Professor Krueger is regarding as a terrorist by the world’s leaders.

His advancements with technology have lead only to further suffering at the hands of ill-intended villains – the progress pressing further into the realm of warfare than any other facet of society. Of course, the Professor himself was far too pre-occupied with his work to even notice how humanity utilised his findings; the thrill of invention and discovery more important to him than the manner in which his discoveries would be used throughout the world.

Because of this rather uncaring outlook Krueger has made a great deal of enemies. Not only do the leading nations of the world wish for his progress to come to a permanent halt but even those of the lower-class peoples had heard of his dastardly work and actively demand his head. Public enemy #1, Professor Krueger formed the Krueger Foundation; a creation that would serve as his protection for both the present and the future. Within the Foundation resided an elite team of men and women with only their own selfish interests in the forefronts of their minds. To be a part of this Foundation was both a blessing and a curse; you were given your freedom to choose whether or not to continue being a part of the Foundation and have whatever it is you desired. At the same time you were an accomplice to the most wanted man in the world; his exploits falling upon his own deaf ears as he toiled away in his workshops and laboratories. One thing that continued to recur with the various employees was the same, singular question: Was he an evil man? Even if he had caused the world to begin crumbling under the weight of the consequences each of his inventions and progressions brought, was that his intention? Anyone who knew the man would strongly argue against that idea.

The Foundation faces crisis now however as their leader and founder disappeared from his workshop one day, along with the formula for his latest work; the Serum of Truth. This was not some plaything to be used in interrogations however – the serum brought forth the fundamental difference between each person to the surface in the form of a unique ability or attribute. Fletcher, the man responsible for letting Krueger be taken and most likely killed by the deceptive friend he once held dear, had taken the serum and gained strength that showed off his tough exterior and the will to continue pressing forwards. That is but one example of the power the Professor had unlocked through his research. With the Professor gone, his work halted and the Foundation facing doom under the thumb of other countries military might, the members of the Foundation desperately searched for and protected the last descendant of the brilliant man.

Her name is Avery.

---

“Operation is go.” The static broke suddenly to reveal the gruff voice over the communicator, giving off the order to the team of armed men that silently waited for those very words just before the door leading into Avery Collins’ apartment building. The man on point spun and kicked the heel of his heavy, Kevlar boot into the surface of the door – causing it to cave inwards and swing open suddenly. The five men poured inside with haste, their submachine guns raised and readied with laser-guided sights, tactical flashlights readied and masks prepared for when they utilise their tear-gas grenades.

Even if she wasn’t related to the conflict brewing because of Krueger’s inventions, she was still of his lineage and very much susceptible to becoming a monster akin to his design. The task force had been sent in on the orders to bring the woman in for questioning (torture most likely involved in the process). If she resisted whatsoever, the five were allowed to open fire at their discretion as nobody knew what this particular woman, who went by the alias of ‘Daggers’ was capable of. The team reached her main door, reading the number upon its surface and reconfirming that it was indeed her home. Noting sounds of shuffling about within, they gave the report to their commanding officer who quickly acknowledged and ordered for her capture. Rearing slightly, the man on point once again readied himself, waited for his team’s okay and charged through with his boot once again – smashing the door open to reveal her apartment.

“Hands on your head, little lady!” demanded the team leader, who brandished his SMG first and moved past the other four to get into the room.

--

45 seconds earlier…

--

Giving off a heavy sigh, his breath mixed with the smoke of his almost finished cigarette spilling from behind his nostrils, Fletcher flicked the butt to the side and re-checked his harness to be sure he wouldn’t be catapulting to the pavement below when he was to start moving. Drawing the phone from his pocket, he hit the single speed-dial set in its records and waited as the dial tone resounded against his ear. Once it was picked up, he didn’t bother waiting for her greeting.

