The door slid open with a hiss. Frisk hesitated for just a moment before stepping into the dimly lit lab. The air inside was sterile, humming faintly with unseen machinery. Rows of monitors lined the walls, some flickering with static, others displaying maps of the Underground or strange, scrolling data. A tangled mess of wires snaked along the floor, leading to machines whose purpose Frisk could only guess at.
She took a cautious step forward. "Hello?"
The door sealed shut behind her.
From behind a pillar, a startled yelp rang out, followed by a scramble of claws against tile.
A small figure emerged, hunched and wide-eyed. Frisk recognized her from the photos—yellow scales, white lab coat, nervous energy bundled into one awkward posture.
"Uh—uh, hi! I wasn't expecting… I mean—Hi! You must be Frisk, right?"
Frisk nodded, curious but calm.
"I-I'm Alphys," the lizard-like scientist said, wringing her hands. "Royal Scientist. But you probably already guessed that, huh…"
Frisk looked around again, eyes lingering on the camera in the corner.
Alphys followed her gaze and chuckled nervously. "O-oh! That? That's just for, um, security! You know, the Underground can be dangerous, heh…"
Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Kinda creepy."
"Y-yeah… I guess it is, huh?" Alphys rubbed the back of her neck. "I, uh, maybe went a little overboard with the surveillance. But it's not like I'm spying or anything! Just, uh, making sure no one falls down and… doesn't get back up?"
Before Frisk could reply, a loud crash echoed from the far side of the room. The wall buckled, then exploded inward as a boxy figure burst through, spinning into view on one wheel.
"Fabulous!" boomed a deep, theatrical voice. "The human has arrived—and so has your doom!"
Frisk instinctively stepped back, raising her guard.
Alphys jumped. "W-wait, that wasn't supposed to happen yet!"
The boxy robot, metallic arms folded dramatically, gleamed under a flickering spotlight. A large red button blinked on its chest.
"Mettaton, no! I haven't even explained the rules yet!"
Frisk tensed, but the robot didn't attack. Not yet.
Instead, Mettaton raised a mic from seemingly nowhere and posed. "Lights, camera, ACTION!"