Chapter 1: Insubordinate
He looked down from the balcony into the lobby. Another swarm of students draped in lab coats were filing their way in, each one stiff and rehearsed in their movements. Such formalities with the youth were rather comical to him. He glanced at his schedule, confirming that these were seniors from the scientific university not far from here. All of the youths who arrive here come for the exam that they have dreaded, yet anticipated, their entire educational career. This was their finale. This is what determined who, if any, were suitable to join his colleagues.
The students stopped midway through the lobby, gawking at the glass architecture that made up the room. Just like all the others, they fail to spot him, regardless of being directly up and in front of them. He did not blame them; after all, this was quite an exuberant facility. Located on the edge of the city due to its massive size, these labs were by far the most advanced, and the most advancing.
Well, there was an exam to be taken, and work that the 'Royal' Scientist, a humanoid skeletal monster, had to attend to. Even though the monarchy had given way since monsters had been accepted into society, his title still stood.
Clearing his throat, the students all seemed to snap their heads upwards at once, collectively gaping for a moment, before stiffening into half bows. The scientist was about to chuckle to himself before he noticed a rather blatant outlier. A girl with a series of three to five folders, lab coat a few inches too long, and fumbling with her things, seemed far too intrigued by whatever she was scrawling into that battered notebook of hers. If one did not know better, they would think she was muttering to herself.
The scientists arched his left brow, the one whose movements were not limited by a sweeping scar. Again, he cleared his throat, a bit harsher this time. With her head shot up, the disheveled student suddenly flung her torso down. In doing so, so did two of her folders, half of the papers spilling out. Now everyone knew for a fact she was mumbling to herself.
She scrambled to pick up her things, placing everything in the exact order it was in, while still maintaining the spot in her notebook. Never seen one like this before, the scientist pondered.
"Miss!" the skeletal man shouted. He lowered his brow, his 'lips' flattened to a thin scowl. The youth shook as she stood again, papers still haphazardly splayed about her things.
"Forgive me, Sir, I did- I…" With a self-deprecating whimper, she mimicked her classmates who were almost fearful for her. Almost. What was he to do… Yes, he could let her take the exam, but even if she exceeded him (unfeasibly), her clumsiness and lack of tact were beyond questionable. This person was beyond a typical exam. He began to wonder how she had possibly made it this far.
"Get up here. Now." He waited for her to quizzically look up to him before holding an open hand out towards metal and glass the stairs about forty feet away to the right side. Grasping what she had, the girl scurried over and up the stairs, stopping at the top. Here she was, not only face-to-face with the most renown scientist to man and monster, but was most likely going to be disgraced throughout the entire scientific community by him. Doctor W.D. Gaster was not known to have been a very merciful monster to those outside of his community. Whether or not these were stories or the truth, it did not matter to her right now.
"Come here." He hissed, sliding his hands behind his back. Shivering violently, the girl shuffled her way forward. Everyone had full view of whatever was about to occur, and knowing her classmates, this only made everything far more sickening. She stopped, head and eyes training on the tiles in front of the man. He towered over her 5'3" form, reaching at least 6'7".
"I am sure you are quite aware," the doctor started, eyes gleaming through the base of his rectangular glasses. "of the situation that you have put yourself into. Should you have been conducting a crucial experiment and something went wrong, not only would the experiment be compromised, but as would those around you and yourself. I should not have to remind anyone at this stage of your education of this." He glances at the crowd of gawking students as he emphasized his point, returning his glare to the child before him. "… Well?"
Seemingly gasping to breath, the girl solemnly nods.
"Of course, Doctor Gaster. I have no excuse."
"And do tell, what is it that you could have been so enthralled in that you were distracted from a lab of this caliber?" Gaster crossed his arm, clipboard having gone somewhere else while his hands were hidden. "And for stars sake, lift your head up, stand at attention, and right yourself!"
Shuddering deeply, the girl did as she was told, pulling her coat properly back onto her shoulders, arranging her notes to the crook of one arm, and finally dared to look the famed scientist in the face. 'Desolate' is all that came to her mind. She had to remind herself that she was asked a question.
"I-I had been going over calculations I had made into a theory I have been researching. I cannot seem to get through to it, but it is not important. I should have been paying attention. My work is by no means publishable." Struggling to stay focused on maintaining eye contact, she shifted her gaze several times from him to her book to the floor and back again to him. His nasal socket seemed to perk on one side.
"And what 'theory' may this be?" He unhooked his arms, holding out a hand towards her notebook. How had she forgotten about the circular holes going through his palms? Handing over the book, she fessed up.
"It's actually in relation to your theory, Dr. Gaster, about interdimensional relations. I was not trying to change it, I was just trying to see if I understood it and if it could be used in a different avenue, or… I did not mean to seem as thou-" A raised hand stops her ramblings. White pupil-like specs grazed the pages of the book, dexterous finger bones slipping from one page to the next. An accusatory pupil pinned the girl.
"And you know what you have written? You have dedicated your personal studies to this?" His voice unwavering as his immobile look.
"Yes, Dr. Gaster, that is correct." She said robotically.
