Chapter 2.
Kayo loved being a woman.
She loved being the only woman amongst five guys even more.
The looks of sheer terror adorning the normally stoic and relaxed faces of the rather cocky Tracy squad was nothing short of hilarious. She'd gotten them all neatly lined up on the sofa, and was pacing in front of them like the badass drill sergeant she knew she was.
Scott was doing the best job of keeping his agitation in check, however the way his blue eyes tracked Kayo's every move betrayed the true depth of his discomfort.
Gordon was feigning indifference and had one arm slung across the back of the sofa. Kayo admired his bravado, but knew the aquanaut was no doubt soiling himself inside the safe confines of his mind.
John looked completely panicked and was doing a commendable job at camouflaging himself against the orange cushion he was propped against.
Virgil was mimicking Gordon and also had an arm thrown across the back of the sofa, although his flippant display of machoism seemed slightly less forced. He glanced over at Scott and raised an eyebrow when Kayo paced in front of them for what had to be the fourth time. Unfortunately, the eldest brother's attention was locked onto their female colleague, and Virgil's disbelieving expression went ignored.
Alan meanwhile, was the only one who looked vaguely in control of himself. Sat next to Virgil with his arms crossed, the youngest was glaring at his brothers with an expression that screamed 'serves you right'. Unfortunately, what little confidence he'd cobbled together vanished when Kayo allowed her gaze to linger on him for a second longer than was necessary.
They were busted.
And they knew it.
"In light of what I just overheard," Kayo began, smiling inwardly when five pairs of eyes gave her their undivided attention, "I think we should investigate this rather delicate matter a bit further. I've never been one for great displays of emotion, however I do consider you guys family, and I also appreciate that I live under your roof. Granted, I prefer to keep most things that don't concern work private, however I think it's only fair that we explore this particular topic more, since it's obviously of great interest to you all."
On the sofa, five sets of palms began to sweat.
"I don't currently have a partner," Kayo confessed, shrugging offhandedly, "I don't really see the appeal of dating, but moreover, I hardly have time for it with work. I know for a fact the same largely applies to all of you."
A few tentative nods were offered.
"However," Kayo continued, "I have to agree with Alan on one thing. For all the bravado and swagger you guys give off, I can't actually remember the last time any of you had a date. For a group of men as 'macho' as yourselves, I can't think of why this would, or should, be the case."
A black brow went skyward as Virgil huffed in indignation, "We've never made claims of being 'macho', Kayo."
"Quite the contrary," Scott chipped in, "I think we're fairly humble."
Over on Virgil's left, Alan snorted, "Oh please! All you ever do is yak on about who's tallest, who's strongest, who's bravest, who has the best ass…I swear, everything in this house is a competition. And you're all quite safe, because guess who always loses?" Alan stabbed a finger at himself, "Me!"
Kayo silenced the youngest Tracy with a look, before returning her attention to the others, "Virgil, I happen to know you always check your hair before exiting Thunderbird Two for a rescue."
The engineer hesitated before harrumphing and mumbling something about 'International Rescue' and 'standards'.
Green eyes flicked to the next Tracy on the conveyor belt, "John, is it true you tap into the telemetry from Scott's comm whenever he rescues a woman so that you can pick up lines?"
The redhead's face went the same colour as his hair. Under Scott's quizzical gaze, he caved and placed the blame squarely on EOS.
Kayo tsked her tongue before transferring her crosshairs onto the sniggering Gordon, "And you, fishboy. Lady Penelope. Need I say more?"
The aquanaut gave an epic snort of disbelief, however couldn't bring himself to make eye contact, "Ha! Pull the other one!"
By the time Kayo swivelled her gaze to Scott, the eldest Tracy had already deployed his defences, "Before you say it, I do not flirt with the women I rescue!"
Years of training enabled Kayo to feign ignorance like a pro, "I know. That's why I tossed the phonebook you had stored underneath One's pilot seat out. I found it when I did a security sweep of the hanger a few weeks ago. I wasn't even aware they still made phonebooks."
"You've been in Thunderbird One without my knowledge?" Scott asked, his voice laced with incredulity.
Kayo treated him to a suspicious squint, "Just doing my job, Scott. Why? What else are you hiding inside that supersonic tin can?"
A silence that doubled as a nonverbal confession (at least in Kayo's mind) descended over the room.
Down on the sofa, Alan let out a silent puff of relief. It looked as if he'd been overlooked. Again.
"And you, Alan."
'Heh. So much for that.'
Green met blue for several seconds while Kayo considered the youngest, "You're just cute."
Humiliation washed over Alan like a cold gust of wind. Cute? There was no coming back from cute.
Something in the room shifted as the youngest Tracy willingly surrendered the stage to his eldest brother, "Alright Kayo, you caught us talking about you behind your back. We weren't expecting you home for another two days, but granted, we weren't being respectful or professional. On behalf of myself and my brothers, we apologise for talking about your personal life without your consent. Now, could we please resume what we were doing before you burst through the door?"
Virgil frowned, "Looking at baby photos and laughing at Alan's shaving attempt?"
Caramel eyes glimmered with humour as Gordon twisted to get another eyeful of his brother's face, "Ah, thanks Virg! I'd completely forgotten about that!"
Alan felt his cheeks heat up. In the confusion caused by Kayo's sudden reappearance, he'd completely forgotten about the state of his jawline. No wonder she'd called him cute. He probably looked like a Dalmatian.
In an attempt to regain some of the dignity Kayo had robbed him of, Scott cleared his throat and strode off towards the kitchen with an air of finality. He made it all of two steps before their Head of Security expertly intercepted him and herded him back towards the sofa.
"Not so fast," Kayo warned, "You haven't heard my brilliant plan yet."
Gordon, who'd been stamping his foot on the floor in silent mirth, abruptly shut up and sat up, "Wait, what? You have a plan for us?"
"That's it, we're all gunna die," Virgil announced, seizing John's hand and shaking it grimly, "It was a pleasure knowing you, carrot-top."
The atmospheric shift from earlier intensified when Kayo put a hand on Scott's shoulder and prodded him back in the direction of his brothers, "Kayo, what are you up to?"
Shadow's pilot grinned, before raising her wrist and activating her comm device, "London, do you copy?"
A beat passed before Lady Penelope's smiling holographic face materialised, "F.A.B, Kayo. Shall we tell them our plan? Bertie here is practically buzzing with impatience."
Five masks of terror fell back into place as Kayo nodded.
"Yes, lets."