Raina loved the aquarium at night. She'd sleep here if Dr. Gray didn't get so mad at her when she tried it. It was so peaceful and the tanks all glowed a bit with their artificial light. She could prop herself on a chair by one and just listening to the subtle noises of the water.

Tonight she'd been working on a research grant application for Dr. Gray. It had taken her the better part of the day and now it was taking her the better part of the night. Staring at the paper on her desk the words began to swim like the fish. "Okay." she sighed to herself. "I better get a Taxi and head home. The rest of this will have to wait til the morning." she glanced at her watch, 1am. She'd have to remember to set the alarm when she left. That meant getting to swipe key from Dr. Gray's office.

She mumbled to herself a bit. If he was going to make her stay here late he should bring her the key, or better yet give her her own. But he was too busy to think of that sort of think. Heck that was the very reason she was doing this application!

She yawned as she walked down the hall her heels leaving a clicking echo as she went. There wasn't a lot of light beyond the security lights but it wasn't like she felt unsafe.

She reached into her pocket as she rounded a corner and pulled out Dr. Gray's ring of keys. There was a little pokemon key ring ornament on it. A duck thing. Sometimes Raina didn't get Grey.

She jingled the key and slid one into the lock for his office door, opening it leaving the keys hanging from the knob. "Ok swipe Key. Where are you hiding?"

She set to work trying to move the stacks of paper on his desk so she could see better without messing anything up. She picked up a rather large file and sat it on top of his computer monitor.

She had it. In her hands was what she hoped was enough research to set this thing over the edge. If they could apply what was in this folder in the ways that she was hoping... Lori's flashlight flickered. Flickered and died.

Stupid batteries never seemed to hold their charge around her. She unscrewed the back cap and pulled out the first battery. It was hungry. She fed it. She pulled out the second and-- heels. The sound was instantly recognizable.

Lori ducked and keys were jangling and the door was opening. Who the heck stayed to work late at an aquarium? She thought there would be only fishes at this hour!

"Ok swipe Key. Where are you hiding?"

She rolled her eyes. If there was a swipe key on the desk next to Lori, in all likelihood it had been magnetically wiped just by her being there. And why was SHE hiding? Oh. Right. Because if the lady left in peace, Lori would be able to grab that fat folder and be on her merry little way.

A battery plopped out of her hand and rolled out from under the desk to bump against some stylish heels.

These stealth capers never did go very well for her.

Something hit the ground causing Raina to look up from the pile of papers. She looked around. At first it din't bother her, she'd stopped jumping at sounds after her first few late nights. But then something hit her shoe. "What the?" she backed up from the desk and whatever it was continued to move toward her. She flicked on the desk lamp. "Ah..." it was a battery. A big one. When she moved her foot it kept rolling until it stopped at the far end by the wall.

What had the battery fallen from? Did Gray just have even more random things on his desk? He'd be annoyed with her for making a mess so she spun around and reached down to pick it up. "Ow!" she shrieked. When she touched the battery she got a shock. It happened to her sometimes when she took them out of chargers or electronics. She dropped it again and it rolled back toward the underneath of the desk. "Damnit."

She crouched down to find it again and felt around with her hand for it. It finally closed around the cylindrical shape and when she went to sit up of course she banged her head on the desk. So when she saw the woman at first her vision was all blurry and she was confused. Finally standing up right and blinking a few times the blond came into view. "Eh?" she blinked again "Who... are you?" it sounded much kinder than it ought to sound. After all the woman was clearly hiding in here.

"What the?" Well, she had a nice voice. Just one or two words at a time didn't really help Lori place the woman as anything, though.

The battery bit the other woman with a little excess shock.

Good little battery.

Almost as if it had heard her metal praise, the little alkaline cylinder rolled back to her, bumped against her hand, lured the woman to the other side of the desk.

I take it back. Bad battery. Bad!

The woman crouched and didn't see her at first. That was just as well. Lori was taking her all in. She looked to be taller than Lori. Red hair. Vapid physiognomy. Lori hadn't seen her ever before.

The distance between Lori's shoes and the other woman's was somewhere around 90 centimeters. The computer on the table would be good for throwing, but Lori wanted to start somewhere more practical.

