Chapter Twenty Five: Return to a Previous Save
Sneaking through shaded alleyways, the otherworldly agent did his best to formulate a plan. Knowing so little about this place, there wasn't much he could do aside from hope he stumbled across a portal to his home. Sans knew how unlikely that was, and instead decided to seek out an area in which to set up a temporary base.
He peeked around a corner-
…
He'd learned a number of things, one of them being that these creatures were utterly insane. No one had believed in the likes of magic and sorcery for centuries, yet here they were. They attributed their anomalous powers to the same force that had supposedly graced wizards. Wizards that existed only in fairy tales no one over the age of four could find entertainment in. The notion of magic they constantly tossed around threatened to give him a headache after half a minute of listening. In the back of his mind, Sans knew he should be more open to the concept. After all, what better place to learn about the creatures and their powers than from the beings themselves? Nevertheless, he continued to reject the absurd idea.
Something about this was familiar.
He stared at the laptop without truly seeing it, hands frozen in their position above the keyboard. He'd been unable to find a trace of conspiracy. The fact only worsened the prickling in his chest, along with his sense of déjà vu. He considered trying to access this world's dark web, deciding to hold off at the request of his instincts. Something was coming. Something food related was meant to happen today, wasn't it?
A knock at the door made him jump.
Closing the laptop, he approached the door with a deep breath. The odd odor which permeated the air had grown familiar. He hardly noticed it as he warily peeked out at the Papyrus impersonation.
"Yeah?"
"OTHER SANS! LUNCH TIME APPROACHES!" It struck a dramatic pose. "ARE YOU READY?"
He blinked.
That stupid picnic it was goin' on about yesterday!
He shuddered at the thought of that pasta.
"Uh, no thanks. Think I'll jus' stay here an' uh, do anything other than that."
"NONSENSE," it proclaimed, halting the door with a foot. It pushed its way into the room. "YOU SPEND FAR TOO MUCH TIME BY YOURSELF. WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO IN HERE ALL DAY?"
"I-I uh…." Tiny pinpoints of light darted about in search of an excuse. They settled on the collection of books he'd organized. "Read…. Stuff."
"YOU LIKE SCIENCE-Y THINGS TOO? WOWIE! YOU TWO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON AFTER ALL!"
"Yeah, I been readin'-" he stepped over to the shelf and grabbed a book at random- "this one."
He opened the book to see a number of complex ideas that he had little grasp on. He stared at the pages, blinking at the symbols he knew almost nothing about.
"MY SANS THINKS HE'S A SCIENTIST. HE EVEN CALLED DIBS ON THE BASEMENT WHEN WE MOVED IN SO HE COULD HAVE HIS OWN LABORATORY." The creature brought a gloved hand to its chin, appearing to lose itself in thought. It seemed to speak mostly to itself, adding, "HE DOES DO LITTLE PROJECTS DOWN THERE, BUT I THINK HE MOSTLY USES THEM TO GET OUT OF CHORES."
A lab, you say? That could prove rather useful. Though, if the previous state of this bedroom was anything to go by, he knew not to expect much.
"NOW THEN! SHALL WE GO? WE MUST NOT BE LATE!"
"Okay."
He donned the expected jacket and joined the creature. During the drive, he found himself enthralled. Since when was the sky such a beautiful shade of blue? The city of this world wasn't as developed as the one he knew. Vibrant colors captured his attention in spite of it all, his breaths growing deeper as he observed the lovely green leaves and array of flowers. He'd only walked these streets prior, too distracted by passersby to notice the simple elegance of nature. When had he last enjoyed the majesty of a sunrise?
It seemed he should remember when last he witnessed the wonderful blend of fiery colors. It was…. Right, the Bermuda Triangle Incident! The lights in his eye sockets brightened victoriously at the memory. How could he forget such an adventure?
The lights dimmed once more. That event had taken place years ago. Had it really been so long?
"WE'RE HERE!"
He exited the car and shoved his hands into his pockets. He stood motionless for a time, feeling the faint warmth of the sun. He stared up at this world's home star, relishing its light. He'd taken life's simple pleasures for granted.
But something was wrong.
"HMM…. THERE THEY ARE!"
