The Trolley Problem
By the time the evening rolled around and the Martian sun was beginning to reach the horizon, Anna and Elsa made it back to Arcadia with their cargo in tow. Neither of them had really spoken much, each of them stewing in their thoughts as they were, but the day wasn't over yet. There was still much to do.
After driving the rover all the way back to Elsa's safehouse, they unloaded the tank and left it parked there. Then, they sent the rover off to return to Alyosha's garage. Next, they took a picture of the tank to confirm the success of their task, then sent it off to Alyosha, who would inform Alexei and set up yet another meeting.
Only this time, the meeting was meant to end on less amicable terms. Until then, Anna and Elsa would have to kill some time.
"OLAF," Elsa sat down at her terminal and rubbed her eyes. "How far away is the Maximus now?"
"Their estimated arrival is in another week's time," OLAF replied, showing her a map of interplanetary traffic with their location on it.
Anna glanced over from where she was sitting and tinkering with her cybernetic arm, feeling assured that K and the others were still well on their way and they would all be together soon.
"Still ahead of schedule, so there's that at least," Elsa leaned back in her chair and placed her chin in her palm, staring at nothing.
Her mood was disquiet, to say the least. Anna could tell that the events that had transpired at Cinnabar Bay were still weighing heavily on Elsa's mind.
"Shall I inform them of the success of your task?" OLAF asked.
Elsa shook her head. "Just let them know everything is still going to plan," she sighed. "No use in confirming anything if we haven't gotten Lizzie back yet or those codes."
"Of course, ma'am," OLAF said.
The mention of Lizzie's name caused Anna to pause what she was doing and study Elsa for a long time. It was easy enough to tell that she cared a great deal about the little android girl, even though they had only shared a very brief encounter in New York. Still, from what Elsa shared about her, it was certainly memorable in the sense that they were both similar. Lizzie was also a thinking, feeling, independent person of her own. Synthetic origins and all. She was a bit industrious and a bit of a trouble maker, traits of which made her more like a person rather than a machine.
Elsa hadn't even been made aware that Lizzie was an android until after her first meeting with Rufus when she sought out Minerva two years ago. Anna herself didn't even know that until very recently.
Anna's own encounter with Lizzie was memorable in its own way. They were both street kids, scraping by and making ends meet by doing things that kids shouldn't have had to in the first place. They were both survivors, driven by primal instinct and the urge to simply live.
And now, Anna and Elsa were working to secure her freedom, but that fight in and of itself had already raised troublesome implications, in turn raising hard questions about the android freedom movement and their connection to it.
Those people back at Cinnabar Bay were just minding their own business, Anna thought. Elsa was right, they were just fine until we showed up. But, come on. ArmaRex spiked that chip, they came in guns blazing, they're the ones who rounded them all up arrested them, not us. We got caught in the crossfire the same as they did, but we walked out fine.
Perhaps it was a negligible moral quandary, but it still bothered Anna and it was still bothering Elsa. There were maybe a few dozen people living in isolation at the abandoned resort town, a number which paled in comparison to the number of lives that the android freedom movement was working to save. Further complications were found between the rights of humans and the rights of androids, and depending on where they each stood, the kind of personhood ascribed to each one varied.
Regardless, the moral calculus, to most sensible people, would weigh out in favor of the many, not the few. Yet, neither Anna nor Elsa could claim to be the one to justify that balance.
I mean, I still don't really get this whole thing, but Elsa does and I get her. If androids are people, then they should be treated like people, which means somebody's gotta speak up for them. But what does any of that mean to the other people who still need help? All the street kids still on Earth, all the folks living in poverty, every single one of us still getting fucked over by the corps? Shouldn't they have someone to speak up for them too? There are just too many hills to die on, and I have enough trouble choosing one that isn't myself or Elsa.
Another frightening thought struck Anna just then, which was that she still wasn't even a true believer in the android freedom movement. For most of her life, she actually despised androids because Nora had been murdered by one. It wasn't until she met Elsa that her opinion began to change. It was ironic. Nora died by an android so that Elsa could live to save them. She had her reasons, of course, but it was still an interesting dilemma.
That all changed two years ago, and I gotta admit, I'm still iffy around them. Some are okay, like Lizzie or Takahashi. I guess I haven't really given it much thought before because I've never met many andys like those two. Elsa's always been human and OLAF, well, OLAF is OLAF. Still, this is what Elsa believes in and I believe in her.
Elsa stood up and started pacing, equally lost in thought as her brows were furrowed and she was doing that thing again where she would take the exact same number of steps each round before turning to the right and repeating the same process. It was a habit she picked up from Anna, for Anna was a frequent pacer herself.
And if this is her fight, I'll fight for her. We gotta help more people than we hurt, right? Because some people are always gonna end up getting hurt, and we can do our best to make sure there's no collateral damage, but sometimes there's no avoiding that. Maybe it's all just a numbers game in the end. Maybe that's all that counts.
