Underdoom - Chapter 6

Everyone had assembled in the true lab. There was no "Conference Room" or analogue thereof within the compound to speak of. The best place Alphys could think of was a room past a hallway to the left of the "lobby" wherein were a few beds, sinks, and a counter set against the wall. It was a paltry little place to hold any kind of council, but it harbored the least bad memories out of any room in the lab that could be used to do so. it was also far away enough from the other places in the lab that she wasn't sure were good for everyone to be snooping around, at least until she could divulge everything in time. The amalgamates had already been sent home, and old wounds were beginning to heal. Still though, this place harbored nightmares for Alphys, and she was glad only Frisk knew for the moment.

"Okay everyone..." She said timidly. "Let's go ahead and see if we can get this all sorted out. Doctor Hayden, I assume you'd like to know what exactly is going on here in the underground?"

"Let's make it brief." Hayden replied. "In return I'll try and explain what has caused the invasion."

As the monsters explained their situation, the Doom Slayer listened in stoic silence. Hayden only seemed to express superficial interest in the story of the underground and the freedom its citizens were so close to enjoying. His brief dismissals and obligatory nodding were more telling of a man with an agenda and little concern for all else. his attempts at this subtle disdain didn't seem lost on the group: the Doom Slayer saw the brows of Undyne and Asgore furrowing somewhat with every dismissal and "cut to the chase" jab Samuel would throw out. The Queen's eyes narrowed in concern, the child's eyes following suit. The CEO didn't seem all too concerned with currying everyone's favor. Still though, everyone immediately perked up when he began to explain the circumstances that led to the hell invasion.

"Thank you for the information, Dr Alphys." He coldly stated. "Now, I think I owe you all an explanation of my own..." Anyone distanced from Hayden drew closer, save for the Marine. "The Hell invasion here is, to an extent, my fault, therefore I owe you my help in stopping it." Samuel then pulled up a holographic display, depicting what looked like a sword. Its quillons and pommel were fashioned in the shape of the upper and lower jaw of some fused, demonic entity hollow eyed and adorned with terrible horns. The blade seemed to be comprised of an ominous red light. It was wide, adorned with hellish runes, and terminated in a wide curve, a large spur ending on either side. The Hell Walker then drew close, partly in curiosity regarding Hayden's use of his prize, and partly in anger, wanting to know when he could reclaim what was rightfully his. "This is the crucible." Hayden explained. "An artifact from Hell capable of extracting infinite amounts of what is called 'Argent Energy.' I sent our mutual friend here to retrieve it. As to where it originated, only he can tell us. After he retrieved it, he used it to close a portal to Hell one of my employees opened by siphoning the Argent energy the demons were using to sustain the attack. After he returned I... took the liberty of relieving him of the artifact and sent him here to you via inter-dimensional tether." The Cyborg hesitated for a moment, noticing the Praetor once again approaching him. He knew he had stolen from him, but what else could he do? The man's careless actions had destroyed the answer to an ever-growing world energy crisis, and that hellish sword held the key to rebuilding what had been destroyed. Still though, he could tell that both of them knew now wasn't the time for conflict, so he continued. "After I sent him to you, I then attempted to harvest the energy our friend had siphoned. That is when I found out it can only be used by its 'rightful wielder.' When it rejected me, it attempted to send a beacon to our associate, but before it could reach him, Hell intercepted it. Despite the destruction of their Argent Energy source, they still had enough reserves to track it down and open a portal to its target. After he had laid waste to their domain for so long, they decided to find him and take their retribution."

A brief pause ensued before the King broke it. "So they're here for this man? The Doom slayer?"

"They are."

"So that's why they didn't seem to care about the civilians..." Undyne added. "You realize though that if they break bast our defenses..."

"I know that the stakes are high here, which is why I've already planned in advance." Hayden replied. "I have not been able to pinpoint the exact location of the energy source they used to transport themselves here, but I do have a frame of reference. We're going to go there and destroy that source ourselves."

A few gasps were heard throughout the room. "W-We're gonna do what?!" Alphys stammered.

"I don't believe I stuttered" Samuel replied coldly.

"Just how are we going to do that, Dr Hayden?" Toriel asked.

