Encounter with Sans
"Saaaaans!?"
Sans sighed. "Did you get him helped out?"
"Sans, no. I can't reach him."
Really? Sans went back to trying to get the bow tie on. "Seriously not that hard, Pap."
"I know it shouldn't be. Reach out with magic," Papyrus answered. "But, you're not getting it. I put everything I could into it, and I couldn't even hear a distant voice."
Sans turned. "What?"
"I'm saying if we don't figure out something right now, there won't be a need for a wedding because he'll be dead!" Papyrus said firmly. "I'm sorry, Sans, but you're going to have get in gear and help me figure this out!"
Sans took the tie off. "Pulse?"
"Barely. The skin is ice cold, it's changing blue. His eyes aren't moving, except for involuntary movement." Papyrus grabbed his skull. "I don't know what else to do. I used everything I had."
Sans nodded. "Okay, we'll try combining magic. That should wake him up."
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Frisky didn't even question the change in Sans' clothes, if she even noticed as she held Chance so tightly against her.
"Okay, let's try this again." Papyrus took Chance from Frisky and placed him between him and Sans.
Papyrus poured all the magic into it at the beginning, the room was practically covered in an orange light.
Sans added his own, lightly at first. So, Chance. Buddy. Hey, you really need to come out and see us? Come on. You lifted a big ball before, this is easy. Let go. Just, do what feels natural. Nothing. Remember what we read about Skeletons? This is it, right here. You've just got to reach out. Find a different way to do it. You can reach out your magic to a ball, you can reach out from this body to us. Still nothing. He put more magic behind it. Come on. You're scaring the heck out of your mom. Papyrus too. Let's not make this tough, kid. Let's go. Nothing.
Papyrus was not kidding. There was a good chance he was going to lose him! He didn't want to overcome him with his power, he had a lot, but he needed to turn up the magic faster. Come on, kid. Come on! Why aren't you saying something? You've got to spread your wings and fly, pal. Let's go, it's time to do actual magic in front of us. Seriously. He pushed even more magic in, the room now dominated from orange to blue. Chance, you have to do this! Be brave, trust your ol' Buddy Sans! This body you're in, it's dead. You're not dead, just it. Sort of. Kid, this is just like a cocoon now. It's time to come out of it, time to become your real self! You're a Monster! He poured even more magic into him, pushing it so much farther this time. Not a sound. Not a dent. Chance was so wrapped up, he couldn't even hear them. Wake up, reality's calling! You're going to die if you don't try something! Buddy, Pal, Chum, do something, I'm begging ya!
Nothing. Okay, fine! Not the way I wanted to do this but it's time you know. You're my kid, not one of Gaster's experiments. Mine, okay? You're mom and you, you're going to come live forever with me and Papyrus. Happy ever after! Remember, hey? You always said you wanted to do that? Dream come true! Just for you! Just wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!
But, it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? Above all the roaring magic, Sans heard a strangled voice. A voice that was trying to be heard from outside. There weren't any windows, making it hard to hear. It was saying something strange. About faith.
"It's Not Going To Work If You Don't Have Faith! Smiley Trashbag, Stop Being An Idiot!"
Faith. What did he mean by faith? He was pouring everything he could into waking him up.
"Just Join Frisky You Moron!"
Frisky? Sans looked over toward Frisky, hovering over them. Oh yeah. Kid Skeletons sometimes went too far in other directions when they 'played' and their parents brought them back. Maybe, but he didn't want to risk losing his grip on Chance. What if the loss of magic suddenly was too much for him? "Frisky, I need your hand!" He grabbed it and brought her closer. "I know you're always scared of my magic! I know Judgment Hall is always going to be painful, but you're going to have to be close to the magic for him! Okay?!"
Frisky nodded and pulled herself closer to Sans. "What's going on, what's wrong with him?!"
"Just try and hold him, try and talk to him!" He had to be honest though. "He might not make it, Frisky, so make it count!"
"He has to make it! I have the DETERMINATION to make sure he makes it! I can't lose him, Sans! No, no, I have to have faith!" She held onto him tightly, as Sans wrapped his arms around her. The magic coursing in that room was probably flowing out of the Inn by now in massive amounts. "I've never seen this happen to a conduit! None of this makes sense!"
