>> "That's Agnes, Jorge, the girl I told you about. Get her out of there, right now. The Russian too, but be careful not to touch her, she's a power booster…Please get them out of there, the last thing we need is the religious fanatics finding Agnes. Just... bring them back to the Mansion, I'll talk with Sam."

Jorge was absolutely mute when he heard this. So this was the girl that Gemma told him about earlier? The young mutant that had those scars from when her parents tried to exorcize her? But…she certainly did not seem like the evil type? Just the idea that she had suffered through something that horrible simply made the detective’s blood boil. Here was this innocent girl, one who just today proved that she could be a hero, and her parents attempted to exorcize the mutation out of her? Granted people act in all sorts of ways when it came to mutants and the types of powers that they can possess, but really?

A glance back to the girl sitting with the Russian and immediately, he attempted to which the shock from his face. There was no way but if Gemma said that’s who had suffered through it, then that was who she was. It was then that she caught him looking and stared back at him. Turning back to his conversation, Jorge sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

For a second he was caught between a moral dilemma: his job or what was right. His job was that he needed to report what happened to that young lady. He was supposed to file a report so that social services could then take over and find out what happened to her and see if there is cause to arrest and put away the parents, and boy did he want to do that. But on the other hand, after today, Agnes was still vulnerable. He could not compound that by having her story thrown into the limelight of today and have everyone know what she went through. It apparently was hard enough for her to open up to Gemma, much less to an official like him.

In the end, he needed to trust his gut…as usual.

“Alright, Gemma,” he said with a nod as he spoke into the phone. “I’ll bring them over myself.” Hand at his hip, Jorge disliked being caught in this tug and pull, but he knew it was the right decision. “Honey,” he finally said over the phone, “Have you made any headway with her? Because I tell you, after today…whether or not she wants to be in the spotlight, she’s going to be. So we better move fast. I won’t be able to sit on it for long.” Finally he just smiled his usual Jorge-self and said his goodbyes. “I’ll bring them over right away. Bye. Love you.”

A click and he closed his phone.

Jorge made his way over to them and immediately he noticed that Agnes was still staring at him. It was obvious that she suspected something he was going to reveal nothing about what happened here. He did not want to spook the girl with the knowledge that a police official knew of her story. That would more than likely make her rail against whoever was trying to help her and they could not afford that.

For now, he would have to keep playing dumb.

“Okay, ladies,” he finally said with a smile. “Looks like I’m going to be your ride back to the mansion. So gather up your stuff. Once you’re there, the X-Men will just make sure you’re okay, but please, stay in the mansion until the MRC contacts you that everything has been cleared up, okay?” he beamed encouragingly and nodded. “Let’s go.”

>>“Don’t feel bad. Truthfully, half the time people can get close enough to me to hug be anyways because of the smell. I’m surprised that you can handle it.”

Sveta blinked. The whole hugging issue came out more awkward than she'd intended.

"I don't really feel de smell" she admitted "And I guess it makes us even, no one hugs me either. Not in deir right mind anyway." she aded, chuckling a bit "But I would hug you, to say, everything is going to be all right. Okay?"

>>“Okay, ladies. Looks like I’m going to be your ride back to the mansion. So gather up your stuff. Once you’re there, the X-Men will just make sure you’re okay, but please, stay in the mansion until the MRC contacts you that everything has been cleared up, okay? Let’s go.”

It worked. It worked! They were actually members of the X-team, even if just fake members, but someone on the other end of the line must have confirmed it, because they were getting out of trouble, for now anyway. Sveta stood and smiled, nodding to Agnes to follow her.

"Thank you" she smiled at the officer too "We really appreciate it. I hope everyone will be fine. And we will answer your questions."

Suure. After we've talked with Sam and probably the guidance counselor. They were the ones who alway sorted everything out in the end.

>> “Okay, ladies…Looks like I’m going to be your ride back to the mansion. So gather up your stuff. Once you’re there, the X-Men will just make sure you’re okay, but please, stay in the mansion until the MRC contacts you that everything has been cleared up, okay? Let’s go.”

>> "Thank you…We really appreciate it. I hope everyone will be fine. And we will answer your questions."

That was it? Really? Agnes was so shocked that she actually smiled at the outcome. She was going to get to go home! No news could make her happier right now.

