In the middle of the night, Doctor Gaster and Alphys were summoned to the boardroom. The poor lizard had barely enough time to wash her face. But, it was urgent.
The inner skeleparents refused to let go of her hand. Either they had grown fond of her, or they expected a rough time.
Doctor Gaster cleared his throat. “I-I’ll be there for you, dear. I mean. ‘We’ will be. The three of us.”
“Thank you, Sensei.” Alphys muttered.
Still too soon, they arrived at the meeting point. Maybe it was better to get things over with.
They were led inside and…
Alphys gasped. “Papyrus?!”
The cheerful skeleton puffed his chest and pumped his arms. “WHY YES, IT’S ME! THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”
The surprise reunion brought the lizard to tears. Forgetting her predicament, she rushed forward to give him a hug.
“Ohmygoshohmygoshyouareokay! I was worried sick about you. E-everyone was!”
Patting her back, Papyrus said: “I APOLOGIZE FOR THE UNNECESSARY STRENUOUS WAIT. BUT ALL IS FINE NOW. LADY LUCIDIA HAS GIVEN ME THE REQUIRED TREATMENT! EVEN THOUGH IT’S JUST PART ONE OF MANY.”
“Part one… of many?”
Alphys turned towards her new mentor. Doctor Gaster had his Eyes active. Whatever he saw, it pierced him with grief.
“Heavens, no…” he mumbled. Gaster held Papyrus’ skull. “No, no, no! Egads, I’ve sinned through and through.”
“Is there something wrong with Papyrus?” Alphys asked. To her normal, spectacled sight, the tall skeleton appeared to be the picture of good health.
“…So you understood, Doctor W.D. Gaster.” Lady Lucidia’s sudden voice jolted the poor anxious lizard.
She sat at the head of the table, focused on her data. Papyrus’ loud presence had completely overshadowed hers.
“Please sit down. All three of you.”
Questions and celebrations will have to wait. Alphys let Gaster sit next to Papyrus. Family first.
Lucidia asked: “You two are the best scientists in the Dreemurr Nation, am I right?”
“Yes,” Gaster answered.
Alphys couldn’t muster the confidence to confirm the question. “I. Uh. That’s… that’s what others say.”
“But,” then said the sapphire maiden. “None of you had any real scientific training.”
The first victim of her scrutiny… was none other than Gaster-sensei.
Lucidia frowned. “I’m both baffled and terrified to think that you’re a teacher. Let alone the mind who built The Core. Do you even care about your own life, or the lives of others?”
“Excuse me?” Gaster raised a brow.
She put up a blueprint of the Hotland Laboratory on the boardroom’s projector. “Look here. You have a single interconnecting airflow. No auxiliary ventilation. No emergency shutter system. No partitioning. No barricade doors. No mass fire-extinguishing. And so on. In other words, your Lab has failed every safety regulation. The construction is so faulty, it might as well be a death trap.”
“If this is the setup that’s replicated by Doctor Alphys on the Surface, it’s unfit for any scientific or engineering task. It requires immediate renovation.”
“In fact,” Lucidia glared. “If The Core suffers from the same shortsightedness, it must be shut down until that facility complies with existing standards.”
Papyrus fiddled the end of his scarf. “I-IS IT THAT BAD, FAIRY-- LADY LUCIDIA? I-I MEAN, NO MAJOR ACCIDENTS EVER HAPPENED. NOT COUNTING THE CORE INCIDENT. THAT WAS THE RESULT OF INTENTIONAL NEFARIOUS SCHEMING.”
“Countless deaths have happened in workplaces around the world due to ignorance and negligence. Do you wish to repeat history?”
“NO…”
Alphys quickly raised her hand. “W-wait! I-I did update the infrastructure when I became the Royal Scientist! I’m a big klutz, you know, so I made quite a number of changes for my own benefit. The plans you have must be outdated. P-please let me show you the modifications before we consider any further action.”
That’s the least I can do to save Sensei.
The Chronographer pondered for a moment. Then, she said: “Very well, I will inspect the current facilities with your assistance.”
