Blessed with an eidetic memory, spatial mapping was by far Elsa's favorite mental exercise. Outside, the the city flew by in a dizzying array of shapes and volumes. Her eyes shot back and forth, pausing, scanning, then moving again.

'Northbound up Storrow Drive, banking left past the park-station complex… then across the bridge...' she chanted in her inner voice.

Mulling over each of the images she'd tucked away in her mind, Elsa unconsciously rotated her wrist at the recollection of each one. When she reached the end of her list, a sheepish flash of embarrassment shot through her, flushing her cheeks. Once, twice, even three times she tried to reconstruct the last two turns, but to no avail.

'Curses. I missed a few. Hmm… what else to do?'

Beside her, Anna bobbed her head, singing away gleefully. The song was something Elsa had never heard before, something about a perfect day. Whilst still gazing out into space, pondering how else to entertain herself, she vacantly started humming along with the song.

Grinning to herself in a flash of mischief, Elsa's lungs stuttered. She fought to stifle a laugh that very nearly morphed into a cackle. Before putting her fiendish plot into motion, she stole an affectionate gaze at Anna, warming her heart and to ensure that Anna remained oblivious. Satisfied with her stealth, Elsa called up all sorts of playful, loving emotions associated with her. Nerves kicked into high gear, tiny differentials of thermal energy spawning all down her arm.

Sinking into the space between consciousness and zen, Elsa channeled her icy energy into a small pool inside the car's air vents. It coagulated into an ever larger form as she instinctively exerted into it. In a spectacular burst, gusts of chilly wind flew out into the cabin. Icy flakes danced across Anna, kissing her skin wherever her summer attire lay it bare.

Anna squealed, clenching the steering handles in a deathgrip, desperately trying to keep the car on the road. The machine wavered and bucked in protest.

"MEEP! Elsa!"

Even as she tried to push her accomplished grin away, a renegade giggle still managed to sneak by. She, righted herself, and put a single hand on her chest, then replied in the calmest, least conspicuous voice she could manage.

"Is something the matter Anna?"

Anna glowered at her with insincere fury. "Uh huh, trying to play innocent eh? I know you're up to something."

"I've done nothing!"

"Sure. Not buying it miss. When we get out of this car I'm gonna tickle the heck out of you as punishment!"

Elsa stammered in mock disbelief. "But I've done nothing!"

Back in the rear seat, Kristoff mimed as though holding an invisible bag, retching into it at an obnoxious volume.

Finally at their destination, Anna bounded out of the car, twirling around the front of the machine and stopped herself before sprinting off into the lush green field nearby. When she was done, she gently took Elsa by the arm, then directed her attention to their destination, off to the left.

"Whoa" Elsa gasped, completely alien structures lay before her. Taking in the scene, a curvaceous, sloped and concrete-covered terrain piqued her interest. It was a multi-layered plaza, with seating, ramps, handrails, and even odd looking depressed regions. Overhead, the exit ramp for a massive highway ran through the center of the plaza. Thick, hefty beams held it in the air. Perhaps the most confusing thing of all was the emptiness of the place - aside from herself, Anna, and Kristoff, there was no one around. Still, spending time alone with her new entourage warmed her heart like nothing else, and with Anna around, Elsa knew that the unexpected would be thrilling.

"What is this place?" she queried, eyes wide with curiosity.

Anna, now snuggled up by Elsa's side, gestured flamboyantly with an outstretched arm, sweeping it in an arc before them.

"This… is the Charles River skatepark! They just finished building it a year ago!"

"Park… like a recreational facility?"

"You could say that." Kristoff remarked, catching up to his friends. "It's a free-form athletic park. You get to make your own rules here."

'Recreation… intriguing. I wonder what kind of things one can do at a place like this. Although I'll admit I could lay in the grass under the trees and read all day...'

Elsa turned at the sound of items being thrown around the trunk of the car. Through the seam between the lid and the window, she could make out Anna's form shuffling and sifting through things. Once again given the perfect opportunity to strike, Elsa crouched low and scooted along the side of the car. Each inch she covered put an ever wider grin on her face. Her heart quickened its pace, and just as it threatened to burst at the seams, she lunged out. Sailing through the air, she hooked herself around Anna's chest. Before Anna could react, Elsa was knee-deep in the process of covering her face in amorous kisses.

