protocol_03.02: autonegotiation
Anna didn't really want to give the Contessa all the details over the phone. With Elsa restricted to the local network, and with Eden actively searching, she didn't trust her phone signal to be secure enough. Not when it was all of them at risk.
Thankfully, she didn't have to.
"Is this the sort of thing I'm really going to want to hear in person?" Contessa asks after a moment.
She sighs. "Yeah, probably."
There's a string of cursing from the other end of the phone, mostly not directed at her. Anna winces anyway.
"Fine. I'll arrange it. Expect a phone call in a few hours."
"Wait!" She bites her lip. This is risky, asking for more when she's already pushing her luck, but dammit, this part is important. "I..."
"Arc..." Contessa says warningly.
"Can it be you meeting us?" she asks desperately. "I don't...I mean, they're searching for us and...it's not..." Dammit, she can't get the words out right. Why can't she not trip over her tongue when it counts?
The line is quiet for awhile. Anna holds her breath. Finally, the Contessa answers. "This had better be worth it Arc."
That seems like the best she can hope for, really. The call ends, and she lets her hand drop to her side, still holding the phone. Everyone else is looking at her.
"Well?" Doc asks.
"She'll meet us. Er, the Contessa, that is." Anna bites her lip again. "Don't know where yet, though. She'll call back in a few hours."
Doc nods. "Then we should probably get ready to move. Elsa, I'm going to have to disconnect you."
"...yeah, okay."
Anna can't help but watch as Doc gently picks Elsa up and disconnects her skiz jack. It never gets any easier to watch, seeing those glowing blue eyes snap fully open and pulse once. Doc's still holding her up, but Anna can see frost creeping under Elsa's fingertips, slithering up her wrists and she doesn't think twice before grabbing her sister's hand.
Elsa's mouth drops open in a swallowed gasp, eyes open but still unseeing.
"Here. I'm here, Elsa. You're not in there, you're okay." Her fingers are going numb, but she can't really care at this point, because maybe this time, it'll hurt less, she can be enough of an anchor. "We're okay."
The ice halts.
Doc slowly lowers her onto the bed and steps back, checking something on a monitor. Elsa shakes, breath coming in short, stuttered gasps, and Anna just holds on, weaving stiff fingers through her sister's cold ones. Her knees hurt, and she realizes belatedly that she'd dropped to the ground beside the bed. "Come on, Elsa," she murmurs.
The blue glow dims. The tremors stop, and her breathing evens out. Elsa closes her eyes tight, but when she opens them again, they're normal and clear. "Sorry," she rasps.
Anna shakes her head. "Stop that." She smiles a little. "You came out faster that time."
Elsa closes her eyes again and huffs. Anna wishes she knew what the hell was going on in that head of hers. Maybe this would get easier. Maybe she could figure out what her sister can't say. She sighs and gently squeezes her hand before letting go. Doc is hovering behind her, too polite to tell her to get a move on right now, but she gets up anyway and steps aside.
Rubbing feeling back into her hand, she turns to Kristoff. "We better figure out how we're getting back."
He nods. "Doc, you need me?"
"Nah, I can always grab T," she says with a quick look over her shoulder. "Go sort that out."
Anna follows him out of the house, shivering slightly at the cold air outside and pulls her coat closer. Right. It's winter. If they've got any kind of luck, hopefully it won't snow. She tugs on one of her braids, considering things. Driving back in any case with Elsa is going to be tricky, without the added driving hazard.
Both Kristoff's car and Kocoum's truck are parked outside. She looks between both of them and frowns. The car won't fit all of them, especially not when one of them probably needs to lay flat. "This might be a problem."
"What is?" Kocoum asks, coming around from the side of the house. Damn, she must be tired if she missed him.
"We need to head back," Kristoff says before she can open her mouth. Probably better this way, honestly. "Things aren't too good back home, and staying here is asking for trouble. And, well, the last thing I want is for you to get caught in it."
He shrugs, and makes a waving motion with his hand. "Take the truck."
Kristoff blinks, looking confused. "Your truck?"
"You're taking Elsa back with you, right?" He frowns slightly. "You're not going to fit her comfortably in your car. Take the back seats out of the truck, and you'll probably be good."
"But that leaves you without a truck." Kristoff folds his arms. "I don't know when I'd be able to get it back here."
Kocoum shakes his head. "Kristoff. Do you even remember what day it is?" Anna catches Kristoff's blank look, and his brother facepalms. "Mom and Dad's holiday dinner? I need to drive in anyways. I'll just borrow your car."
And that would be her cue to leave. Anna leaves the now-slightly-panicked Kristoff to figure that out while she pops open the back of the truck to see how she's going to manage this. The back seats come out easily enough, and the expanded trunk is probably enough to fit a person lying down. She chews her lip as she looks at the seats now sitting on the ground. There really isn't any kind of padding or whatever on the floor of the car, so that could be a problem. Her throat gets tight at the thought of her sister getting jostled enough to flip over; Elsa would suffocate, unable to do something as simple as roll over.
Okay. So she has to make sure that doesn't happen. And since she's about out of clever, time to go ask someone who probably can be.
She jogs back into the house, back to the room. Elsa's eyes are closed, but she can't tell if she's asleep or not. Sven's made his way back onto the bed, his head near Elsa's side, ears twitching every so often. Doc's packing away the various medical gear. She looks up when Anna enters and frowns. "Problem?"
