Underdoom - Chapter 16

Yet again, the familiar debarkation procedure rolled along, though this time with a a slight sense of finality. No, this probably wasn't going to be the last time they were going to do this today, as they still had to locate the source of the invasion's power and eventually destroy it. Still, the confidence once displayed by those involved had whittled down to stark sobriety. This was no longer a simple fix, and even though the stakes were always high, the reality of their gravity had now been inexorably emblazoned in everyone's consciousness by way of hard, brutal experience. Now they knew, if only a sliver, of what the Hell Walker knew about the awesome, terrible power that can and would rush forth from the bowels of Hell.

To Undyne and Papyrus' relief, it did not seem that the pits of the underworld was to be their focus for this mission.

Alphys' eyes glinted in focus and stern resolve as she pointed to the image on-screen. “There's his portal. From what our cameras can see on screen, there's hints that he opened it directly to a place known as Kadingir Sanctum. Doomguy, I believe you're familiar with it?”

The Praetorian nodded his head. A look exuding confidence and some smug assurance crept onto his face. He could see the horns of the Bloodied Gate jutting out, shadow set against the cloudy amber sky. The others in the room saw that smile on his face, and knew that perhaps, with a bit of luck, this would indeed start getting easier,.

Papyrus took notice first. “I assume that means yes.”

“Indeed it does.” VEGA's chilled, tranquil voice earned everyone's sudden attention. “That's where we found him, buried in crypt by the far end of the tomb. Dr Hayden and his team set up a portal device to transport him to our home dimension. It would explain why he chose it. He cannot access the tether from this dimension, thus necessitating a way of transport in the form of the Kadingir portal. I would suspect that he's at the Mars Facility as we speak. “

“And that's not all” Alphys' pulled out a UAC datapad and directed everyone's attention thereto. “While you guys were gearing up, me and VEGA figured something out... well, VEGA, mostly... Anyway, we decided that if there is indeed any hidden meanings or patterns in the helix stone, we will need to get to the actual stone itself, kind of like how Doomguy needed to get to the actual stone to find out that Dr Pierce was looking for the crucible. There are some things that a hologram of the stone will not reveal. We need to get our hands on the real deal if we want any answers.”

Undyne was somewhat off-put by the sudden change in objective. “What about Hayden? Weren't we going after him?”

Alphys saw fit to correct her friend. “We were, but for now, he's not our main focus. Whatever he knows, it's going to be on the Helix Stone.”

“And what if he is found?” Everyone turned back to see Toriel, focusing intently on their briefing with tired, but fiery eyes.

Another sound grabbed everyone's attention. The Doom Slayer cracked his knuckles, wearing a grim, fatalistic countenance. Every pop sounded loud and clear, even under the thick armor plating of his gauntlets. Everyone knew what he meant.

“Right then.” VEGA's stoic, seeming calmness stood in stark contrast to everyone else's fraying nerves. “All on the shore party, make final preparations for debarkation. Primary objective is to find and secure helix stone and Bring it back to this plane. Sans, you will maintain commnications once me and Alphys start work on the Helix Stone once it has arrived. Just to let you all know, comms will be unavailable once you've entered the UAC base. Our communications can link us between two planes, but not three. Dismissed.”

The people huddled around the monitors began to disperse, the shore party to the module, Mettaton to the security panels, and the King and Queen, though weary, to the downstairs compound to be by themselves.  As the Doom Slayer and Papyrus went off to the module station to gear up, Undyne stuck behind, waiting obviously to say something she did no need everyone to hear. She stayed close by Alphys as she attended her computer station, but said nothing, Though the scientist asked her friend what was troubling her, the Doom Slayer seemed to already know what was happening as he stopped picking up shotgun ammo to walk over to where the two stood in awkward silence.

“Undyne, what's wrong?” Alphys' concern was as apparent as the Captain's dismay. “C'mon, you gotta tell me! Look, Doom

Thinking to herself for a little, Undyne once more spoke up. “Alphys... do you know how many if my men are still standing?”

VEGA intercepted her. “According to Frisk and Papyrus' report. Nine of the twenty-seven guards sent in after the evacuation party have survived. Nearly all those stationed near the main entrance to New Home have been terminated. Out of the forty-three guards sent to guard the lower/minor entrances, the casualty rate was lowest. Thirteen of them have died. Others have remained hidden, and are still emerging. Overall casualty report is over %0%”

Undyne did not have any more time to lament or mourn. She knew the news was not going to be pretty, but regardless, her feelings were not abated. Rather than let them keep her frozen however, she resolved to let them burn within her, fueling both body and mind in a vigorous desire for vengeance.

“Doomguy...”

The Doom Slayer looked with some concern at his companion, noticing her deadpan, stone stare and the cold fury in her voice. Nevertheless, he silently acknowledged her, nodding his head

“I know you may have some personal beef with Hayden.... but I want you to know this. When we find him... if we find him...”

