They were free, and they weren't.
In all essence, yes, monsters were free from the prison that was Mt. Ebott, they were free to roam around the areas surrounding Mt. Ebott, but they weren't free to explore the nearest human city, or step within 10km of said city. Or any human settlement for that matter. They were free from the Underground, but they weren't free from... whatever this was.
They were imprisoned in a bigger prison. More room to move, but still a prison nonetheless.
And so Frisk - as a human - was headed towards Ebott City for a meeting with the human representatives while chatting casually with Sans, when a flash of purple light took over.
And then all was... [white? black? dark?] void.
.
"What is the meaning of this?" Chara hissed, tugging on their bonds, having taken over Frisk's body for a moment to speak.
Frisk themselves had retained control of their arms and hands (though only their hands had a certain mobility) and was frantically signing questions.
"uh yeah," Sans muttered, glaring at their captor, trying to pick off the wristband on his right ankle that was containing his magic using his phalanges. "explanations would be much appreciated."
The duo/trio got no reply other than a really wide and unsettling (and droopy) smile.
"At least tell us who you are!"
The goopy droopy face continued grinning back at them.
"i should know you i should know you..." Sans murmured aloud to himself, trying to jog his thoughts. "i should know you but who the hell are you?"
({Does it matter? From now on, I am simply your captor.})
Symbols flashed from the man's hands, not that anyone understood.
Beware the man who speaks in hands! Chara recalled, yelling at Frisk, and frantically took control, attempting to get away. Get away get away!
Frisk sent a deadpan expression back at their head-mate. I know that. How about telling Sans? I can't sign, we're trapped, warn him.
"Beware the man who speaks in hands! Get away Sans!" Chara screeched. "Get aw-"
A snap of the man's fingers gagged the human, and Chara glared at him, hate in their eyes.
Frisk sighed, then started to attempt to sign some things to Sans, only to have their hands frozen using green magic. Then they took their turn to glare at the goopy man.
"'s okay kiddos," Sans said, earning himself a resentful glare from Chara. "i get where this is coming from."
At almost the same time as he said that, there was a hasty purple glow around Sans' skull.
"aw come on," Sans mock-complained, a smirk on his face. "no mouth, hence my words are formed by magic. but guess you wouldn't know that, not knowing how to speak and all."
({I am quite aware of the necessities of speech for skeletons, being one myself.})
"... did you understand that?"
Chara shook their head no. Or was it Frisk?
Their captor growled in frustration, then grabbed Sans roughly by the arm ("hey, watch it! i've only got a hp! i could dust here!") and dragged the smaller skeleton away, Sans complaining all the while.
.
Frisk and Chara didn't know how long later it was when Sans was tossed carelessly back into the room.
A scary looking crack snaked its way down his skull and across his left eyesocket. On his right arm, his radius was nearly completely snapped, and on his left, his humerus had cracks along it, his ulna snapped clean into two. A black collar had been secured around his neck.
It was evident that not much intent to kill or hurt had been put behind the attacks, else their friend would have been dust already, but the sight of such grievous injuries still unsettled them.
"Sans? Sans!" Chara called hesitantly, gaining intensity when they received no response, Frisk taking their hands and shaking the skeleton lightly.
Tears trickled down their cheek, and dripped onto the floor.
No response came from the small skeleton.
Frisk took a deep breath, adjusted Sans into a more comfortable position, and curled up next to him.
"Please don't leave us..." Chara breathed shakily, unnervingly out of character. "It's still the first day, but I don't think we could survive this without you."
.
A couple hours later, Sans had still yet to wake up, and Frisk had retreated into their mind to keep Chara company.
The door opened, and Chara nudged Frisk back to the real world. They both surfaced with an uneasy feeling.
({It has come to my attention that you are not completely alone in your head.})
Frisk and Chara stared blankly at him, not understanding a word. He rolled his eyes and grabbed their wrist.
"Hey!" Chara screeched. "What the hell?! Let go of me!"
The human(s) were dragged out the room, the door locked shut behind them. Frisk caught themselves, and stumbled up into a walking stance, not really wanting to be dragged around. They scrambled after the man, following him into another room.
He snapped his fingers, and a dark blue glow carried them onto an operating table. His droopy face grinned as he shackled them to the table. Another hand flicked a machine on in a relaxed manner.
Having done all that, he brought himself up to his full height, and looked down on Chara and Frisk,
"It has come to my attention that you are not completely alone in your head," he said calmly, and a machine translated, chilling both Frisk and Chara. "I intend to take care of the problem."