A dull ache blossomed across Anna's torso, calling her back to reality as she covered her mouth and coughed quietly. Clearly, the events of the day were more stressful on her body than was usual. Her throat felt phlegmy, so she reached into her coat, pulled out the bottle of cold medicine, then took a sip. Her symptoms abated slightly, which was enough for Anna to get back on her feet.
"Elsa, yoohoo," Anna intercepted her path and stopped her by grabbing her hands. "Come on, sit down before you burn a line in the floor."
"Anna, I'm sorry, I just can't stop thinking about those people back there," Elsa sighed. "Maybe if we had chosen another option, they wouldn't have been arrested and sent who knows where by ArmaRex."
"I know, I know," Anna led Elsa back towards her seat
Once she was sitting down, Elsa looked down at her hands and fidgeted with them.
"Hey," Anna smiled as she reached up and cupped Elsa's face, holding eye contact. "Listen to me, okay? And look at me."
"I am looking at you."
"I know. What you're doing, it's a good thing. You're giving a voice to people who didn't have a voice, well, they already had voices but not like real voices because technically they wouldn't- whatever. You get what I mean."
A small smile began to tug at the corners of Elsa's lips. If nothing else, Anna's inane ramblings always bought her joy.
"Anyway," Anna shook her head to clear her thoughts and resume focus. "This movement of yours, you try to save as many people as you can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everyone. If you can't find a way to live with that, then maybe next time, no one gets saved."
Elsa nodded slowly and leaned her face into Anna's comforting touch.
"You get what I'm saying?" Anna asked. "You can't be everywhere at once, can't know everything at once, and can't do everything at once. You're a human, not some god or queen or elemental spirit or whatever. You just gotta focus on the ones you can help. You think too much, you get caught up in your head, then you'll just crash and burn. Believe me, I've been there."
"You're not that same person anymore, Anna," Elsa said softly. "You're good too. You're the best person I know."
"And I know you've done more in two years than I have in my entire life. Think about how far you've come, and don't beat yourself up about things you can't help."
Elsa pursed her lips and considered that for a few moments. The expression on her face reported that she was hearing and absorbing Anna's words, but small flickers of doubt and uncertainty yet remained in her eyes. When they resettled on Anna, the one thing she was always certain of, they sharpened back into focus.
Anna thought it was enough.
"Okay," Elsa nodded. "I'll try."
"Good talk," Anna booped her on the nose and blew a raspberry. "And you thought we needed a therapist."
"We're still going to shop around and find one after all this is over," Elsa replied.
If the world hasn't ended yet, Anna thought. And if some freak accident doesn't happen again. Last time it did, I lost my damn arm. Uh oh. Did I just jinx myself?
"We'll find the right one and we won't stop until we do," Elsa booped Anna on the nose, then closed her eyes as she came in for a kiss.
Anna had to stop her by pressing a finger against her lips. "Still sick, sorry," she chuckled. "You don't want my nasty germs. I mean, my throat is sore and full of gunk, and my sinuses are jam-packed with snot."
"Ugh, gross," Elsa groaned and instead settled for resting her forehead against Anna's.
Then, Elsa's omni-pad lit up with an incoming call. It was Alyosha.
"And there goes the moment," Anna sighed. "Time to get back to work, huh?"
"Better see what he has for us," Elsa picked up. "You have news?" she asked Alyosha, who appeared at the other end of the call.
"Da, I do," Alyosha nodded. "Alexei and Svetlana have agreed to see you. Come meet us in Putingrad. I am sending you the location."
"When's the meet?" Anna asked.
"Tonight," Alyosha replied. "It will be your only window to... carry out our agreement. Svetlana returns to New York tomorrow morning. You must act soon."
"We'll get it done," Elsa said.
"Good, see you then," Alyosha dropped the call.
Anna ran a hand through her hair and looked at Elsa. "We're still triple crossing them, right?"
"We are," Elsa nodded, examining the location Alyosha sent on her map.
"And I'm guessing you have a plan?"
"I do."
"And?"
"All the heads of the Verenkov family will be gathered in one room, so we'll need to act fast. Shock ammo in our firearms to disable them, suppressors to avoid raising the alarm, a discreet tip to the authorities, plant the evidence, and sneak out."
Anna tilted her head and frowned. "They'll probably take our guns," she said. "No way they'd let us be in the same room as them if we were wearing iron."
Elsa shrugged. "Then we rely on something more subtle. Quick-hacks to disable any security measures they might have and render them unconscious if need be," she gestured to Anna. "You have a metal arm that can shoot fire and a grappling hook. If things get loud, I think we can handle it."
"You're so blasé about this. How are you so blasé about this?"
