Disclaimer: This is a bit of a tipping point in HOPE. Now, our heroes might finally start to get the answers they've been looking for.

TravisUmbra: Easy there, pal. You can hate on Sans later.

ponystoriesandothers: Feels galore! Don't worry, I'll keep posting on the other site.

MajorKO: Sadly for you, there's not gonna be AU's in here. The public voted, and we chose not to add them. I'm certain you'll like the original plan though.

FrostyAngelWings: It's gonna take some time to think of him as a real person, instead of a character.

AGirl: FEELS!

artfully: That sounds really interesting. But we'll figure out the trait thing eventually. Maybe I'll use your idea in it too.

TheParadoxicalOxymoron: Flowey, maybe. Asriel? I don't think so. Sorry, but he doesn't play a role in this story. He might be mentioned now and then, but that's it.

Karridwen: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my stories!

MemorySteel: Thanks. Glad you're enjoying the story.

I don't own Undertale.

"Speaking"

Thinking

Edited: Sept. 11/18


"S-Sans, a-are you sure about this?" Alphys watched the short skeleton shuffle around behind the machine, hearing the small buzz of a blowtorch. "I-I mean, is this really a g-good idea?" She asked, raising her voice for him to hear her.

"dunno, alphys," came the muffled reply. Sans poked his skull out from behind the machine, dirt smudging the white bone. "but if this works, than hope and i'll have a better chance to figure out why this is happening."

"B-But…" Alphys sighed, before nodding in defeat. Sans was set on this, and she didn't seem to be able to change his mind. "A-alright, Sans. B-but you b-better let her know what your plan is." She was right, Sans hummed as he fused two wires together. The scientist was right. What he was trying to accomplish, was something that could potentially solve their problem and destroy it at the same time.

For the past week, Hope and him had been chatting every evening after the teen returned home from school. Sans would sometimes help her with her homework, explaining mathematical equations that she had trouble with, accompanied with puns to get the point across. But the conversation the two had a few days ago, sparked an idea that Sans couldn't get out of his head.

"It would be so much more helpful if we could actually talk face to face Sans," Hope had mused, head in her hand. Sans raised a brow bone at the idea, wondering why she had brought that up. "Not that this isn't helpful, Sans, but…" she sighed. "I really wish we could meet in real life. This video chat can only help us so much."

She was correct. While they had pieced together how they were connected, they hadn't figured out why they were connected. The video chat idea she had before was a breakthrough, but Sans wondered… if they could talk through the void, was it possible to break through the window further? Split it open, and allow more than mere data to come through?

"i know that this is dangerous, al." Sans stepped back from the machine, swatting off the cobwebs stuck to his hoodie. "but this is the only idea i've got left." Right next to the original machine, was a large rectangular box. A sensor was attached at the top, with several tubes feeding wires from the box to the signal receiver. The top of the box had several holes at the top, allowing an electrical charge to emit into the box to contain the electrons, and have them construct again after being fed through the void.

"Y-you better contact her, S-Sans. H-Hope should know what you're about to do," Alphys warned, before sighing. "I-I'll be upstairs if you need me. G-good luck." The lizard headed towards the stairs, and gave one last look at the skeleton before leaving.

thanks, alphys, Sans thought. i'm gonna need it. Both of them were. He moved to the front of the machine, and booted it up. "hey kiddo. mornin'." Hope grinned at him, eyes sparkling in excitement. someone's happy today. "what's the special occasion?"

"I finished my exams!" She laughed, and spun around in the chair. "Woo!" It had been a rough week for certain, with a small mental break down the night before. Thank goodness Sans had helped her with her calculus and chemistry. Not so much with bio though. His idea of skeletons for humans is much different than mine. "What about you, Sans? How've you been?"

"pretty good," Sans returned the grin. It was nice to no longer have any secrets… well, as far as they would willingly admit. There still seemed to be something she was hiding from him, about her family, but he didn't want to slow down the research they had going. "i've been working on somethin' for the past couple o' days too." He scratched his skull nervously, taking note of Hope's grimace at the action. "uh… so, you remember how you talked 'bout us meeting some day. y'know, outside of the video chat?"

"Yeah? What about it, Sans?" Hope asked curiously. Where was he going with this? She knew that it was impossible for them to actually meet in real life. A possibly unfinished abyss of code blocked them from ever seeing more than just an image of well-crafted pixels through a camera.

"i, uh… might've fixed that problem," he chuckled awkwardly. "y'see, hope. the only thing preventing us from interacting more than this is the void. but, thanks to some research and alphys' assistance, i managed to build something that'll solve that." He… he figured out a way for us to meet? Hope couldn't believe her ears. He had made something that would allow them to meet, in real life!? "judging by your face, i can assume you're excited?"