"Maybe? I don't know." She sees Elsa crack open her eyes when she starts talking. Not asleep then. Then she focuses back on Doc, who's raised an eyebrow. "Kocoum's letting us use his truck, and with the back seats out, there should be room, but..."
"Ah." She stands up and dusts her palms off. "Hold up a moment. T!" she calls out.
T pokes her head around the door frame a few moments later. "You hollered?" she asks dryly.
Doc grins unrepentantly. "Can I get a hand here? I'm needed."
T rolls her eyes as she walks in. "Sure you are. You just hate packing." She gives Doc a shove out the door. "Go on. Elsa will keep me company in here, right hon?"
"Apparently." Elsa's voice still rasps a bit. Anna wonders if she always will sound like she's been chewing gravel, and then hates herself a little for that.
"Back in a bit," she says as she follows Doc out. She catches a grunt in response, before she's out of range. God, this is so hard. She bites her lip again. Can't dwell on that right now. Doc's already halfway across the yard to the truck, so she jogs to catch up, coming to a stop next to her near the trunk.
Doc crosses her arms as she peers into the vehicle. "Yeah, I see the problem." She hauls herself into the back of the truck and looks around. Anna has no idea what she's looking for when she jumps in place a few times, then drops to the floor and peers at the walls. She pokes at the hooks where the back seats went a few times and taps the walls with her booted feet.
"Uh..."
Pushing herself up, Doc blinks a bit, then leaps out of the truck. "Okay, I think this can work."
"Mind sharing with the rest of the class?" Anna asks dryly. Why is she surrounded by people who apparently think faster than approximately anyone normal and then expect you to catch up?
"Ideally, I'd be using a litter, but I don't have one with me." She shrugs and makes a kind of 'what-can-ya-do?' motion. "I've got some gear that, with a few modifications, we should be able to rig into a suspension system for a backboard in the back here. Probably need at least one person there without a seat to stabilize, but then again, there are five of us who fit the bill."
Doc ropes both Kristoff and Kocoum into helping her. Between the four of them and the wonders of whatever the hell Doc packed in her bags, they get something that sort of resembles a hammock of sorts suspended a few inches off the floor. Some very precise bag stacking later, there was also just enough room for two people to sit on the floor in the back.
"I think that's about as good as we're going to get," Kocoum says, frowning at the back of his truck. "I'm going to go put the seat in the shed. Will you need help?"
"Between the four of us, we should have it handled," Doc says absently.
T looks up from where she's crouched by the side of the bed, apparently speaking softly to Elsa, when they come back. "Time to go?"
"Yeah," says Anna while Doc just nods and sets up the vacuum mattress over the backboard. Elsa cracks open her eyes. "Hey there, sleepyhead."
"Funny."
"That's me," she says, smiling a little despite herself. "Regular comedian. Ready to get out of here?"
Elsa just gives her a flat look. Anna chooses to interpret that as a yes and pulls down the covers.
Sven jumps off the bed and out of the way when Doc and Kristoff maneuver the backboard next to her. "All right. Kristoff and I are going to lift you up onto the board, Elsa." Doc scoots to the head of the bed; Anna takes that as her hint to step back. With careful gentleness, the two of them lift Elsa up and put her onto the backboard. T hands Doc a neck brace. "You're going to need to wear this."
Elsa sighs and closes her eyes as Doc slips it around her neck. And then waits for her to open her eyes again.
Doc's voice is soft, careful. "I need to strap you in," she says. "Are you going to be okay with that?"
Anna watches her breath quicken, just a little, and she wouldn't have noticed the slight tension in Elsa's jaw if she hadn't been watching her like a hawk for the last however many hours. But she forces out a harsh "Yes" that sounds like it's made of razors and broken gravel. Anna can't help but flinch at the sound.
But Doc nods, and with slow, deliberate movements, wraps the sides of the mattress around her sister like a blanket. She then straps her in, snug but not too tight, murmuring soft reassurance as she goes. Elsa's eyes are clenched tight, and Anna can see her nostrils flare as she tries to pull in air, breathing rapidly. Ice crackles and glints on her eyelashes, a network of frost tendrils scrawling up her cheeks. Anna takes a half-step forward. But Doc keeps up the reassurance, and slowly the ice recedes and her breath slows.
Elsa opens her eyes to mere slits. "Sorry."
The taste of iron hits her tongue, and Anna suddenly realizes she's chewed her lip raw. She hates this, hates all of this. But there's no where to go but forward.
Doc shakes her head, leaning over Elsa so that her sister can't miss it. "Don't be. There's nothing to apologize for. You ready to go?" Anna can't catch Elsa's answer, but she can guess it. Doc looks over her shoulder. "Anna, I'm going to need to get the other side by her head once I rotate this."
When she does, Anna's pretty sure most of the weight is from the damn backboard. But Kristoff and T grab the sides by Elsa's feet and together they make a procession out the door, Sven leading the way and looking back every few steps, as if to make sure they were still there. She chances a look down. Elsa's staring straight ahead, not at any one of them. It takes her a moment, but Anna's heart twists in her chest when she realizes that Elsa was unconscious when they brought her in.
It's the first time she's seen the sky, felt the outside air, in thirteen years.
And Anna finds she can't say anything at all.
They get her and the backboard into the makeshift hammock-cradle in the back of the truck. Doc ties the thing down, so Elsa is suspended but not swinging freely. "How're you doing?" she asks.
The answer is half a moment too slow. "Fine."
Doc presses her lips together in a line, but nods. "I have a mild sedative I can give you, if you want it, at any point."
"I'm...fine."
