[color=orange][center][h1][i][b]
Tuesday
15:40
Latibeaudiere Apartments, La Verne
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[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Alternative Locksmithing[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]

[b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl4biWgoAQA]Zorba's Dance[/url]
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When it came to restoring entry, the heroine realised maybe the front door wasn't the place to start. If she could get inside his room, going in from a point of weakness would be the best.

That meant going up from the roof. Lightning Girl could get there no problem.

"Right. Stay here. I'll get you in your room in no time!" She replied, smiling back to him, white hair spraying everywhere as she stepped away and lept almost forwards and up, up and away.

Lightning Girl had done this sort of thing before. Zap a Codelock, find a window, pick a simple lock, get inside. 

She hovered near the window of the apartment, finding nothing, no openings, nothing at all. Damn. Okay. 

This wasn't a life saving situation, but an easy win. As hard as that would be, this wasn't fighting crime. Getting shot. Getting stabbed. Burnt. Any of that stuff.

This was a locksmith job.

She went to the roof, and found the roof access, and found that an easy one to peel. A simple zap from her hands killed the mechanism, and she had to really yank to get it open. 

"Easy." 

The white haired, cape having Brit walked down the stairs, and sighed. 

"Oh, fuck. Really? That isn't in the regs!" She sighed, seeing the security pass having door on the other side, designed obviously, to keep intruders that would come in from the roof out, and emergency evacuations in. There was a Codelock to get back in. Some people might try and deduce what the code was. Or maybe hack it. Or maybe, do something even cleverer.

Sophie was of the opinion that anything with electricity was her bitch.

So she zapped it. And nothing.

The electronic mechanism hadn't sprung the door open.

She had shorted it and as a fire door of that design, it was now locked shut to keep any hypothetical fire in. And the mechanical release was now the only way it would work.

From the other side.

"Oh, fuck. Really?!" She yelled, annoyed, angry.

"Lightning Girl, what's..." James interrupted, hearing his sister get frustrated.

"It's fine! I haven't....I am fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! Piss off and help someone else!" She replied, going to the door and grunting, and pushing hard. And pushing as the electricity built in her.

And sheered the entire thing off and smacked it against concrete, bouncing it off with a loud *clang*, as the entire mechanism was now completely gone to shit.

The door was off its hinges, her grey suit was dusty from the concrete that had been slapped with the force of a thrown metal plate, but, she was in.

This was a simple locksmithing job. Easy. It would be easy.

"Right." That was it. She was inside the actual apartments now! Okay, now she could get to this guy's door. 402, right? 

That was the one, as she walked along the nice carpet of the apartment block, this place clearly more upmarket than where Madcap was living. Sort of place she might like to live.

400, 401, 402. That was it.

Except, the guy's door wasn't based on a keypad, or a Codelock.

It was a normal lock. Still a fairly weird looking thing.

"Right. I've done this before. It's....wow, is that Swedish? Swedish doors? Really? Oh, my fucking word, this day gets better and better."

The door in this fancy apartment complex was one Sophie had recognised before. The Swedes made their fire doors to very high specifications. It was made of solid fucking beech. That steel door she ripped off was probably only a bit stronger than this.

She took her multitool out from her little pouch and tried to push the pins out in the lock. Nothing. The lock was even a high grade. Not some crappy Yale. This was like breaking into a fucking bank vault, she thought to herself. There had to be like twelve fucking pins in that lock.

"Come on, let's.....no, we can't pick that. Okay. Why don't we....try one big kick. Just gotta hit the core of it....come on......please work? Like that worked last time this didn't, right?" She said to herself, hyping herself up, breathing out. She had some skill in lockpicking, but not something like this. She had a bit too much energy in her right now, and while that would normally focus her, it was leaning her towards violence.

That fucking door was going down.

So she took a run up and put her right foot out, one big swinging kick and....

CRACK!

She put her leg through the door.

Literally. The entire thing not splintering, but her entire leg just smashing through it and ripping it off one of the hinges. Her foot was still stuck, like a comedy sketch, her foot and shin on one side, her thigh and the rest of Lightning Girl on the other. The room was now accessible, but, it was an absolute mess.

