Thanks go to GMLxAwesome, 10burgers, Wingah, guest, Acoolnamme, 2Strong2SignIn, TiredWhiteMayge, ZeraoraTheKnight, Doctah Sawbones, Zack Frost, Genowar, Zillowzest, DuckLIT12200, and sauceman95.
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.
(P.S. Read DoubleScramble on Tumblr at DoubleTaleAU)
Green grass and an overcast sky.
I found myself staring straight up into the pouring rain in a position that I recognized. Flat on my back, arms sprawled out to my sides. Laying in the grass in a small, fenced in backyard.
Died here.
I blinked my eyes a few times. I didn't feel the droplets, but I knew they were striking me. I didn't feel cold, but I knew my skin was numb. I sat up effortlessly, even though the last time I'd laid here I'd been unable to move.
Stronger now.
I turned my head, looking to the broken railing that lined the wooden deck connected to the small quaint house before me. I didn't feel curious about this place or the way it called me out to me. Instead, I just pushed myself to my feet. I walked over to the shattered deck railing, and was surprised by how tall I was compared to it now.
Still here.
I easily climbed up onto the deck through the same broken railing I'd once bashed through to get out into the yard. That was a long time ago. I wondered why no one had fixed the deck, before I remembered that I'd never taken the time to. Frowning with guilt, I wandered right up to the sliding glass door that protected the inside of the house from the pouring rain.
Home.
Squinting past the glass, I could see her again. Still in her arm chair, still reading her paper. Like an idiot I smiled at the sight of my Granny. My heart raced with glee, but dropped into my stomach when I pulled on the sliding glass door and it refused to budge. Still? Why was it still locked? Whatever, it didn't matter! This time I would be able to yank it open!
Same as before.
Teeth grinding, I pulled and pulled and nothing gave. Eventually, my hands slipped off the handle, and I stumbled back a step. Panic rising in my heart, I stomped right back up to the door and pounded my fists against the glass. "Granny? Granny, c'mon, let me in!"
"Is this about the railing?!" I asked through the vibrating glass, which Granny was pretending was soundproof. She flipped a page of the paper, and my expression sunk into further despair while desperation glimmered painfully in my eyes. I threw my hand back towards the broken wood behind me, "I can fix it! I can fix everything!"
Won't listen. No one will.
"Just please!" I planted both my open palms against the glass, and the cracks in my left hand glimmered red. Staring at the sliding door, my I found myself looking into the red eyes of my reflection while I pleaded. The cracks in my skin, the tears running down my face, the scars on my body. I'd worked so hard, why wasn't it enough? Why wouldn't this door open? It was all I wanted, why wouldn't it open?! "Let me in..!"
The glass of the sliding door was like a mirror, and I grimaced at my reflection. More than that, at the world behind me. Or, the lack thereof. Behind me was the blackened landscape of the void, and glowing in the dark I could see a strange pair of yellow and blue eyes staring at me from crimson eye sockets.
I spun on my heel, jaw tightening and eyes narrowing at the eerie sight of a familiar skeleton. Error Sans, a wretched creature that I had once beaten and left to die. Now he stood there, wearing the grin his kind was known for and reaching out to me with fingers tainted yellow and red. From his finger tips spewed blue wires, racing through the darkness to reach me.
Debts to pay.
"Leave me alone!" I snapped, waving my power cracked left arm and swatting away the useless strings that the puppeteer tried to force upon me. My DETERMINATION flashed in my hand, and his assault was reflected back towards him with a wave of scarlet force. "I'm not doing anything!"
Error gave a pitch shifted gasp as the wall of my effortless strength washed towards him, and my own eyes went wide as I realized what I had done. Fearfully he threw up his skeletal arms as the brutal flames of my DETERMINATION washed over him, and I reached out while his body was blown to smithereens. "Wait-!"
Granny was wrong.
