A big thank you again to all my gorgeous reviewers. I read all your comments and each one inspires me to keep on writing.

-x-

Chapter 28.

Virgil could sense that something was up.

He'd always been the most intuitive of his family. While Scott was an overprotective taskmaster, Virgil was softer and more in tune with life's finer details.

Hence his caution as he walked into the prison's reception area. Gordon hadn't answered his phone both times Virgil had tried to ring, and his comm was also mysteriously switched off.

Something was wrong.

"Hello," Virgil greeted the man behind the reception desk in his usual polite manner, "My name's Virgil Tracy. My three brothers are in your custody and I'm here to settle their bail."

The man grunted and slid a visitor form across the desk before lighting a cigarette.

Just as Virgil picked up a pen and started to write, the door leading to the cells slid open with an electronic hiss. A tall, well defined man stepped out and shamelessly eyed Virgil up and down before slamming the door shut behind him.

"Mr Tracy?" the man asked in a thick Portuguese accent.

"Yes, that's me," Virgil replied, extending his hand, "But please, call me Virgil."

The man took Virgil's outstretched hand and shook it briefly, "You may call me Jose. I believe you are here to collect your brothers, yes?"

Virgil nodded as he signed the bottom of the visitor form, "That I am. May I speak with them first? I'd like to get their account of what happened."

Jose shrugged and typed a code into the door's electronic keypad, "Be my guest. They've been behaving themselves, however the dark haired one is a bit unruly."

"You mean Scott?" Virgil gave a good natured snort, "He's not one for cramped spaces, plus he's a stickler for the law. He probably never imagined he'd end up on the wrong side of it."

Jose hummed in agreement as he held open the door. Once through, Virgil quickly saw the reason for Scott's 'unruliness'.

Prisoners were crammed together in cells on opposing sides of a central corridor like sardines. Tattooed arms and greasy faces forced their way through the bars as Virgil entered. Shouts and growls, interspersed with the occasional lewd comment mingled together to form an indecipherable mess of sound. Hands with dirty, chipped fingernails reached through bars to claw at the air, their owners wide-eyed and mostly toothless. Much to Virgil's horror, he could see both male and female inmates housed together in the communal cells.

"Virg! Hey, Virg! Over here!" a familiar voice yelled.

Virgil followed the sound until his eyes landed on a cell slightly further up the corridor, it's occupants clean and their faces welcomingly familiar. Alan was leaning as far through the bars as he could and was waving frantically.

Virgil's smile of delight turned into a gape of disbelief when Gordon's face suddenly materialised next to Alan's.

"Gordon?" Virgil asked, pausing to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, "Why are you in there as well?"

The aquanaut flushed crimson and dropped his gaze to the floor, "Long story…"

Virgil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "One thing, Gordon. I asked you to do one, simple thing…"

"Hey, it's not all my fault!" the aquanaut cried, stabbing a finger in the direction of the door Virgil had entered through, "That Jose guy threw me in here just because I talked to his girlfriend the other day. I swear, I didn't do anything wrong!"

"He's right, Virg," Scott had moved to stand alongside Alan, his relief at Virgil's arrival evident, "The system here is completely corrupt. The bail over our head is ridiculously high and Gordon was quite literally tossed in the second Jose recognised him."

Virgil frowned and pondered Scott's words for a second, "Do you know how much the bail is? Maybe I can negotiate it down."

John's head suddenly forced its way between Alan and Scott's, "Don't, that'll just delay everything. You have to be careful Virg, otherwise they'll find an excuse to shove you in here as well. If we're not bailed in the next twenty four hours our case might go to trial, and there's no telling how fixed that will be."

"Trial?" Alan squeaked, his blue eyes tripling in size, "Like, in an actual court?"

John nodded and gently banged his head against the bars his arms were braced against, "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry guys."

"Hey, now," Scott soothed, placing a reassuring hand on John's back, "We all had a part to play. Well, maybe not Alan, Gordon and Virgil, but I'm just as much to blame. Don't beat yourself up, we'll be out of here in no time. Virg, just go and pay whatever Jose is asking. I'll take the flak from the accountants once we're back home."

"F.A.B," Virgil replied, reaching out to squeeze John's arm when the redhead looked like he might burst into tears, "Sit tight, Johnny."

No sooner had Virgil turned his back on his brothers, than Jose suddenly materialised through the main door. The warden gave Virgil a frosty smile as he clicked the lock shut behind him, "Alright, Mr Tracy? Did your brothers give you the necessary information?"

