Foiled

Station 229, Ground Area . . .

He. Was not. Budging. Releasing previous memories was a standard. How much further would he push this? Frisky whispered into her negotiator's ear.

"Bride to be would like a two-month delay in the wedding, so that she can use an inexpensive, slow memory retrieval," her negotiator said.

"It takes too long," Conner said again. "I have 04823 I suspect on me soon. We should not dawdle like that."

"Fine, a quick one. I'll use my own money. I do have some," Frisky pointed out. "It's not exactly that hard to pay for. I just need permission from my higher soldier."

"Buh, uh. Honey? I'm going to be your husband," Conner smiled at her. "I should pay for everything."

Frisky whispered something into her negotiator's ear again. It whispered back into her ear. She whispered back into its ear.

"The Bride to be opposes the marriage until her memories are retrieved. Whether it's slow, or whether she pays for it herself. She wants her memories."

"I can give you your real name," Conner told her. "I can give you your family's presence, I agree to that."

"I am willing to pay with my own self-earned money," Frisky said firmly, "for access to my memories. Conner! What do you know about my memories?"

"Nothing, of course." Conner shrugged. "Those old memories are probably nothing special."

"Then I request, as your future wife, to let me have my memories." Frisky watched him. "I refuse to go through with it, if you don't give them to me! This is a staple tradition of what needs to be done, and you are rebelling with every excuse in the book!"

"Yeah, Conner." Farrisk was standing in the corner along with Friskay. "Maybe you should make it easy and just go for it."

Conner was hesitant. "Fine, a quick one. No guarantees it will be a full retrieval. Your own money, Frisky. Don't let her out of your sight while it's done, Friskay."

"Promise." Friskay went over beside her. "You sure about this?"

"You're positive?" Farrisk answered too.

"Yes. Let's go." Frisky walked through the doors with her escorts. Her last act of determination. At least it would be a great one. And she'd go out the way she always wanted.

Like a Frisk.

Station 229, Ground Area.: The Doors before the Hall of Memories

To retrieve. To disperse. Mindwipes of all kinds. Memories people wanted erased. Memories they wanted to keep. It was memories that kept everything working so well. It was the reason she feared 04823.

Forgotten memories is why Friskarino would eventually bring Sans there. Maybe a week. Maybe a month. Maybe even a year. She had to. She never wanted him believing that she'd actually marry Conner. She wanted him to know . . . what she did do.

If she learned anything as Frisk, she knew that life was finite but precious. What one does with it and how they spend it has limited value as a human. As much as she wanted to be there for Chance, she had been there in his previous life as Frisk. Sans would be there for his next. It was only fitting.

After all. You didn't spend all your time doing missions around Monsters and not learn a thing or two about honor. "Position set. Advisors and security guards are dead ahead," Frisky muttered to Friskay.

"I know I told you to marry Conner a long time ago, but it was easier to say than to do." Friskay looked straight back at her. "You're a crazy brave Frisk, woman. I can't believe you are doing this."

"There's no other kind of Frisk," Farrisk answered back with a smile. "They'd probably just kill me for it. Maybe make me suffer some torture, but after going through Sans, there's not much left we haven't experienced." He stopped and hugged Frisky and Friskay. "You two are going to go through hell itself when you get captured." He kissed each of them on the head. "So. This Frisk?"

He pushed them backwards and pulled the door to the entrance shut. "Goes at it alone."

'No!" Frisky and Friskay both shouted at the door.

"Oh, that jerk!" Friskay knocked on the door, trying to pull it open. "I miss being FRISK sometimes. We could read each other so much better. His chance of survival just went down less than 1%!"

"Farrisk, what are you doing?!" Frisky yelled. "We need all three of us to survive this!"

"Frisky, I'm sorry. I choose the ACT of believe. Give yourself a chance. Friskay, you too. All three of us aren't going down for this. I can do it. Just get out while you can."

"Grab them and hold the door!" Security was coming. Frisky looked toward Friskay.

"How lame. That would have been a much cooler way to go." Friskay shook her head. "I hope he can do it on his own." She waved at the Security. "Hey, our friend just went nuts and slammed the door between us and-" They grabbed her by the arms. "Hey, I promise! We didn't do anything, he pushed us out of the way!"

"Frisky."

Conner's voice. Crap! Frisky turned around and tried to smile. She waved. "Did I tell you how much I don't think you are a schmuck today? Letting me have my memories and everything was just really-"

"Can the ACT. You can barely even try anymore." Conner grabbed Frisky by the arm. He looked toward Friskay. "Played your part beautifully, didn't you? Planning to guard her personally? Even telling me about her sister? Any personal tidbit that would get me to trust you enough to guard her down the path. Because only someone I could trust that much would hold things together when things got violent."

"Not completely. I didn't know about stuff that I do know now," Friskay said offhandedly. "You're a higher soldier. Farrisk and I knew you knew."

"Knew what?" Frisky asked. "Please? You know what's about to happen."

"I welcome it. I'm not going through it all again. I refuse!" Friskay shouted. "So just kill me the same way you executed PATIENCE. Take down two Frisks. Be a man! Do it!"

