The Ship of Theseus

Elsa followed closely behind V, mute as a stone, as she led them down through winding alleyways and streets towards wherever they were going. News of their escape from the clutches of VanirCorp travelled fast as shortly after V had her change of heart, it seemed that the entire city was abuzz with activity. Police and corporate security were out in force, patrolling the skies and the streets for the escaped android and the private detective aiding her.

"Guess Rosenthal isn't really happy with me, huh?" V chuckled as she brought up her omni-pad and disabled the calling and messaging functions.

Once she was finished, she glanced at Elsa and tried to smile.

Elsa simply fixed V with a blank stare as she was still unsure of what to make of the red-haired woman who had nearly handed her back to her captors. For a moment back there, it felt as if her entire world had come crashing down from V's betrayal. The short stint of freedom she was able to enjoy, the remarkable things she was able to experience, the woman she had been searching for her entire life, all of that would have been meaningless and Elsa had practically resigned herself to a life of torment right then and there. That was at least until V killed the three androids, took her by the hand, and dragged her away into the depths of the city.

The small smile faded from V's face and she swallowed thickly, then turned back to survey the streets below and the air above. "We should, err… we should keep moving," she said, clearly uncomfortable by Elsa's continued silence.

She didn't blame V of course, she wasn't even angry with her. All Elsa felt was a strange sort of abandonment and sadness from how little V clearly regarded her. It hurt her to see, but from the beginning she already knew that she was asking too much of V by enlisting her help alone. By now, she had revealed more tidbits from her past, but they were all still disjointed and fragmented, leaving Elsa with more questions rather than answers. Still, their trip to the Memory Palace hadn't been entirely useless as K was able to uncover one vital piece of information that could possibly lead to more answers.

Elsa wasn't originally made at the VanirCorp headquarters, but rather an off-site research facility known as Gjallarbrú which was located somewhere to the north in upstate New York. The only issue was that crossing those lands was dangerous as they had been transformed into sprawling toxic wastes. Still, if Elsa was to uncover the truth of who she once she was, then that was where she had to go. The only question that remained was what would become of V.

As they continued walking through the streets, evading roaming patrols of androids and police officers, they eventually came upon a large square that was lit up by the neon glow of numerous signs and billboards. The largest one stood tall over the square and held a troubling message that branded Elsa and V as fugitives, as well as two images of their faces.

WANTED: VERONICA TYRELL and ELSA ROSENTHAL

6,000,000 Cr REWARD for capturing and returning these individuals to the custody of VanirCorp alive and unharmed.

They are considered to be ARMED and DANGEROUS.

"Fuck," V hissed. "She put a bounty out on us!"

Elsa studied the sign with vague interest, then returned her gaze to V who quickly dragged her off the street towards a more densely packed marketplace. There, V pulled up the collar around her long-coat so that it obscured the lower half of her face, then examined Elsa's appearance.

"We've gotta do something about your face," V said. "Wait right here, I'll be back."

Elsa glanced up in confusion as V slipped over to a nearby stall that held different clothing accessories, then, when the vendor wasn't looking she quickly grabbed a gray scarf and returned to where Elsa was standing.

"Here," V said as she wrapped the scarf around Elsa's neck and face to cover up her appearance.

Once she was finished she stepped back and gave a nod of approval.

"Good. We won't have to worry about your hair. Lots of people dye their hair crazy colors so you'll blend right in," she chuckled and smiled thinly again.

Elsa simply nodded her understanding and then looked away from V. She was certainly grateful that V had decided to free her, but was uncertain why she continued to help her. From Elsa's perspective and from the parts of her conversation with Kai that she was able to hear, V had already been paid and as such had no further obligation to her. That, in addition to the fact that Elsa was well aware of V's stance on androids further compounded the confusion she felt.

Why hasn't she left me yet? Elsa thought. She planned to get rid of me from the very beginning, that much is clear now. Why is she still here?

"Okay," V murmured as her smile vanished. "Let's keep moving."

She then took Elsa by the hand, who didn't resist and continued leading her through the marketplace until they exited out into a series of alleyways. There they walked along, avoiding groups of civilians and random patrols until they reached an industrial quarter.

