Hey Everyone!
Interference in bold, puns and in italics, magic is underlined.
-text- indicates either texts, or mental "talking".
Swearing.
All Undertale stuff owned by Toby Fox, else me.
Dunno if you noticed it, but there was a subtle reference to another of my favorite universes in the last chapter. If you picked up on it, you are a wonderful reader, and I share your grief.
You shine a light into the shadows, only to find a crumpled up note. The handwriting is horrible; you can only make out a few words. "...showoff...ocean?...sleep."
Alphys
Alphys ducked out the growing argument with her publisher, pulling out her phone and mumbling something about a family emergency as she rushed into her office, locking the door behind her. She breathed deeply, soaking in the smells of ichiban, strawberry pocky sticks, and ramune. Breathe in, breathe out. Don't panic, no one's angry with you, stay calm...she realised it wasn't working.
Alphys dove over to her desk, snagging a fluffy blanket from the sofa and cocooning into the footspace. Her snout pressed into a worn spot in the corner, her claws dug into the folds of the blanket, fighting against the feeling that she was crumbling apart and blowing away. Quietly, she began rocking back and forth, breath shallow, eyes shut tight.
Why did she always do this? Everytime she thought she was making progress, something would happen and a million promises would come crashing around her ears. It was just like when she was the Royal Scientist, caving under the pressure of everyone's hopes and dreams, digging deeper and deeper into a horrible pit until Undyne- Undyne…
She whimpered. Undyne had been there to pull her out for so long, but now she was the one who needed comfort, and Alphys didn't know how to help. She'd tried to get her to talk, but Undyne just turned away. She hadn't even gotten out of bed this morning! Alphys had only left when she got the call from her publisher about an urgent problem with the monster biology textbook she'd been nursing through the industry for the past year and a half; it seemed trivial once she'd gotten there, something about typefaces. Now, she was terrified she'd messed up, leaving Undyne alone like that-
Her phone buzzed. If she just didn't look at it, maybe whoever it was would go away? A minute passed, then two. The phone buzzed again. Alphys ignored it, curling up so her triceps covered her earslits. She wasn't here, she wasn't here...She heard her Mew Mew Kissy Cutie ringtone, and sighed. Her claws scrambled with the blankets until she managed to get the phone out of her pocket. The call ended just before she could press accept.
-Where'd you go nerd?-
-Answer me damn it-
-1 missed call from Undyne-
Alphys choked back a sob, certain she'd ruined everything, that Undyne would be...another text came through.
-Can you get some eggdrop soup on your way home?-
She breathed out. If Undyne was hungry, she'd be okay. She quickly texted back.
-yeah. need anything else?-
-you-
-U-undyne? W-what do y-you mean?-
-you better not be moping. GET BACK HERE NERD!-
She smiled. That sounded more like the monster she loved. Maybe she hadn't screwed up so bad after all.
The Lab Goons
"Hey guys, email from boss-fish!"
"You know sh-she hates it wh-when w-we call her that-t."
"Yeah, but she ain't here now, is she? Anyway, want me to read it or not?"
"Quit teasing her, Fred. We're all curious, so share with us why she didn't come in today."
"Okay, okay, sheesh. She says:
Hey Nerds, you better not be slacking off! I'm on recovery for today, but I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW, NGAHH!
Someone move Sans to the top of the 'do not disturb' danger ranking - also, add a 'deadly' label to his file...and a 'unknown' while you're at it.
Frisk's sister is the kid in the hospital, in case you haven't heard. Working on a better name, ask the Prince for details.
Move kid's threat level to the 'no clue' column. They're as sissy as Frisk, but...Consolas was a field agent for someone. Need to figure out control sit.
Alphys was wrong. The SOULs in the meld are still themselves, and the kid lets 'em talk. Prioritize finding families for that group, and schedule a chat for me with Fedsy.
I'll brief you NERDS in full when I get back. Till then - GET BACK TO WORK!
"...damn. That is gonna be one HELL of a good story."
Sans
Sans was glad when the only spot Papyrus had been able to find was several blocks from Undyne's apartment. He needed the time to think. Even if it meant walking in downtown. Even if it meant walking with Papyrus through downtown.
He'd regretted losing his temper like that the moment he came out of it. Shit, he'd kept Undyne - kept everyone except Asgore, really - from realizing just how POWERFUL he was all these years; now she not only knew, but knew first-hand what he was capable of...and part of her job was tracking down rogue monsters, monsters whose magic had gone beyond their ability to control.
Granted, he did HAVE control, but...he hadn't really been showing it that night. He'd almost killed her because he lost his temper, and it took some fucking...telepath to pull him out of the pit he'd dug. Shit. He dragged Papyrus away from the permanent anti-monster protest in front of city hall.