"Of course I'm excited!"She rolled closer, placing her head in her hands and her elbows on the desk. "Sans, you actually made something that could bring me to your dimension?"

"yep." Sans' grin stretched even further, the monster feeding off the energy the girl was giving off. "it took a while to come up with the basic schematics, but i'm sure it'll work." He paused, and looked at the box beside him. "hold on there for a sec." He picked up the camera that was mounted on the machine, and turned it so it was facing the new device. "by amplifying the signal more than what i'd done for the video chat to work, i'll be able to broadcast it through your laptop."

"Okay then." Well, it definitely looks like he was busy. Looks like some sort of weird supercharged shower. Hope nodded slowly, trying to wrap her brain around his explanation. "So, how do I get there?"

"the signal will scramble your molecules and atoms, turning them into a malleable form of data that can be transferred through the void." Uh… what? Hope blinked, wondering if she heard that correctly. He… he wanted to alter her organic makeup? "like an electric shock."

"An electric shock that basically vaporizes me," she deadpanned. "Sans, um, h-how safe is that?"

about 25 percent safe. His grin faltered, seeing that she was as nervous about that as he had expected. Alphys had given him the numbers a few hours ago when she first arrived. He didn't like it, but it was better than nothing. Besides, wasn't that how their world behaved? By chance? "it's… safe enough," he hesitantly replied. "relax, kid. you're not gonna end up like gaster. i've done plenty of calculations, checked for any possible signs of error, and had alphys beside me all the way." Sans sighed, seeing the nervousness still on her face. It was no surprise. If someone came up to him and told him they were about to disassemble his molecules and launch him through the void, he'd start going in the opposite direction as fast as possible. But Hope hadn't run yet. That was a… good sign.

"I-I know, Sans." Hope twirled a piece of hair, looking down. "It's just… I would love to meet you and Frisk and everyone else in person, but I… I don't want to do it if it means putting my life on the line. Sans, i-if I did this," she looked hard at the skeleton. "Would I be able to get back home?" She couldn't be gone forever. She had to stay there, with her mom. If something happened, and the machine malfunctioned… she didn't want her mom to be alone.

"you will, kid. don't worry 'bout a thing. the machine here," he shook the camera lightly. "is connected to the signal provider. The code will be fed through the wires, and the container will contain the charges that are your body. your data. you would then reform as the data would have nowhere else to go, and there you go."

"Let me get this straight." Hope held up a hand, making him stop. "You're gonna shock me using the signal we've been chatting through, I'll fly through the void as an incorporeal being of ones and zeros, before supposedly reforming in your lab?"

"… uh, yeah." Sans shrugged in agreement. To put it bluntly, that's basically the idea. "that's the gist of it. so then, what do you think?"

I think it's near insane, that's what. She knew that Sans was smart, but what he was suggesting, to bring her into his dimension through that method… it-it couldn't be done. But yet… suppose it could work. Suppose she somehow did end up in his world. Then what? What else could they possibly discuss from there? Sans and her had already talked about the purpose of the machine and the signal, and the only thing she could think of that they could work on together was trying to find Gaster. If she could travel through the void, if they could communicate through it, then who's to say they couldn't find him?

On the other hand, there might've been more to this than he let on.

Their friendship was no longer just about figuring out the void dilemma, or searching for Gaster. Well, part of it is, Hope reminded herself. But this was also because they had bonded over there similar problem: knowing about everything before it could happen. The resets and timelines. Sans and Hope. They were friends now; and for the girl, the pun loving monster was her only close friend.

"I think… it's dangerous, crazy, and stupid," Hope admitted. Sans' face fell, his lights dimming in disappointment. "However." He shot up to look at her. Hope's scared look was still there, but a small smirk now accompanied it. "I happen to enjoy crazy." is she…? "I'll do it, Sans."

"y-you will?" He couldn't believe it. She was willing to go through with his plan, despite the consequences? kid, you're either really stupid… or really brave. Bravery. Another soul trait. After seeing Frisk's behavior in their pacifist runs so many times, he had come to the conclusion that humans, like monsters, could exhibit almost all soul traits. However, unlike a monster, a human had one trait that stood out more than the rest. A monster had specific traits to their magic too, but they were all mixed together into their white soul. A monster's trait was love; a combination of all seven traits. However, they could specialize in one or two attributes. Undyne was kindness for some… strange reason. Muffet was perseverance, and Papyrus was integrity. His own powers involved justice and patience. They were only shown when he was in battle though, yet any use of his magic outside of combat showed patience. i really need to determine what her soul trait is. "buddy, pal, you can't understand how much that means to me. that you're willing to try this is… is incredible," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you're excited to be using me as a human guinea pig," Hope said. "When do you want to try this anyway?"

