"Miss Dupont. Please sit down," Lewis directed, pointing to the plastic armchair in the center of the office.

Avery looked at the chair. Small, uncomfortable, degrading. A stark contrast to the padded swivel chair on the other side of the desk. It was meant to belittle her.

Also, she hated sitting. She could afford to lounge, but she preferred to do that on her own terms.

She waited for Lewis to take a seat. Waited some more. When she sat, she leaned back against the plastic and very deliberately spread her legs apart, resting a hand on her inner thigh. Innocent smile - on. Continued slow blinking - yes.

Lewis looked back and forth between Avery and the two sheets of paper on his desk. The looks he gave her were purposeful. A careful study of her body and the message it carried.

Give in already. The longer you wait, the less erotic this becomes.

Lewis was older than her by at least twice her age. 42-44, if Avery had to guess. Slim build, round ass, and cute office clothes to show it off. Today he wore a baby blue sweater vest over a white dress shirt, with a bright blue bowtie to cap it off. She could appreciate the fit of his white slacks. Most guys wore loose-fitting pants, and a daring few wore them too tight; Lewis had struck that perfect balance, and damn if it showed.

She could admit, the circle beard didn't work on him. But today was Monday, which meant glasses rather than contacts, so she could forgive him. He looked ten times as vulnerable with the glasses on.

Avery reacted to the scrutiny by rubbing her hand away from her thigh, tracing her upper leg.

All of this can be yours. I know you want it. Take it.

Lewis pretended to clear his throat before addressing her, "Miss Dupont. This is going to be weird for both of us, but there is something I need to ask you."

Avery held his gaze and arched her eyebrows carefully. Playfully, in a measured way.

"These... advances. I'm married, Miss Dupont," Lewis stated, displaying the back side of his hand so that she could view the wedding band.

"You've told me this," Avery said, blinking very slowly.

"I have," Lewis agreed, "I have. I'm sorry, M- Avery. I'm sorry, but I cannot reciprocate these feelings you harbor. I'm asking that you put them to rest."

Avery sniffed in amusement, "You called me into your office just to ask me not to flirt?"

Lewis raised a cautioning finger, "Ah-ah. I wouldn't call it flirting."

"Would you prefer I called it an 'open invitation?'" Avery suggested, exhaling the last two words.

"I would prefer if it stopped altogether. I'm sorry, Avery. I just won't ever feel the same way."

"Who said anything about feelings?" Avery said pointedly.

Lewis's eyebrows shot up in surprise, followed by a slight shake of his head. He grabbed a folded frame from his desk and turned it around so that Avery could see. Two photos side by side.

"I have a wife. I have a daughter. This," he said, motioning between himself and Avery, "Isn't happening. I'm your boss, for Christ's sake!"

"That you are," Avery agreed, grinning devilishly. But not to flirt - not anymore. Seeing the photo of the pudgy pre-teen and the ghost of a wife had shifted her into another headspace. It wasn't that she was angry, disappointed, or even offended. She felt betrayed, and she smiled to hide the hurt.

Such a good thing she had going. Such a fun and delightful fantasy. Fucking the cute boss while the others toiled in the warehouse. Laying across his desk, half-clothed. Knocking that bargain bin photo frame to the floor. Granting him full access so that he could worship her body properly.

He was taking that from her. Why couldn't he be like the man in her fantasies?

There's a solution to every problem, she reminded herself. I can still get what I want if I'm smart.

And she would. It wouldn't even be hard. All men had their weak points. Avery would find where Lewis's lay.

"So you understand why this can't happen? Can you agree to put this behind you?" Lewis asked her.

Avery nodded. She was distracted. Eyes scanned, looking for a solution. Fingers traced the plastic chair.

The chair. Yes.

It was flimsy, low quality, and the top of the seat could pop off of the supporting bars. Avery discretely tugged on the side of her black yoga pants, threading a knot of fabric between the seat and the bar.

"Can I get a verbal confirmation?" Lewis asked.

So annoying.

"Yes," Avery agreed, smiling wryly, "I'll quit teasing you."

"Thank you for understanding. I'm-,"

Avery stood, and her pants remained 'stuck' in the folds of the seat. The tight fabric slid down to her knees, accompanied by a gentle tearing sound. She looked down at her exposed thong in mock surprise, mouth open. Then, she looked to see where Lewis's eyes were.

They were on her face, hanging under two heavy eyebrows.

