Human life was precious. At least, it was to the Tracys. Lady Penelope had known the family for much of her youth and into adulthood and though they had their fair share of critics - plus individuals who wished them harm - the boys were steadfast in their belief that every life deserved saving. That's why they were the perfect choice for the mission she'd been given.

Human trafficking on a much higher scale, as far as clientele, was heinous regardless who they were taking - adults in peak physical condition for reasons Penelope had recently ascertained. Once she had that information, it was finding the right opportunity.

And that's where the Tracys came in. They would help and she would provide the fail safes.

Her next obstacle lay in front of her - sat, actually - his hands clasped together in front of him as he thought over everything mapped out before him. Scott Tracy loved his family above all else, but they knew what was at stake here. Men and women were disappearing. Things like this had stopped nearly thirty years ago with the introduction of lifesign scanners. It was just too difficult to hide large groups of people.

Of course, he would have to cover all his bases, "And what about one of your colleagues or someone from the GDF? Couldn't you work with one of them?"

Penelope smiled disarmingly, fully aware of those options, "It comes down to trust. My colleagues have their own missions to focus on and we both know the GDF has been compromised before - quite recently, actually. I need someone who can handle themselves and I can stake my life on."

A sigh escaped the commander and she knew he understood, "So, Kayo."

"Precisely," and then there was the other issue. "And Gordon."

This was the part that would be far more difficult to get past the eldest brother of four. His jaw clenching, anxiety flaring - and rightly so. This would be dangerous for everyone involved. It also didn't help that the blonde in question was beaming and about to vibrate off the sofa with the proposition. Of course, Gordon already knew about the job, Penelope wanting to confirm he was up for it after his recent recovery. Kayo had offered that the two of them had been practicing far more than the rest of the family. Being the shortest had apparently left him wanting skills beyond those of his brothers and with his WASP history, his sister had the perfect opportunity.

"Awesome!" Gordon finally let out the untamed response at the same time Scott gave a clear "No."

"Aw, c'mon Scott," the aquanaut immediately countered. "We'd be rescuing people. That's our job."

"And you know how to fight," the eldest was quickly losing his cool. "I mean, really fight, Gordon?"

"Yes," a grin that said he wasn't going to back down.

"You'd be hurting innocent people," a blow that would hit Gordon where he was vulnerable and Penelope saw the slight flinch.

He recovered perfectly, "It's a legal match, Scott. Everyone there is choosing to fight. It's the people who get taken who don't get a choice." Amber flicked over to Kayo who had remained quiet during the exchange. "We have ways of knocking someone out without hurting them - too much, at least."

The rest of the family in attendance - which was everyone - John's hologram included - turned to the security officer for confirmation. Her head tilted with the slight tell and she nodded. "We can handle it, Scott." Emphasis on 'we'.

Scott sat up straight, seeming to mull over the information from someone he trusted. His eyes eventually locked onto Penelope's again and he tried once more, "But I still don't understand why you need both."

Simple. "The competition has women's and men's categories. Since Kayo can only participate in the women's," though she suspected the iR member could handle the men's just as well, "I need someone to take part in the other."

Scott still wasn't appeased and it was obvious in the way he fought to control his breathing. It was Virgil who offered a bridge over their dilemma. "If it's alright, I'd like to go as well - for medical support."

"That would be perfectly reasonable," her eyes never left Scott, waiting for an answer.

"What about International Rescue?" Another attempt.

"Calls have been pretty light. Plus, we've dialled back to work on the Zero-XL," John answered and she was glad he was prepared. "You, Alan, and I should be able to manage anything that comes in."

"And if you need us, we can just meet you at the danger zone, right?" Gordon threw the assumption to the London agent and she knew there might be some complications with that response, but it wasn't unreasonable.

"Correct," she held back the explanation as to why their aid might be delayed, watching the doubt cross Scott's face. "And the competition is only running for three days. After that, we lose our opportunity to save these people." That fact hit home and she watched the commander deflate. The importance was worth the risk, they all knew that.

"Alright," the brunette finally relented. "But I want updates, daily."

"Done," she watched the smile grow on Gordon again. "The matches begin in one month. I suggest you two get in as much training as you can. You'll be in with the mid-tier fighters as long as I can get the paperwork put together."

Kayo and Gordon nodded, the aquanaut already jumping from his seat to presumably begin, stopping just behind Alan as he caught what was on the youngest's tablet.

"Al, quit looking at that," Gordon groaned as he tried to swipe the electronic, only to miss as Alan twisted away.

The teen's eyes were still staring at the screen as he winched, "Ow, that looks painful!"

"Well, yeah," he glared, trying again and Penelope would have smiled at the brotherly antics, but she could already see the lines growing on Scott's face. "It's not exactly your run of the mill boxing."

Another wince from Alan and the playfulness was gone, "You sure you can do this?"

The woman watched as in one fluid motion, the tablet was gone and Gordon's hand ruffled his little brother's hair, "Of course, Sprout. Come on, you can watch Kayo beat me up."

The trio left before their elders could stop them, Penelope pleased to see Gordon and Kayo carrying themselves with the confidence that came with knowing their abilities. They could do this and she would make sure they had backup if or when it was needed.

"You'll ensure they're safe?" Scott almost sounded like he was pleading, but she knew he was laying out the conditions.

Her eyes flicked to Virgil who gave a small nod, "I will have measures in place. I believe Brains has been working on a new monitoring device that could be quite useful." Yes, she had done her research and was already aware the scientist was willing to implement the new technology.

"I'll keep him out of trouble," Virgil added, knowing Kayo could handle herself. Gordon was the real issue.

