Caught
Frisk was absolutely terrified at this point, but she refused to let it show. She fought constantly to control her breathing, and her erratic heart beat as the car continued to drive through the streets of Ebbot. At first, Frisk focused on the directions the car was going as she tried to create some sort of mental map, but after the first few minutes of driving it became apparent that Papyrus was deliberately making wrong turns and going in circles as to confuse and disorient her, or he was a really, really terrible driver . Either way, Frisk was completely lost within the first 15 minutes. Frisk knew that she was in a very bad position, and had little hope of escaping at this point, but as the car moved onward she strengthened her resolve. If these monsters truly did intend to take her out, she was not going to make it easy for them. The next opportunity she got, she was going to run like hell and throw caution to the wind. She didn't care if it ended up getting her shot, it would be far better then letting these thugs finish her off the way that they intended to on their terms . This was her absolute and last resort.
After a few more hours of driving, the vehicle slowly came to a halt. Papyrus killed the engine, and Frisk heard the clicks of the latches as the doors of the sedan opened. She felt Sans' bony hand hook under her arm as he roughly pulled her out of her seat. He kept one hand securely on her back, placed between her shoulder blades as he pushed her forward.
“No funny business kid.” He cautioned as if he could see the gears and cogs turning in Frisks mind, trying to come up with a plan of escape. Though Frisk didn't have her sight, she paid close attention to the information presented to her other senses, in order to get some sort of an idea as to where the brothers had taken her. From what she could hear they were somewhere outside of the city as it was far to quiet, there was also the distinct sound of lapping water near by. The smell of salt and rust pervaded her nostrils as she was lead over very poorly maintained concrete ground, which was full of cracks and potholes that Frisk kept tripping over. A loading dock maybe, Or a shipping yard? Frisk tried to paint a picture of the surroundings in her head as she was lead onward by the skeletons.
Soon they came to a door, and Frisk was led inside some sort of building. The temperature was much warmer then outside, and the uneven ground turned to wooden floor boards beneath her feet. She could make out quiet voices talking casually a little ways across the room. The smell of cigar smoke and alcohol replaced the previous scent of the sea. The voices hushed upon realizing the skeletons and Frisk's arrival, not a moment passed before Frisk heard a heavy pair of boots march toward them.
"Who's this?" An aggressive female voice demanded, from in front of Frisk.
"A friend of Mittsy's." Sans replied. "The boss wants to meet her." The angry women seemed to shift her stance as Frisk heard her boots anchor themselves heavily on the wooden floor.
"Why would the boss want anything to to do with a stinking human?" The angry lady shot, her tone filled with accusation.
"Beats me." Sans replied coolly. "Just following orders." The angry lady went silent for a moment, but refused to move out of the way of the skeletons.
"Papyrus." She suddenly snapped. "Is he telling the truth?" Papyrus cleared his throat from behind Sans.
"OF COURSE UNDYNE, MY BROTHER WOULD NEVER LIE TO YOU !" He declared in Sans' defense.
"I doubt that." The angry women, Undyne replied, almost to herself. Frisk stiffened as she felt Undyne's threatening glare shift to her from under the canvas sack. "I ain't letting you go up to see the boss until I see her face." Undyne spat at the brothers. "That way if she tries anything funny i'll be able to track her down and skewer her!" Frisk gulped at the women's utter ferocity.
"I don’t think that’s a good idea." Sans said. "This ones pretty crafty, she's been given us the run around all night, wouldn't want to give her any advantages."
“FUHUHUHUHUHUH.” Frisk flinched at Undyne's sudden and very loud laughter. “This pipsqueak? Sans you must have gone soft if this little punk was giving you so much trouble."Undyne said, her tone practically dripping with complacency. “Now step aside, I want to get a good look at this brats face.”
“Alright Undyne." Sans said stepping out of the way. "But don’t say I didn't warn you.”