"as soon as you're ready, kid," Sans replied, maybe more eager than he should be. "everything is set up on my end, so it's all up to you at this point." Up to her. Well, she had finished her exams already. Hope looked at the calendar on her desk, noting the dates circled. I have prom and grad next week, but almost a week in between now and then. "well, kid?"

"I have five days before prom," she began. "Two days after is graduation, and then I'm off for the summer to find work. While it would be a great idea to try it then, when I have a few months off, I need the time to get ready for college. Maybe I can convince my mom and tell her I'm visiting a friend for a few days, before I get ready to adult."

"adult isn't an action," Sans raised a brow.

"In my mind, it is. Taxes, and mortgages, and other gross stuff like that." Hope shuddered, hearing a chuckle come through the speakers. "I'll be right back, Sans. If I get the go from my mom, you'll have to give me a few minutes to pack some gear."

"sounds reasonable, hope. i'll be here waiting," Sans grinned. He minimized the chat window, and she was booted back to her desktop. He's still there. The tab's still open. Hope could make out him smiling at her in the top corner, giving a small wave. Giggling, she stood up from the chair, and headed to the living room. Alright, Hope. You can do this. All you have to do is lie to your only family about traveling across the multiverse with the help of a living video game skeleton. Oh, how messed up her life had gotten.

"Mom?" She turned around the bottom of the stairs, finding her mom in the kitchen working with a pile of papers in front of her along with a calculator and laptop. "Can I ask you something?"

She looked up at Hope, and smiled. "Yes dear? Is something bothering you?"

"Not really," Hope shrugged, moving over towards her as she talked. "It's just an… old friend of mine had asked if I could come visit for a few days. I was wondering if I could go." She rocked back and forth on her heels anxiously as she came to a stop. "So… can I?"

"Hope, you have your prom and grad remember?" Her mom reminded her, frowning. "I don't want you missing the last few important events in high school just to visit someone I've never met." Truthfully, I know a lot of people you've never met. Frisk, Toriel, Papyrus… just to name a few.

"Mom, I'll be back in the morning of prom," Hope sighed. "I'll have plenty of time to get changed and hair and blah, blah, blah. Please?" She knitted her fingers together, and stuck out her bottom lip. "Please mom? How can you say no to this face?" The older woman shook her head, and smiled fondly at the girl.

"Alright, alright." Hope's mother laughed. Ah, her daughter was a strange one. It was amazing how she could still keep a smile on her face sometimes. "You can go. But just… be careful, please?" The older woman stood up, moving over to her and rested her hands on her shoulders. "I don't want to get a call and… and…" she looked down. No need for painful memories, but... the worry she held was still there. "I can't lose you too, Hope."

Losing her… that one line almost made the teen second-guess her choice. She'd be traveling across dimensions, to a world that shouldn't even exist. There was… the odd chance that something could go wrong, and she… did she want this? But… Sans. An image of the skeleton popped into her head, and her hands turned to fists, nails digging into her palms. I… I have to go. Not just for myself, but for him. They had to figure this out, and while she wanted desperately to tell the truth, she couldn't. It had to remain a secret.

"You won't, mom," Hope whispered. She hugged her mom, and felt herself having her hair smoothed down. "I'll be back. I promise." She let go of her mom, and grinned. "I gotta go pack." Hope ran back to the stairs, and swung herself over the railing. Landing somewhat gracefully, she giggled. Wait. One last thing. "Mom?" The elder woman looked back at her from her work. "I love you." Just… just in case.

"I love you too, my Hope. Have fun." Hope nodded, and walked back up the stairs. Closing and locking the door, she hummed to herself. I can't believe she said yes. With her family's history, the fact her mom was allowing her to go surprised her. But… she wasn't entirely as shocked as she thought she'd be. Her mom couldn't watch over her forever, and they both knew that. She won't lose me. I can promise her that. She opened her closet, and pulled out her black book bag, having already emptied it from school. Loading a few sets of clothes into the bag, she shoved them as far as possible into the bottom to make enough space.

"There. That should do it." She dragged the bag over to the laptop, and maximized the window. "Sans?"

"yeah, kid?"

"I got permission to go see an 'old friend' of mine for a few days from my mom," Hope grinned anxiously. "Everything's packed and ready." I can't believe I'm gonna do this. "Sans, a-are you absolutely certain this won't… kill me?"

am i? not really, no. but… if we want answers, we're gonna have to experiment, kiddo. "i promise you, hope. i won't allow this or anything else to harm you."

"I made a promise to always stay next to you, and in turn you make a promise too?" Hope giggled. "I thought you didn't like promises."

"only when i have to break 'em. i won't break this one, pal," Sans backed his chair from the machine, and cracked his knuckles. ouch. "you ready?"