My eyes snapped open, and the first thing I felt was agony burning in my left arm. I pulled the tense and searing limb out from my blanket, gripping it tightly at the elbow while I stared into the shining red cracks of my palm. I inhaled through grinding teeth, my emerald eyes twitching painfully. And finally, after a handful of seconds that I would remember as a handful of minutes... The glow in my shattered limb dimmed. The pain subsided, and I exhaled loudly, letting my head lean back and my limbs drop back to my sides.
*Oh good, this is how we're starting every day now.
"A... Fuckin'... Parently..." I responded through exhausted breaths, a few drops of cold sweat dripping down my forehead. I slowly clenched and unclenched my left arm, checking to make sure I still had proper use of it. All the pain was gone, everything moved fine. It was as if thirty seconds ago the limb hadn't felt like it was on fire. I peaked open one eye, furrowing my brow with thought. "... Do you, feel what I feel?"
*No. I just get a chuckle out of your agony face.
"... One'a these days I'm gonna find the time to get you exorcised." My jaded eyes glossed up to the ceiling, blinking a few times to focus properly. "Either that or you're gonna start paying rent."
*I pay you in witty and malevolent advice.
"Yeah, whatever..." I grumbled, reaching up and rubbing my tired eyes with one hand. Gradually, I forced my groggy body to sit up, lowering my hand past my eyes and glancing around my room. My eyes caught on my shirtless reflection in my mirror, and the green of my own eyes brought my thoughts back to my dream. My brows furrowed... "Error..."
*The weird skeleton you brutalized?
"Me and Chara brutalized, yeah. Everybody's always givin' me all the credit for that..." I mumbled the last part, shaking my head lazily. Then, I shoved my blanket away from myself, sliding my legs off the bed and planting my feet on the carpet. "He was in my dream."
*Maybe he's going to move in with me. That way two people you murdered can haunt you.
"Too early in the morning for your sass, Texty." I grumbled, standing slowly. Grunting and groaning, I arched my back and stretched my arms up over my head. A few things in my body popped and I yawned before slouching forward. I scratched my lower back while I wandered over towards my closet to dig out some clothes for myself. "I got a big day ahead'a me. Try to be supportive."
*Maybe if you killed someone every now and again, I'd be nicer.
"..." My thoughts were pulled back to the mortified look on Error's face in my nightmare. To the indignation that had been in his eyes when Chara and I left him to dust alone in the void. Then... My thoughts drifted to last night. To Frisk's wicked grin, to their furious snarl. My blood on their hands... I frowned, hands gripping tight around the handles of my closet doors while my head lowered. Red shimmered in my scars, and I looked up slowly. That same scarlet color flickered in my sunken in green eyes.
"... I'm worried I'm gonna have to."
Chapter 74: A Garfield Catchphrase
Or: I Hate Mondays
Didn't exactly feel like getting dressed, so I just threw on blue pajama pants and the grey tanktop that I usually wore beneath my hoodie before making my way out of my room. The smell of bacon was more than a little surprising when I remembered just how depressed Toriel and Asgore had been after their wedding's unfortunate end - me and a few others tried talking them into going on the honeymoon they'd been planning to keep their mind off things, but they didn't budge. I guess it made sense, I didn't wanna leave home either.
I made my way down the stairs, arching a curious brow into the kitchen as I wandered towards it. I was a little surprised when I didn't see Toriel standing over the stove, but an exasperated Chara. They ran one hand through their hair, which they hadn't bothered to put up. Seemed we'd had the same idea on getting dressed - they were still in their pajamas, too. My eyes glossed over to the clock; it was 11 AM, and it looked like we were the only people who'd dragged themselves out of their rooms.
"Need a hand?" I chimed in, my voice still a little gravely with sleep. Chara almost jumped, looking over their shoulder to spot me standing at the kitchen's edge. They flashed an exhausted smile my way, lowering spatula they'd been pealing pancakes off the pan with.
"Do you know how to cook?" They asked hopefully, and I snerked a little while I walked up next to them. Taking a pair of tongs into my hand, I began picking at and adjusting the bacon.
"Haven't the slightest idea." I assured with a tired thumbs up, and they scoffed, managing some fractured happy expression on this overcast morning.
"... Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel all haven't moved all morning." Chara's eyes narrowed down at the food our unskilled hands were trying to salvage, that little smile slipping back into a frown. "I, thought maybe if I started on breakfast it would help get them out of bed. But they must not have much of an apatite."
"Give 'em time." I responded with my own reserved tone, eyes narrowing painfully down at the work at hand. I adjusted a burner to keep the eggs from becoming charcoal, then started removing the ones that looked like they were about to cross the Burnt Nasty line. "... I'm, sure this is a lot to process."
"Of course it is!" Chara's jaw tightened, and they paused briefly to let their fist grip their spatula until their knuckles went white. They kept their voice low for fear of anyone else in the house hearing them. "After everything we've done for them, how much we all cared about them, for Frisk to just..!"
"I know." I stated somberly, stopping Chara before they went too far on their rant. I barely wanted to talk about Frisk, barely wanted to do anything. But I didn't have time to pause, the food would burn. So, my lightless emerald eyes focused in on the bacon I was picking from its respective pan and setting beside the stove on a plate. "But it happened. And there's no undoing it now."
"..." Chara went silent, and after a few more seconds, they got back to helping me salvage breakfast. My hands moved without much thought, my eyes went blurry and lost focus while my thoughts drifted back to last night. The eye they'd taken back, the eye I'd owed them. The "Angel Eradication Plan"... How much of this was my fault? How many people were gonna die, how many homes were gonna be broken because of the life I'd lived? Maybe I should have just let Anarchy kill me a few years back, I thought.
... But, then Chara gently grabbed my hand. They must've seen the dreary look on my face, so they reminded me of the good things that had came of last night. A future, something to work towards and a reason to keep going. Just by holding my hand, they reminded me I couldn't and didn't want to die yet. I smiled over at them, light crept back into my eyes while I squeezed their hand. "... Thanks, Char-bear."
They returned my smile, and things were pleasantly quiet for a few seconds... Before a knock at the door caught our attention. I lifted my head, squeezed Chara's hand one more time before letting it go. They'd glanced over their shoulder to look back through the kitchen and to the living room with me, and I stepped back away from the stove, looking over to them while I wandered towards the door. "Think you can handle things while I get the door?"
"Breakfast is doomed." Chara assured with certainty that made me chuckle. I turned my attention back to the front door, stumbled over a shoe that had been woefully kicked off and left laying on the carpeted floor of the living room, heard Chara laugh at me from the kitchen, and pointed threateningly back at them before I finally reached the door.
My eyebrows rose with some surprise at the sight of Wing Ding Gaster, who stood just a little awkwardly on the front step. I'd spoken to him yesterday at the wedding, surface level stuff before Frisk put a metal stick in my eye and strictly plans for today afterwards. But, outside of that, I had not spoken to the man in nearly three years. Hadn't seen him, had tried my best not to think of him. So, long story short, it was kinda fuckin' weird seeing him so suddenly. Even though it wasn't really that sudden, and we'd planned on meeting up today. He must've seen that I was having trouble formulating a sentence, because he spoke first. "Good morning, Cter..! I, hope you slept okay."
"Morning, Gaster." My eyes drifted down to the papers Gaster held under one arm, and the coffee mug in his other hand. Then I glanced to the side, reaching up and scratching my cheek while I stepped aside and invited him inside the house. "And, honestly, I got better sleep than I figured I would."
"Well that's good news." Gaster assured with a slight smile while he wandered inside. He made his way to the dining room table with some haste in his step, and I shut the door and followed after him. He laid out the large paper he'd had rolled under his arm across the wood of the table, smoothing it out with his hole punched hands while he spoke. "At least one of us will be properly rested."
"I take it you didn't sleep so good?" Chara questioned from across the kitchen while they shut off the stove. I joined them, retrieving anything from the pots and pans that had not already been retrieved and setting aside what looked edible and what did not.
