"Chara? You have some visitors."
…
February 8th, 213X
…
Toriel still had her doubts about the younger, stocky man sitting beside her with his hands tucked into his hoodie, his expression relaxed, his eyes anything but. They half-listened to the guards chat about nothing in particular in the office beyond the waiting room, one of them making an side mention of how the Dreemurr kid never got visitors other than their mother. Toriel glanced down at her companion, finding him fidgeting with his hoodie zipper.
"Sans?" She asked softly, and he paused to look up at her as she took off her lavender scarf.
"What?"
"… Are you sure about this?"
"Course I'm sure," he sat up a little straighter. "I know you don't trust me, Tor, but I gotta see the kid. I don't know what I'm looking for… but I'll know when I find it. I'll try not to upset them."
"I'm just worried… how Chara will react to you. They've been doing so well. I feel like a reminder of the past won't be good for them." Toriel folded her hands nervously in her lap on top of the folded scarf.
"If they're ever gonna get better, they're gonna have to deal with those reminders, Tori. You're one of them. And I doubt they just forgot it anyway."
"I know… But I'm also afraid of what you might do when you see them."
"I'm calm. But this is why I didn't just ask your permission to go see them- I wanted you to come with me and make sure I stay calm. If you get worried at any moment, you can pull me out of there, okay?"
"Alright… Just… be nice."
Sans raised an eyebrow at that. "I didn't come to hurl abuse at them."
"I know. But… old wounds, and all that."
"Yeah… but like I said, if you get worried, just pull me out. I just need to ask them some things."
"Mrs. Dreemurr and Mr. Skjallar?" A woman's voice called into the waiting room. Sans and Toriel rose together, approaching a smartly-dressed woman at a reinforced door leading into the main building. She had a very short pixie cut and dark-rimmed glasses, and her frame was tall and thin. She offered out a hand in greeting to Toriel, and then to Sans. "Welcome back, Toriel. And welcome, Mr. Skjallar. I'm Denise Atla, or Miss Atla to most people here. I work with patients to teach them creative hobbies and I teach art and writing to some of our younger wards. Chara is one of my artists."
"Artists?" Sans asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, I guess I don't really know what a place like this does."
"We provide rehabilitation and treatment, and then simply care for some patients who sadly aren't able to function out in the world. Chara is in rehabilitation at the moment. Though it may be some time before they're ready to leave, they've made tremendous strides thanks to Dr. Thyme. He's with Chara right now waiting for us. I wanted to come meet you first, though, Mr. Skjallar, because I understand you have a past with Chara."
Sans shifted uncomfortably at the concerned look in the woman's eyes. "Kinda, yeah…"
"Do they know you're coming?"
"Yeah, I wasn't gonna surprise them."
"Good. Now… I'm not a doctor like Avery Thyme, but I am involved in most of Chara's social skill building and the like. And I just wanted to warn you- inform you, rather- that Chara can seem a little cold and short when they speak, but they're simply not a fan of talking much."
"That's fine. Didn't really expect them to talk at all, honestly."
"But Chara is actually very sweet," Miss Atla insisted. "Yesterday they had a problem with an orderly, but just this morning, they apologized and gave the orderly a flower from their little window garden."
"That's… nice," Sans muttered, smoothing back his hair and biting his tongue. He didn't believe it for a second, but he had to remind himself that it'd been over a decade. Maybe Chara was a little less… murderous.
"Anyhow, I also wanted to remind you not to bring up the… incident. It's still not a subject Chara can handle with others. Only Dr. Thyme has been able to speak with them about it so far."
"That's fine. I won't be long, I just wanna visit for a few minutes."
"Then come with me, I'll show you in." Miss Atla opened up the door with a keycard and brought Toriel and Sans down the white hall into the main complex. They ascended a flight of stairs and walked down two more long hallways before Miss Atla paused in front of a door. She tapped on its covered window and it swung open. A lanky young doctor in a white coat and half-moon glasses stepped out, his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Ah, Toriel, welcome back," he smiled, shaking her hand.
"Hello, Dr. Thyme."
"You can call me Avery, I've been telling you this for years," he chuckled brightly. "Chara's looking forward to seeing you and your friend." He shook Sans' hand then. "Avery Thyme, I'm Chara's psychiatrist."
