Thank you so much for all of the reviews. A special thank you to those who I can't respond directly - I really appreciate your kind words.

Hope you like this next chapter.

Scott stayed staring straight ahead as they marched through the base. He could feel the weight of the stares of his fellow pilots and knew how this must look; senior commanders leading the way and him following with a man on either side. He didn't need to look to know the shocked looks on the men's faces. He was known for having risen through the ranks, saving a commander's life and never taking a wrong step. Scott knew if bets had been taken on who would be next to be involved a disciplinary action, the odds would have been heavily against him.

If he was honest, Scott wasn't sure a disciplinary was what was happening now. It might be the official story, but Scott knew it wasn't the truth. Not considering the way the commander had told him he would be next to potentially fly into the same trap as the others.

He knew something was indeed being covered up. Why else would they be keeping him quiet? Scott had nothing concrete – a different location to the reported one, but that was all. Not enough evidence to try and accuse them of a cover-up operation - not without looking like a fool. But they clearly weren't taking that chance. It was only Commander Evans walking directly behind him that stopped Scott from completely freaking out over what was happening. The commander was fair; he wouldn't let anything happen without a reason.

Scott had never considered how big the base was before, but it took forever to get across to the head offices. They were in a shaded corner of the compound and Scott shivered as he stepped out of the bright sunlight. The cell hadn't made him feel like this. Commander Grigson led the way, trying to look important as he unlocked the door. But Evans held up his hand.

"I don't think we need the escort any longer, Commander."

The other man scowled, not liking the fact they were the same rank and he couldn't undermine Evans, but nodded. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the men and Scott breathed a sigh of relief. He felt marginally better for not being marched into the building in formation. Nodding at Evans, Scott tried to convey his gratitude, but the man was already moving forward and didn't so much as glance back at him.

"Come along, Tracy!" His voice rang with authority and Scott hurried after the man. He had never been able to disobey a tone like that, whether it had been his superiors or his father. Evans was striding down the corridor at a fast pace and Scott had to run to keep up with him. He had just caught up when Evans knocked sharply on a door Scott had never approached before. As a voice bid them enter, Grigson finally drew level. Evans paid him no attention and pushed open the door.

"General Hanks, Captain Tracy."

Scott snapped a salute, grateful that Evans realised he had no idea what the general's name was. Judging by the look on Hanks' face, he had no idea who Scott was, either.

Hanks – a powerfully built man – slowly looked up from his desk. His eyes spoke of years of action in the field, but the sag in his shoulder betrayed his age. He glanced from Evans to Grigson, bypassing Scott completely.

"Commander Grigson, what is going on?"

"Operation Scorpion, Sir."

"I wasn't aware we were telling mere captains about Scorpion?" Hanks' voice was mild, but the disapproval was obvious. Grigson balked, shooting Scott a furious look before pulling himself together.

"We're not, Sir. Tracy was caught snooping."

"I was not! You accompanied me to the control room earlier; you were the one acting oddly…"

"Captain, stand down."

Scott swallowed, immediately taking a step backwards and making sure he wasn't looking at any of the men directly. He was used to following orders. But he wasn't used to being on the receiving end of such an accusing tone when all Grigson had actually seen him do was check the flight records. He shouldn't have been near the control room. But Grigson had no proof he went in. He was never going to tell them he had been attempting to cover for his friend. He might have no evidence of a cover-up, but they also had no evidence to prove he was aware anything was going on.

"If what Tracy is saying is true, Grigson, you are the one to have alerted his suspicions. Wait outside."

"But Sir…"

The general fixed Grigson with a look that had him scurrying outside.

"You too, Evans. I would like to talk to the young captain here in private."

"Yes, Sir." Unlike Grigson, Evans saluted and strode out confidently. Scott swallowed, not quite being sure what to do with himself.

"Do you want a drink, Captain?"

"Sir?" Scott was grateful none of his brothers were around to hear how much his voice had sounded like a yelp.

"Don't look so stunned, boy. I know Grigson's stupidity. Someone looks at him odd and he thinks they know everything there is to know about anything. But… I've heard about you, Tracy. Saved Evans life, did you not?"

"Yes, Sir." Scott only just kept his voice above a mumble and he wasn't sure how he should stand. He ended up with his hands clasped behind his back and his head held high. Hanks seemed to realise he wouldn't be relaxing any time soon and nudged over a chair with his foot.

"Sit."

Scott obeyed without thinking about it, maintaining his rigid position.

"Never taken a wrong step since you arrived. I once met your father, you know. He was as good at following orders."

