{Handplates chapter references: That was 90% gravity, How did you get that?}

"hey, i dunno if you know this but sticking stuff in someone's eye sockets is kinda uncomfortable."

"It'd be easier if you'd stop squirming.", replied Gaster, focused on threading a couple of cables into 1-S's eye socket.

"sorry, for some reason it's hard to relax whenever you're near my eyes. can't imagine why.", 1-S kept talking with a sarcastic undertone, but Gaster just dismissed it.

"Yes, yes, you'll just have to survive somehow. Stay still."

The Royal Scientist attached nodes to 1-S's skull, making sure they were sitting properly.

"what are you even doin anyway?"

"I'm setting up focal points for the magic matrix."

"and...why? do you even need a reason for the stuff you do?"

Subject 1 reached up with his hand, carefully feeling for the nodes on his face without disturbing them too much.

"I'm hoping it will draw a response from your SOUL and rekindle the eye."

Gaster plugged the cable into the generator as Subject 1 just stared at him with genuine disbelief and hint of surprise. His eyes almost immediately narrow as he started to connect the dots: "...you're trying to fix me?"

A small huff escaped Gaster as he tried to explain himself: "Yes. Your broken eye does me no more good than it does you, you know. It's very inconvenient."

1-S gripped the armrest of the chair he sat on more tightly, almost jumping out of the seat in a small outburst: "inconvenient-"

"Physical damage is one thing, but impaired eye glowing opens up a whole new host of potential emotional problems to deal with...and, as you've probably gathered, emotions aren't exactly my strong suit."
Gaster looked directly at 1-S as he spoke those words, his gaze softening a little for a moment.

1-S continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"...did you just make a joke?"

Gaster brushed off his question, trying to distance himself again. He turned on the machine.

"Now, stay still and try to relax. It should be relatively painless at this intensity, then as time goes on-"

An electric crackle erupted from the plug and a loud explosion rang through Gaster's ears. He stumbled back from the force, blinded by the light that erupted from 1-S's skull.

Gaster sat on the floor, staring up at his face in fear, half of his skull entirely blown off and shattered.
He immediately got up, hurrying to his side: "NO NO NO!"

Everything shut down, as only one thought raced through his mind:

The child is going to die, I have to save him!

In his panic, a sudden burst of energy rushed through Gaster's body and the whole room was illuminated in a bright green as he attempted to heal Subject 1.
Gaster's healing was as good as gone but his sudden panic seemed to have rekindled something. He reached out for 1-S, trying to grasp whatever he could to keep him alive.

[HP] .001

Gaster's expression grew more desperate as his healing started to fade but he tried his best nonetheless.

"I...I can't maintain this.."

He was still desperately trying to hold onto Subject 1's soul. A small inaudible noise escaped S-1's mouth...he was dying.

[HP] .0001

Gaster's shoulders slumped down, focusing hard on his healing.

He is going to die- He is going to-

Gaster felt something reach out towards him.

It was not 1-S, no.

His magic aura felt different, but it was something, someone he knew. Better than anyone.

It was as if they held 1-S with him and he felt his chest flutter as he felt the familiar aura beside him.

It was only for a second, for the blink of an eye, before it was suddenly gone and the warm feeling in his chest was replaced by loneliness.

[HP] .00001

There was no time. He could not keep this up. Gaster picked up Subject 1, holding him against his chest.

"I've got to get him stabilized, please-", he looked at the exit frantically moving towards it, silently begging: "keep him stable."

Maybe it was pointless, maybe he had just imagined things and there was nothing, but he wanted to believe.

At least for the moment.

He hurried towards the room, where the tubes were located, putting him inside and attaching the necessary cables to him with his magic hands as the container slowly started filling up. He was panting heavily, on the brink of a panic attack.

When he watched the monitor and how the liquid slowly started rising, he finally calmed himself, sinking down in front of the tube and holding his head.
The rising of his chest started to even, his heart still thudding wildly against his ribcage.

The vibration of his phone distracted him, and he fished it out of his pocket, answering the call with a trembling voice: "Yes, Alphys, what is it...?"

"Yes, I'm alright...it just startled me, that's all."

"...Well, if the power's still on, then the Core must have stabilized. Do you have any readings from before the surge...?"

"...Yes, I'll meet you over there..."

"Just..." He glanced up at 1-S for a moment, his voice a little lower:

"...give me a few minutes."

.

.

.

"Failure, failure, failure. If enthusiasm equaled adeptness, you'd be less a disappointment, 2-P", mumbled Gaster quietly to himself as he checked the most recent test results from 2-P.

His eyes scanned the table. Several puzzles and thinking games were spread out across the surface but one thing seemed to be missing.

"Where's my color cube?"

...

Gaster could hear 2-P's giggling in the distance as he quietly stepped up to the cell. The beams hummed to life immediately as Gaster was close enough, illuminating the space better.

