Lady Penelope jumped slightly when the lights went out. She and Parker were still sitting in the Matron's office, and she felt Parker grope for her hand.
"Listen Milady!"
Through the sudden silence, they could hear the muffled screeches and giggles of the kids upstairs. Matron had told them that when the lights went out, she would have the youngsters fumbling for their torches and candles, and then playing some kind of hide and seek game in the darkness. They would all be having fun upstairs, and the household security guards would be deployed at the top of all the staircases to stop anyone from inadvertently falling down the stairs in the darkness. They were taken care of.
"You got yer light-stick, milady?"
Penelope replied by activating it, and then took her butler's arm.
"Come on Parker, this is our cue. Don't activate yours until you need it."
They made their way as silently as they could down the stairs, Lady Penelope holding out her light-stick, Parker creeping down beside her, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. As they got to the bottom of the stairs, they heard a grunting, and the sounds of a battle going on.
"Must be Kayo." Penny whispered. Parker nodded and rushed forward. They found one security guard unconscious on the floor, the other grappling with Kayo. She was on the floor, and the guard was sitting on her knees, holding tightly to her wrists. They seemed evenly matched, neither able to gain complete mastery over the other. Parker stood within sight of the guard and did nothing, merely folded his arms. The guard glanced up, seeing a strange man standing there in the strange green glow of the light-stick. That was enough for Kayo. A moment's inattention and she raised her head and head-butted him in the chin. He yelped and let go of her hands involuntarily, and she finished him off quickly. She stood up, panting slightly, looking down at the two unconscious security guards, then up at Parker and Penny.
"Thanks for that, Parker." She said with a grin, massaging her hands ruefully. "You turned up right on time."
She glanced at her watch.
"Okay, Parker, we have twelve minutes left before the power restarts. This professor has electronic eyes and rifles and lazers and all sorts of things all over this place to keep himself safe, but whilst the EMF is in effect, it will all be turned off. We have twelve minutes to find Virgil and all the girls and get them to the edge of the property. The guys will meet us there."
They nodded. Kayo turned to Lizzie, crouching out of sight in the lab.
"Lizzie, do you know where Virgil is?"
The girl nodded.
"Good. Take Parker to free Virgil. Penny, we'll find the girls."
Parker activated his light-stick and followed Lizzie down the corridor. She paused as they reached the corner.
"Kayo, Jenna will be in the galley by now, but she's scared of the dark."
"Where is that?"
"Door down the end, next to the hospital ward."
They vanished around the corner and Lady Penelope and Kayo hurried away in the opposite direction. Kayo and Penny both aimed powerful kicks at every locked door they came to.
Empty. Many of them appeared to be labs, a few bedrooms and storerooms. The second to last door flew open, its lock broken by Penny's strong kick, and they peered inside. By the strange green light of Penny's light-stick, they spied a small figure crouched in the corner, crying softly. Kayo glanced at Penny, and reached into her back-pack, and brought out a light-stick of her own. Activating it, she hurried over.
"Lady Penelope, can you check that last room? The kidnapped girls must all be in there. It's the only room left."
Penny nodded and disappeared. Kayo crouched beside the forlorn figure.
"Jenna?"
Jenna looked up and half-smiled, then stood up, wiping her eyes.
"You came for me."
"Of course. I promised, right? Now, I need your help. Can you hold this special light? Follow me. We're going to get everyone out of here."
Jenna nodded, and followed Kayo out of the room and paused outside the next door. She shook her head, backing away slightly.
"I can't go in there without the professor. He warned me never to go in there without orders from him."
Kayo rested her hand on the fourteen-year old's shoulder.
"We've taken care of the professor. Once we've got you all out of there, the GDF will be coming down to take him and his friends into custody. Come along now."
Inside the room, the light being shed from two light-sticks was bright enough to bathe the whole room in a bright green glow. Everything looked oddly weird, but clear. There were ten beds in the room, nine of them occupied. Two of the occupants were embracing Lady Penelope and whispering urgently. Sally sent Kayo a nod, and explained;
"You were quick but we're running out of time. We have ten minutes left only. These girls are all unconscious. How will we get them all out of here in time?"
Lady Penelope produced a small pot from her pocket and held it up. Sally raised her eyebrows.
"Smelling salts? Are you sure that will be enough?"
The aristocrat grinned at her.
"These smelling salts have been doctored by our friend Brains. Don't worry, it'll work, but hurry. Are you both up to helping these girls to run? They'll be weak."
