Devon had invited Officer Linely out to Hadden’s Havens on Plum Island for a relaxing lunch and follow up, mostly hang time. He hadn’t seen much of Spasm since the holidays, only occasionally checking in on a few mutants or helping with a couple new issues in the area. Honestly, Devon found working with Spasm rather easily. They seemed to share a general philosophy.

And that’s why he was hoping Spasm would join Haven and more so, be willing to aid their pro-mutant activities.

The construction had been completed only a couple days ago. Devon had gotten the keys to his office only last weekend. Guests were already attending, mostly high profile cases to help try out the facilities and amenities before the larger public could schedule treatment. It did well for demand and marketing as well. The government seemed quite happy to get someone to buy and fix up the property.

Tempest, of course, knew why after Rico’s time there…

While the attendants in the main lobby waited for Linely to arrive, Devon ensured their lunch was ready on his private balcony overlooking the ocean. He sat back in his chair and sipped at his coffee, reviewing the news on his cell phone. The plans and policies the federal government were putting into practice seemed to demand Haven’s attention.

Such ignorance from the anti-mutant community and it seemed as the public became aware, even understanding, the anti-mutant groups grew only more violent.

It was sad, really. And infuriating.

Linely watched as the mist around Plum Island promptly subsided, bringing land into view. Devon had pulled out quite a few stops, that was for sure. The speedboat brought him to the decking area as soon as he could have expected. The pilot had been waiting for him. Now he could see what Devon had been talking about.

So this was Hadden's Haven? Devon had done well for himself. This once had a...reputation, owned by a very shady corporation. The fed had been "investigating" for a long time, what with the convicted human supremacists acting as security, and the disappearances of a few unusual mutants in the general vicinity... Then all of a sudden, the whole place had blown up without so much as a trace. Whatever they had been up to, no-one knew to this day. It seemed appropriate that the Government had allowed it to be swept under the rug.

Devon's taste in architecture was good, it certainly looked luxurious enough to be a place where mutants could recover. Part neo-gothic, part sleek modern, it gave the place a sense of genuine tranquility. The attendants at the docking area were already keen to help Linely with his every need. Impressive, and perfect for some genuine relaxation.

It was bad enough, the anti-mutant attacks all over the city. A little girl had been assaulted by a bunch of skinhead thugs, forced into triggering her mutation and leaving a mess of a counselling job to do. Mutant friendly shops had been burned down, high profile mutants had found burning helix's outside of their houses. Republican and Democrat politicians who had dared to speak out against it had poison-pen letters sent to them. Monstrous. All of it. It felt like the whole place had gone back in time. Something needed to be done.

Whatever Devon had planned, Linely was sure it would be an effort to aid the healing process to begin. Somehow. He had already taken in a few of the more problematic mutants for rehabilitation. Esmeralda for example, the dangerous fairy-tale manipulator, was now happily living in one of the rooms, growing in understanding of her powers. Another mutant, arrested by Linely himself, an empath with serious emotional issues, had been taken in when no other psychiatric institution had. That was enough to know Devon was doing good.

However, most of all Joseph Linely was looking forward to seeing his friend. It had been too long. Since the Sanctuary Block Party they hadn't really had a chance to catch up. While he was wearing a business suit (hey, they were comfortable for him) , he was looking forward to a time of not having to worry about the grinding of work.

The attendants brought him to the main building, and ushered him up the stairs. "Mr Hadden is waiting for you on his private balcony" an acutely British young lady told Linely as he walked up the velvet-lined central stairway. Hopefully the meal was going to be as good as the building and indeed, the company.

Tempest’s office at each Hadden’s Havens location was a large open air suite with room for meetings, room for lounging, and room for his desk. He’d take special clients here for one on one seminars, especially mutants. He might also meet with his staff, interested investors, and of course friends. To either side of the desk area large French doors opened to a balcony.

Devon was clearly visible through one set and the wall of windows near it. He was reading his phone from a chair, eyes shaded by sunglasses as he looked out over the ocean. A small bar nearby had numerous juices, a coffee machine, and water. Another had small sandwiches, fruit salad, choice meats of chicken, steak, and sausages. It was brunch-worthy.

