Chapter Text
He wasn't supposed to be sold, he and his brother both, they are the last of their kind after all. The last remaining skeletons in existence, after the war, their kind had been driven to the brink of extinction. They were supposed to be protected; if experimentation and imprisonment in a government compound could be considered protection. He hated the compound, the bright white lights illuminating the halls, and the colorless cell he was kept in day and night, with the only furnishing being a small bed attached to the wall. He hated it even more, how the door would creak open, revealing a pair of all too familiar guards wearing plain white uniforms and sneakers, so that the color of their eyes and hair stood out. He hated that compound, and the way he was treated day in and day out, like some lesser being, like a thing, like property.
That was all they saw; they didn't see him as a living thinking person; they saw him as a thing that they owned. He dreaded the moment when the guards would enter his cell, grabbing ahold of his upper arms, and drag him, when he would have been willing to walk. He was haunted by the constant experimentation, and how he was forcefully restrained onto a cold operation table, with a bright light shining over him. And how those same scientists would strut into the room, looking over his body, like it was a specimen to be dissected, pulling on their rubber gloves, and poking and prodding him with malice in their eyes. And if he talked, complained about the unfairness of his treatment, or even cried out when a long needle was shoved into his chest, they would muzzle him. Like some kind of animal, forcing the metal contraption over his head, and tightly fastening it, so that he couldn't make more than a grunt.
The scientists experimented day in and day out, testing his limits pushing him, torturing him all to see how long he could last. How much of an asset he was to their cause. Sans wasn't stupid; he knew that their end goal was weaponization, and every time he collapsed under the high voltage shocks sent through his body, every time he passed out from being trapped in an airtight room. Those scientists would jot down the failure, sighing in disappointment. They didn't care how it felt without air, how his metaphorical lungs would burn, as he hyperventilated trying to breathe when there was nothing. The only thing they cared about was their cruel experiments, without a single regard to who it hurt.
And now sans laid on the cold floor of his cell, trying to ease the intense pain in his skull. The experiments for the day were foggy at best, he vaguely remembered the sound of a drill, as it was buried into his skull before he passed out. He groaned as the sound of his cell door being opened, piercing the silence.
"wasn't that enough for one day?" he grumbled, keeping his eyes closed, trying to enjoy those few moments of peace before he was tortured.
But it wasn't enough, it never was, because once again he felt two sets of familiar hands close around him, dragging him to a standing position. He groggily opened his eyes, focusing on the two men with difficulty, he recognized them quickly; as Lucas and Mike, they both looked like marshmallows in all white, he chuckled hysterically. He was still out of sorts; he blinked a few times, clearing his vision. "heya guys, come on, can't you see i'm bone tired." He said with a lazy grin creasing his face. Oh god, how many times had he told them that very joke, in his semiconscious drugged state, at the moment he didn't care.
The two men ignored him and began to walk out of the cell, dragging him along, so that his bare heels slid across the floor. He sighed, trying to clear the fogginess in his head, then worked for another "heh, I guess you drag the worst outta me." He said, the fogginess dissipating, as he became more oriented on the present. "i hope i'm not gettin pun-ished." He said with a small chuckle.
The man to his left, Lucas shot him a look of exasperation, "Thank god we are getting rid of this thing." He said, looking over at his partner.
"Yeah," The other agreed, nodding his head, "I mean it's about time they realized he's no use to anyone. I mean, it must be the weakest monster I've ever seen!" He exclaimed.
"erm, you guys realize i'm right here." The skeleton interjected awkwardly.
The two guards didn't even seem to hear him continuing their conversation without missing a beat. "I mean sure, the other one has a mental capacity of an eight-year-old, but at least he's strong enough to be useful." Lucas continued.
Any confusion or fogginess vanished as the skeleton turned to glare at the guards "heya watch what ya say about my bro." He growled.
This the guards did notice, because Mike gave the skeleton a hard blow to the head, sending Sans vision spinning "Just shut up!" He hissed in annoyance.
"I don't know why we don't just muzzle the thing permanently." The other guard said in exasperation.
"then, you'd miss out on all my colorful commentary." The skeleton chimed in dryly. Another blow to the head, the skeleton grunted, as the intensity of his headache increased. He slumped in their hold; there was a moment of silence before he tried for another question. "so what exactly does gettin rid of me mean?" he asked, bracing himself for another smack.
It didn't come; instead, the two guards walked in silence for a moment, the only sound being the soft steps of their sneakers. Just as sans had given up on receiving an answer, Mike seemed to shrug and spoke: "You got sold." He said evenly.
"sold?" Sans questioned, "i thought that was against some rule or something…" he replied.
Lucas, "Rules don't matter when there's enough money involved." He replied refocusing on the hallway ahead of him.
"why would someone spend that kinda money on me? you said it yourself. I'm pretty useless." Sans questioned.
