The Law of Non-Contradiction
After their shower together, Anna was feeling remarkably better than she had in years. Even so, she was also feeling very drained and exhausted from the bout of physical exertion and as soon as they returned to the medical wing, Anna and Elsa climbed into a clean bed together where they currently lay naked.
Their romp in the shower had been more than just a way to satisfy Anna's physical urges which she had been trying to suppress, as it had been a way for her to attain affirmation that she was no longer dreaming and that she had indeed returned to earth. Anna needed to feel real and tangible, she needed to touch and be touched, to feel and be felt. She had spent so long in that realm of endless sleep that when she finally woke and her sickness had passed, Anna wasn't entirely sure if she had truly woken or just landed in yet another dream. The things she saw down there confused her and more than anything else, Nora's cryptic message remained with her even long after she woke.
Your heart's not in the right place, Anna thought to herself. I still don't get it.
Anna should have been feeling wrong or disgusted with herself at the possibility that she had just had sex with someone who could have been her biological sister by a technicality, but it was just that, a possibility. Anna should have been feeling conflicted with herself and doubtful as to her own feelings, but at the moment, she felt nothing but safety and comfort inside Elsa's arms. It was enough to push those feelings far from Anna's mind as she merely basked in the rare moment of peace she had been able to find. Until she knew for sure, Anna decided to enjoy the blissful ignorance for as long as she could.
She thought she deserved that much at least. A chance for even a modicum of happiness was enough for her to forego caution and reasoning.
The two were huddled up beneath Anna's long-coat, using it as a makeshift blanket. They had no cause to fear any radioactive material still left on the material as it had been passed through three separate decontamination chambers, same as the rest of their gear. Anna and Elsa were lying on their sides facing each other and wrapped in each other's arms. Their journey so far had been harrowing to say the least, so neither of them were in any particular hurry to get out of bed anytime soon.
"Hey," Anna started as she recalled that she had never been able to tend to Elsa in the shower. "I'm sorry about, err… not being able to reciprocate back there, you know? It's just… well after you made me- I mean, after all that, it just really took it out of me. Believe me, I would have, I- I just didn't think I would be that tired, and I mean I really like to would have," she frowned and looked off to the side. "Like to would have? Is that even correct?"
Elsa, who had been lying with her eyes closed, opened them as soon as she heard Anna's voice and gave her signature crooked, dimpled smile. She giggled as Anna fumbled to form her response and looked at her adoringly as Anna pressed on.
"Whatever. T- the point is, when we do it again, I mean… if we do it again, that is if you want to. I definitely want to, but that's… I'm getting off track," Anna took a deep breath to stop her rambling then turned back to face Elsa. "What I'm really trying to say is… I would really love… to make you feel good as well."
"It's alright, Anna. I understand," Elsa chuckled. "I suspected that was the reason, I just didn't think I could have such a profound effect on you."
"Well you did and it was awesome."
"I'm glad. And of course," Elsa turned away and suddenly looked shy. "I would also love to do it again with you."
"Oh," Anna looked surprised then immeasurably satisfied. "Cool!"
Elsa beamed and stole a quick kiss from Anna's lips. Not one to be outdone, Anna cupped Elsa's face and deepened the kiss, nibbling on her lip and sliding her tongue across at the same time.
"Very cool," Elsa muttered when they broke off.
Anna laughed again and when she thought about it, she couldn't even remember the last time she had truly laughed this much in a single day.
"As long as we're talking about it," Anna started as she reached over and twisted a strand of Elsa's white hair around her fingers. "I wanted to ask, where did you learn all that stuff?"
"What stuff?" Elsa asked innocently.
"You know what I'm talking about. All that stuff with your tongue and fingers."
"Oh. I didn't learn it anywhere."
"Bullshit."
"It's very naturally intuitive."
"You said that about driving."
"I did."
"Are… are you really comparing sex with me to driving a truck?"
"No, not at all. The truck handled better than you did," Elsa grinned slyly.
Anna gasped from shock, then broke into a fit of bubbly laughter at Elsa's crude joke. "Elsa!" she punched her lightly on the arm. "You actually made a funny joke, you're getting really good at that."
"It's nothing," Elsa said as she stretched languidly. "I was only designed to be better than humans in every single way," she said nonchalantly "But if I may, I'd also like to ask you something now."
"Oh?" Anna propped herself up one elbow. "Shoot."
Elsa said nothing at first and instead she leaned in and gently traced the thin white scar on Anna's left side above her hip. "What happened to you?" she asked in a tone that was heartbreakingly soft and tender.
"Ah, those," Anna murmured as she adjusted her position."Well, this one, I got when I was stabbed by some punk back in LA over a can of beans," she pointed to the scar above her hip."This one's… what was it? A scattergun, oh yeah. Nicked the edge of my thigh and left this nasty burn," she said as she lifted her right leg and pointed towards it. "And this one up here is from a flechette," she sighed deeply and looked at Elsa with a gloomy expression. "I got that one on the day that… well, you already know by now."
Elsa nodded solemnly and at first she appeared to struggle to form any words. She soon abandoned the attempt and instead, she shifted downwards and placed a delicate kiss on the burn mark on Anna's thigh. Next, Elsa did the same with a scar above her hip and then again on her shoulder before finally reaching up and placing a final kiss on the latest addition to her collection of scars on her cheek.
"I'm sorry," Elsa murmured quietly.
Anna pulled up Elsa's left hand to return the same gesture to the scar on her palm. "Me too," she whispered.
How could I have ever hated her? Anna asked herself as she was overcome by a sudden rush of guilt. I was so awful to her when we first met.
Anna's expression turned serious as she shot up from bed and rubbed her eyes as if to block out the shame she felt. In her mind, she once again recalled Nora's message.
Your heart's not in the right place.
"Anna, are you alright?" Elsa asked as she rose along with Anna, concern etched onto her face.
"Yeah, yeah," Anna sighed heavily then turned to face Elsa. "I just… I never said I was sorry."
Elsa frowned and looked confused. "Didn't you just?"
"No, no, I don't mean that. I'm talking about… when we first met. I never apologized for being so awful to you."
"Ah, I see," Elsa murmured. "Well, you don't have to. I understand why you-"
"No, not this time," Anna cut her off with a wave of her hand. "You don't get to be all understanding… and caring… a- and just so goddamn… fucking considerate. Just- would you just listen to me?"
Elsa nodded.
"When we first met, you pulled me out of that wreck and you saved my life. And then when you told me that you were an android, I just… I don't know. All I could think about was just how much of my life had been ruined because of them, so I guess I… I put some of that hatred on you and that wasn't fair. I was just… horrible to you and the only thing I wanted at the time was to just get rid of you and… collect my reward. To me, you were just another job. It helped me to think that way, for a long time that's how I always worked. Don't ask questions, don't get involved, just do the job and get paid."
Elsa looked away, but Anna could see her eyes had started to glisten with tears. As much as it hurt her and as much as it hurt Anna, Elsa needed to hear the truth. Anna didn't think she was a good person, she didn't even think she was a decent person. But now, she had an opportunity to try. To try and do the right thing and set matters straight.
