The Choice

"Okay, Elsa," K started as he clacked away on a keyboard and observed Elsa's vital signs and brain activity which were all holding stable. "Diagnostics are looking good, so you can go ahead and start the recall."

Anna looked up from the bionic arm she was examining, then set it down. Afterward, she went over to K's side where he brought up another holo-display that mirrored the one that Elsa was already looking at so that all three of them could collectively view her memories. She had to admit that she was a little curious as to Elsa's origin story and so, Anna pulled up a chair and sat next to K.

"Alright," Elsa glanced around nervously until she found Anna.

She smiled thinly then turned her attention back to her own screen, apparently not minding the audience that would be viewing her own memories alongside her. Elsa then closed her eyes and leaned her head back as she settled in more comfortably. Seconds later, images began to flash before them.

At first there was a dizzying array of different snapshots from Elsa's life that she flicked through rapidly. Anna watched as Elsa's life unfolded before her, from tragic beginning to middle to end. The scenes she saw were initially disjointed and confusing without context, but eventually Elsa appeared to piece together a cohesive narrative that Anna could understand.

Elsa started with what was apparently the moment of her creation when she opened her eyes for the first time. Anna felt a little nausea at viewing someone else's perspective through her own, but she did note that Elsa appeared to be in a large white room of some kind. When Elsa first started speaking, Anna also noticed that her voice was that of a young girl.

Subject: Enhanced Learning Systems Android. Serial number, EXG7 dash, zero, zero, dot one. Let's begin shall we?

Wha- what happened? Where am I?

How are you feeling?

I- I don't understand, where am I? Who are you?

Elsa, please, try to relax, you're in a safe place.

That's not my name! My name is… it's… What the hell is this!? What's going on?!

Anna shifted in her seat uncomfortably, watching through Elsa's eyes as she looked down at her hands and began to struggle against the restraints that kept her there.

What do you people want! Where's my si-!

Whatever the past version of Elsa was about to say was suddenly cut off when she managed to rip one of her arms free from the restraint. She looked down at her own hands, then glanced back up at the impassive wall which she had been speaking to.

Let me out of this chair! Where's my sister! What have you done with- agh!

Anna felt the blood in her veins chill as she stiffened up. She had heard Elsa clearly that when she made mention of a sister. The present version of Elsa had never mentioned this to her and Anna realized how close to home that struck. Whoever she once was, Elsa evidently had a sister that she didn't remember having until now.

The past version of Elsa's vision went black and Anna surmised that she was rendered unconscious somehow judging by the cry of pain that she let out. For a moment, it occurred to Anna that she might have more in common with Elsa than she previously thought. Perhaps, too much in common, but Anna didn't know it yet. She barely had time to give this frightening notion any further thought as the next scene began to play out.

Who are you?

Anna snapped back to attention and refocused on Elsa's memory. She was standing in the same white room, observing her reflection in an opaque glass window. Anna then noticed that this version of Elsa both sounded and looked older than she had in the first memory.

Who… are you?

Elsa's eyes were round and wide with curiosity as she studied her own appearance. However, in the next moment, her brows narrowed and her countenance hardened.

Who are you? Who are you!

She fell to her knees as she appeared to be overcome by pain. When Elsa looked up back at her reflection, Anna saw that her face was contorted with agony as she clutched either side of her head, tousling her white hair. The innocent look for eyes had morphed and Anna saw fear and confusion.

WHO ARE YOU!?

Anna flinched when Elsa suddenly struck her reflection, the blow of which managed to crack and splinter the thick glass, splitting Elsa's image down the middle.

WHO… ARE YOU?!

Elsa's face twisted into a mask of fury and sorrow as she began to repeatedly punch the glass, bloodying her fist.

Who are you!? Who are YOU! WHO ARE YOU!

Anna finally tore her eyes away from the screen and looked down at the same woman seated close by. Elsa's eyes were still closed but the calm face she usually wore had been replaced with a tight, pained expression as she dragged up her past from the lost corners of her mind. With horrible realization, Anna was finally beginning to understand the awful things that had been done to Elsa. She felt something constrict around her heart and Anna knew that familiar old feeling to be regret and pity.

Who are you… '

Anna watched as the previous version of Elsa let her fingers slide down the glass, where they settled upon a large and jagged shard. She was studying her reflection again and turning the shard over in her hand which Anna could already sense what she was going to do with next.

Who… am I?

"Jesus," K breathed in sharply as he winced, witnessing what Elsa was doing to herself in her memory and reminding Anna of his presence.

