You quietly sit and wait to the soft humming of the elevator's engine. Having a chance to see Toriel again was nice, but with everything going on, you can't stop to just yet. Not while the underground is still tearing itself apart trying to get to you. Toriel had to stay with Alphys and Undyne as agreed, so it's just Mettaton, Flowey and you. Mettaton seems optimistic, hopeful about the situation. Flowey on the other hand is very worried. Of course, if he's seen so many humans come and gone it only makes sense for him to be scared. Then there's you. Your mind is clouding up with anticipation and fear, you're trying to figure out what you're actually gonna do when you find Asgore. As well as how you're gonna get through to him if things turn out worse.
"Do you think we'll make it?" Flowey breaks the silence, making it apparent just how quiet the elevator actually is.
"Of course we will." Mettaton assures "We're the best the underground has to offer. My body was made for fighting humans, but I can kill monsters just as easily. Then we have you, who's literally immortal, and we can still call Alphys for backup if worst comes to worst."
"Actually Mettaton, we were hoping to solve this without violence." You tell him.
"It's noble and all, but you don't actually mean that do you? If anyone in the underground won't listen to reason it's Asgore, that is if you can even get past his guards like that."
"That's why we're in this elevator." You remind him.
Alphys had originally intended for you to get into the core through the guard barracks. That was your plan too, but after talking a bit with Alphys you managed to come up with a better idea. As it turns out Alphys has an elevator in her lab leading into the core too. Since Alphys' announcement from earlier claimed you'd gather with guards and civilians who believed in your cause, Asgore's bodyguard would expect you to break into the core through the guard barrack. Making them unprepared if you were to sneak into the Core from another way.
"I hope this works" Flowey mutters. "If they've guarded the insides too..."
"We'll find a way, that's what we do best." You say.
"If you two insist on going pacifist I'll follow, but I'm not making any promises if things get out of hand." Mettaton just finishes his sentence, before a ding tells you the elevator has stopped. The doors slide open and a chill creeps up your spine as you stand up. As quiet as you can, the three of you walk up to the doors and peak out in each direction. It's dark, darker than you had imagined. Jet black walls and long halls extend in several directions like a maze. The only light source is a faint glow emanating from white circuit like lines along the walls.
"So this is where Asgore's castle resides?" You ask.
Mettaton carefully ventures out of the elevator, checking all directions before turning back to you. "No, that is in New Home, which is located directly above here. This is just a colossal generator converting the heat into electricity. It powers everything down here, ask Alphys for more if you want a lecture." Mettaton explains "Anyway, I think it's this way" He states and proceeds to hurry off in a direction.
You and Flowey pick up your pace to follow him "Alphys built all this?" You ask.
"Not Alphys, this is the work of her predecessor, the previous royal scientist." Flowey states "Creepy fella."
"Alphys seems to admire him though." Mettaton adds.
Mettaton leads you through the dark hallways and around a few turns. You're looking around for another elevator Mettaton insists should be around here. Luckily the area doesn't seem to be guarded, so you're left to explore in peace. Eventually he locates the spot you've been looking for across a long bridge. It's grey and held up by a metal grid below it, with a few glowing bulbs to illuminate the edge. You carefully peak out, but you can't even see the bottom through a thick layer of something clouding the air.
"Breathe carefully, the ozone is bad for your lungs." Flowey says
It surprises you a little that Flowey knows something as specific that, and not only about this place, but about human biology as well. Then again, if he's been following humans for such a long time it only makes sense he would learn something. You push it out of your mind and pick up the pace as Mettaton comes to a halt.
In front of you is a large gate, looking at all the fancy details decorating it, it's quite obvious it's leading somewhere important.
"That's it?" You ask
"It is." Mettaton states "There's a little hallway and another elevator on the other side, it should take us directly to New Home."
"Then let's go." You say "We shouldn't stay here any longer than we have to."
Mettaton reaches his upper right hand out towards a button next to the door. "Right on it."
A loud siren goes off the second Mettaton touches the button, the door in the meanwhile doesn't budge.
"They tricked us." Flowey mutters.
Mettaton repeatedly tries to push the button over and over again, but to no avail. "Not now! We're too close!" Mettaton yells and slams two fists into the wall. He spends a few seconds just staring at the locked gate, before he then rolls a little back and gazes out over the bridge you came from. Thoughts race through your head, you try to think up anything, but with the panic fogging up your mind you can't concentrate. Mettaton suddenly turns halfway back and looks straight at you. "They don't know it's you." He says in a rather hollow tone. "Do something, try to figure out anything to get this door open. I'll run out there and out find the guards, if I can keep them busy and away from the here you still have time to escape."
"Is this really a good idea?" Flowey says "Don't get hurt okay?"
"I can take on a small army, don't worry about it." Mettaton assures
"We don't have time to argue, Flowey" You step up and say "Go Mettaton, we'll try to think up something."
Mettaton quickly spins around, facing the screen in his front away from you. You haven't noticed before now, but there's a large switch on his backside "Get that switch for me." He orders.
You hastily do as he instructs. The switch is heavy, requiring you to use both of your hands.
As soon as you release your grip, his whole body just seems to break open. The large metal casing that previously was part of Mettaton cracks open to reveal a mess of wires and metallic parts. Faster than you have a chance to react, something crawls out and leaps out over across the bridge. The sheer speed it moves with makes difficult for you to catch any details before he's gone. You only see a flash of that black, red and metallic creature that Mettaton just revealed himself to be. Before you know it, he's already out of your sight without another word.
With Mettaton out the way, you look back at the gate as an idea crosses your mind. You pull out your phone with the intention of calling Alphys for help, that is until you notice a new option in your phone menu. It simply reads "bomb". Apparently Alphys took herself the liberty to add that anyway. Good thing that she did. "Flowey‚ take cover."
Without another word you close your eyes and press the button. The explosion is loud, louder than anything you've ever heard. If it hadn't been for your perseverance, you'd likely be deaf by now. When you open your eyes, you find yourself half buried in the back wall, with the phone still in your hand. Though what previously was a gate has now been degraded to a hole in the wall.
"It worked!" Flowey yells
Your crawl out of the wall and hurry through the broken gate. Just like Mettaton described there's a small hall with a path leading out of it. Turning around a you run down another hallway before finally running into another elevator. As soon as you see Flowey digging his way up from the elevator tiles, you hit the button causing the elevator to go up.
Just as you hear the elevator's engine starting, you drop to the ground and let out a breath you didn't realise you had been holding. "We made it."
"So far so good" Flowey still sounds nervous "But after that explosion someone had to have heard us."
"Is there any way to New Home other than this elevator?" You ask
"No." Flowey says "Everything between New Home and the rest of the Underground travels through here."
"Perfect" You say as the elevator comes to a stop. For once you had hoped it would take a bit longer to arrive, after all that you could use break. Nonetheless you still stand up and pull out your phone. Stepping out and making sure Flowey has left too, you press the the bomb function and throw the phone into the elevator in a single motion. The explosion hits you like a slap in the face but ruins the entire elevator shaft completely.
"I guess no one's gonna follow us now." Flowey mutters.
"Nope" you say and take a deep breath. "So far so good."