“Hey!” Devon said excitedly as he heard and saw Spasm. The staff had texted him but that was beside the point. “Linely, what you think? Far cry from the warehouses of Red Hook, right?” He grinned as he went to embrace his friend in a combo half-hug, half-handshake.

“First stop Sanctuary, next stop my treatment centers, and the final stop Haven itself! But come on, get some food! How you been?”

Devon's office was as impressive as the rest of the building had been so far. Esmeralda's parents had mentioned a one-on-one chat that he'd had with her here. Apparently it went very well. Joseph saw Devon , with a pair of sunglasses on no less! Probably needed, as the office looked like it must have a nice view...

"Hey Devon" As Devon grinned and came towards him at a decent pace, Joseph couldn't help but smile. He shook the weather-controlling mutant's hand firmly, and gave a stereo-typically masculine hug, two pats on the back, before attempting to respond.

"I'm impressed certainly, and from what I've heard from the special cases we handed over to you, all is going well." Now Devon asked how he'd been. That was a harder question to answer. The Rag-Man case was still in his mind, that moment of panic over Emily, the brutality shown by Linely that if the awful mutant had been sane enough to press charges, it would have been bad...That wasn't even taking into account the other cases...It had been a rough couple of weeks that was for sure.

"I've been better, but I'm glad for the break from it all. I've had enough of seeing burning helices for the time being." Devon hopefully knew that he'd been on the front line of the recent upsurge in the MRC. "It's often hard to switch off..." he trailed off. No. He was going to make an effort to be happy here. Devon was his friend, and he'd be damned if he was going to put a dampener on a meeting he'd been looking forward to. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss things." He said, smiling again.

At the mention of lunch, Joseph noticed the bar. Now this was a lunch! Steak, sandwiches, Devon had even got smoked salmon. Joseph's personal favorite. Joseph noted the juices, pressed apple juice! Jugs of it! He'd pulled out some stops for sure! "This looks excellent, where's your portion?" Joseph quipped.

Man hug to man hug, Devon smiled, “Glad you made it.”

Linely said he was impressed with how things were going. Devon was too. But it was worrisome how little he’d seen the officer lately. It also sounded like Spasm had had some rough weeks. Burning helices probably wasn’t an exaggeration where the MRO was concerned.

>> "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to discuss things.

“Well remember it’s not just me doing these things. Sanctuary has plenty of volunteers. It’s a community now, and one I hope to keep well managed. Here I’ve got a whole staff and Haven is a growing team,” he nodded. “But I’m sorry to hear it’s been a rough month.”

And Spasm was taken in by the selection of foods Devon had ordered for their meal. That was good. Sometimes a bit of relaxation and a good meal, maybe a nap, is all a person needed. Socialization helped a person de-stress too. It enriched the soul.

Devon’s smiled brightened. “I was waiting for you,” he nodded, gesturing at the buffet table. He came up alongside Spasm and handed the man a plate. “I want you to consider that any time you need something whether a place to relax or a good meal in the middle of the night, you know you can stop by Haven or here if you happen to be out this way.”

As they went down the table Devon added mostly fruit, a couple pieces of steak, and a large piece of salmon to his plate. He pushed a bagel into the toaster and smiled. “It’s actually nice to entertain, gets me to relax a little too.”

Joseph placed a bagel of his own into the toaster and went about putting several pears, a "healthy" portion of steak and an even larger portion of salmon, putting a decent dollop of cream cheese on the side. Salmon and cream cheese were like siblings in Joseph's mind, you should never separate them unless making cheesecake, and he'd liked savory versions of that with smoked salmon as well!

Devon was being very kind indeed with his offer. "Thank you, that is something I will indeed consider, though I will let you know if I'm coming with company in particular." Haven would act like a sanctuary it seemed. The utility of it as a safe house came to Linely's professional mind, but he would for the time being keep that on the back burner.

As they sat down at the table Linely paused , clasped his hands together and whispered "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful, Amen". This was the go-to when in surroundings that weren't Church lunches, otherwise he felt somewhat rude. He then began tucking in to the finger-food sandwiches.

