Omega [REDUX]

Chapter 29

Anna realized that her legs hurt. They weren't particularly in pain, but definitely quite sore, the kind of soreness after excessive exertion. It made sense; she'd been trying to learn how to dance with Elsa for hours on end now, and when they weren't doing that…

She blushed as she recalled the previous night's events, her heart fluttering a little, a familiar sensation blossoming within her. That night Elsa had told her she loved her. That night, Elsa had ravaged her for all she was worth, had shown her a side of Elsa neither of them really recognized, but Anna knew she loved it all the more. That night they'd made love. Passionate, sweaty, sticky love.

And quite tiring as well. Anna realized that it wasn't just her legs; her whole body hurt a little, in spite of the physical conditioning she had received. She felt her face begin to burn, and forced herself to banish her wanton thoughts. They would have more opportunities to fulfil each other's fantasies.

For now, Anna turned to the problem at hand. A beautiful dress lay upon her bed, a garment adorned with greens and blacks, floral patterns adorning the sides, designed to leave her shoulders exposed. Anna absolutely loved the dress; she'd seen other kinds of dresses on the internet, and she hadn't quite seen anything better than this. The problem was that she had never really owned a dress in her life.

Now, she had absolutely no idea how to put it on, despite having spent almost a whole day thinking about it.

There was a knock on her door. Sighing, Anna turned to open it, a feeling of dread welling up as she prayed fervently that it wasn't Elsa; she wouldn't want to tell her that she had no idea how to put the dress on, jeopardizing their plans to go to prom together. Her hand felt like lead as she hit the door release.

It wasn't Elsa, thankfully. It was Merida, who upon seeing Anna, promptly arched an eyebrow. "It's a little bit late, you know."

"So?"

Merida walked in, fully dressed in a stunning blue gown, as Anna closed the door behind her. "Shouldn't you be putting the dress on?"

Anna stared dejectedly at the garment. "I have absolutely no idea how to put this on."

"You're lucky I came then." Merida placed a separate cardboard box on her bed. "I was bringing you your heels anyways."

"What?" Anna's eyes widened. "I have to dance in heels?"

"…yes…?"

Anna facepalmed herself. "I can barely dance properly with normal shoes; how do you expect me to dance in heels?"

"I thought you and Elsa had figured it out."

"Not that well!" She decided to leave out the part where she and Elsa hadn't exactly been practicing dancing in particular. "I've literally never danced before in my entire life."

"Well…" Merida cast a glance at the dress, then looked Anna up and down. "I do suppose the dress is long enough to cover up your feet, so only the most observant individuals will notice your lack of heels." She arched an eyebrow at Anna's apparent distress. "What's wrong?"

"I… just really don't want to mess this up," Anna replied, sitting down on the bed, beckoning for Merida to do the same. "I want this to be special for both Elsa and I. And yet…" Her eyes went to the dress, then to her tired feet. "I already have problems presenting myself, dressing up, dancing properly…"

She watched Merida suppress a smile, clearly at her expense, so she mock glared in response. "What?"

"I never imagined I'd hear you saying that," Merida said, her smile widening.

Anna rolled her eyes.

"I'm perfectly serious, you know," Merida went on, placing a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Face it, we all know you're a klutz. And you've never really bothered too much about it, merely laughed it off, even when we openly cringe and tease you for it. The most you've done was to chase Rapunzel around half the campus. Now…"

"I'm still a klutz, Merida." Anna sulked, staring into space. "Look at me. I can't even dress up properly. What's Elsa going to think?"

"That isn't your fault. You just haven't had the opportunities to do this previously. Besides," Merida smiled, "I'm sure she'd understand. But since you've starting being with Elsa, you've changed so much. I'm so happy for you."

Anna tilted her head, giving Merida a small smile. She was right; Elsa would probably understand. Last night's events were testament to how far their relationship had come. Or at least, that was how she perceived it.

"Still no date for tonight?" she asked, deciding to change the subject, before insecurity could overwhelm her again.

"Please," Merida scoffed, " I'm not spending my prom night with some dumb boy."

"Compared to spending it all by yourself?"

"It's the lesser of two evils."

"Not a single feasible candidate in your eyes?"

Her friend laughed. "You make me sound a lot worse than I actually am."

"Your standards are kinda high," Anna remarked. "Most of the people chasing you are decent in my opinion."

"That's mainly 'cause you see good in everyone, Anna." Her friend's laugh began to die down a little. "Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of person."

"You can be."

"Maybe. Maybe one day." Merida looked forlornly at the door. "Now come on. Let's get this dress on you."

