As Kayo's feet hit the roof that would lead them to the hatch into the facility, she fell into a crouch, scanning the area for danger. Scott scrambled up behind her, turning to help Virgil lift the heavy pack of equipment they would need to secure Jeff.
Jeff… She shook her head, trying to shove the shock and pain back down where she had forced it earlier. She needed to stay focused. Work. Protect.
They made their way across the roof, surrounding the grate as she unscrewed each bolt. With fluid movements, she and Scott caught the flimsy metal, letting it rest on the ground.
"John?" The eldest spoke into the comm, much more composed than he had been fifteen minutes ago.
"Area's clear. You have three minutes before the sentry returns." The response was quick, the astronaut keeping a close eye on the heat signatures surrounding them.
Kayo caught Scott's eye, trying to read what was in her fast-acting brother's head. She couldn't have him rushing ahead into danger, not when it could affect them all. He paused only a moment before nodding, his body tense as he motioned for her to continue. He would mind his impulses.
Climbing inside, the three traced the same path as the drone, trying to keep the creaks of the vent as quiet as possible. When they made it to the elevator shaft, Virgil was quick to secure a pulley system that would lift them and Jeff out. The same system was used to lower them down, quietly descending into the dark bowels of the Hood's base.
Kayo was honestly grateful that the instructions had been trustworthy, the lack of henchmen making the trek less treacherous. After reading Gordon's messages with Fuse, she still couldn't understand what was going on in the young man's head, but that didn't mean something good couldn't come out of it. They had found Jeff. That alone was worth the risky conversations.
She made it to the next hatch, working with Scott to open it. John's voice, although low, sent a jolt through her anxious shoulders.
"Hold your position. You've got movement approaching." They all froze, straining to hear the footsteps. "Forty-five seconds until you're clear."
The seconds stretched like minutes, the group itching to go through now that they were so close. The dull thud of boots finally echoed from the other side, growing quiet as the figure passed.
"You're clear." A collective nod at John's call, she and Scott dislodged the hatch door.
They slipped into the hallway, keeping to the shadowed edges. They were at the door within seconds, Scott's hand hovering over the panel that would activate the entryway.
Kayo regarded the pilot with a renewed sense of concern. "Scott?"
Her voice was enough to jar him from his thoughts, his hand landing in the panel. The door slid open a second later and the group quickly moved inside. She scanned the room, noting how desolate the space appeared. How alone Jeff must have been. Again, the emotions began to creep through the locked door. She tore her gaze from the dark corners, instead, finding Virgil working over a screen. The glow of a hologram caught her attention. She could see Brains, most likely walking the medic through the deactivation process.
Scott was standing in front of the tank, painfully still as he watched the figure floating inside. Her hand came up to rest on his shoulder as she came to his side, trying to ignore the wetness on his cheek. Kayo turned her attention to the man in the tank, his fragile hands moving sluggishly through the contents surrounding him.
"- my fault."
Kayo regarded Scott with a look that warned she better not have heard what had come out of his mouth. "Scott?"
"I quit looking." He didn't move, just staring into the soft glow reflecting on his father's face. "I gave up on him being alive, but - It's my fault he's here."
"Scott." She tried to keep her forced reprimand as comforting as she could. "That was a family decision. You were all tearing yourselves apart trying to keep International Rescue together while you looked for him." With some effort, she turned him away from the tank to look at her. "He won't blame you for what the Hood did. This is all on my Uncle. Right now, we need to focus on getting your father home."
As if noticing the tears for the first time, the pilot swiped the trails away with a gloved hand, nodding as he took a step towards Virgil. She followed after taking note of the raven-haired brother as he straightened at their approach.
"I'm opening the tank." Virgil was running on automatic, falling on his paramedic training to keep him from falling apart. Kayo found it somewhat comforting. It meant one less brother to keep from the brink of breaking down. She was handed an insulated blanket from his pack, unfolding it as she followed his train of thought. "Get him wrapped as best you can. As far as I can tell, this machine regulates his temperature. I'm not sure what kind of shock he could experience coming out of it."
They both nodded understanding before stepping back to the front of the tank. Within seconds, they heard the mechanism catch, the eerie blue fluid draining into something unseen in the floor. Kayo watched the thin figure inside curl into himself as he made it to the floor. She didn't miss the terror that was quickly blocked out by bony hands, Jeff desperate to hide away from whoever was coming to get him.
That would change as soon as he realized who they were.
They didn't have to wait long as the last of the liquid disappeared and the entire front of the tank lifted. Scott was in first, crouching beside the shivering figure to place the blanket around him.
