Aporia

"This is patrol unit M-12, we've spotted the suspect, we're in pursuit."

Elsa watched on as the two police officers standing guard outside the doors to the Memory Palace shouted in alarm as they gave chase to Anna. She waited until they were out of sight, then just as she was about to creep out from her hiding place, two more officers burst out the doors and headed off in a different direction. From somewhere close by, Elsa could hear gunfire as the police chased Anna.

As crazy and reckless as Anna's plan had been, it certainly worked in drawing the police away. With the palace now unguarded, Elsa crept out from her hiding place in the alley and quickly crossed the open ground towards the front entrance. Once she was inside, she passed by the reception desk which was now empty and made her towards the theatre, being cautious of her surroundings in case any other police officers or androids from VanirCorp remained behind. She entered the theatre to find it empty and silent, which relieved Elsa as she quickened her pace towards the stage.

As Elsa entered the backstage area where K's clinic was, she could hear someone breathing heavily as they struggled against something. Rounding the corner, she found K, tied to a chair with his face beaten and bruised as he attempted to free himself from his restraints.

"K?" Elsa asked.

The tech-doctor whipped his head up in shock. "Elsa? Jesus, the whole city is looking for you!"

"I know," Elsa replied as she went over K to untie him from his restraints. "What did they do to you?"

"Eh, this is nothing I can't fix," K shrugged then rubbed his wrists once his arms came free. "They sweated me a couple times, wanted to see if you told me anything but I didn't say anything to them," he said, then peered up at Elsa. "What about you? How did you escape?"

"I didn't. Anna saved me."

K nodded approvingly and smiled. "Glad she finally came to her senses," he chuckled wryly to himself. "But where is she now? Is she okay?

"She's on her way, she caused the distraction that drew away the police."

"Heh, she always did know how to raise hell when it suited her. So then what are you doing back here?"

"We need your help, do you still have that drive I gave you?"

"Sure do, I hid it away as soon as the cops came knocking," K rose from his chair then went over a section of wall and banged on an unremarkable panel which came loose, revealing a hidden compartment. "Here it is," he handed it to Elsa. "What do you plan to do with it?"

Elsa took the drive and reached up to tuck it safely in the lining of her bodyglove. "That information you uncovered about the research facility where I was made, Gjallarbru, we think we can learn more about who I was if we can get there."

"We?" K's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Anna's really helping you?"

"She is," Elsa said and she couldn't suppress the small smile that spread across her face.

"You must be something really special to her then," K said then went over to a chilled medical supply storage unit and started rooting around until he retrieved two injectors filled with a dark green fluid. "Well look, if you're heading out beyond the city, you better take these. It's a toxic wasteland out there," he said as he handed them to Elsa.

Elsa smiled a bit more confidently at K's initial comment, then turned her attention to the items in K's hand. "What are these?"

"Booster shots to temporarily slow down your rate of rad absorption. You'll need it if you want to make it to Gjallarbru," K said, then straightened up and snapped his fingers as he went towards some shelves on the opposite side of the room. "Oh! And one more thing, take this," he said as he retrieved an older model of an omni-pad and handed it to Elsa. "One of the earlier generations when wearable tech was still the newest thing. It's a little beat up, but should work fine and it'll accept that drive so you can access the data on the move. It's also waterproof too."

Elsa nodded then held out her left forearm as K strapped the device on it. The earliest iterations of the omni-pad were sort of like a glove or a bracer that the user wore. While it lacked the holographic interface that the later generations would sport, it still had many of the same features including long distance face-to-face communications, map and GPS navigation, as well as data storage and processing. The omni-pad was essentially a portable computer and in every respect was vastly superior to the smartphones of the early 21st century, eventually replacing them altogether.

"Thank you K, for everything," Elsa said as she tucked the injectors safely away in her pocket then flexed her forearm as she examined her new gear. "I wish that there was something I could do for you."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," K waved his hand dismissively. "Now go on, get outta here. Quick, before those cops come back."

"Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine, really, but you need to get a move on."

"Thank you," Elsa repeated, then turned around and started for the exit when she suddenly remembered something. "K? One more thing," she said as she spun around.

"Uh huh?"

