It’s been a long while since her beloved Undyne passed the message.
By theory, Alphys knew she should continue her research on the remains of Doctor Gaster. But she’s both tired and hungry. So she retreated to her office to make some chicken-flavoured cup noodles.
Then, she wondered if the rest of the Magi on standby had anything to eat. They were prepared to guard the town for one more night, but the recent attack might disrupt their upcoming shift.
Alphys stared at the unopened warehouse-sized cardboard box. It was an impulse purchase. She reasoned that there’s no way she could finish all these anyway, so she started pushing it out into the lounge area.
Her lab had become a news center. Both civilian and security members gathered around the large TV set, keeping themselves up to date on the big fire at The Spire.
Morale had picked up a little when the flames were extinguished in a spectacular pillar of hotness. Then, Mettaton’s appearance made some of his younger fans cheer.
However, the overall mood remained grim. There were no signs of the Magi’s Supreme Judge. Neither were there any news of Captain Undyne and ex-Captain Grillby.
Above all, the Royal Family remained missing.
All attention snapped to her the moment she became noticeable. As the lizard had expected, people started flocking to her in hopes of updates.
“Any news from Captain Undyne?” one asked.
“Where is she?”
“Why aren’t they back yet?”
“The King and Queen? Frisk? Are they okay?”
Alphys shook her head. “Sorry, I don't know. I've not heard anything either.”
Any hope deflated.
“I-it’s getting late,” she said. “If you want something warm, I have some cup noodles for everyone. There’s hot water in the kitchen sink. And you can use the stove too.”
In a blink, it became a cup noodle party. Though calling it a ‘party’ right now would be an insult to the severity of the situation.
She noted that there was a new collection of people since she had last stepped out. They’re humanoid fire-elementals, very much like Grillby.
A young green-flamed teen girl asked her mother: “Will Uncle Grillby be okay?”
Oh my, his family is here.
She wanted to approach them at first… but then she decided it’s better to slip away. She had no positive news after all.
I-I can’t take this. I should eat in private.
Alphys hurried back into her office with her share. With the almighty convenience of an electric kettle, she boiled some water.
Sigh…
If only I could do something to help. Right now, I’m just an anxious ball of trash.
Her phone rang.
Alphys dug into her pocket as soon as possible. She expected to see Undyne’s name but…
… it said ‘Private Number’.
Weird. Could it be a misdial?
She answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“May I confirm that this number belongs to Doctor Alphys?”
“That’s… me?” The prim woman’s voice stunned Alphys. Furthermore, she’s a stranger.
“My name is Lady Lucidia of House Berendin. I am the Magi’s assigned Chronographer. You may or may not have heard of my existence through Judge Cenna Caraway.”
Alphys recalled Cenna and Sans mentioning a skilled lady at the Magus Headquarters.
“A-are you the one who took care of Papyrus?”
“Accurate assessment. Since our identities are confirmed, may I request the commencement of our operations?”
It took Alphys a moment to understand her odd technical speech. “I’m in my office right now. If. That’s what you’re asking.”
“Is your laboratory and workstation accessible privy to privacy?”
“Uh. Yes. I-I need the privacy to work on my projects. Why do you ask?”
“Please lock all your doors. If you require assistance, you may ask for the lead communications technician to assist. One or two extra personnel at best. Other than that, it is vital to not let anyone unrelated to the incident get involved.”
“I’m certain you understand what I mean.”
Alphys felt her tongue trip before she could even speak.
“Is it t-t-t-that bad?” Anxiety rising.
“It will devolve into the worst case scenario if we don’t solve this predicament posthaste.”
Alphys wasted no time to rush over to her computer. Dinner can wait. With a few simple clicks, she locked the doors via remote control.
“W-w-what do you need help with?”
“I hear that you are the current Royal Scientist. This means you have your foundational knowledge about The Seven Soul Barrier, am I right?”
“Yes! B-but why?”
“Please listen carefully.”
Lucidia proceeded to explain about what went down in The Crimson Hall. All that information -- crammed straight into her head -- made Alphys want to hide under the table.
“…And that concludes our current circumstance. I am unable to devise a counterplan due to broken communication. I have lost sight of the rescue team, and Cenna’s signal lasted for only five minutes before it went silent.”
“You couldn’t get them back?”
“Negative. All subsequent attempts ended in failure. I did instruct her to remain on standby, so at the very least I can rely on her last-known coordinates.”
“We need to re-establish communications if we are to have any chance of stopping ‘his’ plans.”
Alphys didn’t know she could sweat this much on such a cold day. She grabbed a piece of tissue to wipe her forehead. It soon became soaked.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod this is terrible no wonder she told me to lock the doors what are we supposed to do how can anyone pass a message into the BARRIER ITSELF--
Then she smacked herself on the cheek to snap herself out of it.
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Lucidia must have heard it. “Are you alright, Doctor Alphys?”
