Chapter 41

Choose Wise, Your Side

They started off to make their escape, sticking to the dimly lit and lesser frequented routes as they traveled. Corbel headed the party. It was his crazy idea to attempt a jailbreak in the first place. He knew the most about the lab's floorplan, even though technically, Sans worked there longer.

In that regard, Sans acted as an assistant navigator, informing them of closed-off areas he'd seen while traveling to and from the machine. Anything that might obstruct them along the way.

The two of them bounced off back and forth, mapping out their escape as they went, bringing up points and counterpoints. It seemed to be their natural state. Debate and advocate. It helped both of them think more clearly. As Ava watched them, she could see them working as the lab partners they'd been for five years, the friends they'd been for even longer. It made her happy and comforted to know that even in a place like this, as dreary and as hopeless as it seemed, Simm had someone he connected with as well as he did with Corbel.

She and Sans stayed behind Corbel as suggested. The entire time he hadn't let go of her hand once. Though it did feel a lot different holding a thin bony version of his hand, it was comforting all the same. She couldn't have been happier or more relieved that he was here, that she'd finally found him after all of that time searching for him. He was here, holding her hand again!

But even she'd noticed that he was sluggish as he walked. He was about a step or two behind her, just trying to keep up. He tried to play it off so she or Corbel wouldn't notice, but even for him, the master of playing it cool and hiding his pain, it was difficult. His speech was slower and he had to halt every so often just to breathe or conceal his breathing. She tried asking him quietly if he was okay or if he needed to rest, but as expected, he refused, saying that everyone getting out okay was more important.

Corbel listened in as they spoke in hushed tones. Sans didn't sound too good. He really had to keep an eye out for him. With such low stats, making this long journey would be especially taxing. He had to make sure he was taken care of.

Corbel shifted, digging through his bag for some "rations". Once he found them, he handed them back to Ava.

"If Sans starts to fall behind, make sure he eats some of these."

Ava looked at the brightly colored packaging.

"This is candy." She stated, incredulously.

"It sure is. Sans' HP is really low and we have to take care of the little bit he has left. If he can't rest to regain that HP, this will be how we can replenish it."

Sans smirked for a moment as he listened to them talk as if he wasn't standing right there. "Or, crazy thought, I could just tell you if I start to feel off."

"But we all know you won't do that." Corbel answered, continuing to lead the way forward. "So, Ava. That's all you."

"Um . . . Okay." Ava answered slowly, taking and stowing the candy away in her pocket, "So . . . You wanna tell me exactly what HP is?"

Corbel had to look behind him, the shock hitting him.

"You're kidding, right? You don't . . . You've . . . been in fights before, right?"

"I've been attacked before while I've been here, and I've gotten away from those fights."

"Okay . . . I've . . . never had to explain this before. It's just . . . And it's not like we have a whole lot of time for a demonstration."

"HP is the visual representation of a person's motivation to live." Sans explained, "Their drive and determination. When you fight and you're injured, your HP drops. Every person has a limit to how much they can take . . . And . . . mine . . ."

Corbel's face fell drastically, his voice dropping even more as he continued, "It was stolen. Siphoned directly out of your body."

"But then, why can't you just eat some of this candy?" Ava asked, patting her pocket. "Isn't that what it's for?"

"Normally, yes. When your HP is naturally drained, eating or sleeping can replenish it to what's known as Max HP. Your highest starting value." Sans continued. "But in my case, just replenishing HP won't work. The doc . . ."

"He cut into your Soul!" Corbel all but growled, "He stole the source of your HP and irreparably damaged you! Do you even know where your Max is right now, Sans?"

Sans hummed, "Well, it wasn't that high to start with."

"Five!" Corbel snapped, his voice cracking a bit, "He left you with a Max of five HP!"

"I don't understand . . ." Ava hesitated, "Is that bad? How much HP do you have, Corbel?"

"432!"

Something inside of Sans pulled when he heard Corbel's wavering voice and his own expression fell. With a look toward Ava and a sympathetic and understanding nod from her, he released her hand to keep step with Corbel.

"Hey." He addressed quietly, "Hey, Corbel."

"What?"

"Can you stop for a second?"