All around them were various factories and warehouses, whose smokestanks belched thick clouds of noxious fumes into the sky. As bad it was for the environment, it also had the benefit of obstructing air-traffic, which meant it was safer to Elsa and V to travel out in the open here. This part of New York was less populated given that most factories and production lines were manned by androids or were completely automated, thereby eliminating the need for human workers. Soon, the pair walked alone through streets that were empty and lined with soot, accompanied only by the sound of distant clanking metal and roaring furnaces.

"Here," V pointed to what appeared to be an abandoned building as they approached it. "This place looks empty, we can hole up here for a while."

The pair entered through a shattered window, then went further inside so that they were out of sight and found themselves standing on an old factory floor. It was chilly, quiet, and more than anything else it was dusty, indicating that nobody had been through in a long time. Still, V performed a quick sweep of the building to ensure that they were alone before they came to a rest inside of an old office that overlooked the factory floor.

V sighed and ran a hand through her crimson locks as she unbuttoned her long-coat and exposed her face once more. Next, she sat down on a dusty rolling chair and buried her face in her hands. Following her cue, Elsa loosened her scarf from around her face but remained standing as she studied V. After a while, V looked up and shied away from Elsa's gaze, then stood up and began pacing back and forth.

It was a sign that she was uncomfortable, which Elsa had now realized.

"Alright, the silent treatment is killing me," V said as she ran a hand through her crimson locks. "You haven't said a word since we left the Memory Palace, c- could you just talk to me? Say something. Say anything!" she paused and looked at Elsa.

Elsa remained silent, but continued looking at V.

"Okay, look," V sighed as she resumed pacing. "I- I know that was a really shitty thing I did back there okay? I- it's just… I- I… heard the way you were screaming and… you just… it reminded me of… well… her," she said, referring to Nora.

Elsa noticed that in the few times they spoke of her sister, V never mentioned or referred to Nora by her name. It was easy enough to tell from her demeanor that it was still far too painful for her to bring her up.

"And that's when I knew I had to help you," V rambled on. "I know that doesn't excuse what I did, I know that," she paused once more and fixed Elsa with a vulnerable look. "You have every right to be angry at me, trust me, I'm angry at myself. I'm really just… angry at myself all the time. But this is different somehow, like it's worse and I feel really awful for what I did and I'm getting off track, the point is," she sighed heavily and took a step closer to Elsa. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I want to make it right by helping you, so could you please just talk to me?"

"I'm not angry with you," Elsa said softly.

"What?" V snapped up and stepped closer. "You're not?"

"No," Elsa said as she turned in a slow circle to examine her surroundings before meeting V's gaze once more. "You had your reasons."

"M- maybe, but… really? You aren't mad that I handed you back to them? That… I did it for the credits?"

"No," Elsa repeated.

Anna was flabbergasted. "How can you be so okay with everything?"

"Because I see the way you look at me," Elsa said quietly as she looked away from V to hide the sadness on her face. "You hate androids, I know that. To you, I'm no different. You think I'm an abomination… a freak. I see it in your face and I hear it in the way you talk to me. I understand where that hatred comes from so I can't blame you for what you did."

Regret filled V's face as she took a step forward. She stuttered for words as she attempted to form a response but nothing came out.

Elsa looked up and smiled sadly at V. "Besides, it wouldn't have mattered what I wanted because I wouldn't have been able to remember it. Not if they had their way."

A pained expression settled across V's face as she took another hesitant step closer. "Elsa…"

"It's okay, V, really," Elsa said. "You don't owe me anything else and you don't have to help me anymore."

"T- that's not my name," V said, looking guilty as she did.

Elsa looked puzzled as she frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"V isn't my real name, I lied to you. My real name is… it's Anna."

"Anna," Elsa repeated, then regarded the red-haired woman again as if for the first time.

There was something special about her name. Elsa knew that to be true just then as soon as she had heard it.

"You lied to me from the very beginning, didn't you? You planned to hand me over from the start, you never wanted to help me."

"I… I didn't want this," Anna muttered weakly and looked away.

"And you think I did?" Elsa countered, suddenly angered. "You think that I asked for this, for any of this?" she said, pointing to her head as tears lined her eyes and sorrow colored her voice. "Well I didn't! I DIDN'T ASK TO BE MADE! I didn't ask to be torn apart and put back together over and over and turned into some… some kind of monster!"

"I meant that I didn't want any of this to happen!" Anna shot back. "Ugh!" she turned around and slapped her forehead. "Why is this so hard for me to say!" she turned and around huffed. "Look, I was being selfish. It wasn't fair to you a- and… it wasn't right and I'm just… not a good person, I get that. So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I want to make it up to you, for everything."

