PLDF Chapter 8

"Chapter 8: Preparations (Sub-Entries 71-80)"

Sub-Entry 071: "Preparations Begin":
"Dear, Asriel.  By the time you read this you will have attained full disclosure of the biggest adventure of our lives.

You've no doubt been keeping up with us since day one and...well...finally we're free of F.O.W.L.

In the end, Launchpad had the answer all along and we didn't recognize it...probably because he immediately almost crashed us into the ground at the time. But yeah. Family IS the greatest adventure of all. That was the one and only loophole...the one and only flaw in Bradford's contract that he had forged on the Papyrus of Finding. That contract which forced Scrooge McDuck to choose between being with his family...and ever adventuring again."

Asriel looked down for a moment recalling the words.

"When you find your family...you'll give up everything to help them."

"So yeah...funny thing to learn that you're not the granddaughter of Bentina Beakley....but instead you're the direct heir to, albeit genetically cloned from...Scrooge McDuck.  I have a Dad.  Isn't that so amazingly great!?"

Asriel smiled thinking back to when he first met Scott O'Conner.

"Yeah...pretty great."

"We've been through so much and there are so many things we all want to tell you.   Some you already know by now.  Huey is...finally starting to get over learning Bradford was the grandson of Isabella Finch and the first Junior Woodchuck.

Dewey's skills as a pilot are really shaping up. He's...still trying to practice cloud kicking. It's going about as well as you think.

And Louie. Still the big picture person. Still the guy who can talk anyone into anything...still tempted by quick and easy schemes. I have a feeling Louie Incorporated will still make a comeback...some day.

If I were to name everyone and how they're doing, this letter would go on for pages and...well even my allowance doesn't cover that much postage."

"Heh."

"So many random things I just want to talk about.  Like can you believe after all this time Manny the Headless Horse Man was a gargoyle all along!?  Or what about how Launchpad was able to put on the Gizmo Suit when we needed him the most.  We're...still going to let Darkwing think he's been Gizmo Duck all along.  He'll figure it out...maybe."

"I wouldn't count on it." Asriel mused.

"Oh!  I also included some photos I think Dr. Arcade will appreciate.  A few portraits to go into the King of Crossovers' scrapbook.  Really...these moments wouldn't have been possible if we'd never found your dimension...or maybe you found ours.  We found each other."

And sure enough there were several sets of photos.

Our Gadget and Monterrey Jack pictured together. And standing atop their open palms were...there universe's mouse-sized Gadget and Monterrey Jack. Perched on Little Sister's shoulder was the chipmunk, Chip; wearing a tiny Indiana Jones hat and brown fur overcoat. On our M.J.'s shoulder was the other chipmunk, Dale; clad in a red Hawaiian Shirt.

Yeah. Digging it.

In another photo? Baloo Von Brunwald (I...guess that was his last name though...in our dimension he never mentioned having one.)...next to their dimension's Kitt Cloudkicker. And standing in front of Kitt was his child counterpart from our dimension. Also pictured was Rebecca Cunningham from our universe, shoulder-to-shoulder with Molly Cunningham from their universe. And the little girl Molly Cunningham was standing in front of her.

"Generations, I guess you could say."

Was it okay bringing them together like this?

"It's a bright new day and with Bradford sacrificing everyone else in F.O.W.L. including Heron...not to mention Magica turning him into an ordinary mindless buzzard...we can put all this behind us and start having adventures again.  I hope we can hook up soon so we can swap stories.

Good luck and I hope everything works out for you and your birth family.

Your pen-pal...Webbygail Vanderquack.......I mean...Webbygail McDuck."

Asriel folded up the letter and closed his eyes with a smile.

"Cloned from Scrooge.  But no less his daughter." Azzy pondered that. He was pondering something else at that moment, too. Something related to timelines, let's just say...

Asriel noted I was already busy making my own prep work, so rather than disturb me, he chose to head of to give me my own space to get work done.

Ironically enough...I would start my prep by writing of all things...a letter to Asgore and Toriel. And I of course...stuck to all our cover stories...

"Dear Asgore and Toriel Dreemurr..." I took a deep breath and continued.

"It has been far too long and I am sure I have been declared missing for some time.  I am certain at least someone tried to search for us after we parted ways at Mount Ebott.   Fear not.  I assure you that my team and I are well and have been taking care of ourselves.   You have no doubt been worried about where we have gone and what we've been doing.   There is much to say but not enough paper and postage to say it in.  Suffice to say...we've been busy.

My research has taken far longer than I thought to complete and...by this point, no doubt, Monster-kind have certainly discovered much of what I had to report on during my years before falling into the Underground. How unfortunate that ultimately my quest to acclimate monsters to the outside world has all but ended in failure. Well...that's life. Don't be sorry about it, though. I suppose my team and I will just have to adapt and find a new purpose now that we've returned to our own lives.

Let me give a quick overview of us. Bunnie has managed to...start a rather secretive school for her martial art and has been moving in silence and out of the public eye; invisible to human and monster alike. It is her way. It is her discipline. This was how her clan knows how to survive. Even I lost track of her on and off during her travels.

Violet is again back in power of her island country, the people and outsiders with no idea their leader is not human. She's found ways to remain incognito while somehow throwing the biggest parties of her life. No doubt she wants you to pass a message on to Mettaton that she really wants to hook up again and has plenty to show and tell. Oh boy...she's like family to us. And you sure can't pick your family. Though on that note...we're still glad she's part of it even though she drives us crazy.

Mitzi is still cooking for us. Thanks to our resourcefulness, she always has resources and ingredients to work with. We'll never starve under her motherly watch.

My sister couldn't be more excited to be back home again. Whether home is a suburban home, a shack in the woods, a place inside a mountain, in a giant mansion, or in tents underneath the stars...she understands that home isn't a place, it's the togetherness of being a family and the experiences you make from that togetherness.

My son-in-law. We'll always have clothing and a burly muscle head on our team. My eldest daughter is crazy about him, so I can't say too many harsh things about him even if his lethargic, gluttonous ways seem to make it too easy for others around him to do just that.

Rotor doesn't have much to say. He hopes you're all in good health and is frankly just glad he's with his younger brother and he can give him a stable lifestyle.

Sally...well there's no stopping her and no catching her. If a human or a monster has managed to actually catch a glimpse of her in these past years...then she isn't doing her job. As my terrain master, she's crisscrossed the world so many times she could tell you things that even I can't. Ever the adrenaline junkie and always searching for a challenge. No one will EVER accuse her of being lazy.

Then...there's Lupe. She's...keeping her spirits up but...she's felt a bit of a sadness leaving what we found inside Ebott behind.

And there are still others on my team you haven't met yet.

Which brings me to the point of this letter.

It's been far too long away. What I propose...is a meeting. A reunion, actually. If it is not inconvenient. We want to gather back together and assure you all, we're alive and well and happy in our lives away from the public eye. We're all so eager to see you again and some of us want to meet you all for the first time.

If you could, please spread the message to the other boss monsters of the Underground and let them know, we're interested in a reunion. Very soon. Perhaps by the end of the month, if possible. Some of us are eager to share our food and our findings that we've worked very hard on. And more than anything...I...all of us...just want to see for ourselves that you're all doing okay. Word of mouth and social media certainly tell a story but...they don't tell a whole story. You have to be there to really grasp a situation and put your mind at easy.

All this time and I'm still a silly old man who worries too much about his fellow non-humans as well as his own human friends.

Please write soon. We miss you. So very much.

Your friend,

Dr. Volt Alessandro Arcade.

P.S. One of our members is really excited about meeting you. I think we'll both agree, he's very determined."

I was hoping that my message got the point across and didn't raise flags...much less revealed too much.

Asriel's appearance was meant to be a surprise. The ultimate surprise. And hopefully the best surprise. One that I was banking EVERYTHING on the hope and dream that it would NOT backfire drastically.

To do that...I was going to have to come clean about everything. All of us were.

No more lies.

No more secrets.

Everything had to come out.

Only then could I truly be free...could we truly be free...could Asriel truly be free. Only then was the promise truly worth something. Easier said than done, I reasoned. Easier said than done. I had...a lot to prepare for. A lot to say.

And quite frankly...I had no idea how it would pan out.

This was the leap of faith.

And this time...I would be at THEIR mercy.

I was willing to take the heat for my entire team whatever the Dreemurrs' reactions would be.

I accepted this. I was okay with this. I made my peace with this.

Whatever I got...was what I deserved.

I'm ready. Let the cards fall where they may, Lady Destiny. Take your best shot, Madam Fate.

I've made my wish.

It was time for the InfinityVerse to grant it.

Sub-Entry 072: "When Reboot Dimensions Run Rampant":
We were all kicking in to prepare for the big trip off of VGM-098 back to Undertale. But that sure didn't stop Madam Fate from trying to slow us down. Despite the fact that she knew what lay ahead wouldn't be...all sunshine’s and rainbows...it will still sickeningly sweet enough for her to dread the inevitable homecoming.

To that end...she was determined to throw plenty of last-minute obstacles in Goat Son's path to make sure Asriel was late to the party.

But he was bound and determined himself and was experienced with not ending up becoming the next Marty McFly when it came to being on time for things. No offense, son of George and Lorraine.

Honestly, he thought that getting his affairs in order with his friends all over the universe would be his way of saying "see you all around".

But...sometimes last minute business happens. And it brought to mind something I'd been noticing in recent years. Specifically about...parallel dimensions. Oh, I don't just necessarily mean AU's in general...I mean worlds with their own timelines so similar...yet so fundamentally different.

UCIAT had plenty of experience with parallel dimensions. Our own gender-swapped parallel universe for one. And quite honestly we hadn't heard from them since meeting them...something still wasn't giving Violet the satisfaction of an "I-told-you-so".

This wasn't about them. No, this was more recent, in fact.

"...say that again?" Asriel blinked as his bracer's Unitrix display flickered the Plumber's insignia.

Ben explained again what Professor Paradox had told him.

Asriel furrowed his brow at a single phrase that made his stomach knot.

Alien X.

In the past, Asriel knew Alien X as one of Ben's set of ten during the "Alien Force" era and...essentially the one he had Gwen and Kevin each carry one piece of a key in addition to one he entrusted to Asriel as a failsafe lockout. Why?

The Celestial Sapien alien was essentially omnipotent...but with ONE huge drawback. Namely it required its two inner minds two agree on a course of action for Alien X to do ANYTHING. Even move. Even talk. Do ANYTHING at all. This was a huge double-edged sword that had more risk than reward,  Ben had already used one Alien X transformation to rewrite the universe back into existence after the Annhil-arrrgh went off. Mentioned that before, right?

But the idea of a Celestial Sapien acting completely of its own accord...and having multiple Omnitrixes all over itself? This was going to be...something different.

Weirder still...this wasn't even happening in the Ben 10 universe that Asriel was familiar with that had gone from "Classic" to "Alien Force" to "Ultimate Alien" to "Omniverse" to what was currently "Ben 10-Thousand"......confusing, right?

No. This was like a whole parallel timeline which...even Asriel could tell something...just looked and felt different than Classic Ben. Almost like a "reinterpretation of a cartoon with noticeably more...whimsy".

To clarify what he meant? He simply described it to me as the difference between Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go. I immediately understood. By the gods I wish I didn't  This phenomenon had...spiked considerably in the last decade. I'd seen it before...in Townsville. Not just once, either. While PPG original was well documented, PPG "R" was...less than remembered. And even that wasn't as obscure as PPG "Z". Yo-yo's, a bubble wand, and a giant mallet? Sure, why not.

You know I remember during the Ultimate Alien saga that Professor Paradox mentioned something about the "next universe over" and how he "didn't really care for it". I wonder...did he already know about the "reboot" universe?

Well. Asriel was most certainly curious about meeting Ben 10...all over again. As strange as that sounded, it still somehow made sense.

Only it wasn't for the first time again. This was the THIRD incident of the same inter-related parallel universe (within the MONTH, no less) or..."reboot universe" as Violet joked.

Somehow...I considered this a groaner. Don't know why. Can't explain why. Just that thinking about the very phrase "reboot universe" just made me feel...defensive. Maybe...it hit too close to home after learning the nature of our OWN self-contained UltraVerse. The...Emulation Rift Anomalies as I apparently USED to call them that reformatted realities...........they were nothing new. In Garfield and Odie's days of pioneering our UltraVerse, they weren't called "Reboot Universes" but "E.R.A.'s " or "Remakes". So...why had it slowly become a thing that tended to invite more dread than excitement as of late?

Though in all fairness...sometimes these "take two" versions of universes did get it right. As I say this, I can hear the scream of "MORTAAAAAL KOMBAAAAAAAT" echo in my own ears. It's one time I agree with Violet. Nobody wants to remember "Annihilation" existed.

Ahem...back on track. The first instance of Asriel realizing that Undertale wasn't the only one to have split timelines and other interpretations was with...discovering a new Ben 10 reality which...he couldn't quite explain why things felt off until he was taken by surprise by new enemies like Steam Smythe and the Roach Brothers.... or that Kevin Levin somehow built his own Omnitrix in a garage (and sounded more like an evil Beast Boy than ever before).

Then there were things like the "Omni-Kix" aliens. And other things too numerous to name.

So...the first contact with this new universe? It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity when Goat Son was shocked to meet a Ben 10-Thousand...who saw better days and came from a dystopian future where his cousin, Gwen had become president. Where Grandpa Max lived on as a hologram and Gwen had recruited all of Ben's former villains to work toward the goal of defeating a rather strange horde of cross-shaped aliens that had invaded and conquered the Earth.

So when it involves time travel to recruit his younger self? Yeah...things got complicated.

That incident  was put to bed rather easily. Goat Son had made friends and helped things resolve themselves without solving the problem for Ben. As we in UCIAT had taught him; we're not magic wands, we're not cheat devices...we're just lifelines and that extra bit of help you can rely on. We keep events on track and balance the equation so that it's a fair opportunity for the good guys to win when the bad guys cheat just a little too much.

Then came the second incident in the same parallel universe...something Asriel was less prepared for.

"Wait...Rex exists in this universe?"

Now known in our database as "Ben Gen Ten"...the idea of Providence, E.V.O.'s and Rex Salazar and Bobo Haha existing, not in their own world, but as part of a Ben 10 universe? Now that was something neither Azzy and I were prepared for. But if that was the case then...maybe the bang that spread the nanites all over the world...wasn't as big and world-changing an incident in this parallel universe.

Needless to say...Goat Son was eager to play referee in between a rivalry reborn.

That brings us to now. Now where this Parallel universe had not one but multiple Ben Tennyson’s...and a Gwen 10 from different eras all joining forces again to stop a Celestial Sapian.

Some "what-if" stories tended to have more truth to them than imagination, huh?

The event was now being called "Alien X-Tinction".

Asriel knew were already hustling to prepare so he didn't want to burden us by taking away from our own activities. So...a little out of character for him...he didn't ask us for help.

Yet he knew we'd understand full well that if he got into a scrape...he'd contact us at the drop of a hat.

"I got this.  I really do." Asriel repeated to convince himself. I think he had gotten himself psyched up enough to believe his own pep talk. The doubts still came despite his confidence, experience, and determination. But it was easier for him to push them away and remind himself how far he'd come.

I had no doubts.

But I did have my own questions. One of those had become...which one of them was Ben Prime?

Okay. Review time. I’ve talked about prime universes before. How they intersect the very epicenter of the Axis of Reality rather than branch off the various spider-web spoke. Why rehash unnecessarily, now? Really am trying not to ramble here, you know. But yeah...maybe none of them were actually Ben Prime. After all...our Asriel sure wasn't Asriel Prime.

Was that even any consequence?

Asriel was Asriel in any timeline, AU, whatever. Ours just happened to have some fundamental things that set him apart from the others. And each of the others could make their own claim of that as well.

"I won't be long." Asriel headed into the gateway.

Somehow I thought it would work out. It always did.

So I was really not prepared when I got a visit from...

"Asmuth."

I couldn't have delivered a colder welcome; as I was anticipating a snipe of his, hoping I'd beat him to the punch.

Imagine how surprised I was...when he didn't seem to acknowledge...or return the implied animosity.

"You're being unusually reserved for the "First Thinker" regarded as the greatest mind in five galaxies."

And yet...that didn't seem to dampen his ego any more than it seemed to stroke it. Usually he'd warn me about being disrespectful of the title he earned.

"Fifteen years is a long time by Terran quantum constants to get used to an idea."

"So how does it compare to Galvan time?"

"Irrelevant."

"Yeah, figured you'd focus in on the fact that I'm missing the point you're about to make.  It sounds like you're actually considering burying the hatchet."

"Don't push it.  Just because I acknowledge you as less uppity and infinitely less self-absorbed than the cerebro-crustacean species, doesn't put a magneto-voltaic lycan on much higher ground."

"You know I don't like comparing myself to other species much less my own.  I'm more of a co-op than competitive guy.   That should have been obvious they way I've raised Asriel."

"Don't insult me."

"I really want to just outright say "get to the point" but you at least deserve something civil.  So...honest truth.  Why are you here?"

A moment of silence.

"Do you know...I've become fascinated with a curious Earth tale in its mythology.  A tale of an inventor whose ingenuity allowed him and his beloved son to escape from their confines."

"I know where this is going."

"He knew his creation well and what its limits were.  But his son was entranced by the power and attempted to test its limits until--"

"He flew too close to the sun.  Yeah.  My archer scout tends to be...disturbed by that story.  It hits...close to home after the Chaos Realm and what his rival had to go through with the Rewind Spring." I folded my arms. "Why do you....!" I stopped short.

"The lesson is about arrogance." I realized. "Something I'm all too familiar with."

"I have...become aware of the many parallel timelines in our own universe and I cannot help but see a little of ourselves...in Undertale...and vice-versa."

"Do my ears bleed or has the great Asmuth learned humility?"

"Don’t get testy with me, boy."

"Okay.  I'll give you that one.  It doesn't make me look any better calling you out on arrogance when clearly I'm biased against big egos."

"Wisdom tends to be a mutual exchange in this case, Arcade."

Silence.

"Galvan Enterprises?"

"I had...zero say in that.  It's not even an Arcade company.  Though I have to say...the high-and-mighty execs that run it certainly have a familiar high-horse--"

"Tread lightly, Arcade.  Choose your next words carefully if you don't want to void this truce."

"Get a sense of humor, you stuck-up so-and-so."

"When it actually amuses, Arcade."

"You sound like my son-in-law when he's being offended by the Wolf Man remake."

"What is Violet's fascination with pedial phalanges?  They're among the dirtiest parts of the anatomy especially for species that can't even wear footwear."

