The League

Chapter 18 - Teen Angst

The train he took from Jethro stopped in Manhattan. Phoenix maneuvered through the station's crowd as he headed toward the connection to Queens. The abundance of people usually comforted him, but after all that happened, he only wanted peace and quiet.

He called Kate right as he got into the train. Surprisingly, she picked up on the first ring. He heard her sigh, and he could picture her rubbing her temples, preparing for a headache.

"Let's hear it," she said.

"What makes you think there's something bad to hear?" he asked.

"Because despite you being done with anything League-related, you called me on the same night Tara took you to Jethro, and you're calling me now. There's no way this is just a friendly check-in."

The train started moving. He found it funny that the other riders had no idea he was talking to a high-clearance superhero agent who was likely sitting at League headquarters and trying to figure out how to not let the world end.

"You're right," he admitted. "I do have to tell you something, but I hope you're well."

"As well as I can be. Sorry I missed your calls. So, what is it?"

"Yesterday, after I gave Director Diop my report, I ran into Crimson, and-"

"Hold on!" Kate interrupted, making him jump in his seat. "What do you mean, you ran into Crimson?"

He blinked. "I was just walking on the sidewalk, and I bumped into someone, and it turned out to be him."

"And then you kept walking, right?" she asked. "You pretended you didn't see him, and you walked away?"

Phoenix smiled at her concern. He appreciated it, even though it made him feel like an idiot. Which he was. She had every right to expect him to not engage.

"No," he said. "Sorry. I followed him, and then Violet showed up, and...I'm okay, Kate, I promise. Violet asked me to warn you guys that Azure and someone called Ravager are planning something bad, and Electra may be joining them."

"Azure? Does this mean the Snakes disbanded?"

Phoenix recalled Violet's face when he asked what happened. "It seemed like it. She also said that Black and Amara are completely out of the picture."

Kate let out a deep breath. "Alright," she said, uneasy. "This isn't good, but I'm glad we know. Thank you. Is there anything else?"

The wheels screeched against the tracks during a turn, and Phoenix waited until it was over. "I found something out," he said quietly. "About my family. My parents left a video explaining what happened. I ran into their friend's son, Mason Walker, and he gave it to me."

"Mason Walker?" Kate repeated. "As in, of Walker Technologies? That Mason Walker?"

"The very one."

"You're telling me that, in a city of millions of people, you just happened to run into the Snakes and Mason Walker, on the same day?"

It was unbelievable when it happened, and it sounded crazier said out loud. "I swear," he sighed, "it's true. I guess I'm lucky."

"That depends. What you found out...is it good news?"

Phoenix's hand tightened around his phone. He'd asked himself the same question a million times on the way here, and he still didn't have an answer. "Jack and Eleanor were stolen when they were a few months old," he said. "My parents searched, but they never found them. Then they quit the League permanently to protect the family."

There was a moment of silence, and then Kate repeated, "They never found them."

The implication was clear. "No," he said tightly.