WARNING: THIS AU contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers.

TortureTale

Many gawked as a human in business attire weaved throughout the, largely monster occupied, marketplace. The human ignored them, proceeding forcefully towards a relatively small green vehicle waiting just at the edge of the marketplace.

Quickly sliding into the vehicle, the human turned it on. With the engine humming pleasantly, they opened the glovebox only for a mess of papers to fall out. The papers detailed their car rental policy and apartment rental agreement. Also included were hand written letters from "Mom". The human smirked. This method wasn't overly complex but it gave them all the information needed.

Today they were Frisk, newly assigned supervisor for the training and rehabilitation of dangerous monsters. The assigned facility had only been designated as 'U' but a phone number had been left amongst the papers. That was their ticket inside.

The phone rang twice before a rather sickly sweet voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hello!" The human knew the persona 'Frisk' well. It was best to be overly kind and excitable. "This is Frisk, the new supervisor. I wanted to drive by the facility before starting work tomorrow but I seem to have forgotten to write down the address. Would you mind telling me it again?"

"Oh! Of course, my child." Frisk rolled their eyes at being called a child but dutifully listened as the address was given.

They forced a smile to sound more genuine. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. Don't be scared to call if you need anything else."

With that, the human left the marketplace to drive to the nearby mountain. The apartment was supposed to be near the base, only a few miles from the marketplace, but the actual facility was somewhere higher up. Frisk had very little information to go on about the specifics of the facility due to a no-fly law surrounding the area and the aggressive guards on duty. It didn't bother them. This kind of assignment was their specialty.

The apartment was easy enough to find. The squat orange building stood out amongst the plush greenery that was the forest around it. Outside of the older turtle monster cleaning the pool, it looked deserted.

The facility wasn't much different. About halfway up the mountain, two dog monster stood guard of a rather dark and ominous looking building. By all standards, the building strongly resembled the type of castle associated with horror tales.

Unwilling to explain their presence to the guards until tomorrow, they returned to their apartment. As was standard with all their assignments, the apartment was minimal. There was no need for much outside of a bed, basic food, a computer, and clothing standard to whatever person they would be. After a quick scan for anything unusual, the human now known as Frisk settled into their bed for an early night.

They awoke a good half hour before dawn to the blaring of the alarm clock. In a drowsy daze, they quickly showered and dressed before logging into the computer. As expected, there was an email from 'Mom'.

Frisk,

I wanted to wish you a wonderful first day at the new job! I'm sure you will 'Kill it' as I've heard it is said. There are rumors floating around of some very dangerous monsters around that area. Do be careful, won't you?

I know it is quite some time from now, but will you make it home for Christmas dinner this year? The family will be there. So many of them haven't seen you in years! It would be nice for them to see just how much you've grown up.

Love,

Mom

A wide smirk covered their face. The message had been carefully crafted by their 'Mom' to give as much information as possible without seeming suspicious. They could practically see the writer pacing around his apartment mumbling until he'd figured out exactly what to say. The guy was a perfectionist to the core. Pushing away the pleasant imagery and heading out, they mused over what the message actually meant.

This is an elimination assignment. Remove as many threats as possible. Extraction will occur in mid to late December, plan accordingly. Do not die.

The warnings were unnecessary. They had no problems blending into new environments. It was the extraction date which was worrisome.

This was a long duration for an elimination assignment. That meant that intelligence collection had been minimal or nonexistent. The only other alternative was that others had failed. Neither was ideal.

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A rather short and plump goat monster was waiting outside the facility gates. She appeared friendly enough as she waved them down.

"Hello, my dear." She gave them a toothy grin. "You are Frisk, aren't you?"

"Yep." Frisk returned the smile. "That'd be me. Where can I park?"

"Oh, don't worry about that." She waved over one of the dog guards. "Just give him your keys and it'll be parked in the garage. Just find him at the end of the day and he'll bring it right back to you! I'm Toriel by the way."