"We don't have time for this. We have to keep moving."

"Just for a second." He reached out and took both of Corbel's wrists, halting his movements. Corbel tore his eyes away, frustrated.

"Corbel, breathe."

"Sans, we're wasting time! And this isn't even about me!"

"Just breathe, damn it."

Corbel obeyed, taking a short breath and a slightly longer one afterward. Guided by Sans, he took a third even deeper breath.

It seemed to work a little bit. The edges of Corbel's tension rounded and his shoulders were slightly less rigid. They'd done this a few times before when Corbel would become overstimulated and overwhelmed. It worked the same way on him now. Now they could work on centering him.

"Okay, now look at me."

Corbel kept his head lowered and his scowl in place, but his eyes lifted to meet his.

"You're holding too much back." Sans stated, "You need to unload as much as you can. What's bothering you most right now?"

"Dad . . ." Corbel groaned, "I mean . . . Dr. Gaster."

"He's still your father, Corbel."

"No, he isn't! Not after this! Not after everything he's done!"

"You wanna tell me?"

"Do I even need to!? You were there! He was killing you! He was going to use the machine to murder you!"

"I know you're upset. You have every reason to be, but I don't think he was done with me yet. Believe it or not, I still have the upper hand here! He still needs me." Sans gave Corbel a wink and his signature grin, hoping it would be enough to convince him.

"Sans . . ." Corbel sighed, "You don't know what he had in mind! I saw his notes! His records of the experiments!"

In her spot, looking on, Ava focused in on the conversation. Was this what Corbel was hiding when he came out of the office? The reason he'd been in such a sour mood ever since? The reason he'd been so upset and out for blood?

"He was preparing to end you!" Corbel continued in a low groan, "He said he was going to 'terminate the specimen' and replace it! Sans, if we hadn't come today, I'm sure he would've killed you within the week. As early as tomorrow! They're already spreading rumors out there that you're dead!"

"And why would he do that? The whole point of the experiment is to study how a human Soul functions within a compatible living host? There's no way he would go as far as to kill me without a viable test subject!"

Corbel didn't speak, but he took one of his hands back to point back at Ava.

Sans followed the pointed finger and instantly, his face fell. His eyes went dark.

"She changes everything!" Corbel pressed, his voice low once again, "I'm sure that even without her, Gaster would've killed you just to keep you away from me! He would've continued experimentation on your Soul once you're dead and he would've made it last until the next human fell. But now that she's here, there's no doubt in my mind that he'll do away with you ASAP and she'll be the one to take your place! All of those experiments! The Soul mutilation! The draining of HP and life . . . They'll do all of that to her once you're dead!"

Sans went completely silent. Of course, he figured that "eventually," when "the next human" came, they'd be put through the wringer as well. Maybe by then, there would have been a breakthrough. Or perhaps he'd have come up with some way around it. A way to spare them everything he'd gone through. The reality and the closeness of it all slammed into him at that moment. "Eventually" became "immediately" and "the next human" became "Ava." Why had it taken Corbel saying it out loud for the actual weight of the situation to settle in for him? When it was just his life, his imprisonment to keep Corbel out of trouble, he was fine. In pain, but fine. Getting out was a nice plus, even if it meant hiding for the rest of his life.

But now . . .

Corbel was absolutely right. With Ava on the line, the whole situation got a lot more heavy. They had to protect her. They had to keep her safe no matter what. They had to get out.

"Now can we get going?" Corbel pressed.

Sans blinked back to the present, releasing Corbel's other hand. "Y-yeah. You're right. Let's go." He reached back toward Ava.

Ava closed the distance, taking the skeletal hand and falling into step as the trio continued.

Up ahead, Corbel sighed once again, trying to center himself. As much as he really did appreciate Sans trying to cheer him up and comfort him, Corbel knew he had to get a fire lit under his ass. He had to get him moving. And the best way to get him to do that: make him see that Ava was in immediate danger. Once he realized Ava's life was in the balance, his whole tone changed, just like Corbel thought it would.

He hated using her to play at his emotions like that. It was exactly what Undyne and Gaine did to get to him . . . But it was the fastest and most effective way to do it. And it worked.

