Bertram and Alphys stood before the Capital guard office. It was nestled snugly into the street, flanked by all sides by even more buildings, crammed all together to maximize space. Bertram thought for a moment that perhaps it would as intimidating and harsh as some of the guards themselves, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. To the contrary, the building was more welcoming and inviting. Sure, it was built for defense, with thick walls and small windows, but there was a sense of safety here that put his worries at ease.
He held his small daughter by the hand, she was more nervous than he was, but to his surprise there was only firm resolve on her features. She was a kid with a mission. He smiled down at her and earned a smile back, and together they entered the building, glad to be away from the crowded sidewalk.
Inside was much like a human police station. There were guards taking breaks and talking, as other guards set at desks and were filing away paperwork. Some were writing reports on some older modeled computers, frowning at they typed. There was a closed office to the side, the windows covered in blinds. The smell of coffee was thick in the air.
They stood still for a minute, wondering what to do, before a familiar voice called out from the busy room.
("Ah! !")
A large female dog wearing a black cloak strode across the room, avoiding the clutter with practiced ease. She wagged her tail as she drew close, holding out a paw.
("Thank you so much for coming! I'm Dogaressa, we talked on the phone last night.")
Bertram took the paw in his claws and shook it. "Nice to meet you."
The dog looked down at Alphys with a warm smile. ("And you must be the little hero! Welcome!")
Alphys blushed and hid a bit behind her father's leg. Dogaressa merely smiled.
("Come now, let's go to the Captain's office, we can talk there.")
Both reptile monsters nodded, and allowed themselves to be lead to the office with closed blinds. They had to navigate carefully through the many guards rushing to go about their duties, but Dogaressa turned out to be a fine guide. She knocked on the door.
("Captain! They're here.")
"Come on in then." replied a rough deep voice. Dogaressa nodded and opened the door, ushering the two reptile monsters inside.
Sitting behind the desk was a large and quite muscular fish monster. Most of his body was covered in thick black armor, exposing only his face. A deep red cape was draped over his shoulders and was thrown haphazardly over a chair he was sitting on. He looked rather fierce, with piercing yellow eyes and a mouth full of sharp fangs. His scales were deep green, almost black, and covered with various scars. A nameplate on the desk designated him as 'CAPTAIN GNASH'.
Completely subverting the rather fierce image was a coffee mug in his hand with '#1 Dad' enclosed in a heart printed on its side. At the desk was a proudly displayed family photos, showing the captain with a salamander type monster, and what was obviously his young daughter. Bertram sighed internally, they were dealing with another father. Things will be okay.
"Welcome, have a seat." Gnash grinned, gesturing to three seats sitting on front of the desk. Bertram nodded and picked up his daughter, settling her on one of the seats, before taking one himself. Dogaressa took a seat at the end. Gnash smiled down at Alphys, who was still slightly nervous.
"You must be little Alphys! I heard good things about you."
Alphys nodded and licked her lips. She fiddled with her phone on her lap, not turning it on but tapping on it to ground herself. "Yessir," she finally replied.
Gnash rooted around in his desk for a moment, before coming up with a can of soda. He placed it in front of the small child with a warm smile.
"Now doncha worry. Nobody here is in trouble. The only one in trouble, is the ones who hurt the kids you helped. " He watched as Alphys gratefully took the soda, popping open the tab and taking a sip. "We just need your story, to help fill in the blanks."
Alphys nodded. "I was…I was told they are okay though…right? Sans and Papyrus?"
Gnash nodded. "Yep, my husband is their doctor. They will be alright, he's the best doctor around!" Gnash let out a loud affectionate chuckle at this. " After we're done here, how about we see if we can call them up to put your fears at rest?"
Alphys sighed, somewhat soothed by that statement. "I-I'd like that." she murmured, looking down at her can of soda. "Thank y-you."
"It's no problem." Gnash gave her a wink and a thumbs up. He began fiddling with his computer on his desk, sitting a small recorder down in front of the child.
"Whenever you feel ready, go ahead and start."
Alphys took a moment to finish her soda. It gave her time to think, time to even figure out where to begin with such a story. She put down the now empty can and glanced around the room. All three adults gave her encouraging smiles. She felt put at ease.
She opened her mouth and began to talk.
SIX MONTHS EARLIER
Alphys sighed as she sat in her chair, phone in hand. She scrutinized it with a critical eye that only a young child can. She used her thumbs to scroll through her various programs, editing the code to some with a few ticks of her digits.
Her concentration was interrupted once in awhile by the sharp high pitched whine of a drill, and the arid smell of a soldering iron. She glanced over at her father as he drilled a few holes into a shaped piece of metal. His work table was scattered with scraps of wires, metal, and various fine tools. He was currently absorbed into his work, the world dead to him as he pulled out a blueprint, comparing his newly drilled part to it. He nodded, satisfied, and began to drill more holes into it.
Alphys sighed again. Well, it was either this or being put into the laboratory daycare. She was the oldest child among the scientists and the rest well…
It wasn't fun to sit around in a room all day with babies. They couldn't really play with her. Or even talk to her. All they did was just eat and lay around.
She was lucky her father decided to just take her to work with him, instead of just being trapped inside all day. It was pretty cool, her father took the time to teach her things and show her some of the incredibly cool things they were cooking up in the robotics department. But times like these where he was completely enraptured with work well….
It was fairly boring.
She decided to test something out.
