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Chapter Text

That's Business

Scott smiled as he watched his brother head into the last segment of the seminar. John had been nervous on the car ride over. For someone who talked to countless people around the world everyday Scott didn’t understand his brother’s weariness for presenting to large crowds. John was a natural at every conference he presented, you’d never be able to tell he had to be coerced into every single one.

Scott took a glance around the auditorium, all the academics here were hanging onto his brother’s every word. Scott smiled with pride.

John was presenting his new HoloLens glasses. HoloLens has been around for years of course, but John had always been critical of the current models available. Mainly the fact that they were often uncomfortably chunky, and that the refraction of the screen could be seen on the surface of the glasses. For someone who was always trying to find ways to work discreetly, his brother was determined to develop a better pair.

The sleek, thin glasses his brother had developed now perfectly resembled a normal pair of glasses, and the screens were masked with camouflage technology. The eye tracking dependence had also been removed. It was now controlled with a neural link held discreetly where the rims ran past the temple. And that’s not even mentioning the highly sophisticated operating system hidden underneath.

This project has been his brother’s baby for the past 2 years. Every free moment, and god knows they don’t get a lot of them, his brother had been tinkering away into ridiculous hours of the night, much to Scott’s exasperation. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the fact that John now had an even more discreet method of working past a healthy balance.

The crowd erupted in another round of applause as John finished his presentation. The questions started firing and Scott made his way to the back of the stage. It was bustling with people whispering enthusiastically. The conference was being held in New York and a number of John’s professors, advisors and mentors from college and NASA had been invited.

Scott knew John had a lot of connections from his time before IR. Someone like his brother didn’t come around very often. Lots of people had natural talent, lots of people worked hard. John had both of those qualities to an extreme level. Scott wasn’t surprised his brother had acquired so many people who supported him through his journey.

“Scott?”

He turned to see a vaguely familiar man holding out a hand to him. Scott immediately extended his own as the man introduced himself.

“Samuel Harding, I’m a head researcher at NASA. I was one of your brothers’ supervisors during his time with us. I also worked closely with your father.” The mans eyes turned sad and Scott did his best not to react. “He would’ve been so proud. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Scott uncomfortably nodded in recognition. “Thank-you for coming. John always spoke highly of you.”

Harding chuckled. “That boy was always destined for greatness. Far beyond what I could teach him. I’m glad he’s found something that challenges him. You boys really are something special.”

Scott nodded his thanks and excused himself. There were a lot of people here to support John and Scott didn't trust a single one of them. He didn't like being a pessimist, but he'd experienced it first-hand too many times. As soon as you start becoming successful, everyone wants to be a part of your life. Everyone wants something,

Scott learned that a young age just from being Jeff Tracy, the billionaire’s, eldest son. Then from being commander of international rescue. The worst of all though was when their father disappeared, just over 2 years ago now. The fake sympathy was tiresome.

Scott was sure there were a lot of people here John trusted and out of all of his brothers he would label John as the least naive when it came to stuff like this. That didn't mean Scott was going to be any less vigilant.

John finally slipped around the back curtain, the ghost of a smile on his face even as Scott watched him visibly exhale. He hurried over to clap his brother on the back.

“Way to capture the crowd Johnny.” Scott beamed.

John smiled, removing the sleek glasses that were the result of so many hours of work. Including the hastily repaired rim leg that Gordon had managed to snap off a couple of nights earlier. Scott was still fanning the flames of that particular incident. John had been less than happy.

“Excuse me, Mr. Tracy?” A man approached, trailed by a woman with a sharp look and a briefcase. Scott and John exchanged a brief glance trying to work out which Tracy the man was referring to. They didn’t have to wonder for long before the man was close enough to extend his hand in John’s direction.

“How can I help you?” John asked as he shook the outstretched hand. Scott eyed the grasp as his brother shifted almost unnoticeably. From his vantage point Scott could see the grip was the type that was much firmer than necessary. A businessman then, they were particularly prone to those kind of mind games.

The man glanced briefly in his direction. “Do you mind if Mr. Tracy and I have a word in private?”

Scott had already decided he wasn’t going anywhere but the look John sent knowingly in his direction cemented that decision.

“Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of my brother.” John replied before Scott had the chance to give a reply that would have been much less polite.

“Scott Tracy.” Scott interjected, offering his own hand to the man with a hint of a challenge in his eyes.

Scott saw the moment the man looked at him properly, taking in the thousand-dollar suit, the perfectly polished shoes and the hardened eyes that had gotten him so far in the business world. John pulled off the cool, calm, and collected persona effortlessly, but Scott knew his confident, no-bullshit attitude was a more intimidating look.

The arrogance the man had sauntered over with evaporated as he shook the extended hand and Scott made sure his own grip was as crushing as the one he’d witnessed from before.

“Mr. Tracy, of course.” The man finally found his tongue. “How nice to finally meet you.”

Scott turned up the charm. “And you would be?”

The man had failed to introduce himself so far, but Scott was already dissecting the information he’d gathered. The man clearly knew who he was but not well enough to recognise him even when he’d been by Johns side. He couldn’t be all too connected in the business world, but he definitely gave off the corporate air by travelling with who Scott assumed was a lawyer.

“Right. Harold Denburgh.” He nodded his head. “Head of Spectre Technologies. I had dealings with your father back in the day you know. Great man.”

He said it like he was gaining an advantage by mentioning their father, but Scott was already tired of hearing people talk about him in the past tense today.

“What can we do for you, Mr. Denburgh?” John cut-in, clearly sensing Scott’s souring mood.

“I want to make you an offer.” Denburgh said simply, spreading his arms in an open manner and grinning as if he’d just offered the world.

“Regarding what?”

“Well, the glasses of course.”

John glanced down at the revolutionary piece of technology he had folded in his palm.

“I’m sorry but they’re not for sale.” John replied, equally as simply. “We don’t plan on releasing them commercially at this moment in time.”

It was true. They weren’t here today representing Tracy Industries. This was John’s project and today was purely an exhibition. Even if they did decide to release them commercially down the line, it would be a severely stripped back version. The ones John had right now would be a data privacy nightmare.

They would also be released under Tracy Industries.

“Hold your bargaining until after I give you my offer.” Denburgh laughed obnoxiously. “I think you’ll find it very generous.”

He gestured to his lawyer who produced a small piece of paper from her briefcase, handing it to Denburgh without saying a word.

John cut-in before the man could go any further. “Really, they’re not for sale. This is only a prototype anyway, it’s not suitable for commercial use.”

Scott could see on Denburgh’s face that he was quickly realising John wasn’t just playing hard to get and was instead firmly closing the door on the opportunity.

“Come on boy.” He smiled slyly. “You and I both know those are far more than a prototype.”

Scott knew he wasn’t wrong. They might be a prototype in John’s eyes, his brother was constantly developing and redeveloping, never fully happy with the result. But Scott knew the current version of the glasses were an extremely sophisticated piece of engineering and technology.

“You heard my brother.” Scott was tired of the back and forth. “They’re not for sale.”

“Everything’s for sale if you have the money.” Denburgh replied, his tone implying that they were all in on a joke. Scott bristled. He hated people who flaunted their wealth, who thought they could get away with anything because of it.

The businessman grabbed at his brothers wrist suddenly and Scott moved to interfere but he merely pressed a folded piece of paper into John’s palm and backed off with his hands raised.

“Just take a look at the offer and call me when you reconsider.”

The pair backed off quickly and Scott was sure it was to do with the fact that he was now glaring daggers in Denburgh’s direction.

“Well, that was interesting.” John broke the silence; he slipped the piece of paper into his satchel without even bothering to look.

Scott was still tense from the weird encounter, and he had to force himself to relax again. He really didn’t think he could deal with any more people today.

He sighed, forcing himself to let the conversation go.

“Want to get out of here?” Scott asked and then felt bad when he realised this was his brothers’ big event and he’d probably want to stay to catch up with people. He was about to retract his statement when John smiled and replied.

“Absolutely.” John grabbed his coat from the hook by the stage. “I think all the socialising I’ve gone through this weekend will last me another year at least.”

Scott laughed, realising if he was running low on social batteries, his brother must be running on empty. It’s true it had been a long weekend leading up to the talk today. He and John had met old associates for almost every meal. Friday lunch with his collage advisors, Saturday breakfast with the Lady Penelope, dinner with his NASA buddies and more.