Elsa noticed that Anna's own voice was shaky as her lip trembled. She then crossed her arms and looked away and for a few moments, neither of them were able to look at each other. Despite what she had said, Elsa didn't think of her that way. Anna may have been a flawed person, but that was natural and that was human. As for her statement about not being a good person, Elsa thought that wasn't true either.

This conversation alone was a testament to that fact, not to mention that Anna had a chance to walk away and instead she chose to risk her life to help her in her own mission. That on its own was enough reason for Elsa to believe that deep down, Anna was a good person. She had just saddled with the misfortune of a lifetime of misery, not unlike Elsa.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said softly after her anger vanished. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"No, no," Anna shook her head as she closed the remaining distance to Elsa and stood in front of her. "Don't apologize to me, I deserve to be yelled at right now. Honestly, I- I deserve a lot worse."

"So why are you helping me?" Elsa asked.

"I… I don't really know," Anna sighed and shook her head. "It's just… the right thing to do. And for the record… I don't think that you're a monster, o- or a freak, or anything else like that. So don't… don't talk about yourself like that. You wallow in that kind of self-loathing, you'll eventually wind up like me," she chuckled mirthlessly.

"But you hate androids," Elsa said. "You said as much yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, but… I guess I don't see you like that. It's… I don't know, it's complicated. I know I don't hate you," Anna said as she bit her lip and turned her head to the side. "So, is… that okay? Will you let me help you? I know you have every reason not to trust me anymore and I totally get it if you want me to just fuck off. But I can help you… I want to help you because I need to make it right."

Elsa regarded Anna carefully while she took in her words. Regret and sorrow lined every feature of Anna's face and she was clearly desperate for any kind of penance.

"Please, I- I'll… you can, shit I don't know, you can hit me if you want. I know I deserve it, I know what I did was wrong," Anna shut her eyes as she braced herself. "So just do it, come on. I can take it."

"I don't want to hit you," Elsa said softly.

"Then how can I make it up to you?" Anna asked helplessly.

Elsa stepped up until her face was right in front of Anna's. "You can start by never lying to me again."

Anna opened her eyes as her expression turned vulnerable. "Okay, of course, yeah. No more lies, I promise."

"What's your full name?" Elsa asked, her face turning more serious.

"Anna Cordray."

"Everything you told me about your sister, Nora, was that all true?"

"Yes," Anna nodded shakily. "Yes, it was."

"And your parents?"

"Yeah, that was all true as well."

Elsa's expression softened. "Do you really want to help me?"

"I do," Anna replied firmly.

"Anna."

"Elsa?"

"I forgive you."

"Wh- what?" Anna recoiled in shock. "Just like that?"

"Yes," Elsa replied simply. "I've decided to trust you again."

Anna shook her head in disbelief. Her face changed from surprise, to confusion, to happiness, then back to sorrow. She opened her mouth and stammered for several moments, after which she stopped trying to speak altogether. Instead, she decided to surprise Elsa by moving forward as she pulled her into a hug.

Oh, Elsa thought. This is nice.

Feeling how invitingly warm and soft Anna's touch was, Elsa returned the gesture by wrapping her own arms around her in turn. Together, they stayed like that for a long while, and since Elsa was still unsure of proper hug etiquette, she didn't break off until Anna did first.

"So," Anna chuckled a bit nervously. "Did you, um, did you learn anything?"

"I did," Elsa replied. "It seems that K was able to discover from the files stored on the backup drive that I wasn't originally created at the headquarters of VanirCorp."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, he… he uh, told me about that when I… before I…"

Sensing her meaning, Elsa reached out and squeezed Anna's arm reassuringly.

"Yeah… ahem, anyways," Anna sniffed. "This place, Yalla- yallo… yalloo-"

"Gjallarbru," Elsa said.

"Yeah, what kind of name is that?"

"It stems from Norse mythology. Gjallarbrú is the bridge that connects the realms of the living and the dead. Fitting, for the type of work they did there."

"Which is?"

"You're looking at it," Elsa shrugged.

"A ha," Anna chuckled wrly. "So how do we get there?"

"I believe it's specific location was noted on the files that were on the drive."

"Okay, great," Anna perked up. "Do you still have it?"

