"I didn't expect a laboratory in a place like this," said Greg.
"What?"
Wirt was pulled out of his thoughts as he looked up. A building sat in front of them, plain except for the words "LAB" printed on its side.
"Oh," said Wirt. "Well, maybe we should go around then."
"I'm not sure if we can," said Greg. He pointed to the rest of the road, barely a cliff left from where the lab ended.
"Then we'll run in," said Wirt. "And we'll be very polite and we won't stick around long enough for them to figure out we're human."
"Sounds like a plan. Lead the way, Spuds McKenzie!"
The frog croaked and hopped towards the lab. Two automatic doors slid open and the three walked in.
There was only one light source in the lab, a monitor that filled the room with an eerie blue glow. There was no one around, Wirt realized. The light hum of machinery felt a lot louder than it really was.
"It's you!" Greg said, and pointed to the monitor.
Wirt turned. His reflection stared back.
"We're leaving," said Wirt as he pushed his brother through.
They were not halfway through the hallway when the lights snapped on, startling Wirt to a stop. A door opened beside him as a small dinosaur monster walked out. Its eyes instantly fell onto the two.
"Hello!" said Greg.
"Oh. My God." It breathed. "I didn't expect you to show up so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy and…"
It stopped its pacing and took a deep breath.
"Uh…h-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys, King ASGORE's royal scientist," it said. "B-b-b-but I'm not one of the bad guys! Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've been, uh, been 'observing' your journey through my console."
"We noticed," said Wirt.
"I-I was originally going to stop you," said Dr. Alphys "But there's something about watching people on a screen that really makes you root for them. So I want to help you."
"I think we'll be fine," said Wirt.
"But Wirt!" said Greg. "We could be famous!"
"She's the only one watching us!" said Wirt. "And that's weird!"
"A-a-actually, uh…" said Dr. Alphys. "T-t-there is a problem of…that. A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star, or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments. Like…uh…anti…anti-human combat features? And, uh…now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?"
Wirt's blood ran cold. A set of heavy thuds filled the room and echoed about.
"So what you're saying is," said Greg. "We're going to be on TV?"
"OH YES!" A highly processed voice rang out through the lab.
The child was not there when the Cat awoke. Neither was Beatrice. The Cat could not help but think these two were related.
[I–T Zhw vlzrd ztw ikswm ð said the man who spoke in hands.
"I believe they mentioned they can do that," said the Cat. "Is that why you want me to follow them?"
2²˜} Jo qhy eut utvv loj mlv lulnvv uf ehrjzejl? ¤Ïe8
"Hardly," said the Cat.
ì To? «£º said the man, a tease in his voice that the Cat could not quite figure out. !¯ Zhwr grxe inmkk a tbx rhomm cfa. Tzxc nuudw kzbe inmkk a dhx ku pjhxvit qhy, vbef ls dacz tw IKSWMXZTG lamj cojeh? +YQ
The Cat said nothing. He was right of course, and he did not want to admit it out loud.
jZhsm oztd gy qvxcq bw bky lh wrbifz qp vegipv ëñ74 said the man. òÂTHul B afalv keknej aicv tzxq workm. Xyky vxwvxvw ms jke lai jgmw dmej ox fiiiy jxxlxn lh xykm ÇàP
Frisk was the first true visitor to Aunti Whispers' cottage in a long time. Most visitors just got eaten.
"There'd be no point to eating you, of course," said Aunti Whispers in a tone that was probably supposed to be jokingly. "You would just come back. It'd be a waste of perfectly good spices."
The tea was served by a young woman who was more dust than skin. It was made of golden flowers. Aunti Whispers ordered it especially for them. It was a rare plant in the Unknown, but Frisk recognized the bright colors and sharp fragrance of that in the Underground. It felt familiar, and not just because of that. It smelled like the dad guy that the Other Toriel had created. It reminded them of the flowers that had broken their fall when they first fell down, and again in the Dump.