“Walk to your window and open it. Fail to do this within the next ten seconds and you will die.” His voice carried a tone of discontent with it, something she probably would have picked up on the other end of the phone. Without a second’s hesitation, Fletcher threw himself from the top of the apartment complex, spinning about and readying his legs – the harness whipping over his head and suddenly snapping taught. His body carried forwards and either heel planted firm to the underside of Avery’s single window to her small apartment. The window had indeed been opened. The corner of his pursed lips curled upwards just slightly, showing off his approval for being daring enough to do as asked by someone she had not yet met. Without a word, his arm shot forwards and fingers curled into her shirt – grasping it roughly. Yanking her out the window in a single motion, he slung her over his shoulder and released the first safety lock of his harness – the two catapulting downwards suddenly and silently (save for any noises she might have made at the time, which was very likely to happen).

The second safety lock on the harness sudden snapped loudly, taking their combined weight and suddenly causing them to stop a mere half-metre over the pavement. With his free arm, Fletcher cut the harness with a well-placed slash of his knife, folding it back up once he landed and returning her to her feet. Glancing back upwards towards where he’d plucked Avery from, he remained silent as the helmeted head of a special operations soldier peeked down at them.

“Down there! Target has escaped the building, unknown accomplice present!”

“Open fire!”

Before the orders for combat to engage even came, Fletcher had turned about on his heel and tackled Avery onto his shoulder once again, charging away with her and making it around the corner just before the men in her apartment could stick their weaponry out the window and take aim. With the girl on his shoulder, no partners to speak of able to help him with the mission and only an extraction point available to him, all he could do to keep on track was rush through the crowds of people on the street – getting a great many looks from passer-by’s and the odd questioning shout to Avery, wanting to know if she were being kidnapped or not. Even if she were trying to stop him through the use of others in the street, he had zero intentions of stopping his advance; powering through anybody that got in his route.

Finally, as they approached the end of the street and towards the T-junction, a van pulled up with a sharp screech – the door flinging open to reveal a man and woman, both in suits and each readying a weapon and aiming their way. Not firing their weaponry however, they waited patiently as Fletcher dove in with Avery – suddenly slamming the door shut behind him and one of the two bashing against the wall to let the driver know to move off.

And now here she was; in a van with three unknown, dangerous-looking people and zero answers to show for it so far. Fletched panted quietly as he regained himself against the nearby wall, undoing the belt for the harness and slowly setting it aside whilst the other two remained silent for now – a man with long, straight blonde hair and a woman with deep, chestnut locks and an inquisitive expression upon her features.

Avery chewed on the end of her pencil, staring at the computer screen in deep concentration. This particular firewall was proving to be trickier than she had previously thought. She typed another code and entered it, but nothing changed. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, balancing it on two legs. It figured. This wasn’t the first time Daggers had struck against this particular company. It only made sense that they would strengthen the barrier to keep her out. She smirked. Her name had spread far and wide as the most wanted hacker in the country and, as far as she knew, the world. Still, the efforts made to halt her progress were done in vain. It only took her fifteen more minutes to break through the firewall.

Avery copied down the information her client wanted onto a flash drive, and then entered a few more codes to erase her digital footprint. She ejected the drive and shut down her computer. The company would never know she was ever there. That is, until her client published the content of the flash drive in his news article.

While she wasn’t always confident in the “good intentions” of the people who hired her, Avery felt good about this particular client. He had explained that he wanted her to help him expose the company for fraud and misrepresentation. Often times, statements like these were just lies people told to try and convince the infamous hacker to help them meet their own greedy ends, but she could hear the sincerity in this man’s voice when they discussed the assignment over the phone. Someone dear to him had been a victim of the avaricious company, and this was his way of getting revenge. Avery believed him.

