Manhunt

Chapter 3

Virtus headquarters was home to hundreds of agents, gathered through the years of its operation. Many had started as allies who eventually merged with Virtus, finding that the organization aligned with their values and intentions. Like many agencies of its nature, Virtus started from a small group of mercenaries with a collective mission. Within that, various operations were conducted, leading the original founders to meet those who shared the same sentiment and life goal as Virtus. It was an organization with justice as its core value, and over time, the assassination body exploded in growth. Families and legacies were created within the agency, promoting the growth of Virtus and its objectives.

After some time, the physical merging between Virtus and its allies had stopped, the reason never having been disclosed. Virtus agents had their suspicions, whether it'd be to avoid betrayals within the organization from a supposed ally, or to simply focus on monitoring those already established at Virtus headquarters. Controlling its size was also the key to its success.

Although smaller than many organizations in the world, Virtus' strength was massive. What they didn't have in numbers, they made up in quality. All of that, coupled with their policies and protocols, created a sort of barrier that aided in keeping Virtus hidden from its enemies, as well as its allies.

Virtus was comparably small, but that didn't mean it lacked in its necessities.

Much of their technology was acquired by their own research lab or through alliances, allowing Virtus to stay ahead in the development of its tools and equipment. There was only one headquarters, but associated buildings and properties were scattered across the country. After all, it would be foolish to keep all of one's resources in one place.

Below the ground level of Virtus headquarters were multiple training grounds and development rooms, spanning from shooting ranges to traditional strength workout rooms, assorted weapons combat, and martial arts rings that were all connected by fortified tunnels. Medical training was also found there, expanding the repertoire of Virtus agents while also providing first aid to those who were too passionate during their training regimens. Further below held the biological research lab, Virtus library, and the Vault.

Julia often occupied the basement levels on the weekends, much like she was now.

Conscious of her status as a trainee, Julia never wanted to be left behind when it came to abilities and strength. Having Red as a mentor made her competitive, and having her parents as, well, parents, made her want to work twice as hard.

Emma and Aiden were well up the chain of command, often being seen with the Virtus higherups along with Red. Julia's mentor was by far the youngest to have made it up the ranks as quickly as she did, many claiming her as a prodigy. She was talented on the field and brilliant in the lab, but her expertise truly lied in extracting information. Red was one of Virtus' strongest and most lethal interrogators in more ways than one. When she'd obtain a role for an operation, she'd commit completely to it, sometimes becoming an entirely different person. This often made her successful in high-risk reconnaissance missions, where she'd be so invested in information gathering while becoming part of the environment, that she'd even throw off her own team.

Her acts were convincing, to say the least.

But Julia knew that she was deemed a strong information specialist for her torture techniques. Red never revealed what she'd do behind those doors, but Julia didn't need to know. What was incredibly clear was that she'd never want to be on Red's shit list.

Julia blew out a long sigh, already feeling inadequate when thinking about her family and precious mentor. It was for that reason that she'd come to Virtus whenever she could to train her body and mind. As much as she'd like to do it on the field conducting real missions, she knew it was against Virtus policy. She was just a trainee, and Virtus had no intentions of getting their newbies killed prematurely because they were eager.