Chapter 40

Uh-Oh, Back to the Lab Again

There, in the distance, the familiar doors of the lab stood as if it was a monument to his childhood and it radiated an odd sense of nostalgia. He remembered being excited to come visit his father at work, or when he started working there himself. He remembered when Sans started working there and he couldn't wait to go in everyday after school. He was so happy and excited to be able to work alongside him.

Now, as he looked up at them, however, there was a looming sense of dread. Sans was being held prisoner somewhere inside these walls. He was in there waiting. Waiting for them.

"This is it?" Ava asked cautiously as the two of them approached the large doors of the lab, "This is where they took him?"

Corbel nodded, but didn't answer out loud as he strolled forward, his hand in his pocket as he fiddled with the card he kept there.

"How are you so sure?"

"Kinda easy really, since my dad runs the place."

"Well, you conveniently failed to mention that little detail before in your recap!"

"What, are you getting skeptical now?" Corbel bit back, "Think I really am gonna turn you in so Dad can do Soul experiments on you too?"

"Wait-wait . . ." Ava stammered, a bit of her more defensive air seeping back into her voice, "You're not gonna do that are you?"

"Of course not." Corbel puffed, "You see, it's been off-again-on-again with me and Dad for a while and right now, he and I aren't really on the best of terms ever since . . ."

"Ever since what?" Ava asked softly, noting the awkward way his voice seemed to trail off.

"Let's just say that we don't see eye-to-eye on the human conundrum."

"I . . . Guess . . . That makes sense. So . . . Those Soul experiments . . . Is that what they're doing to him in there? Is that what this place is for?"

"Well, not what it's for, but I suppose it does fall into the category of what we do here."

"We . . . ?"

"Sorry, it's been forever since I quit, but I guess it's easy to still call this place . . ."

"You work here?"

"I used to work here! I'm a teacher now. Sans used to work here too. We were lab partners. It's sorta how we met."

"Oh, okay."

The two of them approached the double doors, Corbel, being sure to send bones up to the two security cameras before they entered the visual range, taking them both out completely.

"Maybe it's a good thing you used to work here." Ava commented watching Corbel destroy the cameras.

"It has its advantages. Now, when this door opens, we need to stay as far to the left as possible. And stay quiet. The cameras inside pick up sound as well. I'll let you know when it's safe."

Ava nodded, already turning off her voice.

Finally, as they made it to the control panel, Corbel took out the key card in his pocket and swiped it in the reader. Instead of the bright chirps he'd been expecting, however, there was a demanding beep. It wanted something more. A two step authentication process.

"Damn it . . ." He hissed. "It used to be that just the card was enough . . . Is he using employee codes now too?"

If that was the case, what in the world could his father's code be? Was it a computer generated code or something he made himself? If it was the former . . . There was no way he would be able to guess what it was. But if it was the latter . . .

"I think I have an idea . . ." He said quietly to no one in particular. He had no idea if it would work or how many tries he would get.

The keypad beside the card reader blinked on and off, awaiting input. There were no alphabet keys at all, even to accompany the numeric keys. So, it was strictly numeric. He reached out slowly, deciding on which code to try first.

"Woah, hold on!" Ava interjected, breaking her silence, "You're just gonna guess!?"

"It's an educated guess." Corbel defended.

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then, I have five more guesses to try."

"And if you don't get it before the alarm goes off?"

Corbel sighed. Yeah, this sounded familiar. He could definitely see this exact same type of conversation happening between Ava and Sans. He'd had several conversations just like this with him.

"Then we'll have to take the shortcut." Corbel smirked, "The louder, more forceful shortcut."

Ava made a short scoffing chuckle, stepping up to Corbel's side. "Now I know we're talking about the same person. That's definitely something he would say!"

Corbel chuckled as well. "I guess it does. Okay, stay to the left. I'm gonna put in the code."

Ava nodded, pressing herself against the far wall.

Taking a deep, staying breath, Corbel entered the numbers for his father's birthday.

The beeps indicated a wrong attempt, a glowing red light accompanied it.

His mother's birthday.

Wrong.

His birthday.

Wrong.

"Corbel," Ava whispered, "I don't know how many wrong answers this thing will take!"

