Rachael couldn't help but be shocked as well as mildly intimidated by what the detective's abilities were truly capable of. He killed someone by complete accident, that's rather scary. Originally Rachael was envious of the detective's mutation, sure his abilities were rather disturbing and malicious by nature but he could just as easily ignore them and go about his business and no-one would be any the wiser. Or so she thought. Rachael never had to worry about losing control, her mutation only affected herself. She couldn't imagine what the detective must have gone through before he learnt how to control his abilities.

"It could be worse I suppose," Rachael admitted dejectedly. "How did you cope before you learnt how to use your abilities. If I was in your shoes I would have never felt comfortable around other people, just in case I hurt them." Hearing about the detectives past made Rachael feel rather petty. Her worries all seemed so superficial now.

"It's all about finding some way to put your abilities to good use? I've been trying to figure that out for some time now."

Linely sighed, she was clearly surprised that a mutant passing for a human could have issues, it was his experience that the non-obvious mutants tended to be more powerful, and more dangerous. "Fortunately the UK has good ways of dealing with mutant teenagers, being relatively tolerant compared to Australia, I was assigned to a powerful telepath, Dr Pritchard, who helped me control my powers. At first it was difficult, but it got easier with some of the techniques I learnt, so my teenage years were not rife with me continuously knocking people out. After I found out my powers could be lethal, due to losing control, I realised there needed to be a positive way to make use of my gifts. So I joined the police force" He couldn't deny that he could cause serious harm to individuals if he lost control...

"I know that I have mastered myself, and therefore I can feel comfortable with others. So long as I don't overexert myself, there is little danger that I would use my powers against anyone accidentally anymore." How could she apply this to her life was her real question now, I mean what was the point in telling her if she couldn't learn from his experience?

"Yes, your abilities make you unique, and embracing your differences and using them for the benefit of yourself and those around you helps considerably. For example, you don't have to eat, I assume on hot days you are a lot stronger and faster than your average human if my knowledge of photosynthesis is correct, surely there is a way to make use of that? Perhaps in sport? If you start to get more powerful, which is possible for a young mutant, you could become a force for great good, or great malice. Do not think of your mutation as a burden, but rather as a gift from God. " He hoped all this was helping her, these kinds of lectures from a 26 year old were probably sounding a bit weird, but she could hopefully at least see that he was a far more experienced mutant than her.

Rachael was surprised to hear that the United kingdom was not only accepting of mutants but actually supportive of them as well, going so far as to hire a telepath to aide the detective in handling his newfound abilities. This of course got Rachael thinking about what her life would have been like had Australia adopted a similar approach. She wouldn't have had to leave for starters, being able to adapt to her new lifestyle in the comfort of her own home would have been so much better. It would also have made learning her extent of her abilities easier, even now Rachael was sure there were more to her abilities than she’d learnt so far. Of course that was likely a pipe dream at the moment, Australia’s stance towards mutants was anything but hospitable.



“Was that aid provided to all mutants, or just to those that could pose a serious risk to the general population if left unchecked?” The ‘like a concerning number seem to be’ was left unsaid. Rachael had only been in the US a few short months but already she’d seen: Fireballs formed, psionic claws extended, and had first hand experience reliving the most painful experience of her life all over again. While she’d grown to condemn the practices her country seemed to employ in dealing with mutants she could understand their concern.



Thinking of a beneficial use for her abilities would be Rachael’s next endeavour she decided, “You’d think that’d be the case wouldn’t you,” Rachael stated in response to the Detective’s enquiry. “Unfortunately my strength and speed don’t really rise much beyond my own natural abilities even in the brightest sunlight. However, I heal really fast on warm days and as long as the sun is out I could probably run for hours before I get tired.” Rachael had never accurately timed how long she could continuously run for but she knew it was at least three hours. “Last I checked they’d probably consider my mutation a form of cheating, so I doubt they’d let me enter any marathons.”



At the mention of God Rachael had to refrain from rolling her eyes. She’d heard this argument from both sides of the coin. Anti-mutant supporters believe that the ‘unholy’ abilities were an affront to how God had made humans. While those like Linely saw mutation as a gift. “If this is god’s idea of a gift he’s got a strange sense of humour.”