"So, what do you think of what's been going on?" Devon almost certainly knew about the new hate symbol. A helix made of wood and set aflame on the garden of pro-mutant vanillas or actual mutants. Hateful types rarely got creative, something always had to be on fire, still better if it was a symbol totally opposed in principles to the ideology that was using it. "and how is Esmeralda doing?" This was important, her powers were still at a stage where she would be very dangerous if she fell into the wrong hands.

>> "Thank you, that is something I will indeed consider, though I will let you know if I'm coming with company in particular."

“Of course, company here should be absolutely fine,” Devon gave a smile and a nod. He then bowed his head respectfully as Linely prayed. He added a quiet, “Amen,” as well. He was raised Catholic but praying wasn’t something he’d done in a long time. Those were eyes he didn’t want upon him; he didn’t feel worthy.

>> "So, what do you think of what's been going on?"

“I’m concerned, honestly,” Devon said after a quick bite.

>> "and how is Esmeralda doing?"

“Ah, well at least there she’d doing well,” Devon smiled proudly. “I think having stability at Sanctuary with her parents and some training with me and a couple others did wonders. They’re getting their own place soon, but will visit Sanctuary. I’ve also invited them into the Haven organization. I want to continue assisting their well-being and education, whatever form that may take.”

“I was actually hoping to invite you into Haven formally as well,” he added with another smile. “You’ve helped a lot of people, human and mutant alike. Haven would benefit from your activity and I hope you could benefit from Haven’s resources. Society is suffering from hatred on either side and we’d like to bridge the community, all people really, under one safe Haven.”

He inhaled with a sigh, “I mean, you’re on the front lines. How have you felt about things recently?”

Devon was being awfully generous. This seemed like a place that Emily would enjoy being around as well. Company didn't always have to be overly professional. She would certainly appreciate having a little time away from mutant or human worlds, alone with her thoughts or with him in utter silence with the sound of the waves lapping the island shore...That idea was for another time though.

Linely appreciated Devon's polite "Amen". Some people were honestly hostile to any sort of prayer at the dinner table, it was good to see that Devon wasn't one of them. Linely's own faith was from a combination of an Anabaptist upbringing and a dramatic conversion to Presbyterianism, much to the umbridge of his parents. His dad often joked that they thought they'd raised a good non-denominational boy until they'd found the Westminster Confession of Faith under his bed. They learned to accept it in time, even though the teasing rarely, if ever stopped.

"Concerned... you certainly are learning the art of British understatement." Linely quipped. "When symbols like the Burning Helix are coming back into use, and in far greater numbers than when it originated...it's pretty bad." It was all the same with these hate groups. Klu Klux, Neo-Nazis, Church of Humanity, Bird Hunters, it didn't matter so long as a symbol of good, religious or scientific, was on fire, both literally and metaphorically.

"I'm glad she's found stability at least. If she had been caught up in a riot or anti-Mutant march, I dread to think what the death-toll would have been." Massive dragons taking out the city was a definite no-no in Linely's book.

"Well, obviously we have an upsurge in anti-Mutant hate crime. Which has only got worse. My own Church had a wooden burning helix set upon its doorstep. All for having a large number of mutant congregants. They were too cowardly to come in obviously." Linely took a fork and speared a piece of steak. Hard. "But something needs to be done. The MRC can only do so much, unless there are casualties, we're told to put it down in the note book and make it low priority. We're swamped at the moment."Linely ate the small piece he had speared, again with a degree of bitterness, even though the taste was good.

"I think joining Haven will be a good start to helping building bridges between this community. There is so much hate at the moment. On both sides...." Linely trailed off. He hadn't cared much for Ambrose Jaager or any politician he'd seen. He had voted, but that was only due to civic duty, and not for either of the main candidates. "If we can build a better world, we need to."

>> "When symbols like the Burning Helix are coming back into use, and in far greater numbers than when it originated...it's pretty bad."

Devon nodded quickly over a sip of his drink and then a polite chewing of his food. “And worse than it’s been. I’m sure the MRD and X-Men are stressed.”

>> “…I dread to think what the death-toll would have been."

To this Devon nodded again but with a slight frown. “I don’t think it would have ended well for anyone, but thankfully you found her,” he said softly. “You show wisdom in your approach to these things.”

