I Won't Be Fooled

A Voices Universe Side Story

Chapter One

Disorientation

"I'm sorry, but those terms are unacceptable. Arendelle will not give that much in order to make this trade alliance a reality."

An angry glare bore into her very soul. "I am sorry you feel that way, Majesty. Unfortunately, you are in no position to argue."

Her eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me, Anlerusk?" The familiar coldness surged through her body, ready to be released at a moment's notice.

He laughed. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Before she could react, he unleashed . . . something into her eyes. Her vision exploded, a kaleidoscope of colors obscuring her sight. Her mind became a jumbled mess of sensations. Nothing made sense, she couldn't see, couldn't speak, couldn't think.

She felt herself falling, heard laughter dimly in the distance, the darkness overriding her sight. She tried to fight, but she didn't know how, she didn't know what to do, she was . . .

Blackness.

". . . Of course, we will keep her here for another day at least, for observation only. After what she's been through, she's damn lucky to be alive, let alone with virtually no injuries."

"I know. It's a miracle. How she survived . . . I don't even want to think about . . ."

"Don't. Just focus on the fact that she's alive. I need to go check on my other patients. If you need anything . . ."

She opened her eyes slowly, the brightness of the room forcing her to squeeze them shut once more. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to look again, squinting as she struggled to make out details, shapes.

"Wait . . . She's waking up! Oh my God!"

A hand grasped her own, squeezing it tightly. "Hey," a familiar voice said.

She smiled. "Hey," she whispered, squeezing back.

She could make out the familiar face of her sister, tears flowing from her eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again, you understand?!"

She stared, uncertain. "What . . . I don't . . ."

"Shhh!" Her sister brought a finger to her lips. "Just rest now. You've been through hell and back. The doctors say you're a medical miracle. You should have died five times over, yet here you are."

She sank back into the bed, exhausted. But something bothered her . . . tickled the back of her mind. She looked at her sister . . . really looked at her. "What . . . What happened to your hair?"

"This?" Her sister reached up to touch her short, boy-like hairstyle. "I've had it like this for years. You know that."

She furrowed her brow. Something's wrong. Her ears pricked up as she heard a steady sound unfamiliar to her ears. Turning her head, her eyes went wide.

Something . . . foreign lay next to her bed. It made a strange yet steady high-pitched sound, never changing, never yielding. What the—?

Her vision fully returned, she continued to look around the room, realizing not only that she had no idea where she was, she didn't recognize any of the furnishings or equipment. Everything was . . . strange, odd. She stared at her sister, realizing that the clothing she wore was completely alien. Rather than her familiar dress, her sister wore pants, a collared shirt. What?

The high-pitched sound increased in speed, growing more and more agitated by the moment. Her sister looked around, a worried look on her face. "Doctor! Doctor, please come back here! Something's not right!"

She sat up in bed, grasping her sister's wrist tightly. "Anna!" she choked out. "What's going on? Where are we? Why do you look like that?"

Her sister stared at her, her worried expression becoming more intense. "Why . . . Why are you calling me 'Anna'?"

"Because that's your name!" she cried. "Anna!"

Her sister shook her head. "No," she whispered. "My name is 'Angela.' You . . . You know that!"

What?! "Anna, please! What are you doing?" She looked about, her eyes widening, her heart racing. The high-pitched sound chirped relentlessly now. "What is wrong with you? Where are we?!"

"Angela" stood, her hands to her mouth. "Doctor! NOW!"

She shook her head. This has to be a dream! This has to be a dream!

A man in a white jacket approached her. "Ah, Dr. Jennesen! So nice to see you among the living once more!"

She stared at him, then turned to her sister. "Is . . . Is he talking to me?!"

"Angela" shook her head yes, her face completely devoid of color. "Doctor, something's wrong! She . . . She acts like she doesn't know who I am . . . who she is . . ."

The doctor leaned in to her, studying her face. "Hmm. I was afraid of this. After such a dangerous incident, the mind may have suffered more than the body." He looked at her. "Can you tell me your name?"

She stared straight at him. "My name is Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. Now, you say you're a healer? Can you please tell me what's wrong with me? Where I am? What is going on? I need to get back to my people! Please!"