Another snap of his fingers triggered another machine that hummed to life.
"Say your last goodbyes."
Chara clung tight to Frisk's soul, and Frisk did the same with Chara's soul fragments, and as the machine started working on them, they sCreaMed.
.
Frisk was returned back to the room, back to Sans, without their headmate and another black collar around their neck.
.
"ugh..." Sans groaned, clutching his head. He hissed as his bones flooded with pain and his fingers brushed a crack in his skull. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and opened his eyesockets.
He was in the same room that he was in originally, a few of his arm bones were cracked and there was a damp spot on his hoodie along with a familiar figure on his ribcage.
Swallowing down the pain, he poked Frisk.
"morning sleepyhead."
They looked up, and in the dim lighting, he could just about make out the red-rimmed eyes they had. Arms wrapped themselves around him, and Frisk buried their face into his hoodie and sobbed.
"hey kiddo, what's wrong?"
They lifted their fingers, and formed their name-sign for Chara, then the sign for "gone".
"what? they're gone?"
He felt a shaky yet certain nod into his ribcage.
He had to admit, he and Chara had their... differences, but they were a good kid, once he got over all that "murdering all his loved ones" thing.
Sans sighed, but embraced Frisk nonetheless.
Their moment was soon interrupted by the opening of the door. Both parties instantly pulled back from their hug. Frisk wiped the tears off their face, summoning a glare up at their captor.
"Not enough blood..." he hummed and the translating device translated, much to Sans's surprise, then a bone pierced right through Frisk's leg.
They screamed, and Sans, restrained by green magic, could only watch in horror as blood leaked from the wound.
"Much better," their captor grinned, stopped the green magic and dissipated the bone attack.
Sans hesitantly hovered a phalange over the wound, and tried his best to summon healing magic. Panic in his eyes surmounted when his efforts were hopeless.
A soft click echoed through the chamber, unknown to Frisk and Sans, and their captor smiled to himself, before turning around and walking gracefully out of the room.
.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE PUNK'S GONE MISSING?"
"I'M SURE MY BROTHER'S GONE LOOKING FOR FRISK, UNDYNE. IN FACT, HE'S PROBABLY WITH THEM ANYWAYS."
"May-maybe they wanted to go out for a- a snack?" Alphys suggested, voice growing softer as eyes turned to her.
"A snack? A SNACK? Snacks don't last two whole DAYS, Alphys!" Toriel screeched, causing the lizard monster to flinch back.
Undyne placed a comforting webbed hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and glared at the ex-queen of monsters. "She was just trying to help! You don't have to yell at her for that!"
Toriel snarled, flames in her eyes, then caught herself. "...I apologise. I'm just worried for my child."
"Howdy! I don't suppose this is supposed to be for any of you?" Asgore entered the kitchen and asked, an unmarked envelope in his paw.
Everyone glanced at each other, and shrugged.
"Ah well, then I should return it to the post office."
As he said that, something slipped out of the envelope.
"What's this?" Alphys asked aloud as she picked it up. Her eyes widened. "Oh no... I think... Everyone should see this."
The unknown article was placed on the kitchen table and everyone but Alphys crowded around, looking at it. Undyne's eyes flashed, and she curled her hand into a fist. A shaky sob escaped Toriel's throat. Asgore choked on the tea that he had just picked up to drink. Papyrus ran out of the room, tears in his eyes.
The lighting of the picture wasn't the best, but it was enough for everyone to see Frisk's bloodshot eyes, pained expression and bloodied leg, along with Sans's darkened eyesockets, phalange over Frisk's bleeding wound, and hopelessness in his expression.
Undyne calmed herself, and flipped over the photo, finding some more written on the back of it that only infuriated her more.
I'm just getting started with this experiment of mine. Better not tell anyone else, or much worse will happen to them.
.
It'd been a few days since they'd last seen their captor, and was Sans frustrated.
As a monster, Sans didn't really need food to survive, just to replenish his magic supplies, and since he wouldn't - couldn't - use his magic supplies much, there wasn't really a need for him to eat food, although he was starting to feel the effects of dehydration and starvation. Frisk, on the other hand, was a different equation. As a human, they needed food AND water to survive, and the days (probably? According to Sans's mental clock, at least) without water and food had taken it's toll on them.
At the moment, Frisk was curled up on his lap, not asleep as of the moment, but feeling dizzy, as last reported. They also thought that he was Toriel, which was worrying. He was also able to feel the heat pulsing from them as his phalanges combed through their hair.
