WHERE: The hologym WHEN: Friday; afternoon WHAT: Introduction to training; step one, Alex's self confidence. STATUS: Complete VIEW WARNINGS: discussion of potential mind control
Honestly, her transfer came at the right time. Hazel wouldnât say that South Dakota was bad for her, in some ways it was a fairly decent place. But it was dull, and repetitive, and not really conductive to a girl like her having to stay in the one spot. She signed up for the facility way of life, joining Regiment meant being stationed in one place for long stretches of time. She could deal with that.
Figuring out her new team, that came easily to her. She could read over their files as many times as she wanted, but all that gave her was an outline. She appreciated all of Michaelâs help in understanding them, understanding their quirks and the little personality things he could share; Indigoâs focus on details, Vasilyâs drive to see more animals to mimic, Willâs family complexities. They werenât written in any file, so understanding those aspects of each personality came with time, getting to know each agent.
Her brief exchange with Alex made her worry a little; the woman was entirely new to understanding her powers, and clearly very conflicted about the type of power she had. Psychic persuasion was no small thing, and in the right setting, with the right people, she could do amazing things to de-escalate situations and protect lives.
But there was a justifiable hesitance there, because of the degree of manipulation that would come from such powers. Working up Alexâs confidence would be one step, building her own belief in her use of powers would be the next thing.
The hologym was an excellent starting point, and even after some interesting Monday night drinking games, Hazel was ready to jump right in with Alex. âWeâll start out with scenarios, okay? And you can walk me through your powers?â
Alex pushed her hand through her hair and nodded, the training side of things was familiar to her. It hadnât been that long ago since sheâd left the Police Academy. Wasnât too long since sheâd been doing training scenarios every day because that was how you got better at your job; you trained. Training she understood. Skills were developed through habit and time, worked like muscles until it became habit.
But⊠but she wasnât in the police force anymore. Even if the SEA passed and they were released from being part of this private army, she wouldnât be able to have her job back. Sheâd have to disclose being a Super, sheâd have to disclose her abilities. At best theyâd tell her that they couldnât hire someone who fell under the umbrella of a âpsychicâ. At worst theyâd accept her back but put her in a position where she was expected to use her powers all the time.
She wanted to be more positive about this place, she really did, but it was hard. Mike, the day sheâd arrived, had made good points about the good things her powers could be used for. She could offer support and help to those who struggled, but that was one small benefit and she didnât know if it outweighed the fact that she was able to force people to do things she didnât want.
Despite not knowing how her abilities were triggered, Alex had on a pair of gloves. She didnât want to risk it; she didnât know how many people that had been affected, how many people sheâd unconsciously manipulated. Was that how sheâd got through police academy so well? Was that why sheâd never had problems with those kids that had tried to bully her at school?
Rubbing the back of her neck, she nodded again.
âYeah- okay, we can do that. I donât mean to sound like a pessimist, Iâm not normally this bad.â She offered a small smile, âPromise.â
âDonât worry about it,â Regiment was a new experience for Hazel, the last year and a half had been an interesting one, but she knew that this was what she wanted to put herself to. Helping people who were at a major disadvantage find a place. And while this place wasnât the most ideal for them, it was a starting point. She could work within the current confines and then branch out as change rippled.
âLarge changes make things seem bleak, weâll get there.â Hazel could work with pessimism better than fatalism anyway. It meant that there was still hope for Alex, since she was willing to at least try.
âIâm going to set up a bank robbery, there will be hostages and assailants. First, I just want you to talk me through the approach youâd take.â Strategy was as important as action, and Hazel understood having a game plan in place was more important sometimes than what the agents could do. If everyone was flying by the seat of their pants, all the powers in the world wouldnât save them.
Triggering the simulation, inside of a New York bank, tellers in their places while a half-dozen hostages crouched on the floor, three bank robbers pointing guns while the leader stood to the side of the tellers area, all wearing black bandanas over their faces and tank tops. âSo, walk me through, from your standpoint.â
Looking at the frozen simulation was weird. Alex hadnât properly used the hologym since sheâd arrived. Her workouts had been in the normal gym, using the treadmill and punching bag, keeping herself occupied by making sure she was exhausted by the end of the day. It did enough to settle her needs - mostly. But for the rest of her time she was just trying to adjust. She resisted the urge to reach out and poke one of the constructs that had suddenly appeared, wondering how it was that this technology existed but wasnât common place outside. Something else that was suspect, if you asked her.
She wet her lower lip, looking at the situation and then back at Hazel. âWith or without powers?â she asked, âBecause the approach would be different if youâve got Supers on hand to help.â
She rocked back on her heels, âWithout supers, Iâd set up a perimeter to cover all the exits but without announcing it because thereâs a risk of injury. If it escalates to a hostage situation, weâd probably want to follow standard police protocols- negotiate. I mean- I guess-â
Alex shifted uncomfortably. âIf there was the ability to send someone in, knowing what I know now it would probably be possible for me to go in? Especially if they were supers. If I could get close enough I could negate their abilities.â She wondered how that worked; she could negate the abilities of others but her own wasnât affected. âWith supers involved, I think Iâd approach it differently.â
She tilted her head, looking around. âArrange for someone to teleport into the back, still have a police presence out the front but get a small infiltration team in. Make a noise so one of them comes back and get someone who can shapeshift to go in an replace them, take them down that way⊠If there isnât a more effective route, I donât know what powers there are, really,â she admitted. âOr how dangerous or effective they are.â
If she was ever pressed for an opinion, Hazel was sure she would come down hard on the side of Alex having rightfully earned the professional advancement sheâd made, her quick thinking on the situation, along with her interjection of the different potential for scenarios denoted a great mind for strategy and on the fly handling.