"You heard him. This is our only window. We don't have time to do recon or make a better plan. Besides, you walked into VanirCorp headquarters alone and took on an entire private army and you didn't even have much of a plan. It's about time I had my hero moment."
"Oh, so I'm just relegated to a sidekick role for this next story arc?"
"Yes."
Anna tried to say something snarky, stammered, and instead conceded the point. "Fine, fine," she said, walking towards their gear to load up. "You can have your badass, action hero moment. I- I would- I would actually love to see that. It would be pretty hot."
"Hot," Elsa came up next to Anna and started getting ready. "We are hot, aren't we?"
Anna snorted and laughed, shaking her head in amusement.
… … …
The drive to Onyx Hill where the district of Putingrad was situated was certainly scenic and interesting since neither Anna nor Elsa had ever been there. They were driving in Elsa's car, but Anna's motorcycle was following along behind them in case they needed an alternative mode of escape.
After heading off the freeway, they passed through a commercial area. The streets were lined with high-end clothing stores, fancy restaurants, and other entertainment venues. Across the street from them was a dense crowd of paparazzi gathered outside some type of red-carpet premier. Celebrities who Anna didn't care to know about were walking up and down the carpet, plated in gold and chrome, shining with exotic cyberware that made them look more like living, breathing, metal sculptures instead of actual people.
"Oh, god," Anna turned away from the view and rubbed her eyes. "This place makes me nauseous."
She was actually feeling quite unwell, with a dull ache in her lungs and in her liver, as well as being already somewhat drained from the events of their day. A day that was far from over. Still, she just thought it was the cold.
Elsa turned down a street, exiting the commercial area. "There was never anything like this in New York or LA, was there?"
"Maybe before the collapse, before everything went to shit," Anna muttered.
They passed on in silence, entering a residential neighborhood. There were rolling, grassy hills interspersed with creeks and ponds, along with small groves of trees. Additionally, there were gated mansions set over sprawling properties filled with lavish amenities like swimming pools, golf courses, and all sorts of things only enjoyed by the one percent.
The location that Alyosha had provided was easily one of the largest mansions in all of Arcadia. It was walled on all sides, with a single gate providing entry. The golden V on the gate indicated that they were at the Verenkov residence. Standing guard were gangers armed with guns, as well as the usual plethora of security cameras, autoturrets, and even two panzer mechs. That was just the front entrance. Security would certainly be tighter inside the mansion grounds.
"This is the place," Elsa said as she pulled into the driveway, heading towards the gate. "There must be a small army here."
Anna eyed the panzer mechs watching them. "Still think we can improvise our way out of this one?"
Two guards approached their car, holding up their hands, signaling for them to stop. They did as they were told and stopped just before the gates, then Elsa rolled down her window.
"This is private property," the guard said. "What is your business here?"
On Anna's side, the other guard shined a light in her face, then continued examining their car as he walked along its length.
"We're expected," Elsa replied. "Alyosha sent for us."
The guard pulled back and tapped on his earpiece, speaking in Russian. "Boss? There are two Americans at the gate. They say they're here to see you."
"Those are my guests, let them through," Alyosha's voice replied at the other end.
"Da, understood," the guard nodded and looked at Elsa. "Leave your vehicles out here and your weapons with us. We will take you inside."
Elsa looked at Anna, keeping her face calm and impassive. "Better do what he says."
"Let's get this over with," Anna muttered as she stepped out of the car.
They handed over their belongings, then received thorough pat-downs before they were allowed entry. Afterward, they were led through the gate, heading up the curved driveway on foot as they were escorted by the pair of guards. Along the way, more Verenkov men patrolled the grounds. Some of them stopped to observe Anna and Elsa.
Anna glanced over to Elsa and saw that she was meticulously scanning her surroundings, likely searching for things to exploit via her netrunning skills and quick-hacks. While she was doing that, Anna did the same, counting the number of guards she saw, taking inventory of their weapons, keeping tabs on entrances and exits.
Soon enough, they came upon the front doors to the mansion. The architecture of the large building was rococo in style, emulating the design of imperial palaces inhabited by the Russian aristocracy in the nineteenth century. The interior was also the same, with gilded and ornamental patterns adorning the walls, ceilings, and columns.
After they were let in, they had to pass through another checkpoint, this time with security scanners.
Crap, Anna thought, tensing up. The cyberware in my arm, they'll see it.
"Head through," a guard pointed with his weapon towards the scanner. "One at a time."
Elsa looked at Anna and they shared an unspoken moment. Anna flexed her cybernetic arm and gestured for her to go first, hoping to buy some time. Elsa nodded once in understanding and passed through with no issue. As soon as she was on the other side, Elsa crossed her arms and waited patiently, discreetly launching a quick-hack to temporarily disable the security scanner.
