Frost & Flames | Soulmate AU 2 |

Five

a/n: please enjoy some new chapters during this time of chaos. I hope y'all are practicing adequate social distancing B) stay safe my dudes :)

Max

Finally managing to get into contact with Lake was a relief for about a moment until he practically begged to talk to Rowan first. Hearing only one half of the couple's conversation was enough for me to realize that Lake certainly didn't make it out of The Vault unscathed. I only know for sure that he had his arm broken, but judging by Rowan's face when he handed me back the phone, something else happened that was much worse. I don't press, because Lake would've told me if he wanted me to know. All of it made me even angrier than I already was: not only had Lake been victimized by being framed for committing a heinous crime, but he wound up being victimized all over again in a prison he was wrongfully forced into.

"Max, you should come see this," JD calls from the couch on the common floor. He's staring at the TV in front of him. My stomach flips. No good news has come from the damn thing in days. This is starting to get old.

I pad over, standing behind the back of the couch so I can watch over my agent's shoulder. There's a photo of Scofield, the director of the League, in the upper righthand corner of the screen, and at first I'm relieved, thinking that the man has finally taken control of the situation. Disbelief floods my body a moment later, my stomach dropping to my feet as I realize what the newscaster is actually saying. Director Scofield has been reported dead. His second in command, Janelle Key, has taken his place temporarily until she can be officially sworn in. No information about his actual death is included.

The screen switches to a photo of Lake, the one they've been running for the past two days of him in his full uniform, domino mask adhered firmly to his face, from a mission we went on last August. I guess there are some small mercies in this situation: the person who framed Lake wore a mask, as well, so at least some kind of barrier still exists between Lake Ford and Arctic Hurricane. The newscaster is now reporting that the League has confirmed Lake is "undoubtedly" responsible for the deaths of the Texas agents. News of his escape from an undisclosed prison has begun circulating, as well, and the League is reassuring the public that every facial recognition scanner they have set up within the country is hard at work trying to track him down.

"They're just gonna throw him under the bus?" JD fumes, throwing his hands up into the air in frustration. "That's it? He's not even worth the decency of an actual investigation?"

"He broke out of prison, Jay," Nick says from where she's come to stand beside me. "If he had any chance of an investigation before, it's gone now."

"So he should've just stayed there, then? At a prison that everyone in the League knows nobody ever comes back from once they're sent there?" he rants.

"Of course not. I'm just saying that it must have been easier to get everyone in charge in D.C. on board with the idea that he actually did it when they found out he broke out and is currently on the run," Nick replies, keeping her cool. She's been quite level-headed about everything since this situation broke out, which is an absolute relief. I can only wrangle so many of my agents in at a time. I've been trying not to think that this has been the same attitude she's had ever since her counterpart died before she ever got to meet him. It's less calm and more apathetic, which is so terribly unlike her, but there are only so many things I can spend my focus on right now. Mental health has to come after physical health and wellbeing in crises like this one.

"Captain Armstrong, Mr. Moon has requested I tell you that a tactical team from D.C. is in the elevator on their way up," Denis, our tower's AI says from overheard. The entire team tenses up. That can really mean only one thing: there are people here to either ransack the building searching for Lake, arrest the entire time, or both. I'm not going to take any chances.