It had all been great, but it was Sunday late afternoon now and Scott thought it was about time they had a break.

“Grab a drink at the Hundreds?”

It was the bar they always favoured when they visited New York. Their dad used to take them there and it was a cemented tradition by now.

“Please.” John agreed.

Scott waited for his brother to make his goodbye’s before they made their way out into the crisp January streets.

Tbc.

Chapter Text

That's Business - Chapter 2

Scott smiled at the Tracy Industries secretary as she opened the barrier for them without question and wished them a good day. Perks of having your own company.

He and John were scheduled to have a meeting with the board before flying home this afternoon. Since their father had gone missing, Scott had found it difficult to see the board in person. The members had been understanding about the need for video calls at first, but the missing dad excuse seemed to be wearing thin, and Scott was going to have to show face more often.

Luckily, they’d managed to schedule this one to coincide with John’s exhibition. Two birds, one stone. He and John shared most of the Tracy Industries responsibilities. Scott had tried to shoulder it on his own for a few months. It wasn’t long before he’d started crumbling under the workload of CEO, IR commander and first responder.

John had been a lifesaver; his brother could analyse data and file reports at a ridiculous pace. They worked seamlessly together. Scott dealt with the public image and the board members while John supplied him with all the data he needed.

The meeting today should allow them to finalise objectives for the new quarter. Most of the work had been done in late December but the board wanted a concise overview of the action plan for the coming year. He and John had put together a presentation that would hopefully see them through the next quarter without needing any more face-to-face meetups.

John tapped away on his tablet as they traversed the halls and made their way towards the elevator. The board room was on the top floor of course, a corner room with two walls covered by floor to ceiling windows. The view of New York was spectacular. Not as good as the view from One of course but that was a tough act to follow.

The elevator dinged, both brothers content with their own thoughts as they silently made their way into the room. The meeting wasn’t due to start for another 20 minutes but there were a lot of people milling around already.

John put away his tablet as they did the rounds, making small talk with the board members. Although Scott didn’t miss when his brother casually placed a pair of glasses on his face. Glasses that he didn’t need for vision. Of course, John had brought his savvy new invention along with him. His brother was extremely skilled in the art of multitasking. Scott was pretty sure he did it in his sleep.  

The rest of the board trickled in and they finally all took their seats at the large oval table. Scott was at one of the heads with John sitting closely to his right. His brother pulled out his tablet again and a screen rolled down from the back wall while the light in the room dimmed slightly as the windows tinted.

The room hushed to a mummer at the change and Scott took his opportunity to catch everyone’s attention.

“Thank-you, everyone, for joining us today. I hope your travels were smooth.” He began.

“John and I have prepared a presentation on the upcoming quarter and a brief outline of the outcomes we’re looking for the remainder of the year also. If there’s no objections, I’ll jump straight in and then we can open the floor up for discussion.”

At the nods of confirmation, Scott began. John controlled the slides for him as he ran through the action plan, expected outcomes, potential concerns. He picked up on the nods of agreement and pleased look on most of the boards faces. They clearly hadn’t been expecting such a comprehensive plan.

It was safe to say their relationship with the board members ever since their dad’s disappearance had been rocky. And if Scott was honest, he understood the apprehension. Share prices had nosedived in the weeks after the announcement. Some of the board members had even decided to cut their losses and leave.

Scott had to admit he hadn’t been fully on top of everything in the beginning. How could he? Their father had just disappeared. His priorities had been with his family. With Johns help though they managed to get back on track and fall into a good routine. The past year had been much more successful, although, their face-to-face time with the board had still been scarce. Scott was hoping this meeting would help solidify that they were more than capable of filling their fathers’ shoes.

There would always be the sceptics of course. The members who would question every decision. Scott had grown to hate the phrase ‘Your father would’ve…’. He heard it far too often and it grated on his nerves. Like these men knew his father better than he did.

Of course, they did have some different viewpoints. As much as everyone liked to compare him to his dad, he wasn’t a carbon copy. He and John had plenty of ideas, they wanted to make their own mark. In the first year it had been a fight for every change. The board saw their proposals as reckless instead of calculated risks.

Scott knew it was because they were both so young. There was at least a 10-year gap between him and the next youngest person in the room right now. Experience was extremely valuable, and Scott appreciated most of the contributions and advice they got from the board, but sometimes old habits got in the way of innovation.

Luckily a few early breakthroughs meant that they had a lot more credibility now. The new TracySpace centre had been one of them. There was a stigma that space innovation required acres of land for launches and testing or even an office in orbit. Hardly unusual these days, but also extremely expensive.

Of course, they hadn’t needed that. They hadn’t been proposing that Tracy Industries start manufacturing rockets. There was no market for that. Space innovation was much more specialised nowadays. They proposed commercial, space-related technology and tools that they could market towards the aforenoted offices, as well as hotels, bases, and recreational travel companies. John talked them through the idea of zero gravity containers for testing.

It was a long 4 months of debate. They answered questions, dispelled concerns, and fought tooth and nail. Finally, it was approved. And it was hugely successful. The fastest growing start-up department they’d ever created. TracySpace had been online for 14 months now and they had a number of clients and contracts maximising profits.

“Thank-you Scott.” Sanders nodded when he’d finished. “Let’s open this up for discussion now.”

Sanders was their in-house CEO. She had been working at the company and with their father since he’d been a toddler. She’d seen the dips, the highs and knew the company inside and out. She was the person Scott coordinated with from the island. He never would’ve managed without her support.

“I’ve sent a summary of the presentation through to each of you.” John followed-up.

The tablets uniformly placed in front of each member around the large table all lit up as the file came through. Some picked it up to have a read through while others looked ready to jump straight into conversation. Scott re-took his seat at the table as the windows un-tinted and light flooded the dim room causing a few people to squint at the sudden change.

“It was really encouraging to see such an in-depth plan of action boys, thank-you.” Started Henry Young, one of the people whose opinion Scott valued a lot. “I do have a question regarding the…”

An in-depth conversation began, and Scott couldn’t help but notice it was much more of a civil discussion than the interrogation-like environment they’d had this time last year.

“I’m still concerned about the lack of face-time you boys have here at the company.” Mr. Litchwell brought up, as Scott knew he would. The man was definitely one of the more traditionalists here on the board.

“Human interaction at all levels of the company is an important step in building a reliable workforce. Not to mention the publicity gathered when you boys are here in New York, that can’t be ignored.”

“With all due respect Mr. Litchwell, we may not be here every day, but we do work closely with each of the departments. John personally supports the new TracySpace department almost daily, my brother Virgil works with the engineering team every time he’s in New York and takes regular support calls.” Scott defended. “Besides, what we do with International Rescue gathers good PR, we can’t just abandon our responsibilities there.”

“Well therein lies another issue Scott, because it’s not always good PR, is it?” Litchwell arched an eyebrow. “What about when it’s not a happy ending? Shares tank, buyers get nervous. It’s reckless that our business is so closely tied to such an unpredictable organisation.”

Scott had to stop himself from clenching his fists. “We try our best, Mr. Litchwell.”

“And” John jumped in. “Public opinion of International Rescue is positive majority of the time.”

“Listen, I know you boys try your best. I know you’re not to blame for any tragedies that may occur. But the media vultures will always swoop in.” He clasped his hands on the table. “Our statistics are by far the most volatile on the market. I’m sure you have a chart on it somewhere John?”

His brother pursed his lips but nodded and the tablets all bleeped again. Scott glanced down at his own, the man wasn’t wrong, the sharp dips were rather erratic. Scott knew John would be able to match each of them to a rescue gone wrong or some other scandal his family happened to be part of at the time.

 He wasn’t going to crumble to a little volatility though.

“You’re not wrong about the fluctuations.” He began. “But the overall picture is an incline. The fact is the stories spun by the media never last long. It doesn’t leave an impact in the overall scheme of things.”

“But unpredictability makes investors skittish.”

“What would you propose we do about it?” Scott asked genuinely.

“Pick one.” The man said simply. “This one foot in each world act can’t go on forever.”

“Out of the question.”

“Scott-”

“No.” Scott shook his head. “I’m not giving up International Rescue so we might as well drop this.”

“Then maybe it’s time you took a step back from the business.”

And that was the blow. That was what Litchwell had been building towards. What he ultimately wanted. He’d spent the last 2 years trying to undermine his family. Criticising every decision, casting doubt into the eyes of the other board members.