Scott didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what Hanks wanted him to say. Instead, he sat bolt upright in his chair and wished the man would get to the point. The general looked at him long and hard for a moment before sighing.

"Grigson might be an idiot, but he's not wrong. You wouldn't have been near that control room unless you had a good reason to be. I don't think you went in there; you are too smart for that. But I do think you saw something, something gave you a reason to doubt what you were being told and one way or another you were going to find things out."

"I didn't go in that control room, Sir." Scott managed to somehow keep his voice steady. He was telling the truth; he hadn't gone in. But Tom had and Scott had known about it. Not only that, he had helped.

"Of course. So if I were to show you this-," The general reached over and pulled something out of his desk. Scott automatically shifted in curiosity. "You would have never seen it before?"

He put it down on the table and Scott sighed, knowing he had been caught out. It was the flight chart from Kevin's last flight. But it was the correct one, the one that Scott had found buried under the fakes. He kept his face calm.

"I think you know the answer to that, Sir." He knew there was no point in lying. The chances were Grigson knew he had seen it. Hell, maybe the man had put it there on purpose just to see what Scott would do.

"I thought as much. I presume you want to know what is going on?"

Scott didn't think it was possible to sit up straighter, but he did so. Being told hadn't crossed his mind; he assumed he would be sent off never to be seen again. He had no idea when he had become so dramatic. This was the Air Force, they didn't send people off to their deaths without a reason. Even Kevin's true mission would have been recorded somewhere. Some of his thoughts must have shown in his face for Hanks suddenly laughed.

"Good God, Captain, what did you think we were going to do? As much as Grigson likes to think he has that sort of power, you saw the way Evans controlled the situation. The man is all words. But I have a feeling he has picked you out for another reason other than to stop you snooping around. I presume that means he thinks you are good."

Scott blushed. Grigson had never given any indication that he had been impressed with his flying skills, but it explained a few things. After all, he had accompanied him into the control room - he must have guessed Scott was suspicious. Lurking around a room at night – even if the lock was broken – was not enough to have him sent to the cells, not given his clean track record.

But as his blush faded, Scott shifted. Did that mean Grigson had orchestrated the whole thing and Scott was being set up?

"Your rank and age also imply you are good. So, Tracy… Do you want to know why there is the need for secrecy?" Hanks didn't wait for an answer, but opened his desk again. This time, he pulled out an entire file and placed it on the table in front of Scott. Scott glanced but didn't dare move until Hanks nodded.

"Go on, take a look."

Wondering if this was going to give him answers over what had happened to Kevin, Scott picked the file up. It was bulky, full of documents. He let it fall open on his lap, instantly frowning at the rough sketches being revealed to him. He flicked through, ignoring Hanks as he tried to work out what it was he was seeing.

It seemed to be some prototype of a weapon, but it was unlike anything Scott had ever seen. From what he could gather, it fired a laser beam that destroyed anything in its path. As he flicked through, Scott got the impression the machine had been shelved before production started because of concerns and everyone had forgotten about it. Although if that truly was the case, then Scott knew he wouldn't be sitting in this office right now. When he voiced his thoughts out loud, Hanks nodded.

"This is the second copy of the file. The first was stolen. We know who the leak was and that has been dealt with. What we don't know, however, is the identity of the man who bought the plans. We do know his whereabouts…"

"He's built it, hasn't he?" It was the only thing that Scott could think of. Why else would they know his whereabouts but not his identity? This man had built the prototype and it had worked, meaning every attempt to go after him had resulted in the scouts being shot down.

"We believe so. The first squad was an accident, we didn't know he was there and their sensors gave them no warning of hostile weapons. When they disappeared, we sent another to investigate. But the squadrons were destroyed. I've now been assigned to the case, and we believed single fighters would be able to slip past, but…"

"But they've all been shot down. Why is Kevin only M.I.A when the others weren't?" Even as he was speaking, Scott studied the diagrams and the flight charts intently. He didn't realise the general was watching him with a small smile on his face as he poured over the documents.

"He managed to call it in. He was hit in the wing, made contact and then disappeared. The others must have been hit square on, they never established contact."

Scott winced. He wasn't sure what he would have preferred – Kevin might have stood more of a chance if he had managed to get out of range, but at least the others had no idea what was about to happen.

"Do you think he is out there, Sir?"

"There has been no trace of his plane. I know it has been announced that there will be no search and rescue. That's because, Captain, we've already sent men as close as we dare and there has been no sign of him. We can't get closer, not without activating that thing."

