Page 19 of Dan

The elevator was definitely their private elevator, leading to the seventeenth floor. Lined with dark oak panels and an intricately tiled floor, it smelled of old money. It opened into their private office, which was surrounded by glass and views of the California countryside beyond the other tech buildings.

On the credenza behind his desk, there was a photograph of a young Finley riding on the back of a beautiful horse. She wore an equestrian competition uniform, a big blue ribbon attached to her jacket.

“How lovely,” smiled Sophia Ann. “Is that your daughter?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” said Zach, not saying anything else. His wife realized that they were waiting for more and continued.

“Yes, that’s our Finley. She’s off somewhere, doing something. We’re never sure. Unfortunately, she’s mentally challenged.”

“Mentally challenged?” frowned Eric. “If that were true, wouldn’t you know where she is?”

“Eric,” whispered Tanner from behind. He knew he was pissed by their response, but they needed to stay focused.

“Do you have children?” asked Zachary.

“In fact, I do,” said Eric. “I know where my children are at all times, abled or disabled. It doesn’t change how I feel about them. Your daughter appears to be quite capable in that photo.”

“She’s not physically disabled,” said Yancy. “She has a strange mind, something about over-activity and stimulation. Listen, I’m not sure why we’re speaking of her. She does her own thing, and we do our own thing. In fact, we just returned from a bird-watching expedition in Mexico.”

“Mexico? Really?” smirked Hiro. “Fascinating. What did you see? Perhaps a Trochilidae Hummingbird or maybe an Incan Dove? Or maybe an Eskimo Curlew?” The Xaviers froze, staring at the Asian man.

“Why, yes,” smiled Yancy. “We saw all of those. Positively enlightening.”

“I’ll bet it was,” nodded Hiro. “I would encourage you, though, to contact the Smithsonian. The Eskimo Curlew is said to be extinct.”

“Our good fortune,” said Zach. “We’ve already contacted them.” He grabbed a folder and a set of keys, pointing back toward the elevator.

“If you’ll follow us, we’ll take you on a tour of the factory below the building,” smiled Yancy. When they reached sub-basement level three, they stepped out and were asked to wait while the two spoke to the engineers.

“I’ve got it all on comms. I’m disrupting their camera equipment, and they have listening devices everywhere.”

“Thanks, Sly,” whispered Eric.

“Fucking asshole wasn’t in Mexico doing a bird watching,” said Hiro. “He was there for his daughter.”

“I agree,” frowned Eric.

“Right this way,” said a man in a white coat.

Two hours. Two hours of them droning on and on about how superior their technology was, yet when questions were asked about safety, security, shut-off mechanisms, possibilities of compromise, they were unable to answer the questions. Or refused.

Tanner casually took several samples, placing them in his pocket, wrapped in the stealth netting. Even if they searched them upon leaving, they wouldn’t find a thing. When the tour was done, they returned to the seventeenth floor to find an elegant table set with a full lunch.

“I’m sorry, we can’t stay,” said Eric.

“But we’ve prepared an excellent meal for you,” said Zach.

“I can see that. We’ll let you know our decision,” said Tanner. They turned to leave, and the Xaviers both moved to block them. Even Sophia Ann couldn’t believe the audacity of the couple.

“I think we’ve shown you our capabilities. We are the perfect partner for G.R.I.P. and the new weapons systems. This should be an easy decision,” said Zach.

“Mr. Xavier, if you knew anything about our industry, you would know that there is no such thing as an easy decision. That, in and of itself, bothers me. You know nothing of our industry,” said Sophia Ann. “I counted at least eleven quality violations on your factory floor. Eleven. The materials you use in your microchips would not withstand the heat emitted from the weapons systems or withstand wide variations in temperature. If they can’t operate as well at desert temperatures as they do at arctic temperatures, they are of no use to G.R.I.P.”

The husband and wife stared at the beautiful woman, unsure of what to say. The huge man beside her beamed with pride.

“We can fix those issues,” said Yancy.

“You can’t fix the issues with your security, the weakened points of entry, the cameras that were malfunctioning the entire visit, and the lack of security badge controls at key points,” said Tanner. “This place is a security nightmare. My vote is no.”

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