Settling back into the truck's seat, the driver took a deep breath. The diesel engine growled ominously as it inched forward in the line of cars. Before them loomed the border crossing. A large LED sign beside him read "Welcome to Gouven! International visitors are not welcome." Ever since Victor Redgate had declared war at the Summit with Klazun, other nations had joined him, those nations being Yokall, Hocren, Daika, Gouven, and Meslux. Those nations now prepared to close their gates to outsiders. A great challenge to overcome, yet somehow Matthias was optimistic it could be done.
The truck lurched forward again, slowly rolling up to the crossing point. From inside the booth a guard peered into the truck, meeting his eyes with the driver.
"Passport." The driver leaned out of the window, handing it to the guard, then looked straight ahead. Beneath the window, his hand tapped a holster. The guard frowned slightly.
"What are you carrying, mister...Charlston?"
The driver glanced over his shoulder. "Just some supplies, steel, you know. The usual."
The guard glanced up to him, then stepped out from his booth. "I'll need to check the back. Stay in the truck, please."
The driver took a breath. As the guard began to walk back, the driver opened the door, slipping his piece out of the holster as he hopped off the truck. The guard turned around.
"Hey! I told you to stay in the truck!" He put a hand on his sidearm. Before the guard could act, the driver whipped his own pistol out, two gunshots ringing out as the bullets slammed into the guard's chest. The guard collapsed, groaning as he writhed. All around, others screamed in terror, fleeing from their vehicles. The driver walked to the back of the truck, tugging the doors open.
"We're clear."
Undyne smirked, standing up. She led the group out of the truck. Another guard exited from the building next to the border crossing.
"Sound the alarm!" he called.
Undyne quickly raised her gun, letting out a spray. The guard collapsed, and a second later a siren began letting out a loud wail.
"We've got to shut that alarm off! That alone could attract more attention then we can manage!" she shouted over the din.
The ten soldiers kept their guard up as they slunk towards the building. Undyne took point as they approached the door. She tried the door. Locked.
"C4!"
"C4, coming up," a third soldier replied, brushing past the others. Undyne and the rest of the company backed up, watching as the monster wired the small charge to the door. Soon the monster sprinted back with them, a button clutched in his hand.
"Ready, going in three...two...one...BREACH!" He pushed the button, a loud bang sounding from the charge as it exploded. The doors were blown open. Undyne rushed forward, poking around. One of the border guards lay dead in front of the door, having been too close to the blast. She was not given much time to think, the group taking automatic rifle fire as they entered. Undyne ducked behind one of the customs desks.
Bullets whizzed past, striking the wooden desk, sending splinters flying. One of the soldiers rushed through the door too late, and faced a spray of gunfire. In an instant, all that remained of the soldier was his armour and weapon. Undyne grunted as a splinter glanced off her shoulder. She knew the importance of securing the border crossing. They couldn't afford to get bogged down.
She tossed her rifle aside, taking out her side pistol. Her left hand curled into a fist, and a large shield slowly materialized over her left arm. The shield glowed a sharp turquoise, and was partially transparent. When there was a pause, she leapt over the desk, raising the shield in front of her.
Immediately, she saw half a dozen crossing guards taking shelter behind another desk. She advanced into the fray. The bullets pinged off the shield, only slightly slowing her progress. She poked her own pistol out of the side, quickly dispatching two of the guards. A quick flick to the right saw a third crumple. Behind her, the other soldiers began to tighten the noose. Another guard fell, leaving two remaining. She hopped over the other desk, the guards backing away.
The handgun fell from her grip, the shield dissolved. Before they could react, she swung at the guard just in front of her, following it up with a swift kick to the gut, sending the man sprawling onto the floor. A monster sprinted around her, gun pointed at the guard should he have tried anything.
An arm wrapped around Undyne's neck, yanking her back. Before she could react, the warm barrel of a pistol pressed against the back of her skull.
"Back up, or she dies!" the final guard yelled, using the captain as a shield between himself and the other soldiers. His eyes were wild and desperate as e backed himself into a corner, leaving no blind spots and no openings. Undyne took a deep breath, nodding to the others. With guns raised, they slowly backed up.
One monsters' eyes flicked to the ground for a split second as Undyne's fingers twitched. A blue circle appeared in the floor just underneath her captor. Her finger flicked up, and a spear followed its motion, stabbing through the guard. She grabbed the pistol before it hit the ground, firing twice at the body prone on the ground. Both shots met their mark, between the eyes.