"Dad? It's Scott." The brunette took one of the hands and pulled it away, revealing the wide, blue eyes underneath. "We're getting you home." The mask fell away an instant after, the hiss of chemicals sounding along with the dull clatter of tubes and hardware. The eyes remained fixed on the figures surrounding him.
Kayo wasn't sure what she'd expected. Maybe tears of relief as Jeff embraced his oldest child. Possibly, he could have just fainted and that would have been easier. Easier than the look of despair as Jeff fought out of his son's grasp, sprawling out to try and crawl away from the people here to rescue him. And how she wished he had just passed out as the cries - weak though they were - echoed through the large room.
Her knuckles blanched as she gripped the blanket, fighting back the waves of hatred and nausea. Had her uncle instilled so much fear into this man that he couldn't differentiate Scott from another one of the Hood's goons?
Snapping herself away from the thoughts, she joined Scott as he tried to calm Jeff, still pulling himself across the floor. "Mr. Tracy? It's Kay- Tanusha. It's alright now. We're here to rescue you."
If anything, her words only seemed to ignite more panic, Jeff trying to push away from her as she lay another blanket over him. She looked up to find Scott and Virgil's worried faces.
"Virgil?" Scott was fighting against the spindly arms, trying to keep Jeff from hurting himself. He ended up lifting the terrified man into his lap, Jeff's back pressing into the brunette's chest as Scott embraced him. She heard the soft whispers and saw the fight leave the elder man's face to be replaced by a look of brokenhearted acceptance.
Virgil was back by the machine again, pulling canisters out and placing them in his pack. "The Hood's been pumping who knows what into him. This could just be side effects from a hallucinogen." He slung the bag on his back and came to crouch by Jeff's side. "We won't know until we get him to a hospital."
Scott nodded. "Alright, Virgil, you've got dad. Kayo and I will lead."
They were all in agreement, the medic scooping the frail man into his arms. All the fight had left Jeff, seeming to resign himself to whatever was about to happen. Virgil gave a weak "All set" before they quickly began retracing their steps. To their surprise, no one had come running to see what had interrupted their prisoner. No alarms were blaring. Kayo only hoped that was some of Fuse's doing.
The dark night sky surrounded them as they exited through the roof hatch, Scott helping maneuver Jeff into the open air. They were forced to wait as a sentry passed, oblivious to the group. Kayo was down first, helping guide Virgil and his charge. Scott was down seconds later, not bothering with his own safety harness. Any other day, she might have chewed him out for it. Not today. The only thing that mattered right now was getting Jeff away from this place and somewhere he could feel safe.
OoOoOoO
He felt better. Not much better, but at least he had stopped crying. Alan had closed the link with Grandma after Scott's announcement that they were on their way back to TB2. Now, he was busying himself with the preparations.
Alan listened to the open mic; the breaths of his brothers and Kayo running through the trees. He could even imagine the form of his father, held tight in Virgil's grasp as they ran. It was almost too much for him as his hands began to tremble, fumbling with the kits they might need. He checked the blanket warmer, assured that the temperature would be alright. His fingers wrapped into the thick fabric, willing the sensation to distract him from the sudden knot in his throat.
Keep it together… Blue eyes clenched shut, breaths forcing their way through his nostrils. Just until Dad's safe…
The clamor of boots on the ramp yanked him back, the blanket in his hand pulling free as he caught sight of the emergency blankets that would be less effective. Virgil ran past, talking a mile a minute while placing their father on the table. Dad wasn't moving.
"-hospital. Multiple abrasions, severe muscle loss, possible malnutrition. He's been unconscious for -" Alan handed him the blanket as Virgil glanced at his watch. "Minute thirty-five."
"Emergency staff standing by." John's voice was far more collected than Alan felt. "Coordinates have been sent to Thunderbird 2."
As if the mentioning of the 'bird's name could bring it to life, the engines rumbled, the module door closing just before the ship lifted. Alan realized Scott must have figured he and Virgil would get their father situated. He would get them to the nearest hospital.
"John." The eldest brother confirmed Alan's assumption. "Contact the authorities. I want that place non-functional." The blonde was fairly certain 'destroyed' was what his brother meant by the harsh tone coming through the open comm.
"Already done, Scott." John spoke. "The GDF are dispatching as we speak."
"FAB. Come down as soon as you can." The brunette's voice had softened slightly.
"On my way."
The comms disconnected, leaving the small infirmary deathly quiet as Virgil worked to stabilize the man under the blankets. Alan watched as the light tremors broke through the thick cloth. All he could see of his father was the matted white hair, strands sticking out every which way. Had it been so long for the pepper gray to lose so much color, or was this just the effects of the Hood's work? He closed his eyes, recalling the image of their father, smiling and whole.
