p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Scott swore as the link to Thunderbird Five was severed and his map jumped from live link to static display. His brother was up there with three other life signs. The optimist in him hoped this was Kayo, Jasmine and Nick, but he'd seen too much to rely on optimism alone./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"He made his way silently through the tunnels, surprised at how passable they were. Supposedly they hadn't been used regularly in years and they were too far up the beach for the water to have kept them clear. He came to a division, consulted the map and chose the right hand path. Before leaving he took out the small can of uv spray paint and left a sign. It was relatively low tech but, in a pinch he needed to know how to get back. He flicked a control on his wrist and the mark was illuminated for him. Nodding in satisfaction he moved on. He had a serious uphill climb ahead of him, a brother to secure and three people in need to rescue (for he counted Jasmine in that group no matter what she'd said.)/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"A sound up ahead had him flattening to the wall. There was no cover to be had down here so it was the best he could do. After a few moments he decided it was nothing. The strange shape of the cavern was probably causing sound to carry. None the less he checked his tranquilliser was in easy reach./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Another diversion, another decision and more paint. The process repeated itself again and again as Scott delved deeper into the cave system, his hackles rising with each passing minute that he remained alone in the deep and the dark./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22.5px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John are you sure?" Gordon asked. He'd circumnavigated the old TransEuro building and found the entrance to the underground car park. No one had been guarding the vehicles left there - something Gordon found highly suspicious. It had been the work of moments to disable them. On the far wall a hole had been blasted that lead into the cave system below. Gordon had been debating following it or returning to Two to see if her scanners were able to pierce through the interference./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Gordon I've triangulated the most likely source of the communications blackout" John has just said. "Fortunately it's a narrow field and it been moving, I've been able to track it and pinpoint the centre."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon needed John to be sure. If he followed the tunnel ahead of him he had a direct path to the O'Leary building. Virgil was there, Scott would be there soon and Gordon was no closer to taking out the sniper./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Son, we need communications back online" their father said./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Not to mention scanners" John added. "I'm blind at the moment. If you can take out that jammer I can start actually helping again." Frustration flowed down the line and Gordon couldn't help but sympathise. It was bad enough being /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"here /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"and knowing that Virgil was over /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"there /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"but he couldn't help. He couldn't imagine how bad it must be for John who wasn't even on the planet. So much of John's relationship with the brothers was carried out via hologram now, to have lost that as well and at a time like this? Gordon shuddered. He couldn't handle it and had no idea how John was managing to./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"A loud belch echoed through the car park causing Gordon to start and then stare in incredulity. Two men were climbing out the back of one of the trucks, one chugging back the last of a can, the other looked to be pulling on a sweater. Gordon ducked behind a car and peered round the bumper but honestly he could have stood on the roof and done the hula. Whatever the two men were doing, they had no interest in keeping watch and no awareness of anything going on around them. Gordon loaded two darts and took them out./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Shooting fish in a barrel would actually be a challenge compared to that" he said to himself. Part of him was genuinely disgusted at how unprofessional they were. Though an awful lot of mercenaries were ex military, not all were. Whilst with WASP Gordon had come across have-a-go thugs, rich boys playing at being hard men and the real deal, sometimes wishing the space of a day. But these guys at least had to have some kind of reputation to maintain surely?/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon had just heaved the second one back into the truck when the goon's radio crackled./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Uniform Golf one, check. Over."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Uniform Golf one, all check. Over" Gordon responded mentally crossing his fingers. The radio didn't fire again so Gordon mentally shrugged and quickly divested the men of anything he might find useful. /span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John, they have short range radios running on channel 9" he sent. Not that John could probably do much with the info but then what did he know? Family rumour said John had hacked the GDF once on a dare, so who knew what he could actually do./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon checked his comm again. John was sending a live map of where the interference was. It hadn't moved at all. John's best guess had the centre of the interference, and presumably Salvatore, somewhere between the O'Leary building and the coastline. Unfortunately there was a maze of tunnels and Gordon no longer had an up to date map./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird Four; the GDF have arrived on site."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""FAB." Gordon hadn't heard the helijet but then, in this storm he wouldn't have heard Thunderbird Three either. "See if you can get me some back up" he sent not too proud to ask for assistance. His family was depending on him and he'd take all the help he could get. /span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Unfortunately help took its sweet time in coming./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon was pacing by the down ramp when the GDF finally showed up./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""International Rescue?" their commander asked. Gordon bit back the sarcastic /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"'as opposed to who?' /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"and said instead;/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes. There are two hostiles the truck there. We have two agents and three victims in the tunnel system. You've been appraised as to the situation here?