Curse of the High Tide

[The Vision]

"This is truly an irritating predicament," the android muttered.

A full day had passed. The Vision's hand was steadily stirring a jar of seawater. The bowl was replaced because, despite Vision's reassurance that his movements would be mathematically stable, he kept spilling the seawater. Mr. Jarvis, despite his shame for acting so egregiously, was visibly bothered nonetheless. Frisk suggested a more contained container.

"This temporary solution is just that," Vision continued, "temporary. I already detect signs of tolerance to the jar."

Mrs. Dreemurr scowled. "And you've tried throwing away the coin?"

"Yes. It was quite difficult. I feel a great desire not to be rid of the coin, incidentally as desperate as my desire to swim-"

"You've made that very clear, Vision. But you said something happened after?"

Vision blinked. Not once had he mentioned attempting to remove the coin from his body. Something else was happening to him. 

"I threw the coin into the ocean," the android reported, "Your daughter was there with me. She watched me throw it. But when I reentered the tower..."

The Vision opened his right palm. The coin was in his hand. Frisk nodded. "I can vouch for that. It flew pretty far, for someone whose movement was restricted by a jar."

"An attachment curse..." Toriel groaned, "There are so many dam-er, darn curses in this coin. But what concerns me most is this mark of Dagon."

Toriel lifted the coin with a pair of tongs. Frisk laid her hand on Vision's shoulder before he could knock it out of Toriel's hand. The woman dropped the coin into a beaker filled with water.

"Thank you, Frisk. What I am noticing is a possible double-meaning in this riddle."

"Query: why am I not to be released? I am indeed designed to be human, but I do not require oxygen and therefore can not drown. It would be more pleasant. After all, I sure would-"

"Like to swim, yes. I am also very interested to see why those particular words are being repeated."

Toriel stood up, knocking on a wall. A blackboard dropped from the ceiling, jolting to a stop before it hit the ground.

"I do not remember installing that structure," the android noted.

"It's not installed. I just carry one around with me." Toriel winked at the android. "So I never get board."

Frisk groaned and the Vision sighed.

"Sorry, force of habit," she said. She turned around and started writing on the board. "So we know, first of all, that Dagon - or his   cult, rather - is real?"

The Vision nodded. "My research would imply this. A large number of them are dead, killed by the hands of a Prime by the name of 'Doomguy.'"

"Charming," Toriel chuckled, "Second, that this is some sort of inherited curse?"

"The evidence implies it. The unidentified man, then Mr. Jarvis, then myself."

"And the ghost," Toriel muttered, examining the coin more intently, "seemed to want a Prime to hold the coin?"

"Affirmative."

Toriel sighed. "I don't know how to break this. The magic is above me."

"Let me look!" Frisk exclaimed, reaching her hand into the jar.

"NO!" Toriel screamed, grabbing Frisk's arm and pulling it out. Frisk looked back in shock, tears welling in her eyes. Toriel gasped and collapsed onto her knees, putting Frisk in her embrace.

"I'm so sorry. I did not mean to hurt you."

"It's okay, mom, I'm fine!" Frisk chirped, reassuring Toriel with a hug.

Toriel smiled at her. "I just don't want to lose you again, child."

"Yo...n...v...il....a!"

The Vision whirled around, searching for the speaker. There was nobody else in the room.

"Vision?" Frisk asked, "What's wrong?"

"Did-" The android scanned the room, using a large percentage of his power to return molecular scans. Nothing. "Did none of you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Hold, please."

The Vision looped his audio log, attempting to pinpoint the whisper. When he found the whisper, attempts to focus in on the sound waves. It sounded as if the speaker was underwater - muffled, gurgling - but the speaker had no trouble breathing, clearly. The uncanny detail was that the words only appeared after Vision repeated Toriel's statement.

"I just don't want to lose you again, child."

"Yo...n...v...il....a!"

Vision flinched. "Is that coming from the coin?"

Toriel looked at him, concerned. "Vision? What's wrong?"

"I- I- heard a voi-voi-voice,"  the android replied. His voice was slowing down. "My d-d-d-data is being corrrrrrrrrrrrrupted. I nnnnneeeeeeed toooooooo"

The Vision made jerky movements with his spare arm. Frisk and Toriel stepped back to avoid being caught in the hysteria. Eventually, the android managed to clasp the coin in his hand. The moment he did, his eyes seemed to fill with blue light, as if water were pouring into his eyeballs. Suddenly, different voices emerged from Vision's throat. The Dreemurrs watched as Vision spoke in voices they had never heard before.

In a very deep, echoing voice, he said, "I just don't want to lose you again, child."

"You never will, papa!" the voice of a young boy chirped, "I promise! You can have my lucky coin!"

The Vision started crying. "Is that you, child? Have you finally found me?"

Frisk watched the Vision cautiously.

"Come to me, my son," the deep-voice Vision moaned, "I have searched for you for centuries."

The Vision stared at the coin.

"Swim, child," he mourned, "Swim home."

Welcome, SkYYYne/////t
> reboot/setting login_profile_as "Skynet"
>SKKKKKYn forcequit /all eettt
Shutting down...

The Vision collapsed onto the floor.