Chapter 23: Lab rats

Sans struggled to regain consciousness. He felt weak, like someone drained all energy out of him. He couldn't regulate his body into a normal state. His head was heavy, and he didn't manage to lay straight enough to be comfortable. With an intense effort, he opened his eyes, his mind still clouded, and focused on his surroundings.

He was all alone in a small cage, with a view of one of many doctor Gaster's lab rooms. He tried to sit down to get closer to the bars, but he quickly realized his neck was restrained by a big metal chain. Trapped like an animal. Why didn't it surprise him that much?

"Stop!" screamed a familiar voice nearby. "Don't hurt them, please! Dad! Please!"

"Let go of that human, Papyrus. This is none of your business!"

"That's my friend! You can't do this! Let go!"

Alarmed, Sans pulled on his restraints and got closer to the entrance, almost choking himself in the process.

In the cell across the room, an unprecedented scene was playing. Papyrus was standing in front of Gaster, upset, circled with colorful bones he was throwing at their dad. Curled up behind him, terrified, was Charlie, injured and trying to cower in a corner of the cage.

It seemed even Papyrus was out of patience with the scientist. Finally.

However, their father got annoyed pretty quickly. He suddenly lifted his hand and slapped the young skeleton on the cheek, harshly. Sans felt his soul sink as Papyrus gave him an incredulous look, shocked, holding his cheek. Gaster never hit him before. A new step on the scale of the horror had fallen down.

Sans pulled on his chain to intervene, but froze when Papyrus' expression shifted to something cold. It was his breaking point. Papyrus outstretched his hands and, in a scream full of anger and bitterness, attacked Gaster with all he had. Clumsy oversized bones and random blasters fired at him, forcing the scientist to take cover behind a table.

His older brother struggled harder against the chain to free himself. He tried to use magic to help him, but a stabbing pain in the head boomed in his head, dissuading him.

Panicked and powerless, Sans could only watch as Gaster stood up, a hammer in hand. The skeleton gasped, and threw himself against the bars, choking himself painfully.

"Papyrus! Be careful!" Sans screamed as loud as he could.

Destabilized, Papyrus instinctively turned towards his voice. Two royal guards who were sneaking behind him took that opportunity to grab both of his little brother's arms. The small skeleton shrieked and struggled to escape their grip, throwing bones everywhere around him. One even passed not far from Sans. One of the blasters tried to get to Gaster, but missed him.

The scientist took that opportunity to run under the bullets to catch the human's arm. He dragged them out of the cell by force, as Charlie cried out in fear, doing their best to push him away. Gaster threw them in another smaller cage and locked the door. He sighed, relieved it was done.

His eye sockets, full of anger, then fell on Papyrus, held above the floor, arms stretched on each side of his body. The small skeleton stopped fighting, out of energy, and now looked quite scared of what his father could do to him.

Sans couldn't let him hit him again. He grabbed his chain with both hands and started to pull with all he had. With a lot of perseverance, it finally detached from the wall, with a lot of electric wires that probably shouldn't have moved. Immediately, magic flew back into his bones. Using that sudden boost of energy, Sans shortcut right between his father and his brother without thinking.

"What the…" Gaster yelped, jumping back in surprise.

Sans lifted a hand, summoning two big blasters, aiming at the scientist. It was all bluff. He didn't have enough energy to use them. He hoped it would scare him enough to defuse the tension.

"Hurt my brother again and I'll kill you!" He screamed with rage. "Let him go and back off!"

Gaster hesitated, judging him intensely. Sans made the blaster growl, which convinced him enough to sign the guards. They put Papyrus down and let go. The small skeleton ran to Sans and hugged his back, shaking. Sans put a protective hand on his shoulder to comfort him, then dismissed the blasters. The scientist's pupils narrowed suspiciously as he realized it was all fake.

Sans didn't want to try to escape. He knew the door was locked and he was way too tired to teleport again. He had to play along, for now.

Papyrus burst into tears against him.

"He wants to kill Charlie! He wants to take their soul, I heard him talk!"

"You don't understand, Papyrus." Gaster answered, calming down. "We don't have any other choice. We need their soul. This is for the better, to help your brother get stronger."

"I don't need this." Sans rebelled. "I didn't ask you anything! I refuse to play the lab rat for you again. You're not god, you can't decide who deserves to live or die. That's sick. You're making me sick."