"Frisky!" Sans looked toward the boy and her. "He's not just a conduit! His father isn't Gaster's experiments!"
Papyrus was still trying to hang on to. "Come on, Chance! Come on, you can do it!"
" . . . . . . . . . huuh?"
Sans pulled his magic back as Chance started to wiggled his fingers.
"Uhh?" Chance started to open his eyes. "What happened?"
"Frisk!" Frisky wrapped him in the biggest hug and started kissing him. "You're okay? Are you okay?"
Not a Skeleton. He wasn't a Skeleton? His fleshy hue was back, his eyes were open. He seemed fine. Absolutely fine. "You remember anything?" Sans asked him.
"I remember . . . I remember hearing some blurry voices . . ." Chance hugged his mom back. "I remember I couldn't feel you and I was crying, and then it all just went away, like I fell asleep."
"All just went away? No, are you kidding us?!" Papyrus practically shouted at the boy. He turned toward Sans. "Did you hear him?!"
"Yep."
"Do you know what that means?"
"Yep." Getting upset over it wasn't going to help things. But, wait. That close call means he's still able to speak, and he's still human? "Papyrus, I need you to get back over there and see if anyone spilled anything."
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes! Right away!"
"What in the world happened?" Frisky was staring intently at him. Sans just . . . kind of smirked.
"Nobody knows anything!" Papyrus shouted, returning instantly again. "I told them not to say anything to anyone, and King Asgore looked very confused. So." He stuck both his thumb bones up in the air. "We are still fine!" He looked toward Chance. "In a manner of speaking. Ugh! All that effort! I feel sooo drained, and it was for nothing."
"We couldn't tell. Don't stress," Sans insisted. "It'll be fine. Remember who this kid's supposed to be."
"A conduit?" Frisky questioned. "Okay, please. Somebody tell me what's going on now? Balancers are in the Underground. Alphys left me hanging. Chance almost died!"
"Chance was fine," Papyrus said, almost indecently. "Fine the entire time, he bottomed out."
"Pap, I'll take care of it." Sans moved away, trying to refix the door on the Inn room. "At least we know we've got a few days before anything else happens with him."
"We didn't even need to use magic! I feel so, so, used!" Papyrus covered the front of his skull.
"What's wrong, Papyrus?" Chance asked him before grabbing at his stomach. "Uh. Oww . . ."
"Oh. Oh, yeah. I suppose I should have been watching for that sign too?" Papyrus groaned. "Well, I've never had to deal with it. Everyone is different, how was I supposed to know?"
"You weren't. I didn't see it either." Sans could not blame Papyrus at all. If they had been wrong, even a little of Pap's magic would have started to leave damage, and he would have figured it out very quickly. All Chance needed though, was just a little soul healing from his mom and dad. Nothing that even involved a healer, just close touch. No wonder Flowey was calling him a Moron, he was pushing all of his power through Chance.
Yet, that kid's body didn't take a single amount of damage at all. It was like water falling off.
Damn. Massively dangerous six year old.
The change wasn't going to be easy on him, and Sans would have to have a way more serious dialogue about it. Now, he'd be going through a sick phase. Probably. Every Skeleton kid was different when they grew up, but some of them actually 'bottomed out'. It meant that their mom and dad just needed to be near them when they 'played' too much in the wrong direction of their magic. After that, they usually snapped out of it.
But, now that that was over, it was time to get back to business. "OK, Papyrus, you go and take care of Chance. I'll explain things to Frisky." No more holding back. "Pretty sure she's been waiting for that explanation."
Once Sans fixed the door again, he looked toward Frisky.
It was time. And he knew that the only way to make FRISK listen, wasn't going to be easy. It was more than just a ball and chain thing. Frisky could jump out a window, or try to run, or try to shout something out that she shouldn't if he took it too easy.
He thought about it at first. Frisky wasn't too bad to get along with, but, he kept thinking about how far she always pushed in the past. One wrong move, and his good fortune that just popped back up? Was toast. "No puzzle to figure out." Sans moved around the room. "No exploration. No teleporting. No team members. None of that's going to help." He turned around, held his arm up and he had a dangerous glowing eye.
As he pulled her into an encounter.
Frisky immediately went on guard as she looked at her board to see what was going on. Her options were TALK, COMMIT. Commit? Why does he want to commit to me? DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "What are you doing?"