"All right."
A slight commotion outside the truck draws Anna's attention away. T's standing, hands on her hips, and apparently staring down Kristoff. Who has his jaw clenched and his stance is all stiff.
"And when, pray tell, was the last time you got more than two hours of sleep?" T snaps.
"I'm a blacksider. I'm fine. I can drive," he grits out.
"You want to trust your passengers to that?"
Kristoff flinches a little like he's been struck. Anna doesn't blame him; she did too, at that, because it's clear as goddamn day just which one of them she's referring to. But before he can say anything, Kocoum walks over from the doorway, a bundle in his arms and a bag over one shoulder. He looks between the two of them, then tosses T a set of keys.
"Kocoum!" Kristoff yells.
Anna can see his eyeroll from here. "Kristoff. Listen to the lady." He cuffs him upside the head. "You're dead on your feet, you idiot. I'd like to get my truck back in one piece." Then he steps closer and starts speaking too lowly for her to hear, but Kristoff's shoulders slump, and even from here, she can read the lines of exhaustion in his frame.
She wonders what everyone else sees when they look at her.
Kocoum slaps him once on the shoulder before walking over to her. Well, to the back of the truck, Anna amends as he sort of climbs in as best he can. She realizes the bundle is the quilt from the bed. "Hey. I didn't know if you'd want it, but, well, in case you get cold, Elsa."
"I...thank you."
He nods. "You're welcome." He kind of half-shoves the bundle into Anna's hands. "I, uh, grabbed some other clean clothes, just in case."
Anna blinks a moment, then can't help but smiling softly. Okay, he can almost be as sweet as his brother. Wait, where did that thought come from? "Thanks, Kocoum," she says instead.
He nods and jumps off. "No problem. Really. And...don't be a stranger." He gives Kristoff a shove as he goes by to the car, and Kristoff finally starts moving to the passenger side up front.
Sven jumps in the back and curls up right by Elsa's feet, the fabric nearly brushing his ears. "Careful, Sven," Anna can't help but warning.
"He's...fine." Sven's tail thumps at the sound of Elsa's voice, and Anna gives up. Doc swings to door closed as Kristoff and T climb into the front of the car.
He turns around in the passenger seat. "You sure you don't want to sit up here?"
Anna gives him a flat look. "What do you think?"
He blinks, and then groans. "Oh god, your face. You really are sisters."
She's about to say something when she hears a huffing noise and looks down. Elsa's eyes are closed again, and she's breathing funny, in short, crackling bursts. Anna's eyes go wide. "Elsa, are you..."
...she's laughing. Elsa is laughing.
It's soft and weak and rough, and it's the most perfect sound Anna's ever heard. Something loosens its hold in her chest, hard claws falling away, and she can breathe in a way she hasn't remembered doing in three years. A piece that's been lost clicks into place.
"Yes, yes, we can take your comedy routine on the road," T drawls. "Can I drive yet?"
Anna can't really lie and say that the ride back to the city was in anyway entirely comfortable. Sitting on the floor of the truck meant she felt every bump, and she would have been rattling around if they weren't packed up tight back here. Doc was on the other side of Elsa, eyes closed, and looking dead to the world. How can she manage to sleep like this, Anna has no idea. Then again, Doc might have been sleeping less than she has, and if it wasn't for nerves and the knowledge about what was waiting for them, she'd probably also be passed out.
As it is, she's too wired. They're running right back into the lion's mouth, and this time, it feels like she has all the more to lose. The stakes were always high, how could they be anything but high, when it came down to it? Elsa wasn't the only one who hung on just because she knew her sister was there, was counting on her. How many nights, especially back in the beginning, did Anna wonder just what the hell she was doing? She was a teenager, a high school drop-out, and she was running and trying to survive down in the undercity.
She did things she's not really proud of, got her hands dirty, got her hands bloody. Maybe if she fit in better in this life, she wouldn't wake up with nightmares, wouldn't see the people who got hurt because they got in the way, people she killed. Maybe she'd recognize the person, the half-girl half-woman stranger, who she saw in the mirror.
Anna thumps her head back against the wall. She's not made for sitting still. It lets her think, and sometimes, those are places she doesn't want to go. She can't afford to dwell on might-have-beens and if-onlys; she deals in absolutes, in what she knows right then in front of her.
"I...can...hear you...from...here."
Anna blinks, then shifts so she can lean over and look at Elsa's face. "What?"
"You. Thinking." The side of Elsa's mouth quirks up, just a little.
"Hey! Come on, I'm not that bad." Elsa gives her a look as best she's able, and oh my god, even barely able to move, her expression speaks volumes. Anna pouts. "Oh come on!"
Elsa's lips quirk up a little more.
Anna points at her. "You. You are..."
"The. Worst."
"Argh!" Anna flops back, but she can't help but grin at the light huffing coming from her sister, who is clearly way too amused. But she has to admit she's feeling a little better, which was probably Elsa's plan all along, dammit.
She slips off into an uneasy sleep, dozing as best she can, wedged between the luggage and the truck wall. Sometimes she wakes up and T seems to be in the middle of telling Elsa a story. Sometimes Elsa's out like a light and Doc is watching her like a hawk. Sometimes Kristoff and T are deep in conversation, about something she's not awake enough to understand before she falls asleep again, feeling every slight swing of the makeshift-hammock against her arm.
