Somewhere deep down Sveta knew that the guy was not gonna help her out. It was unfair, really, to expect her to convince someone to join SUPER when all she wanted to do was tell them to run... but therein lay the test, and she was not in a position to argue. It would have been only fair to give her some information at least...

>>”Make it up. Listen, honey, this is your test, not mine. As much as you would like flashcards to go off from, that doesn’t exist out here. You need to think on the spot, you need to speak with conviction, and you need to be able to not only convince others, but force them if you have to. We do not fail. That mean’s you better not fail.”

Sveta glared back at the man, resolved not to be intimidated. Honestly, she had stared down all kinds of nasty criminals in her career, and this guy, in her book anyway, was just another one of their kind, fancy government badge or not. She was not about to shy away. No help. Fine. It was not like they were gonna let the psychic go. If she failed, he would have to do the job all the same. He did have a boss, after all. She was just gonna stare until...

>>”Boop…”

Sveta blinked. Did he just...? Why on Earth...? What the...? Physical contact was still jarring for her, even if it came from a human. She would have loved to react better (maybe bite him on the hand or something), but the moment was already gone.

>>”Five minutes, my fair haired goddess. I’d stop asking and start thinking.”

"Asking is thinking. A**hole." she muttered that last part in Russian, folding her arms as she sat back, to stubbornly sulk for the rest of the five minutes straight.

Oh the looks this woman gave her grew more and more amusing with every passing moment. She was just too cute to not piss off. The frustrated glare, the firmly set lips, he could practically seem the smoke fuming out of her cute little nostrils. She was trying to play the game but she was also uncomfortable with the vast majority of the tasks that she was being presented with. It was a shame because she needed to get her head in the game if she wanted to continue making it through this program.

Dropping out, sadly, was not an option for her. She would be forced to comply if she didn’t do so herself.

Sitting back in his chair, he listened to the grumble the woman muttered from between her lips. Oh he could feel the hate fire coming off of her in waves. Whatever it was she said in her other language, he didn’t catch it, but he was sure it wasn’t pretty. That was fine by him, so long as she played her part in this test, that was all that mattered.

Eating the last bite of his burger, Kristoph counted down the last five minutes he gave the woman to prepare for the task at hand. He watched the target across in the cafe, checking his watch and noting that her shift was nearly done. It was for this reason that he gave Svetlana such a short window to prepare. They needed to engage her as she was just about to leave -- not before. If she decided to cause a scene, the last thing they needed was witnesses.

A roll of his arm and he sighed the sigh of a pleased and happy man. For a dangerous and intimidating as he could be, there was actually very little that could dampen his mood. Breathing in the sweet air, he stretched out, placing his hands behind his head as he looked across the street and then up into the sky from behind his glasses. This was a good day so far.

The five minutes, for him, ticked one rather quickly. He was actually a little excited to see what Svetlana was going to do with her role. When, finally, the little buzz of his watch indicated that time was up, he sat up, ran his fingers through his hair and gave the blonde a winning smile.

”Show time.” He smiled as he stood up, proceeding to button his suit jacket. In doing so, he stepped back, away from the table, to allow the blonde room to get up. ”Ready?”

The last five minutes ticked by. Sveta mulled over the next steps.

>>”Show time. Ready?”

"Not prepared." Sveta muttered, throwing Kristoph a glare, and getting up from the table "But ready." There was nothing else to wait around for, anyway.

They walked over together to the cafe where the young waitress was doing another round outside, checking on tables, and greeting new arrivals. Sveta flashed her a smile when she turned towards them.

"Samantha Gregors?" she lunged right in. If she scared the mark off, the red giant could only blame himself for not telling her what to do. The girl looked surprised, but not yet as scared as she should have been. Sveta kept up the friendly attitude. "Hi! I know this is kinda strange, but we were wondering if you'd have a few minutes for us, whenever you go on break. We have a job offer for you." she flashed another, more genuine smile "I know what it sounds like, but I really think you should hear us out. I swear it's nothing fishy."

Fishy did not even begin to cover it.

Oh the blonde bombshell looked rather irritated but that only caused Kristoph amusement. Honestly, if she thought that any of the looks or grumbles that she gave him were new, they weren’t. How many new recruits had he taken out on the field? How many had he subjected to similar tests? And how many eventually fell into line? Really it was only a matter of time. Svetlana could bumble and cry and rant like a baby all she wanted -- at the end of the day, she belonged to SUPER and she work for them, whether she wanted to or not.