The Praetor leaned closer in, knowing what she was going to say, and anticipating it with some dread.

“... I've got dibs on him.”



The air was just as rank as ever, but still familiar, to two of the party members at least. To Papyrus, it was still strange and repulsive. His previous experience with it in new Home did little to relieve what he felt as he ran and jumped through the chasms and bridges and corridors of Kadingir Sanctum. Still, his footsteps kept pace with the others, at least somewhat. Both he and his old mentor trailed behind the Slayer by several dozen yards, but he was never out of their sight, and that was what was most important. If anything, he was indeed slowing himself down. Full speed would have lost them in seconds. Nevertheless, he had to be quick and so did they. There was no telling just how far ahead Hayden was. Their plan, though thorough, was no wild card.  The mere possibility that he was one step ahead of them or more, foiling their plans with every second, gave strength to their urgent footsteps.

At last, the trio came to the old tomb. They were somewhat worried about Hayden having destroyed the portal device, but to their relief, it remained intact. Before the Doom Slayer entered the command on the control panel, Papyrus spoke up, forgetting for a moment about the urgency of their mission.

“Wow...” his eyes floated across the dreary landscape. They had all been moving so fast, he had very little time to take it all in. The demon corpses still bearing perforation from the slayer's gunfire, the rivers of blood that flowed through the dusty, lifeless ditches, the swirling, menacing skies filled with the waning red light of continuous crimson lightning flowing between sigil-emblazoned rocks suspended in the torrid air. All of it seemed to shrink from before him, zooming out while his whole world zoomed in. Part of him was unsure of what he had gotten himself into, and it showed in his voice. “This... this is...”

“Pap?”

“I-It's... “

The Skeleton's feelings began reeling from distraught to flat out terrified. Voices were beginning to creep into his head. Weakling. Pathetic. Disposable. Nothing.  Unseen mouth whispered to him from every corner, their hushed voices quickly becoming deafening. Eveyr rock, every crag, every twisted spur of metal shrieked at him  Undeserving. Freeloader. Liar.

“I'm not! .. I-I'm not...” His voice croaked in inexorable dread.

“Papyrus!!”

He then felt a heavy, armored hand shake him by the shoulder. The familiarity of the feeling of such a mammoth palm resting on him was enough to let him know who it was. It shook him somewhat, and in an instant, all those ghastly voices were gone. This wasn't unlike the incidents at the Necropolis. The Doom Slayer knew, at least to an extent, what was going through papyrus' mind.

“Pap, come on.” Sympathetic as Undyne was to Papyrus' situation, she saw the urgency that he had briefly forgotten. “Shake it off. This pace does that to you. The sooner we get through this portal the better. You gonna be alright?”

“Yeah... yeah I'll be fine. Got kind of caught off guard, I guess.”

As the Slayer went back to start the portal countdown, Undyne went over to her somewhat shaken friend. “Listen bud. I don't know what you saw or heard, but you need to shape up, okay? We can't have you breaking down like this.”

“I know I... I'm just not used to it, I guess.”

“Pap, look at me.” He felt her hand take him by the chin to face up into her hallowed eyes. “You'll never get used to it. Just be glad we're not staying here long.”

“... Understood.”

The Portal began to fluctuate with some unknown, oscillating blue energy that shot out in arcs and waves throughout the room. The Doom Slayer stood in the center, signaling his comrades to join in before it was fully powered.

“Come on. We should get going.”

“Right.”



“Glad to be out of that dust...” The skeleton continued to shake the dust out of his scarf, both him and his companions having gotten in out of the harsh, unforgiving, perpetual dust storms that martian weather so constantly yielded. 'Where's our target?”

The doom slayer pulled up a holographic map from his Dossier device. Their first stop was the tram station, then the advanced research facility, then on to the Lazarus labs, where the Helix stone was still stored.


The tram ride was silent. Magnetic rails quietly conducting the locomotive forward as the occupants the cabin kept their mouths shut. No blood stained the inside of the tram, and though the ruined Mars base,  was by all means an eyesore, the expansive Martian landscape that faced opposite the ruins was an exotic wonder the likes of which neither of the monsters on board had ever seen or dreamed of. The sun could be seen rising above the settling dust clouds, and the red and black canyons and chasms of Mars filled them with exquisite wonder. Both of them stood up to take it all in while the Praetor, more than used to the Martian vista, stayed in his seat, twiddling the bolt of his LMG.

“Wow.... definitely a needed change of scenery, isn't it, Pap?”

“Look at all this.... You think when we get back, we might be able to visit our version of this?”

“Heh. Yeah, maybe  someday, Pap... maybe someday...”

She hadn't done a very impressive job at concealing her weariness, and the skeleton picked up on it immediately. “Man, I knew you were a little pooped out after Argent, but this might just be your last trip, Undyne.”