The walk from then on was silent. They had their path laid out. They knew which hallways to avoid and which to traverse. They'd made it to the end of the basement and would have to take the stairs from here in order to make it back up to "surface" level. There were no cameras in the stairwell and any conversation they did choose to have wouldn't be in danger of being recorded. Even so, they remained quiet as they traveled.

But even with the lack of vocal communication, the overall feel of the company was thick enough to be tangible. Ava could feel the dread hanging over them and the anxiety stirring as they climbed the stairs back up. Some of it was her own, but there was a definite shift of energy coming from the other two.

She wasn't blind, nor was she stupid. She could see the deep connection the two of them shared. The worry and passionate concern Corbel had for Simm from the moment they showed up and all the way to this point. And she could see the mutual understanding the two of them had. The way they balanced each other and tethered each other. There was a lot more than just a professional partnership between them. More than just another friendship. Simm had never gotten as close to any of their other friends as he had with this Skeleton. Not even with her. Though they had their own bond, stemmed from their years of friendship and a brief dating period together, this connection was something completely different. There was so much there that neither one of them addressed or spoke about. They didn't need to. It was all right there in the air between them.

"Hey, Ava. How're you holding up there?"

Simm's low voice caught her off guard and she had to stop her thoughts a second to completely focus on what he was saying.

"Nothing." She answered instinctively.

"Um . . . what?" He grinned at her, stifling a short chuckle. "What does that mean?"

"O-oh, I'm . . . fine. I'm okay. I mean you guys know this place better than I do, so I'm just kinda . . . along for the ride, you know?"

"Oh, c'mon. That's not true and you know it." He continued, leading her along as if they were walking through the park together. Was he trying to comfort her now? Trying to make this place seem less intimidating or less ominous? Whatever he was doing, it worked. With the focus on him, it was easy to block out the rest of their surroundings. It did relax her to a certain extent just having him there.

"I know you." He pressed again, "Your mind works on overdrive 24/7. You're always trying to figure everything out. I know you have questions. Lay 'em on me."

"Oh, I've got tons of questions. About this place and how it works. About him." She gestured toward Corbel for a moment, "About you and your role here. About where the heck we're supposed to go now and what the heck we're supposed to do. Tons. But I know this isn't the time. We have to stay focused."

"Well, I can answer that last part." Corbel answered, breaking his silence once again, "This whole escape plan was my idea and my mom agreed to help out. Right now, she's holding Dad back so we can get Sans out safely. Now that we have him, phase one is nearly complete. He's here, and in one piece . . . more or less. We're almost clear of this place. After this, we gotta get to the Snowy forest to a specific place. We'll be off the radar and once we're set up there, we'll be safe."

Ava hummed her understanding and nodded, though she knew Corbel wouldn't see since he was busy leading the way. The way he spoke about it made her think that this plan had been thought up quite a while ago, long before she'd shown up and added a bit of a wrench in it, or at least an extra cog no one was expecting or considered before. This had been a plan for the two of them to disappear and she just happened to drop down in the middle of it. Corbel was leaving his life behind. His teaching job, his family and friends, everyone, so that he could have a chance to live safely with him.

It was the same plan she had. Just one step further. She hadn't thought about where to go after she found Simm. Keep running until they found a way out? Go back the way she came? Find another way? She hadn't thought about it much. Her top priority had just been to find him and apologize for everything she'd done. But from the sound of it, Simm didn't feel any resentment toward her whatsoever. He was far too forgiving and far too sweet for his own good.

"Here we are." Corbel announced when they'd made it to the door clearly marked "emergency exit", "Now, once we're through here. The emergency alarm will sound. There's nothing I can do about that. But we can use that to our advantage. Everyone will be alerted and drawn here to the lab. Meanwhile, by the time they get here, we'll already be long gone and on our way to the-"

A long, shrill note played in the area around them. At the same time, all of the lights switched off, leaving them in complete darkness.

"Shit . . ." Corbel hissed, reaching out to find the door, "Shitshitshit! No! Not now!"

A haunting red light began to blink on and off in time with the wailing notes of the siren.