Oh my god I actually did it.
“However, there are other issues surrounding your laboratory practices.”
She switched the projector to a different display. It’s every note she had collected from Alphys’ Surface Lab. Her main focus: the Determination experiments.
Lady Lucidia -- the one who remained the most calm throughout the whole Sans fiasco -- then raised her voice.
“Doctor Alphys. Am I to understand that you had a sample size of one? ONE?!?! There were at least a hundred other possible samples available to you, yet you put all your efforts into a single flower with sentimental value? It’s through sheer luck that your attempt succeeded at all!”
I’m.
I’m so dead.
Lady Lucy is gonna kill me for my terrible handiwork.
The next screen showed Lucidia’s corrected notes, written in red to demand everyone’s full attention.
“This is what you should have done. One control sample, grown from a fresh seed and free of monster dust. No Determination. No dust. A second control sample where you inject pure Determination, without any dust. And a third control sample where dust is applied without Determination.”
“As for your hundred other flowers, use the dust of your other fallen citizens. One person per one flower, sorted by species and name. Make a size of around thirty minimum. More if you can. Then, create another batch of samples from dust of the same species, but increase the levels of Determination. Grow and scale as needed.”
Alphys covered her mouth. The ‘proper’ sentimental-free attempt was almost heartless.
“Does this shock you?” Lucidia asked.
Oh. Oh no. She’s asking a possibly-personal question. Okay I-I gotta be honest without being offensive. What am I supposed to say?
No. That won’t work. It would sound like I’m excusing myself.
Um, no. That might insult her.
Uh. Uh. Uhhhh…. I-I can’t stay silent either. Can I?
I think I should be like Undyne and throw everything into the pot!
That’s what she did. She threw all her ideas into her mental ‘pot’, cooked a reason, and presented it with the best coherence she could muster. In hindsight, it resulted in a bold-faced lie. She hoped that Lucidia wouldn’t notice.
“Yes?” said Alphys, “It’s nothing like how I imagined. I thought that Asriel would be the only feasible candidate. That’s why I put everything into him.”
Lucidia shook her head. “He may be a Boss Monster, but there’s no guarantee that his dust will have the required qualities. A different species might be the key. Or, the origins didn’t matter. Only the quantity of Determination.”
“It’s true that with my proposed method, most of your attempts may end in failure. But, organized failure gives you more data than pure success. You can succeed without understanding. Failures will force you to think. Isn’t that right… Doctor Gaster?”
The sudden shift of spotlight made Gaster ripple. She’s one scary skelly.
“I… I can’t refute that.” he said. “But! I do have one issue.” Her mentor refused to back down without at least some sort of fight. Must be his Bravery talking.
“Which is?”
“Economics. It doesn’t seem that Alphys would have the resources to generate that many failures. After all, there can only be one ‘Prince Asriel’.”
“Agreed.” Lucidia replied.
Both Alphys and her Sensei were surprised. They expected more justifications, especially after the woman ripped their flaws apart.
“In a situation where resources are lacking, the next best course of action would be to run as many simulations as you can. This will depend more on past observations. Papyrus, please pass the Personal Digital Assistant.”
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Right on cue, Papyrus pushed a tablet in front of Alphys. When she swiped away the lock screen, she started sweating buckets.
It’s everything about Flowey and Chara: their physiology, their magical properties, and other daily observations.
Alphys realised there was something very wrong about the situation. If it was just a mere peer review, Lucidia wouldn’t have handed over new material.
The lizard gulped. “Did… did something happen back in Ebott?”
“Yes,” confirmed Lucidia. “I had called you in today with the intention to assemble a science crew. The mission would be to salvage the remains of the Six Children from the Ebott Goldenflowers before they perish for good.”
A billion and one questions exploded in Alphys’ head, yet not one of them had anything to do with ‘How did they survive?’.
She already knew what the flowers could do. Somewhere at some point, they must have absorbed the SOULS after the Barrier was shattered.
Rather, she had everything to ask about the aftermath: “Lady Lucidia…? What do we plan to do with The Six?”
