(OOC: Continued from Caging the Beast)

Michael hopped back out of the hole in the wall from where Ted had smashed him into the mansion. Looking around he didn’t see any of the others, but he did see what looked like a wall of fire. Jogging towards it he saw that he’d found them.

A girl was flying high above the fire wall, so he guessed that she had made it. Mettaliar and the guy with rock fists were nearby and Iris was this side of the fire wall, away from the pool.

“Mettaliar!” Michael called out, “Anywhere I can help?” he was tired, but he couldn’t stop, at least not until Iris had calmed down. as he spoke Iris encased herself in mud and went straight through the fire wall and into the water. "Some how I think this just got a whole lot worse."

'Concentrate, concen--'

"TRAAAATE!"

The finished ending of the word she had been muttering in her mind came out in a loud yell as her concentration became shot. Who's wouldn't, when they were all of a sudden swept high into the air? "What the hell?" shouted Fiona, as she looked at the man and woman who were also in the air with her. Seeing as the other woman was focusing on firey blasts (and a wall of flame which would have been mighty hot for Fiona had she not been lifted) she turned her attention to the man.

"Thanks for, er... Saving me from the fire wall." she said weakly, wondering if she should be annoyed her connection to Iris was lost or overly grateful she was saved the trouble of burning.

As they landed on the Mansion's roof, Fiona almost slid downwards, before finding a foothold on a roof tile. "Er, I can kinda, um..." her words failed her as she struggled to think of what she could do. As of late she could do so many things that it was getting hard for her to just focus on one. Attempting again, she cleared her throat.

"Well, I feel people's energy, and then depending on how strong the feeling is, I can kinda manipulate it. Well, I can manipulate it," she said, nodding, sort of trying to keep the other man on the same page with her rambling, "Then, I can even get into their thoughts and speak to them... Like telepathy!" she finished.

"I can also charm men like a succubus and make them do as I please with a similar effect on women-kind. But they're smarter so it's harder." she added quickly and in one breath, wondering when it was exactly that her main ability had turned to a secondary ability.

"Well, down there, I was trying to calm her down, by infusing some calming emotion into her. I'm not sure if it was working though, as well... I've never really had any formal training and I just kinda wing these things." Just then, another thought came into her mind:

"Wait, who are you?"

Mettaliar had almost reached her before she had incased herself in mud. He dove for her yet and was able to grab onto her, yet the force of the water jet broke her free from his grasp and shot her into the fire. He put his hands over his head and stared into the wall with wide eyes. Oh no, oh no!! his mind rambled. Just then he heard Michael call his name and affirm he could fight. His first thought wasn't even of asking if he was sure if he took care of that beast thing.

"Not yet, dude. Assuming Iris is in the pool, I would assume she would just stay in the water, or attack us with it. Unless we find one who could force her out we just have to.... wait." His mind clicked with an idea. "You think if we heat the pool up she'll come running out? I mean I don't wanna hurt the poor girl. I know what she's going through, yet if we don't stop her ASAP someones going to get seriously hurt." Damn the people who did this to us. his mind cracked out randomly as a thought.

A guy came flying out of no where and scooped up the second female before she ran into the fire wall. Ali watched the two of them land on top of the mansion. Once they were out of the way she turned her attention back to the crazy girl as she dove into the pool.

Ali squinted her eyes while she extinguished the fire with a wave of her hand. You're pretty tricky but we're not through yet she thought. Though she was too high up to hear Mettaliar speaking to Michael the fiery woman already had the same though.

She made sure that she was off to the side of the pool though still in the air. She could see the figure of the woman towards the bottom of the water. Either you're coming out or I'm taking away your cover. Ali pointed her hands open palm at the pool and started to concentrate on the water's temperature. She began raising the temperature as if the pool were a giant pot in an oven. Steam started to snake across the surface of the water.

Geo watched as all the action took place he summonesd up another slab and quickly went over to Sheild was standing. Jumped of and stood next to him. "I'm sorry i can't be of any help here if i go near water i won't be able to do anything. Hydraphobia." h e gave a nervous smile. "What happened with the other guy?"

Michael turned to the kid and smiled, “That’s alright, hopefully between me, Mettaliar and the fiery girl up there we can keep her contained. Don’t worry about Ted, I lured him off to the danger room and looked us in it until he turned back “

“I’m invincible, so if you want to sit this out go ahead, I’m sure they could use a hand in the infirmary as not only is Raina badly hurt, but Ted’s exhausted.” As he spoke Michael saw the water begin to steam and he shouted up at the girl, “Good job, keep it up!”

Mettaliar cocked his head over his shoulder and looked at the new guy. He put on a friendly smile and spoke once Michael was done.

