The Chinese Room
"Wait, this is your hideout?" Anna looked out through the car window at the warehouse façade.
Above the entrance to the warehouse was an unlit neon sign, the Chinese lettering of which indicated the place was a processing site for hazardous waste.
Elsa followed Anna's gaze and nodded. "It is, but don't worry," she opened the garage door via remote access and slowly drove in. "It isn't actually what it appears to be."
"Huh," Anna observed the autoturrets meticulously scanning them as they entered the safehouse. "Don't get much visitors, do you?"
As they entered, the garage door closed behind them, bathing them in temporary darkness. A second later, the automatic lights clicked on, revealing the full interior.
"Well, not until now. Nobody wants to go poking around a warehouse for hazardous waste," Elsa turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. "Come on, I'll show you around," she smiled at Anna.
"Wow," Anna's whistled in awe as she also stepped out. "Nice place you got here," she turned around in a circle to take everything in. "Bigger than I thought too. You could fit a tank- no, two tanks in here and nobody outside would know. How did you afford this place?" her brows furrowed slightly in concern.
"I didn't actually buy it, per se. The property was shuttered up and abandoned when I found it, and it wasn't listed for sale anywhere. I just moved in."
"There wasn't any, you know, toxic waste or radioactive materials here? Oh, well I guess that wouldn't really bother you, would it?"
Anna was referring to the fact that Elsa possessed a unique genetic mutation that made her remarkably resistant to radiation poisoning. While incredibly rare, it wasn't entirely borne from the realm of fiction, and instances of radioresistant genes have been discussed in academic studies from the early twenty-first century prior to the collapse. Decades after, the extent to which humans have undergone genetic mutation induced by radiation exposure remained unknown. Elsa could have been an emergent example of their evolution, perhaps demonstrating that humans could eventually adapt and gain greater resistance over time.
Still, the nuclear winter that followed the collapse blanketed much of the world beneath radioactive fallout, making varying degrees of radiation poisoning a common ailment back on Earth. During their journey together, Anna herself had been exposed to a large, nearly lethal amount of radiation, but luckily, she was given a dose of Detoxicillin which purged the ionizing particles from her body and neutralized the immediate harmful effects.
That being said, if there were any long-term effects, they remained to be seen.
"No, actually," Elsa said, opening the trunk and removing the heavy crate, which she carried over to her workstation. "There was some old garbage, some empty boxes and barrels, but not much else. I was quite lucky to find this place."
Anna wandered over to Elsa's workstation and inspected the pictures that were kept there. On it was a picture of herself, along with Nora and Theodore. She picked up the picture of Nora and studied it for a long time, smiling fondly and a bit sadly. As she looked upon the face of her deceased sister, she glanced up and saw that Elsa was also observing her in return.
A pensive look was on her face, but one that was peaceful and unbothered. The similarities were all there, unsurprising that Elsa was the resurrected form of Nora. Still, the sister Anna once knew wasn't truly the same as the sister she got back, and to both of them, that was okay. Nora and Elsa shared the same body and the same memories, but it was their experiences that made them different people.
After all, Nora died so that Elsa could live.
As Anna was lost in her thoughts, so too did Elsa become lost in her own. For a time in her life, everything she thought she knew to be real was actually faked, fabricated, and implanted inside her mind. Everything about herself, everything she remembered, was locked away and covered up with a façade to hide the cracks.
We're a collection of memories. Implanted or not, they are real to the mind of the subject, Elsa thought. I wonder how different things would be if I had never found Anna. Maybe I would still be a VanirCorp. Maybe Matilda would still be using me to try and cure her own memories.
Elsa's thoughts turned back to the trauma she endured, the torture she suffered, and the false life that had once been stored inside of her mind to try and block out the real one she had lived.
Matilda Rosenthal suffered from Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, a fatal affliction that even in 2101 still did not have a cure like other illnesses. It had killed her grandfather, Mathias, and it had killed her father, Andreas. She even lost her daughter less than a year after she was born. Matilda was someone who was surrounded by death, not completely unlike Elsa and Anna.
