Hey Everyone!

Interference in bold, puns and in italics, magic is underlined.

-text- indicates either texts, or mental "talking".

All Undertale stuff owned by Toby Fox, else me.

Sorry it's been so long, video project for my Chinese class took too long.

There is another subtle nod to yet another series in here. I can't seem to stop.

You ball up the paper and toss it towards a trash can. The trash can moves so that you sink the shot. You pretend not to notice.

Email from Lab Goons to Fedsy/Feng E Zi

Agent Zi,

The boss asked me to give you the official written report of this investigation. As you'll see, it was a minor investigation up until the raid, and our information didn't indicate anything of the scale of what we found. We're still unraveling it, to be honest, so if what she told you wasn't adequate, it's because we really have no idea what we've got.

I did send a request through official channels for some help several days ago, but it ended up going through Malary...she probably 'lost' it. Again. I attached a copy.

Professor Sans was asked to join the investigation team because of his background in magical engineering and his extensive work with mage-field mapping. He was placed with the medical unit in field. We have no idea how he ended up with the team at the children's hall. Boss says, if you want to know so badly, 'ask the lazybones' yourself. I don't know if she told you, but she had us upgrade Sans threat level the other day.

Profesor Alphys can answer your questions about Silver better than we can, although I've attached the report she gave us. Her Majesty and Prof. Sans are in charge of Silver's visitation schedule. I've also attached an informal write-up of everything to do with Agent Consolas. I heard he was your protege...that's rough, man. Boss says any further questions you have about him should be directed to her.

Fred

(4 attachments)

Email from Undyne to Fedsy/Feng E Zi

Feng E,

I'm sure you have the hospital's records by now, so why the hell are you still pushing this? Enjoy explaining to her Majesty why you think her newest child should be locked up in isolation for the rest of her life. WHOSE PROTECTION ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR, ANYWAY?

I'd say you should go talk to the kid yourself, but you'd have to get past the gate guards to do so - and by that, I mean convince Sans and Toriel you deserve a chat. I'd start with the skelly, he actually likes you, mostly.

This kid just isn't the kind of threat you make them out to be.

Undyne

Email from Fedsy to Undyne

Captain Undyne,

As much as I would like to trust your word on this, I need to see for myself just what this child is capable of. Her Majesty's secretary informs me she is unavailable right now, Sans won't answer his email, and I've never gotten his phone number.

Also, I've been informed you ordered his threat level to be increased. Would you care to explain why?

Agent Feng E Zi

Texts between Undyne and Sans

-Sans! Why aren't you answering your email?-

-Sans!-

-SANS! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE AND ANSWER ME!-

-I'LL SICK PAPYRUS ON YOU, I WILL!-

-fine. what do you want?-

-Fedsy wants to talk with the kid.-

-no-

-THAT WASN'T A REQUEST!-

-didn't mean to hit a nerve there, undyne.-

-SANS!-

-fine. only if i'm there, though.-

-Why?-

-he might not be half bad, undyne, but he's still a suit. you didn't have to deal with them, back then, captain of the royal guard and all that.-

-NEITHER DID YOU!-

-heh. who do you think ended up explaining LV to them?-

-...-

-yeah. they don't stop poking unless someone makes them. you've talked to her. do you think the kiddo would resist, if he told her she needed to be locked up for everyone's safety?-

-I hate it when you're right. I'll talk to him. Also, you better come up with an explanation for why I might raise your threat level other than your power. He'll want to know.-

-one major fibula, coming right up-

Sans

Sans knew his posture was broadcasting hostility. He knew it, but he didn't care. This suit had gotten under his skin, no bones about it. At least he wasn't throwing the man around his office. He'd barged in past the department secretary (okay, the secretary he shared with the physics department, close enough), and now Zi was clearly trying to come up with some non-threatening way to talk to the skeleton, or maybe trying not to yell.

"Look, Professor, I know you don't like me, you probably never have, but I just want you to hear me out."

