Chapter 12
Robert sat, with a straight back, browsing through Alphy's computer. Alphys, along with the sleeping form of Undyne and the ever so egotistical Mettaton, were watching something she called 'Anime'. Figures raced against the screen, attacking each other with laser-shooting swords. Robert then refocused his attention on the screen in front of him, displaying information of the Underground's advancements thus far. Their largest technological feat, was a giant geothermal power plant. Huge, clunky, and powerful, it supplied 'magical energy' to all of the Underground. There was very little text regarding how it turns heat into magical energy, or how it was built. The only piece of information regarding its construction was of who designed it, a man going by the name of W.D Gaster. He'd have to ask Alphys about it later.
Other machines included the phone, a device which he saw Frisk use earlier in Snowdin. It had some rather interesting features, aside from being capable of messaging everyone in the Underground, including the ability to transform into different objects. A jetpack and a hover-board, to name a few. Their computers were also sleeker, with an easier interface, and a wider array of features and uses.
A file called 'DETERMINATION' was littered with words crossed out, the word '[Redacted]' and '[Data Expunged]'. It had a photo of everyone who worked on the project. There were three figures. One of them was tall, thin, and spindly, with long skeletal arms. Another was short, bearing the same skeletal traits as of the person next to him. The final person was of medium height, hunched over. The image was black and white and covered in water stains. All of the faces were blacked out, not allowing for any major distinguishing traits to be shown. Committing the photo to memory, Robert browsed through some more files. He noticed a very distinguishing trend with all the machinery and technology. It all seemed far more advanced than anything he had back in New Vegas. Even their conveyor belts seemed more advanced than the ones in his factories. Furrowing his eyebrows, Robert exited the file. A large picture of a cat-human hybrid decorated the background of Alphy's desktop.
Standing up from the chair, Robert turned to face Alphys. She had drifted off with the show still playing in the background, and the robot Mettaton appeared to be in an inactive state. Undyne, too, still slept, a calm expression adorning her usually rage-filled face. Robert walked to the couch, just to gain a better bearing of his surroundings. He stopped, after noticing an escalator of sorts, traveling down. Robert kept on walking, and noticed an escalator traveling the opposite way. Stepping onto the escalator, he was quickly transported to another level of the lab. Immediately, he noticed an amount of books stacked up on multiple worn, old looking bookshelves. A large silver machine with green matter sticking out the top of it churned out a pink-goo like substance. Several tools hung up above said machine, looking like they'd never been used before. Just past the machine was a desk, with a large poster of the same human-cat hybrid, this time displaying a peace symbol with her fingers.
On the desk was a chainsaw, an odd gun contraption, and a large piece of paper. The paper illustrated a procedure, involving hearts. The hearts shown beared a resemblance to Robert's soul. It showed a small, up-side down heart with an arrow directed to one of a larger size, this time the right way up. Another arrow showed the larger heart being inputted into a body. Many notes were written on this sheet, describing some sort of soul absorption. Robert decided that he'd have to analyse it further at a later date.
Walking on, Robert noticed a wardrobe with the door slightly ajar. From this angle, he could see a many lab coats, and a single black dress with small white dots. Next up was a small desk with a lamp on it, nothing special. But just past that, Robert looked on with confusion, was a floating cube that seemed wrong in some way. Enhancing his vision, Robert noticed not a single un-straight surface. It was geometrically perfect. Staving off the multitude of questions that this brought up, Robert continued to explore. Another poster was hung up, with a large love heart on it.
Finally making it to the end of the 2nd level, Robert saw a poster close to falling off the wall. It had a picture of Mettaton on it, holding a microphone in front of a large crowd of Monsters. The poster itself was old, if the date was anything to go by. Done with investigating everything, Robert went back to the bookshelves to learn some more. All of the books were covered in a large layer of dust, looking like they hadn't been touched in decades. Robert grabbed a small collection, and went down the escalator to the couch, before finding himself a comfortable spot without waking the others. Grabbing his reading glasses, which Robert only used for decoration, he started to consume more information.
It had been several hours, and Robert was close to finishing the last book. He'd learnt a little bit more about the mysterious Gaster character, but his face still remained a mystery. He was a Royal Scientist at one point, and had created, or reverse-engineered, many useful contraptions for the Underground. Earlier models of computers and mobile phones had been developed by him, and many other electrical components were largely made with his help. His current status was unknown, which was surprising. If from what he read was correct, then this man was many centuries old, if his involvement in the Human-Monster War was anything to go by. Then again, Toriel was around the same age as this man, albeit younger, and she was around the same mental state as one in their 40's.
Gaster was described as being a very calculating man, lacking a lot of emotions. He had very little friends, aside from close lab assistants. Gaster's other side projects, apparently, caused a lot of conflict with Toriel, who was Queen at the time. These conflicts didn't go into a lot of detail, it just seems that Toriel disagreed with Gaster's way of conducting experiments. Closing the thin book, Robert directed his head towards his Pip-Boy. It was nearing 6 in the morning, so he decided to take a rest for several hours. Not because he needed to sleep, but rather because of him not having anything else to do or investigate.