"Now go rearrange the bones of the past visitors," Aunti Whispers said to the servant girl.
"I already have, Aunti Whispers," the girl said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Then clean the floor. Our guests have tracked in quite a bit of mud."
Frisk couldn't help but feel a wash of shame as the servant girl's shoulders slumped and she resumed to her chores. They cocked their head to the side, a quiet indication of confusion.
"It is best that Lorna keeps to her chores," said Aunti Whispers. "Working will keep the beast within her at bay. Now then, child, what brings you to the Unknown?"
Frisk started to sign.
"I'm afraid I do not know the language of hands," said Aunti Whispers. She did not say it cruelly, but it was still disappointing. Frisk fetched the paper pad and pen.
How did you know I could Save?
"You are not the first person to enter the Unknown and use the powers of your Soul." said Aunti Whispers. "A few of them are downstairs now."
I didn't know I could do it, wrote down Frisk. They don't write down the part where they found out they could do it.
Aunti Whispers hummed in thought. "Lorna! Fetch me a book from my bookshelf. Mysteries of the Soul, Volume One. Think it's by some fellow named Faux."
"Oh no…" Alphys said.
"OH YES!" Mettaton announced as he popped over the kitchen counter. "WELCOME BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIERE COOKING SHOW! COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT! PREHEAT YOUR OVENS, BECASE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU!"
"A cake?" Greg asked.
"RIGHT YOU ARE, MY LOVELY ASSISTANT!" Mettaton said. "GO AHEAD AND GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. THEY'RE RIGHT ON THE COUNTER BEHIND YOU!"
"We're not going to be a part of any cooking show," said Wirt.
"It's just a cake, Wirt," said Greg. "And the audience is counting on us."
"LET'S GIVE THEM A HAND FOR ENCOURAGEMENT! Mettaton said.
A confetti cannon exploded from behind the kitchen set, covering Wirt. Greg clapped along before getting to work. He dropped off the eggs on the counter, dropped the sugar on the eggs, and the milk in the sugar.
"PERFECT! GREAT JOB BEAUTIFUL!" Mettaton said. "NOW WE JUST NEED OUR SECRET INGREDIENT!"
"Love?" Greg asked.
Mettaton held up a chainsaw.
"A HUMAN SOUL!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Wirt said. "Don't you have a substitution or something?"
"WHY WOULD I EVER NEED ONE WHEN THE REAL THING'S RIGHT HERE?" Mettaton asked.
"Well, what if someone's….vegan?"
"VEGAN?"
"Well—"
"THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, SWEETHEART!" Mettaton said. "ACTUALLY, WE DO HAVE AN OPTION ON SET! MTT BRAND COMVENIENT HUMAN SOUL SUBSTITUTE!"
Mettaton pointed off the kitchen set and out of the room. A wooden cabinet with a jar sat in the corner.
"That looks suspicious," Wirt said.
"YOUR IDEA, BEAUTIFUL." Mettaton said.
"I'll get it! I'm a lovely assistant!" Greg said.
Greg ran off the set. The cameras followed him. No sooner did he lay a hand on the counter did it shoot up into the sky, taking Greg with him.
Wirt let out a series of panicked noises he could not quite form into words.
"OH DEAR. WHAT A TRAGEDY," said Mettaton. "WELL, WE'RE ON A SCHEDULE, SWEETHEART. IF YOU CAN'T GET THEM BACK IN ONE MINUTE, WE'LL HAVE TO MOVE ONTO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!"
The phone rang.
"I know this looks bad," said Alphys. "B-but I think I have an idea. S-see that button on your phone that says JET PACK?"
Wirt looked down at the phone.
"Press it," said Alphys.
Wirt knew exactly where this was going.
"TIME'S RUNNING OUT, SWEETHEART!" Mettaton reminded.
Wirt swallowed, looked up to Greg so he wouldn't have to look at the phone, and pressed the button.
