Scott didn't realise how much he had been shifting until Mrs H's hand on his arm stilled him again. He shot her a quizzical look, but the old lady was looking across the room towards Thrandon. Scott followed her gaze and realised the man was watching him as well, the gun moving closer to Virgil. The pilot sighed and forced the tension out of his body. These men were too alert for him to attempt to make it to Virgil before someone was hurt.

"You need to calm down," Mrs H whispered, keeping her voice low, her lips barely moving.

"How? They have my brother at gunpoint and I can't give them what they want."

"What is that?"

Scott suddenly realised what he had said and shook his head, shutting his mouth as he did so. Both he and Virgil were already in enough danger because Thrandon believed he had worked out who they were. Scott knew that if Mrs H knew as well, it would just make her a target. It was going against his nature as a big brother to watch Virgil being threatened like this and not be able to do anything about it. It would go against being a Field Commander if he deliberately put Mrs H in harm's way. He was used to saving people, not getting them into trouble.

"I can get us out. I know that sounds stupid right now, but I can. But in order to do so, I need to get my brother away from them. With a gun on Virg, I can do nothing."

Scott shifted again, only this time it was in frustration. The rest of the terrorists had somehow got Nathan up onto the stage and dragged up a few others with him. But Scott kept his back to them, watching his brother closely even as the bidding began. Thrandon smirked, his hand almost caressing his gun. The look on his face was as if he was daring Scott to do something.

"Leave it to me."

Scott barely had time to look at Mrs H, let alone work out what she had just said when he felt the old woman suddenly sag against him. As he opened his mouth to say something, her hand fluttered to her chest and she gave a few small gasps. It was only due to the position they were in that Scott could feel her heart beating strongly and so knew it was all a pretence.

"Someone help her!" he yelled, trying to make it look as if he believed what was happening. He twisted, calling her name and trying to get a reaction. With his hands still bound, there wasn't a lot he could do apart from continue to call for help. The noises from the stage stopped and two of the men stepped up to them. One grabbed Scott by the collar, pulling him back and holding him out of the way as the other put his hand on Mrs H's shoulder.

"What's wrong, lady?"

"Oh… my heart…it's going so fast, can't you feel it?" Mrs H grabbed the man's hand, pulling it towards her chest as if she was going to make him feel her heartbeat. Scott had to hand it to her; she knew what she was doing, as the man instantly pulled away, his movement aggressive.

"The old lady is sick. What do we do with her?"

Thrandon slowly got up. Scott kept his eyes locked on the man as he stepped over Virgil, stalking towards them. He forced his face to show only concern, swallowing nervously as Thrandon looked at him. If the man realised this was some kind of ruse, Scott didn't want to think about what the consequences would be.

He stopped in front of Mrs H, who was still breathing erratically. "What's going on here?"

"What does it look like?" Scott spat, making to lean forward but allowing the hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You've scared her half to death. These thugs are enough to make anyone feel vulnerable, let alone someone like that!" He hoped he was making it sound as if he, too, was afraid, trying to get Thrandon to let his guard down slightly. The man barely even looked at Mrs H, instead studying Scott intently. Finally, he stepped back with a nod.

"Take the old woman into one of the storerooms. Take that one with her," he nodded over his shoulder towards Virgil's prone form. "Lock the door, bind her hands, but come back here. They won't give us any trouble. Take Tracy here to the same room as before."

"I'm not tying up an old woman!"

"Then check his knots are secure before you leave them. As for you," Thrandon glared menacingly at Mrs H, "touch those ropes and I'll kill you, understand?"

Mrs H tentatively nodded and Scott wasn't sure whether she was faking it or genuinely worried. He couldn't find out, not when the attention was then back on him. Scott winced as he was hauled back to his feet. He had needed the gun to be away from Virgil, but hadn't counted on losing sight of his brother. The same man who had been holding him back maintained his grip, shifting it onto Scott's arms and holding him still as one of his accomplices walked forward. He helped Mrs H to her feet, one arm resting across her back to help her along. For her part, Mrs H clutched at him as if she was having trouble standing. Scott glared as one of them swung Virgil up over his shoulder, but could do nothing. The three of them were forced from the room, but when Mrs H and Virgil were dumped in one room, Scott was dragged further down the corridor. A sharp shove in his back sent him stumbling into the room and he landed heavily, unable to break his fall.

The door was slammed shut and locked again. Scott awkwardly scrambled to his feet and kicked the wall in frustration. Now he had no idea what was going on and no way of knowing whether Virgil was safe or not. Wrestling with the ropes around his wrist for a moment, Scott eventually sat back down again. His body rocked forward until he could rest his head on his knees, hoping that his little brother was safe. Now more than ever, he could truly feel the loss of his watch, and he hated being out of contact with everyone.