They spent the better half of the next hour struggling to get the dress on Anna, struggling with straightening both creases and Anna's hair and bickering over whether Anna needed makeup to go to prom. Then midway they decided they needed to braid Anna's hair and tie it up a little bit, and Anna revealed that she and Elsa were supposed to meet at 1915 hours, and it was already 1900 hours, so they had to scramble to finish up everything. By the time they finished off Anna's heart was pounding as she glanced at the holographic display, its camera focused on her to serve as a mirror, projecting an image of herself towards her as Anna desperately tried to figure out if everything was okay.

"You should be good, I think," Merida remarked, sitting on her bed, somehow managing to appear decent despite having fussed over Anna for the past hour. She cocked her head as she looked Anna up and down again. "Doubt you're missing anything."

Anna stared herself, at the green ribbons in her braided hair, at the dress that left her shoulders and collarbone exposed, the fabric a myriad of green black and purple, and floral patterns that adorned the garment. She reached for her drawer in the table, pulling it open, retrieving a small velvet box from within.

"What's that?"

"My only possession," Anna replied simply as she opened the box, pulling out a small pendant, her fingers laced around the green fabric, her eyes fixed on the golden locket that hung from it. She thought she felt her eyes water. Luckily, Merida was tactful enough not to ask anything further, else she probably would have cried for real. Images of her parents, her childhood, her past, flashed through her mind as she draped the locket over her neck, her hand clasping it within trembling fingers.

Anna took a deep breath, looked at herself, her cheeks adorned with minimal makeup, and exhaled deeply again.

There was another knock on the door.

Anna had said she needed to prepare for the prom. Elsa decided she'd give Anna the whole day, understanding that Anna was taking this very, very seriously, and would rather have time to herself to prepare at her own pace.

Part of her, however, believed she had only been so accommodating because she herself was terribly nervous as well.

Elsa had spent the whole day doing random things. She'd tried learning how to dance better, then decided it was counter-productive if Anna wasn't going to be able to keep up. Then she tried to decide what kind of look she wanted to put on later, if there was anything else she needed apart from Hans' suit. Makeup wasn't something that was readily available, given that she had no possessions to begin with, but she could probably improvise with something.

So she dropped by the basic military training complex; she remembered having excelled through all the modules at an accelerated pace, able to join proper training much more quickly than almost all other recruits, thanks to her superhuman abilities. No one was in; students had no reason to be there, and the staff were busy preparing for the prom. Elsa moved over to the camouflage section and retrieved some of the provided materials, intending to "jury rig" an eyeshadow from various camouflages.

To say the least, it did not go quite as planned.

Looking at her smudged black face a few hours later she eventually found the proper way to create and apply the right shade of eyeshadow, so she retrieved the necessary materials to bring back to her room. Thankfully no one saw her in her sorry state as she scuttled back to her room, deposited the materials, and went off to take a quick shower.

Standing under the hot stream of water wasn't very conducive for calming her nerves, for it only brought back memories of the night before. Elsa leaned against the wall of the shower, eyes closing as she drifted back into that period of bliss, the fingers that moved subconsciously between her legs becoming Anna's fingers, pressing into her with every passing moment—

She forced open her eyes, pulling her hand away. Not now. I'll be too tired to dance later if I do this.

Her desire unsatisfied and unquenched, she shut off the showerhead with resolution, determined to make up for it after the prom. After all, it would be a lot better doing it with Anna, or so that was what she had read about sex thus far. But she knew it wouldn't stop her thoughts form turning wanton. Oh well.

Elsa almost laughed. In some sense she was turning into a normal person, albeit a horny, sex-crazed young person. Statistically that was the majority of youths.

She left her wardrobe open after she closed the door, moving to apply her finished blend of eyeshadow, and to tie her hair into a braid that rested upon her left shoulder. She stripped down and tried on the suit. Understandably, she found it to be an imperfect fit, but Hans wasn't likely to have a female tuxedo anytime soon. She straightened the creases along her outfit, folded her collar back properly and glanced at the projection.

Her own reflection took her aback.

Elsa looked… very formal, to say the least. Donning a military uniform was one thing; this was something else entirely. And she looked good, in a sense. She watched the ways the suit and pants hugged her bodice, accentuating her toned muscles and bodily curves. Her face stood out: blue eyes with dark eyeshadow along with her black bowtie contrasting with the blond braid on her left shoulder, and the whiteness of the rest of the suit.