They're not to far out from the city when her phone rings. The Contessa's instructions on where to meet her are short and to the point. Anna's got to hope that she's not leading them anywhere near where Eden goons were seen. She shouldn't. But she's going to have to lay her cards on the table, going to have to put Elsa at risk, for this to work. So Anna's just living on hope and a prayer.
"Prayer" ends up being a little too apt, as T pulls up in back of a church, of all things. "Showtime, kids," T says as she kills the engine.
Anna takes a deep breath before getting up. She's going to have to be the one to do this. "Hey," she says quietly.
Elsa opens her eyes and makes a questioning noise.
"Are you ready?" She bites her lip. "We don't have to do this. I can think of a different way to get her on our side."
Elsa rolls her eyes. "Go."
Anna looks at Doc before nodding slightly. She opens the back of the truck just enough for her to slide out, then shuts the door again, leaning against the truck and trying to adopt a casual pose. Her mouth feels dry. She can feel the comforting weight of her knives, but if there's a firefight, she's as good as dead. Well, they all probably are. But she has to walk out into that unknown. Been doing that a lot, lately.
She isn't left waiting long. The Contessa comes striding out the back door a few minutes later, sash and black hair flapping behind her and green eyes hard, looking for all the world like an avenging angel. She comes out alone, and Anna takes a breath to try to center herself, not to show any sign of weakness or uncertainty. So she forces herself to look her mentor in the face, matching her stare for stare.
The Contessa stops a few feet away. "Arc," she says, her tone carefully blank.
Anna nods once and lifts her chin so she can continue looking her right in the eye. "Contessa."
"I'm withholding judgement, at the moment, but you had better have a damn good story. Else I'm gift-wrapping you for Helios."
Anna nods again. She can't be angry at the threat, not really, even though part of her stiffens at the thought. The Contessa has all the Black Court and those under their protection to think about; leaving one blacksider to hang is a fair trade to save their necks, even if that blacksider was her student. Probably especially if. "I do. But first, I think you need to meet someone."
The Contessa raises an eyebrow but says nothing. Anna takes a breath and opens the door of the truck. Sven's moved to where she was sitting, standing up and alert. Doc — or is she Mulan right now? — is crouched, looking deceptively relaxed as she stares out. Anna sees them for a second, before taking a breath and turning around. She sweeps her hand behind her slightly, at the makeshift litter. "Contessa, meet Rime. My sister."
The Contessa blinks, then closes the distance. Anna knows everyone in the truck is watching her every move. But Contessa glances at her, then steps up to peer into the truck. She makes a strange noise then whips her head around to stare at her, eyes wide.
"They had her trapped and tortured for thirteen years," Anna says, forcing the words out, actually saying them and making the truth of it stark and bright, because Contessa needs to understand. "Rime's who we took from Eden."
"Hey," Elsa rasps, apparently deciding that this was as good a time as any to join the conversation.
Contessa immediately focuses back on Elsa, and Anna can see her blanch. The stream of cursing that follows is inventive, questions the parentage of most of Eden and Helios, and makes her ears burn. She then hops off the back of the truck and spins around to face Anna.
"Can you get her out of there quickly? We've only got so much time before services here start."
Anna feels something loosen in her shoulders, uncurling from the invisible weight of dread she'd carried. "We're okay?" Because she has to know, has to be sure.
"Arc," the Contessa says, as deadly serious as she's ever heard her, "I know I've let you have a lot of freedom, and I don't call on you very often. But you and Rime are mine. And that should mean something."
Well then. That's...better than she hoped.
Getting Elsa out is easy, and Doc has the rigging undone with three strategic tugs, which is actually kind of alarming. T says she's going to take the truck and her and Doc's personal things back to Rittenhouse, because she really should get back to Sanctuary. Doc only grabs what she immediately needs, and they all end up with a bag in one hand and carrying the backboard rig with the other. Anna walks in the front next to Contessa, and she's close enough to see the tendons working in her jaw. She's as angry as Anna's ever seen her.
There's a priest, salt-and-pepper hair reflecting strangely in the dim light, waiting by the door when they walk in. He frowns deeply when he sees who they're carrying and sends a sharp look at the Contessa. She nods tightly, and he hisses through his teeth. But he leads them through the church to a hidden passage near the front that leads down into the old subway system without word, and closes the door behind them.
Nobody says a thing as they walk down the stairs and down to the tunnels. Not until they reach the platform, where Contessa has a train car waiting. There's no driver. When Anna looks up at her, before she can even ask the question, Contessa simply says "You asked for me alone." She presses her lips together for a moment. "I need both hands to drive. Rime, can we put you down? Or is that going to cause a problem?"
"Maybe? Doc?"
"Rather not, with the train," Doc says, then hums. "Here, Adze, take my spot, I'll swing up front." A quick shuffle later, and Contessa strides over to the train controls as Doc takes her place one again next to Anna. Sven takes his place up by her other side. The train starts with a lurch, and Anna can see Contessa's slight wince in the reflection of the glass.
"Sorry," she says. Elsa just grunts in response.
"So eloquent," Anna mutters, then gets a slight kick for her trouble from Doc. No fair. But she does catch Elsa's light huffing laughter again, so she can take the bruise.
She catches Contessa looking at them through the reflection, eyes slightly narrowed. Or, more specifically, at Doc. "I know you," she says slowly. "You run the clinic, over in Rittenhouse."
"Yes," Doc replies, easy. Although Anna notices her shifting her weight ever so slightly, but that's only because she's holding onto Elsa's backboard next to her.
"And...before that? I heard rumors. Something in the desert, near Talez," Contessa continues, still staring at the reflection.
