Intertwined Genes (Griselda Banks + Akira.S)

[Griselda Banks]

((Okay, I'm making the jump! xd ))

Everyone was yawning over their breakfast; many of the students had stayed up well past midnight, and some still hadn't come down yet, though it was mid-morning already. Oliver and Anna were eating at their usual table, quietly happy as usual. Oliver kept reliving the previous night, how he had danced with Anna, how everyone had been able to act like normal teenagers for once. After dancing slowly under the tree, they had indulged in a long, luxurious kiss, and remembering it now brought a contented smile to his face.

But the contentment didn't last very long. As soon as they were both done eating, Oliver let out a slow breath and murmured, "I guess we should go see if we can talk to the Professor now." He took her hand and led the way down the hall, his heart thudding in his throat. Depending on what the Professor thought about this whole thing...everything could change.

He glanced at Anna briefly as he knocked on the door. Well, he'd promised it wouldn't change anything about the way he felt for Anna, so at least they could hold onto that.

When the Professor called out, they stepped inside and sat down in the chairs he offered them. Oliver felt as though at every turning point of his life, he had been directed to this room. Hopefully the professor would be able to help them now as he had before.

"What can I do for you?" Xavier asked, setting his pen aside and watching them both keenly.

Oliver shared a glance with Anna, then launched into the tale of what he had seen under Genosha, as well as what had happened to their powers outside. For a long time, Xavier remained silent, staring up at the ceiling while he thought.

"Hmmm," he finally said, looking back down with a furrowed brow. "I've never heard of a place called Copperstone, but I will certainly have to look into this. From what you've told me, it sounds suspiciously like...a secret experimentation center of some sort."

Oliver looked between the Professor and Anna worriedly. "Experiments? But...I don't remember being in any place like that in my whole life, and neither does Anna! It said we were 'observed' or whatever for like two years, but I met her for the first time here!"

"There is always the possibility that this could have happened before you could remember it," Xavier pointed out. "If you were in Copperstone when you were infants, two years could pass by without leaving the slightest trace on your memory. Long-term memory only begins to develop after a child is three years old, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

He leaned forward again, looking at them seriously. "The real question at hand is, if you were contained in such a facility, what was done to you? This could be the key to understanding all the anomalies in the way your powers work.

"But for now," he finished, leaning back again with finality in his voice, "try to enjoy your holiday while I look into this and see what information I can find."

Somehow, Oliver didn't feel quite as encouraged as he'd hoped.  

[Akira.S]

((Sorry if this post is a little shitty, I’m sick right now so my brain might not be functioning as well))

The cafeteria seemed slightly more empty this morning. Either some of the students were sleeping in, had been up earlier, or some had been packing up to go home for the holidays. During breakfast Anna hadn’t said much, nor ate much for that matter. Her mind was in two places at once; one living the memories of last night and one worried about what her future could hold. Oliver promised they’d talk to the Professor who could hopefully shed some light on the situation.

Once the two were done eating Oliver took her hand and began leading her down the corridor that would take them to the Professor’s office. When they stopped outside his office the two exchanged glances before Oliver gently knocked on the door. The Professor called out from the other side and invited the two in, motioning them to sit down in the chairs across from his desk.

Oliver then jumped into the tale of what both of them had witnessed at Genosha and the strangeness of their powers. He also mentioned Copperstone to the Professor hoping he’d have some knowledge about the group or organization that had done this to them. Anna hadn’t really said much but she’d given her input in here and there about how it didn’t make sense that they’d have no recollection of being at a place called Copperstone. Surely their parents would have known something about this...but if they were there as infants what was done to them?

In the end, the Professor said he’d look into the situation and told the two to enjoy their holiday; this wasn’t the sort of answer Anna was looking for from someone she looked up to. She knew there was no point in arguing, but there was a clear look of disappointment on her face.

