Let's Make A Splash

[Spectre]

Los Santos. As it was going to be her home away from home for a while, Spectre was getting the hell out of there until her presence was absolutely required. In truth, she rather hated this part of the country, but as always she did as Saladin requested. Still, she had some time of her own left before her next mission and she intended to make good use of it.

As it happened, she had an idea of where she wanted to be and who she wanted to spend her time with. A car trip later she was another pretty face perusing the shops of Los Angeles. Shopping for pretty things, but not buying. Buying was far too strong a term. Spectre was not giving any security, financial or otherwise to the unevolved. She walked into a rather hip little shop after spotting an outfit in the window that screamed for her attention. A short white dress. Shiny white leather boots that laced up to the knee. Oh yes, this was for her! Leaving the shop in the very outfit, the clerk thanked her for her patronage, assured her she looked divine, and begged her soon return. She almost felt bad for the loss he would feel later when he realized he'd made no commission on the designer outfit. Even though he would later swear the woman had presented him with a platinum card!

Suitably outfitted, Spectre decided to treat herself to a manicure and pedicure. While her toes were bathing in a bubbling, fragrant spa, Spectre watched the news with little interest. Sports news. Not really her thing, it didn't hold her interest until a segment appeared flashing across the ticker at the bottom of the screen.

'..yet another renowned athlete being removed from their sport due to genetic mutation. Swimming event was fixed with grossly inappropriate advantage...'

A picture of the swimmer in question flashed across the flat screen. She was a lovely woman by all accounts, from the Greek team.

'..stripped of all previous records and left in United States custody, pending customs dispute..'

It seemed her own country had abandoned her, poor thing. Spectre knew another athlete that had suffered a similar set back to their goals. A gymnast, rather than a swimmer but the story was the same. What was not understood was feared. And fear always caused the mundane to scuttle about like so many cockroaches.

'..last seen being escorted from the Los Angeles meet..'

She was here? Spectre looked at the windows trying to calculate the likelihood of finding the Grecian swimmer before tonight. After all, she wasn't going for all this primping for nothing!

[Stern]

Michael Stern was in uniform, waiting for the mutant athlete as she was being escorted out of the arena where she was competing only moments ago.

He had only just begun to start developing systems and rules for the handling of mutants by the police force, but it seemed like he never got a lot of time for the administrative office work that needed to be accomplished.

He would simply have to lead by example. The police chief already agreed to let Stern take point in the transferring of the young woman to a holding cell.

When the young mutant exited the building amidst a sea of paparazzi and reporters, Stern took her gently by the elbow and increased his own light just enough that it would cause horrendous glare. The mutant woman was going through enough without all the films and pictures.

"I hope you don't even get a clear view of her pinky," he thought.

"Get the reporters out of here! We're taking her back to the precinct, and we will under no circumstances be treating her as armed or dangerous! If you want to point a gun, I hear there's plenty of gangs around."

Stern eased the shell shocked swimmer into the back seat of the car and then calmly helped her scoot to the middle before climbing in after her. another policeman got in on the other side. Once everyone was situated, the driver pulled away.

[Phedre Kallianos]

It was bound to happen.

Unavoidable, really, especially in the high profile world of sports.

Where you could take steroids or other substances to give yourself an unnatural edge, but if you possessed an evolutionary edge that the gods had blessed you with...well, -that- was anathema.

Though Phedre has prepared for it as any hiding mutant must, the moment itself hit like a punch to the gut. Driving the breath from her lungs and leaving her doubled over where she sat by the side of the pool. Faces blurred together, united in shock and fear. Even disgust and loathing at learning what had been in their midst for so long. What had held their team together in the worst of times, the person that had saved each of them too many times to count.

Pure and unadulterated, grief rode hard on the heels of loss as she rose fro her seat. Dozens of coaches and members of numerous teams had found their way poolside to watch her disgrace. Oh no, it wouldn't do to simply take her aside and tell her. She had to be made an example of.

A phalanx of security guards had weapons trained on her, the horde of lawyers and executives behind them brandished test results, accusations of misconduct, even testimonials from coaches, teammates, and sponsors.

Phedre took her time, rising with a grace and ease that belied the rage festering deep in her heart. She refused to give them the satisfaction of breaking down, of pleading, of crying, of screaming. Instead, she donned her pride like so much armor.