"Well if you can't answer that, Asmuth, then it really is one of the universe's greatest mysteries."

Another period of silence.

"Why don't we address the elephant in the room."

"It's long overdue."

"Our wards.  Your chosen bearer of the Omnitrix.  My protegee and best friend."

"Perhaps it's overdue.  But...maybe I can relinquish  a little pride and admit that perhaps in another lifetime another would have been worthy of my greatest creation.  The fact that he's making use of only a single DNA archetype module to the best of his ability at an effectiveness equivalent to Ben wielding potentially one million archetypes and having only ten of them readily available at a time."

"It wouldn't be the first time you've allowed a Unitrix to be relinquished to a destiny or fate other than your own grand plan."

"Hmm...you're referring to the one that got away."

"Would it kill you to say "her" and not still consider--"

"Fine.  You're going to remind me she has a name, next so what's the point of arguing."

"Unice." I said.

"She's grown into her new path.  Much as everyone else who's life has taken a different turn who's met Ben."

"The same could be said of Asriel." I observed. "Honest question...is the reason we're constantly at each other's throats because despite the difference in humility...we're still fundamentally...too much alike."

"A flaw which no doubt haunted you before."

"It would be pointless to tell you not to invoke his name...at this point bringing it up can no more hurt me than it could Asriel.  It's funny...in the end we BOTH have our own failed protégées.   Am I to assume Albedo is water under the bridge?"

In a rare moment that was...extra cold of Asmuth...

"He is dead to me."

"And yet Ben would most certainly try to help him if he wanted help.  He still does not accept your decision.  Much as my own "Anakin Skywalker" rejects mine." I frowned.

"How do we have so much animosity toward each other...when we aren't even the source of our own provocations."

"You are right, Volt.  The ego truly is the source of a lot of our problems.  How Ben and Asriel channel it as confidence and not vanity perplexes."

"Not to say that they don't still have moments of coming off as cocky from time to time."

"Ben more often than time to time.  I will admit.  Asriel certainly helps him keep grounded when his partners aren't around."

"His cousin.  His friendly rival.  His partner." I named Gwen, Kevin, and Rook.

I looked on.

"So.  What do you know of these "reboot" universes?"

I think I actually saw Asmuth smirk.

I think I should be scared.

"You of all people should know more than anyone about them, Arcade.  How many aspects of your life could be considered a reboot of another instance of reality?  How many instances of reality could be considered reboots of your world?"

"Duckburg.  The Flip Side.  The Land of Wuzz.  A fractured tale of multiple Skynet futures and one dominated by Legion.  Two instances of Planet Arus with its own Voltron Force.  My little sister's adventures with two versions of MacGyver.  When you think about it the word "reboot" itself has become a cliche.  Even in dimensional research.  I don't have to water it down for you.  You of all people understand how to think fourth and fifth dimensionally.  Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you can think in more than 32 planes of existence at a given time."

"I won't comment on that."

"I think that's a smart move."

"So.  Your opinion of this parallel set of Ben's?"

"Do you really want an honest assertation?" Asmuth crossed his arms.

"I think existence isn't ready to contain two iterations of Asmuths.  Though I suppose it would be more fair to say...I think it would be extraordinarily dangerous for you to meet yourself."

"This isn't your "Back to the Future" logic, Arcade.   Major paradoxes don't happen because of cross-dimension."

"No.  They happen because of cross-temporary incident.  C'mon.  That's just basic fourth dimensional physics."

"And complete bupkiss.  Or shall I remind you of what happened when young Miss Parker met Mrs. Parker-McFly?"

"In all fairness Emmett did say the other possibility is the shock would cause her to faint." I brushed it off.

"Arcade.  Don't read between the lines if you don't have to.  If that universe's Asmuth entrusted his Ben with the Omnitrix then you've answered your own questions."

"Fair enough.  So by that extension every iteration of Ben is at least in some way like Asriel."

"If you're asking if my other self would give his blessing to your goat prince...?"

"Ironic you should tell me not to read between the lines.  This is something you already know the answer to."

"You're never going to get tired of turning my words on me, are you?"

"Just because I don't like being competitive doesn't mean I don't know how to BE competitive."

"Perhaps YOU'RE too much like Ben..." Asmuth grumbled.

My turn to smirk.

So some time later and a conversation that somehow STILL kept going despite the fact we'd tied up our loose ends and got on the same page...

The gateway opened and there was Asriel...with the "reboot" child Ben 10.

"Hey, other Asmuth!  Weird Blitzwolfer dude!   Thanks for loaning us your awesome goat dude friend!"

Azzy just waved.

"And check it out!  He managed to get me a new Alien!"

Down slapped the hand and the Omnitrix transformation brought about...

"GOATORRRRRRCH!"

Asriel gave a double thumbs up with a silly grin.

"Gotta run!  Smell ya later!" Goatorch waved as the portal closed behind Asriel.

Asmuth slowly turned to me.

"Um....this is a breach of agreement on our truce, isn't it?"

Asmuth just growled.

Still worth it.

Sub-Entry 073: "Taking Care of Business So We Can Go Forward With the Plan":
I waited and sure enough...

The Cyber Gate opened and Asriel stepped out.

"Hey.  You and Ben save the--"

He suddenly through his arms around me and hugged longingly.

"Whoa.  What brought this on?"

"Just...*sniffle*...realizing that everyone needs family.  Especially those who've lost theirs."

"...Ben?"

"A Ben.  But not our Ben or the "reboot".   You know...I'm just now beginning to grasp what an Omniverse truly is."

Goat Son wiped his eyes on his sleeve. That's that familiar way he wept. Whatever he went through...it must've touched some nerves. And the obvious clues he was giving me? Yeah...I felt my own heart strings reverberate in response.

Some day I'd get the whole story. Maybe it was best to leave things where they were.

I'd already been told about the dystopian future of Alternate Ben Ten-Thousand and President Gwen. Not to mention Hex's involvement with the Ben 10/Generator Rex team up...reborn, more or less. Wish I could have seen for myself what a ten-year-old Rex Salazar looked like. Or what it was like for Alternate Rex and Alternate Bobo being on the run from Alternate Six.

Boy we got way too many alternates.

By following the pattern and remembering what Daimyou's dossier had read...I put the clues together and figured out that "Alien X" was this other Ben that Asriel mentioned. When I finally did peek at his report I soon realized just how many other Ben 10 instances were involved--  "Classic" 10-year-old, Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, Omniverse...Gwen 10...and reboot Ben. And having two sets of Maxwell Tennyson’s was something else.

So. That all explained and tied up with a nice bow...

We all had our tasks to complete before we could even think of going off world to Undertale.

I had the most on my plate but...theoretically the least to worry about.

Yeah. Right.

Seriously, though...I had a lot of equipment and a lot of checklists to run through.

The first order of business was the Delorean. I had a lot to make it finely tuned and ship-shape after what we had been through in Hill Valley.

But even between the Delorean and the Time Train? That wasn't enough for all of us. While I had plenty of other time machines...they were all inadequate when I really got down to it. Heck, when I went with what we had back then, seven or eight years ago...I was working on a budget and against the clock.

This reunion deserved better. We should at least have comfort and not have to all squeeze in together.

But...what to do when you only had two flux capacitors? Improvise. I still had the synchronizing parts from Hill Valley and enough parts to duplicate multiple sets of time circuits and dimensional rigs as well as enough ARC reactors and Mr. Fusions to go around. All it would take is tinkering with Asriel's car, Roadie and Wheels, the CMD-X and whatever else we were taking.

Bunnie had her hands full wrapping up her graduating class for this year. This was because it would be her last class for an indeterminant time while we...prepared for our journey.

May was going to be the month which would finally bring it full circle...maybe even going into June. Heck...even July was looking promising for some time away from home.

But really...for the Major to suspend her activities like this for Asriel's sake...

Ahem.

I knew she had a list of old acquaintances she wanted to have a reunion with. No doubt...Gerson was at the top of the list. Bunnie was like Raven...the both of them respected their elders far beyond the call of duty. She always knew that the longer you lived the more precious life was and the wisdom you had to pass on was invaluable.

She wasn't the only one preparing herself.

"Make way, start the revolution!  We're gonna have fun tonight......well, not to tonight, but soon."

Ignoring the fact that Violet was somehow channeling a theme song that I was sure belonged to Generator Rex...not sure how I knew that being that Asriel was far more familiar with him than me...

Violet grinned widely as she admired the stacks of manga she had assembled and planned to gift Alphys with. But that was secondary.

"Okay...like we rehearsed." Violet completed the rest of her costume and got on stage.

She was going to give Metatton a performance that would last through out the ages...and then post it online on everyone's Mugshot Tome pages.

Was that a snippet from one of her rap battles?

"This reunion is going to be LIT!  Five, six, seven, EIGHT!"

And her performance went full-on.

Not far from there...

"Hmm." Mitzi examined her work.

"Almost there." She said after taste-testing her work. "But I wonder...would it be more special if I let Asriel make it instead?  I mean...when I think about it...a mother's son should be able to impress her with following in her footsteps, right?

Mitzi wasn't one to second-guess herself but...she did want this to be as perfect as the rest of us.

"Well.  Waste not want not." Mitzi put the rest of the pie in the dessert display case, having only cut a small slice out of it.

Mitzi washed up and took a break, letting Foxy take over for a bit.

"I know we're the guests but...it's only polite to offer some home-made food.  Share and share a like."

Mitzi always seemed to be her happiest when she was at her most motherly. I think...by now she accepted it had been a missed opportunity all her life. Though remembering her ex often proved to be the cure for her regret. It wasn't like it was all a total loss. "There's still time," she kept telling herself. Duke "Dook Larue" Chaupetta was right there>. She could just ask him. It wasn't weird if a girl wanted to ask a guy out. The age of gender stereotypes was over! But...on the same note...did he feel the same way? If he had eyes for her then...why hadn't he asked her out?

Maybe...maybe that's what happened when both parties were equally shy and worried about rejection. At least one of them was also haunted by the memory of an ex. It was only about getting on the bike for one of them. For the other...it was about getting back on again.

Well...personal life aside....Mitzi could definitely use some renewed friendships in her life. While Toriel was high on the list, there were two others she wondered about.

There was Grillby. As a fellow restaurant-owner (but he didn't know that, yet thanks to all of our long-standing cover stories still holding up after shy of a decade)...Mitzi was anxious to know how he was doing.

Then there was Muffet. I assured her that Muffet managed to get all of her fellow spiders out of the RUINS and in a life were they could be protected and have long (well...as long as the average spider life-span, mind you) and happy lives. Reconnecting with Muffet would be wonderful......and expensive. Just on my advice alone, she took out a bit of money from her credit account and with my help had it converted to Undertale gold behind the scenes. KOMMAND helped with that. Better safe than sorry

Then there was someone who had no reservations about ex'es or worries about making everything perfect. She was just joyful enough to be going back there. Little Sister, Gadget was so bubbling with joy, she didn't have a worry in the world. Some would call that naive. Some would call that overly optimistic. But anyone who would do so...would have to answer to me, her big brother. I was certainly not going to let anyone rain on her parade.

So would was on Gadget's mind? Well...Alphys and Mettaton, of course. But surprisingly...she inquired about, of all people, Mad Mew-Mew. The instances where a mouse had a bizarre relationship with a cat continued to astound. Back home, the nine-of-ten founders that raised me were family to Gadget as well. In Miranda City, Kid the Cat brought her so much joy during the times he was actually around. A rare thing, nowadays now that he was tied up with the Mage Academy. There others too numerous to name...some intimidated her. Some made her smile. Some made her cry. Some made her think. And some made her wonder. Yes, Shishiko was in the mix, too.

"I hope she's still in a friendly mood after our battle, Big Brother!"

Me too, Gadget. Me too.

Though...I worried. All the times I had gone back to the space under Papyrus and Sans' too-tall kitchen sink...it was different every time. The Annoying Dog Shrine...then the Annoying Dog Shrine in ruins and Mew-Mew's room behind it. What awaited us this time?

Sally? Do I need to say it.

"Push it!  Work it, girl!  Feel the burn!  You got this!" Sally was giving herself the psych-up pep-talk of all time as she trained, dressed in shorts and a vastly cut-off sports top that stopped just  under her chest while barefoot. I think she lost a bet to Vi.

Rabbot Dojo's gymnasium was just the place for her rematch with Undyne. I knew once I turned the two of them loose, they'd go ALL OUT.

Really, there was nobody who connected with Undyne better than Sally Acorn. Her time living as a tomboy had really made her understand what it meant to be...well...our world's Sonic. Ironic that despite the fact that his demeanor hadn't changed much (although he HAD matured)...he learned to live life through HER eyes. Irony of ironies, he'd become a bit bookworm-ish in his downtime and learned to take things more seriously.

But the tiger doesn't change his stripes any more than the leopard doesn't change his spots. Fundamentally, at their cores...Sonic and Sally were still the same people. Just seeing things from each other's perspective. And really...they both now shared that love of speed, living free, and stomping out oppression. In short...yeah...they were heroes. Asriel always thought so. Someday he'd meet the blue blur himself or...so he wished.

There's that word again.

So who else?

My son-in-law Jonathan of course was eager to pig out on Papyrus' spaghetti. If he'd followed all of Jon's advice, by now his pasta was at least...not something a health department would classify was a serious biohazard.

But there was also the fact that now that he had regained his fighting spirit and was 1/3 less lazy and 1/4 less gluttonous? Pappy might find a few more reasons to like him even more.

"With or without meatballs?  Mmmmm...happy days will be here again, before, old chap!" Jon couldn't help but daydream.

To that end he dedicated himself to be the best Jonathan he could be in the hopes of meeting the best Papyrus that the lone member of the Royal Guard could be. Assuming he still was after Asgore disbanded it. I mean...yeah, there was still the gardening and duties he mentioned in the aftermath of Hyperdeath being defeated.

Then there was the one that made me a little somber.

Lupe was most certainly anxious to meet Asgore again. Meet up with Toriel, as well. But...

This was most certainly a big "but". There was...him. Asriel was avoiding the subject of Flowey.

"......"

Lupe was far more reluctant to confront him again. But...one thing Lupe was not was a coward. If it took every ounce of her will and her courage...she'd face the angry plant again. But more than that...she and Asriel would reach out to him. Try to help him.

Rotor...well...Rotor didn’t' have anyone to really zero in on. He was an overall friend to everyone. It was casual to him. The thought of meeting up with old friends appealed to him but...he wasn't over-psyched about it like some of us were. Sometimes being conservative...being calm and reserved was what we needed to balance it out. We needed a straight man in our bunch of oddballs, y'know?

Maybe he'd get a chance to service a sink or a shower while there? I was pretty sure by now the Monsters had set up a town or something. If it paralleled ANYTHING like DeltaRune...then I had to prepare myself for some...echoes. And I wasn't the only one. Bunnie and Callista had seen some of my visions in that dreamscape. Furthermore...Asriel himself had access to my research and had gone over my experience with a fine-toothed comb. He knew what I knew. And I'm sure...it was just as surreal to him, as well.

"I'm sorry.  But I have to follow my path as a Druid, Flowey.  I will see you soon."

That left...the people who HADN'T been to Undertale. And most for good reason.

Meet the parents. So-titled was that movie...and so relevant it was to this situation. This was going to be...fascinating.

Scott, a former soldier....he'd mellowed a lot and adjusted to the dad life pretty well. I had no doubt he'd get along with Asgore. Though he might not survive a bear-hug. Pretty sure he wasn't a hugger but...he'd roll with it. Big ole fluffy marshmallow like Gorey? It was all going to be good.

Oddly...the thought about it had left Scott speechless. He was a loss for what to think or what to feel. Mostly I think it was a feeling of...awkwardness. Something he was no stranger to. He'd spent his life being stone-cold stoic and being a military disciplined machine. Someone who knew the mission and didn't express much emotion.

Even after fifteen years...he still felt like he was figuring out how to be human. He'd gotten better at it but...being a superhero...never get used to that.

Callista? I didn't worry about.

"It'll be fine, Commander."

She was a doctor. A healer. A pacifist. But maybe she should leave out the part that her husband trained her out to fight......and her powerful psychic mind WAS a weapon in itself.

My only concern would be if they got competitive about mother-ing. I mean...Toriel was Asriel's birth mother. But...Callista raised him.

And of course there was the complication I felt was an off limits topic...the fact that Callista had never lost a child to death...much less two. That was the kind of low blow I'd expect Adonis of all people to stoop to. Never bring it up. And hope it never comes up in conversation.

Really...this morbid thought was a byproduct of my own worrisome self unable to curb the vast number of ways this could all fall apart...it could all go wrong...that what I intended to be a beautiful, life-changing experience...could BACKFIRE drastically. I'd already had Adonis to thank for one instance of that. Never again. Never EVER again. By the gods, I'd march into the Quasar Pyramid and attempt to destroy his Black Knight contract myself (or die trying) if Madam Fate ever crossed that line again.

Right. Off topic again. Callista. My bad.

"So...you...ready for this, Dr. Brighton?"

"It's technically Dr. O'Conner but...I'm one to appreciate the nostalgia of a maiden name."

"Yeah, but that's not what--"

"Don't worry.  I'm sure Toriel and I will get along just fine.  And besides...don't you have a little trump card still saved to your cloud storage photos after all this time?  You know the picture.  You show that to Toriel, and she'll be absolute putty.  I know I about melted on the spot.  I couldn't stop gushing over it for weeks."

I knew which one she meant. Which transitions nicely into the next candidate to visit.

The Delta Rune (not the dreamscape, mind you but the family crest) was a reminder of the prophecy. That legend speaking of an angel that would set all monsters free. A prophecy which had...ultimately come to pass.

I wonder what I invited up us all bringing an ACTUAL angel to their world? Aside from the fact that he looked like a human with wings......I honestly don't know where I'm going with this. There are too many things to consider.

"I'm honored you invited me to come, Commander."

"Yeah.  I think you should."

And there were still others I'd make the offer to. Who'd accept? Who's reject?

"Don't get your hopes up, sparks.  There's no bounty in it, you know.  Before you try to bribe me into it, just think about that for a bit.  Wouldn’t it cheapen things if you have to pay someone to show up to meet the Goat's Family?  Not exactly a friendship if it's based on a lie."

"Well.  The offer’s on the table.  But if this is what you're deciding...if you change your mind you're going to have to get there on your own means."

"I don't do long-lost families.  Can't say I've ever had a good family experience.  You of all people understand that."

"Mine were taken away.  I can't pretend to know what it's like to be rejected by one.  You spent a lifetime gathering those armor shards and distancing yourself from your old man.  I get it...or at least I'm trying to understand it.  Whatever the case...your choice and...Asriel will understand."