"Didn't sleep at all, actually!" Gaster admitted a little sheepishly, standing up straight and looking back towards us after successfully setting up his papers. Seeing us preparing breakfast, however, he paused. A little sweatdrop appeared on his forehead, and he glanced back at the table he'd covered with research and then back to us. "... Uhm... Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." I waved a hand dismissively, before lowering my head and looking to the food I'd helped Chara prepare. A small frown shaped my face, and I added with some exasperation. "I, don't think anybody's coming down for breakfast anyway."
Things were a little quiet after that statement. A few awkward seconds went by, wherein Chara cleared their throat and Gaster coughed once. I sighed quietly, gathering food onto three separate plates. Pancakes, hashbrowns, eggs, sausages and bacon. I hoped I remembered accurately what it was everyone liked, and then I glanced back up to Chara and Gaster.
"I'm gonna try to get the goat family to eat." I explained, making my way towards the living room while I glanced over my shoulder at the two of them. I balanced a plate on each hand and one on my forearm, and while that may have looked impressive, there was actually little tendrils of ink making sure the plates remained balanced on my arms by sticking to the bottoms. "You two should start discussions without me. I'll be back in a minute."
"Oh, uh, alright!" Gaster made his best attempt at sounding cheery, lifting one hole punched hand and waving a temporary goodbye. From the other side of the kitchen, Chara just frowned a little, watching me go. They probably knew trying to console the other members of the Dreemurr family was an effort in futility at the moment, but I doubt they wanted to discourage me from trying.
I passed through the living room, glanced at the pillows and blankets still laying on the couch. When Chara and I had finally gotten home last night, we'd kept talking in the living room for a few more hours. Eventually, they'd passed out on the couch, and I'd draped a blanket over them before quietly going upstairs. A good memory, and something to give me the strength I needed to force my way back up the stairs. The strength I needed to face the rest of the family after what I'd caused.
"Got a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore..." Anthony The Anarchist muttered to himself while he stood on his balcony, arching a brow down at the small crowd gathered outside Xander's palace walls. The people of his empire, some kind of press conference. He could hear The Gatherer's voice over the towering gates that protected Xander's privacy.
He didn't know what Xander was discussing with the press of his new world, and he didn't care. Just figured it would be better if he didn't get a closer look, he was plenty familiar with the panic that ensued when a group of people spotted him, especially in this new world. It was still strange to think about the presence he had in this world, so he didn't think about it. Instead, he inhaled the late morning air, lifted his red eyes to the familiar sky. It was overcast, reminded him of home. This whole tower made him feel nostalgic for the day's in Xander's mansion - The Gatherer's interior design preferences had hardly changed. He wondered if Xander yearned for the old days, if in some way he was trying to get back there. But, there was no going back in time. The past was gone and the actions taken within it would be ever present in the future. Cause and effect. This was the absolute truth to The Anarchist. Actions have consequences.
"Quite a view, ain't it?" And in direct conflict with that belief was the traitor, liar and destiny dodging Frisk. Anarchy turned his head, arched a brow over to the balcony directly beside his own and frowned at the sight of them. They leaned on the metal railing of their balcony, red hair clips keeping their hair back and out of their squinted eyes. They'd changed their outfit again - it was the forth change of clothes Anarchy had seen in his less than 24 hours here. Now, they wore tight fitting jeans and a black T-shirt with a Deltarune symbol on its front. Fishnet sleeves covered their forearms, and several rings adorned their hands. There was a little pin with the anarchy symbol on it stuck to their pant leg, right over their pocket. "Feels like I'm staying in a five star hotel."
"Your room is right next to mine?" Anarchy stuffed his hands in his pockets, a hint of exasperation in his voice while he turned to face Frisk. Despite the annoyance visible on his face, Frisk just smiled a little wider.
"Sure is, neighbor!" They exclaimed, carelessly putting their weight onto the hands they rested on their balcony's edge and flipping over it, landing their tennis shoes on the railing of Anarchy's balcony and crouching with expert balance on it. Then, they shrugged. "I was kinda hoping that there'd only be one room left, and that said room would only have one bed, but beggars can't be choosers."
"I woulda made you sleep on the floor." Anarchy heartlessly shattered their fantasy, a little smile crossing his lips as he did so. But unfortunately this sentence did little to lower Frisk's spirits, which prompted Anarchy to tilt his head to the side and narrow his scarlet eyes at the traitor. "And don't crouch there."