TBTBTB

It took every ounce of Virgil's self-control not to flinch when he felt himself being dropped back down to the floor. He knew that he couldn't react, not without them realising that he was awake. At least they hadn't noticed back in the main room. He had regained consciousness almost as soon as his hands had been bound, but had stayed still. Within seconds, he'd known that if he could keep the pretence up, they would eventually lower their guard around him and he would have the chance to do something to help the others, maybe even finding them a way out. When he cracked his eyes open a tiny amount and found himself looking at Thrandon's boots, he almost cursed. He knew without having to look any further that he was being used against Scott in some way. He was annoyed at the men for realising it would be enough to keep Scott still, but also found that he was annoyed at his brother for letting it work. Scott would constantly put himself in danger if he thought it would help him and yet wouldn't let Virgil return the favour.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Virgil had to smile at the way Mrs H's breathing instantly evened out.

"Right," she announced to no one in particular, and Virgil got the feeling she hadn't quite planned what to do next. The fact there was no answer to her voice made Virgil satisfied enough that they were alone and he opened his eyes, using his legs to flip himself upright. For a second, his legs continued to move even though his body was upright and Virgil found himself remembering why his grandmother had never let them run in the house with only socks on. It was hard to maintain his grip without shoes!

"Nice acting," he told her with a smile, wrestling with the ropes around his wrists. The old woman gaped at him for a long moment before shaking her head in a resigned manner.

"I could say the same. Come here."

Knowing that it wasn't a suggestion, Virgil moved across to her and grinned as she turned him around, beginning to work on the ropes. He had heard the threat Thrandon had made if she untied him, but he could also tell by the look in her eye that she didn't care.

"Your watch is flashing."

"Oh…it does that. New gadget, haven't worked out how to turn the flashlight off yet." Virgil hoped that his acting skills were staying strong as he tried to think of a cover story for why his watch was lighting up. Part of him hoped John would be listening in and would disconnect from his end, but the other part of him knew that his brother needed to be on the line to be able to find out what was going on and what the plan was to get them out of this.

"I see. That must be useful. Would be more useful if it could talk to someone, though."

"That would be handy." Virgil forced himself to keep his voice light as he felt the ropes give way and slid his hands free. He instantly took a step away from Mrs H, not liking the way the conversation was going. He needed space, needed to make sure she couldn't hear the way his heart was pounding uncomfortably hard. Scott stayed at Mobile Control for a reason – he could keep a stony face even if the press were getting too close and asking too many questions. Virgil tended to leave it to his big brother for this very reason.

"It would."

Now feeling particularly uncomfortable about the way Mrs H was just gazing at him, Virgil forced a smile onto his face and moved so that he could examine the lock on the door. He was sure he could use the ceiling again to get to Scott, but he couldn't just leave Mrs H locked in here on her own. Thinking about that made him chuckle slightly, wondering if Naomi was still drinking the bar dry. If he was honest, he was feeling more comfortable preparing to pick a lock than he had been dealing with her drunkenness.

"I think I might be able to…"

"Oh for heaven's sake, Virgil, just call for help."

"They took my phone."

"I can't imagine whoever it is up in that space station of yours gets a signal."

"What?" Virgil found himself pressed against the door, desperately trying to think of something to say in order to deny everything she was saying. Scott had already been hurt as the men had tried to get their father to admit who they were. What if she was with them and this was just another tactic?

"Don't look at me like that, boy. And don't try and lie to me either. I know precisely what would happen if you called for help through that watch of yours. And tell Scott he needs to work on his acting skills. That rich boy act really doesn't suit him, he slipped up so many times. And… Virgil? Are you alright?"

"I…" Virgil could practically feel how pale he had gone and there seemed to be a roaring sensation rushing through his head. He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Mrs H seemed to realise what he was thinking and smiled gently. She came towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Virgil. I'm on your side. They'll find out nothing from me."

"But…how?" Virgil could only stand there and blink at her, his mind whirling as he tried to work out what on earth was going on. How could this woman that he had met before know who they were? Especially considering Scott already seemed to have a past with her.

"I think that is a question you'd best ask your father. It's not my secret to give away. I didn't realise it was a family business though, not until I saw the way Scott reacted when the men first came into the room. Now how about you call for help and we make a plan to save your brother?"

"F.A.B." Virgil said with a smile, shaking his head in bemusement at the whole situation. Moving back across the room, he perched on top of an upturned box and lifted his watch. Pressing a button, he grinned at Mrs H.

"Thunderbird Five come in."

