Whoooo page four! Here we go!

Hotland was possibly his least favourite place in the entire underground. It was hot, it was unnecessary, and uncomfortable as hell. If he were able to, he would have gladly moved to somewhere else long ago. Unfortunately, at the risk of being discovered, that wasn't an option. Still, at least Hotland was relatively remote. Not to mention that this place had all the technology and science you could handle. Perfect for someone of his… situation. He impulsively rubbed his shoulder as he walked, a futile attempt to ease the pain. He only succeeded in seeping his residue deeper into his clothes. They weren't real clothes, obviously. But still, ech...

The ground crumbled a little around his feet as he walked, giving way to them and leaving a miniscule crater where he stepped. He trudged through Hotland for what seemed like hours. It always seemed bigger compared to the previous time he visited… And he visited a lot. After what felt like an eternity, the steel doors of Alphys' lab finally stood in front of him. Just in time too, as he glanced at his arm. Crippled with exhaustion, he rested his hand on the door to catch his breath. He had been outside for waylonger than he should have been, and he hadn't even brought any DT with him. You IDIOT! What were you thinking? he thought to himself. A small feeling of what felt like running water caused him to examine his arm. It was really starting to melt now, and all the heat rising from the lava below wasn't helping. His grasp on this form was slipping. He had to get inside. Clenching his fist, and now more determined to get inside, he pushed the door button hard. Only few stray sparks of electricity jumped from the button in response. Fantastic. The rest of the building loomed above him as he looked up.

"The power out again Alphys?" He called through jokingly, not expecting a response. He didn't get one. He tried the button again. Nothing. Dropping his arms heavily, he sighed loudly.

"Oh for Christ's…" He trailed off, exasperated. Being secretly watched was always a small paranoia of his, and he routinely looked around to check if anyone was watching him. They weren't. Deciding that he was getting in one way or another, he bent down to grasp the bottom of the door, sliding his fingers into the gap between door and the ground. In order to get good leverage, he grew his feet and dug them into the ground. To compensate the weight of the door he stretched his fingers up into the lab and wrapped them around it, holding the door the way someone would hold a ham sandwich. With a sharp intake of air, he strained as he lifted the door upwards. Sparks flew out from the door as the locking mechanisms failed, breaking as they were forced open. They gave out with a ping and dropped to the ground. Still he continued to bring up the door.

"Don't… trouble yourself Alph…" He wheezed between breaths, speaking in multiple pitches at once. "I'm… comin' in!" A dark chuckle followed. Once the door was halfway up he stopped and let go, moving back a few steps to admire his handy work. That was more than enough, and he didn't want to expend any more precious energy then he had to. True, getting inside that lab was his top priority, but so was staying in one piece. His master plan wouldn't work if he was reduced to a mere puddle. Straightening up once he had crawled under the door, he left it open. He wouldn't be in here long. Alphys was still in her usual place he saw. He gestured to her with a small wave. A confused look was the only response he got from her, so he just shrugged and continued on his way.

"Alright… 'scuse me for bein' civil…" He muttered to himself. Whistling as he walked, he made his way over to her elevator, and pushed the call button. A few seconds passed without anything happening, and confusion was about to set in, before he remembered. Oh right, power's out. Getting more irritated by the second, he decided that if he wanted something done, he'd have to do it himself. He cracked his knuckles and flexed his fingers, before they lengthened and sharpened a great deal. Bringing up both his hands, he positioned them in line with the gap between the sliding elevator doors.

"Don't sweat it, I'll pay for the damage!" He yelled over to Alphys casually. She wouldn't mind. In one quick movement, he thrust his hands into the crack between the elevator doors and metal doors suddenly screamed as they began to tear right out of their place. With the metal bending and creaking under pressure, he took a quick breath and gave it another pull, using more force than before this time. The doors bent outwards before they were completely ripped from their place. In all honestly he wasn't expecting that to work so soon, and not being prepared for this, he fell backwards as the doors came loose. They flew overhead as he fell, crashing into the wall behind him and destroying some expensive-sounding stuff. He winced at the noise, but at least a collection of crap anime merchandise and a flatscreen TV were of no use to him. He suspected Alphys would have a different attitude towards it than he did, in fact he was certain she was screaming right now.

He lay there for a moment, unable to shake off the small feeling of shock and surprise he was still feeling, until his attention was drawn to what felt like a small pool gathering around him. The gentle reminder that becoming a puddle for all eternity was an option if he didn't get a move on was enough to remind him that there would be plenty of time to rest later, even though he knew there wouldn't be. So much to do, so little time. He grimaced at the thought. Waiting was his specialty at this point. There wasn't much else he could do for the past few hundred years.

Deciding that he liked the sound of having a physical form much more than the alternative, he picked himself up. Every movement sent ricochets of pain right through his body. He returned his hands to their "normal" state as he staggered over to where the elevator doors had once been, and looked down. There was nothing but a drop. All that was below him was a long, dark, seemingly bottomless pit that led into even more nothingness. Home sweet home.