Leaving the restaurant behind them, Kristoph stay in pace with Svetlana, his hands slipping into his pockets as he walked. Entering the cafe, Kristoph held the door open for Svetlana and gave her a charming smile. From this point on, it was her show, he was only going to be an observer.

In silence he followed, looking just a bit intimidated as he draped himself in mysterious silence. When Svetlana caught sight of their target, he started to slow his pace, hanging back a few steps and leaning against a bare wall. The asset couldn’t be spooked and having Kristoph just looming so close would have been enough to unnerve anyone. So, keeping back, he appeared more as back up than anything too intimidating.

Letting Svetlana engaging the Ms. Gregors, Kristoph listened intently...

>>"Samantha Gregors?"

The waitress perked up, tucking her tips back into her apron pocket but turned with a warm smile to the blonde. She was young, bouncy, clearly with a future in mind. She gave the Russian a look up and down in momentary confusion before she spoke.

“Oh. Hi. Can I help you?” she asked cautiously.

>>"Hi! I know this is kinda strange, but we were wondering if you'd have a few minutes for us, whenever you go on break. We have a job offer for you...I know what it sounds like, but I really think you should hear us out. I swear it's nothing fishy."

Samantha arched her brow before she looked over the side of Svetlana’s shoulder at the large man that she had just gestured to. She gave them both an odd luck before she just snorted and shook her head. She picked up her tray and started to gather used coffee cups again.

“I’m flattered but I’m not interested in a threesome,” she said with a chuckle. “Have a good day.” She said as she tried to move past Svetlana and to continue her job.

Kristoph, still hung back and made no move towards her. Instead he just chuckled, pushing his glasses up a bit higher as he turned his gaze onto Svetlana, waiting to see how she would handle this.

Sveta could tell by the look that the girl was completely misreading the situation. She could not blame her. If she had been faced with a blonde stranger with a Russian accent and a large, bearded guy, she would have backtracked very fast too.

>>“I’m flattered but I’m not interested in a threesome. Have a good day.”

Whoa. Sveta blinked, realizing that she had been misreading the misreading.

"Oh, God, no" she blurted out, completely genuine in her reaction "With him?! Jesus." she shuddered, and then walked after the girl, trusting that Kristoph would have the good sense to stay where he was.

"No, it is an actual job." she sighed, trying again "Government funded. We are recruiting young people with a special benefits package for professional development. I mean, you'd have to apply... but we think you'd be a strong candidate."

Geez, I sound like a door to door salesman.

At least if she thought it was an internship of some sort, she would be less likely to run far away from the thought of the government keeping an eye on her...

Kristoph was amused but he didn’t let it show much on his face as he hung back, just allowing the blonde to do her job. This was her test, after all, and there wouldn’t be any hand holding. Of course if things got way too out of hand then he would have to decide then if he was going to intervene. He was most certainly an advocate for tossing someone into the pool and letting them sink or swim, but considering the valuable asset they were after, he may have to intervene to make sure she didn’t get away.

The look on the woman’s face was fairly priceless as she immediately assumed that something tawndry were being suggested. This was New York, after all; how many times had a pretty young thing like her been offered similar propositions from far skeezier looking individuals? Kristoph smirked a little, dipping his head down and just listening as Svetlana immediately began to fumble over her own words.

>>"Oh, God, no...With him?! Jesus."

Well. Kidnapping or not, that was just rude. Kristoph’s feelings weren’t hurt as he knew that quite the opposite was true. But that would be an discussion to have with the Russian later on. Instead he just kept his stoic silence about him as Svetlana maneuvered herself to follow the telekinetic in an attempt to clarify her initial offer.

>>"No, it is an actual job...Government funded. We are recruiting young people with a special benefits package for professional development. I mean, you'd have to apply... but we think you'd be a strong candidate."

Kristoph watched as the young woman stopped in her tracks. Honestly that was probably the best tactic that Svetlana could have gone for. Struggling college student, tired of the part-time job market, wanting something a bit more substantial. Really it was an amazing sales pitch, but the telekinetic seemed only slightly impressed with the woman’s offer. She was suspicious but her interest seemed piqued enough to at least allow her to listen.