"Yeah."

Marcel delivered his own bad news.

"Sorry.  Can't do it.  I've got other commitments.  Honestly...I didn't think I was someone you'd consider to offer a chance to meet Asriel's folks.   I'm really not Ultra Crew Institute, you know."

"Yeah but...you jumped at the chance when Lupin III and Carmen Sandiego were involved."

"I still have my pride as a professional thief."

"That title has never really been officially be given to any of you."

"In due time.  I can wait.   Pretty sure they can as well."

Drew on the other hand.

"Sure.  I'll tag along, Boss.  Not really counting on their being a boating opportunity but...I am part of the UCIAT, after all."

Felicia tried to invite herself. I guess Jon couldn't really refuse her...though he certainly tried.

Some of them...we ended up having to rescind our offers in light of...incidents.

"...I'm beginning to suspect I'm doing hard time for something that may actually be my fault." ALF complained.

Gizmo attempted, in vain, to drag him back to his room.

"Probation period's still going." I pointed to my watch with a scowl. "Also you almost got handed the bill for damages to Las Vegas and the Mars base.  Consider yourself getting off easy."

All over the map we were narrowing it down.

Some...I didn't see coming until they landed in my lap.

"What?!"

"Sorry, Commander.  Bringing the boyfriend." Violet said as she planted a big wet one on Miyamoto Usagi's lips.

"Sure.  Why not.  Expend more energy resources." I said as I erased the calculations on the black board and started over, attempting to re-evaluate how much I'd have to upgrade the Mr. Fusion home energy conversion units to power each and every car for the ride.

By the time the day was over I was sure I had my expanded roster to a science:

Asriel would be leading off in the Delorean.

Bunnie would be riding along with me in the 57' Chevy

Violet and Usagi would be taking RDI-001.

Jon and Felicia would be riding with Sally and Lupe in WLS-002.

Mitzi would be driving CMD-X and carpooling with her would be Gadget and Rotor.

Callista, Scott, Drew, and Pit would  take Asriel's car. Azzy...really wanted to show it off to the folks and who better to trust it than his own parents.

As a final backup, I had the E.L.B. "Jules Verne" Time Train follow us by remote control. Just so we had an easy way up to the mouth of Mount Ebott. It was the first test I'd had with this modified version of Dr. Brown's remote control box that he had for the Delorean. Linking it to the Time Train? Yeah...Marty thought it was pretty genius, too.

Well. The prep was done and now we just had to wait to launch day.

The future wasn't coming. It was already here.

Sub-Entry 074:  "Transformers x Maverick Hunter":
No sooner had we resolved Hill Valley's and Cybertron's timeline did trouble arise again. While I have yet to explain exactly how we got out of that mess and fixed the timeline, I assure you that in due time, all will be made clear and all will be wrapped up and tied with a bow.

Past events in due time...current events now.

We'd had...encounters with the Mavericks before. Sigma certainly crashed the party in town during Evil Chara's sixth rampage through town. But we'd never really gone "full crossover" with them...until now.

It was one thing putting down Wily's eleventh attempt at world domination as a crew. But I'd always warned that compared to Wily's collection of bots, Mavericks were usually on a whole different level. I'd know a I'd clashed against them during Worlds Unite;  forever marked as a situation that in the end...nothing really got accomplished thanks to Xander Payne opening a portal back to the moment the Sigma Virus found his way to Sonic's World and took over Orbot's body........then promptly shooting him through the portal, thus erasing everything that happened afterward. In the time afterward I spent a lot of time questioning...why was I even there? And yes. As  an agent of S.T.C., even with him nullifying those events? I had total recall of both timelines where it split at that moment. Long story.

I got off track by rambling again. My point is that even with my help, the combined Freedom Fighters, Maverick Hunters, and the Light Family were no match for them until Sticks the Badger (from the Sonic Boom universe, mind you) brought help in the form of the Street Fighters. And still more and more teamups followed afterward.

If we were going up against Mavericks allied with the Decepticons? Yeah. We'd need help, too.

I sighed.

"This has been a long time coming, Goat Son."

"Yeah.  You've...certainly had experience with them what with both of your experiences with...the Project X-Zone incidents."

It was true. My team-up with Shinra could fill volumes. It was easily on par with Worlds Unite. With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With even discovering Who Framed Roger Rabbit way back when.

"Come on.  Let's renew old friendships and find out where current ones stand.

Yet another AU that resulted from Gozer's interference on Cybertron. Cleaning up Hill Valley's timeline allowed Doc, Marty, and Jennifer to go to 2015-A.

Amazing how very little their 2015 resembled most Earth realms at that same point in time. The only known Earth that had ACTUAL flying hoverboards, where Cholesterol was the cure for cancer, and all lawyers had been abolished.

"I've already sent a message ahead.  They're expecting us."

I opened the Cyber Gate and we both stepped through.

There we were. Abel City in some continuums. Neo Monsteropolis in others. New Mega City in still others. Truth be told...it was harder to keep track of which was the prime timeline or...at least the variant with the most number of things the same between timelines...between AU's.

I had to start reminding myself of the distinction between timelines an AU's. An AU can have many timelines. But one timeline can only exist in on AU. It may be paralleled in other AU's but...it wasn't the same timeline; just a closely matching one.

Really. Time travel was complicated. But dimensional travel complicated it further.

We got a few looks as we exited. There wasn't time to be discrete. You'd think by now...this world would know of us...of Ultra Crew Institute's legacy. You'd think SOMEONE would recognize the King of Crossovers.

I swear...sometimes our UltraVerse was guilty of the same crimes of many other worlds and universes: it couldn't remember its own continuity at times. And sometimes...I only WISHED it couldn't.

That moment of meta out of the way...

Abel City...or was it New Mega City? Or Neo Monsteropolis? I...can't keep track of our own AU's details anymore.

Whatever the case...yeah.

"Funny...maybe my memory is failing me, Goat Son but...the first time I came here I remember this city looking a lot more white in color with curving highways and blue sky."

"You sure you're not describing Monsteropolis back in the time of the Seventh War?  Granted the buildings were a lot more colorful but...what you're describing sounds a lot like--"

An awkward pause.

"Dropping the conversation?"

"Yeah.  We should." It really was going nowhere. We continued into the city through that green metal highway among the cloudy,  dirty purple dusk sky. Purple street lamps with elongated light fixtured draped over the length of the highway. Frankly I was just glad there was a 100% lack of Ball de Voux and Gunvolts tearing up the highway. Really didn't feel like blasting a Bee Blader or two either.

"Kind of expected the trouble to be here after eight wars and several skirmishes." Asriel pondered as he hovered his way as I mag-levitated my way. We were drawing...surprisingly little if any attention. Had the Crossover Wars really made the UltraVerse that blasé to us?

Wasn't that...a good thing?

"You're just now starting to realize it, aren't you, Volt?"

"Hmm?"

"My call to the whole UltraVerse opened a door that can't be closed.   Countless worlds now know of the existence of intelligent life.  We...we've sent a message that they're not alone...we're not alone."

"And now it all got smaller.  Again."

"Again?"

"This pattern was first recorded on Earth with the invention of the written language.  Then the printing press.  Then the mail.  Then the telephone and television.   Not to mention with all that came the practice of translating languages.  Then with the internet and video conferencing....the world became smaller."

"Oh.  I see what you're getting at.  Yeah.  And now that's happening on a galactic scale."

"Bigger than that.  Universal.  Multiversal.  The whole darn Omniverse."

"Yeah.  It's strange.   Long ago when I was about seven...maybe younger...I didn't think there was an outside world until I first heard the phrase "The Surface".  Then...Chara came and became my proof that there WAS a Surface.  Then........then..."

"Hey.  You're always telling me not to sweat the small stuff.  You have a lifetime to sort all that mess out.  Right?"

"Right."

And thus...we came to Maverick Hunter Headquarters. After a security check...one that wasn't as extensive had we been reploids. I think the general consensus was that we weren't going to "go Maverick" (Heh). We were given an audience with the Supreme Commander, Signas.

I'd always been careful about his name; its spelling always tripped up my brain getting me confused with a certain previous Commander...namely Sigma. To that end I always deliberately misspelled the current Commander's name as "Cygnus". but...that came into conflict with an FM-ian who used Tom Dubius to wave change into "Cygnus Wing". I can't win with this, can I?

"I'm glad you came promptly."

"What is this about, Commander, sir?" Asriel asked.

"You are no doubt familiar with the Sigma Virus."

"Yeah.   Records show that Belial Sigma was wiped out on the Moon just before Lumine revealed his plan and chose to go Maverick at will."

"His virus signature had completely disappeared from this world, without a trace so we concluded that it was no longer a concern.  Though we have put into law the legislation to outlaw the production, ownership, and use of Copy Chips, save for Axel on a special basis...X worries that mankind will be too eager to repeat their mistakes with the demand for space development increasing further...and thus the need for Next Generation Reploids."

"They'll never learn." I muttered. "However you said from this world.  But it isn't the first time Sigma's presence has been detected off world.  In fact...my own old case that ended in no actual resolution documented his escaped to the Lost Hex."

"Hmm?"

"Never mind.  The time loop would likely ensure that no one on your would likely remember the events of a now-defunct timeline."

"I will...take your word for it.  Your credibility has not steered us wrong in the past.  Though your explanation remains rather difficult to believe."

"At the risk of sounding rude.  Believe what you may.  It is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things."

"As you wish."

"So...what makes you suspect Sigma escaped to Cybertron?"

"I am unfamiliar with the world but...the rumors have spread from related parts of our galaxy.  Our inside info came from a reliable source."

I suspected the Commando Team may have had something to do with this. I know Captain Commando had inside connections going as far back as the "Namco x Capcom" incident and the later Project X-Zone incidents. No doubt Baby Commando had his genius infant fingers on the pulse of what was going on. It was also possible Sylphie had sold the info to Maverick Hunter......for a price. I practically expected her shop to erupted from the floor of Signas' office at that moment.

"Well, not to jump to conclusions, best friend but what HASN'T crossed over with Cybertron?  Gozer's presence has turned its timeline into a mess of split-ends."

"Nice metaphor.  And yeah...that does make it easy to suspect.  No doubt Kremzeek the Scavenger didn't help following in Gozer's wake.  And with Rumble making off with Emmett's DMC-12 prototype and turning Hill Valley into Doom Valley, no wonder we're in this predicament."

"If he has made contact with this world?"

"Same thing he always does.  Find a body to do his bidding.   And if that's the case I can almost appreciate the irony if he choses Starscream's."

"Hmm?" Signas arched an artificial brow.

"Dude." Asriel shook his head with a grin he was trying to force back. "Maybe HE'D know what it was like to be Waspinator waking up with a headache in his whole body."

"Waspy wasn't the first, mind you.  He overtook Cyclonus first after striking a deal with Octane." I reminded. Violet had certainly brushed us up on the G-1 Timeline.

It was at the time I noticed X, Zero, and Axl in the room and all of them CLEARLY had no idea what we were talking about. Zero kept his arms crossed as he leaned up against the pillar while looking over his shoulder. X just gave an opened palmed shrug as Axl rubbed the back of his helmet/head, maintaining a grip on his Axl Bullet gun.

"Nevertheless.  If Sigma is indeed off world, we cannot allow him to become someone else's problem."

"I agree with the Commander.  Whatever evil plan he's up to we won't let him get away with it." X was first to voice his opinion.

"We're going to be charging head first into someone else's war, X.  You gonna be okay with that?" Zero asked, not opening his eyes and keeping his head down.

"There's no time to be hesitant about it.  I've made that mistake in the past.  It almost cost me--"

"Yeah.  You don't need to say anymore.  He's made all three of us his obsession for too long.  Let's put an end to him for good." Zero opened his eyes and uncrossed his arms.

X and Zero bumped their forearms together in that moment of comradery I'd come to recognize. First during their reunion in the Sixth War. Again in their moment during the Marvel vs. Capcom Infinity incident.

"Line em' up I say!  I can't wait to put a few bullets through their skid plates." Axel was already sounding as cocky as ever.

"Your deployment is authorized.  Handle this case as you see fit.  Use discretion if possible.  But don't hesitate to pull the trigger if it comes to that."

"I won't fail." X saluted.

"I don't care how big they are.  We've beaten bigger.  General.  Lumina.  Sigma bodies.  There's not a Maverick alive that can take us down."

"Don't you sound confident." Axl prodded.

"We'll need to hook up with our allies, the Autobots, and find out what's going on.  Maybe we can learn more before the Mavericks and the Decepticons can make a move."

And so...

Our flashy teleport entrance...actually surprised no one. It was apparently not much different than a Cybertronian Space Bridge.

"Hey...you remember what you said about how it didn't matter how big they were...?" Axl looked upward at Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots.

"You think that's big, you should see Ultra Magnus."

"You mean they get even bigger?!"

"You're totally not ready for Omega Supreme." Asriel crossed his arms.

"Or Metroplex."

"Should we bring up Fortress Maximus?" I put my hands to my hips smugly. "You know...Unicron the Destroyer God was the size of a PLANET!"

"Okay, enough you too.  Stop trying to intimidate Axl." X spoke up.

"I'm not intimidated!" Axl protested.

Zero just smirked.

"Optimus Prime.  I am Commander X of the 17th Unit of the Maverick Hunters.  These are my partners and friends--Zero, Commander of the 000 Special Class Unit of the Maverick Hunters."

"Also known as the Shinobi Unit."

"And this is Axl, a new generation reploid prototype and fellow hunter."

"I won't be rookie for much longer."

"The rest of my team are already getting acquainted with yours."

Over yonder, Ratchet was already in a grumpy mood and staring down an even grumpier Lifesaver.

And by his workshop, Wheeljack was already fast friends with engineer, Douglass.

"...and this is a cosmotron--"

"Amazing!  Um...what does it do."

"It's eh..a little complicated but I'll try to break it down for you.  I mean, c'mon!  I'm the Autobot's brilliant technical engineer."

"All except for the part where he left out that minor problem with giving the Dinobots simple brains." Violet trolled.

"What was that!?" Wheeljack snapped.

And what would be a bonding experience without the females getting to know each other.

"So you're navigators?"

"Yes.  We operate behind the scenes and report on obstacles, secrets, and boss strategies during missions to the Maverick Hunters."

"But you are outfitted for combat, yes?" Arcee asked.

"Well...yes, we do have weapon system installed." Layer seemed a bit uneasy.

"You bet your bolts we do!  We can kick but as well as any of those guys over there!" Palette wedged her way into the conversation.

"It's...not really a requirement but if they should need backup." I could almost see Layer's cheeks blush.

"You have good reason to be concerned.  Megatron has been too quiet.  However, I must ask.  Are you certain this "Sigma" has escaped to our world?"

"There's no doubt about it.  High Empress of Space, Time, and Dimension, Daimyou has indeed confirmed a viral echo matching Sigma's energy signature through the Circuits of Time after shorting across multiple nodes in the Axis of Reality.  While the point of origin remains unclear, she is investigating ever angle." I explained.

"How could this happen?" X inquired.

"I don't know.  Maverick Hunter confirmed that Belial Sigma's remains were completely vaporized and all traces of his program were erased.  Virus readings were absolutely non-existent!" Douglass flailed.

"Calm down, Douglass." Lifesaver growled.

"Your friend is too excitable.  Too much Energon in the fuel tank?"

"Not so much." Lifesaver grumbled. "Also, I do not know what Energon is.  Do you mean energen crystal?"

"Not so much." Ratchet countered dryly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Chances are we're going to see a lot of familiar patterns and tropes arise if Sigma is in cahoots with Megatron.  I suggest we start watching high value areas.  Likely we're going to see eight of them pop up on Teletran-1's radar."

"Eight?" Bumblebee inquired.

"You'll understand soon enough." I assured.

"So...we play the waiting game?" He asked a bit, on edge.

"Right now all we can do is actively scan and gather more information until we know what their plan even is."

"Nuts to that!  I can't stick around here in one place!" Hot Rod quickly transformed and jetted out.

"Hey!  Come back here you--"  Kup protested before being about run down. "Turbo-revving' young punk!  I'll straighten you out yet!"

Asriel and I looked at each other.

"Not saying anything." He held his hands up in an "I'm done with this before it even begins" manner.

I shook my head.

"Hey...where's Axl?" Palette asked.

"Oh no..." X moaned.

"Gonna stop you before you say "he didn't".  Because he totally did."

"They're too much alike!"

Meanwhile...

"I tire of these delays.  Do not test my patience." Starscream growled.

Sigma cackled in response. "Ye of little faith.  Some have insight as to what holds them back...and then there are those who fail to understand their own limitations."

"Mock me at your own risk!  It was I who generously provided you with a proper Cybertronian body as an act of good faith, despite your insistence on using my own body as your temporary residence."

"The wise leader learns humility before he seeks the respect of his future followers.  What you suffered was merely temporary."

"But Megatron COULD HAVE SLAGGED ME FOR YOUR ISOLENT DISPLAY OF BUFFOONERY!"

"You don't seem to share my capacity for levity in spite of an unfavorable situation.  You are too much like X it's almost amusing."

"One more word and I'll blast your vocoder into SPACE ATOMIS!!!!"

"And how would Lord Megatron react to eliminating a powerful ally and resource hastily without learning of what he may be offered in return?  Go ahead and terminate me if you feel yourself capable.  As an Ancient Earth despot once put it: death is but a door, time is but a window.  I will return in a new form.  One which will most certainly bear witness as your spark extinguishes and you find yourself in the fabled Pit your Decepticon Culture speaks of.   There is no promised land for those who turn from the path of Primus.  Am I wrong?"

"How dare you speak of things you know nothing of---"

"STARSCREAM!"

"...!!!"

"Ahhhh.  Lord Megatron.  Your Supreme Air Commander has some...thoughts on our alliance."

"I no doubt he does..." Megatron growled before grabbing Starscream by the throat.

"It may be indeed true that Sigma has not yet proven his loyalty but compared to you, he has  yet to prove his deception.  Your ambition has cost the war against the Autobots more ground in a single botched mission than all of my Decepticons have done collectively in the past 65 million years!  He treads lightly; all the more reason to keep him close.  But you tread without heed, your vocoder circuits constantly overloading your own skid plate--reason enough to keep you even closer.  And as long as you're kept within my grasp, you will remain on your leash and suffer as much indignity as I see fit.  Do I make myself CLEEEEEAR!?!?"

"Y-y-yes, M-Megatron!"

With that Starscream was prompted tossed into the far wall with a sickening crunch, followed by sprays of sparks and blasts from the broken panels and circuitry in the wall behind him before he crumpled to the floor.