Closing his eyes, Robert slowly started to drift off. But as he was about to enter the realm of sleep, a small, mechanical whir startled him. Robert's eyes scanned the room, seeing nothing out of place. Except for a slight opening in the wall he didn't notice before. Standing up, Robert approached it, and slid his fingers into the opening. Sliding open the hidden door, he saw a compact room with 1 lever. Having nothing else to do, Robert walked into the room, and pulled it down with little effort. Immediately, the hidden door shut with a slam, and a few small lights lit up.
The compact room was in actual fact an elevator, and it began to travel down in a sporadic way. Robert had to hold onto a rail that had popped out of the elevator when it began its descent. After a minute of lurching and tumbling, a ping was heard, and the elevator abruptly stopped. The doors slid open, revealing a decrepit hallway, with paint chipping away, stains on the floor, and foliage growing throughout. Walking down said hallway, Robert noticed terminals embedded into the walls. They appeared to contain entries, written by an unknown person. Walking down the hallway, Robert went through and read all of them.
They covered things about Monster Souls, how they shatter almost instantaneously upon death, and how removing them from a host Monster would kill them. Whoever wrote this terminal entry seemed to think that a form of energy, a will to live, would help these souls persist after death. They dubbed this energy 'DETERMINATION', a word that Robert had been hearing about more and more often as he traveled through Alphys' lab. Taking a left, Robert came upon a sort of reception room. There were dead plants in flower pots and a vending machine with chips that were most likely out of date. A large door with four glowing, circular lights, resided in-front of him. Deciding to go through that door later, Robert went down another hallway, on the left side of the room.
There was another terminal entry, about how Asgore had asked for bodies of 'fallen down' monsters. The writer of the entry knew that there wouldn't be much time before their souls expired, in their comatose state. They assumed that injecting 'DETERMINATION' into the souls of these creatures would result in them persisting after death. In the next room, multiple gurneys and rusty sinks resided. The next room had a machine with a red, glowing light. It appeared to be on.
Going back into the Reception, Robert instead decided to go down the right hallway, and found yet another row of terminals. The user was having difficulty making the Monsters awake from their comas, and decided to continue injecting them with 'DETERMINATION'. The last one cryptically stated that one of the Monster's awoke. Continuing on, the next room held many beds, and some more dead plants. Another terminal stated that all of the Monster's were up and about, walking and talking as if nothing had happened. But based on of the current conditions of this lab, Robert doubted that it all went according to plan.
Robert pushed on, going through an entryway with loose cables. The terminal in this hallway regarded the experiment as a failure, with a happy ending. They informed the families of the subjects that they'd be returning home soon, and they sent the soul that Asgore had collected back, no longer needing it. Just next to the previous terminal was another one, with the word 'no' written many times. Continuing down the hallway, Robert saw it fork off, leading to a bathtub. It was covered in a thin, white goo.
The next room held a truly massive machine. It resembled the skull of some unknown creature, with large tubes sticking out of it. It was suspended over a massive pit of darkness, with rails along the side to prevent anyone from injuring themselves. A small sign bolted into the railings said 'DT Extractor'. Many computers and monitors surrounded this contraption, all inactive. A sudden chill seeped in through the room, putting Robert on edge. He flicked out his derringer, just in case the situation called for it. Robert ran a quick check of the room, scanning it in different wavelengths, not being able to identify anyone or anything that could bring on such a feeling of un-easiness.
A sudden blackness obscured Robert's vision, and no matter what way he looked, the blackness remained. After 30 seconds or so of blind-ness, Robert regained his vision. He was still in the same room, but it had been restored completely. There were no longer any cracks in the walls, no more vines, and the floors looked pristine. The DT Extractor hummed quietly, and all of the equipment were online and functioning, displaying information that Robert couldn't identify. Looking down at his hands, Robert began to worry, noticing the ethereal tone it had taken.
Robert's musing were interrupted when a sliding door opened with a hiss, revealing a tall, skeletal figure in a lab coat. It looked just like the creature he had encountered when he blacked out in the ruins, but it lacked the fissures in its face, and there wasn't any wispy smoke billowing out of the sides of his eye sockets. This must be WD Gaster, the previous Royal Scientist. He didn't look awfully happy, as he stormed directly through Robert, coffee in hand, with a scowl on his face.
". . . I'm just saying, that thing's dangerous." An oddly familiar voice stated.
Robert turned to look at the figure that had just entered the room, and let out a small hum of surprise. It was Sans, in a lab coat, with a black tie and a small pair of glasses.
"Sans, I've ran the tests, I know exactly how this procedure will go. Now, why don't you make yourself useful and set up Phase 1." Gaster demanded, in a cool, deep voice that projected power.
"If you say so, Doc." Sans said in an annoyed tone, before sitting down on a swivel chair.
Tapping away at a keyboard, the eyes of the machine lit up with a bright white glow. The tubes that connected it to some sort of power source in the ceiling began to vibrate.