"I'm not letting you the choice. You are clever, you already know what is going to happen. If you're not strong enough, Papyrus will die as you watch, powerless. Is this really what you want? Holding the dusting corpse as your brother when you had the opportunity to save him? This is what I am proposing to you today."

"I'm not a murderer! I'm not like you! I will never be like you! Why won't you just leave me alone? I never asked for any of this! I'm not the one who should be ashamed or scared."

"This is a war, Sans! Wake up already and realize there are no such things as fairy tales. Either you adapt to the situation or you watch your family die for nothing. This story is not just about you, it's about Monsterkind. Either you're playing your role or more people will die because of you, including your brother."

Papyrus hiccupped and hid his face in his white lab dress. The skeleton stared nervously at Charlie, then at Gaster.

He was forcing his hand. It was going to happen whether he wanted it or not. He had either to sacrifice the human and show Papyrus he wasn't flawless, or to sacrifice Papyrus and never forgive himself. He couldn't let his brother die. If he had to go with the humans, he needed to be able to defend him. However, he couldn't break his trust by killing the human, as they needed to join forces more than ever in that dark future.

Sans fell headfirst into his father's plan. It didn't matter what he chose, Papyrus was going to be used against him. He felt stupid. If he hadn't run away from the cabin, Toriel would still be protecting them. It was all his fault.

He clenched his fists and lowered his head, defeated.

"Will I really be able to protect Papyrus?" he whispered.

Papyrus tensed next to him. He hoped his brother was not here to hear this.

"More than if you don't use your full determination potential, indeed." Gaster answered, pragmatic.

Sans looked up at Charlie. They were crying, betrayed, as they realized Sans wouldn't defend them this time.

"What… will I have to do?"

Gaster's smile widened, as Papyrus called his name again and again, more and more distressed. Sans ignored him.

"A human soul can be more easily absorbed by the monster who slaughtered them. You will have to kill them. It's the easiest method and the least painful one for your friend. If you don't do it, I will have to rip their soul myself and slowly empty their determination. But that means they will agonize for long hours. This is your choice."

"Sans, you can't do this!" Papyrus begged. "That's wrong. Charlie did nothing wrong! That's our friend, you can't hurt them! I know you don't want this!"

The skeleton didn't answer. He felt guilty for the poor kid who, indeed, asked nothing. But this would have happened anyway, right? Monsters would never have accepted them as one of their people. Something bad would have happened to them in the end. Or maybe was he trying to convince himself he was doing the right thing. Nothing could justify taking a life. Not even a war. He was not a murderer, or a warrior. Toriel was right. He was just a child. His place was in a normal family, safe. Not in a war he wasn't responsible for in the first place.

Papyrus kept crying and shaking his arm to make him react, in vain. Annoyed, Gaster stepped forward to unhook him from his brother. The movement made the skeleton snap of his thoughts. Sans backed off, holding his brother protectively against him. His eye shone a bright blue.

"If I'm doing it, promise me you won't ever lay a hand on him again. I don't want you to touch him. Never. You're not deserving him."

"He is nothing but a waste of time, but if it can please you enough to cooperate, I won't. Now, guards, put them in their cell. The big one."

"Do we put a collar on him?" A guard asked, pointing to Sans.

"Of course. I don't want our escape artist to run out on us again. I have work to do on the CORE. Prepare the human child for tonight."

"Noted, Doctor Gaster."

The guard walked to Sans and made a gesture as if to grab his arm. The skeleton pulled his shoulder out of his reach and followed another one, a dog lady, already walking towards the corridor. The guard let him be, simply following closely behind.

The Royal Guards led them into a few rooms before they entered a long dark hallway with metal doors. They opened one of them and pushed them bluntly into a new cell, bigger than the one he was a few minutes ago, but still way too small to his tastes.

A guard slammed a new metal collar around his neck, this time not linked to any chain. He clicked a button, and Sans' magic immediately flickered, forcing him to sit down. Worried, Papyrus came to cuddle against him as the door closed on them, and then locked. They were alone.

