time for a good old fashioned reverse-kidnapping chapter 35

Arrow Valley was named not for any topographical features of the mountain it sat under, nor for the sharp bend of the river running alongside it, but instead for some ancient puzzle plates the founding humans discovered on a mysterious rock chamber, left by a monster long since vanished. The puzzle, solved for the first time after two hundred years, lead to a door, which lead to another door, which in turn opened into a cellar of pickles, much to the disappointment of literally everyone. Aside from that, the little town had just as little to boast of in their history.

.

There were two main areas: continuing along the highway would lead them straight through a sparse, quaint main street, while veering to north would take them through a grungier area of stores and fast food joints. Scattered houses were all over, but the main bulk of housing was in the south, and there was an underworked old mining factory in the west, all nestled in the shadow of that big mountain.

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Sans could find nothing else of interest in his research, and the human internet-searching Bloodhound returned with only a shrug of her ears when asked for anything more than that and a map. Not many people would have a reason to go there, making it what must have seemed to be a suitable choice for some unscrupulous people to vanish to along with a child that wasn't theirs.

.

Such a long time in the car didn't bother Sans one bit— he could sleep upside down on jutting rocks and still be comfortable— but he could tell Undyne was getting antsier by the minute. Calling Mettaton a chatterbox was an understatement and she was squished in right beside him. He passed her the book from his bag and she gladly took it to distract herself.

.

The mountain was looming closer and the shapes of buildings were cropping up as well. Despite the road getting bumpier as they went, Papyrus had all but finished Mettaton's human-like makeup. A special cream normally used for hiding scars had given the faint illusion of texture underneath, and his chrome casing was now the same tone as June's normal human skin. Papyrus was very specific on the details, though, and after studying some photos from the human internet, had dusted on some small extra bits of variation to make him seem more realistic. And, following a special request, the deft-fingered skeleton also did a very serviceable job of painting on purple eyeshadow for him. There were still a few grooves that were slightly visible, but overall, as long as someone wasn't only an inch away from his face, he looked a lot like a human instead of a human-shaped metal robot. Luckily, they only had to cover his head and part of his neck. They had used more makeup at once than June had used in a year.

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Mettaton gleefully admired himself in a mirror that was shaped like his old, box-like form and grinned. "Stunning!" he said brightly. "What do you think, Junebug, do I look good?!"

"I'll let you know when we stop," she said.

"Is that soon?" Undyne asked swiftly.

June checked her map. "Mhm."

The big monster blew out a sigh of relief and slumped, burying herself in her outdated encyclopedic tome once more.

.

After a while, they pulled off the main road at a bright yellow chip wagon that was closed down for the season and parked off to the side on a bunch of chunky gravel. June got out of the car and, after a cursory look around, she beckoned to the others. Undyne put on her helmet instantly and hopped out, stretching her arms in the air.

"Aaaaaah, wow, I don't think I like cars," she said.

"Sorry," June said, hiding a laugh. "Maybe if you found something bigger. Or. Without a roof."

"I would like a car with no roof," Papyrus said brightly, covering his face. "Is this where your friend is?"

"He'll be here soon. Hopefully." The woman went to the back of the car and Mettaton popped out with a big, flashy smile. She froze, blinked, and then looked him up and down. "Oh wow." She looked at Papyrus. "You did this?"

"Yes," he said.

"With… no fingerpads?" she asked, grabbing Mettaton by the shoulders and leaning close to look at him.

"Yes!" Papyrus said proudly. "I think it looks pretty good!"

"It does!" She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and blotted a little bit of extra, damp foundation from around the robot's hairline. "Your eyes are pretty bright, but you look sort of like you're doing a cyberpunk aesthetic that the kids like, so I think that'd be okay."

"Oooh ho ho ho, I'd fit in with the modern kids?!" Mettaton looked absolutely elated. "Hear that, you ruffians? I'm about to to pass completely incognito!"

"Maybe just keep your voice down a little," June suggested.

"You sound like you're talkin' through a tin can," Sans teased.

"Oh, shush, I do not," he said dismissively. He perked up and looked around curiously, cupping a hand against the side of his head. "Do you hear that?"

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The monsters went quiet. Footsteps on gravel. There was a pale, bald man in a weathered blue windbreaker trudging towards them up the shoulder of the road, coming from the direction of town. His brow was furrowed, his eyes were sunken and grey, and his beard was scruffy. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. The sky was forming heavy, dim clouds behind him around the mountain, as if carrying his mood with them. June perked up.

"That's him," she said.

.

Papyrus instantly bounded towards him, sticking up a hand to wave. "Hello, human! We've been waiting for you! Come join us!"

"Paps, you can't just greet every human as human," Undyne said.

"What?! Oh! Sorry! I mean, I guess maybe humans don't say hello to each other by acknowledging their human-ness. Do they?" Papyrus asked bashfully. "Sorry! But! Hello!"

The man, Boyd, looked at the skeleton with wide eyes and he cracked a tired, bemused smile. "Uh. Nah. Not really." He noticed June and picked up the pace. "Thanks for comin'."

She greeted him with a quick, warm hug. "It's good to see you. Thing've been… crazy."

"Sounds like it. Uh…" He looked Undyne up and down. "Sheesh, you guys aren't takin' any risks, are ya?"

"Could you tell I was a skeleton right away?" Papyrus asked.

"Wait, you're a what?"

"Success!" He grinned, though it wouldn't be known behind his oni skeleton mask. "I am the great Papyrus, by the way! In case we haven't met."

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Boyd rubbed his face with his hands. "Okay. So. Uh. Just get into it then?"

"Might as well, darling, we're all ears," Mettaton said.

The man froze for a second. His gaze bounced between all four monsters but it was clear he still wasn't sure what he was looking at. "You're a…?" He shook his head. "Okay. Uh. She was tailing me. I left the car back in the parking lot of a BigBear's."