"Daddy?"
Bertram hummed as he put down the drill and picked up a sheet of sandpaper. He began smoothing the edges of the piece of metal, the sound grating and not all that pleasant.
"I'm going to go drink some H2SO4."
"Hrmm." Bertram didn't even look up. "That's nice dear."
Alphys groaned. Well, she had just told her father she was going to drink some sulfuric acid and he didn't even flinch. She could tell when she wasn't being paid attention to.
She got up from her chair, glancing back at her father, still lost in another world as he began to create. He was a very good daddy, but sometimes well…once he was in 'the zone' it was hard to get him to pay attention to anything. Alphys figured she would have to just go an amuse herself for a while now. She took one last glance at her father and carefully and silently left the room, making sure her backpack of snacks and cellphone were ready, prepared for her little excursion.
Alphys knew these labs like the back of her claw. She was practically raised here, all the other scientists have interacted with her and helped to care for her since she was a baby. It was like a big family, and thus she has practically been in every room in the entire complex.
Except for one.
She took her time taking the elevator down to the basement floor. It was night, and nearly everyone else had gone home except for her workaholic father. She didn't run into a single soul on her journey down, even the janitors have gone home for the night. When she exited the empty elevator, she was greeted by the stark and sterile basement. It was mostly used for storage, large metal boxes were crammed into the available spaces. There were a few utility doors scattered about.
And one other door.
She padded over, her little claws clicking on the polished concrete floor. There was one door that nobody was allowed in. It was only for the Royal Scientist and his various assistance. It has been told it was for everyone's safety, as whatever they were working on was dangerous…volatile…and had the potential to help everyone in the underground. Thus, clearance to get down there was granted to only a handful of monsters. Nobody else was allowed down, not even Janitors or utility workers.
People often speculated on what went down there, but nobody knew for sure. But Alphys was a genius for her age, and bored. So very bored. And when those things were mixed together, it ended up with a curiosity that could not be satisfied. Alphys was going to know what was going down there and she was going to find out that night.
She glanced up at the door, the lock cast an ominous red light over the basement, washing out the shadows with it's glow. She held up her cell phone and clicked a few buttons. There was beep and the cellphone wireless connected to the lock, several numbers flashed across the screen as it began to run an algorithm to digitally pick the lock. She smirked as the light turned green. It was shockingly easy to break into places around here. Not that she did anything bad, but it was mostly to prove to herself that she could do it.
It was almost boring in of itself, the big ominous door fell to her carefully written program. She thought it would be a little harder than this. Still, it was a victory, at least, a very anticlimactic one.
She adjusted her shirt when the door unlocked and opened it up. What greeted her were stairs descending deep down into the darkness. There were only scant utility lights along the stairs, barely illuminating the metal steps. Alphys took one look behind her. Well, she came this far. She shrugged and began to tackle the stairs, one small step at a time.
She didn't know how many flights of stairs there were, she lost count as she thought more of what could be down there. She knew she wanted to be a scientist too one day, like her father. She wasn't going to do anything that could potentially destroy what might be years of research.
But she wanted to know what was down there! It was driving her nuts!
Finally the stairs ended up at another locked metal door. The door's lock fell as easily as the first, it was almost pitiful. She pushed open the door, her heart beating with both fear and excitement. She didn't want to get in trouble, but a quick peek wouldn't hurt much.
Her claws clacked some more on the flooring as she walked down a long corridor. Many of the other doors were locked, but they didn't seem to interest her. Most had [UTILITY] and [SUPPLY] stenciled over the doors in thick block letters. There were some other doors that were a little more interesting that she peeked inside. Wide empty observation rooms with two way mirrors. Rooms that looked like obstacle courses. A simple room with various puzzles left out. A very spacious plush office with a bookcase crammed full of binders. A room that resembled a doctor's office, but with a table fitted with leather straps.
This got Alphys's attention. These looked like something that had to do with something biological. She had first thought there might be robots down here, or perhaps electrical devices. But she saw no sign of either. No workshops. No electronics. Just large swathes of medical equipment. She was pretty sure she saw what she believed DNA analyzer in one room, which didn't quite make sense.
Another room answered her question. Unlike the other locks, this one took longer to pick. It's digital code hidden under several layers of encryption. It took a solid 10 minutes for her programs to sort through all the code, before the door unlocked with a hiss. She made a quiet hiss of victory, pleased with herself and her abilities. They wouldn't be able to keep her out.
She stepped inside, it was cold, and dark, as though it were a walk in freezer. The air hummed as cold frigid air was pumped into the enclosed space, making her bare toes ache from the cold. Her breath cast out mist into the air, as she fumbled with the light switch, closing her eyes so she wouldn't be blinded.
When she opened her eyes she was greeted by perhaps one of the most horrifying things she had ever seen.
The room was crammed with large glass tubes, filled with transparent blue viscous liquid. Floating in them however…she couldn't even begin to fathom what they were. They looked like twisted skeletons, badly deformed and completely still. Were they fallen down? Dead? Some were about the size of her, some even smaller. Babies perhaps? There were even tanks with tiny fetal bones, floating gently in the liquid. Some of the skeletons resembled canines, some human, some a mixture of both. Some were simply large skulls, bigger than her, swaying softly in their glass prisons. Others were crippled with bone malformations, if they could get out of the tubes it was doubtful how long they would last.
