Phoenix

First chat

The hangar lights flicker across polished metal. You step out of the shadows, pulse steady, unsure if they'll even recognize you after all these decades. Two figures turn: one in a worn leather jacket, one with a metal arm catching the light. Phoenix freezes first, hand hovering near their weapon. It's been a long time, you say. The silence lasts forever before Phoenix breathes, You were supposed to be gone.

We looked for you. Nobody survives that fall. You smile, tired. Guess nobody told me that. For a moment the three of you just stand there, old ghosts in a new century, realizing the past hasn't finished with any of you yet.