"Explain to me how you can justify this" an enraged Scott rounded on his father.
"I'd like to hear that explanation as well" John said, his holographic form floating above the desk. Scott hadn't noticed him before but he wasn't surprised to see him now. "You asked me to help her" John said. "You knew I wanted to come home but we agreed I'd stay where I could help her the best and it was all so you could test some theory?"
"Settle down, boys." Jeff said.
"Settle down?" Scott started incredulously.
"Yes" Jeff demanded. "I've tried telling you that I've been doing this for you, for all of you, but it seems I have to spell it out. As of right now, under GDF law, International Rescue is guilty of harbouring a war criminal."
"That's ridiculous" John scoffed. "She wasn't even born."
"That is, unfortunately, irrelevant," Jeff said sitting heavily in his chair. "The sad truth is that if someone outside of the family discovered what she is we will lose everything and I do mean everything boys, not just Tracy Industries or the Thunderbirds but our civil liberties as well. We'd each be incarcerated with no trial and highly unlikely to see each other ever again. All under the pretext of stopping the biomechanoid threat, of course."
"But she isn't a threat, father" John insisted. "I've been talking to her for months now and I just don't see how she can be a constructed personality. She's shown no homicidal tendencies or even made odd comments that would make you question her motives. Not Once. Also, the series of events that led her to us is almost a statistical impossibility if viewed as an event with no input from International Rescue. It just doesn't make sense."
"John, I'm sorry son but you're not understanding. None of that matters. It doesn't matter how we got to where we are. It matters that we're here and it matters what we do form here."
"From a legal perspective" Kyrano said. "The only option is to call in the DGF now. We have solid proof of what she is. Six people have witnessed it."
"This isn't just a legal issue though" Scott said. "It's a moral one as well. International Rescue doesn't play God. We save everyone, no matter who they are or what they've done." He ignored John's raised eyebrow, remembering that this was the exact argument he and Gordon had used to get Scott on board in the first place.
"Quite so" Kyrano said. "The question becomes then; is she a person?"
"I don't believe we have the right to answer that" Scott said his voice weighed down by the implication of the question.
"Are you willing to risk your future on it?" Jeff asked quietly. "Will you risk your brother's? Alan's?"
"Alan is just a child!"
"Who, as a best-case scenario will be left alone and without a family. I'm sorry Scott but that isn't something I'm willing to let happen."
"There is the other issue" John said. "We also have solid evidence of the threat to Thunderbird Two. Jasmine is the only insider we have. If we turn her over to the GDF then we lose all forewarning."
"That's assuming the two events aren't connected. If she is working for Salvatore-"
"She isn't!" John exploded. "I was there when she signed up for it, I've been listening to every meeting and exchange. I don't care what the text books and news reports say about other biomechanoids. The girl, this person" he clarified "has only ever tried to help us and at great cost to herself. Think about it" he implored, "if she was hiding in the underground what did she possibly have to gain by helping us? It seems to me she'd have been better off not getting in contact at all."
"John's right father" Scott said when Jeff didn't reply. "What you've done here is write her off without giving her so much as a chance to defend herself."
Jeff sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He felt like he was hitting his head against a brick wall. His sons just didn't seem able to process that fact that they weren't dealing with a person; at best they were dealing with what was left of one but realistically they were dealing with a very sophisticated AI.
"You should talk to her" John said. "Make up your own mind rather than just replying on what could well be just propaganda. Virgil is depending on it."
John might have thought he was playing his ace card but at the mention of the middle Tracy's name Jeff's face hardened once more.
"Virgil seems altogether too close to the situation" Jeff said before levelling his full authority on Scott. "You and I are going to be having a talk about distribution of man power. Virgil should never have been put in the situation he is now in."
The stare was one that pinned Scott to the chair as though he were a child again. It wasn't one that came out when he'd accidentally broken a plate or similar, it was the one that came out when Scott has seriously messed up. He was vividly reminded of the time he'd supposed to have been babysitting Alan but he'd shut himself in his room and read comics instead. Alan had ended up tumbling down the stairs and Scott had been, rightly, raked over hot coals for his lack of responsibility.
