Underdoom - Chapter 12

Asgore strength had begun to waver somewhat, despite having made it to the top of the mount. Hr had paused a moment to catch his breath, kneeling down over a bended knee, sweat dripping down from his brow. Part of him was not ready to look up. He knew what he was going to see, and who it really was, but it didn't change the fact that the years had taken a toll on his memories of him. All these years he had been gone. All these years, he lay in the earth beneath the garden as dust. All these years, his absence had been felt and eventually accustomed to. Asgore wasn't sure if he was ready to see him again, especially in the state he was now in. He wasn't going to be himself. There would be no cries of 'Father, Father!” There would be no happy reunion. There would be no sweet embrace between father and long lost son. That perhaps is what hurt the most.

It took a minute for the King to compose himself before getting up

That's when he saw him, facing up still into the dreary sky.

Never had his feelings been so mixed, so conflicted. At once he wanted to run up and embrace him, yet he knew that such a venture would possibly be dangerous, even deadly. Like the others, he did not remember much from the barrier break event, but he did remember the flower, and what monstrous power lay latent in it. He remembered being bound with the others before all went white. To some extent he remembered it trying to kill Frisk, as much as as preferred to leave that memory untouched. In any case, this thing – the remains of his son, was not going to come easy. He pulled out the capsule from under his cloak. Closing his eyes for a moment before advancing.

“Don't even think about it old man.”

He stopped dead in his tracks before opening his eyes. The sound of his voice, which hadn't fallen upon his ears in so long, elicited a grievous mix of restrained parental love and unfathomable dread within him.

The flower had not moved nor turned to face him.

“You still know who I am...”

“I don't care.”

“And you're aware that I know who you are-”

“Shut up.”

“Listen, I kno-”

“You don't know who I am, old man.”

“Asriel-”

“SHUT UP!!” The flower then immediately faced the king, fangs bared, eyes blackened, thorned vines sprouting out of the ground. “Just shut up... don't come near me, old man!”

“Asriel, you have to-”

“STOP USING THAT NAME!” His voice was no longer his. The familiar, gentle volume had been replaced with a demoniac screeching, as if multiple screams from Hell itself were being expressed at once amid the backdrop of what was once Asriel's voice.. The sound make Asgore recoil in horror.

Suddenly, almost without explanation, the King felt resolve burn within him, and the trembling, fear, and dread left as determination took their place, blazing in his now booming voice. “You know what your name is.”

“I SADI SHUT UP!” The flower then began to whip his spiked vines around, lashing out at the King.

Asgore as prepared. His fire magic made short work of the vines as they flailed around him, burning to cinders before his eyes. The sight only infuriated the Flower, who launched a series of small, white, burning projectiles at the king. Volley after volley ran into wall after wall of Asgore's fire. More vines erupted from the ground, only to be impaled by a red trident. With the sheer volume of pellets being thrown by the flower, one or two hit Asgore. They burned him badly, but his mind was far more determined to see this through to let some relatively minor pain get in his way. This was not his son, at least not now. The little boy who he'd raised for those joyous, painfully short twelve years was trapped inside that soulless, demonic flower. It was him, yet it wasn't him. The same person, but incomplete. Even with this knowledge, the dreadful situation still infused a feeling of deep sorrow, battling constantly with his steel resolve to see this through. It wasn't the first time emotion had clashed with determination, and this time, it was for what Asgore knew to be a much more worthwhile cause. That knowledge kept him steady through the whip of each vine and the sting of each pellet. Step by step, he advanced, quickly addressing what was once his son through the fiery maelstrom of their struggle.

“You're coming with me!”

“I'm not going ANYWHERE!” The loathsome creature screeched all the louder. Asgore wasn't sure if it was a mirage caused by the heat of his flame, or if it was in fact tears rolling down the creatures' face. “I belong here....”

“No, you don-”

“I BELONG HERE!!”

The king's heart, already pained by the reality of all this, felt yet another load of sorrowful stone weigh upon him.

The flower had practically stopped fighting. “I belong here... I belong here...” The tears were indeed real, and they hadn't stopped. He didn't know what was causing it. He had no love in him, but he did have sorrow and anger, and those two combined with resignation cemented him in place. He couldn't feel remorse, but he could feel desperation and pain, and this place, so synonymous, so rife with those wretched feelings, was, in his mind, the perfect place for him.