"Ah, it's running excellently so far. Sans, initiate phase 2." Gaster said, with a smile that seemed to bridge the width of his face.
A small hatch opened on the top of the skull, and a tube with a single dark red soul descended into the contraption. After a few seconds, the hatch sealed, and the eyes changed from their piercing white glow, to the left eye being blue, and the right one being yellow. A minute passed, with Gaster waiting anxiously and Sans typing away at a keyboard, before a platform extended from the maw of the skull. Gaster stood on it, with his hands folded behind his back. The platform retracted with Gaster still standing on it, before it stopped inside the Extractor.
"And now Sans, phase 3!" Gaster shouted, his purple eyes burning with excitement.
"Are you sure about this Gaster? We don't know what could happen!" Sans exclaimed over the whirring of the machine, concerned.
"Now dammit!" Gaster demanded in an annoyed tone.
Robert watched this unfold with calculating eyes. The Extractor was utilising a Human Soul to power it, as Monster Souls were far too weak to persist after death. The left eye strangely resembled Sans', when Robert shot Papyrus. Robert's thoughts were interrupted, as he saw phase 3 being enacted.
A beam of light shot down, directly into Gaster. There was a sudden change with Gaster, as his eyes started to let off a purple glow. Gaster was still smiling, happy with the experiment. Suddenly, alarms started to blare off. All the monitors in the room showed a displayed a red triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle, with the words 'DT Overload' written underneath them in black, bold writing.
"Sans, shut it dow - Gah!" Gaster ordered, before sptting out a black substance.
"I – I can't! It won't let me!" Sans called out in distress, not looking up from his monitor, with an error message.
Gaster shouted out once more, staring at his dissolving hand. This dissolving effect spread from his hand, to his arm, soon before it encapsulated his entire torso. He appeared to be rooted in place, else he would've moved by now. Gaster's mouth opened and let out an incomprehensible roar, more black goo pooling out. His purple eyes changed to white pinpricks, and a large crack made its way through his skull, forming at his right eye, ending at his left.
Smoke started to billow and lights started to flicker, prompting Robert to get a better view of Gaster's form. As soon as Robert could see, Gaster's white eyes made contact with his. He let off another roar, as tendrils started to develop in the black goo surrounding him. Robert stared back, still ethereal, in minor shock. A sudden light filled the room, before a high pitched whining was heard.
An explosion then rocked the facility, causing more smoke to coalesce. It was a few minutes before ventilation fans started to run, sucking all of the smoke out. The room was a mess, with monitors lying on their side, tables flipped, and glass everywhere. Robert looked to where Gaster was, only noticing a black scorch mark. Sans was lying on his side, unconscious, with a small blue glow radiating from underneath his closed eyes. Yet again, darkness shrouded Robert's eyes, staying like this for 30 seconds.
When Robert could see again, he was back in the Lab, lacking the transparent form he had before. The chill he had felt earlier came back in full force, prompting Robert to summon a small fire to warm him. It had no effect at expelling the cold, leading Robert to believe that it was magical in nature. Robert turned, deciding that he'd re-explore the Lab when the magical effect dissipated, and was met with a cracked skull.
Gaster stood before him, in all of his malformed glory. The goo surrounding Gaster started to collect together, forming legs. He stared at Robert, his smile widening, before a tendril formed, and started squirting black goo onto the wall behind him. Robert stared on, his fear masked behind his face, as symbols were written out. Gaster maintained eye contact the entire time, before he raised his hands. Gaster began to carve arcane symbols into the air in-front of him, before a hole appeared in the ground behind him. The hole, which was surrounded by more black goo, lead to some kind of void. Gaster slowly shifted into this hole, staring at Robert the entire time with an unwavering smile.
Only when Gaster was completely submerged, did the portal disappear. Robert stood in shock, slowly absorbing what he had seen. Sans was Gaster's lab assistant, and was involved with an accident that resulted in Gaster being riddled with an abundance of DETERMINATION and him being displaced in a different dimension, or something along those lines. Rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration and confusion, Robert directed his attention to whatever Gaster had written on the wall.
A hand with it's index finger pointing down, another hand pointing left, a sad face, and a flag. It wasn't any language that Robert knew, but it largely resembled the writing he had seen when Sans teleported Robert to his makeshift lab behind his house, when Undyne went on her rampage. Robert took a photo with his Pip-Boy, hoping to gain answers from Sans, before he left the room.
Robert was fed up with what he had seen, so he decided to make his way back to Alphys. Making his way back to the Elevator, Robert went back up to the surface, not noticing the lone buttercup in a flower pot on just outside of metallic doors.
Authors Notes: Happy Valentine's day everyone! Sorry about being late, here's a longer chapter than usual. A lot of this one was just fluff, and I'm sorry for that. From further on, new chapters should be posted within two weeks or so, no promises. Oh, and if anyone can decipher what Gaster wrote, you'll get a virtual high five from me. Thanks for reading, review if you can!
