Days passed, as is their wont, and Iris was laying in bed one night when her phone vibrated. She did not recognize the number.
(???) "Walk through the wall beside Olivia's training room."
She snuck out and to Olivia's training room, tentatively placing her finger in the wall beside it, then walking through it to a familiar office. She sat across from his shifting face.
"Iris Valentine, or now Kronos. Before we begin, I extend my condolences regarding Natasha's death. The death of a mentor can be a difficult thing, to have someone's scent or walk close to you for months, then for it to be suddenly gone. But, it is good that you've managed to continue your excellence as a student without falling into depression or delusion."
She was a bit surprised. "Thank you. I've mostly recovered now. I still carry her around with me, but it's somewhat muted from what was once there. … Why did you call me?"
"We will discuss that after the matter of Kairos… the first working dual Revenant. I realize the particularities of it are still being investigated, so to speak, but explain it as you know it."
"…as far as I can tell, Kairos is a combination of Meteorology and Phantom. It hasn't diminished either's capabilities, if that's why you're asking." Subtly she decided to test something. "My samples were sent to a government doctor, no? Dr. Yuruko Kunst?"
"Dr. Yuruko Kunst does not work for any government. She's a Revenant researcher for the independent agency Timepact -- you might recognize it as where Swarm works."
"I do now."
Somehow this new information did nothing to alleviate her distrust. Paranoia is a most feline thing; you might think yourself rid of it only to find it transfigured to a subtler form.
He spoke. "She is a skilled researcher: if there is a defect with Kairos she will find it. Regardless, the purpose of this meeting was to again probe your interest in government work."
"I'd like to know what happened with Salvatore first."
"I thought you might. Obviously, circumstances made a quiet assassination impossible, though some factions of the Family attempted to pin it on the others regardless. We thought at first that this might lead to the civil war we had hoped for, but there was a better outcome that we had only briefly considered: that another Underboss might replace Salvatore entirely."
"Why is that better?"
"Because we already know the identity of this new host, whereas unraveling Salvatore's took years, the extent of which we are still uncovering. Salvatore was cautious, partially due to his paranoia: he refused to encroach too hastily into business that was not his, and his tendency to strike down many enemies where there were few occasionally resulted in the death of valuable, compromised subordinates."
"I would think the government would prefer a man without a penchant for heavy expansion."
"In the 70s and 80s, correct. No longer. The steady accumulation of professional hosts has created a situation where if we were to know every member of the Marrivelli Family today, tomorrow there would be a graveyard of criminals the likes of which has never been seen."
"I wouldn't mind seeing it." she said. "But I suppose what you're currently lacking is Kairos' investigative ability. Still, I never picked up that Salvatore was delusional. He seemed rational, if obviously evil."
"Only because of his ability to convince others to his own deluded state of mind; a narrative absurd when its knot is tugged but seems outwardly kempt. He saw conspiracies where there were none, enemies where there were none."
"To be fair, his son was conspiring against him, no? He was about to report his own father to Urasaria. He inherited more from Salvatore than he thought."
"Certainly, but matters were not always as linear as the one you uncovered." he said. "Regardless, our current plan is to assassinate the remaining Underbosses and see how well we can control our chosen boy. He is far more predictable than Salvatore and lacks his acumen: if he were left alone with power he might destroy the entire Family by himself."
"…and even if the other Bosses realize, it'll only be another alleyway into paranoia. They'll accuse each other of being government informants."
"Which will involve them invoking the name of Salvatore like a martyred saint. Precisely."
Iris mused. "Why didn't you contact me again after Natasha died?"
"You answered that question yourself earlier."
"You weren't interested once you thought I was no longer hosting Phantom."
"Correct. Does that disturb you?"
"No. I'd rather be told the harsh truth than fed gentle lies."
"Then as I told you before: so long as you host Phantom, agencies will be interested in you. Given its seeming revival, we are interested yet again."
"Do you have a contract for me, then?" she said.
"Not currently. This meeting was simply to remind you of your options."
"Then don't contact me again until you do."
Iris walked out. She was not perturbed by this revelation; she was not so naive to believe it was the woman they wanted and not the Revenant. She thought if she would tell Olivia about this the next morning, but she decided against it; it was not any distrust that paused her but professionalism, for she knew she was in this world what she provided.