Pursuing Her

Chapter 27 Kneel

"Yes, I am. Who are you?"This girl looks really pretty. There's no way I would forget her if I had seen her before..."My name is Sophie.”Not wanting to waste too much time here nor reveal her identity to him, she stood up and continued nonchalantly, “You guys are tracking down Dr. Yarren's whereabouts, right? I'll give it a try."Eustace couldn't help but frown when he heard that."Missy, you should get back to class if you're bored. I'm really busy, so I don’t have time for your silly games!"He had been so stressed out over Dr. Yarren's case that he hadn't slept well in a month, so he really wasn't in the mood for games.”I said, I can help you out, Captain Sheppard!” Sophie was starting to lose her patience.”Missy—""You desperately need to find Dr. Yarren, don’t you? What harm is there in letting me have a shot?"Eustace had assumed she was just another troublemaker at first, but changed his mind when he saw the determined look in her eyes.”All right, then. Come with me!” Eustace said as he led her to the technical department.The technicians had been working day and night for a month, but were still unable to track down Dr. Yarren.“Captain Sheppard!” a few of them greeted Eustace upon seeing him before getting back to work.As Dr. Yarren's life could be in danger, it was of utmost importance that they find him as soon as possible."You there, get up,” Sophie told one of the technicians.”Go play somewhere else, missy. I'm busy over here,” the technician replied without even looking at her."Get up!”As it was Eustace ordering him this time, the technician had no choice but to do as told.“Where did you find such a pretty girl, Captain Sheppard?” he asked when he finally looked at Sophie.Since when has Captain Sheppard become so irresponsible? I can't believe he'd bring an outsider into the technical department!Sophie ignored him and began entering a bunch of codes after sitting down.The technician and a few other senior programmers were dumbfounded when they saw her go at it What the... She's wearing a high school uniform, and yet, she’s greater than all of us in terms of her speed and skill! Who on Earth is this girl?Eustace, who was initially skeptical of her request, soon found himself feeling a little expectant after seeing her skill.Sophie continued chewing on a piece of gum while hacking her way through firewall after firewall, eventually narrowing the search down to a specific area. Hmm... This is as detailed as I can get, huh?“This is as far as I can get you, Captain Sheppard. The rest is up to you guys.” Sophie said with a frown as she got up and prepared to leave.”Are you sure this is the place?” The technicians were unable to find any leads before, so they were a little skeptical about the data on the screen. This is all I managed to find."The technician, who mocked her earlier, asked respectfully, “What's your name, missy?"“My name is Sophie Tanner.”"Thank you very much, Sophie. I'll treat you to a meal as a token of appreciation when I bring Dr. Yarren back!” Eustace said as he gathered his men.We'll head over to Anglandur and bring Dr. Yarren back for sure!“Hello, Ms. Tanner. I'm lan Douglas. May I ask you some questions?”“Sure.”Sophie was going to leave, but returned to her seat when she heard that.The senior programmers then bombarded her with a ton of difficult questions, all of which she answered with detailed explanations. As some of the answers were too complicated for them to comprehend, Sophie even demonstrated her methods for them to see.”Any other questions?"“You're unbelievably amazing, Ms. Tanner!” lan exclaimed in awe."It's nothing, really. I'll be on my way now if there are no further questions.”"Where are you headed, Ms. Tanner? I'll give you a ride.” lan had always assumed that he was the best in his field, but witnessing Sophie's skills made him realize how much of an amateur he really was."That won't be necessary. I can head back on my own.” Sophie turned his offer down as she preferred to keep a low profile. The senior programmers were so shocked by Sophie's skills that it took them a while to regain their composure after she left.”l can't believe I got destroyed by a high school student!"They were able to be a part of Eustace’s team because they were experts in their field, but Sophie had easily outperformed each and every one of them."There will always be someone better out there. This girl is truly something else.””It'd be great if she could join our team!” lan exclaimed hopefully.”She hasn't even graduated from high school, man!” As there would be tons of companies out there that would kill to recruit her, it was unlikely that they would be able to do so.“But we have Captain Sheppard! We could have him court her or something! I think that could work!” lan suggested, genuinely believing that he had come up with a great idea.Everyone else, however, fell speechless after hearing that.”She’s way too young for him!” someone exclaimed after a brief pause.Captain Sheppard is really amazing for making it to this position at the age of twenty-eight, and we've all witnessed his capabilities in the field. Even so, he's probably at least ten years older than Sophie! lan must be crazy for suggesting something like that!“It's not entirely impossible if Captain Sheppard likes her, though!"Sophie had showed up at the classroom on time for the self-study session.As the students were all aware that Sophie had gotten Queenie in prison, they felt a little afraid of her.Ysabelle handed Sophie a bottle of water the moment she saw her.Worried that Sophie would get upset, she reassured her, “Ignore them, Soph. They're just jealous of you.”Sophie had just taken a sip of the water when Cynthia showed up outside the classroom.”Hey, Sophie! Queenie’s mother is here to see you!” shouted one of the students sitting near the window.Sophie got up and made her way out the door.Cynthia found herself feeling a little intimidated when she saw Sophie walking toward her."Yes? Is there something I can help you with?” Sophie asked coldly.It was as if the person standing before her had nothing to do with her at all.“I'm sorry for what Queenie did, Sophie. Will you please have mercy on her? She's still a young girl! Her life will be ruined if she gets sent to prison!” Cynthia pleaded with fear in her eyes. Whatever arrogance and pride she had before were completely gone at that point.No one had expected for a nobody like Sophie to be capable of sending Queenie to prison.Even Jason couldn't do anything to save her."Queenie has broken the law, Mrs. Lane. It's not like I can just say a few words and get her released,” Sophie replied while rolling her eyes.What does she take the legal justice system for?Having been pushed to desperation, Cynthia knelt down in front of Sophie and continued pleading with her, “Please spare Queenie! I'm begging you! I can give you anything as long as you spare my daughter!"What the heck is she trying to pull now?“ don't need anything, and this isn't up for me to decide,” Sophie replied with a frown.Feeling frustrated, Cynthia leapt to her feet and shouted, “How could a young girl like you be so cruel and heartless? What has Queenie ever done to you, huh?"She then reached out to hit Sophie, but the latter was faster and caught her hand with ease.