Following the creature's gaze, he saw the group of anomalies at a distant table. The goats waved, the Timetwist being appearing from behind the Toriel. The prickling pain returned in an instant. He trailed along behind the Papyrus, silently berating himself for lowering his guard. How could he be so careless? What had gotten into him? Could it be that this world they ruled was itself an anomaly, one that possessed a subtle form of mind control?
That was surely the cause for his musings. After all, the sun was just that, and flowers were nothing special. This world was filled to the brim with deadly beings; his precarious situation called for the utmost caution. He would not fall prey to enemy tricks!
His unseen stomach growled upon the scent reaching him. The Toriel impersonation, which claimed to hold no ill will at him for their encounter, had lifted a pie from their large basket. He stared at it through narrowed eye sockets. This was another trick; he knew it! Why else would a sudden hunger show up to vex him? That cinnamon smell held dark secrets he would not allow himself to fall victim to. He stood several feet from the group, analyzing their every action. His stomach growled yet again, louder this time. The one they called "Frisk" beckoned with a forced smile, one that he saw right through.
He noticed subtle details in the creature's expression. He struggled for air as he glared at its masked annoyance. It stared at him with some form of forbidden knowledge each time the others' backs were turned. Not enough air. The scent of pie was nauseating.
"OTHER SANS, COME AND JOIN US!"
"'m not hungry." He meant it this time.
"BUT YOU HAVEN'T EATEN SINCE BREAKFAST, AND YOU HARDLY ATE THEN!"
He shrugged, averting his gaze.
"Are we gonna eat? I'm STARVING!"
"Patience, Undyne. We have not even finished setting up the table."
He watched them in the corner of his vision. The Undyne disturbed the air with an overly-dramatic groan. Frisk feigned weakness, collapsing onto the grass and telling the others to "go on without her", much to Toriel's exasperation. Papyrus held his awful spaghetti high above his head and waited for applause, whilst Alphys and Asgore struggled to organize things with their limited space. A strong gust of wind sent a plastic cup flying, which the lizard frantically pursued.
"Frisk, my child, why not go and play for a few minutes while we figure this out? Perhaps a game of Hide and Seek with Undyne?"
They perked up at this. Undyne bolted for the playground, proclaiming that she was the best at the game.
"Okay! Sans!" Frisk ran towards him. He held his breath as she gripped his hand and practically dragged him along with her. "Come hide with me!"
He stumbled behind the anomalous creature, praying that it didn't intend to kill him.
Upon reaching the area, the "human" yelled for Undyne to count. She dragged him towards a tunnel slide whilst an overly-aggressive "FIVE" tore through the air.
Every fiber of his being demanded some form of action, some form of self defense. What could he do? The team that'd captured this anomaly in his world had only barely done so, and after countless failed attempts. How was one to face an enemy with powers over time itself? Training and experience could only go so far.
"C'mon," she commanded.
Reluctantly, he climbed in after her. She sat atop the slide, scooting backward so that he could find a stable position. He glared at Frisk, lower half still within the giant tube. The surface beneath him was painful to the skeleton's rib cage. That little bit of exercise hadn't helped his lack of oxygen.
"Where'd you go?"
"What?"
"You left last time. Where'd you go?"
There was something in that annoyed yet curious look that succeeded in ticking him off.
"Arright ya freak o' nature," he growled breathlessly. "I don't gotta clue wha'cher tryin t' pull, but ain't gonna work on me!"
"What-"
"This weird little thing ya got goin' on! This world that's too bright, too happy, too damn perfect! All y'all got th' power t' kill me, each other, an' whatever else an' yer not afraid t' use it! I done dealt with yer kind most o' my life an' I know yer plannin' somethin'!"
Reddish brown eyes blinked at him. "You're not making a whole lotta sense."
"Everything's a conspiracy! Everything's a cover up!" He began to pull himself from the slide, limbs flailing. "Ya think yer gonna take over my world an' it aint't gonna happen!"
The being backed up, and he climbed farther upwards. Fingers wrapped harshly around his ankle. His eye sockets went dark. A squeak escaped him that he was glad no one back home had witnessed. He could picture the "Undyne" with its shark-like teeth grinning as it pulled him down.
Frisk was beginning to think their two worlds weren't so alike after all.