“Yes. No. Maybe. Actually I’m in a mess.”
“Understandable. I, too, had a bout of panic. Doctor Alphys, it appears that your nation has superior knowledge in the art of Determination extraction. Perhaps this might help us. I would like to hear your theories.”
Alphys gulped. She had zero mental preparation for this. Then again, since when is she really ever ‘ready’?
Pull yourself together. Everyone you love is in trouble!
“Um. About that. I-I’m afraid we don’t know as much as you think. Maybe we have better extraction methods, but only that. We don’t really know how to apply them as a science.”
“I-I’m more of a machine nerd. I-I mean… all I did was to keep injecting Determination into my patients…”
It’s a painful admission to someone as esteemed as the Magi’s primary Chronographer, but this was not the time to pretend.
“Acknowledged. Query: How fast can you read?”
“Q-quite fast. I think. I mean, I can read hundreds of manga chapters per sitting.”
“Please check your e-mail. I will send you an encrypted file with all the details you need.”
“Alright! Gimmie a moment to set things up.”
Alphys rushed to compile her cup noodles. She’s going to be in for the long haul. Wouldn’t want to get sleepy from a lack of energy.
Also, she wanted to switch to her headset. Leaves one’s hands free to multitask.
Food, obtained.
Status, online.
Mail, found.
“O-okay. I’m back,” said Alphys. “What’s the password?”
“It’s the name of the gyudon shop that appeared in episode five of the recent Mew Mew Kissy Reboot series.”
The lizard dropped her jaw. “A-a-are you a fan too??!?”
“No. But you had watched that show at least once for 52 timelines by now. I prefer titles with a stronger narrative and less emphasis on spectacle.”
“Oh… W-wait. How do you know of my habits in the first place?”
“My duty involves gathering intelligence on the Dreemurr Nation’s most prominent figures: Frisk’s circle of friends. We have many ways. Nonetheless, I apologize for the invasion of your personal space. It is a disturbing notion and I fully acknowledge it.”
Perhaps it was a taste of her own medicine. Alphys did install cameras everywhere in the Underground in the name of surveillance. Concept wise, it’s not that different… though Lady Lucidia’s findings were on a whole different level.
“I-it’s okay as long as you don’t misuse it…”
Alphys keyed in the name of the shop. It unlocked an access through a host of DT-related documents.
Slurping her noodles away, Alphys’ eyes darted across the page at an almost mechanical pace. She read as fast as she could without tripping over the details.
“I can feel my brain turning into mush…”
That’s what she said, but her mental gears continued working at a subconscious level.
An idea popped in her mind by the time she set down the empty cup. Judging from the flood of new information, the Lichborn had a deeper connection to Determination than she ever imagined.
“Lady Lucidia, may I ask for confirmation on how the Seer’s Eye works?”
“Please proceed.”
“If the Barrier is designed to cut us off from the world, how did you manage to gather data from our Underground times? T-this battle between Sans and Frisk in particular.”
“A good question. Similar to Papyrus, my powers depends on clues ‘linked’ together.”
“Because of the Integrity and Kindness factor, right?” Alphys asked.
“Correct.” Lucidia replied. “The main difference is that I have no clairvoyance. Therefore, I can only study events that have already happened. Data-related archiving is a Perseverance speciality.”
“So, you have a super strong link with Sans because of his constant involvement in Frisk’s surface life?”
“That is accurate.”
“What about King Asgore? Queen Toriel? Me? Frisk themselves?”
“I do not have the same amount of data to work with. Out of everyone involved, Frisk and Sans are the ones who knew the truth. It is this truth that maintained my ties to the past.”
“Hmmm... I-It really puzzles me that you could see past the actual Barrier to begin with! What about Papyrus? If, uh, if he had awakened into a superpowered skeleton back then… does that mean he could see the Surface?”
“Judging from our current data… I will have to say ‘yes’, unfortunately.”
“Unfortunately?” Alphys blurted. It was an unusual negative confirmation.
“He can, and will, see all of human history as long as there is some manner of relevancy. Considering your nation’s abandoned goals and the poor moral state of Doctor Gaster, his powers as a Chronographer would have further alienated Papyrus from your society.”
“He would have spoken. He would have prophesied. And your nation would not have believed any of his words.”
“…I hate to imagine the results of living with that burden long before he’s ready. Just as I had experienced in my own childhood.”
Alphys gasped. Does that mean Sans was right after all?
She shook it aside. Told herself to be professional. Personal questions can come later.
“The Barrier is antagonistic to life,” muttered Alphys. “According to your report, only SOULS with enough Determination can escape immediate disintegration. In addition to that, the Seer’s Eye can also bypass it. This means…”
An eureka moment clicked together in her head. She tried to explain, her words fumbled over themselves.
“May I send my research findings on sensei-- I mean Doctor Gaster! Uh, can I send the data over to you?”
“Doctor Gaster? You have intel that I lack?”