"Subject 2.", Gaster said coldly, looking down at the little skeleton that sat on the other side of the room, fiddling around with the color cube.

2-P flinched and immediately got onto his feet, clutching the cube tightly against his chest.

"D-DON'T BE MAD! DON'T BE MAD, I JUST-"

"How did you get that without my noticing?"

"I REALLY LIKED- I-I WANTED TO PRACTICE! SO, SO I CAN SHOW YOU HOW GOOD I AM AT PUZZLES."

2-P looked at the cube in his hands, rotating it a little to take in the patterns he created, then showed it to Gaster: "I'M- I'M REALLY GOOD AT PUZZLES."

"Subject 2."

"I AM, I REALLY AM, SEE. LOOK. LOOK IT'S ALL X'S! AND, AND TO SOLVE IT YOU HAVE TO MAKE THEM ALL O'S, IT-"

"Subject 2. Give me the cube.", Gaster said coldly, extending his hand to give him the cube.

2-P's reaction was to back away a little, holding the color cube a little more tightly and looking down at the floor: "I...I THINK IT'S REALLY CLEVER, I DON'T THINK ANYONE COULD COME UP WITH A PUZZLE LIKE THIS, I THINK IT'S REALLY GOOD.." 2-P desperately tried to explain himself.
He hoped that Gaster could see what he saw.
How smart he is and how clever his puzzles were despite constantly failing the tests.
He just wanted to impress him for once.

Gaster's fingers didn't even move as he used blue magic, freezing 2-P in place and getting him back closer to the door of the cell.

Once more he extended his hand, his voice more demanding: "Give me the cube."

Subject 2 finally surrendered, putting the color cube into his palm with a saddened expression. He teared up, closing his eyes and his head lowering a little as Gaster began scolding him: "You are never to take anything back to your cell again, especially without informing me or the consequences will be dire. Do you understand?"

Silence hovered in the air before finally a quiet apology came out of Subject 2's mouth.

As Gaster heard the defeat in his voice, the sadness it held...something stirred him.
He flinched a little but quickly turned away: "...Don't do this again."

"WHEN WILL MY BROTHER COME BACK? I...I WANTED TO SHOW HIM MY PUZZLE..."

Gaster's shoulders dropped and he stopped walking. Guilt was clawing at his heart, and he had not the heart to tell Subject 2 the entire truth.
He could not even look at him as he gave him an answer: "1-S is healing poorly. He has yet to regain consciousness."

"OH...", was all that 2-P managed to say before he started tearing up again.

"I HOPE HE COMES BACK SOON...", Subject 2 said between sobs, his voice hoarse. He covered his eyes as he continued to sob.

Gaster slowly turned back to him, his own gaze saddened as he watched 2-P cry. He hesitated for a moment, torn between doing what is right and what is wrong but before he could think, the words spewed already: "If you behave, I may return the cube later."

2-P immediately looked up at Gaster, his eyes glowing in a warm orange in response and his tears stopped falling.

"REALLY???? YOU MEAN IT?? THANK YOU!"
He was so happy and excited. It made things so much more difficult for Gaster.

What happened? What changed? Didn't he manage to distance himself and turn off his emotions?

Gaster just turned away again, walking down the hallway: "Never do this again."

...

Gaster sat in his office, the faint blue light of the tube, where Subject 1 was in, illuminating the room. He had his head rested on his hand, a cigarette between his fingers. His eyes wandered to the color cube that sat on a couple of papers.

"...God, what am I doing?" He turned his office chair, watching as Subject 1 floated in the blue liquid silently, the steady beeping of the monitor occasionally breaking the silence.

The small skeleton's soul was glowing brightly in blue but sometimes Gaster swore he could see flickers of s/c from time to time.

Was it the particles from your soul that somehow responded now? What had changed? What triggered that effect? Or was he just becoming delusional?

But...when he tried to heal Subject 1, there was something that reached for him. Something that tried to desperately keep Subject 1 alive, just as much as Gaster wanted it.

The healing surge he had was a surprise by itself but...if that other source, this other...power hadn't been there, Subject 1 would have most likely perished.
He would have never survived the transfer into the tube.

It was strange but Gaster had decided to not test anything or try to figure out the exact origins of this yet, considering 1-S's poor state he was currently in.

Gaster had barely saved Subject 1 in time and he had no idea what to do to stabilize him truly or how to proceed.

Truth was, he felt bad for 2-P, knowing he was waiting in that cell day in and out all by himself for his brother to return. It was hard to show indifference.

Gaster reached out for the color cube with his free hand, inspecting the different patterns that 2-P had created.

It was quite the clever design, he had to admit. He probably would have enjoyed solving this puzzle in the past.

Gaster thought to himself for a moment, bringing the cigarette to his lips and inhaling the smoke before blowing it out again.

Maybe he should give that cube back to Subject 2.

Surely it would only be beneficial, letting him practice for future tests. There was no other reason for this decision aside from this practical purpose.

Definitely.