Sans was exhausted too. He didn't dare fall asleep in case their insane captor decided to take one of them while he was asleep and Frisk was still delusional.
There was a sound of a 'click' in the silence, but Sans dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. Huh, he must be going slightly delusional.
"Humans are strange creatures, especially with their needs," a chilling robotic voice echoed through the bars of the cell.
Sans looked up, eyesockets half-opened to see their captor in front of them and with the translating machine in their hand.
"whadya want?" he drawled, and regretted his decision instantly when his soul pulsed at the loss of magic used to speak. He could feel his body weakening and, damnit, he hated to admit it, but he needed food and water as much as Frisk did, with as much comforting he had to do for the human child.
The man hummed, then pushed in a jug of water and a plate of bread.
Sans eyed him and the offerings warily.
"What? Don't you want it? If not, I can always take it away..."
Sans glared at him and crawled forward to grab the jug of water.
"c'mon frisky bits," he coaxed, sitting them up and opening their mouth, then poured some water down their throat. "good job kiddo."
He took a sip of water himself, and smiled as he felt his magic hum at finally getting replenishment.
He put down the still half full jug of water next to Frisk and grabbed the plate of bread. Silently, he tore a little bit of bread off and dipped it in water, then placed it in Frisk's mouth, letting the human child chew and swallow before repeating the process until all the bread was finished.
Their captor watched with a proud smile on his face, before grabbing Frisk with blue magic and holding Sans still with green magic. He grinned at Sans's desperation as he carried the human out of the cell.
"Don't worry," he grinned at protective skeleton. "They'll be fine."
.
"It's another letter..." Alphys murmured, entering the kitchen hesitantly.
Tensions in the household were running high without Sans to diffuse it with his puns and Frisk with their laughter. It also didn't help that they didn't know much about what was happening to their friends/family members.
"Well then?" Undyne grunted, arms crossed and feet kicked back on the kitchen table. "Best to do it as fast as possible."
Alphys sighed, but placed the envelope in front of her girlfriend. Said girlfriend ripped open the envelope and looked at the picture. Undyne's fist tightened, and Alphys snatched the picture away, recognising the signs of anger. She too, looked away immediately after glancing over the picture, and handed it to Papyrus.
Papyrus accepted the offering with optimism in his heart. It couldn't be that bad... right? Toriel and Asgore peeked over his sides to look at the photo too.
Sans had bags under his eyesockets, signifying the lack of sleep he had, even for someone who didn't really sleep very well. His eyesockets were half open, and on the verge of closing. His phalanges were clawed through Frisk's hair and Frisk was curled up on his lap, face flushed. Closer inspection revealed their chapped lips and half-lidded, fever ridden eyes. Their previous injuries evidently hadn't been taken very well of, but they seemed to have torn up their clothes to serve as makeshift bandages. Everything else considered, they only seemed more desperate for release than before.
Papyrus calmly placed the photo down, and marched up to his room, eyes of everyone else glued on his retreating form.
Later, crashing and smashing sounds could be heard as the taller skeleton unleashed his anger and grief on his defenceless furniture.
.
He summoned a bone attack, one end like a normal bone and the other sharp and jagged, yet still somewhat like a blade. He summoned another identical looking one in his other hand, and threw them at the windows.
They shattered into numerous glass pieces, as expected.
He didn't stop there. More similar bone attacks were formed and thrown. A couple caused his bookcase to topple over, and all the books scattered across the floor. Another found it's way right smack in the centre of the skull flag. Yet another pierced his computer screen. His bed was flipped over when his frustration caused his unconscious to summon more bone attacks that unfortunately resulted in that. He liked his bed. Another speared through an action figure, pinning it to the wall. Oh well. Guess he needed to find a replacement for her.
It took a lot more time and a lot more destruction, but Papyrus eventually ran out of steam, and just sat on the floor and sobbed into his gloved hands.
.
Frisk gasped as their captor tightened the collar around their neck. Their hands instinctively went up to their neck, tugging on the collar, trying to get some relief from the choking sensation.
Their captor shook his head in disappointment, and used blue magic to pull their hands down.
"I didn't say you could do that."
Frisk tried to choke out something, only for their collar to be tightened again. They could feel the edges digging into their skin. Hands and another coarse material wrapped their way around their wrists. Eventually, the hands left, but they found out that the coarse material was actually rope, and the man had tied their wrists together. The rope was digging into their skin, and when Frisk tried to jerk their hands out of the rope, sharp pains laced their way up their arm.