Deliberate movements saw her things gathered into bags, neatly packed as if she were simply done for the day, and not the rest of her life. Lightbulbs flashed as some of the guards lost control of the media horde, their questions making her eyes blaze with hatred but her lips remained closed. Chin lifted defiantly, she was escorted out and soon ensconced between two uniformed policemen, one of whom was a mutant with an energy ability that made the cameras cease in a flurry of curses.

"Thank you." Phe said in a murur, ensuring that the words remained neutal even as her expression was tight.

[Spectre]

She had arrived just a few minutes too late. The mutant was being escorted out of the building by the police. More than just the police it would seem, even as the mutant was ducking her head to get into the back of car, the swarm of paparazzi around them simultaneously paused and began checking their malfunctioning equipment. No coincidence there..

Entering the mind of the driver, and engaging in a more direct confrontation was not beyond the realm of possibility for Spectre. Today however called for a more subtle touch. Why bother with car chases and further alarming the poor swimmer when it could be handled with much less mess. She glanced up at the rosy sky. It would be sunset soon on the west coast. Perfect timing.

Turning on a heel, the woman in white walked away..

A short while later she drove up in a 'borrowed' car to one of the areas many hotels. The driver's side door was opened by a valet, who took the keys. "Checking in, miss?", he asked.

"No. Just visiting a friend who is staying here.", she smiled, glancing up at the reflective surface of the building. With an eye catching saunter, she entered the building, heading for the elevators.

Now where are you hiding...?, she thought with a devilish grin.

[Stern]

"You're welcome," Stern said to the swimmer.

Stern looked outside the window and then turned to the woman sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry that happened. Just know that you're not in any trouble. We won't arrest you or put you in holding. We're just going to take you to the precinct, get a statement, and then wait a few hours until things are calm enough to let you go home. We don't want you getting hurt."

He smiled, even though he knew it wouldn't do much to ease the tension. "So, what is your gift? Depending on the nature of your talent and how they found out, it is possible that we can get you back to swimming in the near future."

[Void]

Officially, the penthouse suite was unoccupied. The door was locked and the curtains were drawn. There were clean towels in the bathroom, perfectly pressed sheets on the bed, and an appropriately well-stocked mini-bar beneath the wide-screen television that dominated the northern wall of the master bedroom.

The channel was set to Fox News, showing rolling coverage of local and national stories. Void could see the flickering images as he stood in front of the suite's bathroom mirror, his pale face bathed in sallow yellow light as he smeared black paint around his black eyes. He wore a white shirt which was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing even whiter flesh.

“...So when my son is looking at going to college, and he's counting on that scholarship he's due, what then? This kid has worked his ass off, put in the hours on the field and in class, only to be shut out 'cause some mutant can do everything he does without any of the effort? I'm sorry, but that's just un-American.”

Only half listening, his eyes snapped back to the television's reflection when the camera cut from yet another talking head to the so-called breaking footage of now internationally blacklisted athlete Phedre Kallianos being bundled into a police vehicle. It was looped two, three more times and then the dissection began. Void tuned the noise out as he heard the unexpected ping of the elevator beyond the suite door.

With a frown, he set down the grease-paint and took a step forward. He moved through his reflection, through the wall that the mirror was fixed to and into the narrow corridor that stretched between the elevator and the door to the penthouse suite. A figure in white was emerging from the elevator carriage.

[Spectre]

Stepping from the elevator onto the tiled foyer floor, the tap of her newly booted heels heralded Spectre's arrival. She spotted her partner, Void, phasing through the wall, and her smile only broadened. "Hey, babe..."

Her attention was claimed, once more, by the sound of the latest news drifting out from beyond the wall from the master bedroom. She nodded in that general direction. "I just came from there. One of those officers is a mutant. Warrants checking into, yeah?"

[Void]

“I always enjoyed a good jail-break.”

Void smiled the kind of smile that couldn't have meant happiness for anyone but himself. He held out a hand to Spectre, their fingertips linking together so that they could both pass through the ordinarily solid door to the penthouse suite. Inside the suite, Void kept on walking to the master bed, where a lightweight holdall was crumpling the sheets. With his empty hand he tossed the tub of black paint into the bag and spared only an impassive glance for the anti-mutant bigot on the television screen.

