Eight hours trapped in a car with the family she considered her own would be difficult enough, but upon reaching the fifth, Kayo was grateful for the break. They'd stopped at a small home off the main road, Gordon already bouncing in place to relieve his cramped and stiff muscles. Virgil stepped up next to her, offering a sympathetic smile before stretching himself. Lady Penelope was at the door awaiting whomever was inside.
"This should be h'interestin'," Parker grinned as he held Sherbert by the front of the car.
Gordon was already on the pug before the chauffeur had finished, giving the dog an appreciated scratch behind his ears, "Did you have to sit with Parker the whole way up?" Sherbert yipped and happily jumped into the blonde's arms, much to the elder man's relief.
"What are we doing here?" Kayo asked, ignoring her rambunctious brother.
"Disguises, miss," Parker grinned. "The three h'of you'll stand out like a sore thumb as you are now."
That made perfect sense. She just wasn't prepared for the extent of her transformation after half an hour with Steph and her scissors.
Kayo liked simple, easy to manage hair. Lady Penelope's source had gone for an extreme with the understanding that these fighters also gained notoriety from their style. Cutting her hair had apparently been necessary. Long bangs feathered over the right side of her face and her ear, the other side pulled back into braids that crossed and connected into a bun at the back. It hurt, but Kayo trusted the London agent and her colleague. Dark brown contacts were placed over her green and that alone made her look completely different. The make-up wrapped it all together.
"Holy sh-"
"Whoa! Kayo, you look amazing!" Virgil drowned out the expletive from the aquanaut.
She felt the heat build in her cheeks, unaccustomed to the compliment and brushed the bangs behind her ear. "Thanks."
"Gordon," Penelope called, catching his attention with a wiggle of a finger. The security officer almost laughed at how quickly he jumped at the instruction.
"My turn?" He asked, turning to Steph, who was staring at him with a look of frustration.
"A gold medalist… honestly, you expect miracles from me," she grumbled as she addressed Lady Penelope.
"You've always loved a challenge, Steph," the London agent teased with a cool smile.
"True, come," she stepped aside and ushered Gordon inside. He turned and gave his brother and Kayo a thumbs up, a patented grin on his face.
And then, it was just Virgil and Kayo waiting by the car. Parker had wandered off with Sherbert for a much needed walk and the woman found herself suddenly feeling self-conscious. She turned to look at her reflection in the window, still unsure how she felt about the change even though she knew it was only temporary. Hair could regrow, contacts came out, make-up washed off - back to normal like this had never happened.
"It really is a good look," Virgil broke the silence, leaning against the vehicle as they waited. "Different though, right?"
"It's not very practical for my job," she blew the long strands of hair that had fallen from her ear. "Besides, it takes too long to do all of this." She pointed to the braids.
"Ah, I can see how that could be a downside," there was a hint of a smile and she turned to see it on his face before it flitted away with the subtle red over his ears after being caught staring.
A flutter ran through her chest at the change in the iR operative's demeanor and she let herself observe the rouge grow to his cheeks. "Virgil, are you alright?"
"What - yeah, I'm good," he cleared his throat, pushing off the car to walk around the short drive.
Kayo observed the awkward shuffling of his foot into a pebble and she couldn't help the grin. Virgil easily spent too much time with his second youngest brother, their emotions tending to sit close to the surface. Gordon just wasn't as good at managing what he let slip out of his mouth. Kayo was certain he would have a fair amount of misinterpreted comments directed to her ladyship by the end of this mission. Virgil, though, knew when to hold back, so she was only slightly surprised when he changed the subject to their jobs - specifically Gordon's.
"So - uh, you've spent the most time with him. You really think Gordon can handle this?" And there was more than enough of Scott's worry behind Virgil's concern.
Her lips thinned, feeling the slide of the lipstick as she sought the answer that would appease the older brother. A pop as her lips puckered and separated and his eyes were back on her, "Gordon is much better at hand to hand combat than we give him credit for."
Virgil frowned, "But can he handle this kind of fighting? I mean, it's not like we get to do this kind of thing on a regular basis."
A nod and Kayo pushed the bangs back again, "The problem's not going to be in his ability to take down his opponent. We don't know how well he can take a hit."
"And he'll be taking those."
She offered a sympathetic smile, "Hopefully, not. That's what we've been focusing on - avoid getting hit, softening blows, and instant knockouts." A brow rose over dark brown eyes and she continued, "Where our brother lacks in size and strength, he compensates with speed and momentum. Gordon won't have the ability to grapple certain opponents, but he can avoid them long enough to throw himself into their weak points - pressure points - that will send even the largest fighters to the mat."
"So - he might be able to do this?" The wariness was still there.
Kayo hoped so, but that was not what Virgil needed. A smile that could rival Lady Penelope's and she nodded, "He can do this."
OoOoOoO
Penelope had worked with Stephanie Cintas before - more times than she could count when it came to disguising herself beyond recognition. She'd had transformations that had fooled socialites who thought they knew her, making Steph irreplaceable.
Today was no different.