She wiped her fingerprints off the flash drive with an old cloth and slipped it into a Ziploc bag. She did believe the man had good intentions to stop the company, but there was no telling if he would turn around and try to get her arrested once he was finished with her. Better safe than sorry. Using gloved hands, Avery put the bag into the pocket of her leather jacket and stood up to go deliver it. She had made prior arrangements to meet with her client at 6:00PM. Looking at her watch, it was 5:28PM now. The designated meeting place was about half an hour from her apartment, so she would make it on time if she left right away.

Her phone suddenly went off and she jumped slightly. How odd. She wasn’t expecting anyone to call her that day. Perhaps it was the client trying to reschedule their meeting time or check her progress in retrieving the wanted information. She checked the caller ID, but it was an unknown number. She raised her brow in amusement. A new client, perhaps? She lifted the phone to her ear.

“He—” Avery started to speak, but was interrupted immediately by the person on the other end of the line.

“Walk to your window and open it. Fail to do this within the next ten seconds and you will die.”

The anonymous caller hung up. A death threat? Now this was getting interesting. Avery stepped over to her window and slid the pane of glass open. She leaned out to peer down at the ground below. However, she didn’t need to look that far. A young man stood horizontally just below her window, looking as though he had just repelled down the side of the building. Avery opened her mouth to ask just what he was trying to do, when his arm shot out and snagged her by the front of her shirt. She let out an undignified yelp as he jerked her off her feet. She felt herself suspended in the air for a moment before the stranger threw her over his shoulder, then she felt it again as he cut the rope that held him up and they dropped to the ground like stones. Fortunately, there was a second rope in place to stop them from crashing into the pavement below. Up above, she heard angry voices shouting down from her room. What in all Hell is going on?

Once he had solid ground beneath his feet, the strange man took off with Avery still slung over his shoulder like a ragdoll – albeit a loud ragdoll. She shouted at him the whole time, telling him to put her down and calling him some very unflattering names. But in the end all she could do was shriek and kick and flail while the man carried her away from the apartment buildings.

Avery could see people gawking at them in the streets, no doubt wondering if she was being kidnapped. And they would be right, she realized. She had no idea who this man was, and yet here he was forcefully taking her away. If that wasn’t kidnapping, she didn’t know what was. To make matters worse, a van pulled up and the man headed straight towards it.

“Where are you taking me?” Avery shouted aggressively, pounding on the man’s shoulder with her fists. “Look pervert, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t go down without a fight.” It was a stupidly feeble threat, and she knew it. But she had no other options at this point. “You can bet you’re gonna be in a lot of pain if you try to knock me up!” The stranger paid her no heed and dove into the waiting vehicle which took off almost as soon as the door closed behind them.

Avery blinked against the sudden darkness when the light from outside was cut off. From what she could tell, there were three people with her: the kidnapper, another man, and a woman. All of them looked rugged and dangerous; a sort of people she was not unfamiliar with, and yet not a sort of people she wanted to be locked in a confined space with. She crouched like a trapped animal in the far corner of the van and glared at them. She wished she wasn’t so small; wished that she looked more imposing.

“Who are you?” Avery hissed. “And what do you want with me?”

“I know we figured that she knows shit all about all this but is she really supposed to be a genius?” Troy spoke up, crossing either arm over his chest slowly – bouncing the side of his handgun on his arm idly whilst peering at the woman they’d just abducted through the lenses of his orange-hued aviator sunglasses. As Avery adjusted to the dim lighting in the back of the van, she would be able to make out the top of a tattoo that ran from the bottom of his neck, over his collar bone and towards his chest.

“According to Krueger, yes.” Rebecca confirmed Troy’s words, giving Avery a once-over with her steel gaze before turning them towards Fletcher – whom had since gathered himself and regained his composure, “Was the information confirmed?”

Fletcher groaned quietly, adjusting his seat against the wall of the van and digging into his jacket pocket to drag out the crumpled packaging for his cigarettes. Slipping one out, he stuck it into the corner of his mouth and gave a long, drawn-out sigh.