He tugged on their collar again, inserting something else this time. Frisk could feel sharp pinpricks near their chin and sternum. Instinctively, they tilted their neck backwards to try to get away from the pain and sharp points, earning themselves a chuckle from their captor.
"Smart," he praised, and Frisk's spine curled at the thought of receiving praise from their torturer, but they didn't have much time to dwell on that as they were carried up by blue magic and back to their shared cell with Sans.
Said skeleton snapped his neck up so quickly when he saw them approaching that Frisk was afraid that it would break his neck.
"what did you do to them?" Sans demanded, as he caught sight of the puncture wounds and their bound hands.
"Nothing that I won't do to you," their captor hummed, and carried Sans away with blue magic and leaving Frisk alone in the cell, watching their retreating figures with desperation.
.
"THE PICTURES PLEASE," a gloved hand was offered, and the tone of voice left no room for argument.
"Give me a moment... Where did I put it...? Aha! Uh... Papyrus, if I may ask... what for though?"
The pictures exchanged hands, and Papyrus winced as he looked at the pictures again.
"EVIDENTLY," he started with determination in his tone. "WHOEVER IS DOING THIS WON'T STOP UNTIL THEY'RE DONE WITH THEIR SO-CALLED EXPERIMENT. AND SINCE WE CAN'T TELL ANYONE ELSE, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO DO IT OURSELVES. AND SINCE NO ONE ELSE IS DOING ANYTHING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM..." Here, his eyes flashed orange, and Alphys flinched back guiltily. "I'LL JUST HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF."
"But... Papyrus!"
"ALPHYS... NOTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME CAN CHANGE MY MIND."
.
Frisk whined, trying to communicate their discomfort to Sans, and get him to react. They'd tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but it only resulted in a stabbing pain from the fork and spikes of random pain from their bindings.
Sans had yet to move from the position he was returned in. To be fair, while the upper prong was near his chin, the lower prong was just millimetres away from his soul. If he moved so much as an inch, it would stab through his soul and cause him to dust.
Frisk redirected their eyes to the ceiling, finding it the most natural cause of action, and tried to swallow the bile rising in their throat, only to feel suffocated, even if only for a few seconds.
The sound of a click preceded the appearance of their captor, of which they had yet to learn the name of. Frisk froze, then tried to direct their glare to him. It had no effect other than to cause his grin to grow wider.
"It's been twenty-two hours," the machine translated. "I wonder if you can last another two."
Twenty-two hours? No wonder their shoulders and neck felt so stiff. No wonder their eyes feel like closing (but they can't because if they fall asleep, their head will droop, the fork will pierce them and they'll die instantly).
Another two more hours? They glance over at Sans, then return to looking at the ceiling. They aren't quite sure they can last that long.
.
"PAPYRUS!"
Papyrus rolls his eyes and pops his joints before peeking his head out the door of his room. "YES UNDYNE?"
"I heard what you're doing with the pictures."
"IF YOU'RE HERE TO STOP ME-"
"Paps, I love you and all, but listen before you jump to conclusions." The fish monster took a deep breath in, then looked at Papyrus straight in the eyesocket, burning with determination. "I want in."
.
"ANOTHER PICTURE," Papyrus nodded to Undyne grimly. He took out the picture from it's envelope and observed it before passing it to Undyne for her to take a closer look.
None of the wounds from before had really seemed to be fully healed, but Frisk looked visibly healthier than before. Not having a fever at least. This time, there was a device that Undyne recognised as a Heretic's Fork attached to both their necks, restricting the movement of their heads. Their wrists were evidently bound behind their backs, and if Frisk's wince was anything to go by, they were likely bound tightly. Blood droplets were starting to form on their neck.
Undyne glared at the picture, willing it to burn to ashes. Unfortunately, she lacked fire magic.
Sans's eyesockets were dark, a sign he was either really angry, worried, scared or desperate. Closer observation caused her soul to clench. One prong of the fork was just barely missing Sans's soul. If he moved just a tiny bit...
Stiffly, Undyne handed the picture back to Papyrus, who flipped it over to check if anything was written behind like the first time. Nothing. The duo exchanged a glance, and at that moment, both knew that the others wouldn't ever catch sight of this picture.