Scott shared a glance with his brother, the same determination showed in his eyes and Scott took a steadying breath.

“Thank-you for your concern, Mr. Litchwell but I can assure you we’re managing just fine. And we’re not planning on stepping down any time soon.”

“Right. Let’s move on shall we.” Sanders told instead of asked. Scott could see the lines of tension in her face. She hadn’t been happy with the thinly disguised attack either. “Henry, I believe you had a point about the cost evaluation on the R&D expenditure?”

Litchwell had said his piece, he sat back with his hands raised – conceding for now as the conversation was diverted. Scott would need to keep an eye on him.

*

They broke for refreshments at the 2-hour mark. Apart from Litchwell’s criticism the meeting was going in the trajectory Scott had expected. They were getting great feedback as well. He’d been ready for confrontation at the start of the day, but it seemed like the board were finally beginning to respect him and Scott hoped this could be a turning point in how things were handled going forward.

He handed John a cup of tea while he dispensed a cup of coffee for himself. There was a light chatter in the room, so he felt comfortable quietly mumbling to his brother.

“This certainly wasn’t what I expected this morning, it seems to be going rather well.”

John only hummed at him, and Scott noticed his brother oddly staring into the wall.

“John” He rolled his eyes. “Will you stop working. The board may not be as observant as me but it’s not exactly subtle that you’re not listening.”

“I am listening.” John did turn to him this time with just a hint of smugness. “Yes, it’s going well.”

“Oh, I see. Just ignoring your brother then.” Scott rebutted dramatically placing a hand over his heart.

John glared at his him but tapped the side of the glasses none-the-less. “There. Off.”

They meandered over to the window, the skies were clear, and Scott could feel the warmth of the sun through the windows.

“I think Henry’s proposal regarding the investment portfolio is great. I’ve already mapped the numbers and can see an increase.”

“Great, I’ll bring it up in the next segment. Got a visual?”

“Of course.”

Scott may be used to John creating data analytics on the fly, but he knew the board would be impressed. If there was any time for showboating, it was now.

The were interrupted by a shuddering thud on the door. Not a knock. A room-shaking thud. They both turned sharply as another thud echoed the room. This time they could see the door bending under an unseen force. Someone was trying to bash the door in.

They shared a grimace and Scott only had a second to take a step towards the locked door before it shattered open. Splinters flying as the hinge ripped away from the door.

His focus was taken off the cloud of dust encircling the door to something rolling along the floor. It was flashing.

“Everybody get down!” He shouted as he practically dragged John to floor underneath him. His initial panic was somewhat alleviated when a hiss of smoke erupted from the pellets instead of the explosion he’d been expecting.

He coughed, squinting as his eyes watered too. There were a number of people entering the room. He counted 4 so far. What drew his attention however was the semi-automatics strapped around each of them. Not good.

“ALRIGHT” Announced one of the men loudly. “You’re all going to stay on the floor if you don’t want to end up with a bullet through your skull.”

Scott glanced around. He could hear coughing along with the shaky breathing of people who weren’t accustomed to this kind of situation. Scott didn’t exactly like that he was accustomed to not only dangerous situations, that was expected with International Rescue, but also hostile situations. Between his time with the air force and their run-ins with unsavoury characters on IR jobs, he knew how to handle himself.

What put him on edge was a brother or civilians in the line of fire, and right now he was dealing with both.

He started to sit up, but a hand grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him back down. His brother’s gaze was clear. Don’t be stupid. He got that look a lot. John was the master of disapproving facial expressions.

He sent his own back. I’ll be fine.

Sitting up onto his knees, once John begrudgingly removed his grip, he made a clear action of placing his hands above his head.

“What do you want?” Scott spoke, voice clear and unwavering. Find out what they’re after. Diffuse the situation. Keep everyone safe. Deal with the consequences afterwards. That was the plan anyway.

He was immediately facing down the barrel of a gun. “Shut it.”

“If you tell me what you’re here for maybe we can come to an agreement?” He tried again.

The world rocked as the butt of the gun struck his temple and he couldn’t stop himself teetering sideways, his vision whiting out.

“Anyone else feeling brave will get the same treatment.” Scott heard the man say through the buzzing in his ears. “So, zip it and stay on the floor until we say otherwise.”

The feet passed by the front of his face and Scott managed to regain his bearings enough to realise he was back on the floor.

Hands were gently inspecting his head.

“Scott, you alright?” John asked in a hushed whisper.

“Ow.” He mumbled.

“Well, what did you expect to happen.” John grumbled. “Idiot.”

Was John seriously lecturing him right now? Sometimes he wondered if John forgot he was the older brother here.

His head throbbed painfully.

Alright, maybe it wasn’t his best decision, but he was never one to sit back and let events unfold around him. Speaking of, he took some deep breaths and raised his head, turning onto his stomach with a groan.

His brother was propped up on his forearms beside him, looking at him with an unusual mix of concern and exasperation that only John could pull off. Something dripped down the side of his face now that he was upright. He raised an alarmingly unsteady hand to his head a pulled back with a hiss. His hand had the tell-tale red of blood.

John quickly pulled off his tie and folded it neatly into a square. Before Scott could protest, he pushed it firmly onto the wound and Scott almost lost balance as his vision blurred out again. Breathing deeply to control the nausea, he glared daggers at his brother when his vision returned enough to actually see him.

John merely gave him a pointed look. It’s your own fault.

John never was one for sympathy.

Scott huffed and took a cursory glance around the room. He’d been so out of it he hadn’t even noticed the intruders pulling people up to sit at the table.

The smoke was clearing slightly now. The door had been resealed and one of the large desks that occupies the sides of the room had been placed in front of it. Not a grab and run then.

The members of the board were being categorically searched and then forced to take a seat around the table. Henry already had a seat and Scott noticed his hands pulled uncomfortable behind him. Restrained. This was looking more troublesome the further it went.

Their eyes met and Scott could see the man was looking shaken. He tried his best to look reassuring but with John’s makeshift compression covering part of his eye and blood still smeared across his face he didn’t think he was particularly successful.

When Henry gave his own reassuring look back Scott felt a bit better but assumed that meant he was also looking a little shaken if not just worse for wear.

Then the man who struck him was back, pointing his gun in John’s direction.

“Up.” He growled.

John grabbed his hand and bent his elbow back to push it against the tie against his head. “Hold that there.”

“I said UP.” The man repeated, accompanied with a shake of his gun.

John still made sure Scott had a good grip on the makeshift bandage before he pushed himself up. Another man came over to pat his brother down, taking his phone, tablet, watch and almost imperceptible earpiece Scott hadn’t even realised his brother had in. These guys knew what they were doing.

His brother was then unceremoniously pushed into a chair before his arms were pulled tightly behind his back and Scott spied the zip ties that must also have been used for the other members of the board.

His brother then bowed his head into his shoulder to awkwardly push up his glasses that had fallen too far down his nose during the shove. Scott had to consciously force himself not to smile. Of course. The glasses. They hadn’t noticed. Scott wasn’t surprised, they looked entirely real and were custom fitted for his brother’s head.

John would already have contacted the island, if not the GDF as well.

Then the gun was pointed at him, and he stood slowly trying to blink away the dizziness. He was given the same pat down treatment John received and then pushed into a chair beside his brother. The tie putting pressure on his head wound dropped to the ground as his arms were yanked roughly behind his back. He felt the dribble of blood slip down his face again with the absence of a compression.

“He needs that.” John growled beside him.

“You’ll have a matching one soon if you don’t shut up.” Was the reply.

Scott gave a reassuring look towards his brother. He was sure the bleeding had stopped.

“He needs a hospital.” Henry demanded from across the room. “Just let him go and the rest of us won’t cause any trouble.”

Scott appreciated the sentiment, but he doubted these were the type of men who would bend to a plea for human decency. It didn’t matter anyway; he wouldn’t be going anywhere without John.

“I’d be tempted you know but unfortunately, as a Tracy, he just happens to be top dog around this table so I’m afraid I can’t allow that.”

So, this was personal.

At least he could try to keep the attention on himself.

Tbc.

Chapter Text

That's Business - Chapter 3

Virgil entered the lounge with slightly damp hair, ready to complete their debrief. It was more of a ritual than a requirement at this point. Land. Shower. Lounge.