"i'm all ears," Zi stared, slack jawed, then doubled over. Sans was just a little worried when the man threw back his head and let out the most undignified cackle of laughter he'd ever heard from a human, or, really, from anyone. It started low, thrumming, then bopped it's way up the scale until a squeal brought it back down to earth.

"Oh, that was good," Sans raised an eyesocket. That wasn't one of his better jokes, "I haven't heard a decent English pun for years. My auntie sends me some in her dialect, but it's not the same. My-" his voice caught, "my protege used to throw them out occasionally. Kinda dark, but...sorry," he seemed to pull himself together, "You'll let me speak?"

Sans leaned back, closing his eyes, "no promises."

He sighed, "Yeah. I don't know if you actually read my emails, but I'd like to have a look at that kid you all've been watching. Not...not 'cause I think she's a danger. Not exactly...more worried about Con, to tell the truth."

Sans opened one eye, "He was a field agent. Don't really know what that means, do you...or maybe you do. Heard something once about Asgore's judge being a skeleton...you were a sentry...well, you probably know what war, what being on edge in a kill or be killed world does to monsters better than I did," Sans winced at the familiar phrase.

"Con...he was one of the first monsters to join The Agency. Damned good, too, if I say so myself. He was my trainee...not many were willing to work with a monster, still not, really. Most agents are obsessive about their safety, and a good partner means safety to a lot of them. Lot of 'em think a monster is just someone to look out for. Less, now," the grin was half pride, half predatory.

"I took him on 'cause he was like me, joe shmoe off the streets. A lot of agents are former military, former police...he'd just graduated college when the barrier dropped. Somethings like a Human Literature major, loved crime novels. Wanted to be in one, just like me," Zi shook his head in self-mockery.

"Took a few years for the shine to wear off. We were on kickback duty for a long time, no one wanted to put a monster in the line of fire, your Royal Guard aside. Threat eval next, nothing to scary, bar one or two miscalls. Then one day we get a call from an old friend of mine, and all hell broke loose," one arm started shaking, the other quickly grabbing it, rubbing circles on some old scar tissue.

"Some kiddo with the mage gene got shot up, and went haywire. Not usually our gig, but...they were visiting their brother in the VA. Everyone got called in, the only reason it didn't hit national news was 'cause it was a mage kid," he looked up at Sans, serious, "We're still trying to keep that quiet, by the way, at least till we can figure out just how many of them there could be, how they activate...yeah. Human magic's a hell of a lot sketchier than your lot's."

"Con was right in the thick of it, only monster in the area worth a damn in a fight. He managed to get the kid, but...well, they didn't make it, and it just about tore him apart. I didn't know how SOUL damage worked with psychological stuff...no one did. He started getting sloppy...taking risks, ignoring protocol, moved to the rougher side of town. Took about a dozen 'close calls' before I caught on," he drooped.

"You know, I think pulling him off active did him in more than anything else. We got swapped to babysitting, and he hated it. Started disappearing on his days off, showing up late, dead on his feet. I followed him home one night...he'd bullied the local cops into letting him tag along," hand traced up his arm to his shoulder, rubbing deep, "He got into a firefight. I pulled him out, but...he pulled away."

"Got himself transferred over to liaison, working with cult watch on the side. Why them of all people?" The rubbing got faster, deep enough Sans began to worry about bruises, "He seemed better, back on active, even if it was a pity gig. Cycled through partners for a few years, then ended up with the same chick for, oh, two and a half? It seemed perfect."

Sans pushed a worry ball Pap had given him over. Zi stared, then grabbed it, squeezing it rhythmically, "Do you remember the 'Serial Twins' four years ago?" Sans nodded wordlessly, "Yeah, that was their case. The news never released it, but that agent died about two weeks later, intracranial bleeding. That was his partner. She took the blows meant for that kiddo, the victim who got away. He'd been holding one of the twins down, couldn't get to her in time."