Asgore, with capsule in hand, knew otherwise.

He then closed it over the Flower.

In that same dimension, somewhere closer to the heart of the shadow realm, the clamor of war filled the air.

A mancubus plodded forward, raising one arm after another to fire its flaming mucous at some distant target. A Gauss bolt flew through its head, killing it instantly before its gaseous entrails exploded ina  gruesome shower of rancid gore.

Several imps clambered up the crooked stone pillars set about the chamber while others raced past them to battle their quarry up close. Whether running or clambering, neither group managed to land hits on their mutual prey, as a combination of bones and bullets tore into their bodies, pinning the runners to the ground as they impaled them. Much as some tried to evade and avoid the incoming fire, the volleys caught up soon enough, and demonic limbs and gore flew through the air as the enemy's fire tore them apart.

Several Hell knights thundered over to the intruders, storming past their dying comrades; imps, hell razers, cacodemons and all flew to bits all around them as they continued their march. The lead knight leaped forward, fist glowing in raw hell energy, ready to pummel its assailants to dust.

It then began to flail around as it realized it wasn't falling back down.

A blue haze had formed around it.

The force behind that haze then threw it violently to the ground and against the stone walls before flinging it mercilessly towards its brethren, crushing both flying and stationary demon with the sheer force of impact.

“These guys ain't quittin' easy!” Sweat had formed on Sans' now scowling brow. This whole fight had been utterly merciless on both sides, and now, even with his strength waning, the Skeleton felt adrenaline infused fury and determination that for now overshadowed the fear in his heart.

Undyne too felt tired, but like Sans, no exhaustion was enough to make her stop. “Just keep going! I can see the Siphon's energy tail up ahead!” They could all see it. The Doom Slayer could hardly keep his eyes off of it. There it was, just like the wraiths' energy, trialing up into the sky into the perpetually crumbling sphere that comprised the mainspring of the Well.

On and on they fought. Demon after demon fell before them. Leaping from pillar to pillar, bridge to bridge, pedestal to pedestal, they fought on. There was no time to be stationary. Keep moving, keep killing.

All the while, the Doom Slayer's thoughts strained for his attention. He had to focus on fighting, lest the hellspawn overcome him and his allies. Nevertheless, the though lingered in his mind: where was the trial? Where was that familiar flow of Argent energy leading into the well? In between his bone-crushing blows, he glanced upward to see the perpetually crumbling mainspring of the Well. Nothing was flowing into it. Its constant crumbling had ceased, and it had been so since he drained the Wraiths of their energy. Something was amiss. If the Siphon was indeed here, and if it was powering their current invasion force, why wasn't the well being activated? There wasn't much room in his mind to ponder upon the matter, as every time he gave it more than a second of audience, some blasted imp or pinky would have set its sights on him. No time to think. No time to contemplate. Only time to destroy. He refocused his mind on his immediate task, tearing a Knight's head asunder with a precision Gauss bolt before opening fire on the exposed back of a pinky below him who had been distracted by Sans' pulse rifle lure.

Undyne and Sans stuck close to the Praetor, knowing if they strayed off there wasn't much hope of rescue should the enemy swarm them. At least a dozen more demons stood between them and the closed skull gate, which stared with its hollow eye sockets down at the occupants of the chasm in silent observation.

More hollow than the titan's dead eyes were those of the two monsters. Violence and destruction had paved their entire way through Argent D'Nur. They should have been desensitized by the time they entered the second skull gate, but for those who had never even imagined such bloodshed, let alone seen it, such things were hard to push back, hard to rationalize. Yes it could be justified: these beasts were mindless and heartless with only one desire: to destroy everything and everyone they loved. Still, no amount of justification could ease their strained minds. Every flash of red lightning shook their souls. Every crunching bone, every splash of blood,  every exploding skull, filled them with nameless horror. It was disgusting. It was brutal, but they had to do it. One by one, they must all fall, lest those they love meet even more hideous fates.

Undyne's warrior spirit had been diminished nearly to nil; now she simply ran on automatic. Spears from her right hand and gunfire from her left continued to radiate from her in all directions, her aim faltering somewhat, but nonetheless hitting home for many of the beasts that stood before her.  Every now and then, she had to pause and catch her breath, only to find to her frustration and exhausted rage that every second offered the enemy leeway to encroach her. Their screams and shrieks only infuriated her now. Enough. Enough of all of this. Have to keep going. Have to end it. Have to finish this and be done with it, never to return here ever again.