"So she's onto you. She know you're onto her?" Sans asked.

"Uh. No, I don't think so," he said.

"So, we figure, you act as bait, we find your kid," he said.

"No, I should be there, I should—"

"Boyd, if she thinks you know, there's nothing stopping her from grabbing Ellie and driving right out of town with her," June said. "She's clearly already suspicious. These guys… No people in the world will recognize them."

"And Sans is real good with kids," Undyne said, jerking her thumb at the short skeleton.

"It's because he's short and non-threatening," Papyrus said, nodding.

"Did we meet?" the man asked, puzzled.

"We were at the King's place," Sans said, pointing between himself and the fish monster, "when you came to talk to my kid sister. The, uh, psychic kid."

"So it's the psychic kid that's missin'?!" His eyes went wide and he put his hands up. "I swear, we didn't—"

"We know," Undyne said.

.

"Do you have any idea where to start looking for Ellie?" June asked.

"Suburbs. Apartments. I'm not sure." Boyd's brows furrowed and he clenched his teeth. "I just… I don't know, the only reason I found my mother-in-law here was 'cause her old neighbour was a blabbermouth when I asked about it."

"Guess she's goin' by a pseudonym if she didn't wanna be found." Sans rubbed his chin. He handed the man his phone. "Put in any names you can think of. Relatives, pets, whatever she might hide under."

"Uh. Right. Okay." He raised his brows. "You guys don't mess around, huh? I mean, uh, don't get me wrong. 'Preciate it."

.

"What d'ya think, Cap, got any other ideas?" Sans asked. "You've run an investigation or two, right?"

She folded her arms and tilted her head. "Well. Usually we do a canvas of an area. Go door to door. We can't exactly do that since we can't show our faces." She looked at June. "Maybe you could, though. You, uh, had a pic of the kid, right?"

"Not anymore."

"I got some print-outs," Boyd said, digging into his pockets.

"So. Use the, uh, human version of UnderNet or whatever to see if we can narrow down neighbourhoods. Then we start knocking on doors."

"But we don't want to scare them off," June said quickly. "If the grandmother isn't alone— and she might not be, her aunt—"

"Wait a second," Papyrus interjected. "This is all still bizarre to me. Why did this even happen?"

.

"My wife, uh…" Boyd's pale face flushed ruddy. "She, uh… didn't have a good relationship with her family. We didn't talk to them at all. They'd hardly even met Ellie. I made the mistake of letting them know when my wife had… y'know, passed? All this time, I thought Ellie'd run away and something awful'd happened to her, but that psychic kid, she thought she saw my mother-in-law in a place she never shouldda been in my memories." He shrugged weakly and handed a folded paper over to June. "That neighbour I mentioned said she caught sight of a young kid once or twice. So. I think we gotta be on the right track. Right?"

Mettaton tutted softly. Papyrus raised his hands to his face. He nodded quickly.

"Y-Yes, I sure hope so." His voice cracked. "Okay! OKAY!" He puffed himself back up and put his hand on the human's shoulder. "Not to worry, human! We've got this covered! And we will definitely find your daughter! Promise!"

"Also, don't forget I'm a supercomputer, darlings!" Mettaton said with a wink. "And I have a couple extra nifty tricks up my sleeves."

.

"Just gotta warn you," Sans said, looking to the man. "This whole thing… There's… time magic goin' whacky, alright? Not to say this doesn't matter, but whatever we do, it's gonna get reversed soon."

"Wait, wh…?! What?! You can't be serious," Boyd said. He looked at June, hoping for reassurance, but she nodded stiffly.

"Time already changed for me," she said. "You don't seem to be effected too much, and I'm happy for that, but… There's definitely something going on."

"This isn't possible," he muttered. "What does that even mean?!"

"Whatever it means, we're definitely going to help you," Papyrus assured him. "Even if we have to help you several times!"

"Just, uh, if you wake up and it's a few days back, don't panic," Sans said.

.

Though the man's face said he didn't understand, June held his shoulder and nodded at him.

"It's going to be okay."

Sans raised his brows. "So we divide our time. Someone goin' with this guy?"

"Moi!" Mettaton announced as he grabbed onto Boyd's arm with a grin. "I look enough like a human, yes? Nobody'll give me a second look!"

"People'll definitely give you a second look," Undyne said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment!" he said. "What about Papyrus: darling, will you come with us?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind," he said. "I can also heal humans, I think, so wherever you think I should go, I will go!"

"Then you go wherever my daughter might be," Boyd said quickly.

"Yes, okay, that makes the most sense," Papyrus said. "Mettaton, you'll be okay, right? You can call us? "

"Absolutely! Alright!" Mettaton grinned and he pulled on the man's arm. "We'll get started!"

"Wait, uh—!" Boyd looked baffled, especially as the robot gleefully began to lead him back the way he'd come.

"It's okay," June assured him. "Don't worry!"

"Don't you dare do anything stupid," Undyne said.

"Me?! Perish the thought!" Mettaton assured her. "You fiends focus on finding the child!"

.

Undyne folded her arms apprehensively. "Shit. Okay. So, start with searching the names?"

Sans pulled out his phone. "Yup."

"We could do two things at once, couldn't we?!" Papyrus asked. "There's a place many people live, right? Or a place where a small human child might go? A… school or a puzzle zone or something? Maybe we can search there at the same time."

June ran her fingers through her hair. "God, I hope this works." She headed back for her car. "Ah, I should have offered them a ride!"

"Chance of bein' spotted and bein' associated, though," Sans said.

"Ugh, you're right." She beckoned to the monsters. "Come on, we should get to work." She hurried into the front seat. "And we should find somewhere else to park before someone calls the police."

.

As Sans started scouring the internet and local directories for anything potentially useful, Mettaton gleefully trotted down the gravelly shoulder of the road, eyes up and skimming everything with interest. The sky was growing gloomier, and the brightest thing for miles looked to be his bright pink boots.

