kallan couldn't help it, she let out a chuckle. Acknowledging his failure ameliorated Dylan's sins in her eyes. He'd been played but found out soon enough not to get caught. She knew he'd never make the same mistake again.

'Don't ever imagine,' she continued to laugh at him, 'that a woman looking for a man in uniform isn't serious about getting him.'

'Yeh,' Dylan managed to look just a little embarrassed, 'I think I've learnt that lesion. It hasn't provided the uncomplicated distraction I assumed it would.'

'So now you've tarnished your reputation,' she couldn't help tormenting him in a friendly fashion, 'what are you going to do for entertainment?'

'I might have tarnished yours too,' Dylan realised, a frown appearing on his brow.

'Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl.' Shrugging her shoulders, Kallan didn't seem bothered, 'by tomorrow morning everyone at the Academy will know why Kim stood you up.' Finding amusement in the idea, she smiled broadly while teasing, 'and feel justified in repeating what they knew had to be the truth all along.' When he looked at her with a questioning gaze, Kallan sighed at his lack of social insight. Obviously he really didn't listen to the rumours doing the Academy hallways. 'You had to be aware of what people have seen saying about the closeness of our friendship, Dylan.'

Shooting her a morose glare, Kallan realised why she'd formed such an instant bond with Dylan. 'You,' she turned serious, effectively changing the subject, 'remind me of Cathol. Not the way you look,' Kallan let a smile cover her face at Dylan's sudden and intent interest. She'd never talked about her life before the academy or any men that might be in it.

Unable to stop herself, she decided to play with him a little, 'Cathol's your typical Irishman, red hair and green eyes. Almost two meters tall and wiry as they come,' Kallan allowed her eyes to glaze over at the memories. 'He has intelligence, integrity and a great personality but he takes time to get to know because he's slightly introverted.'

Smiling inwardly, Kallan knew she had Dylan's complete attention. Having teased him enough, she let him off the hook. 'It's just you act so much like him, so serious all the time but underneath that exterior is a heart of gold. My brother's going to become a doctor because he wants to help people just as you do.'

That caught his attention. Dylan's head came up, his warm brown eyes asking, 'you have a brother?'

'Four,' Kallan responded, 'Cathol, The Terrible Twins, Patrick and Peter, then the baby, Shamus. We're about a year apart in age.'

'You're Irish!' Dylan couldn't see a hint of her brothers colouring in Kallan. Blond hair and sea green eyes didn't match his idea of a typical Gaelic woman.

'How did you guess,' nothing much kept Kallan in a contemplative mood for long. 'My father speaks the old language, forced all of us to learn and gave us traditional Gaelic names. He's only been out of his village to attend MedicalSchool in Dublin and a handful of other functions. He met and married a Canadian nurse of Irish ancestry six weeks after meeting her at a conference. A year later they had me.'

'Are they still together,' Dylan asked, intrigued. They'd never talked about much except their studies at the academy. It hadn't taken long to realise Kallan would be his main rival for honours. This conversation filled in so many blanks about his companion, facets he'd taken for granted.

Giving him a look, she refrained from answering the all too obvious question. 'Irish catholic,' Kallan grinned, attempting a teasing tone, 'what do you think?' Without a pause, she changed the subject again, 'the nights still young, we could always make it to that Academy party. I'm sure Senior Cadet Shay Charleston would appreciate your company.'

Drawn out, Dylan found a smile gracing his lips. 'You don't fight fair Kallan James, especially for a girl.'

'Hey,' she returned, a half serious gleam in her eye, 'four competing brothers, remember. Besides, my father didn't give me a name meaning "Brave in Battle" for nothing.' Turning completely serious, she lent her elbows on the table and reviled her hopes, 'and I'm not going to make a Thunderbird Captain if I can't be better than the boys.'

'You want to be on The Thunderbird Team,' Dylan asked, taken back. Although why this surprised him, he couldn't say. Kallan's intelligence, tenacity and determination formed a silent partner to her open and honest jovial nature.

'My father think's I have the ability to make it all the way,' she stated proudly.

'I can see you're very close to your father,' he commented, wanting to know more about this dream. 'What makes it so important to you?'

'Five years ago,' Kallan started in a lost voice, 'a tidal wave swept the west coast of Ireland, not far from my home town. The whole family helped in the clean-up operation. I stood on a rocky beach and watched TB-4 popup out of the ocean and I knew one day I'd call that vehicle mine.'

'You want to make oceanography your area of specialty,' asked the astounded cadet, 'so you can aim for TB-4?'

'Think about it, Dylan,' she suddenly grew completely serious, 'I'm a woman…'

'I had noticed,' he chimed in using that suggestive grin he perfected to attract female attention.