"Telling you news. Sorry, but I'm not playing by the rules of the board again. I've never had to. Of course, you always knew that." Sans snapped his fingers and blue bones were on the sides of him. "This is bad news, and in the past when situations got too tough FRISK always called for someone else to help. So, I've got to do this right." He squeezed his hand, making Frisky get so heavy she almost fell to the floor. "Toriel knows. Papyrus knows. Alphys knows. Undyne knows. Just about everyone you met in this timeline, so no one's going to come to help you."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "Help with what?" she asked softly, yet still trying to move higher against his magic.
"Chance's dad isn't some or parts of Gaster's experiment. It's actually this guy you're talking to right now."
Frisky got heavier, moving closer to the floor again.
"He's part Skeleton Monster. What just happened is because he's changing into a Skeleton, but it's a lot better than the alternative. Monsters aren't like humans, we have different rules. You are not the whole FRISK anymore, and I know you, so don't try anything."
Frisky moved up a little more. More DETERMINATION.
"Don't try to go back up with him," Sans explained. "Your ships are gone. You two are going to stay with Papyrus and I. Trust me, Frisky, this is the best way."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "Sans, what do you mean?" Frisky requested, moving up even a little more. "The ships are always there. They are always watching."
He aimed his bones directly at her. "I went up, revealed the sky, they were all shot down, and I set us back into motion shift. There's no way to escape the Underground. We have our own barrier. Only Monsters can leave now."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "What?!" Frisky really started to fight back against the magic. "What do you mean you destroyed them all? E-even if you did take it into motion shift, surely someone would be here? Y-you didn't . . ."
"I had five minutes," Sans said clearly. "I had to take that chance. Sorry, Frisky. I saved the conduits and PACIFISTS. Toriel and Alphys are taking care of the kids, and the PACIFISTS might be here or not. I didn't have much time to guide them."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "Everyone else?"
"Gone."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "But there were a bunch of people!"
"It's over. It's done with. You are lucky I saved any of them." His voice became so heavy again. "Our life was a game to them. Not just the Underground, but us. They made a kid. A kid between us. For no other intention than to make me strike him!"
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "No." Frisky shook her head. "We were here to bring the truth to the Monsters."
"You were here to create a weapon to destroy the Balancers. They used you and lied to you too." He let up on his magic a little. "Everything was a lie. None of it had a purpose. We. We were all just toys."
Frisky was sinking lower, but more on her own this time.
"Papyrus' life. My life. My emotions. It was all just . . . a game."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "I . . ." She was at a loss for words. "I don't get it."
"You wouldn't," Sans assured her. "Just think of him like a match. They tried to make a Monster-Human conduit but they kept lighting up and killing themselves. They left him unlit until he got older. Then . . . I was the spark."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "But . . . e-even if it is true . . ." She was slowly coming around to the truth. "If they wanted some kind of weird absorbing thing to happen, why would they have to make you the father?"
"Paternal. Monster power. Absorption level. It's technical," Sans settled on. "So, that's that. They get him, they win. He'll wipe out Balancers, Monsters, and anything else that exists that humans decide they don't like."
Frisky moved higher almost standing up. DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "I could have found a different alliance, one that works closer with Balancers. I can change my teleportation area."
"No."
DETERMINATION: ACT: Talk. "There are different factions involved in my world," Frisky tried again. "Treaties. Contracts. I promise, I wouldn't put him in danger, and I can establish-"
"-nope-"
"-visits to the Underground-"
"-uh uh-"
"-As much as possible. Will you even let me finish my talk in my own turn?"
"No. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Nothing." Sans shook his skull slowly. "No way, Frisky. Papyrus and I are committing to you two."
Frisky let herself move to the floor, her training and experiences kicking in, in full mode. The only thing she could do . . . was crawl beneath the bed. Under the darkness of the bed, her head started to play back so much. There was just so much . . .
///Frisky sighed as she looked at her course. "PACIFIST?" That wasn't what she wanted. She couldn't risk being able to just learn to talk out her problems when they started to send them out.
"Uh, hey?" A girl next to her asked. "Hey, you okay?"
Frisky waited for the Balancer trainer to turn his back before she bent toward her and spoke. "I wanted NEUTRALIST. I'm not in any condition to be PACIFIST."
"Why?"
