"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Past speech"

"other"


A bipedal form walks around the corner of a darkened hallway. Very few details can be made out other then the large red eye with a purple ethereal glow where its pupil would be, and with many smaller eyes surrounding it. The creature stops for a second to observe its surrounding.

Unlike some of the dead humans that surround it, the darkness does not hinder it's vision. Years of evolution and genetic manipulation by its master has made sure of that. So navigating through the maze of the dead is no problem for it. Had the creature not of had its binds, both mental and physical, it might have taken pity on those that it currently walk over.

But atlas, the bonds are there.

The creature stops as a noise echoed through the hall. The tell tale sound of one of the human's large mechanical doors opening following close behind it. The sound was comparable to one of the bugs used by it larger comrades as a weapons, but very brief and with a more electronic tone to it. The situation is all too familiar to the bipedal creature realizes.

A human is here.

The humans have to rely on technology to see through the dark, that it understands from what the creature has seen. Without it, they are completely helpless. This particular creature has used this to its advantage multiple times throughout the invasion, killing a good number of unsuspecting humans. While most were unarmed, a few did possess some type of handgun. But alas, it did them no good without any illumination.

The sound of boots hitting the metal floor gets ever closer and closer. Any second the human will round the corner of the hallway. As predicted a human did come around it not but a few seconds later.

The creature brings up its three clawed hands as strange foreign energies start to gather in front of it, the power increasing every nanosecond as it wills the power of the energy to be flung forward towards the human at incredible speeds.

"DIE."

A bolt of what can only described as lighting is flung forward towards the unsuspecting human. However, in the time the creature has charged up it shot, the human has already moved and has brought up a large pistol aimed directly for the creature's head. The bolt pass by harmlessly until it hits a wall, leaving a scorch mark where it impacted.

It was at this moment the creature realized its mistake. Unlike the other humans the creature has been killing for a while now, this one wears a thin vest over loose fitting clothes, with a vast assortment of weapons attached to its back and hip. Its face, is covered by some type of mask that has two lenses that glow an ominous green.

It a human soldier.

The creature hasn't fought any of the main human forces that arrived shortly after the invasion started. It was simply to deep in the human facility to have come in contact with any of them. So it has no real experience fighting them. Another problem is that the human is facing its direction with a large pistol aimed right at it. Now it has a decision to make. Either it can try to conjurer up another shot at the human and risk being killed by a hail of gunfire that is sure to come its way, or it can try to move out of the way and hope the human is too panicked to correct its aim.

It makes its decisions in an instant.

A shot rang out, briefly illuminating the hallway.

As the now headless alien dropped to the floor, Adrian can only wonder how such a creature can conjurer up such energies in its hands. Or is it claws? He's not really sure. It doesn't matter anyways, its dead. Just like all the innocents it slaughtered, and judging by the large amount of bodies everywhere, it was a lot of innocents who were killed.

Heading further down the body ridden hallway finally brings him to what he was looking for the past hour.

A door leading outside.

He's been crawling through Black Mesa for awhile now fighting off aliens from trying to get a shot at either him or others in the facility. But even after killing so many, it's been barely put a dent in the bastards numbers. So unless he regroup with the rest of the HECU element left behind during evacuations, he won't be doing much to help clearing the place out, or even evacuating survivors.

Holstering his standard issue Desert Eagle, the lone marine brings out a M4 and ever so slightly opens the door to the outside. The door leads outside onto a catwalk that gave him an excellent view of some of Black Mesa and the marine elements left behind. Now he didn't know what he was expecting when he meets up with those left behind, but this surely wasn't it.

It a literal war outside. No, a fight for survival would be more accurate. All over, groups of marines are facing off against legions of aliens. Alien stingray fly through the air, firing large beams of yellow energy from their stomachs against both entrenched and armored units. Creatures similar to the one in the hallway lob green arches of energy at barricades. Marines try to fire off shots from behind cover, only to have swarms of bugs fired back in retaliation from the much larger and bulkier X-rays.

There's no front line, no tactics, just soldiers holding out in fortified positions as the rest of their unit head as far away from the war zone as they can, leaving them to fend for themselves. To make matters even worse, most of them are separated, giving the aliens the chance to go through and wipe them out one group at a time, and with most of them backed into a corner, it will stay that way. Meaning their all be dead before the hour.

Thats if he doesn't do anything about it.

With a plan already in mind. The soldier checks to see if he still has any 40mm in his under slung grenade launcher for his M4. Seeing that he still has two left, along with a few fragmentation grenades, the marine aims at a group of zombies coming particular close to a a barricade that his fellow marines set up. Not a second later, most of the group is in pieces, with many of their limbs flying through the air and causing some of the more intelligent aliens to look up at his position.