Gordon shouldn’t be too far behind him, having gone off to take a shower of his own. Anything involving water always took his fish brother slightly longer than usual. It had been a simple rescue, picking up an exploration group who’d lost their way during a blizzard in the arctic. Some mild hypothermia but they’d found them before it could get too serious and both members of the party were now recovering at the hospital.

Things had been pretty quiet since Scott and John had left. It was usually the opposite, like the world could somehow sense they were short-handed. He had to admit it was strange not having John in his ear during a rescue. He’d gotten used to receiving information before he’d even thought to ask for it. He’d need to remember to give his brother some appreciation for that when he got home.

On the other hand, not having Scott here had been weird in a different way. He didn’t have his brother micromanaging every rescue and stressing him out about each little thing that wasn’t going to plan. But… he also wasn’t getting the reassurance he usually got that he was doing the right thing.

He knows why their family dynamic works so well, no one else in the family is interested in leading, in commanding, in making the tough decisions. Not that he can’t of course. Especially if Gordon or Alan are on a rescue with him, he’s more than capable of taking the lead. He just prefers when there’s someone else waiting at home to take that burden.

They so rarely got time off that it was a bit of a shock to the system when someone wasn’t here. But it was only a long weekend, so he’d make do.

He’d only just sat down on the sofa when the holo-table activated in front of him. He’d expected to see a brother’s hologram, instead there was a message. He stood up to get a better look, it was very unusual to get a message through the holo-table. In a family as busy as theirs they needed to take advantage of all the face-to-face time they could get, so any messages were usually delivered via holocall.

The message had him immediately reaching for his watch to call Gordon down to the lounge. His brother could clearly tell by the tone of his voice that it was important because he didn’t protest the rushing.

Trouble at TI. Call GDF.

Such a short message that caused him such intense panic. He itched to call his brothers, but he knew if at John wasn’t able to contact the GDF himself then he probably shouldn’t be contacting them either. Dammit. They were only away for a business trip. How had they managed to find trouble?

Gordon rushed into the lounge, his wet hair dripping onto the linoleum, just as the holo-projector popped up with a video. It was unsteady and no sign of a brother in front of the camera. It panned down for a second and Virgil could see what he assumed was John’s lap. It must be a feed from his brothers new HoloLens glasses.

The camera slowly panned around the room giving them a view of what was happening.

“What the hell is this?” Gordon squawked beside him.

“It’s John.” Virgil supplied hastily. “He sent a message saying there was trouble at Tracy Industries.”

Then the camera panned to their eldest brother and Virgil gave a hiss as Gordon swore beside him. Scott had blood streaming down the side of his face and his arms were pulled unnaturally behind him, the same as all the other members of the board Virgil had spied.

“Let’s go.” Gordon said immediately, already backing away with his hands curled into fists.

“Gordon.” Virgil called, barely able to tear his eyes away from the screen. “Wait. We need more information.”

“Move the feed to Two and let’s go!” Gordon rebutted. “We know where they are, we can figure out a plan on the way.”

Virgil pursed his lips and then nodded. “Go start pre-flight checks.”

Gordon rushed off and Virgil went to grab Scott’s tablet from the desk, transferring the video. His was downstairs in the lab and he didn’t want to miss anything. He was almost tempted to ask Gordon to fly Two so he could keep watching and liaising with Kayo and the GDF.

Almost.

Gordon was probably better suited to the liaison task anyway. His brothers better not get up to anything dramatic while he was in the air though. He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or fearful of the video feed.

He clutched it tightly in his hands and as he reached his chute.

So much for a quick debriefing.

*

Scott noticed the intruders weren’t interested in talking to them as one of them set herself up at a desk to the side of the room and pulled out a laptop. The others dumped all their stolen phones and tablets onto the desk and the room fell silent as the woman started to plug each device into her laptop.

The other intruders were stationed around the room, keeping an eye on the table of board members. Their guns were held in a resting position but still very much in view and at the ready. Scott knew he couldn’t do much in his current situation so, with the knowledge that John had sent out an SOS, he was content to sit in the silence. The problem was this room was filled with people who always wanted to speak their minds.

“How long do you plan on keeping us here!”

Scott groaned internally as Litchwell, suddenly feeling brave after the initial excitement, shouted across the room. His voice was strained. Irritated, but also fearful.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with, you know? They’ll send an army.”

Scott tried not to judge people for how they acted in a crisis situation but his underlying feelings for the man made him wince internally. When one of the armed gunmen started walking towards him however, Scott couldn’t just sit and watch.

“Hey!” He called, diverting the attention to himself.

He took a deep breath, still not recovered from the last attack but steeled himself nonetheless.

“People here are scared.” He tried to reason. “Maybe if you let us know what was going on we could all breathe a little easier.”

The man who’d been walking towards Litchwell pivoted towards him and his expression made Scott brace himself even before the butt of the gun was raised towards his head again.

The blow never came.

Scott looked to see another of the intruders holding the end of the gun as if he’d caught it mid-air.

“Maybe Mr. Tracy has a point.” The man said coolly.

Scott was surprised, he hadn’t worked out if there was a hierarchy yet, but this man was obviously the leader. The other man scowled but lowered his gun immediately.

“We’ve been hired to get data from your devices.” The man started lazily, addressing the room. “If everyone stays quiet and patient.” He gave a hard stare towards Litchwell. “We’ll all be leaving here within the hour no worse for wear.”

“Okay?” He queried, hands outstretched and face in a comical smile. No one said anything. “Great.”

Scott studied him closely. This guy knew how to control a room. Scott was tempted to say military but there was something about the way he held himself that suggested otherwise. Well, he was clearly a mercenary for hire now anyway. And now he knew for sure this was a targeted attack. He didn’t like that he didn’t know the benefactor behind the operation and if they did as these men said they would likely never find out.

Scott couldn’t help feeling slightly relieved that it didn’t look like they were here to hurt anyone. He wasn’t going to stir the pot and risk changing their minds. If they could just bide their time they could investigate after everyone was safe. He hoped it would turn out that simple.

He turned his attention to the woman at the desk, she had thrown a number of the personal phones to the side, finished with whatever data download she was doing. She clearly knew what she was doing, managing the personal devices with speed even though Scott knew all the board members had good security. Their high-profile personas required it.

She seemed to be struggling with the Tracy Industries tablets though. Scott wasn’t surprised, those never left the building and operated solely on their network which John had secured himself.

“What’s the hold up?” The leader Scott had identified earlier asked quietly. The room was eerily silent after Litchwell’s outburst however, so Scott picked it up easily.

The woman gave a scowl.

“I don’t know, it’s like someone’s fighting me.” She glared at him. “You told me no one would know we were up here.”

“No one saw us.” The man replied with certainty and a hint of anger. He fired back. “Maybe you tripped an alarm with your digging.”

“I didn’t.” She rebutted with equal certainty.

Scott glanced at his brother and John gave him an almost blank look. No one else in the room would have been able to pick up on it but Scott knew his brother had just confirmed it was his doing. He was the one fighting back through the HoloLens.

Scott was torn, on one hand he wanted them to get what they came for and go, on the other hand he knew that they had a lot of dangerous information that they couldn’t afford to let leak out. John was right to put up the defences, but Scott didn’t like the potential for the situation to go downhill once the mercenaries realised they weren’t getting what they came for.

He had to remind himself that help was coming.

The man in charge scrubbed a hand over his face. “Check the news. Any buzz around TI?”

“Nothing in the last hour. Business Insider reported about the board meeting this morning but no further updates.” She supplied quickly.

“Okay. Just get what you can, our window is closing.”

“Wait.” The woman said. The leader had started to turn away but turned back with a hard expression.

“What?”

Had the media somehow gotten word about the hostage situation? Scott thought. He was sure John would’ve taken precautions to avoid that.

Then she looked directly at his brother and Scott’s stomach dropped as her eyes widened in recognition.

She spoke, still not taking her eyes off of John. “An article from yesterday. John Tracy, son of the late Jeff Tracy, unveils his new HoloLens prototype in a spectacular display at the Harris Auditorium this weekend.”

Scott felt helpless as he glanced at John again, but his brothers face remained impassive, no one could poker face like John, but Scott was pretty sure that wasn’t going to help at this point.

“HoloLens?” The leader questioned with a tone that suggested he was not happy with the lack of information.

“The glasses.” She clarified.

The leaders face turned sour as he swore and stalked towards John, ripping the glasses off his face. He immediately put them up to his own eyes.

“I don’t see anything.” He said suspiciously, a hint of relief in his voice.

