It happens instantaneously.
Stein's not paying much attention to the newcomer - one detective isn't much different from another as far as he is concerned. When the new recruit comes in the Enforcer is leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling and idly picking at the raised scar that winds across the back of his hand, relic of yet another dangerous decision in the heat of battle. He has a whole collection of them, faint pale line tracing over his chest and arms and one, his favorite, curving right across his face. The detectives don't like them - they get uncomfortable at the visual representation of how different Stein is from them - and even the other Enforcers tend to look away, most of them just as edgy about his casual acceptance of his situation as the detectives they try to emulate.
It's not Stein's habit, to pretend to be something he's not. It's not like he has any hope of changing his situation, and it's not like he's particularly sensitive to the isolation his appearance causes. He just doesn't care, about the disdain or the fear or his Hue, even, doesn't care about much of anything beyond the all-too occasional heat of blood splashed over his skin.
"Mm," Medusa purrs from her corner. Stein can see the blond getting to her feet as the new inspector is led into the room, can hear the sharp threat of her smile in her voice. "Fresh meat."
"Stop it," Inspector Barett orders, calm with repetition. "I will revoke your Enforcer position if that becomes necessary."
"And that's why I love you," Medusa purrs, but she does straighten to stand instead of lounge. "Who is the newbie, though?"
"Inspector Albarn." Sid is clearly speaking to the newcomer rather than to Medusa; his voice has taken on the professional resonance it always lacks with the Enforcers. "Enforcer Gorgon is the rude one, there in the corner. Usually we have two more, but they're off the clock right now. You'll meet them later today." A hand comes down on Stein's shoulder. The Enforcer straightens from his lean, starts to spin around. "This is Enforcer Stein."
It's not that the new Inspector is all that remarkable, except maybe for the stunning red of his hair. He's attractive, sure, in a sort of standard way, and he has a nice smile, and he looks like this job is going to chew him up and spit him out. None of that, not even the heartblood color of his hair, is what brings Stein's feet slamming flat to the floor, though. It's the flush of heat under his skin, the thud of his heart in his chest, the way his vision clears when he blinks, and he knows, even while the new Inspector is offering a hand to shake and Medusa is still huffing at Sid from the corner, he can feel the change like a physical shift.
"Good to meet you," the redhead is saying, smiling like Stein's not some half-rabid dog to be kept on a chokechain but instead another human being, and Stein, who has never cried before in all his life, can feel heat burning over his eyes when he blinks. "Stein, right?"
Stein doesn't answer, but after a moment that is slightly too long he takes the Inspector's hand, too fast and too hard, and then lets go too soon so the other man blinks blue eyes at him and laughs more out of awkward self-consciousness than actual amusement.
"Don't mind him," Inspector Barett is saying, steering the redhead in towards one of the unoccupied desks while Stein pivots himself back around to hunch over his desk. "Stein's always like that. He's a good Enforcer, though, totally unflappable. His Crime Coefficient hasn't shifted by so much as a point since he started working for us five years ago."
"That just makes him more of a freak,"Medusa points out helpfully. "Even our Hues should shift a little, given what we do on a daily basis."
"Well." Sid waves a hand, Stein doesn't have to turn to see it. "Makes him a good Enforcer, anyway. Now you." He's back to the new Inspector again; Stein can hear the sound of the Dominator clicking itself open at the touch. "You've held one of these before, right?"
"Just held." The nerves are audible in the other man's voice. Stein is picking at his scars again, tracing over the lines over his face without realizing what he's doing. "Never fired."
"We'll save that for tomorrow," Sid says, and the redhead laughs like the other Inspector is joking. He really is going to get wrecked by this job. "Point it at me."
"It won't let me fire, right?" There's a pause, the sound of the gun folding itself back into place. "Ah."
"Exactly. Now try one of the Enforcers. Keep your finger off the trigger, though."
There's a pause. Stein plants his foot on the floor, kicks so he spins back around to face the two Inspectors while the redhead is still looking tormented by the decision.
"Me," he says, raising one hand like he's bored, like he's not burning with curiosity and impending confirmation of what he knows absolutely is true. "Aim it at me."
The redhead makes a face that says protest, but the Dominator is coming up anyway, like he's obeying Stein's command without thinking. Usually Stein stares down the Dominator itself, like he's daring it to fire on him, but it's a day of firsts, after all. He watches the Inspector's eyes instead, watches them flash into paler blue while the gun speaks to him.
Stein can't hear the voice, of course. Sid's talking again, already giving further information, and Medusa has turned back to whatever she's playing with today. And the new Inspector doesn't realize the relevance of what he's seeing in the '168' Stein can make out mirrored in the ghostly electronic blue haze over his eyes. But a chill runs down the Enforcer's spine, a shiver of premonition and vindication of his initial shock.
Ever since the first time he was measured, when he was eight years old, his Coefficient has been 170.