Broken Souls

Chapter 9 - Testing

"Asgore! Asgore I need to talk to you!" Alphys screamed, pounding on the door to the throne room. She didn't care if he fired her at this point, he just needed to know about Sans. Asgore had to lift the ban on Sans' machine, he had to.

Eventually, her screaming brought the attention of a passing guard. The dog wandered over with a confused expression, sniffing Alphys' clothes. She reached out a hand and immediately the dog barked happily, nuzzling her hand for more pets. Alphys giggled and pet the dog, which was obviously too tired to play that much as it quickly curled up and fell asleep, rather than getting excited.

Once she was sure the dog was fast asleep, Alphys resumed knocking on the door although she didn't yell lest the dog woke up again. Pretty soon, it swung open revealing a disgruntled Asgore. He gazed down at the former Royal Scientist,

"Howdy Alphys. What brings you pounding on my door?" Asgore asked. Alphys blushed,

"W-well. In r-regards t-to S-sans..."

"I've made my decision based on your evidence. He will not endanger us all with that machine." Asgore cut her off sternly. Alphys almost withered right there and then, but she took a depth breath and stood straight.

"No. I w-went over the b-blueprints again... I... He... He's not lying... Oh Asgore he's trying to save his dad!"

Asgore was silent for a long while, the shock clear on his face. "That changes some things. While I am not entirely sure on it's safety-"

This time it was Alphys who cut him off,

"B-but it is! T-that figure... the o-one you a-and I s-saw. I-it told me th-the machine w-will w-work!" Alphys exclaimed. Now Asgore was curious.

"Well... If that's the case. Round up everyone who may be of help and tell them we're heading to Snowdin tonight."

===

A few months had passed since Asgore had allowed Sans to build the machine. And now, it was almost ready for it's first test. He knew that this test had the chance to fail, that was just science, but if it did the machine could be rebuilt in a matter of weeks. If the machine worked first try... Well...He could hardly wait.

===

Finally, after three months, the machine was ready to test. Sans was more excited than Papyrus had ever seen him, darting from desk to machine to check every tiny thing. Every time he stopped working, Sans could see fleeting images of a tall skeleton in his mind's eye. They just made him work faster. Alphys had come over almost every day and helped him with all sorts of calculations and measurements whilst Papyrus had gone on supply runs with Undyne to fetch any extra materials.

Alphys was slightly more hesitant to start the machine, anxiously checking over the calculations again to reassure herself. Sans, meanwhile, was ecstatic. He kept mumbling about seeing someone again as his hands fluttered in some sort of sign language. He only had to wait until Undyne came back with King Asgore and Queen Toriel and then he could begin.

When the others arrived, everyone spent a couple minutes catching up before the testing began. Frisk was there too for some reason, although Sans suspected it was in case they needed to reset if anything went wrong. Sans was grateful that in case everything did go horribly wrong, it wouldn't last for long.

And then suddenly, it was time. Alphys manned the control panel; Undyne, Papyrus, Frisk, Toriel and Asgore stood behind a sheet of bullet-proof glass; Sans was by the machine, one hand on the power control switch. He gave it a gentle tug, sending the switch down as a spark of electricity jumped along the cables.

Everyone waited with bated breaths.

A faint hum of machinery filled the air, echoing off the basement walls. For a few minutes, it seemed to be warming up and not much happened. And then, almost imperceptibly, a tiny tear appeared in the air. It grew about an inch per second, eventually stopping when it was five feet high and a foot wide. The tear was blacker than black, so dark it didn't seem to exist. For a few minutes more, the tear stayed in the air as everyone stared at it. Sans crept closer, reaching out a hand to trace the edges of the tear. The machine shuddered as he did so and let out a high pitched whine. Sans leapt back, anticipating an explosion-

Then the power went out.

===

A simple mistake to make, he thought. The power requirement for the machine was probably not something that had crossed Sans' mind but that was okay. The machine hadn't exploded and all it would take were some extra calculations to ensure enough power was diverted to the machine. He had seen the basement where the machine had been built, even if everyone in there couldn't see him through the infinite darkness. He could feel, however briefly, as if the shards of his Soul were coming together by themselves, without him forcing them to do so.

When the tear was still open, he'd felt a flare of energy through him. He wanted to feel it again, next time for longer. Long enough to pull himself out of this eternal damned prison.

===

Sans let his eye socket fill with a blue flame, allowing the other's to see in the now-darkened basement. He could see their confused expressions, silently asking what had gone wrong. He coughed awkwardly, signalling for Papyrus to help him light up the room. Papyrus did so, his right socket flaring orange. Toriel and Asgore both summoned a fireball in their palms; Undyne used the faint glow of her spear and Alphys found a torch in her toolbox. With everyone settled comfortably in the makeshift light, waiting for the power to turn back on, Sans began to go over what needed to be done for next time.

"a simple power problem. i just need permission to redirect the core's power for a short while." Sans said, glancing at Asgore. The King nodded,

"If you use the machine at night, there will be less need for power above ground as everyone will be sleeping." Asgore offered. Papyrus hesitantly raised his hand as if he was in school, the others turned to him.

"This isn't really about the machine but how long will the power be out? I know Sans won't be able to keep up the Magic for too long and I'm starting to get tired."

Sans shook his head,

"nah pap. i'm good-" he yawned, "-totally fine."

Toriel chuckled, scooping a dozing Frisk onto her lap. The group settled down in the basement, preferring to stay together than go back to the house. Just as Papyrus predicted, Sans' light guttered out after a few minutes more and the skeleton slumped sideways to lean against his brother. Alphys to fell asleep, curled up against Undyne and leaving her torch on just in case.

===

The next evening, after the power had turned back on, Alphys went with Asgore and Undyne to the CORE to redirect the main energy output to Snowdin. Sans took a shortcut to collect them and bring them back to the basement before preparing to turn the machine on again.

Once again, everyone but Alphys and Sans stood behind protective glass as the machine warmed up. They waited slightly less nervously than before, knowing that explosions were unlikely and the power was at a high enough level to avoid any more black-outs.

When the tear appeared and stopped growing, Sans stepped closer. Alphys kept a hold on the rope he'd tied around his ribs this time around just in case. And then, Sans leaped back with a yelp, making Alphys drop the rope. Everyone stared at the figure lying in a heap on the floor. It had just appeared, suddenly coming back into existence. Sans hesitantly turned the machine off, making sure the tear was completely closed before stepping near the figure.

===

He groggily sat up, shaking his skull and looking around at the monsters who'd begun to surround him. His gaze found the two skeletons crouched by his side. They were both smiling, mumbling reassurance in a language he had yet to remember. He smiled back, and tried to move but found his limbs unresponsive. He let out an irritated grumble before feeling a wave of nausea and tiredness wash over him. When he passed out, it wasn't bad, but rather comforting and much needed.