"No one is supposed to be here now!" Corbel cried, frantically rushing toward the emergency exit. The blinking red light gave him everything he needed to push forward. "We were supposed to have a little more time to get away! See, this is why we shouldn't have stopped before!"

Simm's hand tightened around Ava's and the two of them rushed forward as well to meet Corbel at the door.

"I'm sorry." Simm huffed, "I shouldn't have insisted. We'd be out by now if I hadn't-"

"Nothing we can do about that now!" Ava stepped in, "If the alarm is sounding now, whoever pulled it must be inside the lab, right? We still have time to escape while they come looking for us! But we have to go now!"

Corbel nodded. Simm nodded as well, still a little dejected.

"Alright. We won't have much time." Corbel pressed, his hand on the handle of the door. "All they have to do is follow the trail of destroyed camera footage to know where we are, so we gotta make a break for it now! We have to be on highest alert from now until we reach the forest, got it?"

"Got it." The others answered simultaneously.

"It's now or never. You guys ready?"

"Ready."

Corbel pushed the door open a crack, to check the area outside. As soon as he did, a second ringing alarm sounded. He knew it would happen, so he wasn't too surprised, but still, it cut their time even more.

"EMERGENCY DOOR OPENED ON THE WESTERN WALL! ALL PERSONNEL REPORT!" A computerized voice blared through the halls. Hearing it, Corbel's eyes went wide and a thundering shock rippled from his Soul throughout his entire body. That voice was new! And not only was it new, but it alerted whoever it was in the lab looking for them exactly where they were and what door to head to. They had even less time than before! They had to move!

A look outside. Clear.

"Okay, guys! Let's go!" Corbel commanded, shoving his way out and keeping the door open for them. The others followed without a word and together, they made their way out of the lab.

Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, there was a low contemplative sound. A voice that didn't come from any of the three.

"It came from over here." The voice growled, "You keep checking inside just in case. I've got the emergency exit covered."

Again, Corbel's eyes widened. Undyne!? Why was she here already!? The alarm just sounded! There's no way the Guard would have been alerted already! How did she know to come here!? And from the sound of it, she was talking to someone who was inside the lab . . . That had to be Gaine! Both of them here right now was not good news for his team.

Shooting his arm out to stop the others, he waved his hand, signaling them to back up and turn the corner around the wall. They couldn't go back inside. Gaine was in there closing in and Undyne was headed their way from outside. They had to hide.

The others obeyed the order and were soon hidden around the corner. Corbel joined them a moment later.

"This is bad . . ." He hissed, "This is really bad. That was Gaine inside and Undyne's out here searching for us. This is the worst possible thing!"

"Keep moving!" Ava pressed, pulling back on the hand in hers, "If they get much closer, they're gonna hear us."

They kept along the wall, strafing in order to keep from being seen.

Corbel tried to think as quickly as he could. Something that would draw attention away and allow them to escape. They needed something to help them out of this mess! Something to give them a head start. Another way out so they could still slip by unnoticed and give them a fighting chance. They needed a distraction!

With Gaine inside and Undyne out here, they were in the perfect position to catch them no matter which way they went. They were trapped! They had one way out of Hotland and that was just past the Lab's entrance.

No . . . that wasn't true . . . Well, it was, but there was more than one way to get there! They could take the top route . . . the way that circled the CORE. No one was up that way. They could still get away. They could still escape! If they kept moving, they could make it.

Now, about that distraction . . .

There was a sharp grip on his wrist that pulled him back to reality.

"What are you doing!?" Sans pushed, his voice soft but firm, "I know that face! That's the face you make when you're about to do something stupid! Something that's gonna put yourself in danger!"

"Sans . . . I have to stay." Corbel whispered.

"Oh, no you don't! You have to come with us! Rule one! Never split the party! We're not making the same mistake again!"

"If I don't, then you'll be caught! We'll all get caught and there's no way they're gonna spare you a second time! They'll kill you on sight! I can't allow that! So, you have to keep going."

"No! Corbel, stop that!"

"Take the top route to get out of Hotland." Corbel instructed, ignoring the pleas. "That's the only way you can go right now. When you pass Snowdin, climb down the cliff by the rock bridge. No one goes to the lower forest. You'll be safe there. I'll hold off Undyne and keep her attention on me so you can get away. But right now is your only chance!"

