Once in a while, Undyne did her best to snap out of her worrying. Just the thought of Alphys being near the riot zones created great anxiety. If she had her way, her girlfriend would be staying in the safety of the laboratory.
Yet, Alphys didn’t want to hide. Instead, she wanted to use the library to host a discussion with the protesters. Mettaton and his crew swore to help her in every way they could, from broadcasting to topic control.
Undyne couldn’t help but wonder if that glambot was cut out for the job. The Gungnir had long targeted her scaly girlfriend. Now, with the reveal that she’s Doctor Gaster’s student, the collective rage would inevitably be directed toward her.
The world at large wouldn’t care if the tutelage was short-term. In their eyes, Doctor Alphys had learned from him and built upon his knowledge. That was all the excuse they needed.
Judging from the height of the sun, she guessed that it was late morning. The day would only get longer…
Ugh. I WISH I was just vegging out with Alphys right now and binging on some dumb anime. Instead, I AM the anime!
Just when Undyne thought such, she sensed a sudden spike of tension coming from Grillby. He must have spotted a suspicious detail.
Leaning over to him, she asked: “Is something wrong?”
Without breaking his gaze, he replied: “…I’m being watched… and evaluated…”
“By the Commissioner?”
“…No… The Oriental Magus…”
“Hajikami?”
Following the direction of Grillby’s gaze, Undyne spotted the faint gleam of Hajikami’s gem-decorated clothes.
“Great,” she grumbled, “One more problem on my pile.”
“…I’ll handle him…” Grillby replied, “…Concentrate on your mission… You’ll receive an order soon…”
By now, Undyne knew that there was a time-travel loop happening. They must have gotten into a serious pickle yet again and Frisk had to take drastic measures.
The comm system started beeping for her attention, alerting her of an incoming call from Commissioner Eldin’s ID. Undyne opened the lines and responded. “Undyne here. Over.”
“Cap, Tiny Keeper is making a beeline towards you. After they take a little looksee, you’re gonna follow Judge Caraway’s lead. They have some big brain codswallop of a plan, but I have no bloody idea what. Do you copy?”
“Copy that, sir!”
“Good. Over and out.”
In the meantime, Undyne issued orders to increase security by tightening up the human police line, just in case the crowd tried to charge through.
The hum of multiple bike engines heralded the squirt’s arrival. They came with a whole squadron, riding into action. One of the bikes stuck out from the rest because it had a sidecar, with Frisk riding in it. The kid climbed right out the moment it stopped.
“Undyne!” They called out. “I gotta go to the front!”
She couldn’t believe her finny ears. “You sure, punk?!? They’re gonna go nuts if you do.”
“Perfect. I’ll be a giant distraction. We’ll switch places. Lucas’ squad will help beef up the security.”
Stretching their hand out, Frisk said: “Please give me the megaphone.”
Undyne handed the voice amplifier without hesitation. She also took off her gas mask and fixed it on Frisk. It’s a little too big, but it was probably better than nothing.
“Need body armour, squirt?”
“No.” Their voice got muffled under the mask. “I have my Green star ready.”
“Be careful, okay? I don’t wanna become grilled fish in your mom’s kitchen.” After making sure the mask’s fasteners were tight and secure, Undyne said: “Done! Now show them who’s boss!”
Thus, the kid went all the way to the front lines, standing right next to Grillby.
“It’s the tiny mage!”
“I can’t believe they brought kids here!”
“Booooo! Child shields! Child shields!”
“Where’s the fishy captain? This is negligence!”
“Get the kid outta here!”
Frisk whipped out the microphone and retorted: “Too bad, this Crimson Keeper is here to stay! Get cheeky and the cops will have to act. So, behave! Okay?”
They looked back and nodded with confident determination, reminding Undyne that the protesters had no power in this matter.
She proceeded to climb into the sidecar. “Alright, take me to Judge Caraway--”
“I’m right here, Cap.”
Looking at the bike itself, Undyne saw Cenna chilling on the back end of the saddle.
“Oh, hey, didn’t see ya. Who’s the driver?”
Pointing a thumb sideways, Cenna replied, “Lucas Fennel, Coordinator. Same bloke Ol’ Roger introduced to ya this morning.”
“Ah, I remember now. I heard you helped us patrol the town and stuff. Thanks for everything.”
Being recognised made Lucas feel a bit shy. “No problem…” He said, glancing aside. “Just doing my job.”
The trio then drove towards the nearest body of water, which was the town’s lake. It had grown full from yesterday’s long rainy night.
They stopped at the banks. At last, the surroundings were quiet enough to have a proper talk.
“What’s the plan?” asked Undyne.
Cenna replied, “We’re gonna make some rain to put a damper on this whole riot. First, I need you to make a harpoon of some kind. Like, add a magical tether to your usual spear. I figure that way you’ll be able to send a large amount of water into the air without adding too much weight at once.”