"I didn't hear until after, when his counselor called me, asking if I'd seen him lately. He'd gone to the first two sessions - counseling is mandatory after the death of a partner - then stopped. Vanished," Zi's knuckles went white, "Died. The Guards sent me that file, and I can fill in the blanks. He tried to find something to do, anything to get his mind off it, and one of the cult watch people heard a rumor. He probably didn't even realise he was doing it again, courting death out of guilt. Guess he wasn't as bad a flirt as I thought."

Zi curled up again, this time the laughter mixed with sobs. A part of Sans wanted to comfort him, part was still furious at the suit, and part was desperately curious what that thing about flirting meant. He settled for silence. Eventually, Zi managed to get back under control, failing to hid it as he wiped away his tears. Zi looked up at Sans, determination in his eyes. Sans mentally cursed. He'd known Frisk long enough to realise he wasn't going to win this fight.

"That's why I want to see the kid. My protege, my friend...he wasn't exactly cheerful. He could get pretty dark, and...he tried to kill himself before, he SUCCEEDED. And...he was a trained killer. Even if they are harmless...if he's in there, if he wants to die...I don't want him taking anyone else with him."

Sans closed his eyes. Of all the things...he could see it. She'd tried to kill herself, Consolas clearly had some control of her magic...how much was the kid? He didn't THINK the skeleton had been in charge, but...he could see it. Damn.

He stood up, snatching his keys from the table, "Where are you going?"

Sans stopped, one hand on the door, "you wanted to see the kid for yourself, didn't cha?"

Consolas

Consolas blinked. His sockets felt oddly...gooey? He reached up and his phalanges plopped into something cold, something...oh. He carefully rolled over, trying to let the toddler know he was awake. The ghost stirred, then snuggled deeper into his socket. He let out a sigh, and heard a giggle from somewhere to his left. Too low-pitched to be either of the twins, and the kiddo - Silver, right, Silver - didn't really giggle that much, not in here, anyway.

-Usik, get him off.-

-Ah, come on, Con, he's so cute when he's like that.- The teen sniggered to himself.

-Usik. Get. Him. Off.-

-Fine.- Consolas could hear the eye roll, but at least the boy got the toddler out of his skull without too much damage. Finally able to sit up, he sent out a check of what the-Silver was up to. Talking with someone, huh? No fear, so no rush. He ambled out of the room.

Sans

"That's a pretty neat toy. What's their name?"

"...Gift."

"Ah…" Sans snickered to himself. Whatever else Zi was good at, dealing with kids wasn't one of his skills. He pushed aside the thought that he himself had had some pretty awkward conversations with her. After a desperate glance at Sans, the suit tried for the third time to get a conversation going, "So, you've got a pretty nice view out that window. I bet you can see the river from here."

"...dunno," Silver turned to Sans, "What does a river look like?"

He ignored the gurgle from Zi, and tried to think up a decent answer, "it's a long thing of water. it tends to go with the flow," she clearly had no clue what he was talking about, "it glitters, and it moves downhill. there's trees by them, sometimes. boats, too, if it's big…"

Silver looked at him, still puzzled, but he'd run out of ideas. She seemed to realise this, because her eyes went fuzzy, yellow mixing with the silver. It was like those pictures where two images had been developed on the same sheet. He heard Zi gasp, but after a moment her eyes went back to normal.

"...okay. Nessa showed me," She turned back to Zi, "I can't see it from here."

He gulped, then managed to reply, "Um, okay...so, you can, uh, talk to them?"

She nodded, "mhmm. The baby doesn't talk much, though. He doesn't really have words."

"...o-kay. Well, that's...okay. Can you...can I...is Consolas around?"

She tilted her head, then her eyes went fuzzy again, this time black sockets overlaying the human eyes. She stayed that way, blinking, "Zizi? That you?"

"Con? You can talk?" The agent seemed worried.

"Yep. The kiddo's pretty good about sharing...well, that ain't surprising, still getting her mind around the idea of owning something for herself."

"Really...she just let's you take over?"

The skeleton eyes rolled, "I don't just 'take over', she lets me. She's determination positive, like her sister, although not nearly as strong. Enough to keep me out if she wants. Enough to KICK me out, no problem."