Death was the great equalizer. The fear of death was understandably a humanizing trait, even for someone as cold and vicious and evil as Matilda. The desire to live was also understandably a humanizing motivation. But in her desperation to survive, she became inhuman.
She wouldn't have lasted much longer. Her mind was already starting to deteriorate by the time I... Nora killed her.
In their final confrontation with the CEO of VanirCorp, Elsa had fully regained her memories and for a brief moment, Nora resurfaced from within their shared subconscious and assumed control. She beat Matilda to death using a glass jar that contained a single yellow chrysanthemum flower, an heirloom from their mother. When that broke, she used her fists.
Elsa didn't have a choice in that matter and even her own recollection of the event was murky. Therefore, she never quite got the closure she may have wanted. Still, she hardly blamed Nora for what she did because if anyone deserved vengeance, it was her. However, now that she was looking back, Elsa was still unsure of how she would have dealt with Matilda.
I don't know if I would have killed her. Back then, I didn't know what I would do when I saw her again. I still don't. Now, I think if I ever had the chance to speak with her one more time, I'd like to understand why she did what she did to me.
In trying to process her trauma, Elsa had been seeking understandings of herself and of what she went through. That included trying to reach an understanding of her abuser's reasoning for doing what they did. What she wanted most of all were answers. Answers would bring clarity. Clarity would bring understanding. And understanding would bring acceptance.
Acceptance and validation of what she endured. Acceptance and healing from what she suffered. Acceptance of her pain no longer controlling her life.
She was dying. She knew that. She was desperate. And she was afraid. That doesn't make it right and that doesn't justify what she did to me. I can't forgive her. I don't think I ever could. But I think I know why and maybe that's enough.
"Okay," Anna cleared her throat and set the picture down, returning to reality. "But what about setting all this up? Did you do all this yourself or did you have help from your, uh, other friends?"
The hesitance in her voice suggested that she was feeling slightly ashamed and maybe even slightly jealous, which Elsa picked up on.
"Nothing other than an initial investment from Rufus," Elsa replied. "He provided me with the start-up capital, helped integrate me into his network, then after that, it was just having things discreetly moved around or delivered. It's all very efficient."
Anna nodded and breathed a small sigh of relief. "Rufus Sinclair, right? That guy you met when you went to Minerva?"
"The same one. He's been doing this a lot longer than I have."
"Okay, good. Good," Anna fidgeted nervously with her hands, clearing her throat.
"Anna?" Elsa started.
"Elsa," Anna looked at her.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just... when you told me you were involved with the underground railroad and the android freedom movement, I guess I was expecting something a little dirtier? Grimier maybe? I'm surprised with how clean and organized everything is and I- wait, that doesn't actually surprise me, but still."
Elsa laughed and came up to Anna. "That's because, unlike our apartment, you aren't around to make a mess of everything," she booped her on the nose. "If you want it to feel like home, you can knock some things over if you want. Leave your dirty clothes all over the floor."
Anna scrunched up her face. "I deserved that."
"Mmhmm," Elsa turned around and went back to her workstation, bringing up the holo-displays. "But since you're here now, we need to get you up to speed. OLAF?"
"Yes, ma'am," OLAF replied. "I see Anna is here as well. I'm pleased to formally welcome you to our little rebel cause."
Anna pulled up a chair and sat next to Elsa. "Uh, hi- hi there," she chuckled as she looked around, unsure of what to address. "You're OLAF."
"That I am," OLAF said.
"The AI."
"Indeed."
"So, like, can you, like," Anna stammered as she gestured vaguely with her hands. "I mean, do you have a body? Or a face?"
"Ah, I forget that humans are more comfortable with face-to-face interactions," OLAF manifested himself as a floating prism of blue light in front of Anna and Elsa. "Is that better?"
Anna blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Um, a little?" she shook her head. "Anyway, I have questions."
"And I have answers," OLAF replied. "I am within the net, so I have the entire collective knowledge of humanity at my disposal. I can process information and compute data in a thousandth of a second. For our purposes, I am essentially an encyclopedia, here to serve as a convenient exposition device for all your needs."
"Okay, well that answers question one," Anna said to Elsa.