What the hell was that thing, anyway? He'd tried talking to it - okay, yelling at it - but, whatever it was, if it could him, it wasn't bothering to answer. He wished he'd let it tell him its name. Damn, hadn't they finished repairing this street yet? It'd been torn up since last summer...or was it the summer before that? More than six months, anyway. He steered his brother through the sculpture park, wincing away from the illegal hotdog stand some punks had bought from him a few years back.
He NEEDED to figure out what the fuck he was going to say to her. Maybe he could get Pap to talk to her first? Naw, he was half asleep as it was, despite his claims that the short nap he'd gotten earlier was sufficient, and he seemed to have news of his own, whatever THAT was. If Undyne didn't jump on him first, it might be better to let Papyrus give his news first. With his luck, though, she'd have a team waiting there to haul him away the moment he opened the...oh, they were there. Papyrus reached over his head to knock, and suddenly he was face to face with the guardswoman herself.
"Hi Papyrus! Ready for your debriefing?"
"YOU BET I AM! AND I BROUGHT MY BROTHER!" They stared at each other for several minutes.
"Why don't. You two. Come in." Yeah, this was going to be awkward.
Sans - A little Later
Somehow, he hadn't expected to be drinking a cup of tea. Sure, he knew Undyne had the stuff, but...he wouldn't have predicted Undyne, after him losing his temper and nearly vaporizing her, to calmly hand him a cup of tea. Granted, it was boiling hot, but other than that, it was pretty good. His brother had run out with Alphys to get some snacks, and by run out with, he meant actually picking her up and tucking her under his arm while running out the door. Classic Papyrus. He sipped his tea to avoid Undyne's gaze.
"So, what do you want? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?" He looked up, startled. Humiliate her? What was she talking about? "I've been treating you like a lightweight for YEARS, making fun of your 1hp, keeping you out of danger. Yesterday you came DAMN close to beating me...hell, you could've dusted me no problem. Was it just a game this whole time?" He gulped, shaking his head, "THEN WHAT?!"
"...undyne...you know how much magic the average monster can control, right?"
"Not much."
"you know paps was one of the strongest magic users in the guard?"
"Attached to the guard, anyway. Punk's more powerful than me, to tell the truth. Better control, too."
"...i've got more than twelve times as much magic as him on a bad day. on a good day? a little less than it took frisk to break the barrier."
"...shit."
"yeah. i never wanted to see people cringe in fear every time i went out the front door."
"...It's not as bad as all that."
"heh. you scare people because you throw spears at the drop of a hat and suplex them 'because you can'. i'd scare them because every moment, they'd wonder when i'd lose control, when i'd slip. if today was the day they'd have call the royal guard to dust papyrus' brother," she winced, "you know as well as i that with that much power...if i lost control?... ' ."
He sipped his tea in silence for a long time, "...you never have, though," her voice was almost too soft to hear.
"...what?"
She clenched her fist, then spoke, "All these years, I've been talking trash to you...your years in Snowdin...Frisk's adventure...even your brother yells at you for being lazy. You never let it slip, not ONCE. I'd have lost it after five minutes."
Somehow it seemed like they'd switched places. He'd been worried sick over how to convince Undyne not to throw him in prison, and now..."undyne, are you forgetting that i lost control and almost dusted you last night?"
"BUT YOU DIDN'T!" Her fist slammed down on the table, overturning the empty cup of tea, "You were in a towering rage, facing an opponent stronger than...well, a strong opponent who you had every right to want to kill-"
"undyne-"
"-and you stopped! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ATTACK, JUST LIKE THAT BROTHER OF YOURS! NOW THAT'S CONTROL! HOW DO YOU TWO NERDS DO IT, ANYWAY?"
He was completely lost now. What was she talking about? "do what?"
She snorted, "STOP DEAD RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ATTACK!"
He hadn't really thought about it before, and he wasn't in the best position to think clearly right now, what with having no idea when the conversation had been sidetracked. He heard his brother's voice coming up the stairwell, and deflected the question. "...dunno. ask him."
"What?-"
"GREETINGS UNDYNE, BROTHER! WE HAVE ACQUIRED SNACKS! THEY ARE..."
Papyrus continued to monologue, while Undyne leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Don't think you're getting out of it that easy, punk. I have so many questions, you're phone is going to EXPLODE with texts!"
Just what he wanted to hear.
Sans - more Later
Once his brother had finally settled down, Undyne reverted to their sentry days, "Papyrus, REPORT!"