♦

Avery had until Thursday to find a new job. If she didn't, she wouldn't be allowed to come to wine night with her mom's friends. She wouldn't let that happen, even if it meant taking a less desirable job.

Wine night was important.

She clicked the arrow on the bottom of the screen, and another page of job postings populated the page. She opened the first job in a new tab.

Software engineer. $64 an hour. Bachelor's degree required. Knowledge of C++ and healthcare preferred. 3 years of experience preferred.

Avery loaded up her resume template and began filling in the blanks. In another window, she executed a series of searches.

'list of coding languages'

Python, Java, C#, Ruby...

She selected a few and put them in her list of skills, in addition to C++.

'software development companies near me'

Omacron, TekChek, Wyloop...

Avery wrote a short summary about her past three years at Omacron.

There wasn't anything she could do about her lack of a Bachelor's degree. If she was lucky, they would overlook that. She spent another five minutes writing a cover letter, then exported the two files and submitted them. In another window, she added 'Software engineer - Commodious' to a cell in a spreadsheet.

21 job applications so far.

She closed the page for Commodious and selected the next job on the list. 'Front desk associate at Cimmerian.'

Avery continued to work, falling into a groove. Music played in her ears from headphones she had spray-painted gold. She hummed in concert with the lyrics, singing whenever she knew the words.

"Escaping my prison... discarding the dress. Tugging at ribbons, I undress the rest..."

The chorus repeated, and Avery belted the words. She lifted her hands from the keyboard and ripped at an invisible dress in front of her. She experimented with harmony on the third line and then climbed an extra octave during the final three words. Flair, showmanship. The power of the music elevated her voice.

For just a moment, she was transported to a stage in the sky, overlooking an audience which spanned multiple city blocks. They whooped and cheered for her, and she revelled in their worship. Would they bow to her, if she asked?

Did she even have to ask?

A new song began to play. Different tone, different genre. The moment vanished, ruined. Avery skipped the song out of spite before pausing the music. Her eyes returned to the computer screen.

She was halfway through an application to become a bank teller.

Avery sniffed, closing the window. All of the tabs went with it, but that was ok. She didn't want to look at them anymore. Didn't want to face reality.

She wasn't supposed to be a fucking bank teller. She was worth more than that. She had the body, the brains, the talent, and the drive. She was meant for greatness. Hell, it was her fucking birthright, though her dad had denied her that. Still...

Avery was a star, through and through.

If she could get everyone's attention - if the world would stop to notice her for five seconds - they would see that she was special. She needed to garner that attention. Once she had it, she could become anything she wanted. The question was how?

Televised talent auditions? No, she could count with one hand the number of celebrities who had ascended from that.

Social media? Instagram, vlogging? It would probably work, but it would take some time before it became a full-time job, and she needed a full-time job.

Porn?

Aha, yes. That could work.

It was public exposure and a paycheck. She certainly had the body for it, the clothes, the raw sexual energy.

Spurred on by excitement, Avery launched her internet browser again and began typing. This path was so obvious. Why had she never considered it?

This was destiny. Her start.

The bedroom door opened and her mom stepped in. A phone was pressed against her ear.

"Send me the address. We'll be there in thirty," Alyssa said, hanging up without saying goodbye.

She crossed the room and squinted her eyes at the computer monitor. 'how to become a porn st' was typed into the search bar.

"Good thinking, but it'll have to wait," Alyssa told her, "Somethings come up and you're coming with."

Avery stood and removed her headphones, "What kind of something?"

"I'll explain on the way. Get changed. Light gray pants, red shirt. Doesn't have to be formal."

"Okay," Avery said, stripping off her shirt and tossing it on the bed.

Alyssa made for the door, then paused, adding, "It's related to your father."

She smiled at her, knowing the reaction this would have on Avery.

Avery smiled back, deliciously.

♥

Ted Lax was a fraud. His business funded research, and he kept a large cut of the donations. Some of the technology this fostered was released to the public, but he kept the best toys to himself. He had the goodwill of the media only because Alyssa had agreed to keep her mouth shut. If it came out that he was something disgusting - like a killer or a rapist - Avery wouldn't bat an eye.

Money-grubbing asshole.

If only he had been different, like the persona that the public knew. Cheerful, charismatic, brilliant. Avery would have grown up with wealth, a spotlight...

And a father.

But Alyssa had shown her the marks he'd left. The scars that wouldn't heal, emotional and physical. It stirred dark feelings from where they rested in the back of Avery's mind. She seized them and held on to them.