"I humbly offer gratitude for the proper upgrade.  This body suits me well--it easily outclasses the likes of my Kaiser, W, and Colossus bodies...combined.  Rest assured, Lord Megatron; it would behoove me to show an act of faith to prove the Maverick alliance in return for such generosity."

"Make no mistake.  While I do grant you mercy, I do not forgive traitors."

"As you should not.  I have punished more than my fair share of interlopers.  Allow me to tell you of the likes of Berkana and Gate..."

Sigma wisely left out his tale of being betrayed by Lumine.

And before long...

"If Axl were still here, he'd be asking how much longer the upgrades would be."

"He needs to learn patience, Zero." X assured as Wheeljack continued to work.

"Are you sure this is the armor set you want to snazz up?"

"The Fourth Armor served me well during the Repliforce War.  And while the reproduction was incomplete and lacked all of the functionality of the original, it was an asset during the Eurasia Colony disaster."

"Alright, m'boy.  You're all set.  I even restored that Power Generator function in your helmet part.  Annnnd, I even gave you a little something in front to make it official."

X hopped off the table with a steely clank. The red Autobot shield on the very front of his Force Armor gleamed for a moment.

"Gonna have to get used to this."

"If need be you can have it removed afterward.  The shield is only symbolic but the alliance we forge today carries on, always." Prime assured.

Dr. Cain tapped his cane against the floor as Spark Plug and Spike Witwicky stood with him.

"It might draw some questions back home.  It is for the best.  But while we are here, the Maverick Hunters will not let them be so much as tarnished.  You have my word." Cain assured.

"Yeah.  This team-up feels official.  Everything is going as it should." I crossed my arms.

"Every trope in place...including--"  Asriel suddenly whirled and opened fire. An angry metal squawk sounded out.

"Lazerbeak!" Bumblebee shouted as soon as he saw the casetticon buzzard escape from his perch in the shadows.

"I had a feeling we'd repeat THIS old song-and dance again..." I started before I dove and rolled like a log; both plasma vulcans out and raining spiraling downpours of plasma, striking something else, hiding beside Teletran-1 and extracting data through cables that quickly retracted as it backed off with an angry, mechanical feline hiss.

"...but we're leading this round, Ravage!"

"Megatron's got us under surveillance!" Perceptor cried out as he dodged Ravage's missiles after they went astray.

"Brilliant deduction!  I guess you have half a meta-processor in ya!"

I know that voice! Come out, Frenzy!"  Violet called out.

"You eggheads are always spoiling the surprise."

"Nah.  Spoiling the surprise comes next!" Vi looked over her shoulder.

"If into my territory you should tumble, look out, nerds!  Here comes Rumble--"  Rumble started to gloat to himself as he prepared his sneak attack.

Then he found himself stumbling before falling flat on his back before looking up at the form of Bunnie Rabbotou using her Seismic Quake D-chips.

"HEY!  THAT'S NO FAAAAAAAAAAIR!"

"There were no rules laid down beforehand, thus it was a valid pre-emptive strike."

It was about that time Violet managed to literally get the drop on Ratbat from above, using him as a surfboard while grabbing his wings.

"Be a nice flying rodent and land or the answer to the question of whether I want a piece of you is going to be 'no, I want THREE'!"

And she quickly surfed the bat Decepticon into the floor, tearing a gash into it with an angry bat squeal.

Before long we rounded up all the spies.

"Come out, Soundwave.  I know you're here." Asriel boomed.

After a few moments and that familiar transformation sound; Soundwave mass-changed back to his towering Decepticon form.

"Operation surveillance aborted.  Conclusion: mission failure."

"So you CAN say something actually worthwhile." Violet trolled.

"Here's what's going to happen, Soundwave.  You're going to retreat back to Megatron but you're relinquishing the data you've downloaded as well as the surveillance your goon squad have gathered.  Do that and it doesn't get back to Megatron that his number one actually screwed up.  I'm sure Starscream would never let you here the end of it."

"Negotiation terms rejected.  Reputation with Lord Megatron inconsequential.  Status as communications officer not endangered.  Your bargaining posture is ineffective."

"Wow.  That's some loyalty for you.  He'd rather take his lumps on the metal-wrapped chin than ever betray Megatron."

"Well then.  A trade?  Leave behind the info and I don't use Ratbat as a wish bone."

"Personally I don't like holding an enemy as a hostage.  It's not very heroic." Asriel pointed his blades at Ravage. I knew Goat Son was bluffing but I was sure Violet wasn't. Asriel was too straightlaced to ever play dirty. Vi on the other hand didn't care.

"I know you don't care about yourself but your Cassetticons...that's another story." Violet's bionic exoskeleton that she slipped on, wasn't subtle about that Stark Industries logo. But what was subtle was how much of a force multiplier it was on her overall strength and how well she was hiding it. There was no bluff about it. She literally could tear Ratbat limb from limb with this suit of armor un underneath her outfit.

Soundwave was hesitating.

"You know what...I'll may the decision FOR YOU!" Zero had drawn back with his  K. Knuckle and mashed it into the oversized buttons underneath Soundwave's docking bay.

"My tapes!  You've erased my tapes!"

"Go back to Megatron in failure.'  Prime's buster rifle fired a warning shot.

Moments passed before Soundwave responded. "Ultimatum...acknowledged.  Withdrawing forces immediately." He clicked on his eject switch, opening his bay; as all of his Cassetticons transformed and docked into his chest compartment.

"You wear defeat well, Soundwave.  Don't take it personally." Zero taunted.

"But we're not letting you have an advantage over us before the real battle begins." X stared him down,  all four barrels of the Stock X-Buster energized, and each loaded with a charge shot.

Soundwave clicked on his emergency distress beacon and he quickly retreated out of the ARK's main entrance before transforming into his tape recorder form. As a final note to show that he would not abandon his pride, he played a familiar outro theme moments before his voice echoed throughout the area.

"DECEPTICONS...FOREVER!"

"Nice work, Maverick Hunters.  Ultra Crew Institute."

"We just scored some payback for when Soundwave and his cronies made us look like schmucks.  I am in such a good mood." Violet grinned.

"Do not get overconfident.  Poking the bear only angers him and guarantees a far more vicious counter-strike." Bunnie warned.

"And not a moment too soon.  We've got Maverick readings all over the map.  Eight in all."

"Called it."

"Then let's get to work and take them down.  Autobots!  Transform and roll out!"

"Hunters!  Ultra Crew Institute!  Load up with the Autobots!"

X took his place in Optimus Prime's driver's side seat. Zero get behind the wheel of Sideswipe.

Asriel picked Sunstreaker; feeling I wouldn't be able to deal with his vain streak as well as he could.

I picked Jazz. Bunnie chose Mirage. Violet went with Bluestreak. Alia, Layer, and Palette rode with Arcee, Moonracer, and Chromia.

We all spread out and took different targets. We did battle against Maverick and Decepticon alike. Of course...some of us even built up an arsenal in the process.

"You got: Cerebral Shell!"

"That's going to come in handy, X.  Bomb Shell's weapon can take control of minds."

"Sort of like Neurohack Mosquito.  I'd better use it wisely."

And...

"You Learned: Electro Scimitar."

"Never thought I'd see the day someone would make Blitzwing drop his weapon.  You're alright, kid."

"Heh.  I'm no mere kid.  And I can't wait to show you what I can do with other melee weapons besides my beam saber."

"A fightin' bot!  I can respect that."

And of course all over the map, the Decepticons weren't completely alone either.

"Just what did you think you were going to accomplish?" Asriel glared as he rested his foot on the chest of the fallen Chill Penguin--who was flailing on his back.

"I wouldn't expect a whelp like you to understand!"

"I understand enough.  Your greed is well documented in Maverick Hunter.  You sold out to Sigma for payment and then started licking the Decepticon's boots in the hopes of getting a bonus in Energon Cubes."

Penguin squawked angrily. "I'll freeze you into--"

The next thing he knew his throat was on fire and he was billowing flames out his mouth.

"I don't like hurting people.  Even robots.  But I like robots hurting other people even less.  Give up or get lit up."

"D...d...dr...drop...de--"

And then Penguin's eyes went white as the light poured out of them...then smoke poured out of them as well as his beak.

"I don't think I'll be doing that.  You had your chance to surrender peacefully.   Sleep for eternity.  Don't come back to life again."

All the while Sunstreaker hadn't stopped ranting about how the Shotgun Ice had ruined his paint.

Asriel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Sunny.  Just make left turns."

"You sound too much like Sides!" Sunstreaker whined.

"It's either that or let the other Autobots see that ugly gash in that lemony yellow paint job."

That shut him up.

Before we knew it.

"Anyone else feel like this Decepticon operation was too unorganized even with the Mavericks helping?"

"Agreed...this isn't Megatron's usual military strategy at work."

"It reeks of Starscream." I mused. "Which means we can be darn sure it's going to fall apart sooner than we can tear it apart."

"Let's make sure that happens and purge Sigma from this world, once and for all." X cycled through all the Maverick and Decepticon weapons he had collected.

"You've got quite an arsenal assembled from Megatron's ranks."

"Yeah!  Soundwave's sonic cannon, Thundercracker's sidewinders, the Stunticon's various guns." Wheeljack listed them off.

"And if you need to borrow any of ours, just say the word." Prowl assured.

"If it comes to that." X nodded.

"Has there been any contact from Axl?"

"He's been off radar for a while and so  has Hot Rod."

"What are those two up to."

"I hope they haven't gotten into any trouble."

"We'd better diffuse that trouble just in case.  We've tracked the final coordinates to a new Decepticon base.  It seems heavily modified."

"I shouldn't be surprised.  It's made up of parts of the X-Hunter fortress." X scowled. "Then we can expect some old mechaniloids in addition to Decepticon and Maverick ranks."

"Let's roll, team."

Optimus Prime led the convoy and we let nothing stand in our way.

"Sigma's going down for sure this time." Zero kept his arms crossed.

"Can't wait to stick it to that specter general."

Specter general? Where had I heard that one before.

X cycled through weapons. N.  Ray, R. Splasher, G. Repulsor.........huh. N.R.G. Nah. Overthinking it.

The battles would indeed be long and grueling. And at one point it seemed like we were in over our heads.

"Yeah!  That's the way to do it!  I can't believe you get to be the one to put the lights out on the great Optimus Prime, Rumble!  Man, Starscream will never live it down--"

* KA-CHOOOM!*

"WHAAAAAAAA!" Frenzy tumbled end over end and landed flat on his back with sparks spewing from his shoulder.

"But...but why!?" He sputtered.

"Why?  Oh that's simple..." Rumble turned around as his voice started changing...then his shape started changing.

"I already took care of your friend just a little while ago."

"What in Cosmic Rust--"  Frenzy got out moments before he was plastered into the ground again by a storm of Axl Bullets. "...how....did you...do that!!?" Frenzy  fell into stasis lock; damaged but still functional.

"Maverick Hunter Intruder!" Soundwave managed to get out before he turned straight into Blaster's fist.

"Time we settled this once and for all, you poor excuse for a sound system!"

"All talk.  No shock."

"Then allow me to PROVIDE IT!" I let fly with a Lightstorm Ravage. Hearing Soundwave scream was...an experience. That vocoded mechanical voice was harsh on the ears at that volume. And just to add injury to insult...from off the top of a cliff drove one Autobot Hot Rod before he landed on flat on Soundwave for a final blow.

Hot Rod transformed. "Take that Decepti-bum!"

It all came to a head as Asriel and I managed to self destruct the Energon Facility's generators and escape.

"Autobot superior!  Decepticons INFERIOR!" Violet taunted as she slapped her behind before pulling her eyelid down with her other hand and sticking her tongue out. A classic anime burn.

But the real highlight was X landing the final blow using the anti-virus that Perceptor and Alia cooked up.

"You...couldn't...not......again.....new world.....my...children.......Energon Cubes........gahh.....ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And the blast wave was huge.

The Decepticons all lay about, damaged or in stasis lock. Starscream got to one knee, about to open his mouth to protest before he found his throat grabbed and choked for a few moments. he struggled to pull himself out of Megatron's grasp moments before Megatron slammed him head first into the ground. Starscream reached desperately for a dropped laser weapon only for Megatron to stomp on his hand, crushing it beneath his foot.

"You!  You are responsible for this!"

"It wasn't my fault!  Sigma!  He withheld valuable intel!  Soundwave failed to delivery proper reconnaissance!  I swear I was deceived!"

Megatron delivered a swift kick, sending Starscream tumbling over and over until he landed on his back.

"My Energen Crystal to Energon Cube conversion facility is up in smoke and you dare to pin this on our deceased ally and my communications officer!?  You are either LYING or YOU'RE STUPID!!!"

"I'M STUPID!  I'M STU-HU-HU-PIIIIIIIIIID!" Starscream sobbed.

Boy am I glad I'm not the one who'd attempt to fill his shoes.

Back at the ARK.

"You have all proven yourselves, incredible allies."

"Just goes to show that there's more to us than meets the eye." Asriel shrugged with a grin.

"Oh you had to go there..." I mused with a smile.

"It was our pleasure to assist, Optimus-sama." Bunnie bowed.

"And hey.  We got to stick it to that stupid virus again." Violet fist-pumped.

"Well.  I guess we head home now and wait for the next big adventure to fall into our laps up until..." I trailed off.

"Yeah...until..." Asriel nodded.

"Good luck in all of your endeavors, young Asriel."

"Until all are one, Prime.  Until all are one."

We headed off world and went our separate ways. X and the others would file their reports with Signas. I'm sure Axl would probably get some kind of a reprimand for going off on his own but...it would be mild at best.

The rest of us had other things to prepare for. In fact...something very big was happening the very next day...

Sub-Entry 075: "Graduation Day":
This was deja-vu again. Only it wasn't high school. It was college. It was Asriel with a degree or two now. He'd pursued his major and a few minors and it finally came to fruition.

If he was going back home to Undertale, he was going as a graduate with a future too bright to witness without sunglasses.

Gods...there was no limit to just how proud I was of him. How any of us were of him.

This was the day. This was the day that officially started the rest of Asriel's life.

"I am so proud of you, my humble bundle."

"You did it, champ.  You made it.  Your future is so intensely bright.  I 'm so honored be your father."

"And I'm so proud to be your mother."

A moment of silence. Before either of them could speak next.

"I know.  Meeting the closest I have to birth parents isn't going to change anything.  It's just going to make our family bigger.  Who can honestly say they have two mothers and two fathers."

"The Arcade Foundation made this possible.  They gave you a chance to have this life.

"We Arcades believe in adoption.  Giving a child a chance to have a family and a futures isn't just a good idea...it's the ONLY moral choice."

"C'mon, Azzy.  Let's not get preachy on your big day." I urged. "Don't be late, now." I handed him his cap.

"That graduation gown.  You look great in purple."

"Yeah.  Runs in my family." Asriel smiled.

He hurried up and got to his place with the rest of his class.

Deja vu wasn't such a bad thing to have when it was a happy event like this.

Sometimes...you just wanted to re-live the same event another time in another way.

We were older, wiser, and the fruits of our labors were ripe and ready to pick.

If any of us had ANY regrets...they all melted away with this very scene that was about to play out.

We all gathered in the stands of the giant auditorium/gymnasium where many a basketball game had been played at the University.

To our credit, the Ultra Crew Founders themselves even came in person.

This was truly a red-letter date. Wasn't it, Emmett?

The ceremony was long and most certainly long-winded in many a case from the higher ups, the deans, and whatnot.

Many a time Bunnie had to jab Jon in the ribs to awaken him and prevent his snoring from disrupting the speeches.

I resisted the urge to tug at my collar. We'd all dressed so formal for this occasion. Hopefully we weren't overdressed. Were we overdressed? I really didn't want to embarrass Asriel on his big day--

"Commander.  Momentize."

Listen to the rabbit, Volt. Bunnie knew best.

Find your center, dude.

Kimiko Kazama's digital camera hadn't stopped taking photos since sitting down. How big was her memory card? Was it...too much of a stereotype for all the Jangese in our group to be shutterbugs? I sure didn't want to make that assumption based on overly used tropes and--

"Commander."

"Broadcasting my thoughts again?"

"Indeed.  And do not worry.  I would tell you if it were offensive."

Eheheheh...I really do want to just shut up now. Can you tell it's just nerves? Please assure me you understand how much I'm freaking about all this.

Callista's smile hadn't faded once though at the same time she was weeping. Her role as a mother was coming to an end now that Asriel was his own man.

Scott had...played the last round of catch with his son...for old time's sake...just to remember the good times way back from Azzy's 110-year-old days. He'd made up his mind. He'd shed no tears. He'd show no weakness. He'd keep his own confident grin. Much like Gol D. Roger didn't let his crew see him falter or cry even once when he bid them farewell at the end of their journey...this old soldier wasn't going to let his son see him vulnerable. Though inside...he was breaking.

Each of us was feeling our own mix of pride, happiness, sadness, and worry.

And then the moment came...

"I'm pleased to present this year's Valedictorian, Asriel Tobias Arcade."

By now...the Dreemurr sur-name was all but a memory. But that didn't matter now...what mattered was what Goat Son had to say...

Asriel unrolled his speech, cleared his throat and spoke:

"Students, faculty and parents...each year, as we students have the luxury of our dreams without the responsibilities of our sustenance.  Therefore, our gratitude must be with those who give us that freedom, without which we could not grow.  To our parents, I dedicate this..."

Then...surprisingly he folded up the paper and spoke from the heart.

"What I have to say next is impromptu and thus it comes from the heart and not from preparation; so that you may all know that it is sincere and not fabricated or borrowed.  I will speak to you now on three things--hope, dreams, and wishes.

Hope is...an intangible concept but by far the most powerful driving force human, nonhuman, and all forms of intelligent life--natural and artificial--can feel. It is fuel for an engine. An engine which drives a vehicle. That engine is determination. And that vehicle is our path toward the future, no matter what obstacles stand in our way. No matter how far into the ground life pounds us. No matter how bleak things look...even it if is just an ember...a weak, flickering ember...that spark...that hope is all we may have and all we may need to get right back up and charge back with everything we have left. The power to change fate into destiny. The two sides of the same coin. And that coin often does not land in our favor. Too often does it start us off...far behind the starting line.

We come into this world as blank slates and thus equal. And we leave this world--our writings erased thus making us all equal again. We stand together during that time with points of origin and ended journeys and all in between--as different, unique, and numerous as the stars in the sky. It would do us all well to remember we are all made of the same elements, imbued with the same virtues--kindness, patience, integrity, bravery, justice, perseverance, and determination. In what varying degrees we choose to embrace or reject those is a choice each of us is presented with and makes our own. Our paths may be right or wrong but they become our paths to travel or turn back from.

