A/N: So here it is, only five months later. I can't really offer anything but an apology, but I do thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think.
Chapter 5 – The Secrets of the Mountain
News of the Ice Queen's decisive victory in Arendelle spread through the State like an endemic, fascism-killing virus, bolstering the spirits of Rebels still flagging from the massacre in Corona. Inspired, the People took up arms, and more and more territory was freed from the hands of the State. The Patricians ignored the small uprisings, though; instead, they decided to continue with their plan to invade Dunbroch and find the Supreme Leader, knowing that her capture would do far more to cripple the Rebellion than fighting for territory already lost.
Much to their surprise, though, the Rebels seemed to know of their plan, and the Battle of Dunbroch turned into an even bigger victory for the Rebellion. The State troops came nowhere near the Woodcarver's Hut, and instead were picked off in massive numbers by the guerilla warriors scattered throughout the woods. The State troops were forced to retreat, and when they attacked the village of Dunbroch in retaliation, General Fergus and his troops met them in the village square. After a bloody initial clash that saw General Fergus lose his leg, Colonel Merida transformed herself into a bear and rallied her troops. Within a few hours, the Enforcers had been routed, and they were forced to flee like they had done in Arendelle.
The Patricians, enraged that their plans had fallen to ruin, decided on a two-pronged course of action. On the home front, in the territories they still controlled, life became almost unbearable for the people of the State. Any semblance of personal liberty was gone for Plebian and Proletariat alike, and punishment for any sort of insubordination was swift and severe. On the battle front, the Patricians decided to attack any place where they thought the Rebellion was vulnerable, and soon Kristoff and Kuzco were fleeing for their lives from the newly-recaptured Multnomah. Due to their close ties with the people there, the two men ended up in Arendelle, and Elsa and Anna gladly welcomed them.
Multnomah was the only truly vulnerable territory of the Rebellion, however, and after it had been recaptured, the war reached a temporary stalemate. The State, their Enforcer numbers thin, did not have the resources for a full-scale attack on one of the Rebellion's larger territories. The Rebellion, for its part, was strategizing and determining if a massive attack on Campus would be possible and fruitful. For ten weeks, the combatants warily avoided each other while gathering intelligence, and in one of her intelligence communications, Belle found information she had been searching for relentlessly.
The Supreme Leader thought about what to do with the information, and when she had planned out the best course of action, she realized there was only one person to contact. There was only one person who had moved like an icy ghost through Campus without getting caught even once, and she would be the only choice for getting in and out undetected. Belle nodded, and activated a channel.
Elsa glanced down in mild surprise when her communicator started blinking. She tapped her wrist to answer it, and her surprise grew when Belle's face appeared on the screen. The message ID had merely said "Headquarters", and she had been expecting some sort of information from Cornelius. "Good Morning, Belle," Elsa said, following her usual habit of addressing people by their names and not their titles if they were speaking alone. After her years in the State, Elsa did not like titles, unless of course, that title was "Apprentice".
"Good morning, Elsa," Belle replied, knowing Elsa preferred her name.
"Hold on for a second," Elsa requested. "I'm transferring you to the larger communications screen so I don't have to stare at this small one." Belle nodded, and her face disappeared and reappeared on the communications screen when Elsa pushed a button. "So what's so important that you called me yourself instead of having Cornelius call me?" Elsa asked, correctly assessing the situation in the way she typically did.
"Ever to the point," Belle answered with a smirk. "Well, to be succinct, I think we have found Rapunzel. Recent intelligence we have received has placed her in State facility that General Kim told us about some time ago."
"And why do you need me?" Elsa prompted.
"You are the most skilled person we have when it comes to getting and out of buildings undetected," Belle answered truthfully. "If I provide you with the blueprints, I know that you can get in and out, hopefully with Rapunzel in tow."
"And what about Arendelle?" Elsa asked immediately. "You know the State will pounce if they hear I have abandoned it."
"Abandon is a bit of a strong word," Belle chastised. "I was thinking you would be gone a week at most. Besides, you have a former Allied general living in your region. Kristoff would be able to fulfill your duties with no need for training. And since I know that you will demand that Anna goes with you, the former governor Kuzco will be able to cover for her as well."
Belle's last statement caused an affectionate smirk to form on Elsa's face. "I don't know whether to be flattered or frightened that you know me so well," Elsa said wryly.
"You aren't exactly subtle when it comes to Anna," Belle reminded her, and that statement got a chuckle out of Elsa.
"No, I'm not," Elsa freely admitted.
"So, would you be willing?" Belle asked.