"Gotcha!"

"No fair, I was distracted!" Anna squealed, caught in Elsa's embrace. She let out a contented hum, nuzzling Elsa's face and luxuriating in the congress of bionic and natural skin. Firmly holding her hoverboard in the grasp of her free hand, Anna asked: "Ready to have some fun?"

"I sure am! But… what is that thing?"

"Oh you'll see soon enough. Do you like to go fast?"

Elsa recoiled, pulling her hands across her torso and up her sides. "Not really. Sometimes your driving is terrifying."

That clearly wasn't the reaction Anna was hoping for, but never one to stay down long, discouragement was quickly replaced by a confident smile.

"No sweat then, we'll start off slow. Check this out!"

With the flick of a wrist, Anna tossed the metal board towards the ground in front of her. Just before impact, it wobbled above the surface, catching its equilibrium. "Follow me!" Anna implored, as she hopped on the board and sailed into the park.

'Oh Wow!' Elsa's face lit up with in childlike wonder at the novel device. Immediately she began forming hypotheses about it, jogging after Anna in delight. Everything was just so lovely, the planters nearby were full of vibrant flowers, filling the air with a serenading scent. The shade from the highway overhead was perfect respite from the oppressive summer sun.

For the next half hour, Elsa followed Anna around, cheering her on and demanding the names of various stunts, rewarding her with hugs and snuggles when she mastered something new. All the while Elsa modeled the entire park on her computer, calculating various physical properties, as well as scanning in forms and shapes.

Anna had never seen someone investigate a skatepark so thoroughly before. Cocking one eyebrow, she watched in amusement as Elsa darted from place to place.

"Elsa... what are you up to?"

Thoughtlessly, Elsa replied. "Oh... don't mind me, just scanning."

'I guess I'll find out soon enough.' Anna told herself, putting the curiosity to rest. Eager to get back into the action, she hopped back onto her board and strode off towards a low rail. She rolled her lip under her teeth in anticipation, watching it grow in her vision during the apporoach. How much of the effect was just her flying closer? How much was adrenal response?

Anna didn't care, blazing onwards. Compressing first, she popped up into the air.

Watching dutifully through the camera on her computer, Elsa recorded the whole event, scampering to keep everything in the frame. Suddenly, Anna went off-balance. She plummeted towards the ground. Elsa freaked out, barely holding onto the thing, bolting off after her fallen love. Hitting the concrete hands-first, Anna threw herself over her shoulder and gracefully rolled to a stop.

"Anna are you alright?!"

"Yeah, no sweat Elsa. Just a fall. I'm good at falling, yanno."

Anna couldn't help but grin like an idiot, noticing the immediacy of Elsa's response. 'Wow... she really booked it over here. How'd I get so lucky?'

"Oh thank goodness." Elsa said, her heart pounding in her chest.

Anna gave Elsa a quick peck on the cheek. "You're the best."

"N-no, you are." Elsa stammered, averting her eyes to the ground.

Elsa diverted her attention away from the adorable, sweet cyborg before her and back to her simulation. Despite her best efforts, It wasn't quite producing the same results as Anna's real-world attempts. She held her computer up above her head, groaning at it in distaste. Sighing, she doubled down her efforts to get it perfect. In a Eureka moment, it dawned on her what the missing piece was.

"Anna, what's your mass?"

"WHAT?"

"... in Kilograms, preferably."

"Elsa, that isn't the kind of question you just go around asking people. They might be sensitive about it!"

Was there no escape from embarrassment? Elsa sheepishly stepped away, grounding her gaze once again and shuffling her feet this time. She had no idea why someone might be sensitive about their mass. To her it was just another physical property to be measured and accounted for. Apparently, she still had much to learn.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I'm just trying to figure out why you keep falling. The simulation is inaccurate because I don't have your mass."

