2101: A Space Odyssey
"Here we are. Thirsty today, aren't you?" Elsa watered her yellow chrysanthemum flower. "Much better."
At the moment, she was sitting in the bedroom of the apartment, tending to her plant. She was trying to enjoy as much of the temporary calm as possible before things would inevitably pick up once more. Since transferring the IFF codes to the Maximus that would allow them to pass through the Iron Curtain, she had been mainly focused on wrapping up the last of their preparations.
The Verenkovs had been dealt with. The signal transceiver was modified for the next phase of the plan. All that was left was to wait for the arrival of their friends and then get to Janus Station. From there, they would plug in the signal transceiver and broadcast the frequency across the universal net which would allow androids to gain their freedom.
The Maximus was due to arrive in just a few more days and the end was in sight, but of course, things were never as easy or as simple as that. Still, their path was clear, so long as nothing else crazy happened along the way.
Despite all the assurances she had received from Anna so far, Elsa could feel the pressure continuing to build. The future of the synthetic race depended on her, and it was up to her to deliver them to the promised land. She was determined to see it through to the end. Not for herself, not even for Anna, but for all the people who had already laid down their lives in service of a greater cause.
Just as her thoughts turned to Anna and of her worries about her declining health, Elsa's omni-pad lit up with an incoming call from that very same person. She picked up and was pleasantly surprised to find that Anna actually appeared to be in much better health. Her eyes were brighter somehow and her voice wasn't slightly hoarse or strained from a cold as it had been for the past few days.
"Hey, you," Elsa smiled. "I was just thinking about you."
"Hey, uh, it's your me," Anna said. "Your girlfriend. Anna. It me."
"I can see that," Elsa laughed. "I'm looking right at you, silly."
"Right, yeah, totally," Anna seemed flustered. "Anyway, I have some news. Are you sitting down?"
Elsa nodded, becoming slightly concerned. "I am. Is everything okay?"
Anna smiled and made a few noncommittal noises. "I am, yeah, I am," she said. "It's just... well, I quit my job."
"Really? Why?"
"Because working there was stupid and I hated it and I got shit all for pay. I've been thinking about it for a long time now, so I just figured, what the hell. Besides, I wanted to devote my full focus to... you know."
Elsa thought about that and decided it was a rational decision to make, considering everything going on. "Reasonable," she said. "Was that the funny story you wanted to tell me?"
"No," Anna shook her head, a slight grin curling her lips. "The funny story is the way I decided to quit. I walked into Shang's office and I told him to eat a bag of dicks," she chuckled. "Oh, Elsa, you should have seen the look on his face."
"A bag of dicks?" Elsa frowned. "You couldn't have tendered your resignation a bit more professionally?"
"A whole bag of dicks, and no, because he was an asshat who liked to perv on all the women in the office. If anything, I was standing up to him. Doing the right thing and all."
"Well, you definitely have an interesting way of going about it," Elsa laughed.
"Yeah," Anna smiled and then it faded somewhat. "So, there's another thing I wanted to tell you actually."
"I'm listening."
"You know how I've been sick for a little while now? Coughing and all that?"
"Yes," Elsa said, tensing up in anticipation of something bad.
Anna's smile returned more brightly. "Yeah, so I finally took your advice and stopped by the hospital," she said. "A doctor came and took a look at me and it turns out I have- err, had, I guess, a mild case of carbon fever."
"Carbon fever?" Elsa stood up. "That's a really serious illness."
"I know, I know, but don't worry. He did some medical stuff, gave me a shot, and now I'm feeling a lot better. I asked him if I had to worry about getting you sick, and he said if I've had symptoms for as long as I have, and you haven't picked anything up by now, then we should be fine."
"Oh, whew, okay," Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "But why didn't you tell me? I would have liked to be there."
Anna glanced off the side and shrugged. "You were busy," she said. "Didn't want to bug you."
"Maybe, but I would have made time. Nothing's more important to me than your health."
"Well, you're right. And hey, look on the bright side. I'm not sick anymore."
