Chapter 12: Teleportation
During the weeks Stephanie had stayed with Toriel, Sans visited the queen like usual. Since Stephanie was cooped in her room, he had no way of knowing about her.
At the lab he had noticed his father grow more frustrated with his little project. It was a device that was supposed to teleport it's subject into back and forth through the timeline.
He had set a number of cables connected to the device. Much of the underground had used magic for electricity unfortunately it didn't have an effect on the device.
"Drat," Aster said slamming his fists on the work table.
"What's the matter?" Sans asked.
"It's not working. It's burns out before the magic can even power the device and I don't know why."
"The magic doesn't seem to flow through it evenly. Maybe it needs a consistent yet steady form of power to constantly fuel the device."
Aster sighed.
"Well magic seems to flow through monsters very evenly. We're not what you call unstable creatures," Aster said before he let out a sigh. "Though any monster with a shred of self-preservation wouldn't possibly volunteer for my little project so I guess I'm doomed."
"It's alright, we'll figure something out."
"I know. Maybe you could be the test subject."
Sans' pupils narrowed to pinpricks and he frowned.
"Er, I don't know. This doesn't sound like a very good idea."
"Well you can always take your time and think about it," Aster said.
Later that evening he had dropped by the ruins to talk with the queen wanting her advice on the issue and completely unaware of the human.
"Sans, how are you?" Toriel asked.
"Fine and you?" He asked sitting on one of the chairs across the table from where she was.
"It's been so quiet down here it's almost disconcerting."
"Really?"
Toriel nodded.
"Other than that, you look fine."
Toriel set her hands stiffly on the table.
"I may look fine but I'm very worried about that child who was staying with me. She ran away before we had the chance to say goodbye."
"Child?"
"It's another human."
Almost as if on instinct Sans clasped onto her hands. He had wanted to comfort her somehow.
"I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Yeah though it's hardly a comfort with you looking so pale," She said. "Are you alright?"
"My father's working on a little experiment. He's finally made some progress on the time machine."
"Well that's good at least."
Somehow his problems seemed so small compared to hers. He didn't want her to worry anymore than she had to. It was probably just nothing maybe that bad feeling was just paranoia.
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Was there a reason you stopped by?"
Sans shrugged.
"Yeah, but it's no big deal. I forgot all about it."
He got up from his chair and headed out.
"I'll see you later, Tori."
As Stephanie set foot outside, she saw snow covered the ground though it wasn't too deep as to slow her down. She looked around and saw she was surrounded by trees.
Eventually she stumbled across a bridge and made her way across. Once she was on the other side she ran into something hard.
"Er sorry."
"Arf ruff."
Stephanie looked up and much to her surprise saw a large white dog dressed in a suit of armor.
Her throat swelled up before she let out a series of harsh coughs.
The dog whimpered kneeling in front of her panting heavily.
She frowned.
"I'm alright," She said, her voice sounding very hoarse.
The dog licked her face. Her hands reached out to pet it's head before she got to her feet and continued her journey through the snow.
As she continued trudging through the snow she spotted two grayish blue birds in the distance with what looked like a deer.
"Oh my, look who's here? It's Gyftrot. Think we should stick some Christmas lights on it's horns?"
"It'd be a good look on him."
"Hey!" The deer snapped. "What are you two doing?"
Stephanie saw on closer inspection that one of the birds was wearing a pair of sunglasses over it's eyes. The bird like creature with the sunglasses began using it's feet to wrap the Christmas lights over Gyftrot's antlers.
"Knock it off. This isn't funny, Chilldrake."
"Relax dude. It's just decoration."
"Remove them this instant before I tell your mom."
"HA, like she'd do anything," Snowdrake scoffed.
Grumbling Gyftrot pranced outside where Nicedrake was undecorating her home. Since Christmas had passed many of the monsters had been taking down their decorations in start of the new year.
"Snowy's been picking on me again," Gyftrot grumbled.
She turned around and stifled a giggle at the sight of Gyftrot covered in Christmas lights before calling her son.
"SNOWY!"
Snowdrake trotted up to them looking a little flush in the face.
"Have you been picking on Gyftrot again?"
Snowdrake chuckled sheepishly.