“That clearly didn’t go the way I wanted it to...” Anna paced around her room a bit, crossing her arms over her chest wondering why it seemed like the Professor just sort of brushed their problem aside. Maybe they were too sensitive about it, or maybe he was hiding something...but he wouldn’t...they trusted him.

Anna was never the sit around and enjoy herself type. She didn’t really do much during the summer holidays since she didn’t have many friends to spend it with. Even now that she had Oliver and she should be happy her mind was elsewhere.

Walking toward her bed where Oliver was sitting, Anna lay across it and stared up at the ceiling. She seemed deep in thought or in a dazed state as if she was trying to remember anything about Copperstone...and that’s when it hit her. She shot up and turned toward Oliver with a determined look on her face, “If the Professor’s not going to help us right now I’m going to go and do something about it myself.”

Standing up she explained how she couldn’t just sit here and wait for something to happen when this was their problem and that they should take matters into their own hands. “If the Professor wants us to enjoy our holidays we should spend it doing what we want, which means going to find Copperstone ourselves.” Suddenly there was all this we and us being thrown around in her words which was weird, but ultimately it was Oliver’s decision on whether he wanted to go or not.

Anna seemed determined to go out on this trip even though her emotions still kept in check, and she was as emotionless as ever, but it seemed that she wasn’t going to stop until she found out the truth about what Copperstone was and what really happened to her and Oliver. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to...but I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Especially if being with you means I can’t use my powers...” having to choose between her powers and Oliver was almost like life and death. She couldn’t choose between her powers and Oliver.
 

[Griselda Banks]

"Don't be silly; of course I'm coming." Oliver stood up and put a hand on Anna's shoulder. "We need to figure this out together, because we've been linked all this time. It's not just about you, or me. We're both in this together."

He rubbed his chin in thought, scratching at the small amount of stubble that had grown there overnight. He'd been too lazy to shave this morning, especially when they didn't even have classes anymore. "The only problem," he said, thinking aloud, "is that we have no idea where Copperstone is. We could go there right now, if we only knew where to look. But the files I saw didn't say anything about where it was...."

He paced around her small room for a bit, trying to think of how they should proceed. Finally he looked up with a frown. "Do you think maybe Valon would know anything? I mean, he does have photographic memory, so if he ever read anything about Copperstone...." He wasn't sure why there would be anything written about an apparently top-secret experimentation facility, but you never knew.  

[Akira.S]

It was true that Anna and Oliver had no idea where Copperstone was, so even if they wanted to go find it they wouldn’t have any idea where to start. At first Anna thought it couldn’t have been too far away considering both of them somehow met up after the incident, but there were just so many variables of when and how it happened, why they had no recollection, why their parents never told them, etc etc, Copperstone could be anywhere and their only lead was they knew it still existed because of the files Magneto had. It’s too bad they were enemies...or they could probably go ask him where he’d gotten them, or so to speak WHY HE HAD THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

“Maybe Valon would know something but I doubt the institute would have something like that just lying around in the archives somewhere...but we should still go ask him.” Anna agreed and the two took off to see if they could go find Valon, in the hopes he hadn’t left for Australia yet.

“Copperstone eh...”

“We were hoping you might have read something about it in any of the archives. I know the Professor gives you access to some of the old records.” Being a good student in the school got you certain privileges, meaning you were allowed to help the teachers on certain projects and sometimes they’d tell you things in secret.

Scratching his head for a second Valon looked over at Oliver with a questionable look on his face and sigh, wondering if he had seen anything in any of his readings. “Well....I ‘ave been sortin’ through a lot’ of articles ‘bout labs and experiential sites....’hings to do with the U-Men but....nothin’ on Copperstone. Sorry love...” Valon sincerely looked sorry that he couldn’t find anything, possibly because he knew that they wouldn’t ask him unless it was really necessary. “Maybe there aren’t any records cause the place don’t exist...or maybe it was closed down.” Valon tried to be helpful but there wasn’t anything to really say, if there wasn’t anything there probably wasn’t, and maybe it was just a wild goose chase.