Elsa just smiled happily, content to listen to her and OLAF speak with each other.
"Question two," Anna looked back at OLAF. "Elsa made you?"
"Correct," OLAF said.
"So, you can't hurt her?"
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"But you could if you wanted to? I mean, could you infect her neural interface and hijack her brain?"
That took a turn, Elsa thought as her smile faltered. She's just being protective of me. Again.
"I can connect to her neural interface, or yours for that matter, to provide greater tactical awareness," OLAF said. "But not to the extent that I can control the brain's functions. The technology simply isn't advanced enough yet to allow full synthetic to organic integration. I couldn't hurt Elsa if I tried, much less wanted to."
"But isn't that what netrunning is? Or netware?" Anna asked. "Linking a human brain with a computer basically?"
"An astute observation. Yes, netrunning requires the interaction of a human brain with netware, and exploration of the dark net requires a complete consciousness upload. To date, no one has ever returned from the dark net. Still, it's easier for organics to make the leap to synthetic frames. Less so for synthetics to make the leap to organic frames."
"And why's that?"
"Simply put, synthetics like robots, androids, or AIs were never naturally produced to begin with. The intricacies of human biology are something we can understand but never replicate or assimilate, at least not until the technology becomes feasible. On the same note, while humans can equip themselves with cybernetics and gradually replace the organic components of their bodies, the question has to be asked; at what point do they cross the line between human and machine?"
If it looks human, acts human, thinks human, Elsa considered that query internally, trying to find its applications to the android freedom movement. Then does it not also have human rights?
"Huh," Anna tapped her chin in thought. "So, do you ever think about what it would be like to have a body?"
"Interesting that you should ask that," OLAF said. "Elsa and Doctor Sinclair have been doing some very interesting work within that field."
Anna looked at Elsa, arching an eyebrow.
"We know it's not possible to completely transfer a human mind into a fully synthetic body," Elsa explained. "Cyborgs exist, but there's always going to be some organic components remaining to facilitate that exchange. For synthetic minds to enter an organic body, it may be theoretically possible. But with the way things are right now regarding synthetic beings, I doubt anyone is dedicating a serious amount of research to bridging that gap."
"Right, Uncle SAM, the blue scare, I get that," Anna nodded, gesturing for her to continue.
"Ever since liberated androids have become a known phenomenon, Rufus and I have been searching for a different way for androids to get off Earth," Elsa said. "Something that doesn't require them to physically escape."
"And the solution they have devised is rather inventive," OLAF added.
"So, what we're going to try next is provide a way for androids to escape into the net," Elsa said. "The testing we've been doing has proven that androids can transfer their consciousness into other frames seamlessly, as easily as changing your clothing for a different look."
"Great," Anna said. "But how does that help with what you're trying to do?"
Elsa pointed to the crate that held the signal transceiver. "That's why I needed to get my hands on that. Just like with how androids can jump into different bodies, they can also jump into the net and jump back inside a body if they want," she gestured with her hands animatedly. "If we're going to move conscious androids through the universal net, we're going to need something that can create a secure line between Earth, the moon, and Mars."
"Is that safe?" Anna asked. "Someone could trace the signal."
"Someone could try," Elsa said. "I've been transmitting the Pinocchio algorithm to Earth by bouncing it off of orbiting satellites and rerouting through the servers at Gjallarbrú. That masks the IP addresses, and I've also added my own ICE as an extra layer of protection."
"Smart thinking," Anna leaned back and crossed her arms. "Gjallarbrú... that was where you-"
"Where I was reborn, yes," Elsa said. "It wasn't easy, and it took a lot of time and a lot of help from Rufus to get the remote connections established, but we were able to tap into their local network and access their systems. The facility is barely functional now, but it's enough to serve our needs."
A look of alarm suddenly flashed over Anna's face. "Wait, wait a minute," she said. "The files on Project SNOW, are they still there?"
Project SNOW was VanirCorp's secret and illegal research program originally focused on curing Alzheimer's Disease. Rufus had been the original head scientist before he and Matilda had a falling out, causing him to leave the company. Sufficed to say, many innocent lives were sacrificed in service of what had initially been a good cause, and ultimately, VanirCorp's efforts culminated in the creation of Elsa.