If looks could kill, Kallan would have laid him out. 'Of the 219 cadets, who started this year,' she hissed, unimpressed by his antics, 'only 29 are women. As much as they try to recruit females and advertise equality, most of the senior positions are filled by men. Four female cadets left in the first week, another four this month because of insidious gender bias. By the end of the year, maybe there will be 12 of us left who are willing to stick it out. I'll be lucky to gradate with five other women.'

'The dropout rate is the same among the male cadets,' Dylan chipped in, not understanding her point 'this isn't an easy course to get into and even more difficult to graduate from.'

'You don't think I know that,' she made the sound through gritted teeth, 'but anyone of you can make it to IRO Captain easily and a Thunderbird pilot with work. There's never been a female TB pilot since the Tracy's started the service seventy years ago, which means, if I succeed, I'll be the first. So wanting to pilot TB-4 is a way of ensuring my inclusion.'

'I'm not sure I see the connection,' Dylan scratched his head.

'You saw TB-1 in linkup and set your goal. Just as many boys look at TB-2 the same way. They don't mind being the navigator because it's still part of the main team and get to go on all the missions. TB-3 is always controlled by the Senior Captain, and takes the final member as little more than baggage,' she paused to take a breath when Dylan broke in.

'Leaving an opportunity for anyone willing to specialise in oceanology a clear path to TB-4,' he stated.

'Exactly,' Kallan's good humour surfaced once again. She carefully considered her options and researched the best way to achieve her aim.

'So,' Dylan suddenly appeared nervous, 'you're going to be my main competition for the next decade.'

'Not if we work together,' she offered, sensible to the fact that two heads often worked better than one.

'In everything,' he felt disgusted with himself for asking. Yet with the shared goal, years of training ahead of them, a reluctance to become romantically involved and waste precious energy, they both needed to keep their focus on the ultimate prize. The answer seemed obvious to Dylan.

'I think it'd solve a lot of problems,' she answered easily, 'but if it doesn't work, for either of us, we go back to being friends, no reluctance, repercussions or guilt.'

Looking deeply into her orbs, Dylan couldn't see a hint of ulterior motive or a hidden agenda. 'We both want the same thing,' he stated, looking for agreement, which he found in the slightly shy smile covering her lips, 'maybe you're right, we need to be a team to get there.'

'Let's blow this place,' Kallan suddenly rose from the table and the intense atmosphere. Making the decision had been relatively easy. Acting on it might be more difficult. Right now even the thought increased her nervous energy levels. 'I know somewhere we can go and have some fun.'

'Not that party, I hope,' Dylan moved to her side, his nose wrinkled.

'I couldn't think of anything worse,' she returned, 'than fending off unwanted advances from drunken Senior Cadets who just want to brag about their freshman conquests.'

'Think highly of yourself, don't you Cadet James,' Dylan's seldom used sense of humour

'About the same as you,' she took the bantering in her stride, 'when Shay attempts to corner you!'

'You really don't fight fair, Kallan,' Dylan's sour expression openly displaying his feelings for the woman in question. 'You got anywhere in mind?'

'Follow me,' she headed for the door. 'I came two weeks before the official start of the Academy year to get to know my new environment and explore Arcology.'

'I've been here before,' Dylan confessed easily, allowing his companion to lead the way. 'My father's in the service and we were stationed here before my brother's birth.'

'You have a brother?' she questioned, realising their pact required a deeper knowledge of each other.

'Danny's almost ten years younger,' he stated with a genuine smile of affection.

Turning to look at Dylan, Kallan wondered if the question about her parents remaining together stemmed from his past. 'Second marriage?' she asked softly.

'No,' a chuckle emanated from him, 'more a case of getting caught the first time around. Dad had nearly finished at the Academy when Mum fell pregnant with me. It moved their wedding forward a couple of years. When they wanted to produce a sibling, it didn't happen for a long time.'

'So you come from a service family?' she linked arms with Dylan, leading him towards a little park she'd discovered.

'Three generations,' he nodded, 'but no Thunderbird Captain's amongst them.'

'You're planning on being the first,' Kallan teased.

'You bet,' only the optimism of youth could be that cocky. Finally looking at their surroundings, Dylan remarked, 'there's a great view of the waterfall and pond from a bench on the other side.'

'Must have read my mind,' Kallan smiled, 'but we're not going to have much time to admire it before curfew.'

Dylan stopped her. Placing a hand on each arm, he swung the woman to face him. Cadet Dylan Bayda needed to know she'd been serious about starting a physical relationship to complement their already tight bond.

'We've got four years, Kallan,' he commented.

'That,' she smiled shyly in return, 'is only here at the Academy and it'll fly by before we know it.'

Dylan wondered how he'd become so lucky. For the rest of their tenure, he wouldn't need to worry about wasting precious time and energy on meaningless relationships. In the very deepest recesses of his mind, he knew Kallan would be his constant companion and rival in everything.