"Generally those given counselling were given it because they could pose a serious threat, or were so blindingly obvious that they'd need to know how to handle the fact that they were mutants and people would treat them differently. You have to register dangerous mutations, and employers have a right to turn you down for a job if they feel your mutation could endanger their property or the lives of others." This was totally fair in Linely's eyes, while mutant pride was all very well, not everyone wanted people who could burn the building down accidentally near where they made their livelihoods. He had little trouble with it, but a few mutants did occasionally get turned away.

Linely was saddened by Rachael's defeatism on finding a use for her mutation. "I'm sure there's something enhanced endurance and healing would be useful for, and then of course there's power growth, you do realise you might not be at your full abilities yet? You're still young after all."

Then she rolled her eyes at his mention of God, what a surprise, teenagers..."You'd be surprised at how many puns are actually in the Bible...but I digress." He smiled again, Rachael would be OK once she got over this teenage angst phase, it would last a while though.

Rachael couldn't help but feel a little envious of the procedures and precautions put in place by the UK government. Not only did they help those that were dangerous to the public but also provided counselling for the individuals, like Rachael, who were likely to face the brunt of the prejudice for being visibly different. "Wow, that sounds really positive. Is there much less tension between mutants and non-mutants because of it?" She replied. Perhaps if she had gotten help like what the detective described she wouldn't have spent a whole week holed up in her own room.

"I suppose I could keep looking for that role my abilities can fill, but honestly I'd rather not have to worry about any further complications down the line. I'm already green, what if my mutation is just slowly turning me into a human sized pot plant?" The mood had been sombre and serious for far too long now Rachael felt, besides it seemed they were approaching the station.

"So, am I going to be helping Helen with her paperwork again? Or was there something else that needed doing?" Rachael hadn't minded working with the Helen, she had been friendly and rather entertaining. On the other hand the paperwork was rather monotonous, definitely something she wasn't looking forward to when she got a job of her own.

"Well you do get a few issues, mainly security concerns, "is it wise to have mutants with certain abilities in certain professions" sort of things, but mutants don't get beaten up on the street, and if they do, the British media is all over it." That wasn't to say there weren't issues though.

"You do get an unfortunate number of mutant supremacists though, mainly individuals that feel they have the same issues in the USA as in the UK, and think all humans deserve to pay for the actions of a few bird hunters in another country. " He despised that sort of ideology, Mutants sometimes needed help, and indeed if a non-mutant didn't help a mutant when they could have, then that was a problem. However it was not the responsibility of non-mutants to continuously apologise for wrongs happening in Australia, or Europe. "UK also sadly as a bit of an "M" problem, particularly in universities."

Linely laughed at her little quip "I highly doubt that, more likely you'll get some kind of power to speak to plants, or make them do things physically, power growths are rarely negative for individuals that get them. Why we always monitor any mutants we end up having to imprison."

"Helen will most likely have done most of the sorting, she's very well organised." Still that gave them other opportunities. "I need to deliver the interrogation files to the Chief, so you can do that for me while I sort out the final bit of filing I need done" Then after that he was mostly free. " Then, how about we try some self defense in the safe room? My pager will tell me if I'm needed, and I'm sure some of the MRC would be happy to give you a few pointers."

Everything the Detective described about handling the Mutant issue in the UK seemed to strike a chord with Rachael, clear boundaries and oversight while managing to steer clear of oppression. As such it was a little confusing that a commonwealth country could be so different, Australia seemed the polar opposite to what Linely described. "I hope you realise how strange and Alien this all sounds to me. 'Mutant supremacists', 'Mutant counselors ' those terms don't really exist in Australia. Given Australia is part of the commonwealth I always assumed the UK would have had a similar situation. Since coming to America I've come to the realisation that Mutant related news and media was heavily controlled by the government."

Rachael hummed thoughtfully at the idea's the detective came up with for the capabilities of her mutation that she'd yet to learn. Naturally the pot plant suggestion had been a gag at her own expense but the concepts that Linely came up with wouldn't actually be all that bad. Certainly would a positive change to a mutation that was more a hindrance than anything else. "I suppose those wouldn't be too bad, though I can't imagine what a tree might have to say."

In response to the Detective's suggestion of self defense training Rachael took a mock defensive stance. When she was younger she had taken a few karate lessons, however not only was that a long, long time ago but it was only for about three months, after which she got bored. It showed, Rachael's little demonstration of what she knew was rather pathetic. "Do you get involved in actual fighting often? I mean I know your a police officer so it's a part of the job but, with your abilities surely you can easily disable a thug or criminal before they have a chance to get close."

