Chapter 3 – Skin

She caught up with them as they were tumbling off yet another cliff.

"Not more water!" Fermat cried.

Kalypso came up sputtering between the three, "What the hell, guys? Do you really intend to swim in every body of water on or around the island?"

Alan glared at her, "This wasn't exactly planned. What's going on up there?"

"I only left a minute or so after the connection cut, Alan. Your family is fine, for now. But the Hood's cut off the main generator, so they're on emergency power. But we don't have time for this now, Alan."

"Tin-tin, can you distract them?"

The girl grinned, "I'd be delighted."

"Good. Meet us at the junkyard."

"Tin-tin, when you get clear, get up into the canopy. You'll be safer up there and you'll get back to us faster. I'll meet you at the base of the Point."

She winked.

Alan grabbed Fermat under the arms and hauled him up and out of the swamp, "We're that near Virgil's Point?"

Kalypso looked at him, "You really don't know this island very well at all, do you, Alan?"

The boy shot her a poisonous look. To Kalypso's credit, she didn't back down as they ran.

"We'll have to change that. There is nothing in this jungle that can hurt you with Tin-tin and I around," Kalypso let out a barking laugh, "You know exactly how to get to the junkyard, but you don't know how close the Point and the junkyard actually are?"

"I thought you were supposed to be helping us?" Alan snapped.

"I am," Kalypso laughed, "That doesn't mean I can't tease you a little in the interim. It's good for you. Teaches you humility."

"I have humility!"

They crossed the last expanse of rainforest to the junkyard, "Yes, you do. But you could stand to show it a little more. Alan, I trust you have a plan for getting you guys out of here. I'll meet Tin-tin and bring her back here."

A girl giggled behind me, "You're slow, Kalypso."

She turned to face Tin-tin as the boys began piecing together a hoversled.

"Don't brag, Tin-tin. Not all of us are jungle-born. Some of us are just plain forest-born."

Tin-tin turned to the boys, "Hurry up, guys, we need to get out of here," she frowned, "What is that thing?"

Alan looked down at the rickety vehicle as if surveying his firstborn, "This is our ticket outta here."

"That's not very sturdy, Alan," Kalypso said of the cart he attached to the back.

"Kalypso's right, Alan, you must be careful not to exceed four bars of boost," Fermat agreed.

"Unless you've got a better idea," the question was aimed at the entire group.

"Yeah, let's wait for Lady Penelope like your Dad said," Tin-tin snapped.

"Great plan," Alan continued to fit pieces together, "Let's sit here and wait to get caught. I say we have to do something. Now. Right, Fermat?"

Fermat coughed, "Actually, I agree with Tin-tin. I don't think this plan is s-s-safe."

"You don't think anything is s-s-safe."

For a moment, the only sound was that of metal on metal as Alan continued his repairs.

Tin-tin and Fermat stared at him. Finally, Fermat opened his mouth to speak, "Just because I st-st-st-stutter," Fermat lowered his gaze momentarily, then lifted it to stare his friend directly in the eyes, "Doesn't mean that I'm wrong. If we're a team, we should make decisions as a team."

"Do you guys want to sit here and take a vote, or do you want to get outta here?" Alan said, "Because I'm going."

"You can be a real jerk sometimes," the look on Tin-tin's face was nothing short of disbelief. Kalypso wanted to slap him. Nevertheless, Tin-tin and Fermat followed Alan as he mounted the hoversled, "Wait, there's no room for Kalypso!" Tin-tin cried.

"Alan, just go! Don't worry about me. I'll be pulled to wherever I'm needed the most, no matter what's happening. Go on, get out of here, they're right on your tail!"

Alan, Tin-tin, and Fermat disappeared around the nearest bend.

"Come on, someone, anyone," Kalypso muttered to herself, "Jeff, John, Virgil, Alan, someone, don't leave me a sitting duck here." She could feel the engine of Scott's small Jeep—a perfect vehicle to navigate the Island with. It was right behind her, coming up fast. She needed to move, or she would be run over. She didn't know how far her corporality extended—if she was hit by the Jeep, would she die? Would it pass right through her like it used to?

Kalypso felt herself beginning to dematerialize. Though, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out who was calling.

#####

It was cold when she opened her eyes. Her exposed skin hurt with the contact of whatever she was touching. Reacting instinctively, she rolled away from the pain and out onto yet more frozen surface.

"Ar-are-are you awake?" She had never before heard that voice ask her a question. Hiram 'Brains' Hackenbacker's face swam into her field of vision.

"Yes," she managed. She was lying on the floor of the freezer—that was why it was so cold. Slowly, she sat up and observed Brains, Onaha, and Kyrano. The three adults had their hands bound behind them. Brains stood, while the other two sat on boxes, "The freezer? How long have you been in here?"

"We were put here shortly after your revelation," Kyrano said, "Welcome back to the land of the observed, Miss."

Kalypso smiled at him; of course he would have known she was there—his powers were much stronger than his daughter's, made that way by his age, "It's nice to finally talk to you three and have you talk back to me."