“Maybe they’re just normal glasses.” Another man supplied from across the table, Scott could see that he was scared by the way his hands were tightening and untightening around his gun.

The leader proceeded to snap them at the join between the lenses and a trail of wiring pulled out keeping them together.

The man scowled. “Ever seen a normal pair of glasses do that?”

The room was deadly silent for a beat until the leader screamed. “DAMMIT!” and threw the glasses to the ground, crushing them under his foot.

“The whole goddamn GDF is probably on their way here now.”

He strode back to John and backhanded him across the face. “What did you fucking send out!? Who’s coming?”

John remained silent even as he flexed his jaw from the hit. Scott was straining against the zip ties and could feel them cutting into his skin.

Scott was glad when the leader simply looked at his watch instead of trying to push John any further. He exchanged a glance with his brother and John looked at him guiltily. Sorry.

Scott tried to give a reassuring look back. His brother had only been trying to help, they’ll never know what might’ve happened if they’d managed to get into the TI network.  

“Screw it.” The leader said, pulling out his own phone. “I’m calling the boss. We’re cutting this short.”

The boss. Now Scott was interested.

The phone only rang once before Scott heard someone pick up on the other end. He couldn’t make out the voice though.

“The operations blown, send the chopper.”

Scott couldn’t hear what was happening on the other end of the call, so he had to piece things together with what he heard.

“No, we didn’t get everything.” He said flatly, pursing his lips.

“If you don’t send it now, you’ll be getting nothing because we’ll all be dead.”

“It wasn’t our fault.” The leader was getting frustrated now. “One of the Tracy boys had these special glasses; he was sending out messages. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“I destroyed them.”

Scott could hear the expletives on the other end of the phone now as the leader held it back away from his ear with a wince.

“Wait, wait, wait.” He the man growled. “You’re telling me the only reason we were here was for them?”

Scott didn’t like how that sounded. They were here for the glasses? They’d been paid to break into TI, hold the entire board hostage just to get data on his brothers’ glasses?

“This is what happens when you send people into a job with only a fifth of the information.” The man growled.

“Did you not hear me? We don’t have time to get anything else, the encryption is too advanced and now we’ll be on the GDFs radar.”

There was a long pause as the person on the other end of the conversation talked and the leader took a deep breath, calming down slightly.

“Yeah, I see it.” He said while walking towards the window.

Scott looked out the window too. He could see what looked like a chopper in the distance.

“He’s here yeah.” The man said, glancing at John and Scott got worried again.

“No way.” He said still looking eerily at John. “I did not sign up for that.”

“Double?” He deliberated briefly. “No. It’s not worth it, this is International Rescue we’re talking about. We’d have every intelligence agency in the world on our tails.”

He exchanged a glance with his team. There was tension amongst them. Scott could see the greedy looks in some of their eyes.

“Triple?”

The man scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fine. But once we deliver him, we’re out.”

Scott’s stomach dropped. Deliver him. He gritted his teeth.

“Let’s move out.” The man declared as the call ended. “Jackers get the window.”

Scott watched as one of the men pulled out a small contraption that he placed onto one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It stuck and started screeching as it automatically dragged itself round the frame in a rectangular shape.

“What’s the deal with the boss?” One of the men shouted over the noise.

The man scowled as he gathered up all their equipment.

“We’re taking that one with us.” He pointed at John and the two brothers exchanged a worried look. In fact, Scott was pretty sure it was the first time today that he’d actually seen real fear on John’s face.

Before his brother had had something to focus on, he’d been helping. Now he’d lost his only means of contact and was facing being separated from his brother. Scott found himself echoing his brother’s fear tenfold.

“Don’t touch him.” Scott growled.

He was pointedly ignored and that just made him strain even more against the zip ties, feeling the blood dripping down his arms.

“There’s no where you could go that we won’t find you.” He tried again. “Think about this, do you really want to take this big a risk?”

He was grasping at straws, and he knew it. He hoped someone was here, that someone was ready. He hated that he couldn’t do anything. If these stupid ties would just break.

The man in charge just shrugged. “Sorry kid. The money’s good.”

With that he swiftly cut the ties around John’s wrists and grabbed a hold of his suit jacket, yanking him out of the chair.

John grabbed a hold of the man’s wrists and tried to pry the hands off him, struggling as he was dragged towards the window. He dug his heels into the ground and pulled his body weight towards the ground but the man dragging him only tugged harder forcing John forward.

Scott hadn’t noticed their machine on the window had finished cutting. His eyes had been on John but the pane of glass that had been present was now propped up against another window. There was nothing but air and Scott could feel the icy wind blowing into the room.

John was still struggling as they reached the destroyed window.

“ENOUGH!” The man dragging his brother shouted and Scott’s heart leapt out of his chest as he appeared to throw John out of the opening in the window.

“NO!” Scott shouted, almost toppling in his chair.

But the man had kept a hold of John’s jacket. His brother was now hanging out of the open window, heels scrabbling at the edge of the floor, trying to keep himself from falling. Scott knew that if John lost his footing, the grasp on his jacket that was keeping him from falling wouldn’t hold his weight.

“Stop. Struggling.” The man seethed.

John was breathing heavily, holding onto the man’s forearms in a death grip. Hanging half out a window, 30 stories up.

“We’re about to climb out this window and onto a helicopter so unless you want to end up a pancake in the street-” He shook John violently, forcing his brother to readjust his footing to compensate. “Then you’re going to cooperate. Okay?”

There was a brief pause before John nodded shakily and he was pulled back into the room. He fell to his knees from the yank and breathed deeply, hands outstretched on the floor as his arms shook.

A gun was trained on him as the leader pulled out a walkie talkie, appearing as though he hadn’t just held his little brother’s life in his hands.

Scott let himself let out his own shaky breath. Too close.

“Yeah, bring it over. We’re ready.”

Scott heard a rumbling and the wind powering through the room increased as the helicopter flew closer. If the company still used paper, Scott knew it would be flying.

The helicopter stopped just short of the building and Scott couldn’t help but wince at how close the rotator blades were to the building. A man, Jackers, Scott recalled from before, held out what looked like a very large grapple gun and fired.

The thick cord spun out, attaching with a clang to the open side door of the helicopter. He gave it a tug before clipping the other side onto the edge of the sliced window. Scott couldn’t help but worry about the security of the line. Was it up to safety standards? Definitely not up to Brains’ safety margin.

His brother’s life was about to depend on that cable.

John was yanked up again and Scott grimaced as he saw the leader attaching a belay cable from himself onto John’s belt buckle.

“That won’t hold if he falls.” Scott growled loudly above the roar of the helicopter, wheeling himself slightly closer to the window.

“He better not fall then.” The leader panned back, more to John than him, giving his brother a fierce look.

And with that the mercenaries started to zip across the line to the helicopter. The woman with the laptop was first, her equipment secured in a rucksack hanging off her back. The two other men went next, easily zipping across.

“I don’t have another zipline cable.” The leader said to John actually sounding serious this time. “So, we’re both going to crawl across. Hook your feet around the cable and pull yourself along with your hands.”

The man looked as uncomfortable as Scott felt but he knew John would manage. They were international rescue after all.

His brother caught his eye then and Scott gave a reassuring nod.

Go. We’ll find you.

He hated that he couldn’t do anything. Hated that they were both so helpless. But they would figure it out. The others would be tracking the copter, Scott was sure of it. He had to be.

John nodded back and headed to the window. He went first, the cable between him and the other man just long enough for him to get a grip on the cable without pulling the leader out the window.

John slowly pulled himself further along the cable, the leader climbing out soon after to keep slack on the cable. Scott watched with bated breath as they both shimmied along the cable.

John was almost at the helicopter when the cable gave a jolt. Scott watched in horror as the clamp around the edge of the window began to slip. The weight of two men putting too much force on the mechanism.

Scott swore and started trying to pull his rolling chair closer to the window, the vacuum of wind from the helicopter making it all the more difficult. He didn’t know what he was planning on doing but if he had to prevent that clamp from failing with his hands tied behind his back, he would sure as hell do it.

He didn’t get the chance.

The clip broke free and Scott was sure he was screaming as he watched John and the other man fall freely down the now hanging cable. The leaders zipline clip yanked against the clamp at the bottom of the cable, stopping his fall. John fell past him also jolting to a stop as the belay between them held.

However, with Scott’s vantage point now right at the windows edge he could see the panic on his brother’s face. John desperately grasped at his belt buckle, but it was too late.