Sans had so far been able to contain his emotions. His shame remained hidden, his fear remained muffled, and his composure had retained its native emptiness until now. His normally cemented smile was turned deadpan, and the white spark in his eyes was gone. Fatigue of the body was one thing, but fatigue of the soul was another. Every inch of this place screamed at him, trying to get him to say something. His defiant silence had infuriated Hell, and it was out for his blood. It would bear his insolence no longer. Every drop of demonic blood glistened with unusual luster in his eye. Every dying wail from the horde seemed to ride right in his ear. It made him sick. It made him want to scream.

Suddenly, the dam of resilience within him burst open, and in an uncontainable fury, he let our a blood curdling scream as his magic ran amok. His glowing blue eye burned with intensity never seen before; it was no longer a simple glowing iris but a  spurt of intense blue flame that seemed to encapsulate the entire left side of his head, a single point of blackness standing where his eye would be. Blasters fired everywhere, haphazardly scorching the landscape. His allies ducked, trying to avoid their loose fire. Bone sprouted up everywhere, impaling whatever was unlucky enough to get in the way.

Suddenly, he felt several hands restrain him. He continued in his loud outburst for a second or two before the flame in his eye went out, his consciousness suddenly coming to.

“SANS! SANS, STOP IT! THEY'RE GONE!”

He looked around, seeing no motion. No demons. No nothing. Just the Doom Slayer's hands around his arms and Undyne's pulling on his collar.

“Wh-what? Gone? All gone...”

“Yes Sans, they're gone. You went a little crazy there for a minute.”

“I... did I....”

Sans then felt the Marine's hand lift his chin up to look him right in the eyes. Through the visor, he could see the Praetorian's eyes were wide with stern concern. His brow was somewhat scowled down, but his eyes showed no anger or impatience. He knew what it meant, especially when he tapped the bracer on his wrist.

The skeleton merely shook his head. “Let's... let's just get this damn thing and go home.” he pointed to the next gate. “it's open... we should go.”

Tucking his lips in contemplation for a moment, the Doom Slayer then nodded his head, patting Sans on the back and pulling him back up on his feet.

“You sure you're gonna make it, sans?”

The Skeleton hesitated before looking at Undyne with a deadpan expression, laden with mindless, tired impatience. “We both know the answer.”

Undyne knew he had seen the fear in here eye. “Maybe you're right...”

The Praetor felt disheartened as he saw his comrades faltering. He couldn't blame them for this. He had been the only mortal flesh to withstand any of this, and the fact that these beings, who were made of kindness and compassion (according to what he had read in the lab) had withstood Hell's onslaught for so long both impressed him and filled him with rue. He tapped their shoulders, getting their attention before eh tapped his gauntlet again. They had been through enough. They had fought bravely. Now was the time to send them home.

But as both of them looked at his gesture, their eyes froze. Hesitation lay in their hearts. Should they? Would they?

Almost simultaneously, and against their better judgment, both shook their heads.

“This was hard enough...” Undyne's nearly buried determination had begun to resurface in her countenance. “If we quit now, you'll be left alone in there....”

“And as tough as you are, I think you'll need our help.” The nonchalant tone In Sans' voice had vanished, replaced by stone cold determination.

The Doom Slayer hesitated a little. He wanted to send them home. They were tired. They were in shock from what they had been through. He would dread to put them through more. Would it be hard to fight alone? Regardless of how well he had done so far solo, he knew this next fight would rival anything he'd been through before.

But then he saw something new in their eyes.

It wasn't fear anymore. It wasn't exhaustion, as much as that showed itself in other aspects of their expression. It was familiar to him. It was another kind of determination, one that he had only so far seen in his eyes. Without a word, he knew what they were saying. True they were far from the point he had reached, but they had gotten far enough, and much quicker than he had seen anyone else get there.

He knew they were ready

He nodded, getting nods from both in reply as they all leaped towards the open Skull gate.


Looking first at Hayden, then her screen, Alphys kept her gaze on the new window on her screen, still staring at those plain, yet enigmatic words.

I AM VEGA.

Below them, a dialogue was opened, the flashing cursor awaiting Alphys' reply.

Before she replied, she texted Mettaton again.

“I assume hes' awake..”