"Ah, fuck!" She called out into the blind, comms ringing out as James queries what was going on.

This was going from bad to worse.

This was a simple locksmithing job....

Now, how the fuck could she take on some of Claremont's most feared enemies, bank heists, serious crime, talking to kids, being on ads, everything....and this was how she failed?

"What have you done, Lightning Girl?" 

"We may need to pay someone out on insurance! Sorry!" Lightning Girl replied, trying to put her hands against the wall and the door, only breaking more of it, but not freeing her leg.

Then the frame moved a bit. And the render cracked.

Oh, oh fuck.

"What? What's going on?" James replied, no cameras giving him no idea of her progress. Lightning Girl was a bit too afraid to answer for now. Becuase footsteps could be heard.

Shit, someone was gonna see this. How was she explaining this mess?

A simple motherfucking, arseclenching, door opening, cunting, pissing locksmithing job!!

And worse than anything, police, another resident, anyone else, it was him.

The owner.

The subscriber had run upstairs, flanked by two friends, klinking a set of keys in their hand.

"Hey, I found the keys!" He seemed excited, but realised quite the mess Sophie had made with the emergency exit door smacked off its hinges and electrically fucked, and most of all, Lightning Girl with her leg firmly stuck in his door that was also, half off a hinge and with a lock that was completely disintegrated and in pieces across the fancy carpet.

Sophie couldn't get her leg out as she waved and awkwardly hopped on her left leg trying not to rip the entire frame out of the wall and rip any more plasterboard out, replying to James, but maybe, just maybe, just talking generally to the universe.

"Yeah, I put my foot in it!" 

[hr]

And sitting there, the dispatches passed, and a few failed. The pizza situation had escalated a lot. Fuck. Okay, that one, that was out of hand. He could blag that one. Oh, and the door situation. Insurance had paid out from SDN's end, that was a pricy bill. The car dealer was....not pleased but hey, that wasn't the worst.

And hey, the vlogger was happy. The jewels were secure. And the coffee run was....weirdly acceptable too. Okay.

James could live with this, as he sighed, adjusting his glasses, clicking his hands, putting hand to headset and transmitting.

"Good work. RTB, team, that's our break."

He breathed out, looking at the police report for the heist. Fuck. That could have gone really, really south. Eclipse and Payback had worked well there. And the vlogger had already sent an email. He pinged it to Hat Trick, letting him manage that. That was awesome. What a power pair that was. He tried to vary the team, but it was nice to see an obvious synergy come out. 

The early afternoon shift was coming to a close, as the sun began to set on a drizzly day in eastern LA.

[hr]

[color=orange][center][h1][i][b]
Tuesday
17:03
Break Room 
SDN Claremont
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[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Mid-Shift Break[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]

The kettle whistled as Lightning Girl stuck it off the boil, leaning back against the wall, eyes rolled up, sighing, sat on her cape.

She put her head against the wall, eyes closed, then opening her eyes.

The other Canadian of the team.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Since when were you shit with Codelocks?" Matthieu bantered, mopping the floor with slush, finishing up in the end of the break room and now switching to a drying mop, the vinyl ancient and pretty disgusting, but given another few years thanks to the Quebecois's efforts.

She laughed, shrugging. "Urgh. Even heroes have bad days." She replied, the story getting around the team already, Matthieu finishing up and chuckling, shrugging as he took the mop and bucket out, leaving the team to it. At least Blackstar and Eclipse and Asteroid and even Madcap had done well. Maybe not Feno or Princess. But that sounded like a nightmare. Nobody was fixing that mess.

James shrugged and failed to add anything to Sophie's comment, not wanting to drive it home, looking across to the team, cup of tea in hand as he peeked his hand in. He'd been demolishing a Ploughman's sandwich, at least, best he could make from the ingredients at a Whole Foods. Which was criminally expensive.

"Nice shift, everyone. Just to remind you, one to ones are scheduled in once you're back on shift in the Meeting Room, and you can't opt out. I'll request you one by one. Remember, it's your best chance to talk to me about how it's going so far, and what you want to work on, because I want none of you at the bottom of the leaderboard. In the meantime, Tyler'll dispatch you while I'm chatting to you." James added, Lightning Girl nodding with nothing to add of her own, as she headed across to the power outlet and shoved her hand into the adapter.