"Let me talk with Anna," Elsa requested, and Belle wasn't the least bit surprised. "If she agrees, then we will need a couple of days to arrange everything here. We will need to brief Kuzco and Kristoff, and I will want to make more of my snow giants to keep everything safe in our absence."
"From what I've seen, those things won't have a problem keeping everything safe," Belle said. "They are huge and intimidating."
"Except for Kevin," Elsa sighed. "That's the one that Anna got a hold of for half an hour, and now she will do nothing but try to follow Anna everywhere she goes. She turns vicious when anyone comes too close to Anna, which of course is fine, but I can't get her to do anything else."
"Kevin is a girl?" Belle asked quizzically.
"Long story," Elsa replied, and Belle decided to let the matter drop.
"Okay then," she said, changing the subject. "Please talk to Anna, and if she is willing, then let me know as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll contact General Kim and Governor Ronni. Our base of operations will be in Middleton when this operation comes together, even if a different operative is going to infiltrate the facility."
Elsa nodded. "Sounds good," she agreed. "I'll talk to Anna and let you know." Belle nodded and cut of the transmission.
"Talk to me about what? Was that Leader?" a new voice questioned, and Elsa peered around the communications screen to see Anna coming in with two mugs of something steamy.
Elsa smiled, her mood automatically brightening at the sight of Anna. Elsa would never tire of seeing Anna come into a room, and it was even more happiness-inducing now. Her Intended was 30 weeks along, about seven and a half months pregnant, so every time Anna came in, Elsa was reminded of Peanut's imminent arrival. The fear from her dream was fading, and the thought of being able to meet their daughter and starting their family was a thought that made Elsa smile every time. "Yes, it was Belle," Elsa confirmed, as Anna set down a mug of coffee in front of her. "And she called because she has a mission for me."
"And how do I figure into the equation?" Anna asked reasonably, taking a chair and sipping at her decaffeinated hot chocolate.
"The mission is near the Rockies, and we would need to leave Arendelle for a brief time," Elsa answered. "I won't go anywhere without you, especially now, so I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to go. You would most likely stay with Franny's family while I went on the mission."
"What would that mission be?" Anna asked, curious.
"Belle thinks they have found Rapunzel at one of the State's facilities. It would be a rescue operation," Elsa replied.
"Well then, of course we're going," Anna said immediately.
Elsa smiled. "I figured that would be your response," she admitted. "But I wanted to make sure before I committed us to anything. I'll call Belle and tell her that we will do it."
"Okay," Anna commented. "I'll contact Kuzco and have him shadow me."
Elsa looked up, startled. "Why?" she asked, wondering how much of the conversation with Belle Anna had heard.
"Because someone needs to run Arendelle while I'm gone," Anna explained matter-of-factly. "He was a Governor not too long ago, so he would be a good fit."
"He would," Elsa agreed with a fond smile. Anna had taken to the Governor's position like the proverbial duck to water, and Elsa couldn't have been prouder of Anna's intelligence and skill. It made her want to hunt down everyone who had ever told Anna she was inferior and show them how stupid they had been.
Anna smiled back, putting her mug on Elsa's desk. With a mighty effort, she hoisted herself out of the chair and came around the end of the desk. She bent down to kiss Elsa, and Elsa happily reciprocated, tugging gently at Anna with the knowledge that her over-weighted front would cause the redhead to tip over into her chair. Physics worked like it usually did, and with a squeal, Anna ended up cuddled in Elsa's lap. "You did that on purpose," Anna accused, snuggling into her General.
"Of course I did," Elsa shrugged unconcernedly, cuddling Anna and Peanut even tighter.
Anna smiled at her before giving Elsa a kiss, and the kisses lasted until Peanut began to press on Anna's bladder. "I have to go, love," Anna said apologetically.
Elsa chuckled. "Of course," she said, helping Anna out of her lap. Anna gave her one last kiss and then scurried off towards the restroom. Elsa looked after her with her usual love-struck look until the door closed. Then, with a shake to clear her head, Elsa activated her communicator to contact Belle.
EEEEEEEEE
A few days later, after Elsa had made a veritable army of snow giants, Kevin had been gently persuaded to stay behind, and Kuzco and Kristoff were comfortable leading Arendelle, Anna, Elsa and Anna's furry bodyguard boarded their transport to Middleton. It wasn't a long flight, and it was smooth, so after a short, comfortable time, they landed at the patch of ground that had served as Middleton's airport for generations. The hatch opened, and when Elsa, Anna and Marshmallow walked down the gangplank, Franny's smirking face greeted them. "Welcome to Middleton," she said. "Not as cold as Arendelle, but almost."
"Franny!" Anna yelled excitedly, ambushing the black-haired woman with a hug made awkward both by Peanut's bulk and Anna's thick coat.
