WARNING: broken bones and dislocations.

Can't Make an Omelette Without Breaking a Few Legs

Kayo groaned, eyelids fluttering open. Ouch. She frowned, taking in her surroundings without trying to move her head too much. The crumbling brick walls and exposed pipes and wires slowly brought it all back to her. This was… well, she had no idea what the building used to be (perhaps a factory of some kind), but now the best word to describe it would a lair. Ah yes, that was right.

The problem with taking down criminal masterminds like The Hood is that it creates a power vacuum. There's always another wannabe just around the corner waiting to seize control. Was it Kayo's job to take these guys down? No. In theory, that part of her job started and ended with her uncle – his being family made him her responsibility. However, the latest guy to try and take the position had crossed a line.

Lance Lorenzo was a relative newcomer to the world of business, but he'd risen fast. His company was one of the highest earners in the world, but so far he didn't have a patch on Tracy Industries. This was primarily because his products were pretty dodgy when it really came down to it, even if he was successfully pulling the wool over some peoples' eyes. For those he couldn't persuade, other methods were used. Illegal methods. And yet, still none of that would have been Kayo's problem had he not decided to target International Rescue.

Not that he'd landed a scratch on them – his attempts to steal Thunderbird One were thwarted in less than a minute. But it was the principle of it. The intent. What was more concerning was that Penelope, using her many connections, had got word that that attempt would not be the last. He had some sort of vendetta against them. It all sounded horribly familiar, and she'd actually had to pay a visit to her uncle just to make sure he was actually still in prison.

At her probing, he'd simply laughed and asked, 'Do you really think that I'm the only madman in the world who has it out for International Rescue?'

So, here she was, breaking into Lancenzo Ltd., trying to put an end to it all before it really began. Apparently, Lorenzo's henchmen – complete with masks and everything – had actually managed to get the jump on her. So obviously he was spending his money on buying better henchmen than her uncle ever had. That was concerning, but not the worst thing that could happen.

Bracing herself with a deep breath, she shakily got to her feet. Luckily, for all that these henchmen seemed to be better than The Hood's, they were still pretty stupid. Sure, they could land a punch, but they'd also just left her lying on the floor without even leaving anyone to guard her. It was a rookie mistake. She shook herself out, trying to gauge the damage.

Ooh! Yep, that hurt. That thoughtless movement she'd just made had a wave of nausea slam into her, her left arm being left on fire. She took some deep breaths to settle then inspected the injury. Her wrist was swollen and purple, defined by what looked to be a handprint. Further up her shoulder was almost certainly dislocated. That had probably happened when… she played the fight back in her mind, trying to recall the moment.

Ah, yes. One of the henchmen – a man built like a giant – had managed to snag her wrist and used her own momentum to fling her down the corridor like a rag doll. That was probably what had knocked her out as well. Maybe that was why they'd left her alone. They probably thought they'd killed her. Or, at least, she hoped that's what they thought. She could use that to her advantage as she tried to find –

Oh God. Lady Penelope.

There were footsteps coming down the hall. Penny listened for a moment, eyes briefly leaving the screen. Small, almost soundless to the untrained ear… oh yes, there was only one person who moved like that, though she was making rather a lot more noise than usual.

Raising an eyebrow, she waited for her friend to notice her as she slipped into the room. As she finally made eye contact, Penny was pleased to see just the faintest look of surprise on her face. Kayo might have even managed to mask it, had she not chosen that moment to look around the room and seen the unconscious bodies there.

Surprise morphed into satisfaction. 'Nice.'

'Yes, well –' she flicked her hair over her shoulder – 'they were rather getting in the way, don't you think?'

'You could say that.'

Penelope frowned, regarding her friend more closely. Kayo's arm was tucked up against her body, hand resting close to her collarbone, and her cocky smile was just that little bit strained. 'Did they get you?'

'Dislocated shoulder,' Kayo confirmed. 'You.'

She shot her friend a wicked grin. Tanusha Kyrano never missed a trick, so it was outrageous to think that she might have, even for a moment, have missed the fact that she was sitting down with her right leg shoeless and elevated.

'These heels will be the death of me,' was all she said.

Kayo wandered over, eyes flicking briefly to the screen before she began to poke and prod. 'That's a broken ankle alright.'

'Yes,' Penny agreed, 'and it's very much going to ruin the effect of the outfit I was planning on wearing to Ascot next week.'

'That's a shame.'

The light flickered on the screen. Penelope grinned as the download completed and she snatched back her equipment.

'Can you walk?' Kayo asked.

'Oh, I can hobble along just fine, darling.' She stood tentatively, but ultimately decided it would be better to hop. Kayo offered her uninjured arm, and she took it gratefully. 'Now, I believe Parker is waiting for us, let's see what trouble he's managed to dig up.'