Chapter Thirty: The Grey
It wasn't until after Anna had arrived at the facility for her day of work that Hans had deigned to give her the bad new: Adam would be unavailable today for reasons that he refused to divulge. Her immediate reaction had been frustration, but as she recalled that Elsa and Kris would be out on a mission for the day Anna became slightly more forgiving. With no one to study, Anna decided she would make herself a little more acquainted with the building she was working in. If nothing else, she reasoned, she reasoned that she might run into someone who wouldn't mind also contributing to her research.
Delving deeper into the building proved to be a little trickier than she had originally anticipated, however. The paths leading in multiple directions off the main hall were so numerous she doubted she could possibly ever see all of the building, even if she were to wander once a week.
With a casual turn of a corner she found that the sounds of general work were muffled in this hall. A great many of the research rooms were empty here, and there didn't seem to really be many people nearby at all. Then, strangely abruptly, the hall ended. Stranger still was the large, black door that stood in the center of the white wall there.
Though standing in front of it felt eerily like a trap Anna couldn't help but feel drawn to it. For a door to be so markedly different from the surrounding design pattern had to mean something, didn't it? There was no signage to indicate where it might lead, or whether it was a restricted area, but if it were off limits there would have been a sign right? Or at least a guard or two...
After a quick glance over her shoulder to be sure no one was around Anna hefted the heavy door open, letting it thump quietly closed behind her. A chill shot up her spine as she took in her surroundings, it looked reminiscent of a cell block. At least, what she imagined a very tech savvy cell block might look like. Sealed glass rooms contained each occupant in the area, and the doors to the rooms, while also glass, were packed full of high tech locks. On closer inspection each lock seemed to require a minimum of two different methods to open.
A loud slamming sound startled her and, though she knew she likely was protected by the glass, Anna nearly jumped out of her skin. Up ahead, three or four cells down, Anna could see the source of the disturbance. Bright fangs gnashed against the glass as best as they could, doing nothing to the reinforced material.
With the way the beast struggled it was difficult to tell if it had fur or feathers, but on approach she found that it was unlike anything she had seen. Not a bird or a dog, but something in between. Anna had never before seen a living being that genuinely looked as if it wished to die, but something about the way this thing thrashed made her think it didn't want to be here.
"He'll be dead in a day, maybe less." Came a smug voice from behind her, "That's what happens when you play god."
"Play god?" Anna turned to see a man seated in shadow, his back to the glass, legs extended in front of him. "What does that mean?"
The man chuckled, not looking at her. "They just let anyone in these days don't they?"
Anna's eyes narrowed, but she didn't respond his obvious taunt and instead turned back to the thing. She watched with pity in her eyes as it seemed to struggle for something. Maybe for life, or more probably for death. Whatever animated it seemed to be driving it toward more and more erratic behavior the longer she stood there.
"It's not going to get any smarter." The voice came again.
"What do you want from me?" Anna rounded on the man's cell, slamming a fist on the glass. "Or do you just take pleasure in watching other living things suffer?"
"You must be new." The man scoffed, "Living, hah!"
It might have been her frustration over her stagnating project bubbling over, but for some reason this man rubbed Anna entirely the wrong way. "Say what you want to say or shut it, I don't have time to waste talking in circles with a lunatic."
The man cackled and Anna could see him shaking his head, though he still hadn't turned to look at her yet. She took that as a sign that their conversation was all but over and returned her gaze to the animal, finding that the gnashing and struggling had subsided and it now lay on the floor of the cell, chest rising and falling in a slowing rhythm.
Looking at it now that it was still only raised more questions. This clearly wasn't a natural creature, and as much as she didn't want to admit it the crazy man across the hall may have been right. The fur and feathers were dull, lifeless, and most eerie of all was the milkiness of the eyes. Anna swallowed, unable to take her eyes off the thing as it stopped breathing all together.
"What..." Anna had to stop and clear her throat as her voice caught, "What was it?"
"All kinds of spooky things go on in here." The man responded in yet another vague riddle-like statement, "Just have to know where to look to see it."
Anna was ready to respond when a familiar voice growled from the darkness toward the far end of the hall. "I know that voice."
"Adam?"
"Finally awake, hm?" The man cackled, "Oh he'll absolutely love you."
Choosing to ignore the manic laughter of the man Anna slowly walked further down the hall. Some of the cells were empty, but others held shadowy figures that seemed to refuse to come toward the light of the hallway. Sure enough as Anna got closer she realized that Adam was there in the cell, and though she smiled at him his face went rigid with fear.