"Well, whatever we do, we gotta do it soon!" Ava pressured, "We're running out of time here!"

"See?" Corbel answered, a resigned smile in place as he reached out to brush Sans' cheek with his thumb. "Time. Let me give you that. I can give you time, but you have to go! Right now!"

"No!" Sans argued, taking Corbel's hand once again tightly within his own. "Not without you! Not again! Come with us, Corbel! Please!"

The group rounded the next corner, giving them a little more time. One more corner, however and they would be at the front again and in dangerous territory.

"You know why I can't. Not now. You have a better chance if I stay behind! The Underground already thinks you're dead. They won't go looking for you and since I'm still here, there's no reason for them to even suspect anything! Plus, you have Ava now! This is even better than the original plan!"

"Better for whom!?" Sans demanded, "You're telling me that after everything we've been through, this is how it's gonna go down!? Corbel, I thought we were done with shit like this! You're my partner, remember? What am I supposed to do without you?"

"You live." Corbel answered, lowering his hand and offering Sans that resigned smile once again. "Goodbye, Sans."

Corbel prepared to turn away and face Undyne, but before he could, he was stopped and captured in a deep, unyielding kiss as Sans stepped up and held him tightly in place. He didn't speak, but he passed along every thought and every emotion he felt through that kiss and it brought tears to both of their eyes. Neither one wanted to let go.

When he finally pulled back, Sans wiped his own eyes with the heel of one hand and reached upward with his other hand to brush back at Corbel's cheek.

"Don't say goodbye." He pleaded in a voice no louder than the whisper he was able to muster. "Anything but goodbye. I hate that word! We'll see each other again. I promise. This is not goodbye, you hear me!?"

Corbel nodded, unable to find any words to respond.

"I love you, Daydreamer. Take care of yourself, okay? Until I see you again?"

"You're one to talk." Corbel responded in a matching low tone as his throat caught. Looking Sans up and down, Corbel hesitated, trying to memorize everything he could about him in as little time as possible. The more he looked, the more he didn't want to give him up! He fought himself fiercely to control his breathing and keep himself from shedding any more tears.

Everything was happening so suddenly and he'd not prepared for any of this. He'd just gotten his boyfriend back after weeks of torture and abuse. He was weakened and vulnerable and Corbel was just supposed to let him go and fend for himself, to make a long and dangerous journey without him and with no guarantee he'd be okay by the end of it? Of course, he was having a hard time letting go!

But they were running out of time and he couldn't think of anything to say to him! Still, he couldn't let it end like this! He had to do something!

Ignoring his own restraints and forbidding himself from holding back any longer, Corbel leaned in once again for a final kiss. He held Sans firmly and cupped the back of his skull. If this was going to be their last kiss, he was going to make it count, damn it!

Sans pressed back into Corbel, granting him that kiss. He grabbed onto his vest tightly. Once again, he found himself unwilling to part from Corbel. But eventually, and inevitably, it came to an end and they pulled away from each other.

"Please be careful out there, Stargazer." Corbel whispered as he wiped his eyes behind his glasses. "I love you so much. Please. Please be careful."

Sans nodded stepping backward slowly to where an astonished and teary-eyed Ava waited for him.

In a quick moment, Corbel reached up to his own neck and untied the bandana there.

"Take this with you." He choked, "It's important to me, so I want it back, okay? But until then, it'll keep you safe."

Sans nodded again, reaching out and taking the bandana. He held it to his chest, over his heart.

"I'll get this back to you."

Corbel could feel even more tears coming on, so, before they could escape, he turned to prepare himself for what was coming.

"Now, you guys get going. I'll hold Undyne off as long as I can."

There was no verbal confirmation, but Corbel could hear the others back away. Even just the sound of them leaving put a terrible weight on his chest. Once he was sure they were gone, he let his facade buckle in on him. He shuddered, curling in on himself as he allowed his emotions to take over. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Again, he lifted his hand to cover his face and he found a place to lean against the wall. He slid down to the ground where he sat completely, hanging his head.