Undyne continued to snigger as she gruffly grabbed the cloth sack and pulled it off of Frisks head. Frisk squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light of the room. When they finally focused, she saw a very tall, teal skinned fish lady, with shocking red hair, shooting her a dangerous looking toothy grin. The fish lady, that Frisk deduced was Undyne, was wearing a black tang top tucked in to brown trousers. She wore heavy combat boots, with suspenders that hung loosely by her waist. The sleeveless ensemble showed off the women's toned and muscular arms as she crossed them over her chest. Cocking her head to the side, she looked Frisk over with one yellow eye, the other was hidden out of sight under a black leather eye patch. Frisk was immediately intimidated when faced with her presence. Undyne huffed, unimpressed once she finished scanning over Frisks small form. “Really? The boss wants to meet with this wet sandwich?” She asked, turning back to Sans and Papyrus. As soon as Undyne dropped her guard, and turned her attention to the skeleton brothers, Frisk sprung into action. This was it, her last chance. Frisk quickly jumped upwards, swinging her bound hands from behind her back and under her feet as if she was jumping over a skipping rope. She then broke for the door, dodging Papyrus as he lunged to make a grab for her. Before she could reach the handle, a dog type monster skidded in front of her and snarled, a smoking dog treat sticking out from between his teeth.
"Your not going anywhere human!" He barked. Frisk double backed, but did not stop running as she looked round the room for another possible escape. There were a few more monsters in the room who had previously been lazing on an old worn couch and a few chairs, however, they to had moved to their feet, and proceeded to join the hunt as Frisk hopped over tables and crates to avoid them. An orange bunny type monster, who had clearly been drinking two much, attempted to cut her off.
"Gottcha!" He slurred as he swung his arms forward, trying to catch Frisk in a bear hug, but Frisk was to quick, and jumped his grasp. She then used his head as leverage to vault herself over top of him. She continued running, leaving numerous monsters in her wake, making her way to the back of the warehouse. Just when she thought she was in the clear, a teal glowing spear whizzed past her left ear, and embedded itself into a wooden crate directly in front of Frisk, cutting her cheek as it passed. Frisk spun around to see a very aggravated Undyne stalking steadily toward her as another identical spear materializing in her open palm. Frisk dashed for cover as three more spears erupted into the crates behind her. The shear force that they expended as they slammed into the cargo was almost enough to make Frisk loose her footing. Frisk's mind went absolutely blank. She no longer had the ability to focus on finding an exit to this mad house as more magical flying spears were hurtled at her. All she could do was keep running, and hope that she didn't get skewered as Undyne had so eloquently put it.
"Dodge this punk!" Undyne yelled as she slammed another spear into a create, barely missing Frisk by the skin on her teeth. The force from the impact pushed Frisk forward faster then what her legs could compensate for. Frisk tucked herself, and rolled as she hit the ground hard, crashing into another crate as her body finally came to a stop. Frisk tried to pull herself up again, but the tip of a teal glowing spear that had appeared at her throat suggested that she do otherwise.
"End of the line human!" Undying shouted, as she pulled the spear back preparing to strike. Frisk's eyes went wide in horror, as she sat staring at her inevitable end. She couldn't force herself to move, her terror had frozen her to the spot.
"Ok, that’s enough." Sans said suddenly appearing beside Undyne, placing a firm hand on her spear-bearing wrist.
"Back off Sans!" Undyng snapped. "Let me finish this pest off." Frisk found herself briefly wondering how he had managed to get there so fast, but then her thoughts slowly tumbled into unorganized chaos.
"No can do there friend." Sans said smoothly.
"Why not!" Undyne demanded.
"Like I said before, she's an associate of Mitty's, and the boss has business with her." Sans replied. Undyne slowly lowered her arm as she came back to reality, and off of the rush of adrenaline . "Besides," Sans continued. "I think you have bigger fish to fry so to speak." He chuckled. Undyne's face fell into a sharp-toothed grimace at Sans' pun.
"And what would that be?" She questioned.