"Yeah, I don't know either. I'm surprised it hasn't set anything off already. Alright, this might be the final attempt before we have to get violent. Be ready to run."

Ava nodded.

Corbel looked back at the number pad, hoping something would stand out.

Hesitantly, he reached out again one last try.

His father's initials.

23-04-07

Finally, the bright happy chirp he'd been waiting for sounded, granting access. It would stay unlocked for ten seconds before locking again.

Cautiously, and silently, Corbel cracked the door open, aiming attacks to the far right of the atrium and around the frame of the door to the far left. He took them out easily as well. Opening the door completely, he sent two more bones in to get the cameras near the back wall.

With a look back, he repeated the shushing motion and instructed Ava to follow behind. She nodded, cautiously entering the building behind Corbel. Together, they walked into the lab's atrium.

They hadn't noticed the silent alarm triggered when they entered the passcode after the third time.

As they continued in, Corbel was certain they would have to find his father's office. He may have notes about the Soul experiments locked away somewhere.

But first, they had to get there.

There was one more surveillance camera facing the elevator and another just inside. Once he took those out, they were clear to head toward the lower levels. Still, he didn't give the clear until the elevator doors were closed behind them.

"Yeah," Ava nodded, still deciding to keep conversation down to a whisper, "It's definitely a good thing that you know your way around here so well."

"Yeah." Corbel answered, "I'm hoping it'll come in handy when we finally find Sans. We don't wanna risk going back the way we came. That would be the easiest way to trap us. But, we've got several backup routes just in case."

Corbel swiped the keycard again , punching his father's code once more.

Once again, the conversation died down for a few moments while Corbel fiddled with the key card in his fingers and Ava shifted from foot to foot. She was wrestling with something in her own thoughts, but she was having trouble getting those thoughts into words.

"So, umm. Lab partners, huh?"

Corbel shot a look toward Ava from the corner of his eye . . . Okay, that's how this awkward thing was gonna go?

"Yup. For about five years."

"How did you guys meet anyway?"

"Well, I was sixteen when I found Sans wandering around in the CORE. He wasn't doing too well, so I took him home to rest. We've been friends ever since."

Ava hummed, but remained quiet for a moment. Finally, she gave her response.

"Thanks . . . For keeping him safe. For being there for him during a time he had no one. It means a lot to me . . . He means a lot to me. So, thanks."

Corbel let out a long breath. The longer he spent with her, the more he felt he really should come clean about everything . . . But, no.

"Yeah, I know. And believe me, I get it. Alright. Here were are. I don't know this part as well as the atrium, so stick close, okay?"

"Got it." Ava answered with a nod.

When the door opened, Corbel was on high alert. He did know the way to his father's office like the back of his previously holed hand, but he didn't know where the security cameras were. He'd left the lab before most of those changes happened.

So quietly and cautiously, they made their way down the hallways and toward Gaster's private office. Once there, it was easy enough to use his code to gain entrance.

Once opened, Corbel signaled Ava to stay behind while he checked inside for cameras and motion detectors. Ava agreed.

Just like it had when he first arrived, an eerie wave crashed over Corbel, nearly overwhelming him in that odd mix of nostalgic trepidation. It was absolutely dark inside of the office and it was difficult to see much of anything. Though, a scan of the area showed no sign of security. Perhaps Gaster felt that there was no need. After all, it was his own office

. . . But then again, if Corbel were in his father's shoes, and if he had potentially damning evidence of kidnap and torture hidden in his office, he would want to be alerted if someone was dangerously close to discovering that information. There had to be something. A tripwire, a weight sensor, something.

Carefully, Corbel made his way inside, keeping to the walls as he searched. All in all, there really was nothing of note. The couch looked as if it had been used as a bed recently, which told Corbel that he hadn't been keeping to the schedule as closely as he was supposed to be. There were books and notepads on the table beside it with a broken coffee mug anchoring it down. At first, Corbel thought nothing of it and he nearly passed it by until something scrawled in the corner jumped out at him. A quick note written in Wingdings.

"D.T. Extraction Level 9. Status: Ongoing. Results . . ."

Corbel froze in his spot.

A current experiment . . . ? And just what was D.T.?

Well, if anything, it was at least worth looking at.