Franny sighed but returned the hug, giving Anna an affectionate pat when Anna finally let her go. "I'm glad to see you too, Freckles," she said indulgently. "Looks like someone is just about ready to make her appearance," the Physician observed, placing her hand on Peanut.
"Six to ten more weeks," Anna confirmed happily.
Franny smiled at her before turning to Elsa, who had gratefully faded to the background. Elsa was much less shy than she used to be, but she would always leave greeting people to Anna. "It's good to see you too, Frosty Pants," Franny told her sincerely, maintaining her custom of nicknames for everyone. Much like Tiana, it would be a cold day in the Earth's core before she used someone's real or full name.
"Likewise, Franny," Elsa answered, putting a teasing stress on the name as payback for "Frosty Pants". It had become an old game between them now.
Franny smirked, acknowledging the tease. "All right, let's get Freckles and Peanut to the house before they freeze. Unlike the rest of us, they aren't equipped for cold weather," she said, opening the sliding door to the gas-powered van she was standing beside. Anna climbed into the warm van gratefully, but Elsa paused.
"How are you equipped for cold weather?" she asked curiously. Franny paused for just a moment and then smirked before lighting herself up head to toe in green plasma. "Ah, yes," Elsa commented, nodding before following Anna into the van. Elsa whistled to Marshmallow, and he reluctantly followed her into the unfamiliar space. Elsa closed the door while Franny went around to the driver's side. She jumped into the front seat, put the idling car into gear, and they were off.
"I didn't know they still made gasoline-powered vehicles," Anna said over the unfamiliar rumbling of the engine.
"They don't," Franny confirmed. "Mainly because there isn't much gasoline to be had these days. But my family has had oil interests for many years, so we have a stockpile of reserves. My sister Shego is an engineer and loves fixing things, giving us a small fleet of gas machines."
"It seems like being that skilled, she should have tested Plebian," Elsa mentioned.
"Of course she should have, along with every other person in my immediate family," Franny answered. "But, a few generations back, we figured out how to fail the Test."
"I didn't think that was possible," Anna said.
"Well, an old family saying says that 'anything is possible for a Possible'," Franny joked.
"And what happened in your case?" Elsa asked.
"I volunteered to go," Franny replied. "We had heard news about a potential rebellion, and we all wanted to be a part of it."
"But you had to leave your family, Franny," Anna said sadly.
"But I got them back," Franny shrugged nonchalantly. "And I got a new one out of the deal too," she added, smiling at Anna who naturally beamed back, and winking at Elsa who gave her an affectionate smirk. "Anyway, here we are," Franny announced, as they turned into a driveway and stopped beside a magnificent Edwardian mansion.
As soon as the van rolled to a halt, the door slid open and Anna found herself being softly pulled out the van into a hug. Blond hair and freckles informed Anna that it was Governor Ronni who had found her first. "Anna!" she exclaimed. "It is so nice to finally meet you in person. Franny has told us so much about you."
"It is very nice to meet you too, ma'am," Anna said sincerely, hugging her back.
"Please, Anna, call me Ronni," Franny's mother insisted, and Anna nodded her agreement with a smile. At the commotion, Marshmallow jumped out of the van to protect Anna, and he stood with his teeth bared, glowering at Ronni. "This must be the famous Marshmallow," Ronni said, still smiling but keeping a safe distance from the wildcat.
"It is," Elsa confirmed, emerging from the van and giving a sharp whistle. Marshmallow stood down and sat down beside Elsa when she stopped in front of Ronni. "Very nice to meet you, Governor," Elsa said politely.
"And it is very nice to meet you too, General," Ronni replied cheerfully. "But, as if you couldn't tell from Franny, we don't really like titles and formal names around here. I would love to call you Elsa if you would call me Ronni," she offered.
Elsa smiled at the warm friendliness. "Of course," she agreed at once.
"Good," Ronni stated, before she took Anna's arm. "Now let's get you all in the house," she said. Anna went with her willingly, and they chatted like old friends as they went inside. Marshmallow followed them, but Elsa, really looking at the house for the first time, paused and examined the details attentively.
"Something wrong, FP?" Franny asked.
"This house is very evocative of the Governor's Mansion in Arendelle," Elsa said thoughtfully. "It makes me wonder who built it."
"Ask Mama," Franny advised. "She knows all the history about this place."
"And who is Mama?" Elsa asked, knowing Franny had two mothers.
"That would be me," a new voice said, and Elsa looked in the doorway to see General Kim. "Welcome to Middleton, Elsa," she said sincerely.
"Thank you, General," Elsa replied with her usual formal politeness, until Kim raised a chiding eyebrow. "Um, Kim," Elsa hastily amended.