“I haven't heard from the boss yet. He wants us both to look into it?”

[Spectre]

"Not that he mentioned, no.", Spectre admitted.

Leaning a bare hip against the elevated foot of the bed, she watched the replay a few more times, noticing something she hadn't before. Anger. Miss Phedre's eyes glittered with it. Aside from hurt, she was furious at the situation. Spectre didn't blame her. Being manhandled and shamed by those apes was intolerable.

"But.. I think we should bust her out anyway. Think of it as an extra credit assignment.", she tossed her silver-blond hair over her shoulder, turning around. "Better us, than the alternative."

[Phedre Kallianos]

A sculpted brow rose as she realized the driver of the car was still staring at her in the rear view mirror. With the ghost of a smile, the mutant allowed her eyes to change, feeling them warm as they became orbs of pure, crystalline water. They swirled and eddied, driven by unseen winds, light from the streetlamps and cameras outside the vehicle lending them an eerie gleam.

The officer paled and locked his gaze on the now-open road before them, pulling the vehicle smoothly away from the suffocating attention and throngs of paparazzi. Phedre closed her eyes for a brief moment as she settled back into her seat and let her eyes revert to their normal state once more.

She had only just opened them when the mutant office beside her spoke, leaving questions hanging between them. His smile, though warm and genuine, did little to alleviate the tension and stress she bore. She turned slightly to take a better look at him as she thought a moment, and then replied.

"I'm afraid the International Federation will never permit me anywhere near the sport again. I've apparently done enough damage to their precious reputation by simply being evolved, nevermind posessing the ability to manipulate water." Save the slightly rolled r's, there was no other accent in her lush tone. Years of living and training in the United States had seen to it.

"As for going home, I was told that wasn't allowed. They've already destroyed...my passport. I'll be staying here in LA for the forseeable future."

[Stern]

"Not if I can help it," Stern replied. "I'm Michael Stern, Mutant Crimes Unit. My unit handles crimes committed by mutants, and crimes against mutants. You qualify for the latter. This is a clear-cut case of discrimination, and we're going to see that these people are taught a lesson."

Stern opened a notepad and retrieved a pen. "Ok, I'm going to need your name, age, date of birth, and the nature of your gifts. I won't register you. Compulsory registration is still a ways off." He was, of course, referring to the Mutant Registration Act. "We'll be getting footage of the swim meet, athletic records, and a few other key pieces of information to make your case."

Stern smiled. "Don't mind Jameson. I'm sure he just thought you were pretty. He usually doesn't stare. Right, Jameson?" The tone was joking, but the question at the end grew an edge to it--a reminder that officers were to treat mutants as people, not as freaks.

[Phedre Kallianos]

Phedre nodded, folding her hands in her lap after arranging the ends of her scarf. "My given name is Phedre Athena Kallianopulos, but I use Phedre Kallianos in competition. The shorter name saves the announcers the embarrassment of always getting it wrong. I was born on December thirty-first, nineteen eighty-five, in a tiny seaside village on Santorini. My only power is the ability to control and manipulate water at will. Part of that stems from the fact that my body is ninety-two point eight percent water. This is public knowledge...or, is about to be if they leak my test results to the press."

Among a few other things you really don't need to know about...the mutant left unsaid, choosing to lock away her thoughts lest they be plucked from her head.

[Stern]

Stern rubbed his chin after he jotted the info down.

"The water manipulation thing is probably what's done it," he said, mostly to himself.

Wheels turned in his head as he figured up how he was going to save this woman's career. He'd need a lot of information: some past, some current. And (even though he didn't like it), he'd need to get in touch with Jericho to help him nail down the rest.

"We're going to need all your times and records for your swimming career. We'll have to compare those times to the ones we're going to generate with and without the use of your powers. It's going to take a little time, and a lot of patience, but we can get you your life back."

Stern smiled and laughed like someone standing over a beaten foe. "We'll show them to throw you out without cause."

Stern turned to Phedre, brightening as he got more confident. "You won't be able to leave town, and you'll have to lay low."

[Phedre Kallianos]

Head dipped in a brief nod, the woman opened the delicate purse in her lap, its sleek designer lines seemingly out of place against the backdrop of her comfortable sports gear. She withdrew from a pocket within a tiny thumb drive, letting it rest clutched in her palm.

