It's a small party that's sent for Kayo: Jeff and Virgil meet Kyrano at the GDF base.

The man is pale and has lost some weight but he greets them with a watery smile all the same. It's some comfort. He arrived the day before apparently, just enough for a brief chat with his daughter. The sense of relief that he gives off is almost contagious. He seems exhausted. It seems likely that he hasn't had much sleep the night before. His presence is comforting. At least they know that there's been some familiarity here to comfort their friend.

The GDF base is fairly busy, with soldiers and other members of staff going about their business, so they make an effort to find somewhere a little bit more private to be able to discuss things peacefully. He seems relaxed enough. His attitude that of a parent who has just spent the night in hospital with their sick child fearing the worst but who now believes that the worst has passed.

"She's stronger than I'd dared to hope." The man manages eventually. "We talked last night. I think she just wants it all to be over and to come home."

"That's good." Jeff smiles, breathing out a deep sigh. "She always was a fighter your girl. Did she tell you anything about what happened?"

"After she was taken? My brother wanted information. She claims that she gave him none. I believe her." Kyrano pauses for a few moments, lowering his gaze as he does so. "Mr. Tracy, I don't plan on letting him get away with this."

"We'll talk about that later..." Jeff assures him softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Right now, let's go see Kayo."

"She's been asking after you."

Kayo is sitting up in her bed and waiting for them. It comes as a bit of a shock.

It's been six months and yet still somehow some part of her adopted family have almost been expecting to find her exactly as she'd left them. It was foolish. They all know that. It had been naive but all the same, the two Tracys struggle not to come to a dead stop and stare. It's still very clearly Kayo. The same bright green bordering on yellow eyes. She's pale though and has lost quite a bit of weight. She looks sick or at the very least as if she was struck down recently by an illness and hasn't quite started to recover yet. Her flesh is a mix of cuts and bruises, some fresh others a good deal older.

It's to her right hand that most of their attention ends up falling. It's in a cast and there it will remain for quite some time. It was referred to as "shattered" by the doctors. They had to operate. It's going to be a good few months before she stands a chance of being able to use it again.

It's a far cry from the feisty young woman who left on a mission six months ago but is very definitely her. Her relief is almost palpable. The way that she looks at the three men as they enter almost seems to say that were she just that little bit stronger she would have jumped up to her feet to wrap her arms around them and pulled each of them in close. It's enough to prompt them all to enter properly. They approach carefully, taking note of the heart monitor that she's still plugged in to – a mere precaution they've been assured. She's had it rough, that much is clear. The marks across her body make some credence for the fact that someone had tried to get her to talk. There was enough of them to make it seem as if she'd given them cause to lose their patience.

Within him, Virgil feels an unfamiliar anger, the likes of which he can only claim to have felt a handful of times, begin to boil. He loathes the man who did this to his sister, his family. She is the Hood's family too, his niece and he still did this to her. If not himself, then he at the very least allowed if not ordered others under his authority to do so. Oh, there would most definitely be payback for this one… The middle brother decides that much.

There are some lines in the sand which simply should never be crossed.

"Hey..." Kayo manages her voice raspy, capable of producing little more than a croak.

"Hey Kayo..." It's Virgil who speaks first. "How are you feeling?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that..."

"Hm." Jeff grunts with amusement. "Do you need anything?"

"Painkillers, some rest and then to go and drag the Hood's a-" She pauses suddenly wincing in the process. She rubs at her left eye for a few moments, apparently struggling to recover.

"We get the idea..." Jeff assures her with a smile. "It's good to see you haven't changed..."

They chat for a little while. Kayo's struggling a little to string a lot of sentences together. Instead, she opts for brief answers. She was dehydrated when they found her apparently and suffering from a bruised trachea are to blame apparently. She's relatively sharp though. Tired but lively enough and aware of what's going on around her. For Jeff, that's enough to dispel any doubts that he might have had. They'll be careful but it's their Tanusha.

Right now, what she needs is familiarity. To know that she's safe and that nobody can harm her. She needs her family around her to nurse her wounds and to help rebuild her confidence. As strong as she is, the former astronaut already knows that it's going to be a long and complicated process. She's still weak, vulnerable. No doubt the Hood will want back what's been stolen from him. Unfortunately, the GDF have already proven that they're not always the most airtight of organizations when it comes to security on a number of occasions. There won't be another one, not when it's one of their own who stands to pay the price for it.

After an hour or so, Jeff and Kyrano take their leave. They won't be gone long, they assure her. They need to talk to Casey, just to sort out some of the logistics. Kayo doesn't protest but there's a clear glint of fear, an uncertainty behind her words as she acquiesces and allows them to go. It's all it takes for Virgil to take up a seat next to her, taking her good hand in his own carefully.

"You're safe now, Sis." He assures her.

Kayo only smiles.

"Kayo! I don't like this."

"Then stay outside!"

"You know that isn't how it works!"

Scott had followed her stubbornly down the long and expansive corridors of the GDF base. They were labyrinthine, forcing the young woman to rely on the map emitted by her communicator to guide herself along. She knew where to go but was inclined to make her way along carefully all the same. Everything was quiet. A little too quiet. Granted, much of that was no doubt to do with the fire alarm going off right now and the inferno outside which had been extinguished not all that long ago.

Her patience was wearing thin. Scott was doing what he could to remain quiet and avoid irritating his companion but his mere presence was enough to do so. They advanced slowly. It wasn't terribly far now. Their steps seemed to echo through the entire complex now that it was empty of all of those usually working.

"I don't know why you didn't stay out there!" Kayo snapped once more. "You'd have been more use. I don't need you coming along with me to hold my hand! It's not like I'm about to spring him from jail..."

"I didn't think that you would!" He reached out, taking her round the forearm gently but firmly enough to make her stop. "I just didn't want you to have to face him alone."

Kayo looked back over to him, angry for a moment before the rage faded away. She smiled gratefully for a moment, nodding once before continuing on her way. The tension in her shoulders relaxed, allowing him to stay just a little bit closer to her.

Strictly speaking, none of this was necessary. The cells were fireproof, among other things. The prisoners would be more than okay. It was Scott who had wanted to go in, just to check. Kayo had argued against it. A brief debate had ensured regarding International Rescue's responsibilities before finally the head of security had stormed in alone, in a twist, forcing the team's first responder to give chase. A regular day in the office… Or almost.

They came to a cell. It was impossible to see inside. Inches of steel and metal coating ensured that only a small viewing hatch only accessible from the outside would allow a view inside. Kayo stared at the door listlessly for a moment.

"This is it..."

"Do you want me to have a look?" He asked softly.

"It's fine. I'll do it. Let's just get it over and done with."

There was a certain amount of disgust about her as Kayo approached the door. She peered in carefully, as if expecting to encounter some unpleasant surprise. Seconds passed and still the young woman remained frozen in place. It was with a couple of baby steps that she eventually moved away from the door, treating it and indeed the entirety of the building as if it was now made of lava.

"We need to leave. Now."

"What is it?"

"He's gone..."