My Own Brand of Research {open}

[Naomi Green]

So the school had a research laboratory attached. So did Kocher, though the research there was most certainly off limits to students. Naomi had a suspicion that Hammel followed suit, not wanting its precious little metalings to learn about the horrors of it all. True, she had no evidence to back this up, and there was a chance that it was all in her head, but Naomi hardly doubted it. Which was why it wasn't "Naomi" who was entering the lab, but "Hermione."

She'd traded her false story of dorm monitoring, that hastily, shoddily constructed ruse, for a slightly better one of researching. Now, she just needed to figure out what projects to look at, and to snoop about. Perhaps conduct a little research of her own. For the more Naomi could discover, the more she would have on hand for when her plans finally came to fruition, assuming she went through with them.

For now, she was simply walking the halls of the laboratory, looking as though she knew exactly where she was going, while her eyes kept scanning, looking for a hint as to something that would be interesting. Where were the meta experiments? Or were they studying something else? Naomi finally stopped in front of a room, staring at it and considering.

There had to be something down here... she just needed to find out what. She reached for the door, using her powers to jerk and wiggle it, wishing that she had developed better lock-picking skills. She had just about been ready to give up when she heard someone behind her. Whirling, she tried a charming smile, hoping that she'd be able to bluff her way out of this one yet again.

[Roland Singleton]

How big was this place? Roland had heard there were research labs in the basement of the institute and his curiousity had lead him to check them out. Roland's electric form made him very interested in technology, though he prefered to play with it rather than watch as his lighting surged body was sucked into it. He shuddered slightly recalling the time he had accidentally entered his mother's computer while he was practing his powers waiting for her to pack his things so he could go to school.

Being inside an electronic device was a trippy experience, Roland saw all the curcuits and wires and could use them to channel himself through the item. Sometimes if he hit the hard drive or circuit board he would feel a whirl of imformation plow through him as he accidentally formatted it.

Today however, he was simply using his electrokinisis to send tiny surges of power into his Ipod. The device's battery had died while Roland was walking through the halls and he was not going to deal with a lack of music since he was lost. He had taken many turns and paid no attention to where he had been going, so now he was relying on his masculine sense of direction to lead him somewhere. Of course that was going about as well as when a father refuses to stop for directions at a gas station.

Roland was becoming slightly frustrated when he rounded a corner and saw a girl who was perhaps a little older than him fiddling with a door. She had dark hair and though she hadn't turned to look at Roland yet he wondered why she was in an empty hallway trying to get into a room.

"Hey there." Roland said in a friendly tone. pulling out his earbuds and pooping them in his jeans pocket.

He planned on asking the girl if she could tell him where the exit was but she whirled around to face him and beamed a smile at him. She was ratehr pretty, but there was a look in her eyes that told Roland something wasn't exactly right. He wondered for a seond what she must be doing and then it hit him. SHe must have locked herself out of the lab by accident and was embarressed, just like he was embarresed to admit he was lost.

"Hey my names Roland, did you lock youself out?" He asked, running a hand through his hair as he alwasy did when nervous.

A small pull in his pocket caught Roland's attention as he got a little closer to the girl, and he could tell it was his Ipod. It was trying to reac out to the girl for some reason. He could feel his whole body being pulled towards her slightly, like the electricity in his body was being magnetically pulled in her direction. "Well that explains why my sense of direction was off, I must have been subconsciously leading myself here." Roland thought amusedly

[Naomi Green]

A friendly voice. Young, almost chipper. Which meant it was highly unlikely that Naomi was about to encounter a researcher or someone who worked here, and far, far more likely that she'd met up with another student. In fact, so likely was this that Naomi at first didn't consider moving at all. No need to address another student.

She stared at Roland, observed him, noted the nervous shiftings and the hair ruffling and many other things. Such as the wires trailing down to his pockets. What was with people Naomi's age and their technological devices? She'd never been able to use one, since her skills wiped all technology and such. Nor did she particularly relish the idea of ever using one.

"You could say that," she said. She lifted her finger, drawing up the metal of the lock. The charming smile had long since faded, replaced with a look that spoke of "I'm barely tolerating you." Naomi eyed the boy again, wondering if he might possibly be useful. Something about him struck her as familiar, and Naomi was already beginning to wonder if she hadn't met him or someone like him before.

"I don't suppose you could help me get in?" she asked, waving toward the door. "I'm afraid I forgot my keys somewhere else."

There, that should work, shouldn't it?

[Roland Singleton]

Roland watched the girl's face change from friendly smile to a look of near distain. The change was so sudden he wondered for a moment if maybe he had said something wrong. His Ipod continued it's strange tug of war in his pocket as the girl asked if she could help her get into the lab. Roland looked up and down the hall for a moment and tried to think of a way to get her in. He didn't have any keys and odds are the lab doors were pretty solid. If only there was an open path into the room. His eyes caught a light socket a few feet from the door and the cogs in his brain fell into place.

"Of course." Roland said aloud, practically smacking himself in the head for his stupidity, "Give me just a second."

Roland walked over and kneeled beside the outlet and placed his pointer and middle fingers onto it. Small hairlike streams of electicity shot out of the socket as Roland surged energy into it, following the path of the wires behind the walls. He closed his eyes and sought out a way to the room. Left, Right, Up, Right, Left, Left, Bingo. He quickly memorized the turns needed and was about to transform into his electrical form and enter the wires when a whisp of a voice in the back of his mind halted him.