Papyrus marched back to his room and produced a pen, scribbling down the date on the flip side of the picture. In the meantime, Undyne opened his closet and took out their evidence board. Done with writing, Papyrus pinned the latest photo next to the two previous ones.
"WE NEED TO DO THIS FASTER."
"Agreed."
.
"stop! please don't do this! please! i'm- i'm begging you!"
"Convince me. That was far from enough." A smirk was on his face, the branding device glowing red hot and poised to brand Frisk on the forehead.
Fear and panic was evident in the human's eyes. Strapped down to the table, helpless to do anything while their friend begged for mercy on their behalf.
"they- they don't deserve it! please, don't do it! please!"
Their captor hesitated for a moment, and Sans felt the tiniest bit of hope blossom in his heart, only for it to be crushed as said captor stamped down the brand on Frisk's back.
"Not enough."
Sans screamed, and so did Frisk, and tears trailed down both their faces.
What seemed like an eternity later, the brand was finally lifted, and Frisk was dragged ruthlessly off the table, Sans carried up by magic to take their place.
They were forced to recover from the shock and pain too quickly for their liking, and their throat was already hoarse from screaming and disuse when they forced themselves to speak.
"Ple-Please don't do this to Sans..."
Sans's eyes widened and he let out a weak gasp while their captor smirked widely. "We'll see. Continue."
"P- gah! Please please please please don't- Don't do it! I- I believe in you! You- ugh... - can do better than this!"
.
"It's a... thumb drive this time?" Undyne raised her eyebrows in confusion, handing said thumb drive to her partner in crime.
Papyrus received the thumb drive and looked it over, then walked over to his computer stoically and plugged the drive in. A file opened up. "Watch Me" was the name of the file. The duo exchanged looks, and pressed play. As every second passed watching the video, shivers crawled down their spines and wouldn't stop. Two minutes and forty-seven seconds later, the video ended, and Undyne closed the file, breathing hard.
"EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS," Papyrus breathed, and Undyne didn't try to deny it, messaging Alphys to call the others up.
.
"So? What is it so important for you two to call us in at this ungodly hour of the day?" Toriel demanded impatiently.
Silently, Undyne ushered them all into Papyrus's room around the computer, started the video file and stepped back, eyes directed away from the screen.
The video ran, starting in an empty white room, with a table in the centre and some other materials at the sides. The peace lasted for only a second before the door to the room burst open and three figures entered the room. No one recognised the tallest man, though some found him vaguely familiar. The two being carried behind him were a different equation altogether.
"Sans?" Alphys gasped.
"Frisk?" Asgore asked tentatively at the same time.
The skeleton was left on the floor, held still by green magic, while the human was placed and secured to the table.
"What's... What's happening?" Toriel breathed, and turned to the duo that called them there. "Undyne. Papyrus. What's happening?"
The duo turned away, not making eye contact with anyone else.
"Just... watch," Undyne offered weakly.
The next few moments were spent watching the captor walking around the room, picking up a few items here and there. Eventually, he settled on two different things and heated both over a flame.
Sans's eyesocket widened in fear when he recognised the items, and Frisk squirmed uncomfortably in their bindings, the strap around their neck not allowing them to turn their head, leaving them blissfully unaware of what was going to happen to them next.
"Und...yne...?" Alphys gulped. "Is he going to... brand them?"
Undyne clenched her fists and didn't respond.
"JUST... STOP ASKING QUESTIONS," Papyrus forced out.
One of the devices was lifted and poised over Frisk's back, and Frisk flinched back at what must have been the heat radiating from it, seeing as how it was so hot it was glowing.
"no..." Sans murmured.
"Well then?" The man jeered. "Beg me not to. Beg me not to mark your friend as mine."
Sans's eyesocket flared with magic at the taunts but the magic was quickly snuffed out by...
"A magic restrictor?" Alphys theorised, and frowned, narrowing her eyes. "But... that was outlawed decades ago."
"don't. don't do this," Sans forced out, each word evidently paining him to say.
Their captor simply raised an eyebrow skeptically, and brought the branding device closer. "Are you mocking me?"
"n-no!" Sans's eyesockets widened in horror. "i'm sorry! i- i didn't mean to mock you! i'm sorry i'm so sorry! i- i wasn't thinking! stop! please don't do this! please! i'm- i'm begging you!"
"Convince me. That was far from enough."
Frisk's eyes widened in fear, as did those of everyone else watching.
"they- they don't deserve this! please, don't do it!" Desperation laced it's way through Sans's words. "please!"