“Damn… That’s a mega cool idea! Gimme a moment.”
So she made a large, sturdy spear of water. No different from the usual fare that she threw around. But this time, she fashioned a stream of water from the lake into a rope and hooked it to the stick end.
“Done! What do you need next?”
Cenna started using the tip of her index finger to write some Magus script onto the spear. “I’m gonna rig this thing to explode into a fine mist. Something about… rain being made up of tiny droplets of water. Right, Luc?”
Lucas nodded. “Yup. And with my Mark, we’ll draw in the scattered clouds. There should be at least a drizzle. By making it look like a natural whim of the weather, it should demoralize the protesters and provide a front for Sir Grillenn to prevent any fire from starting at all.”
“Wait” said Undyne, “Did you say ‘prevent fire from burning’? Like, banishing them? Because that’s exactly what that Hajikami guy did.”
“For real, Cap? That’s weird. Damn, the whole threat about taking over his body is getting spookier by the second.”
Shocked by the mention, Undyne fumed and yelped, “That man said WHAT?!”
Lucas calmly interjected, “Focus, please. We don’t know how long our gambit will take.”
A second later, Cenna’s expression completely changed to one of tired dourness. “I’m having all the regrets right now. Is this plan even worth it? Please bonk my head if I ever suggest altering the weather again.”
The other Magus replied, “I’m not quitting yet.”
Undyne’s two brain cells zapped together for the most logical conclusion: “How many attempts have we done already?”
“Twenty, I think. Stopped counting after ten.”
“It’s my fault,” said Lucas. “I wasn’t able to draw enough clouds. This time, I’m sure I’ll get it right.”
“You gotta act fast, though. ‘Cause the wind keeps blowing the clouds we need outta range.”
Looking upwards, the fish understood the predicament. The current cluster of broken clouds was the densest they had. Once those floated away, all that would be left was a wispy blue sky. Not conductive for rain at all.
“Let’s get going,” urged Undyne.
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Thus, Lucas hovered his hand over the spear. The SOUL within his body resonated as he breathed his command:
“Be calm to my will. Await the moment.”
After lifting his hands, a large red spiral Mark spawned at the tip of the water spear.
“Cenna, how about your end?”
“Done,” The Vanquisher finished the Magus script, capping it off with a five-point star encased in a circle. “The payload is primed and ready.”
Pointing towards the sky, she said: “Alright Cap, you need to throw this straight up. Don’t worry about the location. We’re gonna make this shower over the whole of town.”
Undyne picked up the water harpoon, took aim, and prepared for a long throw.
After a big yell of her usual ‘NGAAAH’, the spear flew towards the sky. The rope of water trailed behind it in a massive stream, draining her stamina at a rapid pace.
When she started to feel light-headed, Undyne cut off the water flow. She leaned forward over her knees to catch some breath.
“Whoa,” said the human lady, concerned. “Hanging in there?”
“Just a bit winded.” Undyne soon steadied herself. “Man… Connecting to The Core’s power supply makes a ton of difference.”
When all the water had reached the sky, Lucas exhaled long and slow. His SOUL grew quiet like the eye of the storm.
“Patience still my heart;
Integrity the truest art;
The cosmos to comply;
Chaos I shall rectify!”
A short burst of red and blue lights radiated from Lucas Fennel. Then, they condensed into a calm sheen. This turned his eyes, once as brown as his hair, into glowing crimson.
“Clouds of the heavens, be drawn to my will!”
A faint red pulse rippled through the air. Not long after, the scattered puffs coalesced into a unified mass.
Cenna asked, “Now?”
Lucas replied, “Now!”
Without hesitation, the Vanquisher summoned her bow of Justice and aimed square at the airborne spear. An arrow of light flew straight into the far yonders above.
The ignited payload scattered the accumulated volume of water through the clouds, breaking the spiral formation from the inside out. Additional vapours rapidly turned the white fluff into a dour grey.
A few seconds later, light rain started to fall.
“Yeah!” Undyne pumped her fist. “That’s what we want, right?”
However, her enthusiasm was greeted back with silence. Something went wrong despite their success. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Lucas’ body started to fall backwards.
Undyne caught him before he landed on the lake bank. The collapse triggered a huge wave of concern from Cenna.
“What the heck?! Luc??? Hello???” Cenna waved her hand in front of his face and failed to create any response. His eyes -- devoid of their crimson glow -- were glazed over. Empty.
According to what she had learned from Frisk, humans don’t turn into dust when they die, they have to be double-checked for signs of life.
So, she put an ear on his chest to listen to his heart beat. Soon after, she discovered that his body armour prevented her from hearing anything. The next best option was to firmly press two fingers on the jugular.