To be honest she was fearful that she was going to have to get pulled into the precinct to answer a bunch of complicated question. She really did not want to have to answer anything at all about her past because to be honest it was a terrifying enough to expose her powers in that auditorium, she hated to think about what would happen if the cop got too curious about her. At least for now, all she would have to do is fudge some answers and not say too much about herself until she got back home. Maybe once there she can figure a better plan for having to combat this entire mess.

“Yes, thank you,” she whispered gratefully.

The man definitely did seem trustworthy and she was glad for that. She would have hated it if someone like Alderman was working for the MRC. Mutants get a tough wrap as it is, they don’t need someone as close minded as Alderman working for them all the time. That would not have ended good for anybody. At least in her opinion.

With a weak sign, Agnes struggled into a standing position from the chair. The incident left her feeling just plain exhausted and ready to sleep for a week. Not only did she command more bugs than she ever did before, but she was just physically hurt by the beating Arthur gave her, and she was mentally tired from everything that occurred. So much for just a simple day of doing research. She guessed that such a thing was beyond her control as well.

As she walked out with Sveta, she kept glancing over and giving appreciative glances at her. If she had not had gone with her, who knows how the situation would have played out. Who knows if she would even still be alive right now. She helped out in a greater way than she will ever know. Maybe she should get her something to say thank you? Agnes would ponder this…until they stepped out of the museum.

Immediately the flashes from cameras and the lights from news reporters assaulted her eyes. Agnes covered her face as she looked down and saw the barricade set up that held back the masses. This was definitely not a pleasant sight but she really did not know how to get away from it. She prayed that the detective’s car was close by.

A glance up to him and he seemed to acknowledge that she did not want to be seen. Why was he so helpful looking? Before she knew it, he was standing in front of her, blocking her from view and leading them down the stairs. All the while, in the back of her mind, Agnes could only keep whispering over and over again Please don’t let them see me…Please don’t let them see me…

The flash of the cameras assaulting his eyes, Jorge could only wince and shake his head. Damn vultures were already out and circling. This was exactly was he was afraid of. The incident had already hit the news and apparently it was a big story for the stations to cover. And why not? Two bug related mutants going at it inside of a crowded museum? That was a sensational story…at least it was to the people on the outside. For someone like Agnes, Jorge knew that she was not going to like this. According to her story that Gemma told him, she was terrified of being found out.

That was why he moved himself to stand in front of her and block her off from view.

A glance back, over his shoulder and smiled at the two young women. “Just stay behind me, and I’ll get you to my car as quickly as possible, okay?”

With that he led them down the stairs, making sure to keep the two young ladies from view. At first the news reporters had not caught onto them. They were busy going over possibilities about what happened, trying to interview those eyewitnesses who were not injured or too badly hurt, and going over theories about mutants and the damage that they cause on a daily basis (Jorge wanted to hurt that one). All-in-all their journey would have gone off without a hitch…

Emphasis on would have.

Once he was down onto the sidewalk, Jorge spotted his car and began to lead their girls towards it when one of the victims who was standing on the inside of the barricade turned and caught a look at the pair of them. Immediately shock was shown on her face as she made her way over to them. Her finger up, she pointed and smiled happily…

“There you are! Thank you!! You saved my father!!”

It was like letting a drop of blood fall into a pool of sharks. Immediately everything quieted down and all eyes turned towards them. Jorge looked up, rolled his eyes and shook his head and began to walk faster. He had just placed his hand on the handle of his black Impala when the first camera went off. That started a domino effectas another and another and another camera went off, tracking their each and every movement, followed by a chorus of questions and pleadings for statements. Jorge did not bother with telling them to stop since it would do no good. Instead he pulled open his car door and ushered both Agnes and the blonde into the back seat.

Once they were in, he closed his car door and made his way around to the driver’s seat. As he did, reporters on the other side of the barricade kept asking for their questions to be answered but Jorge simply continued to shake his head and say, “No statements.”

As he made it to his driver’s side door, Jorge pulled it up, slipped in and slammed the door closed. This immediately deafened the sounds from outside and he could only sigh in relief. There were times he really did not care for the press, and this was definitely one of those times. He turned in his car and addressed the pair.