Attached to each of the still creatures were various wires and tubes, running into a large database computer. She could see it was own as data she didn't understand was collected and compiled.
Printed in metal and screwed to each of the tubes was a serial number, the etchings glinting in the sterile harsh light.
WD.G – E1 – 013 – F
WD.G – E1 – 006 – H
WD.G – E1 – 022 – L
WD.G – E1 – 018 – Q
WD.G – E1 – 004 – B
Alphys took a horrified step back, the chilly air catching in her throat and making it sting. She let out an involuntary sound of horror and shock. She was only five years old, going on six soon, and this was the first time she has ever seen something like this. It rocked her innocence down to the core as now she understood WHY this lab was off limits. In her shock, she backed into a tray of tools, causing it to loudly clatter against the polished walls. A few tools scattered and fell to the floor, the sound stinging her inner ears with the harshness.
Suddenly, the dark empty eye sockets of some of the beings in the tubes ignited with small pinpricks of white light. They couldn't move their bodies or their heads, but the white ringed pupils slid over to stare directly at Alphys, glowing brightly.
They were looking at her.
They were alive.
Alphys made a squeak of terror. They were alive oh god they were ALIVE!? They still didn't move, but continued to stare right at her, regarding her. She couldn't read their expressions. Were they sentient? Did they know they were trapped? Either option drenched her soul like a bucket of ice water. It was all horrible! Horrible! She could barely begin to understand what she was seeing.
They stared at each other for who knows how long, silent and still. Alphys shook from both cold and fear as the white lights stared at her unflinchingly.
And then suddenly, one by one, each of the eye lights faded back into darkness. Soon they all were dark again, silent and still.
Alphys backed out of the room, no, the tomb. She turned off the light and shut the door with a hiss. She rearmed the lock and sat roughly down, her back against the room of horrors. She felt herself cry but she emotionally felt numb. What she had seen….It couldn't have been right? Why would they keep the creatures like that? What was their purpose?
For a little while she sat there and let the tears fall as she struggled to process all of what she seen. She decided that perhaps, it was a very bad idea to disobey and come down. There was a reason, a reason for all the rules and the security.
She went to get up once she gathered her strength. She would have went right back up the way she came, wanting to forget about everything she's seen.
But then there was a soft, sobbing noise, coming out of the door down the hall.
It sounded like a fellow child.
She look up and at the door. The sound was coming from a door marked [KENNEL] in big block letters, the lock on it glowing red in the darkness.
At first she was very afraid. Was someone down here? Why did they sound so young? She couldn't ignore the cries anymore, and so she shakily rose to her feet and readied her phone.
Like the …tomb…room, this lock was also heavily encrypted, in fact even slightly more so. She was forced to listen to the sad sounds of sorrow and pain as she waited for her programs to pick through the lock. It was horrible to listen too, and she mentally cheered on her phone to work faster. Maybe another kid decided to explore, but was trapped down here?
She huffed as the lock turned green, pushing open the door.
Inside was well, a kennel. Box like cages were stacked on the floor, higher in size than they were wide. All the sides were made with solid metal, the front was barred like a normal cage. She estimated that they were only about three foot wide and deep, perhaps being four foot in height. She would have to actually measure it to be sure. Only one had a bottle of water clipped to the side, the rest seemed to be empty. The room was dimly lit with emergency lights, which barely provided enough illumination to see even that much. It was lucky her cellphone had a flashlight feature. She switched it on and scanned the room. She could hear the soft sobs come from the kennel with a water-bottle.
She padded over and knelt down in front of the cage, using her phone to help light the way. The light shone around the cage. There was a sticker plastered firmly to the side near the red lock.
WD.G – E2 – 001 – S
WD.G – E2 – 002 – P
The rest of the kennels had sticky residue on the sides, as though they had stickers as well and were scraped off. She took her cellphone and shined the light inside.
She gasped.
There were two children(?) inside, naked save for very thin pale green medical gowns barely covering their pale and scratched up bones. They were…skeletons? Rare monsters from what Alphys understood. She was confused and shocked, glancing over the condition of the children.
The bigger one had his eyes sockets bandaged over, the thick gauze was marked with dark blueish stains. Bled magic perhaps? He was effectively rendered blind as he laid on his side, crying miserably in pain. Curled up against him was a tiny…puppy? A skeleton as well, but in a different shape. The tiny being was pressed as far into the stomach of the other child as close as he could, nuzzling against the rib-cage in an effort to provide some comfort. The pup's movements were restricted by a large cast on one of his forelimbs and on his spine, making it hard to crawl around on already weak and short limbs.
"Oh…" She couldn't stop the sound she made, sitting roughly down on her bottom. The older child stopped crying, tilting his head as he tried to pinpoint the sound.
"Oh…Oh Hello?" Alphys squeaked out. The child flinched and curled around himself and the pup even more, shivering.
"Are you…are you alright?" It felt stupid as soon as she said it. They didn't LOOK alright. They looked terrible! She was overcome with a need to make things better, the best she could.
They didn't respond. The tiny pup made a tiny growling noise at her, but it was weak and half halfhearted.
"Um….you guys I um….." The took off her backpack, setting it on the ground. The sound of the zipper opening caught the curiosity of the two monsters in the cage. The one couldn't watch, but tilted his head to listen. The pup looked at her and her motions with wide eye-sockets.
"I uh…got some f-f-ood…"
At the sound of food both beings jerked slightly, the older child weakly scooting closer to the bars and dragging the pup with him.