"So what precisely did Commander Grigson volunteer me for?" Scott felt his heart in his mouth and he thought he knew where this was going. Sure enough, Hanks looked him straight in the eye, his face apologetic.

"We're sending you in. From what I hear - and the fact Grigson has singled you out - you are the best pilot we've got. If anyone can avoid this thing, it's you. Evans also trusts you and there are not many men your age he trusts."

"What are you asking me to do, Sir?"

"Get onto that spit of land the creep is calling home and destroy that thing before it destroys everything that passes that way. You leave in two days."

Scott had known it was coming. But he still hoped he had been wrong. He knew Grigson's extreme reaction over where he had been found was for show so they had a reason for pulling him in without too many questions being asked. It seemed he had played straight into the commander's hands. He wondered what his team would be told this time and whether Tom would do anything foolish. Tom knew part of the truth and he knew that Scott knew it. It wouldn't take a lot for him to put the pieces together.

But at the end of the day, Scott knew that was no longer his concern. He had been given a mission and he could not turn it down. With any luck, Tom would never need to start making accusations about where Scott had really gone, for Scott had every intention of coming back again.

He was not going to be the next pilot to go missing.

TBTBTB

"Do you want a boat?"

Evans' question came out of the blue and Scott blinked as he looked at him. They were a little further down the hallway. Hanks told the commanders that Scott was briefed on the situation and they were to help him prepare. Scott knew he was not going to be leaving this building in the two days before he left – they needed to make sure he didn't give anything away. It wasn't they didn't trust him. Scott knew they were just following protocol.

"Why would I want a boat?"

"Well I want an island, doesn't mean that I get what I want." Grigson – despite having singled Scott out – didn't seem to have warmed towards the pilot whatsoever. Scott bit his lip to stop himself from obviously grinning. His father had wanted an island – and the last Scott had heard, the paperwork was being drawn up. Some people did manage to get what they wanted.

"He's a pilot, Grigson, he's not going to want a boat for fun." Evans switched his gaze from Grigson to Scott as he spoke. Scott swallowed at the look in the commander's eye. It hadn't been a question.

"Why do I need a boat?" Scott asked again, his voice quiet. His tone implied he knew Evans was talking about the mission, and for some reason, a boat was going to be involved. Evans sighed.

"We don't have a choice but to give you one. Hanks told you that there was a leak? Well, this weapon wasn't just known to people in the Air Force, but to all military units. The leak came from within WASP and they want a piece of the action. Now, due to the location of the weapon – as in, it's on land – they were persuaded to take a back seat and let us take control of the situation. They agreed, on the condition that we get three tries on our own. If that failed, they want to be involved."

"Kevin was the third try," Scott muttered softly, understanding where Evans was going. The man shrugged.

"Technically he was the fifth, but WASP don't know about the two squads we lost by accident. When the initial plane was lost, we didn't even know what it are briefed now, however, and insisting on being involved."

"If they are involved, I won't be able to take a straight route to the island," Scott spun the map, indicating where he had been thinking of approaching from. Evans shook his head.

"No, you won't. But we have a rough estimation about where on the island the weapon is due to the co-ordinates of every plane shot down. They'll take you to a point where you have the best chance of flying in. We've only got a rough estimate of the range of this thing, meaning they don't want to get too close either. They just want to be in on the action."

Scott grinned, wondering how Gordon react to hearing WASP wanted to be involved, even if not in the middle of the action. He knew he didn't have a choice in the situation; he was going in by boat. That didn't mean he had to like it, but he dutifully nodded.

"In that case, Commander, I want a boat."

"Good lad." There had been something in Scott's words that had got through to Evans. He had shown he understood and accepted the situation, knowing there was no choice but to follow orders. If Scott wanted to destroy this weapon - if he wanted to find out what had happened to Kevin - he knew he had to do it this way. A short sea trip was nothing if it meant finding out the truth.

Evans suddenly frowned, his voice soft when he spoke.

"Why are you doing this, Tracy?" Scott knew his thoughts must have betrayed him.

"Orders, Sir. This man stole from us and he is proving to be a threat. Why wouldn't I be doing it?"

"Are orders the only reason you are doing it? Why did you go back to the control room last night?"

Scott swallowed hard. He wasn't about to say Tom had been in there. He had stayed, not only to help out a friend, but because he, too, wanted to know what had happened to Kevin. He knew that was what Evans was getting at now.