"The only thing I wanted was to get rid of you, and I almost did," Anna turned her head to the side and cursed herself. "You almost went back to those evil bastards, they… they would have tortured you again, they would have tossed your mind back inside the blender and you know what? It would have been my fault. I thought I could live with that, but… I can't."
Anna hated herself every second she bore her soul to Elsa, but she carried on anyways. Even when tears blurred her vision and all she could do was look at the white-haired woman for comfort and guidance.
"I was just so… angry, I guess. I still am, for what they did to Nora. Even when you saved my life over and over, even when you risked yours just to help me… I couldn't look past it. I saw you, and I just saw everything that had ever been taken from me. But that's not who you are and it's not what you are."
Anna reached out with her hand and cupped Elsa's cheek to turn it towards herself so that they could look upon each other.
"You're good. Really good and you're better than I could ever hope to be. Hell, you're better than a lot of people living today. That's who you are to me, Elsa. You're human and you're real. I didn't see that first, I don't think I even wanted to believe that. But I was wrong… and I am… so… so… sorry, Elsa," Anna said as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I hurt you. I wish I could take it all back, I do. If I could change everything… I didn't know how hard your life was. I didn't know what you've been through, what they… what they did to you. If I had… I never would have… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Anna let go of Elsa's face and let her hand fall limply to her lamp as she turned away. She couldn't face Elsa any longer. She couldn't face the selflessness and kindness of the woman who had been her salvation. Anna felt undeserving and worthy of the grace and happiness that Elsa had delivered unconditionally to her life without fail time and time again.
"Anna," Elsa said in a shaky voice. "It's okay. Anna?"
"I'm sorry," was all Anna could repeat over and over again.
The next thing Elsa said brought the rest of Anna's walls crashing down.
"Oh, my Anna."
With that, Elsa lunged forward and seized Anna into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around Anna's back and brought their bodies together, pressing them as close to each other as physically possible.
Anna had been caught off guard by the gesture, but she welcomed it nonetheless as she buried her face in Elsa's shoulder and wept. Once again, Elsa had proven that her capacity for compassion surpassed even the best of anyone in the world today, becoming something distinctively human and then transcending it. In a world of darkness and despair, Elsa had now become to Anna a vessel of light and hope; a being that was simply pure and good who lifted Anna up from the depths of her despair.
She had lived for so long putting up walls and shutting the world out to become unfeeling and unmoving as a defense mechanism, that she couldn't ever fathom being as vulnerable with someone ever again or caring about someone as much as she had now become attached to Elsa. It was Elsa that brought out the best in Anna, a side that she herself had long forgotten about. It was Elsa who had melted the ice in Anna's heart and showed her that it was possible to live, and to hope, and to dream.
Elsa pulled back and lifted Anna's face, cupping her cheeks so that they could look at each other eye to eye. She was crying as well, but said nothing more as neither of them could summon up any words that could accurately describe what they now felt for each other. Instead, Elsa leaned forward and the grace of her forgiveness that she bestowed upon Anna was made clear when she planted a tender kiss on her forehead.
Afterward, Elsa simply held Anna in her arms and gently drew her back down to bed. There, Anna laid her head to rest on Elsa's chest and listened to the steady beating of her heart while Elsa ran her hands soothingly through Anna's hair.
Eventually, fatigue overtook them both and they soon fell asleep.
… … …
A few hours later, Anna was awoken by the grumbling of her own stomach. She opened her eyes and scowled, which quickly vanished into a pleasant expression as she recalled where she was. Beneath her, Elsa remained peacefully asleep, breathing in and out evenly while she pouted slightly.
Guess my heart's in the right place now, Anna thought as she smiled to herself.
She leaned up and kissed Elsa gently on her pouting lips, which was when the white-haired woman also woke from her slumber.
"Good… uh, whatever, I guess," Anna greeted. "I don't actually know what time it is, heh," she chuckled.
Elsa smiled wide and bright, then glanced around. "Hmm, it's roughly past midday I think."
"How do you know?" Anna asked.
"The lights are keyed to a day and night cycle," Elsa replied. "I had plenty of time to become familiar with it."
"Right," Anna mumbled, recalling that she had spent the past several days in a stupor and completely oblivious to her surroundings.
"How are you feeling?" Elsa asked as she snuggled closer to Anna and laid the back of her hand on her forehead. "I'd say your fever is gone now."
"Better," Anna smiled and shut her eyes as she leaned into Elsa's touch. "A lot better, actually. I'm a bit hungry though, I could eat. How are you holding up?"
"I'm the happiest I've ever been," Elsa smiled earnestly and unreservedly after which she slipped out of bed. "I'll just get our things, you stay here," she said as she started walking away.
"Sure," Anna said serenely as she laid back down and enjoyed the view of Elsa's rear sashaying side to side as she walked away.
A few moments later, Elsa returned with their clothing and bags then set them on the floor near the bed.
"What's left to eat?" Anna asked, craving some actual solid food instead of the awful sustenance paste she had been living off of for the past few days.
"Not much," Elsa replied. "We should have enough to last the journey back if we spread our meals thin. Right now, you have the option of a can of tuna, or some pineapples. We also have a bit of the bread left and some water."
"I'll take anything," Anna sighed. "I'm just glad to finally be eating something else other than that awful paste. Blech," she made a face and shuddered at the memory of the taste that still lingered unpleasantly in her mind.
Elsa smiled. "I thought so. We'll have the tuna then, you could use the protein. First, we should get dressed."
As they got ready, Elsa reached into her bag and produced the bracelet for Anna's omni-pad and held it out. "Before I forget, I imagine you'll want this back. It was the only part of your left hand that wasn't damaged."
"Always a silver lining to everything isn't there?"Anna gratefully accepted the device from Elsa then strapped it to the wrist of her cybernetic arm. "Good thing too, now I don't have to buy a new one. Thanks, Elsa."
"You're very welcome."
Once they finished getting dressed, they set out their meal and quietly had the tuna with the last of the bread, then washed it all down with a drink of water. After they ate, they began to pack up their gear as they prepared to depart the medical wing.
"So," Anna started. "I don't think I brought it up yet, but we're really here aren't we? At Gjallarbru?"
"Yes," Elsa nodded. "It's strange though. We've been here almost a week and yet, it feels like no time has passed at all.
Anna straightened up and remembered that Elsa hadn't once left her side at all throughout the entire time that she was bedridden. She felt a mixture of conflicting emotions then, chief among which was surprise that Elsa didn't seem to be at all concerned about finding the answers she spent her entire life searching for especially when they were literally within reach. Anna was also heartwarmed beyond measure that Elsa was willing to forego them just for the sake of her health, but she also felt an equal amount of guilt for having to cause such a serious delay.
Gjallarbru - which had literally cost Anna a hand to get to - contained everything they needed. For reasons as of yet unknown to them, the entire facility was abandoned despite the treasure trove of supplies and useful equipment it contained.
"Do you think we'll find answers here? Where do we even begin looking?" Anna asked.
"The android research wing," Elsa replied. "There's no other reasonable place that the data on Project SNOW would have been kept."
"Android research," Anna repeated softly then turned to Elsa. "Well, they better have some answers. It almost cost me an arm and a leg to get here!" she grinned and waved her cybernetic hand.
Elsa sighed. "Are you going to keep doing that?"