"Anna asked me to tell you that… you were right."

K smirked, then crossed his arms. "Hmph, of course I was. Now go on and good luck, alright?"

Elsa nodded a final time to K, then without further delay she departed from the Memory Palace. As she stepped out into the cool night air, she turned her head towards the sound of nearby gunfire and shouting, as apparently whatever riot Anna started had devolved into a full scale gunfight between the police and a group of gangers. She didn't linger for long and crept her way back towards her rendezvous point with Anna, where she found the red-haired woman bent over and panting heavily.

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed in relief. "You're alright."

"Yep,' Anna panted as she gave Elsa a thumbs up and grinned. "Never better."

"What did you do? It sounds like there's a riot going on."

"If you're referring to that little gunfight going on, I had nothing to do with that. I was just… passing through when some gangers had an issue with the police, that's all. What about you, did you get what you need?"

"I did," Elsa nodded. "I got the drive and K also provided me with a few other things."

"Is he alright?" Anna asked, and Elsa couldn't help but notice the edge of concern in her voice.

"He is. The police interrogated him, but he assured me that he didn't reveal any information to them."

Anna nodded. "Good, that's good," she murmured. "So what things did he give you?"

"This, for one," Elsa raised her left forearm and showed Anna the vintage omni-pad she had received. "As well as some booster shots to bolster our immune systems to make it to Gjallarbru."

"Ugh," Anna scowled. "Always hated needles."

"Me too," Elsa smiled. "What are we going to do now?"

"We should get off the streets, this place is already hot enough as it is," Anna said as she glanced around.

"Where can we go?"

"My apartment," Anna replied. "There's a few things I need to grab before we head out."

Elsa frowned. "Is it safe? Surely they must have it under surveillance by now."

"I doubt it. They're looking for a Veronica Tyrell right now, whereas my apartment is listed under one Rachael Deckard," Anna explained as she started walking. "I obviously wouldn't use my real name for where I live. It's the safest place in the city for us right now."

"Okay," Elsa nodded. "I trust you."

Anna stiffened and faltered in her steps for a moment as she made a strange sort of choked squawk in her throat. She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat, then continued forward. "W- we should hurry," she muttered. "Let's cover up," she added as she pulled up her collar around her face.

"Following you," Elsa said as she did the same with her scarf.

… … …

From the Memory Palace, Anna's apartment wasn't far and lay within walking distance, though the trip took significantly longer than it normally would have as they took different routes to evade patrols and avoid detection. The whole situation between the Verenkovs and the police had devolved into a tense standoff, and neither side knew exactly why they were fighting each other.

It was in the small hours of the morning now and most of the streets were largely empty due to the chaos unfolding just a few blocks away. For the most part, Elsa and Anna were entirely alone as they walked through the city of lights. They passed under an eve to seek some temporary reprieve from the rain, where some holographic women patrolled the empty streets, occasionally flicking in and out of existence as they stuttered along.

"What are those?" Elsa asked as one caught her eye.

It was a nude woman with blue hair whose entire body was composed of formless light. She stepped down from a display set high in the wall and went directly up to Elsa, standing in front of her as if she were tangible and real.

"Targeted ads," Anna replied

She had paused and turned around, observing Elsa as she interacted with the holographic woman in front of her.

The hologram giggled and waved her fingers daintily. "You look a bit lost."

Elsa tentatively returned the wave. "Is she real?"

"I'm as real as you want me to be," the holographic woman smiled.

"No, they're not," Anna said as she stepped up beside the holographic woman and waved her hand through, disrupting some of the illusion in front of her. "See? Just light, and… programming. Numbers and codes, that sort of thing."

"Oh," Elsa murmured, feeling strangely sad for the hologram.

Anna emphasized her point by stepping directly over where the hologram was standing, forming a strange melding of flesh and light as Anna and the other woman moved independently of each other. Anna looked down at herself, inspecting the bizarre union while the hologram laughed serenely and stretched her arms over her head, revealing more of her effervescent form.