Virgil opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated before any words could come out. The entire compound could be rigged with microphones for all he knew, so he decided to ere on the side of caution and assume that Jose had overheard his entire conversation.

"Yes, they did," Virgil replied, crossing his arms in a way that gave Jose an unobstructed view of his biceps, "But it doesn't take away from the fact that they broke the law. I'd like to settle the bail now, please."

Jose quirked a brow as he lit a cigarette, "You make it sound as if there is only one bail to pay. You have four brothers in here, yes?"

Virgil frowned in suspicion, "Yes, but I believe the amount is sufficient enough to cover all of them. And only three of my brothers were inside the vehicle you apprehended."

Jose took a drag of his cigarette and leant casually against the doorframe, "Your blond brother was chatting up my girlfriend the other night at a beach party. That counts as disorderly conduct in my book."

Virgil gave a snort of disbelief, "Sounds to me like you can't hold a candle to Gordon and your girlfriend thought the same. Can't say as I blame her. Maybe you should spend more time with her instead of unlawfully arresting innocent people?"

"Careful, Virg!" Scott hissed, his eyes wide with worry, "Don't get sucked in!"

Jose's eyes glimmered with amusement, but he didn't flinch. After a moment of silence, he gestured towards the cell that contained four of the five Tracys, "You are all brothers by blood?"

"Yes," Virgil confirmed, his tone wary.

Jose took note of Scott's dimples, Virgil's brown eyes, John's red hair, Gordon's strawberry blond hair and Alan's blue eyes before scoffing, "Your mother must have been a very…busy…woman."

The insult flew clean over Virgil's head, only to crash straight into Scott's.

"What did he say?" Alan asked, leaping back in shock when Scott hurled a string of foul profanities in Jose's direction.

"He insulted mum," John miserably replied, before re-burying his head in his hands, "This is all my stupid fault."

Gordon's head snapped up at John's statement, his previous task of stroking Celery forgotten. A rare expression of hatred descended over the aquanaut's features as he stormed to the front of the cell and glowered at their guard.

"Hey, dude," Gordon sneered in a dangerously low tone, "Come over here and say that again, but this time to my face. I dare you."

"More disorderly conduct," Jose sighed as Scott (with a little help from John) snapped something hateful in Portuguese, "At this rate, you boys will have to sell one of your fancy planes in order to get out."

Alan's eyes widened in horror, "Don't offer one of the Thunderbirds as payment, Virg! Sell Grandma first!"

Virgil didn't flinch. Lucy had never approved of violence and Virgil wasn't about to let her down, "The bail, Jose. Or shall I fetch your supervisor instead?"

Jose sighed like a child who'd just had his favourite toy confiscated, "Very well, Mr Tracy. Which one would you like to pay first?"

Without bothering to question the legality of Jose posting multiple bails, Virgil glanced uncertainly from brother to brother. Scott caught his eye and motioned frantically at Alan.

"I'll settle Alan's first," Virgil replied, pulling out his phone, "The youngest one," he clarified, upon noticing Jose's confused hesitation.

Jose nodded and disappeared back into the reception area, only to return a few seconds later with a clipboard, "Suspect number three has been convicted of travelling as a willing passenger in a vehicle surpassing the national speed limit without wearing a seatbelt. The bail amount is fixed at ten thousand reals and is non-negotiable."

Virgil nodded curtly as he pulled up the spending account for International Rescue on his phone. Jose recited some bank details with an ease that made Virgil severely question the destination of their funds.

"Transfer complete," Virgil announced after a brief pause, "Now release him."

Jose moved to open the door, gesturing for Scott, John and Gordon to all move to the back of the cell.

"Go straight to Virgil," Scott instructed when Jose motioned for Alan to come out, "Don't dawdle, go straight to him."

Alan nodded obediently as Scott gently nudged him in the small of his back. Without glancing at Jose, the youngest shuffled out of the cell and over to the safety of Virgil's side.

"Now Gordon," Virgil instructed, "I think you already know which one he is."

Jose muttered something under his breath as he consulted his clipboard once again, "Suspect number four has been convicted of disorderly behaviour towards a person indirectly associated with the Rio police force. The bail amount is fixed at eighteen thousand reals and is non-negotiable."

Virgil's face barely twitched as he set up the transfer.

Jose wasn't finished, "There will be an additional one thousand reals to pay if you wish to bail the mutt out as well."

Virgil's eyes widened in shock and confusion as he glanced up from his phone, "Mutt? What mutt?"