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""You've just appraised us" the woman replied smartly. "You are relieved, we'll take it from here."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""I'm sorry?" Gordon said. He had so many questions they all bottlenecked in his throat and in the few seconds it took him to sort the first one the Lieutenant had already turned away. "I don't think you understand" he said and hen reached out to physically turn her back toward him when she ignored him completely. "You're aware this is a set up to capture one of our agents and machines? That there is a sniper, a demolitions expert and a team of mercenaries wearing your uniforms between us and my people?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We're aware that International Rescue believes this to be the case, yes" the Lieutenant - Iverson her uniform said - replied. "Now, this is no place for civilian. You've been lucky with these two" she indicated the truck, "but you need to leave it to the professionals now."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We believe?" he echoed not quite comprehending what she was saying. "We've been sending undeniable proof of this for weeks!"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""That isn't the information I've been given" she replied as though that explained everything. "Please vacate the area."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Do you at least know about the interference?" Gordon tried./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""I'm not at liberty to discuss mission parameters with you" Iverson said, clearly losing her patience. "Now remove yourself or I'll have you removed."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes ma'am" Gordon managed before performing a turn worthy of a parade ground. If Iverson noticed then Gordon never knew. He marched up the ramp and rounded the building until he was as sheltered as possible./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Thunderbird Five-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We heard, Four, Base is work on it" came the quick reply./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""And how's that going?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Badly."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Great." Gordon sighed and would have run his hand down his face if not for his helmet. "I should have just gone."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Then we'd have three of you wandering the cave system with no comms, instead of two" John said gently. "You did the right thing Gords, unfortunately the GDF aren't playing ball with this one."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon sighed and was planning what to do next when John made his mind up for him./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Gordon I have two life signs emerging from the O'Leary building! One of them is carrying the emergency transmitter Jasmine gave to Kayo."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon was off and running before he'd managed to say FAB./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Sure enough, dead ahead of him as he rounded the old catering premises, a lone figure was attempting to manoeuvre a hover stretcher through the gale. Gordon didn't break stride but grunted his approval as the hover feature cut off and one end dropped into the mud, the other supported by the figure who began to drag it. As he got closer Gordon couldn't help but laugh in relief./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John! It's Kayo! She's got a male with her and is heading for Thunderbird Two."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Kayo had stopped as he approached, squinting in the downpour to try and make out who was coming. Gordon saw her shoulder drop in relief before she resumed dragging the stretcher. Without preamble Gordon took the other end and between them they made it to the scant shelter provided by Thunderbird Two./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon placed the stretcher down before holding up a hand to signal Kayo to wait whilst he checked the perimeter - just because John couldn't detect any life signs didn't mean they weren't there. When he was sure they were in the clear he called down the elevator that would take them straight to the cock pit./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"He'd thought Kayo would have rested once they reached the dry, quiet and blessed warmth of Thunderbird Two but he was wrong./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Let's get him settled and get back out there" she said activating the hover stretcher and angling for the door down to the medbay./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Kayo-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Virgil fell through the floor into the basement below" she grunted heaving the sodden stretcher and it's occupant down the short corridor./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""He what?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""He said he was fine but he's down there with only Jasmine and she's not going to be enough."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Between them they began stripping Nick from his dripping clothes and wrapping him in blankets./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Jasmine is at least on our side" Gordon said carefully hanging the IV Virgil had inserted earlier./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Really? She does a good impression of being on her own side."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Your turn Kayo" Gordon said holding out a pile of towels./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""There's no time."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""You're no good half frozen! Get dry and tell me everything you know."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""The problem is that I don't know her. Weeks of living with her and I only ever saw flashes of someone who might be on our side." Kayo paused a moment. "She's good" she finally admitted, "but she makes decisions and does things we never would have."