"No, we were just having a little fun."
"That's not true," Gyftrot protested.
Nicedrake smiled.
"Relax Gyftrot, I'm sure my son and his friend don't mean you any harm."
When she wasn't looking Snowdrake stuck his tongue out.
Gyftrot glared at him before trotting off.
"So when's dad coming home from work?" Snowdrake asked.
"Well he does have that job at the comedy club."
"Dad told me he was working with Arial."
"You know she's a big star. She's the only celebrity in the underground."
"Hey Snowy are you coming? My brother is having a snowball fight with the snow poffs," Chilldrake said.
"Sure," He said.
Stephanie took that time to approach Nicedrake.
"Hello," She said.
"You look a little pale. Are you alright, dear?"
"I think I'm lost. Do you know the way out?"
"Well the only way out is through the capital. You head south and keep heading to your left but the only thing to see is the barrier."
Suddenly Stephanie collapsed to her knees in a coughing fit.
"Are you alright? You're not looking very well," She said.
"I feel fine."
"Nonsense, you look terrible. I insist you stay with us for a while."
Nicedrake ushered her to bed.
That evening Stephanie awoke to the sound of arguing coming from outside her room.
"Why are you late, boy?"
"I was just playing with Chilldrake. Mom said it was alright."
"I hope you're not telling them those lame puns of yours," a voice grumbled.
"They're not lame. You're just jealous because I actually have friends. What happened with Sans, hmm?"
"Is he teasing you again, honey?" Nicedrake's voice cut in.
Stephanie got up from bed and headed towards the voice. Beside the two birds she had seen earlier, there was a larger bird that looked similar who had joined the fray.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Snowdrake scoffed.
"He never does."
Nicedrake turned and glanced at her. Her eyes widened before they softened.
"You shouldn't be walking around when you're sick."
"Honey, who's this?"
"A child. That's right I forgot to ask her name didn't I?" Nicedrake asked. "What's your name, dear."
"I don't remember."
"Oh dear."
"Snowy, take her to her room please and come back so I could give you her soup. Soup is good for the soul."
"What about my soup, dear?"
Stephanie frowned. She was the one who was sick. How pompous could that bird be?
Nicedrake chuckled.
"Wait at the table, Freebird."
"Hey, come on," Snowdrake said taking her hand and leading her back in her room. "Are you okay now?"
"I don't know."
"How did you even get here?" He asked.
"I don't remember."
"You better not stay here for too long. You're not welcome."
She sighed.
"I know."
When he leaves she tries to go back to sleep but she fails.
The next time he returns it's with a bowl of soup.
"Does your mom cook often?" She asked.
Snowdrake snorted.
Stephanie digs in with her spoon slurping her soup.
"Yeah with my father gone there's nothing better to do. He used to get drinks with Sans after work but Sans wants nothing to do with him after he insulted his father," He said. "My dad doesn't know when to keep his beak shut."
"Is your father always that self-centered?"
"Yeah."
She's surprised that he isn't insulted by her question. A part of her had been confident she could win if it came to a fight.
The same evening Sans arrived at the lab having talked with Toriel for most of the afternoon. He crept in his father's room as he was busy hooking up cables to the walls.
Aster didn't even bat an eye. Sans glanced around. His father had set up a large mechanical contraption. In the center was what looked like a pair of scissors with a pair of teeth and a couple of eyes on top.
"What's that?"
"Right now it's a device I use for projects that need perfect precision. Mostly small mechanical devices with those small wires. Those two needles at the bottom are good at gripping small objects," Aster explained.
He held up a tiny circular object in his hand.
"This is the device that theoretically should be able to transport you through time and space. It's best if it's implanted directly in your dominant eye as it's seems to have a direct connection to a monster's magical core."
"Well we'll never know if it works and someone has to try it."
"Are you sure? You don't have to do this y'know?"
"No, I want to do this."
Aster sighed and set a chair in the center of the room.
"Sit down then."
Sans sat on the chair.
Aster moved the device so it was hovering about three feet above him. He reached for a vial at his desk and handed it to Sans.
"I've made a serum that should knock you out for an hour."
Sans drank it.
"Try to relax."
Within minutes the light slowly began to fade away. He doesn't know how much time passes but eventually he sees a light though he can't move.
