"Let's go. Time to write a mission report for our esteemed CEO."
Annie followed him, watching his composed figure from behind, but the turmoil inside her refused to settle.
The two quickly left the scene and took a private car back to Vought Tower.
"Go get some rest," Lucian told Annie in the elevator.
"What about you?" Annie asked instinctively. She could sense that what Lucian was about to do might be more important than the capture itself.
"I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Edgar." Lucian's answer confirmed her suspicion.
The elevator doors opened, and Lucian headed straight for the private elevator leading to Edgar's office.
Vought Tower, the CEO's office. Lucian walked straight up to the heavy solid-wood door and knocked.
"Come in."
Stan Edgar's steady voice came from inside.
Lucian pushed the door open and entered.
Inside the spacious office, Edgar sat behind his desk, holding a telephone receiver in one hand. Seeing Lucian enter, he did not hang up, merely placing the receiver on the desktop.
That subtle gesture was itself a form of silent pressure, as though saying: My time is valuable. You're only a brief interruption.
Lucian pulled out a chair and sat down, crossed his legs, and got straight to the point.
"The mission failed."
He met Edgar's gaze across the broad desktop.
"Conflict broke out within the team. Homelander severely injured Black Noir, and Stormfront then executed him."
Emotion stirred on Edgar's normally impassive face. Things had slipped out of his control.
He raised a hand to rub between his brows, pressing his fingertips hard against his skin.
Kenji's escape would trigger a series of unpredictable chain reactions. With a key witness available, Congress, the military, the CIA... those sharks would smell blood and immediately close in. *Why did Stormfront kill