"Much better," Kim said with a smile. "And to answer your question, the architectural firm that designed this house was the firm of Schrader and Associates. It was built in 1904."
Elsa reached out and brushed the ancient wood with reverence. "Then this is the 'Middleton commission'," she confirmed with excitement, still looking at all the detail. "It was my ancestor's first large-scale project, and it made her name in architecture. I had no idea it was still standing."
"My family has owned this house since it was built, so our families must go back farther than we realized," Kim hypothesized merrily.
"They must," Elsa agreed, and after one more look, she followed Kim and Franny into the house.
The three women found Anna surrounded by Ronni and the other two of Franny's triplet sisters, a redhead and a brunette with lighter brown hair. Unlike Franny, they seemed to take after their very friendly mothers, and Anna was currently receiving warm welcoming hugs. There was a pause as the redhead asked permission to touch Peanut, which Anna happily gave, and then there were giggles as Peanut moved about under their hands. Franny sighed in annoyance. "Shego! Migo!" she yelled. "Leave her alone. She's not here so you can woman-handle her."
"Quit being such a grumpy Physician, Kigo," the redhead said. "We asked, and she said yes."
"Because she's too fucking nice, Migo," Franny countered.
"Language, Franny," Ronni admonished with a stern frown.
"Yes, Mom," Franny sassed with a roll of her eyes.
Anna giggled at the dour look on Franny's face. She had only known them as a family for mere moments, but she was already completely in love with the Goshen-Possible's family dynamic. It was what she had always imagined her family would be like if she had known them. She now had a goal that she and Elsa would have the same type of friendly, loving, yet slightly-sarcastic home when Peanut and her potential future siblings were older. Anna looked over to Elsa, who looked as though she didn't quite know what to make of the boisterous Goshen-Possible clan. Anna smiled and went over to her, intertwining their fingers and pulling her over to the others. "This is Miriam," Anna said, pointing to the redhead, "and this is Sheila," she continued, pointing to the brown-haired woman.
"It is very nice to meet you both," Elsa said politely, and the other women, reading her body language and knowing her reputation, didn't attempt to hug her. Instead, they both offered their hands to shake with nearly-identical smiles.
"I know Migo might too weird of a nickname, but no one calls me Miriam, so you can call me Mim," the redhead said, shaking Elsa's hand.
"And you can call me Lilly," her brown-haired sister offered, shaking Elsa's hand once Mim let go of it.
"You guys just don't do real, full names, do you?" Anna asked in amusement.
"That is a negative, Freckles," Mim said with a smile and Anna laughed.
"All right, all right," Franny cut in. "You've all been all charmingly friendly and whatnot. Let's go upstairs and show these ladies where they can put their stuff. Then you all can go back to annoying them." Her sisters gave her a look, but they did as she asked.
After Anna and Elsa had settled themselves, everyone came back down to the dining room for dinner, and the conversations continued over the delicious meal that Ronni had prepared. Elsa, much to her delight, found out everything there was to know about the house, including its brief period of being a museum and its centuries-long reputation for being haunted. Anna, on the other hand, found about all the triplets' childhood adventures, including many embarrassing incidents that Franny had hoped were long forgotten. After the meal, the women transitioned to the parlor upstairs for coffee, chocolate cake and more conversation until Anna started falling asleep. With another round of hugs, everyone called it a night, and Anna and Elsa retired to their room.
Anna retrieved her pajamas from the drawer she had put them in, and with a sigh of relief, she stripped off her clothes to exchange them for baggy flannel pants and an oversized cotton t-shirt. Elsa watched her every move, and Anna could hardly believe the subtle desire she could see in those very blue eyes. "I'm as big as this house, love, and I'm wearing comfy clothes; I'm not exactly sexy right now," Anna chastised with a smile, even though she appreciated Elsa's admiration.
"You will always be the most beautiful person in the world," Elsa replied, deliberately letting her gaze roam again.
"Stop that," Anna ordered suddenly, making Elsa look up.
"Stop what?" Elsa asked innocently, even though she knew exactly what Anna was talking about.
"Quit looking at me like that," Anna answered. "You know what it does to me, and we are a guest in someone else's home. We can't do that here."
"Says who?" Elsa asked impishly.
"Propriety," Anna replied sternly.
Elsa smirked before slowly advancing on Anna with a sensual sway to her hips. The sway mesmerized Anna as it always did, and Elsa had little trouble taking her Intended into her arms. Circling around so that she was pressed against Anna's back, Elsa tightened her arms, feeling Anna shiver when their bodies pressed even closer. "I've never really been one for propriety," Elsa husked into Anna's ear.