âYouâre doing great. Those are very good ideas, and very well reasoned.â Because it kept the attention to a minimal in both situations, the police outside would be the focus for the general public in the scenario with supers and the hostages were, as always, the main priority for extraction with least damage and force.
âWe have a teleporter at Limbo, and a shapeshifter.â Three, technically, although two were animals, âUtilising them in a situation like this would be perfect to reduce casualties and maintain calm.â Which was key in volatile situations where human life was at risk. âOne of the problems we face when taking on outside missions is that we donât always know if the targets are Supers. Itâs why, even without using your persuasion powers, youâre a key aspect in these unknown situations.â
She couldnât guarantee that Alex would have something similar to what sheâd had before, couldnât even guarantee that Alex would get to leave Regiment if and when the laws passed that allowed it. But Hazel could still make sure that Alex understood her powers didnât make her a liability in any situation, just because he caused some involuntary actions.
Alex pressed her lips together and nodded, accepting the appraisal for what it was. Sheâd thought it through, presented what she felt would be the best option given the information that she had. âGuess you canât always tell what the scenarioâs gonna be to be able to pick the best team, huh,â she mumbled, looking around at the scene again.
Though she understood the purpose of the exercise. She felt like a bit of a sucker, to be honest, that sheâd fallen so easily into the subtle manipulation. Her powers didnât make her an asset: her mind did. Her training. But her powers were what made her an unstable element right now.
âI suppose we have a leg up if there is a super involved,â she said after a moment, looking at Hazel again and tilting her head a little. âConsidering. I mean- I donât know how it works but-â she held her hands out and shrugged, âI got told I have a⊠dampening field of some type?â
âThat is part of the problem, which is why having someone able to read the situation as best as possible is always good.â Someone with Alexâs skillset, outside of her powers, that would be one of the best in field utilities theyâd have.
If the occasional lesson would involve some manipulation, Hazel could work with that, she could do the learning thing where they show Alex her value beyond just what she could do, showing her that her powers were just another layer to how important she was.
âWell, thatâs what weâll work on. Iâm sure one of your team-mates wonât mind training with you to figure out how your dampening field works, see about the methods of triggering it and your effective vicinity.â Hazel was fully prepared to put in the work to help Alex understand that she could still be a contributing member of society -should things change to the point where she got to rejoin it.
Alex knew it was too much to hope that they wouldnât have to work on her psychic ability, but she decided that she just wouldnât mention it again and hope that Hazel would just let it lie. She rubbed her gloved hands together and then looped her thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans, rocking up onto her toes and then back down onto her heels a few times.
âOkay,â she said after a moment, nodding her head. âI can work with that. I- I just- I hate the thought that Iâve-â
She cut herself off, clearing her throat. âNever mind. Iâd like to work at whatever I can to make sure that Iâm effective and efficient in the field.â She chewed the inside of her lower lip, looking at Hazel as she added, âI- I just wanna do the right thing. Since I canât do that in the police force anymore.â
Hazel figured that it would take a while to get Alex comfortable with what she might have done, and that it would probably take more past that to make her realise that her ignorance to her own ability removed the weight of manipulation from her -she had never consciously controlled someone, she didnât have to carry that burden.
âIâm not going to push you into something youâre not comfortable with. I would like to be able to work with you to fully understand your powers, all of them. But if youâre not yet comfortable to use your persuasive powers, weâll put that on the back burner while we examine the dampening ability and hone your skill for strategic thinking.â Because while the handlers ran missions and assignments, they werenât there, in the thick of things, watching the mission shift imperceptibly, that was where the agents were.
Hazel wanted to help these people how she could, assist in training them to be able to utilise their skills in so many ways, more than just to fight. Alex had a keen mind, if they could help her shift that training towards super focused scenarios, sheâd make an excellent field leader.
Alex wrinkled her nose in response to the discussion about using her entire power set and the response was so childish and instantaneous that Alex ended up laughing at herself for it. She might not be comfortable, but she was glad that Mike and Hazel understood that, understood that she didnât want to develop an ability that made her feel dirty. She knew that sheâd have to work with it eventually, and that there could be some good she could do - though she hadnât comprehended that at all until Mike had pointed it out. But if she could focus on other things first, she would prefer to.
âSounds good to me,â she said, infinitely more enthusiastic to get started. âI- I appreciate you being patient with me.â
Hazel gave Alex a soft smile, "Your entire life just got upended, you've been removed from everything you know and nothing is certain anymore, the least I can do, is go at your pace." Hazel had been trained in numerous techniques to help people feel comfortable, but she found just being honest and patient worked the best. She didn't have to instantly push Alex to do things she wasn't ready to do, they could work towards that, after Alex was able to accept and embrace her new circumstances.
Taking their time wasn't an issue. Not if that was what was needed.
"We'll start one on one, we'll run some simulations, help rebuild your confidence in your own ability, without powers. Then we'll think about moving into power exploration, as much as you're comfortable." Boundaries were always very important, and Hazel made it one of her jobs to always respect the boundaries of her agents.
Alex rolled her shoulders and tipped her head to the side, feeling a couple of the vertebrae pop before she nodded her head again and smiled at Hazel, ready to go.