She looked back to the screen and saw that Elsa had taken the shard of glass and cut open her palm. Her blood was red like any other humans and it surprised Anna how visceral it was. She felt further disquiet in her heart and tried to squash the feeling down, but was unsuccessful when she looked over to Elsa's left hand and saw the scar there on her upturned palm.

Who am I?

Anna quickly turned back to the screen and nearly yelped when she saw Elsa observing her own reflection with cold impassivity as she held the shard of glass to her own throat. Elsa then raised the shard higher against her neck and just before she could cut it open side to side, her vision blurred and darkened once more, indicating that forces beyond her control prevented her from killing herself.

She then heard Elsa release a shaky breath, causing Anna to turn around and look at her. Before Anna could ask if Elsa was alright, the next scene began to play out.

Elsa, please come with me, darling.

What's going on?

Elsa, Come along now.

I don't know what's happening. Why are you doing this?

In her memory, Elsa backed away from Matilda until she was up against the edge of a desk where she struck something that fell over. As Elsa glanced backwards, Anna saw the same thing that she had seen and froze completely. It was only for an instant, but they both saw a yellow flower preserved inside of a glass jar which Anna recognized immediately. She suddenly felt very nauseous and buried her face in her hands. Anna felt like she had slipped into a nightmare that she couldn't wake from. It continued on unrelentingly, until Elsa's panicked voice cut through the white noise that was filling Anna's head.

What's happening to me?! Who am I?!

Elsa, this is for your own good. Come, It's time for another session.

With increasing horror, Anna continued to watch on as some type of collar was placed around Elsa's neck. Her mind was racing with thoughts about the unmistakable flower she had just seen that had once belonged to her mother, in addition to being a witness to the cruel torture that Elsa about to endure. Through it all, she couldn't form a complete string of thought as her mind jumped from one to the next. There was simply too much going on that she couldn't make sense of and Anna desperately found herself struggling to breathe.

What? I haven't done anything!

The problem isn't what you've done, darling. It's what you know.

No, no! Please, don't do this!

Muffle her.

No! Please! I'll be good, I promise! I'll be good! Don't put me in the machine! I can be good, don't do this! I beg yo- mmnh!

To think, you were doing so well, Elsa. I'm disappointed in you.

Before she even realized it, Anna was completely tensed up as her eyes were glued to the screen that began to show the awful torture that Elsa had endured. She was hooked up to some cruel looking machine in that familiar white room again as in front of her, a team of indifferent scientists looked on. Whatever collar they had placed on Elsa appeared to limit her strength, as Anna noted how much difficulty she had in attempting to free herself from the restraints she previously had no issues dealing with.

Alright, let's run it again. Beginning memory sequence in three… two… one.

Anna shut her eyes in a vain attempt to block out the horrible imgaery witnessing. Elsa's screams of sheer and utter agony echoed throughout the room as she was subjected to FMR therapy. Her suffering was long and drawn out and Anna felt a pit of dread form in her stomach as Elsa's painful cries tore at her heart, mind, and soul. Even so, the discomfort she was feeling now was nothing in comparison to the pain that Elsa experienced in having her mind torn asunder. A crunch of metal caught Anna's ear and she looked over to Elsa, whose face was now a mask of twisted agony as she replayed the traumatic event in her mind. She was gripping the armrests of her seat so tightly that she had managed to deform them while her whole body was completely rigid as if she were being electrocuted again. Elsa's lips were trembling, her eyes were darting around rapidly beneath her eyelids, and she was whimpering softly while a single teardrop rolled down the curve of her cheek.

It was a heartbreaking sight, which was enough to send Anna's mind into a tailspin. She felt very sick all of a sudden as her breathing came in ragged gasps and her throat became parched.

"Fuck, I ca- I can't watch this anymore," Anna said as she rose to her feet and rapidly started making her way out of the room, leaving K and Elsa behind without as much as a second glance.

She entered a corridor outside of the room and leaned her head against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. Anna felt bile rising in her throat and she struggled to push it down, clamping a hand over her mouth where she felt her wet and tear-stained cheeks. She hadn't even realized she was crying, which distressed her even further.

"Fuck… fuck," Anna whimpered to herself. "What the fuck! I can't… I- I can't deal with this, fuck!"

She bit her fist until she drew blood, drawing on the pain as a way to pull her back down the earth while her mind continued to race.

"Why the fuck did Rosenthal have mom's flower? H- how did she even get it?" Anna hissed to herself.

In that same moment of panicked questioning, another, far more heinous thought entered her mind.