I stand before you today as proof that fate is not something to believe in. That a given ends is not a path set in stone. Our destinies are ours to forge. The word destiny, itself, being derived from "destine"--to carve one's own path to a predetermined end. Howe we get there makes all the difference.

Fifteen years ago; a fate was forced upon me by the powers that be. That I would live and die, I would lament and cry as a martyr for a cause I was too young to fully understand. But I was a coward. I could not bring myself to do the deed that I was asked to do for the greater good. I was cast out into the darkness...but not because of my choice but because I had dared to defy Fate. I was punished for doing the right thing and I lost the determination to continue on the path.

But...someone picked me up and carried me to the door. Only I could open it. I did not want to...but...he convinced me that I should. And I did. By doing so I changed my destiny for the better. As all of us can should we find ourselves in the place I once was.

It is fifteen years later and I have seen my destiny and while I don't quite know what it is, I know what it is I can and what it is I can't do to get there.

This day marks a milestone; proof that my professors, my peers, my parents, my friends...all of you have given me the final toolbox...the final toolkit I need to carve out the ever-increasing, ever-hardening bedrock that stands in my path toward that destiny. All of us have been given those tools; each different in purpose and use for our intended careers. But all having the potential to lead us to great success if we make use of them with all our own potential.

It's been 15 long years since I rejected Fate's curse and sought out Destiny's salvation and the fire is still burning. The wax on the candle melts like tears. Nothing comes easy. I speak to you from experience as  dreamer. For you to understand what that means, you have to know what a dreamer is.

The road of the dreamer is indeed far more difficult than most. Dreams are often dismissed by the skeptics. By the logical. By those rooted in tradition...for tried-and-true practices without risk.

But as the saying goes...without some risk there can be no true reward. Dreamers are exposed to criticism and skepticism because we seemingly cannot provide tangible evidence of producing anything that will guarantee a steady paycheck or come without controversy. We are the pioneers that dare with the only blueprints in our heads and in our hearts. We give the inspiration to the engineers and the technicians, the planners, and the builders to find the way to make the impossible work. Without dreamers, the masterpieces of many an art in the grandest of museums would not exist. Without dreamers, the greatest symphonies would never have been composed. And without dreamers, the greatest inventions--from the light bulb to the cell phone would not have been made reality. We saw a better way. We stood against those who doubted our daydreams. And we defied those who told us who told us that they couldn't be done. A dream is the aura of our very souls. And only we can choose to extinguish that dream. I urge you...I beg you never to let a dream truly die. It is, even if seemingly impossible to accomplish...part of our very identity.

And finally...wishes. The wisdom of the ages has had much to say about wishes. We often are warned about the dangers of wishes--"be careful what you wish for, you just might get it'; "wishes are dangerous"; "you shouldn't wish for what you don't have until you appreciate what you do have"; and so on.  But wishes aren't all bad.  Wishes are another form of motivator.  It's not the blueprint but the concept...just a simple aspiration of what could be.   We nurture that aspiration...develop it into something we'd like to make our reality; if by miracle or our own two hands.  A wish is a tool in itself.  It is neither good nor bad.  A situation can turn it either way...dark or light.  What can be our hope can become a nightmare an thus enduring it becomes a life lesson.  But what can also be a hope can be a change in our life that we really need.  Maybe not even for our sake but for someone close to us.  Whatever the case may be...a wish is as much a responsibility as our hopes and our dreams. Even if your intentions are pure, they can backfire drastically. There are no guarantees...only possibilities. And even if they do explode, it's not the end of the world. We pick up the pieces. We try again. If absolutely necessary...we change our hope...change our dream...and change our wish without completely abandoning it. With failures comes wisdom. With wisdom comes experience. And with experience...our lives are enriched and become more precious with time and effort.

Today is an important day for all of us. It's a turning point, a time to realize that it's time to stop being children, a time to take charge of our lives and our destinies. This is the time to believe in ourselves or leave our dreams behind. Thank you."

There was only a moment's silence as the whole stadium was stunned for just a heartbeat. Then the applause began and built. And before long...it was a standing ovation that lasted several minutes for Asriel.

"Oh my god..." I uttered. He had metaphorically floored me with that speech. There was no doubt. There was no second-guessing it. Asriel has surpassed Asgore as an orator. His speech was long and it was magnanimous...and somehow it wasn't long-winded. It hit its bullet points and refined them. I knew exactly who the man before me was.

Now that man had completely opened the gates to his future.

The closing ceremonies were under way and before we knew it all wound down and everyone was going their separate ways.

Asriel only took a moment to be mobbed by some of his college friends and a few moments to slip away from some of the girl who still though they could steal him away for a date.

Scott took a deep breath and sighed.

"You knocked it out of the park, champ."

"I'm...*sniff*...so proud of you." Callie hugged him.

Azzy didn't protest. He didn't care who saw it. He just accepted the embrace and returned it.

"Asriel...that speech."

"Yeah.  Well...y'know."

"You're underselling it, man!" Violet protested.

"Violet.   This is his moment.  Let him enjoy it in his own way.  Not yours."

"Thanks, Bunnie.  But yeah...I can dress it up as much as I want but...I pulled it off by the seat of my pants.  It really was just on-the-spot.  I had a lot to say and...summarized it as best I could.  I just spit it out and that was that."

"You're a natural, kid." Sally one-arm hugged him.

"So.  I guess...that's all our affairs, taken care of.  With the exception of any last-minute missions and such...we finish final packings and get ready to head to Undertale."

"Yeah.  But...that comes soon enough.  For now...we got an afterparty to host." Mitzi beamed.

"You know...I could use celebration right now.  And a pizza."

"To Rock-Afire Pizzaria?"

"You know it.  Then...to the parents' place and wind down before the first day of the rest of my life."

"Deal."

"Well...here's to hopes, dreams, and wishes."

"To hopes, dreams, and wishes."

Sub-Entry 076: "Pole Position!  Reviving the Road Show":
We'd all been doing our thing to get ready for our departure to Undertale. But of us...Violet had been the most preoccupied.

At first I thought it was related but then...

"Hmm?" I noticed Vi left one of her tablets out and left it running so I didn't need to input the security code or use a fingerprint to unlock it. She had overclocked its firmware and modded it so many times it could stay on all and night without the screen dimming. And with whatever film battery prototype she was testing on it...probably not have to recharge it for at least a week.

"What's this...?"

For the longest time Vi had danced around the source code for RDI-001's and WLS-002's onboard NavComputer A.I.'s. Anyone who was anyone could just stick a basic GPS in there and call it a day. But not Vi.

She had to go the extra mile. And she'd been coding these things for ages.

Yet I'd always get the impression that...she was constantly hitting walls and taking detours...only to hit more walls. I think...her frustration had been building for some time as...there was no way her pride was going to allow her to let her reputation be even remotely smudged by something like this.

Alas...solutions weren't exactly jumping out at her. No doubt Dr. K had offered a suggestion or two. Jeremy Belpois was not short on ideas. And Hell...even Light Labs had to have SOMETHING for her to springboard off of.

But no.

Violet, without saying it, had always left me with the impression...the only solution could be found back in the 1980's when "2P" was still in operation. Y'know let's not beat around the bush and stop calling it by its code name and call it by its cover name. Pole Position.

Anyone who grew up in the time after the 1970's and into the early 80's most certainly recognizes the phrase from arcades back in the day. A nice generation 2 stand-alone coin-op racing game. One that pretty much DEFINED the generation. Though judging from the fact that its cars were Formula-1 type and not Daytona stock car or other breed of racing vehicle, you'd have to scratch your head and wonder what THAT game had to do with the secret force of Pole Position that the Arcade Foundation had funded way back in the day.

Well...in our world's case, Pole Position wasn't so much as a race...as a stunt show. No, that's inaccurate. The stunt show was...its cover story.

I'd introduced their names before but the Darett family  (Get it?  As in "dare it"?  Yeah, in the words of Guru Larry,  I'll get my coat...) has had a long history with working for the government as secret agents while maintaining the cover of professional road show stunt drivers. Their cars, "Roadie" and "Wheels" became the blueprint for our own RDI-001 and WLS-002 even down the make, model, paint scheme...everything.

Everything except the working A.I.'s.

I don’t' quite know HOW it was possible we got working intelligent computers that could emulate human intelligence, speech, and interaction back then...but the secret certainly became lost while we were trying to develop Glitter.EXE's core in our own research labs among other projects that were related.

So many worlds made it possible like the self-contained RAM program, Max Headroom. So many that it was...embarrassing for us. But...humility was one thing we wore well when we trailed behind Mainland. The likes of Appra and Renalia  had made us look like fools all because we INSISTED on being careful so that we didn't end up with toxic whoopsies or giant robots mowing down city blocks like it was a Gundam training exercise.

I think based on this tablet...Violet had had enough. She was going back to the source. And I was going to have to reprimand her for using space-time travel without authorization if she was about to do what I think she was about to do.

Fortunately...life nipped this in the bud pre-emptively.

As it turned out...sometimes the past puts in a collect call that finally goes through. Reach out and touch someone much? Better late than never.

As it turned out...it was Asriel who discovered the long overdue message while cleaning out the system caches of the cyber gateway network when a Dimensional Rig became..."unclogged" so to speak and a message several decades displaced came through to us.

"What do you think?"

Daimyou was silent for a moment. Then uncrossed her arms and nodded. Yeah. She was giving me the okay to mobilize. Apparently...this was causing a problem in the past that needed to be rectified.

An unexplained phenomenon which left the last generation of Darrett’s--Tess and Dan...and their little sister, Daisy--mysteriously retired and disappeared for decades to come.

The more I read into the dossier she provided...the more I suspected foul play that had long since been buried underneath our own oversights. This...would not stand. It was time to unclog the past and put things on their right path. Though...was she sure about this? Was it really okay to change history that had come and gone like this?

Daimyou's wisdom had never failed me...not as the High Empress of Space, Time, and Dimension anymore than it had as Grand Master Bunnie Rabbotou.

So...we picked our team. Asriel and I decided to make use of RDI-001. Bunnie, Violet, Jon, and Sally took WLS-002.

Then we set the coordinates and headed to where the beacon had last placed the 2P Semi trailer.

You know...the allusions to Knight Rider couldn’t' be ignored even back then. No doubt someone had made the observation at least once that Pole Position and F.L.A.G. were all too similar. Add that to the Turbo Teen project and...well...take your pick from Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Royal Crown. Am I right?

The 80's definitely proved one thing...when you find a groove with a gimmick or a theme...you milk the heck out of it until there are too many spinoffs, knockoffs, and imitators than you can count until the generation got sick of it. Then bring it back 20 or 30 years later when retro was cool again. Wait for the inevitable reboot then pack them both in mothballs after running and rerunning them...and wait for the milestone anniversary to bring it all back in style and make a movie out of it or something.

Okay enough meta jokes. Time to get serious.

"All cars loaded up."

"So...this new Liquid C.R.T. paint?" Violet asked.

"A byproduct of an idea Hyperion once gave me offhandedly.  Turned out after researching the old V.I.P.E.R. project, I discovered the technology partially existed.  So I combined an old idea based in part on that ridiculous wearable computer kimono you wear, Vi...with the hexagonal nano-paneling of the V.I.P.E.R. chameleon system, added a touch of Wilton Knight's molecular-bonded shell, combined with a nano-colony system activated by a wireless 5G signal and a sophisticated app which I repurposed from one of your old throwaways."

"Presto-change-o custom paint job from a cell phone?  And you call ME the genius." Violet mused as she downloaded the app to her phone and made some...customizations to RDI-001.

I rolled my eyes as she incorporated her own kimono's color scheme and accessories into the new paint job.

"I should have known better to give her the second set of keys to the car..." I moaned.

"Even though I'm partial to blue, I'm keeping WLS-001's paint job the same...but adding only one minor detail."

I quickly noticed the familiar Sonic the Hedgehog emblems as signature icons on the hub cabs, the hood ornament and here and there in spots.

"At least you show restraint, Sally."

Sally just shrugged.

"Y'know there's something just right about driving a Ford Mustang."

"You know it, "Mustang Sally"."

"Okay we've pounded that song reference into the ground.  Let's just get going." I got in the front seat with Azzy taking the passenger's side.

Sally took the driver's side of the car with Bunnie taking shotgun. Violet and Jon took the back seat.

"Coordinates set." Asriel checked the consoles.

"Rings active." I checked ahead down the road out of the city from where the vehicle bay emptied out into the street. "Once we're out of the city limits, I'll queue up our destination before we hit the gates."

"Roger that." Sally acknowledged.

"Three...two...one...launch."

The emergency flashers and such activated outside the building as the railway dividers switched over, rerouting traffic and providing us with a clear route out of the city.

Honestly it was something like out of a Super Sentai Tokusatsu TV series; one of those rubber suit hero shows with the impossibly giant robot car or other vehicles taking up entire city streets or switching out hidden ramps and such to deploy mecha suddenly and rapidly.

"City limits reached.  Accessing Cyber Gate system.  Three...two...one....opening!

The gates opened and we were soon flung back to our destination, wherever and whenever that might be...

And there we were. Back in the 80's, approaching our destination some miles away from our entry point.

And of course Violet had to up and ruin the driving experience.

"They're movin' real fast, they're the only ones who can get there on time!

And never too far behind, they're always fighting crime!

On the curve or a face in adventure in the danger zone

Pretty soon they'll be off on a mission! Come and watch them goooo!

(POLE POSITIOOOOOON!)  What's behind this road show?

(POLE POSITIOOOOOON!)  What's behind this road show?

(POLE POSITIOOOOOON!)  Only their uncle knows!

(POLE POSITIOOOOOON!)  Sit back and watch them goooooo!

Hey-O! Hey-O! Hey-O! Hey-O! Hey-O!"

Before I could think about face-palming.

"I like iiiiiit!" Sally fist-pumped.

"Yeah!" Asriel followed up.

"Ohhh...you guys..."

Not gonna win this one. The group has spoken.

In all seriousness though, Asriel did decide to get pre-emptive and figure out what was going on.

"This is UCIAT, alpha unit code 1-9-8-4, authorization: November, Alpha, March, Charlie, October.  Come in, 2P."

"This is a restricted channel.  Your authorization code checks out but your I.D. doesn't.  Identify yourself."

"Ultra Crew Institute Action Team agent Asriel Arcade reporting."

"There is no one in the UCIAT personnel roster by that name."

"It's a long story, but I assure you we're on the up and up.  Relay message to UCIAT headquarters under the priority channel, codeword: "Pooky's Wash Day".

Radio silence for several minutes.

"Your authorization checks out but your bosses really want to know who you are to know that password.   What's going on?"

"No time to explain.  Just that it concerns the 2P project and we believe your agents may be in danger."

"How can you be certain."

"I cannot reveal that information at this time, Dr. Darrett.  Just trust me when I say the ripples of what's about to go down will be felt for ages."

"I'm...not sure what you mean.  But alright.  I'll trust you.  Please.  Keep my nieces and nephew safe."

The transmission cut out.

"You did your homework, Goat Son." I congratulated.

"Admittedly, I'm a little anxious to see what Tess and Dan looked like in their prime."

"Not only that, you get to meet little Daisy...AND the real Kuma."

"The real Kuma..." Asriel murmured for a moment, remembering Violet's virtual matter-wave pet.

By this time we were seeing civilization...and soon a very large outdoor stadium.

"Stunt show...man, I can never get too many of these." Sally mused. "Ripper doesn't know what he's missing."

"And we're going to KEEP it that way or Chameleon is going to jam your Overdrive Sandals down my throat and tie us both to the back of a speeding bus!" I cautioned.

"Well I can't argue with you when you're right.  Even I can't trust Ripper to keep his adrenaline rushes under control."

"I've already coughing up the cash for the tickets.  Best hope they're not sold out." Vi mused as she fanned herself with the money stack.

"Cut that out." Bunnie grumbled.

"Remember, the road show is just the cover story.  The real story behind the scenes is what we're after.  Their night jobs, if you will."

"Hey anyone notice that the radio stations all suddenly turned all...funky synthesizer?  Dang I haven't heard that much electronic moog bass in ages." Sally cocked her head.

"It is catchy." Jon mused.

"Disguises up, everyone.  That means demorph and get a pair of shoes on, Jon."

"Aww....even in my human form, shoes squish my toes!" Jon whined.

"I love it when you talk dirty!" Violet mused.

"Urusai, baka." Bunnie hit Vi over the head with a tessan fan.

And soon, once parked (and now sporting the most obnoxious civilian incognito disguises our cars could possibly dial up...).

"Did you have to go with that, Vi?"

"C'mon.  You're going to tell me someone's going to see through a half-arsed fan-made cosplay?"

"Uh.  Yeah.  That's why it's half-effort!  Anyone with half a brain--"

"From OUR era, Commander.  Anyone from this era isn't gonna figure it out!" Vi shrugged.

I sighed. "Not that you'll have reception back in this time, but put your cell phones on silence anyway.  We don't want to risk even the most unconventional electronic pulse or wave setting them off for any reason."

"Done, Commander." Sally said after donning her more traditional racing flight suit. Bunnie and Violet had quick-changed into more civilian garb. Most certainly because a silk kimono and a training gi were going to stand out. I reluctantly put the lab coat away and had gone with something closer to what Egon Spengler wore in his downtime, out of Ghostbuster jumpsuit.

Even Azzy had his usual college duds on. Leaving Jon to his familiar old purple suit and slip-on shoes. But really...he could have done something about that spiky blond Goku hair, right?

We took our seats, Jon taking a moment to load up on snacks and sodas.

"What?  You said to blend in."

I shook my head and we all kept our eyes on the road show. Asriel and Sally both used a set of our high-tech binoculars to zero in on our key members and their equipment.

There was indeed the NAMCO semi. And of course the cars in question...Roadie and Wheels. Perfect doppelgangers of what we drove to this world; except their paint schemes were the default...and genuine at that. If ever a stranger contrast between futuristic...and classic.

The outer track was a pretty standard oval loop. But inside the track off the branches...series of corkscrew tracks, loop-de-loops, twin twisting full pipes like twin dragons, ramps,  jumps, and roller coaster tracks. Was this a stunt show or an impending death sentence? This put the track Asriel took me through after getting his license to shame!

"That's nuts!" Jon gaped.

"Naw.  That's practice." Asriel cracked his knuckles with a Monkey D. Luffy grin.

"Hmm..." Bunnie zeroed in on the pit area behind the Semi where a red-haired, pig-tailed, green-eyed girl no more than seven was rooting for the two tracers. And next to her, perched on a stack of tires...a familiar spider-monkey/racoon hybrid.

Bunnie slow-smiled.