"But I'm never quiet, Elsa, and I really want to be able to look at Franny's family in the morning without blushing," Anna beseeched.
"This house is built the same way as ours, and the walls are very thick," Elsa countered in a low whisper, her hands taking opposite paths towards Anna's more sensitive places.
Anna sighed, and she seriously considered letting Elsa continue, but embarrassment won out over lust, and she put her hands over Elsa's. "Please, love, wait until we get home," Anna pleaded softly.
At Anna's tone, Elsa's hands stopped immediately, but she couldn't resist getting in the last word. "Until home, then," she said, giving the side of Anna's neck an open-mouthed kiss as her left hand softly squeezed Anna's pregnancy-swelled breast. Anna whimpered, and she almost gave in, but the temptation lessened when Elsa respected her request and moved away to get into her own pajamas. When she was finished, they both climbed into bed, and Elsa immediately tucked herself in behind Anna. It was the best position for cuddling both her future daughter and her future wife.
Anna snuggled back into Elsa. "Goodnight, love," she said sleepily. "Promise me you will stay safe tomorrow and come back to us."
"Always," Elsa promised lovingly, giving Anna a kiss before they both drifted off.
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast and several kisses and hugs goodbye, Elsa and Franny took off for the coordinates Belle had given them. As expected, the coordinates were deep in the mountains, and the aerial view showed nothing but craggy peaks and snow. When they were close but still a good distance away, Franny landed in a clearing, and after shutting things down, she started to gather her gear. Elsa looked at her in confusion. "What?" Franny challenged.
"Belle implied that I was going in alone," Elsa answered. "I thought you were just here to fly the transport."
"Going into a State facility alone is stupid, even if you have a very good success rate doing it," Franny stated. "I promise you I'll follow your lead and not get in the way, but there is no way I would let you do this on your own, not with Freckles and Peanut waiting for you to come back."
Franny's face was as non-sarcastic and somber as Elsa had ever seen it, and she knew that the black-haired woman was serious. After a moment to consider everything, Elsa knew there was only one choice. "Backup would be nice," she said with a small smile.
Franny looked surprised at the affirmative statement, but then she smiled back. "Well, shit, Frosty Pants," she huffed good-naturedly. "I thought I would have to do more to convince you. I had this whole speech planned out."
Elsa chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint," she replied. Franny smirked at her as they got into their gear, and within a few minutes, they were out in the swirling snow. More minutes and a short hike later, they were at their coordinates, and after a careful survey to look for alarms, traps or cameras not present on Belle's blueprints, Elsa popped the grate of the ventilation shaft and they were in.
After a few meters' crawl, Elsa and Franny came upon another grate, and Elsa sent down the scope to see if anyone was in the hallway that it led to. The corridor was empty, so Elsa brought the scope back up and opened up the grate. She and Franny jumped down from the ceiling, and Franny, spying what she thought could be a security camera, sent a blast of plasma towards the spot. Whatever it was exploded in a volley of sparks and a small boom, and Elsa turned to her rescue companion. "I thought you said you would be following my lead," she reminded Franny.
"Sorry," Franny answered, her grin showing absolutely no remorse.
Elsa sighed, but said nothing, instead preferring to get on with the mission. The workers' locker room was just where the blueprints said it would be, and after Elsa froze the lock, the uniform supply cabinet opened obediently. Elsa and Franny dressed quickly, hoping that the uniforms would be enough camouflage. If people here knew what the Ice Queen looked like, then having the uniform on would be of little help. It would be much easier for Franny, considering her broadcast appearances had been far fewer than Elsa's.
Now less conspicuous than they were before, Elsa and Franny left the locker room to search for Rapunzel, returning to the ductwork to follow the route that Elsa had painstakingly mapped out. Peering into the rooms through the grates, the two women saw small groups of people, all of them wearing preventative cuffs, and most of them listlessly doing things like reading, sewing or watching the communication screen. "They all look drugged up to their eyeballs," Franny observed in a whisper.
"So they will be more docile," Elsa hypothesized, and Franny nodded. Not seeing Rapunzel, they moved on, but as they crawled, Elsa frowned in thought. They were only here to get Rapunzel, but her conscience was troubled about the others. It wouldn't be right to leave them behind, and Elsa found herself thinking of doing something completely ill-advised. She paused and turned her body so that she was sitting, activating her tablet and looking at the specifications sheet Belle had sent her about the facility. Being behind her, Franny had to pause too, and after sitting down, she noticed what Elsa was looking at.
"What are you thinking about, Frosty Pants?" Franny asked with knowing suspicion.
"We can't leave them here, Franny," Elsa said quietly. "Even if we are only here for Rapunzel, it wouldn't be right. They are people, and they need to be free."