"No. I'm afraid it was left behind at the Memory Palace."

"Not great," Anna deflated. "Shit, that place has got to be crawling with corpos now. I hope K's alright."

"What can we do?" Elsa asked.

Anna sighed and threw her hands up in a helpless gesture. "Without that drive we can't get there, which means we have to go back and get it."

"That… complicates things," Elsa said.

"Hmm, maybe not. I mean… it's the last place they'd expect us to be, right? They're out combing the city for us in force, but that place had to have been searched top to bottom by now. If we could slip in right under their noses…"

"Then we can retrieve the drive undetected," Elsa finished. "But it would be incredibly risky, you would… do that for me?"

"I said I'd help you so I'm gonna help you," Anna said firmly. "Whatever it takes, we'll get your memories back. I… I promise."

"Thank you," Elsa said sincerely.

"Don't than-" Anna stopped herself and sighed. "It's the least I can do. Now, I say we should wait out here for a couple hours until dark, then make our way back. In the meantime, maybe we can scrounge around and find something to eat."

"Agreed," Elsa smiled.

And once again, she felt hope swell in her heart.

… … …

As luck would have it, the derelict building that they were taking shelter in had once been a canning factory before it was abandoned, specializing in assortments of canned foodstuffs. In their searching, Elsa and Anna were able to turn up some tins of preserved fruit and a can of pork and beans which they warmed over a fire they had started by igniting a barrel filled with flammable detritus. After they finished eating, Elsa and Anna sat close by each other, with a small distance separating the two. With nothing else to do but wait until nightfall, they passed the time by getting to know one another.

"You know, I've seen plenty of androids," Anna murmured as she stared into the fire.

She was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees as she kept her chin balanced between them.

"Back in LA… and here as well. As a kid I was afraid of them, they just always looked so… creepy, so inhuman," she glanced over to Elsa. "I still think that way, but with you… I sometimes forget. I've never seen anyone like you."

"Do I frighten you?" Elsa asked softly.

"No… no you don't. At least, not anymore," Anna shook her head. "To me, you're just… Elsa. I wouldn't call you an android because you don't look or act like one. No,I think you're something different, something new."

Elsa didn't respond as she thought over what Anna had said. She took some comfort in the fact that Anna was no longer overtly hostile or cold towards her, not like when they first met. They were both growing, learning, and changing in ways that perhaps wasn't full clear to either of them yet.

"Do you remember anything from when you were a kid?" Anna asked after a long pause. Her eyes were round, searching, and honest. "Do you have any memories from before?"

"I have memories, but… most of them aren't real, they're just implants," Elsa replied.

Anna loosened her arms from around her knees so that she could adjust to a cross-legged sitting position. "Tell me one?" she asked innocently.

Elsa read her body language as becoming more open and reciprocated in kind by turning to fully face Anna. "I feel a little strange sharing a childhood story considering I was never a child," she replied.

"Please?"

"Okay," Elsa nodded then thought for a long moment. "I have one about this toy that I had. It was a horse, carved from a piece of wood," she turned her head to face the fire. "All I remember was that a group of other kids were trying to take it from me, so I ran. They chased me through a factory a little bit like this one actually," she smiled thinly as she looked around and turned to face Anna once more. "I went looking for a place to hide and the only place was this empty furnace. It was cold and dark and… I remember being scared but this horse was all I had so I went in anyway."

Anna nodded sympathetically and waited for Elsa to continue.

"I hid it away in a pile of ash and… later on, those kids found me," Elsa continued. "They beat me to make me tell them where it was, but I didn't say a word. One of them cut my hand and," she raised her left palm to show Anna the scar there. "That's how I got this. That's it," she shrugged. "Of course, that never happened and I know how I really got this scar. They just made me forget and gave me that memory instead."

Anna's features softened in understanding for she had seen exactly how Elsa had got that scar. "Mmm, I guess we're all just looking for something real," she murmured.

Something real, Elsa repeated in her mind. I don't even know how much of my life is real.

She thought of everything that had happened to her up until now; her time at VanirCorp, her escape, her meeting with Anna. There were still times that she doubted the nature of her own existence but wherever Anna concerned, Elsa was assured that she was real. She was the realest thing she had ever encountered. A heavy silence settled over both of them as they each retreated into their own thoughts.

Once again, after a moment, Anna spoke up.