Anna giggled, hand over her mouth and eyes tensed in mirth. "Of course you have an innocent reason. I'm 104 kilos, you goof."

Elsa punched in the value, and set straight to work re-playing the simulation. Sure enough, it was a 99.78% match. She studied the playback intently, eying each motion, from the miniscule to the massive. It took awhile, but her years of experience with mechanical engineering gave her the intuition she needed.

"I think I've got it. You keep sliding out because you're too far forwards. Bend your knees abit more and get lower. And lean back. But not too far back."

Anna looked at her suspiciously, putting her hands on her hips. "There's no way you can know that just from looking at a video!"

"It's actually a complete 3d simulation... and the physics don't lie. Try it, I'm sure it'll work."

"Only one way to find out."

Anna flew off towards the rail with renewed vigor. Of course Elsa's advice would work, Anna's favorite thing about Elsa (aside from that gorgeous face and legs that go on for miles) was how astute she was. Filled with confidence, she popped into the air, and this time, landed right where she needed to.

"Hey, it worked! Thanks!"

"I knew it would." Elsa smiled back at Anna, satisfied that she was able to contribute in her own way.

A group of teenagers started casually strolling towards the park entrance, laughing and yelling about the trivialities of their lives. Anna's instincts nagged her to get the two of them closer to Kristoff, just in case they weren't the kindest of souls.

"We should see what Kristoff's up to!" She suggested with gusto. "I'll race you!"

"A race? How is that even remotely fa-" Elsa halted mid sentence, dashing off.

Audacious misdirection caught Anna completely unprepared. That stinker Elsa just stole a head start!

"Oh you little punk!"

"You'll never catch me!" Elsa yelled, barreling down the park.

Huffing and panting, Elsa finally arrived at the beginner bowl where Kristoff was lazily carving around, not really pushing himself. Anna 'caught up' immediately afterwards, hot on Elsa's heels.

"Oh come on Kristoff, I know you've got more in you than that!"

Kristoff slid to a stop at the bottom of the bowl, folded his arms and scowled at her. "You know Anna, not everyone is here to kill themselves showing off. Some of us just want to glide around and relax."

Anna nudged Elsa with her elbow, quipping: "He's just jealous that he can't keep up with me."

Kristoff, seeing a chance to jab back at Anna, took it gleefully. "Says the cyborg who was just beaten by a natural in a footrace. Don't even give me that Anna. Besides, you still can't clear the 28 set."

'Oh he wants a challenge?' Anna thought, her mind burning at being put on the spot. 'I'll show him.' She scanned the park for the grandest, most audacious stunt possible. A few stuck out to her, but none of them quite seemed bold enough.

Anna's fervent assessments hadn't gone unnoticed by Kristoff. He peaked one eyebrow, trying to get into her head.

Without taking her mind or her eyes off the oblong, conical ramp one level above them, Anna inched towards the park's entrance. "Yeah… well I can do something even more rad than 28 set." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she broke into a sprint.

In a flash, Anna was back near the checkerboard-floored area by the entrance about a hundred meters away, two levels above. Kristoff and Elsa ran up the nearby footpath after her, huffing and panting all the way.

Elsa wasn't entirely sure she was enjoying the direction this was going. Anna's previous stunts had all ended well, instilling confidence enough, but this new change in Anna's voice hinted at a deeper recklessness. With each step Anna took away from her, Elsa felt her stomach flop.

"Anna sweetheart… please be safe. I'm having a blast but the fun stops when you get hurt."

Finally having come to a stop, Anna haughtily threw her head back and called for attention.

"Check it, Kristoff. I'm gonna launch off the flat, over the down ramp and into the far side of the volcano ramp. Oh, yeah and I'll throw in a 540."

"You are not. Anna that's ridiculous... Anna?"

Miniscule flecks of concrete shavings flew into the air under ballistic Anna's heels. Elsa watched, slack jawed in amazement as Anna shot by, leaving a faint draft in her wake. She gasped audibly, frozen in place as Anna took to the skies. Anna spun gracefully through the air, poised and serene.

The anticipatory anxiety was suffocating.

'You'd better survive this… I swear, Anna.'