“Yeah.” He finally answered, not even turning to look at her. Flicking on the lighter he had since found in the opposite pocket, the yellow flame illuminated his features as he held it to the end of the cigarette, letting Avery get a better look at the man whom had so easily and very literally swept her from her feet and took her away from the comfort of her apartment.

“Shit. So we’ve gotta’ deal with that group too, now?” Troy ran his fingers through the thick head of blonde hair atop his head, releasing a quiet groan of irritation. Eventually, Troy turned to face Avery once again and wagged his gun at her almost accusingly, ready to answer her question.
“We’re the Krueger Foundation. Your daddy’s private security, I s’pose.” He began, lowering the weapon and slowly setting it back in the holster under his jacket, “We don’t want anything from you. Except for you to come with us nice and easy, y’know? We’re supposed to be protecting you and all – so if you could just shut up and be a good gi- “

“Shut it, Troy. She’s your boss now.” Fletcher suddenly broke in, flicking his green hues towards the sunglasses-wearing, arse of a man. Troy audibly clicked his tongue at Fletcher’s words, turning his face away and remaining quiet whilst the only other female in the back of the van gave a quiet giggle.

“Avery Krueger. You are our founder’s daughter and are in need of protection. If we’d arrived later, you’d have either been killed in your home or taken away to be tortured – that is the information we received earlier today. Do you understand?” Rebecca addressed Avery, scooching closer and reaching forwards with a gloved hand to grasp at her chin and get a better look at her face.
“No injuries… Good. I’m Rebecca – though some know me as the Blitzkrieg. The loud one is Troy Cavalon and the man that snagged you from your window is Fletcher. He’s going to be your bodyguard from now on, so just ask him when you need something, yes?” she smiled brightly towards the bewildered woman, almost as though she were snatching away any moments to actually state her confusion.

“ETA in five!” called another voice from the driver’s seat, through the wall of the van.

Avery watched the unusual crew in silence. She didn’t understand half of what they were talking about. What information? What group did they have to ‘deal with’ now? She tried to puzzle it out, but she was still missing too many details to find an answer. She resolved to just sit quietly and wait for an opportunity to get away from them.

The blonde man finally gave her some useful information when he explained who they were. She raised a brow. Her father was sending people in to protect her? She never knew him very well, but she did know he wasn’t the type of man to waste resources without a reasonable cause to do so. Something big must have happened for him to hire private security like this.

Her kidnapper spoke up next, reminding the blonde man – Troy, was it? – that he was not in charge. That was good news. Perhaps she could just tell them to buzz off since she was their boss. They would have to do what she said, right? But that would be too good to be true. She couldn’t veto her father’s orders so easily. She would have to find another way to get them off her back.

The last member of her band of abductors moved a little closer. She took Avery’s chin in her hand to get a better look at her. Avery promptly reeled back from the woman and glared at her indignantly. The woman who had announced herself as Rebecca explained who they were in more personal detail, namely singling out her initial captor, Fletcher. Avery looked back at him and wrinkled her nose. He was her personal guard? He must be good at his job if her father was willing to hire him, but that didn’t mean she wanted him tagging along; especially when her line of business wasn’t necessarily one of good standing.

“I can take care of myself,” Avery said irritably. “Tell my father thanks, but no thanks—” She was abruptly cut off by a voice from the front of the vehicle. ETA? She had to rack her brain for the meaning of the acronym, since she wasn’t overly familiar with military-based abbreviations. After a moment, she remembered what it stood for.

“Where are you taking me?” Avery asked, still glowering at her kidnapping bodyguards.

“You’d be dead or on your way to your grave if we’d left you. Not only that, we’d have probably been fired too. Whether you like it or not, Madam Krueger, we are here to protect you as much as we are here to imprison you. We will do as you command so long as it falls under certain conditions; It has to be in our best interests and it cannot overrule any other orders we’ve received from the Professor.” Rebecca shrugged her broad shoulders, as though she were simply brushing off the tone in which Avery attempted to get away with. They were all much older than she – of course a little tantrum wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Especially with men and women trained in the art of war.