"What about your real memories? I saw what you showed me back at the Memory Palace, but… is there anything else you can remember?"

"Mostly just flashes, here and there," Elsa replied. "Sometimes it's an image, or a feeling, or a sound… I can never hold onto them for long. But, there is… someone that I always see."

Anna stiffened a bit and shuffled just a bit closer to Elsa. "Who?" she asked quietly.

For a moment, Elsa feared that she already said too much and considered lying once more but then thought better of it. Anna had chosen to save her and she had chosen to help her so now, honesty was the least Elsa could do for the red-haired woman who was risking everything for her.

I can't lie to her, not anymore, Elsa thought. She needs to know the truth and maybe that way… we can help each other.

Elsa closed her eyes and when she opened them again she fixed Anna with a look of complete openness. "I see you."

Anna blinked in shock for a moment. "M- me?" she stuttered. "A- are you sure? I mean… how? I- I don't… we've never met before, h- how can… how?"

"I don't know for sure," Elsa muttered. "It's just a feeling I have, I can't really explain it. I just… knew you once."

"Well, what do you see? M- maybe you've got the wrong person, maybe-"

"I know you but sometimes I don't always recognize you. I can't always see your face but I do see your hair," Elsa said. "And there's no mistaking it, not after how many times I've seen it in my dreams."

Elsa saw it, that was true, but more than anything else she longed to feel it in her hands. To feel something real and tangible, something that could ground her in reality, something to tether her to Earth, and something to provide a direct connection to her identity. She imagined it enough times, how silken and soft and smooth Anna's hair must be. Sometimes, Elsa would look in her mirror and run a hand through her own hair, imagining that it was cherry red instead of stark white.

"No, nonono," Anna shook her in disbelief as she pushed herself to her feet and began pacing back and forth rapidly. "No. No! It… it doesn't make any sense, how could you have known me? I don't even remember meeting you before, so how could… no, t- this is… this… I mean this is crazy!"

"I'm sorry," Elsa apologized for how much distress she was putting Anna under. "I don't mean to make things difficult."

Anna's head snapped over to Elsa as she stopped pacing. She then went over and knelt down in front of her so that they were at eye level.

"No, it's not your fault," Anna said, though it was clear her mind was still reeling. "I- I… I just… I'm trying to wrap my head around this whole thing and the more I think about it, the less it makes sense, and the less it makes sense, the more it scares me, and the more it scares me, the more I start to spiral, and I'm spiralling right now, because I'm rambling on and on and-"

"Anna," Elsa reached out and gently took a hold of both of her hands, bringing her back down to Earth with her soft touch. "It's okay."

"I- it is?" Anna said, breathing heavily.

"Yes, if this is becoming too much for you, I'd understand if you-"

"What? No, there's no way I'm turning my back on you, not now," Anna said firmly. "We have to get to the bottom of this now. Besides, we've got a bounty on our heads, we need to stick together now, more than ever before. Right?"

Elsa smiled as she felt warmth fill her heart now that Anna had erased any further doubts in her mind about their partnership. As much as the truth of who she once scared her, Elsa was more scared of losing Anna. In the short time they had known each other, she had become quite fond of the red-haired woman. She wasn't quite sure how to describe how she felt about Anna, but the two things she felt the most were light and hope.

"Right," Elsa nodded then looked down.

She was almost tempted to reach up and touch Anna's hair but then contended herself with feeling the soft touch of her skin instead.

Anna tracked her gaze and then realized that they were still holding hands while they had been staring into each other's eyes. Rather than tear them away, which a part of Elsa had expected her to do, Anna did something else that warmed Elsa's heart. Anna's face was scrunched up in thought, lost somewhere in her mind as she ran slow circles with her thumbs over the pale flesh of Elsa's hands. She certainly didn't mind the contact, which sent tiny pinpricks of electricity along her nerves, up her fingers and her arms where they settled in the gray matter of her brain and in her heart.

Elsa hummed in contentment, which finally brought Anna back to reality.

"Uh… it's, err, dark out," Anna chuckled nervously as she gently let go of Elsa's hands. "W- we should get moving."

"Oh," Elsa withdrew her hands into her lap, missing the contact already. "Yes, good idea."

As Anna donned her long-coat, Elsa noticed that her cheeks were a bit more flushed than usual, which she thought to be caused by the heat of the fire. She thought nothing more of it and with that, the pair set out into the city under the cover of darkness.