Ignition

Corona 1

Arianna waited on the deck of the Protector's Hand, tapping her foot impatiently. She glanced down at her gauntlet's timepiece, watching the seconds tick by. Honestly, how long does it take to 'get ready', Ignis? she asked the metal maiden who was pacing the deck.

Ignis gave her a knowing look. They're royals. Taking forever to get ready is in their blood.

It's in my blood too, but I don't waste time like this! replied Arianna, slightly miffed.

Ignis looked a little disapproving. We both know there's elements of you that are very different from their bloodline.

We agreed not to talk about that.

We're not talking.

Touche', Arianna conceded.

They waited a few more minutes.

You get the build done? she asked Ignis.

Yes, it is quite an incredible design, Ignis said, chuckling. Almost makes me jealous I'm part warship.

Arianna looked over at her with disbelief. You? Jealous of a tiny craft like that? A non-sentient one, I might add?

Like I said, almost. Have you told them about it yet?

Wanted it to be a surprise.

Elsa doesn't like surprises.

I know, her reaction will be priceless.

Her head perked up and she looked towards the castle. They approach.

Cheater, Arianna replied, sticking out her tongue.

Not my fault you're human, came the retort.

The royal carriage appeared from behind the walls of the castle. It was made of rounded metal that was painted with a reflective off-white color, and seemed to shine brightly from the sunbeams hitting the surface. Gold-inlaid wood crawled around the outside like a frame, holding a driver's seat high up in the front and terminating underneath the entire ensemble in a wrought iron undercarriage. Tucked up in the center, hugging the underside of the main compartment, was Arianna's "care package": a miniature fusion reactor, a twelve drone defense and maintenance unit, and a smaller, experimental version of the Hand's force shield. Arianna wanted to make sure nothing happened to the two other elementals on the planet.

The carriage was pulled by two large horses, with hair so white they could easily be thought to be made out of snow. Kai sat in the driver's seat, holding onto the horse's reins with a very serious demeanor.

You going to be okay holding down the fort while we're gone? Arianna asked of Ignis.

I'm not actually in charge, she replied with a growl.

Sorry about that. Elsa doesn't trust 'golems'. She thinks you're no different from Olaf, just a reflection of my subconscious.

Wow. That hurts.

Yeah, I know. Been overcooking her breakfast ever since I found out.

Then... You don't share her opinion? Ignis asked with a grain of hope.

Arianna looked a little hurt. Of course not, Ignis. For the first day, maybe, but you've more than proven that you're a fully sentient, autonomous person.

Ignis beamed. So why aren't I in charge while you're gone?

Pfft. Because I'm not the Queen, Elsa is. As far as I'm concerned, you are fully capable as an acting Queen. Hell, probably better since you can perfectly memorize everything. Adrian shares my opinion, and expects you at his side double checking his decisions.

Oh, really?

Yep. Plus he has a maaassive crush on you.

Ignis's cheeks heated up, turning the metal a shade of orange.

Arianna gasped and tried to hide her giant smile under both hands. You like him!

No I don't, Ignis replied, turning her head away.

You totally do!

Do not!

He's way too old for you, you know, said Arianna with a twinkle in her eye.

Mooooommm! You're embarrassing me.

In a form of speech only we can use? Not likely, Arianna said, slightly miffed. Seriously though! You're only a few weeks old. A newborn is older than you!

Chronologically, yes. Mentally? Physically? No. You created me as a grown woman.

Anna is a grown woman, look who she fell in love with first.

Kristoff? I thought you approved of him, mother.

Wait, what? No, Kristoff is great. I'm talking about Hans.

The mental link took on a very angry feeling.

Adrian is NOT Hans, seethed Ignis.

Perhaps not, but he is hiding something. He has magic, Ignis.

What..? No, his heart is not capable of magic.

You're not wrong. And yet, he has magic.

You're not making any sense, mother.

The night we found the Catacombs... Remember me telling you that?

Yes, but-

Ssh, let me finish. Arianna took a deep breath. Our first encounter with the Guardian was not a good one. We were both taken out, then woke up in the dungeon.

I know all this. None of it displays Adrian with magic.

You're right. But how did we get out of the cells?

Uh... Didn't you unlock them using metallic control?

That's what I thought at the time, but no. I tried, don't get me wrong, but the cell doors are impervious to my magic. Remember when we were locked in together, you had to break down the door because I couldn't affect it?

Ignis's face brightened, as if realizing it just now.Then how...?

Exactly my question. So I went back to the dungeons with Anna to take a second look. Surprise, surprise, her power easily opened the door. She just changed the positions of the locking mechanisms and voilà! Unlocked cell door.

So, what, Adrian has Anna's abilities?

Nope. Elsa was able to open the door too.