"Elsa! Her donor… no, no, no it can't be. Nora… no, this is… a mistake, this is a coincidence! She cant… she can't be…"

Anna continued to deny it as she paced back and forth, sniffling and drying her tears as she went. The possibility that Elsa was Nora was far too twisted and shocking for her to even consider and yet, a smaller part continued to entertain that thought and even hoped for it. As she considered the facts, some things began to line up far too neatly for them to be a mere coincidence.

For starters, the fact that Elsa was the spitting image of Nora was perhaps the most obvious sign. Secondly, many of the details of her origins also lined up perfectly with the nature of Nora's death. Elsa didn't know who her donor was, but according to her she had been made in the same year that Nora died. That, coupled with the fact that Anna never knew what became of Nora's body was enough for her to start having some serious doubts.

Still, Anna couldn't believe it. In fact, she stubbornly refused to believe it. Much of her whole life had been spent without Nora and Anna had buried her, or at least performed the act in an attempt to move on. Anna had lost Nora, Anna had mourned Nora, and after a while, Anna had thought she let go of Nora. Even though she missed her everyday, Nora was dead and gone and nothing could change that. To entertain the possibility that she lived again through Elsa was to cling to an impossible hope that she now knew better than to have.

"I need a goddamn drink," Anna sighed as she wiped away the last of her tears.

In a hurry, she exited the backstage area and made her way to the bar where Frankie was presently speaking with a patron of the Memory Palace.

"Whiskey," Anna said as she waved to Frankie.

"Just a minute, V," Frankie said as he held up a finger then continued conversing with the other patron.

Anna on the other hand was in no mood to be tested right now and she slammed her fist down on the counter, shocking the other two.

"Now, damn it!" Anna growled.

Frankie glanced between Anna and the patron and chuckled sheepishly before making his way over to Anna. Wordlessly he pulled down a bottle of the alcohol and poured Anna a drink.

"Leave the bottle," Anna muttered as she swallowed the liquid with one easy swig.

She then transferred Frankie a sum of credits that more than covered the bottle as compensation for her attitude. Rather than question Anna, Frankie left her to drink in peace as he returned to his conversation with the patron at the other end of the bar.

"What am I gonna do?" Anna sighed as she started to pour another drink for herself, however, she thought better of it and instead took another swig straight from the bottle.

Elsa can't be Nora, she just can't, Anna thought. I can't deal with this, I can't help her… I can barely help myself. This is getting way too messy… I should have just turned her over as soon as I found her.

Anna then reached a decision without much further thought as the longer she considered it, the less likely she was to do it. Acting while she still had the resolve that was bolstered by the alcohol, Anna grabbed the bottle and took another long sip as she walked out of the Memory Palace to make her call.

"Alright," Anna wiped her mouth and brought up her omni-pad as she stepped outside. "Let's do this, Anna. While you can still think straight, just get this over with. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can drink ourselves stupid and forget any of this ever happened."

Anna brought up Matilda Rosenthal's contact information and after she cast a wary glance around her, she called her. Nothing happened for a few moments, then suddenly, Matilda's face appeared in the holo-display before her.

"I trust you come to me with information about my daughter?" Matilda asked, skipping ahead straight to business.

Anna swallowed a thick lump in her throat and pushed down the remaining doubts in her mind. "Yeah. I found her."

"Where is she?" Matilda demanded. "Is she safe?"

"I'm sending you my location," Anna replied.

"Very good," Matilda nodded tersely. "I'm dispatching an escort to pick her up. Hand her over to Kai, and he'll provide you with your payment."

"And the bonus?"

"Well earned."

"I'll be waiting," Anna said and without waiting for a response, she terminated the connection.

Anna sighed heavily as one part of her mentally berated herself while another tried to justify her actions. Preferring not to listen to either side at the moment, Anna pressed the whiskey bottle to her lips and swallowed down the remaining alcohol before tossing the empty thing aside where it shattered to pieces. Appropriately buzzed and prepared for the coming trouble, Anna turned on her heels and stumbled back inside the Memory Palace. She found K and Elsa where she had left them, though in the time that Anna was gone it appeared that Elsa had fallen fast asleep as she lay unconscious on a gurney as K monitored her vitals.

"What happened?" Anna asked as she approached the pair.

K looked over from the terminal. "Well, we were able to learn one thing that could be useful."

"Which is?"

"Elsa wasn't created at VanirCorp, but an off-site facility called Gjallarbrú. It's all here in her files," K answered then scowled as soon as he detected the whiskey on Anna's breath. "Jesus, Anna have you been drinking?" he addressed her by her real name as an added reprimand.

"What's it to you?" Anna countered, then changed the subject. "What's with her? Why is she sleeping?"

K looked over to Elsa. "I had to sedate her, she became… unstable, I don't know. Her nose was bleeding, she was convulsing, it looked like a seizure."

