by LeAnn Mason
“We believe that your team may be able to give us added insight to some crimes and criminals that we’ve had to deal with as of late. We’ve heard great things about your abilities, both as Enhanced and as a law enforcement unit. I hope that this may be the first of many collaborations in the future,” the chief stated cordially.
Devlin’s and Holden’s eyes both swung my way, a default response to interviewing new people. They looked to me to let them know if his words were honest.
“He’s genuine… but cautious.” I answered their looks, canting my head slightly at the most powerful law enforcement figure of this new metropolis we found ourselves in. “May I ask what your concerns are, Chief?”
Every eye in the room shifted to the chief at my inquiry. My team looked on with scrutinizing intensity, while the ninny officers were incredulous at our audacity to speak to their boss in such a way. The chief took my question in stride, very familiar with speaking to influential people and talking down scared citizens. His posture, features, and words were smooth and polished, but thought out. I was on the lookout for any falsehoods or hiccups between mind and mouth.
“Your abilities will not be recognized by our judicial system as a viable means of assessment… yet. Hopefully, if your results prove vital and truthful, at some point, that will change. I would like to get a feel for how you—and your abilities—work and how it may assist our forces with finding and arresting those who wish to harm.”
“Why use us if our methods, my methods will not be admissible in your courts? If my assistance will not garner you any sway? Why should I even assist Non-Enhanced police forces if my findings will only be thrown out? I think I’m about the only person here who you were actually referring to with those statements, am I correct, Chief?”
“We have forever wished that we could just know what our subject was thinking. Aware that we could solve so many cases if we just knew. But alas, we don’t have that ability, and the court system is… tilted heavily in the direction of the accused.” He nodded at me before continuing. “Your findings, your testimony would be treated much the same as a polygraph test. Helpful in giving direction and possibly in swaying people on a jury but open to interpretation. Hell, it may even be thrown out entirely if deemed it violates the subjects inherent right to privacy.”
“So, it’s only the telepathy that you’d actually have a problem selling. All our Primals and Sages with outward abilities are useful and can be taken at face value, is that it?”
“My empathy and manipulation would fall under that category as well. It’s not a palpable ability with iron-clad and observable consequences.” Jade put it all out there with her hands on her hips in a trademark sassy stance. She wasn’t cowing to the titles in the room, and I couldn’t have been prouder. At least I could count on my girl to be just as uncouth as me.
I won't do anything without you, Nat, Holden assured me.
Should I be translating for Holden? “Do you have anyone who knows sign language?” Every person of authority in the room grumbled in the negative, arrogantly thinking about how no one who had the training was to be privy to this meeting.
“Do you want me to tell them what you say, or would you rather write?” I asked Holden, wanting to give him the choice of how to be heard. In this new situation, with these unknown people, he wanted to speak for himself… so to speak… and chose to write his thoughts. Of course, I could still hear them. I would just need to remember not to voice what I heard, to let him assert himself and be seen.
A moment later, a yellow lined notepad was placed on a table near where Holden stood at my side. He stepped forward to grab the pad before settling back. The tension in the room was holding steady, and the mental speculation continued from all sides. My temples were throbbing, but I needed to push through. The meeting was too important for me to shut down and too precarious for me to throw up my walls. The people in the room were interested in my telepathy, so it wouldn't benefit me to turn it off right now.
“Chief, we are grateful that you are interested in our team. Do you have a particular reason for wishing us to be here other than to express this fact?”
Wow, look at Dev whipping out the etiquette, Holden laughed mentally, the only outward sign being a small smile curving his luscious lips.
Now is probably one of the only times that I will welcome your flirty emotions, Nat. There's a whole lotta angst being thrown around this room, and your moment of lust was a nice break. A sigh accompanied Jade's thoughts before she leveled her attention back on the other inhabitants of the room.