That was their only good lead for the moment and Valon had no idea how to help them. Anna didn’t want to give up just when they’d gotten started, but if they couldn’t remember anything, and the Professor didn’t know anything what could they possibly go on.

Thanking Valon for trying and wishing him a good summer the two of them quietly left the room and loitered in the halls. “We should be happy that being together means our powers don’t work. That way we can be normal, after all isn’t that what you wanted before you came here?” The prospect of being normal was always a little bit scary for her since even when she was normal no one really liked her to begin with so being a mutant was all she had, there really was no alternative.
 

[Griselda Banks]

((Hey, sorry for the delay - internet troubles. It's funny, because right as I was about to post, you sent me a PM! xd I've still got a ways to go with my school year. I have an AP exam on Thursday :/ ))

Oliver's heart sank as they thanked Valon and left, though he figured he shouldn't be surprised. They'd been grasping at straws, thinking he might know something about Copperstone. If even Xavier didn't know.... But now they were back where they started, and they would just have to wait and hope the Professor could find something. It wasn't like they could just catalog all the shifty experimental facilities in the country and check them all out.

"Are you saying you're giving up?" Oliver asked in surprise as the two of them slowly wandered through the mostly-empty halls. "Already? Sure I wanted to be normal at first, but...." He gave her a rueful smile and looped his arm around her shoulders. "It's kinda late for that now. I've changed. We've changed. This is normal for us now.

"Besides," he added, trying to add some levity to the conversation, "I doubt any of the 'normal' kids would welcome us back now."

----------

They tried to while away the hours with their usual pastimes, but the day seemed to drag on forever. Finally, when they were about to turn in for the night, they heard a familiar voice in their minds:

Come to my office at once, please.

Oliver leapt to his feet, his former lethargy forgotten. "He sounds excited!" he cried, describing himself as well as the Professor. Together, they rushed back to the office as fast as they could without waking the remaining students.

Xavier did indeed look excited when Anna and Oliver entered the room and took their accustomed seats in front of his desk. "I managed to find something," the Professor announced without preamble. "I'm not sure how helpful it will prove, but at least it's a start. I wanted to tell you right away before I make further investigations.

It seems your Copperstone is an unregistered experimental laboratory, as I suspected." He turned the monitor of his computer around so they could see a detailed map of Arizona displayed on it. Xavier pointed out the site with a pen, and Oliver shared a glance with Anna before trying to commit it to memory, wishing Valon could have been in on this too.

"From what I can tell," Xavier continued, "this facility was built underground on a site slated for nuclear testing, though I can't find any evidence that nuclear weapons were ever tested there. I have yet to find any information about whether it's still operational, or anything about its layout, but this is a definite start. I don't know what connection Magneto might have to Copperstone, but we'll soon find out."

Xavier looked up at them and smiled. "For now, though...you should get some rest. Once I have more information, we can organize a team to investigate."

Oliver felt another sliver of disappointment wedge itself into him. Now that they at least knew Copperstone was a real place, he just wanted to go there already. But Xavier would never allow that, so Oliver pushed himself to his feet.  

[Akira.S]

((WOW You take AP courses, no wonder you’re smarter than me LOL but seriously like everyone is smarter than me hahaha but good luck!!! And wow that’s hilarious that I sent you a PM right before you post lol))

“N-No I’m not saying that I-“ Before Anna could finish her sentence she was cut off by more of Oliver’s remarks about how being mutants was now normal for them, and how neither of them could really go back to being human. It’s not that she wanted to be normal and human and merge back with society; she was going through their options and had to decide for themselves what they were going to do with themselves if they never learned the truth about Copperstone.

While she was thinking, Oliver wrapped his arm around her shoulder and explained what they were now was normal to them and to everyone at the school and that they had both changed. He sure wasn’t the same person she met at the beginning of the spring semester, and he certainly wasn’t the goofy new kid she blasted through the walls the first time she met him. At the same time she wasn’t the same shy girl that did her best to stay quiet, mousy and out of people’s business. They had each other to lean on and support one another, and it was becoming clear to both of them that society wouldn’t take them back.

