You've been exceedingly quiet since regaining consciousness. That's nothing new, but it's more than that. You never talk. It's your mind that's quiet.
Our memories are synced or something, aren't they. Because what I remember, you know now, too. You know exactly what happened in that skull-shaped machine. It was my dream. But it's your reality. You don't like it. You don't want it to happen again, because it hurt. But you think there's no other choice. If someone came to drag you back there again, you still wouldn't resist.
You're messed up. You should be angry. They don't treat you with the proper respect. This is why you can't just listen to whatever they tell you to do. They've got their own motives, and they don't care what happens to you. But my soul is connected to your being. I need you to take care of your body.
You're sitting in the same break room you had previously stumbled into from your earlier adventure. No one's sitting next to you, or across from you. The coffee pot on the counter sputters like a dying machine, pitifully dribbling out its black water. You watch.
The Sans skeleton has been too busy talking with one of his co-workers to even notice you've regained consciousness.
"c'mon, alphys, throw me a bone," he begs the yellow lizard. It's the same one you saw briefly in the observation room, before everything had gone dark.
She's dressed in a more traditional lab coat one would expect from a doctor, but she's completely barefoot. Hm. The standards seem to be extremely low for this lab.
The lizard in question rummages through the fridge, taking out a 50% less fat yogurt. "Um... I r-really don't think I'd be th-that helpful?" She flinches, closing the fridge door and carefully turning around so that she just perfectly avoids eye contact with Sans. That's what she says, but she really means 'I don't want to help.' She moves to the table where you're sitting, hand about to pull back the chair across from you. But she hesitates, thinks better of it, and moves to a different one that's further away from you instead. Opening her yogurt in a desperate hope for peace.
"no really, it'd be a life saver," he trails after her, still grinning stupidly wide. He notices you're awake and pats your head lightly, getting some of the grease from his fingers into your hair. "sorry buddy, grown-up talk, hope you don't mind sitting tight for a bit."
Alphys pauses with a spoonful of yogurt in her mouth. It's sour. Watching the two of you probably makes her want to throw up. "Y-you don't find it creepy? That you think it's a person now? There c-could be a soul in there... someone j-just listening, watching us. M-maybe even... thinking of killing us?"
Where are the knives.
"creepy? naw!" He tousles your hair in a way that ruins everything, and makes you badly need both a shower and hairbrush.
You recall how his hands shook when he lifted you from the torture table, or how he'd practically run out of the room when he locked you in the prison cell.
"you've been watching too many horror flicks. besides, you work with skeletons every day, and you're not scared to the bone," he wraps hands around you in an awkward chair hug, trying to prove your harmlessness.
"I r-really don't... know..." Alphys looks away from the awkward affection display. She rubs her head, and sighs. "O-okay, I guess. I can at least, uh, t-try..."
"great!" Sans hums happily, finally releasing you. "ya hear that? me'n alphys will show you the ropes. teach you how to say more than just your name, do some physical therapy to get you in shape, even some crosswords and puzzles."
You tilt your head up, looking at the skeleton upside-down. You do need help, you know. At the very least, you should be able to walk straight and scream when appropriate. Be a little more self-sufficient. It's a surprisingly good plan, and one worth following until you can make the right move.
"Words m-might be a b-bit much," Alphys protests. "At l-least, spoken words... but..." She bites her lip, taking out her cell phone. "There's other ways of c-communicating that m-m-might be easier."
"yeah, that'd be cool, too. alphys will be like your mom, and i'll be the weird uncle. i'll go grab the crosswords!" He's already heading towards the door.
"Wait-" Alphys tries, but he's already gone, the door slamming audibly.
Your head falls back so you're no longer straining, staring at the coffee pot. Alphys sighs, looking back at you. Then the yogurt. She takes out a packet of chocolate candies and pours it into her meal, nullifying any health benefits of 50% fat-free. Looks back at you.
Slowly she stands up, moving so that she's closer to you. She puts the yogurt and candy next to your seat, like she's going to sit there. But moves behind you. Claw-like hands hesitantly pushing down your messy hair, actually fixing it to a more presentable state. Who needs combs with pointy claws anyway?
And takes the seat closer to you, actually facing your direction. "L-look at me?" She says it more like question than command. You comply anyway, but only your eyes move; you're still not facing her directly.
She smiles, but it looks strained. "He's right, you know. Regardless of what the truth is... we have to take responsibility." Surprisingly, she manages it without hesitation. Maybe she's talking more to herself than to you. "Whatever or whoever you really are, know that everything I've ever done with science... it's because I want to help people." Her smile looks less strained.
"We needed... STILL need... a vessel that can house soul power. Something that could break the barrier and free everyone," she frowns. "But that doesn't make it right, if you're suffering. So please trust me and Sans. And, um, Doctor Gaster... maybe he'll come around, if you can prove that you're really alive. Or if not, um... I've got a back-up plan. But I know no one else here will like it much. So please trust me, okay?"
You want to trust her. But she said it herself, earlier. She doesn't think she'll actually be helpful. The reason why she wants to help you is because she feels responsible for your fate.
Sans returns, papers and pencils in hand. He looks happy that Alphys has actually moved closer to you. You spend the rest of the day doing various exercises with the skeleton and lizard. Alphys curls your fingers and counts, trying to teach you numbers. She takes some of the chocolate candies from the package and repeats the counting process, from one to ten.
Sans has brought more than just crosswords and puzzles. He also has pictures. Most of the camera shots of random scenery are poor quality, not seeming to focus on one thing or another. One's just of a plant called water sausages. Others, of the infamous echo flower, that supposedly repeats whatever it last hears. Then there's pictures of what looks like a black sky and white stars, but is actually just the glowing gemstones from the wishing room. He tells you about life beyond the lab.
Eventually Alphys tires, and leaves after bidding the two of you goodnight.
Sans stays a little longer, this time showing you more personal photos. He takes out a picture of three skeletons. You recognize the one on the right as Sans, and the one on the left as Noir skeleton. There's a tiny one, probably your size, at the center. "this's me and my bros," he tells you. "papyrus," he points to the tiny skeleton, smiling fondly. "you haven't met him yet. my lil bro. he's only a few years older than you, you know. these crosswords and junior jumble are actually all his. and... you've already met my older bro," he points to Noir skeleton. "doctor gaster. he likes to pretend we're not related, but, we are. he asked me not to call him bro anymore. well, more like he told me to, but you know..."
He chuckles humorlessly. "it used to be his dream to see the surface, when he was younger. but then, like... mom and dad's death hit him pretty hard, i guess. he thought that boss monster souls, and human souls, might hold some kind of key to living past a body's death, since they persist when the body is gone." He sighs. "anyway, this is probably more complicated than you can understand right now. but i'm showing you these pictures cuz... i want you to understand family. we all care for each other, just in different ways. and you... you can have a family too, if you want."
Any past hesitation from him has vanished.
"we'll take care of you," he promises.