Alejandro stood in front of the doorway of 840 5th Avenue, facing Central Park. The sky was overcast with a forecast of scattered rainshowers throughout the day, that the grey skies were not enough to dampen his mood. He brought his phone up to his face and scrolled to his wife’s number.

Evvie answered the video call. Her beautiful brown eyes framed by her thin grey glasses blinked at the screen and lit up at recognizing her husband. She was sitting at their dining table and brough her side of the camera to show their son, Dominic, holding her mouth wide open as a hummingbird directed a spoon into his gaping maw. Other hummingbirds zoomed around the dining table, most hovering above a flew blooming flowers on the windowsill.

“Say good luck to your papa, Dom.”

“Good luck, daddy!” Andro’s five year old waves at the camera and spoke with his mouth full of frootloops.

“Thanks Hummer Jr.” He smiled at his family, whom he normally shared breakfast with, but he had to leave early to arrive at 5th Avenue.

“You’ll do fine, Andro. Just pretend we’re in the room with you.”

“Ok, ok. Thanks, my heart. I mean look at this place!” He switched camera views on his phone to show her the mansion behind him. “If this interview goes well, just imagine how much more attention our research will get.”

“Just go in already! Nothing will happen if you just stand there.”

“Oh, does my tie look ok?”

“I told you. Ditch the tie. Puff out your chest feathers. If this Haven is how you talk them up to be, you’ll fit right in.” She gave him a kiss through the camera, meaning she was going to hang up.

“All right. Talk to you when it’s over. Byeeee.”

The call ended and Andro slipped off his tie and unbuttoned a couple of his shit buttons. His black polo long sleeve parted in a V to reveal his grey chest feathers. Evvie was right-- these were his people, his mutant kind. He had no need to hide.

When Andro had gotten the email two weeks ago that Haven had gotten a hold of his offer -- after he had called every month for the past year and sent an email every three months-- he was elated to learn that they wanted to hear about partnering with he and the Wildlife Conservation Society, focusing on mutants as a niche species within the natural world. Of course, his studies about mutant kind and their effect on the environment were all based on preliminary information, since information on mutants was all entangled with the data of the general human population. This partnership, should Haven agree to help, would grant the WCS access to their mutant files in exchange for the public partnership in mutant and wildlife advocacy. So many possible outcomes could reset from this partnership - to say that he was nervous would be an understatement.

A small feathered head snuggled up against his cheek and Andro took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Raisin, I’ll need you to be on your best behavior, ok? You too, Nike.” He spoke to his hummingbirds, one on each shoulder. They were connected emotionally, so if he didn’t want them to go crazy, he had to keep calm himself. After taking a few calming breaths, Andro walked into the main lobby of Haven’s headquarters and walked up to the front desk.

“Hello! I’m Alejandro Dantes and I’m here representing the Wildlife Conservation Society.”

Haven was in the middle of a quiet overhaul. Jude and BlacTac threw themselves into the low-key recruitment drive, collecting mutants who would be trained as Haven's own private security force. Sveta, still having one foot in the vigilante business, kept a close eye on the developments, and interviewed quite a few people in the past days. Also did quite a few tryouts, which was nice. She hated staring at peopple from behind a desk while trying to assess if they could hold their own in the field.

Today, however, she had another kind of meeting. The man her assistant escorted to her office had a friendly look, and two goddamn hummingbirds on his shoulders. Pippa was right, if the guy really lived up to the first impression he was PR gold. And if he was also good at his research job, then Haven needed to recruit him.

Sveta stayed behind her desk, waiting for him to walk in and hit her coffee buzz aura.

"Mr. Dantes? Welcome to Haven. Excuse me if I keep my distance, it's power-related. But it is very much a pleasure to meet you.I'm Svetlana Sergeyeva, acting CEO." she smiled. Wow, she was getting better at these. Technically, she could have walked closer, but she was waiting to how her aura would affect the birds. They seemed excitable. "Please, take a seat. Coffee?"