"No!"

"Two Frisks dead. I really should get a medal." Conner grabbed Frisky's arm. "What do you think you were pulling? There's nothing you could really do. What, release memories back to the soldiers and they'd stop fighting? It's been tried before. Succeeded too, but none of it ever goes anywhere. So what are you doing?" Conner checked his MP. "Your little Frisk went past 229's soldier memories area? I knew it, you Frisks are too smart. What is he doing?"

Two armed guards came and held Frisky for him so she couldn't move. She wasn't going to anyhow. Farrisk would probably be killed, but he was going to get the job done if he was already past the soldier's memories.

Frisky had a theory for some time. She wasn't a scientist. She didn't know a whole lot about technical things, but in the way of the world? It was only about two forms of control: Memories and souls. She had always wanted to hit the Ground Area of 229, but there were some things stopping her.

She had her son. She could not risk letting him get hurt in the process. He needed to grow up, or find someone else who'd love him and take care of him for who he was, and not for what he had been.

It was coded. Only the best of the best soldiers would be able to break in. By the time they broke in and found their way through, there would be too many locked doors and security to get anywhere near where they needed to go. Only way in? A legal problem involving higher soldiers. Easiest option? Marriage.

Sans. He deserved his child. Turning back and marrying him was the best solution for the time. And then when he offered to help her in her fight. It was like . . . but, then he realized how really pathetic humans were.

And he was right. She couldn't protect her family, or do anything without being a Monster. Limit break or not, it was true. And so, this was supposed to be it. The one thing as a human she could do.

But, damn Farrisk! Frisky was supposed stay behind while the other two made their escape. He was trying to save them, but instead? Conner just killed Friskay. Farrisk just didn't understand how much she did not ever want to be caught again.

And now? 04823 would still come for her, but in the meantime?

She'd just been bagged by Conner.

"Okay, obviously from what Friskay said right before she lost the back of her head," Conner said, tapping his weapon below his chin. "It sounds like I just got enough proof you were involved. Do you know what that means?"

"A-hole."

"That means I got proof right here that you were involved in whatever shenanigan is going down. Me, a higher soldier." Conner snapped his fingers. "Hey, armed guard on the left? What exactly does that mean for our little marriage deal?"

"She is going to be held for treason?" He reckoned.

"Almost, almost. Not quite there."

Frisky wrinkled her nose and glared at him.

"As long as she is under ownership, her owner can speak for her," Conner said. "And I say this proof isn't really important and 'she was just walking along in the hall, and these other two caused the problems. And it'd be perfect, because of course, we'd already been married'."

"Oh, I'd rather die," Frisky growled at him. "Besides, I am married. To a Classic Monster." She looked at both the guards, hoping for a reaction. Oh. Completely human. "Damn it."

"And it's not legal outside the Underground and you know it," Conner chuckled. "And they won't rise for him being Classic because they are human. Honor don't mean shit to us, remember, babe? That ACT is not going to work." Conner waggled his finger. "Come on, fellas. Bring her back to the marriage discussion. We are going to rework out some things."

Frisky struggled, trying any kind of ACT she could think of. Humans were just as complicated as Monsters that couldn't be reasoned with sometimes. "I can give you money? I'm a woman, please don't hurt me? Are you hungry, I have food? Mercy? Are you dating anyone, pull me away and I'll date you?" It was all desperate. "No, no, no. Just send me to 04823 already!"

"No, no, no. He's not getting you that easy." Conner had the guards sit her down. "So, we are going to rework this marriage deal out better. Negotiators? I only need one of you so this stays legal." He thumbed them out of the room and sat down. "Let's see. Body adjustment. Yes. Intercourse scheduling: Nightly. Twice night and morning, actually, because I don't think I am going to be able to protect you from all the shit you just brought down on yourself anyway. Maybe, two months? Could be one month. Well, we'll see how long you survive, huh?"

Frisky tried to struggle to get away, but it was pointless. Still, it was something her determination made her do anyway. Because now, she would still die. She would be hit with treason and killed, or she would be sent to 04823 still. But now, she was going to be forced to be Conner's for the time she was alive.

"Stop struggling. Play nice?" Conner smiled. "You just attempted to bail on a marriage agreement after getting permission to get your memories. That's highly illegal, and just gave me all the power."

"You can't say that I bailed on the marriage, but I wasn't involved in what will happen."

"Yes. You were going to bail, but your other friends had different ideas," Conner replied. "You can't hit me with a delay ACT to make me stop and think. This is happening. And there is nothing you can do. There's not one person on this planet that can save you, Frisky."

"The defense is too weak!"

"I don't have to work on the defense until after the fact. For now, it works, and later, it won't be a problem, will it?" Conner looked back at the paper. "Old memories? Hell no, never, babe. Besides." He just laughed. "Friskay was right, I remember everything. What would you like to know about your lovely past in the Underground? Do you want to know the first time you actually met your current yet almost former husband? Too bad. That's not happening." He just chuckled. "Faith."