'This isn't going to be pretty.'


The walk through the Exit was quiet. Too quiet for Adrian's taste. Back at Black Mesa, there was never a moment when there wasn't the sound of machinery, alarms, aliens, or even the very structure falling apart around him. Here there's nothing but the sound of his own footsteps.

Luckily, the walk wasn't that long. After passing a batch of grass - he swore that the flower from before was going to pop out of it, but it didn't - the two finally made it to the doorway that would lead them to the proper Underground. The doorway was completely similar to the one they came from. Were it not for the fact they've been heading in a straight line the whole time, he would have thought they somehow went in a circle. Taking a hand off his M4 and onto the door, he pushes ever so slightly, meeting very little resistance despite its apparent size.

Snowfall makes its way from the other side of the door and onto Adrian. Now with the door finally opened, he can finally see what's on the other side. Thick forest surrounds him on both sides, completely obscuring his view from both of his flanks. A path runs from the doorway further down, splitting the forest in two. However there something else.

He's being watched.

Or at least, he feels like he is being watched. Its a certain trait that he's developed during his time in the Marines that saved him plenty of times. Weather it be from Black Ops Assassins, alien crabs, or snipers. Looking around once again, Adrian notices a suspiciously large bush to his right. Looking over to Chara doesn't help. She's been very quiet since they left Toriel. Something he should talk about when their alone and not being watched, or rather he is.

Slowly raising up his rifle, the marine slowly advances to the bush. Then with a sudden burst of speed, he moves the leaves to reveal a…

A camera.

Lowering his rifle, Adrian leaves the camera alone and turns back to the path, reasoning that destroying it wouldn't do much in the long run. He's been spotted, and he now knows why he felt on edge.

So why does he still have that nagging feeling that he's being watched?

Heading down the path doesn't ease that feeling, even though he knows that there aren't any cameras around him, he made sure of that.

*SNAP*

He turns around, gun drawn for the pontential stalker. To his surprise, he doesn't find anything other than a broken branch on the ground, showing that someone, or something was indeed there. Again he turns to Chara but she only stares back at him, not giving him a clue on whatever is going on. So again, he continues forward until he finds himself in front of a small drop and a wooden bridge that connects both sides together. That feeling of being watched still present.

Checking behind him and all around him doesn't reveal the stalker, and the only way forward is over the bridge. So cautiously, he steps on the bridge and walks across, Chara close behind. It's only after they walk across it does that nagging feeling leaves him behind.

The sound of something moving fast through the air assaults his hearing.

Instincts kick in, and the lone marine rolls out of the way of the object thrown at him. Getting back up, he can see a very large bone embedded in the spot he was just in. Bringing up his rifle once again, he searches the treeline for anything that might have thrown it at him to, once again, find nothing. It's around this time that Chara speaks up.

"Well that's new."

It was barely a whisper, probably something that she didn't mean to say out loud. And what's new Adrian wondered. The fact he almost got impaled by a bone, or that he was able to dodge in time. Did she throw it? He doesn't think so. It was going way to fast for her to have simply flung it at him. Unless she holding back some magical abilities she hasn't told him about. But again, she seems more surprised about the fact that the bone is here, and not that he survived it.

A pair of footsteps impacting against the snow comes from behind him. He turns again, expecting to find nothing, but instead, he finds his stalker.


The Dump, as it's simply called by the rest of the Underground, is where the entirety of the Underground disposes its waste. Since human trash already fell in from an above ground stream that made its way into the Dump, it was naturally the most logical choice for one. However with overpopulation becoming more and more of a problem for the residents of the Underground, many have debated whether they should try to clear the space to make way for more homes for monsters. However others have argued that human trash would still fall in, making such a move unsuccessful in the end.

Of course that what the general populace knows. In reality, not a single piece of human trash has fallen in the Dump for over 20 years.

Why it was decided that this fact would be hidden from the rest of the Underground, RG 02 doesn't know, nor does he care. All he cares about is making sure he and his bro can find out what's been making all of that ruckus as of lately.

"Yo Papyrus, can you like, make sure no one follows us in, like okay dude?"

"ROGER DODGER MR ROYAL GUARD. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE SURE NO ONE FOLLOWS YOU INTO THE DUMP."

"Like, thanks dude. Are you ready bro."

RG 02 simply nodes.

The Dump does live up to its name. Trash, both human and Monster, piled high as they can be seen all around them. From discarded cups, broken TV's, to the more unsavory items from both the Underground and surface. Rats, one of the few non monsters found in the Underground, along with many other subterranean creatures wander through the mountains of trash, rummaging through whatever they can pick up and eat.

"So bro, like, what do you think we'll find down here?"