Scott saw the moment it broke.

Saw his brother trying to grasp for the cable but not able to get a grip.

Saw him in free fall but this time with nothing to catch him.

Saw his brother disappear out of his view as he fell to his death.

Tbc.

Chapter Text

That's Business - Chapter 4

~30 minutes earlier~

Virgil cursed when the feed abruptly shut down. One of the men inside Tracy Industries had ripped the glasses from John’s face and presumably broken them if the static he was now seeing on his tablet was any indication.

Up until now Virgil had been calmed by the fact that it didn’t seem like the men were there to hurt anyone. Once they’d heard that they only wanted information, Gordon had managed to convince the GDF not to rush in too soon.

They were on the ground in New York now. Far enough away that they wouldn’t be spotted but not so far that they wouldn’t be there in minutes. Kayo and the GDF were coordinating with them, this was a hugely high profile situation. Some of the most powerful men in the world were in that room.

Virgil hated how that fact seemed to garner a much higher priority than they were usually afforded when working with the GDF. But with his family involved, Virgil also couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved that no resources were left to spare here.

Virgil had been sitting in Two, watching the feed from John’s glasses. He wasn’t sure where Gordon had run off to. As much as he hated to admit it there wasn’t much they could do right now.

Unless they wanted to fly up the side of the building in the hulk of Two, their only option was to sit and wait. Virgil had been okay with that plan until the video feed had gone down. Now his anxiety was through the roof.

He’d been left with the image of the furious man who’d taken the glasses replaying in his head. What if he hurt John? Or worse.

“Gordon.” He called over the comms. “Where are you? I’ve lost the feed.”

“Not to worry bro.” Gordon said in person, startling Virgil as he walked into the cockpit.

Gordon had a games controller out.

“What’s that?” Virgil asked, sceptical that Gordon would be playing games right now.

“One of Brains’ new camera bots.” Gordon supplied and pushed the controller closed, banishing the holoscreen on the controller in front of him and transferring the image to the larger holoscreen on Two’s dashboard.

Virgil saw the windowed sides of the Tracy Industries building as he watched the new feed. Gordon was flying a camera drone. Virgil tapped his fingers on the dash anxiously as the drone slowly came round to the side of the building that they knew the board meeting had been held in.

Gordon didn’t get too close, but they could both clearly see the room in question. The glass was completely missing from one of the panels on the 30^th floor room. The sun glaring off the other windows left a dark hole into the building. The camera zoom was good though. They could see a man lingering at the edge of the window from their angled vantage point.

“I can’t get closer.” Gordon supplied. “It’s not a small drone, they’ll see it from a mile away.”

Virgil nodded his agreement.

This was enough.

The mercenaries escape route was clear now. All they’d have to do was wait until they saw the men leave and then they could go in with the GDF.

Well, that’s what Virgil thought until a familiar ginger head appeared at the edge of the window.

Virgil swore as he abruptly stood up from his chair, hands thrown out as if he could do anything while just watching on the screen. He heard Gordon cursing beside him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

The zoom was suddenly a curse as they were forced to watch their brother hanging out of the destroyed window. John was scrambling, feet balanced precariously on the edge.

The drone moved slightly closer as Gordon also itched to do something, but they were helpless.

He wasn’t a stranger to watching brothers hang off the side of buildings, but they were usually secured or at least had the equipment to secure themselves. Not with their lives being held in the hands of a mercenary who could let go at any second.

John, in his expensive suit, lacking any grapples or means to secure himself.

His brother was finally yanked back into the room and Virgil exchanged a glance with Gordon, the terror echoing in both their eyes.

“This is escalating.” Gordon said grimly. Trying to find an angle with the drone that could reveal where their brother had disappeared to. “The GDF should go in now.”

Virgil nodded and Gordon swiftly got on the line with Kayo who was with the group of GDF officers ready to storm the building.

“Let’s go.” Virgil said when Gordon was finished.

His brother swapped the drone display back to the controller as they exited the cockpit. Virgil made sure to grab his full med-bag on the way out, hefting the heavy pack over his shoulder.  

He kept a hand on Gordon’s shoulder as they weaved their way through the crowded New York streets. His brother was focused on the drone display, keeping it on the window but out of sight.

“There’s a helicopter there now.” Gordon supplied.

“Any word from Kayo?” Virgil asked.

“Nothing.”

Virgil readjusted his grip on his brother’s shoulder, pulling Gordon towards him as the crowd thickened. All these people just getting on with their lives, commuting, not knowing what was going on in the high rise building just a few streets over. He envied them.

“They’re leaving.” Gordon said eventually, eyes still focused on the screen. Virgil took his eyes off the crowd briefly, glanced over his brother’s shoulder to see a cable extending from the window to the helicopter.

This was the moment they’d been waiting for.

He just hoped both his brothers had been left unharmed in the process. Well at least as unharmed as Virgil had last seen them. Scott with a clear head wound and John hanging halfway out of a 30^th floor window.

*

Scott couldn’t tell if he was screaming or not. His ears were muted, ringing.

The helicopter had retreated, the other man still dangling from beneath, but Scott didn’t care anymore. Barely spared it a glance.

He was frozen. Staring out at the same place John had just disappeared from view.

His little brother. His crazy-smart, genius little brother. Gone.

Scott felt sick.

“Scott.” Someone said shakily behind him. He almost missed it. There was still a deafening rushing sound in his ears.

“Scott.” They said more firmly.

He turned his head slightly. Sanders. She was looking at him a little shell shocked.

“You need to breathe.” She said eventually.

Scott only now realised he was near hyperventilating and realising it only made things worse. His chest was tight, his heart thudding far too fast.

He started seeing spots as he awkwardly bent over in his chair, hands still tied behind him.

“Scott.” Henry echoed, his voice equally tight. “Please take a breath, you’re going to pass out.”  

Scott stared at the floor, and it was only all his years of training that allowed him to take a slow shaky breath. Compartmentalise. Focus.

He turned to face the room again. The board were all in varying states of shock. Sanders had tears running down her face even as she looked worriedly at him. She’d known John almost since birth.

No one said anything to him. What could you say in this situation? They were all staring at him though.

The door burst open breaking the silence and Scott flinched uncharacteristically. It was the GDF. The black-clad men and women rushed into the room; guns raised.

Scott locked eyes with Kayo. She hurried over to him.

He felt his shock turn to rage.

“Where were you?” He rasped out; his own voice unrecognisable.

Kayo looked sullen.

“I know they’ve got John, Scott. Don’t worry, they won’t get far.” Kayo softened as she knelt behind him to cut away his restraints. “John’ll be okay.”

“No.” Scott choked, aggressively pushing away from the chair as soon as he was able.

He ran, unsteadily, over to the window. “He didn’t make it on to the helicopter.”   

Scott gripped a hand on the sharp edge of the window frame, barely noticing the sting of glass cutting into his palm and leaned out of the opening. He stared down onto the street hoping for a miracle but all he could see was the sheer drop and nothing that his brother could’ve used to save himself.

His vision wobbled.

A hand yanked him backwards and his legs folded as he landed on his butt.

“Scott! What the hell are you doing?” Even as Kayo shouted at him, Scott could hear the shaky uncertainty in her voice. She knew. Deep down, like he did.

“He’s dead.”

Then Scott threw up.

*

Kayo helped Scott out through the main entrance of Tracy Industries, supporting him under the arm. A crowd had formed. The many emergency services vehicles blocking the street had led to that. The media vultures had also descended, and Kayo cursed that they’d already had knowledge of the board meeting. They knew whatever was happening was high profile and they all wanted to be the first to break the story.

Kayo was used to dealing with the press of course. Everything International Rescue and her family were involved in was high profile. This was different though. This wasn’t a carefully crafted statement about lives saved and lives lost. This was her brothers.

She’d need to release a statement before the rumours could get too out of control.

Scott’s face was blank, she wondered if he was even registering the reporter’s shouting questions at them. He’d spent the last 10 minutes throwing up the entire contents of his stomach then continuing to retch until he didn’t have any energy left.

Kayo wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him so out of control. She’d seen him stressed, tired, hurt, angry but never like this. He hadn’t been making sense when she’d first reached him, but she’d managed to piece it together. That unwelcome tightness in her stomach made a reappearance.