"You're sure you're feeling better?"
"Fit as a fiddle," Anna demonstrated her point by jumping up and down. "Could a sick person do that?"
Elsa opened her mouth to say something.
"Yeah, I know," Anna cut her off. "You're going to say I told you so and that we should have gone to the doctor sooner. I'm better now, that's all that matters, okay?"
"I'm just really glad," Elsa said, smiling. "Does that mean we can-"
"Yes, obviously," Anna said quickly. "We're gonna fuck like there's no tomorrow. Heh," she chuckled. "Get it? Because of the doomsday clock and the whole- whatever, not the point. I'm coming home right now, so I'll see you in a few."
"I'll put on something saucy," Elsa grinned. "See you in a few," she winked and ended the call.
… … …
After Anna returned home and after a particularly vigorous session of lovemaking – she seemed even more enthusiastic than was usual for her – they both collapsed into a naked heap on their couch to catch their breath. Currently, Elsa was sitting upright with her legs splayed out, while Anna was lying on her back with her head resting in Elsa's lap.
"How are you feeling?" Elsa asked, running her fingers through Anna's crimson hair.
"Good," Anna looked up at Elsa, smiling unabashedly. "Really good. I don't know what thing you did with your body, but it was like an acrobatic, gymnastics thing. Where did you learn that?"
Elsa shrugged. "While you were sick, I was bored and lonely, so I searched up some interesting things on the net to try with you," she said. "Did it work?"
"It was pretty crazy. In a good way. Like, really good."
"You wore me out this time too, so you must have been as desperate for this as I was."
"Heh, yeah," Anna sighed, reaching for one of Elsa's hands and holding it with both of her own.
Something flashed across her eyes then, something that Elsa was unable to read.
"What are you thinking about?" Elsa asked.
Anna held Elsa's hand in front of her face as she played around with the fingers. "Just... stuff. A lot of stuff happened these past few days," she said. "Been trying to get a grip on it all."
"Yeah," Elsa took a deep breath and exhaled.
A lot had been on her mind as well, so she had been meditating often on it all. With regard to Rufus and Lizzie and everyone else who died, she despaired at the fact she couldn't do more, but ultimately, the past was in the past. But the end was nearly in sight now and she still had time to make a difference.
Elsa and Anna both still had time.
"But it feels good to have something to work towards," Anna said. "I feel like we're making progress, you know? Like all of this hasn't been for nothing, because it can't be for nothing."
"No, no it can't," Elsa agreed.
"K and the others will be here soon. We'll figure out the next step, and the next, and the next. Whatever it takes until we get this done."
Elsa noticed that Anna was speaking with a sort of clarity in her voice as if she had finally reached a few understandings of the world, and more importantly of herself. There was firm conviction in her eyes, a steadfast look on her face, and fierce determination emanating from her demeanor.
"We're doing something good," Anna continued. "Something noble. Maybe we aren't superheroes and maybe we can't save the entire universe, but maybe that's okay. I don't think anyone could do that, so we're just saving what's important to us. Our world. Our people. We're doing as much good as we can and that's all that should matter, right?"
"Right," Elsa agreed, still pleasantly surprised at Anna's change in attitude. "Where did all this come from?"
Anna shrugged and kissed Elsa's palm, letting it rest against her cheek. "I don't know," she said. "I just got the feeling like there's more I could be doing and you helped me realize that. I guess I've been kind of selfish ever since I got you back, because I only care about you. But I care about other people too, and it's time I started doing more for them. It's time I started paying back all the luck I've gotten," she looked up at Elsa. "And I have been really lucky. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
Elsa blinked away happy tears and leaned down, kissing Anna softly on the lips. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me too."
Anna scrunched up her face and grinned. "Yeah, I know," she giggled. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."
"Anything. Shoot."
"Do you remember when you sang to me? When we came back from the zoo."
"I do."
Anna bit her lip and played with Elsa's fingers. "Would you sing to me again?"