One by one the soldiers lowered their firearms. One of the humans sprinted through a door, and in a moment the persistent wailing of the alarm ceased. Undyne cracked her neck, picking up her own weapons. The spear retracted into the ground and the circle disappeared, allowing the guard's body to drop. One of the other humans walked over to Undyne, huffing.
"That was a bit excessive. Two shots to the head? He had surrendered, he didn't pose a threat to us or the operation anymore."
"As long as our foe lives, they are a threat to us. You do not have the right to tell me what is excessive or not," Undyne grunted. "As memory serves me right, it was your ancestors that tried to exterminate us in the first place."
The soldier followed her as she walked to one of the computers. "Captain, with all due respect, that was centuries ago. There are rules now. One of them goes against executing a surrendered and unarmed foe. What you did could land you in prison."
Undyne grabbed him by the collar. "In case you have forgotten, even with your little rules, they didn't fight fair the first time. What makes you so sure they'll change their minds now? For me...this war is a little personal." She gave him a firm jab, then turned back to the screen. "We have a job to do. I'm going to make sure it's done right."
The human glanced to the others, who had stopped to watch the interaction. With a helpless shrug, they went about securing the rest of the facility. Meanwhile, Undyne turned to a seperate channel on her radio.
"Piranha calling Coral Reef. Checkpoint Delta has been taken. We have clear access to the west."
"Excellent news, Piranha. The fourth army will be with you by nightfall."
With this, Undyne shut the radio off. She folded her arms in triumph. Thanks to some inside intel from their allies in Kralum, they had been able to secure multiple checkpoints along the border of Gouven. Now, they would hopefully be able to steamroll through to Daica. Undyne didn't spend much time pondering on this, instead turning around, beginning to make preparations to defend the crossing in the likely event of a counterattack.
"The Peacemakers saw their first success earlier today, taking several border crossings along the Gouven-Kralum border. This operation, known as "Lightning," has been an immense success…"
The drone of the news reporter was tuned out by Frisk as he mused from his wheelchair. 'Peacemakers'. He thought it was such a funny name. It was the name the countries fighting for monsters had decided on, those countries being Reston, Kralum, Estines, and Truseon. They had looked to Astren in the east for assistance, but the large country had made it adamant they wanted to remain neutral. Still, a funny name, since they were the ones now on the offensive.
War had been declared not more than two weeks prior, and already the armies were advancing into enemy territory. If they kept having these successes, they would be able to not just clear out the western countries, but also conquer the continent Ephin within just six months!
"So, if it's that easy, why are you here?" Frisk queried, glancing to the doorway, where Sans was suddenly leaned against the wall.
"just...wanted to pay you a visit."
"Come on. You and I haven't spoken much in this time," Frisk scoffed. "I know you wouldn't be here unless you needed something."
The skeleton shrugged. "i don't know. i just...every time i'm around you, i get all these...memories...flashes...it's never much, but it's a glimpse. sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. but, I get this feeling that in your time...we were...friends. am I wrong?"
Frisk gave an amused huff. "No, no you are not. You know, in that time, you ran your own podcast. You would spend an hour telling nothing but stupid jokes and puns. You'd even bring Toriel on occasionally."
Sans chuckled. "that sounds like something i'd do. guess i've just got a unique funnybone eh?"
Frisk rolled his eyes. "I guess...but seriously...why are you here?"
Sans paused, then walked over, standing by the chair. "in your time...did you ever see the ancient ruins? the ones where toriel used to live?"
Frisk's smile faded. "I...I did. They came up in Asgore's trial. In fact...that's how the news got out about my reset ability...they didn't show much, just that there was some directory to them...why?"
Sans rocked back on his heels. "us monsters...we have a little legend. 'there will be a day, when the light will return, but the light will not last. tt will be but a mere blink, a warning for the coming of death. but when the sky goes black with the smog of death, the angel will appear, and rain the heavens down on the earth.'"
Frisk shuddered. "That's...a bit ominous…"
"you're telling me...but in those ruins, there's an image of what I believe is the angel."
"So?"
"i don't know...it's probably nothing...but...the face on that angel...it...it kind of looks like yours. it just...got me thinking is all."
Frisk looked down, sitting in silence. He wasn't sure what to say to that. Truthfully, he had never seen such an image himself, even in the trials. He shivered again as an unusual cold washed over him, and a foul smell. The air stung, as if he had been pricked by needles. The air filled his lungs, and his breath hitched for a moment. He glanced to the window. The curtains were still, the window closed. He looked back to Sans, but the skeleton had disappeared.