Samantha stopped, turned to face Svetlana again, casting a suspicious glance at her before glancing in Kristoph’s direction. “So…not porn?” she asked again. She breathed a sigh, jutting her hip out as she eyed the woman. She looked a bit jittery, given how close she was to Svetlana, that was of little surprise, though she had no idea what the blonde was. Giving her another scrutinizing look, the blonde inquired further. “Well...what’s the job? And...why me? It’s not like I signed up for anything. Not that I remember.”

Sveta could tell that the red giant was miffed at her reaction about the idea of them sleeping together. Good. Small blessings. It was a none too elegant way to get back at him for all the hazing, but at least... she was honest about it?... The mission was still on, and the girl was still only convinced enough to stop and listen. Did not mean she would hear her out all the way, not unless she was good at how she was phrasing the offer. Sveta could feel the gaze of Kristoph on her back.

>>“So…not porn?”

"No. Not porn."

With any job offer, that was already a plus.

>>“Well...what’s the job? And...why me? It’s not like I signed up for anything. Not that I remember.”

"You didn't. But you do have a gift." Sveta noted, making sure no one was close enough to overhear them "Now, I'll level with you, just having a gift does not get you anywhere. Every other person has a power these days. I do too. But it is enough to put you on the radar, and the rest is up to how motivated you are."

Or how well you can hide.

"With the giant rip that opened up in space and time, we are recruiting people to help us keep everyone safe. It's an all hands on deck situation... but also a good one to kick off an actual career."

Again, there was no reason for him to intervene. Kristoph hung back, watching the recruit do her best to win over the obviously suspicious telekinetic. This was New York, after all, and you can’t be too careful about such things. He sighed as he tracked them with his eyes, hidden behind his reflective glasses. He really hoped that Svetlana would figure this out or they would end up having to go with plan B.

>>"You didn't. But you do have a gift...Now, I'll level with you, just having a gift does not get you anywhere. Every other person has a power these days. I do too. But it is enough to put you on the radar, and the rest is up to how motivated you are….With the giant rip that opened up in space and time, we are recruiting people to help us keep everyone safe. It's an all hands on deck situation... but also a good one to kick off an actual career."

Svetlana was shoving the B.S. pretty well. He was actually a little impressed with her acting ability. It was all crap, what she was saying, but what he was testing here was the conviction that she was putting into her words. She was actually making him believe that maybe she believed in the program. Deep down, though, he knew it wasn’t true, as Svetlana was only trying to pass this test so that she could keep her mind for another day. She was a survivor and that was something he respected.

Samantha clearly was unsure about the whole thing. As the russian dropped her voice, Kristoph pushed off the wall and slowly approached from behind her. He kept his distance but offered the telekinetic a soft nod and a smile, his attempt to help defuse the situation. However, it quickly became apparent that she went rigid; not by the appearance of Kristoph, but by something that Svetlana had said.

“Wait...special?” she said. Her eyes grew shifty as she lowered her head. Svetlana, it seems, had inadvertently touched a nerve. “Um...I...I gotta go,” Samantha said as she turned around, shaken up. Her paranoia was certainly not helped by the strange buzzing that she felt coursing through her body. “I...I think you have the wrong person.”

With that Samantha disengaged from the russian and the ginger and disappeared into the back, behind the counter, and didn’t come out again. Kristoph sighed as he turned his eyes back down to Svetlana. He gave her a small, almost sad smile.

”Well, that went well…” he said with a sigh. He then turned his gaze back down to her. ”Whatcha going to do about this, beautiful?” If she would remember, he did say that failure was not an option.

Sveta could see the exact moment in the girl's face when she messed up. She went from cautiously curious to scared, and she backed out of the conversation immediately, fleeing to the back of the cafe. She would have, too, if someone walked in knowing her name and the secret of her mutation.

>>“Wait...special? Um...I...I gotta go. I...I think you have the wrong person.”

Sveta sighed as she watched her go. She really wanted her to get away, but honestly, she needed to better than that. Kristoph was already at her side as Samanatha bolted. If she failed, he's probably take her in anyway.

>>”Well, that went well… Whatcha going to do about this, beautiful?”

"If I had a mutant partner, I'd gain her confidence" Sveta glared "But since you're human, we can't really show off. So you're gonna go watch the back door."

She marched after the girl, rules be damned. The back of the shop was not large enough for her to hide, but she had not run away yet.
Stupid.

"Look, Samantha, here's the thing: We found out about you easily, and others will to. You are lucky we beat them to it, and you got a job offer instead of kidnapped."