Corbel reached out for the mug, perhaps these papers had something about Sans on them.

He nearly touched the mug . . . The one he'd given his father as a gift. It looked like it'd been shattered and repaired. There was resin in the spots where the fractures were too large and the gaps couldn't be connected again.

Wait . . . Something was off. Something under the mug . . . The mug was covering something. Something between its base and the papers.

Ooh, this was definitely a trap. THAT'S where he chose to keep the pressure sensor? He'd been banking on someone moving the mug to read the rest of the paper.

A paper written in Wingdings, a language only a select few could read.

Had his father laid this trap especially for him?

Corbel left the mug alone, but did his best to read around it, picking up phrases and points of interest.

SOUL Emission Levels: Plateaued

SOUL Potency: Diminishing

Subject Vitality: Diminishing

Subject Yield: Diminishing

Subject Utility: Depleted

Recommendation: Acquire supplemental subject. Consider termination for primary

Something tight clenched at Corbel's throat and his own Soul, holding them tightly in a vice.

Terminate the primary subject . . . !? Is that why they were saying he was already dead . . . ? Were they already planning on killing him!? Harvest his Soul . . . Or what was left of it. The report said his vitality was diminishing. If they couldn't get him out now, chances were he really would be dead soon.

They had to bust him out. They had to save him before that could happen!

But where was he!? They couldn't help if they didn't know where to find him!

Corbel continued reading the page, trying not to look at just how hard they'd been working Sans this whole time.

Near the bottom of the page, there was a summary of the day's experiment. Some personal notes were in there as well, one of the times his father allowed himself to ramble.

"It seems repurposing the lower levels for containment units was the correct course of action. My assistants remain unaware of the renovations and that seems to be most advantageous as it pertains to the progress of the experimentation. We have been able to run several consecutive experiments on the subject without drawing any unnecessary or unwanted attention. For now, I have told the other assistants, minus Gaine of course, that sub basement two is still undergoing renovations and must not be accessed until further notice. That seems to have been . . ."

Sub basement two. Got it.

Corbel couldn't stand to read any more than that. To read his father's notes like that, imagining his cold indifferent voice coupled with those words, pulled every one of Corbel's features lower and set every nerve on edge. It was proof that his father really was the one behind everything here. The abduction of Sans, the torture he had him endure. The pain he'd caused both of them. Lying about what he was doing and keeping it secret. The rumors of Sans' death. Corbel's sleepless nights worrying about him. All of it was his fault.

And what topped it off was just how plainly and emotionlessly he was able to do this. How easy it was for him. It was as if he had no Soul of his own. It was disgusting. He was acting as if he'd already gotten away with murder and he was just sweeping the evidence under the neat little rug called "science".

The whole thing made him sick. Physically and emotionally sick.

Wordlessly and with a deep scowl, Corbel exited the office and was sure to lock the door behind him.

"Did you find anything?" Ava pressed, a bit of cautiousness in her tone. She could see the way her guide's face was contorted and it set off her sensors. She could almost see the fury rising off of him.

"Yeah." He answered plainly.

"And? What did you find?"

"I know where he is." Corbel seethed, "We're getting him out."

"There's more, isn't there?" Ava nudged, "What else?"

"Once we get him back. Once I know he's safe, I'm gonna burn this place to the ground."

Eventually, the two were able to reach sub basement two and as soon as they arrived, they could immediately feel the significant drop in temperature. Ava shuddered, feeling that chill shoot all throughout her body.

"Well, it definitely feels like a cold dank cellar prison . . . Or cold storage . . . Almost like a morgue."

Corbel remained silent, his face sullen and his eyes focused. He hadn't said a single word since leaving the office a few floors up and Ava was beginning to get worried. What had he seen in that office? What changed so much that he wanted to destroy this place? Was he serious about doing that? Was he capable of that?

She almost said something to him, but thought better of it after a moment or two of studying him. He wasn't ready to talk and she wasn't in a position where she could pick his mind for answers.

But then again, maybe an ear to listen was just what he needed.

"Hey, umm, Corbel?"

"We're here." He said solidly, looking along the line of holding cells. Of all of the cells,only one of them had a red light on the lock panel. All of the others were green. He pointed toward it. "That's the cell right there."