“We were hoping for a demonstration of your individual talents,” another of the men said. This one was probably mid-thirties, with dark everything: eyes, hair, skin, even clothes and shoes. The most notable thing about him was that he had a rather large and wide nose. It totally dominated his features.
“Was this demonstration only to be for you few, or are we putting other minds at ease today?” Steve piped up. I was surprised he hadn’t really said anything until now. This seemed like an ideal Boat Shoes incident, a time when all the douchery would shine. We had discussed that he was probably the most adept at diplomatic maneuvering due to his father's influence. Maybe we'd given him too much credit.
“Every person out in this station is just as curious, if not worried, as you all are about the repercussions of having Enhanced in your city, the prospect of working alongside the likes of us. Will they be satisfied to only be told of our talents, of our benefits?” Steve continued, making me retract my previous thought.
Jade and I shared an impressed look. Maybe the dude could pull it off after all.
I was satisfied that we didn't need to be on our guard at that moment, so I maneuvered myself toward a table—the gray, plastic, easy-up kind—and lowered myself down into the corresponding gray, plastic chair. The metal legs scraped across the linoleum flooring as I moved it away from the table to sit, adding another black mark to the scuffmarks already adorning the chair’s repeated path. My legs extended fully and crossed at the ankles, while I leaned back against the stiff plastic and crossed my arms at the chest. I pushed my weight back enough that the front two legs of the chair left the ground.
The rest of my team followed suit, finding spots at various tables in the vicinity at which to sit and take a load off.
Careful, Nat. I'd hate for a repeat of what happened during your initial meeting with my uncle, Holden said as he gripped just above my knee and squeezed.
Of course, just as the thought escaped, I tipped a little too far to the rear and felt the weight shift. Once again, my eyes bugged, my mouth opened in silent bewilderment, and my arms began to pinwheel. All conversation stopped as the room riveted on me, watching to see just how big of a fool I'd make of myself. Talk about déjà vu, I thought acidly.
Holden's strong grip on my leg didn't waver. He flexed his fingers, wrapping them securely around the flesh, and just straightened his elbow. The downward force of his arm was enough to pull my weight forward. The front two legs of the chair hit the floor with a clank, while I made considerably more noise by flailing to right myself.
“Excuse me, sorry,” I said sheepishly, cheeks flaming like a bonfire as I turned to Holden and mouthed a silent thank you for the save.
“You’ll have to excuse Nathalee. She’s our resident clutz,” Steve kindly pointed out. At least his tone was congenial. He continued without missing a beat, his hands folded in front of him on the table as he addressed the still-standing congregation of law enforcement before us. “Wouldn’t it ease more minds if we were to be used in tandem with your officers, seen to be cooperating and helpful out in public?”
“While that would be best, you were only cleared for a few days outside of Minefield, and while we have contacted the director with news of the media coverage, we do not yet have an answer as to how he’d like us to proceed. I’d like to get a feel for what you do and how you do it,” the chief explained gravely.
Trent’s hand went up, lik
e he was answering a question in school. “Well, I’m just the tech guy. I have no special abilities. Can I just play with some of the gadgets you guys use? I’d love to see if I can keep up.” With a quick pop to the back of the head from Devlin, Trent lowered his hand and shrugged at the larger man in apology.
“So, who are we supposed to be making an example of? Are you offering yourselves or do you have another in mind?” Devlin asked, still standing sentinel between our seated group and the brass we were there to “impress.” He’d been under Commander James’ tutelage for years and it showed. He used the same formidable stance and stare that our esteemed leader donned on the regular. I would definitely cower if all of that was aimed at me.
The men we were ensconced with seemed to take it as a personal affront, changing their own postures to match—though, they had nothing on Devlin. Behind the bravado, there was a bit of fear. Who would step up to be the guinea pig?
“We can do this a couple of ways. We can use one of you to showcase each of our talents, or we can spread the demonstration to a couple, if not a few of you.” Jade threw out their options.