This next part would feel better in the right state of mind. Dark loathing turned to black justice.

Alyssa parked the car on one of the upper levels of a parking garage. It was brighter and less populated then the lower floors. And for whatever reason, 90% of the cars were red.

"There's no need for posturing here," Alyssa advised her, "Just be yourself. They'll love it."

"Alrighty then," was Avery's reply.

When they opened the car doors and stepped out, all of the red cars opened their doors as well. Avery tensed, then quickly masked the unease. These were her mother's friends - not from wine night, but from something more insidious. A conspiracy.

The Apple-pie Order.

Silly name, silly outfits. As the twenty or so men and women gathered round, Avery took in their uniforms. Light-gray pants, red shirts, and brown vests with an apple on the breast. Silly in an innocent sort of way. Avery could appreciate that.

Avery noticed the three oriental men. They would be the leaders of the conspiracy, according to Alyssa. One of them tossed Alyssa two vests, and one was passed to Avery to put on. She did, shrugging into the rigid uniform. The fabric was thick and padded.

"Miss Dupont!" the same man greeted her mother, "Glad you are here! This is the young Dupont, yes?"

"Yes," Alyssa agreed.

Avery made a face at the man, and said, "Is it a crime to be young?"

The man approached and tilted his head down towards her, even though they were both 5' 8". He lowered his voice and said, "If it were, it's the only crime I haven't committed."

Avery raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed.

The man laughed, slapped her shoulder, and stepped back, "Kidding of course! We are good people, all of us here! Tell us about yourself!"

Avery considered carefully, then said, "I don't know if I should. There's so much to tell, and if Alyssa hasn't shared any of it, then maybe she's protecting me. Could be she doesn't fully trust you? No offense."

The man grinned, and said, "No, she has spoken much of you. I can see you have your mother's brain."

"Yes, she does," Alyssa agreed.

"Well! There's no better introduction than that!" the man exclaimed, "If you're anything like your mother, young Dupont, then I already know we'll get along fine! You'll fit right into today's activities!"

Avery snickered, shaking her head, "Don't get too comfortable."

The group compressed into rows of two and filed down the staircase. The three oriental men - Raidon, Fudo, and Kano - led the way, with Avery and Alyssa directly behind them. When they reached the streets, the group fanned out, filling the sidewalks and appearing more casual. Avery could imagine they looked like a merry band of volunteers, though a keen eye would glean something darker under the surface. Fudo briefed Alyssa and Avery as they went, in a voice barely audible.

They walked for two blocks before reaching their destination. Once there, Avery looked up at the monoliths, doing her best to suppress her disgust.

The 'Pillars of Humanity' stood before her. Four rectangular towers shaped from black stone and tinted black glass. A monument to her father's wealth and self-interest. A national icon.

The entrance to the nearest tower had metal fences in front of the doors. A single woman stood guard.

Raidon seemed to be the unofficial leader. He broke away from the group, and the woman looked up as he drew near.

They conversed. Raidon flashed a stapled packet of papers in her face. Documentation that would grant access to the premises, signed in ink by Good And You.

Forged documents.

The woman looked over the papers. Raidon leaned over her shoulder, pointing at specific lines of text while his other hand fished through the woman's pockets. When she was done reading, she returned the papers and took out her phone to place a call. Back in the parking garage, one of the agents would be ready to intercept the call via a device Raidon had attached to her phone.

Raidon stood mere inches behind the woman, back completely straight, face slack. He stared at the back of her head, clearly listening in on the phone call. It was creepy in the exciting kind of way. Avery couldn't believe how smoothly things were running. These were actual professionals.

A minute later, the woman hung up and nodded. Raidon turned to face the group and said, "We're cleared to enter. Come, my apples."

The group filed past the guard-woman and around the metal fence. Avery winked coyly at the woman as she walked by, amused by her secret knowledge. Four-to-six minutes after the woman plugged her phone in to charge, the battery would explode.

Once inside, Raidon broke the group into four teams. Alyssa would accompany Raidon to the Tower of Joy. Avery would go with Kano and three others to the Tower of Technology.

Avery was peeved, having been separated from her mother. But on a deeper level, she was thrilled at the prospect of working independently with a team of trained criminals. Maybe she wouldn't become a porn star, after all? If she got in good with the Apple-pie Order, maybe they'd bring her on in a more permanent role?

Rain or shine, my destiny starts today.