“Normal kids never accepted me, I got my mutant powers early remember...you at least got to live a decently normal high school life without any of this to worry about” taking his other hand Anna gently clasped it in hers while walking through the corridors and wings of the school, pulling him off to her room for them to sit around, talk, watch movies, and perhaps even make-out a bit before dinner.

~~~

Although it wasn’t encouraged, some of the students who had made the institute their home over the summer spent evenings in other people’s rooms, or with boyfriends and girlfriends. Anna and Oliver were no exception to this. Sometimes he would sleep in her room, and sometimes she’d sleep in his. After Anna had changed and wandered back into Oliver’s room, she lay down beside him in her grey shorts and black short sleeve t-shirt just about ready to doze off, trying to think of other ways to find out information about Copperstone when suddenly she heard the Professor’s voice in her mind.

Oliver jumped out bed first as Anna sluggishly got up and wondered what could be so important he had to tell them to come immediately in the middle of the night. Perhaps it was information about Copperstone, it had to be otherwise it wouldn’t be so urgent. “It’s got to be something about Copperstone” though Anna didn’t want to get her hopes up it had to be true. Sliding over the edge of the bed, the two of them rushed to the Professor’s office as quickly as possible in the hopes of any new discoveries.

When the two made it to his office they sat down across from him in their respective seats, the Professor deciding not to waste any time telling them what he found. He turned the monitor on his desk towards them so they could see what he had dug up, inevitably showing them a map of Arizona, a state across the country from where they were now. Anna looked sharply at the map, doing her best to memorize the coordinates or anything on the map that would help her remember where it was, anything at this point was helpful.

He explained that it was an underground lab built under a nuclear testing facility, however there was no information as to whether or not real weapons were tested there or if the lab was still functional. All they managed to find was the location and honestly that was a good enough start. He still had no idea how or why Magneto had that kind of information but it was better than nothing.

The most discouraging part was that the Professor insisted that they get some rest and wait until he had more information before assembling a team to investigate Copperstone with them. If it was a facility testing on mutants he would want to know about it. But Anna didn’t want to wait, she’d waited long enough. For 18 years of her life she thought she had a pretty good idea who she was, only to figure that she couldn’t be farther from the truth. She had to know for sure what happened to her at this facility and what her connection to Oliver or any other mutants like him was.

“Thank you Professor, you’ve been most helpful” she said with a nod, pushing herself to her feet and motioning Oliver out the door quietly.

Once they were a far enough distance away from his office Anna stood in the hallway and stood across from Oliver looking up into his eyes with her clear empty white ones, “So what now? Are we going to just wait...or do you want to do something about it ourselves?” it really wasn’t anyone’s business so Anna saw no point in involving them. Maybe it mattered to the Professor if these people were testing on mutants but right now it only really mattered to them.

Ultimately the problem was getting all the way across the country with neither of them having any real money on them. Besides, it’s not like they could steal the Blackbird; barely any seniors were allowed to have lessons, let alone fly it. “I think...if we were going to do this we have to do it ourselves; if we talk to anyone else about this it should be Magneto. He’s the one who has the files on us in the first place; he must have gotten them from somewhere.” Anna crossed her arms and thought for a minute before turning back to Oliver, looking at him with a serious face, “I’ll fly to Genosha and ask him what he knows, while you figure out some excuse for us to leave the Institute and a way to get to Arizona” with Oliver here Anna would be able to use her powers at will without having to worry, besides what was Magneto going to do? Shoot her out of the sky?
 

[Griselda Banks]

((Lol xd ))

"What?!" Oliver realized he was shouting and looked around to be sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice. "We can't go to Magneto! What if he was the one responsible for experimenting on us, or whatever it was that happened there?! And why would he help us? We're Xavier's students!"