"Yes, boss! Group question, can we get more pay?" Sophie played her favourite game with him, the usual one when she was in costume. His brother did not enjoy this. Ut was direct.

"That door cost about $4,000 dollars. So.....don't smack in doors." James replied, cold, sarcastic as ever. 

"Holy shit! How do you spend that much money on a door?" She nearly spat out her water, as James chuckled, shrugging back.

"I know. Have a good break, team. Speak to you later." James replied, leaving the room as fast as he had entered it, as Lightning Girl turned a shade of pink.

"I promise, that door was made of like titanium or something." She tried to justify her way out of it.

It was not working.

[hr]

[color=orange][center][h1][i][b]
Tuesday
17:35
Meeting Room
Claremont SDN
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[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Mano a Mano[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]

[@Thayr]

The first one in of all people, was Payback.

A skinny, red-gold, casual looking heroine. Magnetism powered.

"Hey, Payback. Thanks for coming in."

James looked across the table. Pleasantries, KPIs, all sorts had been addressed in each one to one. The sort of thing that normally came, how was your day, all that thing. The big vat of water on the table with a couple of glasses to at least loosen the tension. 

But with Payback, James had gotten there a lot faster than he would have with anyone else.

"Look. I know you don't like me. But I'm looking for some cooperation with the team if we're gonna make this work, because I'm here to make you the best hero you can be for SDN, but most importantly, you. Now, so I can help you do that, can you at least be honest with me because," James started, leaning forwards, very mortal in this moment, very particular. Myla would likely see through this. James could. But he had to put on something. And the next part, well, that was at least honest.

"You chose this over prison, yeah? Because you don't want to reoffend. And because you're so bloody good at this, I'm just wondering why if you're gonna be this dour about it when the Phoenix Programme is that chance for you to leave it behind. Go past what happened to you. This is good work. I'm not some company man trying to tell you this is all there is. You decide where you go once your parole's up. So yeah. Tell me what's really pissing you off. Go on. And tell me why the others are different when they've come from poverty, drugs and the hood." James was blunt to her. But she was blunt back. So, he hoped that a bad cop approach might break the ice. One that at the end, seemed to imply something a little warmer, perhaps. He got in before she replied.

"I mean I come from a place with way less sunshine than this, Payback and find all this too loud. But we have to play ball with what we're given. I'm not asking you to be like any of them, capes and all, just....this job involves helping people. Something you're clearly very, very good at, but you seem to think this is all a mess. More you believe it, more it'll happen. Because what's driving that mentality? A hope you'll prove me wrong that it is? Or all of them are needlessly dressed for some crap you're clearly as good as them at doing? Or......are you hoping you prove yourself wrong and you're more than a thief, wherever it is you're going?"

The silence would be deafening. James had no powers. He was no hero. But he could understand Myla. See that there was someone in there who didn't want to be in prison. Hated the idea of this as a reform. But he knew people. Motivations, reasons. That they weren't ever gonna come willingly. But they would if they at least did it for themselves.

[hr]

[@Auragreedia]

Eclipse came in next. The armour dark, the shadows that seemed to almost appear bad as James turned down the light with the adjustor switch, before sitting down, the same pleasantries, before eventually, cutting to the chase.

His mask still on, knives all over, holy shit, he was all blades and shadows. Umbrakinetic. Made sense.

"Nice work so far today. Maybe a bit overkill on the henchmen." He opened, knowing Eclipse had a rough time of it last night, but had pulled through.

"I guess the only question is, how are you holding up?" He added, tapping his laptop away, pulling up the monitor on his earpiece, which helped track a few vitals, including heartbeat. Checking that they were alive, that sort of thing.

"Because you have all the symptoms of someone in the withdrawal process of taking opiate-class drugs. Doing well considering, mate. So, yeah, be honest with me how you're feeling, and I'll chat to Alan....the Magnificent...." He struggled to say, "To see if I can cook you something up because I don't want you to be any less effective when you're skinning out. I know we'll never replace what you were on, Eclipse. But if you want time, let me know and we can look at something." James added, sipping more tea down.