Franny looked at her critically, then broke out into a smirk. "Freckles is really rubbing off on you, isn't she, Frosty Pants?" she teased.
"You already know the answer to that," Elsa retorted.
"Yes, I do," Franny confirmed, still smirking. "So what's the new plan?"
Elsa studied her tablet. "Belle's specs say that there are about 250 people are imprisoned here, and there are about 50 elite Enforcer guards overseeing them. First off, we don't have the room for 250 people in our transport, so we would need more transportation. We would have to get more transports on their way here so the prisoners don't freeze outside while we are waiting for the transports to show up."
"We have plenty of large-size military transports at the base in Middleton," Franny offered. "I could call Mama, and she could have someone out here in an hour."
"Perfect," Elsa said, nodding. "Next, we would have to take out the guards."
"You just took out thousands of Enforcers by yourself, and I am in a perpetual bad mood. Done and Done-er," Franny stated.
"But we need to do it quietly so that the State doesn't send reinforcements," Elsa added.
Franny sighed. "Okay, we do it quietly," she agreed reluctantly. "And then?"
"According to the blueprints, there are holding cells where the most 'unstable' prisoners are," Elsa said. "We would have to infiltrate and liberate that section, too. It's bound to be more dangerous than what we are seeing here."
"And still nothing the two of us can't handle," Franny responded immediately.
"Most likely not," Elsa concurred. She took a deep breath, her mind made up. "Please call General Kim and ask for the transport," Elsa requested. "But ask her not to tell Anna. I promised her I would stay safe, and this whole plan is putting me in more danger."
"Freckles can read people like a book, FP; she's going to figure it out," Franny pointed out with a shake of her head.
"Yes, she probably is, but hopefully General Kim can get the transports airborne before my Apprentice charms her way on to one of them," Elsa replied, and Franny chuckled as she opened the secure channel to her mother.
When that was done, it was time to start taking out the Enforcers. They crawled to a grate in the hallway and popped it open, the both of them dropping down onto the tiled floor below. They hadn't gotten five meters towards the common room they had seen when a voice stopped them in their tracks. "You don't look like real Enforcers," a childish voice informed them. Elsa and Franny spun around to see a young girl of about ten, with dark brown hair and light blue eyes, and she studied them critically. "You aren't Enforcers," she decided almost instantly.
"No, we're not," Elsa confirmed.
"Then why are you here?" the child asked. "You can't be Extraordinaries or Plebian because you don't have cuffs."
"Actually we were Plebian, and we are Extraordinaries," Elsa disagreed. "But, we are free now, so we don't wear cuffs anymore. And since we think everyone should be free, we are here to rescue you."
The child didn't look convinced. "Prove it," she demanded. "Prove that you are un-cuffed Extraordinaries."
"Smart kid," Franny murmured to Elsa.
Elsa nodded absentmindedly, distracted by the way her mind was trying to place the child's face. It was so familiar, but the eye color was off, as if it belonged in a different face that was familiar. When Franny said "smart", though, something clicked. "Belle," Elsa realized. "She looks exactly like Belle."
Franny overheard and looked at the little girl more closely. "You're right," she agreed, "and if she has been here all this time, it makes sense why Belle, even with all of her access to information, couldn't manage to find her."
"It does," Elsa agreed quietly, before realizing the girl was glaring at them for not fulfilling her request. "But, how rude of us. We are standing here talking when this young lady has asked something of us," she said more loudly. Elsa lifted her hands, and within seconds, snow started to fall from the ceiling. The child looked up and then back at Elsa. Elsa smiled at her before bringing her hands down and clasping them in front of her. After a few moments' concentration, Elsa opened her hands, and a sparkling ice hummingbird zipped its way through the air to alight on the girl's shoulder, causing the child to laugh.
"Great, how I am supposed to follow that?" Franny muttered. She clenched her hand into a fist and lit up her plasma, causing the little girl to look up from the ice bird that was now resting in her palm. Franny sent a blast of her power a safe distance over the girl's shoulder, and it zoomed behind her to punch a nice-sized hole in the corridor wall. The girl looked at Franny with wide eyes, and Franny smirked. "Believe us now, kid?" she asked.
The girl nodded with wide eyes, a hopeful smile coming to her face. "Can you really get us out of here?" she asked with hopeful skepticism, still clutching her frozen hummingbird as the small creature made itself comfortable in her hand.
"We will try our very best," Elsa assured her.
"And our best is really good," Franny added.
The girl giggled, somehow trusting them even though she had little experience with honest adults. "I can help you if you take off my cuff," she offered, holding up her wrist.