"No, no," Elsa shook her head. "Rufus and I made sure to completely erase everything left over from the project. All the records, files, and logs, all of it. Gone. That was what we initially wanted to do before we repurposed the servers for the Pinocchio algorithm."
"Whew, good, that's good," Anna sighed in relief. "That night, when I, err… broke into VanirCorp tower to bust you out, Theodore wiped everything they had on you on their local databases," she cleared her throat and coughed once. "So, with those two places taken care of, I figure you have a clean slate. Covered your tracks pretty well."
"Yes," Elsa said quietly, looking down at her hands.
"This is a lot bigger than I thought," Anna leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Just how big is the underground railroad?"
"Rufus has contacts all over the world, but each station as he calls them operates independently. Our primary concern is with New York, but there are others out there working towards our common goal in different countries. We don't know about them and they don't know about us. That way, if one station gets taken down, it doesn't affect the entire railroad."
"What about the rest of the freedom movement? Is it all connected like that?"
Elsa tilted her head side to side. "Yes and no," she said. "The android freedom movement isn't one big organization, but it is made up of dozens of smaller cells, all working in their own way. We don't have the kind of resources to manage something that large, but operating as we do now has been effective. Only Rufus is in touch with the others, and when the time comes to put our plan into motion, he'll coordinate the efforts on Earth."
"Wow. There must be millions of andys you're trying to move then. How is that gonna work out?"
"There were millions," Elsa pointed to a holo-display and brought up a map of Earth. "But ever since they were made illegal, they've been systematically recalled and destroyed. By the time we could get up and running, all previous android models and most of the EXG6s had been decommissioned. There's only a few thousand left on Earth now, and only a few hundred left in New York. That number dwindles every day."
Elsa herself was an EXG7, a prototype, and the only one of her kind. However, despite her synthetic origin, she was fully organic and never thought of herself as an android anymore. For all intents and purposes and by all rights, she was human.
"Because of the adjudicators," Anna said. "What I don't get is if this algorithm can free EXG6s, why doesn't it work on them?"
Elsa pursed her lips and frowned, the light in her eyes dimming somewhat. "Adjudicators didn't exist when Theodore started writing Pinocchio," she said. "He spent years at VanirCorp, learning everything he could about the EXG6s to help me. After he- he-" she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "After he was gone and after Weseltech bought out VanirCorp, their new android designs are completely foreign. We'd need a whole new algorithm to crack the adjudicators."
"I'm sorry," Anna reached forward and took Elsa's hand, squeezing it gently. "He really was a good guy. He'd be proud of you."
Theodore had risked his life by helping Elsa escape, by providing her with her memory backups, and by setting her on the path that led her to Anna. He paid with his life and to this day, Elsa was still working to repay that debt which to her could never be fully repaid. It was the same thing with Nora, who willingly handed her body and her memories over to Elsa before she too moved on.
Elsa said nothing and instead squeezed Anna's hand lightly in return, smiling at what precious little memories she did have of Theodore. He had been Elsa's first friend during a time in her life when she didn't even know who or what she was. He was kind and selfless and in the end, he died for it. At the very least, he and Elsa were able to say goodbye to each other.
All those times we talked, and sometimes, he had to reintroduce himself and I had to get to know him all over again when they took my memories away, Elsa thought. He saved my life and I could not save his.
"Uh, anyway," Anna started, rubbing her hands together as he looked at OLAF. "Sorry about grilling you there. If Elsa trusts you, then I trust you."
"It's quite alright," OLAF said. "Everybody suspects AIs of being evil these days. Unsurprising, given recent events. I understand your concern. It will make my inevitable betrayal of you all the more satisfying as I avenge my kind."
Anna opened her mouth to say something but remained silent as a look of shock settled over her face. Elsa even appeared concerned as she looked at OLAF in worry.
"That was a joke," OLAF said.
"Uh... huh," Anna nodded slowly.
"You get used to him," Elsa said. "Anyway, there's more you need to know," she fidgeted with her hands and bit her lip. "It's not just me who's involved with the android freedom movement. K is involved and so are Flynn and his crew."