"Why? Ya scared I might fall?" Frisk smiled wide, letting their eyes open some and flashing the haunting beauty of the red within at The Anarchist. But, then they shut their eyes, giggling while they stuck out the tip of their tongue. "It's so sweet of you to worry about me!"
"I don't think you're gonna fall." Anarchy frowned at their relentless positivity, before a malicious grin yanked his expression right back up. "I think I might push ya."
"Whatever excuse ya need to touch me, handsome." Again Frisk stuck the tip of their tongue out past their lips, giving a smile that was more subtle about its wickedness than Anarchy's was. But, they did hop off of his balcony's ledge, landing right in front of him and planting their hands on their hips. Fearlessly they smiled up at him - he was at least half a foot taller than them, but they liked that. "What do you say instead of threatening to murder me you accompany me on a little walk around our new home? I bet Gatherer has all sorts of neat stuff layin' around if you know where to look."
"..." Anarchy just arched a confused brow at them. They, did remember that the last interaction they had with him he was beating them and their friends within an inch of their life, right? So what the fuck were they doing here, turning their back on Angel and complimenting him? Why would they want to spend time with him, shouldn't they be afraid of him? He'd killed hundreds of their kind, beaten the shit out of them specifically. Voicing his confusion in the most Anthony way possible, he merely frowned at them. "... You're weird."
"That's not a no~!" Frisk sang giddily, clasping their hands together in front of their chest with a hopeful tilt of their head. Anarchy exhaled through his sharp teeth, wandering over to the ledge of his balcony and resting one hand against the black metal.
"Against my better judgement..." Anarchy reached up absentmindedly as he muttered, scratching the white hairs of his beard. Then, he glanced back at Frisk, nodding over his shoulder and towards the ledge. "I'll humor ya. I've got nothing but time to kill. And you can tell me all about what Angel's been up to."
"Angel? Boooo!" Frisk exclaimed, shaking two thumbs down at Anarchy. They spent a moment pouting, before crossing their arms. Their frown didn't fade as they asked, "Wouldn't you rather learn about me instead?"
"I know everything I need to know about you." Anarchy growled, venom on his tongue. He shot them a hateful glare from his eye's corner, and watched with disdain at the lack of squirming they did under his powerful stare. Finally deciding intimidation was an effort in futility, he turned his head and stared back over the edge. Bitterly he frowned. "... Angel is the only thing that matters."
Frisk puffed out their cheek, crossing their arms a little tighter to their chest. They watched Anarchy carelessly hop over the railing, plummeting down to the courtyard below. Sighing, they marched after him, resting their own hand on the railing and hopping onto it. They paused for a moment, staring downward. It was a long drop, but nothing they couldn't handle. So, without wasting another moment, they slipped right off the edge and dropped down after The Anarchist.
Goatparents were responsive, at least. Dead behind the eyes, faces stained with tears, and barely managing to smile when they looked at me. But, responsive. They sat up and gratefully accepted the plates I offered them, but they didn't seem much for conversation. I wasn't really happy with that.
With a slow creak the door of the spare bedroom opened, and I quietly peaked inside the room to see Asriel laying in a ball on the bed. His back was to me, I wasn't sure if he was awake or not. It struck me as a little odd that he'd fallen asleep here, as Chara was supposed to be staying in this room. Maybe he'd passed out while waiting to talk with them, or maybe he just hadn't had the strength to walk downstairs and sleep on the couch. Didn't end up mattering, as Chara had passed out on the couch without ever checking their room.
"Asriel..?" I spoke just above a whisper, wincing at the sound of my voice in the hauntingly quiet room. He didn't move, and I considered just shutting the door and walking away. But, against my better judgement, I spoke again. "You, uh... You awake..?"
"I hope not." Asriel's gravely voice croaked out of some low place in his chest, so suddenly that it almost made me jump. He didn't sound tired, he didn't sound like much of anything at all. Didn't really move when he spoke, certainly didn't roll over and look at me. "I've been hoping I'm just gonna wake up and this will be some bad dream."
