Sorry this is a bit short - it's been one of those weeks (yes, again!). Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially those of you I can't reply to.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Brains had decided that if he was to confess he'd better do it properly. Asking a confused and anxious Virgil to contact John, he went to find Scott. The three oldest brothers could decide amongst themselves what to tell the rest of the family, but Brains, mostly out of respect for Jeff Tracy, though partly due to his own deep sense of shame, wanted as small an audience as possible. Plus he remembered Alan's impetuous actions after the discovery that his cousin had worked as an escort. The last thing he wanted was a repeat performance. Even after the story was told there would be a lot of hard decisions to be made and he doubted that the youngest member of the family would find the news easy to handle. He wasn't too sure how the older brothers would react either.

John, oblivious to the drama which was unfolding on the island, greeted Virgil cheerfully. But before his brother could tell him what was going on, an incoming call distracted him and he announced to Virgil that their father was calling in.

"John, don't tell him you've talked to me!"

"Why?" John's hand hovered over the switch which would connect him to his father. "What's going on?"

"No idea," Virgil told him truthfully. "But he's probably calling to tell you I'm sick. Don't tell him I'm okay. Promise me, John. You can't let him know I called you."

John looked doubtful, wondering if this was some kind of prank. But Virgil looked so serious that he gave his assent, promising not to tell their father that Virgil was okay. He didn't like it though.

Sure enough Jeff appeared on screen looking pale and anxious. He gently broke the news that Virgil had collapsed, apparently overcome with some kind of infection. John, immediately concerned at the state of his father, opened his mouth to tell him he was wrong, that Virgil was really fine. But then he remembered his promise to his brother. He knew Virgil wouldn't be doing something like this for fun, there had to be something else going on. He hated himself for not putting his father's mind at rest as he merely asked the man to keep him informed of any developments before signing off and launching into a furious rant at his middle brother, demanding an explanation which Virgil simply didn't have.

It hadn't come as much of a surprise to Brains to find Scott pacing outside the infirmary doors. Feeling a pang of guilt at the eldest brother's fearful expression, he said nothing as he first checked up and down the corridor in case anyone else was lurking. Then he caught hold of Scott's arm and pulled him inside.

"Brains, what's wrong? Is Virgil-?" He broke off as he turned to his brother's bed to see it empty. His momentary panic was quelled at the sight of Virgil sitting at Brains' desk, apparently fit and well. But that just raised a whole lot of new questions and his reaction was much the same as John's.

"What the hell's going on? Virgil? Are you okay? You were at death's door just now. How come you're suddenly cured?"

"Yeah, well..." Virgil said uncomfortably. "You'd better ask Brains about that."

Scott turned to the scientist in confusion. "He's okay?"

"Y-yes, Scott. There w-was never anything w-wrong with him."

"What? Virg? Don't tell me this was some kind of joke. Everyone's worried sick about you."

He turned back to the door. "I need to let them know what's going on."

"No!" Virgil grabbed him before he could open the door, hanging onto his arm so he couldn't use his watch. "You need to listen to Brains. Something's going on with Dad. Brains did a blood test."

"Dad?" Scott sank down onto a chair. Like Virgil he immediately assumed that his father was sick again.

"This whole charade was just to get a sample of Dad's blood?" John asked, startling his older brother who hadn't noticed him before.

"You didn't know anything about this either?" Scott asked, shooting another glare at Virgil and Brains.

John shook his head. "Not even I would come up with something this twisted," he told his older brother before turning his attention back to Brains who was looking even more uncomfortable than he had a few moments ago. "Come on then, Brains, what's wrong with Dad?"

"I-I tried to g-get him to h-have a blood t-test but he said n-no," Brains told him, remembering just how vehement Jeff had been every time he'd rejected the scientist's request. "H-he said h-he'd been t-tested enough a-and he was s-sick of n-needles. I c-couldn't think of a-any other w-way. I-I c-couldn't wait until h-he saw his d-doctor."

"So you got Virgil to help you trick us," Scott said, still a little angry – he'd been frantic with worry and he didn't actually feel much better knowing that his brother was in fact fine.

"It wasn't pleasant," Virgil said. "But Brains got what he needed. I'm still waiting to hear what he found out though." He looked pointedly at his friend, wishing Brains would get on with it.

Brains hesitated for a moment before picking up the test tube containing the blue liquid and handing it to Scott.

"I-It shouldn't be b-blue," he said unnecessarily.