"What's your name, child?" Onaha asked, "I have heard Tin-tin speak often of the presence she felt around the Island—around the boys. I take it that was you?"

Kalypso nodded, "My name is Kalypso—well, at least, that's what Lucy called me as she was growing up. I can't remember my birth name; I've been Kalypso for longer than I care to remember."

"Are our children alright? And Mr. Tracy and the young masters?" Kyrano cut in.

"When last I saw them, Alan, Tin-tin, and Fermat were fine. They were running from the Hood's goons, but they were altogether whole and healthy. The boys aren't doing so well—there's not much time left for them. They're running out of oxygen, living on borrowed time."

Kalypso sat up, "Brains, turn around." She withdrew the small pocket knife Lucy had given her long ago and cut the older man's bonds, "If anyone comes to call, you must pretend that you are still bound. Our only advantage right now is the fact that the Hood does not know where I am, and I don't think he can track me unless I am in the same room as him. We must use everything we can to gain more of an advantage."

"Can't you get out?" Kyrano asked as she freed him and his wife from their bonds.

Kalypso shook her head, "I've always been corporeal. I've never been able to walk through walls. Believe me," she grinned sheepishly, "I've tried. So I'm stuck in here until you guys get out, or someone needs me more than you three do."

"What're you doing?"

"Oh, no! Not the fridge!"

The door slid open long enough to admit one of the Hood's goons, carrying Tin-tin and Fermat, one in each arm. Kalypso scrambled behind a set of shelves while the children scampered to their respective parents and assured them that they were, in fact, alright. Mullion pulled Fermat away from Brains and set him down on an ice chest.

"Cool off!" He laughed manically and left the freezer.

"Well, that's just great," Kalypso muttered, stepping out of her hiding place, "That man is entirely insane. He and the Hood are a good match. Where's Alan, guys? What happened?"

Tin-tin and Fermat were already shivering, "He got away. I don't know where he is now."

"Excellent. If you don't know where he is, then the Hood doesn't either. Now, I need to get up and check in on our boys," and she did, for she was being pulled to John, "Give me five minutes, and then call me back down. If anything happens, call me back down. I'll be there faster than one of Legolas' arrows." And before anyone could ask about the comment, Kalypso was gone.

When she rematerialized, she made the mistake of looking out the window. She nearly paid for that little misstep with the contents of her stomach. Scott, the most experienced astronaut (who was still awake) after his Father, clamped a hand down over her eyes.

"Don't look that way," he said softly in her ear.

She shook her head, "You're telling me."

Virgil spoke from his position near a screen, "Re-entry into Earth's atmosphere in thirty-seven minutes."

Kalypso's gaze was drawn back towards Scott, who had removed his hand from her eyes, "Oxygen's out in thirty, so we won't feel a thing."

"Stop it!" Jeff barked.

"Come on, Dad, the situation's hopeless."

"No, it's not. There's still time," but there was something in Jeff's voice that his four oldest sons couldn't fail to pick up on—fear. Jeff Tracy sounded genuinely scared, "We've got people on the ground working for us."

"Alan?" Gordon scoffed, "He's just a kid!"

"He's a Tracy!" Jeff said softly.

Kalypso turned towards John, observing him list slightly to the left.

"Kalypso, are they close to taking back Command and Control?" Virgil asked, supporting John into a slightly more upright position. His second-oldest brother was not doing too well. Out of the blue, Virgil asked, "Is there any way you can take one of us down with you when you go back? That's about the only think I can think of to help with our oxygen situation. And John needs to get off this station. He'd have been fine hours ago if he had gotten proper medical attention."

Kalypso shook her head again, "I've never tried to take anything larger than a loaf of bread with me when I dematerialize before. And even then, I only get the parts that are in direct contact with my skin. Though, I did once accidentally transport your dog Wally with me. I was hugging him at the time."

"Can you try that with John?" Virgil asked, "I don't think he's gonna last much longer." He said the last part in a whisper.

"I will try," Kalypso said. She stood up, "I'll need as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. Strip him down." She began to remove the emerald green cardigan she wore.

"What?" Jeff asked.

"Skin-to-skin contact!" Kalypso exclaimed, "Quickly, there isn't much time before I get called back down."

Virgil set about easing John's arm out of its sling and the rest of him out of his flight suit. Scott joined his brothers and helped Virgil lever his immediate older brother up.

Kalypso stripped off her cargo shorts and lifted her tank top off over her head. She turned her back to her boys to slip out of her underwear. She felt the tug from the ground just as she was unclasping her bra. Letting the simple, white garment fall to the ground, she turned and reached for John. There was no time for modesty; she could feel herself fading already.

John himself was too out of it to notice as she pressed herself against his naked body. Putting her head into the crook of his neck, she straddled him and pressed her legs against his. Instinctively, he reached up and grabbed her, holding her fast to him. They faded out together, as one, leaving behind nothing but the smell of ozone and a pile of woman's clothing.

#####

Once again, Kalypso materialized in the freezer. This time, however, she was neither alone nor clothed.