“I’m feeling a pulse,” she said. “At least he’s not dead. Seems like he fainted with his eyes wide open.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Cenna said, “Oh god, this is bad. This means we can’t use this trick again.”
Fortunately, the man soon stirred awake, blinking and groaning. “What… what just happened?” He muttered.
“You burned out, Luc. Like, deep negative mana points.”
Clutching his head, he muttered, “…I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I went full Ascension to stretch my influence over the largest possible area. I hoped that my military training would have given me enough physical constitution…”
“If Undyne almost got knocked down, I don’t think any human can take the strain. Not even myself. C’mon, let’s get you up.”
With some help, Lucas managed to stand. But, his face remained cold and pallid.
His weakened condition caused deep concern in the strong fish’s heart. “Let’s take him to the field hospital. Y’know, get his body and SOUL checked.”
“Yeah, I agree,” said Cenna. Pointing her thumb over the shoulder to the bike and the sidecar, she asked: “Can you drive?”
“Uh… Well… I don’t have a licence, but I can DRIVE! Why’d you ask? Don’t you have one? Weren’t you a cop?”
“Oh. Right. I didn’t tell anyone about this, yeah?” Cenna scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “I’ve been banned from driving since my disease took a turn for the worse. Failed the tests and so on. That was a couple of years ago now.”
That came as a shock for the fish, but in hindsight it made a lot of sense. “Wow, that sucks. Hey, I can still try--”
Lucas instantly shut the idea down. “Don’t. It’s my life you’re gambling with. Just call for help like a sane person. Phones exist for a reason.”
Cenna chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, we get ya. I’ll phone Frisky for updates and backup.”
But the moment she whipped out her phone, her brow furrowed. “Huh? No reception? That’s weird. Since when is the lakeside a dead zone? This didn’t happen before.”
“I’m gonna try too,” the fish offered.
First, she tried to contact Frisk on the Ebottian line. Next, Roger on the official police comm system. There was nothing but garbage noise no matter what she did.
“The heck? I can’t get anyone!”
Lucas also attempted to contact his team, and that led to nowhere too. Glancing cautiously, he said: “…We’re being jammed. Both commercial and private networks are down. My radio backup isn’t working either. It's pretty much the worst case scenario.”
“If that’s the case…”
The energetic fish crouched down on the ground, facing the roadside entrance to the lake. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you there by foot. Don’t worry, I’m fast.”
But then, she spotted a grey-blue car drive into view. It parked right in the middle of the path.
Outside, during this crisis? Who’s the daredevil?
The person that stepped out of the vehicle was a young human lady with auburn hair. She lifted her phone high above her head and paced about, a tall-tale sign that she was trying to get reception. It looked like she’s lost.
“…Rose…?” muttered Lucas. “…Wait… she never left The Lab in any of the previous loops. Why is she here now?”
Did he just describe a deja vu? It sure looks like deja vu, no matter how I cut it.
The girl appeared to have spotted their presence. She proceeded to hurry back into the car, contrary to Undyne’s expectations.
Then, a van darted from the opposite side of the road, swerving next to the vehicle. Thugs jumped out, grabbed her, and pulled her in.
Nani the heck is this?!?!
A drive by kidnapping?!?! In broad daylight?!?! With a fucking van?!?!?!?!?
Winter Kidnapping Version 2.0??!??!
When Lucas tried to run after the kidnappers, he stumbled before crashing on the pathway. The exhaustion had bested him. His friend hurried to his side to make sure he’s still breathing.
Meanwhile, Undyne charged forward in pursuit. She threw spear after spear at the runaway van, managing to nick some tyres and cut the hull. However, none of them dealt decisive damage that prevented the escape.
In the end, the van and its occupants vanished down a distant corner.
Frustrated, Undyne let out a grunt. “Dammit, they got away! I’m gonna call everyone to-- Wait, the lines are busted. Argh! How the hell did they manage to sabotage us anyway???”
Calm down. This is no time to panic. I gotta recollect the notes I took while trying to wreck that car.
White van. Three thugs, one driver, maybe one more inside. Number plate, EB-MTT-6354-A.
EB is for Ebott. And MTT is… Wait, It’s… Mettaton’s van??? How the hell did those thugs manage to STEAL Mettaton’s van???
Now what?…
Wait, Frisk! That’s right! They can rewind everything. In the next round, we WILL catch the criminals before they can act! I need to get one of those proxy stars too.
She rushed all the way back to where the bike was parked. The good news, Lucas was still alive. The bad news, everything else.
Sitting on the saddle, Undyne said: “We gotta hurry back to Frisk and tell them everything!”
“Wait, Cap!” said Cenna. She then reached for Lucas’ belt to take out a tube-like container. “We have just the thing for situations like these.”