Dark eyes grew distant as she only half listened to the mutant officer, memories rising from the depths of her mind to cloud her present.

'Papa? Why don't we see Thia Sofia anymore?' a tiny, delicate voice emerged from an equally delicate child, clad in a pretty blue dress and bare feet.

Her father, a handsome, weathered man glanced at her over his shoulder before returning to his task. Aboard a small fishing boat anchored in the midst of the Aegean, off the coast of their home island of Santorini, he plied his trade. But even the bright afternoon sun couldn't mask the pain and hatred that marred his face. 'Because Thia Sofia is no longer part of this family. We do not speak of her or to her any longer, because she is an offense to God.'

'But Papa? Why? Did she do something wrong?' confusion reigned in her child's tone, bare feet making little sound as she padded about on the boat. Fingers clung tightly to her beloved stuffed sheep, proudly named Themi, after the older brother who had given it to her.

'Korona mou, I will say this once and then you will never ask again or I will be very angry. Understood?' he paused and looked at her once more until she nodded and clutched her sheep to her chest. 'Thia Sofia is unclean. She possesses and uses a gift that is not from God. She is a mutant, like the ones you've been reading about in church. They are filthy, unclean creatures that do not live in God's light. That is why we do not speak to or think of Thia Sofia. It is God's will.'

The net he was working on was brimming with fish as he hauled it in. She squealed with delight as she set about helping her father sort them into buckets of ocean water. Her once beloved Thia forgotten in the light of having fish to play with, her father's amusement echoing above the waves as she dashed about madly. Stefano never even noticed little Phedre's eyes turn a deep, ocean blue as she was doused by a wave that splashed over the side.

She gently shook her head as the police vehicle turned into an underground parking structure beneath the LAPD headquarters. Turning back to Michael, she offered him the thumb drive in her hand. "That is a comprehensive listing of my career, up until the World Championships I was just ejected from. Dates, times, race finishes, opponent's times...its all there. There are some video clips as well, but likely not as many as you'll wish to review. Try ESPN and NBC."

Phedre stepped out of the vehicle and was summarily surrounded by what seemed like a phalanx of officers, ready to escort her inside. Fingers curled tightly around her purse, and would have formed fists if it were not there. She was tired. Tired of hiding what she was and suppressing the natural abilities she was born with. Tired of complying with rules and regulations set in place by a fearful populace of unwashed, ungifted mundanes. Always fearful of the new and different.

Lifting her chin, she straightened her five foot eight inch frame and let nothing of her thoughts be visible in her features. She would wait, biding her time until an opportunity presented itself. Blinking, Phedre glanced up at Michael as he continued and let a smile curl her lips that didn't reach her dark eyes. "I can certainly do that. If you or someone could recommend a suitable hotel, I would like to rest and gather my thoughts as soon as possible. Until then, I am at your service."

[Veronica]

She wanted to smoke badly, but the LAPD frowned hard on it. It had been getting easier since she'd started to cut down a year ago, down to a cancer stick every day. She tapped the nicotine patch underneath her police blues. Instead, she popped a nicotine gum chicklet into her mouth. Hell or high water, she wasn't going to be noticed too much aside from her exemplary entrance scores, on both the physical and written exam. Veronica at this point knew the police's rules as well as they did. It was important when dodging them.

Veronica had learned to read, finally. She'd never really needed to read before. She could speak Chinese, English and French with smatterings of Russian, Korean and Arabic, but read and write? Sadly a part of a police officer's job. Officer II Veronica Hu needed to know how to write and read, so Veronica had learned at Saladin's behest. He'd insisted it was her, principally because her powers were non-obvious and her skill-set matched the best. They had a contract, and Saladin's money was always good.

Veronica's face had been altered to look more Chinese, but she still had the same powerful build and fast hands. Stern was none-the-wiser. In fact, their interview was probably the one time she'd been able to be almost entirely honest about her opinions, except for the part about being a mutant. Her dimly developed conscience almost felt bad about shooting him.

She formed the outermost part of the police phalanx that closed around the new arrivals when they cleared the car. Like most of the people in the MCU, Veronica knew exactly who the swimmer was now. Another one getting the short end of the stick.