Right away, Ava went silent as she followed Corbel's finger. Moments later, she rushed forward, followed closely by Corbel. They rushed up to the edge of the cell where powerful energy prevented them from entering.

"Sans?" Corbel called in, his voice in a harsh whisper, "Sans? Are you in there?"

The cell was baren with barely any amenities. There was a sink along the back wall and a rigid bed that looked like it could have been made of stone. Atop that bed, there was an unmoving mound. It was unresponsive when he called in.

"Sans?" He tried again, nervousness setting in. He wasn't already dead, was he? And that mound was nothing more than his body? Had the last experiment been too much for him?

"C'mon, Sans. Wake up!"

No response.

Ava laid a hand on his shoulder, and instinctually, Corbel pulled away.

"Corbel." She said quietly.

"We gotta get him out." Corbel muttered. "Stand back, okay?"

Corbel reached out for the card reader once again and swiped the card. As before, the keypad demanded input as well so, Corbel input his father's code.

Only to have it denied with a buzz and a flash of red.

"What?"

He tried again.

Wrong.

"Shit."

"Maybe a different code?" Ava suggested. "Maybe he wanted this cell even more secure than the rest of the lab?"

That made sense. Secret experiments and all. Of course he'd hold this cell under different parameters.

Corbel thought about it. What could he possibly have made the code? Something easy for him to remember, but difficult for anyone else to guess. Something having to do with the experiment, maybe? Something formatted similarly to the first code?

Again, Corbel frowned as he realized just what that code would be.

"I think I've narrowed it down to two possibilities." He said darkly.

"Hm?"

"The first code was my fa . . . Was his initials . . . If he's sticking with the same theme, this code should be mine."

He reached out and typed in the series of numbers.

03-08-07

The chirp sounded and the light turned green. The energy beams that were blocking the entrance dissipated and the doorway was left wide open.

"Figures." Corbel spat, "That sick fuck."

"Corbel?" Ava tried again, "Are we going in?"

"Actually, I need you wait here, Ava. There's something not quite right here and I need to keep you safe. I'm gonna go wake him up. Heal him and get him ready to go . . . And no offense, but you'd be a bit of a shock to get first thing after waking up. I'll let him know you're here."

Ava eyed Corbel a bit, trying to figure him out. Again, she didn't know him well enough to guess at what was going on in his head, but she could tell that he wasn't giving her the full story. For the moment, she nodded, stepping away from Corbel once again.

"I get it." Answered softly, "And that does make sense. Well, in that case, what do you want me to do, then?"

"I need you on lookout duty. I wouldn't be surprised if my . . . If the doctor or his head assistant decided to come in early. We have to get out of here before that happens, not that I have to tell you that. Just . . . Listen. Keep your eyes open for anything. Please."

For another long moment, Ava studied Corbel's tone and his heavy expression, "Okay. But then, will you tell me what's wrong?"

Corbel turned his eyes toward her in question.

"And don't tell me 'nothing's wrong'. He used to try to pull that crap all the time. I've gotten pretty good at sifting through the lies. So, once we're out of here, I expect the full story. No sugar coating and no holding back."

Corbel nodded. He considered making her promise not to think less of him, or not to get mad about what she hears, but again, he held back. The stops would be pulled out once they were clear of this place.

"I can do that." He answered instead.

"Good. I'll be out here keeping watch. Let me know when he's good to go."

Corbel nodded and stepped into the cell. Shooting sharp pointed bones into all four corners simultaneously. One of them, if not several of them had to have a camera installed in order to monitor their prisoner.

Something hit. A camera was smashed. It was oddly satisfying.

Still, the lump on the bed refused to shift. What was wrong with him? Why wouldn't he wake up?

"Hey. Sans." He tried, walking up to the bed. Under the sheets, he could see very minimal movement. Breathing.

So, he was alive . . .

But then, why wasn't he waking up!?

"Sans, c'mon. We gotta get out of here. Wake up."

Corbel lowered himself to kneel beside Sans' bed. Lowering the sheet, he reached out to gently shake his shoulders. After still not getting any response, Corbel's worry only grew as his shaking became more forceful.

Had they done something to him? Sedated him? Placated him so he wouldn't try to fight back?

Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. Would he be okay to make this journey in this condition?

Finally, a shift from the bed. The body turned in its spot and came to a stop when he was flat on his back. The breathing changed as well. A deep yawn as Sans' eyes opened to slits.

"Whaa . . ." He groaned, having to force his consciousness to the surface, "Who's . . ."

Corbel let out a long sigh of absolute relief.

"Sans! Thank goodness!" He kept his voice no louder than a whisper. He could feel it as the biggest wave of emotion hit him and his eyes began to sting. If ever there was a time to cry . . .

"Alright." He continued, trying to shove that emotion down and focus. "There's not a lot of time to explain. You gotta get up now, okay? C'mon, lazybones. Let's get going."

Corbel shifted to help Sans so he was sitting up in bed. Though he was awake, there was very little effort or coordination to Sans' motions. He must've been absolutely exhausted.

It seemed as if Sans still couldn't quite collect himself. He blinked a few times in an attempt to focus clearly, but he was having a hard time of it. Normally, Sans was the first of the two of them to be able to pull himself together and get going when he woke up in the morning. Now he couldn't wake up at all. This was more than just being woken up from a deep sleep, this was like there was something missing. Something had been taken from Sans. Corbel remembered what he'd read in his father's papers, about his Soul. They'd been stealing his very life out of his body. It looked like those reports were absolutely true. Sans' life, his vigor, his vitality was gone!

Supporting him in his sitting position, Corbel lowered a hand to Sans' chest, laying it flat against his sternum as he searched his Soul to read his stats.

He was only at 2 HP . . . At a Max of 5!? He'd only been here about two weeks! Fewer than two weeks and they nearly killed him with these experiments!

"Damn it." Corbel hissed, "What the Hell did they do to you?"

While he was still assessing Sans' Soul, Corbel activated his own magic and sent healing energy directly into him. Sans' frigid body seemed to steadily warm, like he was being reactivated or rebooted after repairs. His HP filled to the Max as well. 5/5 A pathetic and dangerous amount for anyone.

Finally, Sans groaned in response to the treatment and he began to gain a little bit of awareness. He squinted hard in an attempt to focus, turning his head toward Corbel.

For a moment, he halted, those tired eyes going wide in shock. He even put up a bit of a resistance against Corbel.

"Wait! No, Doc!" He protested, "You said that we'd . . . Wait . . . Corbel?"

An intense swirl of emotion filled Corbel at the reaction. That had been fear in Sans' eyes just then. Fear of him. Fear brought on by just his face . . .

His father's face . . .

It saddened Corbel for a moment to think that Sans would react that way to him. But the instant that moment passed, the sadness passed with it and that sickened infuriated scorn returned at full force.

Corbel wasn't the one he was afraid of. It was Gaster. Gaster was the one who did this to him. And it was Gaster who would pay for it.

"Corbel, what are you doing here!?" Sans pushed in a low urgent whisper, "You were supposed to stay out of this. This was my end of the deal, remember?"

"I didn't agree to this!" Corbel snapped. He had to take a deep breath and center himself once again.

He raised his hand to cup Sans' face, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. "Look, I'm here to save you. I said I'd get you out, didn't I? So, that's what we're doing! Right now. We're getting far far away from this place." A soft smile finally pulled at his features, "And that's not all. We're taking a new friend along. Now c'mon, let's go. I'll help you up."

Sans frowned as he allowed Corbel to help him stand. Right away, he noticed how difficult it was to find strength in his legs. It really was getting more and more difficult to bounce back after the sessions.

"Hang on." Sans hummed, "What'd'ya mean we're going with 'a new friend'? Who in the world would agree to something this crazy?"

"They're keeping watch right now, making sure no one gets the drop on us. But it's about time the two of you met up." With his smile spreading a tiny bit, Corbel shifted his attention to the door. "Hey, is the coast clear?"

"Yeah. So far so good." The voice called quietly back, "But the sooner we get out of this creepy place, the better. How's he doing?"

Sans stood completely and froze at the sound, unable to believe his ears. That voice. There was no mistaking it. It'd been forever, but there was no way he'd ever be able to forget that voice.

"Ava . . ."