Kristoph stood back and allowed Svetlana to think on what tactic to take next. Sadly things were going down the tube now that Samantha was onto them. The russian almost had it in the bag but one thing about mutants trying to hide their gift is that you don’t mention that you know about it to them. Really that’s just asking for trouble, whether you mean to or not. Still, this was Svetlana’s test and she could make up for it if she thought hard enough.

Standing behind her, he crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to make a decision. Samantha wasn’t going to get away from this encounter -- really it was going to be Svetlana who decided how the woman was integrated into the organization.

>>"If I had a mutant partner, I'd gain her confidence...But since you're human, we can't really show off. So you're gonna go watch the back door."

He smirked. He made no motion to stop her, rather he just bowed his head, turned and stepped out from the front door of the establishment. While it seemed like a foolish move on his part, he was supposed to be keeping an eye on a possible flight risk, Kristoph was always prepared. See, trainees were not left to your own devices without contingencies in mind. As soon as the redhaired agent stepped out, he activated his.

His hand pressed to an earpiece in his ear, he turned on a near invisible device. He was met with static, furious footsteps, before finally a familiar, angelic voice rang in his ear.

>>"Look, Samantha, here's the thing: We found out about you easily, and others will to. You are lucky we beat them to it, and you got a job offer instead of kidnapped."

He grinned. Good girl.

---

Samantha, meanwhile, in the kitchen of the cafe, turned around to face the sudden intruder. The blonde followed her and suddenly the telekinetic was very aware that she could be in danger. As the other ranted, trying to be practical with her statement, Samantha could feel her heart race going wild. Others? Kidnapping? She gulped and shook her head. She looked a little terrified now, so much so that a few items littered around her began to lift off a nearby counter.

“Listen I didn’t do anything to anyone,” she tried to reason. “I’m...I’m just a waitress! I’m not a superhero or anything like that. I...I don’t even use my powers.” She grabbed her jacket. “Please? Just...Just forget you saw me? Okay? I don’t want any job or anything. I just want to be left alone.” She turned and headed towards the backdoor. She needed to get out of here.

Sveta had no illusions about being left alone. Someone less cautious would have tried to use this time to warn Samantha; but Kristoph left a little too easily to watch the back door, so Sveta was sure he was listening in somehow. This was not the time. As much as she would have loved it.

>>“Listen I didn’t do anything to anyone. I’m...I’m just a waitress! I’m not a superhero or anything like that. I...I don’t even use my powers.”

Sveta's stomach folded in on itself. She hated this. She hated all of this. The girl needed to be left alone. She was just a kid, with powers, and no one had the right to force her into working for some secret government agency...

>>“Please? Just...Just forget you saw me? Okay? I don’t want any job or anything. I just want to be left alone.”

"I know." Sveta said, more quietly "But with the powers you have, that is not an option. It was the same for mine." she sighed "It is not superhero stuff. People have stupid ideas about that. It is a job, that uses your talents. It is not jumping off buildings and sh*t. It's just... taking the special powers you have, and using them to help protect people." she sighed "You do know, deep down, that you can't hide it from everyone. Not without training."

Kristoph listened intently to the conversation that was being had by both the new recruit and their target. Samantha was proving to be difficult, overly suspicious and unwilling to cooperate. The experienced agent had a feeling that things were going to have to get physical, a state that he didn’t want things to descend to. Sadly it was just all part of the job and he would do what needed to be done to ensure innocent lives.

However, even as the agent reached for the weapon he had concealed in his jacket, he stopped when he heard a heavy sigh come from the russian. Pressing his earbud in just a little deeper, he listened to trainee plead her case...

>>"I know...But with the powers you have, that is not an option. It was the same for mine. It is not superhero stuff. People have stupid ideas about that. It is a job, that uses your talents. It is not jumping off buildings and sh*t. It's just... taking the special powers you have, and using them to help protect people. You do know, deep down, that you can't hide it from everyone. Not without training."

It was a tense pause. Kristoph was actually on the edge of his seat, ready to jump into the scene and do whatever it was that he needed to do. But with every passing second of silence, he wondered if maybe, just maybe Svetlana was actually going to pull this off? That is...until he heard the unmistakable sound of a pen scratching against paper.

---

Samantha heard everything that the woman had to say and she only looked marginally at ease from it. It was probably a spiel she had either heard before or that she was already suspicious of thanks to the advent of comic books and movies, that all had nefarious agencies trying to recruit on the downlow. Honestly, any of it could have been true, so that was why Samantha would conduct a little test.