Elsa was stunned by the sight, both by the way the hologram continued to move and shift weightlessly yet with lifelike precision, and the way it accentuated Anna's natural features. The holographic woman glowed with pale, blue light, which mixed with and highlighted Anna's crimson locks. Anna's face was lit up by the dim lighting and Elsa noticed for the first time just how soft Anna's skin appeared to be.

She's beautiful, Elsa thought, looking only at Anna.

The hologram then flickered out of existence, leaving only a real woman standing in front of Elsa. In that moment, Elsa recalled Anna's earlier words.

I guess we're all just looking for something real.

Shortly after she had said that, Elsa had reached out and touched Anna's hands with her own. She remembered how warm they felt, how soft her skin was, how they seemed to pulse and throb with the life and energy that flowed through her body. More than that, Elsa recalled the way Anna didn't reject her touch and relished in the moment when she even ran slow circles over her own skin. Elsa smiled at the memory and then felt a desire to reach out and touch Anna then and there, to affirm that she was really there and not just a trick of the light. Elsa raised her hand and slowly extended it outwards, nearly reaching Anna before the red-haired woman suddenly shook herself off.

"Ooh, that felt kind of weird," Anna muttered. "Kinda warm and… tingly, somehow."

Elsa quickly withdrew her hand and instead clasped it over her chest, turning her head down and to the side as she felt embarrassed for herself. Anna either didn't seem to notice or pretended not to notice and merely stared off at something else in the distance. A comfortable silence settled over them, as each of them became lost in their thoughts as they stood in front of each other in the rain.

After a moment, Anna snapped out of her daze and gave Elsa a thin smile. "Are you gonna stand here all night staring at that pretty woman? I mean, she was very pretty."

"I'd rather stare at you," Elsa immediately replied without thinking.

Her mind was still elsewhere, thinking of Anna's hair, her soft skin, and at the moment, the glow of her eyes.

"Uh, heh," Anna chuckled nervously. "E- Elsa did you, er, did you… mean to flirt with me just now?"

"Flirt?" Elsa cocked her head.

"Y- yeah, you just… said you would rather stare at me, it just… sounded, I mean… maybe you meant something else?"

"No," Elsa shook her head. "You are very beautiful."

"See, you just did it again!"

"Did what again?"

"Flirted with me! Are you doing this on purpose?"

"I'm sorry Anna, I still don't know what you mean. It was a statement of fact, I think you are very beautiful."

"Statement of fact… okay, heh," Anna turned away from Elsa. "So you clearly don't know what flirting is, that's okay… it's actually kind of sweet. I mean, it's not like I don't have eyes. I think you're super gorgeous too, but that's… besides the point," she muttered out loud, more likely speaking to herself than Elsa at that moment. "Now I'm going on and on, and I don't even know what we were talking about anymore," she suddenly stopped and turned to face Elsa. "Y- you know what? We should, um, we should stay focused, you know?"

"I didn't mean to offend you," Elsa said as she dipped her head.

Anna rushed forward and grabbed Elsa by the upper part of her arms in a gesture that showed she hadn't taken any offense. "No, no! You didn't offend me, really. It's just… you're so sweet and innocent and thoughtful and you say what you mean, which is really rare for people and I think it's nice but at the same time you're really badass and you make me feel things," she stopped herself then shook her head. "I'm rambling again, we should… wow," she muttered when she realized she was still holding Elsa's arms. "Y- you're really, just… wow," she chuckled as she began to slowly run her hands up and down, feeling Elsa's muscles.

"Anna," Elsa started. "Are you feeling alright?"

Elsa kept a lid on her emotions for she was elated that Anna had initiated contact with her this time. Something about her demeanor when she was flustered and rambling was exceedingly endearing to Elsa and she felt nothing but pure joy in listening to her disjointed thoughts as they tumbled out. Despite the rain and the chill, Elsa felt warmth and happiness, something she had never felt before in her entire existence.

"Hmm?" Anna looked up and blinked several times as if in a daze. "Oh… oh!" she released Elsa and stepped back quickly. "Uh, yes! I'm fine. W- we've wasted too much time here, we should really get going."

"Okay," Elsa smiled. "Following you."

The rest of the short way, Anna didn't speak a word to Elsa and every time they made fleeting eye contact, she would quickly turn away as she became suddenly very interested in her surroundings. It gave Elsa some pause and she worried that she might have offended Anna for she truly was just giving her honest opinion.