The lady at the front desk was kind enough to direct Andro to a Ms. Sergeyeva's office. She had tried her best to not squeal at seeing his hummingbirds, which Andro was rather glad she didn't. He wanted to remain professional, but also realized that it was still far from normal to walk around with his birds on his shoulder. He gave her a nice smile and took a mint from her desk.

The Haven offices were all located at the end of one hallway and Ms. Sergeyeva's office was wide open as he arrived. 

Andro tightened his grip on his suitcase. Yes, it was cliche for him to have one-- he preferred to keep a satchel on him, but the information in it was easier to keep locked up in a suitcase. He was ready to show the research he had if required, but at the end of the day, the meeting was only meant to establish introductions and being a relationship.

As soon as he walked into the office, it felt as if all his nervousness had melted and was replaced with a rather acute excitement. All the books on her shelf, the items on her desk, and the intensity of Ms. Sergeyeva's gaze jumped out at him. He could feel Raisin and Nike's energy levels rise as well. What was this sudden change in energy?

>>"Mr. Dantes? Welcome to Haven. Excuse me if I keep my distance, it's power-related. But it is very much a pleasure to meet you.I'm Svetlana Sergeyeva, acting CEO." she smiled. "Please, take a seat. Coffee?"

"Hello, Ms. Sergeyeva. You can call me Andro. And, I'll have to decline on the coffee. I suddenly feel quite... alert." Andro took a seat in front of her desk, and it seemed as if the closer he got to her, the clearer everything seemed to become. He suddenly felt Raisin and Nike float off his shoulders and hover closer to Svetlana.

"These are Raisin and Nike. Both of whom should be patient and wait until I introduce them." Andro used his stern voice. He didn't like using his stern voice, because it often backfired on him, but the sudden surge in energy also seemed to affect his little companions. Nike, the older of the two, returned to sit on Svetlana's laptop. It wasn't his shoulder, but at least he retreated. Instead of returning back to him, however, Raisin, whom he brought along because Andro wanted to break him into social interactions, landed on Svetlana's shoulder instead. 

"Raisin. Don't you dare." Andro could tell that the little bird wanted to snuggle up against Svetlana, to show its affection. The moment Raisin touched Svetlana, she would soon feel weightless and anything she was touching would begin to float as well.

The man seemed nice. And easy to talk to. The hummingbirds were somewhat distracting, and Sveta could tell exactly when her aura hit them because they started buzzing more than usual.

>>"Hello, Ms. Sergeyeva. You can call me Andro. And, I'll have to decline on the coffee. I suddenly feel quite... alert."

"That would be me. I generate an aura of... caffeine." she chuckled. That was her go-to explanation about her powers every time until she trusted someone enough to tell them the truth. The birds flew to her. She wondered what would happen if she touched them.

>>"These are Raisin and Nike. Both of whom should be patient and wait until I introduce them."

"Empathic connection?" she ventured, keeping her eyes on the one that kept trying to land on her shoulder "Or do they actually..."

>>"Raisin. Don't you dare."

Too late. The little critter landed on her shoulder. Sveta chuckled, imagining a hummingbird hopped up on caffeine... but something much stranger happened. She felt... weightless. And it wasn't just a feeling. Looking down, she noticed she was actually...

"... am I floating?! Are you doing this?"

Could she overboost someone through a bird?...

"... am I floating?! Are you doing this?"

Stay calm, Andro. Svetlana's caffeine aura made it difficult to keep his heart rate down, but Andro clenched the handles of his seat and placed his feet firm on the ground. He wasn't staying calm just to keep his hummingbird's calm, but also so he wouldn't screw up his interview. The one thing he'd been concerned about happening-- Raisin's social inexperience causing a blunder-- was the exact thing to characterize his first impression. This would teach him not to take risks like this on a day like this.

Andro could feel Raisin's panic increase and a sense of remorse emanate from the bird. It squaeked in surprise and detached itself from Svetlana, causing the effect of gravity to resume on her and her chair. Then Raisin flew back to Andro, shivering and scared.