"I swear to fucking god, if that little . . ." The newcomer halted for a moment when she happened upon her forlorn friend. "Puff? Corbel, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is? Hey, what's wrong? What the Hell happened this time?"

"Undyne!" Corbel nearly gasped, feigning surprise as he looked up toward her. "I-I just . . ."

"Was that you who set off the alarm just now?"

Corbel hesitated a moment before he nodded, "I had to see if it was true!" He explained, "What everyone was saying. About Sans! I refused to believe that he was . . . that he'd actually . . ."

"So, you're also the one who broke into the lab in the middle of the fucking night? You're the one who's been destroying stuff in there? All the surveillance cameras? That was you?"

"Y-yeah." He answered, a bit shakily. He covered it up as if he was still getting over his emotions, which wasn't a complete lie. But still, he hadn't been counting on her knowing about all of his misdeeds already. "Yeah. That was me. I didn't want Dad to know that I'd been in and . . ."

"Then why go through the emergency exit?"

"I-I panicked!" Corbel explained, "I was in the basement and . . . Sans wasn't there! All the cells were empty! I . . . I was too late! I couldn't save him . . . Then, the alarm went off and I knew I had to get out! I didn't wanna get caught in there."

Undyne sighed, reaching out a hand for Corbel's, "C'mon, get up, Puff. You've done enough crying for one lifetime, haven't you? C'mon, wipe your face. Let's get you out of here."

Corbel took her hand and allowed her to help him to his feet.

"You know," She began, "If I were just about anyone else, you would've totally fooled me with that performance. I gotta admit, you're damn good."

Corbel hesitated, trying to figure Undyne's actions. By the time it processed, there was a metal brace over his arm.

"What the Hell? Undyne? What are you . . . ?"

"It's sad really." Undyne mused, attaching the other end of the cuffs to her wrist, "We used to be so close. Remember? We talked about everything. We did everything together. We played together all the time, we vented to each other when life got difficult. We used to be sparring partners. I've seen you at your highest high and at your lowest low. There were no secrets between us!"

"Undyne . . . ?"

"But now, to think that you would just sit there and lie to my face. Not only that, but you thought I wouldn't be able to tell? I know everything about you. Of course, I'd be able to tell if you were lying or not! And you know what? Honestly, I'm hurt. Though, those tears are convincing as fuck. Good job on those."

Corbel froze, his eyes even wider, the panic beginning to set in. Not only had she been able to see right through him, but now she had him right where she wanted him. Tethered to her side, unable to run. With a narrowed eye, she studied Corbel's face. Pointing and wagging a finger at him.

"Nope. Those tears are real, aren't they?" Undyne hummed, "Then something did happen."

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

Corbel turned his head away, breaking eye contact with Undyne.

"You really are one unlucky bastard, you know that?" She grinned as she began to lead Corbel away. Corbel resisted, but he was pulled along all the same. "Shit really does seem to follow you around, doesn't it? I mean, from the very beginning, you didn't have the best life. You weren't even expected to live past ten. You've had to deal with shit the rest of us couldn't even begin to imagine. Then, the whole thing with ol' Bonesy. From the moment you met him, he's been nothing but stress on you. And you fell for him anyway. You were nearly crushed by a mountain, cornered by humans, and now . . . Well, I'm pretty sure your boyfriend is about to die."

Corbel's eyes widened and he snapped his attention back up at Undyne.

"What!?"

"Ha!" There it is! There's the authenticity that was missing from your performance! You know Bones is alive, don't you? You know they were keeping him here and not with the Royal Guard. You helped him escape! That's why you destroyed the cameras. And you know where he's going!"

Corbel couldn't think of a single thing to say to Undyne. No matter what he said, he'd be incriminating himself and remaining silent was only proving his guilt even more.

"But you're not worried, are you? All you need to do is buy time because there's no one chasing after him right now. He could get away, right? Because you're out here with me and Gaine is searching for the little escape artist inside the lab, right? Unless . . ."

"Un-unless . . .?" Corbel stammered.

"Unless that's not where Gaine is at all."

"But then . . . The alarm!"

"Oh, he set the alarm. But who said he stayed inside the lab afterward?"

"Didn't . . . Didn't you say . . ."