"I'd love to," Elsa chuckled. "I wasn't just looking at smut while you were sick. I learned a new song to play on the piano."
"Hmph. I don't wanna get up."
"That's okay. I can just sing it to you right here."
Elsa cleared her throat and then she began to sing. Her voice was smooth and silky, sweet and soothing. It was another old song, back from a simpler time when the world was still innocent and less scarred.
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun
Anna continued to look up at Elsa, holding on tightly to her hand, wearing a look of overwhelming love and adoration. To her, there was only one person that mattered in the whole universe at that moment.
When I'm stuck with a day
That's gray
And lonely
I just stick out my chin
And grin
And say
Oh
Anna sniffed and her eyes began to water. She still wore that beautiful smile, but now, there was something urgent behind it. As if she were taking every last second she could now to remember every single detail of Elsa's face.
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So you gotta hang on
Till tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow, tomorrow!
I love ya, tomorrow!
You're always a day away
As she sang, Elsa noticed that Anna yawned and her eyelids were getting heavy with sleep. They were both exhausted from their rigorous physical activity, but Anna was on the verge of passing out right there in Elsa's lap. Rather than say anything or do anything to avoid having her move when she was already so comfortable, Elsa continued to serenade her.
Before long, Anna was fast asleep. Elsa was more than happy to stay awake and continue singing, all while stroking Anna's hair.
… … …
The next day, while Elsa and Anna were having breakfast, morning cartoons were playing on the holo-television in the background.
"You know, I figure now that I have nothing but free time on my hands, I could help around more with whatever you need doing," Anna said as she poured some milk into her bowl of cereal.
Elsa looked away from the plastic packaging of the cereal that she was reading. "I'd love that," she smiled. "It's funny you should ask because I could use your help on a few things."
"Oh, yeah? Hit me."
"For starters, there is the small matter of what to do with this hover-tank we own now. I was thinking of reaching out to Mulan. She could help us find anyone who would be interested in buying it from us."
"What?" Anna recoiled in surprise. "You wanna sell it? After everything we went through just to get our hands on it?"
"Well, yes," Elsa shrugged. "What use could we possibly have for the Drachen? Right now, it's just taking up space in the safehouse. Space that could be used to provide safe refuge for our friends."
Anna held up a finger and chuckled. "Uh, I think the better question is what use don't we have for the Drachen," she said. "That's some top-of-the-line military hardware. We could definitely benefit from having a freakin' hover-tank at our disposal."
"For what? What would we even use it for?"
"I don't know. Take it for a joyride. Blow some shit up. Listen, I just think it's really important that we hang onto it."
"Owning a hover-tank is a lot of responsibility, Anna. I mean, you have to keep it fueled, keep its munitions stocked. How would we even do that? Walk into the local ArmaRex branch and ask them to top it up?"
"I'm responsible. I am so responsible. Besides, it's a hover-tank! Tell me you don't think owning a hover-tank is awesomely badass."
"Fine, fine," Elsa relented. "It can stay, but only for a little while."
Anna grinned and pumped her fist in excitement. "Yes! Thank you!" she bounced up and down. "You won't even have to lift a finger. I'll wash it myself. I'll clean up after it. All that jazz."
"I should hope so," Elsa sighed and took a bite of her cereal. "Anyway, that brings us to the matter of reorganizing the safehouse. Our friends will need a place to stay while they're here, and I can think of no better place to hide a bunch of smugglers than in a safehouse that's literally underground."
"You aren't worried that would attract more attention?" Anna asked.
"It's less risky than having them stay with us here in the apartment," Elsa replied. "What, were you thinking we'd just have one big slumber party with all of them here?"
Anna shrugged. "That would be pretty fun, but yeah, no. I see your point," she stirred her cereal around with her spoon. "So, how's this whole next act gonna work? Once they arrive at the spaceport, they'll need to refuel before we can head up to Janus Station."
"Yes," Elsa nodded. "They'll wait in the safehouse while that happens, OLAF can take care of them."
