Hello everybody!

I hope you all had a great holiday. (I know I did.) Oh, and just so you know, I did NOT tell my niece what to say in the last author's note. She was standing next to me while I was posting, so I asked if she would like to say something to my readers "all over the world." Being 6-years-old, she eagerly agreed and I just copied down what she said. Moving on ...

This chapter is dedicated to CyanB for the challenge word (though, as I had already done a chapter with Scott, I went in another direction) and all the people who asked for a story with Kayo.

A big thanks to my beta, 1monster2, for being an insomniac (like me) and going over this chapter just before 2am.

Enjoy ...

D is for Deafness

Kayo crept through the hallways of the seemingly deserted factory, eyes scanning for movement of any kind. John had detected some power anomalies from this area when the boys were dispatched to handle a fire in a nearby oil field. They didn't appear to be related at first, but then they discovered that the fire was a set-up to lure out International Rescue and that some scans had been made of the pod – and possibly even Thunderbird Two. If there was one thing Kayo could not abide it was someone using her brothers.

"Do you see anything?" Scott asked, his voice seeming louder than usual in the quiet of the building.

"You'll be the first to know if I do," she replied.

Kayo peered around another corner and spotted a light up ahead. Cautiously making her way toward it, she listened to John and Brains giving her more information about the layout of the factory. It seemed she was in the main processing area on the opposite side of the building from the only server room. It appears that she had quite a walk ahead of her – but first she better check out that light and see if she could figure out who she was dealing with.

"Kayo, where are you going?" John's voice asked quietly. "The server room is the other way."

"I know, I just need to see something first."

"Just focus on the scans," Scott advised. "The GDF can handle the rest."

But the GDF wasn't here. Not to mention that protecting International Rescue was her job, not theirs. Still, the eldest of her honorary brothers was always one to worry – especially about the rules – and she honestly couldn't wait until Mr. Tracy returned from his trip to England to relieve their temporary leader. In the meantime, Kayo would just handle this situation as she did every other one: her way.

"It'll just take a minute."

He didn't have much chance to protest as she had reached the source of the light. The room was a lab of some kind full of technology – mostly stolen by the look of it – with a few pieces that gave away the occupant of the facility.

"Guys," she whispered into her comm, "I think this base belongs to The Hood."

Half-listening to the chorus of voices that either suggested or demanded that she leave, Kayo caught sight of something that made her pause. A blinking light in the corner attached to – oh no!

Racing back into the hallway, she almost made it back to the main processing center before the room exploded. The force of the blast threw her several feet and she hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.

It was several seconds – or maybe minutes – before Kayo was able to push herself onto her hands and knees. A high-pitched ringing drowned out almost all sound, making it impossible to decipher the voices that had to be yelling through her comm. Hoping that the ringing would be temporary – and knowing that knowledge of it would pull her out of the field – she tried to sound as calm and steady as she could.

"I'm fine," Kayo said, silencing the voices. "Just got the wind knocked out of me."

Another undecipherable message came through, but luckily she knew her brothers very well. It was easy to guess that it was Scott of Virgil offering to come and pick her up, but that was not necessary. She still had a job to do, hearing or no, and she was not going to leave her without those scans.

"No need for a pick up yet," she assured … whoever it was. "I'll let you know if that changes."

The muffled voices seemed calmer and she allowed herself a sigh of relief. After all, she just had to cross a building. How hard could that be?

^D^E^A^F^N^E^S^S^

Virgil stood by the couch, monitoring Kayo's progress with the others. That blast had been too close for comfort, but she sounded as if she got through it okay. He was still going to insist on a full check up once she got back, but so far he didn't see any cause for concern.

"Remember, Kayo," Scott said seriously. "The second you get those scans, get out of there."

"FAB."

"Do you see the server room yet?" Brain questioned anxiously.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Virgil stiffed at her words, even as their scientist gave a confused acknowledgment. Disorientation could be signs of a concussion … or she might just be distracted … or she could be deaf. In any case, this could be cause for concern - a very strong cause - and time for him to start diagnosing.

"Kayo," he started, sounding as serious as possible, "do you want tuna pizza for dinner?"

"Wait," Scott cut in, seemingly thrown by the random topic. "Is Grandma cooking tonight?"

Virgil ignored the question, as he was far more focused on Kayo's repose to care how confused his brothers were.

"I'll just be a few more minutes."