John. She’d sent word to the GDF about a likely body on the streets. She didn’t have the stomach to handle that herself. The last thing she’d heard from a worried Virgil was that the mercenaries appeared to be taking John with them. Something must have gone wrong.

She should’ve been there earlier. It was the first thing Scott said to her when she entered the room, and he was right. If she’d just been faster, breached the room 30 seconds earlier. They should’ve gone in straight away.

She’d made the wrong decision and John had paid the price. Kayo dug her nails into the palm of her hand as she eased Scott down to sit at the back edge of an ambulance.

It was her job to protect her brothers. It was her job to keep them safe. She’d failed.

She placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder, kneeling beside him. His face was still bloody, a likely head wound. That couldn’t be helping with the situation.

“Hey” She tried. Scott didn’t even flinch, continuing his blank stare.

Kayo felt her own eyes watering as the situation crashed down on her. This was it. There would be no recovering from this.

“Hey” She tried again, her voice cracking, her hand tightening on Scott’s shoulder as it trembled. He finally locked eyes with her.

She felt the despair overcome her as they stared into each other’s grief.

“I’m sorry.” She choked out. “I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t stop.

And then Scott was crying too. They still held each other’s gaze. She didn’t expect comfort from him at a time like this. She didn’t deserve it. But Scott’s hand grabbed at her outstretched arm and pulled her in towards him. The embrace was crushing as Scott sobbed silently into her shoulder, shakes wracking his body.

She felt her own tears spill over her cheeks. She lost track of time as they stayed frozen in that moment until a familiar voice brought her back to reality.

“Scott!” The voice sounded from behind Kayo’s back. She couldn’t turn in the bone crushing embrace Scott had on her, but she felt Scott raise his head slowly at the sound of his brother. Gordon. Sounding far too energetic.

“Are you okay?” Gordon asked speedily but uncertainly. She wondered if he’d ever seen Scott like this before. “Do you need a paramedic? I can find one?”

Kayo could practically feel him vibrating through his words even though she couldn’t actually see him.

He doesn’t know. She realised.

Scott’s grip on her loosened, his hands sliding away, and she finally turned to face her little brother. He looked confused and worried while still bouncing on the balls of his feet, as if waiting for someone to give him a task.

Scott had gone back to a more-or-less expressionless face even with his eyes still red-rimmed and wet. It was startling to see the change. She wondered if this was his way of coping. Either way, big brother was clearly not up to the task of big brothering right now.

“Gordon.” She started, her face softening even as her eyes scrunched up with the moisture filling them again. “It’s John…he…”

And then a familiar green baldric appeared from behind the ambulance door. The thing that shocked Kayo into saying anything further however was the other familiar face strung over his shoulder.

“Virgil” John groaned, hopping forward beside his brother, one foot elevated. “You’re going too fast.”

“Well, if you’d have let me carry you-” Virgil started even as he adjusted his grip, supporting John a bit more by the waist.

She was frozen. Scott was frozen beside her.

Virgin and John quieted down as the noticed the sombre atmosphere.

“Scott?” Virgil questioned sounding worried, trying to lock eyes with his brother. “Are you okay?”  

Scott’s eyes were glued on John.

“John” Kayo breathed. “How…?”

John’s eyes softened as he realised the implications.

“It’s a long story but I’m okay.” He said it with a smile, almost casually and Kayo felt the strange urge to laugh.

“You’re not okay.” Virgil grunted, shifting his grip again. “Your leg is broken.”

“It’s not broken.” John protested. “It’s just a bad sprain.”

“Yeah well, we’ll let the paramedics decide-”

Virgil was interrupted as Scott shot across to his brother like lightening. Kayo had barely even registered him moving before he was grabbing the back of John’s neck and yanking him into a strangling embrace.

John flailed for a second on one leg as he was pulled sharply away from Virgil, but Scott’s hold was unyielding, and he quickly found his balance.

John only hesitated a millisecond before his long arms were snaking around Scott’s back. Scott fisted his fingers into John rumpled, dirty dress shirt and shook his brother lightly.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Tbc.

Chapter Text

That's Business - Chapter 5

“Wowww, awesome flying bro.” Alan exclaimed to Gordon as he gawked at the hospital tv.  

The news had been reporting on the Tracy Industries incident all day. Alan had just arrived at the hospital after being flown in from his boarding school. Virgil had had the insight to call ahead before Alan had to find out online.  

Scott had to admit he’d reacted very similarly to his littlest brother when he’d first seen the footage. One of the broadcasting companies had apparently had drones in the sky as well. It was quite common nowadays; the amount of reporter drones they had to deal with at rescues was astounding. A way to see the action up close without putting the camera operators in danger.  

There was the shot of John falling and Scott’s heart was still in his throat as he watched it for a second time. His brother in freefall. On the screen, John flails for a second before rightening himself in the air onto his front with his arms extended. Perfect free-jumping form. Except without the parachute. 

There was nothing he could do. Even though Scott knew his brother was standing next to him very much in one piece.  

Then there was a large drone hovering next to him, matching his speed. An IR drone.  

Everything was going too fast, his brother was nearing the sidewalk but John caught the hint and made a grab at the bottom of the drone.  

Scott cringed. They weren’t made for people.  

John’s arms hooked around the bulky body of the drone as he tried to find some purchase while avoiding touching the rotors at the top. He was still falling fast. Once he stopped fumbling and held fast the drone whirred and picked up speed. The speed of decent slowed minutely, ever so slowly. But it was somewhat working.  

The broadcaster camera drone followed the scene with precision. Scott knew it couldn’t have been a live feed. They wouldn’t have risked the gruesome scene that could have occurred.  

In reality, John hit the ground hard, but not nearly hard enough to kill him. He went down legs first and crumpled. The drone smashed down next to him.  

Scott still winced at the rough impact. It was surprising John had only fractured his leg.  

“A camera drone?” Scott had said incredulously, almost laughing at the absurdity. 

His brother had survived a 30 floor drop by hooking onto the underside of a drone made for no weight and light winds. Of course, the drone was IR and Brains did over-engineer everything to a ridiculous standard but this was impressive even for him.   

Gordon had been flying the drone.  

“C’mere” Scott pulled his sheepish-looking second youngest brother into his side.  

Gordon struggled half-heartedly as Scott ruffled his hair.  

“Scotttttt.” He whined. 

Scott chuckled and gave his brother a tight squeeze before releasing him.  

Virgil had told him the chilling first person account later that night when the younger boys had retired to a hotel and John was snoozing quietly on the bed next to them.  

Virgil admitted to him that he’d frozen when John fell. First seeing the close-up scene from the display on the drone and then watching from the ground as the tiny figure became bigger and bigger as his brother plummeted towards the ground.  

Gordon hadn’t missed a beat. The drone was following their brother decent immediately, trying to match his speed without letting the rotators get too close.  

Virgil told him how he’d shouted at Gordon that it wasn’t going to work. How Gordon had shouted back that they didn’t have any other option.  

“I didn’t know what to do. I thought that was it.” Virgil admitted to him. Scott knew the feeling, recalling his own reaction from the room above.  

“I should’ve been in Two.” Virgil continued in a mumble. “Should’ve been ready.”  

“There was nothing you could have done Virg.” Scott said softly. He was already dealing with his own guilt around the situation but he wouldn’t stand for one of his siblings trying to do the same.  

“We almost lost him.”  

Both boys found their gazes drifting over to their sleeping brother. Scott didn’t want to pretend to Virgil that he hadn’t been scared. That he hadn’t frozen too. Not just frozen but been practically catatonic at the possibility of losing John.  

“I know.” He said, voice cracking. The emotions of the past 12 hours hadn’t quite passed yet. The concussion that was keeping him in this bed overnight was probably a factor in that.  

“You should get some sleep Scott.” 

Virgil, of course, had been distracted from his morbid train of thought by Scott’s condition and Scott was almost happy to humour his brother just this once.  

He nodded and lowered himself into the bed.  

He couldn’t resist adding. “Promise me you won’t stay in that chair all night.” 

Virgil smiled but just settled further back into the chair as Scott’s eyes closed almost involuntarily now that he was lying down.  

He drifted into an uneasy sleep with the knowledge that his family had survived the day. 

* 

John was hopping through the hospital corridors on his newly acquired crutches. Although he’d protested at first, he had to admit he probably wouldn’t have gotten down to the gardens without them. At least he’d avoided the wheelchair.  

He’d managed to make his escape after Virgil went on a morning coffee run to a place a couple of blocks over. Hospital coffee got old fast.  