"So he's sick again?" John asked, his worst fears seemingly coming true.

"Apparently not," Virgil told him, shrugging his shoulders when Scott turned to him in the hope of getting some more information.

"So what is it?" Scott asked. "I swear, Brains, if you don't tell us what's going on..."

Brains took the test tube back, swirling the liquid around for a moment and staring at it whilst he gathered his thoughts.

"Brains?" Even the usually calm John sounded panicked now. "What's wrong with Dad?"

Brains swallowed nervously before announcing,

"I-I b-believe y-your father's been d-drugged."

"What?"

"Who?

"When?"

Between the three of them, John, Virgil and Scott had managed to ask all the questions Brains thought he'd already found the answers to. He said nothing for a moment, though, giving the brothers a moment to work it out for themselves. It didn't take long. After all, there was only one possible suspect.

It was Scott who was first to react.

"I'll kill her!" He was on his feet and racing for the door. Virgil managed to tackle him before he could actually get it open, dragging him back over to Brains' desk.

"Calm down!" he said, hanging onto his brother until he was sure Scott wasn't going to go charging off again. "I know how you feel, but if you go rushing in now anything could happen. Especially when Dad's full of this stuff. I don't want another fight. We have to work things out properly."

"But she's drugged our father..." Scott began.

"...and she knows all about International Rescue," Virgil reminded him. "We have to be careful. If she knows we're onto her and she gets away we're in real trouble. Anyway, we have to know more. Why did she do it?"

"Oh, come on, Virg," Scott said. "She wanted Dad's money. We were right all along."

"Well she's got it. But she also knows all about us. It's not so easy anymore, Scott. Just calm down a minute and think about this rationally." John joined his middle brother in trying to calm Scott down.

Scott struggled for a moment before the logic of his brothers' arguments finally got through and he gave up the fight.

You okay?" Virgil asked, loosening his grip on Scott's shoulders and watching his brother warily.

Scott nodded, trying to get his breath back. "Let go, Virg. I'm fine."

Virgil relinquished his hold. "Okay," he said, trying to catch his own breath. Scott was a tough enough opponent even when Virgil was fit. After everything Brains had put him through that afternoon Virgil was ready for another lie-down.

"Brains, before we go after Beth, what else can you tell us? What is this drug?" John tried to get things back under control.

"I-I d-don't know. I-I n-need a s-sample. B-but y-your f-father hasn't b-been h-himself lately."

"He certainly hasn't," John said, remembering just how irritable and erratic his father's behaviour had been for the past couple of months. Ever since Beth had arrived on the island, in fact. Like Scott and Virgil he could see no other possible explanation.

"Whose is that?" Virgil asked suddenly, indicating the second sample of blood which Brains had tested.

"M-mine. I-I d-don't seem to have h-had such a strong d-dose. Though I-I guess y-your father h-has b-been taking it f-for l-longer."

"New York?" John asked, thinking this had to be the only time Beth would have been able to drug the reclusive genius. Though why she would have wanted to drug him was something of a mystery.

Brains nodded. The mention of the city reminded him of the next piece of news he had to deliver and he felt suddenly sick.

"Th-there's s-something e-else," he said, so softly that the brothers could hardly hear him.

"What, Brains?" Scott asked. Like his brothers, he could see that the man was tearing himself apart over something and he had a horrible feeling that it wasn't just because he'd been drugged.

Nervously and shamefully, stuttering more than he'd done in years, Brains told them what had happened on the night of Byron's murder and in the days which had followed. The brothers listened intently, wearing identical expressions of horror as Brains told them what their father had done. Brains had expected another violent reaction from Scott, but even he was so stunned by what he heard that he just sat still and silent in his seat, staring miserably down at his hands which had started to shake a little.

"Dad wouldn't do something like that." Virgil's voice was little more than a whisper when he finally spoke.

Scott reached out to put a hand on his brother's shoulder wishing he could agree. "I don't want to believe it either. But he's been so aggressive lately. All those outbursts of temper and the awful things he's said. Remember everything he did to you? I hate to say it Virg, but if he was full of this drug he could have done anything."

"But..." Virgil trailed off. Despite everything he didn't want to believe it. "How do you know it wasn't Beth? She's the one we know has been up to something and we've only got her word for what happened."

"I know how you feel, Virg, but why would she want to kill Byron? If he found out about IR then the only one with a motive is Dad." John had never looked so desolate.