"Good." He grabs a few of the pages. "Then it will mean nothing to you if I did this…" Without a single warning, the pages are lacerated from their bindings before being halved twice and abandoned to the floor with what was rest of the notebook. Mouth agape and eyes burrowing out, the youth had to do all she could from scrambling to pick up months of her work from the feet of her superior. Students below seemed to bear the same reaction. The doctor snapped a finger from his side, forcing attention to be brought back to him.
"If this truly is something you worked on," he gestured to one of the many tables lining the middle of the balcony floor, his clipboard having been placed on it, as well as designated stacks of blank papers and cups of pens intermittently spread out every few tables. "then you will have no problem replicating it."
Something seemed different as a sense of understanding washed over the young girl. Immediately, she sat down in one of the chairs, pulled a few pages from the stack and began furiously reproducing her altered version of her superior's work. Diagrams and equations and symbols littered the fronts and backs of every page she touched. As she reached for more, the stock of paper was pulled out of her reach.
"I have seen enough." Gaster plucked the pen from her hand, returned it to its holder, and proceeded to pick up the torn pages and book from the ground.
"Your work is by no means genius, far from it… but I know a critical thinker when I see one." The scraps of pages are neatly returned to their original home, and placed beside the girl. The scientist seems to ponder a moment. "I also know wh-…" All else was a muffled blur to the girl. Unable to focus on much of anything, her head lulled about on its axis, occasionally pivoting dangerously to the side. Unaware of how long this had gone on for, mere milliseconds or minutes, firm hands clasped onto her shoulders. The end of each digit seemed to press into the tender skin just to the side of her clavicle.
Pulling her eyelids open that she did not know were closed, her vision seemed to get closer to her, as did her hearing. Ah, tunnel vision, she thought through her blankness. Her hands attempted to reach for her head, but they only seemed to twitch occasionally.
"… -ocus on keeping your eyes open, attempt to move your arms… I presume you can hear and see now?" An off-white figure peeked out of the top right of her vision. Is he a doctor? He looks like one. When did I go to a doctor, or did they come here? Thoughts crawled in her head. She just wanted to lie down. Lie down and sleep. She was so tired. So little sleep. Wanted to…
"Come back to me, now, you're alright." The easing voice broke her out of her stupor again. "You-…" A focused look drew onto his face. "Your pupils are dilated. You are more than just hyperventilating." Something cold pressed to her head, the draping sleeve telling it was his hand, before coming pointedly to the side of her neck. "Give me a moment…" The monster stood, walked to the bewildered crowd.
"All students and their faculty are to report to the exam room. No one is to leave until my word. Is that understood?" His voiced brandished a hint of spit. The students glanced silently to one another, a few to their professors. A colleague of Gaster escorted them further into the building before a 'Yes, sir' could be given.
"Still there, child?" A few more figures came around her, all dressed alike.
"Dr. Gaster," A meek female spoke, "we do not have any room to hold her. Perhaps she could be transported elsewhere?" A pondering hum responded.
"This is more than just exhaustion. Bring the necessary equipment for a blood sample to my office." Softly scooping the youth up from the chair by her knees and back, she was suddenly stirred from the almost out of body state she had been in. The movement kickstarted her blood back into her head. Blinking and starting to move about, she looked to who her capture was. Before she could get a word in, he firmed his grip and kept his eyes forward.
"Do not worry, you will be fine. A simple test and we will know how to help you feel better, alright?" His words were simple, as though his normally studious, and almost superfluous, speech would not have been perceived.
Right, yeah. He's a doctor, I'll feel better… right… Just about immediately after settling into relaxing, it dawned back to who just who was carrying her, and to who knows where!
"Wai- I- no it's okay, I'm-" She struggled as politely as she could to be put down, but it did not even budge the doctor.
"Stop this, I understand this is strange and confusing, but just bear with me here." He calmed. Doing as she was told, she stopped fighting, but refused to relax. "I will explain when we get you someplace a bit more appropriate. The lobby of the facility is no such place." He slid his hand from under her knees forward away from them, then back again. A metal door swooped open almost silently.
Stepping into the room, the bright, sun-filled halls gave way to French grey walls. The room seemed as though it did not belong in such a place. A rich, wood desk gazed towards the large, but single window in the room. A few piles of studies messed the desk, but overall organized on either side of a computer. If one looked closely, there were knickknacks that spotted the desk. The entire right wall was about a ten-foot-long bookshelf, entombed with sophisticated manuscripts and the likes. Footsteps fell silent upon a grey rug; clear paths having been scuffled into it through wear. Gaster walked into the room, and set the girl onto the old, brown leather couch to the left. Glancing up as the doctor made his way to his desk, she took note to just how… homey the room was.
"My personal study, if you were wondering." The doctor returned with a rolling chair and a fresh clipboard with blank documents on it. "We don't have any medical beds available at the moment, and I positive you would not wish to be there. Our patients would only be a bother to you in your mentally inhibited state." Sitting along side the couch, he began writing. "I do believe I have missed your name." His pen paused. The girl hesitated. Was this really the same W.D. Gaster that everyone spoke about? Why were you here, in his personal office, being asked for informati- "Are you alright?" His head tilted as though looking deeper into her expression, gauging if she was passing out.
