"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" There was a crash and a thud that had Virgil running out of the elevator into the comms rooms at speed.
Scott stood next to their father's desk as if he hadn't left it in the time Virgil had been gone. The remains of a coffee cup were strewn across the hardwood floor, coffee still steaming in a spray reaching for the balcony.
"What's wrong?" Virgil's heart knotted itself enough to clog his breathing.
Furious blue stabbed at him. His brother slapped at the desk and yet another news report flickered into being.
'An oil tanker heading to Miami was caught in the approach of Hurricane Lucy earlier today. The tanker had been experiencing difficulties and was unable to avoid the incoming storm. It ran aground off the Florida Keys and dumped an estimated five million gallons of crude oil into the marine sanctuary. A crewmember died on the scene.
'The captain claims multiple callouts were made to International Rescue with no response. And this is not the only disaster today that has gone unanswered.
'Questions are being asked if the organisation is purposefully ignoring calls for help in retaliation for the accusations made recently regarding the lives lost in New York.' Virgil's eyes widened as a photo of himself in uniform appeared next to the reporter. 'There has been a call out for criminal charges to be made against the pilot of Thunderbird Two, Virgil Tracy, in relation to the incident. Perhaps the Tracy family has gone into hiding. After all, International Rescue is famed for its hidden base in the South Pacific. How can these men face justice if we can't find them?'
Scott killed the report and glared at Virgil.
Virgil stared at the empty air where the hologram had been.
"John tried everything. They refused to allow us to fly." The same brother who was working himself into an early grave trying to help people.
And now they were accused of purposefully letting people die.
For their own gain.
"How can they do this?" Virgil stared at his brother. "How...after all these years." It just...the unfairness of it all just...hurt.
"Dad would never have stood for this." Scott began pacing, leaving footprints where his shoes stepped in the coffee.
Grandma would have a fit.
"Damned if we do, and damned if we don't."
"Did you hear that?!" Gordon stormed into the room, Alan trailing behind him.
Scott kicked the remains of his coffee cup, extending the stain on the floorboards.
Virgil drew in a breath. "We heard it."
Gordon stopped before he could step in the mess. "You know what? I say screw 'em. We just keep doing what we are supposed to do, which is save lives."
Virgil's shoulders dropped. "It doesn't quite work that way, Gordon, and you know it."
Furious carnelian glared at him. "Then what do you think we should do? Hide on our little island like they suggest?"
It hurt that Gordon would even think he was thinking such a thing, but his brother was angry. Fighting between themselves would only make this worse.
"Why don't we tell the world our side of the story?" Alan piped up from behind Gordon, the hiss of his hover chair barely background noise. "Hold a press conference."
Scott's head shot up. International Rescue had never done such a thing. Tracy Industries, sure, publicity for a new line or product, but the brothers had never stood as one in full uniform. His eyes darted to Virgil and the engineer could see the fear in their depths.
Not fear for International Rescue.
Fear for Virgil.
The weakness.
Virgil straightened his spine. "I think that's a good idea, Allie. I think facing our accusers might clear the air."
"Virgil, the risk-"
"Is one I'm willing to take. This..." He pointed at the desk where the hologram had been. "This is just wrong. If we don't speak up, the press will write our story and we will go down with whatever blame they choose. If I was wrong, I will face up to it."
"You weren't wrong, Virgil!" The words were thrown from his eldest brother as Gordon growled and Alan snarled in protest. "There was sabotage. There has to be! You don't screw up like that."
"I am most certainly not infallible. But regardless, this isn't about me. This is about International Rescue and our right to save people who need saving. This is about Mom and Dad. If we shutdown permanently, they win!" He stabbed a finger at the absent holoprojection. "And I, for one, don't care if I have to take the fall for this if it means that people who would otherwise die can be saved." He swallowed. "I don't know what Dad would have done, but that's what I think should be done."
There was a silence when he stopped talking and Virgil realised he had been yelling over his brothers.
Scott was staring at him, strategic calculations spinning behind his eyes.
Perhaps a little strategy of his own was required. "Gordon, it is time you told Scott what you and John have discovered regarding 'World Rescue'."
Three sets of eyes targeted him a second before two of them turned and narrowed on the aquanaut.
"Gordon?" Scott's tone was sharp. "Report!"
The briefest shift of Gordon's feet, a glare at Virgil and he straightened, words delivered with military precision at the commander who took a step or two closer to his younger brother, glaring fit to toast his hair.
The specifics of their opponents became clear as Gordon relayed what John had told Virgil up on Five. The competition, the grab for money and power. The wrong doing being done to them by the government and the military.
The launch next week.
With every word, Scott's tension increased. His eyes darted between Gordon and Virgil and the betrayal was raw. When Gordon finished outlining exactly what he and John had uncovered, those blue eyes returned to Virgil. "They can't have you."
Virgil's eyes widened. "Scott-"
His brother held up his hands. "No, Virgil. This is wrong. I will not sacrifice you to some power-hungry assholes. This is wrong!"
Virgil glared at his brother and took a step closer. "Scott, I may be the weakness in this organisation, but I will not put myself above you or International Rescue. If I screwed up, so be it. I'll pay for it." He punctuated his words with a finger. "I will not let them take you all with me." His lips thinned and he caught the eyes of his three brothers. "Call a press conference and we will tell the world our side of the story."
-o-o-o-