"Jeez, you sure walk fast in heels," the human man grunted.

"Oh ho! Yes, I do, I'm built for them, after all. Literally," Mettaton said, flashing a grin.

"I don't, uh… So, wait, what are you?" Boyd asked.

"A robot, darling! Can't you tell?"

"Not… really. Uh. There's somethin' in the face that's not quite…"

"What?! My face?!" he yelped. "What is it?! Is it the nose? The cheeks?! It better not be the eyelashes, my dear, because I'm quite fond of those!"

"I, uh, can't quite place it," Boyd admitted. "Look, it's fine, I mean… You look human enough."

"I am also built for that," he said with a wink. "Personal preference. Not anything nefarious, I assure you."

"Right." Boyd sighed. "You don't have to hold my arm, y'know."

"I know! But! I'm here to protect you!" Mettaton said.

"Protect… me?" He laughed tiredly. "Don't worry about that."

.

A grumble of distant thunder drew their attention. Boyd finally detached himself from the monster and rummaged in his coat pocket. He pulled out a small cylinder that was half plastic and half fabric.

"Here," he said, handing it over.

"What is it?" Mettaton asked.

Boyd pointed upwards. "Looks like it's gonna rain."

The robot blinked. "Rain? As in Singing in the Rain, rain?"

"…Wh…? Oh, right, you're from a mountain, uh… Yeah, guess so?" he said. "That's insanely old, mate, how'd you even…?" He shook his head and pointed to the object. "It's an umbrella."

"Oh! I definitely know about those!" Mettaton said. He pressed a button on the side and the top popped up into a small, black umbrella. He put it over his shoulder. "Thank you!"

Boyd nodded. "So, uh… Don't suppose you know more about what's going on than I do, huh?"

"Maybe only a little. Most of what they were saying was nonsense to me," he said. "But! I have known them— especially the short one— for a long time. So I trust what they're doing is serious. And if there are tiny kids involved who need help, wellll, most of us are sort of saps for that. Plus, it makes for a great story, doesn't it? I think I could get at least two hour-long specials' worth of content out of this."

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"This is a lot," Boyd said, rubbing the back of his bald head. "God, I hope she's… here. And not with her aunt or someone else."

"You said you got this info from a psychic child?" Mettaton winced at the sound of rain hitting the umbrella, and he scooted a little closer to the human to share it.

"The kid in the mountain," he said. "She could… look into my memories, I guess. Saw some stuff I didn't even realize I saw."

"Oh? And why did you come to our mountain, exactly?"

"I, uh… Used to be military. Work in security now. Small town stuff mostly. June— we been friends for a long time— got me a placement with her agency when she got made Ambassador, because she saw this kid there who kinda looked like Ellie in the pictures. Wasn't her at all, but… The kid really did me a solid, even though I accidentally scared the hell outta her," he said.

"Uh-huuhhh…" Mettaton nodded, pretending to understand. As more rain began to fall, he hoped his legs wouldn't short circuit on him or, worse, that his boots wouldn't get caked with grime. "Well! I wouldn't worry too much."

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As they turned off the main road to a slightly smaller side one, Mettaton delved internally and called Sans with his built-in phone.

"Miss us already?" the skeleton joked as he picked up.

"Hah-hah, " Mettaton answered inside his casing, projecting his voice straight into the device. "I just thought I should keep the line open. You know. In case. Any luck?"

"Not yet. I'm tryin' variations of these names," he said. "We're, uh, just gonna head straight towards the burbs so we don't waste time. Gonna hang up."

"Nooo no no no, just keep me on with you in case!" Mettaton said.

"Gee, you nervous? You sound nervous."

He pouted outwardly. "I just think. It would be prudent. To at least have the option."

Papyrus said something in the background. Sans sighed.

"Alright. Puttin' it on mute, though, so you don't gotta hear us yammerin' unless it's important."

"Thank yooouuu!"

.

The road was getting slick with water, and cars passing by kicked up mucky splashes. The road they were on was sparse in terms of buildings, but far up ahead there was a large area clear of all vegetation and full-up with vehicles of all shapes and colours. Boyd lead the way there and to an old, beat-up looking grey four-seater with the symbol of a bird in a metal emblem on the back. The two didn't match at all. The whole, large yard of cars was in front of a massive store: a building with a completely rectangular, uninteresting profile, but half of it was painted green and it had a big, round, cute bear mascot on it as well.

.

As Boyd made to get into his car, though, Mettaton stood on his toes and looked around. There were a lot of humans. None paid them much mind, except a lady who checked out his boots and smiled approvingly to herself. He reflexively shot her a wink and she giggled as she went on to the building.

"Hey, get in here, will ya?" Boyd called.

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Mettaton hurriedly complied, shaking off the umbrella and hopping into the passenger seat. "So, what is the plan? Also, give me your phone." He held out his hand expectantly.

Puzzled, Boyd handed it over and the robot instantly checked the connector port. As he scanned his internal item boxes for a cable to match, the human man clenched a hand onto the steering wheel and frowned.

"Well. Her car's parked a few rows back." He checked in the rearview mirror, though it was getting harder to see at distance through the pouring rain outside. "Rose gold Percheron."

"A what?"

"It's a car. Uh, and a horse. It's a car named after a horse."

"I seeee…" Mettaton found a cable that matched and brought it out into the world with a shimmer of sparkles, much to the wide-eyed bemusement of the human in the seat beside him. "So is she in there?"

"She followed me into the store, but I snuck out the back," he said. "Guessin' she's must still be there, yeah. I wasn't gone long."

The monster hmmed thoughtfully. He plugged Boyd's phone into a port in the back of his neck and let his internal programs update their compatibility. He folded his arms and drummed his fingers. "So, we… buy time. While the others search? But we have to appear like we do not know she is following, is that right?"