Anna swallowed down the small guilt she felt, nearly choking on it.

"Anna, what the fuck is going on here? That was Matilda fucking Rosenthal in her memories. Is Elsa the missing daughter you were supposed to find?"

"Yeah… yeah," Anna sighed. "But don't worry, this whole thing will be over soon."

"Wait, wait, wait. Just hold on a second," K stood up from his chair and fixed Anna with a hard stare. "You're not thinking of handing her over are you?"

"What the hell do you care?"

"Are you serious? You saw what they did to her."

Anna shrugged. "She's an android," she replied bluntly.

"She seems pretty damn human to me," K countered.

"She's not my responsibility!"

"BULLSHIT she isn't!" K shouted, which took Anna off guard as he rarely raised his voice. "You found her, you brought her here!"

"What do you want me to do?" Anna replied as she threw her hands up in a helpless gesture. "I'm just one person, I can't help her with what she needs."

"This… is wrong, Anna, and you know it."

"K, I keep telling you, that bleeding heart of yours is gonna get you killed one day," Anna looked away from him as she couldn't bear the judgmental look on his face. "Just leave the moral dilemma to me, alright? I'll deal with this."

K fixed Anna with a hard stare as he crossed his arms, meanwhile Anna kept her gaze at the far wall but she could still see him in the corner of her eye. Neither of them said anything for a while until eventually, the sound of a skycar touching down outside caught their attention.

"What the-"

"Must be her ride," Anna muttered as she went over to Elsa and looked down on her.

For everything she had just re-lived, Elsa looked remarkably peaceful and serene as she slept. Whatever sedative K had given her must have been potent to put the enhanced android under, which gave Anna a small amount of comfort as she wouldn't be conscious for the hard part that came next.

"You called them here?!" K exclaimed as he rounded on Anna with fury in his eyes. "Are you kidding me, you bought fucking corpos to my doorstep!"

"I'm sorry K, really, I am," Anna said submissively. "But I tried to help her, I did! She asked me to help restore her memories and I brought her here because I didn't know what the fuck else to do!"

"Yeah, for all the good that did her," K shot back. "And what? Now you're just gonna hand her back to the people who are gonna torture her! How could you be so cold?"

Anna turned away from K once more, pushing down the anger she felt at herself and her guilt. He was right of course, but Anna truly felt at a loss for what else she could possibly do. She just had no idea how she could help Elsa recover her memories and her identity, but more than that, Anna was scared of what she could possibly find. The truth was, Anna had her suspicions from the beginning and over their time together, as more of the puzzle pieces began to fall into place, a small hope began to grow in her heart.

But it was impossible and it could never happen. Anna had hoped once long ago and that hope was taken from her when Nora was killed. Even if Elsa reminded her in every way of Nora, Anna just couldn't see it. She refused to see it, for even just the possibility of who the person that Elsa once was scared her beyond reason. It wasn't fair to Elsa and it was cruel, Anna knew that. But the world was an unfair and cruel place, which is what Anna repeated to herself to justify her decision.

"What do you want me to do?" Anna asked. "I said I was sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," K replied as he gestured to Elsa. "She needs you, Anna. And if you do this, if you turn your back on her, there's no coming back for you. I just hope you can find a way to live with yourself afterwards."

Anna flinched but she knew she deserved those harsh words from K. Whatever happened next, Anna planned to cope with it the same she always had, by drowning her sorrows in drink, wallowing in her self-loathing, and longing for death.

"Me too," Anna said softly.

With that, she scooped Elsa's unconscious body up into her arms and started making her way out of the Memory Palace. Anna caught some confused looks from Frankie and Darla as she slipped out, but she paid them no mind. Soon, she stepped out from the double doors to the outside where she found that familiar android, Kai, awaiting her along with retinue of other bodyguards.

"Hello, Miss Tyrell," Kai greeted as he stepped forward, bringing a gurney alongside him.

"Let's just get this over with," Anna grumbled. "You got my credits?"

"Just a moment please," Kai said as he looked Elsa up and down, examining her state. "I need to examine Elsa. Would you kindly set her down here?" he asked as he gestured towards the gurney.

"She's fine, alright? I just sedated her," Anna replied impatiently.

Still, she did as she was asked and gently placed Elsa down before stepping away to allow the android to perform its inspection.

"So it would appear, nonetheless Miss Rosenthal was very clear that Elsa was to be returned unharmed. She will be glad to see that Elsa is well," Kai replied as he performed a scan of Elsa's body.

As Kai finished his examination, he placed a collar around Elsa's slender neck and clicked it into place. Anna had seen a similar once placed around Elsa's neck from her memories.

