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Watching Agent Hunter take command of a situation in the field, Sabine was glad she made the choice months ago to bring him onto her team. He had the tactical experience to handle high pressure situations, and he and Agent Gage worked well together, bringing their unique talents to the cause. This was why she needed extremists out of SUPER; working with mutants to stop mutant threats was better than making all of mutantkind the enemy.

Without the ability to authorize the Ranger’s use of his mutation, he had the equipment necessary for a flashy breach of the building. He led the charge in, with Sang and Gage following close behind as backup. His more subtle powers caught out an assailant. They were likely in the right place, and as expected, they were not just dealing with the primary target.

With Gage’s assistance, Sabine dragged their apprehended target to the wall. Sabine leveled her weapon and watched for any new arrivals looking to give them trouble. Gage did her part, gathering intel in her own unique way.

Security team. Science team. It was good intel. Maybe they wouldn’t need…

Dim emergency lights flickered on through the mall. An emergency power generator, Sabine assumed. A youthful voice spoke through the dull static of the Mall’s PA system. ”It appears we have intruders looking to cause trouble for our mission. They fear the youth of mutantkind; we who inherit their broken earth. The kind of humans who cast the gloriously de-aged from their homes. It is here where we stand and reclaim this world.”

Sabine looked up at the second level of the mall. The guard had it right; the leader and her security were in the security office, with some patrolling. But they were not the only ones at the mall. Young mutants, looking confused and angry, emerged from abandoned stores in the mall. That was why she chose this place; to house homeless, de-aged mutants.

Sabine enabled her comms. ”The target is in the Security Office with a guard detail. Agent Hunter, lead the charge. Up to twenty guards. Additionally, we’re seeing a handful of displaced de-aged mutants in the main floor of the mall. No confirmation on powers for any parties, so it’s time for backup.”

They had to be careful who they called in. The guards knew what they were getting into, but these homeless mutants… well, they were confused and misled. Misguided innocents. ”Agent Manning, lead your team in to back up Agent Hunter. Agent Gage and I will proceed to the science team. As for these homeless followers… well, sounds like it’s time for do-gooders to do some good. Strike Team X, you’re in. And all teams, we’re authorized for non-lethal response. Let’s do this right.”

The scared mutants were looking around, hesitating and unsure of where the problem was. The heavy stepping of guards running to find them were less hesitant. Off comms, Sabine finished restraining the captured guard and turned to Noel. ”Okay, Gage, you know where the science squad is. Lead the way, keep us as out of sight as we can be,” in a big abandoned mall, ”And I’ve got your six. Let’s move.”

((OOC: X-Men and SUPER Agents, feel free to hop in! We’ve got Ranger and the SUPER team going after the de-ager and her guards, and X-Men, we have an assorted collection of scared and angry mutants to be subdued and taken into custody peacefully! Have at it!))

They existed in very different worlds with opinions far apart, but she respected Pippa’s focus. She had a job and she was approaching it with diligence and professionalism. Well, professionalism and the occasional snarky aside. At least Sabine could work with this.

It was good to know Pippa was not going to force bodyguards on Sabine. That sounded like a hassle that put other people at risk when she could take care of herself.

That did not surprise Pippa, but the lack of relationships might have. The phrase “eligible bachelorette” made Sabine smirk because that concept felt so far from her mind. It was another relief Pippa was not planning to set her up with someone. That would be more uncomfortable than the bodyguards.

Maybe she could subtly drop a hint or two. Use her past as an opening. ”Heavens, no. In college, I have all of two ex… whatever you might call them.” One man, one woman, neither longer than a few days. ”Both far from a relationship. Also both on the other side of a closed, interdimensional rift. I determined it just… was not for me, so I picked up and moved on.”

Sabine smiled politely. ”I hope that makes your job a little easier?”

Intimidation was not the goal here, but she was wondering if calling out Pippa’s directness might fluster her. Not. Even. A little bit. Well, she did bring Pippa in to do a job; Sabine was going to let her do this and see where the blonde planned to drag her along.

First was apparently a wardrobe revamp, which was actually surprising to Sabine. ”Alright, I’m perhaps out of my element here, but I’m dying to know what you’re looking to change about my wardrobe.” She had a collection of professional attire, suits, and even a few skirts in her closet. She would be interested to see how she was expected to change that for her public appearances.

Appearances Pippa expected her to make more of, evidently. What did she like to do in her off time? Clean her handgun and go over reports seemed like the wrong answers. ”Well, pastimes imply downtime, which I find in short supply these days,” she admitted. ”I do enjoy theater. Events with dancing, though it sounds like you want me there to mingle rather than dance,” she lamented. Good dancing was often ruined by mediocre talking.

There was another thought that came later. ”I enjoy catching baseball games, but my apartment looks over Yankees Stadium, so that I can enjoy without all the crowds.”

It would have been ideal if Pippa just nominated herself as a public face for SUPER. Sabine would gladly hand off the responsibilities to a woman she knew understood both the new direction of SUPER and how to present themselves in a better light. Honestly, she would hand the role off to anyone she believed might competently take it off her hands.