"I don't see you as a criminal for turning to it. Apart from killing people in cold blood, but shit, that's half of the team. No, I think you're a victim of it. Same as anyone who plugged in Shroud's hardware into themselves. But you're clearly capable of doing a lot of good....even if you went excessive on those crooks, terrified a load of civies but you did get the job done, I will say that. And that I respect. We'll work on that bloodlust later because there wasn't any need for it. So yeah, however I can help, I'll help."

[hr]

[@cosmiccowgirl]

Next up, Blackstar. Cosmic energy was a hell of a thing, James knew that personally from his sister's weird interactions. Black suit, like Asteroid, built out, a fighter and able to hold her own with the team. And now, seemingly, a new star on social media with what she'd done with UltraGal.

It was the usual, KPIs, then down to the main bit. More introductions. More bits to go through. But they got to where James wanted to ask some questions. 

"First day on the job, Blackstar, and not bad at all so far. Are you feeling okay with it all? I know it's a mixed bunch, heroes, ex-villains. Claremont is a real mixed bag. Normally, you'd have an SDN dispatcher, but you have me for now. But, I'm a Hero Development Consultant, so my job is to make sure you can be the best version of you. So, I'll help you where I can to get you up to the best version of what you can do." James opened, looking at his file, on a laptop, instead of paper. Incredible. It was like he actually put time in to understand his team, digitising what was an SDN floppy disk into an actual PDF.

"Only question I guess I had was, given we do a lot of outreach, can I ask why you were so careful about the face behind the mask? I know, heroes cover their identity, makes sense. But you're particularly protective, and a full face cowl is rare for non-Phoenixes. From what I've seen, it's usually not ideal fighting people. I'm no hero so you tell me otherwise, but anyway. Just saw it from the clips is all." James continued, leaning forwards. She wasn't wearing it now, but he was curious.

"So I guess, who might be watching your step? If it's anyone here, are you comfortable saying, and if it isn't, do I need to make any adjustments? Anything to put onto the system with any old foes?" James added, leaning back against the chair.

"Because based on what I can see, I assume it isn't scarring, I'm sure you're fetching behind the mask. But from any facial recognition tech SDN or LA County use, they're not making out your face if they can't get your eyes and nose in shot. Not yet at least." James finished, knowing it was a tangent, but a worthwhile question to ask. It was the only part that had picked up his ears, the rest, so far, was excellent.

[hr]

[@SonnetNSunbeam]

Then, Asteroid came through. Damn, they really were a doppelganger to each other, him and Blackstar. And they had been absolutely bouncing off each other from that last dispatch.

Black suit, silver shimmer, gold and red boots. Damn, what a combo. But it fucking worked. Must have been absolutely sweating his balls off in this heat.

The usual, cleared, James came down to it. 

"How are you getting on? And I mean, it seems like to me you ran in with the wrong crowd. Came back and suddenly hit the ground running as a hero. It seems easy for you, so, I guess the question is, why do you think it feels like such an easy switch?" He asked, open, genuinely curious. No wrong answers, his body language implying that with James leant back in the seat with his shoulders and arms wide.

"Pyress yesterday, then that success with that vlogger. You're a natural showman. So yeah, I feel like I'm not sure what I can add. But tell me what you think." James left it even more open. But with Asteroid, he felt he had to. There wasn't much to really critique, pull along. Some Phoenixes were like that. Just give them a good cause, a reason to stay out of prison, gainful employment, and they ran themselves. Unlike Myla.

[hr]

[@Pragia12]

Feno-maman. Massive, burly, alien clone. Dude frankly occupied two seats in his office. He was nearly exactly the same as the legend himself, but something definitely felt off about him. James made a note not to go too deep into him yet.

There wasn't much to do.

"Hello, Feno. I just wanted to check everything was going well for you at SDN Claremont." James went simple with him. Fenomaman was not exactly going to be renowned for his ability to chat. So, eh kept it as blunt as needed.

"How do you like the team so far?"

[hr]

[@Redking0380]

Princess was in next.

A white dressed, almost alabaster skinned, eldrich horror that was almost as if she was from Arts and Crafts era England in a beautiful white dress. Strange, but then again, James had gotten used to this. At least she wasn't a sentient bit of rock that had a crystal rammed up it.