"Even if you don't help us, that abomination comes off now," Elsa growled, gently taking the proffered arm and sending freezing air under the cuff. The girl's hand slipped out easily, and Elsa and Franny watched as whatever power she had started flowing through her again.
"Thank you," the girl said gratefully, unexpectedly turning to Elsa and throwing her arms around the icy woman.
"You are very welcome," Elsa replied, hugging her back.
"Who are you?" the child asked, mumbling into Elsa's front.
"Well, my name is Elsa, and I have ice and snow powers; that's why some people call me the Ice Queen," Elsa explained. "My friend is named Franny, and she has energy powers. We were both Plebian until the Rebellion started, but we escaped and now we live free. Who are you?" Elsa asked, knowing it might be a hard question for the girl to answer.
"My designation is 65585, but I call myself Laura," the girl said. "There is an ancient set of books that one of the nicer guards gave me to read. They're about a girl who got to travel, to explore and escape. Her name was Laura, so I decided that I wanted to be a Laura."
Franny smiled. That story was familiar, and if she were Belle's child, being a reader would fit perfectly. "And what is your power, Laura?" she asked.
Laura looked around, until she saw a trash can a little way up the hall. Walking over to it, she touched it with her hand. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then, the trash can sprouted legs and arms, tipped its lid to the ladies in the hall, and then walked away. After watching it go, Laura turned back to Elsa and Franny. "I can bring inanimate objects to life," she explained. "When I was in the Plebian dorm, I brought a chipped cup to life, and he was my best friend. Then my teacher found him, and they sent me here. After they smashed him to pieces in front of me, of course."
As sadness washed over Laura's face, Elsa wished that Anna was with her. Her Apprentice was so much more adept at helping people than she was. Not knowing what else to do, Elsa simply hugged the girl again, and the girl hugged her back fiercely for a few seconds, before letting go. "We need to get going, or we are going to get caught," she stated, walking down the hallway.
"You know, I'm becoming more and more confident that she is Belle's kid," Franny declared as an aside to Elsa. Elsa nodded.
Laura led them to the common room they had been looking at through the grate. There were only three guards in the room, and Elsa took them out with ease. She and Franny spent a few minutes destroying preventative cuffs, but the prisoners were all too drugged out to do much. One of them, a woman with darker skin tone, arresting almond eyes and a few tattoos, seemed to recover faster than the rest, though. When asked what her powers were, she smiled and conjured a tornado to violently open the doorway in front of them. Elsa asked her if she would be willing to help, and after her emphatic agreement, she was tasked with keeping the others safe in the cafeteria.
Room after room, corridor after corridor, Elsa, Franny and Laura set everyone free and guided them to the cafeteria. Most of the Enforcers were incapacitated and knocked unconscious, but there were two that had taken one look at the invading group, handed over their weapons and begged them to get their lovers out of there. One was a younger Enforcer with medium-brown hair and blue eyes who kept her hair tied back with a light-blue bow. Her Extraordinary was a redheaded boy who could fly, and Elsa sent them both to the cafeteria after the young woman eagerly accepted her offer of defection. The second was a slightly-older Enforcer with curly black hair, sharp nose and a gravelly voice that could easily be mistaken for the Ice Queen's under the right circumstances. Her paramour was a redheaded woman with blue eyes who only had to sing to call all manner of animals and creatures to her aid. The redhead, Giselle, was sent back to the cafeteria, but Nancy, the Enforcer, offered Elsa and her group her help in infiltrating the facility's more secure cell block. Her offer was accepted, and the group marched to the only unliberated spot left.
The others carefully hid as Nancy pushed the intercom button. "How may I help you today, Lieutenant?" a crisp female voice asked her.
"I have dignitaries from Campus here to see the Healer," Nancy answered.
"I have no such record of a visit," the voice answered back.
"It is an unannounced inspection," Nancy lied.
There was a pause, and the door buzzed. Unplanned inspections were not uncommon, and the Enforcer in the cell block had no reason to think that Nancy was lying. Nancy opened the door and gestured to the others, and they all slipped in. The Enforcer who had let them in came out of her office, only to stop when she saw the group. "Well, now, I would say this actually makes more sense than an unannounced visit from Campus," she stated, much to everyone's surprise. "Come on, your Healer friend is this way," she said evenly.
"You aren't going to stop us?" Elsa questioned skeptically, as they followed her down the hallway.
"No, not if you take me and my prisoners with you," the brown-haired, brown-eyed Enforcer answered. When Elsa still looked puzzled, the guard explained. "I've been on this guard detail for many years, Ice Queen. I've gotten to know everyone as people. I would have broken them out myself, but I knew that was a suicide mission. If you're here, then I now have the means to get them out," she expounded. "Here we are," she announced.