Team Health stayed behind while the other three took to the stairs. They ascended ten floors and spilled into a room adjoined by two perpendicular glass tunnels.

"Be thorough, Kano," Raidon said, bidding his friend farewell.

Kano gave him a compulsory nod, then led Avery's team down one of the tunnels, leaving Team Joy and Team Reason behind. Avery didn't bother saying goodbye to her mom. Neither party bothered with niceties.

Kano briefed the team as they walked, "As he said, we're being thorough. Collect anything of value. Note anything peculiar. Log any intel. We'll work from the bottom up. Comb every corner. Double-check each other's work."

"Aye sir," the three others agreed in unison.

"Aye sir," Avery repeated.

Kano glanced over his shoulder and gave her a friendly nod. Avery flashed him an obligatory smile.

After passing through the tunnel, they arrived in the Tower of Reason. Kano pointed to a slick black speaker attached to the ceiling of the small room. The tallest member of the team reached up and twisted, detaching it from its mount. Kano snapped a plastic covering off the back of the device and reached inside. He withdrew a white SD card and popped it into a portable tablet.

Thirty seconds passed and he delivered the verdict, "Empty. Not even a trace." He pocketed the SD card and tossed the speaker back to the tall man, "We still retrieve them. All of them."

They descended another ten flights of stairs. When they reached the bottom floor, she was panting. She felt self-conscious, because none of the others had broken a sweat

I can train and build up my stamina. This is happening.

She would make this happen. Stairs or no stairs, this job was sexy. Exclusive.

The moment she set foot in the main lobby, a distant clacking jolted the rest of the group to life. Guns were drawn from holsters inside their vests. Kano literally spun on a heel.

"Gunshots. Our tower, somewhere near the upper floor. Move!"

The team sprinted back into the stairwell, maintaining their breakneck pace even when they started to climb. Avery tagged along, summoning all of her strength plus more. Still, she fell behind.

From at least two floors above her, Kano's voice echoed, "Be aware of tricks, traps. I suspect the old boss has something to do with this."

The old boss. Of the Pillars of Humanity?

Is Ted here? Why?

Avery had never met her father in person. Wasn't sure if she even wanted to or how she would react. Everything about the man made her stomach twist into sickly knots.

But today was about destiny. Today she would begin her journey of climbing the ladder, and she wouldn't stop until she was at least two rungs higher than Ted Lax. She would accrue more wealth, more fame. He would live in her shadow, and the only legacy he ever left behind would be her. Nothing else would be remembered.

If he was here, she would tell him that. A bold mission statement laced in irony and sweet, sweet vengeance.

A door crashed open three or four levels above her. Shouting and gunfire followed. Avery's legs were heavy and wobbly from all of the climbing, but she pressed on with renewed vigor.

She didn't have a gun, but that didn't matter. Every part of herself could be weaponized. Her intelligence, her sex appeal, her innocence.

On her way out of the stairwell, she passed two of her teammates. They were ducking on either side of the doorway for cover. Kano and another teammate were further down the hall, also tucked into doorways. A metal ladder was positioned at the end of the hall extending four stories up. The floors in between had been blown away.

An Asian man in a suit was halfway up the ladder, with a gun in hand and an unconscious teenager slumped over his shoulder. Somehow, this outnumbered and disadvantaged man was holding his own against Kano and his professionals. His handgun tilted and spun with machine-like precision, finding a new target every time someone poked their head out from behind cover. Someone else was on the ladder above him, nearly to the top.

"Avery, take cover!" Kano ordered.

A bullet whistled by Kano, and his breath caught. A second bullet went through a wall and caught him in the shoulder.

No bullets were fired in Avery's direction. The enemy was prioritizing a man behind cover, even though Avery was unequipped and out in the open.

And there it was. Weaponized innocence.

Avery ignored the order to bunker down. She dodged around mounds of ash and piles of debris, gunning it for the ladder. Her hands found the lowest rungs and she pulled herself up.

She wasn't sure if it was real or if her desires were clouding her judgment, but she could have sworn the other man on the ladder was Ted Lax. Here. In the flesh.

Fate has chosen me and it has chosen today. Goodbye, mediocrity. Farewell, mundanity.

"Avery! Fucking listen when I give you orders! Get off that ladder, now!"

Every rung brought her closer to tomorrow. To her dreams becoming reality. She tugged upwards, boots finding footholds.

The other climbers disappeared into a dismantled hallway. Avery grabbed for the top rung. A hand reached out and pulled her the rest of the way.