Everyone held their breaths as the captor hesitated, and Toriel nearly let out a sigh of relief only for the branding device to be slammed down on Frisk's back.
Everyone yelled in horror, but their yells had nothing in comparison to Sans and Frisk's screams and cries combined.
They could barely hear the captor say "not enough" over everyone's screaming and yelling.
It seemed like an eternity later when the brand was finally lifted and Frisk was dragged onto the floor using blue magic, Sans lifted using the same magic to take their place. Surprisingly, Frisk forced themselves into a position where they could see what was happening to Sans. Even more surprisingly, they spoke, even though every word evidently hurt them to say.
"Ple-Please don't do this to Sans..."
"We'll see. Continue."
"P- gah! Please please please please don't- Don't do it! I- I believe in you! You- ugh... - can do better than this!"
The captor frowned, and put the branding device back over the flame. Every eye and eyesocket was glued to what was happening, anticipation and fear evident, even through the recording.
"Be... better?"
Frisk nodded hesitantly. "You- You don't have to do this anymore. You can... can be a better person."
"A better person?" An eery chuckle started sounding, and Frisk flinched away. "Better? Dear child..." Something happened, and the screen went dark for a moment. "You really are an idiot."
Frisk's screamed for help and mercy as attacks - moving too fast for the camera to capture - sliced through their skin.
"no!" Sans yelled, straining against his bindings. "please! no! stop! ple-ease!"
Surprisingly, the attacks stopped, leaving Frisk bloodied and panting heavily.
Frisk looked up, only to see their captor pick up the branding device. Said captor sent a smirk at them and the camera, making everyone watching flinch at the cold look. He walked back to Sans's side. The smirk widened, as did Frisk's eyes, as the brand slammed down on Sans's spine.
Frisk let out a gasp "No...", Sans screamed and their captor cackled wildly.
The video ended with a loud crack of static, and everyone flinched at the sudden cut.
"I can analyse it," Alphys spoke up firmly, breaking the silence that had settled, then winced as eyes turned to her, voice rising into uncertainty. "I- I could find out mo- more about the uh, origins of the video?"
Undyne and Papyrus exchanged a glance, and Undyne nodded. Papyrus made a copy of the file in his own computer before unplugging the thumb drive and passing it to Alphys.
.
"frisk, c'mon frisk, answer me! wake up! don't- don't leave me alone here! ... ... stars... this is bad... c'mon kiddo, wake up... please? ...no! what are you doing?! nononono! please don't! don't take them away! don't- don't take them away from me! p- please... i'll do anything! j- just- just don't take them away from me!"
"No."
"...wh- what...?" Sans sent a hopeless pleading look up at their captor, tears pooling in his eyesockets. (There was a near silent "click" that Sans didn't hear over the throbbing of his skull.) "b- but- please! w- we don't have any- anyone else! i need- i can't- i can't lose them too!"
Their captor narrowed his eyes, then placed Frisk on the ground. Sans let out a sigh of relief, crawling over to Frisk, only to be frozen and carried up by blue magic. There was a clanging sound as manacles that neither of the captives had noticed before were snapped and clicked shut around Sans's wrists, and pulled such that his toes could barely brush the ground.
He let out a gasp at the sudden pressure placed on his arms, gravity pulling him down though the chains kept him up.
"NO," their captor snapped, getting too close to Sans's face for his liking, then leaned back. "Any more demands?"
Helplessly, Sans glanced at Frisk, then shook his skull hesitantly.
"Good."
A snap of his fingers and blue magic picked Frisk - who was still in a state of shock - up and out of the cell.
.
Frisk came to with a jolt, spasm, pain, numbness and a tingling feeling. They found that they couldn't bring their eyes to open fully? Eh, they were probably just too tired. The thought was immediately ripped from them when another jolt of something (probably electricity) rushed through them, energising them for a second, then leaving them feeling drained.
"I was wondering when you'd break out of shock."
That woke Frisk up fully, and they snapped their head up, finding their hands and legs locked to a chair.
"Wh- What is this?"
"I wondered how much electrical current a human could withstand before going unconscious."
Frisk looked at their captor with their trademark unamused face, trying to hide their fear.
"That was 150 volts, next is 165."
.
"315."
Frisk screamed.
.
"390."
"Please!" Frisk begged, stopping for a breather as a shock ran through their body. "Stop! Whatever did I do to you?!"
"Running away."
"What?"
"I created you, S-1, P-2 and U-4 in my lab. You, however, ran away, absorbed the soul of one of my experiments, and ran off to the Surface!"