When it came time for Anna's turn, she made it halfway through the scanner before she was suddenly yanked to the side on her left. Her arm became stuck fast against a metal panel, keeping her trapped in place.
"Agh, what the hell is this!?" Anna asked, tugging on her arm.
"Are you still carrying?" a guard asked, pointing his gun at her.
"No, she's not," another guard said, looking at the holo-display by the scanner. "Scanner is clear. It's the magnet, it picks up anything metal."
"So can you deactivate it?" Elsa asked, her voice stern but her eyes flickering with worry for Anna. "We have a meeting to get to."
"Nyet," a guard said. "It would, uh, take too long," he seemed to be lying, likely out of laziness.
"Come on, you guys already took our gear," Anna scoffed. "Do you really want me to take this thing off?"
"Da," another guard said.
Anna scoffed again, making eye contact with Elsa. Faced with no other option, Anna rolled her eyes and acquiesced, unfastening her cybernetic arm from her body. After it was done, she turned towards the guards.
"Happy now?" Anna asked. "You've literally disarmed me," she chuckled, trying to break up some of the tension. "Get it? Disarm, like my- oh, come on. It's funny."
Elsa closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head slightly.
"Ah, my friends. Come in, davai, davai," Alyosha appeared at the top of the staircase at the other end of the entry foyer. "Welcome to the Verenkov residence. What do you think of the place? Not bad, eh?"
"It's a bit gaudy," Elsa replied, turning to regard Alyosha.
Alyosha laughed as he descended from the stairs. "You should see my mansion. Much gaudier," he snapped his fingers at one of the guards and spoke to him in Russian. "Is that their stuff? Give it to me."
The guard did as he was told and handed over their weapons as well as Anna's detached left arm.
Alyosha took hold of them and inspected Elsa's sidearm. "ArmaRex, not bad," he removed the magazine, frowning ever so slightly when he noticed the blue-tipped, less-than-lethal shock rounds stored inside.
If he was curious or concerned about their choice of ammunition, he did not say anything about it when he smiled at Anna and Elsa. They thought they might have given up their game then and there, but he didn't seem to care.
"Hmm. I always preferred Ronin myself," Alyosha slid the magazine back inside and then admired Anna's hand cannon. "Opa, this is a beautiful piece. A kensei?"
"Uh-huh," Anna nodded, clearing her throat.
"Here, let me give you a hand," Alyosha chuckled as he returned Anna's arm. "Apologies about our men."
Anna wordlessly accepted her arm back and reattached it to her body, winding it up and flexing her cybernetic muscles. Jokes about her arm weren't as funny to her if she wasn't the one making them.
"Enough chit-chat," Alyosha then gestured for them to come along and also dismissed the guard escort. "The others are waiting for us."
Anna and Elsa looked at each other, exchanged a tense glance, then silently fell in step behind him.
Okay, so we're down a few guns but at least I still have my holdout weapons in my arm, Anna thought. We can still do this. Just gotta play this smart.
Alyosha led them up to the second floor. From there, they went down a series of elegantly decorated rooms and hallways where they passed by dozens of other Verenkov gangers. They were all smoking, drinking, playing card games, watching holo-televisions, or cleaning their weapons.
Clearly, if worse came to worst, Anna and Elsa would have difficulty in fighting their way out if need be.
"Security is pretty tight," Anna commented idly.
"Not to worry," Alyosha said in a low voice. "I've already arranged an exit strategy for you. When the time comes, I will distract the guards and give you time to escape. I have also left a window already open for you to get out from. It isn't the most original plan, but that part of the grounds will be clear. You will only have a few minutes, so you must move quickly."
Elsa exchanged a glance with Anna and nodded. "Anything else we should expect before this happens?"
"To make this killing appear legitimate, you must make it look as if you overpowered me and took my pistols," Alyosha said. "Otherwise, someone will suspect that you snuck in your own weapons with some help from the inside, and I'm too close to this as it is. When I give you the signal, you'll hit me hard enough for it to be believable."
"Oh, I shouldn't have a problem doing that," Anna said.
"And what's the signal?" Elsa asked.
Alyosha glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. "When your friend is brought in," he said. "I will be close enough to you for you to act, and then from there, it is up to you."
Anna exchanged another glance with Elsa, then rolled her shoulders in anticipation. "Alright," she said. "Let's do this thing then."
Eventually, they were brought to the large double doors of a study and were let in. There, the other top two members of the Verenkov crime family were waiting for them. To one side of the room was a fireplace with two chairs in front of it, to the other was a small bar topped with various bottles of alcohol. Lining the walls were bookshelves filled with real paper books, showing off the wealth at the Verenkov's disposal.
Sitting behind a large desk was Alexei, a middle-aged gentleman with a neat head of silvery-gray hair and a trimmed beard to match. He wore a custom-tailored pinstripe suit with a burgundy dress shirt and a simple tie.