"Yup," Anna giggled then rose and shouldered her bag. "Shall we?" she asked, imitating Elsa's query for whenever they were about to proceed.
"We shall," Elsa replied, smiling.
Finally - after a lengthy but much needed delay - Anna and Elsa departed from the medical wing. They passed through the decontamination chamber a final time before returning to the massive, circular foyer from before. Anna hadn't seen the size and scale of Gjallarbru when they entered, so she took a moment now to fully absorb the immaculate yet empty facility.
"Wow," Anna said in wonder as they approached the center of the foyer. "This place is huge! Makes you wonder why they all decided to leave."
"Perhaps not all of them," Elsa said cryptically.
Anna glanced over and noticed that Elsa's expression had turned rather dour and serious.
"What do you mean?" Anna asked as she stopped and fixed Elsa with a puzzled look.
"When I first brought you here, there was no way in. There was only a camera watching me and I was desperate, so I spoke to it and somebody must have heard because they opened the door."
"Well, if they let us in, where are they? Why haven't they tried to contact us?"
"I don't know, but that's not all. It seems that whoever let us in also wanted to test me."
"Test you?"
Elsa nodded and gestured in an arc to all the doorways that led to different sectors of Gjallarbru, all of which save for the medical wing and android research were currently locked down. "As soon as I brought you in here, all other sectors were locked save for these two," she pointed to the medical wing and android research which lay directly across from it. "I can't imagine something like that happened by accident, so whoever heard me outside also wanted to see what I would do. Choose between you, or the answers I wanted."
Anna was once again completely dumbfounded by Elsa's relentless selflessness and devotion. As if it wasn't clear enough already, Elsa consistently displayed a remarkable depth of emotion and capacity for empathy and humanity. It was so earnest that it ironically made her more human than most people.
I don't deserve you, Anna thought.
"It was hardly a choice," Elsa said softly as she met Anna's gaze. "I chose you."
"Elsa… I- I mean, I can't even think of anything to say," Anna mumbled.
They both remained silent for a moment until curiosity got the better of Anna and she looked up at Elsa again.
"What exactly did you say to them?"
Elsa seemed to be put off by Anna's question as her expression turned even more gloomy and she looked away, unable to maintain eye contact. "I… it- it's not important. What's done is done and you're alive. That's all that matters."
Anna felt something unpleasant twist around in her heart at the realization that Elsa was hiding something. Something that she didn't want to, or simply couldn't talk about just yet.
"Elsa, you can tell me. What did you say to them? It must be really important if it was enough to convince them to let us in here."
"Anna, please…" Elsa said as her lip trembled. "I… I can't talk about it, not right now. Can we go?"
It bothered Anna to see how much stress she was putting Elsa under, especially now after they had become so attached to each other, so she decided to drop the issue for now. "Okay… tell me about it later?"
Elsa turned to face Anna and nodded her head while smiling valiantly. Still, Anna could see that there was still pain behind Elsa's eyes.
"I will," Elsa said shakily then gestured towards their goal. "Come on, we're nearly there."
Anna stared after Elsa for a moment as she began walking away, then shook her head in an attempt to make some of the unease growing within her heart go away. She fell in step beside Elsa and together, they made their way towards the android research sector. Still, she couldn't help but wonder about what Elsa said to their mysterious benefactor.
Corpos aren't the type to do anything for free out of the goodness of their heart. Especially if it came to letting us into a secret bunker in the middle of nowhere filled to the brim with useful goodies, Anna thought. No, Elsa must have offered them something… made a deal of some kind, but what?
That line of thought gave Anna pause as further questions were raised in her mind.
What could Elsa have to offer? VanirCorp wouldn't be interested in credits, the only thing they want is… no…
Anna suppressed a shudder from the awful implication as she felt a pit of dread form in her heart. If Elsa had indeed offered herself in exchange for the mere opportunity to save Anna's life, it would certainly explain why she had suddenly become so cagey about the topic. It was still just a thought and Anna clung to the hope that since for the moment nobody had yet come to apprehend Elsa, there was still some other explanation that would clarify everything.
Well, even if that's what she did, I won't let them take her. Nobody is ever going to hurt her again, I swear.
Neither of them spoke as they approached the doorway to android research, which opened as they approached and revealed an unremarkable elevator. Anna and Elsa entered and as soon as they did, the elevator began to descend without any action required on their part.
Anna cleared her throat nervously then turned towards Elsa. "Let's hope this goes better than our last elevator ride, huh?" she joked, attempting to bring some levity to the tense silence that had settled upon them.
Elsa looked over to Anna and gave a half-hearted smile, which vanished quickly as soon as she looked away.
For the rest of the way down, Anna alternated between shuffling on her feet uncomfortably and glancing at Elsa from the corner of her eye. Elsa simply kept her gaze forward the entire time, standing eerily still and remaining frustratingly quiet. Eventually, after descending for what felt like multiple floors, they came to a stop and the elevator doors opened before them, permitting them entry to android research.
The first sight that greeted them was a scene of chaos.
They were standing in a large, rectangular chamber. Dried blood, bullet holes, and scorch marks adorned the walls, floor, and ceiling everywhere they looked. Across the way, lights flickered on and off intermittently, and structural damage left exposed wiring from wall panels and ceiling tiles that had fallen loose. The most disconcerting thing above all else though, was how eerily quiet it was. A silence which was compacted and amplified in the subterranean complex.
"What the hell happened here?" Anna asked slowly.
Elsa scanned the grim scenery around them, then she turned her head to face Anna. "I don't know… but maybe this explains why there's nobody here."
"Maybe," Anna nodded.
She went over to a dark, red bloodstain smeared across the crisp white flooring and knelt to examine it. Whoever had died there had been clearly dragged away, but it had happened a long time ago. The bloodstains were old and dried while the scorch marks were cold. It was much the same tale anywhere else that Anna looked, but it didn't provide any further answers, only more questions.
"Whatever did happen here, happened a while ago."
"Which means this facility has been abandoned for quite some time," Elsa added. "But that doesn't explain why the power is still on."
"And it doesn't tell us why we haven't seen any signs of a fight anywhere else. Hmm… I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Elsa withdrew her sidearm. "Do you still have your gun?"
"I do," Anna replied as she reached for her hand cannon. "Let's go, careful like."
Together, the pair set off further into the android research sector, passing beyond the initial rectangular chamber and into a series of long corridors and hallways. As they progressed further in, they found more and more scenes of carnage but curiously, there were no corpses to be seen anywhere.
They eventually came upon a reception area where at the far end, they spotted a humanoid figure with its back turned to them, standing at a desk with its head bowed and out of sight. For whatever reason, it appeared the figure was unaware of the state of the facility and working diligently away at a terminal.
"There's someone over there," Elsa whispered as they carefully approached the reception desk.
Anna nodded, then gave each of the corners on either side of them a quick check as they headed into the reception area. "I see them," she replied. "But what are they doing here?"
"Perhaps they need help," Elsa said, then lowered her sidearm as she approached the desk.
"Elsa, no no wait-"
"Hello? Hello, can you hear me?"
