The Undying

We're Barely A Team

When Undyne arrived at the Royal Labs, she was completely out of breath. She had run the entire way from her home in waterfall, and even with her seemingly unending supply of stubbornness, even she couldn't call the exhaustion a nerd and kick it out of her shaking muscles.

She pounded on the doors, and they slid open immediately. She stormed through, trying not to show how tired she was.

She was met almost immediately by Alphys, who had tears streaming down her face and was being even more quiet than usual. Undyne immediately crouched and wrapped her up in a hug, trying her best not to cry alongside her. She couldn't afford to break down now. She needed to be strong, not only for Alphys, but for the entire underground.

"Where are they now?" she asked once Alphys let her go, standing and striding over to the monitors.

"They're almost to Temmie Village" Alphys murmured, casting a quick glance at the other person in the room. Undyne followed her gaze, and when she saw Sans, it was all she could do to keep her face from crumpling.

He was hunched over in a chair in a corner, unmoving, with Papyrus's scarf clutched tightly in his hands, pressing the red cloth to his face. He wasn't making a single sound, not a sob or a cry or anything at all.

As Undyne watched him, she knew exactly the kind of numbness that was weighing him down. It was weighing her down, too.

Undyne took a deep breath, then turned to Alphys and said, "Well, wish me luck. I can probably catch up to the human before they leave waterfall.

Alphys's voice grew panicked. "N-no...Undyne, you can't! That human...No- that thing ! It can't be stopped!"

When Undyne didn't reply, Alphys continued. "You saw what it did to P--" she cut off abruptly and shot a guilty look towards Sans. "I mean, what it's been doing to everyone!" She grasped Undyne's hands, and undyne couldn't look her in the eye for a moment. "We need to escape! We have to evacuate!"

It was a long moment before Undyne said "No. I can't, Alphys" She steeled herself, then made herself look Alphys in the face. "But you...you have to prepare. Prepare for the evacuation..." she took a deep breath. "But you know I have to fight"

Sudden horrified realization crossed Alphys's face, and then it crumpled and she looked to be fighting back more tears. "Undyne...did you come here...because..."

"-because I think I'm going to die? HA! Never! I'll kill it!" Undyne cut her off, pounding one fist into the other palm and grinning at her with confidence. "Just, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best."

Alphys began to cry for real, and Undyne stood back up and kept her smile on her face, despite the fear and sadness roiling in her soul. "I can feel the whole world chanting for me. I can't lose! So don't cry, Alphys!"

She leaned down and hugged her again, then stood back up straight. She was about to leave when she found her gaze drawn to Sans again. He still hadn't moved, and she felt the false bravado slip from her face.

She made her way to him, hesitating for a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder. "...Sans...I-"

As soon as she touched him, he shoved her away from him, hard, and she thought she saw a spark of his blue magic for a moment before he turned to face her.

Her immediate reaction was one of anger, but she felt Alphys's panicked hands grabbing onto her arm, keeping her from immediately punching Sans in the face.