"And this whole plan with opening a tunnel through the net and getting everyone out, you really think it'll work?"
"I do. We've run the tests and we know what to expect. The only hard part is convincing all the androids to head inside, but that's a choice we can't make for them. Some of them may want to stick around or transfer themselves into a different body."
"Switching bodies, that is crazy stuff," Anna chuckled and shook her head. "What do you think we'd do if we switched bodies?"
Elsa considered that prospect for the first time. "I don't know. What would you do?"
Anna looked at Elsa, raising her spoon to her mouth to take a bite of cereal. "Play with your boobs," she said nonchalantly. "And your butt."
Elsa frowned and tilted her head, looking deeply puzzled. "You can already do that in your own body."
"Yeah, but that would be, like, a totally different sensation. Think about it. If we had sex, that would be insane. I'd be fucking me as you. I mean, that's a wild trip. You wouldn't want to do that if you were in my body?"
"It wasn't my first thought, but now that you mention it."
"What was your first thought?"
"I'd actually make you do some chores for once. It wouldn't be the same as having you actually do them on your own choice, but I'm hoping if I did that enough, it would be ingrained in your muscle memory. That way, I wouldn't have to bug you as much."
"Ugh, typical," Anna rolled her eyes. "And that's not fair, I've been a lot better about cleaning up now."
Elsa giggled and leaned forward, kissing Anna on the nose. "I know. I'm only teasing."
"Teasing," Anna grinned and pulled Elsa in close, firmly grasping her rear. "Speaking of teasing," she closed her eyes and came in for a kiss.
Just as they were about to make contact, a flashing alert sounded off from the holo-television. Another second later, a breaking news broadcast took over all of the channels, updating the populace of a rapidly developing situation.
"People of Arcadia, we interrupt your morning broadcasts to bring you this breaking news segment," a news anchor said. "The infamous colony ship, the USS Roanoke, once thought to have vanished during a long-range mission into deep space has suddenly returned. We'll take you to the footage live from the scene at Janus Station."
Elsa turned up the sound as she and Anna came closer to the holo-television. Before them, they saw the USS Roanoke, a large colony ship with the flag of the New United States emblazoned on the side of its hull. From its current condition, it was easy enough to tell that it was significantly damaged. The exterior of the ship was scratched all over and dented by impacts from space debris, the engines were barely functional, and in some parts, the ship had lost pressure. Currently, it was being escorted to Janus Station by a fleet of Russian and Chinese warships.
"This story is being brought to you right now as it begins to unfold. As far as we can tell, it seems that the authorities are planning to quarantine the ship at Janus Station until a boarding party can be dispatched to search for any survivors inside."
Elsa shook her head in disbelief. "Quarantined so close to Arcadia?" she wondered aloud. "If it was lost for so long, there's no way that anyone could still be alive on board."
Anna frowned in thought. "And if it's at Janus Station, that's right where-"
"Right where we need to go next," Elsa picked up on her line of thinking and sighed.
Anna scoffed. "Of course. Of course, there's some dramatic twist right at the start of the final act. What are we gonna do?"
"Let's get down to the safehouse," Elsa started heading for the door. "Come on, we can work something out with OLAF."
… … …
Elsa and Anna spent the next few hours pacing back and forth at the safehouse, all the while the news was playing and providing them with constant updates. OLAF himself was monitoring the situation through the net, and as it continued to develop, their circumstances became even more complicated.
Live footage showed that the Roanoke was now docked at Janus Station, but not in the commercial or civilian thoroughfare. Instead, it was docked at the opposite end, nearby the satellite launch facility and military complex. A ring of warships surrounded the entire station, locking down the entire space.
"We're just getting some new information in," the news anchor said. "A rescue team has gained entry into the Roanoke, but it appears that the entire ship is emanating a tremendous amount of radiation. Our experts believe that it was likely caused by a massive solar flare. Right now, the hope is to find any survivors and recover the flight recorder to determine the fate of the Roanoke."
Elsa stopped pacing and looked over. "A solar flare?" she asked. "OLAF, how does that line up with your findings?"