The figure standing at the desk immediately whirled around at the sound of Elsa's voice, revealing it to be not a person at all, but an android. Much of its synthetic skin had been peeled away from its body, revealing the metal endoskeleton beneath and an expressionless face that partially exposed the skull.
"H- hell- hello, and w- welcome to Gjalllar- Gjallarbru," the android jittered in place and it's speech modules were clearly glitching. "Ho- how may I a- assis- assist you toda- today?"
Anna and Elsa backed away reflexively from the malfunctioning android at the same time it started advancing upon them. The android walked around the reception desk, spasming periodically as it quickened its pace and reached out with its arms towards Elsa with murderous intent.
"Uh," Anna took aim with her hand cannon and continued backing away. "I don't think this thing wants to assist us."
"It's malfunctioning," Elsa said. "Maybe we can-"
The android let out a shrill, metallic screech as it suddenly leapt towards Elsa, arms outreached and aiming for her throat. Anna shouted in alarm and attempted to fire, but Elsa reacted more quickly. She grabbed the android from out of the air, then held it out at arms length while the thing reached and swiped for her face. Unable to engage with it any further, Elsa decommissioned the android by slamming it on the ground and then stomped on its face.
The upper half of it's head above the jaw exploded beneath Elsa's boot while metal parts and circuitry alike spilled across the ground. The android twitched for a few seconds longer and its voice became significantly more distorted until it finally fell still and silent.
"Woah," Anna murmured, both in awe of Elsa's strength and at the malfunctioning android. "Jesus, what the hell was that about?"
"Anna, look," Elsa pointed towards the hands of the android. "It's hands… they're covered in blood."
Anna felt a shiver down her spine as one piece of the puzzle slipped into place. "Okay… okay… that's not good."
"This android must have hurt someone."
"Couldn't be the only one," Anna straightened up and examined their surroundings. "I'm thinking a whole bunch of them must have gone haywire. Just look at this place."
"I think you're right," Elsa said softly, then went around the desk towards the terminal the android was working at. "Let's see if we can learn anything from this terminal."
Anna joined Elsa by her side and watched as she interfaced with the display. The most recent file was the one that the android was working on, which was a text document containing only one phrase which they both read aloud.
The devil finds work for idle hands.
The devil finds work for idle hands.
The devil finds work for idle hands.
On and on that phrase was repeated for what could have been several weeks. Whatever else beyond murder that android had been doing, it had clearly devoted the remainder of its time to typing that phrase repteaedly for however long since the as of yet unknown incident had occurred.
"Well… that's creepy as hell," Anna shuddered.
"There must be something that can point us in the right direction," Elsa said. "Project SNOW, they must have stored the data here somewhere. We just need to find out where it is."
Elsa flicked through a few more screens until she brought up a search menu. She typed Project SNOW, which then produced a single result.
"Here it is!" Elsa exclaimed as she tapped on the result, which brought up a map of the entire android research sector. "I can't access the data from here, but it looks like it's kept in the archives."
"Aaaaaand why do I get the feeling this is going to be as easy as the hospital was?" Anna asked sarcastically.
Elsa glanced over to Anna and smirked. "You're welcome to stay here if you wish."
"What, while you go off and kick robotic ass without me?" Anna scoffed and then started walking away. "Like that's gonna happen."
She went around the reception desk then just before she turned a corner, she crouched and peered around the side. Behind her, Elsa crept up alongside Anna then hovered above her as she poked her head around the same corner to survey the next hallway which was empty. A faint metallic voice could be heard speaking aloud to itself which was also accompanied by a steady and rhythmic scraping sound from the far end past a junction.
Quietly, Anna and Elsa made their way over and as they approached, the metallic voice became clearer. They came upon another android by itself, standing in place in the middle of a pile of twisted wires as it attempted to sweep the mess aside with the sharpened end of a broken broom.
"Oh dear, what mess. Need to tidy," the android repeated over and over to itself.
Knowing better to approach an android now, Anna and Elsa both hung back as they observed the lifeless automaton struggle on with its futile task. From their distance, they could see that like the previous android, it was an older model that was simply a metal endoskeleton draped in synthetic skin. It's appearance was worn and dirty and from the jittery unstable nature of its movements, this one was also malfunctioning.
"What should we do?" Elsa whispered.
Anna crouched down and picked up a chunk of debris and before peeking around once more. "We don't know how many of those things are down here, so let's try and keep it quiet for now. I'm gonna draw it away and soon as it moves off, we'll slip past."
Elsa nodded. "Alright. Good idea."
Hefting the chunk of debris in her hand, Anna glanced down the opposite corridor of the junction, then tossed it with enough force to cause a noticeable noise which drew the sweeping android's attention.
"Something amiss?" the android asked aloud as it whirled around and stared in the direction of the noise.
A few tense seconds passed as Anna and Elsa ducked behind an alcove and waited.
"This could require my attention," the android said as it began making its way over to the other corridor.
Anna and Elsa remained out of sight as the android passed them by, then as soon as it was clear they quietly slipped out of their hiding place and quickly crept down the opposite hallway. They didn't stop until they were well beyond sight and earshot of the sweeping android, continuing ahead in search of the archives. The next area they came upon was a large area filled with various labs and offices, connected to each other by wide hallways.
All around them, androids could be seen or heard carrying about their routine business, completely unaware of the state of the facility. Some were engaged in useless maintenance work, while others were armed and roamed about on patrol.
"Well, we knew this wouldn't be easy," Anna murmured as they crouched behind a stack of crates and took stock of their situation. "What are you thinking?"
Elsa frowned. "We should avoid combat as much as possible, so I would advise stealth for now."
"Glad we're on the same page then," Anna peeked over the crates to scan the immediate area and once she found that it was clear, she cocked her head to Elsa. "Come on, it's clear."
Together, they snuck their way forward, dipping out of sight whenever an errant android crossed their path. Anna didn't have the slightest clue on where to go, but she knew they were headed in the right direction when they passed through a wide doorway with a sign to the side that pointed towards the archives.
Beyond the doorway, they passed through a suite of offices when suddenly, a string of voices became audible both in front of and behind them as a retinue of androids approached. If they didn't move soon, they would surely be discovered.
"Shit!" Anna whisper-yelled as she swept her gaze around, searching for an escape route. "What do we do?"
Acting fast, Elsa went off to the side where she found a vent cover and quickly but quietly opened it. "In here," she pointed towards the vent. "Hurry!"
Anna went in first, followed by Elsa who slid the vent cover back into place just seconds before a group of androids appeared. As they crossed paths, they addressed each other with garbled lines of pre-recorded dialogue.
"Plea- p- pleasant afternoon we- we're havin- having, isn't it?"
"-deed- indeed. Carry on."
Inside the vent, Anna released a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one," she turned around and started crouch walking through the vent as Elsa brought up the rear. "Good spot with the vent, Elsa. Don't know what could have happ- oh."
From the faint light inside the vent, Anna could see a dried smear that stretched away into the darkness. To get a better look, she turned on the light of her omni-pad and immediately found an old bloodstain which they were now on top of.
"What is it?" Elsa asked from behind.
"Uh… some unlucky fella who had the same idea as us apparently," Anna replied.
Unable to turn back, Anna and Elsa continued crawling their way through the vents until they came upon the distinctive stench of decay. Just a little further ahead, they entered a section of the vent which widened out and offered enough room for them to stand, which was where they also found the source of the stench.