Standing off to the side by a bookshelf and smoking was Svetlana. Her blonde hair was styled into a bun and she wore an elegant, maroon, sequin dress with a real fox fur coat draped over her shoulders.
"Here we are," Alyosha went ahead and gestured to Anna and Elsa, addressing his family "These are the Americans who got their hands on the tank. They have a proposition for you, otets."
Svetlana took a drag from her cigarette and walked over, her heels clicking on the real hardwood flooring. "You are the one they call Caelestis?" she looked Elsa up and down. "I wasn't expecting you to be so..."
The fact that she just referred to Elsa as Caelestis meant that, apparently, Alyosha had not informed his family of her true identity, nor Anna's.
"Feminine?" Elsa suggested.
"Beautiful," Svetlana smirked. "Allow me to apologize for what happened to your people in New York. I assure you it was nothing personal. Just business."
Anna took a step forward, narrowing her brows as she glared at Svetlana.
"And you must be the mercenary," Svetlana looked at Anna.
"Sestra, leave them be," Alyosha went over to a bar and set down Anna's and Elsa's weapons to pour himself a shot of vodka. "They did not come here to be leered at."
Anna made a mental note of where their weapons were if they needed to reach them.
Svetlana glanced at Alyosha and said something so quickly in Russian that their language interpreters weren't able to keep up with the translation. Alyosha returned a reply, something snarky, just as quickly. The siblings fell into a small row until someone slammed a fist against a table, silencing the room.
"That's enough," Alexei said, his voice deep and smooth as he stood up. "You two, come forward," he beckoned to Anna and Elsa, gesturing to the chairs in front of him. "Have a seat."
Svetlana gave Anna and Elsa one last mischievous grin as she turned around and took a seat by the fireplace. Alyosha leaned against the bar counter, drinking his vodka.
Anna and Elsa did as they were told and approached Alexei, sitting down in front of him.
"So," Alexei sat down in his chair and leaned back, folding his hands over his chest. "I will hear your proposition."
Before they could carry out their triple cross, Anna and Elsa actually needed to verify that the Verenkovs had what they needed. They needed to see Lizzie and they needed to see the data shard in Alexei's head that had the IFF codes. Even so, after receiving that confirmation, they would have to find a way to incapacitate all three of the family members without raising the alarm and sneak out with Lizzie in tow. Thankfully, Alyosha had already accounted for that part.
"Two things," Elsa started. "First, you have a friend of ours. Lizzie. Your daughter kidnapped her and we want her back. Second, you have access to Soviet IFF codes. We want a copy of those too."
At the fireplace, Svetlana giggled in amusement.
"You mean these?" Alexei reached behind his neck and removed the data shard from his chip slot, showing it to them. "I can have a copy of these made for you, but the price is high."
"Which is what the tank is for," Anna said. "Word is, you were looking to buy one off the Crimson Corsairs. We happen to have it in our possession."
Alexei inserted the data shard back into his head and sighed. "Yes, the hover-tank, because my idiot nephew would not stop bothering me about it," he drummed his fingers on the desk. "Every day, it's uncle, uncle, please, I must have a tank. I want a tank. Blin."
"Sounds like a handful," Elsa said. "We can get rid of that headache for you if you give us what we want. Our friend and those codes, in exchange for the tank."
Alexei stared at Elsa unblinking for a few seconds. "This friend of yours, what did you say her name was?"
"Lizzie," Elsa replied.
"Lizzie, hmm," Alexei considered that for a moment. "Strange, because there is no girl with that name here."
Anna frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Svetlana," Alexei gestured to his daughter. "Go and find your sister."
"Yes, otets," Svetlana stood up, giving Anna and Elsa a knowing smirk as she walked out.
Something was wrong. Anna and Elsa were out of the loop and it seemed that all the Verenkovs knew what was up except for them. As they waited, Anna scanned her surroundings, counting how many steps it would take to reach the bar. Elsa was looking around as well, likely to pinpoint weaknesses in the local network.
Not long after, Svetlana returned, followed by a familiar girl. Lizzie was walking alongside Svetlana, only she wasn't dressed in her usual dirty street clothes. She was wearing a simple and clean red dress and her dirty brown hair had been washed, styled into pigtails, the only thing about her that was familiar.
Oh no, Anna thought, realizing straight away what had happened to her.
"Lizzie," Elsa said quietly, her eyes widening with relief as she turned around in her chair and tentatively reached out. "I'm so glad you're-"
"Papa!" Lizzie bounced up to Alexei, giggling all the while. "You wanted to see me, papa?" she smiled at him with the kind of authentic adoration that can only be forced into someone's head, not genuinely fostered. "Who are these people?" she gave a sparing glance at Anna and Elsa.
There was no recognition in her eyes.