>> "I've come to the realisation that Mutant related news and media was heavily controlled by the government"

Linely spoke more somberly at this statement, fully aware of the problems they had in Australia "It's sadly very controlled in Australia, I'd hope the society was more accepting than it is, but we have to work with it." He was fortunate to have been on the other side of the world to Rachael, her power was relatively benign, compared to his that would have probably led to him being kept in one of those "secure holding facilities" the Australian government was so proud of. "The UK isn't perfect, but we are in a far better situation than most countries in the world mutant-wise." Still, her powers could change as she grew up, and that was something she did have to know.

>>..."I can't imagine what a tree might have to say"


"I think you'll find that they might have a lot to say, it could be that they become a key witness,information gathering wise, having eyes in the forest could be very useful, all mutations have uses, you just need to find the niche." He laughed at what Rachael did next, her pose looked rather silly in his view. "You will have a lot to learn, but I'm sure you will be a fast study. The pose you have made looks like you did a little martial arts?" Not that it mattered, that stance would be broken apart very quickly by your average thug, and if they were armed she stood no chance at all.

>> "Do you get involved in actual fighting often? ... they have a chance to get close."

"Sometimes they don't have enough pain to really incapacitate them, and don't forget some humans are adapted, meaning they can cancel out your powers while you're around them. My skill with the Baton normally deals with that pretty easily, I don't want to be a one trick pony, it would not be a good thing to find myself unable to use my powers and have nothing to back them up with. Plus, as I feel an echo of the pain that I cause, I shouldn't overuse it." The long winded explanation was necessary, Linely felt, he had a policy never to patronise those who were younger than him. He honestly could have taught chemistry if he'd wanted to. Tell the truth, and they'd respect you was his motto.

Rachael hummed thoughtfully for a moment, perhaps speaking to flora wasn't as silly as it sounded. You would hard pressed to find a somewhere in the city or country-side that didn't possess some sort of plant life, that'd be like having eyes all over the country. Rachael couldn't help but feel somewhat excited at the prospect, even if it wasn't guaranteed to be be a possible extension of her abilities.

At the mention of her stance Rachael suddenly felt somewhat self-conscious, she probably looked really silly to someone who'd actually been involved in combat. Quickly she stood back up straight fidgeted in place, "Sort of, not really. I did Karate for a while when I was... five, six maybe. Not for very long though, I don't really remember why but I got bored of it after a while." She knew exactly why, she had expected to learn what she'd seen on TV. Extremely fit guys and girls doing flips and spending almost as much time fighting in the air than on the ground. When she realised that was not what she'd be learning Rachael quickly lost interest. "I think I remember how to throw a punch properly. Apart from that though, don't really remember. So when do we begin?"

>> "Not for very long though, I don't really remember why but I got bored of it after a while"


Not really surprising, considering she needed a verbal Que to fight off those thugs properly, and kids got bored of martial arts pretty easily after a while, it needed a lot of discipline, though not all arts treated their pupils the same way. "Well, I'll make sure you're able to defend yourself better, NYC is a dangerous place, as you well know." Throwing a good punch was a start, though Linely preferred his baton he had to admit.

He walked up the steps to the police station. "Right, time for some files to be moved, for me to get some coffee, and I'll see if Forsyth's around for when we're able to get into the shooting gallery." If anyone could teach Rachael to shoot straight it was him, "Cat's Eye" was his nickname, and that's exactly what he could do, give himself and others Cat's eyes. Good night vision, less visible , and generally useful when teaching people to shoot.

Rachael eagerly followed as the detective walked up the steps into the station, an excited spring in her step. After an entire morning of sorting out paperwork, followed by a brief period of moping and all together feeling sorry for herself Rachael had some pent up energy she needed to release. With any luck they wouldn't start with a half hour lecture of some kind, "So, what's the plan sensei?" Rachael teased. Likely the Detective would have a few words to say about the situation earlier and how poorly she had responded until Linely had prompted her. Come to think of it Rachael didn't want to know what would happen if she ran into guys like that alone.

"The plan is I think to start with some hand to hand, and then get Forsyth to do some shooting with you. I know you may think it unlikely that you'd use one, but guns are big in the USA, and as a result you'll need to know how to shoot straight". Linely of course couldn't do that as well as Forsyth, so he'd need to wait until he came in to the shooting range or practice room.

