You nod again, wondering how this person knows so much about your job. Against all odds, your phone starts to buzz in your pocket. You didn't think you'd get any reception in whatever weird dimension you walked into. You answer it without looking to see who it is, hoping if you can talk to anyone it will give you a shot at getting out of here.
"Hello?"
"Darling, where are you?" He sounds worried sick. "Alphys left her phone on her desk, and we can't reach her. Is everything alright?"
"Uh..." you look around you, wondering exactly how best to answer that. "I kind of...don't know where I am. Something weird happened at the Core, and now I'm in this weird white room?"
"What?!" Mettaton shouts. "Oh my god, are you hurt? What happened?"
"I don't know," you say, and no matter how much you look the walls don't provide an answer. "Alphys didn't end up in here. It's just me and..." You look back over at the shifting black figure, who seems to be listening to your conversation, despite the fact that you're not sure they can hear.
Who are you? You sign, wedging your phone between your ear and shoulder.
I am no longer certain. Before, I was called Gaster.
"The only other person here says their name is Gaster?"
"Gaster?" Mettaton sounds very confused. "Never heard that name before. Do you think- hey!"
There's the sound of a brief scuffle, and then someone else grabs Mettaton's phone.
"where are you," Sans all but yells.
You nearly drop your phone, and the first time you bring it back up to your ear it's upside down.
"I don't know," you sigh in frustration. "We were in the Core, and something just shifted, and...maybe this is room 269?"
"you're in the core? is gaster there with you?"
"Yeah," you nod, despite knowing he can't see it. "Yeah it's just me and Gaster. I don't know where Alphys went."
"s t a y . t h e r e ."
"...okay." You feel a deep chill run down your back. You've never heard Sans talk like that before.
"if you leave, we'll lose him again. be there in a second," Sans hangs up.
That sounded like Sans.
Your eyes go wide. How the hell would he know Sans?
Before you can answer, your phone buzzes again, this time with a text message. It's from Frisk of all people, and it looks like it was typed in a hurry. Two more messages pop up quickly on your screen, like Frisk can't send them fast enough.
[sans said you found him]
[is he ok]
[tell him I'm sorry]
You look back up at Gaster, wondering just how many people knew about him this whole time. That was Sans. He's on his way. ...Frisk says they are sorry.
Gaster tilts his head a little. Who is Frisk?
You flip through your phone until you find a picture of them, hanging from one of Papyrus's arms and grinning. You show him, and a spark of realization crosses his eyes.
The other human. They are still alive.
You nod. They brought the barrier down.
They said they would return for me, but our paths have not crossed since.
Come back for you? You raise an eyebrow. Can you not leave?
Gaster looks down slowly. He moves a little to the side, but the black substance that covers his body (or is his body) remains tethered to the floor, stretching unpleasantly. He says something, but you don't understand it. It sounds different, like the words should make sense but the letters have been all jumbled up and replaced with meaningless sounds. It sort of reminds you of the first time you heard Sans and Papyrus talk, hearing that subtle difference in the tone and structure of their words, but intensified so much you can't understand any of it.
"Um..." you say softly, not sure he could see you if you signed. "I didn't...get that."
Gaster begins to sign, but he doesn't look up. It seems he can hear you after all.
I apologize. At times I forget. I am bound to this room. I am unbound from time. When Frisk found me, this room was in Waterfall.
"It moves around?"
It does. I cannot control it. When they left, it was no longer there. Entering this room requires stabilizing energy. When that energy leaves, the room becomes unbound.
"What do you mean, unbound?" You scratch your head a little. This is starting to weird you out. Your phone buzzes again, and Frisk has sent you another text.
[tell him I'm coming back]
You smile just a little, then text them back. [I will. He remembers you.]
"Frisk is on the way too," you tell him, and his eyes flash again.
Good. Perhaps with two humans, it will be more stable.
"Why humans?" you ask.
Without a human present in this room, monsters cannot enter. Keeping it stable requires DETERMINATION.
"There you are!"
With a relieved sigh, Mettaton runs full-tilt into the room and yanks you into his arms. You can hear his cooling fans working overtime, and his body is warmer than you've ever felt it. You smile and rub one hand over his back reassuringly, feeling so, so glad to have him here.
"I'm okay," you say softly.
"Thank god," he whispers breathlessly. "I don't know what the hell any of this is, but I'm getting yo