xp_logs | Angelo and Madelyn, backdated

He goes down to visit her for some careers advice. She has a lot of sensible things to say and gives him some food for thought.

The first chance he got, Angelo headed down to medlab to see if Madelyn was there, bearing the promised two apples. Arriving, he knocked on the door lightly and stuck his head into the room, looking for her.

"Come in, Angelo," came the reply to his knock. Madelyn smiled as the young man came in, laying aside the reports on Paul's encounter with radiation she was using to compile notes on future scenarios and slipping off her glasses. "It's a good thing that saying about an apple a day isn't literal, hmm?"

Angelo grinned, holding out the fruit as he came into the room. "Heh, yeah. Although from what you were sayin' about the donuts, you could maybe see this as makin' up a day?"

"Or at least keeping the doctor from being cranky." Madelyn took the apples and motioned Angelo to have a seat, laying one on her desk on top of one of the many piles of papers, and biting into the other. "Cecilia has a point about vitamins and the like, but don't tell her I said that," she went on, once she'd finished the first mouthful. "So, you're thinking about the future, I take it?"

He nodded, sitting down. "Yeah - gonna have to decide pretty soon if college is happenin', an' if not, what I'm gonna do instead. Either way, I'm pretty sure I'll stay here, but I'll need to be doin' somethin'."

"And Cecilia suggested law enforcement as a possibility? What brought all that about?" Madelyn took another bite of the apple while she waited for Angelo's reply.

Angelo grinned sheepishly. "We were just talkin' about options for what comes next, she asked what I like doin', I said hand to hand an' languages, an' she said, "that sounds pretty law-enforcement-y". Not gonna turn down any ideas people think would be good off the bat, so I came t'talk to you about it."

"And how about you? How do you feel about it? Other than other people seem to think it's a good idea?" Madelyn gave Angelo a searching look.

Angelo nodded, thinking about it - she did have a point. "I think it's... kind of ironic, but it might not be a bad choice for me for all that. Good secure job, if I get in."

"That it is. Depending on what area you end up in, of course." Leaning back in her chair, Madelyn gave Angelo a smile. "And I don't think it's so far-fetched. You wouldn't be the first former gang member to join the other side, as it were. Of course, there's the matter of previous convictions and such, but again, it won't necessarily keep you out. So, what exactly did you want me to tell you about?"

Angelo shook his head at the mention of previous convictions, smiling slightly. "No previous convictions. There were, but the Professor saw to that. An' I just want to know... what it's like. The areas you know about."

"Hmm..." Madelyn tapped her chin with her forefinger, thinking it through. "Obviously the area I was involved in was medical-related - forensics, actually. They recruited me fresh out of med school. But I went through basic FBI training like everyone else. It's hard - physically and mentally. They push you to your limits, but it was also one of the more rewarding experiences of my life. Getting out there, doing some good..." A slightly nostalgic smile crossed her face. "The closest thing someone like me can get to being a superhero. And you don't have to wear a leather catsuit, although body armour? Surprisingly comfortable, even if it's as heavy as all hell."

Angelo grinned - "getting out there, doing some good" was exactly what he hoped to achieve. "How long does the basic training last?"

"For a regular FBI agent - if there can be such a thing - you're in training for about a year, and then you're farmed out to the various divisions as a rookie for another year, to see what you like. There's regular fitness tests, physicals, and a surprising amount of written work; procedure, the law, psychology, forensic technique..." Madelyn watched Angelo's face, to see his reaction to that part. "If you get through the basic training and onto field placement, you're placed with a more experienced agent to learn on the job, but a lot of the time that involves desk work. I'll be straight with you Angelo, it's not all shoot-outs and car chases and scary serial killers - there's a hell of a lot of sitting at a desk working your way through a pile of case files."

He did frown slightly at the mention of written work - he knew full well what his strengths were, and academic-type stuff, though he wasn't bad at it, wasn't one of them. Still, he wasn't going to give up on the whole idea just because of that. "Is there any choice about where you train or where you spend the second year?"

"Not really. It depends where you sign up - a lot of new recruits from this side of the country end up at Quantico. But there's not usually a choice. It's like the army that way," she said. With a slight smile, she asked: "Thinking of Paige?"

He nodded, grinning a little sheepishly. "She'll be stayin' here, I'm almost sure. Got her heart set on makin' full team status. An'... well. Yeah."

Madelyn nodded, her smile growing at Angelo's bashfulness. Then her expression grew serious again. "It's not an easy life, Angelo, going into law enforcement. There aren't regular hours, there's a lot of travel, a lot of it unplanned, and the stress is pretty high... There's a fairly high cost, usually in terms of your personal life. It's something to consider."

Angelo nodded, adding that in to the list of considerations. "People do manage to balance it all, though. An'... maybe if I thought NYPD or whatever, instead of FBI... not that I'm scratchin' the FBI altogether. But 's a good point."

"It's good you're thinking about it," she said, inwardly approving of his mature approach to all this. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask about?"

He thought about that for a moment. "Uh... can't think of anythin' else offhand. Anythin' else you think I should know?"

"Not that I can think of right now... You're going to talk to Sean and maybe Pete, right?" At Angelo's nod, she grinned approvingly. "If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. I hope I was able to help - or at least not scare you off entirely."

He grinned back. "Don't worry, you didn't. An' you helped a lot - thanks for playin' guidance counselor for awhile."

"As long as Pete doesn't come after me for poaching his work, any time." Madelyn knew the chances of that were pretty slim, and her chuckle showed that. "It's good to see someone thinking about their future, Angelo. Any help you need, just ask."

He nodded, getting up. "Will do - got a fair bit to think about to be goin' on with. Thanks again."