He’d needed some fresh air. He was tired of watching clips of himself over and over again on the hospital television. Scott wouldn’t turn it off. John didn’t know why; his brother averted his gaze every time they played a clip of the fall. It clearly wasn’t something either one of them wanted to relive.  

This morning also had the addition of Litchwell giving his own opinion on the incident. Kayo had reported to them that the news stations had once again set up camp outside the building and were pestering the employees for interviews as they arrived at work this morning.  

Litchwell had been more than willing to give his point of view on the events. It consisted of many words like dangerous and liabilities floating around in relation to them. Scott was doing damage control with Sanders now. It was probably the only reason he’d let John go out on his own.  

He was starting to feel a little smothered by the constant attention. He understood it, and he appreciated it but the 24/7 concern was starting to weigh on him. 

So, he’d made his way out to the hospital gardens, sat on a bench and enjoyed the morning air. It was what he needed to clear his head.  

His thoughts had been spiralling since the incident. Not a lot could phase him but getting held hostage, almost being kidnapped and then falling to what he honestly believed to be his death was a lot to process.  

He thinks he’d been okay until he’d faced the prospect of being separated from Scott. He didn’t know if he’d been subconsciously holding on to the childish idea that his oldest brother could handle anything, could fix anything. He just knew he always felt safe when Scott was around.  

They were a team. They could handle a conference, they could handle the board, they could handle International Rescue. John wouldn’t be able to do any of that without Scott.  

So yeah, of course he’d been scared.  

He was ready to be back on the island. So, he eventually limped his way back inside to the room. They were due to be discharged this morning so he didn’t want to miss the doctors check-in. He was pretty sure he could get Scott to pull some strings even if they weren’t discharged, his brother was as restless in the hospital as he was. Plus, it’s not like they didn’t have the facilities to deal with their injuries at home.  

He got out of the elevator at their floor, clacking his way into the lobby area that was decorated with neon green and orange chairs in an attempt to distract from the plain white walls around them.  

He paused when a man abruptly stood up from one of the chairs when he entered. He recognised the face.  

It only took a second for it to click.  

“Mr. Denburgh?” He said uncertainly. That day at the conference felt like weeks ago instead of the couple of days that had actually passed. The man hadn’t made much of an impression. 

“John.” He said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I saw the news and wanted to come and see how you were doing?”  

Denburgh looked nervous. He was visibly sweating, and his hands were twisting together in front of him. John started to feel uneasy.  

He smiled politely. “I’m just fine Mr. Denburgh thank-you. It was nice of you to stop by.” 

He didn’t pause for an answer and instead started hopping past him towards the direction of his and Scott’s room. As usual Scott was giving him a sense of security. 

Unfortunately, the man started to walk with him. Couldn’t anyone take a hint these days? 

“Good, good.” Denburgh said distractedly. “I’m glad.” He added almost as an afterthought.  

The silence stretched on, just the clatter of John’s crutches on the linoleum echoing in the empty corridor.  

“Listen John.” The man opened, quickening his pace to get in front of him and stopping, effectively halting their progress down the corridor. “I wanted to know if you’d reconsidered my offer after everything that’s happened?” 

“The offer?” John queried before realising. “Oh, for the glasses? Um, no they’re still not for sale.”  

Now more than ever. John thought grimly.  

Those glasses had put him, his brother and the entire board in danger. He’d probably have to halt development entirely. Innovation once again stunted by the unsavoury characters of society.  

He was so lost in thought he almost fell over when a hand suddenly pushed him in towards the wall. He gasped as he put his fractured leg down on reflex to catch himself before getting his crutches under his again.  

He stared at the man in front of him about to question what the hell he was doing when his eye caught the glint of what was in his hand. A knife.  

A knife that was held with shaking hands pointed towards his lower abdomen.  

“I tried to do this the easy way okay?” Denburgh hissed but John could also hear the desperation in his voice. “I’m not leaving here without those designs.”  

“It was you.” John accused, keeping his voice level. “You hired those men to hold the board hostage.”  

“Did you not hear me?” Denburgh exclaimed wildly, brandishing the knife closer.  

“But you don’t have the funds for that.” John continued. He’d wondered about it since he’d first taken a glance at the printed offer the man had initially offered for the glasses. It was way over what John knew the man, and his company, could afford. 

He’d thought it had been suspicious but he’d temporarily dismissed it while they focused on the upcoming board meeting. He’d been planning to look into the man’s finances once he was back on Five.  

“Who are you working for? Who’s funding this?” John asked and was shoved back into the wall again for his efforts.  

“Shut it!” He seethed and John’s brain was beginning to catch up with his situation as he felt the tip of the blade make contact with his abdomen, the point threatening to break skin.  

But then there was a blur and the pressure was gone.  

“Get away from him.”  

Kayo.  

Before John can even blink, she has Denburgh on the ground with his wrists twisted behind him and the man’s own knife in her hand.  

“John?” She looks at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”  

“I’m good.” He reassures her with a sigh of relief. “Thanks Kay.”  

She releases her own shaky breath and nods while pulling zip ties out of her belt.  

“Please.” Denburgh is whimpering on the floor. “Please he’ll kill me.”  

“Who?” Kayo demands as she shakes him.  

The man twisted round to look at them. There was hopelessness in his eyes. 

“He called himself the Hood…” 

The Hood.  

Once Denburgh had calmed down he told them all about the mysterious benefactor who’d contacted him. How he seemed to have an endless supply of both money and information. Especially about them. It was unsettling.  

When the GDF finally showed up and took the man off Kayo’s hands they were both tense with the new information they’d learned. He and Kayo were the eyes and ears of the family. Not much went on that they didn’t know about.  

John was leaning against the hospital wall with his crutches in a half-supporting position as they talked. His leg was still throbbing slightly from the unexpected weight he’s put on it earlier.  

“Why are you always finding trouble when I’m not around?” Kayo remanded at him while straightening out his crinkled shirt.   

“Just making up for the time I spend on Five I guess.” John smiled sheepishly.   

“Well once that leg heals, I’m banishing you up to that little space station of yours for good.”   

“We’re in agreement on that one.” John sighed.   

He couldn’t wait to be back in his own space again, only dealing with the public over comm links. He’d had too much excitement for the year already and it was only January.  

“I’m sorry John.”   

It was said so quietly he almost missed it. Focusing back on his sister, her head was bowed to the floor and her shoulders were scrunched up and tense. He hadn’t ever seen Kayo look so defeated.   

“What?” He cringed at his own voice. Real tactful John.  

“ I’m sorry I wasn’t there, okay?” Her tone was abrupt. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. That I couldn’t do my job”   

John got the sense she wasn’t talking about right now at the hospital. Scott had already given him a little insight into what had been going on outside of the building. She still wouldn’t look at him, keeping her stony gaze fixed on a point down the hall.  

“You made all the right decisions Kay. Everyone got out in the end and that’s all we ever really ask for right?”  

She nodded and gave him a small smile. He wanted to say more but they were interrupted.  

“John!” Scott was barrelling down the hall towards them. Denburgh was still being held by the GDF officers behind them and Scott eyed him. “Is that the guy from the conference? What the hell is going on?”  

Scott looked at him expectantly and John winced internally. He’d only just gotten out of smother hen territory. He was grateful when Kayo took the lead.  

“I think we’ve found the man behind the raid.” Kayo said simply.  

Scott face went through the full spectrum of emotions as he put it all together, glaring at Denburgh the entire time. He eyed the knife that was being scooped off the floor and bagged by the one of the officers.  

“Did he hurt you?” Scott questioned finally, hands scrunching at his sides.  

“Nah.” John said nonchalantly. “Kayo had my back.”  

He smiled as his sister and saw the corners of her mouth turn up at the words. He’d take the small victories.  

Scott nodded but gave him a look that said they’d be revisiting what had happened here in the very near future.  

“God.” Scott said scrubbing at his face tiredly before pointing an accusatory finger towards him. “I swear you are not leaving my line of sight until we are back on the island.”  

John was then promptly frog-marched back to their room. His brother did indeed keep true to his promise but luckily, they were discharged soon after and back on Tracy Island by that evening.  

And the discussions began. Retellings, reports, investigations, security upgrades, damage control and concern about the powerful new player who’d entered the game.  

The Hood.  

Who was he? Why were there no records of him? What would he do next?  

They’d just have to wait and be ready.  

fin.