"I guess so."

Mettaton nodded. He'd absorbed some of the basic data from Boyd's phone: its number, its recent maps; the signal it would use to call into it. For some reason, he found he already has the basis for that deep down in his computer core's programming, somewhere. That was odd, but he brushed it off. It was interesting, also, to see the maps. It seemed like the phones served as personal tracking devices, too. He unplugged and passed it back, but held out one finger to ask him to wait.

.

"Sans?" he asked internally. "Can you hear me?"

"No! It's me! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus said brightly. "Do you have a problem? Are you caught in this storm?! It's very loud!"

"Any luck where you are?" Mettaton asked.

"No. Our human friend found a school for tiny humans, though, and she's inside asking if anyone has seen the one we're looking for. Sans is asking some humans on the street but it looks like they're saying no. And he's getting very soggy."

"Hmm…" He turned to Boyd. "How big is this town, do you think? How many humans?"

"Uh. Dunno. Twenty thousand, maybe?"

"T-Twenty…?!" Mettaton's eyes went wide. "That's… In this one town?! Twenty… That's double the number of every monster on earth!"

Boyd shrugged awkwardly.

.

"Did you hear that, darling?" Mettaton asked Papyrus. "That's a lot of people to look through."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out!" he said.

"I wonder if…!" The robot blinked. "Oh! Hey! Do you think we could snatch her phone?" He tapped on his chest. "I saw your map data. Maybe we could find hers?"

"That's…" Boyd's eyes went wide. "That's not half-bad. Maybe…"

Lights flicked on behind them and Boyd's gaze shot to the mirror again. The car parked in the space at their rear was backing out. He let out a small sigh, but then froze up. There was a shape in the driver's side of the rose gold car.

"She's already there."

"Is she?!" Mettaton turned slightly to look. "Where?! Is she watching us?"

The windows of the car tinted up. Mettaton looked at their own worriedly.

"Can she see us? Junebug said she had special windows on hers."

"We're alright for now," Boyd said. He started the car and its map blinked on. "I guess, uh… we just give 'er the runaround, right? Should we call the other guys?"

"I have them in here." Mettaton tapped on his chest.

"H…? What?"

"I can possess parts of a phone. So I can speak directly through it. I can do it with many mechanical or computer things, actually," he said. His eyes got big and he pointed to the car's screen. "Wait a moment. WAIT. A. MOMENT!"

"What?!" Boyd asked.

"Do all cars have these?!" He jabbed a finger at the map.

"Yeah, but we can't exactly get in her car."

.

Mettaton grimaced. He clenched his hands nervously as they began to drive. As they headed from the parking lot, the rose gold car began to follow them.

"Oof, brazen, isn't she?" he said. "Why is this her plan, exactly?"

"I dunno. I dunno how she even noticed me, actually," he said. "I guess she wants to make sure I'm not on her tail."

"While sticking to ours. Ugh." Mettaton drummed his fingers. "Hm. Say. What if we could, actually, get in her car?"

"I don't follow," he said.

"Well. I mean…" He huffed and grumbled under his breath. He buckled himself into his seat tightly and took a completely unnecessary deep breath. He held out a hand to the man. "You have to promise me. PROMISE. That you will never mention what I'm about to do to anyone."

"What?" Boyd asked, eyes wide. "Mate, I'm driving!"

"Promise!"

The man awkwardly shook his hand. "Sure?!"

.

Mettaton closed his eyes and let his arms fall to his side. Though nausea rattled him, he retreated deep down into his metal shell and peeled his magic out of every inch of his body. He could no longer see through the eyes above but instead saw computer components and wires lit by a soft pink glow. He sighed and detached one of the old phone shells from in there and made sure it could still turn on. It was fine, so he stashed it inside his phantom form and phased out and into the car.

.

Boyd slammed on the brakes. Mettaton yelped and covered his eyes.

"Be careful!"

"You're a…?! Are you a ghost?!" the man demanded.

"Yes, now shush up about it!" He flipped his swoosh of ghostly hair. "A-And keep going! We can't look suspicious, darling!"

Boyd gritted his teeth and drove down the road. Rain symbols on the map blinked. Looked like they were heading into the main section of town, towards the mountain.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"You, keep driving. I will call you," Mettaton said. "Protect my body, will you? It's one of a kind."

.

He closed his eyes tightly and phased, invisible, through the car and out into the rain. Another one ran right through him and he shuddered in revulsion. He hurriedly glided out of the street to regain his bearings and saw the correct car coming up. He took another deep breath and dove into it.

.

He was inside a box, at the back of a screen and a bunch of human-made computer parts. The rumble of an engine shook him up and down. He reached into the phone and then also into the car's computer. The system felt a little weird, but it also explained itself to him easily. The map program sent data back and forth between pillars in the world and mysterious floating beacons floating in the sky. It tracked at they moved along roads like warped grids. He quickly called Boyd from within and waited anxiously for him to answer.

"Come on come on…" A click, and he perked up. "I'm in!"

"Who—?"

"It's Mettaton, you silly man!"

"…Who—?"

"The monster! I just left!"

"Oh! God, sorry, I… You're in her car?!"

"Yes, I ammm…" He sunk farther into the computer. "I'm trying to… read the map. Ummm…"

"Well, you guys are two cars behind me," he said. "I should just keep driving, right?"

"Yes, you do that."

.

It didn't feel good, exactly, forcing his ghostly form into the shape of something that wasn't him. He'd done it for long enough before Alphys came along that it wasn't new, though. As he slipped in behind the screen, he could suddenly see frontwards into the body of the car as well as into the computer.

.

There was a fashionable old lady gripping to the steering wheel with white knuckles, eyes focussed intently on the road ahead, her mouth thin and her sparse brows furrowed. Her purse on the other seat matched her outfit, and the interior fixtures of the vehicle were clean and well kept. Mettaton cautiously spread himself farther into the bulk of the car. He could feel the wheels spinning on the chilly, wet road, and he shuddered. The woman looked startled and she gripped tighter to the steering wheel. He could feel that a little, too.

