Undertale: Aleph Null

Running In Circles

I wake up in what looks like a white cube made of some type of padding. I look around for a door, but there isn't one, not that I'd be able to open a door in my condition. Just more pads, along with some little cameras in the corners of the ceiling. I start to walk around when another transmission came in of Sans. "oh hey, nice place you got here, very clean, compared to the 'ash-filled wonderland' eh, kid?" He's toying with me, probably trying to get me to lash out, I see my knife laying on the ground, I don't know why they put in here with me, but I can't pass up the opportunity. I bend down, positioning my left hand over it to grab it, I can't use it as effectively, but it's better than nothing. I look back up to see that the transmission cut out, and it immediately started playing another. "kid, didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with knives, they can be dangerous."

He's just standing there, so sure of himself. "At least I know how to get the job done, while you cower until you have no choice, can't even bring yourself to save your brother."

The transmission cuts out and another starts playing again. "oh, that hurts kid, you're really cutting me down to size. but speaking of weapons, you really shouldn't leave Burnt Pans' lying around your room, somebody might, i don't know, pick it up and hit you over the head with it."

They used my own weapon against me, but I'm not going to let them do it again. I reel back and swing my whole body to toss the knife at Sans trying to cut through the walls, but the knife stopped in mid-air, as I hear Sans' voice behind me before the other hologram cut out. "whoa, well we can't have that happen now can we. you're trapped kid, and i'm not going to let you escape."

I turn to see Sans, but I can't tell if it's a hologram or not. "What? How did you stop that, even if you weren't a hologram, you can't levitate things, can you?"

He didn't seem to move before he spoke again like the other holograms. "what do you mean, of course i can, just never showed you until now. you have my soul inside you right now, and you didn't feel the power bestowed onto you? oh well, you do have it, just need the right specimen to try it out on, like me. i'll spare you the details on how i'm here, come on, i'll give you one free shot, levitate away." He just stood there, waiting, so I tried to move it with my mind, and it zoomed by me, striking right through him and stopping right before it hit the wall, I could see the blood start to pour out as he kneeled down on one knee... "good shot, you really got me." He stood up, looking down at the ground, right before looking back up, straight towards me without his pupils. "or did you?" The transmission cut out there. It was all fake.

Right behind me I hear his voice again. "gotcha', you really think i was still alive after the explosion, you even absorbed my soul. but i guess there are ways for me to have come back, and maybe i did use one." A bunch of holograms appeared around me, and started to speak one by one going in a clockwise circle.

"any one of us could be the real one..."

"maybe one of us who teleported here out of your field of vision..."

"or the real sans is outside watching this all by camera, ready for whenever you try anything..."

"or we're all real, and alphys just played a hologram noise every time one of us got here..."

"oh, wouldn't that just be a nasty trick to pull?"

"only one way to find out which is true..."

"before you're dead..."

The knife floated over to me, circling me as all of the Sanses held out their left hands with a flashing eye. How would I know which one was the real one, or if they're all real somehow, if I kill one, the others would all gang up on me.

"get ready kid..."

"'cause it's about time..."

"we end this."

I don't know what to do, I don't know what I could do. They all close their hands into fists, or at least the ones I could see before the knife lodged itself into my back, the last thing I saw was the end of the knife pointing out of my chest, and as I fell to the ground I heard one of the Sanses speak again.

"nighty-night, kid. see you about five minutes ago."

Game Over.

I load back at the Judgement hall, with my arms back. "Sans! Hologram or not, show yourself!" It takes a few seconds before he appeared.

"so, how'd that knife to the back feel, you want another one?" I grasped my knife as tight as I could, and he just stared at me.

"How did you do that?" He looked at me for a second before disappearing behind me.

"and why would i tell you that, a good magician never reveals his secrets. by the way, you might want to watch out behind you." The transmission cut out, and right when I turned around I heard footsteps behind me, I turned around again, right in time for me to be hit in the back of the head and knocked out cold.

*** * ***

I woke up in the same padded room, I jump up and throw my knife at the wall, but it stopped in mid-air again, I turn around to see Sans with his hand out. "too slow kid, try harder next time." He pulled his hand back towards himself, right as I feel the knife lodge itself into my back again, and I fall to the ground.

Game Over.

I load into the judgement hall again, but right before I could yell for Sans, I get hit in the neck with tranquilizer darts. I try to turn my head and see who it was, but I pass out before I'm able.

*** * ***

Same padded room, but the Tranquilizer left a terrible taste in my mouth, and a horrible numb feeling in my whole body. After a minute of lying there trying to feel again, I'm able to get up with Sans staring at me when I finally do. "wow, you look terrible."

I try to speak, but all that comes out is a mostly incoherent babble of "Yoo luk therrab!"

He just stands there for a few seconds before responding, and seems to almost laugh. "yeah, you might not want to try to talk for a while, but thank you either way, i take me looking 'therrab' as a compliment." I don't even have full control of my arms yet, but I swung my right arm and was able to actually throw the knife at him, which he stopped, only when it was already through him, showing it was only a hologram, or at least that this one was.

"Ha! Yura Fake!" I was slowly getting my ability to speak normally again.

"so what if I'M a fake?" he countered. "someone is still holding this knife, and the knife wants blood. now who's gonna deny the weapon what it wants, right?" The knife turns around and starts hurtling toward me, I try to dodge it, but my movements are slowed and my mind doesn't even register dodging as an option until the knife is already right in front of me. It impales me through the chest, and I fall backwards without even knowing what hit me.

Game Over.

I load back again, I won't let this go on much longer. I make a dome of bones to protect me from any incoming projectiles or people with my Burnt Pan. "Sans, why are you doing this? You know I'll outlast whatever you've planned, you couldn't have made holograms to last forever!"

There was no answer. I put down my dome of bones, and still nothing. Maybe they've just given up? Well if they have, I'm not going to blow my chance, I run down the hall as quickly as I can. I get to the room past the hall, and throw my knife at Asgore. But it isn't Asgore, his cape was just held up with a few sticks, and the rest of the room was empty.

"What is happening?"