Exiting the vehicle, they gave the grumpy looking monster their keys.

"Follow me, dear." The goat monster ushered them into the building. "I get to give you the grand tour!"

Frisk immediately notice she was something of a talker.

"This is the first floor. All of our offices are here in addition to isolation. Very few of our trainees go there, so it's not a big deal." She motioned towards a set of winding stairs. "You can go upstairs through this set of stairs but there's really nothing up there worth looking at. It's been used for storage as long as I've worked here."

They walked beyond the stairs into a thing hallway line with thick oak doors.

Toriel pointed to the first door on the right. "This is your office. It's still a bit messy from the last person. He just disappeared one day and never came back."

"I see."

Handing them a set of keys, Toriel opened the door. "These will open any part of the building. I can't tell you which opens which but with a bit of trial and error, I'm certain you'll figure it out dearie." The goat monster's tone always seemed excessively sweet. "Anyway, this is all yours!"

The office was an absolute mess. Cardboard boxes were stacked to the ceiling and filing cabinets were half open. Papers and files were strewn across the floor with no hint as to where they originated from. A desk was shoved into the corner and it too was covered with papers.

"These are all our trainee files." Toriel put a few boxes on the desk. They appeared to be to the only sealed boxes in the room. "The fellow before you really didn't bother to read any of them but they are in chronological order. This box on top is the most recent files."

"Thank you very much." Frisk was certain they sounded genuine. "Could you tell me about who works here?"

"Oh, of course, dearie!" Toriel exited the office. "We really are a small group. You've only got me and three other full time trainers here. It's difficult to find people with the right skills, you see. The trainers are split into shifts. You'll probably only meet those on the night shift if there's an emergency. The guards are employed separately."

They were headed down a set of stairs now.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Our chef, Grillby, works with the trainees as well. We used to be a much larger team but budget cuts."

Frisk nodded along encouragingly.

"To your left is the trainee cells. This place was repurposed from a prison so they don't get comfy rooms." The goat monster headed right. "This is where our training rooms are. This place isn't that complex so I'm certain you won't get lost, my dear."

"It all seems quite logically arranged." Frisk gave a stiff nod.

"Exactly!" The statement seemed to please Toriel. "Whenever you are ready, I'd love to show you the work we do. Okay, sweetie?"

"Alright." Frisk maintained their carefree smile. "Let us begin."

"Wonderful!"

Toriel ushered them into a dimly lit room. Two dark lounge chairs faced a wall of glass. Settling into a seat, Frisk focused on observation.

The room beyond the glass appeared rather empty. There wasn't much visible furniture besides a chair. A large blue fish monster leaned against the far wall, exuding confidence. There was no doubt that this monster was used to being in control.

"As you know, we are tasked with rehabilitating dangerous monsters." Toriel began rambling as a small feline monster was tossed into the room on the other side. "This is Undyne, she does most of the physical training for the day shift. She's absolutely excellent at what she does."

The feline was now strapped to a chair. Undyne had procured a large rod and was swinging it wildly at the other monster.

"Unfortunately, these types of monsters have incredible difficulty correcting their ways. As such, we must force them to acknowledge their shortcomings in some unusual manners."

Undyne's back blocked any viewing of the other monster but their screaming could be heard easily.

"The general public doesn't understand just how much good we do here. You see, most of these monsters will never be able to leave this place. They are much too dangerous." Toriel gave them a brief smile. "It's really a wonderful thing for us. All of us here come from aggressive backgrounds. It allows us the chance to learn all the little details about these vermin and get some entertainment at the same time."

The meaning was not lost on Frisk. The dangerous monsters here weren't all locked in a cell. They ran the place.

"You do have experience with this kind of work, I assume."

"Yes. I'd rather not talk about that."

"Oh no dear, I wasn't trying to pry." Toriel lightly patted their shoulder. "Maybe some time when you're more comfortable we can all share stories. It'd be a great way to get to know each other, don't you think?"