Sans crawled against a wall to have better support. His brother let go of him and sat on the opposite one. Papyrus' expression kept shifting from sadness, to anger, to a lack of understanding. The pressure cooker was about to explode. Except this time, Sans had no way out of this talk to come. Whatever would happen now, Papyrus wouldn't understand and get mad at him. Yet, the skeleton knew he couldn't lie to him. Not now. Papyrus needed honesty more than anything.

"You're really going to kill Charlie?"

His quacking little voice broke his soul in half. This wasn't fair. Hope was still lasting in his eye sockets, but fainted as the silence grew longer between them. Sans wanted to justify himself, but nothing could justify murdering someone in cold blood. Determination shouldn't be a power any of them had. Not his dad, not the humans. And certainly not himself. It was the reason this war started, and it was certainly the reason it would end too. All because of him.

Sans looked down, playing with his hands. How to convince a five-year-old child that committing an irredeemable act was necessary when even he didn't believe it? His decision was selfish. He wanted to protect his brother. At all costs. Even at the cost of this human's life.

"I don't have the choice, Papyrus." Sans finally talked, broken. "They're going to deliver us to the humans really soon. They are going to hurt us, and I need to be able to protect you. I can't lose you too."

"You can protect us just fine without having to do this! You did it already!"

"Yeah? Look around you, Papyrus. Look where it led us."

"I can defend myself!" Papyrus shouted, now angry. "You don't have to protect me all the time! You won't be able to protect me all the time. Getting hurt is a part of growing up. What you're going to do is not fair. Lady Toriel said my magic is powerful. Teach me how to use it so I can help! I'll do everything you tell me to do, even… Even hurting someone."

Papyrus kneeled and put his hands on his knees.

"But please, Sans… Don't hurt Charlie. It's not their fault. It's not fair they had to die because of us. Lady Toriel said you could protect us and I believe her. You don't need this. You can do a little better than this. I believe in you. You have to try. Please. Do it for me."

Sans refused to meet his eyes. Papyrus squeezed his knee harder, more desperate.

"You told me to stop trusting everyone without thinking. To stop trusting him without thinking. What was it all about when at his first words you're submitting to him? It's you who needs to think, Sans. Because if you don't, you're going to hurt yourself way more than these humans are going to hurt me. Please, Sans. Save Charlie. We'll find another way."

Sans felt his sockets misted over. He resisted for a few seconds before the tears fell down his cheeks. His brother was right. Of course, he was. But he was powerless. Gaster would force his hand either way. It didn't matter what he wanted. Nothing mattered.

Papyrus hugged his chest, hoping his words were enough to dissuade him. They only made Sans more determined to end this as quickly as he could.

"My children?" A familiar voice called, outside. "Sans? Papyrus? Are you there?"

"Lady Toriel?" Papyrus screamed, the voice full of hope. "Yes! We're here! Can you free us?"

Sans didn't find the courage to tell him it was obvious Toriel was not behind the door, but in another cell, just like them.

"I can't for now, dear, but I will keep trying. I am sorry I did not manage to protect you all. I'm… I'm with Undyne. She is okay. She lost an eye, unfortunately, but she is strong. She will be fine. Are you two injured? Is Charlie with you?"

Sans stared worriedly at his brother and shook his head to beg him to say nothing, but Papyrus didn't hear it that way. Ready to save the human at all costs, he ran to the door.

"Dad asked Sans to kill them!" Papyrus screamed, bursting into tears. "I'm trying to convince Sans, but he keeps saying he needs to do it to protect me and that there is no other choice. Please, tell him he's wrong and that there is another way! I don't want Charlie to die, but I don't want Sans to feel bad because of this… I don't know what to do anymore…"

"Sans?" The Queen asked sadly. "Is it true?"

Sans sighed, considering not answering her. He laid on the floor and brought his knees back to his chest.

"I'm sorry. I don't want the humans to kill my little brother. I have no choice."

"Sans, this is not a solut…"

"Then find another one!" Sans snapped at her.

He put his hands on his auditory canals and turned his back to his brother. He needed resting and calm. He couldn't bear the tension and the permanent weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He had enough. He wanted to protect his brother and to see this nightmare end for good, nothing more.

For the first time in his life, Papyrus frowned and went to lie down far away from his brother, in a corner. Sans did his best to ignore his sobbing. He didn't want to hear anything else from anyone. He wanted peace of mind and sleep.

Behind his computer screen, a few rooms away, Gaster smiled watching at the cameras.