UnderCorrupt

4 ~ Coming Back

Despite their best efforts to not waste a single second, Sans two weeks' home was over unfortunately quickly. Between hotdogs and spaghetti, puzzles and pranks, helping with homework and helping with Gaster's projects, the time slipped away fast as sand through their bony fingers.

They stood together in a crowd of Monsters at the ferry dock. Sans wasn't the only one who had been visiting home, and now he wasn't the only one returning to the War.

Sans was wearing his purple army fatigues again, and had his jacket tied around his waist by the sleeves. He sighed as he watched monsters, soldiers, filing onto the boat. It would carry them down the river for the next day, and by the morning, they would be at the Pure army camp in Waterfall.

"Promise me you'll be careful?" Papyrus took his brother's hand.

Sans knelt down by Papyrus. "i promise." He pulled Papyrus into a hug, holding him tightly. "for you, i promise."

After a moment, he stood. Gaster set a hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Win the War for us, alright?"

Sans reached up and grabbed Gaster's arm. "heh. i'll do my best."

Time enough for one more hug, and then Sans found himself on the boat, standing near the stern, waving as the boat pulled away from the shore. Gaster lifted Papyrus onto his shoulders, high above the crowd. They both waved, and Sans could've sworn he heard Papyrus shouting to him that if he didn't come back, then Papyrus would come to the warfront himself and hunt Sans down.

He stood at the stern long after the dock had disappeared from view.

~o0o~

What had seemed to start off as a good day for Colonel Undyne had steadily turned into a horrible one.

First off, Commander Sans had returned to the camp earlier that morning. That in of itself was always a good thing. Then the canine members of her unit had reported that their section of Waterfall was completely clear of the Corrupt, without any sort of skirmish taking place. And finally, Commander Sans had summoned her to his quarters, no doubt to promote her from Colonel to General.

Of course, it had been right as she was walking across the middle of the camp that the alarm had been sounded, and all hell broke loose. Corrupters swarmed from everywhere, and now Undyne was holed up with Lesser Dog and Greater Dog in a crevice in the cave wall, chucking attacks at every Corrupter in range, while others did the same from various other locations around the camp.

"Alright," Undyne murmured to the two dogs, "listen up. On my mark, I'm gonna run over to those rocks over there, while you two cover me. Once I'm over, Lesser, you come next while Greater and I cover you. Then Greater. We'll make our way over there." She jabbed a finger towards where a few more Pure soldiers were hiding. She had seen them take the brunt of a number of Corrupt attacks, receiving quite a few injuries, and they were having trouble fending off their attackers.

"Ready?" She glanced at the dogs. They both nodded. "Go!" She charged. As her boots pounded against the ground, she heard a HHHHHSSSSSSSH!! and saw a blur of dark, almost black purple out of the corner of her good eye. Then one of Greater's Pure attacks slammed into the Corrupt one, shattering them both before Undyne could be hit.

And then she was diving for cover, landing behind the outcrop of rocks. She pulled herself up, took half a second to steady herself, and gave Lesser a thumbs up. The dog ran forward, dropping onto all fours.