Then it happened. Sparks flew as the board dragged across the ground. First, she took the force in her knees, squatting as low as she could. When that wasn't enough, the upper half of Anna's lower legs slid over the lower half, along the seam. The massive springs inside compressed under the load, and as she slowed down, they exploded upwards, giving her another boost.

Sweet shots of victory coursed through Elsa, driven wild at the sight of Anna sticking the landing and riding away smoothly. She let out an enthused wallop, not even realizing or caring how swept up in the excitement she was. She skipped over to where Anna had finally powerslid to a stop.

"Oh my gosh Anna that was incredible!"

Rapt with excitement, Elsa grabbed Anna and went to scoop her up in a twirling hug. She was abruptly stopped, forcefully reminded that Anna was, in fact, 104 kilos. Anna just grinned at her and returned the hug.

Finally having caught up, Kristoff admitted: "I'm just glad you didn't jump off the bridge."

"Oh that's a great idea!"

They both gaped at her in horror, Elsa pulling away and stepping back so she could see Anna's face.

"Anna!"

"Joking, joking. Besides, it's your turn to give it a try."

"Me?" Elsa asked. She'd never tried anything even remotely similar before. The confines of the space station left very little room for exercise; she hadn't done anything more vigorous than running on a treadmill. Not to mention that this was downright dangerous, more of a daredevil's exercise than fitness training.

"Sure! It'll be fun. No pressure, just a quick ride."

The hoverboard floated innocuously before her, bobbing in invitation. The image of broken bones and writing pain flashed through her mind, only to be dulled by wonder and intrigue. Trepidatiously, Elsa held out her hand to Anna for support, where it was instantly met by a sturdy, reassuring grip.

"It helps if you get lower. It's easier to fall if you're up high."

"You're right, that's an engineering principle we use all the time! Hey... didn't I mention that earlier?"

"Yep, you sure did!"

Excitement coursing through her, Elsa kicked off the ground. The shift in momentum nearly toppled her, but with tenacity and a little bit of luck she managed to stay aboard. Before long the wind whipped through her hair, and with it came the exhilaration of accelerating under her own power. Carving a long, gentle curve, Elsa came about. Carried away in the newfound freedom, she started pouring more power to the pavement.

Foresight can be the damnedest thing. Without even realizing it, Elsa had built up an unsettling bit of momentum and was now hurtling along at a breakneck clip.

"Annnnna! How do I stop?!"

Distracted by how best to phrase stopping instructions, poor Anna was oblivious to the woman hurtling towards her. Anna's face contorted into a fantastic, absurd display as Elsa knocked the wind out of her. Operating entirely on instinct and muscle memory, she desperately clung to Elsa. Over the next few hundred milliseconds, she thrust herself in between Elsa's falling body and the ground, wrapping herself around her beloved in a protective embrace.

Elsa opened her eyes, enternally grateful that she was unharmed. Anna's face lay so intimately proximate that her breath sent simmering gusts down Elsa's chest. Intricate, interlocking turquoise irises stared back at her, panels sliding over each other as they focused to take in every possible detail. Time slowed to a crawl. Elsa was drawn in, held captive by the immaculate beauty before her. The overwhelming pressure in her chest threatened to burst at any moment.

It was too much. Anticipation killing her, Elsa acquiesced to the fires of passion, locking her lips against Anna's soft, quivering reciprocants. Drowning in allure, she barely registered the sensation of arms around her neck pulling her deeper into the sweet kiss.

Never before had Elsa felt so alive. Her soul was complete, whole; invigorated by the connection to her lover's. The incessant antagonism of the world's demands, her crippling anxiety and overwhelming fear all evaporated in the infinite strength of Anna's love.

What felt like eons later the two souls did finally unravel from their entwine, but not before irrevocably imparting essences of the other. When she opened her eyes, Elsa could swear she'd been born anew. She'd been imparted upon, never again to be the same. As high as can be on serotonergic bliss, she spoke straight from the heart.

"I love you Anna."

Anna squealed with excitement, bobbing in joyous fits. She wrapped Elsa up in a crushing hug, humming in euphoria.

