Ronan and Beatrix each receive a message from their father, Alex, who requests they meet him. Curious, they separately converge at their father's house, where they find him missing, though Ronan recovers a strange, ball-shaped device. When Harry, Beatrix's friend, arrives, he joins them in their attempts to locate their father despite Ronan's dislike for him. Harry, a public defender, suggests that they contact the police. However, Captain Stone can offer little help to them, as they have no evidence of wrongdoing. He directs them to the building Alex described and tells them that it is abandoned.<ref name="vi"></ref>