RG 02 doesn't speak for a second, thinking on what could be down here. It's unlikely that it's a human, they would have made their way out by know. Same goes for Monsters. While there have been Monsters that have gone through the dump before, they've never caused such a ruckus. Meaning the only option left is that it's some animal. Animals finding themselves trapped in the underground isn't new, so it makes sense it could just be a one of them, however those that have fallen down before hand haven't caused suck a ruckus, nor any have they caused distress among monsters. it could be a pretty large animal however. A deer? Maybe even a wolf. Would explain some of the odd sounds.

"I'm not sure. But I'm thinking it's just some animal that got caught up in the stream on the surface." He shakes his head. "Nothing else would make sense, less its a Monster pulling a prank on all of us."

"Like, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this."

RG 02 nods.

The two continue down through the Dump, pushing pass all of the discarded trash and water in there way. This doesn't effect the two in the slightest. The thick knightly armor they wear make pushing pass it trivial. Another minute goes pass of them searching and nothing but the sound of rushing water can be heard from all around them.

It's not until ten minutes past they find something. A broken up dummy, with many smaller dummies scattered around. That itself isn't that concerning.

The dust floating next to the dummy however, is.

"Bro."

RG 02 gets down on his knees to and examines both the dummy and the dust. It's not long before he speaks.

"It's a Monster. A ghost Monster if I had to guess. Seems like it was slashed to pieces as it was inhabiting the dummy. It fought back, but…" No words had to be spoken to convey what happened.

"Bro… We like, have to report this to Undyne."

The sound of water splashing all over the place interrupt them. RG 02 quickly gets up and unholsters his sword. RG 01 follow suit almost immediately. The two get together, back to back.

"Whoever there! Stop!"

A piece of trash fall over into the water. A crash is heard nearby, and rats scurry away further into the piles of trash. The two Royal Guard don't let this deter them however. They've been practicing together for years against the best fighter the Underground has ever seen. Not only that, but their teamwork is superb. Alone, they might be a force to be reckoned with, but together they're unstoppable.

The mountain of trash next to them explodes outwards as a shape speeds on through it. Debris splatters harmlessly against their armor. However the shape has already descended upon them. RG 02 is thrown into his comrade, and both tumble into the murky water.

The two quickly get up and face off against their new foe. Trash falling into the water can be heard from every which way. The two look towards each other.

"We're going to have to like, fight bro."

RG 02 nods.

"We can so do this bro. This thing won't know what hit em."

RG 02 nods once again. "Yeah. You ready?"

RG 01 nods his head. "Yeah bro."

The noise gets louder. The shape that ambushed them burst through another mountain of trash.

"Like, perish and stuff!"

And the two charged.


A short skeleton with a heavy blue jacket, shorts, and a pair of pink slippers stands in front of Adrain Shephard smiling. How a skeleton can smile, Adrian doesn't known. Quickly seeing the rifle pointed its way, the monster brings up both of its boney hands to defuse the situation.

"Woah there mister. Is that how you greet a new friend?"

Chara puts her hand on the barrel of Adrian's M4, and slowly pushes it down.

"Hey, Adrian, just play it cool. Remember what you promised Toriel?"

Looking into her eyes, Adrian can see the desperation in them, so slowly, he lowers his rife. Looking back at the skeleton shows that the monster has put its hands down, and was now sporting a larger more genuine smiling at him.

"See, no one needs to fight. Anyways, I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. So what's your name friend?"

Adrian hesitates to answer for a second, but seeing the look in Chara eyes shows that it likely he should at least be a little friendly towards the monster. Even if Shephard suspects that he was the one who threw the bone. So forgoing his earlier suspicion and paranoia, Adrian responds.

"I'm Adrian. HECU, US Marine Corp."

"A soldier huh? Do you greet everyone by pointing a gun at them?"

Adrian doesn't respond.

The mood suddenly changes. Tension rises. The orbs of light within the skeleton eye sockets are gone, leaving them empty and devoid of any sort of illumination. The smile that always been on its face is also absent. And in its place is a frown.

"Because it sure seems like it."

Chara freezes as she hears this.

'No no no NO. God dammit Sans, even when I'm trying to save people you won't ever let things go my way'

Adrian, not liking where this is going, tenses up and points his M4 in the skeleton's general direction. Already he can feel Sparky and Spitball shaking his backpack ever so slightly.

"So, LV 26 huh? How many people did you have to kill to get so high Adrian. 50? 100? 1000?" He pauses.

Adrian tenses even more, but he keeps his anger in check. No point in taking the bait. He'll just let him talk, then when he gets the chance, he'll explain himself. If that doesn't work then he'll try to outrun him. And if that doesn't work…

"I only ask that you avoid killing the other Monsters."

He wouldn't have a choice then, would he?

