LAPD Adds Mutant Crimes Unit.

[Stern]

It was Michael Stern's first day on the force as the head of the Mutant Crimes Unit.

He had been in LA for a few weeks now, but all of his time had been spent inside the precinct drawing up procedures, regulations, and the other administrative red tape that would hold his unit together, give it purpose, and allow it to function. It had been hard work, but some of it was made easier thanks to his time on the NYPD.

Today, he would go live.

Outside the police station, reporters thronged about the steps to hear him speak on the task force he was putting together. The chief of police poked his head into Stern's office.

"You ready?"

"As ever, chief."

The two walked towards the front of the building. "Is this your first press conference?" Chief asked.

The mutant nodded. "In New York the Police Chief handled the press. But I think I can handle it."

They exited the building. The police chief took the podium first to introduce Michael Stern. "Thank you all for coming out today for this press conference concerning the Mutant Crimes Unit we are developing here at the Los Angeles Police Department. Leading this unit is a mutant who has worked in this field before: Michael Stern. Officer Stern's experiences in New York have made it possible for us to be able to handle crimes related to mutants, whether those mutants are perpetrators or victims of crime. I will now turn over the podium to Officer Stern."

The chief stepped down. Michael took his place. "Hello. I'm Officer Michael Stern, head of the Mutant Crimes Unit. The purpose of this force is to investigate crimes that have been perpetrated by mutants, as well as crimes in which mutants are victims. This force will be able to deal with situations in which a mutant is using his or her powers in a violent and dangerous manner, incarcerate them, and see them punished. In the event of mutants becoming victims of hate crimes, we investigate those crimes and see to it that whoever committed those crimes is brought to justice. Most mutants are like any other person: they simply want to live a good life without worry or fear of attack from their neighbors."

Stern smiled and continued. "I will be recruiting officers from inside the police force and from the community in general in order to be able to handle any situation that may arise."

A reporter stuck up his hand. "And how do you plan to hold the mutants you capture? I doubt a prison cell would be very effective against someone with super-strength."

Stern nodded. He had expected that question. "We will be working with the Jericho Center to develop a humane method of keeping mutant criminals behind bars."

"How does the public know that this new MCU will not simply be a staging ground for mutants to falsely accuse and imprison normal people?"

"There will be officers both mutant and non-mutant at each investigation. We plan to work together to ensure a balanced, objective frame of mind is present during every case we take under our wing."

"Officer Stern, your detractors in the Big Apple called you the police force's night light, saying your presence on the force was ineffectual at best. May we have your opinion on that?"

Of course sooner or later a reporter would make it personal. "I don't mind being called a Night Light. Though they give only a low, soft glow they offer a great deal of security to people who fear what lurks in the dark. But if you believe that, then clearly you missed the piles of news coverage indicating the effectiveness of my presence on the NYPD."

Another question, this one also personal. "Speaking of your success, the people that appreciated your efforts in New York called you the Light Knight, a reversal of the derisive term used to describe you. Could you please speak on that?"

Stern took a deep breath. "Anywhere light can go, I can reach. No dark alley is safe, no abandoned building secure. If there is danger, or any threat to anyone, mutant or human, I will find it and put an end to it. So far I have managed to accomplish this. I plan to continue with the same amount of success."

Stern put up a hand, calling an unspoken halt to the questioning. "Thank you for coming and for your questions. We will be sure to keep the press in the loop as the Mutant Crimes Unit does its job. Again, thank you, and have a nice day."

The mutant officer stepped down from the podium and returned to his office. He would read up on the files about the situation in Los Santos and go take a look for himself.

[Aidan Fox]

"Anywhere light can go, I can reach. No dark alley is safe, no abandoned building secure. If there is danger, or any threat to anyone, mutant or human, I will find it and put an end to it. So far I have managed to accomplish this. I plan to continue with the same amount of success."