Alexei laughed and gave Lizzie a quick hug. "There you are, Natalya," he ruffled her hair, then pointed to Anna and Elsa. "These women say they are friends of yours. Do you know them?"
Natalya turned her attention to them, studying them for a long moment. "No," she shook her head. "I don't know who they are."
"Lizzie?" Elsa stood up from her chair and knelt a small distance away from Natalya. "It's Elsa, your friend from New York. We met a while ago, remember? I gave you five books, paper books, do you remember?" her voice was shaky and her hands were trembling, having realized what had happened as well.
Anna was stunned speechless, shaking her head in disbelief as she gripped the armrests of her chair.
Natalya shook her head again, this time coming a bit closer to Alexei for protection.
"Lizzie, please," Elsa reached towards her.
"I don't know you," Natalya backed away. "Papa, why are these people here?"
"He's not your father!" Elsa snapped, nearly losing her composure. "Lizzie, it's me, Elsa. Please, you know me."
"It's okay, zaychik," Alexei said, holding Natalya by her shoulders as he ushered her out of the room. "Run along now. Go and find your mother."
"Can I have another book to read?" Natalya asked, the smile returning as she looked up and down the bookshelves.
"Of course," Alexei led her over. "Whichever one you like."
Natalya hummed happily to herself as she perused the books, eventually settling upon one with a hardcover. "This one!" she pulled it down, bouncing giddily. "The Velveteen Rabbit."
"Okay," Alexei chuckled and shooed her away. "Be careful with it now, that's the only copy left in the world."
Natalya gave him a hug, then quickly made her exit, hurrying out while avoiding eye contact with Anna and Elsa. Elsa stared after her, shaking and stammering. When she turned back towards Alexei, all warmth had left her face as her countenance hardened into a mask of icy rage.
"What have you done to her?!" Elsa demanded. "What did you do?!" she balled her hands into fists, trembling with fury.
"Done to her?" Alexei scoffed and looked offended. "What kind of fucking animal do you take me for? No, I haven't done anything to her. It was my wife, Katya. She has been telling me, Alexei, Alexei, I want another child. I say to her, you already have a daughter and a son. She says they are all grown up and are too busy to visit their poor mother. She wants a younger child to cherish. I do not want another child, but my wife wants another child, so we compromised and got another child. So, Svetlana brings me Natalya, and Katya gets to spend her days fawning over her."
"She isn't your daughter!" Anna exclaimed, incensed as Elsa was. "She's not your fucking property! Her name is Lizzie!"
"Why didn't she recognize me?" Elsa asked. "She knew me!"
Svetlana approached them, still wearing that infuriating grin. "The beautiful thing about an android daughter is that she doesn't age," she said. "Mama gets to spend all the time in the world with her. Of course, we had to wipe her memories first."
Elsa said nothing else as she lunged towards Svetlana, intending to rip her head off with her bare hands. However, just before she could close the distance, she clutched her head and screamed in pain. Anna herself was getting ready to burn the whole place down using her flamethrower, but she screamed in pain as well when her own head felt as if it was being sawed open.
They both collapsed to the floor, nearly blacking out from the tremendous agony that was overwhelming them.
"What- what's happening?" Elsa strained through gritted teeth. "What are you doing to us?!"
"Synapse burnout," Svetlana said, casually turning over her gold-plated fingers to examine her diamond-encrusted nails. "A quick-hack. Sets your nervous system on fire and induces tremendous pain. Our netrunners made sure to tag you as soon as you step foot on the grounds."
"I'll kill you!" Anna struggled to her feet, even through her suffering. "I'll fucking kill- agh!" she fell to her knees once more when it doubled.
Alyosha approached, standing over the pair on the floor. "What should we do with them?" he asked in Russian.
Even though her head was pounding, Anna noticed that he was holding Elsa's sidearm. Not one of his own personal gold-plated pistols.
"Caelestis is worth more alive," Alexei replied, also in Russian. "Hand her over to the authorities. We'll collect the bounty."
"What of the redhead?" Svetlana asked, again, in Russian.
"Doesn't matter to me. It makes no difference," Alexei shrugged. "Alyosha, stop wasting time and do it already."
"Da," Alyosha nodded as he took aim at Elsa first. "Sorry, ladies. Nothing personal."
Anna stumbled over, trying to reach Elsa and cover her body with her own, but she was too late. A trigger was pulled and a bullet slammed into her chest. A second later, Anna was shot in the same way and everything turned black.
… … …
Sometime later, Anna opened her eyes, finding herself to be completely immersed in darkness. "Oh, my chest," she groaned and coughed. "Where am- Elsa? Elsa?!"
A body next to her rolled over and in the darkness, the only thing Anna could make out was Elsa's white hair. Then, a sudden bump jostled her body around, telling her that she was in the trunk of a car.