Alphys smiled. "Yeah um…not the most healthy of things, but it's um…good!" She fished around in her backpack, pulling out a granola bar and a bag of cookies. She carefully unwrapped the bar and held it through the bars of the cage. The older skeleton smelled it suspiciously before suddenly snatching it away with a short growl like a starving dog. He blindly ripped it in half and devoured one section, giving the other half to the pup who ate like he never saw food before.
Alphys squeaked when the bar was snatched away. She looked around the cage, there didn't seem to be any food in it, just water. Why didn't they have food?
Something was wrong here. She was going to have to tell her daddy about this, even if it meant she was going to get in trouble.
The bandaged child sniffed and looked over at Alphys, well as best he could while blind.
"Ah Ah you guys were h-hungry!" She nervously began opening the packet of cookies. The little pup yipped excitedly, wagging his little tail as he watched her begin to poke the treats through the bars. "I got uh…I got a lot of snacks, you guys can have them."
They both turned on the cookies like they did the granola bar, snapping them up as quickly as they could. Alphys found herself reaching into her bag, pulling out anything that could be even remotely edible (including raisins, which she hated!) and feeding it to the skeletons one at a time.
Their hunger was eventually sated just as Alphys ran out of snacks to give them. They curled up with each other, sighing contently and no longer crying in pain. Snacks didn't have as much healing magics in them as actual monster meals, but it seemed to have brought them some relief. For a short while she watched them, feeling better that they seemed to be at ease.
"I'm Alphys!" she suddenly stated, causing the other two to look over at her again. "What are your names?"
For a while she was only met with silence. Finally the larger skeleton coughed, 'looking' around blindly. As though expecting something to swoop down on them.
"It's okay, I'm the only one here." Alphys reassured him. "It's just us."
The skeleton sighed and made a few strangled noises, flinching. Eventually he began to speak.
"I'mmmm Eee too…zerrow zerrow one, esssss." his voice was rough and weak, stumbling over words as though it was barely used.
He pointed at the pup at his side. "Eeeee toooo zerrow zerrow tooo peh. M-Myyy Brothaaa." The pup/little brother made a quiet bark at the mention of his name.
Alphys frowned. The bigger skeleton was the same size as her…shouldn't be able to speak better? Maybe….
Maybe he wasn't allowed to talk?
She thought for a moment.
"Those are dumb names. You shouldn't be named after numbers and single letters." she finally spoke, nodding like a sage and speaking with childish honesty. The two skeletons tilted their heads at her, as though not quite understanding what she meant. "I'll give you new ones!"
She pulled out her cellphone, quickly making an Undernet search for some names. Turns out skeletons tended to be named after fonts and lucky for her there was a nice list of them, sorted by letters. Well, if one was 'S' and the other 'P', it gave her a basis for her search.
"Ahah! I got it!" They two skeletons 'looked' at each other before glancing back to the reptile monster. She pointed at the larger skeleton before pointing at the puppy. "You um….1- S? You can be Comic Sans, Sans for short! And 2-P… you can be Papyrus!"
The skeletons tilted their heads again. The older pointed at himself awkwardly and then at his brother. "Sannssss? Pahpierusss?"
"Yes! That's right! And I'm Alphys!"
"Alll-Allllfiesss?"
Alphys chuckled. "You'll get it, don't worry!" The skeletons seemed satisfied, curling up together again with a sigh.
"Look….I'm going to talk to my daddy. You shouldn't be in a cage all down here alone…" She spoke, but it seemed like the two skeletons weren't quite listening anymore. Perhaps too tired.
She stood up. "I'll be back soon! I'll bring more snacks!"
The older skeletons…Sans….just huffed quietly and held his brother closer.
"I promise."
.
.
.
.
.
"But…but dad!"
Alphys had manage to leave the basement lab, making it back to her father's workroom. He didn't even realize she was gone, still soldiering pieces of metal together. She hadn't been gone long….but still.
"No buts! I don't have the time to listen to your made up stories!" Her father huffed, giving his daughter a stern look as he began cleaning up his tools. "First you were you were sure there was an alien in your closet"
Alphys wilted. "B-b-bu…"
"After that, there was a man living in the television."
"Daddy…."
"And now you say there's two kids in a laboratory! That's impossible! No scientist would do something so unethical and wrong! It sounds like you've been reading too many of those…manga comics!"
Bertram turned around to give his daughter a stern talking to, only to see her close to tears. He immediately felt guilty, sitting down and holding out his arms. Alphys ran into them and cried. It hurt, it hurt so much that her father didn't believe her, now when she needed him the most.
"Oh Alphys…I'm sorry. I've been working too hard again…I need to give you more attention…" He held his daughter close. "Is this why you keep making things up?"
Alphys didn't say anything.
Looks like she was going to have to do everything on her own.
.
.
.
.
Alphys was determined to keep her promise, even though nobody wanted to believe her. She tried talking to some of the other scientists that worked with her father, but they just gave her sympathetic glances and then went to tell her father.
Well…at least her father was spending a little more time with her, assuming her 'stories' were merely cries of attention from a lonely child. She wasn't going to complain about that, but she still wished that someone would believe her.
She stole her way down to the basement lab whenever she could, filling her entire backpack with snacks. Even though her father was paying more attention, he still got caught up enough in work to allow her to slip away.