“Unconfirmed at this point,” the maiden admitted. “Whatever it is, we should first prevent them from turning into DEMONS. I had assigned Alchemist Anise Anise to help me. But… the task is too overwhelming for so few of us.”
“Furthermore, The Six’s existence is still classified. There are no other Artificers or Alchemists in the Magus Association with the required clearance.”
Papyrus then said, “THAT’S WHEN I SUGGESTED THE BRILLIANT MINDS OF OUR ROYAL SCIENTISTS!”
His shining enthusiasm was dampened by the subsequent reality presented by Lucidia.
“It’s still not enough… If only we have more time. The public grows more and more anxious for a press statement.”
A person then knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, the outsider let himself in. Alphys’ overactive anime-inspired imagination filtered the man’s entry with a dramatic 5 o’clock shadow. His fancy clothes didn’t help one bit either.
Judge Mezil Thyme? W-what is he doing here?
Oh, right. He runs on ‘vampire hours’.
“What’s the verdict?” He asked.
With a clear sense of disappointment, Lucidia said: “The Royal Scientists have brilliant minds, but they’re beset by a lifetime of bad laboratory practices.”
Gaster grunted, salty about the statement. “To be fair, the Underground was in its infancy compared to the Surface. Surely you don’t expect a mere chick to fly without feathers!”
Mezil crossed his arms. “So, add ‘primitive’ to the list.”
Alphys gasped. That was a brutal shot straight into Gaster-sensei’s heart. Mezil Thyme had killer marksmanship in more ways than one.
“Well then, Lucidia,” said the Judge. “If we need more help, why not conscript ‘him’ again? Have that man be more than a useless waste of energy as much as possible.”
Lucidia flustered, “H-how did you know…? You weren’t supposed to notice.”
He smiled. “Dear. I know you more than you know yourself sometimes.”
Alphys’ personal anime filter suddenly switched into a whole new genre. The shadow got replaced by bright, prismatic sparkles. Gone was the image of a dark, intimidating old man. The new light transformed Mezil into a dashing romantic.
That understanding subtext.
That subtle gentleness.
That mutual understanding.
T-this… this must be how Lady Lucidia sees him!
He’s a biseinen~~~ The standard of matured beauty!
The Lady and the Gentleman, forever in love. Kyaaaaaaaaa they’re so wonderful together!!!
“Have you finished swooning yet?”
Alphys squeaked, surprised by the interruption. She was so caught up in her imagination that she didn’t realise that Mezil loomed over her seat.
Her scales blushed all over. ‘Alphys the yellow lizard’ had transformed into ‘Alphys the red lizard’.
Fortunately, Mezil didn’t take her fangirling personally. He just sighed and resumed business as usual. “Pay attention. The second part of the briefing will begin now.”
“…Huh?” Alphys questioned. “I-I thought Sensei and I didn’t qualify…?”
“Well, I’m sure the both of you are capable of adhering to instructions. Having two supercomputers on the team should resolve any matters of haphazard planning.”
“Two? Lady Lucidia and…?”
The man tapped his cane down. “Come in, Sans Serif.”
Sans Serif?
Alphys thought she misheard the name at first.
But then, there he was. The skeleton of infamy.
Sans stood before everyone else. Waving back, he said: “‘Sup. Heard you need some help.”
Papyrus dropped his jaw.
Gaster melted into a puddle of goo.
And Alphys covered her mouth. Otherwise, she might scream too loud.
How was she supposed to feel about this second surprise reunion? On one hand, she was glad to see her friend again. On the other hand, she was mad! Furious! Ready to slap him across the face for his crazy world-risking gambit.
But then, Papyrus leapt over the table. He tackled his brother with a huge hug, crying much tears of joy.
“BROTHERRRRRR!!!” he said, “YOU’RE ALIVE AFTER ALL! I’M SO SO SO SO ULTRA SO HAPPY! I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU AND WHY AND AND AND--” It ended with a long whimper.
Sans patted his brother on the back. “There, there. S’okay now. I’m fine. Sorry for putting you through all of that.”