Andro caressed the startled little bird with the tip of his finger as he turned to face Svetlana.

"Hope that didn't startle you too much. If you don't mind me asking, is that a part of your ability as well? I noticed Raisin hadn't intentionally activate his anti-gravity. Are you able to activate other mutations upon physical contact with them? Fascinating."

The guy looked a little scared at what his bird was doing. Clearly he did not plan on a demonstration of powers as a first impression. Sveta was not sure how she was going to get down from the floating; thankfully her knees got caught under the desk, so she did not rise very high. The bird let go and she landed, chair and all. It as uncomfortable, but not painful.

>>"Hope that didn't startle you too much. If you don't mind me asking, is that a part of your ability as well? I noticed Raisin hadn't intentionally activate his anti-gravity. Are you able to activate other mutations upon physical contact with them? Fascinating."

"Smart." she raised an eyebrow as she smoothed her clothes down. The guy had time to look sheepish and read her powers. Maybe there was more to him than a friendly face. "I boost mutant powers. if this interview does not go as we intended, you're going to be asked to sign an NDA. It's not something I like to advertise after the fifth or sixth kidnapping."

>>"Smart." she raised an eyebrow as she smoothed her clothes down. "I boost mutant powers. if this interview does not go as we intended, you're going to be asked to sign an NDA. It's not something I like to advertise after the fifth or sixth kidnapping."

To say that Andro felt threatened was an understatement.. He had been aware that other powerful mutants composed the backbone of Haven, but to be in the presence of one was a different matter. Furthermore, to think that he was in the presence of the acting CEO and he had already unlocked some secret did not do much to help his composure. 

“Nike, Raisin. Best behavior now. We’re here to do business.” Andro took out his briefcase and placed it into his lap. Nike flew back and rested on Andro's shoulders, preening his feathers as to look more professional.

“On behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society, I wanted to thank you for responding to our partnership offer. We've just recently tapped into understanding mutant-kind's effect on the environment and we believe that in providing the public with this information, our efforts to improving mutant-kind's acceptance in society will definitely improve."

He opened up his briefcase and took out his portfolio of preliminary research and placed in on Svetlana's desk. "This is a list of publicly documented cases of mutant-kind providing positive ecological change all along the East Coast. Of course, without more solid information regarding mutant activity, our research ends up being speculation at best."

Sveta probably would have been more miffed about the whole power thing if the birds had not been so darn adorable. Seriously, who named a hummingbird Raisin? Sveta made a mental note to ask more about the man's abilities and psychic connection later on. He was here to pitch her for funding, and while that was not exactly her plan, she was going to listen first.

>>“On behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society, I wanted to thank you for responding to our partnership offer. We've just recently tapped into understanding mutant-kind's effect on the environment and we believe that in providing the public with this information, our efforts to improving mutant-kind's acceptance in society will definitely improve."

He handed her a portfolio and she flipped through it. Not a lot of hard data, but that was probably why they were in need of funding. Also, a lot of obvious information more in need of a good PR front than research: some mutants had powers that had obvious applications to help the environment. Hell, Devon had been one of those, up to the point when he just up and disappeared.

>>"This is a list of publicly documented cases of mutant-kind providing positive ecological change all along the East Coast. Of course, without more solid information regarding mutant activity, our research ends up being speculation at best."

"And that's where we come in." Sveta nodded. "Research funding, right?" she smiled at him over the folder "Just out of curiosity, are you one of these anecdotes?"

>>"And that's where we come in." Sveta nodded. "Research funding, right?" she smiled at him over the folder "Just out of curiosity, are you one of these anecdotes?"

"Not so much funding, as more data. You see, mutant activity and human activity just so happen to overlap on many levels. The eventual goal of this research is to perform a global investigation of mutant effects on the environment, but as you may already be familiar with, certain mutations already lend themselves to being ecologically useful and others, not so much."