"You may be useless to our boss, but as a skeleton, you're a…" Lucas pauses to come up with the word "a collectible." He finishes with a small smirk.
"huh," Sans replied slowly, "so i'm going to be some trophy?" He asked cautiously, beginning to feel more and more uneasy about the situation.
"Probably…" Mike replied, "but, then again there are other reasons people buy monsters." He added after a moment.
"what do you think they want with me then?" Sans asked.
"We don't ask." The guards replied in unison, signaling there would be no more questions.
There was only a moment of silence before the guards came to a halt, Lucas stepped forward, releasing his grip on the skeleton. He then focused his attention on a keypad, attached to the wall right beside the metal sliding door that blocked their path.
Mike also let go of Sans, approaching his comrade, causing Sans to crumple to his knees. "Don't you remember the password?" Mike asked in exasperation.
"Of course, I do!" The other replied indignantly, "I'm ju-just-." He began focusing hard on the keypad.
"You don't remember…" Mike replied flatly, "Uhg, you are useless!" He said in exasperation, pushing his partner to the side to enter the code.
While the two were distracted, sans climbed to his feet, he slowly began to back away, his eyes glued to his bickering captors, and then once he was a considerable distance, he sprinted down the hall. As he ran, he could hear the disgruntled cries of the guards as they pounded after him. Sans' paid them no mind, as he tore down another hall, his bony heels screeching against the tiled floors, as dove into an adjacent hallway. He hadn't gotten ten feet down said hallway, before three guards stepped out in front of him, blocking his path. Sans skidded to a stop, slightly losing his balance so that he had to plant his hand on the ground to keep from falling. With impressive speed, he pivoted his body so that he was angled back the way he had come; then, he took off sprinting again, propelling himself forward. But it was too late, the two guards from before had managed to catch up, and now sans found himself surrounded with nowhere to run.
"SANS!" A loud voice echoed from the hallway, the skeleton recognized it immediately, glancing down the hall, to see a taller skeleton staring at him from behind a set of bars.
"Paps!" Sans choked, his eyes locking on his brothers battered form, It had been so long since he had seen the younger skeleton. Papyrus' usual cheerful expression, had become strained and tired, his eyes were dark, the typical warm orange glow within them had vanished from his sockets.
"WATCH OUT SANS!" Papyrus yelled, reaching out towards his brother, with no avail, the iron bars keeping him from the one person he loved most in the world. Sans was snapped out of his musing, as a fist came pelting towards him. He sidestepped the blow, thrusting his leg out in front of the charging guard. The guard lost his balance, tumbling to the ground in a slur of curses.
Sans didn't have time to contemplate this small victory, as another came at him from behind, attempting to catch him in a bear hug. Sans ducked, and dived forward rolling out of the bulky guards reach. To land at another's feet, Sans was only just able to avoid a kick aimed at his head. But before he could regain his footing, a blow found its way to his side, sending him skidding across the floor. Sans slammed into the wall groaning, as pain shot through his ribs, he scrambled to his feet, staring down his assailants with hate, most of his weight supported by the wall behind him.
"Enough of this nonsense!" A cold voice spoke, causing the five guards to come to attention without a moment's hesitation. A tall, black-haired man stepped into view, his dark eyes glinting, and coming to rest on Sans wheezing stumbling form. Sans recognized him as the man in charge of the compound, Lester Hellwends. The man's lips turned upwards into a malicious smile. "Surrender now monster, and no further harm will come to you." He said his voice was emotionless.
"no further harm?!" Sans growled. "everything you've done to me has harmed me! i'm not some, thing that you can do whatever the hell you want with!" Sans spat.
"On the contrary, that is exactly what you are," Hellwends replied, pulling out a small remote control from his pocket.
"whats that suppos-" San began, but he was cut off as the button was pressed, and electric shock pulsed through his aching form. Sans crumpled to his knees, as the intensity increased, his vision slowly blackening, and his body writhing on the floor.
"You see monster, a form of punishment for disrespectful monsters like yourself," Hellwend explained, as he walked up to Sans. "With your new collar feature, I can use this remote to keep you in line." He said, nudging the skeleton with his foot, Hellwend smiled, enjoying every moment of the skeletons suffering.
"STOP! PLEASE! JUST STOP!" A voice broke through, and the shocks lessening to a bearable intensity.
"paps," Sans gasped, "jus… just stay outta this," Sans instructed his voice hoarse, his body still shook, as the shocks surged through him.
"D-DONT HARM HIM! PLEASE!" Papyrus said, appealing to Hellwends, his voice cracking in fear.
"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten about you," Hellwend said, stepping over Sans quaking body, towards Papyrus. "You have been causing a lot of trouble for our scientists, almost as much as your brother here." He stopped standing in front of Papyrus' cell. "Would you promise to behave, if I were to stop hurting your brother?" Hellwend asked.
"paps, don't!" Sans began, lunging towards Hellwend, who turned up the intensity of the shocks without a glance.