As if caught in a sudden trance, Sans pulled away from Corbel and took a few uneasy steps forward toward the entrance to his cell. There was no way. No way could she be there. She was supposed to be up on the surface, living her life, and away from this mess. How could she possibly . . . ?

"Ava . . . ?"

There was a shift on the other side of the wall and within moments, another figure showed themselves.

There she was. She seemed a bit taller than before, and even though it was in a messy bun, he could tell her curly brown hair was longer too. Her clothes were ripped in places and she seemed to have suffered some injury before this. But it didn't look like she had any open wounds. So, sometime between then and now she'd been healed.

It was apparent that she'd gone through some rough times before she found her way here, but she was here nonetheless, standing right in front of him.

When Ava saw him, she froze as well. He looked nothing like he had the last time they met, with the complete lack of skin, hair or anything that resembled what he once looked like. But what she recognized most was the way he looked at her. The way that grin of his seemed to pull off to one side more than the other, even the way his eyes seemed to radiate that familiar fondness. It was still him.

She stepped forward and he did the same until they were face to face.

"I . . . I just can't believe . . ." Sans breathed, looking her up and down, "Good morning, Sunshine."

Ava's hazel green eyes teared up at the greeting. It'd been so long since she'd heard it. And it proved beyond any doubt that it was truly him!

She closed the little remaining distance between them and embraced him, holding onto him tightly as if trying to convince herself that any of it was real. The confirmation came when he held her in return. She could feel him. This was real.

"Good evening, Starlight." She whispered back to him.

A soft chuckle escaped Sans then. His eyes closed for a moment as he took it all in. "Well, that's new. I like it."

Meanwhile, Corbel made his way around the reunited couple to stand near the door and pick up the position of lookout. He knew they would need a few moments to themselves and he was prepared to give it to them . . . Even if it did sting a bit to witness.

He couldn't imagine what it was like to be in Ava's shoes. Corbel had been driving himself insane at the thought of Sans being missing for two weeks. Eight years must have been torture! And Sans. Being cursed and abandoned, separated from the person he most wanted to be with, holding on for so long. Getting to the point of letting go and moving on. And now to be faced with this, not only knowing she was okay, but to see her and hold her again. His emotions must have been all over the place.

After so long, Ava and Sans had finally been reunited! They'd found each other again!

And that left Corbel . . .

That left him . . .

On lookout duty while the two made up for lost time behind him. But he wasn't gonna be "that guy". He wasn't gonna break them apart.

"What the Hell are you doing here, Ava?" Sans' soft voice sighed. Despite the reprimanding accusation, he sounded genuinely happy to be with her again. "How the Hell did you get here?"

Ava drew in a sharp breath as she fended off all of the emotion she'd been holding back this entire time. When she spoke, her voice was waterlogged.

"They told me you were dead!" She confessed, "They told me to give up on you! But I knew . . . I knew you were alive!"

"Hey, Ava." Sans comforted, his own voice starting to waver, "Don't go crying on me now, okay? I'm here. After all, this is me you're talking about. I'm a lot stronger than you give me credit for. Always have been."

"I know! I know! And I credited you for being alive, so I knew you had to be!"

"Ah, geez." Sans sighed before drawing in a deep breath. They both went quiet for a little bit after that.

Corbel tilted his head, looking over his shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak and get the others moving again, but stopped himself immediately.

The two were still locked in a tight embrace. Ava was shuddering into Sans' shoulder and Sans held her, stroking her hair gently. Tears were leaking from his eyes as well, his feelings finally getting the better of him.

"I missed you." Ava whispered in a nearly inaudible voice. Even though Corbel could still hear her, he knew that voice was meant solely for Sans, "I missed you so much."

"Hmm, I missed you too . . ." He answered in a similar tone, "I'm sorry I made you worry. Forgive me?"

Ava actually chuckled at that, still fighting hard not to choke through sobs.

"Of course! Because there's nothing for you to be sorry for. But in my case . . . Simm, could you ever forgive me?"

Corbel went as straight as a board, snapping his eyes back out toward the hallway. That word . . . That name. That was his name, wasn't it? His real name? The name Sans could never tell him. The name Ava knew as if it were her own.

