Kate awoke by a nightmare in the middle of the night. She heaved for breath until she slowly collected her mind. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." She whispered as she curled up. Trying to banish the demons from her nightmares.

At first she didn't recognized her surroundings but the pieces all fell into place as she saw the skeleton brothers sound asleep. She remembered her mission and calmed down.

She were sitting in the dark for a few minutes. Just thinking. Her eyes fell on the brothers again and she smiled lazy.
Sans were laying sprawled out on his bed with all limbs in each direction. He was drooling a bit and his blanket were only covering his stomach. Papyrus was laying on his side while clutching a stuffed animal made from pillow filling. It was adorable.
She rose from her bed and pulled the covers over Sans before going back to sleep again.

A week had passed since Kate had arrived at the lab. The doctor had been cautious at the beginning, but had slowly let her help more and more with bigger and more difficult tasks. As it turned out, he had needed the help more than he had thought.

Today she were allowed to participate in the testing with the skeleton brothers. The testing were about magic so there was a lot she didn't understand. She had studied about it at the local library but getting used to a completely different element was never easy. That didn't stop her though.

The skeleton brothers took turns trying to make different magical blasts and attacks. The computer then registered and stored the data for them to read. Her job were to take notes. Simple task really but she were just happy to be included in the work. She were learning so much!

Sans did poorly. He had only 1 HP and only did 1 DAMAGE. No matter how much he tried, he could only do slight damage. Kate didn't like the idea of him only having 1 HP. It would only take one hit to end the poor skeleton.

Papyrus did an excellent job. Not that the doctor told him, but the young one were pretty strong. He had 286 HP and did 5 DAMAGE. If he kept training he could become even stronger. He's attacks were magical bones (like his brother) that he sent flying by waving his hands.

"Alright, initial testing is complete, all magic readings are consistent with established baseline. High-intensity magic emitters have been successfully tethered to the subject." The doctor said and Kate hurriedly scribbled the words down.

"Does that mean I did a good job?" Papyrus asked down from the testing arena. Kate really wanted to tell him that he indeed, did a good job. But she knew by now that she should just be quiet while testing. She would tell him later though.

The doctor continued. "Now to determine the level of control and effectiveness of the blast. Once the specimen is deceased, the capsule prototype will be used to store the SOUL."

Papyrus perked at this.

"What's that mean?" He began nervously pulling at the edge, of his johnny gown.

"You will follow directions." The doctor answered.

"That sounds like I'm supposed to hurt something!"

"The specimen will die, yes."

"I don't want to do that!"

"Noted."

The doctors hand began glowing light blue as he levitated a dog-carrier, with an unknown species of animal, down unto the floor of the arena.

"Stand by... " He said and waited for the computer to register the new living being.

"Carrier is in place, vital signs are normal. Subject 2, destroy the carrier and its contents." Gaster commanded.

Papyrus inched closer to the carrier and tried to look inside. He began frowning as he saw something moving inside in the dark.

"I there something alive in there?" Papyrus asked in a blaming matter and pointed aggressively at the carrier.

"Yes."

"I'm not going to attack that! It might get hurt!" He protested. The animal whined pitifully from inside the carrier.

"That is the point." The doctor grew annoyed and Kate could already see where thing were going.

"That's awful! I'm not going to do that!" Papyrus yelled in anger and disgust.

"Subject 2, you will follow directions."

"NO! i'm not going to kill anything!"

"I will not repeat myself." The doctor said sternly. He was at the point of being angry now.

"NO! I REFUSE!"

He snapped.

"If you will not follow directions, Subject 2.."
Gasters hand glowed light blue as he levitated Sans above the ground and summoned bone attacks all around the poor skeleton.
"...there will be consequences." He threathened.

"NO! Leave him alone!" Papyrus begged with tears in his eyes.

The bones creeped closer.

"All it will take is one touch."

And closer.

"You will follow directions."

They stopped and everyone held their breath.

"I.. I WON'T!"

The doctor squinted his eye sockets. Sans tried to make himself smaller as the bones closed in on him. He closed his eye sockets in fear as they were almost touching his face now.
"I WON'T! I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, I'M NOT GOING TO KILL ANYTHING!"

Almost.

"I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT! I WON'T! I Won't... I'm... I.. I..."

Almost.

Later they were all three back at the cell. Sans and Papyrus sitting close to each other on the floor, resting.
Papyrus rested his forehead on his knees while holding his skull in his hands.

"I never want to kill anyone.." Papyrus silently sobbed.

Sans wrapped his arms around his brother in a hug.

"Never ever, never ever.. ever..." He continued.

"I know. I know." Sans comforted.

Kate looked up from her book. She felt bad, but what could she do?

"H.. Hey papi.. cheer up! I'll sing a song for you, if you want." She offered the crying skeleton.
"And YOU!" Papyrus said aggressively, standing up.

"You did absolutely NOTHING to stop it! Sans almost died!" He blamed while pointing a finger at her.

"Well your brother would never have been in danger, if you had just followed the doctor's directions!" She put down the book and swung her legs off the bed.

"I don't want to kill anything!How could you just stand there and do nothing!"

"I don't have any authority over the doctor, whatsoever! Besides, how were we supposed to get the data without the specimen dying?" She stood up.

"Oh, your precious data! What is so great about it? That poor thing had done nothing wrong!"

"Remember what I said about predestined to die? That animal had the two opportunities: die by your hands or being used for another, even more painful experiment, which would kill it anyway!"

"I still don't want to kill anything! Why are you two even doing this? I thought we were friends! Why do you help him hurt us? Why can't you be good?" He screamed. Huffing and puffing from the heated argument.

Kate fell silent.
She sat down again and looked sadly at her hands.

"I've... asked the doctor the same thing before.." Papyrus whispered.

"I asked him why he kept hurt us.. and he said something about committing a level of violence that made him like this. And that people needed him to be strong..." Tears began running down his cheekbones.
"And that I wouldn't understand... and even after I said that he could be good if he tried.. and I offered to help him he said.. *sniff* that I was even more stupid that he thought..." He began sobbing in his hands. Sans stood up to go to his brother, but Kate were already by his side.

She took his skull in her hands.

"Papyrus? Papyrus listen to me. You are a very bright young skeleton. Don't let anyone tell you anything different!" She said with such confidence that Papyrus broke down again. God, had he needed to hear those words. She embraced the crying skeleton until he ran out of tears. Which took some time. She pushed herself from him to look him in the eye.

"You... may think that that the doctor is evil. That he just hurts you for the purpose, of being mean. But.. what he meant was, that those data we collect, helps us understand and solve problems for others. The things we learn is helping a lot, of monsters. Like when the doctor.. 'hurt' you, the other day, he were examining your biology. That information can be used to save a life someday... do you understand where I'm getting at?" She asked.

Papyrus sniffed and nodded. He didn't like it, but he understood.

She put a hand on his arm.

"You are part of something bigger."

This chapter was inspired by this comic: art/Today-s-experiment-was-a-576966456?q=favby%3Anannamuss%2F55216261&qo=36

And mention of THIS senario: art/Just-gonna-bandsaw-your-head-off-there-we-go-576450790?q=favby%3Anannamuss%2F55216261&qo=39