Linely walked to his desk, with Rachael presumably coming along behind him, and picked up a file. "Rachael, could you do me a favor and put this on the Chief's desk? His office is labelled, you can't miss it" (like many precincts the Chief had a private office). "Then we can start your training." Forsyth would be in soon, but that wouldn't stop Linely from showing her how to deal with someone with greater strength than her.

It was hard for Rachael to hide her displeasure when the detective mentioned the gun culture within the united states. She of course knew that firearms were rather common within the country, it was apart of their constitution after all. Didn't mean she had to like it. "If you think so," She stated unconvinced as they walked through the precinct. The detective was from the UK so he likely understood her point of view, hopefully also shared it.

Once she was given the file from Linely Rachael set off in search of the chief's office. It surprised Rachael just how few officer's approached her as she went about her search, naturally she had received a temporary interns pass to indicate she wasn't just someone off the street. However she'd forgotten to take it out of her pocket since coming back from lunch, meaning despite not seeing the pass a majority of the officer just left her about her business. They must get all kinds of people coming and going Rachael realised.

It took some time but Rachael eventually found the chief's office and rapped against the door, her enquiry was met with silence though. Not sure what to exactly sure what to do Rachael tested the handle, unlocked. "Hello?" She announced as she slowly opened the door and peered in. The chief wasn't in. Rachael realised pretty quickly that she likely wasn't allowed in this office unaccompanied, hell it was likely many of the officers weren't allowed in unaccompanied. As such she dashed across the small office and placed the files upon the desk, quickly exiting again and closing the door behind her.  A brief glance up and down the hallway revealed that no-one seemed to have seen her exit the office. Quickly she hurried back the way she came, hopefully the detective would have everything ready by now.

"All done!" Rachael announced once she had returned to Linely's desk, "Though just wondering. If the Chief wasn't in his office what should I have done with the papers." While she was sure no-one had seen or cared that she exited the office Linely had been the one to get her access to the precinct, she'd hate for him to get in trouble because of her.

>> "If you think so"
She didn't sound too enthusiastic, but it was sadly necessary, Linely was pretty libertarian when it came to guns, he personally thought that the handgun ban was a little overzealous , but he didn't blame Rachael for being unenthused. "Well, if you suddenly find yourself in a fight, and a gun is around, being able to use it is better than potentially getting brutalised, I don't like guns that much, but I've had to lean how to use one, and I don't shoot very well."

While Rachael was getting the file to the place where it needed to be, Linely quickly put the remaining few papers in the cabinet next to his desk, he called Forsyth over to talk about shooting.

"As you know I'm not the best guy for training with that. So it's probably best that you give her the pointers." Linely spoke in a joking way to his mutant colleague.
"Yes, we don't want her learning how to hit the edge of a target" Forsyth quipped back at Linely. Linely was in the process of making himself and Forsyth a cup of tea with the communal kettle when Rachael got back.

>> "If the Chief wasn't in his office what should I have done with the papers?"

This was a grey area in the precinct, for the most part, the Chief didn't mind if you were just putting your head round the door, so long as you didn't go snooping around. "So long as you just put the files on the desk, and didn't look anywhere you shouldn't have, it'll be fine. Now may I introduce Officer Forsyth, an MRC marksman, who can teach you to shoot straight"

"Charmed" said the burly officer, he smiled with kindly white teeth. He was tall, his black curly hair , crew cut and dark brown eyes made him somewhat of a heartthrob among the MRC. He , like Linely, was from a different part of the world orginally, although unlike Linely he had gone straight from the Carribean into the police force about a year ago. Since then he'd been with Linely in many cases where they were both involved in busts or riot controls. Needless to say, his powers were more useful than they first would appear on paper.

Rachael let out a sigh of relief, her impatience wasn't about to get either herself or the Detective in trouble. With that said though Rachael wasn't really sure how to feel about what was going to happen next, after all on one hand she hated the reality that she'd need to learn these gun skills for the future. On the other though, firing a gun is something that'd you would want to do once in your life, even if only to say you've done it.

"Pleasure's all mine," Rachael replied to the new officer. The term 'Tall, dark and handsome' immediately came to mind when the foreigner flashed her a friendly smile, and while Rachael may have been imagining it she could swear some of the female officers were giving her envious looks from behind the man. "So if you don't mind me asking, where exactly are you from? I don't recognise your accent at all." He was from somewhere in Europe, of that Rachael was sure. However without aide she doubted she could narrow it down. "Also don't Marksman's deal in rifles? I'm not learning to shoot one of those am I?"