"I recommend you shut down operations."

Virgil stared at Jack. Beside him, Scott shifted slightly, the only indication of his surprise as his walls slammed shut.

Damn.

They were standing in Jack's office, halfway up a high rise in the middle of Auckland. The room was comfortable, but not opulent. Some amazing landscapes hung on the walls, painted by Jack himself. They always caught Virgil's eyes when he visited. The array of Aotearoa scenes, from the South Island mountains thru to one of Mount Taranaki and its iconic volcanic cone, were stunning in his opinion. Jack didn't paint often, but he was damn good at it.

The lawyer held up his hands. "Scott, I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you want to hear. But having looked at the pieces in play, you do not want to take these people on."

"Explain." Scott's voice was ever so cold.

Jack's eyes darted to Virgil and back to Scott.

What?

"Rumour has it that International Rescue is going to be held accountable for damages that have occurred over at least the last year. Starting with the hotel that fell out of orbit and ending with the debris that hit the United States after the comet incident."

"Rumour?" Scott's voice was tight.

Jack tilted his head to one side and back. "I have my sources, you know that. They are reliable." He lowered his hands. "Scott, you save a lot of lives, we both know this, but there has been a lot of property damage in the process. Whoever is behind all this is leveraging that as a way to get what they want."

"What do they want?"

"That, I don't know. But from a legal standing, shutting down operations is the best option. Not forever, but until this is sorted out."

"No." It was as cold as the Arctic in winter.

Virgil reacted without thinking, his hand landing on his brother's arm. "Scott-"

"No! We are not shutting down."

Jack shifted where he stood. Scott's temper was nothing new to him. "Hear me out. You are billionaires, yes, but the money we are talking about in these lawsuits will shut you down, whether you want to or not. Someone is pulling strings. Strings in the media. Strings in the government. Strings in the GDF. They want International Rescue shutdown and so far, they've taken the right steps to do exactly that." A breath and a worried glance up at Scott and Virgil. "Pause operations. Don't give them any more fuel until we can work this out. My legal team is focussed, we are out there, we just need a little time."

"So, we are supposed to sit back and let people die when we could save them?"

"You have to do what you have to do to survive. If you don't, even more will die when International Rescue no longer exists."

Scott stared at the man.

Virgil watched his brother. He watched as the facts sunk in. He watched as his eyes turned inward for that familiar decision-making process. He saw the decision made.

He didn't need to. He already knew what Scott's answer would be.

"No. I'm sorry, Jack." It was Scott's turn to hold up his hands as Jack opened his mouth again. "It is your turn to trust me." Blue eyes pinned the shorter man. "You know what is at stake here."

Jack's eyes darted to Virgil and back.

Virgil frowned and opened his mouth, but Jack cut him off. "I know, Scott. But you also know what I think."

Scott straightened, drawing in a breath. "Trust me, I do." His brother relaxed his stance. "I'm sorry, Jack. I'll do my best, but I can't let this slide."

The lawyer's shoulders dropped. "Didn't think you would, but I had to try. We will have your legal back as much as we can, but honestly, I can't guarantee success."

Scott reached out and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "That's all I ask."

Feeling like little more than a lightning-fried spectator, Virgil was surprised when his brother turned to him. "Virg?"

John's voice, firm and urgent, interrupted before Virgil could even open his mouth. "International Rescue, we have a situation."

-o-o-o-