"Asriel...-" I took a step into his room, my eyes narrowing painfully at the sight of him. I didn't shut the door behind myself, left it open just a peak. His plate remained carefully balanced in my hand while I stepped into the dreary room, the only light peaking through the shut blinds.
"... But it's not a dream." Asriel's paw clenched into the sheets he laid on, his voice shook with emotion when he spoke. His body trembled with whatever incurable sickness life had inflicted upon him. "Because in my dreams I'm still Flowey."
"..." Well what the fuck was I supposed to say to that? I took a few steps deeper into the room, silently listening for anything Asriel might say. And when he didn't speak, I paused at the bedside and watched him with worried eyes. "... Chara and I made breakfast. I brought you some."
"... Thanks. But I'm not hungry." I could see his face now from where I was standing, but Asriel didn't tear his eyes from the wall to look at me. I was kinda glad he didn't, I wasn't sure I'd know what to do if I saw just how tortured the soul behind those eyes was. The soul Frisk had given him.
"..." Again, I went quiet. Glanced awkwardly around the room while I tried to think of something to say. Could have given an apology, but I knew he didn't wanna hear that. The last thing he needed in this instant was to be worrying about me blaming myself. So, instead, I managed to crack a smile. A joke, a lighter topic, anything. "So uh, you think Chara minds that you stole their room?"
"I figured they'd be out late with you, anyway." Asriel blinked slowly. I tried my best, but a smile didn't cross his face. Nothing changed, he still looked miserable. I frowned a little at that, wincing at another failure of mine. Meanwhile, Asriel carelessly added on. "And if they needed a bed I figured you'd share yours."
"Aaaand what is that supposed to mean?" I recoiled some, eyes widening and eyebrows furrowing. Some of the concern left my voice, replaced by a warning tone. Maybe it had just been the lack of emotion behind his words, but that comment sounded pointed. Accusatory. And upset or not, I wasn't gonna stand there and let anyone take a jab at me and more importantly Chara.
"... That, came out wrong. I'm sorry." Asriel backtracked, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted was an argument with another person I cared about, and something like that was the last thing I wanted to argue about. Asriel glanced up at me briefly, "What I meant is that I know you'll always help them whenever they need it."
"... We stayed up late talking, and they fell asleep on the couch. Never even realized you took their bed." I spoke after a pause, confirming Asriel's words to him. I wasn't sure if that helped or not, but it felt like something he should know. I knew where this was going, I knew what Asriel was getting at. The promise I made him at Ebott's Crater... "They slept good, I think. I think they're okay."
"..." Asriel smiled a little at that. I was glad - seemed I'd finally said the right thing. he looked back to the wall in front of him, and he seemed a little less tense than he was before. He laughed just a little, in a bittersweet kinda way. "You know, I kinda figured there was something going on between you two for awhile. Wish my big 'I knew it' moment was... A little funnier than this."
I wished I could smile at that. Go back a week to that basketball game, to the spike of panic I felt when Asriel asked Chara and I if something was going on between us. Things were so simple then, so easy. Asriel understood that too, that must have weighed on him. Those times were gone now, and it was likely that they would forever be tainted if and when they did come back. Because neither of us was dumb enough to believe Frisk would ever be involved in our lives like they were in those days. Just a week ago felt years away now. That era of our lives was dead, and now we had to bury it. I exhaled quietly, my hand tightened into a fist at my side, and I spoke in the honest way I was trying to learn. "... Chara is the most important thing in the world to me, Asriel. What I promised you on Mount Ebott, I meant it. I know they're more than capable of handling themself, but still. I won't ever let anything happen to them, no matter who we're against."
"..." Asriel shut his tired eyes. He didn't smile, but he did seem to relax a little more. In the silence that followed, I gently set the plate I had brought him on the table beside his bed, before taking a few steps back away from his bedside. "You should try to eat something, before it gets cold."