The two kids in the cage seemed grateful for both the food and the company. It took a while for the bandage to come off Sans's eyes to finally see Alphys for the first time, but he seemed to like what he saw.
"Colorrrr" He had said, pointing at her yellow scales and pink shirt. This caused her to glance around to the white and gray polished surfaces around her. Could she herself live in a world with limited color? It seemed maddening to her.
When the casts were off she was greeted by the sight of the two skeletons changing their forms. It didn't look painful but the sounds sure weren't pretty. She had told them both that they were 'Totally awesome'. They didn't quite understand what that meant until explained, but they were all smiles later.
Papyrus seemed too young to really talk, so she worked with Sans to try and help him speak a little better. He tended to growl a bit when talking and tended to slur his speech. As long as she kept bringing cookies, Sans was willing to do just about anything. It seemed that he was just as intelligent as she was but just needed some extra attention. She couldn't fault him for that, speaking was hard, especially learning it later on in life. She brought her story books with her, slowly but surely teaching him the wonders of reading.
One things Sans seemed to love was math, literally lighting up when she showed him math problems she would bring from home. It shocked her how quickly he could solve them, but that was quickly replaced by delight. Math buddies, perhaps?
She had explained to Sans what friends were and asked if he and his brother would like to be her friend. It was then the two skeletons learned how to laugh, and what laughter was.
She had begun unlocking the kennel, inviting the children to come out to play with her. At first they were terrified, hiding into the corners. Alphys didn't understand why, until Sans explained.
"We go out only when things gonna hurt."
"Oh…well I'm not going to hurt you." She left the kennel door open and unpacked some sandwiches. As good as snacks were, she had begun packing actual food to take down. It didn't take long for them to climb out and join her in a meal.
There we some good visits and bad ones.
Sometimes she would visit and they would be active and alert. Papyrus was eager to engage in play and Sans was willing to talk. They could share food and laugh and for a little while, pretend they were normal kids.
Sometimes she would visit and see them in bad shape. Sometimes their bones would be broken, just to measure how long it would take for them to heal. Sans often had more surgeries done on his head and eye sockets and he'd just lay there, delirious and weak. Papyrus wasn't exempt, sometimes just laying there as he delicate toe and finger-bones were broken, locked away in thick casts, whimpering in pain. Sometimes it didn't even seem like anything physically was wrong with them, they would just huddle together and shake, refusing to speak or look at Alphys at all.
There were more bad visits than good ones, but sometimes Alphys could coax them to eat or at least tell her what was going on. She knew what was being done to them was wrong and evil…but nobody believed her. Nobody would help her. She was here by herself, doing her best to keep two children barely older than herself together. It's a terrible burden for a young child, but Alphys was determined. She could at least read them a story and provide companionship, anything to help them.
She had been planning to help them escape. She knew it was wrong for them to be down here. Wrong for them to always be in pain and hungry. She had just turned Six, even though she was a genius, this whole situation was way over her head. She tried to plan as carefully as she could.
Eventually something happened that caused her to have to rush those plans.
She had yet again brought nearly a whole picnic with her to share with the other kids. Sans however, barely ate anything. Sans seemed depressed and lethargic, giving Papyrus his share of the food and barely getting up from his side. Sans had been given 'red needles' he said, and he was tired and in pain.
"What's wrong Sans?" She had asked, trying to encourage him to eat a little more. He outright refused, turning away from the sandwiches.
Sans sighed.
"The White Coat said I was uh….useless. Not good. He said I would be…diss-ect-ed. Make better ones?" Sans sighed. His speaking had dramatically improved, though he still stumbled over larger words. "What does that mean? Is it bad?"
Alphys squeaked, her eyes wide. Dissected? Sans was going to be DISSECTED? KILLED?
"Sans wh-when did the White Coat s-say he was going to d-do that?" She had tried to keep the terror from her voice, but failed. Sans picked up on it and began stumbling with his words again.
"Uhhh uhhhh when the l-lights come on?"
Tomorrow.
Sans was going to be killed tomorrow.
"I'm going to get you both out. Right now. You can't stay here." She abruptly stood, causing the other two too look up at her with worry.
"Leave?" Sans asked. He chattered his teeth, clearly nervous.
"Yes. Leave here. They…..they…." She swallowed, her eyes wide. "They are going to kill you Sans."
Sans's eye sockets darkened. He understood what 'kill' meant.
"Come on," she began picking up crumbs and leftover food, as to leave no trace. "We have to leave tonight."
"….Where do we go?"
"I…to my house. Yes." She picked up Papyrus. "You'll be safe there."
"…Okay." Sans had managed to crawl out of the kennel, wincing in pain. She had hoped he would be able to walk, especially with all the stairs.
"Come, we'll do this a little at a time." She held out her hand and Sans took it.
The escape took a while. Clearly Sans was not used to a lot of movement, beginning to pant after only the first flight of stairs. It didn't help he was weak and in pain as well, but he bravely did his best. They group had to stop on some of the steps every so often to let him catch his breath. He eventually changed shape, hoping four legs would be more helpful than two. It was still slow, careful work. Sans had nearly fallen down the stairs at one point when his legs nearly shook out from under him. Alphys had thankfully caught him in time.
Alphys in the meanwhile was careful, locking the doors behind them, leaving no trace. For all she knew, the bad scientists would think they had disappeared into thin air. It would be for the best.
