Cypher+Code [Undertale Machine AU]

Ch1 - Machine

AN: A big thanks to @YCEWAoEAH for inspiring me to continue this one <3 You seem super nice and I am definitely enjoying chatting with youuu

-------

Cypher's POV

Darkness. It was something that often frightened you, yet was an undeniable reality that gripped you. It consumed your sleeping hours, the imageless nightmares instead morphing into a horrifying cacophony of noise and touch. But... you didn't remember having fallen asleep. Had you passed out after everything exploded into white? What happened? Did you trigger a trap?

A trap seemed like the most likely culprit for your current predicament, which was a worrying realisation. Once a technologically advanced haven, the surface of your universe had been decimated by war and disaster ; all that remained of it was crumbling buildings and broken machines, greenery slowly retaking what man had once claimed.

You and your older sibling were scavengers, seeking supplies in what lay abandoned in hopes to live a more comfortable life. Taking whatever you could find that could be used for food, medicine, scrap, anything that could possibly have use was worth taking. But there were other scavengers, too, often hostile from hunger and desperation. Traps, unfortunately, were one of the many risks of the surface, and were often extremely deadly.

Even as sleep faded away, the darkness did not recede. You were forced to use your other senses in order to evaluate your situation, to figure out if you were in danger. You should have been able to see by now. Maybe you just needed to give it a bit more time?

Trembling slightly, you focused on the voices. Some were mere soft murmurs, but others were loud and grading. There was a vague sense of familiarity to them, with them sounding remarkably like your's and your brother's voice, but the tones and accents were ever so slightly off. It was a little disconcerting.

"....SHOULDN'T ASSUME.... MIGHT NOT... THREAT... STRANGE..."

"...Haven't woken up... gonna get... aid kit..."

"...ooks fuckin' rough.... Alt.... fell? ...Edge, should w..."

"...THE SMALLER... WAKING UP..."

You stifled a pained groan. The pain medication you took, of which was difficult to come by and often running out, must have worn off by now because your head was killing you. Part of you wanted to cry, but you tried to force yourself to stay calm.

Why was your vision still gone? Was something wrong with your visor?

Your phalanges gently brushed against the metal and glass. Although you always called it a visor, it looked more like a motorcycle helmet, but with a digital display at the front. It had little light up eyes in orange, the same colour as your magic, which responded based on your mood to help with social interaction.

The helmet was not just an aesthetic choice though. A few years back, you had been injured quite badly and were rendered blind as a result. This device was a mix of technology and magic, giving you back your sight. Sansy was really smart like that, piecing together all sorts of little contraptions. You were better at putting together the hardware, but he was better at the coding and magic-linking.

But right now, your visor seemed to be inactive. Was it broken? Did it need maintenance, or just a reboot? You desperately hoped it was the latter, especially with how difficult replacement parts were to come by. You couldn't afford for it to be broken.

Whilst you couldn't see, you 'looked' around regardless, trying to pinpoint where the voices were coming from. Where was your brother? Was he nearby? Why couldn't you hear him amongst all the noise?

"S-Sansy...?" you murmured. Your shared sibling bond told you he was nearby, but you wanted to make sure he was conscious. You heard a groan right by your side when you pulsed intent through your bond, specifically CONCERN-BROTHER-WHERE. That must have been him!

It took a moment, but he must have determined there to be some sort of danger in whatever predicament the two found yourselves in, because you felt the instant flare of his magic. You both had decently high LV, though your brother was never one to hide it away. "STAY BACK OR I WILL SKEWER YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" He demanded.

"Calm down, we ain't 'ere to hurt ya!"

"DESUMMON YOUR MAGIC, WHELP!"

"B-brother?" you let out quietly. The voices were disorientating without a visual, leading you to whimper. Was there going to be a fight? You weren't much use whilst blind, not to mention how panicked your lack of vision was causing you to become. "S-Sans, my v-visor..." you let out in a quiet plea, both of your shaking hands held close to your chest.

"STEP CLOSER AND I DUST ALL OF YOU," Sans growled out in warning. Was the situation really that dangerous? Or was he just being overprotective like usual?

"Sans, I can't see," you whimpered out, more desperate this time, your bones beginning to rattle. You hated the darkness. It reminded you of when you were attacked. It was bad enough dealing with the pain, but the vulnerability that came with blindness was just too much for you to handle. "Please..." you whispered out. If your sockets could function, there would be tears running down your face.

When the cool touch of his prosthetic hands met yours, you calmed a little, soothed by his touch. He was never quite gentle - he always seemed to underestimate his strength a little - you could always tell he was trying to be careful with you.

"PAPYRUS, FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING. YOU'RE OKAY. YOUR VISOR JUST NEEDS TO REBOOT DUE TO THE POWER SURGE," he explained, voice more hushed than it had been before.

You have a feeble nod, hearing the scraping as his metal phalanges slid and tapped against the various buttons and panels on the visor. He kept talking as he worked, clearly an attempt to make sure you would stay calm, and it was working. As long as your brother was there with you, you knew you would be safe.

"BREATHE... IN AND OUT. THAT'S IT, PAPS. IN AND OUT... JUST A FEW MINUTES LONGER..." he continued. The screen of your helmet finally lit up, words flickering across as it began to reboot. Your vision didn't fully return immediately, but seeing the wingdings text was enough to help you to calm down.

'ERROR. SYSTEM WAS NOT SHUT DOWN CORRECTLY.
INITIATING STARTUP SEQUENCE...
ERROR. PAPYRUS SCRIPT DAMAGED.
APPLYING CYPHER SCRIPT...
SUCCESS! CYPHER SCRIPT APPLIED!

SYSTEM : OPERATIONAL
SOUL CONNECTION: Stable
POWER STATUS : 37%
VISUAL OUTPUT : Active
DISPLAY : Active
SCRIPT : Cypher'