Her breath squeezed out of her, Elsa choked out a plea. "A-na. I ca-t….. breathe."

Anna nervously swiped her hair back behind her ear. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Elsa. I… um… loved you a little too much I guess. heh."

"Nonsense." Elsa whispered, gently dragging the back of her knuckles down Anna's cheek. She placed a far more chaste peck on Anna's forehead before rising to her feet. She turned to retrieve the wandering hoverboard, but a noisy alert from her wristband informed her that she had a she had an important notice.

Skipping to a stop by her handbag, Elsa pulled her computer out and quickly swiped to her inbox. Anna arrived by her side a moment later, hooking herself around Elsa's arm and pulling herself close.

"It says the dorms have been cleared for re-entry, and all LightComm employees can return to work for the shift starting in 3 hours."

Small dots of pressure raked up and down Elsa's back, tenderly massaging her. She let out a deep breath and leaned into it.

"Do you have to go?" Anna asked, continuing the massage.

'I don't want to go.'

"I do. I have an exceptional amount of work to do Anna. They need me."

Letting out a forlorn sigh, Anna frowned. "I'll have Kristoff walk you home. I'm gonna stay here, I'm not done yet." Anna gave her a parting kiss, clasping their hands together.

"Goodbye sweetie."

As soon as they were out of the park and she knew Anna was out of earshot, Elsa gracefully turned her head towards Kristoff.

"Can we stop by Anna's house first? I left something there."

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Well, here we are." Kristoff proclaimed, as he and Elsa walked the final stretch to Elsa's dorm room.

Elsa tensed, caught in anxiety's claws. Her world had changed so much in the past day. Deep within her chest, her heart nearly stopped at the sound of the door's lock disengaging. Worse, the constant threat of the building exploding, crumbling or otherwise coming under fire only exacerbated Elsa's inner demons.

'Breathe Elsa. Breathe.'

Inside, everything was foreign and unfamiliar, yet simultaneously unchanged from the last time Elsa had been present. Pushing against the anchor of reluctance, she eventually managed to stride inside.

"Elsa...?"

She whipped around, intrigued and unnerved by the sudden tonal shift in Kristoff's voice. Before her stood the image of a man struggling to translate emotions into words. Determined, yet inhibited. She couldn't help but notice as he kept fidgeting; opening his mouth only to close it again seconds later.

"Hmm?" She replied.

Kristoff hurriedly closed the door behind him, and began to wrestle something out of his jacket. A forearm-length metallic assembly emerged. Elsa stared at it while Kristoff held it before her. A cursory glance revealed some familiar components: a foldaway buttstock, leather-lined forend, a power cell, transformer and various others. It was clearly a shoulder-mounted weapon of some kind.

Kristoff's voice cracked, wavering as he spoke: "I want you to have this. I… I…"

Elsa couldn't help but stare awkwardly, entirely unsure of how to coach Kristoff along.

"I'm not entirely over Anna, even though it was so long ago. The way she acts around you… It would kill her if something happened to you. And I couldn't handle her heart breaking."

"I had no idea… She never told me."

"It's a long story." Kristoff retorted, looking away and shifting to a far more withdrawn pose.

Gingerly, a grateful Elsa accepted the gift. Her endless curiosity compelled her to turn it over in her hands, studiously inspecting every millimeter. Right from the start, it felt natural in her hands. The weapon's grip and trigger assembly had an exquisite texture, the weight of the body was perfectly balanced.

"It's an EMP weapon. Just like the one Anna has, but in handheld form. Non-lethal, the way I figure you want it to be."

Elsa just nodded in agreement, still too off-kilter to risk speaking.

In an insistent, urgent tone, Kristoff continued: "Whatever you do - don't get caught with this."

A sharp, sudden click pierced the air from the engaging of locks. Behind the cabinet doors, Elsa's new weapon lay safely tucked away. Barely trembling hands slid down the surface as she turned away, towards the window. Meek, pitiful shreds of light from the city outside fell across her tortured face, casting harsh shadows. Droplets from the nascent rain outside slid down the window leaving long, sullen streaks.