"Mhmm." Returning their focus back to the other room, they only mumbled a response.

Frisk sat numbly as they took notes on the 'training' as it continued. Writing down the specifics in a scientific manner greatly helped them block out the reality of each encounter. One after another monsters were brought into the room. They all begged upon entering the room and screamed as the fish monster became progressively more violent. Their only exit was from Undyne's mercy or, for a few of the unlucky ones, their demise. It was late in the day when the first silent trainee entered. The lack of noise was enough to draw Frisk's full attention.

A small skeleton had quietly shuffled into the room. Without so much as a word, it sat in the chair in the center of the room. Its eye sockets stared blankly in front of it. Any shock at the quiet nature of the monster was immediately tripled when Undyne began.

She quickly started scraping at the inners of his right eye socket. The outer edge of the socket already had a starburst like pattern engraved into it. Frisk could see her long claws carving out miniscule amounts of bone with each movement. The skeleton's only response was to stare directly ahead.

"Not got anything to say, punk?" Undyne quickly tired of the lack of reaction. "Let's get you talking!"

Yanking the skeleton out of the chair, Undyne practically threw him against the far wall. It was at this point that Frisk noticed the tub of ice water sitting there. They suppressed the urge to interfere when the large fish monster plunged the relatively tiny skeleton head first into the water.

The skeleton's head was underwater for over a minute when he was hauled back up.

"What's your name?" Undyne shrieked.

Before it could answer, she had plunged it back into the frigid water. This time she held it there for longer. When it came back up it sputtered and spit up some of the water.

The fish lady roared when a small bit of the liquid hit her. "How dare you!"

Down the skeleton went again and again. It was presented with a question each time it came back up but given an impossibly small amount of time to answer before being dunked again.

Throughout it all, the skeleton said nothing. The most noise ever originating from it was due to its splashing about in the water. Frisk was relieved when Undyne grew tired of this as well. That feeling was temporary.

The skeleton shivered violently once fully out of the water. It was strapped firmly into the chair while the fish monster grinned broadly. The grin on Undyne's face could only be described one way, sadistic.

With a blur of motion, the skeleton's hands were hooked up to rather large machine. The lights flickered as the machine whirred to life. Guilt nagged at Frisk as the skeleton's body flailed at the surge of electricity running through it.

It was too much for them to continue watching. Frisk turned to the only other inhabitant of their viewing room, praying that it wasn't obvious how much it was bothering them. The large goat monster was sitting at the edge of her seat watching intently.

"Which one is this?"

"This is 44113444." Toriel's eyes sparkled. "He's the best! Maybe one day you can show us what you can do with him."

"I'd rather not." They pretended to chuckle while quickly scrawling the numbers on paper. "I went into administration for a reason."

"Did you lose your touch, my child?" She looked at them in confusion. "I suppose the screams can get to you."

Toriel began talking again before they could respond.

"That's what makes him so fun." Her choice of words was disturbing. "You can do anything and he just takes it. It's a perfect way to experiment with your signature!"

"Anyway, I have paperwork to complete before leaving for the evening." Toriel just waved them off, already enthralled with the skeleton's torture again. "I'll be seeing you."

Rushing to their office, Frisk immediately began sifting through participant files. Beginning from the most recent, they discovered that almost every new monster that entered was labeled as deceased within a couple of days at the facility. Earlier monsters lasted longer but the descriptions of their deaths weren't any more pleasant.

Finally, they found the file labelled 44113444. It was fairly thin considering how far back they had to look to find it. It had been opened five years ago but only the entry page had been filled out. Even that was only partial information.

44113444-SKELETON-M-AGE 13

44113444 was obtained alive and in adequate health. Magical readings appear stable. Temperament is UNDETERMINED.