"No." Adam's voice, previously gruff and even mildly confident, had begun to waver. "No, please. Not again."
Had answering questions truly been that hard on him Anna wondered, calmly telling him "We don't have a session today, Adam, we-"
"You won't take me back there." Adam roared, lashing out at the door, "Not again!"
"Adam, please! I-"
"He won't listen to you." The man practically had to scream over the wailing sounds Adam was producing, "Not now he's seen you."
"Seen me?" Anna tentatively stepped back from Adam's cell, watching as he huddled himself in the back corner away. "What the hell does that mean?"
"You really are new, aren't you?"
The man finally began to shift from where he sat and as he rose to his feet Anna stiffened at the sight of him. His height alone was intimidating but as he turned to reveal his face to her Anna felt her breath catch in her throat as she struggled to stay put. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run, but she refused.
"Oh yes." He drew the word out, his eyes practically glowing as he stepped into the light. "It's no wonder poor Adam was afraid."
Anna wanted to question him now that she had his attention but she couldn't form the words. His skin looked like cracked charcoal, darker than humanly possible, and what seemed to have once been a pair of horns had been filed to flat stumps against his head. Eyes of the most sickening yellow were set deep in his head, and if Anna was seeing things correctly then the man also seemed to have once had wings.
"Where's that fire from before, girl?" He spat the word 'fire' at her, as if he expected her to flinch.
"W-who are you?"
The man's face contorted as he parroted back, "Who? You look at me and your first question is who I am?"
"I'm Anna. A researcher here." Her voice was more solid now, and as she adjusted to his appearance she stepped closer to his cell to better hear him over Adam's continued screams. "You're right, I am relatively new. Can you tell me what this place is?"
"Prison." The man responded casually, as if he was talking about a library or a post office. "For those of us who do not follow the laws imposed by S.N.O."
He turned to show her his back and, in doing so, confirmed her suspicion that he had once had wings. It was almost unthinkable, but in a world of monsters little could be ruled out. The areas of removal weren't precise, in fact they looked almost jagged. It was as if someone inexperienced, or who didn't care if this man lived through the experience, had completed the procedure.
"That seems..." Anna paused, carefully considering how to go about communicating with this man. "well, a little harsh for breaking a law."
"Doesn't it just?" He sighed, almost comical in the level of dramatics. "You sacrifice a few too many humans to the night and they clip your wings. And don't get me started on my horns-"
The sound of the heavy door opening again cut the man off, and in an instant he resumed his previous position with his back to the glass. Adam had gone silent almost immediately, and as Anna turned she saw a guard angrily stalk through the doorway to the cell block. It was one of the ones who typically accompanied Adam during his transport, though whether he would recognize Anna was yet to be seen.
"What in the hell is going on in..." The man trailed off as he laid eyes on Anna, briefly caught by surprise. "And just what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your lab or something?"
In this case Anna saw no harm in admitting the truth, "I was just taking a walk to clear my head."
"And you came in here because?" The guard shot back.
"There wasn't any signage saying not to, I just assumed it was a storage area." It wasn't a lie, not really. How was she supposed to know what was hidden here? "I guess it is, of a sort."
The guard narrowed his eyes at her statement, clearly not liking the slight inflection of disgust in Anna's voice at the note. "And why was that one making all the racket?"
The man in the cell chortled. "Oh I think you know why."
"Shut it, Boggy." The name sounded like it might have been an affectionate term under different circumstances, but the way the guard spat it at the man told Anna that it was far from kind.
"Very well." The way Boggy sighed gave Anna a sense that he enjoyed playing up the dramatics for show, "But I do think she'll find out sooner or later, don't you?"
That irritated the guard and his lip briefly curled in a sneer before he turned his attention back to Anna. "Word of advice, don't stay too long down here. Just because these things are behind glass doesn't mean they're harmless."
He didn't even allow Anna a moment to respond before exiting, leaving her standing in the new silence of the cell block.
"...So, your name is Boggy?" Anna asked tentatively.
"Chernabog." He corrected sharply, turning his head to glare at her over his shoulder.
For a long moment Anna was silent, contemplating what little Chernabog had told her about his exploits. "How would you like to have some time out of that cell?"
His glare lingered for a moment longer, but once he realized that Anna was serious his expression softened almost curiously. Then, in the most simultaneously kind and terrifying motion, his lips parted to reveal the most jagged smile Anna had ever seen.
Later That Night
"I'm home!" Anna called, dragging out the vowels.
The lack of response felt strangely deafening after her experiences today but she had almost expected it. Slumping into the corner of the couch should have been soothing but being alone here had a way of unsettling her even in the best of moods. Given the hour there wasn't much she could imagine Kris and Elsa would still be doing away from the pod.