"I…" she took a deep breath, before nodding. Seeing this huge adventure set before you… it fills you with determination. "I'm ready."

"then let's do this." Shutting down the video window, Sans began typing rapid code into the keyboard, the humming of the machine beginning to increase. Reaching over, he flicked several switches, booting up the tank. He could make out the sparks of rouge electricity coursing through the wires in the translucent tubes. The whirring began to sharpen, and Sans became aware of the lights flickering above him. how much power is this taking? "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

Hope stared at her laptop, watching the screen switch to black. "So… is it worki-AAHH!" Not again! The high pitch screech burst through her speakers, and a large series of wingdings glitched across the glass. "Sans!?" Is this supposed to happen!? Hope looked to her power button nervously. While she was no longer shouting, in fear of bringing her mother up into her room when there was already a lot of noise, she kept her hands over her ears. Maybe… something went wrong? Carefully, she reached towards the button with one hand while keeping the other over an ear, and grazed her finger across it. "Sans, I swear–AHH!"

A bolt of electricity shot through the button and the wires, making the backlighting of her keyboard flash on and off rapidly. The spark ricocheted through her body, making her feel as if hundreds of tiny needles were stabbing her from the inside. Not enough to rip through skin, but enough to leave lasting pain. As fast as it began though, with her body convulsing rapidly, the current finally died down. "O-oh…" Hope's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and her head slammed into her keyboard, her entire world going black and cold.


What was it like, to travel through the void and having their body being scrambled into data and code? For Hope, it was… painful. She couldn't remember much, but when she collapsed onto her computer, she felt her body… oscillate, like her entire being was being torn apart and put back together. Her eyes were heavy, but the human was able to open them just enough to see… see, what exactly? "… wh-what…?"

Darkness. Pure inky darkness as far as she could see. But, there was some color. Yes, the purple lines etched onto the ground far below her. The glowing lights coursed around the abyss, sending new streaks once the bright color darkened enough. Is this… the code…? She struggled to think, the shock draining her energy. It felt like she was being pulled apart, with one end where she started, and the other somewhere far, far ahead. I… want to… wake up. I… want to… get out of here… Sans, where… are you…?

A tugging sensation came from ahead of her, and she felt herself being pulled through the void away from where she floated. It was cold around her. No sun. No light except for the markings on the floor. It was… empty and devoid of life.

Yet, Hope could feel… warmth. The pulling was warm and… comforting. It was… familiar. Sans…?


Sans looked from the screen of fast oncoming code, and up at the tank. He could see the flow of energy beginning to dispense into the container from the top, the crackling of electricity bouncing off the walls. "c'mon, pal. let's take this nice and slow." The wingdings wrote themselves out on the monitor at a pace he couldn't keep up with, and he knew that she was getting close now. "we almost got it."


Hope felt herself begin to… awaken? It wasn't cold anymore, but it wasn't as if she was fully awake. The warmth certainly felt closer though, which helped ease her into some form of consciousness. It might not have been so bad, had she not felt her body being thrown against a wall. Something… stopped her from going any further. Ow… Hope winced. The pulling sensation increased, and she felt herself being pushed harder and harder against the wall. It felt like it was bending underneath her, fighting to keep her from passing through.

Please… let me go in. I need… to be there. The tugging slowed for a moment, before finally giving one last hard yank, as if whoever was on the other side was yanking on the invisible rope as hard as they could. In a silent scream, Hope's body broke through the barrier and onto the other side. She wasn't there for long, as the human vanished in a burst of bright blue data.


"did it-did it work?" Sans jumped from his seat, and ran to the tank, trying not to slide on the tiled floor with his slippers. He placed his hands on the glass, and watched a discharge of energy expel from the vents in a violent burst. He had to crank the power, when he saw that the flow of energy wasn't coming through the system as fast as it could've. Apparently, increasing the power did the trick. Although... he hoped the brief power surge didn't affect anything upstairs.

As the molecules drifted down, the skeleton could make out the outline of something beginning to reform inside, curled up by the glass wall opposite of him. "heh… hehe… hehehehe. i-it worked. it actually worked!" The teen whom he had begun to talk to, who managed to break all laws of physics in her own dimension, was slumped against the back of the tank. Despite a few burns on her skin and clothes, possibly from how he had to up the signal, i-it worked. He had done it.

"welcome to ebott, hope." Sans opened the door, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "we've been waitin' for ya." i've been waitin' for ya. hehehe. time to finally get the answers we've been looking for, kid.


Things are gonna get interesting.

I hope I portrayed Hope's arrival well enough. If there's any errors, let me know so I can fix them.

Well, time to go have a fun weekend. See you all next Saturday!

Angel