| Sudden Storm | |||||
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| What: Mia causes a winter storm,that others help stop | |||||
The school unexpectedly announced this morning that they were going to do physicals on all the students in gym class. Fortunately her gym class is not until after lunch, so Mia has a chance. She overheard the principle discussing the real reason for the physicals, some of the kids were doing drugs, and they wanted tests to find out who was involved. The problem is, she is not able to pass a physical, her skin is tougher than normal, her reflexes are different...at least as long as she has her powers.
So, there was only one thing to do, run out and get rid of her power, use her energy discharge until she is drained dry, then she will be a normal human for a while. She ran up to the lake, figuring it would be deserted, and aimed her hands at the sky. Her power is currently Lightning, so she forces out bolt after massive bolt of lightning into the air...until she falls to the ground in exhaustion.
The resulting ionization hit the unstable air and triggered snow...snow that was already falling as she set out to get back to school...
Thundersnow is a thing. It is also, aside from certain areas near the great lakes, a pretty rare one. And when you say "rare phenomenon involving snow" It is sure to get the attention of one Bobby Drake. Standing on the back patio of the institute, Bobby looks to the sky as snow starts to come down. Something about this just doesn't feel right. The thermal masses aren't moving the way they should. Knowing that it wasn't him, and that it doesn't feel like Orroro's work, Bobby gets himself to the classroom where Holly should be and asks to borrow her for a bit. Once she's out of class, he takes her to a window and gestures to the storm outside. His first question is asked without a judgmental tone, "That you?"
A storm nobody predicted? That attracts Sirocco's attention. From the way she's dressed as she darts through the snow-filled air, one would expect her to turn into a Popsicle. The fact that she doesn't reveals meta status as clearly as the fact that she's flying. Oh, and any snow that dares get too close to her is pretty much not just melting but evaporating.
Having just finished her physical, Holly is a little shaken up. Her training has started paying off thankfully and she's not been causing near as many winter storms as she has in the past. There is of course still the occasional snow squall she causes but hey, Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
As the young cyan haired girl walks away towards her class, she gets a confused look on her face. That weather isn't right. It's not Ororo's doing. She'd feel her prints on it. No this is something else."
And then there is Bobby. Its cool that he's not judging her. Of course she knows that Bobby is just always super cool so it works. She shakes her her head, "Its not me, Bobby. I think we got work to do." She begins focusing, trying to get a hold on the storm outside. "I need to go outside I think." She's not been on this end before. Not on the side of the person trying to calm someone else's weather. That makes things really hard.
Mia, her teeth chattering as she triers to find her way, admits that she should have thought things out a bit better. Ionization of the upper atmosphere creates unstable air masses, or exacerbates existing ones. Firing lightning at the clouds after making sure there were no planes up there seemed like a smart way to drain her solar energies, but this blizzard is all on her head...somewhat literally as it hits her now unpowered frame. She has to get back to the school if she can, they will know she is missing by now...
Bobby Drake nods, a serious look on his face. Which is a bit disconcerting. Bobby almost never looks serious. He answers Holly, "You're right on that one. Ororo's not around, and other than me you're the best one to be out in this. He turns to head for the door and, between one step and the next, goes from his human self to his organic Ice form. His voice has an oddly crisp tone to it as he says to holly, "This one's not practice. We're going out for two things. One, we find out who's messing with the weather. Two, we're search and rescue for anyone caught out in this." Once they're outside he pauses, and makes a little platform of ice. He gestures to it, then tells Holly, "Stand on that. And hang on."
Holly Pierce quickly follows Bobby outside. All the while she is trying to tame the storm. Its a lot of work. Its so much easier to unleash a storm then it is to stop one. following Bobby's orders, she gets on the ice platform and freezes her feet to it so she doesn't fall off.
Then it's go time. Being outside means she doesn't have to worry about working through the school and around others. Her body starts emitting a white aura. She is hopefully having some effect on the weather by now. "I wish Storm were here! She has more experience stopping these things."
Her gaze goes to Bobby. "I am trying to think about how I can help. If I alter the wind we are going to have a full blown blizzard. I've never raised the temperature before. I don't think I can do that." She sighs and keeps working to stop the storm all together. Hopefully it at least slows down enough to see through.
Search and rescue? That's pretty much what Sirocco's up to, in the air above. She's already rescued two people and one cat, and now she spots somebody else trudging through the storm. The wind manipulator starts to descend towards Cir-El, keeping her winds under careful control so as not to make the snow situation worse...as warm as they are, she could still trigger blizzard conditions.
Mia is looking at her feet, trudging through the snow ant trying to make a strait line. She does not really notice anyon further than a few feet away, what with the blowing snow and all.