"Simple. We need a way to open a portal to Hell and a way to tether everyone to this dimension so we can pull everyone out. The portal part will be easy..." he said, pulling out a familiar artifact from a compartment in his chest. "I believe this is yours." Hayden said as he handed the Crucible over to the Doom Slayer. He brusquely snatched it away from the cyborg, eyeing it in his hands with vindictive satisfaction. "Using the now filled Crucible, we can open a portal from this end. As for the tether, I will have to return to my home plane. I cannot activate the tether from here. I have set it on a timer that will activate in approximately half an hour."

"So that can open portals to Hell, while your tethering technology can pull someone out... How did you get here then?" Sans asked.

"Although the crucible does not permit anyone but the praetorian to extract its energy, it can be used to travel through dimensions. All I had to do was follow its lead to you."

"Alright.. Well, how are we going to use the tether if it's in you dimension?" Asgore asked.

"Upon my return, it will take about an hour and a half to upload it unto a wearable bracer." he replied. "We have more than one prototype tether home module ready for use as well. Once the equipment is ready, I'll come back with the second home module and the bracers. We'll begin our operations from there. Does anyone have any questions?"

Everyone paused once again, not sure of what to ask. This was something more dangerous than they had ever imagined. It was new, it was frightening, and it threatened everything they held dear and more. It was all happening so fast with so little known about it. The only two with extensive knowledge were the Cyborg and the Marine. The notion that their entire future lay in the hands of those two enigmatic figures troubled them all. At last, Undyne spoke up. "Who will be coming?"

"Normally only the Praetorian makes these trips." hayden replied. "he's quite capable of handling this on his own."

"I don't suppose that we cannot break precedent, then." Asgore replied. "This is my kingdom. I will defend it personally if I have to."

"I appreciate the gesture, King Asgore. However, I myself was planning on accompanying our friend."

""I appreciate your concerns, but I must inform you that me and him are the only ones who have successfully journeyed to and returned from hell. All other have perished in the attempt save for demonkind."

"Is that because of the trip or the destination?"

"I've led a manned expedition to Hell once, wherein we found the praetorian. We all made it there safely enough, but only I survived."

"As far as I see it, that means I can still come." Asgore replied resolutely.

"Count me in too!" Undyne shot out.

"Oh please..." Hayden said with chagrin. "Let's not get caught up in the moment. We don't need any further..."

"If they're this determined to get their hands on Doomguy, they're gonna put up more of a fight than they did before. We're gonna need more than just two guys on this!"

"Just one was more than enou-"

"I say we help him!" Papyrus interjected. "This is our home! We should be able to keep it safe!"

"Yeah, what he said!" said Sans.

"ALRIGHT! I'll tell you what..." Hayden responded. "Why don't we let him choose, hmm? He certainly has more experience with this than we do>"

The Doom Slayer faced his new friends with arms crossed and brow scowled in contemplative scrutiny. On one hand, he strongly considered not letting even Hayden come. He knew he wouldn't give him back the crucible without some sort of plan to utilize him in the harvest of Argent Energy. In some way shape or form, betrayal lurked in the back of the cyborg's mind. He was sure of it. on top of that, he wasn't about to let everyone get killed. Why were they all so eager to throw their lives away? Sure they had put up a good fight against a relatively small invasion force, but taking the fight to the enemy's home turf did not seem like it was something they could handle. Still though, amid his desire for  their safety was the same feeling of regret and painful remembrance that reminded him of his cowardly actions of the past. They were so loyal and determined. They weren't blinded by selfish circumstances. To deny them the opportunity to defend their home would sting him forever. He made up his mind: They could come, but only if they followed his every move. Anywhere they went, he would lead them. At no time would he see them in front of him. He'd make sure they got out safely no matter what. With that in mind, he pointed to those who he thought were best suited to come. Undyne, Sans, and Asgore were his picks.

"...so be it." Hayden replied. "I will then stay here with Doctor Alphys to monitor the mission."

"What about me?" Papyrus asked. "I can help!"

His brother came to him, trying to help him realize that it wasn't going to happen. "C'mon bud." He said, putting an arm around his brother. "Doomguy's made up his mind. You remember what you told me a few minutes ago? I don't think you wanna fight, Pap..."

"We don't have to fight! We can lay traps and puzzles so that-"

"Pap..." Undyne interjected. 'I think you should listen to your brother."

"B-but..." papyrus stammered, looking at the Praetorian only to see him nod to the affirmative on Undyne and Sans' advice. "Oh..Okay then..."