"Wh- What...?"
"Well, perhaps you know them better as Sans, Papyrus and Undyne."
"...what...?"
"P-2 and U-4 were decent experiments. Stuck to the rules. P-2 was a little pushy at times. BUT YOU! You ran away! Got to the surface! Everything! Probably locked all memory of monsters in a corner of your minuscule brain! It didn't help that S-1 PUSHED me into the Core, wiping everyone's memories of me!"
"But..."
"Silence, F-3. And for that question, 450V."
"AHHHHHH!"
('Click.')
.
Papyrus took one picture and handed the other to Undyne, eyesockets narrowed at the contents depicted. Tears pooled in Sans's eyesockets, despair taking over. There was no sign of Frisk.
Next to him Undyne growled, and snatched away the picture of Sans, looked at it, then growled again.
Papyrus was pretty sure he didn't want to know what the other picture depicted.
.
Frisk was dragged back into the cell and stared with wide eyes at Sans dangling from manacles that definitely weren't there before. He looked up and sent a pained smile at them. They sent a weak smile back.
Their captor placed them on the ground and, keeping an eye on them to make sure they wouldn't run away, unshackled Sans from the chains. Frisk rushed forward to steady their friend and lower him to the ground gently.
"I have a couple gifts for you two," their captor huffed, dropping a parcel behind him and walking out. "F-3, take care of S-1 tonight."
Frisk flinched, and Sans winced at the sudden movement.
"why f-3 and s-1?" Sans asked Frisk when he was sure their captor was out of earshot.
"Long story," Frisk muttered. "But what you should know for now is that you are S-1, Papyrus is P-2, I'm F-3 and Undyne's U-4. Something about an erased past and him being shoved into the Core by... you? And no one can remember him or any interactions involving him. Apparently he created us as experiments... stuff like that. Wanna see what he got us?"
"believe me, i'm not sure about this."
Frisk rolled their eyes and grabbed the package, crawling back to Sans and putting it in front of them.
"So..."
"so..."
"On the count of three?"
"one..."
"Two..."
The paper was ripped open and they both froze, because inside the package were two simple items. Each holding a dangerous value to each other.
A razor blade, and a nail.
.
"what does it say?" Sans murmured.
They had tossed the package into a corner, far far away from where they were clinging to each other, hoping to forget the contents in time but knowing that would never truly happen.
"What does what say?" Frisk asked, eyes closed and feeling emotionally drained.
"the brand. on my spine."
Frisk inched closer and, after looking at Sans for permission, rolled up the latter's shirt.
"WDG S-1... How about mine?"
Sans did the same with Frisk.
"wdg f-3."
"Hm... Guessed right."
.
It hurt it hurt it hurt; it hurt too much and he was screaming in pain because all the memories were full of pain and suffering punctuated by few brief moments of tentative cuddling and whispers of family and everything ended eventually with an anger-filled moment and pushing the stupid doc into the CORE and then... the life he'd always known.
.
Everything hurt. Their bones hurt, their skin hurt, their organs hurt, breathing hurt. They remembered everything from their previously inexistent childhood. Growing up with S-1, P-2 and U-4. Being urged by everyone else to take their chance and run away. Taking advantage of the confusion in the labs to grab a bright red SOUL and run off into the Hotlands. Somehow finding their way to New Home, and dashing across the Barrier. Feeling their monster SOUL crumble to pieces and freaking out, only for a voice that introduced themselves as Chara to calm them down.
.
Frisk snapped their eyes open and came to with a heavy intake of air, gasping for breath. They were a monster, like the rest of their family! Only with a human SOUL? They weren't sure about the specifics, but filed the information to a corner for further reference.
Frisk glanced over to the side, and saw Sans in a similar freshly-awakened situation, sweat dotting his skull and a faint blue flush over his face.
"Memory restoration complete," a monotonous voice droned.
Frisk flinched as a familiar figure loomed over them.
Sans had less tact though, when their captor deemed them alright and moved on to checking on Sans.
"what do you want, doctor gaster?"
'Click.'
.
Papyrus grinned at the photo. Sure, his brother and friend still weren't in the condition that he would have preferred they be in, but Sans anger filled face as he glared at his captor was pure gold. Even if Frisk was at his side, slightly curled into themselves, Papyrus knew them well enough to see the beginnings of a smile curl on their face.
He passed the photo to Undyne, who outright laughed.
