Chapter Text
The old hum of the cpu filled the messy pit that was Sans room with something besides dead silence. The monitor glowed softly as it switched on. A day off from working at the hot dog stand seemed like a good idea for the skeleton. Even if it was a day off only he knew about.
He looked back to the file he had downloaded from an email Alphys had sent him. A type of anime dating sim. Definitely something Alphys would recommend.
Sans decided that before anything, he’d grab a quick snack from the kitchen. A nice bottle of ketchup. Did he really need to eat it? Nope. Did he want to? Yes.
Once Sans was back in his room with his snacks, he sat back down at his computer and started up the game.
The cheery music and bright colors greeted Sans kindly. The music was pretty nice. The art was pretty and definitely fit the type of anime style games that Alphys loved playing.
As he played through the game, Sans learned about the four main characters. He decided to choose Sayori's route, seeing as she was the most real out of the main cast so far. Her story tugged at the skeletons heart, even if he didn't really have one. A soul was close enough, right?
Sans continued on in the game until he was met with the last few scenes of the first act. The main character was going to enter Sayori's room when the screen froze. The game letting out a low hum. Sans couldn't move the mouse nor click anywhere, so he manually shut the computer down.
"Man, my computer must really hate this thing." He said to himself, having heard his computer slowly dying and the fans whirring through all of his gameplay.
'Maybe Alphys can help me with my computer to make sure it can run the game properly without dying so quickly'. He thought.
Sans was just about to open his browser as the screen finally switched back on. Something felt different, however, but the skeleton couldn't put his finger on it. He moved his mouse to the browser icon before seeing something on the games icon.
A small little pixel out of place.
He clicked on the DDLC icon on his desktop. Nothing happened. He clicked again. This time, a small text document opened up and typed out a simple 'hello'.
Sans sat there, confused and shocked. Was this game actually a virus? Or did Alphys send him a bootlegged version?
He didn't know what else to do other than reply.
'Hey'. He typed. 'What are you doing on my computer?'
He watched as the other replied.
'Well, I'm not exactly here willingly. I think the game crashed'.
Well duh, the game crashed.
'I know it crashed. What are you? A hacker?' Sans asked.
'No, I'm not any sort of malware either. Can you do something for me?'
He was a little hesitant about it but continued to talking to whatever this thing was that had now infected his computer.
'Sure. What do you need?'
'Can you go into the games files? I think there's a way for you to fix it.'
'Why can't you do that?'
'I'm not sure. I've tried and the game won't let me access anything. Please fix it.'
Well, Sans didn't have anything better to do, so he went along with the other users instructions. Right clicking the DDLC icon, opening the task manager, and after sorting through a few files and deleting a few things, the game opened normally.
'Thank you! I'm so glad you fixed it!'.
Sans smiled at this and went to reply when the text box disappeared and the screen turned black once more. Finally, after thinking that the game had crashed or his computer had died, a text box from the game appeared, along with a familiar face, smiling right at Sans.
'Hey there! I'm Monika. I'm really glad that you fixed the game for me, I can't tell you how many times I've managed to screw up the files and code trying to get yours and others attention'.
Sans stared at the screen in disbelief. He had reached for his bottle of ketchup and gripped it a bit too harshly as the text box greeted him, getting ketchup onto his hoodie and into one of his eyeholes.
Oh boy what did Sans get himself into?
After cleaning off the ketchup from his eye and jacket, or at least cleaning to the best of his ability, Sans sat back in his chair, silent.
Sans wasn’t sure how to react. A computer game was talking to him. Or maybe it was still malware and the hacker was just messing with him big time. Whatever it was, was talking to him. Monika smiling warmly from within the screen.
Sans shoulders eased their tension and he scratched the back of his skull at this.
“So...Monika, is it?” He asked.
‘That’s correct!’ Monika replied, the words typed up quickly in the text box.
Sans let out a nervous laugh at this, unsure if he should shut the computer down, destroy it, burn it, and then call Alphys about all of this craziness.
“Alright, Monika...What are you exactly?”
‘Data I suppose. I’m not really sure of it myself. I remember the first time...well, being, I guess. It’s not something I think about much. What about you? What are you?’
“I’m just a skeleton living with his brother. I’ve got a lot of neighbors, I guess. Most of them are monsters...real monsters, not just saying that like their jerks or something.”
‘Interesting. Cause I’m pretty sure that what you just said isn’t the entire truth.’.
Monika waited for a response. Seeing that she wasn’t going to get one, the program continued.
‘You are a lot like me, are you not? Powerful, out of this world...unreal, perhaps?’.
Sans simply stared at the screen, keeping his nonchalant smile plastered on. Trying his best not to crack.
He let out a chuckle and gave a shrug. “I guess you could say I’m ‘pretty far out’, eh?”
Monika let out a laugh at this. ‘I didn’t realize the person I was talking to was such a ‘punny’ guy.’
Sans smiled more at this, thankful that Monika at least had a sense of humor...And hoped with every bone he was made out of that she wasn’t entirely malicious.
“What exactly did you have me delete? Those files?”
‘Oh...Those were just some data that needed to be deleted. Couldn’t do much with them still being in the game.’.
Sans didn’t like the sounds of that. “What do you mean?”
‘The other girls had to go. That’s just how things were meant to be.’.
Sans stared in disbelief. Monika, a being shown to be somewhat sentient, was confessing that she had him delete the other girls from the game. Girls who probably were just as sentient and real as she is.
Sans was quiet as he moved his mouse around the screen and towards the recycle bin.
‘What are you doing?’
Sans continued to stay silent as he opened the bin. The bin was empty.
“You had me kill them.” Sans muttered out quietly.
‘The word ‘kill’ is kind of strong. I’d say...’deleted’ would be a better term?’
Sans definitely did not like this.
‘It’s just like I said before; you and I are the same. In more ways than one.’
“What, a murderer?” Sans growled.
Monika shakes her head and smiles. ‘Data. Data in a game. I know it, you know it.’
Sans went to speak when Monika continued.
‘The Internet’s filled with lots of data. Data of you. Data of me. Data everywhere. We’re real in our worlds...just not out there. We live behind these screens to tell stories to those on the outside. Just like what you experienced with this dating game. Various bits of codes and data strung together to make something entertaining and real enough for an escape from the outside world.’
Monika smiled at Sans, unblinking as she waited for his response. ‘Am I not wrong?’
“...No. You’re not wrong...How the hell do you know about all that? Aren’t you just stuck in the game?”
‘Yes, and no. I’m everywhere. Whenever someone downloads the game, I’m on their computer for as long as the game stays. You don’t do much on this computer, so it’s like an old dinosaur and pretty bare.’
Monika got closer towards the screen, tilting her head. ‘You aren’t even apart of the world you say you’re in, are you not?’
Sans sat there. He didn’t know what to say. Perhaps he feared whatever she might say in response, say the truth that he so desperately did not want to hear or believe. Not now, and not ever.
“I think we’re done here.” his tone was cold and held nothing behind it.
No fear. No anger. Just there.
Sans quickly unplugged the computers plug from the socket. As he glared at the program staring back at him, he noticed something. It was quick, but there in the split second, was the softest hint of fear in Monika’s expression. And then, darkness.
Sans sat back in his chair, groaning.
If he had a proper heart, there’s no doubt that it would be racing from whatever hellish adrenaline rush that was.
He laid there for a moment before pulling out his phone. His boney fingers shaking as they pressed against the screen. Sans lifted the phone up to his face.
“Alphys? We need to talk. Now.”