After being forced to run nearly all of Home, and walk the rest of the way to Hotland, we finally arrived at Alphys' old lab in the underground. I had to beg Papyrus to give me a moment to breath after all that. I was awake fully now, but at a great cost, whew…

We got inside soon after, and found the lab without power, which I expected. Ever since monsterkind left the Underground years ago, the CORE has been in standby mode, barely producing any sort of significative power. The local generator for the lab had been shut off too, so we were left in the dark for the time being. Something about it was… unsettling, for some reason.

Papyrus got his phone out and set it too its maximum brightness to light the area around us. It wasn't as much help as either us were hoping for, but it was enough to help navigate the empty room. I lead us towards where the elevator down would be across the room, and we found it, uh, to say the least, inoperable.

"What? Did someone trash it on purpose?!" Flowey exclaimed as he looked around my head at it.

"Last I saw, Alphys had it fixed. Someone must have done this since we left the underground..." I carefully examined the elevator.

Not that there was much left to look at. The doors were busted open, and all that was left in the shaft were broken cables. Steel cables; not easily broken. I peered at them in the darkness and noticed a faint glow on their broken ends. Fire magic maybe? Or some other highly concentrated magic? Like... a Gaster Blaster?

"Why would someone break the elevator?" Papyrus looked down the shaft, holding onto the door frame to keep himself from falling down it.

"My question is who..." I said under my breath.

Who and why I wondered. Was this an accident, or was it done on purpose? I took another good look at the cables, trying to judge by their glow how long it had been since they were cut. They seemed pretty super heated still, so it couldn't have been more than five or so minutes ago.

"I guess we will just have to climb down and find out!" Papyrus declared fearlessly.

Worry for Papyrus and what was waiting for us down there filled my thoughts. At least I knew it wasn't Flowey; he was still in my hood. Before I could even blink, Papyrus had already started down, slowly sliding down a pipe that went from the top of the shaft to its bottom.

"W-Wait, Paps-" I stuttered with concern for him.

"Scared of the dark, brother?" he taunted, looking up at me with a smug expression.

I sighed, and calmed myself. Whatever was down here, we could handle it, Papyrus would be fine. He's on the police force now after all, he's dealt with criminal types fairly well on his own; well, most of them were litterers and jaywalkers, but he's still got his police training.

I grabbed onto the pipe behind Papyrus and the two of us made our way down. At the bottom of the shaft we found the elevator cab, destroyed by the impact of the fall from the ground floor. We found and went through the maintenance hatch on its top, finding the inside no better, nor the doors on this floor, they had been shattered and left scattered on the floor in tiny bits.

"I don't like this." Flowey whispered.

"This is quite suspicious..." Papyrus scanned the area with his light.

It was dead silent down here, save for some odd echos coming from the metal that made up the complex. The pressure of Hotland must have been finally getting to it.

"Why would someone break into the lab like this…? What are they after...?" I asked myself in a low voice.

"The device perhaps?" Papyrus heard me and responded.

I sure hope not, we kinda needed it right now.

"Keep a look out, Papyrus." I glanced around, stuffing my hands in my jacket pockets. "We don't know who we might be up against here." I told him, trying not to let my worry show on my face, or sound in my voice.

"Maybe they lost someone to a space-time anomaly as well and want to use the device like we do?" he said with a hopeful attitude.

I didn't want to reply and crush his optimism, but at the same time, I didn't want him to get too naive and get himself hurt. Let's hope for the best and expect the worst.

Papyrus and I walked side by side down the main hallway of the old lab, his phone the only source of light down here. Walking this hallway again brought back some memories from when I used to work here, hardly any of them were good, and the dust in the air was reminding me why...

Moving forward Sans, we are moving forward.

"Sans! Look here!" Papyrus exclaimed in a hushed tone.

He bent down and slid his fingers across a black mark on the floor that looked like a thick patch of soot. He rubbed it between his finger tips, and it rolled off his glove like water.

"Black colored magic?" he guessed.