Popping the lid open revealed a tightly wound piece of cloth: a scroll imbued with magic circuitry. Cenna wrapped it around Lucas’ right arm.
Beckoning Undyne, she said: “You’ve got a good look at the van, right? Then relay the info through Luc using this Mindlink Scroll. He and his entire team have had receivers inscribed into their Psychia.”
“Awesome. Right on it.”
Following Caraway’s lead, Undyne supported his arm while channeling her own magical energy through it. The scroll’s black ink glowed white, signalling that it’s online.
The voices of all the responding Magi resonated between Undyne’s ears. It’s like wearing a pair of illusionary headphones. She would have nerded out about its coolness if they weren’t in such a stressful situation.
Lucas sat up, panting. Sweat trickled down the side of his face. His friend offered to have him lie down again, but he refused.
After catching his breath, Lucas maintained a calm and decisive tone. “ …We have a kidnapping. I repeat, we have a kidnapping. Victim is an 18 year old girl. Pale skinned, auburn hair. Captain Undyne will fill in the rest of the details.”
Undyne repeated the information over the communication spell, complete with the fact that it was a van from Mettaton’s studio. Her impromptu job tour with Roger taught her that no detail should be left out, no matter how painful it may be to mention.
After she concluded the information relay, Lucas gave the order: “Blue Squad, Green Squad, maintain defensive positions. Orange Squad, Yellow Squad, intercept all possible exit points linked to the lake. Purple Squad, Cyan Squad spread out for a search. If you spot the target, notify everyone. Do not engage alone. I repeat, do not engage alone. Over.”
A great unison of ‘Sir, yes sir!’ resonated within Undyne’s SOUL. She could tell that they had complete trust in their leader and in each other.
“Green Leader,” said Lucas, “Lend your Mindlink Scroll to Crimson Keeper Wanderstar. I need to contact them directly.”
After another ‘Yes, sir’, it was radio silence. Undyne was sure that the squad leader had to unpack the scroll and teach Frisk how to use it.
After many tense seconds, Frisk’s voice rang through.
“Hello? Is it working?” they asked.
Undyne replied: “Yeah, squirt! Hearing you loud and clear! How are things on your end???”
“It’s all good, I think. Grillby prevented the fires from burning, and everyone thought it was because of the rain. Sans went ahead to the Town Hall. He says Team Edmund’s plan went well too. With Roger’s help, they had managed to stop the pro-magic crowd from camping in front of the building. Uh, did something happen? I suddenly have no reception.”
Lucas explained: “The mobile network and police comm systems are being sabotaged. And, Rosemary… She’s been kidnapped. I believe it’s Gungnir.”
“Crap. Errrr… Do you want me to reset this? We can try to keep your cousin in the Lab. Papyrus is there! He’s great at capturing people now, for real!”
“…No. Not yet.”
“What?! WHY???” The fish exclaimed, unconsciously squeezing the arm she supported. “Isn’t this Rosemary girl your family? Why are you LEAVING her to those freaks?? I thought prevention is better than cure???”
Then, she noticed that Lucas was shivering, pale as a sheet. It’s not from the cold of the rain or from the physical strain. No, this shaking stemmed from a deep sense of personal terror.
“We…” He muttered, “We don’t have enough details. Motives. Hideout. Exit strategy. If we rewind now, they could kidnap someone else. And there may not be any witnesses. By the time anyone notices, it will be far too late.”
After a pause, Frisk replied: “I understand. The Tsunderjudge taught me not to jump the gun. We’re in this mess because I was too hasty to begin with. I’ll tell Grillby about Rosemary, and we’ll keep a lookout too.”
“Thank you. Over and out.”
The scroll powered down. Released from his need to remain strong, Lucas started panting hard, struggling to keep his fear from overwhelming him. Cenna tried her best to keep him steady.
Damn… Looks like some personal trauma hidden in there. I don’t know what Lucas went through in the past, but he’s not taking this well….
I can’t just stand here and be a lazy fish! If we need information, then there’s one guy who’s gonna give us the most bang for our buck.
“Hey,” said Undyne. “Sorry for the outburst. It’s a tough situation, and you already have a heavy responsibility to wrangle with. But… don’t worry! I have an idea! I’m gonna go get some leads for Rosemary. Conveniently, you can rest there too!!!”
So the strongest fish scooped up both humans and carried them on her shoulder, Cenna on the left and Lucas on the right. “Maybe I should have done this from the start. Eh, that’s in the past, though.”
“Whoa there!” Cenna tried her best to balance from the awkward position, “What are you talking about?”
“Fufufufu… There’s a guy that’s just absolutely perfect for the job. He trained his ENTIRE LIFE for moments like these! Trust me!”
And so Undyne started making a mad dash towards Alphys’ Lab.
C’mon Papyrus, I know you can do it!!!