"Anna?" Elsa stirred and rolled over. "Anna, are you okay?"
"I'm still breathing. Getting tagged with those shock rounds hurt like a bitch," Anna wiggled closer so they were face to face. "You?
"Still breathing," Elsa groaned.
"I think we're in the trunk of a car."
Elsa rolled onto her back and felt around the interior of the trunk. "I should have expected they would turn on us again," she muttered. "They were never going to uphold their end. We must be on the way to the police or the government."
"I can't believe they crossed us before we could cross them," Anna wiggled her legs to see how much room there was. "It was a quadruple cross!"
"Well, they made their last mistake. We're getting out of here and then we're-"
Their momentum came to a halt, indicating that the car had stopped. A few seconds later, the engine was shut off, a car door was opened and closed, and footsteps were approaching the trunk.
"Shit, not good," Anna rolled over to her side to face where the trunk would open. "As soon as this thing opens, we'll fight our way free. With me?"
"With you," Elsa positioned herself behind Anna, ready to pounce.
As soon as the trunk open and light flooded in, Anna and Elsa sprang out, landing only on solid ground. Standing a safe distance in front of them was Alyosha, pointing his two gold-plated pistols. His car was parked next to a familiar rover, showing that they were back at his garage in Elysium Park.
"Hello, ladies," Alyosha smiled. "Sleep well?"
"You bastard!" Anna lunged towards him. "I'll rip your-"
A single gunshot was placed at her feet, stopping her from advancing any further.
"Ah ah ah," Alyosha shook his head. "I had a feeling the two of you wouldn't take so kindly to being stuffed into a trunk. I apologize. Had to keep up appearances, you see."
"What are we doing here?" Elsa asked impatiently. "You shot us!"
"I saved your lives," Alyosha replied, lowering his pistols. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be on the way to a gulag right now."
Anna and Elsa exchanged a look, then turned their attention back to Alyosha.
"And from the way your guns were loaded with shock rounds, I'm guessing you had other plans," Alyosha said. "One that likely would have ended with me and my whole family headed to the gulag, hmm? You were never planning to fulfill our agreement."
"Can you blame us?" Anna asked. "Your family already fucked us over once before."
"And you want to fuck them in return, I understand," Alyosha chuckled as he holstered his pistols. "Despite everything, I can still help you. Svetlana won't be in Arcadia for much longer. She is at Red Square. Alexei is at a meeting with all the major gang bosses. The Yakuza and the Triads. He is at the House of Gold Leaves along with your little friend."
"Why are you helping us?" Elsa squinted at him.
"Because I still want them dead and I still want to take over the family business," Alyosha shrugged. "I thought that was clear. Believe me, had I known Alexei and Svetlana were planning to betray you, I would never have set up that meeting."
Anna scoffed and shook her head. "What is this now? A quintuple cross?"
A moment of silence passed, during which Anna and Elsa considered their new predicament. Indeed, if it hadn't been for Alyosha's intervention, they would already be packaged and sent off to a Soviet labor camp somewhere in the middle of the Martian desert. Their plan to triple cross the Verenkovs had ended with them getting quadruple crossed. They thought they knew the game, but the fact was, their foes just played it better.
"You don't trust me," Alyosha smiled as he took a few steps forward. "That's fine. Maybe you think I'm leading you into another trap, but no. I could not raise a hand against my own family in our own house. That is why I had to stand by. You want revenge? I've told you how to find the people responsible for causing you this trouble. You want your friend back and those codes? I've told you how to get them."
As a gesture of good faith, he opened the garage door to show that Elsa's car and Anna's motorcycle were parked outside. He then went into his own car, opened the door, then retrieved their weapons, handing it back to them.
"What's stopping us from killing you right now?" Anna asked as she took hold of her hand cannon and her katana.
"Is that what you want to do?" Alyosha replied.
Anna thought that over for a little bit. Alyosha was certainly a shrewd and shady businessman, but in their dealing with him so far, he had at least kept to his word. That alone was saying more than the average ganger.
Elsa answered for her when she walked up to Alyosha, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off his feet easily. "That's what we should do," she hissed. "You knew what they did to Lizzie this whole time and you never told us!" she shook him back and forth, beginning to wring out his neck.
"Of course... I knew!" Alyosha struggled to free himself from Elsa's vise-like grip as he choked for air. "I didn't... tell you because... I knew you would never agree... to help me!"
"Who's your business partner?!" Elsa asked, her face contorting with anger. "How did they know who we were!?"
"I don't know!" Alyosha replied. "Never told me! He just... passed along... your info! Nobody else knows but me, I- I swear!"
"A name!" Elsa tightened her grip.
"Wes- Wesley... Townsend!" Alyosha gasped.