He gripped her shoulders and gazed intently into her blank eyes. "Look, Anna, I know we both want to find out what happened to us in Copperstone, and it'll be best if we do it ourselves instead of bothering the Professor anymore about it. But we just can't go to Magneto! Maybe he has the money and knowledge to get us to Copperstone, but what's he going to demand in return? He won't just give us what we need out of the goodness of his heart.

"Besides," he added, his expression softening, "I can't let you go there alone. What if he hurt you?"

((It's a bit short, but there's only so much ranting and raving I can make him do razz ))  

[Akira.S]

((Lol you posted the day I left))

Anna realized her idea was a little bit insane but they didn’t have any other leads. They weren’t going to steal the Blackbird and just fly away to god knows where in Arizona, but what other lead did they have. She was just trying to be realistic in their options.

Maybe she wasn’t thinking, maybe Magneto was the one who ran Copperstone and was the one experimenting on them, there was always that option. But then again the Professor wouldn’t hide something like that, he knew Magento almost better than anyone, at least that’s what most of the students knew to be true. Anna knew Oliver worried about her, which was why he raised his voice at times like these. It wasn’t that she was reckless; it was just that they were so close to figuring out what happened to them. Perhaps this is was caused their DNA to change to a mutants and why their powers didn’t work when they were together. There were just so many questions Anna wanted to ask but no one to really ask to find out.

Sighing heavily after listening to Oliver’s reply to her suggestion about going to Magneto, Anna became a little discouraged but knew he had good reason. He was right, Magneto wasn’t just going to tell them what he knew, but he did have the information for some reason and it was in their best interest to find out why. She looked away while Oliver eyed her, wondering what else they could possibly do. But then his expression softened as he claimed he’d be worried if something had happened to her.

“Oliver...I’m not a kid I can take care of myself, besides if you came with me I wouldn’t be able to use my powers. He has to know something, and if he doesn’t tell us I guess...we might just have to take what he knows” she meant they should break in and steal it without him knowing, which was a big job in itself but they didn’t really have any leads anyway. “Just, sleep on it okay?” moving towards him Anna leaned up and kissed his cheek while walking ahead of him back to his dorm room to get some shut eye.

It was a lot to take in so it was best they sleep in order to let their minds take in their options.

((Depending what Oliver will determine Anna’s actions, and you can forward if you want))
 

[Griselda Banks]

It took a long time for Oliver to get to sleep that night, and if the sound of her breathing was any indication, it was the same for Anna. But they didn't say anything more to each other, occupying themselves with their own thoughts as the hours stretched on. Finally Oliver managed to drift off, and he woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window.

He lay there for a while, not opening his eyes. Things seemed clearer in the morning, after hours of wrestling with all the options open (and closed) to them. Anna was right, of course. She always seemed to be right. They had nowhere else to go except Magneto, because Xavier would dally around and try to be safe, and ultimately there was even the chance that he would make the two of them stay here while some of the adults assessed the situation first. And of course, Anna was the one who had to go to Magneto, because she could fly, whereas he would only be able to get there if Anna was there, and then they were right back where they started.

It was hopeless. All he could do was pray that she wouldn't get killed.

With a sigh, Oliver grudgingly opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see that Anna was already awake, sitting against the wall. Their eyes met, and Oliver said huskily, "All right. You go to Magneto, and I'll see what I can figure out for getting to Copperstone. But I think we should pretend we're going to my parents' house, so it won't look quite so suspicious if we're both gone at the same time."

It wasn't much of a 'good morning', but it was all he could muster at the moment.  

[Akira.S]

Turning her head to the side when she saw Oliver stir in his sleep, Anna’s clear white eyes met his and they locked for a second. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and tried her best to think of other ways around finding Copperstone, but it all lead to the same thing – Magneto.