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""What do you mean?" Gordon asked clearing away the sodden clothes and towels and thanking his lucky stars that /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"his /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"uniform was waterproof. Scott might have grumbled about the others being too warm (and had therefore opted to have the waterproofing removed) but Gordon was more than glad of it now./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""She left Nick with Steven knowing what he'd do. She…" Kayo cut herself off looking uncharacteristically disturbed. "Before she knew I was with you I can face to face with the biomechanoid" she said quietly. "I think I'd forgotten it I was in there. Jasmine was short tempered, rude and not above solving a problem with a fist but I caught her talking to John a few times and, I don't know, it made me believe that she was living a ruse, I suppose. I don't know who she is" Kayo said, her voice firming and determination in her stride and she made for the equipment lockers "but I'm not leaving Virgil with her to find out."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""It sounds to me like you might have met the person she had to be growing up" Gordon said, rearming himself as well. "But Virgil's had quite the effect on her."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Virgil?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah, they've got a thing going on" Gordon said trying to keep things as vague as possible to avoid the recurrence of /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"that /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"mental image./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""A thing" Kayo said flatly./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""What sort of thing?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Oh come one Kayo, don't make me spell it out" he pleaded./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""And you're sure? About things thing?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Very sure."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""But I thought… What about John? I mean, the way he talks about her, and this is John after all. I caught her talking to him and it wasn't a conversation meant to be overheard" Kayo said getting angry. "Was that just part of the cover to her? You can't lead John on like that."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Are you sure it was John?" Gordon said looking for a way to diffuse his sister before she got properly angry./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Who else would it be?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian?" Gordon tried resisting the urge to duck when Kayo swung towards him./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Well obviously, she couldn't call him John, could she?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian is Virgil."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Kayo glared for a moment before taking the last few things she needed and slamming the locker closed./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian is Virgil" she repeated. "But John-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah" Gordon stretched the word out. "Just think, if we're really lucky, in forty-eight hours this will be our biggest problem."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah" Kayo huffed out a breath. "If we're lucky."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"He made his way silently through the tunnels, surprised at how passable they were. Supposedly they hadn't been used regularly in years and they were too far up the beach for the water to have kept them clear. He came to a division, consulted the map and chose the right hand path. Before leaving he took out the small can of uv spray paint and left a sign. It was relatively low tech but, in a pinch he needed to know how to get back. He flicked a control on his wrist and the mark was illuminated for him. Nodding in satisfaction he moved on. He had a serious uphill climb ahead of him, a brother to secure and three people in need to rescue (for he counted Jasmine in that group no matter what she'd said.)/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"A sound up ahead had him flattening to the wall. There was no cover to be had down here so it was the best he could do. After a few moments he decided it was nothing. The strange shape of the cavern was probably causing sound to carry. None the less he checked his tranquilliser was in easy reach./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Another diversion, another decision and more paint. The process repeated itself again and again as Scott delved deeper into the cave system, his hackles rising with each passing minute that he remained alone in the deep and the dark./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; min-height: 22.5px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John are you sure?" Gordon asked. He'd circumnavigated the old TransEuro building and found the entrance to the underground car park. No one had been guarding the vehicles left there - something Gordon found highly suspicious. It had been the work of moments to disable them. On the far wall a hole had been blasted that lead into the cave system below. Gordon had been debating following it or returning to Two to see if her scanners were able to pierce through the interference./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Gordon I've triangulated the most likely source of the communications blackout" John has just said. "Fortunately it's a narrow field and it been moving, I've been able to track it and pinpoint the centre."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon needed John to be sure. If he followed the tunnel ahead of him he had a direct path to the O'Leary building. Virgil was there, Scott would be there soon and Gordon was no closer to taking out the sniper./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Son, we need communications back online" their father said./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Not to mention scanners" John added. "I'm blind at the moment. If you can take out that jammer I can start actually helping again." Frustration flowed down the line and Gordon couldn't help but sympathise. It was bad enough being /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"here /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"and knowing that Virgil was over /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"there /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"but he couldn't help. He couldn't imagine how bad it must be for John who wasn't even on the planet. So much of John's relationship with the