Sadly, their new PR consultant found the notion literally laughable, so Sabine smiled politely in response. It was a new face or it was Sabine herself. ”No, I don’t think I do, sadly. Government agents aren’t filled with public faces or people trained in public speaking. So unless an immaculately dressed PR expert wanted to take the mic, I think we’re stuck with me.”

Arching an eyebrow, Sabine smiled as she started picking up on Pippa’s obvious feelings about Public Scapegoat Sabine Sang. ”So I get the impression you’re concerned about my abilities to front a… how did you phrase it? Legitimate government agency?”

Sabine was not sure what she expected from Pippa Swan. Maybe someone mousy who stayed in the background to pipe lines into the ear of whoever was on stage? If that was what she assumed, she was wrong; Pippa did not strike her as timid or plain. Instead, she was well put-together, with lustrous blonde hair tied into a neat bun and an eye-catching powder blue ensemble that took confidence to pull off. It was the kind of color Sabine found too flamboyant for herself, but it suited Pippa.

Taking their seats, Pippa made an observation about the intentionally obscure location for the base. She was not entirely wrong; even with some of the shadier aspects of SUPER toned down, there were still government secrets and confidential research being held within the SUPER compound. ”It’s mostly so tourists don’t scare our aliens. They’re skittish,” she answered off-handedly. Then again, if they did have aliens, would anyone even notice amongst the mutants of New York?

Pippa wasted no time reiterating an agreement they were already both aware of. ”Miss Sergeyeva and I certainly came to that agreement, yes. I’ve taken on a more… public role since the relocation of SUPER.” And Kristoph could drown in a river for doing that to her. ”It’s not my comfort zone, though I’m doing what I can with it, but it was time we had an actual professional around. Someone befitting of a new direction.” The government hated the phrase “rebranding,” but that was what it was.

”As such, I’ll be trusting your expertise and looking forward to your feedback.” And she fully anticipated someone from Haven having feedback.

Sabine was willing to bet Sveta did this on purpose if she knew the whole story. The only thing saving that pain in the ass was the genuine belief that she had no clue who Pippa Swan was on her side of the Rift. Still, it would be like her to do what they agreed to, but find a way to make Sabine’s life harder in the process. When asking for double agents, she was not expecting the Haven leader would send her someone who had a past history with SUPER.

A member of X-quality who made a habit of getting on old-SUPER’s radar in a bad way, this new Pippa looked like the old one. Some of her older agents would still remember the mutant’s rights activist. Treating her like a human to infiltrate the organization would be a challenge, but she did have Noel and Michael and even Kent for that. If anything, this Pippa Swan could be the chum in the waters, rousing suspicions from her more hostile agents.

Sabine wondered if this new girl understood the precarious position she was being put in here.

Regardless of how Pippa felt about her safety in the shark tank, this was going to be awkward. Sabine was part of old SUPER, too. She was complicit with the staff who cracked down on their Pippa and her operations, even if she was not directly involved. She was also suspicious of this new itteration. It seemed convenient. Before the Rift closed, SUPER had Pippa Swan under custody. Now she was going to work with a Pippa Swan who had a similar work background and happened to have ties to Haven, a mutant-first organization. Haven might as well have been what X-quality wanted to be when it grew up.

As she said. A little too convenient, right?

Sitting at her desk in her black blazer and pants accompanying a red button-down, she could hear the clacking of heels approaching her office. Yep, she was going to guess that was her newest consultant wasting no time. Taking a breath to ready herself, she heard the knock at her door and stood to open it.

Pippa was well-dressed, with her blonde hair in a neat bun, opposing Sabine’s relatively plain ponytail. Sabine only had an inch and a half on her own heels, but that was enough to give her that same inch and a half over Pippa, despite the blonde’s own impressive heels. ”Of course, Miss Swan. My door’s always open to you. Come in,” she invited, stepping aside and back toward her desk, leaving a chair for Pippa to take on the other side.

”I hope you found the headquarters alright? Newbies sometimes struggle with the brass’s decision to station us on an island.” It was an attempt at a joke, but she liked that the government positioned them on an out-of-the-way island where they could control access and limit public interaction. A Public Relations person might feel differently.

It was funny to see Haven as a potential ally when, not long ago in the grand scheme of things, their pretty boy figurehead was making public statements decrying SUPER and everything they stood for. Things had come far, though there was still further to go. SUPER had to take steps of improvement, and Haven had to get their hands dirty enough to meet her halfway. This was a start.

Despite being the most stubborn, bullish woman Sabine had to deal with in recent memory, she was making progress with Svetlana. It was not perfect; Sabine was going to need to work with numbers people and Svetlana's expression made it clear that was not her.

That was what delegation was for, and if Svetlana was going to be someone of merit with Haven, she would surely learn the technique. Maybe Sabine had a few pointers for her on that front. "People who can read through records, find misplaced or misreported funds, and find holdings and properties that are inconsistently reported. I'm willing to bet if you spoke with whoever handles accounting for Haven, they could direct you to a partner company who could look into these records without being directly tied to your group."

Sabine took a bite of her meal and savored it, because sometimes you got what you paid for, and she was certainly paying for this duck. "Of course, that's just a humble outside observation from one supervisor to another. You've got plenty of people at your disposal; can't be too afraid to use them, Svetlana."