All the while, Alphys couldn’t avert her eyes from Sans’ right arm.
Huh? There’s something odd. It… it didn’t move at all.
It reminds me of that time when I haven’t figured out how to route power into Mettaton’s arm. It was just hanging there. Like. Dead weight.
Dead…?
The details clicked together. Alphys got up and rushed to Sans as fast as her stumpy legs could carry.
She said, “Papyrus, let go of Sans for a while.”
The tall younger brother did so. The moment there was an opening, Alphys grabbed Sans’ forearm and lifted it up.
Oh no. That’s not relaxed. That’s absolutely limp!
There’s one final test. Alphys pushed her fingers between the skeletal ones. She gripped it firmly, and ordered: “Sans, squeeze my hand. Now!”
“Nah,” he replied.
“Do it!” she yelled.
“I can’t. That’s not about being lazy, y’know. I really can’t.”
Those words confirmed the worst case scenario. Whatever anger Alphys had was replaced by sorrow and pity.
“Hey, no sweat.” Sans winked. “You just gotta be my hands. Get it? ‘Hands’.”
Mezil thumped his cane and cleared his throat. Loud. Alphys could feel the growing Determination, making her weak in the knees.
“Back to your seats,” the Judge reminded. “You can have all the reunion time on the road. Right now, we have important matters to discuss.”
“About?”
“The Six.”
“I thought we haven’t decided yet?”
“That’s why we’re laying out the options now.”
Mezil sat beside Lucidia as an example for the rest. Meanwhile, Sans settled at the opposite side of the table… far away from Gaster-sensei.
Though conflicted at first, Papyrus chose to accompany his brother.
Alphys instead joined Gaster’s side. She decided sensei needed the emotional support, though he might not admit so.
“So,” said Sans. “Heard you found some dead kids. Welp. Preventing them from becoming DEMONs is the least of our concerns. We still have those SOUL containers, y’know. We can stuff them right back in there.”
Gaster tried his best to solidify himself. There were some goopy bits here and there, but he managed to shove them back in the right place.
The mentor said, “I see… It’s theoretically possible. All we’d need is a fragment of a donor SOUL to serve as a basis, and some Determination to facilitate the restoration. A Living Victory would be able to supply both.”
Sans then asked, “But the main question is what do we do after we’ve fixed them up?”
“Well, the only permanent solution I can think of would be to convert them into Liches.”
“I-is that even possible?” Questioned Alphys. “All the examples I had seen involved adult humans.”
“Doctor Alphys makes a good observation,” said Lucidia. “The standard reanimation spell works only on adults. Children do not have enough substrate to sustain themselves.”
Papyrus pondered. “BUT, WE KNOW WHAT BONES ARE MADE OF. CAN’T WE ADD EXTRA CALCIUM SO THEY’D GET THEIR PROPER BULK?”
“There are also ethical reasons why the reanimation of children is not further researched. Liches will not age unless they reproduce. The theoretical Lich child cannot grow, and they can never reproduce. They would also be legally dependent for the rest of their existence, vulnerable to exploitation.”
Gaster knitted his brows. “Is that truly the case? Minimum ages can get rather arbitrary in the past, to put it lightly.”
“I acknowledge that technical ‘children’ have been reanimated in history. The youngest recorded was thirteen years old upon time of death. That’s the age of adulthood in many societies of old. Therefore, they were not recorded as ‘children’, and also old enough to reproduce. Hence they were able to go through the expected life cycle.”
“The Six, however, are about Frisk’s age. No matter where we take this, the ethics remain questionable.”
Then, a bright idea lit up in Alphys’ mind. She raised her hand and exclaimed: “Let’s turn them into robots!”
“JUST LIKE METTATON?” Papyrus said, “THAT’S A BRILLIANT IDEA! THEY CAN START YOUNG, THEN AS THE YEARS GO BY WE REPLACE THEIR PARTS FOR A MORE GROWNUP LOOK!”
This time, Mezil was the one who brought up a counter. “Is it even possible to sustain a human Psychia in a mechanical body? If so, how long can they survive? Are we opening the door to cybernetic transhumanism? Do we even want to go that far?”
