A low growl rumbled in Flowey's throat as his eyes followed along the gun's trajectory from its barrel. Sans glanced over his shoulder.
"easy…" He then addressed their unexpected visitor, "we don't want any trouble! we've just had an accident. alright?"
The young man scoffed. "Just an accident, huh? You expect me to believe that, when you're in some experimental new fighter, and with a KID as a hostage no less!"
"Just say when, and I can drop him," Flowey muttered.
Frisk put an arm across Flowey's chest, keeping him back, hissing in return, "Don't be an idiot." Then he spoke up.
"Look, man, I think there's been a misunderstanding! This isn't really a fighter! And, I'm not their hostage. Look, whoever you think we are, I can guarantee that we're not."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Bet that's your cover story right? That's what you were all told to say? Oh, but I know why you're here. You're here to KILL me, right?! Finish me off?!"
"Th-They're telling...th-the truth!" Alphys squeaked, by now trying to cower away from the gun. He glanced down to her, allowing Frisk to get a few more words in.
"Listen to us! We're not here to kill you. We just got here, heck, we don't even know who you are! Let's just be calm, alright? The accident is true. We crash-landed here just a few minutes ago. Our friend there's hurt. We just need some help. If you won't help us, then fine. Can you at least point us in the direction of someone who will?"
By now, conflict sparked in the local's eyes. He glanced to the smoking Comet.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"The two monsters behind me are my friends! And both of them are very powerful. I've seen it firsthand. If they wanted to hurt you, they would have done it a long time ago."
A tense silence dragged on, as all five of them glanced among themselves, trying to determine who would make the next move. Frisk noticed one of Flowey's hands tightening, and he prepared to stop him again, but before Flowey could lash out, the man lowered his rifle.
"I know I'll regret this…" He slid down the side of the bank into the gulley, crouching by Alphys. Upon seeing the blood, he stood up.
"I got a cabin about a ten minute walk from here. I can help her there."
The other three dropped their arms, and Frisk quickly knelt beside Alphys, helping her stand back up. He nodded at the stranger as he slung the rifle over his shoulder. In reply, he tossed Frisk a bottle of water, nodding at Alphys.
"So. What can I call you folks? Think it's only fair I know the names of the people that tore up my backyard."
"frisk, alphys, asriel, and sans."
"Bullshit," the man shot back. "I've met Asriel. Trust me, if you were him, I'd know it when I saw it."
The prince grunted under his breath, "Oh boy, here we go."
Sans couldn't stop the exasperation from seeping into his voice. "look buddy, it's a long story."
"What about you?" Frisk asked with a little grunt as he helped push Alphys up out of the gulley before climbing out himself, while the stranger grabbed her uninjured arm to help her out.
"Name's Cole. C'mon, it's this way." He led the way into the trees The rest of the group followed, with Alphys leaning on Frisk's side as they trudged on. Frisk gazed around at the thick trees, and the sounds of little critters rustling in the undergrowth.
"Is it just you out here?"
"Closest town is over ten miles from here. I can help you out for the day, but then I'm going to ask you to move on."
Frisk said nothing. Soon, they reached a small dirt road. Just a few dozen feet up the road was a wooden cabin, with a lone extinguished lamp hanging from the porch. It almost looked like a cabin one would simply rent for a weekend instead of live in. Gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked up the steps to the porch. Cole opened the door, stepping aside to let them help Alphys inside, before calling out.
"Julia, you home?" He went further inside, leaving the group alone. It was warm in the cabin, the sort of warm you only feel when you're at home. Sunshine poured in through the windows, filling the cabin with natural light. The only electrical appliance Frisk could see at first glance was a small television in what he assumed was the living room.
Before he could dwell on it further, Cole reappeared with a young woman just behind him. Her eyes widened when she saw them.
"Oh!...You...didn't tell me they were…"
"Yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm doing it either." Cole huffed, nodding to Alphys. "This is Julia. She can help get you fixed up." Alphys nodded wearily as Julia approached cautiously. She took Alphys's uninjured arm, wrapping it over her shoulders, helping her limp down the hallway into one of the rooms. Cole jerked his head to what looked like the kitchen area, sitting down at a wooden dining table. The others awkwardly sat across from him.
"Will she be alright?" Asriel's eyes had returned to their more friendly white, looking like himself again.
"She's in good hands. Enough of that though. You've made a lot of noise by crashing into our backyard. I want to know why."
Frisk glanced awkwardly at the others. Asriel lowered his head, leaving Sans to do the talking.