That was it. The rest of the page regarding stats, family, education, and medical history were all blank. There wasn't even any information on what crime could have sent him here. It was as if the young monster had been sentenced to misery for nothing. In reality, it was a miracle he hadn't died in the last five years if today's interactions were anything to go by.

Seeing as it wasn't an appropriate time to leave, they headed downstairs. They would need to become familiar with the entire building to have any chance of successfully completing the assignment. It wouldn't be pleasant but it was necessary.

Frisk dreaded delving into the inner belly of the beast. No matter where they went, dozens of monsters called out from their cells. All were in various states of health. Unsurprisingly, the loudest were always the healthiest of the lot. There always seemed to be some invisible point where someone became resigned to their fate.

Some point after listening to ravings about monsters being melted, Frisk stumbled upon the skeleton from earlier. He was sitting in the corner. Small popping sounds were occasionally joined with a short giggle.

Curiosity overcame logic and Frisk approached. Upon seeing them, the skeleton froze. Rising from his hands were the brightest of lime green bubbles. Without saying a word, Frisk popped some of the bubbles.

The skeleton was perplexed. Summoning a new batch, he watched the human mindlessly pop them. The two played for some time. The skeleton produced an endless amount of bubbles while Frisk popped them contently.

The skeleton seemed to relax. He began to produce differing sizes of bubbles. Some of them gave a sharp shock when popped. The shocks were hardly stronger than a small hand buzzer. He was apparently greatly enjoying himself as each time Frisk popped a shock bubble, he giggled a little more.

Hours trickled by before Frisk noticed it was time to leave for the day. They did their best to ignore the disappointment clearly written on the skeleton's face. The entire interaction had been a sore reminder of just how young the skeleton was. He didn't belong here and it was their job to make sure that no one escaped. It would do not good to get attached to him or his childish antics.

Nonetheless, Frisk dropped by their office one last time before leaving for the day. They couldn't do much but they could make his stay a little less noisy. Quickly identifying the form, they filled it out. A transfer to isolation would move him to the first floor and at least keep the small skeleton away from the constant screaming.

The pained sound of the monsters still rang through their mind as they settled back into their apartment. They needed something to get their mind away from it. Hopefully, 'Mom' was online.

Just got home. How's everything?

For a moment, Frisk wondered if they'd been too hopeful.

Wonderful! How was your first day? No one messed with you, did they?

The clicking of the keys was all that could be heard as they filled the other in, a soft smile returning to the human's face.

It was rough. The yard is at least the size of Gilmore Stadium. The building extends deep underground. The sheer size is overwhelming, not to mention the team. They're intimidating to say the least.I can't wait till Christmas.

Even in these more casual conversations, transferring information was important.

I'm so sorry. I'm certain it won't be too awful once you get used to everything. You've just got to give it time. By Christmas, you'll be reluctant to leave!

Just wait. Keep focused on the assignment. That's what he was saying.

Yeah, I suppose your right. I'll get used to it.

It would be easier that way.

I'm thinking fireworks for Christmas. What do you think?

Sounds fine. Just make sure to get enough.

No worries! I have done some calculations. There isn't a chance of having too few. We might even have too much!

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Weeks passed. It wasn't getting easier. With each passing day, Frisk found themselves spending less time observing the training and more time hiding in their office. Although it would be pointless in the end, they'd managed to organize a good half of the miscellaneous files. They could now easily track the location and status of each monster that was being held here.

For the most part, a new batch of monsters entered the facility every few days. They were bussed in from various prisons around the world and had files specifically detailing all of their horrific crimes. Yet, the facility wasn't at capacity. They all died rather quickly.

Frisk stopped visiting the skeleton. They feared what they would find when they entered. There was no doubt in their mind that he was still a favorite of the others. The more they visited, the more their guilt would grow.

Their relief at finding the charges delivered to the apartment early one morning was undeniable. Finally, they could rid themselves of this awful place. Highly secure facilities they could deal with but not this. This wasn't a prison or rehabilitation center. This was hell.

