Short chapter due to the fact that the next one will be pages upon pages. So deal with it =P

Hope you're enjoying it.

They all met later that day. The Merovingian had to gather some of the far-roaming Exiles that were committed to him, and thus it took longer than usual to hold a gathering. Among those was Mergo, a vampire who was often on other assignments or generally roaming. Mona had wondered why he was allowed to do this, since any slip-up could alert Agents to her father's whereabouts. After watching him for years, however, she realized that he was an expert at what he did. Often referred to as the assassin of the group, Mergo was an ordinary-looking Caucasian man who rarely drew any attention to himself with his actions or outward appearance. The same could not be said about many of the other Exiles, especially the Twins.

It was about five in the afternoon when they were all finally collected in the living room. It was the largest and most comfortable room available at the time, with wide picture windows bringing in the setting sun and a huge vaulted ceiling. Altogether there were eleven of them; Mona, Sid, Lisa, Crow, One, Two, Rem, Dev, the Merovingian, Persephone, and Jules, a werewolf. Sitting in various places on couches, chairs, or, in Sid's case, the floor, they were all haphazardly encircling the Merovingian, who was seating in an armchair and looking surprisingly regal.

Mona, who was draped on the end of a couch along with Lisa, regarded her father with mild interest while resting her head in her hand. She was slightly suspicious as to why she was here, or her mother, for that matter. Usually the bringing in of Exiles to the Matrix was not a huge deal, and Mona had rarely been present.

"So," her father suddenly began, looking around the room gradually, "you are probably wondering what could be so important as to gather you all here at once. Well, I shall tell you. Earlier today I received a call from a new customer; a Rogue whose brother is still in the machine and facing deletion due to improvements. He has only days before he is returned to the Source."

"What makes him so special?" Lisa practically butted in.

"I was getting to that," the Merovingian said sternly, narrowing his eyes at the vampire. "This Rogue has promised his brother's complete loyalty if he is able to be saved. Before the computer replaced him, his brother was programmed to control the sun and its consequences."

There was a pause, and the Merovingian seemed to be silent for effect. It was apparently lost on the majority of the Exiles, since a fair few of them blinked confusedly. Sid looked over his shoulder at Mona, who shrugged.

"It means he's a divine Exile," a soft voice said, and many of them turned to stare at one of the Twins. The two were seated a bit farther back behind everyone, both in armchairs.

The Merovingian smiled at the two. "Yes, thank you. An angel, to be exact. Divines are practically impossible to ever come upon, and I am not about to pass up this opportunity."

"So we're getting a new recruit?" Sid asked.

"Yes, Sid," the Merovingian said. "We will be meeting with the Rogue tomorrow. I require all of you to attend, so don't go meandering off anytime soon."

There were muttered agreements, an audible, "You got it," from Sid, and nods all around. Mona listened with barely any interest as her father went over a few fine details, like where they were meeting the Rogue and how the transportation was going to work for the evening. Finally they were dismissed. Lingering behind, Mona caught a few comments made between the other Exiles as they exited the lounge area. She was mainly trying to listen to Mergo, Dev, or Rem, since they typically had the most interesting and strange remarks. Unfortunately, all that was really said was Rem saying how he was suspicious at the suddenness of this new Exile, and Dev replying that it was no surprise, since the Matrix was beginning anew. Mergo stalked off, remaining silent and brooding throughout the whole meeting. Watching them go, Mona stood up and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Mona," Lisa said, also rising next to her. "Interesting get-together, don't you think? Haven't seen Mergo in weeks."

"Yeah, weird. Wonder where he's been," Mona replied.

Sid sidled up to the two and grinned mischievously. "I've heard that he's seeing a girl."

Lisa gave Sid a suspicious look. "So? Who told you?"

"A human girl. Doesn't want the Merovingian to know," Sid said matter-of-factly. "And Dev told me."

Lisa snorted, then shoved Sid angrily. "Since when do you believe that cocky asshole? And since when are you a gossiper?" The vampire shook her head, narrowing her eyes at Sid. "Sometimes, Sparky…it's like I don't even know you."

Mona snickered at the two. "I guess I should try and pick something decent out for tomorrow night, encase I have to do something."

"Definitely," Lisa nodded. "You know your father will have an aneurism if you're not presentable. Which is entertaining to watch."

"I'm glad my family arguments entertain you," Mona said, then sighed. "God, I hate speaking with my father's clients. I always have to be so political and sharp."

"You'll be fine," Sid said, patting Mona on the shoulder. "You've been watching and helping him in these meetings for years. Besides, you're gonna have to get the hang of it for when you inherit his business."

Mona stared blankly at Sid as he said this, muttering a low, "Mmhmmmm," as she did so. Inherit his business…that was something she wasn't looking forward to. All the dirty work and danger that was involved was a huge turn-off, but at the same time it was intriguing. Since she had matured, Mona had been attending her father's meetings, watching him manipulate people with his words, watching him lie. She had learned how to talk to people through him, and was a quick and wise speaker when the moment called for it. But often Mona hated herself after. She told herself that it was because of what she was doing, but really, it was because she was becoming her father, and her father was not a respectable man from her perspective.

Still gazing unseeingly past Sid, Mona suddenly realized that both Exiles were giving her weird looks, and Sid had begun to wave his hand in front of her.

"Oh, uhhh…sorry. Just thinking," Mona mumbled, blinking rapidly.

"Really? I thought you might have slipped into a coma," Lisa said with a laugh.

Mona smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. "I'm gonna go lie down for a bit…maybe work on some coding. See you guys later."

The lounge area had completely emptied while the three had chatted, but as Mona walked through the dining room she spotted the Twins. Both were sitting at the table, each with a cup of coffee. Due to their sunglasses, Mona couldn't tell if they were looking at her or not, and tried to walk quickly towards the opposite hallway.

Unfortunately, she was not quick enough.

"Excited for tomorrow?"

"We will be escorting you, as usual."

Mona exhaled angrily as she turned to reply to them. Very aware of her discomfort, the Twins were smirking at her in a way that made her want to kick them.

"Oh yes, I am thrilled," she said through clenched teeth. "You both know I love your company."

"Quite."

There was a pause and Mona felt more than a bit awkward. Not only did the Twins drive her insane, but they were undeniably beautiful, giving Mona the impression that they were judging her. Her eyes shifted to the hallway leading to the salvation of her room, and she had an urge to madly dash towards it.

"We're not as terrible as you seem to think," one of the Twins abruptly said.

Mona's eyebrows raised. "I'm sure you aren't. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go…to my room…and leave you both to your coffee…"

As she made her escape towards the hall, Mona heard one of the Twin's soft voices say, "Have a restful evening."

"Damn them," Mona hissed to herself as she reached her bedroom.