.

"Okay, I am possessing the car thing," Mettaton said. "It's quite gauche, but I think it'll do the trick."

"She can't hear you, can she?" Boyd asked.

"No, doll, I'm also possessing the phone," he said teasingly. "Don't you worry your shiny head."

"My what—?"

"Shhhshhhshush." Mettaton tutted and kept one eye on the human lady while turning another aspect of his gaze inward to the screen. "Now let me seeeee…" He peeked around, looking at map and data all at once. It looked like he could indeed backtrack a bit, following along points the car had travelled, he perked right up.

.

The map was briskly whisked away from him, much to his surprise, by the swiping fingertip of the old lady.

"Hey!" he yelped reflexively. He dragged the map back, only for the frustrated human to swipe it to where she wanted it. Pouting, he dragged it again, but an annoying hit of a reset button set the screen to black and turned off the internal computer for a moment, scrambling the ghost's mind with an uncomfortable, blank sensation as if he'd been tossed into a cold, lightless pool. "Ugh! What a miserable experience! She's rebooted me."

"Are you okay?" Boyd asked.

"I am quite annoyed, actually!" He spread his reach into more of the car, and as the computer rebooted, he saw an address book pop up. "Oooh!" He opened it, but the human closed it again. Grumbling, the car shuddering, he opened it again.

Once more, the woman closed it. Mettaton was getting very annoyed. He checked the current location. They were headed towards the mountain, and rain was still pouring. He got a fiendish idea.

"Okay, darling, I'm going to do something a little risky. Come back for me later, okay?" he said.

"What?! I don't understand, what are you doing?"

.

Mettaton smiled to himself. He clung deep into the frame of the car and accessed its parking and censor cameras. He could feel the engines pumping and the cold water on the road. With a heave, he pushed the gas petal down and they shot forward at an alarming pace. The woman yelped and shoved her foot on the break, but Mettaton was having none of it.

.

The tires screeched as he sped them ahead, far outpacing the car they were supposed to be following.

"Was that you?!" Boyd demanded.

"Just stay out of the way!"

.

He gunned it towards the mountain, and despite the hands on the steering wheel trying to drag him one way or the other, he blew past cars until the road was wide open. Just had to ignore the shouting. He saw a deep, muddy ditch in a median, braked hard, and turned into it, smacking them to a halt with the headlights straight into the dirt on the opposite side of the mound. He could hear Boyd cursing in his ear and the woman inside the car shrieking. She wasn't hurt, but she was definitely rattled. Mettaton, however, was winded and a cold pain shuddered through his ghostly form. He grinned smugly nonetheless.

"J-Just a little bit of drama, not to worry," he said quietly.

.

He ignored the woman and poked his way through the address book, the one the map would use. He found the label "HOME" and he took a peek. Right there, clear as day, was the location he needed. He texted it to Sans and slowly pulled himself away from the computer and the metal frame of the crippled vehicle until he was, once again, a shimmery pink form. He yawned loudly.

"I think… I think I need a nap," he said quietly.

"But are you okay?!" Boyd asked.

"Absolutely fantastic. Just… might need a little beauty rest," he said, slumping back. "I got it, by the way. The…" He yawned again. "The address, I mean. You keep… keep driving. No suspicions raised. Meet me at this spot… when it's all clear."

It was fully too much exertion for one day, especially for being so out of practice. Boyd probably kept asking questions, but Mettaton closed his eyes, phased fully invisible, and fell asleep with a dainty snore.

xXxXx

Just like that, the other group now had their target. They weren't far. June had to be reminded to drive slowly, even though the world was dark from rain and the roads were slick and flooding. Her anxious energy was palpable.

.

Everyone had heard that Mettaton was a ghost, though. It didn't mean anything to June, but Papyrus and Undyne were fairly flabbergasted. After an initial exclamation, they let it sit for the time being. The flashy robot's secrets weren't even at the top of the list of what was important right now.

.

Through the window, Sans watched the buildings slip by under a curtain of heavy rain. "Sheesh, it's really comin' down, huh?"

"Mhm." June was leaning forward a little extra, eyes fixed ahead as signals at the side of the windshield indicated where the edge of her lane were. Her grip on the steering wheel was like a vice. "There's already been more rainfall this year than there was in the last two. Feels a little like the world is going crazy, sometimes."

"That wasn't our stuff, was it?" Undyne asked.

"I… No, I don't think so," June said. "Unless my memories…? Um. No. No, I think it's normal. Well, not normal, but not this time magic's brand of weird. If that makes sense."

"Did this happen the first time?" Papyrus asked his brother curiously.

"Uh… Welp." Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Could be. Doubt we wouldda really noticed, though, seein' as it was all new to us. But, there were storms and stuff. Even the, uh, time the kid had to go for a big do-over, there was a crazy blizzard, now that I think about it." He straightened up and turned to Papyrus with his brows raised. "You remember the first time even without the kid?"

"I, um…! Hmm! Maybe? Like… We were all on the surface, right? But then we weren't because… Ummm… A… A g-giant… Nyeehh, what was it?"

"A flower," Undyne said.

"I don't think I've ever seen a giant flower out here," June said.

"Don't sweat it," Sans said. He watched the car's map curiously— almost there, just a few more blocks. "Storm might be good, actually."

.

The neighbourhood was made up of tall houses with peaked roofs and large yards keeping a polite distance between them. June was breathing a little faster. The red line on the map leading them got shorter and shorter until it vanished completely and the car announced in a pleasant, digital voice that they'd reached their destination.

.

The monsters smooshed up on the windows, peering through the rain. The house was masked by pristinely coiffed hedges, trapping the yard within.