"Something dangerous probably." Anna grumbled, only missing that excitement for a moment before remembering what it was she was working toward.
Her thoughts began to turn to what that future could entail when the sound of a key scraping the lock caused her to whip around and peer at the doorway. Elsa stood there alone, her braid undone and the shock of color that ran through her hair when she played Blue wove itself seamlessly into the rest of her platinum hair.
Anna made a slow movement to rise to her feet. She tried, and failed, not to gawk at the sight. She couldn't even pretend that seeing Elsa dressed this way didn't do something for her, especially knowing that the memory of that night in the club had wormed its' way deep into her brain.
"Now what's a cute lady like you doing up so late?" Elsa smirked and even from across the room Anna could feel the impact of the look, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Anna quipped back, motioning toward the door. "Where's your body guard?"
"Are you suggesting that I need one to be in your presence?" The distance between them closed quickly with Elsa's long, determined strides, "Or were you hoping for a chaperone so that I don't seduce you?"
Anna began to wish that she had stayed seated. Elsa's proximity and that powerful presence she could switch on and off so easily made Anna's knees weak.
Shakily Anna breathed, "Who said that wasn't the plan?"
Elsa's fingertips skated over Anna's skin, and when Anna looked up she could see that Elsa's eyes were taking all of her in. "Are you alright? No injuries today?"
"Today?" Anna laughed, feeling a little whiplash at the swift change in conversation. "The only injury so far was yours."
"Mmm." Elsa hummed, "True, but if Adam gets a whiff of you, even accidentally, he'll know."
"Know what?"
"That you're mine." The way Elsa stated it so firmly, as fact, made Anna's heart race, "He smelled you on me that last day I was there, he would know right away what we are."
"And?"
Anna asked the question but the sudden, roiling discomfort in her stomach answered the question for her. She hadn't been completely honest with Milo yet, maybe it was time to? And on top of that, Adam very well could have caught her scent today in the cells. Could that have been what made him so uneasy?
"You saw what happened last time, how violent he became and how quickly. That could set him off. If you'd just let me-"
"Els." Anna cut in firmly, running her hands along Elsa's upper arms in a soothing motion. "I can't keep using you for research."
"It's not using me if I'm volunteering."
Anna made a show of rolling her eyes so that she was sure Elsa would see. "I'll think about it."
"Good." Elsa smiled, then raised a brow. "Now, where were we exactly?"
Elsa made to begin riling Anna up again, but Anna playfully stepped back to put some space between them. "You never answered me. Where's Kris?"
"Dropping off a package." Elsa growled under her breath, stepping toward Anna again.
It quickly morphed into a game, Anna stepping just out of Elsa's reach while Elsa stalked her all around the couch. Anna had no doubt that Elsa could have easily caught her if she wanted to, but something about the chase made the game all the more exciting.
"Is that a euphemism?" Anna asked, darting from the couch to a nearby recliner.
"Hardly." Elsa crouched, rolling her shoulders as if she was preparing to attempt to tackle Anna. "We had to pick something up from town."
"Elsa West, are you purposefully being mysterious to pique my interest?" Anna squeaked as she dodged Elsa's weak tackle.
"You do love a good mystery. Why not use that to my advantage?"
Anna had made her way back to the couch, but Elsa was through with the game. Her motions were fluid as she vaulted over the couch, landing at Anna's side with a triumphant smirk.
"I do believe you've been trapped, red." Elsa's tone was teasing, but the aura pulsing off of her was anything but. "No escape left from the big bad wolf."
"Oh no." Anna attempted to feign fear, but the heat bubbling over inside of her kept her from playing the role too seriously. "Whatever shall I do?"
Elsa's deft fingers quickly handled the button and zipper of Anna's pants, leaving Anna in shock as she glanced at the door in a panic.
Anna put her hands over Elsa's as Elsa began to tug on her pants. "Els, what if Kris gets home?"
"I guess I'll have to be quick then."
Elsa swatted Anna's hands away, making quick work of all barriers between her hands and Anna's lower body. Anna wanted to argue, to protest, but in seconds she found herself precariously balanced on the back of the couch. Elsa's jacket had been set on the couch to serve as a protective barrier and the feel of it on her exposed skin was certainly a unique sensation.
"He won't let us live this down, ah, if he catches us." Anna slurred, the worry she held a moment before ebbing away in a haze of pleasure.
"Judging by the state of things here, I don't think that will be a problem."