"Uh, y-yeah… What did you ask, my apologies."
"Your name, child." Again, she hesitated.
"Clara Avery." He nodded, clarified the spelling, and continued to write for a bit before looking up again.
"Alright, so obviously you're not well. After you passed out, I spotted a pin prick on the back of your neck. Any ideas as to why that is there?" It was more of a statement than a question. As expected, Clara shrugged, reaching her hand to said spot. Dr. Gaster sighed softly. "I figured. We will do a quick blood analysis to determine whether or not this is related to a possible drugging. It is a rather crass mark, but I can tell it was made by some sort of needle. And the fact that it is crass, also tells that it most likely was administered by an amateur and probably while you were awake." Clara's face speculated, her mind finding a bit of traction to coherently think.
"Wow wow, hold on a second. So, you meant to tell me that with all of the other students around, I was injected with a drug? I must apologize, but I find that rather unlikely." He nodded sympathetically.
"And who do you think was surrounding you for probably the past half hour on the way here? I have heard of people doing some pretty brash things to get to the top." Gaster was about to continue when a knock sounded on the door. "Ah, must be the supplies." He mumbled, getting up and pressing a button that opened the door. Another scientist pushed a small cart with small baskets of various things inside and beside the chair Gaster had just occupied. "Thank you, Peonia." The door slid closed and the doctor returned to his spot. "You are not nervous about blood work, correct?" He began picking things here and there from the baskets. Clara instantly recognized the butterfly needles and vials, and started worrying the inside of her lower lip.
"Not really." By far, the most unconvincing statement she has said so far today.
"'Not really?' No matter how you say that, there is still the slight inclination that you are nervous. I am not some new nurse in a walk-in clinic who does not even give you their name before sticking you seven times unsuccessfully." He pauses and gives her a soft smile. "You'll be fine. If you could actually lie down, that would be better, seeing as how you have already passed out once before. Eaten anything today?" Scooting down so she was on her back, legs still up, she shrugged.
"A little, about four or five hours ago or so."
"And you were going to take my exam on a practically empty stomach, with who know how little sleep?" A rubber strap was wrapped around Clara's bicep, an alcohol wipe sanitizing the crook of her left arm. "I sometimes wonder just how smart college students really are. Don't get me wrong," The butterfly needle was pricked in. "I have had, and still have, endless nights mulling over book after book," New vial. "trying to find some sort of inkling to an answer." New vial. "But regardless, it is still crucial to maintain your own health in order to find that answer to better the health of others." New vial.
"How much… do you need?" Gaster looked up quizzically.
"There are thousands of drugs out there, and I'm sure you do not wish to be stuck twice in one day because we did not have enough for testing." Finally, the needle and strap are removed, and replaced with some cotton. Gaster tossed the needle into a red, lidded bin, and pulled out a fat envelope. "Know what these are?" He pulled out packs of what appeared to be chlorine test strips for a swimming pool. Clara shook her head, even though she had a pretty decent idea as to what they were. Her head was getting a bit cloudy again, throat feeling tighter as a hint of nausea set in. "They will tell me what drug types, if any, are in your system. Once we know what kind of drug it is, we can give you something to hopefully combat the symptoms. That and give us a rough estimate on how long said symptoms will last." Clara nods sluggishly.
Again, Gaster places his hand on Clara's forehead, his thumb slightly petting her. His brow worried.
"Each time you get hit with another wave, you look worse and worse. Probably means that you were not drugged too long before passing out the first time. Once a big wave hits, you will feel better from there, but I cannot guarantee how long that will take. Just close your eyes and try to rest." Without any fuss, the young student let her eyes close and her mouth drop to a slight glower.
The more time passed, the more she was grateful that she had not eaten anything in a while. At times, she wished that she would just pass out again to ride out the worst of whatever was in her without feeling it. Rolling onto her side, she panted for cool air, but everything just felt humid and compressed around her throat. Occasionally, Gaster's hand would find her forehead absentmindedly. Were all skeleton's hands so pleasantly cool, or was she just that desperate for anything that was not broiling?
"Awake?" An unintentionally pathetic whimper confirmed. "I am very sorry for how you are feeling. I did find what you were drugged with, but it is something that you will just have to wait to leave your system. It shouldn't be any more than four hours since it had been administered, so only two and a half more hours to go, I speculate. I can't give you anything to stop this, but if you want anything, water, the window opened, I would be more than happy to oblige." A few seconds of serene silence gave way a cracked whisper.
"Window, if you can?" Without a word, Gaster stood and opened the bottom of the window and cracked the top. Clara could already feel the air circulating, the early spring chill easing the knot in her throat as she greedily breathed it in.
With his soul at a slight easy, Gaster returned his chair to his desk and sat before his mounding work. A few moments later, he took note to the deep and even breaths behind him that signaled to him that Clara had fallen asleep. Or at least he presumed it was, as opposed unintentional loss of consciousness.