I was just saying how I felt, Elsa frowned to herself as she thought it over. Anna is exceptionally attractive, I thought humans enjoyed compliments.

She resolved to push the matter aside for now but hoped to discuss it more in depth with Anna later if she was feeling receptive to it. For now, Elsa tried to placate Anna by giving her a small, bashful smile everytime she glanced in her direction, yet it only appeared to frustrate her further as her cheeks turned as red as her hair.

Anna pushed through the doors to the entrance lobby of the apartment building and swiped her hand over the biometric lock that separated the doors from the elevators. Once it opened, Anna pushed the door open and passed through, hurried along by some unforeseen force that seemed to press her. Elsa didn't think much of it as she joined her by the elevator doors. Anna reached forward and pressed the up button then stood back.

After about a minute, she leaned forward again and started repeatedly mashing the button more irritably until it reached their floor and the doors dinged open to reveal an empty elevator.

"Finally," Anna sighed and stepped through. "Stupid piece of shit elevators never work properly," she grumbled.

Elsa entered after Anna and stood just by her side as she punched in her floor number. The doors groaned as they slid shut and moments later, they were carried upwards. Occasionally, the elevator would lurch and grind and stall for a second before continuing up. Once they reached Anna's floor, the doors slid part way open before grinding to a halt, forcing her to wrench them open as she muttered more expletives under her breath. Elsa was just about to assist when Anna managed to open the doors by placing her back against one with her foot against the other as she pushed.

"There," Anna breathed heavily, then gestured for Elsa to walk through. "Piece of cake… after you."

"Thank you," Elsa said as she stepped through.

She waited for Anna to exit the car, then continued to let her lead as they walked down towards her apartment. After a short trip, Anna paused in front of her door and swiped her hand over another biometric lock.

"Here we are," Anna said as she pushed the door open and stepped through. "Home sweet home."

Elsa followed her in, then once she was clear of the threshold, Anna kicked the door closed, letting it slam shut behind them. She then shook off her boots and immediately went over to her kitchen where she opened a cupboard and retrieved a bottle of whiskey. As she took a long swig, Elsa quietly removed her own boots and set them neatly aside before taking a few tentative steps further into Anna's home.

"Is that what you wanted to come back here for?" Elsa asked as she peered around and examined her surroundings, soaking in all the details and lived-in presence of Anna's home.

Anna held up a finger as she continued to drink, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand once she was done. "What, this? No this is just a… little refresher," she held out the bottle as an offering to Elsa. "Care for a nip?"

"No thank you," Elsa politely declined.

"Suit yourself," Anna shrugged then took another long sip before setting the bottle down. "Alright, I figure that we'll be safe here for the time being and since we aren't going anywhere while the city is locked down, we might as well flake out here until things die down a bit. At least until the morning," she said as she removed her long-coat and tossed it over her couch.

"Reasonable," Elsa nodded in agreement. "What will we do in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, I'm gonna catch some sleep," Anna said as she went over to her bedroom, then paused and turned back to face Elsa. "Err, make yourself at home, I guess. What's mine is yours, mi casa su casa, and all that."

Elsa brightened up at Anna's usage of Spanish. "I didn't know you spoke Spanish."

"What? No… I don't," Anna rubbed her eyes wearily. "T- that's just a saying, I mean it is Spanish, but that's as much Spanish as I know."

"Oh," Elsa deflated somewhat.

"Right, well the, uh, the couch is right there, if you want to sleep," Anna pointed towards the couch then over to another door that stood next to the entrance to her office. "There's another bathroom there, if you need to use it. Fridge has got some food and probably something to drink that isn't alcohol, if you're hungry and uh," she yawned loudly and stretched her arms over her head in her doorframe. "Yeah… I'll see you in the morning, I guess," she mumbled as she turned around and began to close her door.

Anna was clearly falling asleep in place, swaying this way and that as she spoke to Elsa. Rather than keep her up any longer, Elsa decided to let her rest and once morning came, they would resume their journey.

"Goodnight, Anna," Elsa smiled.