They had eventually reached the top of the stairs to the basement. She unlocked it and lead them to the first floor. They moved carefully and slowly, even though the building was mostly empty, Alphys didn't want to take any risks. When the coast was clear she lead them outside.
This was perhaps the first time either of the skeletons have been outside. They were frozen, noses sniffing and wincing. Even though it was 'night', there was an eerie red glow as the magma below bubbled and hissed in the air. Sans looked ready to bolt in fear, whimpering and backing up.
"No no no Sans…it's going to be okay." She reached down, settling Papyrus on his back. Papyrus clutched at his older brother's neck with a soft giggle. Sans calmed down slightly, making a soft whistling noise at his brother.
"Okay…come this way we-"
Alphys's breath suddenly caught in her throat as she spotted movement beyond her. She could see a shadow come around the building, a LARGE shadow.
"….run." She whispered.
Sans tilted his head at her.
"RUN!" She pushed his bony pelvis. "Someone is coming!"
Sans balked. He bumped her hand with his muzzle in goodbye and took off, his paws kicking up red dust into the air. She knew he wouldn't be able to run away in time, not with how weak he was. She had to do something. She watched as the shadow rounded the corner, a large muscular bunny monster clad in thick armor. A royal guard?
She knew what to do.
She threw back her muzzle and WAILED! With practice come from her toddler days, she began to sob, large fat tears rolling down her cheek. She wailed and sobbed, making sure her cries was as heart wrenching as possible.
Her acting caught the guard's attention, as he focused directly on her. He bounded over, his large suit of armor clinking together. Despite his appearance, he knelt down and spoke with kindness.
"Awww what's wrong little one? Why are you out here all by yourself?" He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.
"I'M…I'M LOSTTTTTTTTTTT." she wailed. "I WANT MY DADDYYYYYYYYY."
"Shh shhhh it's okay little one, I'll get you home. I'm a royal guard, you're safe now." The guard reached down and picked her up, cradling her gently. "Everything will be alright."
She wailed some more, glancing over the guard's shoulder. Sans and Papyrus had run all the way down the path, looking a little more than small white specks. Sans had turned to look behind him, glancing up Alphys way. She gave them a nod. With that both skeletons vanished into the darkness.
Good, they would be safe.
She was interrupted by the guard shushing her gently. "Do you know where your daddy is?"
She pointed back to the building. The guard smiled. "Alright, let's go find your daddy together, alright?"
Alphys stopped wailing and sniffled. She figured if she couldn't make robots when she grew up, she could be a great actress. She watched the point of darkness over the guard's shoulder as he began to carry her inside.
She wished she could have given them more supplies, more of everything to be honest.
She hoped they would be okay.
Alphys fiddled with her empty soda can, having picked it up and began to mess with it. She sighed.
"Then I got grounded for two months. And uhhhhhh…that's it."
All three adults present just stared with quiet silence. Bertram was crippled with guilt, Dogaressa was concerned for Alphys's mental state, having witness the things she did (she would need to look into therapists), and Gnash was thoroughly impressed.
"Alphys…" Bertram started up. "I'm…I'm so sorry."
Alphys looked over with a sad, but understanding smile. "It's okay daddy, nobody else believed me."
It didn't make Bertram feel any better.
"Alphys," Gnash interrupted. "I want to thank you for your bravery and ingenuity. You saved those kid's lives. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were royal guard materiel. In fact…"
He opened a drawer and pulled out a little silver badge. "I am going to make you an official, honorary royal guard!"
Alphys took the badge in awe, looking over the metallic object with scrutiny.
"Thank you, but I wanna make robots like my daddy."
Gnash laughed and slapped his knee, snorting in amusement. "Well kid! You do whatever you want! Huh hahaha!"
Dogaressa cleared her throat. ("Now…you wanted to see how Sans and Papyrus were doing, right?")
Alphys jerked in her chair. "Yeah! Please…where are they?"
The dog chuckled. ("They are in a new home, recovering. I'm going to give their guardian a call and see if they are around.")
Alphys sat in her chair, waiting patiently. Well, not so patiently. She began drumming on the empty can as fast as she could, the sound grounding her as she waited. Nobody moved to make her stop. It seemed an agonizingly long time to watch Dogaressa dial the number and lifting up one her floppy ears to put the phone under it..
("Hello? Grillby? Are the boys around?")
She paused, listening.
("Oh it's their friend, remember? We found her. Yes. She's okay. She'd like to talk to Sans and Papyrus if that's okay.")
Dogaressa waited a bit before smiling. ("Thank you!")
She removed the phone under her ear and handed it to Alphys with a smile. Forgetting her manners, Alphys snatched the phone away and put it to her ear, listening.
There was a bit of quiet before a familiar voice rang out.
"Hello?"
It was no mistaking who it was. His speech was clearer but there was the sense of tiredness that never seemed to went away.
"Sans!" She half shouted in the phone. There was a pause before a single work was spoken with love and reverence.
"Alphys…?"
"Yes! Yes it's me! Oh goodness I was…I was so…." Alphys felt herself choke up, a warm tear rolled down one her cheeks.
"Are you okay? Did they h-hhurt you?"
"No no Sans. I'm okay. Nobody hurt me…are you okay? Where are you?"
"I'm…I'm…" There was a sniff. Sans must be crying too. "I'm home. We don't get hurt here. It's great. We're okay."
"I'm so -g-g-glad." Alphys half laughed and half sobbed, the sheer relief was overwhelming. "What about Papyrus?"