"But why would she risk getting herself arrested by covering it up?" Virgil protested. Even though he'd suffered the most because of his father's recent behaviour, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that the man could have gone that far.

"I-I think she r-really d-does c-care about h-him," Brains sighed.

"She cares about the money, you mean," Scott laughed bitterly. "Anyway, if it hadn't been for her drug he'd never have done it. It's all her fault. No wonder she didn't want anyone finding out what he did."

"So what do we do now?" John asked. "If we call her on this she'll cause trouble for Dad. This isn't going to be easy, Scott."

Scot said nothing for a moment, still trying to get over the shock of what he'd been told. He watched Brains, who had returned to his desk and was looking at the other blood samples thoughtfully. Scott followed his gaze, welcoming the chance to think of something other than the fact that his father was a killer.

"You think some of the others might be drugged as well?" he asked.

"It's p-possible," Brains said, selecting some more of the glass vials and subjecting them to the same tests to which he'd put Jeff's sample.

"Gordon's always been on our side," John said slowly. "Grandma too. The only one who's really gone out of his way for her is Alan. I thought it was just because of the way she's helped Tin-Tin..."

"A-Alan and T-Tin-T-Tin are clear now," Brains said, completing his final test.

"But were they a few weeks ago?" Virgil asked. "I knew Tin-Tin would never have given us away under normal circumstances. I put it down to her being upset after the attack, but if she was drugged, then that explains a lot."

"She was very quick to defend Beth when we found out about the escort agency," Scott said. "She didn't have much time for her before that. We should have known something wasn't right."

It was Virgil's turn to put a comforting hand on his brother's arm. "I'm guessing that when we can think about this properly we'll see a lot of things in a different light. You couldn't have known, Scott. She took us all in."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure she didn't drug either of us. We've got no excuse for letting her get away with it."

"Come on guys, you can beat yourselves up later. We need to know who else Beth's been doping," John said. "Even if there's nothing in their blood I believe you can still find traces in hair and nails, right, Brains?"

Brains nodded. "W-we could t-test them if you c-could get a s-sample."

"I'll do it," Scott said.

"How?" John asked. "Are you going to tell them what's going on?"

"No." Scott was emphatic. "I know we said no more secrets, but we can't tell them. Not this. They can't know about Dad."

"But they'll need to know about Beth," Virgil said.

"They will," Scott said coldly. "But you were right before. We need to know exactly what's going on. Then we tell the others. And then we talk to Beth. She's not going to get away with this."

There was silence for a moment. They were all startled when Brains' watch beeped.

"Y-yes, Mr T-Tracy?" Brains hoped his voice didn't give him away.

"Any news on Virgil?"

"I m-managed to find a t-treatment. He'll b-be okay in a-about twenty-f-four hours."

"You're sure? What was it? Is anyone else infected?"

"Quite s-sure." Brains began some complicated explanation which he knew would be beyond Jeff's comprehension. Sure enough, the older man soon cut in. All that was really important as far as he was concerned was that his son was going to be alright.

"That's good news."

The relief in his father's voice was painful for Virgil to hear. His father did care about him then, it was only the drugs in his system which had made him act so erratically these past couple of months.

"Can I see him?"

"N-not just y-yet," Brains said, much to Virgil's relief. He hadn't relished the idea of another shot of Brains' drug. He wasn't looking forward to a day in the infirmary though – even though he knew he had to make things look convincing. They couldn't afford to let Beth become suspicious.

"Thank you, Brains," Jeff said. "I'll let the others know – although I imagine Scott's still hanging around outside the infirmary. It might be quicker for you to break the news."

When Jeff ended the call the four men looked at each other uncertainly.

"We need to get a sample of this drug," John finally said. "Virg, you'd better search her room."

"Why me?" Virgil asked.

"Because you won't be at dinner tonight," Scott said. "It's our best chance. I'll make sure she doesn't go to her room for anything."

"Dad's calling in," John said suddenly. "I'll get back to you later." He signed off.

"Well," Scott said. "I guess I should get out of here."

"Be nice to Beth," Virgil said, walking to the door with him. "And keep an eye on Dad."

"He was going to take her flying this afternoon," Scott said. "I guess that's off now, but it worries me that she might be competent enough to fly the jet by herself. I wish she didn't have that means of escape."

"So don't give her a reason to run away," Virgil told him. "We've got to keep her happy, Scott. If we don't..."

He didn't need to finish. Scott knew as well as he did that there was a whole lot more at stake now than the secrecy of International Rescue.