"What? That call? I could say anything I wanted into the phone and you'd have to believe it wouldn't you? For example, I could call him up right now and ask how the search inside is going, but who's to say where he actually is? I could make it sound like Gaine isn't out in the CORE right now about to head off your boy toy. But it'd be a lie. I wouldn't be surprised if they were having a little run-in with each other right about now."

Again, Corbel's eyes locked, unblinking, with Undyne's. He hoped with everything he had that she was bluffing. That she wasn't trying to play him. But there was nothing. No trickery and no deception. Her smirk remained in place and her eye remained narrowed as she studied him in turn.

Corbel's mouth fell open and his eyes widened even more.

"No . . ." He breathed.

Undyne's smirk spread as she brandished a two-way communicator. A small walkie-talkie-like device. Faster than a phone and more direct.

"Gaine, you were right. He's headed to the CORE! Way to call it!"

"Just as I thought!" Came the voice on the other end of the line, "I'm already at the location and I'll be awaiting his arrival. I assume you have Kid Gaster with you?"

"I do."

"Good. Keep him occupied. I'm sure his father will want a few words with him when he and Mrs. Gaster arrive. I'm sure one of the holding cells will be perfect."

"GAINE!" Corbel lashed out, screaming through the receiver, "DON'T HURT HIM! IF YOU HURT HIM, I WILL END YOU! I SWEAR IT!"

"Ah! Corbel! It's been a while. Remind me, haven't we already had this conversation?"

"GAINE! HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH!? STOP THIS!"

"Sorry, no can do, Gaster!" Gaine taunted with a grin in his voice, "I have very strict orders to do everything within my ability to eliminate the false Serif. You get no say in the matter, I'm afraid."

"SAYS WHO!?" Corbel sneered, "I SWEAR, I'LL BREAK OUT OF THIS! THEN, I'M GONNA GO INTO THE CORE MYSELF AND HUNT YOU DOWN! YOU HEAR ME!? I'M COMING FOR YOU, GAINE! YOU. WILL. NOT. TOUCH. MY BOYFRIEND!"

"Oh my. Well, that is quite the threat there." Gaine chuckled, "But I'm afraid it's a bit empty. You see, everything is already in motion. It's all playing out exactly the way I envisioned it."

"Like you . . . What are you talking about, Gaine!? How could you have possibly planned for this!?"

"Oh no! Time's up! I think I've got a little company, Gaster. Can I call you back?"

The line communicator shut off on the other end.

"Damn it!" Corbel hissed.

"Alright," Undyne demanded, tugging on her wrist and jerking Corbel in the right direction. "You know the drill, Puff. Let's get going. To the holding cell. Your dad should be here soon. And I guess Mrs. G's coming too. Sounds like you're in some really deep shit."

Corbel stood his ground, his expression set. If both his parents are coming then it meant that his mother failed in her attempt to distract him. It meant that the doctor knew exactly what was going on and it was possible that he was the one who told Gaine to find a way to keep him in one spot until he could arrive. And Gaine must have called Undyne to help him lay this trap. With the two of them and Gaster on the way, they made it so there was no escape.

Even so . . . Even if the odds were stacked against them, Corbel wouldn't just sit down and accept it! He had to do something! Sans and Ava were in danger every moment he stood there.

He glared at Undyne, his resolve unwavering. He ripped his wrist back, refusing to take even a single step toward the lab.

"No." He said solidly.

Undyne's eye narrowed once again, her focus targeted right on him.

"What was that?"

"I'm not going with you! Like Hell, I will! Not when Sans is out there! We've done this once before and I went along because of the ultimatum. Now, all bets are off! I'm going to save him and you aren't gonna stand in my way!"

Undyne looked Corbel up and down, studying him and the fighting stance he assumed as he squared off against her.

"You seriously think you can take me on, punk?"

Corbel remained silent but summoned a humerus bone in his free hand. Good for short-range.

"Alright then." Undyne grinned, summoning a spear in her free hand and taking a fighting stance of her own, "If we're doing this, then let's fucking DO this! No holding back!"

Corbel remained unintimidated as he faced off against his childhood best friend. "I wasn't planning to."