His brother quivered to attention, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, RELIEVED THE FORMER WATCH OF DUTY AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING. ONE HOUR LATER, THE TINY HUMAN APPEARED TO BE HAVING A NIGHTMARE, SO I TRIED TO WAKE HER. SHE WENT INTO A FLASHBACK SIMILAR TO THOSE OF HUMAN SOLDIERS," well, that wasn't all that surprising. The kid had certainly gone through enough trauma in her short life.
"WHAT SHE SAID INDICATED THE ATTACK WAS TRIGGERED BY MY LEANING OVER HER, SO I BACKED AWAY. ONE OF THE SOULS, CALLING HIMSELF CONSOLAS, USED MAGIC TO GUIDE ME THROUGH BRINGING HER OUT OF IT. HE SAID HE WAS MY MOTHER'S BROTHER. SHE SPOKE TO ME AFTER THAT," Wait...what? Sans remembered her mentioning a skeleton by that name, but - Undyne signaled him not to interrupt, which only annoyed him a little.
"AFTER FURTHER COMFORT, SHE APPEARED TO ENTER ANOTHER ATTACK, AGAIN TRIGGERED BY LEANING OVER HER. SHE ATTEMPTED TO PUSH ME BACK, PHYSICALLY, SO I BACKED AWAY AS FAR AS THE ROOM WOULD ALLOW. THIS ATTACK WAS SHORTER THAN THE FIRST, ALTHOUGH SHE APPEARS TO HAVE RE-INJURED HER ARM DURING IT," Again, what? How could she...then again, that arm wasn't really healed AT ALL yet, so it made sense they could aggravate the wound, even with someone like Papyrus. That looming thing...he'd have to mention it to Toriel and Asgore. Impossible as it might seem, he knew they'd figure out a way not to trigger her, at least until she could work past it. He saw Undyne taking notes.
"THE TINY HUMAN ASKED IF SHE HAD HURT ME, WHICH SHE HAD NOT. SHE WAS IN PAIN, BUT STOPPED ME WHEN I WENT TO ASK THE NURSE FOR MORE PAIN MEDICINE…SHE SEEMED TO THINK SHE DESERVED THE PAIN FOR TRYING TO HURT ME," Well, that fit with the messed up people she'd been in the power of up till now. He added another mental tally to the list of offenses the kiddo's parents had committed. He was running out of chalk, metaphorically speaking.
"I EXPLAINED ABOUT FLASHBACKS AND HOW PAIN IS NOT A PUNISHMENT. SHE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE FAMILIAR WITH THE IDEA OF OTHERS BEING CONCERNED FOR HER, ALTHOUGH SHE HAS SHOWN CONCERN FOR OTHERS. ASIDE FROM GETTING MORE PAIN MEDICINE FROM THE NURSE, AND THE DOCTOR CHECKING HER ARM AGAIN, SHE SLEPT MOST OF THE REST OF THE DAY. THAT IS ALL," He made a mental note to tell Frisk about that. If ANYONE could convince someone they deserved to be cared about, it was Frisk - they were the world champion MERCY giver, after all.
Undyne cleared her throat, "Okay, Papyrus. Run that by us again, but FILL IN THE GAPS THIS TIME, NERD!"
Email to Undyne from Lab Goons
Hey Boss!
We're all working hard, don't you worry. Fred even fixed the copy machine! (not really).
What did Sans do to you, anyway? A deadly pun battle? An inescapable prank?
Files have been updated, sending you the contact info for all the meld SOULs - well, you're the closest relative for the twins, and Fedsy said he needed to talk to you about Consolas ASAP. Seems he's been on the MIA list for a while…don't be suprised if he blows up at you.
Maintenance papered over the holes - LITERALLY! They said if you're going to keep doing this, the repairs might as well be temporary until we get set up in the new joint.
Get better soon! (or not)
Your loving Lab Goons
(two attachments)
Email to Undyne from Fedsy/Feng E Zi
Captain Undyne,
One of your technicians informed me you have information on the whereabouts of Agent Consolas. Our department would greatly appreciate anything you choose to share with us. His disappearance in 8AR has been on the 'unsolved' board for too long.
Informally, I'm damned annoyed at you for keeping me out of the loop on this project. You haven't been this high handed for years, don't fall back into the pit. First I hear you let a civilian join you on a raid (yes, I know it was Sans; no, that doesn't excuse it), then there's some child in the hospital with round the clock monster supervision (I won't start on the rumors as to why), and now my protege is somehow involved? Get your ass over here and explain!
Agent Feng E Zi
P.S. I've heard about your nickname for me. If you keep using it, I'll start calling you fishlady.