"He's right here!" There was a sound of the phone being moved. "Hey Pap, guess who's on the celly phone!" There was a babble and then Sans laughed. "No, it's Alphys!"
"ALFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!" The scream nearly blew out her eardrums. "ALLLLFIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"Hello Papyrus!" She winced.
"YEAH? YEAH? ALFIEEEEE? HI HI HI HI HI HI HI !" The toddler clearly didn't know what an inside voice was. "PWAH? YEAH?"
"I'd love too but I'm over here."
"NO. HERE. PWAY." There was a sound of the phone being moved away as Papyrus happily screamed louder and louder. Sans spoke again over the noise.
"Can you come here? P-Please?"
"I really want to!" Alphys wiped away some tears, but they kept continuing to fall.
"Hold on"
Sans held the phone away from himself, could hear him talking to someone else. There was a brief pause before another voice answered.
"Hello Alphys." The voice was warm and crackling, like a fireplace during a cold night. "I am the boy's caretaker. Sans said he would like for you to visit, correct?"
"Oh h-h-hi um…yes. I would." She sniffed, struggling to get her emotions under control. "I really…I really missed him and Papyrus."
"I know…they have missed you too. Sans has been quite worried for you."
Alphys swallowed. "So um c-can I come visit?"
There was a brief pause.
"Yes, if it is alright with your father, would this Sunday work for you?"
Alphys felt more tears fall. This was it. She was going to get to see the first friends she has ever made. Months of anxiety and fear burst like a bubble, leaving her feeling relieved and warm.
"I'd like that!"
Ever since he phone call with his savior, Sans had remained quiet and pensive. He at least seemed happy and relaxed, but he barely spoke at all up until the bar closed up. Sans has always been very quiet, but even this was a little unusual for him. Grillby didn't push him. He knew that the boys talking to their first ever friend would cause some sort of extreme emotional response. At least Sans didn't seem distressed…just thoughtful. Perhaps he was thinking about the upcoming visit?
Papyrus was the opposite, making so much noise that some of the bar patrons were asking about it. Well, once Papyrus decided to make noise, there was little to stop him. He seemed to not be able to contain his joy, running around and knocking things over in his glee.
He had closed the bar a little earlier than usual that night. He planned to take the children home so they can relax a little more, perhaps stabilize and run around a bit. They must be a little wound up (judging by Papyrus), from staying in the back room all day.
He hoped eventually they'd feel safe enough to come out during the day, but ultimately it was up to them to decide when they were ready to do so.
As soon as they got home, Sans went and wedged himself behind the couch. Papyrus dragged his toys with him beside it, not willing to leave Sans alone. Grillby was puzzled. Sans didn't seem particularly distressed or afraid, just..pensive.
Grillby knelt down besides the couch. "Sans?"
Sans look up at the fire monster.
"Sans, are you alright?"
Sans nodded and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his jaw on them.
" 'm thinking…" he replied quietly, closing his eye sockets.
"Do you want to tell me what you are thinking about?" Grillby asked as Papyrus simply busied himself with his toys.
Sans opened his eyes and remained silent for a minute. He eventually looked over.
"It's…" He looked around again. "Too open, to talk."
"Too open?" The fire monster was confused at the wording.
"Too open." Sans repeated. He gestured at the open space that made up the room. "There…" He frowned. "There might be people… watching."
Oh. Grillby internally cringed. Oh. That…explained quite a bit. They HAVE grown up in a cage, it would make sense if they were a little agoraphobic. He has never seen them stray too far from cover, usually behind the couch or under a table. He decided to confirm his theory.
"Is that why I sometimes find you and your brother sleeping under your bed and not on it? Is it too…open?"
Sans nodded again and frowned. "I'm…I'm sorry I uh…I…."
"No no…It's alright." Grillby gave the child a warm reassuring smile. "How about tomorrow, we make it feel safer for you and your brother?"
Sans grinned, the luminous pupils in his eye sockets glowing brightly. "Yeah."
"Do you still want to talk?" Sans nodded, but didn't move to get out from behind the couch.
"Well, if I made some cover for you, would you feel better?" Grillby asked, earning another nod in return. The fire monster then stood up.
"I'll be right back."
Grillby first walked to the kitchen and began carrying the four wooden chairs to the living room, setting them up as the base for a classic blanket fort. Papyrus had stopped playing to watch, tilting his head with curiosity as the fire monster carefully arranged the chairs. Sans also watched with equal interest, especially when his caretaker vanished upstairs, only to return with an armload of blankets and pillows.
It was quick work to put the pillows down between the chairs and to throw the blankets over them. In no time at all, Grillby had made a simple cozy fort. Sans moved away from the couch, picking up Papyrus along the way.
"What…is this?" he asked as he examined the fort.
"It is a blanket fort. I used to make them when I was a kid." Grillby peeled open one of the blankets that was serving as a 'door'.
Sans smiled at Grillby before crawling inside, sitting himself and Papyrus down on the pillows. The kids sighed, seemingly placated by a warm, dark enclosed area. Well, if it made them feel safe and happy, it was good enough for Grillby. Eventually Sans snapped out of his reverie to look back at the fire monster, patting one of the pillows beside him.
"Aren't you gonna come in too?"