Stern referred to his two years of service with police department in New York City, a period that saw nearly a fifteen percent reduction in crimes involving mutants. Area officials hope that specialized law enforcement, along with the recently passed Mutant Registration Act, will produce similar reductions across the Los Angeles metro area.

Aidan snorted as the news jingle thumped over the ailing speakers of the kitchen radio. "Registration will reduce crime. It's like they're not even trying to make sense anymore."

He pulled a sauce-encrusted serving bowl out of the sudsy water in the kitchen sink and scrubbed it thoroughly. Then he passed it off to Anna to rinse and dry.

"Officer Stern's laying it on a bit thick, don't you think? Sounds like he wants to wear a cape and put a big, glowing S on his chest."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna ran a dish towel over the rinsed bowl, and laughed. "Oh, I don't know. He seems like he knows what he is doing." She set the dried dish aside and accepted another from Aidan.

"You can suggest the costume to him when he comes by, though," she added mischievously. "He called last night, and he is making a house call."

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan looked over, eyebrow cocked in suspicion. "He is? What for?"

His hindbrain started spinning scenarios about him and Jake and La Raza, but there was no way this officer could have made such a connection, mutant or not.

[Stern]

Stern's first dossier was about a mutant non-profit in the area.

"Redencion House," Stern muttered under his breath. "Run by an Anna Fernandez."

Stern took note of the house's location, number of mutants they cared for, and the growing number of gang-related incidents surrounding the area of the House.

"Mutant gang, normal gang. Redencion House."

Also at the back the possibility of a pending case against a small resident there who had an incident at her school. He'd have to get the lawyer out there. What was his name? He was assigned to the unit, and was definitely not a mutant. Stern wound up playing paralegal to him as he called the mutant officer non-stop with questions about mutants.

"I better leave before I get swamped again."

Stern left his office, told the chief where he was going, and light jumped out to Los Santos, just down the street from the Redencion House.

"I was close."

Stern walked the rest of the way, stepped through the small fence gate and onto the front stoop. He knocked politely and waited for someone to answer the door.

[Anna Fernandez]

"Oh, just a friendly visit to say hello, I think." Anna held out her hand for another dish, and then poked him in the shoulder to get him back in motion. "Redencion House has been known to the LAPD for years, as a part of a new task force dealing with mutants it only makes sense for him to check in."

There was a knock at the door and Anna gestured for Aidan to get it. "I'll get these last plates, I am much faster than you." She grinned at the expression on his face. "Well, it is true! Ahora date prisa y abrir la puerta!"

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan gave her a mock affronted look. "Well, see if I offer to help you with the dishes again."

He quickly sprayed the suds off his hands under the faucet, and as he turned toward the hallway to the family room he vaporized the excess water in a puff of blue flame. Jennifer was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels in search of anything that wasn't a baseball game. She was too engrossed to notice Aidan passing behind her toward the front door.

Aidan opened the door to see a police officer in uniform, except he didn't remember the pair of thick, mirrored goggles being part of the LAPD dress code.

"Can I help you, officer?"

Jen straightened up and shot a look at the door like a deer in the headlights.

[Stern]

Stern smiled warmly and offered his hand to Aidan. "I'm Officer Michael Stern, head of the Mutant Crimes Unit. Is this the Redencion House? And did I pronounce that correctly? I was hoping to speak to Anna Hernandez."

He noticed Jen's look over Aidan's shoulder. It never ceased to amaze him how people immediately panicked at the sight of a police officer at their door. He did it once or twice in his life before joining the NYPD. It never ceased to amaze him how people immediately thought the police were after them, even though they knew perfectly well that they had done nothing wrong.

"May I come in?"

[Aidan Fox]

"It's Fernandez," Aidan said, and he took the officer's hand in a firm grip. "And, yeah, come on in, we were expecting you."

He stepped aside and motioned through the little foyer into the family room. "My name's Aidan Fox. I'm one of the adult residents. And this here is Jen--"

[Jennifer Cho]

"Hi!" Jennifer said in a strained voice with a forced smile. A brief career in identity theft had a way of changing how you saw law enforcement, even if you were already serving your probation. And the reflective goggles over Stern's eyes didn't help matters any.