"Sans Skjallar," Sans murmured. "The kid's… looking forward to seeing me?"
"The moment I mentioned your name yesterday, they perked right up. I haven't heard them be so talkative since their father last came to visit."
"And… that's a good thing?"
"Absolutely. Chara was excited- well, that's a strong word… More passionate, I'd say, about life for days after the king visited."
"Huh," was Sans' simple answer. He wasn't sure what to make of that. At the doctor's welcome, Toriel stepped inside first.
"Hi, Mom," Sans heard a fairly neutral voice say. It sounded so different from what he remembered… but Chara was much older now.
"Hello, my dear child," Toriel said softly in return, and Sans stepped in to see her hugging a thin young person in a baggy green t-shirt and tan cargo pants. Sans had to swallow back a sudden nervous lump in his throat. Shit, they looked so much like Frisk still. When they'd been young, they'd looked almost exactly alike aside from Chara's lighter hair and reddish eyes. Now, they were much thinner and paler than Frisk, but had the same cheekbones and nose and even the same slightly-shaggy dark hair, though Chara's was shorter and straighter. Sans had never figured out why Chara and Frisk looked so much alike. He'd thought they might be related, coming from the same country, but a DNA test he'd run out of pure curiosity hadn't matched the two even remotely.
"Sans," that emotionless voice pulled Sans from his thoughts and he had to force himself not to freeze on the spot when he saw Chara facing him, those half-open red eyes looking over him with some interest and an unsettling calm.
"Hey, kiddo," Sans greeted with some forced warmth. It wasn't easy to treat Chara like he treated Asriel.
"Avery said you'd come… I didn't believe it."
"Well, believe it. I'm here."
"… Why?" Sans paused then. He hadn't thought of how he'd actually phrase it… Especially in front of a doctor and a mother who would probably interrupt the moment Chara seemed bothered or felt Sans was getting anxious.
"I, uh… well, I wanted to see how you were doing, maybe talk about some stuff that's been going on."
"Oh…?"
"Yeah. Um… so… how are you?" Sans glanced around then, searching for something to ask about. "I, uh… I hear you're an artist."
"I like to draw… Miss Atla helps me." As they spoke, Sans spotted a planter box in the window, and he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Golden flowers growing there alongside Echo flowers. Normally those two types couldn't grow in the same soil… And why would the staff let Chara have such… dangerous… plants. Sans could almost hear a click in his mind as he remembered what Chara had done so long ago. They'd tried to kill themself and Asriel with some kind of poison that couldn't be defined… And Sans remembered his time in the CORE lab studying Delta flora and fauna for a passion project. Echo and Golden flowers couldn't grow together, but they could-
"Sans?" Chara asked, and Sans snapped back to reality once more.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I'm… a little spacey today."
"Looking at my garden…?"
"Y-yeah. It's… really nice. I didn't know… those flowers could grow together."
"With special care. And special soil." Sans met those red eyes again, and he saw an unsettling hint of a smile on Chara's blank face. Was it just his nerves, or did he know that smile?
"Huh… I studied them for a long time. Never figured it out…"
"I know… used your notes."
"My… notes?"
"The ones you published… five years ago."
"How did you know about those?"
"Dad told me you were studying them… I was trying to grow them… He brought me a copy of the science journal…"
"Oh… Glad I could help." Sans saw that smile grow a little more, and he had to force himself not to flinch when the scar on his chest twinged. He wanted to dismiss it as just his mind playing tricks on him, until Chara spoke again.
"I saw the news yesterday… did something happen in the CORE?" The twinge became almost a sting, and Sans instinctively slid one foot back a few inches. "I heard Dr. Carter was hurt… and strange things were happening. I wonder what that could be."
The almost lyrical tone that came to Chara's voice made a sudden boiling rage course through Sans' blood and it took all his willpower not to grab Chara by their soul and slam them against a wall. "Yeah…" he tried not to growl. "It's a real mystery…"
"Did you find anything… interesting?" Chara asked then, their right hand slowly rising to their side where Sans remembered vividly they had once tucked their knife into the band of their shorts. After the failed suicide ritual, Chara had escaped from the hospital and ran all the way home just to get that damned red knife, and tore a bloody swathe from New Home into the CORE looking for Frisk who had stopped them from trying the ritual again.
