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Callen, G. (g_callen) wrote in omega_reality,

Re: Callen and Bolton -- After Flying
G chuckled. "Despite my earlier assessment, you're not one of my greatest worries." And G was going to have some fun with this. He intended to have a little test for each of them in turn. Still, he shook his head as Bolton went on. Though he privately agreed with Bolton, this was one point on which he couldn't afford to side with one or the other if he wanted to keep the team together. "Different people have different perceptions based on their experiences. As long as it doesn't cause problems for the team as a whole, however, whether you talk to her or not is none of my business. You're still stuck having some conversations with me, though."

Snorting, G shook his head. "Here's the thing, Bolton. You think these powers are cool and fun. Other people think they're terrifying and best used sparingly. Personally, I think they're a mixed blessing. They can be useful if used responsibly, but they can also be a hindrance and a crutch. The catch is that I have to find the balance that works best for the team as a whole, while not handicapping anyone and trying to learn as much as I can about how these things actually work in reality, not comic books. You're each trying to learn to control one power. I'm researching all the possibilities of thirty powers so I can be prepared if something goes wrong with any one of them or a combination.

"Besides, you want to talk about boring? Where's the fun in using our powers to play basketball or football for someone like me or my brother, as an example? I can think of only one person with both the reflexes fast enough and a power that could allow them to stop me safely. Last time someone tried to stop me when I was going fast, the impact with both me and the ground broke their ribs. And that was before I trained at all. Any team Rob's on, all they have to do is throw him the football every time and he teleports to the end zone. How much fun is that for anyone? Renko playing hide and seek would find everyone every time without having to look hard, while Alexis would just have to stay still and quiet and she'd evade everyone but maybe one or two people. There's no skill or challenge involved, nothing to make it interesting for long. A treasure hunt might be a possibility, although under Vance's new ruling, it would take some arranging for supervision since everyone would, by necessity, have to be spread out. I tell you what, if you want it, plan it. You'll have one day to run things the way you think they should be run within the limits of Vance's orders. Plan it and run it on your day to be Lead."

Biting back another sigh, G nodded toward the cab. "Get in. We can finish this conversation while we head back." He kept talking as he moved toward the driver's side. "It's not about what they might suspect, but what they know. And, actually, yes, there are some people here who had no idea what was in the X-men stories until they came here. Although, relying solely on one pop culture example is dangerous in it's own right. But, that's a whole other debate. My point is, the less people know for certain, the less likely they are to perceive the threat. Take Sean and Nell just as examples. Listen to Nell when she talks about her powers in front of people she isn't close to. She never goes any further than an ability to manipulate metal. In fact, she very rarely uses the word magnetism at all or goes into any explanation of what being able to control that basic physical force actually means. And Sean doesn't advertise the fact that he can probably turn a person into a KFC special in under ten seconds. Even though they train in the basic skills that allow them to do those things, they don't draw attention to the fact they can do them because, human nature is more likely to cause people to be careful, to treat them differently because of what they can do instead of who they are and how they behave.

"But don't discount yourself, either. You want to make comparisons to Jean Grey? She was one of the most powerful mutants ever. You can do anything if you can think of it, from what you've told me. Stop and consider exactly what that means, all the possibilities, then tell me if you still think your power is unimpressive."