"I failed my last mission," Frisky informed her. She moved her baby out of the way of her stomach.
"Yeah, I figured. That or you were fat. Baby in and baby out at the same time. That sucks. Always accomplish a mission, no matter what."
The Balancer was still turned around.
"How far along are you?"
"I don't know, I've got a total mindwipe. I feel like a rookie," Frisky admitted. "I don't remember any of this soldier training at all. I don't know anything about the baby I'm holding in my hands or the one in my stomach. I'm back at square one." She straightened up when the Balancer came her way and waited for it to leave.
"Oh no, that's bad." The girl looked around the room. "Do you know which guy or guys?"
"I have the number 04823 but that's it. Total mindwipe reset."
"Good, 'cause that would have been hard. If you find the guy that matches that number, I will kill him for you. Guys are scum. Most anyway. So what all do you remember?"
"Just the last two days of classes. Do you know me?"
"No. We get separated out pretty quick so we don't make friends. Only allies until we get through training and to our ships." The girl waited for her back to turn. "I'm 36320. KINDNESS. You?"
"Um." Frisky waited a few minutes before the Balancer was further away again. "45952, or um, 96452?"
"Talking during training."
Oh no. What was she supposed to do? "Sorry, Sir? I-I just had a question."
He didn't look satisfied with that answer. "Authentication?"
"Um." Shoot. "I forgot."
"You forgot?"
"I'm new."
"I'm new. Well, you're not "I'm new." Your number is you. It's only you. You forget your number, you forget your own existence."
"Sorry."
"Is that what you are choosing to resolve this situation with? A simple 'sorry'? Is that the right action? I asked you your number, and you don't know it. Is sorry the action that I am wanting from you?"
"I-I"
"Lowest score on the last test. 2910458."
Frisky watched him pull out a weapon, aim it toward a classmate, and shoot.
"Your name is 95452. Say it!"
"95452!"
"Stand up!"
Frisky stood up.
"I don't care if you're mind wiped from a failed mission. I don't care if you're caring a stupid re-reset or a conduit. I don't care, you have no protection. Consider this the only warning you get. Now, what is your number?"
"95452, Sir!"
"Great. Shout it a thousand times before I finish the lecture and you live. And don't worry, I'm a Balancer, keeping count is easy for me. And the weapon is just a kindness for class. Don't make the deadline, and I'll just eat you for lunch." He opened his mouth and his teeth glinted. "Class ends soon though, and I've only got a lousy sandwich my wife made, so better get started because a three course meal sounds much better."
"95452! 95452! 95452! 95452!"///
Life was cruel. It was cruel. How could she have made it through everything, only to end up there? Underneath the bed. Dark and small. To think about the right action. Once again.
/////"Wrong, try again! Reason it out!"
Frisky looked around the training facility. Swamp Balancers. Right action. Right action. What was the right action? She hadn't trained for them yet. "Ask if I can swim with them?"
"Wrong!" She was thrown into a small hole, not much bigger than herself. Her eyes darted back and forth. It was out of her training level, but she was now in the hole. If she didn't think fast, someone would shoot her right there and drag her carcass out. "Mercy, flee!"
"Correct. They will kill you. There is no reasoning with a Swamp Balancer."/////////
///Frisky opened her assigned side again. "GENOCIDE?" She didn't want to train for genocide. She looked at 36320. She put the paper to the corner of her area. Learning TERMINATOR was hard enough to do, but GENOCIDE? It was cruel, no matter where she would be sent out for training. Killing everything in the area with no mercy. Sickening, and she didn't want to do it.
"They change you all the time until you get more advanced," 36320 warned her. "Don't worry. I'm GENOCIDE too, so I'll help out your area. Stick with me, and I will get you through. I promise."///////
So many new soldiers with no choice. Those in training. Dead. All dead. Because Sans assumed they were all bad. Even the Pacifists could be bad if they were just in training. Everyone. Anyone in training, just a luck of a draw.
/////NEUTRALIST. "Dangit." She would forever be neutral? Frisky knew she should be happy not becoming a GENOCIDER or TERMINATOR, but permanent NEUTRALIST? Her son would be stuck using his body in some horrible missions. She looked toward the side of her. 36320 was sitting somewhere else now. Every once in awhile, she switched cards. It was risky doing so each time, and even though she wasn't the most pleasant person, she was always there for her, willing to take the fall if they got caught.