She first became aware of the incredible warmth below her—such a contrast to the way she had first materialized in the same place. Then, slowly, she noticed the biting cold on her exposed back, and the screaming gasps coming from below her.

She'd landed on top of John, and he was the one gasping. She rolled off of him and onto the floor and let out a gasp of her own.

It was unbelievably cold, sitting on the concrete floor. So cold that it felt as if her skin was burning. Kalypso could only imagine what John was feeling, lying on his back on the floor.

"Get them up!" Someone cried. Someone roughly pulled Kalypso to her feet. She found herself face-to-face with a beat-red Alan, "Get them off the floor before they burn!" It was Kyrano speaking, and Kalypso had never heard him speaking so forcefully.

"John!?" Alan cried, "How did you get down here?"

With the influx of new oxygen, colour was returning to John's face (and his entire body). He was once more breathing normally, but Alan had failed to realize that he had yet to wake up.

"I love it when your checkered past comes in handy," A voice spoke from by the door.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need a wire, my lady," her companion responded.

The woman in pink looked back at the group, and then did a double take. There were more people in the freezer than before, and both of them were stark naked.

For the first time since Kalypso had known her, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was at a loss for words.

"The door, Lady Penelope, before John freezes to death," Kalypso reminded the aristocrat.

She turned away, fishing under her sweater and into her bra for a wire that would assist her manservant in getting them out, "Will this suffice, Parker?"

The manservant smiled, "Most certainly, my lady."

Penny leaned forward a tiny bit and rested her arms on the side of the door, "I didn't actually need it, anyways."

It had taken Penny a while to get into Kalypso's good books. Jeff had been very faithful to Lucy's memory, for years after she had died. But he was still a man. And sometimes a man needed a distraction from five growing sons.

Enter Lady Penelope. Then twenty-three, the English aristocrat was sharper than a tack and wise beyond her years. Beautiful and none too short on charm, it was only a matter of time before she attracted Jeff's attention, especially because of her 'other' activities.

Penelope, among other things, was a remarkable spy. Her status and demeanor afforded her unparalleled access to anything her employer needed—and her fortune afforded her the means to smooth out any rumples she encountered along the way.

Kalypso's reaction to Penny and Jeff showed her just how much of a child she still was. She held onto the view of true love—and true love lingering even after one partner was gone and promoting abstinence in the other partner. Kalypso may have been born seventy years prior, but her experiences with love were next to none. She had never even been kissed.

The door to the freezer opened, and Kalypso was pulled from her thoughts and back down towards John. Kneeling by his side, she helped Brains and Kyrano lever him upright. He stirred in her arms and was able to support himself—barely—when they got him to his feet. Though he was the oldest Tracy present, he was clearly in no shape for command, so Kalypso deferred to Alan.

"Everyone, get to the Control Room!" Alan exclaimed, his face still red as a tomato.

Kyrano opened a storage closet and tossed both John and Kalypso blankets as they made for Command and Control. Kalypso wrapped one around John's shoulders and the other under her arms like a towel.

"Get in there quick, Fermat, and save my family!" Alan barked, "Then we'll get the Hood. Good luck!"

The electronic female voice came over the loudspeaker, "Access to mainframe denied."

Fermat stood at a keyboard with his father over his shoulder, "Looks like they slipped a back door key into the access codes."

Brain put his hands on Fermat's shoulders, "I'll follow your lead, son."

Behind Kalypso, Lady Penelope was saying, "Thunderbird Five, come in. Thunderbird Five, come in."

"How long have they got before re-entry?" Alan cried.

"Ninety seconds and counting!"

"Access to mainframe confirmed."

Fermat turned back towards his monitor, "I'm in! I just need someone on their end to confirm the access protocols."

"Leave that to me," Kalypso said, already dematerializing, "I'm needed up there, anyways. Keep an eye on John."

When Kalypso rematerialized on Thunderbird Five, she collapsed. Or, she would have, if the artificial gravity hadn't been malfunctioning. Gordon, looking deathly pale and completely unconscious, spiraled slowly above her head, and Virgil's boot collided with her head as he floated past.

"Thunderbird Five, come in," Brains called over the coms link. Kalypso, still dazed from the hit, didn't respond.

"Dad, Kalypso, come on. Are we coming through?"

"Mr. Tracy, Miss Kalypso, come in."

"Alan, Brains," Kalypso said softly. The air around her was starved of oxygen, and she was dizzy already. The lack of breathable air was not helping the bump on her head.

Someone was calling as if from far away. Many someones. But she couldn't focus on that. She could barely focus on her own breathing.

You're so not cut out for this, Kalypso. Aren't you supposed to be doing something? Quick, before your boys asphyxiate!

But what was she supposed to do again?

"How long have they got?"

"Forty-five seconds until re-entry!"

"DAMNIT, JEFF, WAKE UP!" Brain's voice cut through the haze like a knife through warm butter and tore it away from Kalypso, "KALYPSO, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SAVING THEM!"

Confirm the access protocols. That was what she had to do. Blearily coasting over to the corresponding control panel, Kalypso once more flicked the switch that saved her boy's lives.