The Fortress was an underground prison outside the city limits that seemed to be more fiction than fact. Legend went that it was constructed to house Super Villains from all around the world. Each cell was constructed specifically to contain an individual's unique set of powers for an unlimited length of time. When the Super Hero Secrecy Act came into play, word got around that the prison was used to house Super Heroes who just couldn't let go of the Glory Days. But it was never more than a bedtime story for any kid supers that thought about using their powers in public. Rumours of torture, biological experiments and militarized supers shrouded the facility in a cloud of mystery, assisting the horrific reputation that it already had.
That's where Elsa is
I was one of the few people in the city that actually knew the location of The Fortress, as both my parents were brought in to help with the construction of a few different test chambers. By construction, I mean the chambers were tested on them. Psychological torture, physical torture, vulnerability tests and a manner of other techniques were used to expose the weaknesses of the seasoned heroes, striking real fear into the hearts of their children...us. The Fortress was a labyrinth, miles underground so that any escape attempt could be halted before the subject reached the surface. Many noble ex-heroes had died attempting to escape, so the stories went. The papers said they went missing or they were killed in some attempt to re-enact their Glory Days. But Dash and I knew the truth: Fironic, Meta Man, and Black Ice were just a few of the supers that lost their minds in the cells below the city. Their escape attempts were unsuccessful at best, fatal at worst. The prison became an asylum for psychotic supers; those incapable of adjusting to civilian life went mad and lived out their final days in the containment cells. The Fortress was avoided like the plague; any self-respecting hero would never enter willingly...
Until Today
After seeing Elsa's capture on the news, I knew I had to find her. There was really no better place to start my investigation than the home for out-of-control supers. After telling my Mom that I'd be studying at Tony's, I headed out of town on my bike. I followed the main road until I came across a dirt path adjacent to an open field. There was an old run-down textiles mill that stood ominously at the end of the dirt path, against the backdrop of a tall dark forest. I biked down the dirt path, stones flying from the tires as I hurried to my destination. My heart raced from more than the pedalling as the questions that plagued me all day resurfaced, relentlessly assaulting me in my over-worked state.
What if Elsa really is a villain?
I had only known her for a week and she had hardly spoken to me. She seemed nice enough, but there was always a possibility that she wasn't like that under the surface. Something about the sudden winter downtown rubbed me the wrong way though. It wasn't a particularly malicious event and nobody was actually hurt. A lot of damage was done, but that was hardly different than the average Sunday in Metro-City. And then there was the sight of Elsa on that rooftop. The news stations hadn't relented in their use of those precious few seconds of footage. It was clear why: Heroes and Villains in clearly defined roles where good triumphs over evil. The media loved nothing better than making clear division lines between black and white. But there were a few things I started to notice as the footage played over and over on the TV set. First of all, the footage cut before the reaction on Elastigirl's face became clearly visible (Typical, Mom didn't look like she was enjoying herself). Secondly, Elsa didn't look like she was in control of her powers at the moment. Her expression was blank and her irises weren't even visible. Maybe that just happened when she used her powers, but I let myself think more on the bright side.
I wish it was that simple.
Invisible, I entered the abandoned textiles mill and looked around for any sign of a secret entrance. A concealed button, a brick out of place or a slightly less dusty book on a shelf...I found nothing. Cobwebs covered every surface and dust had settled over everything. Spools of discoloured wool lay haphazardly on the crumbling shelves that lined the walls. Holes in the roof let shafts of afternoon sunlight through to shine on the fallen leaves that coated the ground. Rusted machinery sat deserted all around the room: conveyor belts, looms and unnameable contraptions that obviously hadn't seen use in decades.
Carefully making my way over the carpet of leaves, I walked towards the conveyor belt, trying to find a clue or something as to how I could possibly enter the forbidden realm that lay beneath. Leaning on a wall near the conveyor belt, I returned to my visible state and slumped down to the floor. The outfit I wore was inconceivably comfortable, the tight fitting fabric expelling an implied confidence that I could hardly fake. The suit was made especially for me, given the ability to turn invisible whenever I did. Head back against the wall, I started to doubt my decision to come out here. What if Elsa really wasn't on our side? What would happen if I met her and she tried to kill me? Or worse, what happened if I was caught? I'm sure that the prison had measures in place to prevent invisible intruders from simply walking in.
If I even could walk in...
I sat for another minute as the feeling of defeat consumed my previously hopeful attitude. Finally I stood up, rendering myself invisible once again. I walked back towards the small entrance of the mill, birds chirping happily to each other in the rafters. I chanced a look up at the animals and in my distracted state I stumbled on an extension cord buried beneath the leaves. I fell forward, grabbing the first thing that came within arm's reach. I landed on a mechanical lever, pulling it down with me as I continued my trajectory. Behind me, the conveyor belt whirred to life, the whine of outdated machinery startling me as I landed on the ground. I tried to put the lever back in place, but it snapped in half as soon as I wrapped my hands around it. Orange rust spouted from the breaking point on the lever, covering my legs in the disgusting powder. I dropped the lever and turned to continue leaving but something stopped me. Another sound. The sound of mechanical equipment moving, slightly different than the sound of the conveyor belt.
Then the ground began to shake. Still invisible, I ran to the farthest wall as a section of the leaf-coated floor lifted skywards, revealing an empty room lying beneath. Another platform rose with the partition above to reveal a single armed guard looking for suspicious activity. He was clad in black and grey from head to foot and a menacing gas mask covered his face. He was clearly armoured and his arms looked to be the size of tree trunks. The automatic weapon in his hands confirmed every one of my hopes and fears for what lay beneath the foundation of this abandoned mill.
He slowly walked towards the moving conveyor belt, raising his gun closer to his face as the distance closed between them. As quietly as I could, conscious of the crunching leaves beneath me, I walked to the leaf-free platform and stood in the center as the distracted guard continued his search. I glanced down to see that my calves were still coated in rust. Panicked, I tried to brush it off silently before the guard turned around. He looked left and right as I tried furiously to scrub my legs and finally paused while looking at the conveyor belt. Slowly, he raised a gloved hand to the mouth of his gas mask and spoke into it.
"You were right. Nobody here...Must have been a bird...Yeah...Of course I tried infrared. Nothing." I sighed, having expelled the visible powder from my legs and avoided detection. The guard touched a button at the side of his helmet and then walked back towards the elevator. I could see his eyes now; the visor that he had been wearing was probably the infrared that he mentioned earlier. I backed into one of the elevator corners as he came closer and stood in the middle of the platform. He waved a hand at one of the birds sitting in the rafters and the platform began its descent.