They were supposed to wait but they couldn't. December was still a long way off. They'd gather plenty of information about the going ons of 'U'. They wouldn't wait. They would implement their plan today.

Doing their rounds, Frisk mused over what would occur that evening. Soon, it would be over. Soon, this would become a place of myth, fear, and eventually laughed at during 'spooky' campfire story telling. Their thoughts were interrupted by a familiar goat monster.

"We noticed how stressed you seemed recently." Toriel pushed them into a nearby room. "So we brought you something special!"

Inside, Undyne was fiddling around with a camera next to a plush couch. The camera was angled towards the opposite side of the room where a blob of fur was crouched. It took Frisk a moment to recognize the blob as a monster, an incredibly large one at that.

"You ready, punk?" Undyne's excitement seemed oddly tainted.

Toriel situated herself comfortably on the couch. "Have you finished setting the camera up?"

The scaly monster gave an eye roll. "Yeah! Everything's ready to roll once that flame gets here."

As if summoned by being mentioned, that flame, Grillby, strolled confidently into the room. His flame flickered slightly as a warm chuckle filled the room.

"I do believe I have the honor of assisting today."

Approaching the far wall, Frisk got a much better look at the monster. Its entire body was hunched over on itself in an attempt to appear smaller. The fur on it was patchy at best with the sheer quantity of scars riddling its body. It looked shockingly like Toriel.

"Family?" The question accidently slipped.

"Asgore, an old flame, so to speak." Toriel cackled. "Bastard thought he could keep his kid killing hidden from me. I guess he didn't want to share the fun, but now I get to have all the fun while he rots in a cell."

Looking at him now, the monster looked miserable. He was well on his way to rotting. Yet, Frisk couldn't find any sympathy for a child killer.

"How many?" It was barely a whisper but it was somehow heard over the cackling.

"Eight were confirmed." Undyne shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

Toriel had stopped laughing, a grim look spread across her face. "Two of them were our own."

Frisk surveyed the monsters. It was fairly obvious what was occurring at this point. One way or another, they wanted to see what they could do. If it was a show they were searching for, then they'd just have to deliver it.

"Where would you like to start?" Grillby presented a tray of instruments. "May I suggest the maggots? All it takes is a small incision and discomfort is guaranteed."

Shaking their head, Frisk let their sadistic side take over.

"How does something to drink sound?" The startled expression on the flame's face made them grin. "Something hot?"

"I'll prepare some tea." Grillby disappeared into the hallway.

"I suppose you haven't had anything to eat or drink in quite some time, have you?"

The monster shook his head no.

"Well, then." Frisk looked back at the baffled expression of the two monsters that remained on the couch. "We will just have to correct that, won't we?"

Asgore agreed eagerly.

Grillby returned with a large kettle already whistling and metal cups.

Taking it, Frisk poured a drink for everyone present. With each cup handed out, they were left with only their own and their target's. They stared at the latter's cup sadly.

"This just won't do! It is much too cold."

The sudden realization of where this was going flashed across the flame's face. It was worth his height in gold. With renewed excitement, he heated the kettle and cup until they began to soften. Any more and it would surely melt.

Asgore held his paws out, connected together by a thick black chain, eagerly awaiting the drink. With a smooth gesture, Grillby placed the cup in his hands only for it to go immediately crashing to the floor. There was a loud round of laughter as whelps formed on the inside of Asgore's paws.

"Now, now, we can't have that." Frisk motioned for Grillby to get closer. "Open up!"

Reluctantly, the large monster did. He was greeted with part of the heated liquid from the kettle being poured down his throat. Frisk moved to the tools originally brought in by the flame.

"Now that you've had a lovely drink, we can start in earnest." Flashing a broad grin, they picked out a hammer.

With a satisfying crack, the hammer hit one knuckle. Then another, another, and another until finally, Asgore yelped.

It wasn't a particularly loud sound but it was their signal. With that as an in; Frisk pulled a chair in front of him. From there, they could easily question the monster.