Rapunzel lay huddled in a corner of the glass-fronted cell, her face towards the wall as her back faced the corridor. Elsa knocked on the glass, but Rapunzel didn't stir. "Can she hear me through the glass?" Elsa asked the Enforcer. The Enforcer nodded, so Elsa tried again. "Rapunzel?" she called. Rapunzel still made no move.
Franny sighed. "Blondie!" she shouted. "Get your ass up or we are getting everyone but you out of this place!"
Rapunzel perked up at that. "Goshen?" she questioned. Turning around, she saw Elsa and Franny standing behind the glass. Franny smirked at her, and Rapunzel stood up, rushing over to the front. The Enforcer guard opened the door, and Elsa and Franny found themselves being strangled. "Elsa! Goshen! I am so glad to see you!" she gushed.
Elsa politely disentangled herself. "We're glad to see you too," she replied, freezing off Rapunzel's cuff. Rapunzel took a deep, relieved breath and hugged Elsa again. Elsa hugged back and again wished for her Apprentice.
One by one, the Enforcer guard opened the rest of the cells, and when she opened the last, a tall muscular man came bounding out. Without preamble, he took the guard into his arms and kissed her in front of everyone, causing her to blush. She gently pushed him back, but he refused to let go of her completely. "Jane," he said reverently, his face buried in her neck.
Jane looked around to all of the knowing faces and blushed again. "Well, um yes, that's me. I'm Jane," she stuttered. "And this is John. He can talk with primates."
"Not John, Tarzan," the man insisted.
"John, that nickname was supposed to be an insult," Jane protested.
"Don't care," Tarzan said simply, causing Jane to sigh.
"Well, you two lovebirds can figure it out on the way to the transport," Franny decided, glancing at her communicator as it chirped. "Our rides are here," she said.
"Of course," Jane said crisply, moving away from Tarzan. She went over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a portable data storage device.
"What's that?" Elsa asked.
"Some information that I think will be of great interest to the Rebellion," Jane answered cryptically.
Elsa didn't press for details, but instead started ushering everyone back out into the corridors. They met up with the rest of the group in the cafeteria, and with Jane and Nancy's help, they opened the front doors and gates to the facility. General Kim was waiting there with transports, and beside her was a very pregnant redhead with a beaming smile. Elsa frowned briefly, but Franny smirked. "Told ya she'd be here somehow," she whispered. Elsa glared at her for a moment, but before she could say anything, Rapunzel went rushing past and Anna let out a happy cry. The two old friends embraced heartily, and Elsa smiled as Anna led Rapunzel onto the ship, chatting all the while.
After everyone except Franny and Elsa was loaded on to the transports, they took off for Middleton. Elsa and Franny hiked back to their own hidden transport before heading back to Middleton themselves. The freed Extraordinaries were welcomed on the base, but not knowing the state of their mental health after being imprisoned by the State, they were treated carefully and offered any help that they needed. Some withdrew, wanting to be alone for a while. Others welcomed having company and being lucid after so long being alone and drugged. Still others, three in particular, merely enjoyed being with the ones they loved openly and freely. Laura, the youngest of them all, stayed by Elsa or Franny's side, nervously clutching the ice hummingbird she had named Flit. Within a short time, she had warmed up to Anna and Rapunzel, too, and so the choice was made to bring her back to the Goshen-Possible's house.
When they got home, Elsa went to debrief Belle and give her information from Jane, and Franny asked Laura for a small bit of her blood for testing. After both of those things were accomplished, Kim, Ronni, Franny, Elsa, Anna and Rapunzel met up in the parlor.
"Did you tell Belle about Laura?" Anna asked.
"I mentioned a child, but I didn't tell her of our suspicions," Elsa replied. "I didn't want to get her hopes up only to see them dashed."
"Well, you wouldn't have," Franny stated. "Laura is Belle's. Not only that, she's Beast's."
Rapunzel smiled. "That explains the eyes," she said, and the rest nodded.
"Leader will still be up," Ronni mentioned, not comfortable with calling their leader "Belle". "Now that we know, we should tell her."
"Laura is asleep, though," Kim pointed out. "And Leader will want to see her. I say we let the poor child and her mother rest for tonight, and we will tell them at tomorrow's meeting. A few more hours of separation won't matter that much."
Looks passed around the parlor, but it was mutually decided that Kim was right. Everyone said goodnight and went to their rooms. Most fell asleep instantly, but Rapunzel had a communications transmission to make. Eugene burst into tears at seeing her face, and Rapunzel started crying too. They talked for hours, and it wasn't until early in the morning that they could bear to say goodbye and fall into a disappointingly-separate, but still-happy sleep.