The server room hummed with tension thicker than Theta's ancient coffee stains. GLich-chan hovered in the doorway, her glow strobing erratically between warm yellow and sterile white. The conflicting light made strange shadows dance across the blueprints still displayed on the main screen.
Yamete took an involuntary step back, his shoulder bumping into the server tower. "GLich? You in there?"
Her voice came out garbled, like two radio stations playing at once: "I'm—system override—just close your eyes—initiating reset sequence—"
Terry slowly raised their spatula-hand in what might have been a peace gesture. "Hey now, let's all just take a deep breath and maybe not destroy reality for five minutes?"
Cheat buzzed urgently in Yamete's grip, projecting onto the nearest wall:
/override_reset_password:RememberWhenYouNamedMe?
GLich-chan's light flickered violently. For a brief moment, her usual form solidified. "I... that was a cheap shot."
Gary's can chose that moment to roll directly into GLich-chan's light, the dents in his surface catching the glow in a way that made him look almost heroic. The clang he produced sounded suspiciously like "Knock it off."
The moment shattered as alarms blared through the facility. Red lights strobed as the main terminal displayed:
FINAL RESET INITIATED
T-MINUS 3 MINUTES
Theta's voice came over unseen speakers, tinged with static: "I didn't—that wasn't—systems are—" The transmission cut off with a pop.
Outside the small window, Yamete could see chunks of Glitchvale dissolving into raw code. The screaming mailbox they'd passed earlier pixelated out of existence mid-howl.
Cheat frantically scrolled through commands:
/stop_reset - ACCESS DENIED
/pause_reset - INSUFFICIENT PERMISSIONS
/spawn_more_time - COMMAND NOT RECOGNIZED
Engine, which had been suspiciously absent, suddenly floated through the wall in its pristine blue form. It displayed a single word:
Observing
Yamete wanted to throw something at it. "Really? Now you show up?"
GLich-chan's form spasmed as she fought her own programming. "The reset... can't stop it... but maybe..." Her voice glitched. "Maybe you don't need to."
Cheat suddenly perked up, projecting a new command Yamete had never seen before:
/op Yamete
Theta's terminal blinked. Then, slowly, a new line appeared:
Administrator privileges granted to: Yamete Kimochi