Sans continues to speak. "I'm afraid I can't let you continue on Adrian. You're too much of a risk. To Snowdin, to the Underground." The skeleton raises his hand, and the sound of a bone whizzing through the air can be heard coming from behind Adrian. Thinking quickly, he rolls out of the way and narrowly avoids the speeding bone that threatened to impale him. However as he gets back up and aim at the skeleton, he notices yet another bone flying straight for his chest. Unlike last time, he doesn't have enough time to dodge nor does have his rifle fully trained on Sans. So the bone ends up going straight towards his chest.

Now normally, the bone would have impaled him and left Adrian bleeding out where he stands. However, in this instance his armor ends up saving him once again certain death.

The Powered Combat Vest, or PCV for short, is one of the greatest inventions in modern times in Adrian's opinion. While some would say he biased due to the fact it saved him multiple times through Black Mesa, Adrian would point out the many groundbreaking features in the PCV that are not seen in many other armor systems in the world. First, the vest is able to repair itself using a brand new type of carbon nano tubing and nanobots that are able to repair most damages to the vest itself. However the more groundbreaking feature is the shield.

Based off the same shield used by the HEV suit found in Black Mesa, the shield is able to absorb most of the force of any outside substance, weather it be radiation, plasma, or kinetic energy. Some of the force still get through, meaning it's more of any extra piece of body armor without the added weight. However the more force taken by the shield, the more energy is used by the PCV to power it. The same goes for the self repairing feature of the PCV. More damage to the vest, more excess energy is taken from the vest itself. If there is no energy left in the suit, the PCV is left without the shield and auto repair function. Of course, this doesn't make it worthless without energy. The vest can still take on the full force of a 50. Cal under the right circumstances. All functions will automatically restart once power is reintroduced to the vest.

So with all of these factors combined, along with the fact that he was hit in his chest -the point were the shield is the most powerful - the bone merely bounced off his protect shield, causing large blue sparks to fly off from the point of impact. It still knocked the wind out of him, and he had to take a step back so he wouldn't fall flat on his ass but he was alive.

"I will however give you one chance to prove that you aren't a bad guy. And when I say one chance, I mean it. You kill even a single monster…" His right eye socket burst into a blue flame. "You will face judgement."

And before he could even raise his weapon, he was gone.

'Teleportation'

"That never happened before…"

Looking over to Chara shows her in a state of shock. While it is not that obvious at first, Adrian didn't survive a month in a nation in civil war, nor an alien invasion by being unobservant.

"Chara." Adrian asks slowly. "What the hell just happened?"

She looks over to him, and he can tell that she's currently arguing with herself whether or not to tell him something. After a few seconds, she seems to have come to a decision if the look on her face is anything to go by.

"Adrian…" Her voice, once always so calm now have a slight shake to it. It's not that noticeable at first, but it's there. She good at hiding her emotions Adrian will admit.

'What the hell is going on here?'

"When we get to Snowdin, there's something I need to tell you. I've been hiding something from you."

"Chara… What's going on?"

She hesitates. "Please, Adrian, I can't tell you here, not out in the open. I don't feel comfortable here."

"I thought-"

"I don't feel comfortable here Adrian. I know no one should be able to hear me but…"

A gloved hand makes it way onto her shoulder.

"Chara, it's fine. I need you to calm down and focus. We don't have to discuss anything here, but please, tell me what did Sans mean by LV 26, and how the hell he knows about how many people I've killed. Please."

She breaths. How she does that without lung, again, Adrian doesn't know.

"Come on. Let's get out of here. The sooner we get to Snowdin, the better." She quickly walks away from him, preventing Adrian from seeing her reddening face. He quickly catches up and fall in line behind her.

After walking by some type of watchpost with a lamp next to it, the pair make it to a crossroads. To his right the path leads to a river and a sign is posted above the path in front of him.

Snowdin

However before he can move on, Adrain see a box below the sign. Walking up to the large box Chara speaks up.

"This box carries your stuff. It saves what ever you put in it. The box will also appear in a few other places as well, with everything you put in it."

A certain box from a video game that Towers always made everyone play at base comes to Adrian's mind.

'Before Black Mesa.'

Shaking his head, Adrian opens up the box. His eyes widen as he view the contents in the box.

"Holy shit."


Don't worry guys. Chara isn't going to be some type of helpless character, nor will Adrian be OP. Anyways. This chapter was actually pretty fun to write. I would jot down more but I promised I stopped myself here. Gotta get that cliffhanger am I write? What do you guys think it is? Could be anything.

Sans and Adrian have meet, and it didn't go well. Apparently being LV 26 is a very unpopular to the short skeleton. Also, What's in the Dump. Who knows. Anyways. Bye Bye.