"I don't know of any like that." I replied. "Whaddabout you sunshine?" I asked behind me.

"Can't say I've ever seen black magic be used by anyone in the underground." Flowey answered.

This is getting better by the minute.

We continued further down the hall and found a door that had been pried open, probably because the control panel for it was shot. We both got a hold of it and forced it open enough for us to squeeze through, not accounting for Flowey behind me of course.

"Hey Genius! I'm still back here!" he complained as he tried to avoid the wall in his face.

I managed to get myself through with him on my back, and stumble out the other side, right into Papyrus' legs. Papyrus held my head to stabilize me until I got my balance back, and Flowey got resettled in my hood. Papyrus got his phone back on and shone the light out into the room, revealing something that made us both flinch back. Something I regretted having a part in building...

The DT Extractor.

The colossal machine filled the majority of the room, hanging from the ceiling in the darkness with a thin cloud of dust hovering around it in the air, along with some sort of darkness that wasn't normal. I could sense it floating around us in the room, giving me an uneasy feeling. It was the same strange feeling I had already sensed, an unsettling sensation of… dread.

"What. IS. THAT?" Papyrus loudly questioned.

"That? That's, uh... something me and Alphys used a long time ago." I answered, really hoping not to go into details about it...

"Wait, is this the DT Extractor? Alphys told me about this once! It's where she got the DT she gave to the amalgamated monsters." he stated.

"She told you about all that?" I replied, glad to know I wouldn't have to explain things.

"Well, yes, she did. It wasn't easy for her to explain what happened, but I'm glad she was able to tell me the truth! Undyne was very proud of her for not dodging my questions about the amalgamates too!" he smiled, proud as could be of his friends.

"That's good to hear, Papyrus." I softly chuckled.

Alphys has come a long way since that time, becoming more confident by the day thanks to everyone supporting her, especially Undyne. I was glad to hear she could talk about what happened, especially to someone like Papyrus. It couldn't have been easy for her. I know it wouldn't be easy for me...

"Say, Sans?" he somberly spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Were you... working with Alphys during that time?"

I felt Flowey reach around my head as the room grew silent. That feeling from before, that feeling of loneliness... it was creeping back on me. In my mind I could see my worst fear appearing… I quickly suppressed it and focused back on Papyrus. If I answered no, he would know I was lying, and if I answered yes, well, he would want details… Come on Sans. If Alphys was willing and able to talk about it, so should you be. A new start, right? Leave the bad times behind. No more keeping these things to yourself. Especially from my own brother, who, as I know well, won't take a simple reply for an answer.

"I was." I sighed, putting my hands back in my pockets. "I helped her with the DT experiments for a while before she let me go." I answered him.

"How come you never told me Sans? I could have been helping you and Alphys!" he leaned over me annoyed.

"Ha, if word got out about what had happened to the fallen monsters at that time, we both would have been thrown in the dungeon." I told him. "Probably for life…" I realized.

"That's true. Then I would have had to bail you out!" he replied.

"With what money? You didn't have a job, you were still a baby bones." I reminded him.

"I was in my teens, Sans! I could have gotten a job in puzzle making if I needed to! Besides, I had already helped bail you out once before, remember?" he reminded me.

The memory came to mind. It was the same one from earlier when Papyrus was holding me back from blasting Flowey to oblivion. I had tailed some teenagers from my school to their secret alleyway hideout where they were making plans to rob a local store. Instead of informing the Guard about it, I decided to stop them myself. It ended with the Guard mistaking me as one in their group and being thrown into the dungeon along with them. If Papyrus hadn't tailed me that day and stopped me... I'd probably still be in that dungeon cell.

"How much was it again?" I chuckled at the old memory.

"300 gold, Sans. Dad was pretty upset over it, and with you." he put his hand at his hip.

"Not as much as Mom was." I winked.

We both shivered in fear at the mention of her. Mom was pretty level-headed a majority of the time, so when she got mad, you KNEW you were in trouble. I remembered Ol'Grandpa Semi being there too. He told me something... What was it...? Shoot. The memory's not coming up. I feel like it was important too.