Sally glanced at Isla, silently asking a question. Isla gave her an answering nod.
"Come on, lets get out of here!"
Lady Penelope went to every bed in turn, waving her small pot of super-smelling salts under every nose. Within seconds there was a bevy of coughing and sneezing, and seven young women of varying ages, but all with the same face were awake and staring blearily round.
"Come on, you have to get up right now. We're getting you out of here!"
Kayo, Penny, Sally, Isla and Jenna grabbed arms and pulled, pushed and bullied the seven befuddled girls into getting up and shuffling as fast as they could to the door.
Kayo glanced uneasily at her watch. Time was fast running out. Six minutes left.
The seven girls they had just awakened were naturally confused and weak, but the one thing they had all grasped was that they were being rescued from this place of needles and experimentation. They all held hands and following one after the other they started to run along the corridor towards the stairs, Penny leading the way with her light-stick, Kayo bringing up the rear, Jenna running among them with hers, encouraging and cajoling them along.
At the bottom of the stairs, they found Parker awaiting them, a hunched figure beside him, leaning on the older man heavily.
"Parker, Penny, get these girls outside to the meeting point. Scott and the others will be waiting. I'd like to take Virgil."
Parker nodded understandingly and turned to young Lizzie beside him.
"Come on, you can 'elp us get everyone out to the orchard beyond the gate. Now, run!"
Lizzie nodded, and pointed up the stairs.
"This way. Jenna, come on, let's show everyone the way out!"
As they hurried up the stair, Kayo grabbed Virgil and wrapped her arm around his torso, virtually holding him up. He looked a mess.
He was clean and did not smell, so he had not been left to stew in his own dirt the whole time here was here, that was one good thing. But his eyes were closed, and he seemed barely aware of where he was. Tear tracks stained his cheeks, where he had clearly been weeping and not even had the presence of mind to wipe them away.
"Virgil! Virgil! Come on big brother! It's me. You're being rescued. Now come on!"
Kayo still was unable to work out whether her brother was conscious or not, but he at least seemed to be aware that some effort was needed on his part, and he tried to run with her. She was shocked at how thin he had become, and how weak he clearly was. He stumbled on the stairs, until in the end, she picked him up, wrapped her arms under his torso and under his knees and ran with him up the stairs.
As they reached the front door, suddenly the whole area was flooded with light. They heard the sound of the generator whirring once more, and in the background, the cheer of the orphans upstairs as their television came back on.
"Run Kayo!" she heard Scott's voice shouting to her as she hurried down the steps and down the pathway. The fresh air seemed to bring Virgil out of his daze, for he opened his eyes and looked around.
"Let me down. I can run!"
"Good, then run!"
The two ran as fast as they could side by side, hearing flashes and pops as the professor's now activated security devices chased them off the premises.
Scott was waiting beside his hoverbike, the passenger cart firmly fixed to the rear. They could see Alan and Gordon already hurrying off back towards Thunderbird One, the seven rescued girls along with Lizzie and Jenna safely in their passenger carts. Sally and Isla hugged Virgil as he reached them, and he returned the hug, burying his nose in Isla's shoulder. Scott rested his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Let's get back to Thunderbird. The GDF are awaiting our word before they move in. Kayo? Lady Penelope?"
Kayo nodded.
"Scott, girls, you get going, and Lady Penelope and I will catch up with you back on Tracy Island."
"Take care. Come on."
With Scott's assistance, Virgil climbed into the cart, followed by Sally and Isla, and then Scott, with a nod at Penny and Parker, shot off after Gordon and Alan toward his Thunderbird.
Left behind, Kayo turned to Lady Penelope and Parker.
"Okay. End of part one. Now for part two."
Penny nodded and opened her compact.
"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward to Colonel Casey."
Immediately, Colonel Casey's face appeared on the small screen.
"Here lady Penelope. How did it go?"
"We rescued Virgil and nine young women from the basement of the home here. They are on their way to Thunderbird One. They will proceed straight to the GDF medical base and arrive in approximately twenty minutes. The Hood, the professor and three of their men are tied up and waiting for you in the basement. There are four more of the Hood's men acting as security guards in the orphanage itself. They are currently upstairs with the staff and residents."
"Very well, good work. Lady Penelope, I would like you and Parker to go upstairs and protect the civilians if need be. Kayo?"
"Ready when you are, Colonel."
"Good. We are coming in to land in one minute. Stand by."