Sans was alarmed by just how cluttered the underground laboratory was. It wasn't the first time he was faced with a change in this particular setting, but he could usually figure out where what he needed was located and get out quickly. I seemed like this doctor used this area in particular far more often than the other two he'd been acquainted with.

Sans had to file through various videotapes just to find anything he was looking for. They were sticky too, like in the previous timeline. There were still a good few that piqued his interest, but he reasoned he had people waiting for him elsewhere, Papyrus in particular. In all honesty, Sans hated the prospect of the little skeleton having to take care of himself, but there was no point wasting energy worrying over it. Papyrus was always insistent on taking care of himself anyway.

Eventually the skeleton found a deteriorating binder with the usual symbol ridden text. It had been at the very back, jammed behind her own research. Sans grabbed it by the spine and held it mid-air, a few papers fell out before he even unlatched the metal rings. A distorted voice vibrated from somewhere.

"It's been a while..."

The skeleton jumped to his feet, he nearly tripped on the papers he scattered across the floor.

"We're still here…"

A small monster flickered in the doorway, a near unidentified glob of bones and faces.

"Come back. You've been missing out!" The gap at the bottom of it's face curved into a smile. "I'm what you're looking for, aren't I? Come join the fun!

""excuse me? do you really think i'll take you up on some freaky offer like that? h-heh… come on now, notta chance."

The creature wavered before falling into the floor. The skeleton remained frozen, refusing to move from place for several moments. He eventually stepped forward.

"͘͏͟Y̨͝o҉u̶̡͞ ̨͜m̸͟͞ą̡͡d̵̶͝é̵͏̡ ̶̧̢́y̸̧o̷͠͝u̢̨͘ŗ͞ ̷͝c̢̧h͘͟͟ơ͝͝͝i͝͏c̶͏̶ę̧̢ ̨́͢͜҉l̸̢̛͡ǫ̀҉̶n̡͡͏̡ǵ͢ ̛͘a͏ģ̢͢o̶҉̷̡!̴͜͞"̀҉̸̨͠ ̕͜

"Sans... Sans... Sans. Sans. Sans!" The skeleton arched his head backwards, groaning awake. A hand rhythmically tapped on his shoulder. "It's been exactly one minute and twenty-four seconds, and counting, since six of the clock ante meridiem."

"er… so what…"

"SO WHAT! I. Can. Not. Believe. You. The doctor is going to totally freak out on you! You have to get to work already!" A particularly lanky monster was staring down at the skeleton. His whiskers pushed his set of spectacles back onto his face.

"eh, you're gonna worry yourself to death."

"EXCUSE! ME!" He hesitated. "I'm sorry! I mean-"

Sans chuckled. "ay, are we doing anything important today?"

"THE. NERVE." The monster's pulled at his gray sweater, glancing aside. "I shouldn't of done that. No. No, not in the grand scheme of things, but… but. but! Doctor Gaster always does important things! So…" He cleared his throat "For shame!"

"alright then…" Sans slowly slid from the desk he found himself sitting at, landing his feet on the tiled floor. "so… er…"

"SO?! ER?!"

"uh… yeah, that…" The skeleton scanned the old laboratory. He was certainly on the round floor, though the lighting and tiling was as lackluster as it was in the true lab. "has anything, ya know, inexplicably freaky happened?"

"No! I will not fall for another one of your practical jokes! You will not get under my- I mean. No. No sir… but my guard is heightened!"

His old co-worker certainly seemed identical to his previous self in the moment, though his whole memory was hazy on the subject . He wasn't sure how much he had remembered of him before hand, but an image of the worker was clear in his head no. Sans was more than ready for some lovecraftian nightmare spawn to jump into what was so clearly an illusion. He might as well enjoy what was there until it wore off. He wasn't in any immediate danger anyway.

"say, i heard that the doctor re-scheduled again. something 'bout optimizing our time off to up efficiency or whatever. also there was something in there about lunch, so that's kinda important i guess."

"Wait. Wait! What! Really?! He's changing lunch again?! But I'd just figured out how to sn- I mean! I didn't say anything! I'll be right back! YOU GET TO WORK NOW!"

Sans hopped back onto his rolling chair and propelled himself forward with magic, let his chair spin him to the conveyer belts. It was at that point he jumped off.

"YOU'VE ALREADY BROKEN FIVE CHAIRS! Wait… er… I mean..."

"i know."

He slouched himself against the wall, allowing himself to be brought forward effortlessly.

"heya, are you there doctor?" The skeleton tapped his foot against the ground. "gaster?"

The skeleton slowly edged his foot forward. He walked past the surplus of monitors and over the tiling to the desk in the center of the back room. A skeletal tail was wrapped around the leg of the chair that occupied the royal scientist. Three horns where visible from the head that had collapsed on the table. The doctor's choice black trench coat was draped over the chair.