“Absolutely! That’s. Um. Because I just wrote it down an hour ago. H-here, let me send you an encrypted document. It’s the same password…”
Alphys sent a mail back to Lucidia and waited for her response.
“Astonishing,” she replied. “He is neither here nor there…”
“Right,” Alphys nodded. “Since I am getting active readings from Gaster-sensei, I can confirm that he’s still alive somewhere. And… communicating.”
“Understood. However, where is this ‘somewhere’?”
“I-I-I hypothesize that Gaster-sensei is with Sans himself.”
“Oh? Why do you think so?”
“Because Sans stabbed him. Drained most of his Determination. His will. Y-you see, that’s why he’s a pile of stones now. Wouldn’t this mean that Sans has a large portion of sensei inside his machine?”
“Considering how Sans Serif hijacked Judge Thyme’s systems, it's not impossible for the doctor to be taken hostage as well.”
“That’s right! This also means that sensei is currently INSIDE the Barrier! Thereby we can bypass the whole connection issue by using him as a conduit. Like a… Like a Gaster phone!”
“Analysing hypothesis. Plausibility: positive. Determination does share certain properties with radio waves. As such, anyone in the receptive area will be able to acquire the signal. Query: wouldn’t this pose a security risk? Sans Serif might sense that we are transmitting foreign data. There’s no guarantee that Doctor Gaster can prevent a leak.”
Lady Lucidia raised a serious question.
It’s ‘game over’ for them the moment Sans notices.
“Well… our data is rather miniscule in the larger scope of the existing flow. A tree in the forest, or a drop of water in a stream. Still, subterfuge only gets us so far. We will need to mask or encrypt it.” Alphys concluded.
“Do you have anything in mind? DES? AES? Oh, oh, what about RSA?”
“My intended receiver is not a computer. It’s a person, and therefore the message has to remain as understandable language. Hmm… In hindsight, it’s fortunate that ‘he’ joined the team. His colours are a poor combination for a man with too many choices. That… shall be our gain.”
It’s strange and unnerving to go from computer speech to something more poetic. And intense.
“D-Do… you need a-any help?” Alphys asked.
“Pardon the outburst.” Lucidia replied, mellowing her tone. “I will handle the finer details. Ideal clause: construct a functional prototype within fifteen minutes.”
Fifteen?
Only fifteen?
No pressure.
Doctor Alphys’ lips curled upwards. Now that’s something she’s confident about.
“I’ll get it done in less than that!”
The lizard hopped off her chair and hurried to the workshop. Sleeves, rolled up. She already knew which component goes where.
After all, machines are her specialty.
The combined efforts of her magic hammer, almighty chainsaw, and sonic screwdriver thus concocted an unholy chimera of machine parts.
Where did they come from? What was their purpose? It’s a secret to everybody. Only Alphys herself knows the answer.
The sole recognizable item of this frankenstein creation was a container once used to keep the human SOULS. It had everything it needed to transfer magic to and from Gaster’s remains.
She flipped on the power. The machine emitted a low hum of activity.
Gaster’s petrified Psychia glowed softly in response.
“All clear,” Alphys nodded. “Now I just need to connect this cable to the main PC.”
When she did, her computer’s interface completely changed.
“D-did you just hack my computer?” the scientist asked.
Lucidia replied, “Technically, yes. It’s a remote connection to the Chronograph. Sharing my findings with you will ease our attempts of teamwork. I apologize again for raising any alarms.”
“I will attempt to initiate the connection now.”
The languages of hands rolled across the screen.
She muttered, “Initiating command… waiting for receiver…”
“You can read our script?” Lucidia asked in keen interest.
“Y-yes. Doctor Gaster’s blueprints and technical manuals were all written in these. Sans just lent me a cipher. So, I had to learn a whole new alphabet to read the fine details. I wouldn’t know how to operate the Lab otherwise.”
“You are quite the scholar, Doctor Alphys. Few non-Seers undertake the effort to learn our language. Fewer still succeed without guidance. I will keep your skills in mind.”
The text continued to flow until it hit the word ‘Connected’.
And just like that, the monitor changed its display.
“W-we did it!” she exclaimed. “I’m seeing colour. But. It’s. Kinda blurry?”
Her first thought was to hold her glasses up against the light. Got to wipe off those smears from time to time.
“I ought to tune this a little more. Please give me a moment.”
The details shifted around as Lady Lucidia did her work. Alphys wondered to herself if she could one day ask this woman to teach her some of this advanced technical stuff.
And then… they hit the sweet spot. They got both a clear audio and visuals.
It’s Cenna. What a relief to see her alive.
Though, what happened to her glorious long hair?
Alphys had a slight shock when a bunch of skeletal fingers blocked the view.
“W-wow! You really mean it when you said it’s a ‘person’. This is a success, right?”
“Indeed. We shall commence our countermeasures now.”
“Gaelic. Gaelic. Do you read me?”