Avery rolled her eyes as Fletcher took her vest. She had been hoping he would forget about it so she might be able to keep it. Wishful thinking. The girl, Rebecca, joined them, saying something about satellite coverage. She winked at Avery, who curled her lip in response. With everything that had happened in the last hour, she was in no mood for silly antics.

[b]“I’ll take her from here,”[/b] Rebecca said, looping her arm around Avery’s shoulders and guiding her through the building.

Avery only half paid attention to Rebecca’s explanation as she looked around. This place was just as high-tech as the last one they were in. Various people milled about, each one performing some task or another. She noticed that they occasionally glanced in her direction. She wondered just how many people were involved in this organization.

[b]“You, Avery Collins… Daggers… Krueger,”[/b] Rebecca’s voice drew her from her musings. [b]“You’re the only living heir to the position of chairman; the Professor, your father, has been MIA for eight months. With things how they are it is only natural for the rest of the world to also consider you as the last issue. Do you have any questions?”[/b]

So. Her father had been gone for eight months? It made sense why he wasn’t responding to any of the emails she sent him— not that there were very many of them. They had never been on close enough terms to keep up a steady flow of communication. Still, she found that his absence bothered her. She was hardly an emotional person, but if he was dead or something, it would mean that she never got a proper chance to make up with him. [i]But it was his fault,[/i] she justified. [i]He caused the rift.[/i]

“I just have one question,” Avery said as they walked along. “I get that you people think you’re protecting me, but why am I [i]here[/i]? What’s so special about [i]me[/i] that you feel the need to risk your lives to keep me out of danger. My old man’s the one with all the power and knowledge about this stuff. Next to him, I don’t think there’s much I can do to help this organization— even if I’m his heir.” She shrugged and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. “The only thing I’m good for is hacking computers.”