Really? asked Ignis with a raised eyebrow, how did she do it?

Less like Anna, more like freeze the door until it shatters.

Oh. Yeah, ice... Brr.

Forgot that you hate ice. Sorry. Anyways, those cells are specifically designed to keep in fire elementals.

How did you two get out then?

Adrian was kneeling by the door. Thinking back, I swear his lips were moving when I 'unlocked' the door.

Lips moving? That isn't elemental magic.

No, it's not. Seems more like old tales of wizards, those who actually have to cast spells to do magic.

So Adrian is a wizard?

I don't know what he is, but stay on your toes. Do not let love blind you like it did Anna.

Okay, mother, I won't.

Good.

"Hey, statues! How's the bird poop?" a particularly peppy voice said.

We will continue this discussion in a week. Be careful.

I will, mother.

Arianna nodded her head, then turned to the newcomer and sighed in annoyance.

"Hello, Anna."

-LB-

The Queen and Princess of Arendelle stood on the deck of the Hand, having stepped out of their carriage, which was parked on the deck just in front of the access ramp that lead from the docks. Kai was no longer in the driver's seat, though the horses were still hooked up. There was no way they could fit the carriage on the new ship, and Arianna wasn't looking forward to notifying Elsa of that. They'd obviously spent a lot of time getting it ready.

"Hey Ari!" Anna responded with her usual peppiness, tackling her twin in a hug.

Elsa spoke up. "Hello Arianna. Are you ready to go?"

"You're kidding right?" Arianna asked, rolling her eyes, unable to cross her arms due to the hug. "I'm the one who's been waiting here for hours."

"Why would you wait that long?" Elsa wondered.

"I thought that a Queen and Princess would be punctual."

"Sorry we took so long," Anna apologized innocently, drawing away.

Arianna shrugged, looking out across the bay. "It gave Ignis and I time to talk."

"Besides, Anna," Elsa smirked at her sister, "It's not like being a couple of hours off will matter with the week we'll be spending on the Hand."

Arianna chuckled at that, but when she got odd looks from her sisters she simply waved them off.

"I'm not very interested on going on a ship, Elsa, even if it is Ignis," Anna retorted.

Elsa looked puzzled at this. "Among the three of us, you should be the one who is least concerned."

Anna had a blank look on her face.

Sighing, Arianna helped out. "You control water, Anna. Remember?"

"Oh, right," Anna said, looking down bashfully.

"Besides, it's a moot point. We're not taking the Hand," Arianna continued.

Elsa's eyebrows raised up and she looked confused. "How are we getting to Corona then?"

Arianna just smiled and turned to Ignis, bringing her hands to her mouth to form a cup shape. "IGNIS! BRING IT UP!"

"Aye aye, Mom," Ignis' voice said, ringing out from the Hand itself. Loudly.

After the humans and elementals present recovered, they all glared at Ignis' body.

"Sorry," she apologized meekly, raising her body's hand in a weak wave. "Still not used to having two bodies. Bringing it up now."

The hum of machinery began below the deck of the Hand, and a large section of the deck lit up with orange glowing lines in the shape of a square. The hum grew louder, and another glowing line appeared down the middle of the square. The line began to grow thicker, revealing it to be not a line, but an opening as two doors retracted into the sides of the square.

Elsa turned to Ariana and raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"That, my dear sister, is the deck access to the hangar," Arianna replied.

"What's a hangar?" Anna asked.

"It's the place where ships store planes," Arianna said.

Anna looked confused. "Planes?"

Elsa looked decidedly not confused. "Is this another one of your fancy future devices?"

Arianna chuckled. "Well it is from the future. Not so much a device though," she shrugged.

"What?" Elsa asked.

"You'll see," was her only reply.

Elsa scowled at her sister's cryptic nature, but her mouth promptly dropped open when a craft of some kind appeared below the lip of the hangar access door, rising steadily upward. First thing to come up were the long structures jutting out from it's back, tapering down to near points as they traveled further from the body of the craft. Speaking of the body, it was a rather long object, looking extremely streamlined, just as the Hand was. Like the previous structures it had a wider end and a thinner end, with the previous structures towards the wider end. The thinner end had a wraparound glass portion situated in the upper side, which looked an awful lot like the bridge of the Hand. As more of the craft came up, Elsa could see some kind of arms jutting out from the bottom of the craft. There was one at the front of of the craft and four near the rear. They ended in what looked like some kind of wheel, and Elsa guessed they held up the craft when it was stationary. The long structures at the top sported large rounded boxes located closely to the body of the craft, anchored inside circular holes. A couple of similar, yet smaller boxes could be found at the front of the craft, similarly situated inside shorter structures. The craft, whatever it was, was parked on the metallic plate which had risen out of the hangar access door. Something about the craft was ringing some bells in Elsa's head, but she couldn't figure out why.