"Keep drivin'," Sans said. "Around the block. So you can see if anyone's comin' back."

"A-Ah! Right. Right right right."

"Do not be scared, human," Papyrus said. "We have this covered!"

June nodded. Her cheeks were starting to flush. "Have you guys ever done anything like this before?"

"Nope," Sans said.

.

She circled the block and parked on the side of the road. Undyne shoved her helmet on and Papyrus covered his face, and both stepped out into the cold rain. With shaking fingers, June hurried to unbuckle herself, but Sans put a hand on her shoulder before she could get out of the car.

"You be lookout, alright?" he said.

"But you'll be… You're strangers to her, if she's there, and what if—"

"We can't get in trouble for this," he said. "Unrecognizable. No DNA." He smiled sideways. "And we're gonna wanna get outta here as fast as possible."

She froze up but, after a second, she nodded stiffly. "Good luck."

.

Sans pulled up his scarf over his mouth and nasal cavity before joining the other two. They hurried on their way, and reconvened in front of the right house.

"Cameras," Sans said, nodding towards some dark, glassy orbs along the porch.

"Not for long." Undyne walked up to the porch and stood on the steps. After a few seconds, a burst of blue pulsed from around her and the cameras audibly shorted. She turned and stuck her thumb up.

.

Excitedly, Papyrus bounded up to the door and he pulled some paperclips out of his pocket. Undyne stood behind him, blocking the view from the street as he bent down and jimmied the lock, humming as he went. It only took him a few seconds. There was a click and they opened the door to an entry hall with the lights dimmed inside. There was a numbered keypad there, too. However, it wasn't lit up. Sans stood on his toes and gave it a curious look. Then, he flicked the light switch. Nothing.

"Oh. No power," he said.

"Uh. Whoops. I do that?" She sounded pretty smug. "Come on, nerds. Uh, what's the kid's name again?"

"Ellie, I think!" Papyrus said.

"Right. HEY, ELLIE!" Undyne walked down the hall and peeked into the first doorway. "YO, ELLIE, YOU HERE?!"

Papyrus hopped into action, taking the other side of the hall. "Ellliiiieeee! Heelllooo, you don't know me, but my name is Papyrus and I'd like to find you to help you get hooooome!"

.

Sans snorted. As the others called, he listened. He didn't hear anything in reply. He peeked into the first door and found a kitchen. He checked under a table draped with a paisley cloth, and then peeked in the fridge. Nothing specifically screamed that a little kid lived here. There was no room to hide inside either, either.

.

Papyrus was peeking under the couch in a living room area. The place was fairly clean, no toys to be seen and nothing out of place. Sans looked out the window on the opposite wall. Lights next door were out, too, actually. Might not have been Undyne's doing at all.

"Any hints at all, brother?" Papyrus asked.

"Nah," he said. He winced at the sound of Undyne stomping up some stairs like she had weights on her feet.

"I just don't understand why she isn't answering." Papyrus put down the couch and rubbed the back of his head. "Do you think she's here?"

"If she is, she's probably kinda spooked," Sans said. "We're strangers, y'know?"

"But we're friendly and helpful strangers! …I guess she wouldn't know that, would she?" He headed out of the room. "Elllliieeee, are you heeere?! I know we are strangers but we are definitely friendly! So come out please!"

.

Sans sighed. He rubbed his brow. He was getting a headache again. He sat on the couch and folded his hands. If she was here, she was probably intentionally hiding at this point, unless she was behind a locked door. He grimaced. Hoped they were doing the right thing.

.

Undyne thumped down the stairs somewhere, and Papyrus went up. A door slammed open and Undyne's heavy steps clonked down below, presumably into a basement. Sans hoped that he wasn't about to start leaking from his eye sockets again. He massaged his temples.

.

He thought he'd only blinked for a moment, but one second he was alone, and the next Papyrus was in front of him.

"Don't tell me," he said sternly.

"Sorry, bro," Sans said.

Papyrus sighed. "Did you bring your snacks?"

"In the car."

He sighed again, more dramatically this time. He pulled some candies from his pocket and piled them into his brother's hands. "You better eat at least one."

Sans unwrapped one and pulled down his scarf to pop the candy into his mouth. He did feel a little better. He put the rest in his pocket. "Any luck?"

"Nnnnoo, unfortunately. Want to check upstairs with me again? Because that's where we're going."

.

Papyrus picked him up over his shoulder and carried him through the house to the upstairs. Again, the place was clean and well-kept. Fancy pictures of landscapes and flowers were on the beige walls. His brother put him down and took a few steps down the hall before freezing and scratching his head.

"Hm. I could have sworn this was open before." He opened the door to a sparse but messy bedroom.

Sans leaned around him and peeked inside. Though it wasn't very homey, the incongruousness of the tussled blankets and rumpled pillows, compared to the rest of the house, instantly set his mind whirring. He backed out of the room and, behind him, sensed the movement of a door. He grinned slightly and covered his face again.

"Hey, uh… Paps? You wanna gimme a second?" he said. "Think I got an idea. You mind takin' the Cap and just chillin' for a bit?"

.

Papyrus turned on him with his brows raised. "Wh…? Oh! Oh, I see! Okay, yes, I will definitely do that! And I will definitely… lower my voice a bit. To. You know. Not be too startling."

"Thanks, dude."

Papyrus nodded and stuck his thumbs up. He tiptoed away backwards.

.

Sans turned to the door he was sure moved. He walked inside to find another bedroom, more furnished and much less messy. It was dim, the only light a cool grey coming in through a window smattered with rain. There was a large, shuttered closet door on his left, though it wasn't closed quite enough, stuck open on the hem of a blanket. He spotted a small shape in there. His soul skipped a beat. He took a few steps forward, feigning ignorance. He lit his eye up and then turned away. A tiny gasp escaped the closet and the door pushed open slightly.

.

