With huge thanks to Sineater.
Virgil dithered.
Virgil dithered and he hated himself for it.
Scott wouldn't have dithered if he was the one missing. Gordon and John didn't dither. Kayo, Penny and Parker didn't dither.
But he dithered.
Sally watched her gentlest grandson tear himself apart trying to make a decision that was far beyond his skillset. With Scott out of the picture command of iR had fallen onto Virgil's shoulders, and while he was more than competent, he had fallen into the same trap that Scott had done when their father had first gone missing.
He was trying too hard to be Scott.
Just as Scott had tried too hard for too long to be Dad.
Scott would have charged in and rescued Virgil, but that military mindset, that ability to anticipate what a potential whole army would do and plan accordingly had passed Virgil by completely and fell on Gordon's shoulders. John already had the ability to be ruthless…
The five were planning and Virgil wanted so desperately to be part of the rescue but at the same time he knew it was beyond him.
So he dithered.
John had reported back Penny's findings, and Penny had arrived back on Tracy Island and the four of them had taken themselves off to the Round House and began planning. He hadn't been shut out, not really, but this was a world he was not at home at and they were.
And Virgil dithered.
He wasn't the only one. Alan dithered too.
As youngest he was all too aware that he was not going to be included in anything that they did. Protect the baby at all costs, it was his elder brother's motto, and it sucked so much, it really did, especially now when all he needed was to be part of International Rescue and rescue his eldest brother.
Alan knew he wouldn't be part of the most important rescue of his life. There was absolutely no comfort in knowing that he was not going to be the only one.
So the two non-military-trained members of the family concentrated on making sure that One and Two were ready for anything. Whatever the rest of their family were planning they both knew that departure and rescue would be imminent, before whoever was behind Scott's disappearance decided to move him again.
If they couldn't help be part of the rescue, then they would do their damnedest to help prepare it.