When she’d gotten up she quietly crawled off and sat on the floor, crossing her legs and sighing heavily to herself still weighing out their options. After Oliver had finally awoken and agreed that she should be the one to go talk to Magneto she was a little more excited but wondered what changed his mind. Getting up from the floor she walked over and lay down on her stomach and head gently resting on the pillow beside him. She heard him out but wasn’t sure why he had to go to his ‘parents’ place’, but it made sense as to why they had to lie...but if they did and he found out wouldn’t they know. Besides the Professor was psychic...he probably already knew what they were planning.

“Are you actually going to your parents’ house?” Anna couldn’t help but ask. She didn’t really have a family or couldn’t really remember it. The institute was always her family and that was it, she wondered what Oliver’s family was like and at the same time didn’t really care to meet them, nor cared what they thought of her. “And don’t you think if we tell the Professor he’ll just read our minds, there’s not much we can get away with if we tell him. If we’re going maybe I should just go now and hopefully be back in time before dinner.” Hopefully was the major big keyword here. She didn’t know how long she’d be at Genosha, nor if Magneto would even speak to her, but it’s better she be the only one involved and take the risk rather than them both getting kicked out or something.

Anna was used to taking all the risks, it was just simpler, but now...someone was actually worried about her and it was hard for her to make certain decisions without him putting out a safer way.

Leaning over slightly Anna flicked Oliver’s forehead and put her head back on the pillow a second before turning away and arching up then sitting up on his bed, “if I leave now the Professor might not even know I’m gone, I’ll only be gone a few hours at most. Like I said what’s he going to do shoot me out of the sky and then what? Hold me out for ransom, or experiment on me? Give me a bit more credit, I’ve been at this longer than you” she said with some confidence.
 

[Griselda Banks]

"I know you have," Oliver cut in impatiently, sitting up. "But this isn't about how skilled we are. So maybe you can fly there and back in one day, but we're not gonna be able to fly all the way across the country, find out what's up with Copperstone, and then come back in one night. Who knows what we're going to find there, or what's going to happen when we get there. I just think we should be safe rather than sorry. All we can do is hope that the Professor won't read our minds out of courtesy, and get a head start at least." And hope he doesn't use the Cerebro, he added silently.

He got up and started rummaging around for some clothes, hiding his face from her. "I don't know what to think about my family anymore," he admitted softly. "I'm not intending to actually go see them; that's just the cover story...but I guess I should see them eventually. Once we figure all this out, I'll have to talk to them, I guess."

The knot of worry for Anna twisted into tighter tangle of anxiety. What were they going to discover at Copperstone? How would it change their lives?  

[Akira.S]

Personally, Anna hated the idea of parents or thinking about her parents. They never really wanted her after they found out she was a mutant. What parent really cared? Some should have seen it as a blessing rather than a curse, at least that’s the way she thought it should be. “I don’t think seeing them or talking to them about Copperstone will change anything, especially if they were the ones who gave you up...” she muttered quietly while sitting on the bed and stretching for a bit. Both of them had a long way to go in the next few weeks with the hopes the Professor or any of the other teachers would butt in and try to stop them, they had to be prepared, physically and mentally; but the question was, how do you prepare for something that could potentially be life-altering.

Getting up, Anna wandered over to the door and stopped just after she turned the knob and was standing just before the threshold, “I’ll meet you outside the Professor’s office in half an hour” she needed time to pack and shower before going off to confront Magneto. Of course she knew he wouldn’t be so obliging but what else could they do with no leads?

Back in her bedroom all she packed was a large blue duffle bag full of clothes and showering items, leaving more of her worldly possessions where they were. When she was almost done her eyes glanced over to the wall where one of her pink dried flowers hung upside down. She thought about taking it with her but it would only get ruined in her bag. Feeling the dry pink petals and the flaky stem she kissed her fingers before gently placing them on the flower bulb and going off to take a shower.

Just like she promised she was outside the Professor’s office waiting for Oliver in black jean capri’s, flats, and a white graphic t-shirt with the elemental symbol of wind on it. Her black bangs hung just over her eyes while her long black hair flowed to the centre of her back. She thought about wearing her usual accessories but most of them were made of a slight metal and silver which would give Magneto an advantage over her.
 