"Woah," Anna gasped, drawing her out of the stupor.

"Is that what we're taking?" Elsa asked. "It looks like no ship I've ever seen."

Ariana looked at her sideways with a dumbfounded expression. "Uh... That's probably because it's not a ship."

The other sisters looked at her with interest. "What is it then? Spit it out!" Anna demanded excitedly.

"This, my fellow monarchs, is how we will get around. Simply put, it is a ramjet," Arianna exclaimed proudly, patting the hull with her hand affectionately.

Both sisters blinked blankly. "What's a ramjet?" they asked in tandem.

Ariana facepalmed. "Remember, 19th century. They don't know anything," she muttered.

"Hey!" Adrian yelled, looking offended.

"Oh, come off it, you know I'm right!" Arianna snapped back.

Adrian just stuck out his tongue.

"Mature!" Arianna called, before catching Elsa's glare. She cleared her throat. "Right, well. A ramjet is a type of jet, in turn a type of aircraft, capable of traveling very fast."

Anna looked confused, but Elsa's jaw dropped. "You actually made one?"

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Don't look that impressed. Two Americans invent the airplane in less than 60 years," she reasoned, "I'm just... speeding it along."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "How much are you 'speeding it along'?" she asked, making air quotes.

Arianna gained a wicked grin on her face. "This baby is capable of traveling at about 1.8 kilometers per second," she beamed, "making the total travel time to Corona, just over a thousand kilometers away, a bit over nine minutes."

Elsa saw Anna's jaw drop, but couldn't register that given what she'd just heard. "Nine minutes," she said in disbelief.

"Yep."

"Nine. Minutes," Elsa repeated.

"Yes," Arianna confirmed warily.

Elsa shook her head, the concept impossible to wrap her mind around. "Nine minutes," she whispered.

Arianna just raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I wasn't kidding when I said 21st century technology could conquer the Earth in this time period."

"Nine minutes," Elsa mouthed silently.

Adrian looked at the Queen, obviously very amused. "I think you broke her, Ari," he said.

Arianna laughed.

"Nine Minutes."

-LB-

After Elsa recovered from her stupor, everyone else was ready to go. Anna had to break the news to her that they wouldn't be taking the carriage, which the Queen wasn't very happy about. Supposedly Arianna had anticipated that reaction, which is why Anna was the one to say it. Eventually the twins managed to convince their elder sister to leave it behind, and Elsa followed them up the ramp into the back of the aircraft.

The inside was quite spacious, surprisingly so; it seemed like the hull wasn't very thick. There were three spaces for people to sit in the "cockpit", as Arianna called it. Anna called shotgun immediately, which left Elsa in the third seat, since the Protector was piloting. Kai was also coming along, to quote "See to the needs of Her Majesty," unquote. Everyone knew it was really just to keep an eye on the royals, since he saw himself as their unofficial father figure. He sat in the back of the aircraft, on some very comfy looking couch/chair hybrid furniture bolted to the sides of the large rear compartment, right next to Kristoff. Elsa hoped they would keep each other company.

"Elsa, as much as you like admiring my vessel, it's probably best if you take a seat," Arianna told her, patting the third seat with her hand.

"Uh… Yes, of course," Elsa said, gracefully lowering herself into the chair. It was amazingly comfortable, despite appearances.

"Anna, you too," Arianna said.

"Sure!" the spunky princess replied, bounding over and landing in her chair without an ounce of grace or poise. Elsa introduced her face to her palm, for what was definitely not going to be the last time this day.

Arianna turned back to the front of the cockpit, flicking a few switches on the various control boards around her. She pressed a large button on the middle console, and suddenly straps of material soared out of the chair, wrapping themselves around Elsa's torso, before locking into openings in the seat. The Queen panicked temporarily, until she saw Anna, Arianna, Kristoff and Kai had the same thing happen to them. It must have been some kind of restraint system. Realizing this, Elsa let out a sharp breath.

"Initializing Inertial Dampeners," a female voice rang out from nowhere.

"What are inert dampers?" Anna asked.

"Inertial Dampeners, Anna. They're to keep us safe."

"Safe from what?" Elsa asked, concerned.

"You know how a ship starts moving and you sort of get shoved backwards?" Arianna asked.

Both sisters nodded their heads.

"The average ship of this time travels at about 8 knots, which is 4 meters per second… ish," Arianna began. She turned to the cockpit's window and gestured to the control panel. "This baby has a top speed of 1.8 kilometers per second, remember. That's 1,800 meters per second, and it doesn't accelerate slowly."

"So the amount we got shoved backwards in this would be bad," Anna guessed.