brothers was carried out via hologram now, to have lost that as well and at a time like this? Gordon shuddered. He couldn't handle it and had no idea how John was managing to./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"A loud belch echoed through the car park causing Gordon to start and then stare in incredulity. Two men were climbing out the back of one of the trucks, one chugging back the last of a can, the other looked to be pulling on a sweater. Gordon ducked behind a car and peered round the bumper but honestly he could have stood on the roof and done the hula. Whatever the two men were doing, they had no interest in keeping watch and no awareness of anything going on around them. Gordon loaded two darts and took them out./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Shooting fish in a barrel would actually be a challenge compared to that" he said to himself. Part of him was genuinely disgusted at how unprofessional they were. Though an awful lot of mercenaries were ex military, not all were. Whilst with WASP Gordon had come across have-a-go thugs, rich boys playing at being hard men and the real deal, sometimes wishing the space of a day. But these guys at least had to have some kind of reputation to maintain surely?/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon had just heaved the second one back into the truck when the goon's radio crackled./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Uniform Golf one, check. Over."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Uniform Golf one, all check. Over" Gordon responded mentally crossing his fingers. The radio didn't fire again so Gordon mentally shrugged and quickly divested the men of anything he might find useful. /span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John, they have short range radios running on channel 9" he sent. Not that John could probably do much with the info but then what did he know? Family rumour said John had hacked the GDF once on a dare, so who knew what he could actually do./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon checked his comm again. John was sending a live map of where the interference was. It hadn't moved at all. John's best guess had the centre of the interference, and presumably Salvatore, somewhere between the O'Leary building and the coastline. Unfortunately there was a maze of tunnels and Gordon no longer had an up to date map./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird Four; the GDF have arrived on site."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""FAB." Gordon hadn't heard the helijet but then, in this storm he wouldn't have heard Thunderbird Three either. "See if you can get me some back up" he sent not too proud to ask for assistance. His family was depending on him and he'd take all the help he could get. /span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Unfortunately help took its sweet time in coming./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon was pacing by the down ramp when the GDF finally showed up./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""International Rescue?" their commander asked. Gordon bit back the sarcastic /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"'as opposed to who?' /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"and said instead;/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes. There are two hostiles the truck there. We have two agents and three victims in the tunnel system. You've been appraised as to the situation here?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""You've just appraised us" the woman replied smartly. "You are relieved, we'll take it from here."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""I'm sorry?" Gordon said. He had so many questions they all bottlenecked in his throat and in the few seconds it took him to sort the first one the Lieutenant had already turned away. "I don't think you understand" he said and hen reached out to physically turn her back toward him when she ignored him completely. "You're aware this is a set up to capture one of our agents and machines? That there is a sniper, a demolitions expert and a team of mercenaries wearing your uniforms between us and my people?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We're aware that International Rescue believes this to be the case, yes" the Lieutenant - Iverson her uniform said - replied. "Now, this is no place for civilian. You've been lucky with these two" she indicated the truck, "but you need to leave it to the professionals now."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We believe?" he echoed not quite comprehending what she was saying. "We've been sending undeniable proof of this for weeks!"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""That isn't the information I've been given" she replied as though that explained everything. "Please vacate the area."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Do you at least know about the interference?" Gordon tried./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""I'm not at liberty to discuss mission parameters with you" Iverson said, clearly losing her patience. "Now remove yourself or I'll have you removed."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes ma'am" Gordon managed before performing a turn worthy of a parade ground. If Iverson noticed then Gordon never knew. He marched up the ramp and rounded the building until he was as sheltered as possible./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Thunderbird Five-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""We heard, Four, Base is work on it" came the quick reply./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""And how's that going?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Badly."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Great." Gordon sighed and would have run his hand down his face if not for his helmet. "I should have just gone."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Then we'd have three of you wandering the cave system with no comms, instead of two" John said gently. "You did the right thing Gords, unfortunately the GDF aren't playing ball with this one."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon sighed and was planning what to do next when John made his mind up for him./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Gordon I have two life signs emerging from the O'Leary building! One of them is carrying the emergency transmitter Jasmine gave to Kayo."