"Hey, Princess. Thanks for coming in." The 1-2-1 pleasantries were out of the way fast.

"Tough call that one at the pizza parlour. Not much you could do, but, hey, we'll go for the next one. Anyway, I'm aware you seem comfortable shifting from form to form, and what I have on my desk, I've got three forms so far. I guess the only question I have is are you okay as you are in this base form, Princess? I know you'll always pick a form when you get there. But when you're back at the office, are you all comfortable as you, and is there anything I can do to help? Within reason, of course." A delving question. But one that she could answer honestly.

[hr]

[@Sadu]

Lunara followed. All pleasantries, then cutting straight to it. Dark armour, and just arriving in time for the start of the second shift.

"Hey, Lunara. Nice work last night. And good to have you back." James stated, chewing away at a Fisherman's Friend.

"I won't ask much about the whole relationship with Solaris, that was....grandfathered in. One looks after other, dark follows light. I guess my only question to you is, how do you find it behind the mask? When you go back to dawn, are you taking enough time for yourself?"

[hr]

[@BigPapaBelial]

Then, Hat Trick.

Large Canadian in armour and with that fucking sick mohawk too. Master of ice, of course. It made him versatile, but for taking hits, there was nobody like him,. 

"Hey, Hat Trick. I know this format is weird." James started, knowing it was odd to be 1-to-1'ing the PR rep. Someone with a more silver tongue than even his own. Some more pleasantries.

"How are you finding the team? I know you didn't do well at the dealership, but, you're a do-gooder at heart. But that's the problem of being corporate, I guess." James sipped down his tea, still frothing hot from the refill he got between sessions.

"How do you find that balance between the two? Honestly, open question. I think it's the part I'd struggle with too. The job was to stick to a script, but you were honest. And I can't fault it. But, if you ran into that again, what do you think you'd do?" James asked, knowing that was hard, but well, he was here to get a measure of people. And help based on that.

[hr]

[@Auragreedia]

Lastly, Madcap.

Madcap.

Mad.....cap.

Madcap.

Where the fuck did he begin? 

He checked his notes. Right, he thought to himself, watching as the other hero energetically sat down. 

Usual chat first.

Then to the meat of the matter.

"Madcap, I'm.....I'm not going to lie, you're......your heart is in the right place. But, and please take this constructively. I don't think you can tell the difference between doing things because it makes you feel like a hero, and doing the job that a hero does." James started, leaning back, eyeing up the bug mask.

"I'm not a hero either, mate. But the thing you need to ask yourself isn't about how it makes you feel. It's about helping others. That's what being a hero is. And you did well with the coffee order earlier, despite.....the review that was mixed. And at the dorms you took some hits so Lunara could finish the fight. So you're capable of doing it." James started, checking his notes again, running through it. Not needing to. He knew what to say.

This was a shit sandwich. How does a shit sandwich work, James would ask you at home, reader? It works in the following method....

"But do you think hurling that old lady is what she would have wanted? Because it was a nightmare to fix on my end. Madcap, I don't need to remind you that you're a Phoenix. That means if you underperform this, you will go back to prison. And right now, you're nearly at the bottom of the leaderboard. I treat my heroes the same, but that fact alone means I need to be really careful because I don't want you to. And you don't want to either. I can tell." James didn't mince words. But, that was about what his notes said.

"So I'm just asking you to take your time. Think what you're doing through. Being a hero isn't just about the costume, or the mask, or who you are. It's about making sure that you're helping subscribers, so they can do good. Forget what you're wearing. Do good and try not to hurt people we help. Does that sound alright?" James was open, confrontational, but in a strange way, able to read Madcap. Put it into easy words. Big words. 

[hr]

In the meantime, Tyler would be up against quite a few big dispatches. He had to make some calls with the heroes he had to hand while James wasn't there, and would no doubt, have to play the game as best as he could. He had some dispatches (minor) to make up, small things that the heroes would likely sort on their own, but, he now had an insight into how the system worked. He would be seeing that in person, and James would come back to do his one to one later. It was no doubt stressful, difficult, and hard to manage, and the team would be dealing with the 18 year old for a little while.