"Listen more and speak less and you may learn a thing or two." These were words his father hads told him a long time ago but they jumped into Roland's mind. Something didn't add up here. He had never known any other students to have all access keys to a lab before, and this girl seemed to have no issue with him finding a way to break into it. Normally students didn't even go down her unless they had a teacher who wanted them to do something. If this was her lab, wouldn't she be opposed to him proving how easy it was to sneak in, and wouldn't she be worried that if she did break in the teacher that had assigned her to go there would get mad.

Roland stood and straightened his back.

"So...what exactly are you researching? and wher did you leave your key?" Roland asked, attempting to keep the casual tone in his voice.

[Naomi Green]

Naomi watched for a few seconds, noting that she had, indeed, run into yet another electrical based powersource. Kessler had already proven to be something of an ally though, so Naomi wasn't certain how concerned she was with adding another such power to her growing selection of allies. However, she also knew full well that her own power worked wonders in conjunction with something like this, especially with someone who had more power than control. Whether or not this person was one such being remained yet to be scene, however.

Casual question, and one that Naomi had anticipated. "Research assistant, actually," she corrected. Sound somewhat put out, frustrated, but also relieved to be receiving help. Those acting classes should certainly come in handy, along with far, far too much practice in putting up a front. "I forgot my keys, actually, so I'm not quite sure where they are. I had them this morning, before we began looking into the effects of various electrical fields on various energy powers," a pause. Yes, there was some actual research, an idea that Naomi had developed "just in case."

She continued: "I had them then, but I can't recall where I put them. I was supposed to do some last minute check and prep in here, and, well," she shifted, "I was rather hoping that I could simply duck in without having to hunt the keys down just yet. That will be my next task, I'm afraid."

There, that should work. Naomi flicked her wrist again, testing the metal within, seeing how far Roland had gotten. The sooner she got away, the better, since it meant she wouldn't have to keep up an elaborate pretense yet again. Besides, Roland wasn't half as cute as Rhys had been.

[Roland Singleton]

Roland felt a little bad for being so sceptical, the girls story seemed to check out rather well and he shook his head slightly. Of course his father was a high up business man and rarely trusted anyone, but the last thing Roland wanted was to end up like him. Afterall, he hadn't seen the man since he was ten. Her figured the girl before him must be ratehr smart if she was a lab research assistant, and the field of study seemed especially cool to Roland.

"Thats cool, trust me I understand the whole misplacing thins when your in a rush thing. I'l help you get in and you can find your keys later." Roland said smilingly slightly.

He pulled his Ipod out of his pocket, not wanting to format it with his electrity and placed it inside his beanie hat he had stuffed in his back pocket. He tossed the hat down the hallway a little ways and looked back at the girl.

"Be back in just a second." he said

Roland closed his eyes and focused, imagining every atom in his body vibrating and charging with electicity faster and faster. Roland still hadn't mastered turning into his electrical form but the presense of the girls magnetic abilities made it easier. He felt his body shift and threw his eyes open. Where a moment before Roland had been standing in his jeans and loose tee now stood a figure of pure electricity. He held the same shape and texture of a human body, you could make out his eyes, arms, mouth, even the lines where his clothes were, but every inch of him was a vibrant, shifting blue. Streaks of electrcity shot out from him in small hairline bursts that then reabsorbed into his body.

All the lights in the hallways vamped up and brightened and Roland reached his hand out and touched the light socket. His body stretced and compressed into the opening and he felt himself flying through the wires at a breakneck speed. he slipped through the wires, following the path he had just memorized and in the span of two seconds he found himself emerging from an empty socket inside the labratory. He landed standing near the door and every electronic device in the room came to life, computers, lights, lab equipment, all began to gently hum. Roland focused once again and resolidified as he walked over to the door. He turned the latch, unbolted the lock and pulled the door open so he was facing the girl he had just left.

"There ya go, I never knew i could do that." Roland said with a small laugh.

[Naomi Green]

Perhaps it was just Naomi's good fortune, but it seemed as though she had little difficulty in manipulating electric wielders to her will. This young man had set aside his things, and for a second, Naomi wanted to actually touch them. She resisted, however, finding that watching his transformation was much, much easier. As a slight experiment, she flicked her hand, watching as she had the faintest control over the form. Less the form itself, and more pulling at the metal in the air around it, adjusting the current that the body took. So while Naomi certainly would never be able to wield electricity herself, not as Roland or Kessler had done, she would at least be able to provide a conduit. Worth noting.

Soon enough, Roland was stepping through the recently unlocked door. Naomi favored him with a smile and a nod, before stepping through herself. The smile fell as she witnessed how very, very many of the machines were actually electronic. She should have suspected as much. Everything had become digital these days, so it was highly unlikely that she'd find reams of paper detailing what had occurred. Then again, it was also likely that they'd realize that there were many, many abilities that would utilize technology.

Forgetting Roland for a moment, Naomi began searching. A cursory tap at a computer confirmed that yes, these weren't protected against her magnetic pull: the screen fizzed as static ran through it. Most unpleasant.

"Surely there has to be something of use here," muttered Naomi. If nothing else, she wanted to know some of the projects. A list would be something. A printed list. Or one on a computer. Perhaps using the ever-so-helpful student?

Turning, Naomi called back toward Roland, who had most likely moved himself. "I don't suppose you happen to know how to use a computer? My superior told me I have to print off this list, but I'm afraid it must have spaced her mind that I cannot use one of these machines for more than a few seconds."

Dammit, where was a technopath when you needed one?