Linely went on to show how true that was. Devon listened with interest at Spasm’s concerns, what had happened to his church, the increased criminal activity and anti-mutant violence. One couldn’t ignore the government’s leadership was encouraging such hatred and un-American behavior. It was sickening, really.

>> "If we can build a better world, we need to."

“Education, outreach, and the occasional crazed METAbot fight helps shed light on mutants’ state, but I do agree some things are requiring greater action,” he nodded. “I’m glad for the X-Men and certainly the MRD, but I worry there’s avenues that can’t be followed by the two. I wonder if maybe you could help others in Haven who have such concerns take those greater actions.”

Devon smiled, nodding slowly as an eyebrow raised in question, “Sometimes I presume things are outside the legal channels that the X-Men, MRD, or the police can attend to. Who helps those mutants?”

"Stressed doesn't even cover the half of it. At least we have more than the X-Men to help deal with the more difficult cases like Esmeralda now." The MRCD certainly didn't take a dim view of Haven, though obviously they couldn't actively endorse a private enterprise. Still, simple quiet support wasn't what Devon was asking him about. It was a far deeper question than that.

Devon was asking him whether he was willing to break the law for the sake of mutantkind. Well that was a possibility. He had done it before when the 'Roach had asked him to help find out exactly what was going on with the META Bots. However that was partly due to not really having much of a choice. Roach could have quite easily eaten him if he'd wanted to. "Someone always needs to help when perhaps the law is wrong. As a cop, I am limited in exactly what I can do, but there are ways of not compromising my principles, but I will act in the interests of justice, for everyone involved." Vigilantism could go wrong at any moment, so there were of course limits, but he was sure Devon knew that anyway.

In other words in Joseph's mind, the answer was yes. He would help Devon in the ways that he could, even if he had to step outside of the law to do so. "I think Haven is in the best position to help those mutants. If you need my help, you have but to ask."

>> "Stressed doesn't even cover the half of it. At least we have more than the X-Men to help deal with the more difficult cases like Esmeralda now."

Devon nodded slowly. The MRD helped the X-Men but he also liked that Sanctuary could be counted as a trustworthy, if neutral and accepting, space. There were extreme cases too, like Rico, and that’s when Devon had called Juliette.

>>”… but I will act in the interests of justice, for everyone involved."

It seemed like Linely understood what Devon was driving at. “I think that’s the best we can do sometimes. There are indeed times the law is behind society’s wishes and sometimes when the law is simply behind, let alone wrong. Of course there are those who use the law as a weapon to oppress others, even our government,” he frowned.

>> "I think Haven is in the best position to help those mutants. If you need my help, you have but to ask."

Devon smiled and nodded slowly, “I’m glad, and know that I don’t ask lightly. Haven is a humanitarian organization; we want to help everyone and its society. But we are enriching individuals and helping them make change; we need to protect and take action when necessary. In this increasingly hostile climate, mutants are seeing that every day. There’s some real horrors out there on both sides. We want to change and improve lives and the society we live in after all. Hopefully everyone does.”

He raised his glass and smiled, “I’ll set us up an appointment to talk formally at Haven, but let’s toast. I want to be sure you include me when you have an issue too, Linely. I want to help and now you’ll have Haven backing you up to.”

Of course there were unjust laws in this world, and there was more than one that Linely took issue with. Why for example were a force of mechanised units allowed to be roaming the streets targeting genetic minorities? If it wasn't mutants being targeted there would be politicians up in arms about it all. Still, he was duty-bound to obey the laws, even ones he didn't like. Most of the time that meant not using METAs whenever possible.

Linely raised the toast to Devon "Changing and improving lives is why I joined the police force in the first place." He liked to think that he'd managed to do that to some degree, although there had been certain cases... like that Rag-Man monster, where there was never going to be any good outcome but making sure he didn't kidnap anyone ever again. Putting him in a brightened, blazing cell with plenty of UV was exactly the fitting punishment for that creature.

"A toast to a new future Devon, to the people we shall help, mutants and non-mutants alike." He smiled at Devon's request. "If I have an issue with what is going on, you'll know about it." Hopefully there wouldn't be an issue. Devon was, after all, a good man.