There is a reason why Bobby doesn't usually do passengers on his ice slides. But for once, he doesn't have to worry about accidentally freezing the person with him. So as soon as he sees to it that Holly is secure, settling her arm around him, he drops into a pose similar to a surfer, hands extended. And really, in a way, what he's doing is more like surfing than sliding. The ice forms under his feet and Holly's sled platform, growing rapidly and propelling them forward across the lawn and out over Breakstone Lake. Within moments they're moving fast, the storm howling past them as they zip towards the center of the growing storm. Bobby calls out to Holly, "Feels like the center of it's this way. Don't try to kill the whole storm, you might make it worse. Just try to deaden the wind around us, make it easier to see where we're going. By this point his ice slide has taken them up to the level of the treetops, where the winds are worse, but he is less likely to hit anything.
Well, the good news, The storm is starting to ease off a bit. Including some of the wind so they can actually see. The bad news is, With the added warmth from Sirocco, the storm changes to heavy wet snow mixed with sleet. So instead of blinding light snow, in a blizzard, its now heavy wet snow with stinging ice crystals pelting anyone under it.
Holly blushes a little, "Well its a step in the right direction. I will keep trying though. I've never stopped one before!" She focuses a little more.
Something catches her eye. Movement. "Hey Bobby, Look over there. Is that a person?" She asks curiously. Her body is starting to show a bit of wear from the exertion. It doesn't stop her. Its times like this she is eternally grateful that she doesn't need warm clothes out in this weather. She does do something though. A bit of ice forms in her hand and reshapes itself into an ice umbrella. No point in getting stung by sleet. That action causes her to bleed a little but, its okay. She's good.
Sirocco descends towards the trudging figure. "Hey, are you lost?" Then she...notices...that she's got company. Somebody on an ice slide. Two people on an ice slide. "I think I got this one." It might not stop them checking this out, though. Especially as Holly, trying to control the storm, can perhaps sense the means Sirocco uses to stay aloft.
"N-n-not lost. Wa-was not expecting storm. Tr-rying to get back to sc-chool," Mia forces out through chattering teeth. She is not sure how far she has left to go, but thinks she is still headed the right direction.
Bobby Drake turns to glance at Holly when she makes her umbrella. He chides, "Hey, don't hurt yourself trying to help." He turns his attention back to where they are going then, "I think you're right though. And one of 'ems using powers. The air's way too hot." A moment later they are descending, spiraling down into the clearing with the others. Iceman tkaes a moment to unbind Holly's feet from the ice once they come to a stop. He calls out i a sarcastic tone, "So, what brings you ladies out in this lovely weather?"
Holly Pierce smiles, "I'm fine Bobby. I just over did it a little. Still finding my limits ya know." She giggles a little and then they are going down to meet the two girls trudging through the snow.
"Ummm you may want to rethink the best times for playing in the snow." She states to Sirocco and to Mia. She looks over at Bobby, "I'm going to try to ease the storm up just a little more. Maybe turn it all to one type of precipitation. Preferably not sleet."
The white aura around her body intensifies and the temperature begins to drop. Where usually she would just make it plummet she is actually being controlled with it. Only a few degrees. Enough to turn the sleet to just snow. This does have the desired effect. The sleet turns over to snow. The snow itself gets a little dryer as its not as solid. "Sorry about the added cold but better this then getting stung on top of it."
Sirocco touches down...a bit away from Holly so their powers don't interfere with each other. "I was out looking for stranded people, actually," she says in a California accent that doesn't quite match her Egyptian appearance. Ah, yes, America the melting pot.
Mia decides she needs to explain, "S-sorry about all this. I forgot th-thermod-dynamics." Not that she is all that great at science, but the energy she let out had to go SOMEWHERE, that she knows.
Bobby Drake clears his throat and mutters to Holly, "Not that I'm usually big on following rules, but we're in the field. It's Iceman. Got it, Noreaster?" He turns his attention to Sirocco and nods at her words, "Then I guess we don't have you to thank for this mess." Mia's apology catches him by surprise. "OK, that one requires some explanation. After we get you out of the cold." He throws out his hands and a dome forms over the clearing, leaving them in a rather large igloo. With the storm blocked out, some of the chill seems to lessen immediately, and with Sirocco heating the air, it actually heats up inside quickly. Without melting the walls. "Ok, now that we can hear each other without screaming into the wind... what the heck is going on here?"
Sirocco is very careful not to melt the walls. "I don't know. I just saw the storm blow up out of nowhere and thought I should go see if I could help people who are trapped in it, especially as I don't feel the cold."
"Oh Sorry, Got it Iceman. Gods I feel like I'm in a cheesy eighty's movie saying that." Nor'easter smirks.
"Wait, If She's in here... Maybe..." She smiles. "I'm going outside. I think I can end it if heat girl here isn't affecting the temp." She moves outside.
This time its all or nothing. The young winter weather worker begins focusing hard. Hard enough for her eyes to glow white. Is she successful? Does the wind stop? How about the snow!? Can anyone possibly know? Not really. Not until they leave the igloo anyway.