The corpse was dressed in a scientist's lab coat and from its state of decay, there was no telling whether it was male or female. It was curled up in a far corner and nearby its outstretched hand was a data pad which Anna picked up and began to read.
Shit.
This is un-fuckin-real. Not even an hour since the patch went online and something has gone seriously wrong. Andys were supposed to get a software update, but whoever was in charge of it royally fucked up. The patch must have overridden their safety and obedience protocols because as soon as it went live, they went batshit and started massacring everyone.
One of the bastards nearly gutted me with the end of a broken broom. A fucking broom! I managed to get away and hide inside this vent, but I don't know how long I can stay here. I think I saw Erica and some of the others barricade themselves inside the head offices. She's got the only overseer's key to override the lockdown, but now they're trapped. I have no idea where the security team is and we just got word from corporate for everyone to head to the living quarters and wait there for rescue.
I can still hear the screaming…
I'll stay here and see if I can't plug up this hole somehow. When I'm ready, I'll try and join up with the others.
"Jesus," Anna muttered once she finished reading the entry on the data pad.
"What is it?" Elsa asked.
"The androids, something went wrong with them. Sounds like they killed most of the staff, which explains all the blood."
"Hmm," Elsa looked pensive then turned away from the corpse. "That is troubling."
Anna set down the data pad. "Do you think any of them are still alive? This guy mentioned that some of the staff locked themselves inside their offices."
"Doubtful. Whatever happened here must have happened weeks ago."
"Yeah, you're right. We should keep our eyes peeled for any more data pads like this, maybe we can learn more."
"Agreed."
Setting off once more, Anna and Elsa departed from the scientist's resting place and entered another vent duct. They crawled through, turning this way and that as the vent led towards an empty lab. Anna paused at the vent cover, peering outwards carefully to ensure they were alone before she quietly crept out with Elsa, who shut it behind her.
The lab around them was quiet, still, and bathed in complete darkness. Slowly, the pair moved forward to reach a door that led to a hall beyond when suddenly, just as Anna turned the corner of a table, a metal hand reached out from below and grabbed her by the ankle.
An android with its legs shattered had apparently been lying completely still on standby when Anna had practically tripped over it. She gasped in surprise, then reflexively took aim at the android with her hand cannon.
"Naughty, naughty," the android quipped as it reached up with its other hand and twisted Anna's right hand painfully, causing her to cry out in pain and drop her weapon.
Disarmed, Anna reared back her left fist and struck the android directly in the face, denting its skeletal visage.
"You are becoming hysterical," the android said as it started to climb up Anna's torso, attempting to reach her throat to throttle her. "Please, calm down. Allow me to help you."
Anna strained beneath the added weight and repeatedly struck the android in the face with her metal fist when Elsa stepped in and wrenched the android off of her. Once the hing was off Anna, she tossed it against the far wall. The android slammed against its back with enough force to dent the panelling and fell to the floor, where it immediately began crawling to the pair with frightening speed for something with disabled legs. Before it reached them, Anna retrieved her hand cannon and stomped on the thing's back to keep it pinned in place. She then placed the barrel of her weapon against the android's head and fired twice, finally killing it.
"Are you alright, Anna?" Elsa asked.
Anna waved away her concern. "Yeah, just dandy. That was probably a mistake though."
As if one cue, other androids spoke out in alarm as they heard the gunshots and began to converge on their location. Footsteps along with scratchy, metallic voices drew closer and soon, Anna and Elsa would have a fight on their hands.
"No choice now," Elsa readied her sidearm. "Let's clear a path to the archives."
Seizing the initiative, they departed from the lab and as soon as they stepped out, Anna and Elsa turned in different directions to gun down the androids approaching them. Most of them were armed with basic tools such as hammers and wrenches while one in particular carried a sharpened broom stick handle that was covered in dried blood. As soon as they spotted the pair, the androids began to speak in their unsettling and malevolently friendly manner.
"Now, now. There's no need for this."
"Yo- your presence has been lo- l- logged."
"Do you have a permit for that firearm?"
"D- don't e- be shy."
Together, Anna and Elsa opened fire immediately upon the androids before they could draw close enough to strike with their improvised melee weapons. Anna dropped two by double tapping them, placing a shot in their chest then their head in quick succession before she had to reload. As she did that, Elsa dispatched of another three androids advancing on her from the other side by first kneecapping them to slow them down before destroying them with a final headshot.
With nothing around now but piles of scrap metal, Anna finished reloading then turned towards Elsa who was scanning around for further threats.
"All clear," Anna sighed.
"For now," Elsa replied as she turned to face Anna, exposing her back for just a second.
Anna spotted another android as it appeared behind Elsa, then acted quickly when she saw the plasma scattergun it was holding.
"Elsa, look out!" Anna exclaimed as she grabbed her and dove backwards.
They landed together in a heap, with Elsa on top of Anna and having ducked just in time to avoid a barrage of superheated plasma bolts that soared over their heads, singing the wall behind them. Before the android could fire again, Elsa shot off the arm holding the scattergun, then finished it off by shooting it through the chest.
"Good shot," Anna said as they watched the android crumple to the ground.
Elsa smiled and looked down at Anna, still straddling her. "Good save."
Anna noticed their current situation and grinned. As much as she wanted to linger there for a while longer, it was hardly the place nor the time to do so. Elsa rose first, then helped Anna to her feet after which she went over and retrieved the fallen scattergun. With her new armament, Elsa led way the forward as the pair continued towards the archives.
Along the way, the encountered two more androids armed with tools advancing upon them.
"Do y- you have an -ment ap- appointment?"
"You really shouldn't be here."
Elsa blasted the two apart with her scattergun, peppering them with bolts of plasma which ignited their endoskeletons and melted their internal components. They stumbled forward a few more steps, uttering highly distorted speech then collapsed into burning heaps of slag. As Elsa racked the pump, more androids appeared in front of her which she started to deal with.
In all the commotion, another android appeared from behind Anna, limping on a broken foot and dragging a fire axe over the ground behind it. Anna heard the sound and spun just in time to see the android rearing back its arms as it prepared to swing. Ducking, Anna evaded the blow that otherwise would have taken off her head. The android stumbled and became unbalanced from overswinging, giving Anna an opportunity to step in close and pry the axe free from its grip aided by the strength of her cybernetic arm. With the android defenseless, Anna raised the axe high over her head and brought it crashing down, embedding it deep in its shoulder.
The android stumbled back and glanced at the axe in its shoulder, then glared at Anna. "Tsk tsk tsk. Now that was rude."
Anna followed up by leaning back as she extended a foot outwards, kicking the android away and prying the axe free from its shoulder. Opting to save her ammunition, she swung out with the axe in a wide and savage arc.
"YeeeaaAAAGH!" Anna roared as the blow caught the android by the neck and decapitated it completely, sending its head up into the air before it plopped back down on the floor.
That one fight alone had nearly winded her and yet, Anna could see at least two more androids in a better state of approaching her with speed. From behind her, she could still hear Elsa letting off salvos of bolts with her scattergun, but at the moment Anna was busy and could not assist her. Mustering up a bit more energy, Anna lifted the axe high above her head once more and tossed it outwards, spinning end over end until it struck one of the androids square in the face. It didn't have the effect that she intended, as only the blunt end of the handle struck the android but it worked in knocking it over.
