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 he'd 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 and signed the bottom of the visitor form, "That I am. May I speak with them? I'd like to get their account of the situation first."

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

"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 stepped inside. Shouts and growls, interspersed with the occasional lewd comment mingled together to form an indecipherable mess of sound. Much to Virgil's horror, he could see both male and female inmates housed together in communal guardrooms.

"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 waving frantically.

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

"Gordon?" Virgil asked, pausing to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, "Why are you in there as well? You were supposed to bail them out!"

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!" Gordon cried, stabbing a finger in the direction of the door Virgil had entered through, "Jose threw me in here just because I maybe accidentally-on-purpose flirted with his girlfriend last night. I swear, I didn't do anything legally or morally wrong!"

"He's right, Virg," Scott had moved to stand alongside Alan, "The system here is completely corrupt. The bail over our heads is ridiculously high, and Gordon only ended up on this side of the bars because Jose has a personal vendetta against 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 eyes nearly fell out of his head, "Don't bother, 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."

"Hey, now," Scott soothed, placing a reassuring hand on his brother's back, "We all had a part to play. Well, maybe not Alan, or Gordon, or 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 made a noise that sounded like he was on the verge of 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 stopped before any words could come out. The entire compound was no doubt rigged from top to bottom with video and audio surveillance, so he decided to err on the side of caution and assume that Jose had overheard his conversation.

"Yes, they did," Virgil replied, crossing his arms in a way that gave the guard 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 quoted is sufficient 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, "The blond one was chatting up my girlfriend last night at a beach party. That counts as disorderly conduct in my book."

A pair of caramel eyes narrowed, "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, "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 blond hair, and Alan's blue eyes before scoffing, "Your mother must have been a very diligent wife."

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

"What did he say?" Alan asked, leaping back in mild shock when Scott began hurling profanities in Jose's direction.

"He insulted mom," John replied miserably, his tone muffled by the hands covering his face, "This is all my stupid fault."

Gordon's head snapped up at John's answer, 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, "Come over here and say that again, but this time, be a man and say it to my face. Go on. I dare you."

"More disorderly conduct," Jose sighed as Scott 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 face paled several shades, "Don't offer one of the Thunderbirds as payment, Virg. Offer Grandma first!"

Virgil didn't flinch. Lucy had never approved of violence, and he 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 phone 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 immediately gestured at Alan.

"I'll settle his first," Virgil replied, pulling out his phone and pointing at his youngest brother.

Jose nodded and disappeared back into the reception area before returning with a clipboard, "Suspect number three has been placed in police custody for travelling as a willing passenger in a vehicle that was in significant excess of the local speed limit without wearing a seatbelt. The bail amount is fixed at ten thousand reals and is non-negotiable."

Virgil nodded curtly and pulled up International Rescue's seven figure spending account, scowling when Jose recited some bank details with an ease that made him severely question the destination of their funds.

"Transfer complete," Virgil announced, "Now release him."

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

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

Alan nodded obediently. Without glancing at Jose, he shuffled 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 placed in police custody for disorderly behaviour towards a person associated with the Rio Civil 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'll 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 animal rights groups have shut down most of his breeding channels for now, so finding fresh meat is a challenge."

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 scooped Celery into his arms and barrelled his way to freedom.

"Now John," Virgil ordered, his confidence growing as Gordon and Celery joined the group, "He's the one with red hair."

Jose disappeared behind his clipboard again, "Suspect number one has been placed in police custody for being the driver of a vehicle that was in significant excess of the local speed limit, as well as driving on sidewalks, running red lights, 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 embarrassment in his brother's eyes.

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

Scott threw John an encouraging smile before nudging him towards the door and retreating to the back of the cell once again.

"Now Scott," Virgil demanded.

Jose consulted his clipboard for the fourth and final time, "Suspect number two has been placed in police custody for travelling as a willing passenger in a vehicle that was in significant excess of the local speed limit without wearing a seatbelt, and for exhibiting 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 when Jose unlocked the cell and was almost mowed down by Scott, "We'll be on our way now."

"You're welcome back anytime," Jose smirked, flicking the screen of his own phone and eyeballing his new bank balance, "There's always a cell for you here."

Before Scott could so much as reel back his fist, Virgil seized him by the arm and frogmarched him towards the door, motioning impatiently for 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 reported, "Where's Two?"

"At a car rental agency somewhere near Botafogo," Scott replied, his tone weary, "Don't think I'm up to piloting though."

Virgil cast a discerning eye over John and Alan, who 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 prospect of piloting a craft other than his own, "C'mon, guys! Last one there has to do the 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. Scott followed closely behind, however paused mid-stride to squeeze Virgil's shoulder.

"Thanks, Virg," the eldest mumbled, "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you some days."

Virgil smiled warmly, "You'd manage."

As Scott added himself to the Tracy daisy chain that was making its way towards Thunderbird Two, Virgil turned to assess his last remaining brother.

"C'mon, Space Carrot," Virgil coaxed, steering John in the direction of where Thunderbird One was waiting, "Home for a shower and a sleep me thinks."

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

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

"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."