Sans fell to the floor, writhing in pain, the pain tearing a scream from his throat. "So, what will it be monster?" Hellwend asked cruelly. "Your cooperation? Or will your brother have to suffer even more due to your disobedience?"
"ALRIGHT. I-I WILL BEHAVE." Papyrus said bitterly, looking away from Hellwend to watch his brother.
"Ah. Yes. Just as I had expected." Hellwend said quietly; he clicked a button on the remote before returning it to his pocket.
Hellwend then turned his attention to Sans, who was sprawled on the floor panting. Sans glared at him, his gaze radiating hate and defiance. "Never forget, you have no control, you never have, and you never will." He said laying a hand on the skeletons smooth skull. "Get this beast shackled, as it should be. And fix it up, I will not be selling damaged goods." He said his hand leaving Sans, as he strode down the hall.
"Your wrong, you know," Sans said, shakily clambering to his feet. Hellwend paused for a moment, but did not turn. "it won't always be like this; we won't always be your slaves." Sans said, his voice strong and resolute. Hellwend resumed his pace rounding a corner without responding, the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.
Papyrus gasped, he had never seen his brother with such strength, he seemed to resonate bravery, but at that moment, two guards grabbed ahold of Sans, pushing him to the floor. Sans struggled weakly, as he was pinned to the floor, out of the corner of his eye, making out a vial full of bright green fluid. A familiar doctor, he recognized as a man named Alec, moved into view, beginning to draw the liquid into a long needle. "Roll him onto his back." The doctor instructed, bending down, and pocketing the vial. The guards did as they were told rolling the struggling skeleton onto his back, and pinning his arms and legs. Alec lifted the grey shirt from sans chest exposing his bare ribs, which heaved up and down with each strangled breath. "Damn, you sure roughed him up." He said, almost sadly, poking at several cracks in the skeletons rib cage. Alec then shifted his attention to Sans' face, noting his pained expression with a frown. "Alright Sans, are you going to let me see it?" Alec asked slowly, already sure of the answer, he had been working on Sans since he had arrived, his job was primarily dealing with the aftermath of the other scientists cruelty, he was a doctor after all. It was his job to heal.
"you already know the answer to that one, doc," Sans replied indignantly, out of all the scientists in the compound, he hated Alec the least. Alec had saved him countless times but had never tried to stop what others did him; instead, he stood by and watched the pain they would inflict, then patch up the mess they left.
Alec sighed, "You know it would hurt a lot less if you'd release your soul it-" He began.
"i don't care," Sans replied, staring evenly at the scientist before him. Alec nodded solemnly, thrusting his hand beneath Sans's ribcage to grab ahold of the inverted heart beneath.
Sans's body went limp, "SANS!" Papyrus cried, trying to reach out to his brother, who was still out of reach. Alec shot him a sad smile before injecting the needle into the center of the skeleton's soul, immediately releasing it.
"Let go of him!" Alec said quickly, as Sans began to convulse his soul turning a glowing green. The cracks in his ribs began to fuse back together, as the magic coursed through his body. The green slowly began to fade, and Sans' soul fades to its normal light blue color, the small heart then sank back into the skeleton's ribcage.
Sans sat up quickly, gasping for air, his eye sockets wide and dark. "I'm sorry, Sans. I truly am. For everything." Alec said quietly before disappearing down the hall.
"SANS! SANS ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked his voice filled with concern.
"i'm fi-" Sans began, but he was suddenly pulled off the ground, and forced into a standing position. Two guards quickly pulled his hands behind his back, while another secured a set of shackles to his bony wrists. Two more metal shackles were secured to Sans' ankles, a short metal chain attaching them to limit his mobility.
"STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE! PLEASE JUST LET HIM GO!" Papyrus tried, but their captors ignored him as they began to fasten a metal collar around Sans' neck. Sans growled, attempting to bite the hand securing it, without success.
"Stop struggling; it won't do you any good." The guard instructed, removing his hand rather quickly. He slowly pulled out a metal cable, clipping it to the collar around Sans neck.
"didja just put a leash on me?" Sans asked dangerously, his eyes sockets glaring menacingly.
The guard only smiled, giving the leash a hard tug, so that Sans was forced to stumble forward, almost losing his balance. "Enough of this! We have a buyer to meet with." He replied, pulling the shackled skeleton forward, with another harsh tug.
"SANS!" Papyrus' voice quacked orange tears sliding down his cheekbones.
Sans turned to face him "brother," He breathed his eyes, locking on his brother's broken, hopeless form. "papyrus. listen to me. never ever give up! there's always hope; we will be together again. i promise you bro, i will find you. no matter what." Sans said before he was forced down the hallway.
Papyrus watched his brother's shuffling form disappear in the distance, his eyes reigniting with their warm orange glow. "I KNOW YOU WILL, BROTHER," Papyrus said quietly, feeling his hope return to him, for the first time in a long time.