Reboot stared up at Gaster with a terrified look on his face, fear swirling in his glassy-eyes. He started to desperately yank at the restraints, ignoring the pain it caused him against his ankles and wrists.

Gaster watched his creation with a wide grin, letting out a snort at Reboot's feeble attempts.
The metal which was clasped around his body didn't move, tightly closed and locked. At this rate his wrists would be bruised and probably would start bleeding.

He shook his head and hummed, hovering his gloved hands over the swap creator's left arm, fiddling at the small plates and eventually sliding one off, causing the smaller to shudder and let out a frightened whimper.

The scientist discarded the plate on a separate table, scribbling something down before looking to the opening. He slipped his hands in, searching for whatever.

Reboot gritted his teeth.
He could feel it all. Feel the hands in his arms, pulling and flicking at his wires. Trailing against the metal and bone.

Gaster smiled.
Reboot knew all too well that he had found what he needed and he panicked. Trying to move his arm around and stop him from collecting whatever he wanted.
But Gaster wasn't weak like him, and he slammed a strong hand down into Reboot's sternum. Earning a small cry and pinning him there.
"Behave." He snapped. "Stop acting like an ignorant child."
A whimper escaped Reboot and he squirmed. "You can't do this to me!! I-I have... R-rights!!"

Gaster just rolled his eyes and gripped onto something in his arm before yanking it out with force. A click.

Reboot's eyes widened and he screamed in agony, scrambling and kicking. "STOP IT!!! PLEASE!!! I WANNA GO HOME!?" He sobbed, tears flowing down his cheeks as small warning symbols started to spread across his head.

The scientist however, pulled away with a chip in his hand, turning and walking off to the desk. Sitting down and looking it over before connecting it to his computer.
He didn't glance over to the crying skeleton who may there writhing in pain.

Gaster stared at the screen of the computer, bits of information and photographs popping into existence which he examined and purred over.
"Excellent." Was all he said, leaning back in his chair and then glancing over to Reboot who still trembled and ached.
"It seems like you still haven't learned your manners. Or your place," he growled at the last part and then smiled widely. "But I will teach you. With or without force depending on how you behave."

Reboot whimpered again and looked away, tilting his head and squeezing his eyes shut. As if trying to force himself out of a bad dream of some sorts but to no avail.
He missed the swap destroyer, he missed his attitude, the house in Underswap filled with stolen necessities.
He missed the wonderful doodle sphere, the beautiful aus, his opposite creator and the opposite destroyer who stuck beside eachother forever.
The freedom he cherished... Was he going to lose it and be stuck here again..?

Reboot dreaded the thought. He didn't want to sit in an empty cell waiting for the day he would finally cease to exist or for someone to suddenly burst in through that door to save him.
It was all coming back to him.

------------------

Eraser paced around in the doodle sphere, gritting his teeth and trying to think as he continuously glanced up at the aus with a scowl. He gripped his hands into fists as he continued to cuss and mutter to no one but himself.
"Where the hell could he be...!? He's not in Underswap... Not in Underfell... Or Outertale."
He groaned, mumbling the long list under his breath.
After searching through Underswap, the swap destroyer had teleported to multiple aus looking for his enemy. Checking every cave and body of water. Every secret lab and hidden passage which eventually led to nothing but disappointment and further rage.

A portal appeared and Ink suddenly jumped in with a look of exhaustion. "He's not in Fellswap, Freshtale, Dreamtale, Dusttale, Reapertale or Aftertale." The creator added to the long list and leaned against his brush, staring up at the aus as he cocked his head to the side, pupils shifting to a blue circle and a purple square.

"I'm guessing...." Ink trailed off, trying his best to think only to hiss in defeat.

"I guess Gaster would be hiding him somewhere obvious. A place right in front of us which we just haven't noticed yet."

Ink and Eraser quickly turned around to see Error who was standing there, also looking at the aus while chewing on a bar of stolen chocolate.

Eraser narrowed his eyes, looking a bit pissed. "Do you ever stop fucking eating!?"

Error shot a glare at him, a grin on his face. "It's called 'stress eating', you asshole. Get it right." The destroyer chuckled and resumed eating.

The other two grumbled and sighed. "We need to keep looking... And quick." Eraser bit his lip, nervous. "The longer we take the more shit Gaster does to Reboot."
Ink nodded and fidgeted with his brush before his face went completely blank and he looked up. "Has anyone checked Undertale?"

Eraser and Error looked at each other for a moment with a straight face before shaking their heads.
They had clearly missed the most obvious au.
Ink hissed. "You idiots!!!! Undertale is just -" He shook his head with a weak curse and quickly painted a portal, grabbing the two and yanking them inside.

Error landed in the snow with a screech and a thud, Eraser soon following after him and landing on his back with a grunt and another pissed yelp from Error. The two immediately shoved and kicked each other away before standing up, dusting themself off and flicking off bits of snow from their jackets.

Ink stood a distance away, looking around slowly with his hands perched on his hips. "I haven't been here for a while... I never thought I would have to really come back to check up on anything.." He sighed. "I should have kept my guard up or been prepared for something like this... It was inevitable."
The last part came out as a quiet mumble.

Eraser hummed. "I don't think the ruins would be a place of interest to Gaster. I'm thinking more.. The older labs. He wouldn't be stupid and made a lab so close to Snowdin."
Error nodded in silent agreement, stuffing his hands into his pockets calmly. As if their friend was totally not going to possibly fucking die-

Ink teleported them all into hotlands, out of sight. He poked his head out from behind a small cave, checking for an all clear before stepping out. The heat was unbearable.
Eraser didn't give a damn, he just needed to know that his enemy was safe for once.

Hotlands seemed as normal as ever, just. Hot.
The guards were on their break, probably chugging down gallons of water while they still could.
"We need to get to the old labs."
Eraser nodded and raised a hand as a volunteer. "I'll teleport us there."
"Not directly in. We don't want to teleport in the middle of a battle and get our skulls chopped off," Error added with a reassuring smile, earning two tired looks.

Eraser grabbed Ink's wrist and Error by the scarf, purposely tugging him down uncomfortably and then teleporting into a random closet.
They all had to cover their mouths to make sure they didn't cough because of all the dust. Eraser hissed, "geez. When was the last time this place saw a cleaner!" He whisper-yelled.
Ink shivered and reached for the door, carefully opening it and peeking out, glancing up and down the dark hallway. Boxes were laying around everywhere, bits of paper and blueprints placed on top. There would be an occasional wheelchair and empty seat, drawings stuck to the wall with sticky tape.

Error cringed. So did Eraser.
This place looked like a scene from a horror movie and they hated it like hell.
And not only that. It was freezing.
There was the sound of dripping water in the distance, echoing quietly. But other than that, it was deadly silent and the three didn't like it at all.
Ink pressed himself closer to Error's side, the destroyer slowly lacing his fingers into Ink's carefully.

Eraser breathed in and slowly stepped out, "come on..." He murmured before walking down the hallway, the two following him nervously.

But then.
A distant scream.

And the three froze and looked to each other with horrified looks.