"... Thanks, Angel." Asriel took a moment, finally speaking only after I wrapped my hand around the doorknob. I smiled in a bittersweet sorta way at his thanks, nodding my appreciation even though he wasn't looking. Then, I stepped back out of the doorway, and shut it in front of myself.
... No problem, Asriel.
"And you're certain the drones will function?" Eden crossed her arms over her chest, arching a brow behind her glasses down at The Hacker. He sat in a chair before his computer in the laboratory, and he spun around in the chair to face the purple soul behind him. The lab, like usual, was poorly lit by monitors and the glowing lights of the healing pods. Which, like usual, were all but empty. Apart from the one housing the slumbering skeleton. Error Sans, who had not moved in three years.
"As well as some busted puppets from another world can work." Hacker shrugged, slouched in his chair. He pointed over his shoulder at the computer screen, where files were listed. "Big_Shot", "NEO Launcher", a blocked hyperlink... Hacker smirked a little up at her, "How 'bout a thank you, princess? It ain't easy cleanin' up files from the late 90's. Honestly, where does Xander find this junk?"
"Thanks, Hacker." Eden said, but the smile that curled her lips was more threatening than it was appreciative. Hacker kept his smirk, shaking his head some while he pushed himself out of his chair. Eden watched him wander away from the computer, picking up a clipboard and wandering over towards the skeletal dwarf if his mechanical flask. Eden arched a brow, "Checking vitals?"
"Most boring part'a my day." Hacker responded with exasperation, pausing in front of the tank where the shadowy skeleton floated in the purgatory. He glanced down at the screen beside the tank, a bored frown on his lips while he wrote down the same numbers he wrote every day. Vitals, brainwaves, all where it always was. He was plenty alive in there - in fact from where all his numbers were at, he shoulda woke up years ago.
Hacker had healed his body and cured Error after he'd Fallen Down, and yet he was still asleep. Furrowing his brows and glancing up at the glitching skeleton in his jar, Hacker let his mind wander. He thought back to a cartoon he had watched as a kid. In that cartoon, a creature called The Lich once laid asleep like Error was now. He remembered the explanation for this - The Lich was a being bent on total destruction, and when it was put in a position where it could no longer destroy, it shut down entirely. Sat there, frozen in time until finally it was presented with the opportunity to obliterate all life again. Quietly biding its time, waiting for the right moment...
The door slid open, and Hacker and Eden both turned their heads to look and see who was entering the laboratory. Hacker grimaced some at the four glowing red eyes that stared back at him from the dark hallway, the sight of it made his skin crawl. It was barely a relief when Frisk and Anarchy stepped forward and out of the shadows, Frisk's eyes shut and hiding the malevolent red glow they'd flashed in The Dark. Against his better judgement, Hacker lifted his chin in a 'sup?' head motion, a few awkward and nervous sweat drops running down the back of his head. "Uhh, hey new school. What brings you guys to my humble lab?"
"Just takin' a look around Xander's new empire." Anarchy explained, a little smirk tugging at his lips from the sight of Hacker's discomfort. He was a knock off, but there was still something satisfying about seeing fear in an Angel's eyes. Hacker wasn't his brother, wasn't the man he'd toppled Ebott with and was not the one Anarchy's existed to destroy. But, he was still a liar and a thief, and if he got in Anarchy's way then Anarchy would love to destroy him. Hands in his pockets, The Anarchist stepped forward and away from Frisk, wandering a little closer to the healing pods. His eyes explored the room - lots of numbers and machines that his middle school dropout brain had no chance of comprehending. He muttered, "Definitely a step up from Fortune City..."
Hacker considered responding to that, but thought better of talking about his days in the gang. The last thing he wanted was to remind Anarchy that he had technically betrayed him too, or at least some version of him. However multiverse theory worked. Instead, he stepped aside, filling in the rest of his notes on Error's condition before wandering towards the door at the back wall of the lab.
"So, this is where all the smarty pants stuff happens, huh?" Frisk questioned, a light smile on their face as they too wandered deeper into the lap. With eyes that appeared to be all but completely shut they glanced around the room, one arm crossed over their chest and the other resting at the elbow on top of that arm so Frisk could hold their chin. "A lotta mad scientist vibes. I dig it."