"We'd be liquified," Arianna answered.

Anna gulped.

"Do these 'Inertial Dampeners' solve that?" Elsa asked.

"Aye," Arianna said. "They prevent nearly all inertial changes from affecting everything inside the aircraft. We shouldn't feel anything more than a slight acceleration."

"Then why are we strapped in?" Elsa asked, gesturing to the straps around her torso.

Arianna shrugged. "Even with the inertial dampeners installed, say the craft malfunctions and begins to drop out of the sky, for whatever reason, and the dampeners also fail at the same time. These are here to make sure we don't bounce around the cabin."

Elsa's face became ghostly. "How high is the chance of that?" she squeaked out.

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Minimal. Don't worry about it," she tried to reassure the paranoid Ice Queen. "We need to get going, so… Yeah. Less questions please."

She waited for a couple of seconds, but seeing nothing more was being asked of her, the Protector pushed her fist into the bottom button on the middle console. A whirring noise came from behind them, the ramp closing up into the hull. Once it sealed with a hiss, Arianna grabbed two hand-sized stick looking things in front of her, which lit up at her touch. The rest of the cockpit followed suit, and the glass in front of them, previously opaque with a dark grey color, became transparent. They could see the end of the Hand's deck, and the ocean beyond it.

"That doesn't look like enough space to get into the air," Elsa commented, drawing on her limited knowledge of flight theory.

"Into the air!?" Anna gasped, her face full of joy. "Aircraft can fly?"

"Yes, Anna, aircraft can fly," Arianna replied, shaking her head at her twin's foolishness. "As for your question, Elsa, we're not going forward. We're going up."

"Up?" Elsa asked. A loud rumbling sound interrupted her. She looked around in panic, but couldn't find the source. It was like the entire craft was vibrating.

"Can't handle a little thunder, Elsa?" Anna teased.

Arianna glanced back at her to see what Anna was talking about. When she did, she promptly rolled her eyes. "Those are just the engines, Elsa. Relax, will you?"

"Well excuse me if this is my first time in an aircraft," Elsa shot back petulantly.

Arianna just sighed, and looked back out of the cockpit's window. "Here we go," she said, pulling back on the stick things she had her hands on.

The rumbling suddenly jumped up to a much louder degree for a second, leveling back off at it's normal level. Elsa didn't notice what was happening for a while, because it barely even felt like they were moving; but the view outside the cockpit declared otherwise. The Hand's deck had already disappeared from view, and the ocean was getting further and further away. Pretty soon she couldn't even see the North Mountain anymore, as the peak and her Ice Castle fell away from them.

"Why are we so high up?" Anna asked.

"We can't be lower when we engage the primary drive system," Arianna explained absentmindedly, gently pressing the button in the middle of her steering apparatus. The rumbling began to be overtaken by a loud, low whine, pulsing in and out as if charging something.

"And why is that?" Elsa asked, nervously anticipating something disastrous when the whine got to it's highest point.

"Because of the sonic boom," Arianna said. As if on cue, the whine ceased, and the clouds outside their craft began rocketing past them, going so fast they were a white blur. Three seconds later, a loud crack of thunder rang out from behind them.

"I'm going to assume that was the sonic boom," Elsa deadpanned.

Arianna nodded her head, but didn't turn her attention away from flying. "If we were closer to ground level, every window in Arendelle would have spontaneously exploded, and everyone's hearing lost for at least a week."

Elsa's mouth dropped open.

"How is that possible?" Anna asked.

"There's something called the sound barrier," Arianna began, glancing behind at Elsa's face. Smirking, she continued. "It's the speed of sound inside an atmosphere. When an aircraft, or other vehicle, approaches that speed, the forces acting upon it increase dramatically. If the craft is capable of maintaining that speed or going higher, it 'breaks' the barrier, creating a sonic boom. At that point, the craft has become supersonic, or faster than sound itself."

Anna furrowed her brow, trying desperately to understand. "And how fast does sound travel?"

"Around 343 meters per second. Keep in mind this craft is currently-" Arianna said, glancing at a readout on the cockpit console in front of her, "-travelling at 1,736 meters per second. So we're kind of beating the crud out of the sound barrier."

"Ah."

The female voice of the aircraft broke into their conversation, snapping Elsa out of her stupor. "Estimated arrival in Corona: Five minutes and counting."

"We've been flying for four minutes already?" Anna asked.

"Aye."

"Seems like less than that," she muttered.

Arianna just shrugged, careful to keep her hands from moving the steering apparatus. "Time flies when you're having fun."

Elsa managed to close her mouth, finally. "This is fun for you?" she asked incredulously.

Both twins turned to look at her, speaking in perfect synchronization. "This isn't fun for you?"