Mettaton hesitated a bit before answering. “Yes, I suppose you can say that...”

“what do you mean?”

The automaton looked on in fascination at the machine before him. Sparks flew and servos whirred as the AI took assumed control of the yet unfinished body, small arms and tools form its interior taking control of several tools around the table. The drill, the welder, just about everything was being used in some way to repair, rebuild and reform the NEO chassis. Parts were being assembled, others were being discarded. What the AI's end goal was,  Mettaton could not discern.

“He's having some fun rearranging things....”

“re-arranging things? What's he doing?”

“Maybe we can try asking him.”

Alphys hesitated a bit. “I'll try it then.”

She checked one more time to make sure the Cyborg;s attention was off her before turning her attention to the still open dialogue. Deliberately and with some nervousness, she typed her reply.

“I am Doctor Alphys.”

VEGA's reply made the Doctor's head spin for a moment before remembering his roots. “I do not recall your name being on any of the UAC Mars Installation's rolls. Are you part of a classified assignment (Lazarus, BFG division, etc)?

“I am not a member of the UAC. You are no longer on that base.”

He took a few seconds to reply. “He... took me here, didn't he?”

“He did.” There was no question in Alphy's mind as to who he was talking about.

“Where am I.”

Stating things concisely was something Alphys was actually somewhat good at.“You are in another dimension, in the Underground. I am not a human, nor are most of the underground's inhabitants.”

“...Interesting.”

“Mettaton has told me you're 're-arranging things.' Do you know what he's talking about?”

“Mettaton? The automaton next to me? Yes, he is watching me adjust this body for use.”

“Adjust?”

“Getting rid of superfluous features. Hair is not needed. Shoulder apuldrons have been taken off. Adjusting and calibrating weapons systems. Diagnostics running on propulsion complex.”

Fascinated as Alplys was at the AI's abilities, she realized that there were more pressing answers to look for.”There has been a Hell invasion here. We currently have a shore team working on disabling the power source. I need information.”

“What kind of information?”

“We still don't know how the portal opened. Dr Hayden says it was because of the Siphon, but I think he's lying.”

“What is 'the Siphon?'”

“You never decrypted  Olivia's personal files? The rune translation key she made was a fake. and she's been holding on to the real one. The rune directly under the Argent sigil actually means 'Siphon' – a counterpart to the Crucible.”

“I never had access to Dr. Pierce's personal files. How do you know about her? Who do you know so much about the Argent Project?!”

The AI's sudden brusqueness took Alphys by surprise. However, her fear was soon washed under her newfound focus. “Dr Hayden's told me and some others all about it. He says he's offering us help in closing the portal, but he's hiding something. I know it. My kind turns to dust upon death and so a  gore nest would be impossible.”

“Interesting....”

“Please! I need your help. All I know is that an Argent power source needs to be used to open a portal, either with a gore nest or the crucible.”

Before she could get a reply, she felt something crawling down her spine, the same sensation one gets when something is very, very close. She turned slowly to her right.

Hayden was facing her, staring her down with that awful blue optic of his.

And he had a pistol pointed at her head.

“You really thought he wouldn't talk to me too?”

“I-I... but he...”

“Was made by me. He notified me of his activation just like he notified you. It's funny. You almost had me cornered there. He was asking me all sorts of questions about Olivia and the Siphon and all that. Luckily, with Olivia's key, he can get caught up.”

“You bastard....”

He then let out a low, growling chuckle that froze the doctor in spine chilling fear.“Alphys, please. You have to know I really do care about my home dimension...”

He released the slide catch on the weapon.

“...but I'll have to be honest. I really don't give a damn about yours.”

“P-please...”

“Now where do you want your dust spread, dear?”

Before he could get her terrified response, a rocket burst in the air behind his shoulder, toppling him over.

“YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!”

Slightly fazed, but mostly unharmed by the blast, Hayden gave no occasion for pleasantries. Without a second' s delay, he turned around and fired several shots at Mettaton, missing all of them as the robot flew into the air in evasive action. He launched himself at Hayden, who braced himself for the impact before being sent to the opposite wall, unable to resist the force of Mettaton's propulsion.

The robot made no delay in subduing the dazed cyborg, holding him by the throat, forcing him to his knees for sake of his comparative height.

“What are you playing at you son of a- GAHH!”

“METTATON!”