“Oh, and by the way,” I interjected. I could hear all kinds of curious thoughts outside of our room, all straining to hear what was going on in this meeting. I figured I should probably give everyone a heads-up to the added ears. “I’m pretty sure that everyone else—who’s able to—is outside this room at this very moment. What goes on in here will not be private as it stands right now. I suggest you either invite them in for the demo or make sure that no one else is able to hear or see anything.” I shrugged. “Just a thought.”
The men conferred for a moment amongst themselves, deciding on the best course of action. I know they didn’t want everyone and their mothers to know just what we could do, but would they let their men in on the secret? Would it help us or hurt us for the precinct to experience our enhancements first-hand?
While all were valid questions, there was no concrete answer. Human nature was too variable to have no surprises. Would fear win out or would these men and women see just what we could offer in terms of assistance in apprehension, detention, and investigations? Only time would tell.
Holden clicked the pen he’d been given, taking a moment to put it to the notepad he’d been provided. A moment later, he held up his neat scrawl for the others to read: The real question is: Do you want us to use our abilities on you or on some poor subordinate?
One of the cronies piped up, still in his power stance with an added narrow-eyed gaze at Holden. “I don’t want any of my men getting hurt.”
Another note popped up: You know your men. Which scenario would best allay fears? In my experience, seeing is believing.
He was right, of course. Speculation was a great way to throw things way out of proportion, but then again, seeing exactly what we could do might just make people feel like they were powerless, which would make them search for a way to feel powerful. I wasn’t sure there was a better way to do any of this. There would be repercussions either way. There would always be people who felt that we were too dangerous to exist.
“Let’s keep this party to just us for this example and go from there. I’m sure this will not be your only demonstration while you’re visiting. Give me a moment to clear the eavesdroppers and we will continue. Captain Rivers, would you please address your officers, so that we may continue. I’m sure our guests are anxious to get started,” the chief said to the man closest to him, who was apparently of high rank.
No sooner had the man headed for the door than Steve stood and clapped his hands together, the “douche” look alighting his face as his beady eyes narrowed behind his spectacles and his thin lips kicked up in a menacing smirk. He seriously looked like a sociopath when he got that look.
“Dude, tone down the creep factor or they’ll throw us in jail without demonstration,” I chided as I threw a ball of wadded-up yellow paper at his head. “We need a volunteer, not a sacrifice.”
“I can’t ask my men to do anything that I myself would not, so use me,” the chief said benevolently as he stepped forward, landing a few feet from where Devlin still stood planted like a steadfast oak.
“Who wants to go first?” Steve asked, looking around at our group. We were all a little leery of just going to town. Our gifts were still some of our most closely-guarded secrets. When none of us piped up, he shrugged. “Guess that’s my cue. Chief, sir, would you come closer please?” Steve crooked a finger at the older man to reiterate.
A moment went by, then another. No movement. The other men in the room wore matching looks of confusion when nothing happened. As the chief’s face screwed up in puzzled effort, a grunt escaped his lips and panic began to bubble in his mind, but still no motion.
“I… can’t.” And then, suddenly, he could. Steve had released his hold, causing the large man to stagger forward, only escaping a fall to his knees because Devlin reached out to stop it.
“Wow. That was incredible. I couldn’t move a muscle. Nothing.”
Steve beamed. “That’s because I’m that good,” he boasted. “You ready for round two?”
“Who’s round two?”
“Me,” Jade said, scooting her chair out noisily as she moved to stand. She still needed to be fairly close to her targets, so she approached the chief as she spoke. “I am an empath. I can feel that you are both worried and impressed. Having an empath can be good in some situations where you may need to gauge a person’s reactions more reliably than just by what they project. I’ve recently found that another aspect, emotional manipulation, can be very effective in subduing combatants. It also helps when speaking with witnesses and victims.”
“Why am I getting angry?”
“Because I’m telling you to,” Jade answered. “I’m telling you which emotion to feel. How about now?”