"What do you mean 'the situation Virgil is now in?'" he asked not really wanting to know the answer.
"Virgil has been compromised" Kyrano said gently. "His nature means he is highly unlikely to ever see her as anything but a lost girl. She'll know that. She'll play on it and use Virgil as her ally inside the family."
"You're bring ridiculous!" John exclaimed but deep down a small pool of dread began to form inside Scott.
What if they were right? Could he really risk his whole family on the possibility that everything they'd ever been taught about the bionics war was wrong? Scott thought about it and wondered how different things might have been if he'd gone himself. He certainly wouldn't have taken her out for lunch – the joking he'd done at the time didn't seem so funny now. He wouldn't have spent the day with her or offered her the hotel suite after he had to leave. He'd have met her as the informant she was meant to have been.
Maybe he really did set Virgil up unfairly.
"I see you're starting to understand" Jeff said quietly, bringing him from his musings. "Go find your brother. I want your take on how he sees her, unfiltered by emotion. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir" he said rising.
"Scott, you can't be seriously thinking-" John started.
"I don't know what to think, John" Scott cut him off. "But I'm going to find out." And I'm going to keep an open mind whilst doing it he thought to himself.
With a nod to his father and Kyrano he left the room but was surprised to find Virgil standing only a few feet away watching as Gordon and Jasmine left.
"Virgil? Are you alright?" He asked seeing his younger brother's shell-shocked expression.
"Sure. Yes, I'm fine" Virgil replied unconvincingly. "What if we've got it wrong Scott?" He said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked confused.
"Humanity" Virgil replied as though that explained everything.
"I'm sorry?"
"What if, all this time, we're the ones who got taught to fear and hate and we all did? What if, all this time the biomechanoids were just people forced into a terrible situation?"
"I don't think that's the case Virgil" Scott said shying instinctively away from the thought that so much of what everyone believed was wrong. It didn't bear thinking about. Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say.
"Really?" Virgil almost snarled. "You spoke to her just now. I didn't see any indication from you that she was a threat. Hell, you were both making jokes at my expense! But now you've been told she is something" Virgil faltered, "something, I don't know, something else and suddenly she's what? What is she Scott? What do you think she is?"
"I don't know" Scott admitted.
"Exactly" Virgil said. "Exactly, but, unlike even the worst of criminals, she's now in an electro-shock collar and back to believing-" he cut himself off turning away.
"Back to believing what?" Scott asked trying to turn Virgil back around.
"It doesn't matter" Virgil said shaking Scott off. "I need some air."
Scott let him go. Virgil made a good point. But so did their father. Was there any way for him to sort out the truth? Was that something even he had to do? Was it really up to him?
Scott mentally slapped himself. Of course it was something he had to do. Both Virgil's life and, potentially Jasmine's were on the line. He couldn't walk away from that and let someone else determine what was to happen to both of them. He had to be sure and that meant putting in the work himself.
"Easy Virg' where's the fire?" Gordon said surprised as Virgil virtually shouldered him out of the way. He didn't get a response from his elder brother and so turned to Scott instead.
"What the hell, man?"
Scott knew he wasn't talking about Virgil. But, rather, the situation in general.
"I don't know" Scott replied honestly.
"Right, well, she can speak English again" Gordon said. "In fact, the last thing she said to me was that I should tell dad that so he can get his interrogation started." Gordon's face twisted. "Scott, does any of this feel right to you?" he implored.
"Honesty?" Scott hesitated. Did it feel right? No, no it didn't. But this was dad. He might be far from infallible but when it came to the safety of his family, he was stringent. Scott said as much to Gordon who shook his head slowly.
"Protecting us is one thing but does it feel like that's what's going on? Because it feels to me like she's been convicted of being alive."
"Virgil said much the same thing" Scott admitted.
"Do we save everyone Scott?" Gordon asked, sounding younger than his years. "Or does International only mean country borders?"