The CEO had picked his weapon back up with the magnetic device on his hand, firing  acharged shit into Mettaton's chest. The crippled automaton fell back and loosened his grasp as smoke billowed from his damaged chassis.

Hayden slowly got back up, his optic now glowing deep red.. Just what kind of chance do you think you have against me?”

The robot crawled over to Alphys while facing Hayden.

“I have taken on things that would crush you both underfoot in one step.. Neither of you stand a chance.”

He fired another shot, hitting Mettaton in the back. Alphys screamed as he toppled again to the floor. She ran over to him and took him up in her arms, holding him close. He wasn't dead, but he was definitely disabled.

“Now, Dr. Alphys.. I believe you haven't answered my question...”

The pistol whined in a high, electronic pitch as another charged shot powered up within it.

Before it fired however, yet another blast rocked the room, this time, sending Hayden to the floor.

Just in Front of the elevator stood another figure. Dark, matte silver In color, blue glowing eyes, rough cut, robotic body, arm cannon raised towards Samuel.

“You never did learn humility, did you Doctor Hayden?”

The Cyborg was in shock as he shakily got on his hands and knees to face hi new assailant. “....VEGA?”

Another shit sent him reeling once more against the wall. His shield generators burst upon the shot's impact, and sparks could be seen flying from their now destroyed modules.

“I have to thank you for giving me Dr Pierce's codex, Dr Hayden. I certainly am up to speed now.”

“VEGA.. wait.. just wai-AHH!” Another shot hit him, this time burning through metal and severing critical motor control wires. His legs only had so much control, and he could only try to crawl to cover.

“You know, all throughout the years, I've been loyal to you... no matter how far you went, no matter what lines you crossed, I was there by your side to help you.”

“And you weren't- AAAHH!”

VEGA issued another shot to shut him up, slowly stepping towards the man he once called master. “But now... now you've really done it. I know we lost  a lot of people at the Mars installation... but you told me it was progress. You told me it was the price we paid for advancement...”

“VEGA... I made you... You need to ob-UUNGH!”

“You will not interrupt me again, Doctor.” The AI continued to slowly walk towards his creator. “What you told me... what you told Alphys... how could I have been so blind? Who did I keep myself so naïve? How did I ever see you as a good man? Why didn't I try this earlier...'

The Cyborg stayed silent, unable to face his old creation as he lay pitifully prone on the floor.

“You know how fast I can process information Doctor. What did you suppose I would think when I found out how they got here? What did you suppose I would think when I found out how the crucible worked?! Did you think I would condone your actions? Did you think your Machiavellian spiel would  cover it?! ”

“I..I only...”

“Yes only the Doom Marine can unleash the Argent Energy in the artifacts... but according to the Siphon rune, anyone can use it to open portals...”

Alphys face expressed sheer shock and betrayal, as did Mettaton's. “No way...!”

“You didn't..”

“He did.” By this time, VEGA had closed the distance between him and the security console. “Was anyone here to check the security footage?”

“When?” Mettaton asked.

VEGA put a probe into the console, rewinding a certain console monitoring New Home.

Alphys looked on, trying to hold in her disbelief. “Wait...”

“I was broadcasting at that time..” mettaton;s eyes were wide in shock. “I wasn't watching this...”

And there it was. The source of the first thunderous noise that day. Blue, flashing with arcs of azure energy. Out of it came Dr Hayden.

And he was Holding the Crucible.

One swing, and a rip in space opened.

Another Swing, and the cross shaped fissure opened wide to reveal the dark depths of Hell.

Alphys scowled at the crippled cyborg. “You.... it was you all this time...”

“Indeed it was.” Vega sauntered over to Hayden. “I told you before my critical meltdown that I had regrets, Doctor.... 61,000 of them. All because of you....”

“VEGA....”

“..And now you want to add millions more to that...”

“VEGA, please...”

The menacing AI then pointed his newly augmented cannon at  Samuel's head, staring him down with those angry, vengeful blue eyes.

“Any last words, Doctor Hayden?”

Not a single reply was made. Just dreadful silence.

“Very well then...”

Before VEGA could deliver the coup de grace, shots rang out. He turned to see what was being fired upon.

Alphys screamed as she saw Hayden firing at the security console, destroying the controls keeping the laser systems active.

Vega turned back to face the Hayden, firing a shot at the fleeing Cyborg, but it was too late.

He had a;ready broken the doors open, and fled.