Sans found himself fighting the temptation to document the doctor's position. He would surely think that his unconscious state was worth a world shame. Instead, he brought it to himself to tap him lightly on the shoulder.

"SANS…?" The doctor spoke in his usual tongue. Suddenly the pupils from his eyes vanished. "WHY?"

Sans flinched in response to the change in tone.

"g-gaster? w-what's with you?"

"WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED?" His head slowly began to tilt downward, it moved further than it should've.

"i-" He hesitated. "i really shouldn't be, given the situation, huh? i figured, th-that maybe, since i'm in this place-" He exhaled. "w-well, you know how it is... anyway, doctor, i have a report for you."

There was a deep laugh that had never belong to the scientist before. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A THING? DO YOU?

"of course i do! there's no way that-"

His voice shifted to another town again. "w̵h̷y͏ ̸e͞ve̡n tr̵y͞?"

The phrase seemed to invade the skeleton resonating with his very being."w-what are you-"

The doctor's mouth opened, and he spoke. Jaw unmoving.

"T̴h͟e͞re ìs ̀not̡hing l͝e͝f̡t f͏or us̀ he҉ŗe.́ Le͢t̸ ͟us͞ ͡ȩra͟s̸e ̵th͞i̷s ́p̧o͠intless ͢woŕld ̕a҉n̕d move on͜ t͏o ͢t͝he ne̛xt͝."͡ He abruptly shifted to his next sentence, with each word the skeleton was further locked into place. "͝Chara͏. T̶h͜i͠ś p̢ļa̴c̀e̡ i҉s͜ ̧fin͞e͡ ̛the̴ ҉w͞a̷y i͜t ̛ís̡! S-S͞ţop ̷ma͘k͟ing ̀t͞hąt͝ ͜cr̴èépy͝ fàc̛e̶! T̴h͞is͜ ͟i̢şn҉'͜t ̛funn̵y! You̧'v̕ę ́g͜o̵t a SICḰ ̵s͟e͢nse ̢of̵ ͜hum̨or̛!̕"́͜E̸̵v̧́͢ę̛͜r̷̛̛͟͞y҉̶̧̨͡t́͜͠h̛͠i̴̧̕͡n̢̕͢͝͝ǵ̵͘͠ ̀͡f͜͜ư̵̢͠ǹ̨̡c̶̸̛t̶̴̕͜i̵͡o̕͘n̵̢͘s̸҉̢ ̸̢͜p̴̀̀e͟ŕ̷̢̢͜f́͏͏ȩ̶̕͞c͡͡҉t͏̸̕l̢̀y̸̢͘͟ ̸͘͡w̵͜i̷̢͜t̸̡̛͡͞h̨́́o̢͢ú̷̕͘͢t̵͘͢ ̨͟y͢͏҉̸o̸ư̶.̢̢̧͘ ́͜H̴͝ą͜͢͞,͞͝҉ ̷̧̕h̷̵͟á̢͘.̕͢.҉̧.̶̢ ́́̕ţ͢͡h̷̴̢͟ȩ͘ ͏̵̴t́̕͏͘h̡̛o͏͏̵̕ừ̡͢҉g̷̸͟h̵̡̛̛͞t̢͘͝ ͠҉̧t̴͜e̴̕͝͡r̷̷̢̛͡r̷̶͜͝͝ì͡f̢̕ì̀e̶s̨̨ ͏͟m҉̢́e̸͟.̧̧ ̷̧̛P̸̕l̸͞͞ę͜͢a̧ś͏̸e̴̕ f̸̢́͟ǫ̵͢r̵̶̨̀́-̧̢͡"̸̡̀

"Sans!"

An Alphys, which if Sans where to venture to get he had yet to meet, was seemingly staring down at the skeleton. There were slowly mending cracks all across his vision. He found himself lying on the floor and slowly he swung himself upward. Upon rising he found his joints were lightly coated in the same substance that the DVDs where.

"I-I'm so s-sorry! I sh-should've warned you- I- I-"

"relax, relax, it's probably alright." The skeleton was failing to support his statement, and by extension his own weight, by stumbling onto a wall.

"S-Sans! Th-That was- O-Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"

At the very least he knew for sure which Alphys this was, seeing as she had some knowledge of what was going on. Though he was mildly troubled by her reaction to, whatever that creature was.

"D-Do you need to lie down? I-It's alright! Everything's fine! This happens all the time! I er… I mean.. I…. I haven't been having any trouble I just- It's just-"

"alright sure, why not?" The doctor seemed relieved that he had dropped the topic.

"E-Er… alright, I'll see what I can do. U-Uh… c-can you…"
"yeah, it's no big deal, just lead the way."