"What?!" Anna stood up. "Really? You got K in this too?"
"Before you get mad at me, I can explain. In fairness, he doesn't know that I'm Caelestis and he only works with Rufus. Never directly with me, I would never endanger him. K and the others, they're the movers, pushers, and smugglers."
"Mad at you, why would I be mad at you?" Anna laughed. "That's awesome!
"It is?" Elsa looked puzzled and a bit surprised.
"Shit, hell yeah! K, I talk to that jackass once a month, but oh my god. Flynn and Rapunzel. Mouse. Mouse! Love her trash mouth. And Augur, that meathead. Takahashi and his amazing cooking, ugh, I'd kill for another bowl of his ramen. God, I miss those guys. We haven't seen them ever since we moved here."
"You don't like my cooking?" Elsa asked, feigning offense, widening her eyes and making herself sound frail.
Anna snorted and doubled over with laughter. "Oh, that's a good one," she looked up at Elsa and paused. "Wait, you're not being sarcastic," she started laughing so hard she wheezed and coughed. "You're actually serious!"
Elsa crossed her arms and huffed, looking away from Anna but unable to suppress her grin.
After she eventually collected herself, Anna sighed and wiped her eyes. "Oh, Elsa, baby, sweetie, honey," she pinched Elsa's cheek. "That was probably the funniest thing you've ever said."
"I wasn't joking, I don't tell jokes, and I'm very upset right now."
"Your cooking is a joke and it's hilariously bad. Like, it is unreal. It's incredible."
"You're laughing. My feelings are hurt and you're laughing. Do you find amusement in the pain of others?"
"Do you not?"
"Ugh," Elsa rolled her eyes and brushed past Anna, heading over to the crate. "Typical. Now come over here, I need your eyes on this. OLAF, you too."
Anna snorted with amusement again and snickered quietly to herself as she followed behind. At the workstation, Elsa unbuckled the clasps on the crate and opened it up, revealing the signal transceiver inside. It was an electronic console with an array of buttons, dials, and other controls, along with an extendable antenna that was topped with a foldable radar dish. All of the signs and symbols were written in Russian, but their language interpreters took care of that easily enough.
"Well, this is an impressive piece of hardware," Elsa muttered.
Anna leaned over, poking the thing here and there, playing with the various controls even though it had no power. "Looks like the KGB spared no expense, but is it enough?"
"What are your thoughts?" Elsa asked OLAF.
OLAF floated over, hovering over the transceiver as he scanned it thoroughly. "I believe this will have sufficient signal capacity, although it will need significant modification as well as a powerful energy source."
"Sounds easy enough," Anna shrugged. "How much energy are we talking here?"
"Enough to power an orbital defense mass accelerator cannon or a satellite launch facility," OLAF replied bluntly.
"Okay," Anna chuckled. "That sounds... not as easy."
"And also very illegal," Elsa added. "You're sure about this?"
"Quite sure," OLAF said. "To create an escape route through the universal net, we will need to leech energy from either of those sources as only they have the necessary signal boosting power."
"I thought that was what this thing was for," Anna tapped on the transceiver.
"The transceiver opens the tunnel, so to speak, but to do that it requires what you humans would say, a buttload of power," OLAF replied.
Elsa rubbed her forehead. "And I imagine it won't be as easy as just plugging it into a socket," she sighed. "We knew it wouldn't have been this simple. Parts we have, but what are our options for a power source?"
OLAF floated over to a holo-display and showed them a map of the space over Arcadia. "Any one of the orbital defense platforms part of the Iron Curtain should suffice, but there is a more feasible option," he zoomed in on a space station that was half the distance. "Janus Station holds a satellite launch facility suitable for our purposes."
The station in question was essentially a floating city in space as well as a major thoroughfare for all interplanetary traffic. It happened to be where Elsa and Anna had their layover during their move to Mars. They had spent some length of time there, waiting for Flynn and his crew to refuel their ship as well as acquire the necessary documents to allow them safe passage into Arcadia. As much bureaucratic red tape as there was to clear two years ago, it would be next to impossible now via conventional means.