“Enough. Ask and answer questions when we get to the safe house, for fuck sake.” Fletcher snapped, the other two immediately quieting down at his orders. It became evident with just that one, singular moment who the most powerful of the trio seemed to be. The four in the back of the van remained silent until they arrived at their destination, which was an old warehouse that had been taken over by the Foundation and stocked with supplies. Seeing as the majority of its members were people wanted worldwide for their affairs on the battlefield, it only made sense that they didn’t rely on a singular base of operation. Fletcher stood as the van slowed to a stop, the side door opening up to reveal the well-lit inners of the warehouse. Grasping Avery’s arm roughly, he dragged her up and pushed her out – making sure that she could keep her footing however.

“VIP acquisition confirmed.” There were other foundation members within the warehouse. A couple were armed in special-forces uniforms and equipment, whereas a few more seemed to be civilian in nature. The warehouse was littered with tech and weaponry, all of which was put to use when needed. The state-of-the-art military-grade laptop that sat on the nearby table, ready to be utilised was probably what caught Avery’s attention the most however.

“Contact HQ – we’re going to head out in 15. We’ll probably be dealing with air-support.” Rebecca gave out her commands once she’d stepped out from inside the van. Pulling open the suit she’d been wearing, she revealed the black jumpsuit beneath and quickly moved to latch on webbing and begin slipping in extra magazines for the rifle she also picked up.

Troy yawned quietly, also undoing his suit and matching Rebecca’s equipment choice. All of this rushing about was probably causing massive confusion with the poor, recently kidnapped Avery but nonetheless they did not give her any chance to recover her thoughts. Fletcher shoved a kevlar vest against her chest, waiting until she grasped it to let go.

“Put it on.” He all but demanded, turning away to also gear himself up.

Avery clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked away. She couldn’t argue with the woman. She hadn’t been paying close enough attention to notice the men who broke into her apartment complex. It was a foolish mistake on her part. Still, now that she knew about the danger she would tread more carefully. She could take care of herself, just as she had been doing all those previous years when her father didn’t seem to care about her. What was up with that, anyway? He suddenly sent in a bunch of bodyguards to look out for her, as if he was concerned about her safety. Why was he choosing now to act like a father rather than just a reluctant caretaker?

Fletcher snapped at the others to shut up and the van grew instantly quiet. Avery almost wanted to keep chattering just to be defiant. Maybe she could pester him enough that he would kick her out. She smiled at the thought, even though she knew that would never happen. Instead, she sat back in grudging compliance until they reached their destination.

Avery climbed out of the van – with an unhelpful shove from Fletcher – to see that they had arrived at an old warehouse. She let out a curt scoff. It was such a stereotypical hideout. She looked back at the others and raised a brow as if to say, Are you people for real? The way things were going, she half expected the inside of the warehouse to be set up with a couple of rickety lawn chairs and a PC computer.

What she did find, however, was a base that took her breath away.

As the door slid open, Avery gaped at the high-tech weaponry spread all across the warehouse. But what really drew her eyes was the computer. It was a sleek laptop, equip with all the latest military-grade software. She stared at it hungrily. Just imagine all the things I could get away with, using a beauty like that, she thought. A computer on this caliber would make my job so much easier.

Avery was jerked from her daydreaming when Fletcher shoved a vest at her and told her to put it on. She shot him a poisonous look as she snatched the article out of his hands and slipped it on over her shirt. While she didn’t want their help, it was a nice vest. Maybe she could sneak it out with her once she was rid of these ridiculous guards.

“Now what, guard boy?” Avery flipped her blonde hair out of the vest so it fell freely across her back and shoulders. She tilted her chin up haughtily at Fletcher. It was meant to be a confident gesture but it probably looked ridiculous to him, as she was only half his size.