"The X-gene lends itself to producing mutants that could in their own right, act as a lone species, ecologically speaking." Andro now wished he had himself a cup of coffee to sip on, as he didn't realize how much talking he'd had to do.

"Based on the variability of mutantkind, on the surface, this endeavor may seem like a huge undertaking, and almost impossible. The 'data' we have, is as you mentioned, mostly based on anecdotal evidence. To have hard evidence would require a screening of all mutants within a particular region and an organization of their abilities in such a way that can be statistically processed. That would require teams of people. The genesis of our particular project is similar to a historical undertaking than a scientific undertaking at best, but that's where reasonable science begins anyway. By debunking the mythos surrounding naturally occurring phenomena.

He took out a few pictures from his portfolio of documented cases within the past ten years of mutants affecting weather patterns, crop production, energy consumption, etc. He realized it was a lot of information and he began to sweat, thinking he should have made it simpler to explain. Maybe a gif or a powerpoint would have been more engaging. Then again, he was speaking to the working CEO.

"As for your question, my case would fall under a mutant acting with humanitarian efforts in mind. As for a large scale effect on the environment, my mutation itself does very little. However, as part of the sample size, if my hummingbirds were to continue interacting with the natural ecosystem, then it would lend itself to being a positive case in respect to our research.

"And yes, it may seem biased for a mutant to be spearheading these affairs, but data is data. As for where our current offer stands, the WCS would be grateful for any assistance in your part. Funding would definitely improve the energy we can pour into this project, but all we are really asking is for access to whatever information you can provide about mutant related effects on the New York area."

Raisin on his shoulder began to fall asleep, and Andro wondered if Svetlana's caffeine aura was wearing off or if he were just that boring.

"We are aware that other mutant organizations could function in a similar capacity, but we decided to reach out to Haven first, recognizing our similar goals in promoting a better world for humankind."

Andro was prepared with a whole big speech. It was not exactly an elevator pitch, but he seemed genuinely excited about the prospects of having more data to work with. To prove that mutants could have a beneficial effect on the environment. Svetlana leaned her elbows on her desk as she listened.

>>"The X-gene lends itself to producing mutants that could in their own right, act as a lone species, ecologically speaking."

"I'd be careful with the lone species thing. Speaking from a PR perspective." she noted. Mutants being classified as a species other than 'normal human' was a thing people liked to do right before the collars came out. She understood the science, but the communication would have to be polished. A lot.

There were some pictures, too. Sveta remembered well what Tempest could do when she boosted him to help out with the California fires. Sometimes when she remembered him she felt a pang of impostor syndrome. Alone, she was just a battery.

>>"As for your question, my case would fall under a mutant acting with humanitarian efforts in mind. As for a large scale effect on the environment, my mutation itself does very little. However, as part of the sample size, if my hummingbirds were to continue interacting with the natural ecosystem, then it would lend itself to being a positive case in respect to our research."

Wow. Lots of words for a simple question. Sveta arched an eyebrow. They finally got down to the gist of the whole thing: his project did not want funding as much as they wanted data. Of mutants. Or rather, effects of mutants.

>>"We are aware that other mutant organizations could function in a similar capacity, but we decided to reach out to Haven first, recognizing our similar goals in promoting a better world for humankind."

Once he had the whole thing neatly tied up with a bow made of compliments, Sveta sat back, musing things over for a moment.

"The money would be easier, you know" she noted. "Giving you data on mutants... with the best of intentions, that is risky. Sensitive doesn't even begin to cover it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am not sure a scientific project would be equipped to handle the kind of information Haven has access to. These things can still be life or death, no matter how liberal America likes to look."

>>"I'd be careful with the lone species thing. Speaking from a PR perspective." 

"You're right. It's all in how we form the narrative. Which is why we'd like to get a better picture of mutantkind's role in the environment. The data comes first, of course. If further research proves that mutantkind has substantially proven to be an ecological nightmare, we will have to decide how to share that information then."

Raisin and Nike sensed Andro's concern and fluttered to his head, preening his hair, trying to calm him. He nodded his head, moving it so they could know he was fine and he appreciated his .