“Ah c'mon pap, whaddya mean?” As much as she tried to resort to denial, nothing could make her forget what she had seen, what she had felt in the past twenty four hours, neither could she hide their effects on her mind and quickly tiring body.

“Undyne... this need to be your last trip.” The Skeleton, though bold in voice and visage, was actually quite terrified to say what he had just said. Telling Undyne, Captain of the Royal guard, to quit? On any other day, it would have sounded like suicide.

'What?” She turned around to see a rather sober look being given her by Papyrus. “C'mon, I'm the strongest, remember? I can tough this out. Beside, we're just getting the Helix Stone, aren't we?”

Her paltry detours and coverups were fooling neither Papyrus or the Doom Slayer, and from both she received a stern, but concerned look.

“After we're done here, you're going to get some rest.”

“But isn't that Doomguy's-” She turned to the Praetor, only to see him nod in accordance.

“Undyne, I know I'm not as experienced as Doomguy or even you for that matter, and that little incident back at the Sanctum was more than enough to convince me, Still, if I've learned anything from it or how you responded, it's that unless we're all like the Doom Slayer, we can't keep this up for long, and that includes you.” He put his hand on her shoulder, seeing that she couldn't bring herself to face him or the Praetorian. “Once we've gotten the helix stone tethered, you're going to rest up.”

“Pap...”

“You know I'm right about this.”

It was so unusual to see Papyrus flowing with such assertion, let alone hear him give such stone advice. Part of her was quite proud of him. Even if she had only ever superficially trained him, there was still a very strong sense of leadership that even now seemed to germinate and grow. The other part of her felt quite humiliated. She wasn't one to easily admit defeat, but now,she was outnumbered two to one.

She sat down, sighed, and admitted defeat.

“Yeah... I suppose you guys are right.”



The carnage in the Lazarus facility was still fresh. The savage cruelty of the UAC cult was made gruesomely clear on ever viscera stained wall and entrail soaked floor. Undyne had already seen enough. Dust was shocking, but human bits were so much worse. They stayed after death. Dead eyes still stared. Dead skin still stunk. Dead blood still flowed. Papyrus was glad he heard no voices, but he could swear there was still the same awful dread here, the same unholy, terribly presence. Demons in suspended animation floated in orange vats or some sort of nutritional stew. Though their eyes were closed, their hearts were indeed still beating.

Undyne pulled out a blue spear, readying it to punch through a slumbering baron's chest.“Should we just take care of these guys while we're here?”

The Doom Slayer shook his head and pointed to a central control unit that was linked to all the nutrient tanks. It flashed orange, displaying some sort of warning that no one was close enough to read.

“looks like it'll just set everything else here off.”

The captain retired her spear. “Looks like you're right... quick and clean it is. Come on. Let's get to the lab.”

Although Olivia Pierce's private facilities were not nearly so soaked in human guts, they still carried that same air about them. It reeked not of human blood, but of human fear. Living fear. Fear of suffering and pain and hell and all that accompanied it. The place was by no means bloodless. The very same demons the Praetor had felled earlier still lay in caking pools of blood and congealed gore about the lab floor. Stepping carefully around the carcasses, they stood in front of the display panel controlling the Helix Stone repository. The Slayer had hoped his previous work was still in effect when he pressed the commands necessary to open the containment unit. Sure enough, as soon as he gave the command, the doors opened, and the room went aglow with orange light. At this point , everyone had at least seen the stone in some way shape or form, be it in person or in holographic form. Still, for Undyne and papyrus, the terrible majesty of the hellish artifact was doubled once they had seen it for themselves. Each rune, though esoteric to them, seemed to speak to them in subtle whispers, secret knowings distilling on them beyond their capacity to understand. The Doom slayer recalled how he found out about the crucible from it. He could connect with it in a basic way, given its Argent emblazoning. Perhaps he could find out the other secrets therein by himself as well. Still, now wasn't the time to find out. There was no way of knowing how much time there was left until Hayden caught wind of their presence. He tapped his gauntlet, signaling the other two out of their astonishment

'Right then, the tether nodes.” Undyne then opened a compartment in her bracer, revealing an evenly arranged assortment of four white cap shaped nodes, each with a blue center that would light up upon activation. Papyrus followed suit.

“Doomguy, give me a boost will you?” Papyrus request was met with two cupped hands and a squat, launching the skeleton nearly up to the top of the stone, barely sticking his landing while grabbing the ledge of the uppermost stone.

“Alright, let's get these attached. Make sure we get every stone guys.”

Suddenly, a voice over the intercom caught everyone's attention.

“INTRUDER ALERT. LOCKDOWN INITIATED.”

'What the-”

“Doomguy, who was that? I don't like hearing that while all the way up here!”

The second voice made them all freeze in their tracks.

'Well, well, well. Should've known I'd be followed....”