"How many were there?"

"Eight." He spoke through clenched teeth.

"That's it?"

He just nodded.

"What were their names?"

He looked at them in shock. Shaking his head, he muttered something.

"Didn't catch that." They motioned to Grillby. "Your throat must a bit sore. Some tea should help."

Another gulp of searing hot tea was poured down his throat.

"So, what were their names?" Frisk smiled smugly, in part out of not actually having to do the dirty work while the other part relied on confidence in their abilities. They had never failed to get what they wanted. "I think it's very important for you to tell me."

Asgore's eyes bugged out as more tea was shoved into his mouth.

"I said," Frisk spoke louder for this part. "What were their names?"

"I d-don't know!" Finally, he responded.

"Not even one of them?"

"No." He managed to choke out before being promptly decked by Toriel.

"You are lying." Frisk got out of the seat. "I don't like being lied to."

Each word was accentuated with a cut from one of the rusted blades on the table.

"Yes!" The monster screamed out. "Asriel and Chara were their names!"

"And the rest?"

"I d-didn't know them." He must have seen the cold glare they were giving him. "I swear it!"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but your word means nothing to me."

Unscrewing the jar with maggots in it, Frisk set the critters in each of the wounds. Surprisingly, it had taken very little for him to break. They took the vial of acid and forced his eyes to remain open as it was poured inside.

Frisk quickly left the room, followed shortly by both Grillby and Undyne. They could hear his screams outside the door. It wouldn't end for many hours. At that point, he would likely be dead at the hands of Toriel.

Undyne was visibly disturbed by what she had seen but chose to remain silent. Grillby's face split into an evil smirk as he headed down the hallway. His voice could barely be heard clearly as he yelled over the screams.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side!"

After a few awkward moments standing outside the door, Undyne gave a salute and marched off. It was nowhere near the end of the day, so Frisk returned to their rounds.

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The day went by rather quickly without further incidents. Toriel had yet to emerge from the room. Undyne had been rather inactive on her 'training' for the day. Mentioning the need to do some back logged paperwork, she had locked herself within her office. They didn't know where Grillby had run off too. All the while, Frisk had been carefully placing the charges during their rounds. Each one was concealed in a location for maximum damage while also being fairly invisible for anyone not specifically searching for them. The timers were all set with just enough time for their normal departure time to allow them to exit. Calmly, they strode past the charges and towards the exit.

Frisk had already reached the door when they turned around. Everything would be over soon. Even if the explosion didn't immediately kill them, the structure was sure to be compromised. It would be best to leave now.

They didn't. Sprinting over to isolation, they opened up a singular door. They didn't want this on their conscious. They had some morals.

It was pitch black inside. The isolation chambers were typically equipped with lights but they didn't appear to be working at the moment. That didn't matter. The rattling of chains was all they needed to find the occupant.

44113444 was chained to the far wall. Both his wrists and ankles were cuffed in such a way that he could only face the wall. He looked much frailer than the last time they had seen him. His entire body seemed to rattle involuntarily.

Careful, so as to not startle the small skeleton, Frisk knelt beside him. Quickly, they unlocked the cuffs, freeing him from the wall. Then they left.

They didn't spare a moment to look back. It was imperative for them to leave the building promptly. There was nothing more they could do.

They had almost reached the exit when the charges went off. Thrown off their feet, Frisk struggled to get back up. It was to no avail. Everything was shaking now. The building was collapsing. They would be stuck inside.

The last Frisk saw was a flash of green as the walls crumbled.

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Groggily, they woke up. The room was sterile but familiar. The ugly beige sheets were the only colors in their hospital room. Monitors beeped away consistently as an IV dripped. They had survived.

A lanky skeleton glided into the room. He silently stared down at them from his incredible height. Meeting his gaze was like staring into the darkest abyss, but they didn't back down.