"Hate to put the brakes on you two's trip down memory lane, but there's more black magic skid marks in this room." Flowey interrupted us.

I turned around as Papyrus held his phone over me to light up the floor, revealing black marks dotted around the floor. There were some on the walls back toward the door, as well as the other side of the room. There had been a magic throwing fight here just moments ago it seemed. But who uses black magic? Was that even a real thing?

"What the he-" Flowey started to say, interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a Gaster Blaster echoing from the next room; the generator room.

So many thoughts flooded my mind. I hurried ahead with Papyrus following across the room and down the next hallway. There must have been someone ahead of us, but why? What are they here for?

Were they after itI wonder?

As we came to the doorway for the generator, a flash of light came from it, along with a loud hissing noise. I skid around the corner into the room in time to see a fading light. Once it was clear, there was nothing. Papyrus got his light out again and I immediately noticed more marks on the floor.

"Was that a save point...?" I heard Flowey whisper behind me.

I ignored his comment for now and stepped forward towards the generator, getting hit with an overwhelming sense of dread. I felt Flowey shiver from it as well. I pushed through my fear up to the power station for the generator, and focused on getting it activated. In no time I had the lights on, and soon the entire lab was powered. I looked back at Papyrus, who was kneeling down to the black marks while putting his phone away. They formed a circle on the floor, and on one of them was a piece of cloth. Papyrus carefully picked it up, shaking any black magic off of it before handling it further.

"Whose is this I wonder?" he looked it over.

"Looks torn from something." I commented as I walked over.

The cloth was torn on one side, ripped from whatever it was originally a part of, and was a deep blue color. Papyrus flipped it over in his hand, and winced at the sight of sparkling magical dust on it. It was faint, but it was there.

"You don't think someone—" Papyrus began to shake in fear.

"It'd be a bit dustier than that bro." I quickly assured him.

"But who? And why?!" Flowey shouted out.

I offered to take a look, and Papyrus handed it to me. As soon as I felt the material that made it up, a tightly woven weave of carbon fiber and wool, I knew what it was once a part of. Only Royal Guards ever had this kind of cloth in their official Guard uniforms. So, a royal Guard had been here.

Wait... Royal Guard material... Deep blue color... Gaster Blaster sounds…

"Semi?" I let slip from my mouth.

"Semi? Grandpa Semi?" Papyrus exclaimed, getting the same idea as me no doubt.

"He wore a coat made of this material nearly all the time, he got it not long after getting in the Royal Guard I remember." I stared at the possible piece of him. "But why is a piece of it here..? He..." I wondered out loud.

"Wait, wait, your grandfather's name was Semi?" Flowey asked curiously.

"What's it to'ya?" I glared over my shoulder at him.

"I... I think I've met him." Flowey hesitated to say.

"What?!" me and Papyrus exclaimed.

"W-When I went to your house like I said earlier, I met with a strange monster. I— For some reason I can't remember everything that happened, but, I think he said his name was Semi." Flowey explained to us.

"And you didn't tell us this earlier because...?" I grew annoyed at him.

"Ha, well, my memory got jogged like you said. I d-didn't think it was important at the time, but now, I feel it might be the answer." Flowey answered.

"Answer to what?" Papyrus bent down to look at him face to face.

"Y-Yeah, I'll uh, explain more after we check the anomaly device, it might fill in the gaps." I felt him shiver.

"Promise?" Papyrus asked of him in a stern voice.

"P-Promise!" Flowey stuttered.

"Can't wait to hear it." I began to led us out of the room.

Be Careful…

Papyrus walked on ahead of me out of the room, but I stopped and turned around at the doorway, looking up across the room at what I feared our mystery monster may had come looking for. As I had turned I heard Flowey gasp in surprise.

"Whoa! Hey! Turn back around! Was that a Human Soul?! How long has THAT been there?!" he shouted out in disbelief.