"It's alright bud." Sans said, consoling his sibling. "You can stay here and help the guard, okay?"

"Okay... I'll do that." he said, his brother holding him close as they made an exit.

"It's alright bro. You can still do good here, you know that right?'

"yeah..."

"That's what a Royal Guardsman does, isn't it?" Sans said, jabbing papyrus softly in the side, trying to lift his spirits.

Papyrus perked hsi head up a bit before the elevator door closed. "yeah... I suppose it is."

"Right then." said Hayden. "I only have so much time left before the tether activates. Once I'm gone, expect to wait an hour and a half to two hours before I come back with the needed tether technology. You can sort out whatever responsibilities remain among yourselves. Dismissed" With that, Hayden went off to prepare himself for the tether. As it took him away in a great flash of blue arcs and thunderous noise, everyone prepared themselves for his return, delegating responsibilities and preparing for the inter-dimensional trip.

"Mettaton, me and Dr Hayden will be watching over everyone going in with Doomguy. I'm gonna need you to keep tabs on security and make sure all entrances in and out of New Home are secure okay?"

"You got it darling." he said before setting off to the security station.

"Make sure you keep in tabs with the guard and notify them of any breaches!"

"I hear you, Doctor!" he replied before the doors shut behind him.

Undyne called her men, giving them orders in lieu of her absence. In the meantime, Frisk came up to Alphys, having left Toriel and Asgore to talk one to another. "Hey Alphys...." she said meekly. "... Should we tell them?"

"Tell them what?"

"..About the flower?"

Upon those words leaving Frisk's lips, Alphys knew exactly who she was talking about, remembering that she had snooped around the lab beforehand. "Oh that... I mean, I think we all remember that thing a little bit before you destroyed the barrier, but why is he important? I assume he's gone, isn't he?"

"Alphys, do you know who it really is?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know about the prince?" Frisk said, reducing her voice to a whisper.

"Wait, what Pri-... wait you mean Prince Asriel? Toriel and Asgore's son from long ago?"

"Yeah..."

"What about him?"

"Do you know where he died?"

"Wait..."

"Alphys-"

"Oh no..." She said as the implications began to sink in.

"Alphys, we have to-"

"Oh no no no no..." She said, trying to keep her voice down so that the King and Queen wouldn't her her. Fear flooded her eyes as she spoke. "F-Frisk I dunno if we can... I mean, the Amalgamates were hard enough, but.. I mean, that's all fixed now, but-"

"We have to think of when we'll tell them." Frisk said somberly.

Alphys paused briefly before giving her reply. "Not now... we can't tell them now... Asgore doesn't need to be thinking about that when he's about to dive into Hell. I don't think it would be very convenient for Toriel either."

"Okay, good point." Frisk replied. "We'll tell them after Asgore comes back, okay?"

Pausing again, Alphys wondered if she would be ready to say it at all. What she had already admitted to hit her hard enough. As good as it was to get that burden off her shoulders, she didn't know what healing would come as a result of the King and Queen learning the truth about their son. the amalgamates' families were now healing: years of fear and worry were melting away within their homes. Even if their families would never truly be the same again, at least they would be back together. Nothing could bring the Dreemurrs back together, and to her knowledge, nothing could bring Asriel back from his current state. All this was going to do was hurt them deeply, with no way to console them. "Frisk, I honestly think they'd be better off not knowing. This is just gonna-"

"It can be the first step in saving him."

"...."

"Alphys-"

"After Asgore's back." She said nervously. "Then we can tell them."

"Okay... we'll talk more about it later, okay?"

"yeah...."

In the meantime, Asgore and Toriel had begun to argue about the King's decision to join the Hell Walker in his crusade. "Asgore, you're  a damned fool!" Toriel scorned. "You don't know what you're up against!"

"Tori, you obviously did not see me when I joined him earli-"

"Dreemurr, I've told you enough about using that name."

"....Toriel..." he said, resigning his will to reignite old flames. "I can take them. Even their greatest have fallen to me."

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"Feeling a little irritated at Toriel's pessimism, he snapped at her coldly. "Why do you even care?!"

She gasped, almost raising a hand to smack him before she regained herself, realizing what she has been saying. "Look, Asgore..." she replied.

"I didn't mean to snap at you like that, Toriel..."