"Well, if I were you I would be more worried about what your gonna tell the boss when he finds out you smashed through half of his shipment." He replied, shooting her a lazy smirk. Undyne's face went pale as she quickly turned around to survey the damage. Sure enough, splintered crates and their spilled contents lay strewn across the warehouse floor.
"Oh crap." She hissed under her breath, before she began barking orders at the other monsters to help her clean the mess up . Frisk just continued to stare into space, her brain was still completely blank, and her limbs felt numb. She briefly wondered if she was going into shock, before that thought also got swept away into the bleak expense that was her mind. All she could do was concentrate on not passing out .
Once Undyne was distracted, Sans turned his eye sockets back to the kid. She was proving to be far more trouble then her worth in his opinion, but, he supposed, it didn't really matter what he thought, bosses orders after all. When his gaze finally settled on Frisk, he was surprised by how still she was being. He figured by now that she would have been back on her feet trying to run away again, or at least throwing some kind of glare in his direction, but she was just staring blankly at a spot on the floor. Sans concern increased when he realized how pale the kid was, as well as the cold clammy sweat that seemed to break across her forehead.
" Oh no." He sighed to himself as he bent down to Frisks level and snapped his fingers in front of her face. "You woo, you still with us in there pal?" He asked trying to get her attention. Frisk's only response was to role her still blank gaze in Sans direction and just continue to stare. It creeped him out a little. "Come on pal I got a deadline to meet." He grumbled under his breath, still waving a hand in front of her face trying to get her to react at all.
"SANS, UNDYNE WHAT IS WITH ALL THIS COMMOTION!" Papyrus asked as he bounded from around the corner. As soon as his gaze fell to his brother, and Frisks limp form, he quickly headed over. "BROTHER WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN? WHY IS SHE NOT MOVING ?"He questioned, alarm very evident in his voice.
"Not sure Paps." Sans replied, scratching the back of his skull. "I think we scared her." Papyrus immediately bent done next to Frisk, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.
"HUMAN ?" He called. His voice was still loud, but it was significantly more placid then before. Frisk turned her gaze again, this time focusing her stare on Papyrus." ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"He asked. Frisk didn't answer, just continued to stare at the taller brother. Papyrus' brow bone furrowed with concern as he brought out a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently reached out to dab the bleeding cut on Frisks cheek. Frisk flinched slightly at the contact, but then quickly relaxed into Papyrus’ tender touch, she even found that she had started to lean into it against her better judgment.
"HUMAN?" Papyrus asked again. This time Frisk found that it was now much easier to focus on his words."I'M GOING TO PICK YOU UP, IS THAT ALRIGHT?" He asked. Frisk hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. Papyrus then gingerly tightened his grip on either side of Frisks shoulders, before slowly bringing her to her feet .Frisk knew that she should be resisting, or trying to get away from the tall skeleton, but she just couldn't fight against his gentle coaxing as she allowed her tired body to slump into Papyrus' hold. Papyrus carefully balanced her on her feet, not moving his hands until he was sure that she had stopped swaying. He then brushed the debris from her clothes, and ruffled the dust out of her hair.
"HUMAN ?" Papyrus said again as he lowered himself done to Frisks level. "I AM SORRY IF WE SCARED YOU, BUT PLEASE BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THAT WE WILL NOT HURT YOU. WE REALLY ONLY WISH TO TALK." Frisk knew that she shouldn't trust anything that the skeleton had to say, but the sincerity present in his voice, and the way that he refused to break eye contact with her had Frisk wanting to believe every word that came out of his mouth.
"WONT YOU PLEASE LET ME TAKE YOU TO OUR BOSS? I PROMISE THAT HE IS A VERY KIND MAN, AND I'M SURE THAT ONCE YOU MEET HIM YOU WILL NO LONGER FEEL AFRAID." Papyrus said as he extended a hand out to her. Frisk stared at the offered hand for a few moments before gradually placing both of her small cuffed hands into his large gloved one. Papyrus smiled sweetly as he proceeded to slowly lead Frisk back to the front of the warehouse and up the stairs.