All the tension bled from his aged face, his shoulders relaxed almost to the point of slumping, and his hands opened from the fists they’d been held in. “Tired. Everything is heavy. I can barely…” His mouth opened wide in a great yawn. “Excuse me. I can barely keep my eyes open.”
I made sure to keep my mind open to all the thoughts in the room. I needed to make sure that everyone was taking this in stride, that no one was going to freak out and pull some concealed weapon on us because they were sure we were killing their superior. So far, so good, I thought.
“Now, my ability is best showcased when it can be verified. So, what’s something that you could think of that your men would also know the answer to? Something personal, maybe?” I interjected while staying seated. I didn’t want to risk getting tangled up in my chair and face-planting on the floor—a total possibility, knowing me.
Of course, everyone in the room was thinking something. It was the way of things, the reason my own head was never quiet. It’s why my music was so important to me. It kept the other voices at bay. I took a moment to weed through all the new minds, pinpointing the chief’s distinct frequency. “I know we are unsettling, but maybe think about like your wife’s name, or how many years you’ve been a cop, or where you get your favorite doughnuts,” I goaded him lightly. Sometimes, a little push was needed to keep people on topic. “Your first year on the job, you killed a man. You were responding to a shots-fired call, out on the… north side. When you located the vehicle, he fled. The chase lasted for a few minutes, winding through traffic, but the roads were slick and he slid out and off the road. When he crashed, he left the vehicle to run on foot. When you ordered him to stop, he turned toward you—a gun in hand. You shot him… He died from his wounds.”
A look of haunted pain flickered in those aged eyes before it was eclipsed by acceptance. That was his first shoot. It was not his last, and he did not regret it, but it was still painful. The knowledge that in order to keep himself safe—to keep others safe—he needed to take a life, was a burden that each of us knew too well. There was significant loss when your purpose was to protect.
“Wow… that was… verbatim. Do you alw
ays hear what others are thinking?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Though, I have a few tricks that can keep the voices at bay. Enforcement has helped a lot, actually.” I nodded with a self-deprecating twist to my lips as I moved to get the spotlight off me. “Holden, I think it’s your turn. Luckily, Chief, this one is all show.” I turned to look at Holden’s captivating blue eyes. “Think you can pull him off?”
He knew who I meant, and a cute quirk kicked up his lips as he nodded once. A quick dip of his chin was the only affirmation he showed before his features started morphing. His hair turned a lighter shade of brown with gray at the temples. His face rounded and lined, eyes sinking inward before turning a muddled hazel. His lithe body both shortened and widened by a couple of inches.
“Holy shit,” one of the police breathed. It was in all of their minds, though, just like it always was. Holden’s ability was both impressive and scary. He just lifted an eyebrow and shrugged before he let go of the change.
“That is amazing,” the previously-impersonated man praised.
Holden bent to the notepad again and scrawled a quick: Only gets you so far when you can’t speak.
“Yeah, I guess that is true,” was all he said before deciding to move his attention to the last remaining Enhanced. “You’re Primal, as well? That means that you also have a physical ability, right?”
“If someone could hit the lights, we’ll play hide and seek.” Dev’s smile was a little scary. All teeth, like he was hoping one of the NEs would piss himself or something. I chuckled. Devlin really was a little off, but the scary bastard had grown on me. It took him a total of two minutes to find and scare the crap out of everyone in the room, including our team. I’d never realized part of his stealth was the fact that he could see in the dark. It made him that much more formidable, someone you’d not want to go up against. Not many would stand a chance.
After Devlin’s brief demonstration, we found ourselves once again meandering through the busy floor toward the “employee exit” at the rear. We only had a little while before our press conference was scheduled, and a breather was in order. We needed to shake off the previous events and focus on what was going to happen out on the front steps in a short time. Every eye followed our progress, noting the newly-developed respect and fairly easy manner between our group and their superiors. The mental curiosity and skepticism had kicked up to eleven and followed us out the door.