"Angela" fell into her chair, unable to stand any longer. "Oh, no! No! No! No!" she whispered, burying her head in her hands.

The doctor turned to "Angela." "I'm sure it's only temporary. Nothing to—"

He let out a mild shriek as Elsa grabbed his collar, pulling him directly in front of her face. "Tell me what's going on right now! Who are you people? What have you done to me? What's wrong with my sister?! Who are you?!"

She allowed the coldness to surge within her. Her right hand glowed blue as she summoned her ice. "I don't want to hurt you. But you're not leaving me many options. Please, just tell me what's going on!"

"Angela" and the doctor stared at her outstretched palm, now truly worried. "Um . . . What are you doing?" "Angela" asked.

Elsa stared at her in disbelief. "What does it look like? I'm going to freeze him if he doesn't start giving me answers!"

"Angela" and the doctor exchanged glances. To their eyes, Elsa's hand was merely outstretched, with no energy coursing through it. "I see," "Angela" said. She backed away slowly, reaching for something behind her. "And, how exactly are you going to do that?"

Elsa shook her head. "Stop playing games, Anna! You know how! I'm going to use my powers to convince him to talk! I don't want to, but I'm really, really worried right now, and no one is making any sense!" She noticed, in the back of her mind, that the high-pitched sound was now wailing unbearably loudly, much as her heart was now pounding inside her chest.

"Angela" nodded. "I see. Why don't you just let the doctor go and I'll explain everything to you?"

Elsa cocked her head. "Really? You . . . You remember, don't you . . . Anna? Please tell me you know me!"

"Of course I do!" "Angela" said. "You're my sister and I love you. So please, let the doctor go and I can explain everything!"

Elsa thought for a moment, then nodded. She released her grasp on the doctor, who proceeded to back away to the wall farthest from her bed. "All right, Anna. Please. Tell me what's going on."

"Angela" sat next to her once more, her hands laid across each other on her lap. "There was an accident in the lab five days ago. Someone, I don't know who, miscalculated the amount of formula we were testing that day. It reacted far faster and far deadlier than it should have. You . . . You threw yourself on top of the containment unit, yelling at everyone else to get out. It . . . It . . ."

"Angela" choked back her sobs, forcing herself to remain strong. "The pressure grew too strong. It combusted, sending you flying through the wall. You . . . You should be dead right now. We all thought you were. But somehow . . . someway . . . you've survived."

Elsa shook her head. No! None of this makes sense! I don't know what she's talking about! This never happened to me!

"No!" she whispered. "That wasn't me! I don't understand!"

"Angela" stood, placing her hand on Elsa's forehead. "It's okay," she whispered. "Your mind is just . . . confused right now. It's normal. Don't worry. You're going to be just fine . . . Elizabeth."

Elsa stared at "Angela," her blood running cold. "What did you call me?" she whispered.

"Angela" looked at her, a look of profound hurt on her face. "It's your name," she said softly. "Dr. Elizabeth Jennesen, senior physicist at the Browning Institute, specializing in thermal research and technology for subzero application."

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Screaming, Elsa leapt out of bed. Her bare feet touched the floor and she cried out in agony. Why is it so cold?! What's happening? She tried to run, but she was held back by a tangled mess of wires, tubes, things she had never seen before. Panic built in her chest. Her breathing intensified as she struggled to take in enough air.

Something painful was inserted into her thigh. She whirled about, shocked to see "Angela" inserting something into her flesh. "What . . . What did you . . .?!"

Tears streamed down "Angela's" face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she whispered. "But you have to calm down. Please, Elizabeth! Calm down! You need help! You need help!"

Elsa tried to stand, but her legs were growing heavy, her limbs felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds each. Darkness began to encroach upon her vision once more. "This is not real!" she whispered, fighting the darkness. "This is not real! THIS IS NOT REAL!"

It all was too much for her and she slowly, painfully sank into unconsciousness once more.

AN: This idea got into my mind and wouldn't go away. The concept is inspired by a teleplay by Richard Manning, but I will not follow it exclusively. I wanted to put our characters, even my original ones, into a completely new scenario. Let's see what happens: what is real, what is not. More to come!