Eden took a moment to shoot Hacker a glare when she heard him say "Thanks" from across the room, before her purple eyes glanced back to Frisk. She casually minimized the documents that remained up on Hacker's computer, before standing up straight and taking a step closer to the distracted red souls wandering the lab. "This is where we make our scientific advancements, yes."
"Ooh, scientific advancements! You make it sound so fancy~!" Frisk grinned giddily, marching up behind Hacker, who was busy swiping his card in the keypad beside the large steel doors at the back of the lab. He shooed them away and gave them an exasperated glare when they tried to peak over his shoulder at the code he was punching into the keypad after swiping his card. They frowned sadly at this, before taking a few long steps backwards to assure him they weren't trying to memorize his secret pin numbers.
Frisk's eyes opened some, surprise shining in the red of their irises while they watched the steel doors slide open. The moment there was enough space for him to get through, Hacker walked right through the passage. His brisk pace made his lab coat shuffle and trail behind him, he wasted no time marching right up to the six souls suspended in tubes behind bullet proof glass and metal bars. A little smile pulled at Frisk's lips when the color of those six souls reflected in their ruby orbs, it was such a pleasant callback to a time that felt so far away. "Now this is a surprise..."
"Don't get any ideas." Hacker told them while he absentmindedly painted his clipboard with his magic ink, hastily noting down the values of each soul. He had to move faster without Alphys here to take half of the notes for him, the doors were on a timer. They'd start shutting again in just a minute or two. "Wall guns will mow down anyone without granted access."
"I don't got any use for no dead kid souls!" Frisk puffed out their cheek and pouted, putting a hand on their chest as though Hacker had offended them. But, when he didn't play along and give them a response, they dropped their little act. Eyes glossing back up to the souls trapped in Gatherer's safe, Frisk noted the tubes they were suspended in. The glass went all the way to the floor, disappeared in the metal without ever closing. Frisk wondered if this was for emergency transportation...
"... Huh." Anarchy, however, paid this no mind. He had no concept or care for the power of any soul besides his own. In fact, he didn't even bother looking through the open doorway. Instead, his focus was on Error Sans, floating prone in the healing pod that he stood in front of. He furrowed his brows, glancing over towards Eden while he pointed one finger at the pickled glitch. "Thought Angel iced this shithead."
"Just another purposeless being that The Gatherer has given new meaning." Eden explained matter-o'-factly, folding her hands behind her back. Anarchy smiled at her composure - she was like a little Xander, so uptight when she spoke with somebody she wasn't chummy with. But he knew the look in her eyes, she didn't trust him at all beyond Xander's faith in him. And that was a good thing, he'd murder her if she stepped out of line. He'd murder any of them if they stepped out of line. "The same as you and I."
"I got a purpose, sunshine." Anarchy corrected without hesitation, turning his eyes back to the dwarf in the flask. Eden was lucky Anarchy was so focused on the skeleton slumbering in the glass, or her comparison of him to the rest of her follower ilk certainly would have irritated him. Error Sans, a being bent on destruction but too weak to achieve it... A man seeking revenge without a crowbar. Anarchy gently tapped his finger against the flask, a curious smile curling his lips and revealing his fangs.
And, for no one but Anarchy to see, on Error's left hand... His fingers twitched. The slumbering skeleton, paralyzed in his lack of purpose, moved. Just a little. A curling finger or two, before his hand relaxed once more. And as Anarchy watched and waited, his smile crept further up into his madman grin, but he didn't know why. Something about seeing a deadman twitch, it made the hairs stand on Anarchy's neck. Filled him with a manic joy that had become almost unfamiliar in his two years of medicated life.
The finger that he'd poked the glass with rubbed against the cool surface, Anarchy slowly resting his powerful, scarred hand against it. And Error did not move again, he didn't have to. Anarchy understood. And somewhere, in the back of his mind, he heard a familiar laugh. "Uee hee hee!"
... You n' me are destined to do something big, ain't we dwarf?
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