Anna feels more than sees Doc stiffen slightly. "That was a long time ago," she says lowly, a hint of something dark and sharp hidden in the there. Mulan, then, Anna thinks. "That was another life."
Anna's pretty sure she's missing something. A quick look over her shoulder tells her Kristoff is just as confused as she is. And, glancing down, Elsa is unhelpfully asleep again or faking it, so no help there.
"Mn." Contessa hums tunelessly for a moment. "Interesting. Then the rumors...?"
"Yes."
"I...may have some information, on that. If you would be amenable?"
Mulan breathes out through her nose. "I think," she says slowly, "that you and I have a conversation or two in the future." She breathes out once more, and suddenly she is Doc again.
Anna's pretty sure that will never not be creepy.
The rest of the ride continues in relative silence. Contessa brings them to a stop at a surprisingly empty platform. Where are they? "I thought you'd be bringing us to your office," Anna says.
Contessa waves them along a passageway. "Change of plans. Right now, I don't want too many people to know about Rime, at least not until I can be sure they won't run their mouths." She looks at Anna seriously, then down at Elsa. "I don't think you should stay up top, Rime. At least, I'd feel better if you didn't." She holds up a hand to stop the protest, and Anna closes her mouth. "And since Arc probably needs to be pried away from you with a crowbar, I'm going to propose an alternative."
They come up to a door. Contessa punches in the code on the keypad before pushing it open into a rather nice apartment. It's fairly spacious, with doors leading off to elsewhere, a lounging area, and a kitchen in the back, all done in pretty tasteful, if worn, furniture. The couches look well-used, the comfortable type that wear them just soft enough.
"Nice place," Kristoff says behind her. Sven woofs his apparent agreement. Anna's not about to argue.
Contessa grins. "Thanks. Welcome to my home." Then she claps her hands together, making everyone twitch. "All right. Rime, let's get you comfortable. Then I'm pretty sure it's storytime."
It takes a bit of a shuffle, and some arguing because someone didn't want to be stuck in a bed away from everyone else or make everyone crowd into a bedroom, but the end result is Elsa laying out on one of the couches, Doc and Kristoff on another, and Contessa across from them all, forming a rough triangle. Anna just takes the floor by Elsa's head, back leaning against the couch. Sven looks at all of them, then decides he's flopping down on the other side; apparently he's decided he's her sister's guardian of sorts. Anna supposes there are worse things, really.
"Rime, you good?" Contessa asks.
"Fine." And maybe it's because she's right there, but it sounds like Elsa slurred that a little. Dammit, she's probably nearing exhaustion again. "But...Arc? Talking."
"Yeah, I got you." She picks herself off the ground and fetches the skiz connector out of the nearest pack. Doc's shown her how to do this, and as much as she hates it, Anna knows it's necessary right now. Still, she can't help but shiver as her fingers brush the skiz jack on the back of Elsa's neck as she plugs her in. Behind her, she hears the Contessa's sharp intake of breath when her sister's jacked in.
Doc's already pulled out the speaker by the time Anna's put Elsa back down and reclaimed her spot on the floor.
Rime's voice crackles out. "Okay, this is...more workable. Contessa. Hi. Nice to finally meet you face-to-face."
Contessa looks between the speaker and Elsa on the couch, eyes widening. "Son of a bitch. That's how you do it. I wondered how you were so damn good." She presses her lips together in a thin line. "I'm not really going to like the answer to that, am I?"
"Probably not." There's a pause, and Anna really wants to jump in, but this part is really Elsa's to talk about. "Arc already told you I was...trapped. I was eight when I was, well, kidnapped. Eden took me out of a burning car and let everyone think I was dead."
The words come painfully, slowly, even though Anna's heard them already, lived through them. Contessa asked for a story and that's what she gets. They tell Contessa the story of their lives, that Anna fled and Elsa waited. Of cold nights and dreams of fire and above all, both of them clinging to a desperate hope with bloody fingers.
At the end of it, there is silence. Anna looks away, sees Kristoff clenching and unclenching his fist, jaw tight. Doc's face is a study in blankness. Contessa asks the obvious question. "Why? Why would they take an eight-year-old?"
"It's easier if I show you." Anna feels the temperature drop behind her, a coldness whispering past her neck. She can't help but turn to watch, and sees the frost slithering up Elsa's exposed hand, sheathing it in ice that grows wicked and wild. She can see her breath in the air, and then hears Contessa's soft swearing.
"Helios. Energy," she breathes, and Anna turns back to look at her. The Contessa's eyes are wide, staring at Elsa, and Anna can see her mind working, fitting together clues. And her next words freeze Anna down to her soul, but not with ice. "They used you as a goddamn fucking battery."
"Just need a temperature differential. A heat sink's just as good as a source." It's hard not to imagine hearing the bitterness in Elsa's, in Rime's, voice.
Contessa sucks in air through her teeth, and looks at her hands. Anna can see the tension in them, gripping each other so the knuckles are white. "Okay. Next question. Why you? How did they know about you?" She lets go and runs her fingers through her hair. "This arcology...they've clearly been planning it for a long time. At least since before they kidnapped you. So. How does it all fit?"
Anna looks back. It'd be so much easier if she could read some meaning in Elsa's eyes, communicate without words all the things they need to. But all she gets is the half-blank stare. They'd discussed this, sort of, vaguely. And once again, it was down to her judgement. Hell, she doesn't know if Doc's in on it. Knowing her sister, probably not. But how much does she trust the Contessa? The woman who took her in off the streets and gave her the tools she needed to survive, but who never promised to keep her safer than that. It's a weird give-and-take, this relationship she has with the Contessa. They danced around each other for so long, a game of cards, of secrets and tells. And now, Anna needs to make the last move, the last choice. Put the cards on the table? Or fold?