As her head rose to show off her self-confidence, a heavy helmet pressed down atop it – her bodyguard not much caring for her attitude at that point and far too occupied with getting her out of the city alive.

“Javelin on the way! Take cover!” the voice of one of the lookouts screamed from across the large building, the man promptly jumping from the catwalks he had been perched on and slamming into the full boxes beneath – wasting no time in scampering away.

“REBECCA!” Fletcher boomed, his voice very clearly cutting through the hissing noise that began emanating from outside – the indication of a rocket on its way to strike the structure. The heavily armed woman threw down her gun and raised either arm high, her expression distorting as she concentrated everything she had on the point just above her head. The van they’d arrived in screeched as the wheels suddenly lurched into gear, dragging the heavy vehicle forwards and parking it once again at the woman’s side.

Troy grasped at the collar of Avery’s vest, yanking her along and literally throwing her inside the van like she had been the first time – the door slamming shut after the blonde got in after her, moving straight to the back and kicking it open to reveal the doors rolling open to give them an exit to the warehouse.

A large metal bulkhead had since formed over Rebecca’s head, the thick piece of material slamming down in place and making a tented shield of metal over the Foundation member’s heads. With that, she turned and limped into the van’s passenger seat, loading up her rifle and readying herself for the chase they’d most likely be a part of as soon as they escaped the Javelin rocket headed their way.

The hissing noise coming from outside of the large warehouse had been quickly growing in volume until finally it struck the top of the building – exploding in an instant and levelling the building around those inside. Fletcher shouted in pain as he was flung from his feet by the shockwave, his back crashing against the van’s side and rocking it roughly before he slumped against the ground. Groaning, he picked himself up and all but fell inside the van after opening the side door once again for himself. The exit had now fully opened and they could escape. Knocking his fist against the partition between the driver’s seat and the back of the van, he let the driver know that they were good to go now. Even though there were a few more members still littering the small area that survived the explosive start to the building’s collapse, they could not afford the extra weight now. The van pulled forwards quickly and once again it turned onto the street, starting towards their proper evacuation location.

“Man, they really want this chick dead.” Troy sighed, sitting himself down near the still open back door and checking to make certain his gun was still ready for firing, “Seems like trouble we could have avoided, if you ask me… Not that anyone is.”

Fletcher sighed harsher still, moving to Avery and checking for any injuries – completely apathetic towards her feelings on any of the events that had transpired within the past few moments. Confident she was okay, he shoved her head down with the helmet once again to make sure she kept low and moved to look out the back where Troy was stationed.
“Where’s their air support?” he queried, a grunt following once he heard the chopping of air overhead. The helicopter had apparently been right above them all this time.
“Right…” he began again, reaching upwards to turn on his communicator, “Rebecca. One bird above. I don’t care who’s flying it – take it down.” He ordered. Turning to face Avery once again, he gestured to the floor to once again remind her to keep herself as low as possible to avoid any stray gunshots or shrapnel. Mere seconds later, the unmistakable sound of a missile launching suddenly exploded from the front seat, where Rebecca had been sitting. The missile shot upwards, surging forwards until it struck the helicopter chasing the van and exploding into a splash of fire and metal pieces.

The spontaneous helmet did nothing to improve Avery’s mood. Neither did the sudden flurry of movement. Apparently the warehouse base was under attack. Avery cast the high-tech laptop a wistful glance. She got the feeling that she would never get to use it with everything that was going on. In the next instant, someone had grabbed her by the collar of her vest and was dragging her roughly towards the van they had arrived in.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Avery complained. She really disliked how much she was being manhandled lately. “I can walk by myself—” She was promptly thrown into the back of the vehicle. The helmet shifted on her head at the impact so that it fell over her eyes. She was blind. From the shaking of the van, she could tell that the others were getting inside, but there was too much noise outside for her to decipher much else.