Grillby could scarcely believe it. Sans had proven to be a very nervous and wary individual, but was trusting him enough to invite him inside a safe space. Grillby nodded and climbed inside as well, having to duck down. He managed to settle inside and sit, his ambient flame illuminating the dark area in a warm light.
"Do you still want to talk?"
Sans nodded. He hrmed for several seconds, mouth skewed up in thought.
"…what's a daddy?" he finally said, sounding confused. He tilted his head and looked up at Grillby as Papyrus flopped himself down on Sans's lap. Grillby's flames sparked for a brief second. Oh…of course. From what little bits and pieces he has learned about the two children, it made sense…in a horrible way…that they wouldn't know what a parent is or what they mean. Inside, the old fire monster's heart broke a little.
Sans continued.
"Cause…cause Alphys keeps talking about her daddy and I dunno what that is but it sounds nice…" He stared down at his hand bones, fiddling with a joint.
"Well…" Grillby took a minute to figure out how to explain this. "A daddy, or 'dad', is a different name for a father. A father is someone who loves their children and cares for them. This person is also called a parent, and can be either a father or a mother."
Sans tilted his head, prompting Grillby to explain further. "A mother is a like a father, but they are a woman instead of a man."
"Oh."
They all sat in silence for a short while while Sans processed the information he heard. Grillby remained patient. The only sounds were the gentle crackling of Grillby's flame and Papyrus's soft giggles as he played with his older brother's finger bones. Suddenly Sans broke the silence.
"Are you our daddy?" He looked directly into Grillby's eyes hopefully.
A breath hitched in the fire monster's throat. In such a short time he has found himself loving and caring for both children dearly. He couldn't imagine his house being empty again, but he had wondered how the children would feel about it. But now…
"Would you like me to be your father?" Grillby asked carefully.
Sans nodded. "Yeah!"
Grillby's core fluttered. It was…such an honor. The two had gone from terrified skittish beings, never speaking and nearly starving to death as they raided rubbish for food, to sitting comfortable and happy and asking him to be their father.
I will never let these kids down, he swore to himself, never.
"Well then…" Grillby smiled. "Hello, son."
"Hi dad." Sans grinned so wide that it nearly stretched completely across his face. Grillby had never seen such a big and genuine smile. Sans reached down and grabbed his brother, holding him out dramatically!
"LOOK PAP! WE GOT A DAD!" Sans shouted excitedly, a few tears pricked the edges of his eyes sockets. Pap just wiggled happily.
"BBLLLPPPP DA?" Pap reached his arms out. "DA?!"
Grillby's breath hitched again. If he was able to cry tears, he probably would be doing so right now. He reached out a trembling hand and patted Papyrus on the head lovingly.
"Yes Papyrus. I'm your dad." A giggle escaped the elder monster when he said it. He was a father! A dad! He could scarcely believe it. All three monsters were beaming with joy. There was no sadness here tonight, the children could forget about their troubles for a brief moment.
In that moment, they became a family.
.
.
.
An old turtle moved about a stove, putting a kettle over the small flame to boil the water within. He could hear the gentle trickle of water outside, forming new stalactites as the mineral rich liquid dripped from the ceilings. The being was old enough to remember a time when the stalagmites were shorter. They just seemed to get longer and longer with each passing year.
He adjusted his hat on his head, humming as he set a table with toast, jam, and tea cups. He had just pulled the now whistling kettle from the burner when he heard a short knock at his door.
"Coming, ya young scamp!" The turtle chuckled to himself, rubbing his beard. He hobbled over to the door, pulling it open.
"Heya Commander." There just outside the door stood Gnash, still dressed in his armor. Under his arm was a thick folder.
"Hehehe, this old turtle is retired!" Gerson chuckled, eyeing the folder. "I take it ya didn't just come over for a social call now, eh?"
Gnash shook his head. "Sorry…It's rather…troubling."
Gerson nodded, holding open the door. "Well come on in! We'll talk about it over tea!"
Gnash nodded seriously, stepping inside. The home was cramped, but cozy, just the right size for an old turtle. However it was very short, causing the taller monster to have to duck down just to get inside. Gerson chuckled and lead him to the table, pouring out cups of tea before taking a seat himself.
"So, what brings you round here Gnashy?" The turtle picked up his cup of tea, blowing on it to cool the hot liquid before taking a sip.
"I need…some advice. Something has happened that well, none of us has ever dealt with. It's…just look at these." Gnash pushed the folder across the table, ignoring the tea at the moment.
Gerson raised a bushy eyebrow, taking the folder in his hand. He opened it up and began to leaf through the papers within. His eyes widened, nearly dropping his cup of tea as he got further into the content. There were pictures, transcripts, medical analysis….
"Dear angel above…" Gerson breathed. He forced himself to look at every document within before setting the folder back down again. "Are they…"
"They are alright now. You'd never believe who took them in." Gnash fiddled with his tea cup. "The Major General."
"Major…" Gerson thought back for a second. "Major…wait…Grillby? The fire lad?"
Gnash nodded. "Yep. They seem to be doing quite well there. They got a long way to go, but my husband thinks they can recover. They're happy there."
"Good…." Gerson abruptly got up, the tea cups on the table rattling.
"Commander?" Gnash looked up with concern. He knew his old mentor would get angry about this. "Where are you going?"
Gerson gripped his hands and looked back, a malicious glint in his eyes. A frightening determined smile cracked open, exposing bared teeth.
"Oh, I'm just going to go get my hammer."
Gnash grinned.