She really never did learn how to walk away from the table.
"Because of who we are," Anna whispers, mouth dry. "If they knew about the arcology, got those plans which shouldn't even exist anymore, it's not too surprising they found Rime." She looks up, because she has to look Contessa in the eye for this, she needs to plant her feet and dare the world to move. "Because our father was the one who designed it. My name is Anna Arendelle."
Contessa closes her eyes and breathes deeply, then sinks back into her chair. When she opens them, her eyes are softer, less challenging. It's a look Anna's never seen on her face. "Thank you."
It catches her off-balance. "For what?"
"For trusting me." She sits up and rests her chin on her folded hands. "I've been hoping for years I'd earn it."
"Wait, what?"
"I...keep track of various agencies. Child Services is one of them. There are always those who slip through the cracks, and it's better if we find them than, well, before anyone else down here." She rests her hands across her lap, still maintaining eye contact. "Especially kids from the Upper City. Kids like you...either you fall...or you're pushed."
Wait, all this time, she — is she saying what Anna thinks she's saying? She can't move. It's as if her limbs have turned to lead, and she can't tell what she feels right now.
Contessa continues. "So when a notice was marked that the minor child of the Arendelles was missing from her apartment when CS was supposed to pick her up, yes, I noticed. Even if it disappeared shortly after, I sent people to try to find you. But you'd disappeared without a trace."
"Because I found her first." Elsa says, jerking Anna out of her spiraling thoughts. "And I made sure no one could find her that way."
She nods. "So I know now. But at the time, it was rather frustrating. The Arendelles, they'd done good work, actually tried to help people here at the bottom. It felt...wrong, to let their kid fall with no one to catch her." She smiles softly. "So imagine my surprise when, five days later, T walks in with the same damn kid I'd been searching for."
Anna swallows, throat suddenly dry. "You knew," she whispers. "You knew who I was."
"I always knew. I'd seen your photo, before they got erased. Rime's doing, I suspect. But T came in calling you Arc, and, well," she sighs, "I was never going to push you on it. Not unless you decided you trusted me enough to tell me yourself. It was your own damn business. But I could watch out for you all the same."
"Thats...that's why you gave me that much freedom, that much leeway. You wanted me to trust you."
"I'd have liked you to trust me, there's a difference. You were an unknown factor, a little bit of a wild card. I knew you'd bolt at the first sign of someone even thinking of prying too hard." Contessa smiles wryly. "But yes, I knew who you were from the moment I saw you, Arc. And things are making a lot more sense now." She waves at Elsa with her hand. "You, on the other hand, are looking fairly good for someone who's supposed to be thirteen years dead, Elsa Arendelle."
"Funny how that works."
"You remember who she is?" Anna asks, the words falling out of her mouth before she can stop them.
Contessa raises an eyebrow. "Oh yes, I remember the news stories about the death of the young Arendelle heir. You were very photogenic as a child. No offense meant now."
"None taken. I suspect I'm not winning any contests at the moment. But I haven't seen a mirror in a while," Elsa deadpans, and Anna muffles a laugh despite herself.
"I can't get over the idea that they kidnapped an Upper City kid right from under their noses." Contessa shakes her head. "That sort of thing might be a common fear down here, but...if only they all knew up there..."
"Maybe that's it," Doc says, breaking in. Contessa tilts her head in her direction, in a silent sort of encouragement to continue. "If the folks up there knew, if they knew the sort of fear that's commonplace here, that this is the sort of thing a company like Eden and Helios can do and get away with...they'd howl."
"Right. Because we're scum. It's different when it's their kids." She frowns. "I'm not yet seeing where you're going with this."
"Eden. Helios. They could have only gotten away with this if someone, or multiple someones more likely, in the Fed was looking the other way. They all know. You said Arc disappeared from the CS database. That couldn't have happened without them knowing. Talez," she spits the word, "wouldn't have happened without them knowing. This?" Doc — no, this is Mulan talking now — shakes her head. "No, that's standard operating procedure."
"The fact that we can't really trust the Feds isn't exactly news," Kristoff mutters, then winces when Mulan lightly cuffs him upside the head.
"Smartass. But that's the thing. Contessa, Arc said that Scratch was instigating another call for cleaning up down here, right?" Contessa nods. "That's how they're going to do this. Leverage it to get whoever they have in the Fed in their pockets to order the undercity razed. And then they'll build the arcology in the ashes. They win completely." Mulan shakes her head slowly. "Goddamn if that isn't clever."
"So what the hell do we do?" Anna asks, because how can she not? It's not right, and they've been tied into this mess since they were born. There's no where they can walk away, not now. Probably not ever.
"It's not going to be enough to just stop the arcology and Helios. Hell, I don't even know if we could just stop them." Mulan presses her lips in a thin line, something dark and old in her eyes. "The rot's too far in. And sometimes to save someone, you have to cut off the limb."
"Tear the whole thing down and build it back up." Contessa raises an eyebrow. "You do realize you're basically talking treason."
"If we don't do anything, we all die anyway," she says dryly.
"Good point." Contessa leans back and shakes her head. "Well then. Looks like we need to figure out how to stage a revolution. Or rebellion."
"Those usually depend on perspective," Elsa deadpans.