"What is that?" Anna asked.

"Suppression collar," Kai replied. "Limits her strength and prevents her from harming herself or others. I am sure you have already seen displays of her enhanced capabilities."

"Yeah, I have," Anna said softly, remembering the time when Elsa had rescued her from the crash and the second time she saved her life from the scavver who had nearly drowned her.

She gazed down upon Elsa's sleeping face and suddenly felt more unsure of herself. Elsa had saved Anna's life twice over and the most that she had done in return for her was to watch over her as she slept, just as she was doing now. Even though they had agreed that they were even, this was not true. It was a vain attempt to deflect some of the responsibility she now felt for Elsa which was easier than to admit to the fact that a smaller, stubborn part of Anna actually wanted to help the poor woman from suffering any further injustice.

A few minutes ago she had firmly made up her mind to turn Elsa over and be done with the whole ordeal, but now, she found herself deeply conflicted as she questioned herself over and over.

What if… she can't be but what if… Elsa's donor was Nora? It would explain a lot, Anna asked herself.

Then that's the truth that you'll have to face together, the smaller part of Anna replied.

But she died. How can she be alive and not alive at the same time? I don't even know how I'm supposed to help her… I don't know what to do.

No… but you'll figure it out. You couldn't help Nora but you can still help Elsa, and… maybe that's enough.

"Then you understand the need for caution," Kai said as he slipped a pair of metal restraints around Elsa's wrists.

Anna frowned. "Christ, is that really necessary? You've already got her."

From the corner of her eye, she thought she spotted Elsa stir slightly as she shifted in her sleep.

"I believe this concludes your business with us," Kai said, ignoring Anna's protests. "Here, your payment," he said as he transferred her a sum of three-and-a-half million credits. "Miss Rosenthal wanted to reward you with an increased payment for your timely retrieval of Elsa and as a means to ensure your silence on the whole matter. Do you understand?"

Anna understood well enough, but now that she had finally received her payment for one of the most difficult jobs she had ever done, she felt nothing but shame. She knew then no matter how much she drank or how far she tried to run from her problems, they would haunt her forever. Her heinous betrayal of Elsa's trust and confidence would be the final thing that pushed over the edge towards the only possible escape that she could think of.

Suicide. There was simply no way that Anna could live with herself if she did this.

"Miss Tyrell? Are we clear on the matter?" Kai asked again.

"Yeah, I got it. Keep my mouth shut or else," Anna nodded and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"V?" Elsa mumbled as she woke from her sleep.

She looked around in confusion and a split-second later, she registered what was happening to her.

"No… not again, V?"

Elsa locked eyes with Anna then, and her face became a mask of complete hurt, fear, and betrayal.

"What did you do?"

With her last question, Anna's heart and the rest of her walls came crashing down. She was undone.

"Indeed, I advised that you be terminated, as it would be safer, but Miss Rosenthal thought otherwise. Apparently, you reminded her of someone she once knew," Kai said coolly, then turned around to deal with Elsa. "In any case, we must depart now."

Meanwhile, Elsa started to struggle against the restraints tying her down to the gurney with all of her limited strength. Two of the bodyguards also went over to hold her down, which panicked her even further as they began to take her away. All the while, Anna continued to stare dumbly in shock as she was struck by a crisis of conscience.

"V! Please!" Elsa begged as tears streamed down her face. "Don't let them do this!" she sobbed. "Please, don't let them take me away. Please!"

With her closest hand, Elsa reached out as far as she could towards Anna.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Elsa screamed as she thrashed around on the gurney in hysterical panic. "V!" she yelled.

Anna's breath caught in her throat as in that moment of pleading from Elsa, she was transported to her last memory of Nora nearly 13 years ago. For just a second, Anna didn't see or hear Elsa, but instead she saw, heard, and felt Nora as if she were standing right there in front of her.

It was then that Anna made her choice. "Fuck it," she muttered as she reached for her hand cannon.

Distracted as they were with dealing with Elsa, none of the androids paid Anna any further mind which was their fatal mistake. Anna immediately double-tapped the bodyguards dragging Elsa away, placing a shot in the middle of their chest and then their head with deadly accuracy. They crumpled to the ground in a smoking heap, releasing their hold on Elsa as she looked around in shock.

Kai turned around and attempted to close the gap between him and Anna before he too met a similar fate. With all of the androids dispatched, Anna quickly went over to Elsa's side and tore the suppression collar off her neck.

"V?" Elsa said shakily, almost reverently as if she couldn't believe that she was being saved. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Anna replied as she unfastened Elsa's restraints. "I'm saving your ass. Now come on, we gotta go!"