"A solar flare of significant scale would have indeed caused a catastrophic failure of the Roanoke's power and life support systems," OLAF replied. "Standard protocol in such an event dictates that the ship's autopilot would take over navigation and proceed towards the nearest spaceport. Only upon nearing its destination would the power be rebooted, which perhaps explains why the Roanoke was able to evade detection on early warning systems and appear so suddenly now."
"Then it wasn't swallowed by a black hole or hijacked by aliens," Anna said. "But what happened to the crew? Or the colonists?"
"The Roanoke was the last colony ship sent out as part of the STARGAZER program before it was discontinued by the New United States government," OLAF replied. "A common feature of colony ships are long-term cryogenic stasis units, designed to keep the occupants in suspended animation until they arrive at wherever they are going. It is likely they were all asleep at the time the solar flare occurred."
The STARGAZER program was launched in the years following the collapse. On the moon, the New United States government feared nuclear reprisal from the Communists, so to ensure the longevity and continuation of the human race, five colony ships were sent out into deep space. Among them were the Roanoke, the Drake, the Vespucci, the Magellan, and the Columbus. The hope was that they would settle on a new planet, possibly in a new solar system that was habitable for humanity.
"And if the life support systems failed-" Elsa started.
"Then everyone on board would have died," Anna finished. "It's a ghost ship. Huh. Pretty spooky."
"That is most certainly the outcome, however, the Roanoke is a bit of an anomaly," OLAF said.
Elsa perked up. "Anomaly how?"
"Of the five colony ships sent out by STARGAZER, Roanoke was the only one declared to be missing," OLAF said. "As per the mission parameters of each ship, they were intended to pass beyond deep space and fall out of contact. There was never a return strategy for them because they were built to house their occupants until a suitable planet could be found for colonization. A matter of decades, if not, centuries. All of their systems were automated and self-sustaining."
"Alright, that's a bit contradictory," Anna said. "If the Roanoke was important enough to be declared missing, what made it so important?"
"From what I was able to learn, the ship passed out of contact much sooner than was expected after deviating from its original flight path," OLAF said. "So much so that foul play or some other unforeseen incident was suspected. The flight recorder would tell the rest of this tale, but until the Soviets get their hands on it, we know as much as they do."
"Right, well, okay," Anna started pacing circles around Elsa as she fiddled with her hands in thought. "This doesn't really change- okay, it does, but plans change. Plans change all the time. What do we do?"
"First we need to make sure the Maximus is safe and sound," Elsa snapped her fingers and looked over at OLAF. "Have they made it through the curtain yet?"
OLAF brought up a map of the space above Arcadia, highlighting the Maximus as it approached the colony. "It appears they've successfully made it past the blockade," he said. "ETA to the Yuri Gagarin Spaceport, twelve hours."
Anna stopped pacing and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, well there's a load off our minds," she said. "Why haven't they contacted us?"
"I suggested they maintain radio silence until they arrive," Elsa said. "Better to err on the side of caution, now with all the attention focused around Janus Station."
Anna nodded. "Yeah, that's smart," she bounced up and down on her heels. "Oh, I'm feeling so many things at once right now. There's so much going on."
"I know, but we just need to stay focused on our mission and take it one step at a time," Elsa reached out and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, settling her down.
"Yeah. Okay... okay. Okay. I mean, it's not like things can get any worse, right?" Anna chuckled.
"Apologies," OLAF interjected. "But things just got worse," he brought up yet another breaking news segment.
"This just in, a startling new development regarding the events at Janus Station," the news anchor said. "We're seeing this live right now. The American armada is positioning itself just beyond sovereign Arcadian space. Astounding, truly astounding. This is their most aggressive action since forming the naval blockade outside of the Iron Curtain. Up until now, they've been maintaining a defensive pattern for weeks."