She remained quiet, ushering a careful glance to the left and right before she pulled up her notepad and pulled her pen from her apron. A small click and she started to jot down a little note, one that, when she was done, she turned it to face the blonde.

It just had three words: Are. They. Listening?

The silence was too long. Way too long. Sveta could tell what the girl was up to, but so much quiet was bound to be suspicious.

"Oh come on don't start crying, I'm not the bad guy here" she said with a frown, hoping Kristoph would buy the delay.

Are. They. Listening?

Sveta gave her a short nod. It didn't matter. She was not getting away from this. Neither of them were, not now. They were both too important. The most she could hope for was for Sam to get a better deal than she did.

"You should at least hear the offer out" she said in a friendlier tone as she tossed the paper out "The bonuses are totally worth it."

Come on, girl. Thing like an adult, or we are both done.

>>"Oh come on don't start crying, I'm not the bad guy here"

Samantha wasn’t crying. She was shaking, she was nervous, but there were no tears in her eyes. Rather all she was doing was jotting down a note onto her pad with three words. She didn’t know why but she didn’t gather that the blonde was really all that bad. As a matter of fact, the forced smile, the glances, it all looked like someone who was being coerced rather than truly working with a team. And the large, redheaded man, he certainly didn’t seem like the friendly type. So she asked, just in case, and handed the note over to the russian.

The nod of her head made Samantha quiver all the more. People had found her. People who knew what she was. She knew, ever since that day in the frat house, that someone, somewhere was going to approach her like this and her life would over. She honestly just didn’t think that that day would come so soon.

Feeling tears now threatening to spill over, panic began to settle in. The woman was honest with her, yes, but she seemed unwilling to just let her go. The fear in her eyes, as well as the unsettling panic that began vibrate throughout her body made the young waitress lose her grip. Around her, more small objects began to lift, floating upon their own volition. This was now a problem.
>>"You should at least hear the offer out...The bonuses are totally worth it."

The Russian showed her a reply note: Come on, girl. Think like an adult, or we are both done.

But it was too late. She was already shaking her head and she was backing up towards the back door. Freedom was just outside that door, there was no way that they could catch her, none.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, lifting several knives off of a nearby counter and pointing her open palm towards the russian. She needed to get away while she could.

CRASH!!

The back door was suddenly kicked in as the massive, fiery form of Kristoph Karlson stepped in. Without pause, and without a lick of remorse on his face, the man didn’t say a thing as he wrapped one of his arms around the woman’s midsection and hefted her up off the ground. Samantha’s eyes widened in surprise. She only got a momentary wiggle of protest in before Kristoph lifted a gun, pressing it to her neck and pulling the trigger.

There was no bang. Rather, there was just the hiss of pressurized air. Pulling the gun away revealed a dart, emptied, now jabbed into Samantha’s neck. The teen struggled for another beat before she quietly flopped against the massive man, falling into a deep, deep sleep. Kristoph sighed as he hefted the woman up, draping her over his shoulder and ignoring the sound of the knives she had lifted as they came clattering to the ground. Eyebrows raised, he gave Sveta a quiet look before he beckoned to her.

”Come along. Now.” he said firmly. Only when Svetlana was out the door did he pull out his phone and grumble into it. ”This is Omega-10 and Iota-9, requesting immediately pick-up. Alpha-Target is in custody.” He marched down the alley until he found a nook to place the sleeping Samantha in. He turned back to Svetlana. ”Did you get hurt?”

When the knives started to float, Sveta wished Sam would actually use them. They would put her out for a long time, not being sent on any field missions. And they would make it abundantly clear that she put up a fight. And did not fail on purpose. If the kid was good enough with her powers, maybe she would even live... and it surprised her how low that was on her immediate list of priorities.
Fight or flight.

Kristoph busted through the door, and held a gun to the kid. The scared kid. Sveta yelled something, but it was already done. Things clattered to the floor as Sam passed out.

>>”Come along. Now. This is Omega-10 and Iota-9, requesting immediately pick-up. Alpha-Target is in custody.”

Sveta followed. She wanted to be seen even less now than she was before. Die has been cast: She was a SUPER agent, whether she liked it or not.

>>”Did you get hurt?”

"Nah." she shook her head. She wished. "Thanks."