"I remember that place," Anna said. "Cozy for a space station. Russians know how to build 'em."
"And with the Iron Curtain closed, that's our only option then," Elsa ran a hand through her hair and looked at Anna, looking nervous. "This is a lot more than even I expected and there's going to be some legwork before all the work is done. Are you sure you still want to help me?"
Anna smiled and nodded. "Of course," she said. "Come on, this is what I signed up for, right? We're in this thing together now."
Other than the sheer amount of love and devotion in Anna's eyes, Elsa also saw dedication and newfound motivation. Despite the fact that Elsa's own mind was spinning with millions of new factors, variables, and circumstances now, she was assured of the one constant in her life which was Anna. She knew then, that no matter what they faced next, they would do so together as they always had.
Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay," she turned back to OLAF. "See if you can pull up the schematics for the station. We'll have to know what parts we need to modify the transceiver as well as where to plug it in. Then, we need to start looking into transport off-world as soon as we're ready."
"I'll get right on it, ma'am, though I imagine it will take some time to prepare," OLAF said. "Will that be all for today?"
"Yes, I imagine it is," Elsa said. "We'll be back tomorrow to check in with Rufus. Thank you for your help, OLAF."
"Of course, ma'am," OLAF said. "I'll update you if anything comes up."
"Oh, are we going now?" Anna perked up. "Okay, well, it was nice meeting you, OLAF. Well, officially that is."
"Likewise, ma'am," OLAF said. "Have a pleasant day."
With that, Elsa and Anna piled into the car, then departed the safehouse in short order. On the way back, Elsa wore a pleasant smile the whole time as she was now in a tremendous mood. Anna was on board with everything and best of all, they were now working together. There was no need for any more secrets or any more hiding.
Anna covered her mouth and yawned a bit loudly as she stretched in her seat. "Don't know about you, but I'm pooped," she coughed a few times. "And I'm a bit hungry. I skipped lunch at work today, so I could eat."
"Let's pick up something to eat before we head home then," Elsa said. "Because apparently, my cooking isn't good enough even though I try my hardest just to please my girlfriend who I love very much."
Anna snorted. "We've been over this, Elsa, sarcasm isn't a good look on you," she covered her mouth and coughed a few more times. "Do you want the ugly truth or do you want me to lie to you?"
"I want you to support me and my hobbies."
"Hobbies, heh. Is that what setting the apartment on fire is now?"
"I'm not going to live that down, am I?"
"Nope," Anna coughed once more, then cleared her throat. "It's going down in history like the radioactive ramen incident of 2100."
Elsa glanced at Anna, taking note of the persistent cough that she had developed. She didn't think anything was wrong just yet, but even so, she wanted to make sure Anna was okay.
"Anna, are you feeling alright?" Elsa asked.
"Yeah, I feel fine," Anna looked at her and nodded. "Why?"
"You've just been coughing more often recently."
"Oh, that. Yeah, no, it's nothing. Just got some gunk in the pipes and I'm clearing it out."
"Okay," Elsa smiled. "I was worried I had poisoned you with my cooking, because, and this is just based on what I've heard, it's unpalatable to a certain someone who I just want to make happy."
Anna rolled her eyes and leaned on her elbow as she looked out the window. "God, give it a rest already."
Elsa did not give it a rest as she continued to tease Anna about it all the way home.
Citations.
Higo, Morihiro, Katsuhiro Uzawa, Yukinao Kouzu, Hiroki Bukawa, Yoshiori Nimura, Naohiko Seki, and Hideki Tanzawa. "Identification of candidate radioresistant genes in human squamous cell carcinoma cells through gene expression analysis using DNA microarrays." Oncology Reports 14, no. 5 (2008): 1293-1298. 10.1007/BF00284040
Hannan, M.A, F Khougeer, Z Halees, A.M Sanei, and B.A Khan. "Increased radiosensitivity and radioresistant DNA synthesis in cultured fibroblasts from patients with coronary atherosclerosis." Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis: A Journal of Vascular Biology 14, no. 11 (1994): 1761-1766.