A long moment passed as the group waited. It wasn't that they needed Scott's approval of the mission, but there was no reason to damage their relationship by taking his siblings without his blessing. He understood this as much as she did and that's why he eventually nodded.

"Anything you need, we'll be glad to help," Scott's words spoke of the trust he was placing in her. Penelope would do her best to honor that trust.

OoOoOoO

Stepping off Tracy One onto the heated pavement of the Paragominas airport, Gordon scanned the area until his eyes landed on the nondescript SUV waiting for them at the hangar of the private runway. It made a large arch over the road, coming to a smooth stop in front of their plane. Gordon grinned when the front door popped open and Parker stepped out.

"Hey, nice ride," he teased, knowing the chauffeur would've preferred Fab1 over this thing. Kayo elbowed him as she stepped from the plane, followed by Virgil.

"The three of you call as soon as you get settled," Scott ordered from the doorway, giving his siblings one final look before he was to fly the jet back to the island. He had already gone over their rules as far as risk taking. Lady Penelope was in charge and there would be no deviating from her word. Gordon was absolutely okay with that.

"Yes, Papa Scott," the blonde grinned at the short groan.

"We'll be in touch," Virgil soothed, cuffing his little brother on the back of the neck and steering him towards the awaiting vehicle. They were cramming inside before Scott had retracted the steps, but Gordon was more interested in the woman who sat on the far side of the vehicle.

Russet brown hair was pulled back into a shoulder ponytail, designer glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, above dark burgundy lips. He honestly disliked the look, but he would recognize Penelope anywhere.

Virgil didn't, however, as he stammered slightly, "Um - hi - where's Lady Penelope?" Gordon tried to hide the laugh, Kayo giving the raven-haired brother the same elbow treatment before nodding to the woman in disguise. "Oh! Sorry -"

"Not to worry, Virgil," the London agent eased the engineer's embarrassment. "That's the intent, after all. The three of you will need to go through the same treatment, remember."

Gordon did. He'd already been considering what might happen since make-up wouldn't be an option. Contacts would make sense, but potentially bring irritation he couldn't afford when in a fight. Penelope had already sent them a pair of clothes - tailored designer jeans and rust colored tee for himself, similar pants for Virgil, but a button-up dress shirt, and Kayo wore loose fitting cotton pants and an ornate tank top - and there would be more once they arrived at their destination.

"So when do we get to look like different people?" Gordon buckled in along with Virgil. Kayo took the seat next to Penelope.

"We'll stop in a few hours. I suggest you get comfortable. It's an eight hour drive to our main location," her smile accompanied his groan.

Gordon hated being locked into the confines of a car. A little yellow submarine was different. He could spend days in Thunderbird 4 without batting an eye. At least he could do some work while at the bottom of the ocean.

A device was placed in his lap, another making it's way to Kayo and then Virgil. They didn't ask, instead activating it to see the digital documents that the London agent had accumulated. Gordon read the name 'Samuel Tucker', age twenty-three, blood type, height, weight, all the stuff needed to make a whole new human who could fight better than most. He'd achieved multiple wins to land a position in the mid-tier of the competition, which meant fewer fights, but much tougher.

"Sam, huh?" The uneasy feeling in his gut was pushed down by the smile Gordon relied on when he needed to hide. No matter how prepared he was for this mission, it was still going to be difficult.

"Stands out, but common enough to be buried under all the other Samuels and Tuckers," Penelope grinned in reply.

"Cool, helpful, what do you got, Virg?" Gordon peered over at his brother's documents.

"Philip Jefferson," the elder brother spoke as he quietly reviewed his own material. To Gordon, it was a lot of certifications on medical care that all the Tracys had experience in, so it technically wasn't a lie.

Kayo offered her new name, Mai Nguyen, and he guessed she had many of the same qualifications that he did in order to get in. She could easily have gained them herself, but this would be much simpler.

Returning his attention to his own information, gordon scrolled through until he came across videos of other fighters. "What're these?"

"Those are your opponents," Lady Penelope leaned forward and enlarged the one he'd pulled up. "This is Micah Huller. He's currently ranking in the top tier. I don't suspect you'll need to fight him, but just in case, I suggest you study his moves. Same with the rest."

Gordon activated the video and watched as the clearly larger man squared up to his opponent, the two of them bouncing in a tight circle until one could find an opening. Micah found one and in less than fifteen seconds, the other man had been knocked back and pinned. "Whoa, that was fast."

"Most matches can be if you get the right hits in," Kayo commented as she scanned through her own videos. "The trick will be getting past their defenses."

"Are you going to be able to do that?" Virgil asked as he leaned over to activate the video again, wincing as the blow hit.

A shrug and he moved onto the next video. This one showed a much longer fight with each artist trading blows until one tired out and was caught in the jaw by the man Gordon would potentially be fighting. "Well, endurance I've got and Kayo's given me all the points to aim for. All that and some luck, I should be able to stay in long enough to help Lady Penelope finish the mission." He flashed the woman across from him a hopeful smile to which she returned her own.

A frown still pulled at his big brother's features, born of watching Gordon make it through situations far worse than a few punches. The aquanaut wasn't fragile by any definition of the word, but he'd been broken enough times for his family to hesitate throwing him into another damaging one. Slowly, however, a smile tugged at the engineer's lip, "Might wanna use those fish abilities and be as slippery as possible."

"That's the spirit," Gordon grinned, hoping it was enough to alleviate some of his brother's worry. They went back to their packets after that, determined to use the next eight hours to acquaint themselves to their new personas and the task ahead of them. With each video, the blonde felt his confidence grow. He could do this.

He had to if they were going to do their jobs and save lives.