"Psst.  Bunnie." Asriel whispered as he slid his gaze to somewhere else in the stands. "You see that?"

Bunnie's moment of levity turned sour as she nodded. "We're not the only ones putting them under surveillance.

As the stunt-show continued.

"I'm also picking up a transmission.  It's Dr. Darrett from earlier.  He's contacting the drivers and it's something about a level 3 emergency."

"And I would guess that it is related to our spies in the audience." Bunnie growled. "My nano-assisted hearing overheard the white-haired one gloat that it'll be like taking candy from a baby."

"What a vile metaphor." Asriel growled as he remove the earpiece and clicked on the Pro Controller on his belt buckle.

"I'm keeping the NX Switch Pro out of view for now.  Let's not tip our hands.  We don't know what this is about, yet.  But..."

"We're going to find out I growled."

"Commander.  We can handle the surveillance.  Violet and Asriel keep watch over Daisy and Kuma.  Jon, you and Sally try and keep tabs on our interested parties in the audience."

Dan had already gone into the Semi's office. But Tess got stopped by the younger guy from the audience who quickly invited her to dinner.

Bunnie narrowed her eyes as she activated her Chroma Camo D-Chip; turning essentially invisible thanks to Nikita's latest optic cloaking developments. In her cybermorphed form, the risk of using it was practically zero. But a fully organic being...Dr. Lynx had her doubts about the possible toxic side effects.

She watched from the outside...while I arced into the power systems and kept tabs on the inside...

"Greg Dumont...?" Bunnie pondered the fact that Tess recognized them. A trusted friend, maybe...but what was it that was setting off Bunnie's sixth sense for danger?

Inside...

"Pole Position 2 to Pole Position 1."

"Dan.  Tess.  It appears as if someone has tapped into our computer systems and stolen the command codes to the Pole Position Cars."

I narrowed my eyes from within the serial port socket. Glitter.EXE had tagged along courtesy of Violet; existing in her digital form.

"It's cramped in this old school 80's computer system."

"This was top of the line back then." We communicated within the RAM bank closest to the socket.

"That means Roadie and Wheels are vulnerable to a take-over!" Dan gasped.

Outside, while Sally and Violet were entertaining Daisy and Kuma as fans...Violet was keeping an ear on my conversation with Glitter.EXE and by extension, Dr. Darrett.

"That and much worse.  All the information needed to destroy our computer system is stored in the memory banks of Roadie and Wheels."

"Dammit.  What were we thinking back then, keeping all our eggs in one basket!  I know that keeping them mobile makes them a harder target but...with computer hacking even way back when..." I scowled from within the cyberspace.

"If our enemies obtained this information, Pole Position would cease to exist."

Outside...Greg was listening in with a stethoscope.

Bunnie narrowed her eyes as she watched from her perch above the semi.

"Tess.  I want you to change the command codes on both cars to "Red-9"."

Bunnie narrowed her eyes further, knowing the enemy now had this information.

After Sally managed to get the promise of some autographs...nice one, Sal...Daisy decided to play around with Roadie and Wheels; removing their portable TV computer modules from the car, hoping to play some computer games with them. But Tess was already quick to put Dr. Zachary Darrett's command codes in place.

"Violet."

"Here, boss.  Heard everything."

"We've got trouble.  Someone overheard the new command codes.  We have to intercept.  I suspect that they're going to deliver the computer modules to our someone suspicious." Bunnie explained.

"Asriel.  Jon.  Report."

"Suspect got away.  He either knows he's being followed or suspects it."

"This all seems pretty cut and dry, guys." Sally said with an open palmed shrug.

"Yeah...and the name of the game is betrayal by an old flame." Vi snorted. "I have a realllll bad taste in my mouth from ex-boyfriends that do you dirty."

I crossed my arms. "I'm awaiting Zachary to get back to Asriel's call.  It looks like he's starting to come around to us being on the up and up.  Something went wrong in this time period that we never caught all these years and it completely shifted how things went for 2P before it folded up.  According to Daimyou, this change is critical and we have to put things back on track before the ripple effect finally does cause a problem."

"But why hasn't it already?" Jon asked.

"A ripple effect can take years or decades...or maybe never happen in a life time.  But Daimyou assures this one will.  It hasn't yet but when it does, it'll be serious and modern UCIAT can be crippled because of it."

"We can't catch a break with unknown edits to the time stream can we?" Asriel shrugged.

"Sally and I will go into town and watch over Tess and Greg.  Somehow he's going to pass off that information or use it himself." Bunnie folded her arms.

"Azzy and I will mind things around the Semi.  Violet and Jon watch the cars.  Ultra Crew Institute on three.

"THREE!"

While Daisy played house, using Roadie and Wheels' modules on roller platforms and dressed up with articles of human clothing (to be the mommy and the daddy. :p)...

As time dragged on, Dan had to put the modules back in the cars for recharging. But wouldn't you know it that Daisy would have trouble sleeping and decided to climb in the back of Wheels. Some kids needed a nightlight...others needed to be with a multi-million dollar government supercomputer built into a car's portable TV module.

All was going according to plan.

And then like the words of the immortal Mike Tyson went...everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

That's what happened. We got sucker-punched.

"Guys...you're going to hate this." Asriel contacted us as Jon was out in front, on all fours, growling.

Bunnie suddenly appeared as did Sally.

"Greg made off with one of the cars?" Sally asked.

"Oh yeah...but it gets worse." Asriel explained.

"What's going on out--"

"Your friend made off with Wheels and worse yet...Daisy's in the back."

"What!?"

"Oh no!"

"Suffice to say we're on the same team and it'll take too long to explain things but let's keep it simple and say we represent Ultra Crew Institute through the Arcade Foundation."

"Arcade Foundation?  Uncle Zachary mentioned that before."

"Time's wasting.  We got to go after them in the other car."

"Way ahead of you, chief." Sally pulled up in WLS-002.

"What the...!"

"We...have explaining to do another day.  But I think we'll catch them quicker if we have three sets of wheels."

Asriel pulled up in RDI-001.

"They're like Roadie and Wheels' clones." Dan gasped.

"But in used by the good guys.  We have to get Daisy back and that module."

"Ultra Crew!  Let's ride!"

So. One case of Murphy's Law seemed like it was a little light for Madam Fate.

Gods, I hate calling these things...because sure enough...

"...what happened?"

"The plan went to heck.  Dumont apparently let Daisy go and tried to take Wheels to his buyer....but...apparently Dumont's buyer wanted no witnesses.  And Dan was stupid enough to try a movie stunt to grab the helicopter and chase after her.  So now we got two kidnapped Darrett’s and Tess on the way with Kuma."

"I'll bet Dan's still hanging on." Violet crossed her arms. "If he thinks like a lot of the arrogant young adults his age, I have a feeling he's not going down without a fight but...it's gonna be painful if he lets go in midair.

"Tess already has a head start.  We got to catch up fast.  Violet, are you listening to me?"

"Violet?" Asriel peeked over. "What are you...coding...?"

"Insurance.  And a way out of this mess." Violet said as she dialed on an older car phone she had been tinkering with and quickly set it in the modem interface I recognized as the Weird Science one that had been saved from the X-Vault. Somehow Violet got her hands on it afterward when it showed up again somewhere else.

"Are you...?"

"Making a collect call so to speak.  To Doc Zack.  I think we have a way out of this."

Up ahead, Dan had managed to get shaken loose from the helicopter but make a soft landing in the passenger side seat of Roadie after Roadie popped the gull-wing door and let him in. Nice catch.

Our chase continued throughout the night and into the city at daybreak. And it became a wild ride for all of us--dodging garbage trucks and railway street cars.

I just now realized we were in San Francisco.

And now our travels were taking us into a subway tunnel...and straight into the path of a train coming in the opposite direction.

"Oh gods...Ripper is NEVER hearing about this..."

"Hey, Dan's right!  This IS just like the super-tube!" Sally grinned as she hit the Hovercraft option and slipped her way up the cylinder tunnel and above the train, upside-down.

"You realize whoever's at the end of this chase is baiting us into following Wheels, right?" Asriel questioned.

"Of course." Bunnie reasoned. "We know about this trap, yes?"

"And we still walked into it."

"We'll figure out the details soon enough.  Now get ready and crash though that billboard."

"WHAT!?!" Jon gaped.

"I know what I smell up ahead." I growled.

And instead of a crash through a brick wall...

"A secret passage!"

"Roadie put it best: when I say trust me, I mean trust me!" Sally grinned a cocky grin.

"Let's never do that again." Jon moaned.

"We might not get another chance." Asriel growled as all of our cars slid to a stop; all four inside a giant computer mainframe area. And guess who was waiting for us?

"Mr. Vance I presume!" I challenged.

"That's far enough, Ultra Crew Institute scum!"

You know...how were we being intimidated by a guy who didn't even have a gun?

Then again...how were we stupid enough to come in without ours drawn? Oh yeah...couldn't risk the kid's life, that was why. Shoot.

At some point...he managed us to convince us to drop the human disguises which...I had no idea how he even knew.

And what unfolded next couldn't have come out of Hollywood...or maybe it did.

A hostage situation and a double-cross? Yeah it looked obvious that Greg was an agent of Pole Position and had sold Dr. Zachary out...

But then...the twist.

And I'm not talking about the fact that Vance double-crossed Dumont over what seemed to be selling out secrets for money...

Roadie and Wheel's modules had been installed in his mainframe and it looked like he had all the information to destroy Pole Position and Dr. Zachary's whole body of work.

Then this happened:

"Please be gentle with Mr. Dumont." Zachary's image appeared on the mainframe from his office; his hands folded in a nonchalant, rather smug manner. He didn't sound concerned...he sounded amused like this was all a game. "He's one of my best agents."

What? Greg wasn't selling us out...he was selling Vance out! He was playing him the WHOLE TIME!? How did I not see this!

Violet smirked.

Annnnnnd of course Violet saw it a mile away. Dammit, you smarty pants.

"Mr. Vance, I would like this opportunity to inform you...you may now kiss your entire computer system goodbye."

"But...!  I don't understand!" Vance sputtered.

"Wait.  I think I do." Dan relaxed as he stepped away from about bashing Dumont's brains in.

"Uncle Zach rigged Roadie and Wheels to destroy YOUR computers.  And you, Dumont?  You're a great actor."

"It doesn't matter!  I still have the child!"

"It's too late, Vance.  Your computers will blow in 60 seconds."

"Ohhhh boy.  This old hat." Sally chuckled, cracking up. "Welll...let's make an exit." She shrugged and got behind the wheel of WLS-002.

"Wait!  Daisy!" Asriel gasped.

"Dan!  Tess!"

"I said BE QUIET!"

And that was when she had enough and stomped hard on his foot, forcing him to let her go and she quickly got the heck out of dodge.

"Daisy!  Run to the computer terminal!  Quickly!"

And with that she snatched up Roadie and Wheel's modules and started pressing buttons until she managed to put the trap door back in place, letting Dan and Greg charge ahead and take care of business.

"Get out now!  The police will pick up Vance outside the building!" By now the system was sparking and smoking badly. Daisy grabbed the modules and ran back to the cars. A quick install and we had five seconds to speed out of their like bats out of you-know-where!

Sure enough...we got out in time...and Vance got cuffed by the authorities.

"So Dr. Zachary Darrett planned the whole thing." I rubbed my temples.

"All except the part of Daisy getting kidnapped."

"Man, what a ride!  Best fun I've had all spring." Sally mused.

"You do bring out the adventurous side in me, old friend." Bunnie chuckled.

"So...what about you.  When are you going to explain all about...?"

"Maybe another day.  Suffice to say...Pole Position has its secrets...and Ultra Crew Institute has ours.   I don't think this world is ready to know the truth about aliens and genetic hybrids." I explained.

"But in the mean time, I'm glad we got this mess all cleared up." Asriel gave a thumbs-up.

"And the timeline." Jon muttered.

"Well...we'll be off."

And so we were. But while Dan, Daisy, and Kuma headed back to base...Tess and Greg had some...last moment things to sort out...and a load of angry drivers honking their horns as they stayed parked at the traffic light...

Sorry, Wheels. You may be Tess' main man, but there are some things even a computer can't do.

With that said...we returned home to a cleaned up timeline and apparently a lot of things that had gone wrong had been put right. I wonder if this was what Sam Beckett felt when Al told him how much he made the world a better place by changing the course of so many people's lives?

For now...I think we all got the high speed out of our systems. But Violet...managed to get something else in return.

"Is that...?"

"Dr. Zachary gave us the source code for Roadie and Wheels.  I can finally complete my work on the A.I. modules.  We got something better than GPS now!"

"You sly rabbit, you." I shook my head.

"Well.  Game Over for a while, guys.   Let's take a break.   What do you say?"

"I say...I'm outta quarters, Goat Son." I chuckled.

Little did I know...the game would continue in a different way...

Sub-Entry 077: "Into the Supercade":
Pole Position unknowingly opened a second doorway into the past and this time...it was completely on accident. This time we...weren't as prepared for it.

"Well...that sucked."

"You okay, Volt?"

"Yeah...where and when are we?"

"Don't know...but I'd say the circus is in town because...look who the star attraction is."

I glanced at the poster depicting a familiar goofy looking ape.

"Donkey Kong."

"Much to our relief, I'm pretty sure this one isn't big enough to climb skyscrapers with Faye Raye in his palm or trample Congo Land when an eggplant and a hippo are up to no good."

"Heh.  Nice.  But...if it's not the Videoland Interpretation then--"

We immediately got knocked to the ground as something blasted through the brick wall behind the poster.

"DONKEY KOOOOOOOOOOONG!" Was all I heard before I hit the ground and soon found a ring of cartoon barrels circling my head.

"Ugh...did anyone catch the number of that train that hit us?" I moaned.

"Not train...big monkey...!" Asriel pointed.

No sooner had we caught the backside of a hustling big ape making tracks while scattering banana peels with one hand while he hefted an unsteady stack of barrels on his other shoulder...somehow.

That was when someone in blue overalls and a red shirt and matching hat--

"M...Mario!?" Asriel gaped as the taller, thinner mustachioed person charged past us with a net.

"He's...not at all like Pit described."

"Considering we actually met Super Mario, I don't think that's the same one......or if it is, he's definitely younger and slimmer.  Someone hasn't been hitting the pasta yet.

And right behind Mario was a  pretty long-haired blond in a red dress and heels.

"Is that...Pauline?" I cocked my head. "But I thought Pauline was a brunette and Mayor of New Donk City..." I staggered to my feet.

I also realized Azzy and I hadn't hit our disguises yet. But as much of a hurry as those three were in...I seriously doubt they noticed.

"Azzy."

"Agreed." He hit the Unitrix as I demorphed. "Let's get answers."

But not far away...

"Gadget?"

"I'm okay, Pit.  Are you okay?"

"Yes.  I believe I am unharmed.  Where are we?"

"It looks a little like that New York place on those many Earths."

"Maybe we should see if we can contact your brother.  He was with us before we all disappeared when the Cyber Gates--"

"Went ker-plooey." Gadget rubbed the back of her head. She looked around.

"Huh...curious." She cocked her head at the poster of Donkey Kong...and the very obvious broken animal cage with the bars torn up from inside.

Having the common sense to don their disguises, the two of them laid low until they could get answers. Not so much as an answer but a clue did show up on their doorstep as they watched a sad chimpanzee with a sleeveless white shirt with a red "J" on it.

"You don't suppose that's...?" Pit started.

"Donkey Kong Junior?  I read about him in VideoLand's archives but never found photos or evidence of his existence.  Gadget rubbed her chin.

"Maybe if we follow him--"

"We'll get answers?  Yeah, good idea, Pit.  But we'd better hurry.  It looks like he and that human biker that dresses like the Fonze are already a couple wheels ahead of us!" Gadget pointed as the chimp took to the handlebars of the bike while the human got in the sidecar after putting on a helmet.

"...is it unusual for monkeys to do the driving while the person rides side-car?" Pit asked.

Gadget shrugged before taking out her skateboard and heading off after them.

And still elsewhere...

"Sorry I got you wrapped up in this.  I mean, you're not even Ultra Crew Institute but you got roped into this, old friend." Mitzi helped Dottie Dog up.

"No worries.  Though I am bummed that I'm not going to have proof of this wild story."

"Hey...what do you make of that?" Mitzi pointed at a very large frog in a turtle-neck sweater rushed across traffic toward the edge of town and across a swamp filled with logs and angry gators; dropping his papers as he ran into a house built into a tree trunk and slammed the door.

"I smell a scoop!" Dottie grinned.

Meanwhile Sally was running full tilt with Lupe chasing close behind in Cheetah Spirit meld.

"Think that guy ahead of us, trying to outrun the boulder has some clues on where we are?" Sally mused, nodding her head toward the guy in the khaki shorts, safari hat, and button-up safari shirt ahead of them. He was carrying a miniature treasure chest in his hand; balancing it like a waitress carrying a food order.

"I do not know but the natives are most certainly restless, Sally!" Lupe pointed ahead at some very ticked off pygmy natives in grass skirts carrying spears directly in the guy's path.

But what was also in the guy's path was a log resting on a large stone in the road.

The guy skidded to a stop on the end of the log, the spear tips in his face moments before the boulder behind him ended up landing on the other end and turning the whole log into a catapult and launching the dude straight up.

"Wow, what a move!" Sally admired.

"Most certainly a skilled adventurer.  Who is he?"

Moment's later the guy grabbed the under-railing of a helicopter directly above him. At its controls were a young woman in similar safari gear...and a goofy looking bipedal mountain lion?

"Will you look at that dung-eating grin?" Sally skidded to a stop and put her knuckles to her hips.

"Gotta admire that cockiness."

"Indeed.  But I do not believe we should stick around for long, lest the native decide we're more inviting targets."

"Right as always.  Let's see if we can chase down that copter and get directions out of here before we end up in a pitfall to nowhere."

Familiar...somehow.

And lastly.

"This place is weird...what kind of citizens are they?" Rotor ducked into the alley with Jon.

"It looks like it's out of the 50's but everything suggests 80's technology."

"Maybe that bloke can give us a few directions out of this place." Jon pointed at the orange fuzzball in a...red letterman jacket and high tops hurrying out of a house...but not running...but hopping a bunny-hop.

"I swear I've seen that guy before in the Videoland archives." Jon furrowed his brow.

"Bunnie would have an easier time recognizing him if he is in the archives.  She's studied more about the old school than any of us." Rotor rubbed a tusk.

"Might be worth a shot." Jon shrugged.

"I think we better make it a rush job.  I don't like the way that cobra creature in the black leather biker get-up is hiding behind that lamp post and spying on him.