Avery started to right herself, but the Asian man bent her over and twisted her arm. She felt him tighten his grip, and Avery stopped resisting. The way he had her, he could probably snap her arm with the slightest gesture.

"Why?" he asked her.

Avery glanced around the surrounding room. Empty with metal walls. No sign of Ted or the unconscious boy. Sunlight illuminated a barren corner, shining at an angle through a hole in the ceiling. Avery glimpsed a single cloud through the hole.

"Answer," the man demanded.

"You barely asked me a question," Avery argued.

"Figure it out. You have ten seconds."

'Why' what? Why was she here? Why had she climbed the ladder? Why was she resisting?

Strange how all three questions shared the same answer.

"I want to talk to my father. Is he here?" she asked him.

"Don't," the man cautioned, "You'll be disappointed."

Avery's heart did a somersault. She briefly broke composure. Couldn't help it.

"So he is here! Let me speak to him, then. I have something to say."

The end of her sentence was drowned out by the deafening roar of rotors. A helicopter was descending toward the roof directly above them.

"Kid. This is a bad time. If you want to talk, call me," the man said, and he forced a business card into the hand that wasn't being twisted and pulled behind her back.

Avery took the card and read it.

Kioshi Kaji - Accountant

There was a number on the bottom.

"Go home. Stay out of this. Do not follow," Kioshi warned, and he released the grip.

Avery spun and looked the man up and down, hunting for a weakness. But Kioshi was fast and already had a handgun trained on her. He backed away towards the hole, each foot falling perfectly behind the other.

Ted is up there. Kioshi won't fire on me unless I attack.

Avery committed. The helicopter was drowning out 90% of all sound, but it was worth a shot. Avery opened her mouth wide to scream-

Ted walked into view on the roof. Avery watched him through the hole. He was masquerading in black jeans, his golden bowtie, and a white cowboy hat held against his chest. Avery's heart went still, anticipatory.

"Eagle has landed, boyo. You coming?" Ted asked. Then, noticing Avery, "Who's that? Do we know her?"

Avery's heart plummeted 24 stories and crashed into the basement.

He-

He didn't know who she was.

What...

He actually didn't know at all.

21 years and he hadn't looked her up once? His own daughter.

"A subject for another time," Kioshi explained. He reached up with two hands, and Ted pulled him through the gap.

Ted didn't look twice at his own daughter. Because he didn't fucking recognize her.

And then they were gone.

Avery giggled. Then she laughed. She took a seat on the cold floor and then laughed some more, listening to the helicopter lift off and flutter away. Listening to the sounds of her own amusement. She couldn't really say what was funny. She wasn't even that torn up inside. She was just... indifferent to the whole affair. Casual.

So what if her millionaire father didn't recognize her? So what? If anything, it would make her ascent to godhood all the more significant. She could imagine his face, stricken with regret, ashamed for never being there for the great Avery Papp Dupont. It was hilarious.

"Young Dupont, are you alright up there?" a voice called from below. Not Kano's voice.

Avery stifled a giggle, smiling as she called back to them, "Everything's fine! They escaped."

"We're aware. The boss says that's fine. Anything up there worth taking?"

Avery let another giggle slip. She couldn't help it. Then she scanned the room. A pile of rubble from the collapsed roof. Some scraps of black foam. A mangled speaker.

Avery crawled over to the speaker and flipped it over, popping the plastic covering off as Kano had shown her.

The SD card was intact, white, with the label 'Childe73' printed on the bottom in tiny black text. Another empty, probably. She went to take it, but her fingers kept slipping. The giggling was making her bouncy and jittery. Frustrating. She needed to get a handle on this silly show of laughter. For one thing, the tears would stain her makeup.

Avery finally managed to eject the SD card. She opened her mouth to announce this fact, then bit her lip.

For the briefest second, the SD card pulsed with an eerie white glow. Warmth spread to the fingers that held it, and she felt her nerves ease momentarily. A tease of power. Informing her that this was something significant.

"Destiny," she whispered, in the cold and dimly lit room.

"Young Dupont? Anything?" the man called up to her again.

Avery scrambled to her feet, tucking the SD card into her sock. Then she looked around to confirm that no cameras had seen her do it. Apple-pie order would steal hundreds of little treasures today, but this one was hers.

The answer she gave them was cryptic, in a way she could explain without technically lying. She couldn't risk a lie with professionals of this caliber.

"Up here? Nothing but a forgotten Childe."