It was a reminder that punched Corbel hard in the stomach, reminding him just where he stood in the situation. Sans and Ava . . . Simm and Ava . . . They really did have a strong connection and a deep bond, didn't they? It was something established over a lifetime ago, before Corbel was ever part of the equation. And even now, it was still as strong as ever.

Ava really did love him. She never stopped looking for him even when everyone else told her to give up. She kept searching. She jumped into the Underground for him. Risked her life for him. Put everything on the line for him.

How could he possibly stand in her way?

"You kidding?" Sans asked incredulously, "What the heck are you apologizing for?"

"The way I left you that night . . . After everything that happened. I left you alone. I pushed you away when you just needed someone to listen and understand. I abandoned you! After all that, I'd be surprised if you didn't hate me."

Corbel kept looking between the two and back at the hallway.

"I could never hate you, Ava." Sans assured, solidifying his grip around her, "Never. You hear me?"

Ava hesitated but eventually nodded in understanding. "I hear you."

Corbel saw his opportunity. He quietly, but pointedly cleared his throat, just enough to draw attention to himself.

"Hey, I uh . . . I know you guys have a lot of catching up to do, but can we put a hold on that until after we're clear of this place? We've got a lot of ground to cover and we need to be out of here before Dad or the others show up."

"Oh!" Both Sans and Ava started, turning their attention back toward Corbel and the door.

"Right . . . Corbel." Sans looked up and across the room to the one at the threshold. When their eyes met, Sans' expression fell, "Corbel, I-"

Corbel raised both hands and shook his head, cutting Sans off. "This isn't the time or the place. We need to get going. Now."

Sans nodded, turning his eyes away, "Right . . . You're right."

Ava stalled once again, looking between the two of them and seeing something more. What in the world? "Okay Simm," She asked, "What's going on? Corbel refuses to tell me, but something's definitely happening and I'm tired of being left in the dark!"

"Hey, Ava. Can you do me a favor? While we're out there, call me Sans?"

Ava frowned at that. She wasn't slow to what he was doing. He changed the subject, completely dodging what she asked and trying to draw attention away from the awkward exchange he'd just had with Corbel.

"You've always hated that name." She muttered.

Sans shrugged as he put on a small grin, "It kinda grew on me since I got here. What can I say? It helped me fit in."

"Alright, 'Sans'." Ava nodded, "But don't think I'm just gonna let this go."

"Of course not. As soon as we're in the clear, I'll explain everything. I owe you that much."

Reluctantly, Ava pulled away completely. "Alright then. Let's get going."

Together, the two of them made their way to meet Corbel at the door frame. Corbel was already surveying the area and it seemed as if the coast was still clear.

"You guys ready?" Corbel asked in a low quiet tone. He didn't wait for the answer. "We're gonna go out of one of the emergency exits and get the heck out of this place. From there, we need to lie low until we can get to the snowy forest. If for any reason we get separated, keep heading for the forest. Ava, you should probably stick by Sans so you don't get lost."

"I passed the forest before that Christmas village. I'm sure I can find my way back there no problem. No need to worry about me."

"Even so, Ava. I'd feel better if you were with me." Sans stepped in, "If it wasn't completely obvious, this place isn't exactly friendly toward humans. One look at you and . . . well, I'd rather not think about what could happen. You weren't a fighter last I checked, so let me protect you until we're in the clear."

Ava gave a bit of a pout, "Well, last I checked, you weren't much of a fighter either. But then again, you do have your magic."

"To be blunt," Corbel pointed out, "None of us are fighters, and I hope it doesn't come to a fight, but it definitely will if we hang around here much longer. Ava, if we all get separated, you're with Sans. He's lived here for a while, he can find the forest no problem. Hopefully, that won't be an issue, but just in case."

"Got it." Ava nodded.

"Alright guys." Corbel sighed once again, his attention focusing in strictly on his mission, "Stay close. Stay quiet. We're getting out of here. You ready?"

Sans took a look toward Ava, checking with her for confirmation. He gave her a smile and a nod he could only hope was comforting.

She gave a return nod and a tiny bit of a smile of her own. His comfort worked.

"Ready."

"We're ready."

Corbel nodded to himself, trying to center himself.

"Alright then . . . Here goes everything."