The figure is as tall as he is but has human hair and a human nose. There's no distinguishable features besides the toothy grin.
There's a light that comes from the distance it gets nearer.
"It's about time you showed up."
Sans sees the shiny grey knife as the human lunges towards him.
His left eye twinges as he feels something ooze out of it.
"My my, you look awfully bloody. It's a good face on you."
The human chuckles. It doesn't speak like any adult monster would as the sounds would have been more deeper and rough sounding. He realises it sounds more like a child's voice.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA."
The voice sounds more deep and distorted almost as if it's been tainted by something evil.
A soft voice cuts through his nightmares.
"I'm so sorry."
The pain slowly comes in. There's something foreign lodged in his eye and it hurts. He slowly opens his eyes. Everything is so foggy almost as if it's fading out though he can see Aster staring down at him with a frown on his face.
He tries to sit up but is struck down by a wave of nausea and feels like he's about to throw up.
"Are you alright?" Aster asked. It's sounds so distant that he just ignores it and just spits off what comes naturally.
His feet touch the ground and he walks for a bit trying to get that pitiful look off his father's face.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this right now. You don't look too well."
"I'm fine. I just need to take a little walk," Sans said.
Once he leaves his head starts to clear a little bit. Only after walking for a while does he finally look up. Apparently he had walked outside his brother's school. Papyrus would be out at any minute.
When the bell rings, Sans sees most of the monsters fly out of school like it's the last place they want to be. Papyrus is one of the last to leave.
"SANS, WHERE'S MOM? SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK ME UP."
His eyes nearly fly out of his sockets when he finally glances at his brother.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? YOU LOOK LIKE A TRAIN WRECK."
Suddenly everything went black.
"COME ON SANS. DON'T YOU DARE FAINT ON ME."
When he wakes up he sees Papyrus sitting on a chair at his bedside. He doesn't realise why he's so warm until he looks down at the covers.
Papyrus must have covered him up. That was oddly thoughtful of him.
"SANS ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
"What happened?"
"YOU FAINTED. MOM CAME BY AFTERWARDS. WHEN SHE FOUND OUT WHAT HAPPENED SHE GAVE DAD A GOOD SCOLDING."
"She didn't have to do that. I was the one that agreed to do this."
"YOU MEAN YOU WANTED TO GET SICK."
"No, but-"
"MOM SAID THAT HE ACCIDENTALLY NICKED YOUR EYE AND IT WAS BLEEDING INSIDE."
"Oh, well that explains everything."
"MOM WANTS YOU TO STAY IN BED UNTIL YOU RECOVER. IT MIGHT SEEM BORING BUT I CAN ENTERTAIN YOU. I CAN READ THAT BOOK THAT I GAVE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO."
Papyrus took the book out and opened it and began to read.
Days passed and Snowdrake didn't visit Stephanie too often though Nicedrake kept her company.
It so happened that she had dropped by her room when Stephanie had been talking with Snowdrake.
"All you do is sit here and complain I don't know why I bother to visit you."
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I know I'm a pain to be around," Stephanie said.
Snowdrake snorted.
"Whatever," he said before he walked out. Stephanie tensed once she caught sight of Nicedrake.
"Relax, I'm not upset with you. He'll come around," She said.
"He doesn't like me that much. He'll never come around."
"Nonsense, cheer up. Don't let him 'fowl' up your day."
Stephanie chuckled.
"Hey, don't laugh. I'm not that funny."
"Yes, you are."
She frowned.
"Why don't you work at the comedy club? I'm sure you'd love it."
"I suppose though I've always wanted to be a dancer but they don't have those in the capital."
"Really? Dancing is so lame though. It takes so much work."
Nicedrake smiled.
"I know but isn't it worth it in the end?"
Stephanie remembers being brought to ballet school when she was a little girl. Her father had bought her a pink tutu to go with her shoes.
When she had arrived for her first lesson where all those kids seemed to be staring at her though she had felt overwhelmed.
Her father had been busy at the time and had left her in the class always busy with his work. He had never arrived to her shows either.
"I don't know but it certainly doesn't seem like it."
"Are you alright?"
"I just remembered something that's all."