With one currently disabled, Anna withdrew her hand cannon and dropped the second one before returning her attention to the first and disposing of it in the same manner.
Meanwhile, ahead of them Elsa was firing shell after shell with her scattergun and unloading plasma bolts into an oncoming group of androids. A considerable number of them already lay on the ground in smoking piles of burnt metal, but at least half a dozen remained as they advanced towards them. She was able to drop three more which was precisely when her scattergun ran out of ammunition.
Elsa tossed the scattergun aside and withdrew her sidearm, emptying the rest of her last magazine into another android. With no more bullets to fire and nothing to use but her fists, Elsa flipped her sidearm around in her hand so that she gripped by the barrel, then swung out with the grip pointed out and caught an android in the side of the head, embedding it there. Next, she kicked its legs out from underneath and stepped on its neck to pin it down, ripping off one of its legs as she did so. With her new bludgeon, Elsa turned around and blocked a fist aimed at her face, then beat the final android repeatedly until it was reduced to useless metal.
In the time that Elsa had been doing that, Anna finally got a chance to turn around now that there were no more threats. Anna caught sight of Elsa just as she finished beating the android to death with the leg of another. When she was done, she tossed the thing away and retrieved her sidearm, then looked over at Anna.
All around, over a dozen androids lay dead before them.
"Holy shit," Anna bent over to catch her breath, then pointed between Elsa and the androids lying at her feet. "Did you do all that?" she panted.
"I did," Elsa replied nonchalantly.
Anna nodded, unsurprised, and looked around at the carnage. "I think, uh… think that may be all of them."
Not willing to chance another encounter by lingering, Anna and Elsa set off at a renewed pace, exploring the rest of the android research sector until they found a wide stairwell that led further underground. Once they descended deeper into the earth, they came upon a circular sort of antechamber where at the far end lay a thick blast door set in a wall of reinforced concrete. Next to it was a terminal that controlled the doors and permitted entry to the archives beyond.
There, they swept through the antechamber to check for any further danger, then once they were assured that they were alone, Anna went up to the blast doors and laid her hand on it. At the same time, Elsa went over to the terminal and began interfacing with it.
"This has got to be it," Anna said as she glanced over to Elsa. "Any luck?"
Elsa frowned as she attempted to open the door, which only produced a flashing red display. "Damn it!" she swore for the second time, which surprised Anna once more. "This door won't open without the overseer's key," she sighed then started to pace rapidly back and forth, much like Anna did whenever she was feeling frustrated.
Even if Elsa was doing an excellent job of hiding her emotions, Anna could clearly tell that she was nearing an outburst as she had never seen Elsa in this state before. All the signs that pointed towards numbness and impassivity were what actually gave Elsa away. Her face was set into stone, but her lower lip was trembling nearly imperceptibly. Her eyes which were usually sharp and alert were glazed and unfocused. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, but Anna could see they were shaking. Finally, the pattern of Elsa's pacing was rigid and static, taking the exact same number of steps before turning to the right by 180 degrees each time to repeat the process.
"Hey," Anna said as she stepped forward and gently took hold of Elsa's hands, stopping her in place. "It's okay, Elsa. Really, we'll find the key. It has to be here somewhere."
"We… we're so close," Elsa muttered as her gaze refocused on Anna.
Anna smiled reassuringly and cupped Elsa's cheek. "I know. We made it this far, right? Let's just push a little further."
Elsa leaned into Anna's touch and smiled warmly. "Okay," she nodded.
"Come on. That dead scientist mentioned the overseer's key was in the head offices, so let's head there."
"Following you."
Backtracking from the archives, Anna and Elsa retraced their route back through the labs then turned down another hallway they hadn't explored yet. That one led towards another stairwell that went upwards, leading towards the suite of head offices where the staff had apparently locked themselves in. If any of them remained alive, none of them called out to the pair as they swept through the offices.
The only thing to find as they went through was overturned furniture, shattered glass, more bloodstains, and empty shell casings. The rogue androids had evidently ransacked the work spaces of their former masters.
At the far end lay the largest office, overlooking the android research labs below. A set of double doors lay before them, blocked by heavy furniture. Anna shined her light through and found only darkness and misshapen figures seated in chairs far ahead. To the side, a placard indicated the position and to whom the office belonged to.
Doctor Erica Wu
Overseer of Operations, Android Research
"There's our overseer. Now to find the key," Elsa said as she looked around for a way in. "There's another vent over here, maybe we can use that to get around this barricade," she suggested as she pointed off to the side.
"Sure, sure," Anna said as she drew back her fist and punched through the bulletproof glass with her cybernetic arm. "Or, we could use a bit of muscle," she added as she unlatched the door from the other side. "Help me move this stuff out of the way."
Anna and Elsa braced themselves against the door by resting their shoulders against it as they looked at each other.
"Ready?" Anna asked. "On three. One… two… three!"
Pushing against the door, the barricade on the other side budged and the door inched its way inwards. Anna strained against the heavy objects while Elsa remained cool. Eventually, after digging in their heels and throwing their full weight against the doors, they cleared the barricade and stepped through into the overseer's office.
"We're in," Elsa said as she glanced to either side of the door.
Anna dusted her hands off and started forward. "Let's take a look around."
Littered across the ground were empty cans of food and water bottles. At the side of the office opposite to the door was a large desk where a corpse was slumped over it, still clutching a revolver. Seated in front and displayed in a macabre meeting, were five other corpses still seated in their chairs. The office was minimalistically furnished and had a severe color scheme of only black and white, save for spastic splashes of red from the dried blood stains covering the ground and a large window on the other side of the desk.
By this point, Anna and Elsa had become accustomed to the scent of decay.
Anna went over to the seated corpses and examined each one in turn. They all had a bullet shaped hole in the middle of their foreheads except for the one slumped over the desk. That corpse had a bullet hole in the side of its skull from what was clearly a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Spooky," Anna muttered, then turned her attention over to Elsa who was standing next to the corpse and reading from a data pad. "Another one? What's it say?"
Elsa finished reading then swallowed thickly before handing it over to Anna. Taking it in her hands, Anna began to read the final part of the grim tale.
We're going to die here.
We've run out of food and water. We can't go out because the androids out there are just waiting for us… staring at us. We can still see them through the window even though we barricaded the door. They could easily tear it down, but they haven't yet. I don't know why.
Corporate ordered us to retreat to the living quarters and hold out there, but from the camera feeds it looks like everyone is dead. The androids must have pumped in some kind of neurotoxin through the vents and with everyone crammed in there like cattle…
I have no idea how this happened. It was supposed to be a routine software update for the androids until something must have gone wrong with the patch. A virus, or a malicious code, or some error in the sequencing overwrote all of their programming and turned them… violent. It all just happened so quickly. One minute the patch was being installed and all the androids were shut down. In the next, they were waking up and the first thing one of them did was crush a technician's skull between its hands.
Some of us tried to fight back but we're just scientists, doctors, and engineers. We're not soldiers. We didn't stand a chance.