The fluorescent bulbs above flared bright, bright and brighter before the ballast blew and the long tubes shone with everything they had. If Lori's power weren't so unruly she wouldn't have had to concentrate so hard on this small task. If she weren't concentrating so hard, she wouldn't have missed the woman bonking her head on the table.

"Eh? Who... are you?"

Lori's eyes flicked to the red head's and blue met grey. Her voice was sweet. Teacher sweet. Psychologist sweet. The false sweet of a mother talking to a scared child. It was pretty disgusting. Disgusting enough to pull that last bit of charge needed to explode the gaseous bulbs above them.

"Absolutely no one."

Careful of her head, Lori lurched forward suddenly about 95 centimeters with her hand leading the way. She just needed a tap on the skin to be able to find this woman's brain. But there were always other advantages she'd found to touching someone with a power like hers.

If she felt skin then she would pop up and grab that fat folder. Once she had the info, she could be on her way. This wasn't going to be so bad after all. Too bad Lori didn't know Raina had moved that folder on top of the computer she had considered throwing at the other woman.

Raina may had been disoriented but swimming in a tank with sharks tended to give you reflexes a bit of a boost. Sure, her mutation had very little effect on her reflexes unless under water but all that x-men training certainly did. When the hand came for her Raina nearly made a Michael Jackson sort of a move that at first looked pretty cool while she dipped back like someone playing limbo to avoid the reach, but certainly didn't look cool when she fell back on her butt.

She scrambled to her feet. She couldn't see that well and glass crunched under her shoes. Now she took a defensive stance trying to peer at the woman through the darkness and bits of spill over light. Raina was standing directly between the woman and the door.

Still she hadn't known that when the woman was trying to touch her it was for any bad reason. Maybe she needed help getting up, heck after dating Luke maybe she was blind and got lost in here. That would make sense for the lights being out... not so much the flashlight that she could now see. No, a strange woman in the office this late at night with a flashlight certainly wasn't a lost patron.

"Gray doesn't have anything valuable here, and you can see as plainly as I can that computer is ancient." her eyes drifted to the computer where the stack of files were. She was acting under the assumption that the woman was a petty thief. That or one crazy activist. "Why don't you come over here slowly with your hands where I can see them and we don't need to get the police involved." She was trying to sound tough but it sounded far too much like a kind request. She had nothing to make her seem threatening. But in reality there was more water in this building that she could conjure into ice in a lifetime. So long as she didn't get wet that should be enough to stop this person.

Oh she just had to love the good samaritans. Always giving her the benefit of the fight. Too bad this one would kick Lori's *ss at limbo. Her hand grabbed thin air.

Damn. While the woman was scuttling to her feet, Lori was standing and slamming her hand down on-- bare desk. Was the woman one step ahead or lucky as all get out?

"Gray doesn't have anything valuable here, and you can see as plainly as I can that computer is ancient."

Lucky. Definitely lucky.

Despite the fact that both of her batteries were rolling around on the floor somewhere, Lori's flashlight flickered on and pointed right into the other woman's eyes. She had to be careful in her excitement not to explode that tiniest of bulbs.

"Why don't you come over here slowly with your hands where I can see them and we don't need to get the police involved."

"Why don't you go hump a goat?" One option was about as likely as the other. Hopefully the light in the other woman's eyes was keeping her from getting a good read on what Lori was doing as she sifted through the things on the desk.

File. File. Where was the file? A-ha! Lori made a grab for it.

Her agitation leaked into the flashlight and that bulb popped too. Piece of crap.

Lori really had to be careful not to rip open the metal bearings in the tanks of this place too. There was enough water to drain her several times over, no doubt. No reason to let lady ruin-my-moment know that, though.

She threw the flashlight at where the other woman had last been and then jump-slid over the desk, file in hand. All the contents of the top of the desk scattered unnecessarily in her haste. But, boy, was it satisfying. With the desk now between the two of them, all Lori had to do was pick it up by its old fashioned metal legs and use it like a battering ram. Either the lady was going through the door first, or Lori was going to make a new exit. Lady's choice.