Avery scrambled to tug the helmet off of her head. She could see again. But she didn’t like the sight that greeted her eyes. She was locked in the van with the same three goons she had been trapped with the first time around. Fletcher moved to search her for injuries – not that it was necessary. Apart from being tossed around like a sack of potatoes, she was unharmed. Still, she was too flustered by everything that had happened to argue about the checkup.

The bodyguard plopped the annoying helmet back on her head and moved to join Troy at the back of the van. Avery scoffed irritably, adjusting the helmet so it didn’t cover her eyes. She would never be rid of the ridiculous thing. She glanced at Fletcher when he said something about air support. Okay, she thought. These guys are calling in freaking air support? This is insane. Why did they want her dead so badly?

Fletcher gestured for Avery to stay low to the floor of the van. She reluctantly complied. She didn’t want to take orders from him, but she also wasn’t stupid. She didn’t want to die. She heard the sound of a missile being fired from the front of the van. Then something exploded overhead. Rebecca must have taken out the air support Fletcher had mentioned.

“You’re all crazy!” Avery shouted over the sound of shrapnel raining down around the vehicle. “Every one of you!”

Troy couldn’t contain his laughter any longer; the helicopter’s various parts showering down around them and on top of the van, as though large, heavy hail was slamming against the metal roofing and the sight of the truck speeding up after them – the windshield tinted dark and impossible to see through, along with the screaming of their new boss were all far too much to contain his enjoyment. Raising his rifle, he began to unload it in the direction of the truck – watching as dents began to form in the front of the windshield and the grill, where the metal itself had been replaced with bullet-resilient materials. Fletcher matched the actions almost instantly, having loaded up his weapon in the time he’d spent moving from where Avery was seated to the back, where Troy was all but hanging out the back.

The truck showed no signs of slowing down. In fact; it only got closer and closer with each passing second. Finally, it met the backside of the van and caused the inhabitants to jolt forwards in shock – the truck slowing just a beat before charging at them again – knocking them once more.

“Of course they’ve got bullet-proof tires…” Troy chuckled, letting the large clip of his weapon fall and flop outside and onto the road as he loaded a fresh clip instead, “Let’s see how they go when they lose their cool.” He cracked a grin – once again aiming his weapon and firing indiscriminately at the windshield of the truck. Before long it began to accelerate even faster, Fletcher shifting backwards to slam the side of his fist against the van to signal to the driver. Suddenly, they pulled to the side and evaded the charge this time. With this opportunity, the two once again redoubled their efforts with their rifles – firing upon the weaker side doors to the truck continuously until a very clear splatter of blood reached the window. The truck began to swerve slowly and continued to pick up speed as the driver died behind the wheel. The van slowed a little to let it continue on past, Rebecca watching as it turned and flipped itself – letting them pass without further incident.

“Alright… Let’s change vehicle and get to HQ.” Fletcher let off a heavy sigh, now confident that they’d dealt with the last of their issues for now.

Avery was done with everything. Even though the danger had passed, she didn’t get up from the floor of the van. In the midst of everything, she had remembered her waiting client. She had missed their appointment to meet. It was the first time she had ever missed an appointment. Never missing an appointment was part of her reputation. Now that reputation had a permanent blemish. And it all these idiots’ fault.

Avery cursed under her breath when the van hit a bump, causing her to hit her head on the floor. The helmet was so heavy that it took an unnecessary amount of effort to pick her head up again. The stupid thing was making her neck sore. She lifted herself to her knees and pulled the helmet off again. Who cared what Fletcher thought? She had had enough of it. She tossed the helmet aside and scooted back to lean against the side of the vehicle.

She drew her legs to her chest and propped her head on her knees, resolving to ignore everyone else until they got to… wherever it was they were going. She didn’t have to wait long. After about ten more minutes, the vehicle came to a halt. Avery looked up, waiting for the others to make a move. She wanted to get out of the darkness of the back of the van as soon as possible.

