“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.