She started sidling toward the steps, which meant going toward the cop in the foyer, and tried not to look like she was escaping. "Hey, Aidan, I've got some sketching to do in my room, so I'll let you guys talk! Bye!"

The teenaged girl flitted up the stairs without a look back.

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan glanced from the retreating girl over to the cop and shrugged.

"That was Jen, one of our kids, sorry about that. Anna's just finishing up the dishes, so why don't you have a seat?"

[Stern]

"It's all right," Stern said as he took a seat where Jen had been sitting. "Some people just don't like the police."

Stern took stock of the surroundings. The house had that aged look and feel, but definitely was well kept. The house was big enough, but Stern could see the place turning crowded in a hurry. Still, it wasn't every day someone stuck their neck out to give mutants a safe place to stay--whether it was just for a night, or for longer.

"How many mutants stay here?" Stern asked.

[Anna Fernandez]

"Hola, hola," Anna came into the living room still drying her hands on a clean dish towel. "Officer Stern, so glad to meet you. Anna Fernandez," and she stuck her hand out toward him. "I have several teenagers living here right now, but I am not close to full capacity.

"Of course," she added, "there are many homeless young people who come through from time to time, and during the winter we tend to have more bodies in beds when it is cold and rainy."

He'd gotten to his feet to shake her hand, and she gestured him back down. "Please, sit. Do you want anything to drink? Lemonade? We have a tree out back; its fresh squeezed."

[Stern]

Stern sat back down at her gesture and took a brief glance outside to the tree just visible through the window.

"I think that would be wonderful. Thank you."

The policeman found his pen and pad and opened to a blank page. "I wanted to speak to you today about the Redencion House and how it's doing with the reported gang activity that has been surfacing throughout the area and get some ideas about how my unit can help your House."

[Aidan Fox]

"Anna, Anna, please, sit down, I'll get the lemonade," Aidan said, and he steered her into her favorite recliner with no room for argument before heading back to the kitchen to fetch the pitcher and a couple glasses.

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna clucked at Aidan's excessive attention, but allowed him to plant her in her recliner. She glanced at Officer Michael Stern's notepad, and folded the dish towel in her lap. "We have been targeted in the past. I'm sure you have read the police reports. Being known as a safe house for mutants is not good for your health if you live in Tres Once territory. The Three-Elevens," she added.

"I would imagine increased patrol cars in the neighborhood would help deter some of the crime." She unfolded and refolded the towel again as Aidan returned with the refreshments. "But I do not want to tell you your job, Officer Stern. Thank you, Aidan." Anna took the offered drink and held it between her two hands.

[Stern]

Stern took notes. The LAPD had some information on the Three-Elevens. He would need to do some research.

"Of course you're not, ma'am," Stern said. He checked the seal on his goggles. "But feedback is always helpful."

Patrol cars would help. The police force by law was not supposed to show disregard for people based on race, creed, or mutancy--an addition put into effect when he began the MCU--but still rumors went that some officers would delay arriving at the scene of a crime when it came to mutants.

"I will probably be in the area myself over the next several days to see what the situation is."

Stern couldn't perch on the porch all day, or park a patrol car out front, but he would see to it that the police were made more visible in Los Santos. Even the poor deserved to know they were being watched over, along with the mutants of Redencion House.

"How is it with the school systems? Surely some of the boarders here attend the local public schools. How well do you think the school system does with handling mutant issues in the classrooms?"

Stern knew for a fact that every school in LA had at least one resource officer. Stern would be giving talks on mutants at the schools in the near future, but it never hurt to hear about something in advance.

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna wondered why the goggles were necessary, but had better manners than to ask. If Jamie was there she would have peppered Stern with questions, but she was out shoe shopping with Tess. "The schools are fine. There were some problems with mutant teens being shuffled into special education classes, but those have been resolved."