"Whoever this man is, Sir, he took one of my men. Kevin was under my protection, I was his captain. I should have kept him safe or I should at least be able to give his wife some answers. If that means hunting down this creep and make sure no one else suffers the same fate, then so be it. I know why it has been covered up, but people need answers, Commander. I'm determined Mrs Briggs is going to get them."

Scott breathed heavily in the silence that followed, not quite knowing where that had come from. He was not one for making speeches. Evans, however, nodded approvingly.

"That's more like it."

Scott could tell from his face Evans had known this wasn't about orders. Scott wouldn't have taken the risk of breaking into the control room if that was all that was at stake. It was about finding out what had happened to his friend and making sure no other units suffered the same loss. It wasn't because Kevin might be dead - they had known death was a possibility when they had signed up. It was because the reasons given for that loss were a lie.

"Come on, Commander, let's go and find young Captain Tracy his boat." Evans didn't give Grigson much of a choice but shepherded the man from the room.

"What should I do, Sir?" Until he knew whether he had the boat or not, Scott had nothing else to plan. Evans looked at him long and hard and sighed.

"Go next door. The line in there is secure. Call home, Scott."

With that, the man strode from the room, taking Grigson with him. The door closed behind them and Scott sunk back into his chair. It didn't matter how good he was, Evans clearly wasn't sure whether he would be making it back from this mission. It seemed ironic that his first solo mission might also be his last. For a moment, Scott studied the maps again. He was determined this wouldn't be his last: he would make the flight, get onto the island and destroy whatever this machine was and bring the man to justice.

But Scott knew that optimism wouldn't be enough to get him through this mission. Deciding to do as Evans said, he stood up and made his way into the next room. The door shutting behind him seemed to echo in the silence and Scott had no idea what he was supposed to say. He knew he couldn't talk about the mission, but he also knew why Evans was letting him do this.

He was giving him the chance to say goodbye.

Knowing the longer he stood there, the harder it was going to be, Scott picked up the phone and dialled a well-known number. The voice that greeted him on the other end made him start.

"Virg? What are you doing there? I thought you were at Denver…"

"I was…am…thought I'd head home for the weekend, save Grandma from the kid. You know he's been acting up since Gords left. You okay?"

"I…" Scott didn't know what to say. He had been expecting to have ten minutes listening to Alan complain there was no one home any more now that both Scott and Gordon had enlisted and John and Virgil were away at college. Then he would hear his grandmother telling him to make sure he was eating right and to take care of himself, the old lady somehow knowing he was ringing because something was happening. His father wouldn't be there, he would be in some meeting or another, but his grandmother would promise to tell him Scott had called.

What he really hadn't been expecting, however, was for his closest brother to be on the other end of the line.

"Scott? What's going on? Why are you calling?" There was a suspicious note in Virgil's voice and Scott knew his brother was well aware things weren't quite right. He swallowed hard and Virgil knew what he was doing.

"You're going somewhere, aren't you? Somewhere you can't tell me about? But that's why you're calling, aren't you? To say….to say…"

"No." Scott forced his voice to work, forced himself to be the big brother he knew Virgil needed right now. "I haven't called to say anything, I just called."

He knew Virgil would see straight through him. But he couldn't let his brother believe that he had been calling to say goodbye. He was going to make it back. No matter what.

"Scott…"

"Everything is fine, Virg. I promise." Scott knew there and then he now had no choice. He had to make it back from this mission because he had just promised his little brother he would. If there was one thing everyone knew about Scott Tracy, it was that he always kept his promises, no matter what.

"Tell me about school."

For a moment, Scott wasn't sure whether Virgil was going to talk or not. But the younger man realised that Scott wouldn't be able to hang on the line indefinitely so begrudgingly started telling Scott about his classes. But as he spoke, the passion re-entered his voice and Scott smiled softly. Virgil was certainly loving what he was doing and Scott could picture the way he would have lit up as he spoke about it.

He let his brother ramble on for a time before gently interrupting him and asking him to put their grandmother on. While he could use up the whole call talking to Virgil, that was not the reason he had called. If anything were to go amiss, Scott knew they would never forgive him for just talking to one person.

"Hey, Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Just… Bye, Scotty."

Scott's breath caught for a moment and he had to swallow hard in order to stop his voice from cracking.

"Bye, Virg." He cleared his throat slightly, forcing himself to pull his act together. "Now go on, go and get Grandma."

As Virgil began yelling for the lady, Scott took a deep breath. He knew that he would get through this mission. He had to. For Virgil, he had to. And for Scott, that was a good enough reason to give him the willpower to defeat the odds stacked against him.