TBTBTB

John had been tapping away at the mainframe of Thunderbird Five when he received Virgil's call. He had immediately patched through to the island when he realised that Virgil's watch was recording and had joined his father and Gordon in a frantic attempt to try and piece together what they were hearing. Although they had heard Scott more than once, John knew that he wasn't the only one worried about the fact Virgil had yet to make a sound.

When Scott and Virgil had been split up, John found worry coursing through him. Virgil might have been unconscious, but he was still their only link to finding out what was happening with Scott. John had already heard enough to know that Scott's watch was out of action and any attempt to connect to it would just be giving Thrandon what he wanted by proving there was more to him than the rich act he had been putting on. At least he hadn't seen Virgil's watch so they still had a way of keeping an eye on what was going on. It wasn't that he didn't trust his brothers, it was more he knew how headstrong and stubborn both could be if they thought they were helping someone, even each other.

John had just about made out the sound of a door being shut and locked before Virgil's voice was spiralling through the recording. John knew that he wasn't the only one who had let out a sigh of relief; his father had sagged in his chair even as Gordon had grinned at his brother's deviousness. John knew that Virgil had just earned himself a few points of respect from their younger brother by being able to fool the men for that long.

But the conversation he could hear taking place sent alarm through him. It was only the resigned look on his father's face that had stopped John from immediately demanding answers, knowing there was more going on than he realised and that by seeking answers now, he would be delaying sorting out a rescue for his brothers. When Virgil switched off the recording and directly contacted him, John felt himself relax even more.

"You okay, Virg?" His brother might have been pretending to be unconscious for that length of time, but John could remember how high those ceilings were. The fall would still have hurt.

"I'm fine."

"I told you crawling through the ceiling was a bad idea, you were lucky not to get yourself shot…"

"John, please. I'm going to get that badly enough from Scott later. Maybe I'll forget to untie him until after he is done."

"Virgil!"

"What? You know how he gets. Anyway, do you know where he is?"

"Nope. All we can guess from what they said is that they took him to the same room as earlier. I'm assuming you'll be able to find it as you were there before?"

"I took the ceiling last time, Johnny. And I'm supposed to be out cold and locked in, I don't even know what room I'm in, let alone how to get to Scott. Any ideas who these guys are? How's Dad taking it?"

"I'm taking it just fine, thank you, son."

John hadn't even turned to face the monitors before Jeff cut in. He had almost forgotten that the island was still connected, his worry over Virgil stopping him from thinking about which channels were open.

"We think we have figured out who Thrandon is," John reported, his eyes scanning over everything they had managed to pull up.

"We? There was no we about it, I figured it out…"

"Yes, well done, Gordon, now shut up, I'm trying to talk to Virgil. We've been looking into the other hostages as well, just in case any of them have something to hide. One of them, Daniel Wasper… he was in the army. If you can, get him free, he'll be able to help get everyone out."

"How do I know who it is?"

John paused, realising that was a good question. He turned back to the monitors, trying to get the security footage from his father's building. He could see most of the room, but the cameras were at awkward angles.

"I'll look into it." John blinked, realising that he must have voiced his thoughts aloud and that his father had heard him. For someone who could run the most advanced secret organisation the world had ever seen, the security in his own buildings wasn't that strong.

"Scott will know who he is." There was a quiet note in Gordon's voice this time, and John knew that he was being serious. He found that he was nodding in agreement, believing Gordon simply because he knew Gordon understood that aspect of Scott's past.

"That's great, but I'm not with Scott."

"Then ask Mrs H."

"Dad?" John stared at the monitor, almost picturing the look on Virgil's face. He knew his father would have heard the recording and known that Virgil was not alone before he had made contact. But to hear the man acknowledge that someone else was in the room and they were in on the secret made John feel uncomfortable.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"You'll know who it is, won't you, Mrs H?"

"Yes, thank you, Jefferson. Now, can you please tell your son to stop looking at me like I've grown a second head?"

"Virg!" John got there first, finding that his older brother instinct wanted him to reach out and cuff Virgil over the head, despite the impossible nature of his actions. Virgil cleared his throat self-consciously and John realised how weird this must be for him. It was strange enough hearing about someone knowing, but his brother was locked in a room with said person…

Before he could say anything more, a movement on one of the cameras he was monitoring caught his eye. Ignoring his father and brother as Virgil tried to reassure the man he was fine, John frowned and started pulling up more of the camera feeds. Once he had established what he was looking at and the direction Thrandon was heading in, he groaned.

"Virg, you've got incoming."

Virgil swore and the line instantly went dead. John stayed where he was, staring at the monitor as Thrandon walked out of his limited view. Virgil might have sounded fine, but he was still up against an unknown enemy who was armed. John just hoped his little brother knew what he was doing.