"Preliminary data shows that this has not been the case, however. I wouldn't be involved if I didn't think it best for mutantkind."

>>"The money would be easier, you know" she noted. "Giving you data on mutants... with the best of intentions, that is risky. Sensitive doesn't even begin to cover it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am not sure a scientific project would be equipped to handle the kind of information Haven has access to. These things can still be life or death, no matter how liberal America likes to look."

She made a good point, and as it stood, the WCS was not a government organization and to have access to such data was a huge stretch to ask for. 

"Your worry is justified, but at the end of the day, the amount of information you share is up to you. Trust is like Rome, it isn't built in a day. We at the Wildlife Conservation Society care primarily about the areas where the human ecological footprint is lightest and the areas we are currently trying to protect, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the windswept wilderness of Chile's Tierra del Fuego. As it stands, it would greatly assist our endeavors to receive assistance from our mutant organizations on this front." Andro wished he could take a sip of a drink, his throat was becoming parched and he wondered if he was making himself clear enough. 

"Miss Sergeyeva, any relationship without trust is useless. The reason I came today is to inform Haven that we are willing to establish a relationship. Of course, that also requires you to be able to trust us. If you say that what we ask is great, what can we provide you to show that we are worth granting such a request?" Andro leaned forward, curious as to what Svetlana would ask for, on behalf of Haven.

Science people were all about the data. In this case, it worked in mutantkind's favor that they did not go into this research with an agenda (as some organizations tended to do when social equality was on the table). However, if the data decided that mutants were bad for the environment... the whole thing was likely to become a nightmare.
Not to mention how they were going to handle access to the data in the first place.

>>"Your worry is justified, but at the end of the day, the amount of information you share is up to you. Trust is like Rome, it isn't built in a day. We at the Wildlife Conservation Society care primarily about the areas where the human ecological footprint is lightest and the areas we are currently trying to protect, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the windswept wilderness of Chile's Tierra del Fuego. As it stands, it would greatly assist our endeavors to receive assistance from our mutant organizations on this front."

Now that was a sales pitch if she had ever heard one. Sveta smiled a little. She did care about the environment, but you could only die on one hill at a time, and her job was to support and protect mutants and mutant interests. If they could do both, great. Right now, she still had a lot of questions.

>>"Miss Sergeyeva, any relationship without trust is useless. The reason I came today is to inform Haven that we are willing to establish a relationship. Of course, that also requires you to be able to trust us. If you say that what we ask is great, what can we provide you to show that we are worth granting such a request?"

Trust. Trust was such a nice concept. Sveta had a lot of it, once upon a time. She trusted the Matchmaker. She trusted the X-men. She trusted a whole bunch of guy with her secret, and she trusted people in general, which led her to be repeatedly kidnapped and bled for profit. Now, she was much more careful with doling out trust to anyone.

"You." she answered, after some consideration. "If we can't bring the data to the project, we will bring the project to the data. There is no reason why Haven couldn't do research on mutant impact on the environment, in house. We just need professionals to head the project. And to represent it." Doing so with cute animals was always a plus. "Have you ever considered being the face of such an effort?"

>>"You." she answered, after some consideration. "If we can't bring the data to the project, we will bring the project to the data. There is no reason why Haven couldn't do research on mutant impact on the environment, in house. We just need professionals to head the project. And to represent it." Doing so with cute animals was always a plus. "Have you ever considered being the face of such an effort?"

"Me?" Andro had been wrapped up in his spiel to collaborate that the idea of being recruited to the cause by Haven struck him like a blowjob he didn't realize he needed. A censored, kid-friendly blow job that wasn't at all sexual of course, but one wrapped in a professional bow and rid of any unclassiness. Andro's cheeks began to blush a strange purplish- not a shade too out of the ordinary but enough to express his surprise. The two little birds in the room began to flutter and chirp with a giddiness that Andro bust a gut to suppress lest he become the unprofessional that turned into a child at the moment of being told he was going to Disneyworld. Yet, to work for Haven? So many leagues above Disneyworld.