The desk swung full force toward the dim red hued hallway (it seemed to only be lit by exit sign and that was fine by Lori). The huge clunker computer monitor slid across it's mostly cleared surface slamming along with the motion of the desk.

Everything started happened pretty fast. Before she knew it she was yet again blinded. Her hands flew over her eyes. It didn't make much difference: Can't see because heads are in front of your eyes, or can't see because the light has blinded you. She could hear the woman rustling around and the suddenly the flashlight light moved away, and then moved very quickly, and hit her in the temple. "Son of a-"

That's wasnt the only thing to move, the desk went flying sending the monitor slamming into the ground. She put out her hands but the desk hit her with enough force to send her back into the wall momentarily pinned between the wall and the desk. Right next to the door she was no longer blocking.

She couldn't for the life of her figure out what this woman was after but if she was this determined it had to be important and she had to stop her. Feeling a surge of x-men heroism Raina managed to shove herself free of the desk.

Then she sang one word. One excellent word. One long excellent hanging in the air word. "Freeeeeeeeeeezzzzeee!" It sounded like a diva using this word as an excuse to run up and down the musical scales, but Raina was calling the water from a fish bowl off to the corner to her aide.

The water moved quickly nearly invisible around the woman's feet. And Froze hopefully in a very solid way. She couldn't see very well yet but she didn't have to do much to direct the ice. Her song willed it to find the closest source of body heat beside her. It always acted like an extension of her body, or a willing and obedient pet.

She kicked the desk away now and felt the familiar surge or adrenaline through her veins. Her heart was pounding in her ears and blood was trickling into her eye where the flash light had smacked. "I don't know what you want here but Im not letting you leave." She took her defensive stance again. If she had to she'd freeze the woman's whole body.

She wanted so much to be a peaceful mutant and that was often her downfall in these moments.

Lori meant to send the desk and the woman through the door. Into the wall was better. Maybe it was okay that her control was a bit lacking.

The file folder tucked into the back of her pants so that she would have her hands free. The woman was wriggling behind her desk pin. As soon as Lori was gone it would fall away. maybe less time if she kept at it. No matter. The door was unattended now.

A draw of breath and then the most diva cry of freeze ever. Eyebrow arch. Really? Was she pulling a sonic attack or something because her eardrums actually felt better for the experie--- Her tennis shoe caught on something as she approached the door frame. Or rather. Something caught a hold of her tennis shoe.

Ice. Oh. So she was being literal then.

Keeping light on her feet was proving difficult with grasping tendrils of ice after her. She had to drop hold of the desk so that she could focus her efforts above herself. She'd done this in a pinch several times and it did not feel good. A little cracking here and there. She lost a shoe to the fingers of ice. That was actually quite dangerous, but she had her socks still and one other shoe.

Lori flexed her biceps to help keep herself up and away from the ground where the ice was thoroughly encasing her lost shoe. Her bones did not like. The wire wrapped around her forearms under the skin was such a tenuous thing for her magnetism to be holding on to.

"I don't know what you want here but Im not letting you leave."

Mutants always felt like they could be heroes. They stood a much better chance than most, but just having an ability didn't make you a hero... or a villain.

Lori raised the Magnetic field she was hanging from. Slipped a bit, but got her arms wholly around the invisible field. She couldn't see the other woman in the darkness, but Lori was right over the door frame now. If the ice would chill out (no pun intended) she'd be leaving. If the red head decided to dash out into the hallway There was one shoe that would be glad to meet her face.

((OOC: wasn't sure how the ice would act! can mod if ya want!))

Raina heard a bit of shuffled movement and then stillness which meant the woman was frozen to the floor, at least for the time being. Though she sent out the ice and at times it could act like an extension of her body it most certainly wasn't. She had no idea where the woman was safe for a vague idea thanks to the sound. The ice couldn't relay any information to her, just hold the woman in place to Raina figured out what to do.

She let out a sigh. "I'm calling the police." what else could she do? She couldn't just be an x-man and throw her weight around like she was above the law.

The ice stayed where it was as Raina flipped out a cellphone that lit up momentarily giving away her position in the dark. "Hello... I'd like to report a robbery in progress..."

ooc: feel free to throw that shoe. lol

She actually announced that she was calling the police. That was just plain silly. Why announce your next move? Lori quietly took care of the office phone. A little magnetic field served to warp the insides of the phone. There was little chance it would work. No doubt the computer was gone too. Worthless at least for now without the monitor. Nothing to worry about there.