"Hmm?" Anna murmured, then peeked out from the edge of her door. "Oh, uh, goodnight… Elsa."

With that, she retreated back into her bedroom and shut the door with a soft click, leaving Elsa standing alone in the silence of Anna's apartment. She wasn't feeling particularly tired, nor hungry yet so she decided to spend her time in the small hours of the morning exploring her home.

Adjacent to Anna's bedroom was her office, which Elsa respectfully stayed out of, though she did peek in. The furnishings inside were bare. There was only a desk with a tall rolling chair behind it while scattered randomly about were empty bottles of alcohol. Between Anna's office and her bedroom was a living room, furnished with a couch and a few dusty shelves that held nothing of interest. Elsa searched for any pictures that could provide further insight and context into Anna's life, but found none. More disquieting was the fact that Anna didn't seem to own any pictures of Nora either.

The sound of a running shower caught Elsa's attention and she turned her head over to the direction of Anna's bedroom. She listened for a short while, then continued her self-guided tour of Anna's apartment as she explored her kitchen. It was a tight and narrow space, containing a fridge, stove and a sink and a few cupboards but not much else. Across the kitchen, on the other side of the entry foyer, was another door that held a simple washer and dryer machine.

It certainly wasn't as awful as many other apartments in New York City and in fact, Anna lived in one of the nicer ones. Rent and cost of living were high of course, but Elsa assumed that Anna must have made enough from her detective business to be able to afford the apartment.

With her tour completed, Elsa returned to the couch where she quietly sat down and placed her hands in her lap. After several minutes, the shower shut off and Elsa could hear Anna stepping out. A strange thought entered her mind then in which she pictured Anna nude as she towelled off her body. She imagined how her red hair might shine, slick as it was from being wet and how her skin would be warm to the touch.

Gooseflesh erupted all over Elsa's arms and she felt herself becoming undoubtedly aroused as she continued to play out the scene in her mind. From her wet hair to her warm skin, Elsa filled in the rest of the blanks by picturing the rest of Anna's body. She had caught a glimpse of Anna's frame from beneath her shirt when she had removed her long-coat, and while she was perhaps a bit thin and wiry, it was still captivating and deeply pleasing to Elsa nonetheless.

A heat was beginning to build between Elsa's thighs, which she understood to be the product of her arousal. While she understood the basics of her anatomy well enough, her understanding was still primarily academic. This was her first real experience with the remarkable feeling of sexual arousal and Elsa started to press her legs together to stoke the small bud growing within her core. In her mind, she continued to imagine Anna and recalled the way her soft hands felt on her skin, as well as the way she had run them up and down her own arms.

A small, rapturous sigh escaped from Elsa lips at the same time the sound of a body collapsing into bed caught her ear. Elsa's eyes snapped open and she hadn't even realized that they were closed as she was brought back down to reality. She remained stock still, and eventually, Anna's snoring could be heard through her bedroom door, indicating that she had fallen fast asleep. Elsa then relaxed and released a shaky breath, allowing her arousal to cool down while she felt a flush of shame.

She remained sitting in the darkness of the living room for a while longer, simply listening to Anna sleep. Elsa turned her head over to her bedroom which was when Anna's long-coat that was left draped over the couch caught her eye. She reached outward to touch it, then hesitated, shooting a careful glance back towards Anna's bedroom door.

She did say to make myself at home, Elsa thought.

Without further hesitation, Elsa reached out and took hold of the garment, bringing it close to herself as she held it to her nose. Elsa took a deep breath and filled her senses with Anna's essence. The most overpowering note that Elsa detected was whiskey, sharp and distinctive. She also detected the faint and acrid scent of gunpowder from the ballistic residue that was left on her coat from whenever she fired her hand cannon. However, beneath it all was something far more tangible and pleasant. Anna's scent was fragrant and slightly spiced, smelling of something like oranges, peach blossoms and cloves. Perhaps it was a perfume or a soap that Anna used, but whatever it was, it was intoxicating.

Elsa breathed deeper and shut her eyes, letting Anna invade every one of her senses. Soon, she suddenly became very tired and rather than fight her fatigue, Elsa let it take her over as Anna's scent guided her to a deep and restful sleep.