Almost on cue, Celery shoved her head between the bars of the cell and wagged her tail excitedly.

Gordon shot Virgil an apologetic look as he bent to stroke the dog's head, "I can't leave her here, Virg. Think of what they might do to her!"

"I'll quite happily knock the thousand off your brother's bail if you leave the mutt," Jose offered, throwing Gordon a sinister smile, "My friend runs a dog fighting ring and is always in need of fresh bait."

Gordon gasped in horror and wrapped his arms around Celery's neck, "Virg, you have to save her!"

"Transfer complete," Virgil announced, glowering at Jose, "The dog is ours, so kindly let them both out."

John and Scott once again retreated to the back of the cell as the door slid open. With his exit clear, Gordon swiftly scooped Celery into his arms and barrelled his way to freedom.

"Now John," Virgil ordered once Gordon and Celery had safely joined the group, "He's the one with red hair."

Jose disappeared behind his clipboard again, "Suspect number one has been convicted of driving a vehicle that was in excess of the national speed limit by almost eighty percent, as well as driving on sidewalks and deliberately evading police capture. The bail amount is fixed at forty thousand reals and is non-negotiable."

Virgil winced in horror at John's minacious driving, however schooled his face back into a neutral expression upon spying the redhead's tearful eyes.

"Transfer complete," Virgil reported, ignoring John's groan of guilt, "Now release him."

Scott gave John an encouraging smile and a gentle nudge towards the door, before taking a step back and watching the redhead vacate the cell.

"Now Scott," Virgil demanded.

Jose consulted his clipboard for the fourth and final time, "Suspect number two has been convicted of travelling as a willing passenger in a vehicle surpassing the national speed limit without wearing a seatbelt, as well as exhibiting somewhat unruly behaviour while in police custody. The bail amount is fixed at twenty thousand reals and is non-negotiable."

"Done," Virgil declared with a final tap of his phone, relief washing over him as Jose opened the cell and Scott emerged, "We'll be on our way now."

"You're welcome back anytime," Jose smirked as he flicked the screen of his own phone, no doubt checking his new bank balance, "There's always a cell for you here."

Before Scott could so much as reel his fist back, Virgil seized him by the arm and dragged him towards the door, motioning impatiently at one of Jose's colleagues to let them out. The rush of fresh air that followed the electronic hiss of the door retracting was a welcome relief after the gagworthy stench of the holding cells.

"I've left Thunderbird One about two miles west," Virgil informed Scott, "Where's Two?"

"At a car rental agency somewhere near Botafogo," Scott replied wearily, "Don't think I'm up to piloting though…"

Virgil cast a discerning eye over John and Alan, who both looked similarly traumatised, "No worries. Gordon, you take John and Alan in Two and I'll follow with Scott in One. Sound good?"

"What about Celery?" Gordon asked, motioning to the dog that was stuck to him like glue, "John's allergic."

Virgil sighed, suddenly realising why Scott suffered from so many headaches, "Okay, you take Alan, Scott and Celery in Two, and I'll take John with me in One. Better?"

"Much!" the aquanaut beamed, always excited by the opportunity to pilot a craft other than his own, "C'mon guys! Last one there has to do dishes for a week!"

Gordon set off at a brisk jog, loyally followed by his new canine companion. Alan gave a loud groan of fatigue as he set off after his fellow blond, closely followed by Scott who paused to squeeze Virgil's shoulder in gratitude.

"Thank you, Virg," the eldest said, his tone brimming with appreciation, "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you some days."

Virgil smiled warmly, "Anytime, bro. Anytime."

As Scott followed Alan who was following Gordon who was following Celery, Virgil turned towards the rather washed out John.

"C'mon, Space Radish," Virgil coaxed as he began to guide the redhead in the direction of where he'd left Thunderbird One, "Home for a shower and a sleep me thinks."

"Is Kayo still home?" John asked, dragging a hand through his floppy fringe.

"Her tracker says so, although she might get deployed before we arrive back," Virgil answered, frowning slightly when John's eyes narrowed to turquoise slits, "Don't do or say anything today. You've been through a lot of stress and you're exhausted. Sleep on it and we'll have a family discussion about it in the morning."

"I don't need a discussion to establish what's factual," John growled, sneezing loudly when a stray cat shamelessly swaggered past them.

"And what's so factual that it can't wait until tomorrow?" Virgil asked, gingerly stepping around a discarded pile of rubbish.

John outright snarled.

"That Kayo's to blame for everything that happened today."