"And that he's sneaking up on him, too." Jon growled. "Also...I know this is going to bug me unless I ask but...does no one here believe in walking?" He cocked his head as he watched the snail coil up its tail and bounce his way after the orange puffball with the trumpeting nose...hole thing.

"I think it's more the lack of legs for that guy.  Don't know what the other guy's reason is.  But yeah...I think we should help him before the biker punk does a mischief--"  Rotor started before the orange guy suddenly came to a stop on a manhole cover off all things, sat down......and suddenly lifted off into the air like the thing was jet propelled!

"What the...!"

"In all my years as a plumber I have never seen that happen." Rotor blinked.

And no sooner had the manhole cover left the hole, the "coily" snake bounced RIGHT down the sewer.

"I guess he won't need our help." Rotor shrugged.

"But we might need his if we want to figure out where we are.

And that's what began a multiple romp around multiple places. And not with any one of us stuck in the same location for long. We'd end up crisscrossing paths and trading people to follow. In some cases...some of us even traded up for completely different places and people altogether.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, Volt but...did that look like...Pac-Man?"

"Yeah.  And munching down a power pellet just before those ghosts turned purple-blue."

And elsewhere...

"We ended up in a zoo of all places, Lupe?  How did that happen."

"Not sure...but I have my eye on that kangaroo over yonder.  I feel like they could be of help.  I sense they are...adept at breaking up trouble."

"Yeah, and the boxing gloves sure aren't standard faire for a zoo animal."

"Worth a shot.  Worst we can get is an uppercut to the chin if they're not friendly." Sally grinned.

"I am not looking forward to a painful experience, Sally."

"Maybe it won't be!  Let's jet!"

And elsewhere...

"Ah.  Dottie.  Mitzi.  Have you learned anything?"

"Sensei!"

"This place is wild, yo!" Violet grinned before being thwapped.

"We've been following this newspaper reporter frog through the swamp."

"Reporter?"

"Yeah, crazy isn't it?"

"Records told of a reporter frog in the before times...the second era of VideoLand before the war that Pit and company fought.  For lack of an imaginative nickname, he became known as Frogger."

"You don't say.  Rotor and Jon checked in from this weird 50's town where apparently an orange guy in a letterman jacket flies manhole covers like hoverboards."

"That sounds like Q-Bert."

"Wait...THAT Q-bert?" Mitzi asked. "Like in the arcade area during the Rock-Afire Explosion hey days."

"One and the same.  Another generation 2 hero before the VideoLand Coalition."

That was when Violet's com went off.

"Asriel here.  Volt and I have crisscrossing tales with Pit and Gadget and they certainly involve us being made monkeys of.  You can take that literally.  We've been trying to hunt down Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior."

"I tried to approach Mario but...he did not recognize me." Pit's voice came through.

"Took a rather nasty tumble from some barrels the big ape chucked at him.  Asked Pit if his number was up and Pit responded that he's not that kind of angel.  And...well, you know the rest." Asriel explained.

"I think we can agree that we're all lost in space and time." I explained.

"Yes...that guy in the safari gear...he sound familiar, Bunnie?" Sally's voice came over the com-link.

"I think you may have encountered Pitfall Harry."

"We're currently in a zoo attempting to make contact with a--"

"Kangaroo in boxing gloves?"

"How did you know?"

"Just picking up on several patterns." Bunnie crossed her arms.

"Where are you guys, now?" I asked.

"Rotor here.  Pinned down by this nasty guy, Borf.   He's after some guy called Space Ace and a woman named Officer Kimberly.  I got separated from Jon.  Says he's currently in a castle or something.  Mentioned the phrase "Dragon's Lair"."

"All these worlds are interconnected but...not in the way we know it in modern Videoland.  Warp Zones must not yet have been harnessed as a reliable transportation method." Violet thought aloud.

"It's all well and good but we need a way to meet up together and get back home."

"No doubt KOMMAND and Daimyou are already working on the problem." Asriel pondered. "Hate to cut this short but I got to take a giant mallet to some barrels."

"Wait, what?" Rotor blinked.

"Story of the century and I can't tell it." Dottie lamented.

"Let's just get out of this story alive before we BECOME the story." I warned.

"Then we'll figure out how to get out of this...Super-cade." Bunnie rubbed her chin.

"That's clever." Vi mused.

"Thank you." Bunnie replied plainly.

Before long...

"And last panel!" Mitzi's feet hit the last cube, changing its color before leaping onto the flying disk and letting Coily fall to his doom.

She shared a high-five with Q-Bert. "Thanks for the directions!  Glad to meet you!"

"I've always wanted to do this..." Lupe swung from the vine across the gator pit before delivering the treasure chest to Pitfall Harry. "I believe this is yours." She waved to Rhonda and Quickclaw the Mountain Lion before heading off.

"MONKEYYYYYYYYYY MUSCLLLLLLLLE!  OOH-OOH-OOH!" Donkey Kong Junior proclaimed as he pounded his chest then did a backflip.

"Monkey muscle?" Jon's ears drooped.

"Ugh.  That sounds like such a Scrappy-Doo thing to say." He growled before following after him.

"Hey!  Wait up!" The greaser known as "Bones" hurried after DKJ who already had a head start and closest to the motorcycle.

"This kind of thing happen to you all the time, mate?"

"All the time, talking dog dude."

"Uhhh...will people get it straight!  I'm a werewolf!"

"You know these challenges are kind of simple." Dottie said as she landed from the last of the floating logs she had been riding.

"Acknowledged, Dottie.  Simple but hard to master." Bunnie narrowed her eyes before she saw the aura flash then immediately jumped out of the way before slashing her sword.

Dirk the Daring was completely dumbfounded by how completely skillful the rabbit was at this with no training as a knight and next to no warning before a fatal obstacle would have most certainly spelled doom.

And....

"Hahahahah!  That the best you got!?" Sally danced around the Infanto Ray beams. "I got all day, Borf!"

"YOU!!!!" The blue-faced meanie was at his wits end trying to nail her down.

"She's not the one you should be focusing on!" Space Ace called out moments before Borf saw stars.

Sally gave a thumbs up before quickly zipping over and dismantling the Infanto Ray in seconds.

"These parts might come in handy for reversing your little problem."

"Thanks but I--"  Space Ace cut off as he was jolted by a series of energy surges before shrinking into a pasty little nerdy guy.

"KIMMYYYYYYY!!!"

"Uh...welcome back err...Dexter." Sally shrugged. "This is outside of my box.  Hate to leave you stranded but...later!" Sally gave a wave before dumping Dexter into Kimberly's arms.

And all throughout the worlds were getting into mischief before we all finally rejoined each other at the center of it all...and having drawn a crowd of not-so-happy bad guys.

Coily and his crew were looking for revenge for Q-Bert.

Plenty of teed-off dudes from the realm of Pitfall.

Borf didn't exactly take his loss on the chin.

Mesmeron had given the Ghost Monsters--Inky, Pinky, Blinky, Sue, and Clyde one last chance to get the interlopers that interfered with his takeover of Pac-Land.

And lastly the Monkeybiz gang had a bone to pick with Lupe and Sally's alliance with K.O. Katie Kangaroo and Sidney Squirrel.

"I tell you...can we get in a scrape or can't we?" I growled as we all stood back to back.

"Hey!  Need a hand!"

Oh yeah. Another thing about the 80's? Convenient plot resolution. Gotta love it.

"We sure could, Harry!" Sally gave a thumbs up as he was joined by several other heroes we'd allied with.

"Just so we're clear, once this is over, you're going back in the cage!" Mario stood back to back with Donkey Kong. The big ape responded with a raspberry.

"You are a most strange knight." Dirk the Daring eyed Space Ace.

"Hope that overgrown letter opener is sharper than Borf's tongue."

Quickclaw cowered behind Lupe.

"You are a far cry from Shi-Shi." Lupe lowered an eyebrow as she raised her staff.

Q-Bert hovered in place as Pac-Man and family each brandished a Power Pellet before the big CHOMP!

"PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-PUH-PAC POWERRRRRR!!!" The Ghost Monsters freaked out.

And thus became the bruhaha that kicked off a video battle that the ages only wished it could have spoken of in the day.

When it was over...those that weren't captured and kicked back to where they came from retreated.

And all was well again.

But...some had to get a last word in.

"Hey!  What are you--"  Mario didn't finish his sentence as he was unceremoniously stuffed into a barrel and thrown for a loop.

"Mario!!!" Pauline quickly chased after him.

"DONKEYYYYYY KOOOOOOOOONG!!!!" Donkey Kong was up and off.

"Wait!" Junior tried to hustle after him but he was long gone.

"C'mon!" Bones revved up the motorcycle.

Pitfall Harry gave a wave before hitching another ride onto he helicopter Rhoda was piloting.

Before we knew it...all the legends had gone off into the sunset. And Daimyou and KOMMAND had delivered.

"Well that was an experience."

"Yeah...hopefully the last diversion so we can finish up our affairs back home."

"You ready to see your other home again, Azzy?"

"Yeah.  It's long overdue.  Let's take a powder and get our strength back.  Then...it's off to the races."

"You said the magic word." Sally mused as she waved a checkered pennant.

Sub-Entry 078: "Wrapping Up Our Final Affairs":
Sally looked around the desolate plain before letting out a sigh.

"I don't blame you if you don't want to be here right now but...just wanted to leave a message before I leave.  We'll be back.  You can count on that."

Sally looked on.

"But I guess you would know why I’m here.  I guess the time isn't right yet.  To do things on our own terms.  To have that meeting after all this time we both wanted.  But...I can understand why it might not happen.  Got places to go...people to see.   Baldy McNosehair's to beat."

Sally chuckled at that one, remembering the old director of Vortex Labs.

"Well.  Consider this a peace offering for our unfinished argument back at Ecotropia Palace and...a thank-you.  But more than anything...an IOU.  As in I owe you a better meet and greet than something paltry to eat. Though...you'd consider this anything but paltry.   Guess that's one thing we'll never agree on.  Well.  Bon Appetit."

Sally sped off.

A moment later a second blue blur whooshed past...leaving only the wrappers of two chili chili dogs with the works.

"...good talk, Sal."

Meanwhile...

Bunnie kowtowed.

"I appreciate the formality, my former student but you needn't be so.  This is not a dangerous mission you won't come from."

"I understand that, Master Splinter.  But....it is life-changing."

"I see.  But it's not you that it is impacting the most."

"Indeed."

"We will...most certainly see an aftermath when it runs its course.  I...should be prepared."

"I understand."

And...

"...there has been no trace of the Virus."

"Thanks, Dr. K."

"..."

"What?"

"It's the first time you called me Dr. K instead of Kayla.  I know you to well, Princess Tokugawa.  Do you want to give an explanation of your own free will or shall I drag it out of you with psychological hacking which I'm sure would work on even you."

"...sending you a file."

"If this is another of your videos of Al Dente's torture consider this the end of our professional friendship as well as our personal friendship."

A  moment later.

"So you're this moody because you're going off world to--"

"The kid's point of origin.  He's going to meet the folks for the first time in 115 years.   And they're technically not even his folks but another timeline's version of them.   One that has...had it it's own Goat Son but..."

"They think he's long gone.  Already this sounds like all kinds of complicated."

"I don't just let anybody see this side of me.  I think you've earned it and I'm pretty sure Bunnie already knows I'm a little off. Best friend and all."

"And you have no intention of showing them your vulnerable side.  You and Master Rabbotou are too much alike."

"There's a sentence I thought I'd never hear."

"You know what I mean. You have to put on a strong act to keep everyone around you reassured.  You're not invincible though you and she both make it seem like you are.  Neither of you are the type to add to panic."

"Pillars of the community.  That's us."

"That said...you worried about something, aren't you?"

"No offense but...I'm kind of low on time.  We'll talk later."

"I know what you're going to say and I'm pretty sure I know what you'll have to say when we reconnect. "

"Violet out."

And elsewhere.

"...isn't it great? Asriel's going to have two moms and two dads now!" Gadget was spritely.

"Yeah.  It's awesome." Mitzi nodded before looking Nermal in the eyes.

Nermal just nodded, knowing what she wanted to say.

"We're in for some interesting times ahead."

"We sure are, old friend."

"Does...it feel like there's...a weird imbalance among us?"

"Hmm?"

"Sorry. It's...maybe I'm starting to get that extra-sensory thing Bunnie does but...we seem like there's something we're not saying out loud that seems to be...holding us back, maybe?"

"Ah.   Well...I have a feeling I know what it is but...it's too early to tell."

"Too early? We're leaving for Undertale by--"

"I'm sorry...but...that's usually how it works.  It's a situation that all too often it gets to be too late by the time you realize it.  But it'll be fine."

"Yeah.  It's not like--"

"Mitzi." Nermal shook her head before gesturing to Gadget.

Mitzi clammed up. Whatever it was? Not in front of Gadget. Huh.

Jon and Rotor had the fewest issues to contend with. No problems really.

"So."

"So."

"Yeah. Awkward."

"Well...we're not exactly besties but hardly total strangers."

"Yeah, but that's not such a bad thing.  Everyone else is super gun-ho about this."

"Can you blame them, Rotor?"

"I'm not exactly looking forward to that spaghetti again."

"Agree to disagree."

Rotor rolled his eyes. "I'm still sneaking in a batch of antacid tablets."

"You don't know what's good, man."

"Be careful what you say.  Elektra could have you on a seafood diet before long."

"Don't even joke about that, man.  Still not over the grapefruit diet."

And elsewhere...

Lupe knelt before the field of sunflowers. To the untrained eye, it could be easy to mistake them for Golden Flowers but...they were not the same.

Lupe's crisscrossing leg greaves and sandals lay nearby with her staff as she bowed down on all fours, hanging her head.

"Nature is all I know. Nature is in my blood, in my bones, in my soul.   To think a flower would reject me so strongly. "

Flowey's unresolved issues bothered her to no end.

"How do I prepare myself for this?  How do I steel myself against you?  I mean...they're just words.  I know you can't actually attack me but...  It still hurts.  I know there's some spark in you.   Something that we need to reach out to.  I know you told the Commander that he's saved one Asriel and that he shouldn't save another...but....how can we expected to not offer someone help when they clearly need it?"

I'd known Lupe to be quite sad and melancholic when something bothered her. Her empathy was the trait most strongly similar to Asriel. Even as far back as his horrible experience in her field of buttercups she felt a tremendous guilt; feeling responsible for his pain.

"I may not be able to help you.  But...I won't be dissuaded from trying." Lupe put on her greaves and sandals and picked up her staff. "I am a druid.  And my connection to nature will show me the way. It will show us both the way." Lupe stood up and picked up an empty flower pot nearby and headed back into the botany lab nearby.

And everyone else was finalizing their own details.

Pit didn't expect to see any trouble but being the loyal archer scout he was, he prepared his collective of arrows--mostly relying on tool types and supplementary. Tightropes and such for getting around Mount Ebott and the Underground deep within. We couldn't know if the puzzles and traps still worked. He was thinking practically as ever.

So why was his cousin genuinely surprised by how meticulous and strategic he was on our world. Was there...something about him different back in his home realm, outside of the Chamber of the Gods?

Apparently there was when she showed me a prism crystal showing Pit in various points during the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament and during the third "uprising".

Asriel and I began to understand...he was kind of a doofus. Maybe a little too much like classic 10-year-old Ben Tenneyson?

"What's he talking about?"

"Never learned to read? That can't be true.  I watch him read all the time.  And judging from this version we're seeing...he has less talent than Starfire with music.  Yet when he's here...he's a virtuoso with that harp.   Like the definition of professional if not heavenly."

Maybe it wasn't just that his personality and knowledge were sealed away...maybe it was the Gods actually substituting a completely different person in the same body? I had to wonder...why? Were they ashamed of the real Pit? Were they giving mortals a more likeable, yet more focused version of their angel for a reason? To keep up appearances?

Was it just not as shady or suspect as it sounded? Maybe...maybe there was a reason and we weren't seeing it. Maybe mortals weren't meant to see it. If that was the case...as a demigod, myself with that White Knight Contract...why wasn't I let in on it?

Drew took it in stride. I assured him that their world wouldn't have a problem with humans now that the barrier was destroyed and monsters were being reintegrated into the world. Erasing the grudges of a world long since divided wasn't going to be easy. But...evidence existed that seemed to indicate...it was taking its first steps.

The days wound down and our cases slowed down until they stopped. We had secured peace for a time and the time was right to strike while the iron was hot.

KOMMAND and Daimyou called upon every one of our most trusted resources to stand by if there was a problem. Plus we had UCIAT international to cover things, with Miles ready to take command.

All was in readiness.

There was just one thing I had to look in on...

Sub-Entry 079: "One Last Look At the Dimensional Lab.  How Many Undertale AU's, Now?":
I'd already given the D-Lab to Asriel to do with as he pleased but...seeing as how I built the thing from the ground up...I still had every right to check in on it from time to time. And...this time really felt like it was goodbye for good. What he would choose to do with it afterward was up to him.

I brought my tool kit just in case this finally check on the Undertale AU collective exceeded a point where the number alone was enough to crash everything. Just because the research was probably going to be no use to anyone after this point, doesn’t mean I want it completely lost to catastrophic failure.

Just maybe it would come in handy some day.

"Alright, old friend.  I'm sure Asriel has gotten all he's needed out of you and I'm sure I'm going to instantly regret finding out how many AU's sprung up in these past 7 years.  So.  Let's just make this easy on us both and try not to explode until AFTER I've done my research.  Cool?  Cool."

And on came the mainframe and I went through the rigamarole until finally it cooperated and I had my answer.

".........."

I stood as blank as a refrigerator.

"Yeah.  Why not." I said as it was still updating and more and more were still coming into existence. By now...the AU's were stretching to infinity and not stopping.

All of the usuals suspects were there.

Undertale Prime (UTPR-001), UnderSwap (USPR-001), UnderFell (UFPR-013).

The "generation next" sets from HorrorTale to FreshTale.

The "Tumblr" and "Fanfic" iterations such as Caretaker of the Ruins, One More Chance and my all-time favorite, "A.D.R."...A Dreemurr Reborn.

The ones that I felt would make good animated series on MeScreen...or YouTube as it was called on Earth realms...ahem. Yes, the MS/YT's such as Ask Frisk and Company.

And so many others from ChronoTale to UnderSpin, from BurstTale to ChanceTale, ChocoTale to GlitchTale.

They were all still there...and more.

"Baby Sans?   Don'tNameTale?  Creatale and Nextale?"

And it wasn't just completely Undertale related...some had branched...into other territory.

"Why is there an Undertale parallel universe centered around Five Nights at Freddy's?  What is this one that's centered around My Hero Academia?  A SLENDERMAN AU!?"