They've shut down the elevator. There's no way out. Our security forces here were overwhelmed. Corporate is watching us get slaughtered through the feeds but the rescue team still hasn't arrived yet. Ever since Project SNOW was completed, Rosenthal had been planning on mothballing this facility. It was only a matter of time and this whole incident is just an easy excuse for her to shut everything down.
We don't have any other options. I've got a revolver here with six bullets, one for each of us.
If anyone finds this, know that this was the better option.
"These poor people," Elsa looked around at the corpses.
"This is VanirCorp we're talking about," Anna replied as she set the data pad down. "They knew what they were getting into."
Elsa frowned. "Still, to die like this… it's sad."
"Yeah," Anna sighed. "But as far as I know, no matter which way it happens, they're all sad ways to die."
They spoke no more of it and returned to their searching. Elsa began to pull out drawers in the desk and started rifling through each one while Anna went off to the side and found a glass decanter sitting on a small table still filled with whiskey.
She picked it up and pulled off the stopper, then held it up to her nose as she breathed in deep. The scent of the whiskey was alluring and powerful and nearly tempted Anna to have a drink then and there when she stopped herself. She glanced backwards at Elsa and let her gaze linger for several long seconds, then shook her head and set the decanter back down. Anna hadn't had a drink since they left New York and after everything they encountered, she found that she didn't want one.
Now's not the time for that, Anna chastised herself. Stay focused, Anna.
"Here it is," Elsa said as she pulled out a plastic keycard from the desk. "I found it!"
"Great!" Anna spun around, leaving the whiskey behind as she made her way over to Elsa. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get back down there."
… … …
After they backtracked through the complex they found themselves standing in front of the sealed entrance to archives once more. Anna and Elsa both stood in front of the mute blast doors, simply gathering their resolve as they prepared to face whatever lay beyond. Ever since Elsa had refused to elaborate on whatever it was she had offered to VanirCorp, Anna had been feeling a growing sense of foreboding unease for reasons beyond that alone.
Neither of them had to say anything about it, but they both knew that whatever they would learn beyond those doors would learn would change their lives forever.
"So," Anna glanced over to Elsa. "Ready to face the truth?"
Elsa nodded firmly and she smiled, although her eyes betrayed the same trepidation that Anna was feeling. "Ready," she said.
Nothing could have prepared them for what they would learn discover next.
With that, Elsa went over to the terminal and swiped the key card through a slot in the side which brought up an option on the display to open the doors. She placed the key card in her pocket for safekeeping, then placed her palm flat against the hologram. The terminal chimed in response then vanished. A second later, audible clicking and sliding could be heard as the heavy bolts were unlatched and the door began to open.
As a seam appeared down the middle and the doors split apart. Mist bled through the crack and pooled out over the floor in front of them, beckoning them inside. The interior was dark and at the moment, nothing could be seen through the ethereal veil of mist.
"Cool," Anna muttered as mist swirled around their feet.
After the doors fully opened, small lights in the ground lit up before them, cutting a path through what was revealed to be a massive server farm. Server stacks towered off the ground all around them and were arranged in neat rows inside of a cavernous chamber that was hexagonal in shape. Inside, the air was noticeably chillier than the rest of the complex due to the incredible amount of cooling power needed to keep such a server farm running.
Anna and Elsa nodded to each other then together, they started making their way inside the archive. At the center of the server farm was a single staircase that led upwards to a hexagonal platform which stood taller than the rest of the stacks. In the center of it was a simple rolling chair, surrounded by numerous terminals and above which hung a mass of cables and wires extending up towards the ceiling high above them.
"This is… incredible," Elsa murmured in awe as they passed by row after row of server stacks.
They walked until they reached the staircase, then ascended it towards the central platform. There, Anna and Elsa examined their surroundings carefully to determine where and how to begin. It was then that they noticed that the terminals surrounding them didn't have the usual holo-displays to interface with.
"So… how are we supposed to do this?" Anna asked as she looked around. "Because this place is huge, how do we even know where to begin?"
"Hmm," Elsa murmured as she examined the centermost terminal, which was when she noticed a single neural-cable dangling down from the ceiling just off to the side. "I think there may be a more expedient way to do this."
"Yeah, how's that?"
"I jack in," Elsa held the neuro-cable in her hands and showed it to Anna.
"Ah, naturally," Anna said then walked up to Elsa with concern on her face. "You ready?"
Elsa nodded firmly. "Ready."
She sat down in the chair, then brushed her hair off to the side to expose the left side of her neck. Once she jacked in, her eyes turned white as they rolled into the back of her head and she became eerily still, which frightened Anna.
"Elsa?" Anna asked softly as she laid a hand on her shoulder. "Elsa, you okay?"
No response came but instead, a large screen appeared in front of them from thin air, showing a massive overlay with a nearly endless amount of data that measured in the zettabytes. Whatever Elsa was doing, she was sorting and sifting through file after file until she found the one she was searching for; Project SNOW.
An unremarkable file folder appeared on the screen, which Elsa accessed and then brought up a collection of files dating as far back to 2046. Starting from the earliest data packet, Elsa traced the very beginnings of Project SNOW. Together, she and Anna began to read the entry.
Today my father died. He was only 60 years old.
Mathias Rosenthal founded the company, he built VanirCorp from nothing and today, he died like nothing. Such a great mind, to become robbed of everything. His intelligence, his personality, even his memories, all vanished before him.
The worst part of it all was watching it happen. He knew what was happening to him. Early-Onset Alzheimer's, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. No technology, no medicine, no miracle in the world despite the countless ones he gave could save him.
At the very end, he didn't even recognize me anymore. His own son.
The company's fallen into my hands and I'll do what I can to live up to his legacy. If this affliction is genetic, the same thing will happen to me eventually. There has to be a reason for it all, I just can't let my father's death and my life be for nothing.
I've started talking with Rufus about a new research opportunity. We're thinking of calling it Project SNOW.
"Huh," Anna muttered to herself.
Elsa flicked through a few more data packets, sorting through countless data packets until she came upon another one of interest, from the year 2049.
I have a daughter.
We've decided to name her Matilda. She's a beautiful, fragile little thing. I can't help but think that we all are. When she comes of age, she'll assume control of the company. I just wish I'll live long enough to see it.
Right now, my mind's as sharp as it ever was. I can recall every single detail of her face, right down to each of the white hairs on her head. I know, the day will come when I won't be able to anymore.
Project SNOW has hit a few snags. Androids are responding well to memory implantation and best of all, they're retaining them. The only issue is producing the same results in humans, of which we have a considerable lack of voluntary subjects. Even then, with the ones we have been able to run trials on, memory retention is the problem.
It seems that when you plant false memories inside someone's head, it conflicts with the ones that already exist there, leading to dissociation, psychosis, and insanity. Rufus has put his foot down. It's 'unethical,' he says.
I'm inclined to agree with him.
The screen changed once more and Elsa settled on another packet, dated from 2077.
Dad finally died today. Only 56 years old.
Early-Onset Alzheimer's. Just like grandpa.
I held his hand as he breathed his last, and just for a second before he passed on, it looked like he might have recognized me. I hope he did. He tried to say something but I couldn't really hear him. It might have been Snow White, or Matty. He always liked to call me by those names.