"Yeah, her main weapon is water-based. So with all due respect I can't really say you'd do much here. I'd also go to help the injured if I were you. If we need any help and she changes tactics, we'll call you though, ok?" he finished looked back at the pool.

His arms were crossed, yet he extended his arm and formed a staff grabbing hold of it as the center was complete. "I'd be prepared for a mad psycho Iris if I were you. I have a feeling she won't come out with her hands up." The something crossed his mind and he raised an eyebrow. "Say, if I were to, let's say, throw a cup of scolding hot coffee in your face would you feel pain?" He asked cracking his neck in the process.

"You got it." Geo said hoping on the slab of rock and gliding back towards the mansion.

“I’d feel the heat, but I wouldn’t get scolded,” Michael replied, starting to see what Mettaliar was thinking, “So so long as I’m not immersed for too long I could swim in boiling water, or walk through fire.”

“If I’m in their too long I reckon I’d get hot and sick, like a fever or something. I know I cant be burnt as I set myself on fire once by accident, but I did feel the heat, and it made me ill for a while afterwards.”

Eldwyn listened to Fiona describe her powers. "......similar effect on women-kind. But they're smarter so it's harder." Wyn looked at the woman, his smile dissapeared instantly, as he scowled at her. His tone was harsh. "Don't you EVER say something sexist like that again." Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. "It doesn't matter who I am at the moment. We need to stop them." He looked at the people attacking Iris. He saw the fire dissapear as the the firey one moved and started to boil the water that Iris had jumped into! Wyn's eyes went wide with shock and anger. His arm snapped out as he grabbed Raven Fire with his mind. Dragging her out of the sky he slammed her into a nearby tree, not hard but hopefully enough to distupt her power, hoping that would stop her from killing Iris. Yelling from the top of the mansion, "Idiots, we're not trying to KILL her!"

Mettaliar jumped a bit when the girl went flying into the tree. Hearing the man scream from above them, he lost his temper. He could not understand what they were doing. Oh wait, they have no idea what happend. he remembered. Still, before he could stop himself he turned and shouted back.

"We're usinmg the only method to lure her out, and your calling US IDIOTS!?!?!? What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea as to what she's been through? No! So stop messing with us for Christ's sake." He knew they wouldn't listen to him, yet he felt better saying it to them anyway. He turned back and faced the pool. "Damn, do I hate ignorance. Can't blame them for caring though."

“So Mettaliar, what is she going through?” Michael asked. “You seem to know what’s going on, so care to fill me in?” He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer, but figured better know what he was up against.

"Luring her out, you were letting her get boiled alive, that'll only get her more upset and scared. And Mettaliar, I know all about Kaz and what went on. So quiet!" He wasn't looking at the guy at all, as he was trying to concentrate.

Once in the water, Iris paused to catch her breath, and in a very strange way. Once she reached the bottom of the twelve-foot-deep pool, she pushed the water away from her. A bubble of air formed, allowing her to stand dry and breath air. A very thin tube of air also formed, giving her access to the air from the surface. She collapsed on the ground in a heap, breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably.

<"What's happening to me??"> It was a clear thought, the first she'd had since her power kicked in. She knew something was wrong, but couldn't focus. Her mind was like a shattered mirror, with distorted images and twisted thoughts. That calming thought from a minute ago had managed to get through to her subconscious, but her body refused to heed it. She was still convinced that the figures she saw were trying to hurt her. She kept getting glimpses of silver-colored eyes boring into hers. Feelings of loneliness and terror were foremost in her emotions.

Suddenly she came away that she was sweating. Lifting her head, she looked around. The water was steaming. She reached out to touch it, and yanked her hand back at the scalding heat. She looked upward. There was a figure floating above the water. Were they doing this? Why were they? She wasn't doing any harm. She was just hiding. She just wanted to be left alone! She covered her ears and head and tucked into a ball.

"Why won't you leave me ALONE??!!"[/i]

Her shriek was accompanied by the water roiling and heaving. From the center of the pool, directly above her, the water erupted in a boiling hot fountain. She was simply pushing the water away from her, so when the water tried to encase her again, she kept pushing back, spraying the hot water all over the surrounding area.

Suddenly pain shot through her head and eyes. She gasped, and gagged. As the last of the water rained down around, Iris blacked out completely. Her hair washed blonde again, and her eyes turned back to grey. She lay, unmoving, at the bottom of the empty pool.[/color]

As the pool erupted in scalding water Michael moved to cover Mettaliar. Scalding water splashed on his back, but the heat wasn’t painful and soon dissipated. “You ok?” He asked Mettaliar before turning back to the pool.

Seeing it empty he ran to the edge and jumped down into it. Seeing Iris unconscious he ran over to her. “Guys, she’s out cold! I think we did it!”