Hopeless Tales (An Undertale AU)

Chapter 23: The Laboratory and its Patients

"Y/N..? Are you okay...?" A disembodied voice called out, echoing in your head. You couldn't piece together who it was.

"Oh...no... it can't end like this!" They scurried away.

You opened your eyes, looking directly into a bright light. Reflexively shielding them with your right arm, you saw a hint of yellow move over to you. Alphys looked over you, holding a vial. She seemed extremely concerned at your current state. She tinkered with something in her grasp, then set it aside.

"You okay?" She said, dimming the lights, which you lowered your arm in response.

"Well, I had a strange drea-" Something made you stop talking and when you tried continuing, you couldn't. "I'm not. Can't you see...?

She paused, then sighed, "I guess you're right. Here, take this." She held a vial to you, yellow glowing liquid flowing within.

"The hell is this...?" You said as you grabbed it.

"The stars you collected. Remember?" You nodded. "They... they should prevent the uh, Shattered Dreams. I have to go, sorry Y/N." She scurried out the room while snagging a clipboard.

"But what are the shattered dreams? No one told me shit!" You shouted, but her figure started getting consumed by the darkness of the hallway. "Alphys! Fuck..."

Sitting up, your hands shook as you examined the room in anticipation of consuming the liquid. A fridge, sink, and cabinets were compactly furnished and a desk omitting a purple light from the desk. Distracted, you got up, stepping barefoot onto the cold room and turned on the oddly bright lamp. It seemed to shine light in every corner, completely brightening it well. Oddly enough, a mirror was tall enough to see your full body, excluding your face. You bent down and examined yourself.

Despite everything, it's still you. You smiled.

But it worn away after realizing your situation. You were now in some black shorts and a white tee and your crown rested on your head, thought lacking color and flames. Speaking of color... your (S/C) also became desaturated, and looked grey or white, depending on where light shines...

You looked at the liquid, and then sat on the bed, downing it all. It tasted... flavorless, and caused you to wince at the strange, sparkly texture. Somehow, your mind cleared up and your memory recovered.

Peering into the hallway, a large explosion occurred, which caused you to jump. All at once, all of the lights turned on, revealing a dark labatory with black and white marble floors. You stepped out, feeling a uncomfortable warmth embrace you. Something began shuddering on your wrist. Looking down, you could see a black wristband with a star. Slapping it, Alphys began speaking.

"Glad you guessed how to work this thing,, heheh... not to scare you or a-anything, but I won't be around for about an hour. I'll watch you, but I have to study. Don't trust the 'people' with a red marking. I've labeled those patients for a reason. Cyan marks are safe, meaning that they are either sane, kind, or helpful, Yellow means passive, meaning they won't speak, but can vary on decisions. Red... they're evil and trying to kill you, on sight. But you can't die, right...?"

A "patient" with a black bracelet and star walked up to you and shook your hand, forcefully. They looked just like you.
Something gives you terrible vines.

"Oh, shit... Y/N, RUN! Do something!" Alphys shouted.

You shoved the clone down and began dashing down the hallway, then dove into a room and locked the door.

You could heard Alphys sigh. "Don't trust the ones with black markings, only you can have that! Doppelgängers are something else..." She said. Her voice was not only coming from the "speaker", but also near you.
Looking up, you saw Alphys peering down at you, slightly embarrassed. She seemed to be sitting at a desk with several monitors and wires running at once in front of her.

"O-Oh, you moved so fast I didn't have time to tell you- nevermind, I guess I will. How about you pull that chair over here?" She then pointed behind you, you turned around and brought a rolling chair over.
"That should do."
Many folders and documents were laid on the desk, but strangely were labeled either Y/N or simply, Ruler. Even photos accompanied it. Some were a bit too close or extreme, like you walking around town or sleeping. Strangely, Asriel seemed to be cropped out of all of them. Before you could question it, Alphys swiftly put them in the drawer, revealing a keyboard and dozens of flickering colors.

"So, uh... those pictures, don't... ask. I didn't take them. Anyway, the Shattered Dream is basically another border between reality and death. In short, you're about to die, but you have another chance to live. Think of it like The Backrooms, ever heard about that stuff online?" She said.

"Of course, but that sounds god-awful." You mumbled. "Can I not die?"

"Well... it's not that easy. But-"
The lights flicked on and off, then went out. All of the computers and wires stopped working, leaving you and Alphys in the dark with flickering bright buttons, which started fading to bright red. You sprang up to your foot and turned to see the now dim brightness of the hallway.

"H-Hold on, shut the door!" Alphys said, in which you listened. A light pointed at the ceiling, then at your torso. "Here, take this. I need you to do me a favor."

"And that is...?" You took the flashlight she was holding and lowered it.

"I need you to fix some power generators. Remember the labels. If you are unsure, just run away. There are very few posters about the labels on the walls." She said, flicking a small light on her desk and reviving the camera footage, then motioned for you to come over. Glancing at the screen, dozens of dark green halls could be seen, some missing a tile or three. However... each camera name had a blinking warning.

"What's with the warning?" You hummed.

"The footage is corrupt. Meaning... this may or may not be accurate. Anyway... thanks to my engineering, those batteries shouldn't be going out, anytime soon. If so, our communication distance is low and you're gonna have to go on your own intrusion." Alphys fixed her glasses and looked away from the screen.

As if it was scheduled, the room lights turned on and so did the hallways. You turned off your flashlight and put it on your pocket. "Oh, good! Now that the lights are on, you can just label the generators for me and prepare for the next lockdown. Anyway, any uh, questions?" She said.

"Can I have some shoes? And do I have to wear this?"

"Maybe and yes. First of all, regular materials disintegrate and the material I need is very... distinctive and uh, rare. Secondly, you do... the bland and less layered clothing means less attraction. On that note... the material required will attract all patients to you. Good and Bad."

You scratched your head at that thought. "What about the Shattered Dreams again? Is this gonna affect them, or-"

Alphys paused for a moment, then composed something even more questionable. "Well... yeah. When you solve this generator issue, you can return to the 'world without pain' BS. You ready to go? Remember, if you need me... just press your bracelet." She said.

"I'm ready to go." You mumbled, slightly concerned. She gave you a brief wave and turned back to the screen, wires and monitors running again.

You stepped out onto the cold floor, hearing the door click behind you.

Another stupid thing... but it can't be that bad, right?