A touch on his shoulder startled him and he quickly found the apologetic expression on Virgil's face. "Think you can stay with him while I get some more supplies?"
Alan nodded, taking his brother's place next to the bed. Virgil was gone a second later, leaving his youngest brother frozen, staring into the ghostly pale face of their father. Dad… what happened to you?
As if to answer, the elder man began to stir, eyelids fluttering open against the harsh light of the infirmary. Alan watched him struggle to see past strands of hair falling across his face.
Focusing on making his father more comfortable, if comfort was at all possible, the blonde reached out to brush the hair away. "It's going to be okay, dad. You're safe."
As his fingertips traced across his father's forehead, something seemed to snap within the haunted, steely blue eyes. Before he could jump back, a hand shot out from beneath the blanket and latched to his wrist. The power behind it, although not strong in comparison to himself, startled the blonde, his father wrenching the arm away from his face and forcing him towards the infirmary bed.
"Da-" The cry cut off as his father's free hand withdrew from the blankets and wrapped around Alan's throat, the bony fingers digging in around his trachea. Sharp pain followed as the nails pierced his skin and instinct took over, the blonde reaching up to take hold of the appendage cutting off his air. He tried to call out to Virgil, the feel of the fragile hand under his causing hesitation. He couldn't hurt his father, but with the ever increasing spots floating across his vision, he knew he would have to do something soon.
A strong hand fell on his back and a moment later his throat was open, oxygen rushing in through harsh coughs. Alan fell back into the arm, wide blue eyes glued to the scowl on his father's face.
"Alan?" Virgil crouched beside him, concern obvious in his voice. "What happened?"
Taking in a wheezing breath and blinking away the moisture in his eyes, he turned away. He couldn't look at the man on the bed any more. "I just-" another cough, "his hair. I think… I don't think he likes being touched."
It was a simple enough conclusion. Their father had only known that place for almost five years. Any physical contact would have meant pain was inevitable. It made sense… but that didn't stop the ache that consumed the younger man's chest.
He jumped as a cloth was pressed to his neck, turning to see his brother's tentative arm withdrawing it a moment later. Blood. He was bleeding.
"Hold this here." Virgil place the gauze back over the wounds.
Alan did as he was told, watching his brother stand and return to their father. Thankfully, he couldn't see the fury anymore, the medic standing by the head of the bed. Their father was moving weakly, the earlier burst of energy seeming to leave him exhausted.
A tear escaped, wiped quickly away before it could find the bandage on his throat. This wasn't his father's fault. The Hood had done unimaginable things. No wonder his first reaction was to lash out.
That reasoning seemed to help bring the astronaut's heart rate towards a regular rhythm, his head resting back on the cool wall of the infirmary. He gave himself another moment to collect his nerves, willing his hands to stop shaking. Virgil needed him. His father needed him. He could be strong for this.
Pushing himself back to his feet, Alan stepped back to the bed, peeling a piece of tape from the first aid kit and quickly applying it to his own bandage. He repeated the movement, receiving a cursory glance from Virgil before the medic went back to his job.
A bit more confidence bled into him as he shifted the gear. "What do you need?"
Virgil pursed his lips as he blew out a calming breath. "Think you can hold him while I get an IV started?"
For a second, Alan almost said no, but a voice at the back of his mind was screaming that this was his dad, no matter what. With a quick nod, he moved to the other side of the bed, placing a hand on his father's shoulder, the other wrapping around his wrist. He instantly felt the pulse increase under his fingertips even as the still form bucked. Virgil quickly took the other arm, making quick work of the IV, strapping a protective sheet over it once finished. The device would stop their father from ripping the tube free once released.
Not that he didn't try.
As soon as they both let go, not wanting to cause further injury, his fingers weakly dug at the sheet. The desperation to stop what was traveling into his body was heartbreaking. It wasn't until the frantic swipes stopped, did they dare lay a hand on him again. It was simply to adjust the blanket, but the resentful, despairing glare they received told them he was simply biding his time. The exhaustion was only temporary.
"We're here, Dad." Virgil tried, softly. "We're not going to let anything else happen to you. Just rest."
Whether it was the IV or his brother's words, their father seemed to sink into the thin mattress, eyelids gradually drawing down until he fell into what they hoped was a peaceful sleep.
Alan couldn't help the question that tumbled from his mouth. "Virgil… is he going to be okay?"
The raven-haired brother didn't look at him, simply getting back to work on the fluids and sensors that had yet to be applied. The astronaut nearly missed his brother's reply over the sound of rhythmic beeps.
"I don't know…"