“Can I leave yet?” Avery asked sarcastically. She already knew they weren’t going to let her go. The question was meant more to pester the guards again and to vent some of her frustration.

The van slowed to a stop – darkness enveloping the exterior of the vehicle, indicating that it was inside a building once again. Avery’s guards however did not move this time – instead they braced a little a few seconds prior to the ground suddenly jerking downwards. The ground beneath the van itself was actually the surface of an elevator. As they quickly descended into the depths of the earth, Fletcher finally returned to Avery’s side and plucked her helmet from the floor.

“It’s dangerous outside at the moment.” He sighed quietly; clearly less irate than he was moments prior when they were still under fire from their pursuers, “Stay in the building for now.” He all but ordered her. With that said and done, he turned away from the clearly still frustrated woman to quickly check up on some things with Troy – who begrudgingly responded. It didn’t take much longer for them to finally reach the lowest level, where they could safely depart the now all too familiar insides of the van they’d abducted her in. the side door slid open once again and Fletcher helped her out, removing her vest for her while he was at it and tossed it back inside lazily.

“There was no satellite coverage on this area today; we should be okay for a while yet, so long as we’re careful.” Rebecca announced, hopping down from the passenger seat and smoothing her commando gear slowly. She gave Avery a playful wink, knowing that’d probably only serve to rile her up even further.

“I’ll take her from here.” She finally faced Fletcher, who gave a shrug of acknowledgement. Without hesitation, she ran her arm around behind Avery’s shoulders and grasped gently at her opposite arm – keeping her nice and closer as she led her further into her new home.

“This is Foundation Quarter 52. As you’d probably be able to tell; it is the 52nd of many quarters the Foundation owns and maintains. Every last one of them has facilities for living, bunkers, armouries and personnel eager to help you.” Rebecca began to explain, giving little time for her to soak it all in but confident with her mental capacity that she’d be able to take it fairly well, “You, Avery Collins… Daggers… Krueger. You’re the only living heir to the position of chairman; the Professor, your father, has been MIA for eight months. With things how they are it is only natural for the rest of the world to also consider you as the last issue. Do you have any questions?” Rebecca continued, as they passed through the checkpoint and started towards the living quarters.

Avery rolled her eyes as Fletcher took her vest. She had been hoping he would forget about it so she might be able to keep it. Wishful thinking. The girl, Rebecca, joined them, saying something about satellite coverage. She winked at Avery, who curled her lip in response. With everything that had happened in the last hour, she was in no mood for silly antics.

“I’ll take her from here,” Rebecca said, looping her arm around Avery’s shoulders and guiding her through the building.

Avery only half paid attention to Rebecca’s explanation as she looked around. This place was just as high-tech as the last one they were in. Various people milled about, each one performing some task or another. She noticed that they occasionally glanced in her direction. She wondered just how many people were involved in this organization.

“You, Avery Collins… Daggers… Krueger,” Rebecca’s voice drew her from her musings. “You’re the only living heir to the position of chairman; the Professor, your father, has been MIA for eight months. With things how they are it is only natural for the rest of the world to also consider you as the last issue. Do you have any questions?”

So. Her father had been gone for eight months? It made sense why he wasn’t responding to any of the emails she sent him— not that there were very many of them. They had never been on close enough terms to keep up a steady flow of communication. Still, she found that his absence bothered her. She was hardly an emotional person, but if he was dead or something, it would mean that she never got a proper chance to make up with him. But it was his fault, she justified. He caused the rift.

“I just have one question,” Avery said as they walked along. “I get that you people think you’re protecting me, but why am I here? What’s so special about me that you feel the need to risk your lives to keep me out of danger. My old man’s the one with all the power and knowledge about this stuff. Next to him, I don’t think there’s much I can do to help this organization— even if I’m his heir.” She shrugged and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. “The only thing I’m good for is hacking computers.”