General, standard, and not what he asked. It could be a sign something was wrong, but he needed another test or two to be sure. Maybe if he changed his tone …

"I need you to tell me something," he said, allowing his concern to enter his voice. "Should I start breeding dolphins?"

Gordon's excited 'YES' nearly drowned out Kayo's response.

"I said I was fine."

While it was a relief that she seemed able to pick up on his tone of voice, it was still troubling that she was not responding to his questions. Than again, if it was Gordon or Alan posing them, she wouldn't answer either … but he was not Gordon or Alan and she should at least say something about his choice of topic. Maybe he should ask one more, just to be sure; something so ridiculous that she would have to respond to it.

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

"I'll be out of here in ten minutes, just as soon as I get the server."

She'd be out of there in ten minutes alright: that was about how long it would take him to get there. Practically running to his chute, Virgil yelled to his brothers that he would explain on the way. Moments later, Thunderbird Two was soaring away from the island.

"Where do you think you're going?" Scott demanded, as he set his course.

"I'm going to get Kayo," Virgil replied grimly. "She might be partially deaf."

"What?" Alan almost yelped.

"Are you sure?" Gordon questioned.

"Think back to her answers."

"Virgil, I wouldn't respond to those even if I could hear them," John pointed out.

"No, you would," the medic argued. "At the very least, you would tell me to get better timing."

"How do you know it's partial?" Scott asked.

"She can tell we are saying something and seems to be able to understand tone, but there is no way she is understanding what we are saying."

Just to prove his point, Virgil pulled up the scans John had made of the factory, zooming in on the server room. Making sure his whole family could see it, he opened to line to include his honorary sister.

"Hey, Kayo, where should we put the polar bears?"

"I think it's the one on the left," she replied. "Give me a minute to check."

"Wow," Alan piped up. "She really can't hear you!"

Biting back the 'I told you so,' Virgil guided Thunderbird Two in for a landing. He knew there was a risk going in, especially where The Hood was concerned, but he was International Rescue and the needs of the victim came first – especially when that victim was family.

Putting on his power suit – just in case – Virgil headed straight for the server room. He found Kayo unsteady on her feet as she focused on getting the information out of the computer. The fact she had yet to notice his presence was particularly troubling as the suit was not very stealthy. Taking advantage of the metal extensions in his arms, he touched her shoulder, jumping back to avoid a roundhouse kick.

"Virgil?" she said, a little louder than usual. "What are you-"

He cut her off with a wave of his hand, signaling for her to hurry while he watched the door. She nodded and went back to work, quickly finding the drive with the scans on it. Once they were removed,Virgil led the way outside, keeping one eye on Kayo and the other on the lookout for danger. Luck was on their side and they managed to make it back to Thunderbird Two without incident.

"Thanks for the ride, but I would have called when I was done."

Virgil gave her a thumbs-up, knowing that anything he said would be lost on her. However, his lack of speaking said more than he ever could.

"You know, don't you?"

He nodded, pointing to his ear to confirm just what he knew. She sighed and slumped slightly in her seat.

"Well, it was good while it lasted."

Turning slightly, Virgil tried his best to indicate that the hearing loss was likely temporary and she would be fine. Kayo only smiled and shook her head.

"No, I was meaning the time that you and Scott didn't know about it. I'm guessing I won't see the outside of the infirmary for a while yet?"

He shrugged and turned back to flying. Even without her hearing, Kayo was still very perceptive, so there was no reason to lie. The fact that Scott was waiting for them in the infirmary was further proof that she was right.

"It's just minor damage," Virgil reported after he finished the exam, writing out his words on a tablet so she could read them. "You should get your hearing back in the next 24 hours."

"I hope you're not letting her off easy," Scott grumbled. "Kayo, you could have been killed out there. Why didn't you tell us you couldn't hear? Of all the …"

"You were lucky, this time," he continued to write. "Without your hearing, you will be spared the bulk of Scott's lecture."

She smiled and leaned back against the bed, closing her eyes to further block out their oldest brother and his rant. Virgil, however, was not so fortunate, and had to listen to every word of it while he filled out his report for Dad.

Yup, she was lucky indeed.

What do you think?

I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and challenge words so I can get started on the next chapter. (I'm hoping it have it done before the New Year, but my break is proving to be almost as busy as the semester!) Inspiring challenge words will help get it up faster ... just saying. ;)