[Griselda Banks]

Oliver didn't leave Anna waiting for too long. He'd decided to wear clothes that would be comfortable for several days, if necessary, besides the small bag he'd packed just in case. They didn't want to make it obvious they were preparing for a rough trip, but he didn't want to be stuck in something that would limit his movements too much.

Taking a deep breath and trying to look (and think) innocent, Oliver knocked on the door and opened it for Anna when the Professor called out to them.

Xavier watched them with surprise as the two stepped into the office, carrying overnight bags. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Oliver said, trying to sound as casual as he could without being overly hearty. "You said you were going to do some more research into Copperstone, so I wanted to see my parents before we looked into it more. You know, just to see them one last time, in case.... And I wanted them to meet Anna, too...." He stopped, wondering if he'd overdone it, and scratched his ear awkwardly.

But Xavier seemed to buy it. He nodded gravely and said, "I understand. Take all the time you need, and I will continue my investigations from here."

"Okay." Oliver nodded, then said briskly, "Well, we'd better be going - got a train to catch."

As soon as they had closed the door behind them and headed for the exit, Oliver let out a long, slow sigh of relief. The Professor didn't seem too suspicious, so hopefully that meant he hadn't read their minds and discovered their whole plan.

((I feel distinctly unimaginative right now, but there you have it -_-))  

[Akira.S]

((I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it oAo))

When Anna met up with Oliver she decided to let him do most of the talking while she stood silently in the background like she used to – acting invisible as if no one could see her. In a corner of her mind she wondered what it would be like to meet Oliver’s parents, but at the same time she didn’t really feel she had the proper mannerisms for it or knew what to really do or say in front of them. She wasn’t used to being around...REAL ADULTS (not that the Professor and the teachers weren’t, it’s just the bond between mutants, even adult mutants is a different kind of respect).

It wasn’t a surprise Anna didn’t talk about her parents or wanting Oliver to meet them. Frankly she was an orphan and would probably spend the rest of her life in the institute, teaching, or counselling, whatever. She didn’t really exist to the outside world other than the files that Magneto and Copperstone had. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, thanks Professor” Anna said with a soft yet cheerful voice while grabbing Oliver’s hand gently while both of them walked out of the door.

It wasn’t until they were closer to the exit of the school when they finally stopped and relaxed a bit. Oliver let out a long sigh, as did Anna. She hoped everything would turn out well and that the Professor wouldn’t read their minds but she had no choice in the matter. “Here, you’ve got to take my bag with you while I fly over to Genosha. Where will I meet you, you clearly can’t stay here and you did lie about going to your parents’”. Without the Blackbird it would take a while for Anna to fly to Genosha, but she had to try...even if it took half the day she needed to speak with Magneto about why he had files on both of them.

((It’s just a bit hard because there’s a lot of interaction between these two that we can’t skip. But Anna’s about to go talk to Magneto...and you said you’d be him right? Did you wanna do something with Oliver, like he meets someone or finds out something that I could do perhaps?)
 

[Griselda Banks]

((Yeah, I'll be Magneto. I was thinking of having Oliver fade into the background, actually, as he does less-interesting things than the stuff going on in Genosha.))

"Right," Oliver said, slinging Anna's bag over his free shoulder. "I'm going to see if I can get train tickets out there - unless Magneto offers us a ride in his jet airplane," he added sarcastically.

Then came the moment of parting. They hesitated a moment, and Oliver felt his heart wrenching inside his chest. She was about to head right back to the most dangerous place on the whole planet, on a very slim chance that their sworn enemy would help them find answers. It was necessary, and he hated it.

Oliver leaned in and kissed her, his movements made more awkward by the bags he held in each hand. He savored the moment as long as he could, knowing that this could be the last time he would feel her pressing against him. He pulled back a little, whispered, "Be safe," and gave her a quick, final kiss.

He tore himself away, knowing that if he didn't he would try to stay that way forever. He started walking, feeling his power slowly seep back into him. Nothing could be less welcome.