This is going to be interesting. She adjusted the suit again, and again, and again, before deciding that she was being paranoid and insecure. Of course I am. I literally have almost no idea what I'm doing. But you asked her out yourself, Elsa, so there's no turning back from this one.

She shut off the projection and placed her hands on the metal wall, taking deep breaths to steady herself. She'd seen how moved Anna had been when she'd asked her out; now it was up to her to upkeep that promise, to ensure that Anna got the magical experience she deserved. Every time the thought of her letting Anna down at the prom crossed her mind her heart ached just a little more.

It was 1915. I'd better get to it before I'm convinced otherwise.

Wordlessly Elsa pushed herself off from the wall and strode toward the door, hitting the door release with an air of determination, her strides emanating faux confidence as her two feet brought her to Anna's door. It took her every ounce of strength she had to bring her hand to the door, take one last deep breath, and knock.

For a few moments, nothing moved. Silenced filled the air. The pounding of Elsa's heart reached her ears.

Then the door hissed, and began to slide away, revealing Merida who had opened the door, and—

There she was.

Anna.

And for a moment Elsa's brain struggled to comprehend the beauty that stood before her, the myriad of green black purple coupled with Anna's red hair and her beautiful freckles and radiant, nervous but ridiculously cute smile along with the ribbon in her hair and the dress that gave her a tantalizing view of her shoulders and br—

"Wow," Anna said, barely, the first to break the silence. "You look… stunning."

"I…" Elsa stuttered out a reply without thinking, and berated herself inwardly for doing so. "So do you," she quickly corrected. "I mean… wow." I'd also really like to do some other things beside dance with you in that dress. Some… other things. She felt her face burn just a little.

"I'mma leave you two lovebirds to it," said Merida as she began to stride away, though Elsa saw that she was failing to conceal a smile on her face. "Don't kiss each other silly and miss the prom!"

Anna looked away, embarrassed at the comment. Elsa took it as a good sign. When the elevator door had shut behind Merida, Anna took a step forward, wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Elsa felt her brain turn to slush as her own hands went to Anna's hips involuntarily, caressing the curves beneath her palms.

"I'm sorry," Anna said, breaking the kiss. "I just—"

"It's okay," Elsa replied, grinning. "I don't mind."

"I'm really nervous."

"As am I."

"I still don't know how to dance."

"We probably should have wasted less time."

"Honestly, I doubt it was a complete waste of our time."

That got a knowing laugh out of both of them, and Elsa pulled Anna into a hug. They stood there, enjoying the warmth of their embrace, when Elsa whispered into her ear, "I'm going to do some really naughty things to you in that dress once we're done with this prom."

Anna pushed her away gently, her features the expression of mock-shock. "You've really changed since last night, haven't you?"

Elsa grinned. "Maybe I have."

"Well, I guess it's not a bad thing…"

Thankfully no one really took notice of them when they entered the prom; Elsa would have otherwise been mortified at the attention, and if she knew Anna well enough, so would she. Still, despite the atmosphere, Elsa's senses took in everything around her, and it became apparent that it was going to work against her.

"You okay?" Anna asked as Elsa stopped by a wall, placing one hand on it for support. "You don't look too good."

Elsa beckoned for Anna to come closer, then whispered, "Sensory overload. Too much noise and lights and smells. I sense way too many things in this room."

"You need a distraction."

"How do you suppose I—" Her words were muffled as Anna mashed her lips into hers, her tongue forcing entry between her lips. Elsa succumbed (how could she not?) to the assault, her hands desperately trying not to grip the back of Anna's dress too tightly, for fear of ruining the fabric. Anna pressed on, her head shifting a little as she traced trails down Elsa's suit with her fingertips, tickling Elsa in various places.

When they finally came up for air Elsa felt numbed somewhat. "Better now?" Anna asked, a glint in her eye and a grin on her face.

"Yeah." The stimuli wasn't as overwhelming anymore. Elsa returned the smile. "I'm getting even with you for that later."

"I look forward to that."

"I'm sure you do, you insatiable little girl."

Anna blushed. "Shut up. We're in public."

"Statistically sexual encounters amongst students is not uncommon. Why should we care?"

"You're a piece of crap." Anna kissed her again.

The music stopped. Applause rose from amongst the crowd. Couples began to move toward the center of the room, which had now cleared. "I guess that's our cue," Elsa said.

Anna took her hand, leading Elsa towards the center, making Elsa's heart jump at the contact. They settled into a dancing pose, hands grasped in each other's', gazing into each other's' eyes uncertainly.

"I'm really glad I'm not wearing heels to dance," Anna said. "My feet still hurt. And you would hurt a lot more when I inevitably step on you."