Sans followed behind his brother. He watched almost dumbfounded as Papyrus managed to coax the frightened girl out of her shocked state, and even succeeded in convincing her to willingly follow him up the stairs to meet the boss . Sans rubbed the back of his skull sheepishly as he watched the careful way that Papyrus was handling the human. He felt a little guilty about how rough he had been with her before, but if the kid had just listened to him, and not have made him chase her halfway across the city then he wouldn't have had to resort to those kind of measures, plus the brat had bit him.
As they ascended the staircase, and slowly made their way down the hall to the bosses office, Sans noticed that Frisk was starting to come back to her senses. She had dropped Papyrus' hand and had distanced herself away from him again. Sans prepared himself, ready to grab her as he half expected her to turn on her heels and try to bolt back down the stairs once the fear had cleared from her mind, but to his surprise she was still cooperating, walking compliantly next to Papyrus. Sans couldn't help but smile to himself at this . His brother really was the best.
As the three of them came to a halt in front of a large wooden door, Frisk felt herself stiffen. She had no idea why she had decided to take the taller skeletons words as truth, but she supposed it was because she really didn't have any other options at this point. For a split second Frisk found herself thinking that maybe the monster gang didn't mean her any harm, and maybe after this talk they would let her go. As soon as that thought had dared to enter her mind Frisk quickly squashed it.
"Ya, of course Frisk."She sarcastically chastised herself. "The big bad monsters who kidnapped you, and almost killed you with magic spears just want to be your friends, and I'm sure there boss is just a cuddly, misunderstood schmuck, who wants to meet you for a cup of tea." No, despite what Papyrus had said these monsters where still gangsters, and each and every one of them were only out for themselves. What ever it was that they wanted to talk to Frisk about, she was certain that it wasn't going to be about anything good. Sans stepped forward and rapped a knuckle on the wooden door.
"Come in." A deep baritone voice rumbled from behind it. Sans opened the door and held it as Papyrus ushered Frisk through. She was now standing in a large office type room with bookshelves lining the walls and a large desk, and over sized red leather arm chair at its center.
"Ah, Sans and Papyrus, I see you have brought our guest. You didn't run in to any trouble I trust?" The baritone voice sounded from Frisks left. Frisk turned her gaze to find the owner of the voice over by the window sill, watering a few pots that held pretty golden flowers. He was a large goat type monster, around eight feet tall, with a very sturdy build. His fur was stark white, and he had large slightly curved horns protruding from the top of his head. A cream colored, well groomed mane flowed elegantly around his face, and large floppy ears fell to his broad shoulders. He wore a white dress shirt with gold cuff-lings, with a black vest and a red tie tucked beneath it. He also wore black pinstriped slacks and had a matching black pinstriped jacket which was currently hanging on a coat rack by the door. Frisk felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she eyed the goat monster. He reminded her of someone she knew from a long time ago.
"Nothing we couldn't handle." Sans replied as he strode into the room behind his brother. The goat monster nodded briefly before walking over to his desk and taking a seat in the large armchair. His honey brown colored eyes then focused on Frisk.
"Please my dear have a seat, I believe we have business to discuss." He said. Papyrus grabbed a stool that had previously been against the wall and set it before the large desk. Frisk took it swiftly as she held the goat monsters gaze with her own calculated one.
"So I've heard."She replied curtly. The goat monster chuckled.
"Sans, would you please remove the restraints from our guests wrists. I believe she has undergone enough discomfort for one evening." He said. Sans nodded before, approaching Frisk. He grabbed her bound hands and swiftly unlocked, and removed the cuffs. As soon as they were off, Frisk quickly withdrew her hands, rubbing the skin of her wrists, coaxing the red marks the cuffs had left to fade away.