Andro tightened his grip on the briefcase in his lap.

"Well, that would certainly improve the effectiveness of such an endeavor, wouldn't it? I already have connections within the Wildlife Conservation Society and you would not have to worry about how a second party would handle your sensitive information." He thought about how happy his wife would be once he told her all this, and the sudden prestige of landing a job he didn't initially ask for got to his head really quickly that he pulled at his collar in an attempt to release the pent up energy he was converting to heat just to keep himself calm.

"How could I best assure you that I am fit for the job? I'm sure with all the simplicity of this decision, there has to be some catch?" Andro thought a display of his mutant prowess might help seal the deal that he was being delivered, so he gestured to his birdy pals with a sniff of his nose. They hovered over the paperwork that he had handed over to Sveta and with a smooth flutter of tiny feathers, returned the paperwork to his briefcase.

"These feathered friends of mine are non-negotiable parts of the face of my efforts." He thought such a confident phrase would be enough to assure Sveta to continue. 

>>"Me?"

Sveta could see the surprise, but she could also see the eagerness. It was a good offer, working for Haven. And probably also better paid, at least if she had any say in it.

>>"Well, that would certainly improve the effectiveness of such an endeavor, wouldn't it? I already have connections within the Wildlife Conservation Society and you would not have to worry about how a second party would handle your sensitive information."

"My thoughts exactly." Sveta nodded. It was easier to control people working with sensitive data if said people were in house employees.

>>"How could I best assure you that I am fit for the job? I'm sure with all the simplicity of this decision, there has to be some catch? These feathered friends of mine are non-negotiable parts of the face of my efforts."

"Oh, I was counting on that" Sveta smirked, watching the birds do their thing. "That's the actual catch. As I said, this project is very important, but it also needs a face. And Haven needs more people sharing time in the limelight. We have had... fewer of those since Tem... the former CEO went on a leave of absence. And you are a likable man. Even I can tell, and I don't like many people. Add the birds to the mix... it's a good look for Haven."

>>"That's the actual catch. As I said, this project is very important, but it also needs a face. And Haven needs more people sharing time in the limelight. We have had... fewer of those since Tem... the former CEO went on a leave of absence. And you are a likable man. Even I can tell, and I don't like many people. Add the birds to the mix... it's a good look for Haven."

So he was going to be the sweet-talker of one of the sweetest mutant organizations on this side of the Coast? Andro's eyes lit up as he imagined himself and his hummingbird pals talking at panels, hosting events, taking selfies with the huge influencers of the mutant and environment world combined. He dusted off his suit as he stood up to eagerly shake Svetlana's hand, putting a hand out there so she could shake it . He was well aware of the propensity of her mutation, though it seemed as if her gloves were enough "insulation" so to speak, to prevent him from being affected by her ability. 

Nike and Raisin were still a little bit wary, having made their way to nestle on both sides of Andro's neck. The two chit chattered across his chest, both excited for the prospect of getting more screen time as they were absorbing bits and pieces of Andro's imagination. Andro was already imagining all the environmental collaborations that could be had here in the city and throughout the coast, maybe even branch out to the midwest and south. The possibilities were endless.

"I'm not sure if you've paid attention to my Youtube and Instagram, but my birds already have a following. What would you say I ought to do with my social media presence, now that I will soon be affiliated with Haven and its functions. On one hand, the publicity is something I can handle, but I would like to expand the wings of what I have already begun and revamp the social-page for Haven."

Andro pulled out his phone and brought up his Instagram account for Svetlana to look at. Yes, it was composed of selfies of him and his birds, but his number of likes were in the couple thousands per post. He was still trying to work towards half-a-million, but now that he could finally add mutant efforts to his endeavors instead of  catering to the social justice warriors and climate-fanatics, he bet Haven's social page could thrive.

"Not to be rude or anything, but Haven's social media presence is rather... lacking."