Even though Chara had only been a young teen, their magic had made them impervious to most physical forms of restraint. They had killed everyone they came across. Sans remembered all too vividly the number of times he'd been stabbed in the throat or had an artery slashed, only for it to happen again and again. Only Frisk had finally been able to subdue them with Sans' help and the support of their friends. The red knife had fallen into the CORE basin, and Chara had been dragged away, unable to overcome Frisk and try again on their own terms. Sans could remember having died several times while Frisk was trying to make the White Dove Union come to peace with Delta, but he'd died far more by Chara's hand.
As the memories continued to flood back, Sans grew angrier and angrier, and Chara's little smile became almost… sweet. Sickly sweet.
"No," Sans finally answered quietly. "Nothing…"
"Look again… I'm sure there's an answer somewhere." Chara knew. They wanted it back, but from so far away, they could only pull it out of the basin. Out of the basin, and right into that stupid doctor's ribs… "I hope Dr. Carter is okay."
Yeah, I bet you fucking do, you little- "We all do… Speaking of, I better get going… Just wanted to stop by for a sec." Sans glanced to Toriel, and he could see she hadn't caught on at all to the mental battle silently raging between her child and her longtime friend. Good. She didn't need to know yet. However, Sans could see out of the corner of his eye that Avery looked a bit anxious. "See you soon, kiddo," Sans murmured, about to turn and walk out quickly.
"Before you go…" Chara said softly, stepping forward. Pure molten hate was burning in Sans' chest as Chara opened their arms for a goodbye hug and they smiled so sweetly. You motherfucking little demon… Chara knew Sans might break if he touched them. They wanted him to break, just to make him look like the true offender. And even if he didn't, they'd leave him trapped in a silent rage until he could get away and go blast a tree to splinters to get it all out.
Sans wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of a breakdown, so he stepped forward slowly, forcing back a shiver when Chara's arms wrapped around his shoulders. They were strangely cold, too thin, and Sans hated having to actually wrap his own arms around their middle. But what he hated most was the familiarity. They were the same shape as Frisk, just slimmer. It made Sans feel sick to think of.
He was about to pull back when he felt Chara's fingers press just a little more firmly against his back. Their quiet, sing-song voice murmured, "Say hi to Frisk for me…" The scar on Sans' chest began blazing then and he pulled back a little too quickly.
"Yeah… bye, kid." He turned and practically fled from the room, following the signs on the walls back to the waiting room. He forgot the door would be locked, grabbing the handle and tugging. He was on the verge of an outright panic attack. He needed Frisk. Why the hell wasn't the door opening?
"Sir?" Sans jumped back suddenly, seeing a guard behind the glass in the security booth next to him. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, yes. I'm fine," Sans answered far too quickly. He took a deep breath then, trying to put his usual calm façade back on. "S-Sorry. I just- I gotta get home. I'm late," he lied.
"Sure. I remember seeing you come in. Should be unlocked now."
"Thanks…" Sans turned the handle and the door squeaked slightly as he forced himself to walk through, not run or jog.
"Sans?" He heard Toriel's voice behind him, and he looked back to see she'd followed him. He held the door, but the moment she caught it, he kept going. "Sans, what's the matter? What happened?"
"I gotta go home, Tori."
"Sans, answer me."
"Not here," he nearly growled, pausing to turn and fix her with a warning gaze.
"... Then call me later and explain yourself," Toriel demanded quietly, and Sans barely nodded before turning back toward the exit.
"Later…"
The quiet of Sans' truck was unsettling as it rolled down the highway back toward Echo. He tried not to fiddle with his phone, but he wanted so badly to call Frisk and just hear their voice. At the same time, he was petrified of seeing them again and seeing more similarities to Chara. Why the hell did his partner and a goddamned demon from hell have to look almost exactly alike? Why did no one else see Chara was just faking this whole 'rehabilitation' thing? Who the fuck let them have those flowers?
Shit. Sans hit the emergency lights on his dashboard and pulled over, quickly pulling up his phone. He turned on his 4G data and skimmed a search engine for the mental hospital's number. Copying the number for Dr. Avery Thyme's assistant, he pasted it into the dialer and hit 'call.'
"Dr. Avery's office, this is Hannah Jacques," a feminine voice answered after two rings.