She sipped her lemonade. "All school aged teens who live under my roof are required to go to regular high school. The most uncontrolled or dangerous mutations would not... but I cannot allow someone like that to put everyone in danger by living here, so I work with several other organizations to find appropriate places for those children."

At one time that list had included the Jericho Center. Anna still felt guilt about that, but she had not known what she knew now. She licked her lips and took a long swallow of her drink. When Michael Stern had contacted her she'd thought it sounded like a good idea to meet him, let him get a feel for what she was doing with the teens, but after thinking about it ...

It was hard not to view this conversation as some sort of friendly interrogation with an ulterior motive. What exactly was he writing down in that book of his? Anna's cold glass of lemonade frosted up a bit.

[Stern]

Stern hadn't actually written much down, except to look into the two rival gangs in the area. He was glad the mutant students in the school system were doing well. It was one less thing he would have to worry about.

He closed the notepad.

"Well, let's turn it around," Stern said, finally taking a sip of the lemonade set out for him. "Surely you have some questions for me. I want to be able to work with Redencion House in the event we come across a mutant who is seeking refuge or needs a place to stay. We can keep people at the precinct if they are in any specific danger, but having a place we can go to help them get back into society would be wonderful."

Stern happened to notice the frost appearing on Anna's glass. He wasn't sure if she was merely keeping her drink cool, or if it was an indication of something else, much like how he tended to increase his ambient light by a watt or two when he was embarrassed or nervous.

"Seriously, you can ask me anything."

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan didn't even hesitate. "To be honest, I'm a little curious about what a Mutant Crimes Unit does. Since when are Mutant Crimes different from the regular kind?"

There was a definite challenge to the question. Mutant crimes, mutant courts, mutant jail? It wasn't an appealing line of thought.

[Stern]

Stern chuckled. "I asked the same thing back in New York when I joined the force. All I got was that mutant crimes are different because mutants are involved."

The police officer sipped his lemonade again and started to turn the wedding band around his finger as he gave thought to the standard explanation he had been used to giving throughout his career.

"We, being mutants, know what it's like to be marginalized. To be seen as dangerous. When a mutant brandishes his or her powers, even when it's as harmless as glowing, jumping very high, running very fast, it makes people nervous. It's like what's makes us people is suddenly gone."

Stern sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Those of us who are visibly different get it a lot quicker than people who look normal. Especially when you might be red, blue, or green--" he change spectrums as he named off the colors before returning to his white light, "--and people panic. Used to be in New York and you were a mutant who was trying to defend himself from bigots, or just manifested your powers, you'd get shot if the police were nearby. No joke."

Stern straightened. "That's where we came in. The mayor was worried that if things continued, mutants might start organizing. The brutal responses of the police might incite terrorism and make matters worse. So he asked for mutants who would be willing to handle those incidents. It would put the public at ease because the NYPD was still looking out for dangerous mutants, but it was also supposed to ease the woes of mutants who were worried they'd be shot or killed just for being different."

He sighed. "I've helped more kids deal with the fact that they're mutants than I've actually arrested mutant criminals, to be honest. I'm just glad the phrase Mutant Crimes can be taken to mean crimes targeting mutants, or crimes committed by mutants. Really we deal more with the former than the latter."

After a pause he added, "At least we did in the Big Apple."

[Anna Fernandez]

"It seems that a crime against a mutant could be labeled as a hate crime," Anna pointed out, rubbing her thumb against her glass and leaving streaks in the condensation.

She smiled, "Still, it is better than waiting for the X-Men to swoop in and save us from unruly mutants." Anna paused, and then added, "Have you worked with the X-Men in the past? As you're from New York...?"