Mia explains, "I have super powers, well most of the time. Mostly physical stuff, but I have this energy venting power too. It is a biological safety mechanism to prevent overload, but it can be used offensively. The school is giving surprise physicals today, and if my powers are active I can not possibly pass as normal. I decided to vent enough energy so that my powers will turn off, but I forgot that energy can not be destroyed...all that power vented made the atmosphere unstable."
Iceman listens to Mia's explanation, nodding as appropriate. "Well, obviously, you're not alone on the superpowers thing. Still, that's an impressive amount of energy you put up there. But you're wrong. What you forgot is that it's January in New York, things were already unstable. You just kicked the dominoes." And then Holly's heading out the door. Iceman gives an exaggerated sigh, "And if she's not careful, she's going to kill herself trying to keep the rest from falling." He rushes out, yelling into the storm, "Damn it, just because we call you Nor'easter doesn't mean we expect you to stop one!"
"I don't think..." Sirocco tails off. She glances at Mia. "Is that Iceman? I've been wanting to meet him." She doesn't immediately voice why, of course.
As Bobby walks out he will find the wind has died down a lot. Its still breezy but not as bad. Also the snow is tapered off. All in all... the major winter storm has been knocked down to a minor one. Its not perfect. Not all gone but, its fixed enough that people can see through it and hopefully not keel over.
Nor'Easter just smirks. She's on the ground laying back in the snow. That took everything out of her. She's not dead. Not injured just really exhausted. "I did it. I got it to slow down. I used my powers for something other then trouble. See?" She states to Bobby as she slowly stands up. She's a touch wobbly but hey she is content with her actions.
Mia says to Sirocco, "I am not sure, I have not met him before, but it seems likely." She steps putside and says, "A very good job. Did you do it by reducing heat in the upper atmosphere or by drawing out the water." She was recently reading a book on weather control that explained heat and moisture are the two important variables. It was a good science fiction called Leer's Daughters.
Sirocco follows Mia outside. Right now she's not using her active powers, so not adding any more energy to the system. If she flies again, it'll be another matter, but hopefully it's stable now. "So...uh...I'm Sirocco."
Iceman puts a hand over his face to conceal a grin. Crazy, dangerous overuse of powers. But it worked. Yeah, Holly was going to fit right in at the mansion. He extends a hand and makes a lifting gesture and a sled/stretcher forms under Holly, lifting her onto it in the process. He says softly, "OK, I'm impressed. You did good. Now try not to pass out before I get you home, OK?" He turns to the others, "and answers Sirocco, "Iceman." He gestures to his own body and says teasingly, "Obviously. So... named after a fiery desert wind. Suits you, I think." He flashes a grin that is warm despite the icy face giving it. "Probably shouldn't try flying out of here though. It is the way you fly, it'd probably undo everything Nor'easter here just did. He scratches his chin for a moment, then grins again, "OK, new plan. Looks like I'm taking you girls for a sleighride." And he proceeds to make one
"I've been hoping to meet you. And a sleighride I can do." She grins and moves over. "I was...I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend. She...could really use your help." She's already talked about Mab's issues with Xavier, but Iceman? The expert himself?
Holly Pierce laughs a little as she gets comfortable. While she can still feel the chaos inside, its been quelled for the time being Her body will hate her later but, she did what she set out to do. No deaths. No injuries. For once, Holly feels like she just might be able to be a hero instead of a villain.
As she is helped into the sleigh she smirks to Iceman, "I think that maybe I should talk to Storm about how she manages to keep my stuff in check. I know my weather can be a whole lot worse then this and she manages to stave off most of it." She smiles a little. "Sirocco, Cool name! I'm Nor'easter. Cause Umm I come from the North East and have a lot in common with winter storms?" She laughs a little.
Mia says, "Just leave me at Salem Center High, I have to be back in time to take that physical." Hopefully her half alien biochemistry does not give her away anyhow. If it does, then all this trouble will be for nothing.
Bobby Drake smile fades for a moment at the word "girlfriend", as his attempt to flirt is shot down in two entirely seperate ways. But then he shrugs as he moves to get Holly re-settled into the larger transport, as well as seeing that the other two girls are as comfortable as one can be while sitting on ice. He says to Sirocco, "I guess we can talk after we get these two back to their respective schools?" A little bit of extra effort from him and the sleight gains a transparent ice dome to keep the wind off while thy travel. And then he has them off on one extra-large ice slide, heading for Mia's school.. A he stands in the heat, guiding their travel, he takes a moment to glance towards Mia, "I'll get you back to school for now, but we should probably talk after this storm blows over, too."
"I'd appreciate it." She smiles at Bobby, NOT activating her powers while in his ice construct. She doesn't want to make his life more difficult.