Gordon was frowning at his reflection as blue eyes stared back at the rich chestnut hair fading into black at the roots that had replaced his blonde. Steph had been forced to shave down the sides of his head to a mere quarter of an inch, a stark line of pale skin separating the styled coif of hair from the buzz. A bit of stain had been used to add emphasis to a broken nose long since healed, giving Gordon the look of a seasoned fighter. The t-shirt Penelope had given him did little to hide the fake tattoo that stretched from his wrist and over his shoulder. Certainly not his best look and if he was being honest -
"I look like Scott and Virgil's evil little brother," Gordon groaned.
"And you weren't before?" Penelope teased, catching the spark of amusement before he sent her a unimpressed glare. "I do believe this will do, Steph. Fantastic work as always."
"You do tend to challenge my skills, Penelope," the woman grinned as she gestured for Gordon to head outside. "I believe your brother will be much simpler."
Gordon laughed, unconsciously ruffling his new hairstyle before running his fingers over the sizes. "Good luck with that."
Sensing the potential for conflict with the challenge Gordon could present, Penelope looped her arm through the aquanaut's and pulled him towards the door. "I'll bring Virgil in, promptly."
There was still plenty of sunlight as they stepped out into the evening light, the London agent having to give Kayo a second glance. It was amazing what a new hairstyle could do. Her smile grew as the two caught sight of Gordon, jaws going slack until a broad grin preceded a laugh.
"Wow - I mean, holy crap, Gords," the elder brother was apparently lost for words as he stifled his exuberance with a hand over his mouth.
"That's amazing," Kayo added, flicking the bit of hair that fell over Gordon's forehead. "Although, it'll be difficult getting used to."
"Oh, don't worry. As soon as this is all over, I'm going back to sunshine blonde," the aquanaut groused and Penelope understood the sentiment. Brunette was not her favorite - on either of them.
"Virgil," Penelope diverted the conversation back to their needs. "Your turn."
It was Gordon's turn to laugh as the apprehension filled the engineer's composure, "Have fun, bro. Oh! Does Steph take requests? I'd love to see him bald, maybe a fake beard!"
The glare that hit the younger brother could've melted steel, but only encouraged Gordon to grin like a child at Christmas. Thankfully, Virgil abandoned the invitation for trouble and followed the London agent inside.
"Nothing to worry about, Virgil," Penelope soothed. "You won't need as - severe a change as your brother."
That seemed to ease the worry as they stepped inside and the engineer visibly relaxed, "That's good to know. Our brothers are going to have enough of a field day with those two."
She handed him over to the expert, content that the results would be just as effective. Penelope wasn't simply depending on their abilities to fight, but also Gordon's way with stretching the truth, Kayo's management of their safety, and Virgil's quick treatment of wounds. The last thing she wanted was to throw them into a rescue scenario unprepared.
For the briefest of moments, she allowed herself a sense of uneasiness. These weren't simply people she worked with. They were family and if anything went wrong -
They would adjust. They were all skilled in split second decision making. If anything went south, they would ensure it was righted or they would extract. The fail safes were set up for that reason. Penelope also understood that the Tracys were more than willing to be on this mission. She wasn't forcing them to help in any way.
"Done," Steph's voice startled her more than she would admit.
"That was quick," Penelope turned to see just what her colleague had done and blinked when she realized why it hadn't taken nearly as long as the others. Virgil was standing awkwardly in the center of the room, raven hair combed to the side, his faux hawk tamed into a more subdued style. The final touch was a pair of black rimmed glasses. "Ah, perfect," she offered the engineer an approving smile.
He laughed, "Just call me Clark Kent."
"Too right, just don't take those off and no one will ever know," Penelope matched his smile before sending him outside to face his family. "Thank you, Steph. You've done some tremendous work."
"It'll keep them from being recognized, but I do not know about their safety. Are you certain you mean to trust them with this mission?" It was clear the woman knew enough, but was still outside the relationship the Tracys and herself shared.
"There's no one I could trust more," Penelope offered her gratitude one more time before leaving to find the rest of her team doting over each other's new looks. She gave Parker a nod, which he returned, opening the door to their vehicle. "We're all finished. We should be arriving at our hotel in approximately three hours."
"Great," Gordon moped, moving aside so that Penelope could climb in first. As he took his seat, she was grateful for her sunglasses, unable to stop staring at his new visage. There was an odd ache in her chest at seeing her friend so contrary to his usual bundle of sunshine and tacky island shirts. And to make it worse, she missed it all. The darkness of his hair seemed to steal a bit of his light.
It's only temporary, she told herself as the car pulled away from the house and back to the highway. A few months from now, he would have his hair back and the tattoo would be gone. Penelope only wished her look was so easily reversed. As it was, she would need the brown bleached out and her usual blonde back in place.
This was the price of a covert operation, however and she was pleased that her friends were so well disguised. Penelope could only hope the rest of the mission went as well.
OoOoOoO
"Shouldn't be anything to worry about," Micah heard his manager over the cry of the crowds through the vidprojector. The boxer was making a trip around the ring, hands high in victory.
"Right," he pulled up another fight to watch. "Wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on him, though."
"As I said, nothing to worry about," a grin that meant he knew exactly what Micah wanted. "I've already got people on standby. We'll simply add Mr. Tucker to the list."
As the figure in the video took down another opponent, Micah grinned, "Good, I'm actually quite excited to meet this new up and comer. Should make for an interesting fight if he gets that far."
"I'm sure," his manager grinned as he went back to all that came with making Micah who he was. No one would stop him.