[Stern]

"I did not get that chance. As vigilantes, I had to be just as willing to put a stop to them as I did the mutant terrorists we knew as The Brotherhood. It had been my hope that I could convince them to help the department, or join it. However, they were about as willing to listen as the Brotherhood was. We were discerning enough to assist them in stopping the Brotherhood before we dealt with them, but by the time we managed to end the conflict, they would retreat to wherever it was they went."

He neglected to mention that his wife, Anita had once been an X-Man. It was one of the first surprises she gave him on the way to their honeymoon location. He took the news well though, and agreed not to press her for any more information than that. She was his wife, not a suspect to be interrogated. He loved her. Besides, if he ever needed to know who to contact, she'd tell him. He trusted her.

Stern scratched under the band that kept his goggles in place. "As for the hate crimes, we did manage to stop several, including one where a set of children manifested their powers and were held hostage by their bigoted nanny."

He smiled. It was the first real hate crime, and it was lucky that the police chief and the press both could be convinced to place the emphasis on the dangers posed to the children, with the emphasis on them being children, not mutants. It started to turn the tables on anti-mutant sentiments. Still, every time the NYPD MCU brought in one more perpetrator of mutant hate crime, it seemed people would resent the arrest more than the atrocity.

"I don't know precisely how our crackdown on hate crimes changed the landscape of anti-mutant sentiment, but crimes did go down when people got used to expecting a blinding flash of light in the event their attempted crime got reported."

Stern took a bigger sip of the lemonade. "That is good. In the event of gang violence or hate crime activity, please use this number to reach us at the MCU directly. We're not in the automated answering thing yet. Besides, even if we were, it'd take longer to reach us than you might have time."

[Aidan Fox]

As if Aidan couldn't already have guessed, Anna's question fairly well confirmed what Officer Stern thought of mutants banding together to protect themselves, as he and Jake had done with La Raza. He'd like to think that an official venture like the MCU would make back alley alliances obsolete. But he wasn't so naive. He couldn't yet tell if Stern was.

"So you're a rapid response team, too?" he said. "The speed of light, in your case?"

It wasn't exactly a question, and he could tell his acerbic tone was making Anna uncomfortable, so he elaborated. "I'm sure you heard about the attack by the Tres Onces in April. Two or three carloads spilled out into the street and opened fire. We've had residents attacked just walking in the neighborhood. There was another dust-up down the street a couple weeks ago, probably was going to be another drive-by, and we were just lucky some members of La Raza were looking out for their territory. Now, I know you'll be doing your best, officer, and you've got an uphill climb in this town. But I sure hope you don't expect us to sit on our laurels and just wait for the flashing lights whenever our lives are in danger."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Its true," Anna added. "And we are certainly no more important than Ms. Chen who lives on the corner, or Mr. Munoz a few houses down. And I hate to admit it, but La Raza has been a much better presence in the neighborhood than Tres Once."

She turned the card over in her hand, but didn't go so far as to hand it back. "What is the LAPD's position on us defending ourselves, if it comes to that? Wait until they shoot us, or invade the house?"

[Stern]

"We are something of a rapid response unit. I can be expected to be anywhere at the speed of light, yes. And I did in fact hear about these gang attacks. I was still in New York at the time."

He wasn't sure why he was explaining himself, but it hurt to know they had it so bad in LA. He felt like he had shown up late. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to do some good.

"Please, Ms. Fernandez," he made a point to get her name right this time, "you should all defend yourselves as soon as you find you are in danger. Try to contact me. Set me to speed dial. But even I can't be everywhere at once. I won't bring you in as a criminal for defending your home and your persons."

Stern toyed with his wedding band some more as he thought over the issue of La Raza. Well, I sometimes think all mutants feel some sort of bond of kinship based on what we are. And with the way things are so polarized here in LA, I would like to think mutants of all stripes realize it's counterproductive to fight amongst ourselves."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Of course," Anna said. She set her glass down on the coffee table, wiping her hands on the dish towel in her lap. "I am glad you were able to come over, Officer Stern. I am sure that your new unit will be very successful with you at the helm.