Sans nodded. That made sense. It was their DETERMINATION that let Frisk kick Chara out. Let them bring Azriel back before that. The stuff was powerful.

"Ah...and you, how are you doing?" Zi winced as he finished the sentence, but the kid seemed to be grinning.

"Taking care of the kid's given me a whole new lease on life, figuratively speaking. Guess it's true, helping someone with their problems does give your own some perspective. Shame it took me taking on the Shadow Lover to figure it out, but that's life."

The way the skeleton said it, Sans knew it was a joke. It had the same shape as humor, anyway, even if it did sound...messed up, "hope that ain't the kind of joke you tell 'round the kid."

The skeleton eyes swiveled to Sans, blinking, "Nope. Well, dark stuff's kinda my shpeal, but I was trying to keep her from figuring out we'd been dusted, up till lately. You Sans?" Sans nodded, "Pleasure to meet you. Is the tall one your brother?"

"yep. he'd pretty great," Zi looked completely lost at this point.

Consolas laughed, "Yeah, he's a treat. You remember Kaiti at all?" Zi started.

"not much more than him. she used to sing to us, i think," Consolas sighs, then nods.

"Didn't you say that was your sister's name?"

"Yeah. I used to complain a lot about having no family, huh. Now I've got two nephews, the kiddo, and...well, everyone they're related to."

"Hell of a way to find out," both skeleton sockets glare at him.

"Silver, try not to use that word, kay?"

Zi looked sheepish, "Sorry," silence grew. Zi was staring down at his feet, Sans watching him intently, and Consolas seemed to be waiting for something, "So, uh, how would you rate the kid?" Sans gave him an odd look.

"Depends. Ninety percent of the time, I'd say inward only, but…" Zi sucked in a breath at the phrase, but waited, "How much of a report did you get of her time down there?"

"...not much before the raid. Medical eval, and the poor excuse for documentation the cult leader kept. Lot of scars we couldn't account for…"

"She's a classic shield, Zizi, even before I got there. All I did was show her how to take some of the blows, how to dodge...kept her alive, kept her sane. That whole thing during the raid? She locked me down. I could see, but she was working on pure determination, and none of us can work through that," Consolas seemed to realise he'd left Sans in the dark. He turned, "A threat assessment. Shields will get between danger and what they want to protect, regardless of personal risk. Inward only-"

"i got that one. kinda pointed, if you ask me."

"Heh. Yeah...so, Zi, no iso. Aside from the fact that they're harmless, they've lived through it before, and putting them in that will trigger EXACTLY what you want to avoid. Same with restraints, and I doubt the magic dampening spells you have will hold for more than a day," Zi looked up sharply, "Mage gene, determination positive, and the magic of five separate monsters. I'm not even sure you could get the spells to stick. Her-our SOUL isn't exactly human or monster at this point."

Zi sighed, "Yeah. That's the rub, isn't it? The moment the higher-ups get wind of that, they'll want her locked up. ANY of that. The moment we lock her up, we lose."

"then don't," Both Zi and the skeleton's sockets turned to Sans. He cleared his throat, "don't lock her up," both looked blank, "two of the most powerful monsters in the world want to adopt her. most of the runner ups either live with them or stop by on a regular basis. her sister is the most determination-filled human we know of, and the royal guard will be within earshot night and day. what safeguards can you come up with that would be better protection than that?"

Shocked silence. Zi's lips moved, no coherent words being made, "But-"

"HAH! Leave it to the civilian to point out the obvious, no offense intended nephew."

"none taken."

"But-"

"Zizi, if you don't shut up and take the nice skeleton's advice, I'll...I'll sick my new nephews on you."

"...fine. FINE!" Zi threw up his hands, "Leave me here to deal with the paperwork while you go off and-"

"You always loved paperwork, don't even think about arguing...anyway, the kiddo doesn't seem to know how to read and write, and I still don't have the hang of muscles."

Another shocked silence, "tibia honest, not sure if toriel will be mad about that or overjoyed," he shrugged, "probably be the crown to her day."