"I know you didn't..." She said, now wearing a more sullen countenance. "... Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will." he said, putting hand under her cheek. "Don't you worry."

Normally, she would have smacked his hand away. For some reason or another, she didn't push him away. "Okay... " she said as Asgore lowered hsi hand. "I'll take care of things here while you're gone."

"Make sure everyone makes it out safe, dear."

"I will."

"And above all... make sure they don't lose hope."

"They won't"

_______________________

It was only another twenty minutes before Hayden was expected to return. At this point, apprehension was the only thing detectable in the silent, stagnant air of the lab compound. Alphys was scrolling through the Argent Project information over again, both fascinated and frightened by the UAC's work. To think that these people had been harvesting energy from Hell itself was alarming in and of itself. It was only all the more disturbing when one read about the Lazarus labs and the blasphemous, unholy experiments conducted by Olivia and her surrogates. Although the information troubled her, Alphys found herself quite interested in the prospects and properties of Argent energy. The way it behaved, it's energy output, its defiance of conventional physics, all reminded the royal scientist of the simple magic that so completely permeated the underground. The two were similar, albeit Argent's potential uses and power far exceeding conventional magic, both in terms of usefulness and in how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. The applications were limitless. She could see how Hayden was so obsessed with it. With that in mind, suspicion flowed anew into her mind. Their earlier conversation dripped with mention of Argent until the Praetor drew close. She knew she was in for a dangerous game of wits once the CEO came back.

She wasn't alone in the upper part of the compound. Mettaton was watching the security panels, now expanded from the main console's single screen to several dozen. Frisk, Papyrus, and Toriel were sitting together on the top floor, the former two sitting together on the bed while the latter leaned up against the wall, near the bookshelves. In an effort to calm the child, Toriel had begun to recite a few stories her own children had loved, notwithstanding it was only 4:00 in the afternoon. Frisk was already tired from her recent adventure, but the events of the past few hours were keeping her awake. The occasional roar or demonic scream that came up from the security station below did not do much to ease her lingering fears. Noticing this, Noticing the unease creeping onto Frisk's countenance, Toriel tried to alleviate the situation as best as she could. "Mettaton dear, are there any headsets you can use down there?"

"Yes, there's a set here at the station, darling. Why, is something wrong?"

"I'm just not sure we need to hear them so clearly, dear."

It didn't take too long for Mettaton to infer what she meant. Without another word, he plugged the spare headset into the console, and the lab went completely silent. "That better?"

"Very much so. Thank you." Toriel replied before continuing her story. She didn't get too far in, however.

"Why don't you join us, Papyrus?" Frisk asked, interrupting Toriel's story.

"I'm alright." the skeleton timidly responded. His voice wasn't at the usual bombastic, affable volume it normally kept. His gaze was focused on the floor

"You sure you're okay?" asked Frisk

"Yeah..."

"It doesn't seem like it. Can't you come over here, please?" She didn't need to ask him what was bothering him. All she knew was that a little time with some friends could perk him right up, at least hopefully. Luckily, her plea didn't fall on deaf ears. Papyrus walked over, picking a chair up from Alphys' desk before Toriel spoke up

"Oh no dear, you can sit here with us!" Toriel said patting a spot next to her opposite Frisk. Papyrus silently complied, scooting the chair back and seating himself down next to the queen. Noticing his persisting melancholy mood, she asked him "Papyrus dear, why are you so upset?" wrapping an arm around him as Frisk sat up attentively.

"...Well, how can I not be upset?"" The skeleton asked. "I mean, frisk comes in and frees us all, and on the same day she breaks the barrier, this invasion happens and we're still trapped down here. On top of that... well... our new friend decides I shouldn't come with him to help save everyone..."

"I think he knows your heart well, dear." Toriel said, her soothing, motherly nature permeating her voice. "I believe he knows you don't want to hurt anyone."

"I just don't want anyone getting hurt." Papyrus replied. "I'm sorry if I'm bringing you guys down... it's just so hard not to feel down right now."

"Oh Papyrus..." said Toriel. "There's always times when things look bleak. There'll always be sad days and times when we feel alone and afraid, when the skies seem dark, and all hope is lost. It's times like these when we need to remember that every storm brings us flowers, dear. Always look for the good."

"it's kind of hard to see any good, I guess..."