"Ah, yes. You certainly are Rime. In case there was any doubt," she says, rolling her eyes. Anna bites back a giggle. The room is surprisingly light for talking about how they needed to topple the entire government. And a megacorp. And a secret, creepy, stupidly-powerful group.
Okay, maybe that's more hysteria. Because oh god, what?
"So...that's it? We're...we're going to revolt? And commit treason and very possibly die?" Apparently, she's not the only one feeling it, because Kristoff's eyes are wide as he speaks. "And we just decided this like that?"
Contessa looks at Mulan. Mulan looks at the Contessa. "Yes, basically," the Contessa says with a small shrug. "You have a problem?"
He shakes his head. "No, just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. You know, because this is probably the most flippant declaration of revolution in the history of ever, and I wanted to be sure this is a thing that just happened."
"Yes, yes it did."
"Okay then." He rubs his face. "Well, I'm certainly going to have an interesting answer to 'what's new with you?' at dinner." He yawns, then blinks rapidly. "Wait, what time is it? Speaking of dinner..."
"Not too late, but edging on that time, if you have somewhere to be." Contessa stands, pauses, and looks at him closely. "You, I don't know well. Arc and Rime seem to trust you, though. Needless to say, it's all our necks if anyone doesn't watch their mouths."
Kristoff's jaw tightens, then he relaxes a little. "Way I figure, I'm in so deep, only way to go is to keep swimming." His gaze flicks to Anna for a second, or maybe Rime, before he focuses back on the Contessa. "It's like I told them: this isn't something I can walk away from."
"He didn't have to risk his neck," Anna finds herself saying, "but he did anyway. And really, he could have sold us out long ago if he wanted. So...yeah. I'd vouch for him."
Contessa stares at him for a long time, as if measuring his worth. Anna realizes her lungs feel tight, like she doesn't dare breathe too hard. It's suddenly incredibly important that Contessa, well, accept him. That he's there, and a part of this, and he's going to be.
Finally, after what feels like a small eternity but was probably less than a minute, she nods. "All right. I'll put out notice that you have limited access to the Black Court as an affiliate, and if you need to see me or them, they should send you through."
"All right. Wait, them?"
"Wait, us?" Anna says at the same time.
"I told you I was going to propose an alternative to staying up top," Contessa replies.
"And what's that?"
"Simple. You're staying with me," she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the universe.
"What." Anna's having a bit of trouble wrapping her brain around this. It's one thing to know that the Contessa would rather them stay down here instead of her apartment. This...this is another thing entirely.
Contessa rolls her eyes and spreads her arms, gesturing to the room. "This place is about the most secure place you're going to find in the city, much less in the undercity. Access is extremely limited, I know everyone who comes and goes, and there's no way to get in without going through at least half the Black Court." She lists off on her fingers.
Anna opens her mouth. Closes it. Dammit, why did they all have to be such good points? It's not that she's not grateful for the offer or anything, but...deciding to be the leader of the Black Court's roommates doesn't really sound like it should be that casual. Or something.
But she's right, dammit. Especially if they're talking rebellion. Or revolution, whatever. It'd just take one person who can't keep their mouth shut, and it's all over. They're all dead and Elsa's worse. Anna clenches her fists in her lap, hard enough that she feels her short fingernails digging into the flesh of her palms. She'll regret that later, but right now the pain is good, sharp enough to make her focus.
Because even though it isn't much, even though it's sometimes a little small and sometimes looks like a minor disaster area, her apartment is hers. She remembers all those early jobs she took, saving every credit she got, the give and take of spending just enough to survive and keep her gear in order. She remembers being able to pay for the place, moving out of the small room at Sanctuary. The apartment, it was the first thing Anna had ever bought that she really sort of earned. Sure, she'd gotten an allowance for things when she was growing up, but that's not really the same. Saving a bit to buy a candy bar or the latest album was nothing like saving to put a roof over her head. And it was things like that, the basic things, that Anna then realized she'd always taken for granted. Now, faced with the prospect of possibly losing it, even if it is for something better, it hurts in a way that she never expected.
It feels like charity. And while she's better now about offers of that, it still makes something deep inside her protest. Anna isn't sure if it's pride, or if it's guilt.
She opens her mouth again, but Elsa beats her to the punch. "Are you sure about that? I'm not...I won't be the best roommate. At least, not for awhile."
Contessa nods, even though she must realize Elsa can't see it like she is now. "It's fine, Elsa." Anna catches the use of her name, and it feels weird to hear it from her lips. Weird, but right. "Plus, you're going to need to see your doctor here, right?" She glances at Mulan, who nods. "It's easier and probably safer to get here through the right tunnels from Rittenhouse. Doc, remind me to give you the map."
"Before or after we have our, ah, many discussions?" Mulan says while raising an eyebrow.
"Mn, after, possibly. Once we get everyone situated, if you're amenable, we could have at least one of them?"
Mulan tilts her head for a moment, like she's considering it, before nodding and hopping to her feet. "That's...acceptable." She claps her hands once. "All right, Elsa. Let's get you unplugged and comfortable someplace better than that couch."
"I'm starting to hate this part."
Anna reaches behind her and grabs her sister's hand. "You're getting better at it," she says as she rubs her thumb of the knuckles of Elsa's hand. She folds her fingers over her bony ones, feeling the cool skin against her palm. Not frost, not yet. Maybe someday soon. She knows it's not realistic to assume it's going to be now, but she still hopes.