The news footage showed a fleet of American warships amassing right on the edge of the Iron Curtain. Massive spacecraft carriers were accompanied by battlecruisers, heavy destroyers, medium frigates, and light corvettes. Smaller starfighters and gunships were zipping around in formation, patrolling their sectors. Since they were still in interplanetary space, no laws had been broken yet, but the message was clear enough.
War was just over the horizon.
"We turn now to this statement from the President of the New United States," the news anchor switched over the footage.
Lambert Ambrose was standing on a stage before the red, white, and blue stripes of the American flag, getting ready to pontificate, as usual. "My fellow Americans," he started. "Just a few minutes ago, a disturbing report came across my desk. The USS Roanoke, the pride of the STARGAZER program and the product of our best and brightest, has been illegally seized and captured by the Communists. We lost contact with her fifty years ago and we believed that she was lost. She wasn't just carrying our hopes and dreams, she was carrying the torch of humanity. The perseverance that the American spirit would never again be broken. We believed we had lost all of that, until now."
Elsa covered her mouth with her hand, while Anna started shaking her head side to side.
"The Roanoke, along with our people, our technology, and our way of life contained on the confluence has fallen into enemy hands," Lambert continued. "We cannot let the greatest work of the generation that survived the collapse be perverted and defiled and abused by our enemies who would turn it against us. Uncle SAM is with us on this. That is American property they are in possession of and that cannot be allowed to stand. To defend our sovereignty and our security, we must act swiftly and we must act decisively."
The broadcast ended and a haunting symbol was now flashing over the screens, followed by the chiming that was heard around the solar system. Then, an automated voice spoke.
It is now two minutes to midnight.
The doomsday clock had been updated. Humanity was now only two minutes away from another collapse. War and nuclear annihilation were imminent.
Anna shut her eyes and groaned. "Goddamn it," she whispered. "I should have kept my stupid mouth shut."
Confluence, he mentioned confluence, Elsa thought. I knew that sounded familiar. It was on one of Alyosha's files.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Anna smacked herself on the forehead repeatedly.
"Stop that, you're not stupid," Elsa reached out and gently put a stop to Anna's antics. "OLAF, the president mentioned the con-"
"Already ahead of you, ma'am," OLAF brought up the file he had been decrypting ever since they discovered it among Alyosha's data he was selling to the Americans. "I've successfully decrypted the file and I've been cross-referencing its contents to other leaked data hidden in the dark net. From what I could gather, the confluence is a powerful reality engine, carried aboard the Roanoke. It seems that during the days of the STARGAZER program, the Soviets had a keen interest in learning more about it."
"A reality engine?" Anna asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Designed to simulate millions of realities, complete with full human integration," OLAF explained. "The Roanoke was unique because it carried the digitized minds of the best scientists, engineers, doctors, and technical experts of their time to ensure their survival. The confluence was essentially a storage device for the collective knowledge of humanity as an additional backup measure."
"Simulated realities," Elsa muttered in awe. "Like the net, but more sophisticated."
"Far more sophisticated," OLAF agreed. "The confluence could create any world, any universe, and populate it with the souls it contained, providing them with what is essentially immortality. The possibilities are nearly endless. I can see why President Ambrose wants it back so badly. The value of the data stored on the confluence would be immeasurable."
Endless possibilities, Elsa thought, her mind beginning to race with new ideas. If we could get our hands on the confluence... and if we could get into the net...
Anna looked at Elsa and her face tightened up in realization. "Uh oh," she said. "You've got that look on your face when you've had an idea."
"It's a good one," Elsa started pacing in anticipation. "Something like the confluence, it would have to be portable right? Something compact."
"Yes," OLAF said.
"And if it's portable, there must be options to sync with it somehow, like through the net," Elsa continued.
"Yes," OLAF said again.
"And if you could sync the confluence with the net, then androids could get away as well," Anna finished. "Elsa, this is crazy. Janus Station is completely locked down. The entire frickin' Commie navy is surrounding it, and the entire frickin' NUS navy wants to pick a fight, backed up by a frickin' AI that's gone off his rocker. Oh, and on top of all that, the frickin' doomsday clock just jumped up to two frickin' minutes to frickin' midnight! This wasn't the plan!"