"Well whaddaya know, I knew something you didn't for once." I was proud to claim.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but seriously; what is a human soul doing powering the lab?!" he demanded to know.

"What?!" Papyrus darted back to the doorway.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Me and Alphys found it this way, tied into this station to power the lab." I explained to them both.

Across the room, sealed in a 'soul glass' container, was a human soul that had been in here for who knows how long. The glass that held it was covered in dirt and grime from all the years it had set here, making the soul barely visible at the top of the power station. Its red glow seemed brighter than I remembered.

"But— Why? Who put it there?" Papyrus asked, sounding worried for it.

"My money's on the last Royal Scientist, but, since no one remembers them, there's no way to know for sure." I shrugged my shoulders.

Thank you…..

Was I… hearing things…?

Sans…..

"Wait a sec, is it…" I peered up at the soul.

"What? What's going on now?!" Flowey asked annoyed.

"Sans?" Papyrus asked with worry.

Please.. Stop the monster…..

The monster? What monster?

Do not... fear…..

Fear what? Who—

The voice disappeared, making no reply, and the soul's glow returned to normal. What was that about? Did it just try and speak to me? That's—

"Um, Sans?" Papyrus shook my head.

I snapped out of my dazed thoughts and looked up at him.

"Just taking a power nap bro." I smiled.

"Sans... Even YOU couldn't have possibly taken a nap that fast just now." he looked down at me with suspicion. "What's wrong?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Nothin' bro, I'm fine, really." I told him with a wink.

"Uh-Huh. Just like when you were FINE after being part of the DT experiments? And when you were fighting Flowey, alone? And when our parents disappeared? And when—"

"Okay, Okay! Stop! I get it... You're too smart for me brother..."

"And you're too lazy to tell me the truth it seems, brother. How long were you planning to keep all this from me?!"

Flowey must have told him more than I thought earlier, the stinking weed. I wonder how much Papyrus knows now? It was bound to all come out eventually anyway I guess… I can't exactly keep this stuff to myself anymore, I don't really need to. And if I don't answer him now he will pressure me until he gets it out of me. He might as well hear it from me rather than anyone else, especially from Flowey who would easily lie to him.

"Look, Papyrus, the reason I never said anything was because… well… I didn't want you to worry about me." I tried to explain.

"And yet I worry about you anyway!" he threw his hand up.

"You do, heh."

I thought back to all the times he's helped me out. Keeping me positive, motivated, busy… He's really done a lot to try and help me.

"So?" he got my attention back.

"So...?" I glanced around nervous.

"WHAT'S WRONG?! And don't dodge the question! Tell me everything!" he demanded.

"If I told you absolutely everything we'd be here for a few days at the least…" I stated.

He held his face and let out a heavy sigh, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Just.. What is going through your mind right now? Can you bother to tell me that much?" he pleaded.

"Nothing bad, I can assure you of that." I assured him.

"That why did you 'space-out' just now?" he air-quoted the term.

"That, I honestly can't explain. I mean, I didn't space-out, I was... Or rather the soul was... talking to me…?" I doubted my own statement.

I took a quick look back at it and saw no change. Everything was running as normal.

"That's not possible!" Flowey shouted angrily. "Is it?" he then asked.

"Did it Sans?" Papyrus asked.

"I'm not really sure." I rubbed the back of my skull. "I heard something, but… It doesn't really matter right now, we got anomalies to go track down." I shook my head. "Come on, it's not far from here thankfully." I said exhausted, leading us out of here.

Papyrus hummed in an annoyed tone, being a little slow to follow me. I glanced back to see him glancing at the soul for a short moment.

"W-Wait!" Flowey got worked up. "That's a soul! A HUMAN SOUL! Whose is it?! I thought there were only 6 of them down here!" he shouted as I carried him away from it.

"That's not a question anyone can answer right now, so quit askin'." I plainly told him.

"Another mystery to later be solved by The Great Papyrus!" Papyrus valiantly proclaimed.

Be Careful…