He checked from the corner of his eye just in time to see a tiny kid with blonde hair and dark roots vanishing deeper into the darkness, leaving the door pretty well open. He smiled to himself.

"Hey, uh. Kid? You okay?" he said. "Sorry to spook ya. Gonna come over there, alright?" He didn't hear an answer but he strolled up to the closet anyway, letting the blue flicker out. He tilted his head, hands in his pockets.

.

He could see the small kid in a too-large pink and white striped hoodie, huddled in the shadows. Looked like there were some strange markings on the walls in there. She seemed to be about the right age, and she matched the photo pretty close, with the exception of longer and blonder hair. She didn't look terribly upset despite the worried tilt of her brows.

"You Ellie?" he asked.

She nodded stiffly.

"Cool. I'm Sans. Mind if I sit?"

She shook her head quickly. He plunked himself down with a grunt and leaned on the wall, looking up at the crayon drawings all over them.

"You do these?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Huh." There was a figure on there, smiling in front of a house, that looked a little like Asgore. "Pretty good."

"Grandma says she doesn't mind," she said quietly.

"Oh yeah? You hang out in here a lot?" he asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes when the bad men come."

"Who're they?" Sans asked.

"Grandma says they dress like the police but they're really sneaky bad men," the kid said.

"Ah. Okay, gotcha," he said.

.

The kid looked him up at down. Her posture loosened and she leaned forward. "Why're your eyes like that?"

"Ah. Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly.

"Magic," he said.

She gawked. "No way, really?"

He held out his hand and pushed energy out through the glove. It fizzled gentle blue, lighting up the kid's awed face.

.

"D-Did you come to take me away to the Monster Kingdom?!" she squeaked.

Sans laughed. "How'd you hear 'bout that?"

"My book!" She shuffled around in the closet beside her and reached into a backpack that was squished up against the wall. She pulled out a thin storybook that had a picture that looked suspiciously like Asgore on its cover and displayed it proudly. "I always wanted to go!" Her face fell and she clutched the book close. "Daddy said I couldn't."

"Welp. Good news, I guess," Sans said. "Can now. Wasn't open before. Could go with your dad, even."

She wilted. "No I can't."

"Sure y'can," he said.

"…No, Daddy won't take me anywhere anymore. Grandma said so," she muttered.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" he asked.

"Daddy hates me after Mommy died so he sent me away and said he didn't want me anymore. He sends the bad men to scare us." Her eyes began to water. "I don't like it."

.

Sans frowned. "Who told you that?"

"Grandma and Auntie," she said.

"…And you… hide from the bad men, 'cause of that?"

She nodded. "If they find me, they're gonna get me."

"Oh yeah? What happens if they get ya?" Sans asked.

Ellie stared back at him blankly for a few moments. She sniffled. "I… I don't know! It's scary."

.

The skeleton's frown deepened. What a horrible bunch of crap to fill a kid's head with— it was just like June was afraid of. "Can I tell you somethin'?"

She nodded.

"That stuff's, uh… not true," he said. "I'm here 'cause of your dad, to be honest."

She stiffened and looked back at him with alarm. "Wh-What?!"

"He's been lookin' for you for three years," he said.

"No, he hates me," she squeaked.

"Naw. He'd… Heh. Probably do anything to get you back, y'know?" he said. "Misses ya. He even went all the way to the Monster Kingdom because he thought you might be there."

"What?! Really?" she demanded.

Sans nodded.

.

The kid curled up and folded her arms tight around herself. She frowned at the floor, her face flushing red. "…Then why didn't he come here?" she asked. "I wished every night."

"See, thing is, those, uh, bad men? Maybe they weren't so bad. Your dad asked 'em to find you," Sans said.

"B-But Grandma said Daddy did the bad things to try to find us! We moved whole entire houses f-four whole times."

"Kiddo. Why would your dad wanna find you so bad if he didn't wanna bring you home?" Sans said. "Wasn't he nice to you before?"

"W-Well…" She grimaced. "Yeah, he was nice." She tented her fingers. "Mister Magic, you're real, right? What should I do?"

Sans snorted. "Figure we get you outta here and back home, really. You happen to remember a lady called June?"

Ellie frowned for a second, but then nodded.

"You trust her?"

The girl nodded again.

"Then…" Sans stood and offered her his hand. "Wanna go see? We'll bring you to your dad."

.

Ellie looked worried for a moment. She grimaced. "But if he did the bad things…"

"Kid, look." Sans squatted down again. "It's real tough, y'know? But I know how he feels. Not knowin' if you're okay. When you're comin' back. All that kinda stuff." He smiled ruefully, not that it would have showed. "To be honest, for my brothers and sister, if I had to do a bad thing or two so they would be safe and made it home okay, I'd do it. Hope that makes sense." He held out his hand again. "What d'ya say, wanna give it a try? I know it's been a while."

.

It took a moment for Ellie to decide to take his hand but when she did, her small fingers gripped tight. He helped her up and patted her head, then nodded towards the door. She bent quickly to grab her book and clutched it close as they left. She made a detour to the small, messy room down the hall and then joined him with a plush tiger tucked under her arm.

.

Downstairs, the front door was guarded by the hulking form of Undyne, who leaned back on the wall with her arms folded. Ellie froze up, but Sans raised his hand to greet the tall monster and the kid let him take her forward.

"Holy sh… You found her. Ellie, right?" She knelt down. "Hey, kid. You were hiding, huh? We were worried about you."

"Y-You were?" she squeaked.

"This is Undyne. She's, uh… kinda like a special sorta cop," Sans said. He raised his head to look at her as she straightened up. "Where's Paps?"

"I sent him to the car," she said. "Didn't wanna overwhelm the kid. Kid, you overwhelmed?"

"Um…!" She looked confused.

Undyne chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Ready to leave?"

Sans looked at the girl. Though she was a little shaky, she clung to her tiger and nodded.