“You two okay?” he asked before he put his car into drive and headed off into the street, taking them back to their mansion and to the X-Men.

Sveta winced when the cameras started flashing; she did not expect that. She knew the last thing Agnes wanted was publicity; the same went for Sveta herself. What if the evil blonde woman found her? Or, even worse, if Maya found out? Or Sebastian? Or Slate?....
Oh boy. Sveta was in trouble.

>> “Just stay behind me, and I’ll get you to my car as quickly as possible, okay?”

Sveta followed, allowing Agnes to stand behind the detective. Taking off her coat, she handed it over to her to cover her face. No matter how big a trouble she was in, Agnes probably got it much, much worse. Besides, she was already screwed, and as for Slate, she couldn't have cared less.

>>“There you are! Thank you!! You saved my father!!”

The rest was a blur. Sveta wanted to hold Agnes, or push her faster towards the car, but she couldn't touch her; besides, she was also afraid she'd accidentally touch someone in the crown who happened to be a mutant. That was just her luck.

And then, finally, somehow, they were in the car. Sveta breathed in deeply and sighed.

>>“You two okay?”

"I am fine, just go." she muttered, glancing over at Agnes "Just let's go home."

And leave the rest for later.

Cameras…why did there have to be cameras? Agnes immediately felt anxiety the first time that she saw the flash. She wanted to crawl into a hole and simply disappear like many of the bugs that she normally housed. But she did not have that ability. Instead, she was going to be forced to face the crowds and possibly be exposed…

…at least that is what she thought until the detective placed himself in front of her.

>> “Just stay behind me, and I’ll get you to my car as quickly as possible, okay?”

He said it with such intensity and care that Agnes truly believed that he was out to keep her safe. And for now, amid all the lights and bustling news people, she was going to be willing to accept that about him. In the long run, she doubted it was true, she learned to believe that everyone eventually would show their bad side. No one would could be good and pure forever. No one. But for now, she had to believe it was true.

“Okay,” she muttered softly and stay behind him.

The steps were slow at first, taken only a few at a time, but before she knew it, they were passing people and no one really seemed to notice them. It was a good feeling to be able to creep amongst all these people unseen. Part of her wished, after her parents attempted to exorcise her, that she had the power to become invisible. Oh how she wished she would simply vanish from sight and make her escape, never to be seen again unless she deemed it so. But she never had that type of strength. She never had that skill to vanish…

Before she knew it though, a grateful bystander from the museum shouted and thanked them. Agnes did not dare lift her head and it was a good thing. Before she knew it, reporters and camera men were turning in her direction. Thankfully the detective seemed to anticipate this and ushered her into his black car as quickly as he could. Agnes disappeared within and soon she was joined by Sveta. If there was anyone she would choose to run from the press from, it was her.

Once the officer joined them, he turned in his seat and smiled.

>> “You two okay?”

>> "I am fine, just go…Just let's go home."

“Please,” Agnes pleaded. Home sounded like the best place in the world to be right now.

The detective, seeming to take both the young ladies pleadings into consideration, immediately turned back, revved his car up and pulled back out into the street. Agnes watched as he was waved through the police barricade and sighed happily the second that he pulled into the normal flow of traffic. There were rubberneckers out and about, but at least they could not see her inside the car. Before she knew it, they were gone, really gone leaving the museum as only a speck in the rearview mirror. There was no happier sight for Agnes. She was only thrilled to be gone and bury this day behind her.

A glance over to Sveta and Agnes smiled wearily. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a Bug-Apooloza key chain of a metal ladybug and handed it over to her.

“Not much,” she whispered. “But I can at least start saying ‘thank you’ with this.”

They got out of the worst of it; the car seemed strangely quiet after the noise of the crowd. Sveta sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. All right, that was done. They would have to deal with the consequences eventually, but so far, so good. They were going back to the Mansion, with a friendly police officer.
She glanced at Agnes and smiled a bit. The girl looked exhausted, but she was all right. Physically. Probably.

>>“Not much. But I can at least start saying ‘thank you’ with this.”

Sveta took the ladybug and smiled a bright smile.

"You are welcome" she nodded. This was the first gift she's gotten for a very long time "And tank you too. You were very brave. I think we saved each other."

Whatever was next, they would just deal with that too.