Elsa's lips curved sideways into a smile. "Just follow my lead."

The music began playing. It was a slow, gentle melody, without any particularly loud, piercing notes. It was the kind Elsa had found herself enjoying when she had just begun to integrate herself into the years of knowledge she had lost. The tune was familiar, probably because she had come across it at some point in her years of trying to gain knowledge and experiences denied from her in Empyrean. It made her feel comfortable.

They moved awkwardly at first, but eventually they got into the rhythm of things. Anna smiled sheepishly as her feet connected with Elsa's briefly, but Elsa readjusted and they carried on, without losing momentum. "Easy," Elsa said. "Just relax, and go with the flow. It's easier than you think."

For a moment they lost themselves in the music, in the moment, in each other, where nothing else existed but them and them alone, engaged in an activity so foreign but strangely entertaining, For a while Elsa forgot her troubled past, her anger and her despair, her insecurities and worries, and for a while she could only see a beautiful, stunning young woman in front of her, smiling right back at her.

A familiar unpleasant sensation crept up the back of her neck.

Empyrean!

The word screamed out from the recesses of her mind, like a hot knife slicing through butter. Elsa flinched visibly, and Anna's blissful expression turned into one of concern and fear. "Elsa?"

EMPYREAN!

"Something's… not… right…" Elsa managed, forcing herself to keep dancing. If she felt like this then they were in grave danger. The fact that they weren't being attacked yet made it worse; it meant that danger was close by, and Elsa was powerless to know when and where it was. Her senses went on full alert, and as they turned around the room, she forced herself to scan the area.

"Be ready… for anything…" she whispered to Anna strenulously. She felt the grip around her hands tighten.

EMPYREAN! The word only seemed to grow louder and louder. Danger was close by now. She didn't know how to explain it, but it seemed logical enough to her; she could detect Empyrean units. Soldiers. Ascendants. Right now she didn't know what she could sense, but after years of torment, there was no mistaking that feeling whenever she was near anything Empyrean related. Something was definitely wrong now.

Her eyes settled on movement a little too quick for the average party-goer, but the figure faded from her peripheral vision as she turned with the music. Elsa force filtered out the music from her ears, focusing on the footsteps that were out of sync with the rhythm of the music, trying to track the figure's movements. She shut her eyes as she completed the turn, identifying the source of the sound, and she opened her eyes again to look.

In the distance, amongst the crowd, was Ursula. She was staring right back at Elsa.

And her eyes were glowing white.

A deafening blast and a blinding flash assailed her. She felt her feet leave the floor and a dull pain on her neck as she crashed back down moments later. Forcing her eyes open, she gazed with horror at the pile of charred human remains where Ursula had been; the explosion had taken out almost all of the students that had been standing nearby, as well as a huge chunk of the wall, exposing the room to the blackness of the night sky, and mysterious lights that looked to be exhaust flames of dropships.

More explosions, this time above them as the screaming began. Elsa pushed herself to her feet, desperately looking around for Anna. She caught sight of her red hair, just barely, before something connected with her chest and knocked her to the ground.

Gunfire filled the air as a silvery figure stood over her, one hand clenched into a fist, the other morphed into a gleaming blade.

No.

"Hello again, Elsa." The figure knelt and positioned the blade just above her neck. "No surprises, or my arm goes straight through your neck."

"You know I can get out of that easily, Elaine," Elsa replied. "I taught you everything you know. Why are you doing this?"

"Because if you don't comply…"

Elsa heard a muffled scream, and her body went rigid. Anna. They have Anna.

"Edison sent us what he had deduced about you just before you broke his indoctrination and, you know, terminated him," Elaine went on, the blade still hovering above Elsa. "We know you well now. We know you won't try anything so long as we still have your precious little girl with us."

In the corner of her eye Elsa watched soldiers lift a kicking and screaming Anna way, marching toward the hole in the wall. She forced herself not to panic. "What do you want?"

"Like Edison said, Elsa," Elaine said menacingly, "I want to carry out the aims that we used to propagate together. If it involves destroying my enemies' technology, or killing their loved ones, so be it. All of this is ultimately a means to an end."

The blade raised upward, the shimmer blinding Elsa's eyes momentarily, but morphed into a fist in the last second, and came crashing down upon Elsa's face like a sledgehammer. She felt pain ricochet through her skull and dizziness overcame her, her limbs turning to lead, rendering her immobile.

As blackness seeped into her vision, she could hear the sound of a dropship door closing, further muffling Anna's screams, before the whirring of its engines blotted them out entirely.