He was a good twenty feet in the air before he could process his feet left the ground. He was not much higher when Mettaton began to throw things at him. The sense of vertigo faded as his attention shifted to dodging puffs of flour, eggs, and cups of sugar.
He had passed Greg by the time he was actually able to get his bearings. He looked just in time to see the jar that Greg had tossed it start to fall. Neither of them could catch it in time. It collided to the ground in a mess of glass and red goo.
"HUH," said Mettaton. "HOW ABOUT WE GO TO A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS, AND WE'LL FINISH UP WITH THE CAKE WE MADE AHEAD OF TIME!"
Mettaton flew off closer to the real set. Wirt managed to catch himself and fly down as the dresser coiled back into himself.
"That was fun!" said Greg.
"That was terrifying!" said Wirt.
He pulled Greg closer to him, stopping him from going back to the set. Mettaton was talking to his cameramen, and wouldn't see if they left.
"How about we leave before he notices we're gone?" Wirt asked.
"But I wanted to try the cake," said Greg.
It took Lorna a minute to find the book. It was old and musty, with binding falling apart at the seams and pages nearly yellow with age. It was big enough that it hit the table with a thud, regardless of how carefully Lorna put it down. Aunti Whispers turned the page carefully, leaning in as she read. Frisk tried their best to read over her head. They could only make out vague shapes; heats in different colors with pigment that faded over time, and carefully sketched triangle patterns.
"Souls hold a type of power," read Aunti Whispers. "It holds their owner together and shapes their personality, no matter what they may go through in life. Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Perseverance, Integrity…the strongest of these, Determination. The power is rare, but its powers are innate. The ability to persist after death, or rewind time. To fix what went wrong, or what went right."
I thought it was like a video game, wrote down Frisk. Every time I felt determined, it was like I was saving the game.
Aunti Whispers made a face of confusion. Frisk supposed she did not understand what a video game was.
"I will admit my knowledge of how Souls work is lacking," she said. "That was not the kind of magic I work with. If you truly want to find the powers of your Soul, you should try to look within the Kingdom of Monsters."
Frisk perked up.
That's what I want to do! They wrote. Do you know how to get there?
"There is a way," said Aunti Whispers. "But I do not know it. How did you end up in the Unknown in the first place?"
Another wash of shame overcame Frisk as they started writing. I reset.
Aunti Whispers studied them carefully, eyes cold with something Frisk could not read. "Were you here before?"
Frisk shook their head. They started to write things down, that they were in the Underground at first and then the Other World, but Aunti Whispers spoke again.
"The other ones that used Determination were much older than you, you realize. They were much more in control of what they could do. If you came about the power recently, you may not be well-equipped to use it. One small slip, and you may have traded places with someone."
Frisk nodded.
I know I have, they sign. That's why I want to go back. But not before I fix things.
Aunti Whispers did not understand.
Lorna did not fall asleep until well into the night, as her body finally collapsed from exhaustion. Frisk did not fall asleep until after that. Though Aunti Whispers had proven she had no ill will towards them, her house was not exactly comfortable sleeping in.
When they woke up, Lorna made them a small breakfast of things they couldn't quite eat and more tea. Aunti Whispers only emerged to give Lorna more orders and give a final warning to Frisk.
"Beware my sister, Adelaide. She lives in the pasture. She must not be trusted."
The Cat was waiting for them outside the house, curled up in a tree.
"I was wondering when you'd step out," said the Cat. He sounded like he did not care. "I take it that little trick was how you ended up in the Other World, yes?"
Frisk nodded.
Didn't mean to, they signed. You were in danger.
The Cat watches them carefully, as if looking for a sign they were lying. His sign reading was not too good, but he could ready body language.
"I don't believe Beatrice will be joining us again," said the Cat. "Do you know the cause of that?"
Frisk nodded. They didn't want to say, and the Cat probably would not understand them anyway.
The two of them head off into the unknown.