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon was off and running before he'd managed to say FAB./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Sure enough, dead ahead of him as he rounded the old catering premises, a lone figure was attempting to manoeuvre a hover stretcher through the gale. Gordon didn't break stride but grunted his approval as the hover feature cut off and one end dropped into the mud, the other supported by the figure who began to drag it. As he got closer Gordon couldn't help but laugh in relief./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""John! It's Kayo! She's got a male with her and is heading for Thunderbird Two."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Kayo had stopped as he approached, squinting in the downpour to try and make out who was coming. Gordon saw her shoulder drop in relief before she resumed dragging the stretcher. Without preamble Gordon took the other end and between them they made it to the scant shelter provided by Thunderbird Two./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Gordon placed the stretcher down before holding up a hand to signal Kayo to wait whilst he checked the perimeter - just because John couldn't detect any life signs didn't mean they weren't there. When he was sure they were in the clear he called down the elevator that would take them straight to the cock pit./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"He'd thought Kayo would have rested once they reached the dry, quiet and blessed warmth of Thunderbird Two but he was wrong./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Let's get him settled and get back out there" she said activating the hover stretcher and angling for the door down to the medbay./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Kayo-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Virgil fell through the floor into the basement below" she grunted heaving the sodden stretcher and it's occupant down the short corridor./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""He what?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""He said he was fine but he's down there with only Jasmine and she's not going to be enough."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Between them they began stripping Nick from his dripping clothes and wrapping him in blankets./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Jasmine is at least on our side" Gordon said carefully hanging the IV Virgil had inserted earlier./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Really? She does a good impression of being on her own side."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Your turn Kayo" Gordon said holding out a pile of towels./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""There's no time."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""You're no good half frozen! Get dry and tell me everything you know."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""The problem is that I don't know her. Weeks of living with her and I only ever saw flashes of someone who might be on our side." Kayo paused a moment. "She's good" she finally admitted, "but she makes decisions and does things we never would have."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""What do you mean?" Gordon asked clearing away the sodden clothes and towels and thanking his lucky stars that /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"his /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"uniform was waterproof. Scott might have grumbled about the others being too warm (and had therefore opted to have the waterproofing removed) but Gordon was more than glad of it now./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""She left Nick with Steven knowing what he'd do. She…" Kayo cut herself off looking uncharacteristically disturbed. "Before she knew I was with you I can face to face with the biomechanoid" she said quietly. "I think I'd forgotten it I was in there. Jasmine was short tempered, rude and not above solving a problem with a fist but I caught her talking to John a few times and, I don't know, it made me believe that she was living a ruse, I suppose. I don't know who she is" Kayo said, her voice firming and determination in her stride and she made for the equipment lockers "but I'm not leaving Virgil with her to find out."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""It sounds to me like you might have met the person she had to be growing up" Gordon said, rearming himself as well. "But Virgil's had quite the effect on her."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Virgil?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah, they've got a thing going on" Gordon said trying to keep things as vague as possible to avoid the recurrence of /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-size: 17.41px;"that /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"mental image./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""A thing" Kayo said flatly./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yes."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""What sort of thing?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Oh come one Kayo, don't make me spell it out" he pleaded./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""And you're sure? About things thing?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Very sure."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""But I thought… What about John? I mean, the way he talks about her, and this is John after all. I caught her talking to him and it wasn't a conversation meant to be overheard" Kayo said getting angry. "Was that just part of the cover to her? You can't lead John on like that."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Are you sure it was John?" Gordon said looking for a way to diffuse his sister before she got properly angry./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Who else would it be?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian?" Gordon tried resisting the urge to duck when Kayo swung towards him./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Well obviously, she couldn't call him John, could she?"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian is Virgil."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;"Kayo glared for a moment before taking the last few things she needed and slamming the locker closed./span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Brian is Virgil" she repeated. "But John-"/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah" Gordon stretched the word out. "Just think, if we're really lucky, in forty-eight hours this will be our biggest problem."/span/p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 17.4px; line-height: normal; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17.41px;""Yeah" Kayo huffed out a breath. "If we're lucky."/span/p