"You said yourself, plans change all the time," Elsa replied.
Anna threw her hands up in bafflement. "Yeah, but wasn't escaping into the net already good enough?
"The way things are going, who's to say how much longer the net will be around? Interplanetary nuclear war has a tendency to fry critical net infrastructure."
"You are being so blasé about this again. How are you being so blasé about this again?"
"Anna," Elsa raised her hand, gesturing for calm.
"Elsa," Anna placed a hand on her hip, tapping a foot up and down.
"Look, I'm not saying this is something we should do," Elsa said. "But given the current circumstances, maybe we should look into more options."
Anna pointed to the holo-displays that showed live footage from Janus Station. "Uh, hello?" she waved to Elsa. "There's like two whole armies standing between us and that ship! We don't even know how to get on that ship! And even if we did, it's crawling with solar radiation, we wouldn't know where to find the confluence, how to get it out, what to do with it, not to mention the two whole armies!"
"Counterpoint," Elsa raised a finger. "We know the Soviets had intel on the Roanoke and the confluence for a long time. Long before the ship ever disappeared. I think it's safe to assume that they know what's on that ship and they're also trying to get their hands on it, same as the Americans are."
"So you wanna get involved in this clusterfuck between the Commies and Americans?!"
"We were getting involved no matter what. Janus Station is still our next stop, with or without the confluence. I'm just saying if the opportunity presents itself, we should try and take advantage of it."
Anna stammered and looked away, crossing her arms.
"Look, Anna, look at me," Elsa went up to her and cupped her face, turning it gently so they could look at each other.
"I am looking at you," Anna said.
"I know," Elsa said. "I know this is crazy, but to be fair, this is a crazy world and these are crazy times that we live in. Maybe we also need to do something crazy."
Anna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't talk to me about crazy, okay? I know crazy," she said. "I'm the woman who took on VanirCorp and survived. Now that was crazy," she sighed and leaned into Elsa's arms. "But you're probably right."
"Just like that?"
"Yeah, just like that. If the world is ending anyway, and it sure as hell as seems like that, we're all living on borrowed time," Anna cleared her throat and shifted her gaze away from Elsa for a moment. "So, let's do something crazy good while we still can."
"A bit morbid, but I can get behind that reasoning," Elsa nodded, looking off to the side.
She didn't see the pained expression that passed over Anna's face.
"Well," Anna shrugged. "If this is what we're doing, I'm with you all the way to the end."
It was certainly a bizarre turn of events, but this was the world they both lived in. If interplanetary war broke out, then repeated nuclear detonations would send EMP shockwaves rippling through space, completely obliterating electronic systems aboard satellite arrays, and other forms of technology critical to sustaining the universal net, to say nothing of other damages caused by waging extensive warfare.
Strategic locations storing information databases, communications networks, and other logistical elements that enabled the net to function in its current state would be targeted. While some sections of the net would certainly survive due to how extensive and widespread it was, most of it would be undoubtedly crippled.
Furthermore, if most of humanity were wiped out again, there would be no one to keep up with maintenance at critical junctures. Much of the system was automated, but it wasn't entirely self-sufficient, not without external support. All the netrunners and AIs currently roaming the net would persist for some time, but they too would eventually expire. For as permanent a solution as getting androids into the net appeared to be, it wasn't all that simple or straightforward.
This was the bleak reality of the dark future.
Elsa herself was usually one who tried to think far ahead and predict future scenarios, but even now, she was uncertain of what to do beyond her current mission. Whether or not they succeeded, right now, all she cared about was seeing it through to the end.
It was far better to die for something than to live for nothing.
"Thank you," Elsa pulled Anna into a hug. "It's not ideal, but we have to make the best of things as much as we can. I'm glad you're with me."
"Impossible odds. No certainty of success," Anna laughed. "What are we waiting for?"
Notes.
The song is Tomorrow in the movie, Annie, from 1982.
