Chapter Text
Abandoned Military Base - Tak's Lab: Midnight
Why hadn't he insisted on being let out of this cage?
All ZIM could do now was watch as the humanoid Irken touched the red nexus.
What a waste of good material!
Things really hit the fan though when her syster unit joined in.
Everything happened at once.
The droning intensified. The screens went haywire.
Explosions of red and golden light. Reality glitched as the machines and gadgets overlapped and folded inward.
For a moment, Zim noticed different locations: Some snow fields, a giant cave, a quarry, the lab where he had used the extractor.
Suddenly, he felt pressure all over his body. His cage shattered just like his chains.
He strained his eyes but his vision blurred. Still, the hyumans drew closer together:
"Why are you melting?! STOP MEL-" his words started lagging.
The pulsating nexus vibrated. Then it shattered with a loud crack.
The room was engulfed by a blinding white light.
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Chara's memories - Timeline X: New Home
Frisk opened her eyes.
She was surrounded by darkness and silence.
No. Wind was howling through empty streets.
Then footsteps.
She turned around.
Behind her stood… herself?!
The figure in front of her walked through the abandoned houses. No, it staggered.
The fabric of its sweater was covered in dust.
Frisk tried to move but couldn't. Instead, she was tugged along.
It entered a house.
Finally, it stopped in front of a mirror.
Frisk had hoped to understand this but the reflection made her shiver.
The eyes of her other self were empty.
Devoid of any warmth and fear.
No compassion, nothing that reminded her of herself.
Frisk's stomach would have turned.
But she didn't have a body.
----
"so. i've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change... ?"
Her other self didn’t react.
"that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?"
Sans sounded neither angry nor hopeful.
Just tired.
-----
Ketchup dripped on the floor.
"welp... don't say i didn't warn ya..."
Only dust remained.
The figure looked at the shattered glass on the floor of the hall.
Empty.
Tired.
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Frisk's memories: Mt. Ebott: months ago
Warmth.
The sun cast its orange light where she stood.
Fresh air.
She turned her head. Saw many old faces she had known over the last few weeks.
Chara looked left. There was her mother. Then looked the other way and... her heart skipped a beat.
She saw herself. A ghost that wore the same face and sweater!
She had her arms crossed but unlike Chara, she smiled.
An honest peaceful smile.
Then they locked eyes... and her apparition waved at her and vanished.
She felt something underneath her sweater and decided to look at it.
It was a dull knife. Its reflection showed Frisk.
A flood of memories rushed through Chara's mind.
The truth brought her to her knees.
Despite everything… it was still her.
This one hadn't worn mercy as a mask.
This one had really bled for it.
She wished she could take back every accusation.
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Abandoned Military Base - Tak's lab: Dawn of a new day
Frisk regained consciousness. Her vision was blurry.
She felt arms wrapped around her. Then the suffocated voice of her sister:
"wow... you truly are the future of humans and monsters..."
Their grip loosened.
Then something metallic wrapped around them both. Zim’s spider legs:
"HUG! HUG!! HUG AS IF YOUR LIVES DEPENDED ON IT!"
He added:
"Because they are."
The smell of burnt wires filled the room.
Suddenly, Alphys' voice:
"Y-yes. The DETERMINATION has disappeared. Still-"
Then Dib's voice:
"That's how you defuse a weapon of mass destruction!"
Alphys’ voice was close now:
"S-stay like that for... l-let's say an hour."
Frisk held on, and Chara returned the gesture.
They were closer than ever before. And unlike their first meeting, this time it didn't feel hostile.
Chara spoke:
"Don't get used to this."
She buried her face in Frisk’s shoulder.
Frisk responded:
"I won't."
Then she felt her sweater getting wet. Chara's voice was almost inaudible:
"You know... you seem like family..."
Frisk smiled.
Neither of them let go.
Not this time.
Then another word that came so quietly, she thought she’d imagined it:
"...sister..."