"I'm so sorry… I didn't intend to come between the two of you." Elsa clasped her hands together, cradling the ache in her heart. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Bah," Kristoff grunted, swiping the air before him dismissively. "you don't need to apologize for that, you didn't do anything wrong. Besides, I actually have a date this weekend. Should help me take my mind off it."

"How exciting! Have you told Anna yet?" Elsa queried, wondering if she'd been given privileged information.

Kristoff stuttered for the countless time that evening. "Well… no. I mean, you know how Anna is. If I'd told her she'd invite herself along and hover over my date. It'd be an investigation to make sure she isn't out to get me."

Elsa nodded and smiled, fawning over the image of ever-vigilant Anna watching over her loved ones. Still carrying slivers of Anna's mental wavelength from earlier she gave Kristoff a heartfelt hug.

"Goodnight Kristoff. And thank you, for everything."

The silence wasted nary a moment in consuming the room. Devoid of passion or energy, the lone Elsa trudged vacantly to her resting space. Sprawled across her meager bed, pale moonbeams cast dark, harsh shadows across her solemn face. The remaining shreds of the day's energy fled from her, ripped away by longing, amplified by desolation.

'I miss her already.'

Far above the city, cradled amongst the impenetrable walls of the Evotech building, Hans' penthouse suite overlooked the skyline far below. In this place, his inner sanctum, opulence reigned supreme. In the center of the room lay a luscious crimson rug with black floral trim. Above it, propped up on a wrought-iron base stood an ornate glass table.

An array of the most delectable, indulgent meats and cheeses available laid on top of an exquisitely ornate platter. Accompanying the light snacks was a bottle of GABAhol, a synthetic depressant drug meant for those whose neurological upgrades were incompatible with traditional alcohol.

Hans savored just a taste of the beverage. "My men didn't find anything at the LightComm building. Whoever she is, she's extremely lucky to have been gone that night."

Clarice brushed her curly, sanguine-red hair back letting it fall past her bare, tanned shoulders. She swirled her drink around in the glass while formulating a reply. "I feel you Mr. Westergard. I still can't believe they fell for the 'outside investigators' ploy. They let us walk right in!"

Hans let out a tempered chuckle, gazing out the window. "Of course they fell for it. What do you expect from an organization that harbors so many uncivilized animals? They're soft, tripping over themselves to show how 'good' they are."

Pausing for thought, Hans reflected more deeply on the situation. It wasn't just LightComm. All of North America had become soft in his eyes. Grimacing with disgust, he conflated peace for complacency and lack of drive. Brimming with contempt, he clasped his fist until it began shuddering under the force.

"It isn't just LightComm though. It's everywhere. People are so tolerant, so peaceful that they'll let any toxic ideology just walk in and pollute things. This world is so soft, I could shape it with my fingers."

"... And I will."

Clarice slithered backwards in her chair, crossing her legs over each other. "And I'll be with you the whole way. God, you made such a bold move blowing the the place up like that. That girl will definitely think twice before messing with one of our operations."

Folding his arms in displeasure, Hans chastised her. "Yes Clarice, but that's not the point. Until I find this girl, I can't know why she was looking for those signals or who she's really working for."

Riled, Clarice immediately reached for impatient sarcasm, hoping to mask being put on the spot.

"Aww you don't have any faith in me. Well, unlike someone I know, I actually got results. The girl was a bust - no records on her, but her partner has a name: Kristoff Bjorgman. He's a slacker artisan who lives off the basic income most of the time."

Satisfied with herself, she folded her arms and arrogantly upturned her nose at him.

Swallowing the last of a chunk of meat, Hans stared at his companion, flashing just the hint of a devilish smile. "Oh Clarice, I never lost faith in you. Sometimes I think you're the only person in the entire company who knows how to get things done."

"Flattery? Mr. Westergard, come on, you taught me better than to fall for that. But you're right... I did score a date with this Kristoff character. The loners are always the easiest nuts to crack."

"To Ambition?" Clarice offered, raising her glass.

"There's no finer virtue." He replied.

In perfect unison, both conspirators clashed their glasses together.