.

It was still pouring outside. The driveway was flooded. The kid flinched at the sound of thunder, and Undyne scooped her up.

"Chill out, kid, it can't—"

Lightning seared the air above them so bright it looked like sunlight for a split second before crashing into a deafening cacophony. Ellie whimpered and Sans and Undyne shared a look. She grabbed him by the hand and they took off at speed.

.

June's car was exactly where they'd left it, and Undyne rushed to get the kid into the backseat before she got soaked.

"Yo, it worked," Undyne said.

"Oh! Fantastic! Hello, tiny human!" Papyrus said.

The girl looked around with big eyes as she was plunked into the middle seat beside Papyrus as the monsters got into the car. June whipped around, a bundle of nerves and excitement. Her face was flushed and her eyes were glossy behind her glasses. She reached out a hand.

"H-Hey, sweetie, do you remember me?" she asked.

Ellie's jaw dropped. She cautiously grabbed the woman's outstretched fingers. "Miss June?"

"Yes. That's it." Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. She coughed. "It's so good to see you again. You were so little last time, remember?"

"A… A little!" she squeaked. "Is… Daddy here?"

"We need to go meet up with him," she said. "Is that okay?"

Ellie nodded. June smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Okay. Oookay! I'm so glad you're…" She took a deep breath. "Everything's going to be fine." She reluctantly let the child go and then put her hands back on the steering wheel. "We… We have to go slow." She was telling herself more than anyone else. She put the car in reverse and, very carefully, turned around, and they were off again. "Just, um… The roads are… a little slippery, is all!"

"Power might be out, too," Sans said.

"Really? Ah… Good catch," she said.

"Don't worry, little human," Papyrus assured the child, buckling in her seatbelt for her. "We will get you to your dad very soon!"

.

Ellie stared at him, clutching tight to her plush tiger. There was a bit of a shake in her shoulders.

"Oh! You're nervous! Don't be afraid," Papyrus said quickly. "This isn't my real face, see?" He pulled down his mask and grinned.

The kid's eyes bugged out. Undyne stretched and took her helmet off, and when Ellie turned to look, she gawked and let out a loud squeak.

"You're b-b-blue!" she said shrilly.

"Hm? Oh. Heh. Yeah," Undyne said. "What, you don't got any blue humans?"

The kid shook her head quickly. "I d-don't think so!"

The big monster laughed. "I know, I was joking. You guys mostly come in, like, Neapolitan ice cream colours, right? That's what that book said, anyway."

"Ice cream…?!" June burst out laughing.

"What's a neo-pollenten?" Ellie asked.

"Sounds like a city! Maybe a Neapolis somewhere?" Papyrus wondered.

"Hey, did we invent ice cream or did humans invent it?" Undyne wondered.

"Heck, who knows," Sans said.

"Oh," June said as she got ahold of herself. "I-I wouldn't be surprised if it was you. You had refrigeration first." She shook her head and, when a stop sign popped up, she passed her phone to Sans. "Would you text her dad?"

He nodded and did as she asked, sending the man a simple, "got her".

.

"Hey, I know! We should get this kid some ice cream! I feel like kids definitely like ice cream. Right?" Papyrus said.

"R-Really?" Ellie asked, perking up.

"Milkshakes, I think. That sounds right," the skeleton continued. "Makes for strong bones!"

Sans didn't flinch, but it had been hard to suppress it. "When the rain stops," he said. He fished in his pocket for a monster candy and then passed it back to the kid. "Here."

"Ooh! Thanks Mister Magic!" she said.

"Hah! That's Sans, little human! His magic is actually quite weak," Papyrus said.

"Dude, don't gotta put him on blast," Undyne said.

"What?! I didn't mean to, it's just the way it is!" the skeleton said quickly.

.

"Not to interrupt," June said, "but where are we going?"

"Out of town?" Undyne suggested.

"Somewhere safe to hole up," Sans mused. "Uh. No way we can get back to Gullport in this weather, huh?"

"We'll be lucky to get out of town without seeing an accident," the woman grumbled quietly. She clicked a button on her steering wheel and an overlay in bright light painted itself across the windshield, carving out the road, lanes, cars, and rough objects in their path. "I might as well tell the AI to do it."

Another click and a quick entry of a code on the map screen, and the windshield flashed over with a big, smiling 8-bit style face. Another car across the road from them had a similar one light up through the gloom. The car began to carefully move on its own.

.

June sat back, biting her lip nervously. She held out her hand and Sans passed her phone back to her. "You can check our internet, right? Can one of you keep an eye on if… Well. If the police get wind of any of this?"

"Oh, no, are we fully on the run now?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm sorry!" Ellie said. "N-Nobody's gonna be in t-trouble, right?"

"Relax," Undyne said. "From what I gather. This grandma lady, she wasn't supposed to even have you, right, kid?"

"Ummm…"

"No, she wasn't," June said quietly. "I… I guess she'd be stuck. Since she, you know…" She lowered her voice. "Sort of kidnapped her."

"And now she is very much un-kidnapped!" Papyrus said brightly. "I hope this all has not been too alarming, little human."

"I-It's not t-too bad!" she squeaked.

"Even so, we… We want to avoid the police for. If we can." June sighed and rubbed her brow, shaking her head at herself. "I can't believe I'm actually saying that. But, it should be for her dad to take her to them. Get everything sorted out."

"Might as well wait until the redo, though," Sans said.

"You are sure there'll be one, right?" the woman asked worriedly.

"Has to be."

.

June looked uncertain. "Well. Any ideas on where to go? I don't think we can make Anthelion in this."

"You guys have any… I dunno, waypoints or anything? Empty sentry stations?" Undyne asked.

"Or inns," Papyrus suggested. "In the underground, every big area has at least one inn for people to rest at. Do humans have that, too?"

"We, um… Hm." The woman finally perked up. "…We might."