Elsa's hot breath against Anna's neck was more than distracting to Anna's argument, but Anna couldn't even begin to put up a fight. All too quickly she was afloat in a fog of good feelings, panting her relief into Elsa's shoulder.
"Let's get you cleaned up." Elsa soothed, not waiting on an answer before lifting Anna into her arms and carrying her to Elsa's bedroom.
A shower was just what she needed after the long day, but knowing that Elsa was waiting for her return cut the soothing ritual short. Anna re-joined Elsa to find that she had begun reviewing the murders again, a sight that settled a stone in Anna's stomach.
"Any progress?"
She knew it was a stupid question the moment it left her mouth, if there had been any new leads or clues Elsa would have told her right away. Elsa was gracious in the way she shrugged and shook her head, not berating Anna in the least for her interest.
"No." Elsa admitted with a sigh, "Not for lack of trying though. I can tell we're overlooking something, I just don't know what it is yet."
Anna had nothing meaningful to contribute, so she could only make a small sound of agreement as she stood at Elsa's side. Looking at her now Anna could see the tiredness in her face, the slight darkness under her eyes betraying how unwell Elsa had been sleeping.
"So, Blue huh?" Anna asked, "Was this mission connected to the murders or...?"
Elsa's jaw tightened at that and she quickly shook her head. "No."
"What, it's secret again since I'm not working missions anymore?" Anna joked, but the look on Elsa's face spoke volumes of something troubling her. "Els? Are you alright?"
Silence stretched between them, far from being the easy quiet that they could exist together in this was a different beast altogether. Anna's brows pulled together in concern but before she could say anything more Elsa was releasing a soft, shaky sigh.
"I had to, well..." Elsa hesitated and shook her head, "The mission called for me to use Blue's persona to get what we needed. Does that make sense?"
Again Anna's mind took her back to that night in the club, but this time a sinking feeling began to fill her stomach at the thought. "So you, you kissed somebody or-"
"No, no!" Elsa corrected quickly, real worry in her eyes as she began to frantically explain herself. "A woman I used to see had something we needed, I just had to flirt with her to grease the wheels. Anna I would never-"
"Of course not, I didn't think you would I just, the way you said it made it seem-"
Elsa blurted out "I'm retiring Blue."
"What?"
"I can't put myself in that situation again. Blue has to go. We'll figure something else out." Elsa took Anna's hands in her own, "Even pretending made me feel gross."
"Sap." Anna teased. She brought their still joined hands to her mouth to plant a kiss on Elsa's hands, smiling at her. "You flirted specifically for a job, so what? You didn't come home and do anything with her on the back of that couch."
Elsa's face quickly flushed with color at the mention of her brazen actions, "I needed you."
"Did she get you that flustered?" Anna had meant her question to be playful, but a surprising bite came out along with the words.
The way Elsa tugged Anna to her was gentle but firm, and as Elsa wrapped Anna in a hug she quietly explained herself. "There is no one in this world who flusters me more than you."
Anna laughed, pushing gently away from Elsa's grip. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Should I take you to bed and show you what I mean?"
It was Anna's turn to flush, but rather than rise to the bait Anna turned her attention back to the images on Elsa's wall. She shifted in Elsa's grip, taking comfort in the warmth of her embrace as Anna began to study the by now very familiar pictures.
After a moment of silent contemplation Anna made a quiet suggestion. "Maybe if we pull them down, get a different angle you know?"
Though Elsa didn't give a verbal response she did loosen her grip on Anna and allow her to move if she so chose. Anna made quick work of the pins holding the images into place, dropping them all to the table in a disorderly fashion. As the last one fluttered down Anna made to pick them up, but Elsa's voice stopped her.
"Wait." Elsa sounded serious as she stepped forward, shifting the pictures slightly this way and that. She even picked up a single one and moved it to the other end of the series, then used her finger to trace a familiar shape. "Look..."
Anna's eyes tried to focus, but the white edges of the images was distorting whatever Elsa was seeing. "What am I looking at exactly?"
Frustrated Elsa grumbled, shuffling in one of her drawers to grab a sheet of paper and a fat marker. With the marker in one hand and her pointer finger of the other hand gesturing to the images she began to trace. The resulting drawing was shaky, but clear all the same. And yet, in its clarity Anna only found confusion.
"Who signs off on our transfers?" Anna muttered quietly, her eyes darting between Elsa's written copy of the symbols and the combined images of the women.
Elsa shook her head, "I'm not sure..."
a/n: A shorter chapter, but I hope just as enjoyable. By the next time I post I will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19! Continue to be safe, vigilant in your mask use, and most importantly be kind to one another.