"like i said, it's a long story... crazy one too."
"We have time."
Taking a deep breath, Sans began the tale. "we aren't from around here. quite literally. In fact we come from a different universe. see where we're from, we've started looking into...well, multi-dimensional travel. that thing we crashed in is our ship. to put it simply, this isn't the first world we've been in, it's actually the second. someone sabotaged our machine and caused us to jump accidentally. we're just trying to find our way back home. look, i know it sounds nuts...and i know you won't believe us...but that's the truth. So when i say that's asriel...it really is asriel. just, maybe not the one you know."
Cole leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "You know, I would say you're crazy..." The group waited in anticipation as he paused. "...but I think I have to give you the benefit of the doubt." Before he could continue, Julia walked back into the room, going to the sink. Frisk could see the blood on her hands as she washed it off. Asriel noticed it too.
"Is she going to be alright?"
Julia didn't turn around, instead answering the question with a question. "What happened to her?"
Cole looked back to Sans, who averted his eyes. Frisk glanced over at his friend, before opting to tell the truth.
"She was shot." Instantly their hosts tensed up.
"By what? That wound's unlike anything I've seen!" Julia exclaimed.
"plasma gun," Sans grunted, following Frisk's lead. "whoever sabotaged us came after us in their own machine. we were just about to leave when they attacked us. we just barely escaped with our lives. we've...bought ourselves some time here, but if they can track us to one world, they'd certainly be able to track us to another. that's why we need to leave as soon as we can."
"If you've brought trouble to my doorstep, then whoever's hunting you will be the least of your concerns."
Seeing the tension rising, Frisk tried to change the subject. "Alphys, how is she?" he persisted. Cole glanced to Julia, who sighed skeptically.
"It's bad. I've patched it up as best as I can, but infection seems to have set in quick. I'd guess that crash didn't help. We need to get her to a hospital."
Cole waved his hand dismissively. "No, too risky. Can't imagine that'd go down well, not to mention it'd bring every police agency in the country coming for us…"
Asriel growled. "That's my friend. Why can't we take her to emergency? She clearly needs it!"
"It's complicated," Julia shot back defensively.
"A while ago there was a huge war between humans and monsters. We lost. Three human countries fell as a result. Several years into the occupation, a resistance movement known as the Torin Republic rose up. I ended up joining them," Cole explained.
Frisk's eyes widened. "Wait, you're some sort of resistance fighter?"
"I was." Cole's eyes darkened. "Couple years into the fighting, we had this plan to kidnap the prince. Asriel. It went off without a hitch! But...it soon started to deteriorate."
"What happened?" Now Asriel was curious.
"She did." He glanced to Julia. "Julia's my sister. They arrested her on false charges, threatened to send her to a special institution under a mountain for political prisoners. It's a death sentence. They said they'd release her if I broke out the prince...so I did. I fled the country with her after that. Just a few months later, the movement was crushed. Now, though, the king's started turning his sights elsewhere. War's just on the corner. All the borders have been closed, too. So if we suddenly turn up at a hospital with a monster who's been shot by some sort of technology we don't have yet…"
"it'll light the fire," Sans finished the statement. Cole nodded grimly.
"Look, we can't get your friend the help she needs here. But...we can help you find your way home."
Frisk started to get excited. "You know about multiverse travel?!"
"I don't." Cole leaned forward. "But I know people who do. Look, shortly after the Republic fell, some of the survivors started reaching out to each other, forming our own little network to keep tabs on each other. Now two of these contacts of mine claimed that they had vast knowledge about the multiverse, even got here via that type of travel! I completely dismissed them as crazy...well, until you showed up that is."
Even Sans was starting to cheer up now. "sounds great! when can we meet them?"
Cole looked to the table. "That's...the tricky part. They're still living in one of the monster occupied cities, Kester, in the occupied country Chodoria. To get there, we'd have to smuggle you across the border. Now, the trouble isn't really getting you in...it's getting you back out. The monsters have locked down everything tight. So it'll be tricky. Now, once we're inside, Sans, Asriel, you two shouldn't have to worry. It's more Frisk and I we'd have to worry about…"
"Can it be done?" Frisk asked hopefully. Cole twiddled his thumbs.
"It won't be easy...but I think so, yes. Let me reach out to some of my other contacts, see what we can do."
Julia piped up again. "I'll stay here with Alphys, help her out any way I can."
Sans nodded approvingly. "sounds like a plan. i just hope we can get back home in time."