The revelation came to both of them both as a surprise and not as a surprise. Elsa's face eased up for a moment before she shook her head and refocused her fury on Alyosha. As for Anna, she felt a chill crawl down her spine. The fact that Wesley was able to learn of their identities from all they in Port Armstrong meant he had some considerable resources at his disposal. Furthermore, he was the same man who created the adjudicators; the android killing machines that nearly killed their friends.
"The CEO of Weseltech is looking for us? Why!?" Elsa demanded, shaking Alyosha back and forth.
Alyosha was unable to respond as he started to turn purple.
Anna looked on, shocked by Elsa's rage, but not surprised. Still, she could tell from the way that Elsa's features were twisted with hatred that she wouldn't have a second's hesitation of crushing Alyosha's windpipe and snapping his neck. The last time Elsa was ever that angry was when she murdered Matilda Rosenthal by beating her face in with a glass jar, then with her own fists.
"Put him down," Anna said, placing a firm hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Come on, put him down."
Elsa looked at Anna, her face bewildered and her eyes wild. "What? You saw what they did to her! Lizzie doesn't even remember her own name!"
"I know, but this piece of shit isn't the one who did that," Anna glanced at Alyosha. "It was Svetlana and Alexei. They're the ones who need to pay."
"You expect me to just let him go?! What about what he just told us?"
"He can't tell us anything if he's dead."
Elsa gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, damming up the angry tears that were threatening to spill out. Reluctantly, she dropped Alyosha, who fell on his back, gasping for breath.
"Thank you," Alyosha wheezed as he looked up at Anna and Elsa. "You will not regret this."
Anna walked up and placed her boot on Alyosha's chest, pointing her hand cannon in his face. "Talk," she said. "Why is the head corpo of Weseltech looking for us?"
"The same reason he created the adjudicators," Alyosha held his hands up. "He sees you both as a threat he needs to eliminate."
Anna looked at Elsa, who was pacing quickly side to side, wringing out her hands.
"I've told you everything I know, now let me go!" Alyosha wheezed. "I'll forget any of this ever happened. I'll tell Wesley that we never met each other. I'll say that you ghosted from Arcadia."
"I don't think so," Anna pulled the trigger on her hand cannon and shot Alyosha right in the center of his forehead.
Blood splattered across the concrete along with bits of brain matter and skull fragments. It matched the shade of his shirt and like that, the entrepreneur had bitten off more than he could chew as he was killed unceremoniously in his own garage.
"Elsa, you still have that blackmail chip?" Anna knelt and started patting around his pockets.
Elsa blinked at Anna in surprise, then nodded quickly. "I do," she reached into her jacket and pulled out the chip. "If this is what you were planning, why didn't you just tell me?"
Anna shrugged. "Didn't want you to be the one to get your hands dirty," she removed one of Alyosha's pistols from his holster and kept it for herself, pocketing a few spare magazines. "Leave that chip on him and let's move. When the cops find all this dirt on him, that should get this Wesley guy off our backs for a bit."
Elsa nodded and after placing it right on Alyosha's chest in plain sight, they gathered the rest of their things and made their way to their respective vehicles. The only people left to deal with were Svetlana and Alexei.
"Okay, I need to wrap my head around all this," Anna said. "First, Alyosha wants us to help him double cross his family. So, then we plan to triple cross him. Only his family planned to cross us before crossing them, making it a quadruple cross. Then he goes behind their back, bails us out, and still wants us to cross them and now it's a quintuple cross. We ice him for setting us up and it's a sextuple cross. And on top of all this, Alyosha apparently had no issues with crossing Wesley, which puts us at seven crosses," she counted off her fingers as she spoke. "That sound right?"
Elsa counted it to herself, then nodded to confirm the silly and confusing number of crosses. "That sounds right, yes," she said. "A septuple cross."
"Man, this plot has gotten really confusing. Anyway," Anna pulled up a map of Arcadia. "Red Square is a club in the sub-city and the House of Gold Leaves is a restaurant over in Onyx Hill."
"We'll need to split up then," Elsa partially unsheathed her cryo katana, observing her reflection in the silent steel. "Take them both out at once."
"I agree. Good thing I packed the hollow-points," Anna filled up a few speed loaders for her hand cannon. "But which one of us is going after who?"
"Alexei is mine," Elsa sheathed her katana. "He has the codes and he has Lizzie."
"You get the top dog, I'll get the bitch," Anna nodded, heading over to her motorcycle. "Good thing is, they aren't expecting us."
"Okay, we'll meet at the safehouse after all this is done," Elsa went over to her car, opening the door. "Anna?"
"Elsa?" Anna paused as she put on her helmet.
"Be careful."
"You too," Anna climbed her motorcycle and revved the engine. "Kick some ass!" she called out as she sped off into the night.
Elsa did the same and soon, the pair were both gone from the scene, just a few minutes before the police arrived.
A few loose ends needed to be tied up.