"Don't you think, Aidan?" She smiled at the younger man who was still studying the police officer with a dubious expression.

[Aidan Fox]

"Sure, yeah," Aidan said, fingers drumming absently on his lemonade glass. His thoughts were elsewhere, mulling over Stern's words about the kinship of all mutants.

"I agree. About avoiding any infighting among mutants. Nice to know we've finally got someone who's officially looking out for us."

[Stern]

Stern rose out of his seat, finished the glass of lemonade, and pocketed his note pad.

"Thank you, Miss Fernandez, for your willingness to answer my questions. And for the kind offer of lemonade. If anything comes to mind that you might want me to look into, let me know. You have my number."

He nodded to Aidan. "Nice to meet you, Aidan."

The officer could have light jumped out of the living room, but remembered how some people were caught off guard by the suddenness of it. He'd at least step out the front door first.

"I'll be on my way," he said, walking towards the door.

[Aidan Fox]

"I'll walk you out," Aidan said, rising from his seat with his glass in hand. "I want to thank you for coming out, really. It's a good gesture."

He opened the front door for the officer and followed him out onto the porch. The afternoon was wearing on to that hot and sticky stage that made the lemonade almost a necessity.

"There was just one more thing that was bothering me, Officer Stern," Aidan said. "Your involvement with the Jericho Foundation. How far does that go?"

[Stern]

Stern frowned. "They're currently developing all of our equipment for incarcerating mutants. They also are keeping all mutant criminals under lock and key, since their facility is built for that."

The officer's face hardened. "I hate it. I was kept by them once. I hate it."

[Aidan Fox]

"We've had our own experiences with them," Aidan said. "None of them pleasant."

He didn't elaborate. No one from Jericho had ever contested Jamie's custody, which meant their claim on her probably wasn't entirely legal in the first place, but there was no sense in pressing their luck with an officer of the law.

"I'm guessing your partnership wasn't exactly your idea, then?"

[Stern]

"The mayor's. Or the governor's. Most of this was done without my input, really. I only get to choose the officers I lead. I didn't even get to pick the lawyer to represent the mutants my department deals with!"

He laughed that odd, wry laugh of someone exasperated.

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan nodded in sympathy. A mutant-led mutant crimes unit was pretty progressive - progressive enough to cause a lot of friction with the establishment. Jericho's obsession with the mutant genome was matched only by its talent for PR. Either the U.S. government was so impressed with the Foundation's results that they were willing to overlook a few excesses in their research practices, or Jericho's tentacles went farther than even Aidan had guessed. But as far as the general public was concerned, the stories of underground laboratories and mad science experiments carried about as much weight as moon landing naysayers and 9-11 conspiracy apologists. Only mutant extremists had reason to distrust Jericho. After all, their breakthroughs helped everybody, right?

"I don't have to tell you to keep an eye on them, then," Aidan said. "They're no friends of mutants. Honestly I'd feel better about your outfit if you had no connection to them."

[Stern]

"Me too. But until I can convince the state of California to put in for a mutant block in state prisons and jailhouses, they're going to go to Jericho."

Stern checked his goggles. "I did do one thing about it. Small, but I hope will be effective. I managed to get the Commissioner to agree that the entire department wear mutant collars for an hour. It was only an hour, but mutant and human cops all got to know what it was like to wear one. I'm hoping that got someone thinking."

[Aidan Fox]

Aidan was impressed. It took a certain intentional sort of compassion to think of something like that.

"That's good. That's very good. Well..."

He put out a hand. "It was good to meet you. I wish you the best of luck. We all could use a little more peace of mind around here."

[Stern]

Stern shook Aidan's hand firmly. "It was good to meet you too. I'm going to do everything I can. I'll be in touch."

A crackle on his comm beckoned him back to the precinct.

"Be right there."

Stern put on a cocky smile. The LAPD was still unused to the idea that "right there" wasn't "as soon as I can" but instead meant "immediately."

Stern vanished in a bright flash of light.