"You're here with us." Frisk replied. "I think that's a good thing."

"You do?"

"Yeah.... You'll stay and protect us, won't you?"

A smile began to come back to Papyrus' face. "Of course I will."

"Would you like me to continue the story?" Toriel added.

"That'd be wonderful."

Downstairs, Undyne was keeping herself occupied with the Doom Slayer, training briefly with him as he brought up holographs of the various demon types for her to simulate attack. Sans and Asgore weren't feeling as spry or enthusiastic, observing silently as they anticipated debarkation. Undyne stood with spear at the ready, her feet squared and positioned to accommodate her center of gravity. She focused intently on the Praetorian, who held a holographic device in one hand, holding out the other in an open palm. Undyne knew the signal; As the Slayer closed his hand and dropped the holograph, a display of a Hell Knight popped up and began to sprint towards Undyne, bellowing as it went. The captain held her ground, keeping her feet bounding slightly in anticipation for her next move. She dodged to the left as another holographic demon, this time a Hell razer, opened fire on her. She answered a near swipe from the Knight's claw with a quick dodge and a spear through the throat before strafing to the right and firng a pear at the Hell razer.. The illusory demons wailed in a death cry before disappearing. The slayer once again gave a thumbs up, signifying a job well done. Undyne wiped the sweat off her brow and gave a thumbs up back. "Okay.. I think I got it down." She said, sitting down and catching her breath after having repeated the exercise several times. She had already felled several Hell Knights that day, and though her audacious, gymnastic leaping and charging seemed effective, the Doom Slayer had to correct her in her training, teaching her that it was better to dodge and strike when the opposition missed. it allowed fora quicker dispatch and promoted continuous mobility, rather than keeping oneself on the trunk of a demon for more than five seconds. Time was everything when these creatures surrounded their quarry, and one had to be constantly moving to stand a chance in battle with them. Attention could not be given exclusively to one demon.

'Wonderful work, captain!" Asgore said, congratulating his former pupil. "Starting to remind me of the good 'ol days."

"I know right?" She replied, smiling. "I think I'm getting the hang of this..."

Sans remained silent. As the time crept closer for the Cyborg to return, all he did was activate the blue glow in his eye and on his hand every few minutes or so, picking up and holding small objects around the room with his telekinetic power, eyes to the ground. "You alright, Sans?" Asgore asked. "You've been awfully quiet all this time..."

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Sans replied, still facing the floor. "Just kind of apprehensive, I guess."

"We all are." Asgore said as Undyne and The Marine resumed their training. "But I sense there's something else."

"Like what?"

"Well, take a look at them." Asgore replied, motioning towards the Doom Slayer and his new student. "I'm pretty sure Undyne is too, but she's finding an outlet for it. As for myself, I take comfort in knowing that it isn't my first rodeo. I've been through a few nasty fights before. There's still some nervousness, yes, but the more I watch our new friend, the safer i feel. heh.. I bet this is just a little afternoon excursion for him."

"*pfft*... yeah I bet."

".... You've got something else on your mind though, don't you?"

"Like what?" Sans said, not checking the defensive tone in his voice as he turned up to face Asgore.

Asgore's expression was both that of concern and scrutiny. he paused for a moment before replying. "You tell me."

".... Just kinda tempted to tell the kid to reset."

"You think it's her?"

"Pretty sure it's her."

"I dunno, you were sending me those findings long before you and me knew about her."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she needed to find us before she started."

"Perhaps."

"......."

"Is that all that's on your mind though?"

Sans snickered a little bit. "Well, I dunno, there's the fact that we're literally about to dive into Hell itself. I mean, not like that's a big deal or anything, but-"

Asgore grimaced somewhat as he chuckled back. "Ah, I think we'll be fine." he said, turning his attention back to the Doom Slayer, who was now field stripping and checking his light machine gun, his sweating, red-haired pupil having dismissed herself to get a drink straight from the sink. "I believe we are in good hands."

Suddenly, a thunderous noise got their attention. Upstairs, eyes and ears were covered as Hayden's silhouette formed among the many blue arcs that signaled the tether's connection to their dimension. Alongside him was a large, metallic structure about twice his height. Loose wires piled behind it, and various interfaces appeared on its surface as the tether's residual energy faded away. Without delay, Hayden stepped forward, addressing all within earshot. "Let's not waste any time."