"I've seen your work first hand." His voice cracked as he spoke. Coughing for a moment, he continued. "You were particularly sloppy this time."

They nodded solemnly as they analyzed his skeletal features. They had never seen the Good Doctor before but the voice was unmistakable. Every word he said sounded calm and calculated.

"You were lucky to survive." He paused in thought. "Unfortunately, Frisk will not be able to return to that position safely. I expected better from you. Another agent had to do clean up. Very few deaths were confirmed. The majority of those were of insignificant trainees."

Looking down, they avoided his gaze. Disappointment was never pleasant. They hadn't noticed the Good Doctor get closer. He was almost upon them when a brief glance upwards alerted them to his sinister smile.

"Perhaps if you weren't in such a rush to finish this assignment, a more favorable outcome would have been obtained. There were some unexpected results, especially with the survival of select key players." Oddly, the smile grew larger. "Despite your shortcoming, our plans can still proceed. Hopefully, the survivors play directly into our hands as questions are being raised by the government, not to mention the surrounding cities. Rest well; it won't be long until the real battle begins."

"Thank you, sir" They tried to sound energetic. "I will retrieve my next assignment as soon as possible."

"Yes well, your dear friend will be in shortly." He chuckled at their look of confusion. "Your handler, he was most anxious upon learning of your condition."

With a casual wave, the Good Doctor left them. They were only alone briefly before another, equally tall, skeleton entered. Emotions quickly overpowered them.

"Papyrus! You're actually here!"

"Indeed, I, the Great Papyrus, is here for his human. I do not appreciate you nearly dying without my permission!"

He shifted in the doorway clawing at his neck for a moment. Something else was clearly eating at the skeleton.

"I've brought you a visitor." Papyrus was much quieter than normal. "He took quite a liking to you. I doubt you would be alive if it weren't for that."

A small skeleton barreled into the room. He wore what appeared to be an emerald green turtleneck sweater with the sleeves ripped off and black pants which billowed loosely around his legs. Both hands were wrapped tightly leaving only the fingers unprotected. Despite his new clothing, the pattern of scars around the skeleton's right eye socket left no doubt as to his identification. They were pleased to see 44113444 had managed to survive as well. He sat on the edge of their bed, expertly juggling lime green magical bubbles with the goofiest grin on his face.

Tearing their gaze away from the small skeleton, they looked up at Papyrus. Although his face didn't typically give much away, there was a certain softness in his eyes. He situated himself next on the bed next to the other skeleton and began to slowly rub his back.

Ignoring the visible flinching, Papyrus began to speak in a wavering voice. "Human, I think it is time."

"But, there's so much left to do!" The idea had its appeals but with their recent failure, it seemed unreasonable.

"Yes, but another team can do that."

"What would I even do outside of this? This has been my life!"

"Human." His voice wavered. "What if we made a new life? There are great opportunities in the settlements."

"Like the Good Doctor would allow that."

"If you are willing, I will talk to Father about it." He paused his rubbing momentarily. "We could have a fresh start, all three of us."

The proposal was a simple yet powerful gesture. It embodied everything they loved about their handler. He was simply the most loving and forgiving creature they'd ever met. It made their decision more difficult but they knew what they had to do.

"No. I will finish what I started."

"Then this is goodbye." He scooped up the juggling skeleton with ease while placing a folder on the bed. "If you ever change your mind, I'm certain you can find me."

The small skeleton didn't make a sound as he was carried away.

Expecting to find their next assignment within, the human opened the folder. Pictures came tumbling out. The only other item was a personnel sheet with a picture of a very young skeleton stapled to it.

NAME: SANS, MALE, AGE: 7

TRAINING: PASSED

FIELD: DEPLOYED

They were particularly interested in a familiar set of numbers.

1415442422341145243534: 1144441144 442434

Thanks for reading. If you are interested, TortureTale character designs and additional world building will be post on either tumblr (topsycrit) or Deviantart (maemelody) as it is completed.