Most energy was used as he strained to contort his body, producing four long and slender tendrils out of his back. Making sure he had sufficient control over them, he he simply stepped off the floor and into the pit. His tendrils shot out immediately to stop him from falling. Controlling each once with care, he slowly made his way into the elevator shaft. What little light was left in the lab disappearing from view as he crawled deeper into the abyss.

After a few moments of crawling, the occasional curse, sweating, and gradual melting, he finally reached his floor. Utilizing his claws once more, he pried open the weaker doors with ease and slipped inside.

"Now… where's the…?" He muttered to himself, scanning the room for the shape of the- "Ahh, there you are." He said with relief, his eyes landing on the fuse box for the room. Resetting the fuses was easy enough, he just flipped open the cover and examined the switches. They had shorted out. Again.

"Man, I really need to get Alph to look at this. 's breaking every other day".

Having a little experience with this stuff from all the previous times the fuses had shorted out, he simply flicked all the switches down, and then flipped them back up again. As if by magic (and a bit of science), the place flickered to life. He looked on as lights slowly gave light to his place, bathing every surface in a pale shade of yellow. Everything was still in its place. His work station, with all the notes plastered all over it, his samples, his observation notes, and his box of spare parts. He walked over to that box and peered inside. Looking at its contents always reminded him of a particularly fond memory.

"Behold! My NEO form!" He mocked as he hefted a wheel in one hand. What a loser. He chucked the wheel back into the box and carried on across the room. Flicking another light switch, The Betrüger came into view. Connected to it by complex cabling were five small pods. Each was just big enough to fit a person inside, with the glass to observe the inside clear as day. He marveled at his handiwork. It only produced five Soulless Ones at the moment, but with a few modifications, he could easily increase production tenfold. He just needed a "willing" test subject. Apart from that, the only other thing that was down here was cobwebs, dust, and more cobwebs, and although it wasn't the ideal working conditions, they were the best given his current situation. Down here, he could work totally uninterrupted. Every now and then he would ever go up to visit Dr. Alphys. He felt like he should worry about her ratting him out somehow, but he knew she wouldn't tell anyone, even if she wanted to.

Remembering the task at hand, and the panic that came with it, he made haste over to a cabinet labeled "sustainers" and flung it open with considerate force. There were a multitude of drawers inside, and he pulled the second-to-top one open, revealing several syringes, each filled with a churning orange liquid that glowed with the intensity of the Sun itself. Without hesitation, he picked one and immediately jabbed it into his chest. It pierced his skin, diving straight into what was left of his soul, clicking the button on the tip of the handle. Almost instantly he began to feel better, feeling the DT being pumped into him, coursing through his body. Not five seconds later, he dropped the now-empty device. A long sigh of relief escaped him as he examined his arm. It was melting no more, and already felt a lot better. Flexing his arm, rotating his wrist, and curling his fingers, he was satisfied he had full control once more. Not wanting to repeat his mistakes, he gathered some extra syringes from the cabinet before shutting it. He turned and walked over to the mirror on the other side of the room, gazing at his machine as he passed it.

"Don't worry… Soon, I promise."

As he walked, he cleared his mind, and focused his thoughts on one individual in particular. If he was going to cripple their special little group of friends, he had to go after the one that would be easiest to use as a bargaining point first. Who better than this pathetic whelp? With each step he took, his body twisted and contorted as he took on a new form. He gritted his teeth, attempting to suppress his urge to yell out in pain as his new legs took shape, straightening and shifting into flat pieces. A metallic coating of colour flowed over them seconds later. His new body continued to convulse and move into place over his current one. The new body oozed across his chest and down his arms, the colour following shortly afterwards. He closed his eyes as his form finally covered his head, completing his transmutation. Opening his new eyes slowly, he blinked a few times to make sure they were in proper working order. They were. Undergoing this process was a familiar act to him now, and he was getting better at doing it more efficiently every time. But damn if he hadn't gotten used to the pain yet. Shifting his shoulders to make sure they were comfortable, he headed for the elevator shaft. Just as he got to it, he turned and trailed a finger over to the light switch, flicking them off. Darkness enveloped the room once more as he clambered out.

The dim light of Alphy's lab was a welcoming sight as he clawed out of the doors. Using the elevator would be so much more convenient, but in order to maintain an "abandoned" aesthetic, it had to remain deactivated. Constantly checking for possible witnesses, he strolled towards the exit, passing by Alphys.

"I'll be sure to come back Alphys, don't wait up for me." He said coyly, his multi-pitch chuckle resonating from him once more. "I can see you're not busy after all, just hanging around!" He cringed. He sounded just like that little idiot. The door slammed shut with a terrific smashing noise, metal colliding heavily against the floor. Alphys still didn't answer, and he didn't expect her to. After all, it was damn near impossible to when you were rendered completely immobile, stuck to the ceiling with your mouth sealed shut.

What do you think of *that* huh? :D Couple more pages and you'll get to see him interact with the rest of the group :)

See you in the next chapter!