"Listen," Sans said quickly, "Thyme has a patient named Chara Dreemurr. They're growing Echo and Golden flowers in their room. Take them away."
"Who is this?"
"Write this down. Echo flower oil contains high concentrations of cyanide, enough in one flower to kill a fucking elephant if eaten. Golden flower oil has a neurotoxin- tetrodotoxin- almost exactly the same as a blowfish, and can shut down the nervous system if it gets anywhere near the mouth or eyes. You got that?"
"I-… what? Who are you?"
"Just write it down and tell the fucking doctor! Cyanide and tetrodotoxin!" Sans hit 'end call' before the secretary could ask any more questions, and quickly dialed Gaster's number before throwing his truck back into drive and peeling out off the shoulder of the highway.
"W.D. Gaster," came his father's usual answer.
"Dad, it's fucking Chara. I'm sure of it now."
"What? How?"
"They knew about the knife, they knew about Aria… It's them. Goddammit, my chest feels like it's on fucking fire…"
"Are you alright? What did they do?"
"Nothing, not physically, anyway. Is Frisk there?"
"No, they went with Undyne and Alphys to pick up groceries for Aria."
"They're not alone… good…"
"You need to get back here and we need to figure this out… I've been getting calls all day, people asking about what they saw when we brought Aria out… I don't know if I can keep this quiet, Sans."
"We'll figure it out. Call Asgore, he's the guy who knows how to cover that stuff up. And when Frisk gets back, make sure they're okay… I think Chara's figuring out how to use their magic again after Frisk took it away."
"You can't be serious."
"I'm feeling it right now, Dad. My chest doesn't burn like this on its own."
"Just get back here. Is Toriel safe?"
"I don't think Chara's gonna attack Toriel, especially not with orderlies and guards around. But they were growing Echo and Golden flowers."
"What?! Who let them-"
"I asked myself the same thing, but I told their doctor's secretary about them- albeit probably way too quickly. But she knows they're dangerous. And with Chara's history, they'll take the flowers away."
"Sans, I'm going to ask again… are you okay?"
"No, Dad, I'm not fucking okay. I just took a massive trip down memory lane and found out the fucking devil attacked your girlfriend. Sounds pretty goddamned dandy, doesn't it?"
"I need you to focus, son. Be angry all you want- I'm about ready to break something myself- but focus. Losing your mind now won't help anyone. We need to figure out how to contain Chara again, and how they're doing this. They can't be very powerful right now… I… I'm worried they're not the only thing effecting the CORE."
"… What else could it be?" Sans asked after a long moment, stopping a little too fast at a red light.
"I don't know. But Chara has never been strong enough to manipulate the CORE. They tried once back then, but all they caused was a small short-circuit in one of the capacitor banks. The CORE is too powerful for them to break down like this."
"Is there anyone who is strong enough?"
"You or I might be able to cause a small explosion, but the backup systems would take care of that. You and Papyrus and I all together might be able to shut down the entire main bank, but the physical damages… We'd have to actually attack the pipes and cables to do that damage. I don't know of anyone strong enough to cause such failures without actual magical energy attacks."
"Fuck… So there's no theories. Nothing. We can't find any mechanical failures or natural causes, and Chara's just responsible for some electrical issues and Aria. We've got fucking nothing."
"I'm afraid so."
"… I guess it's time for me to come back to the lab, then."
"Sans, I don't know if-"
"I need to figure this out, Dad. Delta is dependent on the CORE. I need to know where Chara's influence ends and where something bigger begins. And if this kind of stuff is happening in the CORE… who's to say it won't start happening on a larger scale? If it's not related to the geothermal activity or the earth, maybe it's just tech, electrics, or even metals in general? What if someone's water heater explodes for no reason? What if a phone blows up in someone's hand? How fucking big could this get?"
"I won't believe circumstances like that until I see them… but you're right. This could be deeper than the CORE itself. And the thought of other strange phenomena is... unsettling."
"Get me a security pass and an ID for the lab and the CORE. I'll let Undyne know I'm done with the whole sentry thing until further notice. I don't care if it gets me fired. I'll go back to mixing drinks when this is over for all I care."
"It'll be good to have you back, son."
"Yeah… maybe I'll even stick around this time. Listen, I gotta drive. I'll see you in a bit. Just… look after everyone, okay?"
"Of course. Drive safely."
"Bye, Dad."