[Stern]

"Officer Hu, good," Stern said once they were in the building.

"Take our friend here to the break room and see she gets a snack and a drink. I need to get in touch with the lawyer and make sure he knows he's needed."

Stern hated the lawyer the LA City Courts handed him. The man obviously didn't care about the cases. It was bad enough he was a mutant bigot, but he also happened to be a pretty bad lawyer too. Luckily for Stern, the man was bought on the idea of monopolizing mutant court cases. But that meant the lawyer had to win.

So far, Stern was managing things well enough, but he still wanted a new lawyer. A good lawyer. A mutant lawyer.

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done so we can begin making arrangements to get her out of here."

[Void]

"But.. I think we should bust her out anyway. Think of it as an extra credit assignment.", she tossed her silver-blond hair over her shoulder, turning around. "Better us, than the alternative."

Glancing back at the never-ending news ticket, Void nodded. It had been a while since he'd been involved in anything other than observation and reconnaissance so it would be good to do something that made genuine use of his abilities.

“Alright. How are we going to do this?”

There was no doubt about either of their capability in something as simple as an extraction – but their mission brief for Los Angeles had been to keep a low profile. They couldn't openly be seen breaking the law, particularly now that the Mutant Registration Act was such a hot topic. Getting arrested would never be a problem for Void and Spectre -their powers made an prison woefully ineffective - but there were other members of the Brotherhood who weren't so lucky.

[Phedre Kallianos]

It didn't take very long until she was ensconced in a small lounge area within the heart of LAPD headquarters.

There were no windows in the small room, but the chairs were at least comfortable, and the small TV was mercifully tuned to a nature documentary about cheetahs.

Phedre dropped her duffel bag and jacket on the floor beside one of the chairs, turning to speak to female officer. "Thank you. Is there cell phone reception in here? I'd like to make a few phone calls." She smiled as the officer nodded and took up a position just outside the doorway.

Fingers delicately plucked a sleek iPhone out of her clutch, scrolling through her contact list. First call was to the team's hotel, asking that her things be gathered and secured. Next was a call to her agent, one of the few who knew the truth about what she was. Straight to voice mail.

No surprise there. Phedre knew too well that he'd drop her the moment her x gene was made public knowledge.

Her third phone call rang through, and she waited.

"Legete..."

"Themi? Did I wake you?"

"No, Phe, you didn't...just hung up with dad."

"He heard?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't want to hear from me, does he."

"No."

"If I can get my passport back, should I bother coming home?"

"Might be best not to. You won't be welcome."

"Not even by you and Lexi?"

"Sorry kiddo, you know I-"

"Don't bother, Themi. Don't bother. You're just like every other normal human. Hate what's different."

If he said anything in response, she didn't hear it as she hung up on him. She was somewhere between rage and sorrow, having hoped that at least her big brother would have her back. But no, he had to fall into line with the rest those who were unevolved.

Gods, she deserved so much better than this.

Opening the bottle of soda, she took a sip and finally sat down, her expression blank. Well...blank save for her eyes which had become swirling jewel-blue orbs of water. Her free hand traced an absent pattern on her knee as she crossed her legs, smoothing out the soft cotton of her warm-up pants.

[Spectre]

“Alright. How are we going to do this?”

"The easy way.", she replied. Coming around to his side of the bed, Spectre stood in front of her cadaverously painted partner.

Taking out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts. She smiled at a particular name. "There's my girl!" With a grin she typed a quick message to an officer of the MCU division of the LAPD, and sent it on it's way.

"We need a car. Miss Kallianos will be picked up by representatives of her sports agency soon."

[Veronica]

Veronica was about to gently knock on the door when her cellphone buzzed on her belt. It was a prepaid phone, tied to someone else's Social Security number. It's fanciest feature was the fact it had a slide out keyboard to make texting simpler.

Her lips twitched as she read the message. This wouldn't be too difficult to do. At least, if nothing went wrong. She sent a short message back with a brief contingency plan if something went wrong, and deleted all text message history.

Veronica opened the door slowly. She knew that the swimmer had finished her conversation, and that it had not gone well. While she had no idea how to handle her own emotions most of the time, she had plenty of experience observing others.

"Can I get you anything?" Veronica asked politely.