Repercussions wouldn't mean being eaten though, their trainer was a human today. Just as vicious, but at least a bullet to the head wasn't the same as being eaten alive.
According to records she had three mindwipes, two failed pregnancies and her conduit boy she loved. She'd be DAMNED if she was going to screw up again. Pairing often with 36320, she had honed her strategies and moves. She started to follow the lead of two excellent guys in her class. By the end of that year, she was scoring excellent in all the training exercises, missions, and was even declared the top in the class for DETERMINATION now.
But, that was why she was getting NEUTRALIST, which she didn't want. She needed PACIFIST if she was going to keep her boy sane and alive. Unfortunately, there was another girl sitting next to her. It would be tricky, but Frisky had gotten very good at ACT. There could be three results from what she would do. There was no time to mess around though.
She held her boy close to her. "Shoot," she muttered, high enough for the girl to hear. "This is horrible. My poor little boy, I don't see how we are going to survive with this card. We'll be stuck in the toughest of missions." She rocked 95451 on her lap and kissed the top of his head. "There's no way you can survive GENOCIDE and still keep your mind."
The lie worked.
The girl tossed her card over toward Frisky haphazardly, pretending it was an accident. She picked up Frisky's card on the table. Either she was PACIFIST or NEUTRAL to have such a kind heart. A GENOCIDER or TERMINATOR wouldn't have gone for the ploy. Frisky immediately took the card, flipped it over, and wrote her identification number at the top.
The girl was in the process of doing the same when her arm had been grabbed.
"No trying to switch cards!" The trainer glared at Frisky and looked at her card. Her number was on it. He looked toward the girl. Her number wasn't quite on it. He picked her up with his massive hand and looked toward Frisky. "I don't know if you switched cards."
"I didn't," Frisky lied, holding her son tighter.
"I hope not because I wouldn't want to sleep at night with what you did, if you did." He held the girl up higher. "This is 95450. Your biological sister." He snapped her neck and she fell to the ground. "Good call though, with chops like those, you're going to make one hell of a soldier. Maybe you'll even get to teach classes one day." He picked her MP off the floor. "Here. The least I can do is let you see anything left of her." He winked at her creepily.
Frisky stared blankly as the MP was tossed her way. Her . . . sister?
"Never assume a human is going to be any kinder," someone said from behind her. "If they make it to this level, they're more rotten than the Balancers. They don't get any worse than 04823."///
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She heard Sans call to her, telling her that she better not try to run out the door or get away again. Is it really . . . over?
Then she felt something on her foot. A familiar feeling, and she felt herself being dragged out of her hole with Sans' powerful magic. Almost freedom. Almost. They'd eventually find a way through. They always did. There was too much DETERMINATION to escape forever, and when they did? When they saw where she was, living peacefully with Sans and Papyrus? Almost free! Almost citizenship!
Almost didn't cut it though. As confused, torn, and out of it as she felt it never stopped a battle. And that's what it was, a battle. A battle to make her bend to his will.
Bending. Bending to someone's will. At least when she was FRISK, she had more say. She could do more things. With Friskarino and Farrisk, their knowledge and their skill alone, she felt like she could take on the world. All those months of that power made her even believe that she was more than she had been. She could go through anything. Climb any mountain. Pass any battle. But it was all just one gigantic ACT.
And feeling Sans powers against her was just another reality reminder of where she was heading to afterwards. When they found her. When they caught her. She had gained her freedom with that emergency mission, but if she went willingly through this, they would see. They would know. And any chance of freedom would be gone. Frisk would be taken from her, and she would be handed back to 04823 with another mindwipe reset. And all over again. And all over again!
But, if she rebelled against them, then Sans and Papyrus wouldn't have a happy life either. And as much as her ship and the many innocent deaths affected her, and all the deaths that would or had occurred because of his actions . . . I can't hurt him. Even if I could, I could never do that. I'd rather die.
She couldn't yell or scream, or make it rough on them. But, she couldn't just go and live peacefully either. An agreeable soldier. That was her best option.
Maybe I should just give up on the idea of freedom and finally just go to Conner when this is all over. My DETERMINATION, it's just worn so thin now.
No talk. No scream. No yell. No blame. No voice.
ACT: COMMIT