The Time Before (Undertale)

5 ~ Preperation

What they would be doing, was, in concept, rather simple.

Gaster explained all this numerous times to S642 in the days leading up to the first part of the DTW project.

Determination was, in short, a trait that gave human Souls their strength, and allowed the Souls to persist after the death of the host. Gaster had managed to extract a supply of DT from the two Souls of humans to have fallen into the Underground. Theoretically, if a monster were to contain a substantial amount of DT, they could match a human in strength.

Unfortunately, the DT had a nasty habit of melting any monsters it was injected into. Gaster found that this was because monsters lacked the physicality that humans had, and this caused their bodies to degenerate under the strain of the DT.

So, the solution, it seemed, was relatively simple, in concept: increase a monster's physicality.

That was the plan. A series of injections into S642's body that would make him just a little more solid, before injecting just a bit of Determination into him. Then checking the results, and, if it had all worked, doing it again. And again, and again, and again, until S642 was as strong as a human.

Unfortunately, Gaster had not had an opportunity to test this theory. He had come up with it only shortly before Asgore had banned live monster experimentation, and then Gaster had been busy creating S642.

Nonetheless, S642 trusted him, and was eager to try it.

~o0o~

It was the night before the first set of phase one injections.

S642 had long since been put to bed, and Gaster was sitting at his desk, running the calculations again and again, making sure everything was just right, from dosage size to injection sites to injection order and times. Checking to make sure the equipment was all in order.

He had to make sure this worked. It would be such a shame, he told himself, to mess something up now, when things were just getting off the ground again.

No, no that wasn't it.

No, the real reason was because, despite his efforts to avoid it, he had become attached to S642. Quite attached. And he didn't want anything to go wrong, didn't want to lose his ch-

...

No.

No, no, no, no.

No.

S642 was a test subject. He had to be. It was what he was made for, the entire purpose of his existence, the only reason why-

"D- Dings?"

Gaster looked up to see S642 standing in the doorway of the bedroom. He had long since stopped locking the door to the room, as S642 knew where in the lab he was allowed and not allowed.

"Yes?"

S642 opened his mouth. Closed it. Hesitated.

"Is everything alright?"

Suddenly looking very small indeed, S642 shook his head, tears forming in his eyesockets.

"Hey. Hey, come here." Gaster held out his arms from where he sat, beckoning S642 over. The small skeleton didn't hesitate, running over to Gaster, whimpering. Gaster scooped him up, settling S642 in his lap. For a couple minutes, he just let S642 lean against him, sniffling and whimpering.

Eventually, though, Gaster slipped a hand under S642's jaw, lifting his skull to look up. "Hey. Look at me. What's wrong?"

S642 hesitated a moment longer. "... 'M scared!"