AU's had long since surpassed out of control. They were now their own Omniverse. An Omniverse of Omniverses. It was Omniverse-ception now. It no longer had a life of its own but rather life and offspring of its own and was still branching.

As far as I could tell...other worlds were following suit. From the Spider-Verse to Ben 10...no world...no "fandom" was safe from the growing concept of multiverse or omniverse. It was truly an InfinityVerse and it was getting bigger and bigger.

So...how did I feel about it, now?

I.......was strangely...at peace with it. I think after all this time I'd come to accept it and was okay with it all. Sure there could potentially be toxicity among them all but...where there were weeds, there were bound to be flowers as well.

Sorry, Flowey. Slipped out there. Heheheheh.

But my point went back to what Raymond Stantz had said about New York. There have got to be some decent sparks of decency in this burned out 'burg. We just needed to mobilize it when the need came up. We needed...symbols. To unite us. I guess...what I was saying was...maybe that's why Asriel and were the best of friends. Maybe that's why we were needed.

A crossover kingdom did need its king and its prince. We'd made so many friendships and allies, people were willing to get behind us and risk their lives to beat Chaopolis back then. We came together. Worlds truly did unite.

How do you describe that magic?

I got to work categorizing and I picked my choices for comparing versions. I decided I couldn't separate Undyne and Alphys so...I treated them as a power couple and compared them together across the Undertale-verse. Was that even a proper word?

Undyne and Alphys Prime. When I really thought about it...the first iteration of a relationship like this...went as far back as Peppermint Patty and Marcy. Rather than...read between the lines and risk getting naughty in my thoughts...I focused on the fact that it was an outgoing, athletic tomboy making friends with a shy, quiet, mousey bookworm. That was Undyne and Alphys in a nutshell. While Alphys certainly lacked a tendency to call Undyne "sir", I could easily see the parallels. Plus she and Marcy both wore glasses...but that was superficial. Stereotypes do not prove a theory. Though they certainly don't disprove the implied image any more than they hammer it home...

Where am I going with this?

Right. UnderSwap. Put simply? Flip the roles. Seeing Undyne mousey and bespectacled and in a lab coat was...disorienting at first but...I somehow found it strangely familiar seeing bespectacled red-heads with green eyes that just looked right in a lab coat. Oh yeah...I hadn't noticed but UnderSwap Undyne's eyes were green...at least in the AU I had zeroed in on. Who could say if this was the original or one of the many variant timelines within the AU.

But Alphys as a war dino? Now that was something to see. That scarred, missing eye was off-putting at first but...the personality was recognizable. Unlike Undyne Prime, Alphys Swap favored an axe. A battle axe. And boy oh boy could she wield that axe.

Then...there was UnderFell. I...often shuddered when I had to check out Underfell. Everything just felt darker and more corrupted. It was hard to say if there was any love...even among siblings much less if fishy-love between a mermaid and a pangolin.

I looked over various other incarnations. A "ghost lizard" turned out to be nothing more than Alphys underneath an unconvincing sheet with eyeholes. Undyne in Mettaton's role? Now that's something to see.

I kept indexing and finally managed to offload the most complete library of my AU research to date to a personal orbital database satellite. One I could link to additional cloud storage if I needed. But for now--

It was about that time the whole system crashed after experiencing a fatal memory error. I'd overtaxed its resources and...I hadn't properly maintained the hardware all this time.

I wrinkled my nose at the smell of scorched circuitry underneath the panels. I hit the emergency disconnect and shut everything down while the fire suppressant systems took care of everything else. Once I got okay lights from the supporting systems I uttered the deepest of sighs and put of an OUT OF ORDER sign I had been saving for a long time on the main screen.

"Well.  Goodbye, old friend.  I...might as well head upstairs."

It was just as well. For no sooner I had gotten top side...KOMMAND secretly delivered a letter from the drop box I had assigned on Undertale to receive any and all replies to my message.

Sure enough...Asgore and Toriel had written me back.

"Dear Dr. Arcade,

It has been so long. We had worried for much time after going our separate ways from Mount Ebott. Everyone has been long expecting word from you in some form or another. But alas, answer...they came none. At one point...we'd attempted to spread to word; asking anyone for any sign of you or your family or research team. Toriel had considered that was should file a missing person's report. Undyne attempted to facilitate it yet with monsters so new to the surface, no records or otherwise could be found among the human databases. Furthermore...no humans or monsters could confirm any and all sightings. It was like you vanished from the face of the Earth. We will do our best, taking turns explaining things but...we may stumble upon each other so forgive us for being a little...eager to reconnect with you, my friend.

Now after all this time, our prayers are answered. Asgore has kept up many a night, unable to sleep as he has been so worried. This side of him...it is like a return to form. Like the person I didn't recognize for all those years...that person I disowned and turned my back on has gone forever and monster I fell in love with has been reborn.

It is strange...it is strange how you had hope for the two of us reconciling at a point when I through our love was dead and buried. I'd never wished so much ill will on a fellow monster as I had him. Alas, you were right. I was in error. I was unfair. I completely ignored that he was suffering as well. He assures me that there is no sense lamenting over lost time and thrown-away opportunities to bury the hatchet. As you may or may not have once said...better late than never.

There is so much we have to tell you that just cannot wait. So let us summarize what has become of all of us since Ebott.

I, Toriel, have finally achieved my hopes and dreams...to be both a mother once again and to be a school teacher. I now teach classes at our very own school for humans and monsters. It is such a wonderful place with a wonderful environment for the children to grow and learn. It is everything I have dreamed for. Everything I could ever want. Everything I could ever wish."

I paused a moment to reflect. The diction and word usage that Toriel was using at this exact moment called to mind the opening song of the movie, the Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman. Somehow...the song just fit the context, despite telling the tale of P.T. Barnum in dramatized historical fiction. But yes...Toriel did achieve her hopes and dreams. I however, still intended to provide the bonus. The something extra that I knew her life couldn't be complete without. No...not the something extra...some...ONE extra.

I read on.

"Sans and I remain good friends.  I am certain many out there...hahahah...were hoping to ship the two of us together.  That I'd move on from Fluffybuns and find someone new.  But I regret to inform them that it was not in the stars.  While we are much alike...we are still fundamentally too different in ways that I cannot put into words.  I also...I also feel that I need someone in my life who is dependable and is willing to keep their promise.  But while not the best father material...Frisk is most certain he will make the best "dunkle".  Is that not clever?  Not a dad or an uncle but a "dunkle".

"Sir Papyrus has become quite the go-getter.  It would have broken my heart to tell him we no longer needed a Royal Guard; having heard his story of how he worked and dreamed of becoming part of the Royal Guard.  So...as a compromise I made him the new head of the Royal Guard and its sole member.  Though...I wonder if it was a proper reward to repurpose the Royal Guard to assist with my new job as the town's gardener--hired almost exclusively at Toriel's school.  While it is...not quite the duty he was aspiring for...I cannot ignore that he is nonetheless quite grateful.   So...I would gather that I have done a good thing."

"Yeah.  You did a good thing, Fluffybuns." I mused with a smile.

"Undyne was not...about to give me the pleasure of relieving her of her duty as Royal Guard.  So...rather abruptly, she resigned in...most spectacular fashion.  I believe it was the...first time a two-week's notice was given on a boulder in spray paint reading "I quit!" that was...hurled through my window.  Always one to have the last word in, it seems.  I suppose we will never truly get along but...ironically enough...this was...her way of mending things with me and as close to "no hard feelings" as she'll come.  Oh dear...  Since then, she's thinking of joining the police force but...for now she is remaining close to Dr. Alphys.  The two of them often spend many a day at the beach.  It is quite warm enough for Alphys' comfort and the water is just perfect for Undyne.  She is...quite versatile in both fresh and salt-water."

"Oh boy, Sally.  You better bring your A-game for her."

For the briefest moment...I remembered how Undyne was Asriel's swimming instructor when he was young. And that...brought a tear to my eye as salty as the ocean Toriel had spoke of.

"Dr. Alphys was...let go as our Royal Scientist.  There was a time when Toriel felt that this was...a fitting punishment but...since meeting the Doctor, she has felt...reluctant about our decision.  It had to be done now that we no longer need someone to research a way of breaking the barrier or bringing monsters back when they've fallen down.  But...it just feels sad now taking away her passion.  But the doctor assures us that she'll still continue in science but as a hobby now.  At least until she can find a proper career.  She'd...always hoped that you'd get back to her and maybe she could forward a resume."

I chuckled brightly.

Dr. Alphys as part of Ultra Crew Institute? Now that was something I never considered. And really...I don't know if I could ask her to leave Undertale anymore than she could ask me to leave VGM-098...especially considering she knew the whole truth about us. She'd never be able to explain why it would be so complicated for me to employ her.

"Mr. Mettaton has become unimaginably famous!  Dr. Alphys opened up to Asgore and myself about how he wasn't really a robot with a soul but a possessed object inhabited by a ghost.  We were not even mad about it.  If anything I was...moved by how willing she was to offer Mettaton...rather "Hapstablook" his dream and make it come true.  I am glad they are back on good terms after their long period of being estranged.  It is not right for creator and creation to be apart; divided by fame and by guilt.  Now that all is right in the world, Mettaton travels the world and has become an incredible idol in a place called...Japan."

I almost expected Violet to make a "Big in Japan" reference but...she was nowhere to be found.

"Miss Muffet continues her bakery kiosk while she champions rights for spiders.  Surprisingly...there are humans that actually feel the same.  She has aligned herself with a lot of experts on Arachnida and hopes to spread the message that spiders are beneficial creatures and deserve our respect.  Many harmful insects would overrun us without their help.  I had no idea!"

Lupe had often told me the same. As a druid, she would know. Whether big or small, there was not a form of fauna she didn't have at least an instinctive connection or knowledge of the ages to speak of.

"Grillby has established a new restaurant in town which many of us frequent.  He hopes that one of his favorite customers will drop by and order your usual."

Yeah...I could go with a "burg" and fries about now. I guess I'll just have to be patient and put it on the bucket list.

"There are many more of us to speak of but...if we were to continue on this letter would not end.  Therefore, let us get to the point, as Sans would say.

We humble invite you to our residence for a grand reunion at this time on this date."

I checked both. This was perfect. It was right at the end of the month and our schedule was finally cleaned out. We all had enough buffer staff and allies to cover for us. It was now or never.

I know you must have an immense amount of things you wish to share and many experiences to tell. We all look forward to meeting you all once again.

With love and magic,

Asgore and Toriel...Dreemurr."

I folded the letter up. Enclosed with it were instructions, a map, and some other details. I slid the whole thing into my upper lab coat pocket.

"We're coming back.  Hold on.  I have...a promise to fulfill.  And when I do...I can finally rest easy.  I can finally be free of the lies and the guilt.  Alphys...we'll both finally be able to live with a clean conscience.

And Asriel...you're going to have a heritage again. Your name may have changed to Arcade...but you're still a Dreemurr. Now...let's make it official..."

Sub-Entry 080: "Farewell to Miranda City.  We're Going Back to Where it All Began":
"Goodbye!"

I turned to everyone else as they were loading up in the cars. "I thought I told you to keep it discrete not turn it into a public spectacle.   We keep it only within our circle.  That includes the ones we trust the most."

Violet just grinned with a shrug.

"I assure you, Commander.  I told no one." Bunnie narrowed her eyes. Which was true. Master Splinter only knew because he knew how his student thought...and furthermore I couldn't confirm or deny that he might have a spark of Bunnie's sixth sense. Psychics were in no short supply...even a four-foot rat in a magenta kimono.

"I...might have taken a few liberties." Sally rubbed the back of her head.

"Nermal's the only one I confided in.  We pinky-swore not to spread it around." Mitzi crossed her arms.

"Skeeter?  You have something you want to say?"

"Eheheheh...I'll go back to the shop now." Skeeter climbed out of his hiding spot aboard the Jules-Verne Time Train. Honestly we were only supposed to be piloting that on remote control.

"You're grounded again, you know."

"Aww come on!  At my age!?!"

I just sighed.

"Why don't you just put this on the six o'clock news you little sh--"  I turned to Violet.

"Language!" She said with  cocky grin.

I facepalmed.

"If I thought it made any difference, I'd threaten this affected your salary.   Money is like bathroom tissue to you."

"Easy come easy go!" Vi chuckled.

Wait...why DOES Violet even get a salary at UCIAT? If anything, technically through her funding most of our operation in town...isn't...she......kind of paying us...? Goddammit...

I'll figure this out another time. Seriously, I've yet to figure out how our finances are distributed and I'm the gosh darn team Commander.

"Don't let her get to you, Volt.  She's going to milk this for all it's worth." Asriel said as he made the final adjustment to the cross-temporal link antennae he attached around the perimeter of his car's hood. "You're good to go, Dad.  Mom.  Everyone.  And Volt...good idea to use suction cups AND electromagnets.  Can't risk these things popping off for any reason."

Scott knuckle-bumped his son. Callista had long since forbid him from shaking his son's hand. Weird quirk, mind you. But she was okay with fist-bumps for some reason. I never figured that out about her.

"Admit it.  You really want to show off your first and so-far only car to everyone." Sally prodded.

"Maybe." Azzy was just as smug.

"Sparks." Chameleon managed to muscle his way through the crowd.

"Chameleon."

"Just so you know, I'm not getting sentimental on you.  Just making a professional courtesy.  I just happened to be feeling generous today."

He was too proud to say he was bored and curious. I was sure he was most certainly hoping this would be at least some degree of amusing.

"Goat Son bring back many treats from home world!" Tithius begged.

"Can't make a promise I can't keep.  But I'll sure try.  Can't have the coolest pseudo in the world sad about coming home empty-handed if I can help it.  Seriously.  We'll bring something home."

The crowd parted as Queen Brooke suddenly made her appearance flanked by her guard and her entourage.

"Lady Brooke." We all got humble real quick.

"Doctor.  I faire thee well on your maiden voyage."

I could tell she was trying to keep a straight face delivering words in the Olde Common speak I expected form the Renaissance Fair.

"By your leave, Lady Brooke." I maintained my bow.

She turned to Asriel next.

"M'lady."

"Asriel Tobias Arcade.  For fifteen years you have been a model citizens of our great kingdom.  I have had the honor and privilege of watching you grow into an amazing young man with the brightest of futures.  A future you continue to forge with your own two hands.  What was given was the essentials and opportunity.  You earned your place among us and proved yourself worthy of being a citizen of not just our city kingdom but our very planet.  Our world."

"I know I will always have a place here.  But it's time I discover if I still have a place in my home world of origin.  In order to have a future, I have to have a past and...I've gone so long without even remembering that Undertale exists.  This journey has a purpose.  it means something.  I've got to find the missing piece of my identity.  I can truly be free and move on."

"You speak as if you have a dark cloud over your head."

"Not so much.  Just a missing puzzle piece I'm about to find."

"Spoken like a man who has truly matured.  Good luck to you, Asriel Arcade."

"Thank you, Lady Brooke."

Asriel rose to his feet and opened the gull-wing driver's side door of the Delorean.

I got up and loaded up in the 57' Chevy with Bunnie.

Violet and company got into RDI-001...now officially calling him Roadie version 2.

"Ready when you are, Violet." Roadie's onboard module spoke. Violet was so glad she finally got yesteryear's technology working. Fully working.

"Shall I take us to the moon?" She said as she held Usagi's hand for a bit before letting him head around and get into the passenger's side seat.

"Let's get this convoy moving!" Sally pumped her arm before jumping behind the wheel of WLS-002. Now officially called Wheels version 2.

"Anything you say, Sal." Wheels' onboard computer spoke, sounding amazingly like the late Four Tops singer, Melvin Franklin. Lupe boarded with Jon and Felicia in the back.

Mitzi loaded up with Gadget in the passenger's side and Rotor in the back.

Which finally left Scott, Callista, Drew, and Pit in Asriel's car.

The crowd parted ways so we could drive out of town.

Goodbyes and cheers went up as we drove off and out of town toward the outskirts, out of the forests and the neighboring villages and whatnot...and reached the barren wastelands separating us from Augustgrad.

"Okay, Asriel.  Any time you're ready." I said as the giant Cyber Gate rings deployed out of the secret hatches in the roads I had set up years ago for this very reason. I wanted to make sure we had power to spare opening this cascaded wormhole through space, time, and dimension.

I had Toriel's letter tucked in the inner pocket of my lab coat as a reminder of how committed we were to this.

"Okay.  Everyone standing by?"

"Check."

"Check."

"Check."

"Check."

"Check."

On the train tracks running parallel to the road, the Time Train was chugging along at full speed.

"Time Train lifting off."

Asriel made some final adjustments on the console of the Delorean as the wheels and piston rods folded up underneath and the whole locomotive lifted off the tracks and into the sky.

"Synchronizing units...now." Asriel twisted the Time Circuit activator as the display panels came to life with that familiar electronic noise followed up by the converted Plutonium Gauge (now a readout for Mr. Fusion) hummed to life.

As the Flux Capacitor continued to crackle, the synchronizing units on the Delorean trunk hood in front lit up and flickered in unison with the capacitor's wavering energy discharge.

At the same time that happened, the units on each of our cars did the same, linked wirelessly to the master capacitor in the Delorean as the capacitor/time circuit/Mr. Fusion combos installed into each of our cars came to life. The wormhole emitters energized.

"Beginning acceleration sequence."

"Acknowledged, Azzy."

Asriel hit the gas first.

Each of us responded quickly,  as the Cyber Gates locked onto our Wormhole Emitters and focused it all into one big charge.

Even without them on Undertale, our vehicles would still be able to get back home without any problems. And even if there was a problem...Daimyou promised dimensional road-side service just for us.

"Dimensional Rigs are aligned.  Coordinates are set for Undertale; Timeline UTPR-3235." Asriel lowered his 2015 edition shades that Dr. Brown had given him just for effect.

"Where we're going, we still need roads.  But who knows...some other time, some other place...maybe we won't."

"Heh.  That's my best friend." I mused.

"Approaching terminal velocity." Asriel watched as the digital speedometer had just hit the 70's and was now about to cross into the 80's.

We were all speeding up in sequence and keeping formation.

"So this is what it's like." Scott watched as the energy flow started to build int he linking units and race down the nano-track wiring to where they had linked to the time circuit and dimensional rig set up.

"Undertale.......I'm finally coming home.." Asriel murmured as the speedometer hit 88 MPH.

And with that the sets of flame trails instantly stretched from one Cyber Gate to beyond the last one a couple miles down the road.

CRYPTOSMASHER LOGOFF

END TRANSMISSION...

Chapter 9

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