This picture from wherever their friends and family were was a breath of fresh air compared to what was normally depicted.
.
Gaster switched off the translating device, and Sans wondered if he'd ever get an answer.
({Well now that you remember,}) Gaster mused, causing Sans to freeze as he realised how he understood the words. ({It would be best to keep you under control, wouldn't it, S-1?})
"What do you mean, keep us under control?" Frisk brought themselves to ask, voice trembling.
({Let's lay down a few ground rules first, shall we? First off, cooperate whenever I require it. Troublesome acts will not be tolerated. Second, don't try to escape. Third, you will refer to everyone by their experiment names. That's really all I ask for.})
"and what if we don't cooperate, hm gaster?" Sans snapped.
({...And refer to me as Doctor. If you refuse to cooperate... Well, I'm sure you remembered P-2 and U-4's involvement in these experiments of mine, do you not?})
Sans bristled at the reminder that Papyrus and Undyne had once been with he and Frisk under the doctor's control.
({Let's just say we'll be welcoming a few other people back here, if the ground rules are not met.})
Sans and Frisk froze.
Gaster smiled, dangerous and cold.
.
Frisk noticed Sans's eyelights flicker in the direction of the package, and they followed his line of vision, sighing. It was hard, with a blade right there and so much emotional turmoil, but they stayed put, and slowly, reluctantly, tore their gaze away from the package and looked back at Sans. There was a nearly unreadable look in his gaze, dangerously trained on the package and, most probably, at it's contents.
Frisk took a breath in and out, then entwined their fingers with Sans's. Startled out of his daydreams, Sans snapped his skull up to look at his friend. They smiled at him softly, features radiating understanding, and it took a while, but he smiled back too.
Unspoken words were exchanged.
Regardless of anything, they were going to face it together.
.
"So I did my research and I have bad news," Alphys bit her lip and looked away as she said so.
Papyrus and Undyne exchanged looks.
"It's okay, we won't get mad..." Undyne trailed off, uncertainty lacing her words.
"Icouldntfindoutanything!"
"What?"
Alphys gulped. "I couldn't find out anything! No trace of the origins, nothing! It's like it came out of nowhere!"
"NOWHERE..." Papyrus muttered to himself.
.
({Hello C-5, I've managed to secure a new host for you.})
"About time," Chara's voice huffed from the dummy.
({You have a choice. A skeleton monster with high attack and low defence and hp, or a humanoid monster with human stats.})
"The humanoid monster. It's what I'm used to after all."
({Alright, now give me some time.})
.
C-5 blinked their eyes open, then raised an arm and looked at their new body.
"Satisfactory."
({C-5, this is F-3, your new host. And this is S-1, your target. Now, attack.})
C-5 growled as the other in their body scrambled for control, and lunged for the knife on the ground between them and their target, successfully snatching up the weapon. A grin formed on their face as they twirled the knife, feeling the perfect balance of it in their hands. They leapt towards their target, ready to land the first strike.
The other, supposedly F-3, snatched control long enough to change direction and cause their body to turn in the other direction and the knife to be embedded in the ground.
The target, S-1, was clearly in a state of shock, not attempting to dodge, block or retaliate.
({F-3, cooperate.})
F-3 clearly didn't want to, their mind racing at kilometers an hour. C-5 pushed the other out of their mindspace, and focused, concentrating on the target. With a burst of delight, they realised that F-3 had a human soul of determination. Which was strange since they were a monster, but hey! They would take what they got.
They focused, and a ball of red energy formed in their hands. On the other hand, F-3 took advantage of the lapse in C-5 blocking them, and took control, tossing the ball of Determination at the wall.
({F-3. Our deal?})
"c'mon fr- f-3. rather me dead than the others here, right?" S-1 spoke up, voice shaking.
C-5 didn't let F-3 answer, eyes glowing red, and lunged at their target again, a DT knife in their hand.
"I'd rather not let anyone die!" F-3 took control for a moment, screeching as they threw the knife to a side, and end up crashing into S-1.
C-5 regained control, snarling, their bloodlust craze flashing crimson in their eyes. They formed a new knife, and swiped it across S-1's chest, landing that one killing blow.
Word Count: 7158 words
(A/N: NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE. The real Papyrus would kill me for this. And Frisk. And Undyne. And literally everyone except Chara. Yup, even Gaster would kill me for this. What? He wants his experiments alive and well. But well, I don't seem to want that to happen. All I want to do is break your heart to pieces. ~Summer)