But she focuses on holding that hand, ignoring Contessa's hiss behind her as Elsa's quiet gasp echoes in her ears, as her spine goes rigid and ice roars up. It looks worse this time, thicker and sharper, racing in jagged spines up her arms and neck. Anna feels her hand go numb, but she continues to run her thumb over the bones and tendons while softly telling her to wake up. It's all she can do, providing that piece of physical connection Elsa can use to come back to, from wherever she is. It feels like it takes longer this time; she thought Elsa sounded exhausted before, and this just confirms it.
Eventually, the ice retreats again.
She looks up to see Elsa watching her from half-closed eyes. Something must show on Anna's face, the urge to blurt out that it's not her fault, that she's exhausted, that of course it's okay, don't apologize, it's fine. All the words she'll keep repeating until her sister believes them, from here to eternity if she has to. But instead Elsa closes her eyes and sighs deeply. "Hate...this."
There isn't anything she can really say to that, so she just squeezes her hand gently, hoping her hands can say what she can't find the words for. Words aren't really always her friend, Anna's found. But she's always been better at speaking with her body, with actions and touch. Right now, it has to be enough.
The rooms Contessa gives them are nice enough, connected by a door. Which is good, because Anna's about ready to sleep on the floor if it means sticking close, and really, that can't be good for her long-term.
Doc fusses, making sure Elsa is as comfortable as she can be. And she makes Anna repeat how to do the non-emergency things, until she's satisfied she can apparently leave them alone.
"I'll be back tomorrow. And if something happens, call me." Her tone brooks no argument, so Anna just nods. If that's how Doc wants to spend the holiday, well, if she's being honest, it's good to know they won't be alone. Even here.
Eventually, Doc seems satisfied that they can be left to their own devices for at least twelve hours or something. She follows Contessa out the door, leaving just them and Kristoff and Sven in the room.
"So, you're going to be fine here, right?" Kristoff asks, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I'd stick around if I could, but I really got to go, seriously, my mom would flay me if I missed it..."
He's rambling, and she can't help the giggle that escapes. His mouth closes with a snap. "Sorry, sorry," she says. "We're fine. Really."
"You...you sure?"
"Yeah." She feels her lips curving up in a smile. "Go on. See your family. Have fun."
"All right." He clears his throat. "Come on, Sven, we gotta go." Sven whines from his spot near Elsa's bed. "Come on, buddy. We'll be back."
Sven whines again, ears flat, but he gets up. Before he goes over to Kristoff, though, he puts his front paws on the bed and nudges the side of Elsa's face with his nose, then gives her a tiny lick on the cheek. Which is probably just about the cutest thing ever, and earns him another one of her small, huffing laughs. Still, he's obviously reluctant when he trots over to Kristoff.
"Right. Well, um. I guess I'll be seeing you. Take care." He turns to leave.
They're halfway to the door when the thought comes to her. "Wait!"
He's half turned around when she runs and throws her arms around him. He stiffens a little in the hug, but she really doesn't care at this point. She tightens her arms a little. "Thank you," she says, slightly into his shirt. "For everything."
Anna lets him go and shuffles back, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She peeks up through her bangs. He looks completely stunned, and there's possibly a hint of red on his cheeks. Or she's imagining it, that's also possible.
"You're...you're welcome." He rubs the back of his neck again. "I, um, yeah. It was nothing. Um. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah. Later," she says. He smiles a bit, then is gone through the door.
She's not imagining another bout of huffing laughter behind her. "What's so funny?" Anna asks, spinning around and making her way over to the bed.
Elsa's eyes are practically squinted with mirth. "You," she rasps.
Anna takes a seat on the edge of the mattress and grabs her hand. "Glad I amuse you. Nice to know I'm good for something."
"Lots." Her sister's face relaxes a bit, eyes falling closed.
She snorts. "Oh yeah?"
"Light...house." Elsa's voice is thin, half-asleep and falling further.
"You're being cryptic again."
Elsa merely hums. Anna studies her face. With the hood pulled up, it's hard to see the scars on her head, old and white. But the shadows make the hollows of her cheeks and eye sockets look all the worse. Anna finds herself simply watching her breathe again, because the small rise and fall of her chest sometimes feels like it's the only thing that can remind her that her sister is really alive, really here.
Elsa's breath evens out. Even in sleep, it still doesn't look right. She looks so damn small, thin limbs nearly drowning in the fabric of the borrowed hoodie and pants. Anna runs her thumb over the bones in her hand, mapping out the shape and searing it into her memory. Her sister's skin is still cool, and even though she's figured out it's probably because of the ice, there's a part of her brain that's still screaming that something's wrong. She bites her lip, almost hard enough to bleed, and gets up to reach for the quilt Kocoum had given them. Elsa might not actually be cold, but it can't hurt. And probably help calm Anna's nerves.
She pulls the quilt up to Elsa's chin. Her hand hovers by her sister's head for a second, before Anna finally gives in and runs her fingers along the contours of her face. Traces cheekbone and around the eye, trailing upwards. She hesitates for a second, debating, before swallowing and continuing to touch along the side of Elsa's head, up and over the scars. Fine hairs prickle the tips of her fingers, soft new hair coming in. Anna can't help but smile.
"Tickles," Elsa rasps softly.
"You're going to be fuzzy," Anna murmurs. They'll make it, somehow. She's got to believe that. "We'll get better, right?"
"Going...to...start...a...revolution."
"Oh yeah." Anna suspects her grin's turned a little feral. "We're gonna set the world on fire."