"Allow me to introduce myself." The goat monster said. "My name is Asgore Dreemurr ." Frisks eyes widened upon hearing his name. Though she didn't know much about the monster gangs of Ebott, everyone knew of Asgore. He was the king pin of one of the largest monster organisations and magic distributors in the Under - City , the Pansies . Though the name may lack in the intimidation category, the Pansies had made quite the reputation for themselves, and were utterly respected and feared among the other gangs of Ebott. Only a few, more notorious human gangs dared to mess with them.
"You must allow me to apologize for the circumstances of out meeting." He continued. "You see, I was well informed that you would refuse my invitation if I did not send some sort of insensitive." Frisk nodded.
"Your informant was correct." She said.
"Then I will not keep you long." Asgore replied. "You see it was imperative that I speak with you in person, as I have a prospect to offer you." Frisk raised an eyebrow at this.
"And what would that be?" She asked. Asgore smiled in response, before opening one of the drawers in the desk and pulled out a very fat stack of cash, placing it in front of Frisk. Frisks eyebrows shot up even higher.
" I wish to higher your services as a carrier." He began. "My associate, Mittsy, informs me that you are the best that she has encountered in some time." Frisks eyes quickly snapped away from the cash and focused on Asgore. There was that obvious flattery again.
"I'm sure your associate Mittsy has also informed you that I am not interested in being officially affiliated with any gangs." Frisk shot back. Asgore's smile fell slightly.
"yes, she did mention something along those lines." He replied. "Which is why I would not be asking you to join my organisation officially, as of yet." Frisk eyed him suspiciously. "All I ask is for you to consider a trial run, so to speak. " He said
"A trial run?" Frisk questioned. Asgore nodded.
" I would like to higher your services exclusively for a one month period, during which you will only do business dealings that directly concern or involve the Pansies organisation."
"Whats in it for me ?" Frisk asked.
"I will pay you 20% more then any other job offer that you have ever received, as well as pay your room and board, and food bills while you are with us; Plus, I will throw in this sum here as an added incentive." Asgore stated, as he motioned back to the large stack of cash on the desk. Frisk followed Asgors gesture back to the money on the table, she had to admit that the offer was very, very tempting.
"What would I be required to do ?" She questioned.
"The same thing that you have already been doing, just on a larger scale. You will meet with potential buyers, and scout out drop point locations, as well as keep an eye on dealings and inform me or my underlings if any of them are not to go as planned. The only real difference is that you will be working alongside a few other individuals."Asgore explained. Frisk nodded, it was nothing out of her comfort zone, but something still didn't sit right.
"Why are you so focused on me?" She asked. "I'm sure there are others who could do this job at a fraction of what you're offering to pay me." Asgore smiled at Frisk upon hearing her question.
"Honesty is an attribute that I hold on a very high pedestal when it comes to my employees." He began. "My associate Mittsy has informed me of your dealings with the other gangs of Ebott, as well as your unwillingness to break their trust, or break from your intended instructions even when under pressure, or when things do not go as planned. So as I expect you to be entirely honest with me, I will be entirely honest with you." Asgore continued. "We are not only interested in just your abilities, as impressive as they may be. What we really require is a human face to meet with our human buyers. As I am sure that you are aware, tensions between our two races have risen as of late, and as a result many of our potential investors have begun to boycott products dealt through monster hands. I believe using you, another human, as a middleman will help to ease this tension."
"So you want me to orchestrate the trade with your human buyers, since they're reluctant to do dealings with monster kind ?" Frisk asked.
"Precisely." Asgore smiled.
"you know, for someone who values honesty so much, this setup sounds more like a straight up lie." Frisk replied smugly. Asgore's brow furrowed a little in annoyance.
"It is not a lie." He retorted. "We are just withholding certain aspects of the truth." Frisk smirked.
"I get it, this is like a 'what- they- don't- know- wont- hurt-them' kind of deal right ?" She asked. Asgore nodded. "Well i'm not really one to talk, as I've been following that policy myself for most of my life." She shrugged. "I have to say that I am interested in your proposition, but I have one more question to ask you." Asgore sat silently waiting for Frisk to proceed. "What happens after the month is up?"