Keys lit up. Dirty cell phones. Seemed like everyone had them these days.

"Hello... I'd like to" Oh no. A little magnetic field at the phone and... wup! Lori slipped and ended up scrambling her feet against the doorframe to keep herself balanced. She just wasn't too great at splitting her focus. "report a robbery in progress..." hopefully the last bit was garbled from the field. It certainly would mess with the antenna.

And you know what? Screw this.

She needed her shoe, otherwise she'd throw it. So it was up to the next best thing.

Lori let go of the field at the same time as she pushed off from the wall. It was take a giant leap backward to launch herself at the woman, but it was past time to get her hands dirty. It would feel so good to slam that red head against the floor. And just by Lori being near, the phone would fry. It was really the most effective way for her to stop the phone call completely.

Here's to hoping she landed on top.

Raina's phone went fuzzy. "What the- hello, operator?" she shook the thing but there was no response. "Ah damnit." Great now she was in the dark with a-

SLAAAAAAM


Someone smashed into her and smashed into her hard. She went flying backwards from the weight and her whole body tingled. Her head smashed off the floor reopening the wound above her eye spilling blood through her vision. As if she had any vision beyond stars at this moment. When they talk about that sort of thing in books the character nearly always gets knocked out. But it's not easy to get knocked out, and they never mention the pain so bad you want to vomit. That's what Raina was experience.

Her hands flew wildly and blindly around latching on to someone's limb. Her fingers tingled again like she;d just run her feet through shag carpet. A low growl escaped from her throat to become a very low note. Ice extended from the palm of her hands and started wrapping itself around the limb. But with every note the charge grew stronger and just as she was about to solidify the ice some sort of shock sent her and presumably the girl backward and apart.

Her head slammed again into the back wall. She was sure now that she'd have at the very least a black eye, two eggs on her head, and a bruise across her front. Even though the cut above her temple was minuscule the amount of blood it was pouring out had Raina convinced it would need stitches. Great the frankestein mermaid.

It was then that it finally dawned on Raina that she was facing a mutant. Nothing else would be capable of sending out electric charges like that... and from the way the woman spoke not a very nice mutant... a cocky mutant... another epiphany. "Kabal or the Order?" she spat clearly giving away that she was an x-men and at least recognized some aspect of the woman's attitude.

In the movies it always looks so graceful. Wham. Bam. Thank you, ma'am. In reality Lori felt like a awkward flying squirrel on its maiden voyage... sans the squirrel.

She rode the other woman down to the ground and that was all good fun since the red head took the brunt of the fall. Her knees would be banged up but things could get worse. She could start... well. encasing her arm in ice and unwittingly draining her of a large amount of charge all at once.

Lori held on for as long as she could, but with the skin and ice and that stupid voice...

They flew apart, Lori into the topsy-turvy desk and the other woman into the wall. They both seemed to take a full second to get their lungs back in working order. And Lori's pants seemed a bit looser. She scrabbled to her feet and slipped on paper. Crap. The file!

Grab, grab, grab, stuff. It all went into the shirt. Everything she could touch. Lori hadn't planned on meeting a stupid X tonight.

"Kabal or the Order?" She practically spit the words. Maybe she did, actually. Lori smudged something wet off her long sleeve. She felt like laughing despite the residual moisture from the ice.

"No need to be rude, little X. We're on the same side, really." All this hostility. Maybe someone had needed this little fight. Well, Lori wasn't interested.

This woman had better range than herself... and a way to drain her dry. Lori either had to put her out for her own grand escape or she had to run while the running was good. Running seemed like less of an option. She could still get caught on the way out.

"Do yourself a favor and stay down." Lori grabbed the computer monitor, ancient as it was, and threw it toward the other woman's voice. No magnetic field, just pure get-the-heck-out-of-my-way.

Since it was pitch black Raina never saw the monitor coming. She wished she'd listened then when the woman told her to stay down. What as that about the same side? That was Raina's last thought as the world went rather fuzzy....