My daughter will be born soon. I've decided to call her Eleanor.
Wherever you are dad, I hope you're at peace.
I miss you and I love you.
Anna looked away and shifted on her feet uncomfortably. Meanwhile, Elsa brought up the next file, dated at a later point in that same year.
My daughter died today.
She wasn't even a year old. By the end of it all she was so frail and so weak.
In a way, I'm almost glad she died before she got a chance to know life. She didn't even get to walk her first steps, or speak her first words. So many firsts that she missed out on… but perhaps its for the better.
This family is cursed. The same thing that killed dad and grandpa will kill me too. I just know it.
I've started going over dad's old files on Project SNOW. Rufus is going to help me restart it, he has to. If I can find a way to prevent this, if I can find a cure… it won't all be for nothing.
Dad and grandpa won't have died for nothing. Eleanor wouldn't have died for nothing.
My sweet daughter… goodbye, Eleanor. Mother will always love you, even if I forgets about you, even if I can't remember your face… I will always love you.
The next packet after that was dated from a few years later, but contained no logs. Instead, it held a laundry list detailing hundreds of failures of memory experimentation with androids and humans. More disconcerting was a large list of 'donors' taken in for trial testing. There were names, physiological and psychological profiles, and notable genetic traits that made them more desirable. Each one of them were either declared as harvested or died in testing.
Anna balked at the sheer magnitude of people who had been killed by VanirCorp in the name of science and progress. As noble and even sympathetic as their goals had been when they first started, it was clear the Project SNOW took on a more dark turn when Matilda assumed control of the company.
Elsa opened another packet from the year 2086, the same year that Nora died. As soon as Anna read the packet date, she immediately stiffened as her blood ran cold and her breath caught in her throat.
We've finally turned up an interesting donor today.
Little girl, age of 12. Recently emigrated from LA. No information of any kind and the transport authorities believe she may have been travelling with forged documents. In short, she doesn't exist in any system or database so nobody will come looking for her.
I'm told that she was travelling with a companion, but it appears that they've been apprehended and turned over to the care of the state. Not that it matters, I think this one might finally be the one we need.
She has a unique genetic mutation, something that we've never seen before. Her cells are in remarkable condition and display almost no signs of degradation due to radiation exposure. Not like all the other donors we've come across. This one is unique, she's not immune in the conventional sense. That's not possible.
Life on earth exists because all organisms are capable of DNA and cell replication which is vulnerable to ionizing radiation. For whatever reason, it seems that this girl's body can repair cell damage at a rate far faster than the ordinary human, making her highly resilient to the perils of radiation poisoning. Doctor Ishtar believes it may be some kind of hybridized form of radiosynthesis; that she's drawing energy from it somehow.
In any case, she's certainly special. The key we need to push onto the next phase of Project SNOW may very well lie within her genetic blueprint. With it, I can create the next generation of androids that will also serve as the ideal testbed for memory experimentation.
I've already come up with a name; Enhanced Learning Systems Android.
Or, just Elsa for short. It has a nice ring to it.
"No, no no no," Anna shook her head in disbelief as she finished reading the log.
She glanced down at Elsa and noticed that her nose had begun to bleed from both nostrils. Anna had seen her nosebleeds before, but she had never seen Elsa bleed this much. It was a startling indication of the truth they were both now beginning to learn.
As if it wasn't clear enough already, all further doubt of the truth was pushed from Anna's mind when the next packet appeared on the screen. It was a video file and in it, a familiar person was lying on her back on a cold and unfeeling surgery table.
"No, god no… i- it can't be," Anna shuddered. "N- Nora?"
It was Nora, who was still and quiet and pale with death. Her eyes were closed, but her chestnut locks were flared out around her head. In the center of her chest, directly over her heart, was an unmistakable wound that she had received from the android who killed her. She was surrounded by a team of doctors, who began to speak among themselves as they prepared the procedure to harvest Nora of everything she had.
We're rolling. Are we ready to begin?
Yes, Doctor Ishtar.
Good. We'll start with her brain. We need to get that on ice straight away and send it over to the neural team. Doctor Rosenthal wants her gray matter analyzed for replication viability as soon as possible.
And the rest of her organs, Doctor?"
Standard procedure, except for the heart. Preop scan shows that it's pierced straight through and too damaged to be of any use. As if that wasn't obvious enough already when we brought her in.
It was an android that shot her, right? With a flechette rifle?
That's right.
Tsk. What a shame…
Let's cut the chatter. Rosenthal wants results.
Yes, Doctor. Of course.
Anna looked away, squeezed her eyes shut and placed her hands over her ears as she tried to block out all sight and sound of the awful truth. Her knees had turned to jelly, so she buckled and dropped to the ground. Still, she could hear the sounds of bonesaws and plasma cutters revving up as the doctors performed the heinous operation of stripping Nora of her parts to be used for their evil designs.
There was no denying the truth any longer. Nora had been Elsa's donor. That meant by a technicality, Elsa was Anna's sister.
Anna should have been surprised, but in honesty, she wasn't. She already had her suspicions from earlier on but she had hoped against hope that it wasn't true. With every fiber of her being, Anna had prayed that all of Elsa's and Nora's similarities was just a bizarre coincidence. A simple billion to one cosmic fluke, but it wasn't and it never had been. The truth was right there in front of Anna all along and she had chosen to ignore it on the impossible chance that there was another explanation for everything. It was a fool's hope, and a naive dream.
She felt sick. The blood was rushing to her head, her muscles had seized up and refused to move, and as much as she fought to block out the sounds of the video file as it continued to play out, she could still hear it.
"No, NO!" Anna screamed in an attempt to block out the noise as tears streamed down from her eyes.
She buried her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes before taking a deep, shaky breath in a vain attempt to calm herself.
"I- I knew it, I should have… I know it's real… I know it's real."
Overwhelmed by anguish at the final revelation of Nora's fate and fury at those responsible for orchestrating these horrendous events, Anna struggled to her feet and lashed out. She kicked a nearby terminal and then punched it with her cybernetic arm, cracking the flimsy metal frame in half.
"God… DAMN IT!" Anna roared with sorrowful rage, then fell to her knees once more.
In the meantime, Elsa had closed the screen and disconnected from the mainframe. She looked over in a daze towards Anna, then fell alongside her as they both realized just who she was.
"An- Anna?" Elsa croaked, her own eyes streaming with tears. "Anna…"
Elsa's nose was still bleeding, dripping tiny and immaculate drops of her blood, her lifeforce, and her essence which had been taken from Nora, onto the floor.
Anna looked up, and in her mind she saw both Nora and Elsa before her. But it simply couldn't be. It should have been impossible for anything to be two things at once. It flew directly in the face of one of the fundamental axioms of reasoning, logic, and thought. Yet, Elsa was just that. She was a being that existed outside of causality, outside of suppositions that up to this point, Anna had lived her entire life by.
She was Nora and Elsa, two minds occupying the same body. It was the source of Elsa's condition, the disassociation that she felt, the memories she still kept, and the reason why Anna had felt so drawn to her from the very beginning.
"You… y- you're… you're Nora," Anna said in a tone that was laced with bereaved finality.
"You're my sister."