"That will be entirely up to you." Asgore replied. "If things go well, and you wish to continue working for us, then we can arrange for a longer contract. If , however, you are unsatisfied then you can leave." Frisk cocked an eyebrow.
"I can leave, just like that ?" She asked, eyeing Asgore quizzically.
"Yes." He replied. "During the trial we will only give you jobs that require the most basic information, like the jobs that you are currently working . That way both of us can be sure in the others security, and there will be no risk to either party." Frisk thought hard about the offer. Though it sounded stable, and the paycheck sounded like a dream come true, she knew that by accepting it she would be entering into unknown territory. Despite what Asgore promised, she knew that there was far more at stake for her, then there was for him.
"If I accept your offer, I'm going to need to be clear on a few things for my own personal security." She replied. "For starters, none of my other business associates can find out about this arrangement. If they do, not only will I lose their business, I might also lose my life.
"Of course." Asgore agreed. "That situation would be problematic for both of us. I can garentee that your dealings with us will be kept very quite."
"Secondly, I want your protection." Frisk continued. "From outside threats, and also from the monsters that you have in your employment." Frisk wanted to be sure that an encounter like the one she had just experienced with Undyne would never happen again.
"If you accept, then my employees will be thoroughly informed of the matter, Non of them will lay a finger on you, unless they are willing to meet with harsh consequences." Asgore stated. Frisk hesitated for a moment before letting out the long breath that she had been holding.
"Ok." She said. "I'm willing to give this a shot." Frisk said and stuck out her hand.
"Wonderful!" Asgore replied as he accepted it, dwarfing Frisks small hand in his giant furry one. "Seeing as it is so late I wont keep you any longer. We can discus your role in more detail at another time. It was a pleasure meeting you my dear." he said with a slight bow of the head.
"Likewise." Frisk replied as she dropped his hand and turned back toward the door. The skeleton brothers following in tow behind her.
"Sans." Asgore suddenly called. "May I have a brief word before you go?" Sans promptly spun around on his heels, and headed back over to the desk, as Frisk and Papyrus made their way back down the stairs.
"What's up boss ?" Sans asked, hands loosely in his slacks.
"What was that racket going on downstairs earlier?" Asgore questioned.
"Oh that?" Sans said chuckling slightly. "Undyne met the kid, and uh, got a little overenthusiastic about her being a human" Asgore let out a deep sigh as his shoulders slumped.
"That girl has got to watch her temper." Asgore said, rubbing his temples tiredly.
"To be honest boss." Sans continued. "Undyne isn't the only one that isn't going to be exactly thrilled about working with a human. Are you sure this kid is really worth all of this trouble?"
"Yes, I know Sans." Asgore replied with a huff. "That is why I have a request to ask of you."
" And what would that be?" Sans asked.
"I want you to keep a close eye on the human for the duration of the trial period." Asgore replied. Sans felt the former promise of a good night sleep slowly start to slip away from him as Asgors intentions became clearer.
"What did you have in mind?" He asked almost regretfully.
"I want her to stay under your roof at Grilby's with you and your brother." Asgore said. "It would be for her own protection, as well as for the protection of everyone else under my employment." He continued. " As much as I do hope that things will go well, she is still a human, and I do not believe that we can trust her completely just yet." Sans nodded. As much as he didn't like the idea of being roomies with the human, He did agree that it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye socket on her, and make sure that she stayed out of trouble.
" What happens if you find out the kid isn't as trustworthy as you hope she is?" Sans asked.
"Then you know what to do." Asgore replied abruptly. Sans sighed to himself, this job was turning out to be a much bigger pain in his cervical vertebrates then he had originally anticipated.
"Heh, you goat it boss." He said as he turned to exit Asgor's office, chuckling at the muffled irritated grunt that followed as he closed the door behind him.