Already, Alphys imagined the fabled robot apocalypse. She dabbed some sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. Maybe that’s not a good idea after all.
Sans shrugged. “Eh, why not just leave them as flowers?”
His suggestion caused an immediate outrage from almost every party involved.
“Egads, Sans! Have you learned nothing?!”
“That might as well turn them into DEMONS.”
“I refuse to deal with more bratty plant kids.”
“BROTHER, THERE’S SUCH A THING AS BEING TOO LAZY.”
For Alphys, it struck an extra personal chord: enough for her to stand up. “T-that’s TORTURE, Sans! Prince Asriel suffered enough as is!”
“But all your suggestions are fundamentally the same, right?” he replied. “They’re all about keeping someone alive longer than they should.”
“No, it’s not!” the lizard exclaimed. “It’s about giving them another chance! With a good quality of life. Turning them into flowers is the lowest of the low!”
“Not really. They could easily be accepted as magical citizens. Monsters don’t see any distinctions when it comes to shapes. As for living environments? Piece of cake. They can get around fine too, as you’ve observed with the two other kids. They’d even have friends and family of sorts.”
Mezil glared at Sans. “That’s just one step closer to that massive abomination of a flower farm.”
“Welp. You guys asked for the ‘keep kids alive’ options, not the ‘disaster free’ one.”
“Ugh, fine. What’s your real suggestion? I’m sure you proposed that flower plan just to push our buttons.”
“Well… Why not use them as backups for the Ocean Battle? Maybe they’ll spend the last of their power. Maybe they won’t. Point being, we have nothing to lose. Easier than asking someone else to cut their life short, right?”
Sans… Sans has a point.
But, is it really right to call on their power again? We’re already wronged them so much over the Barrier.
Gaster asked: “Wouldn’t that render the Seraph System moot? The goal of your machine was to be a sacrifice-free alternative…”
“If we can build a new one in time to begin with.” Sans lifted his arm, shaking it as though he’s a Halloween prop. “I’m crippled now, you see.”
“Hmph. You underestimate us. I’m sure if you give the blueprints to Doctor Alphys, she’ll match your mettle in no time.”
The lizard’s sweating intensified.
Muri muri muri muri. That’s impossible! I-I-I’m not Sans!
I’m happy that Sensei vouches for me, but maybe his expectations are getting a bit too high.
How do I even???
Papyrus raised his hand.
Help. Please say something zany yet logical. You’re our only hope.
“WE SHOULD GET FRISK’S HELP. KIDS CONFIDE BEST WITH OTHER KIDS! IT’S UNFAIR THAT WE MAKE SUCH A HUGE DECISION WITHOUT ASKING THE SIX THEMSELVES.”
“IN THE MEANTIME, MY BROTHER WILL TEACH THE REST ON HOW TO BUILD HIS FANCY STABBY BRACER. THERE’S NO POINT FIDDLING WITH THE NOODLES WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE THE PASTA SAUCE READY.”
That was simpler than expected. “Papyrus is right!” said Alphys. “W-we’re jumping straight to the garnish without even chopping the ingredients! Or shopping for them! W-we should concentrate on saving their SOULS first. Then, we’ll decide what to do.”
“Welp,” said Sans. “Back to square one. But nice thought, bro. I agree.”
Papyrus was delighted. “WHY THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SANS. I’M GLAD WE’RE FINALLY ON THE SAME LEVEL.”
At last, they had come to a unanimous decision.
Mezil issued the order to leave the hospital for Alphys’ Lab at once. It may not meet their standards, but they don’t have anywhere else nearby the mountain. Transporting the flowers to the city might endanger them.
Outside, at the patio, Alphys looked back at the hospital building. This could be the last time she would have an extended stay there.
On one hand, she’s relieved that she gets to go back to Ebott.
On the other hand, she’s worried about the goats. Asgore and Toriel still needed their treatment.
Rest well, Your Majesty.
I-I… I’ll do my best. Don’t worry about me. Because, this time I’m not alone!